#The new DR season RUINED me btw

[reddevildoodles]

Unfinished Jaya WIPs + Doodles because I miss them

[daisugababy]

Btw its also a huge double standard that since their introduction, nico and taryn have not been made a series regulars when link, hayes, winston, and nick and koracick all have. Almost all of those were introduced as LIs for meredith and like I get it kind of get it bc its her show but also rose wasnt a regular in s4. Or ben wasnt a regular for a long time. Even callie and arizona were recurring characters first. But now every LI is immediately a main, unless its nico who is on the show 4+ seasons without promotion. So levi is the only main who’s stories get compromised by his immediate contacts being recurring. Also The absolute biggest failure of this show is their inability to introduce new interns past jo’s year. This show was founded on interns/residents navigating their way through medicine and life, and because they feel the need to saturate the show with unessecary characters that compliment the main characters. Since Jo’s year the only interns that have been developed at all are deluca (who was watered down to serial LI and then once he was given a substantial solo plot was killed off) and levi (who is reduced to comic relief and when they finally write him advancing in his medical career its a rehashed plot they used for his bf 3 seasons ago). That is almost TEN seasons where no significant intern class was introduced. I cannot stress enough how much better this show would be if greys would have introduced levi, taryn, qadri and casey etc as regulars and had them navigate internship and residency with meredith, amelia, maggie, jackson and alex filling the roles that richard, derek, mark, addison and burke did in the first few seasons. Jo and deluca could have filled bailey’s s1 role. LI characters like link, hayes, winston, etc can all be introduced as recurring characters and maybe promoted if they become more relevant. Write owen off the show instead of bringing teddy back (especially bc recent seasons have ruined her character for me and I dont think Im alone in that). Its all so simple but instead greys waters down their cast with under developed characters to the point where you dont even care when they make mistakes/learn from them.

Tl;dr: greys but the current main cast is bailey, richard, meredith, amelia, maggie, jo, deluca, levi, helm, casey, qadri with most of the LIs being recurring characters (also sorry for the rant, I didnt intend for that lol)

ALL. OF. THAT.

This is a peak quality rant and I always welcome rants in this house.

You know what's funny? I completely forgot that Levi was supposed to be a main. Because he is not treated like one at all. But also how could he when the cast is fully packed.

They need to write out people. And with that I don't mean the newer ones like the B-Team or Nico or Hayes, but people like Owen and Teddy (or even Mer, ffs she's been through enough). Just give the characters a happy ending and spend the time you got now on the newer cast.

(I wanna keep Hayes though if we're keeping Mer. for... reasons..... LOL)

[nekoprankster218]

Finally binging Marvel’s What If…? Here’s my thoughts so far.

Episode 1:

Continuation is a must have.

I realize that like the tall Resident Evil vampire lady, the reason I didn’t know I needed a woman like Captain Carter is because media doesn’t usually give us women built like her. This should change.

Episode 2:

I must know what happened to Rocket and Groot in this universe. I was so sure they’d appear in the Collector’s collection. Gamora being MIA is sus too.

Star-Lord T’challa Thanos is the only valid Thanos. Also seeing him getting his shit kicked in by his own former employees was hilarious.

Honestly gonna be sad when I see this batch of characters again and get reminded this was just an AU.

Also continuation is a must have.

Episode 3:

You know, I kinda thought Loki was gonna join the new version of the Avengers. And then his address to his new subjects happened. Damn.

Wait actually, why didn’t Fury contact Captain Marvel for the original Avengers? Was that something covered in her movie?

Also haven’t gotten to the Ant Man movies yet, so idk what specifically happened here that made Hank Pym go evil.

Speaking of…eh, wasn’t feeling the “it was evil Hank Pym all along” explanation. For the exploration of the Avengers systemically getting murdered before they can form, I guess I expected something else. Actually for awhile I thought the twist was that Loki was doing it; either ‘cause he knew what was gonna happen or he spied on Earth first an got intel or something else.

Episode 4:

Man I really hoped sane!Strange was gonna win.

Also Dr. Strange is another Marvel movie I skipped at first so I have no idea who Christine is or what happened to her in the main timeline.

Also I know from trending that episode 8 is gonna have another Watcher “fourth wall break” so is this gonna be a reoccurring thing every four episodes?

Episode 5:

The number of universes Hank Pym has personally ruined in the name of family is now two. I expect this number to raise.

Also number of universes Tony Stark has died in…four since he wouldn’t gone out with Episode 4’s universe, too.

Honestly having a hard time with the super zombies here. Guess it just feels off that they retain their skills.

Also that cape did a number on five super zombies. Why the hell has cape just been sitting on the rack when cape could’ve just ended the whole apocalypse with that kind of power?

WHY CAN ZOMBIE FALCON FLY.

Oh wait I forgot to add this earlier but what even actually happened. What change in the universe caused the quantum virus? What does it even do? Idk I was kinda expecting every change in the timeline to get highlighted in the same obvious fashion as the Captain Carter one. And there could’ve been many different routes they could’ve taken to reach “zombie apocalypse”.

WAIT WAS THE BABA YAGA CALLBACK FORESHADOWING WANDA?!?! BECAUSE WITCH. OH MY GOD-

I fucking knew it. I knew it. Giant zombie lady. Should’ve put a bullet in her head first, why did everyone eat dumb-dumb crackers simultaneously, even horror movie expert Peter?!

You seriously going to just end it on a zombie Thanos cliffhanger…God fucking dammit. What does it mean?! What does it mean?!

Episode 6:

My mind was all over the place with this one; I was so engrossed. Damn. What a savage evil plan. Where did Killmonger even get the idea?

Also of course Shuri figured out the truth. Wish they explained how and why a bit more, if only as her flexing.

Oh btw, Tony Stark total death count is now at five.

Episode 7:

FINALLY! ROCKET MAKES AN APPEARANCE! Please tell me it’s not just a silent cameo…

Oh my god I love the chemistry between this Thor and Loki. “I couldn’t tell you. It’ll ruin the magic.” with that tone and pose…fantastic.

Love the idea of the whole galaxy being so terrified of Frigga they’ll clean up a whole planet for her.

Just as I was thinking of how I hoped this Thor and Jane’s relationship would work out better than the main verse…ULTRON?!

Also I am dying to know how Rocket ended up in Jane’s apartment. Please give me fanfics of that. And of Rocket and Groot in the Star Lord T’Challa universe, actually. And in the zombie verse. And on every verse.

Episode 8:

The Tony Stark death counts goes up. Also how did the Avengers not get the cradle? Bet it was Hank Pym’s fault again.

Also love the “Ultron is actually the true major threat of the MCU he just got cut off early enough” thing. Hate that it came at the cost of Rocket and Groot and Mantis. Didn’t even get to see them on screen…

Also love that juxtaposition of the Watcher narrating as Ultron realizes there’s a fourth wall. Reminds me of SAO Abridged Episode 2. And looks like not even the Watcher knows what he’s about to narrate until he’s reading it. Nice.

Natasha’s got a shield. Clint’s got a robo arm. They’re Captain Apocalypse and End of the World Soldier.

CLIFFHANGER?! REALLY?! Also what happened to Party Thor universe, I must know. And does that mean we’re reaching a season finale? What’re the rest of the episodes gonna look like from here on out?

[bytedykes]

Any particular reason you don't like Jace? No judgement I just live for hearing people's takes

i’d like to preface this by saying i don’t rlly have a problem with people who do like jace as long as they aren’t weird abt it, and that sometimes i do enjoy some portrayals of jace, none of them canon or widespread fanon.

in s1 jace is a selfish asshole who throws his bond with alec aside in favor of clary with absolutely no hesitation. he 1) refuses to listen to anyone unless they agree with him, 2) refuses to respect alec who is not only his parabatai and brother, but also the (acting) head of the institute jace is stationed at, aka his superior, 3) is just generally really shitty to alec (bringing up alec’s feelings for him and throwing them back in his face, “maybe your mother was right and your best just isn’t good enough,” yelling at alec when he ‘lost’ clary despite clary running away herself and alec not being at fault for that, etc) while alec does his best to protect him and help him with his halfbrained plan to get back clary’s mom. also i hate d*m sherwood lmao

he’s just a very self-centered person with no regard for consequences in s1, he mistreats the parabatai bond, and he betrays alec at some point. ik it sounds like i’m being biased as someone who likes alec but that’s not just it lol, there’s def more to it hfkjsh

(although i definitely am mad on alec’s (and magnus’) behalf too don’t get me wrong)

jace invites himself into magnus’ home with no prior notice and just announces he’s gonna be living there for a while?? he and clary are like, the sole cause of at least half the season’s problems, and i’m willing to cut clary some slack because she’s completely new to this and doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing. i have issues with her in s1 too but her behaviour is more justifiable imo. still shitty but i can see where she’s coming from and what her motives are. jace on the other hand should KNOW BETTER! he’s been in the shadowworld since BIRTH, he knows all the laws and customs and he just doesn’t give a shit!! he steals the goddamn mortal cup, convinces magnus to steal from alec, and in generally just behaves like a clown 🤡🤡🤡

i guess he’s less irritating (too mild of a term but w/e) in s2, but still incredibly frustrating at times, and i haven’t rlly seen s3 so idk what he’s like there but from what i know he’s still an entitled dick a lot of the time.

ofc he has his decent human being moments, but those are. hm. not as common as they should be for me to be able to enjoy his character asdlfkjkfd. that’s my reasons abt my issues with jace’s canonical self, but also i just generally don’t like him lol. like there are reasons (see above) but i also don’t need them to dislike him if ykwim.

i also dislike a lot of his fanon portrayal because most ppl who stan him (and i mean stan like hardcore stan, not just enjoy him normally btw; ppl who just like him and think critically abt him are ok i have nothing against them) excuse away all of his behaviour and flaws and refuse to think critically about his actions in favor of acting like he’s the best, morally righteous character around. (presumably because he’s a cishet white “bad boy” character which u know ppl go crazy for loll.) also, j@lecs. i wont get into that but j@lecs have highkey ruined jace even further for me.

this isn’t to say that i completely hate jace, i actually think that his character had the potential to be rlly interesting and at least semi-likeable, but he just. isn’t. i hate his canon character, and the way the majority of the fandom writes him. obvs u can like jace if u want idrc as long as u don’t try to convince me he’s actually a good character/person (in canon).

tl;dr: he’s an entitled asshole without regard for rules or other ppl’s feelings.

so yeah, there’s that. hope this was a take u liked hearing anon! hfkjshd<3

[itsonlystrange]

Since it’s the end of November, (literally 11:55pm as I’m writing this)

Here are my stranger things Hot Takes for No Nuance November!

Please respect my opinion :)

1. Billy is a racist and I don’t understand how ppl love him so much. He shouldn’t be idolized at all.

2. Steve would never date Billy after Billy assaulted Lucas, Max, and verbally assaulted almost everyone else. They’re enemies. Not enemies to lovers, just enemies

3. Btw Billy is dead lol, atleast I think he is.

4. Mike loves Will more than Will loves Mike

5. Season 3 wasn’t scary at all and I honestly wasn’t on the edge of my seat like i had been in prior seasons

6. Season 2 is superior. Not because of Byler. But because of the development we get, Bob, Max, autumn vibes, El being her own person, Kali, etc.

7. Season 3 is my least favorite. It just really missed the nail on the head for me.

8. Mileven would have been cute if season 3 never existed. I was fine with them being canon but then s3 ruined them

9. Hopper and Joyce would never work out as a married couple irl

10. Hopper was a horrible character In season 3 and a misogynist

11. Bob only died so that Joyce could end up with Hopper

12. Lucas is the most underrated party member

13. Lucas is Lowkey a misogynist

14. I love Lumax but it’s toxic that they’ve broken up six times in 6 months. I can’t see them getting married or being end game

15. We deserve Dr Brenner flash backs

16. Season 2 had the best monsters

17. Will’s bowl cut is adorable

18. El shouldn’t be in a relationship when she didn’t even know what a friend was when she was 12

19. Nobody is the main character. It’s an ensemble show

20. If el didn’t have powers most of the fandom wouldnt like her as much as they do

21. El is a phenomenal character but she gets stunted when she’s with Mike

22. If any of the kids are gonna do drugs, it’s gonna be Max or Mike

23. Will already has powers. Sensing the MF is literally a superpower how are we all ignoring that

24. Byler isn’t just a “fanon” ship that could never be canon. It has a huge possibility and it’s v possible.

25. Why does suzie even exist in the first place??

26. Dustin is the smartest out of the party

27. Dustin and Steve In s3 was basically just comic relief and I really wish they dug deeper into their characters

28. S1 e4, s2e6, s3e7 are the best episodes of stranger things

29. Season 1 was the scariest, season 2 was the most captivating, and season 3 was the saddest

30. I want Mike to be the next one to get possessed

31. Nancy can be a bit of a priss and she acts v privileged at times

32. The best sibling is Jonathon 100%

33. The best mom is Joyce

34. The best dad is Hopper (if that counts?)

35. Erica deserves to be more than just comic relief. She became a little repetitive

36. Season 3 feels more of a parody or a spin off instead of an actual continuation of seasons 1 and 2

37. The aesthetic and colors of s3 DO NOT fit the show at all. It felt so cheesy

38. Max is bisexual

39. Mike and Will are gay. I’m still unsure if Mike is bisexual or not but for now I believe he is gay

40. If el can’t decide what type of clothes she likes she shouldn’t be able to decide if she likes mike

41. One of the kids will die by the end of season 5. I have a feeling it’ll be El or Dustin

42. One of the teenagers will die by the end of s4 I think. (Robin, Steve, Nancy, Jonathon)

43. Every couple has had a cute moment but that doesn’t mean they aren’t toxic for eachother

44. Mike loves el but he isn’t IN love with her

45. El doesn’t have to die for Mileven to not be end game

46. I don’t think any of the Byers will die ever. I could be wrong, but they’ve just been through so much already.

47. Ok maybe Lonnie will die

48. My least favorite sibling is probably Erica or Holly

48 my least favorite mom is probably Terry- just bc we don’t know a ton abt her

49. My least favorite dad is ofc Lonnie

50. El Max was one of the best friendships of s3

51. El and hoppers reunion will be better than Hopper and Joyce’s

52. El and Max’s reunion will be better than Mike and El’s

53. Mike and Will’s reunion will be better than Mike and El’s

54. The four main boys reunion will be adorable oh my god

55. Mike is Christian, Lucas is catholic, Dustin is atheist, Max is atheist/Catholic, El is atheist, and Will is Jewish/Christian/atheist. Idk those are the vibes I get

56. Lucas and Dustin are straight

57. And finally, WE NEED MORE PETS IN STRANGER THINGS. GIVE DUSTIN A NEW CAT

[ick25]

Rockman.EXE Axess Episode 1 Review.

Presenting Rockman’s new Style... Change.

I can’t promise that I am gonna review the rest of the episodes of Axess nor will I make it very long since I have already stated that this is my least favorite season, but this Corona Virus situation is already driving me crazy so I might as well vent my frustrations here.

Fun fact:

This season never aired in Latin America so I had no idea that there were more seasons beyond the virus buster episode. I watched it in English thinking that it was an episode from the first two seasons that I missed, it started with the same made up intro from the last season, but to my surprise the episode opens in Net City, something I don’t remember ever seeing in previous episodes, and then I saw Megaman’s art style and my confusion became excitement right before I heard the English dub the made me cringed so hard that it almost ruined the show for me, until the writing did that later on. (But I like Rockman’s english voice, it’s kinda hot n.n)

Episode tittle: Cross Fusion!

The episode opens with Rockman fighting two Navis at once in the Net Coliseum, and I’m already loving the art style and how they don’t show his face during the battle until Netto’s voice tells him that he already got their battle pattern. It was like they were saying, “ It’s him! it’s the Rockman you know and love after so long! And he looks slightly shinier too”!

 BTW, I’m watching this with Spanish subs, that were sadly not made by yours truly.

Anyway, Netto sends the long Sword and the Yo-yo chips that appear with a new cybernetic themed background and... WOAH WOAH WOAH! TWO DIFFERENT ART STYLES IN THE SAME EPISODE?!

You thought I wouldn’t notice?

Not even five minutes in and this episode is already hitting me with inconsistent art to save in animation, which wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t noticeable.

Rockman defeats the two Navis and returns to Netto who gives us but a glimpse of the new PET design before the tittle card appears.

But worry not, for the next scene shows us what the Advanced PET model looks like with this short and kinda lame commercial.

“Believe in the heart of the chips”, it’s the vibe I’m getting here.

And I also never thought it would be possible for the Spanish subs to write something dumber than “Plug-in your heart”. (It’s roughly saying, “Do plug-in into your heart”)

We then join Netto skating with Meiru on her scooter who is basically shaming him for acting weak in his battle until the end, and do you see something wrong with this image?

That’s right, good ol’ Rush is there on Meiru’s scooter for no reason, except to remind me that Rockman will never materialize in the real world like him.

Then they bump into Chisao, yes, Chisao, who wastes no time in telling the audience that Dekao is in Jawaii for some reason.

What little Mr. exposition forgot to tell us is why is he there instead of Dekao.

Netto and Meiru invite Chisao to go with them to Scilab, which is now gonna be a very recurrent place, to deliver a bag to Netto’s dad who is in Japan working on something, and once he’s done he’ll go back to abandoning his family to travel the world. 

He is working on a top secret experiment, so everyone is of course invited to watch it.

These are Officer Mizaki and his Navi Prismman, who are not gonna be important until very later in the season where they’re affected by this show’s equivalent of drugs, but right now they are gonna remind us of the dangers of human trials.

Eguchi Meijin makes a comeback, since the last time we saw him he was making a late advertisement for Battle Network 3 in episode 51. He tells Netto and the others that the experiment is called Cross Fusion and that it is the next step after the Virus Buster episode where Dr. Hikari brought a bunch of cyber data into the real world, which is bringing a Net Navi into the real World through its operator’s body? That was already possible without the human body!

What is the purpose of Cross Fusion then? Other than to turn the series into a superhero kind of show for western audiences.

There is no real explanation of why they want to do this or why Cross Fusion is the only way to achieve this purpose. Why not simply materialized the Navis like in the last episode? You can’t really argue that it was the viruses intervention that made this possible, because a “good” scientist would try to reproduce this result without risking the life of a human being, there certainly must be other ways to do so. 

It seems that the only excuse they have is that Netto’s dad was not aware that this event happened because he was asleep during the entire episode, and if Netto never mentioned it even once.

“I wanna risk my life too since that experiment reminded me how cool it was when Rockman materialized back in Jawaii when your Dimensional Core program was corrupted by viruses, so I would most definitely die just to see that happen again.”

Dr. Hikari: O_O

Yuichiro obviously denies his son’s suicidal request but just then, viruses take over Scilab, and the room they are in is locked down with the ventilation system sucking in the air giving them 15 minutes before they run out of oxygen.

We cut to a commercial break where we see a spoiler of Netto getting his wish right after his dad said no.

It’s just Rockman with a different outfit design and brown hair and eyes.

As per the norm, Netto and Meiru plug-in their Navis with new animations that are gonna be recycled since they changed the art style once again.

Rockman and Roll are sent into the computer via infrared beams and we see that the computer is full of Mettools and Spikey viruses, while showing us Roll’s bum for some reason.

I feel robbed, I want my Rockman butt shot!

Time to change the art again.

Here is something new that I like, they are now showing how the Mettool viruses can block shots.

This probably means that these are high level Mettools since those are the ones that block attacks in the games.

I also like how they get creative with the chips they use like the Aqua Sword.

Even Roll’s Aqua Tower looks more powerful.

You almost feel sorry for those viruses.

They even make the Black Hole, a chip I find pretty useless in the games, look epic.

Or maybe I’m just not using it right.

They keep running out of air, and once again Meiru has to show that she is the weakest of them all by fainting right before Roll is attacked by a Fire Dragon virus. Netto’s dad catches Meiru and manages to plug-out Roll just in time so... Oh, hmm, that doesn’t look right.

It would be fine if she was his daughter, but that isn’t the case so it just looks wrong. Adult men shouldn’t be holding little girls like that! O~O

Rockman then avenges Roll with another cool Aqua Sword animation.

https://66.media.tumblr.com/0ee15af9e77ae94c845bcdf6895629db/tumblr_n3ipukz8hC1rzkxhio8_250.gifv

Sometimes screen shots can’t do a scene justice.

More Spikey viruses appear and the culprit is then revealed, a new Navi named Savageman AKA Beastman.

Stop holding her like that, it’s weird!

Rockman attacks him with his cool Aqua Sword move, but he only deletes the Spikey viruses around him. Then he uses his Rock Buster and starts shooting at Beastman who isn’t affected by any of them.

I’m sorry? What Beastman is saying here is that to him, Rockman is just a puppet being controlled by a human, showing us that the anime is once again differing from the games, but I’ll talk about that later.

Netto hears that they only have 3 minutes left of air and decides to destroy what we learned from the first season by suddenly making him an expert on Program Advances without the help of the Aqua Custom Style, this time it’s the Z- Cannon or Zetta Cannon.

I honestly like the new animation for the Program Advance, every time Netto inserts more than one chip they appear as little blocks piling under each other until the third chip comes in and pushes the first block up. This easily shows how the chip programs are compatible with one another since that is how a Program Advance is activated.

The Program Advance seems to be effective as Beastman logs out, the computer is back to normal, the room opens up again, and the day is saved... Or so we thought!

This is were the episode starts to feel a little rushed. Right after this we get another mysterious figure who clearly isn’t the Navi we saw watching Beastman’s performance just a couple of minutes ago.

First episode and we already have two more bad guys introduced? And to make things worse, this second villain shoots some type of missiles from outer space that surround Scilab and traps it inside a Dimensional Area.

Yeap, that’s right, the Dimensional Area Netto’s dad is still working on has somehow ended up in the wrong hands, and they made it even better! Because get this, not only does it allow viruses to materialize in the real world, but Navis as well! Cross Fusion has already become pointless! However, the show doesn’t see it that way.

The Mettool and Spikey viruses, along with Spark Bees this time, begin destroying Scilab. Since they are all inside a Dimensional Area, Netto remembers what Meijin said before and decides to go try his luck with Cross Fusion to save everybody, and runs downstairs to get a Synchro Chip.

Considering that Cross Fusion is still being tested, would this be considered something brave or very stupid?

Netto encounters the Mystery Navi from before who is stealing all the Synchro Chips, and tries to Ash Ketchum his way into stopping him.

Seriously, what is it with young shonen protagonists and trying to attack a powerful non human antagonist face on?

After that failed attempt, Shademan calls Beastman who also materializes to destroy what remains of Scilab while he runs away with the Synchro Chips, except for two chips that he clumsily drops when grabbing them all with one hand. Netto sees the chips and decides to use them to fight Beastman, and what surprises me here is that Rockman doesn’t really object to this despite knowing that it could be dangerous, and he has always been seen as the smart one.

Obviously, Cross Fusion is a success as we get the typical anime transformation sequence, but to be honest, I’ve seen better.

No, the first statement is more accurate. This is a fusion.

And this one too.

Two different characters that merge together to create an entirely new being that shares traits from both predecessors.

No, in fact, It is not Netto turning into Rockman, it’s just Netto in Rockman’s clothing. The only difference here is that Netto fights more aggressively than Rockman.

Except for that time Rockman stabbed Stoneman in the eye, he never really maims anybody.

After this, Netto tries to use a Battle Chip but forgets that you need a PET for that, a PET that disappears somewhere after Cross Fusion. So he decides to use the Rock Buster, but since they’re in the real world, the buster gets a super boost that sends Netto flying, with the shot leaving a hole not only on the building, but on Beastman himself.

So... I love seeing shots of Rockman’s muscular body, but when you give it to Netto it just doesn’t work for me because you know his body doesn’t look like that, making this feel out of nowhere. 

Also, “Flipante”? I’m pretty sure these subs are from Spain because they use a lot of words that I’ve never heard before.

Since Beastman was maimed and mortally wounded, he runs away, the Dimensional area disappears an the episode ends with Netto back to normal with his PET reappearing again, him fainting, Rockman calling out to him worried that he might be dead, and an aerial shot of a partially destroyed Scilab.

What do I think?

Well, if you read my previous post, “The problem with Megaman NT Warrior Axess”, you already know my main issues with this season, starting with how different it was from the first one.

Like I mentioned before, Axess never aired in Latin America so it took a while for me to realized that there was another season. I got used to watching reruns of the first season over and over again because of how much I loved it, and after I watch this episode for the first time, in English, I was very, very confused at the end. I immediately felt that something was wrong, that the show was gonna be  different and I wasn’t sure if it was gonna be a bad thing or a good thing. It turned out to be both because the writers couldn't settle on a tone for this new season, so I was ambivalent from beginning to end.

I’m just gonna mention the good things. The general animation is way better that the majority of the episodes in the first season, the new visuals give it a more cybernetic feel to it which goes perfectly with the theme of the show. Roll and Meiru do more in battle, even though Meiru is still the weak girl character that needs to be saved by a big strong man, ew. The new PET design and the infrared beams they use to send the Navis into the Cyberworld is much more futuristic than the cords from the previous season that are vulnerable to being cut, which, again, is very fitting to the theme, as well as the animations when inserting chips and activating P.As.

The idea of Viruses and Navis materializing in the real world is revolutionary, I just don’t like how it is set up.

The Advance PET was introduced in Battle Network 4, while Beastman appeared in Battle Network 3 as a World Three Navi and having an operator named Inukai. Here, however, Beastman is a solo Navi that is called a Darkloid, and instead of being man-made, Darkloids are portrayed as A.I beings that were spontaneously created from...Bug frags, I think? Yeah, that’s another thing I don’t buy from Axess. 

The mystery Navi is Shademan who was introduced in Battle Network 4 and is in fact a solo Navi, but he was created by Dr. Regal, the other mystery character that appeared, but Shademan is also a Darkloid here.

Say what you want about Forte and Gospel, but their origins are purely man-made and make sense, and even if viruses and bug frags are also man-made, having something instantly created out of Virus remains doesn’t make sense unless a higher power is involved, which hasn’t really been specified in Axess.

If you are one of the few people who read my posts, I appreciate your support and are free to share your opinions too.

[maryasmorevna]

shipping asks: 1, 2, 4, 19

1. What was your first OTP?

Rufy/Nami from One Piece. At eight I was obsessed with that anime, and I still ship them. Yes, I know Oda-sensei said he wouldn't put any romance in OP, but still, a girl can hope.

Another ship that caught my fancy when I was very, very young is Harry/Hermione (obviously from HP). Yep, I was a Harmony shipper; no, now I don't care at all about which side "won", but I'm still quite fond of them, for nostalgia's sake.

Last but not least, Vegeta/Bulma from Dragon Ball. I was ten when I watched the Sayan saga for the first time; it was transmitted on Italian national tv, and back then I had no access to Internet and streaming devices, obviously. (Great, now I feel old lol.) So I used to wait with bated breath for each episode, and I crushed so hard on Vegeta (I think he was my very first villain crush?), and I rooted for his redemption and for Vegebul to happen. Guess what? Toriyama-sensei's visionary mind really set him up with his main female lead, and from a genocidal alien prince he developed into a devoted husband and father (albeit still grumpy as hell). Needless to say, it was a very formative experience lol.

2. What is your current OTP?

The main pairings from my two original projects (they're both antivillain/hero ships btw). Also Batjokes, probably Reylo (even though I'm so unhappy about their resolution in TROS, u g h), Dong-Hoon/Ji-An from My Ahjussi (a beautiful Kdrama), Erik/Meg from The Phantom of the Opera (my favorite rarepair; you already know it, Fish, but for the people who have been following for a short time�� don't ask)... and I guess that's it. I have a lot of long time favorite ships (Valduggery from the Skulduggery Pleasant series, Jaime/Brienne from ASOIAF, etc.), but these are currently on top of my mind more than any other.

4. What is/are your favorite trope(s)?

Enemies to lovers, obviously. There's no trope I love more, really, in any shape. My favorite is probably this one: "they're a monster and I'd kill them with my bare hands/ugh now we're forced to work together if we want to save our skins and/or defeat a common enemy so I guess in the meantime we'd have some talks while for once we aren’t actively try to slit each other's throat/actually we're so similar it's scary and I don't like this/they stand against everything I believe in but I kinda mourn the person they used to be or could be/I guess they're… tolerable when they are not actively trying to ruin my and everyone’s life and also I kinda respect them for being a Worthy Enemy/remember when I said I didn't like that we are so similar? I lied I don't want to like it but oops I actually do/idk exactly how we became kinda friends but well now I care and can't turn back/shit this might be more than just care/why them??? ffs why them?" and so on. (As you see, it’s pretty specific lol.) I mean that epic, beautiful romance of Enemies to Reluctant Allies to Maybe Friends to BFFs to Lovers. It's hard to pull off, but when it's good, it's good.

I love any other iteration of this trope, too: friends to enemies to lovers, lovers to enemies to lovers again, enemies with benefits… anything, really.

I also love Beauty and the Beast/Monster Romance, Villainous Crush, Death and the Maiden, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Arranged Marriage (exclusively when they're enemies tho 👀👀), Hurt/Comfort (a classic), Huddling for Warmth, and Stranded Together (again, especially when they're enemies). I also like the Amnesia trope, but 1. I tend to like it more when the amnesiac character is a former villain, a la Revan in Knights of the Old Republic (imagine the angst!), and 2. it must be well-executed and pivotal to the character's development (that's why it works better for villains), otherwise it's just useless drama and at worst a soap opera-ish retcon (see Vanya in The Umbrella Academy's season 2).

19. Do you prefer fluff, angst, or smut for your ships?

ANGST, with a side dish of fluff. I live for the drama, but I usually prefer a happy or bittersweet ending (it depends on the genre). I love reading about/writing more lighthearted, witty dialogs, where both characters are just happy to be… you know, together, and enjoy each other's company. I like (very much like) smut only when it goes with character/relationship development; the ~sexy times~ are usually what I care about the least in a fic lol. tl;dr: I don’t mind smut, but I don’t actively seek it either.

Thank you, Fish! I’m so happy you followed me back on this new blog, too 💖

[badanimereviews]

summer 2019 anime sum-up

lmao i realized i never did this and posted the fall season b4 this.... oops

kimetsu no yaiba: tbh started out kinda meh. and now it’s turned into one of the new big shounens. i was not expecting that. nearing the end got rly good and i was rly looking forward to more episodes! tanjiro gets cooler and cooler! animation is rly nice (thanks ufotable) and the way tanjiro’s water is animated. like. aesthetic asf. it’s so good. i love black-haired emo dude and zenitsu (my spirit animal) and ofc nezuko she is adorable im c r y. side note: the hashira? i think they’re called? some of the ugliest fkn characters i’ve seen in ages like flame boy? stone boy? i HATE them. and the gem dude too like man get a new tattoo artist on god.... he needs it.,,,,,,and inosuke is so pretty it’s unfair

dr stone: ok man dr stone rly went off. tbh. i’ve always been a whore for chemistry since reading the flavia de luce series (btw, i want more books of) and watching this just tickles my noodle brain in a good way... who needs prozac when i get a shitton of serotonin from watching senku dick around....  (btw what is going on with what’s his face and the girl. yuzuriha????? i can’t remember. i love senku don’t get me wrong but i need their perspective too... bc i hate lion dude... so much.... dick....) again i will repeat that i am a whore for chemistry so i get oFF on this. backgrounds are amazing/ animation so nice n clean (most o the time lmao). i thought i would hate the black n white haired trickster boi and ms yellow ponytail and suika but no! dr stone is such a good show that they are now great, loveable characters. also i am senku and chrome’s whore so jfc. man, i love the explanations of all the chemistry shabang, but some things i think would be better if explained! like senku doing physical labour at the beginning- ex. making all those pots and building that shit by hisself. i know he weak af. yes he smart but like. construction? difficult. pottery? even for me the artist . difficult. and that shed of his was filled to the brim. HOW. anyways, i love this so much i am crying constantly

just realized i didnt need to write about dr stone. oh well. 

danmachi 2: wtf yo. haruhime is so pretty but not a fan of her personality! bell still cute af and still don’t rly like aiz! animation good as always, and my god i shit myself whenever the argonaut theme starts up bc that is ? one of the best pieces of non-sawano hiroyuki pieces i’ve ever heard? addicted to it. and the opening! love the dynamics, the brief ‘rain’ scenes like when mikoto slashes the raindrops and just her motion basically? as an animator that is what i aspire to accomplish because i just love that. tiny little scene. 

arifureta: this would have been so much better had they dragged out mc’s op-ifying process! made him suffer more! i explained this briefly in my ‘first thoughts’ post for this season, but story-wise and pacing-wise his power-up could have been so much more deserved and gratifying. think shield hero- loser suffers, gets angry, slowly builds up power in an epic payoff! would have been so epic too. and also if they’d made his gained powers less.... crazy nerfed. again: HE SHOULD HAVE SUFFERED MORE AND THIS WOULD HAVE MADE A BETTER SHOW. harem thoughts: yue- meh. sucky char honestly. shea- my fav girl, she is a great character don’t judge- sexy and love her personality and love her character design and love how much fanservice she gets lol. panty flash ftw. dragon girl- discount darkness honestly , tho nice design. and mermaid girl- yuck, annoying,  DO NOT like the ‘papa’ trope! (ahem sao.) it’s gross. also just fuck mc’s classmates honestly- paladin dude sucks ass, healer girl OOF that last episode ruined her, samurai girl is ok i guess. hate ai-sensei too like shut UPP annoying ass HOEEEEE (postscript: opening=very epic too)

kanata no astra: plot twist? check. trillion well-done plot twists? check. this was done very well. i am so happy. all those plot twists and turns would usually suck in any regular anime- but this was written with GODLIKE ability. thank you, lerche. legit, this was such an enjoyable ride, i eagerly awaited each new ep! typically i hate space-related stuff but like! survival stuff gets my goat.... like this was good- (tho maybe more technical-stuff in the survival theme would make it so cooler) what shocked me the most: (spoilers alert) didn’t end up hating quitterie or funi. (tho the puppet made me want to strangle smth) luca’s gender had rly confused me but i’d decided on him being a boy- so basically that reveal left me like WHOA. i died. did luca rly have to show emo boy their tity tho... kanata losing his arm gave me the yeeeks, charce being the traitor was made sO WELL into a surprise even tho i’d kinda already suspected him<- like that was just fucking amazing writing there. gj. and ares the princess! ok man! shocked! AND also the whole clone thing, just fucked me right up. up the ass. like there are probably more plot twist layers in this than a fkn ogre has.... anyway shrek aside, yun?’s character arc was very pleasing, i think that was done very well! and the ending made me UwU like BRO? goals tbh. yeah this is a hidden gem and is just so good, so well-written overall. 

cop craft: didn’t have high expectations. i am now,,, quite,,, shocked &,,, blown away. sweetheart this is a good fucking show. so why @ livechart.me DOES IT HAVE 7.40 STARS WHEN FKN ARIFURETA HAS 7.72. can someone explain this to me? i’m outraged. LIVID.  matoba and tilarna were amazing characters btw! loved their dynamic! briefly i thought it might get romantic! nope, it didn’t, so it’s all good. actions scenes were epic, tilarna’s design and outfits were so much nicer than i thought they’d be like. she is so cute. and the op- man, if that is not such a bopper vibe then idk what is. i could watch it forever. it deserves so much more than what it’s got rn.

naka no hito genome: (serious question: is this considered some sort of isekai?) genome gave me btooom vibes honestly but like- this is SO much better than btooom and most game/trap/ kinda shows. fkn BOP of an op, especially the sequence at the end with short clips of each character in action (nutt). paka-san was a good boy and he deserves irl merch. i fell in LOve with all the characters (bubble boy= hot, akatsuki= ok meh actually kinda boring, karin= hot and i want her to punch me, ruromori= beautiful 12/10 would let her stalk me, sleepy eyes boy= baby + dazai vibes and hot af, twin boy= also hot, onigasaki= hot and love him so much, and loli girl= her light grenades got annoying but nice char design) anyways yeah more of this would be epic. i wanna see sakura and her twin reunite, and how they get out basically! also animation quality was very good which is surprising considering it’s a silver link anime.

kono yo no hate de koi wo utau shoujo yu-no: i include the whole title bc this is a good anime. (also livechart.me why 7.27 stars i will fuck you up) only meh part of this is the return to earth from dela granto bc that was like a culture shock and honestly at that point i’d forgotten a lot about what had happened on earth and didn’t care as much. btw, f ayumi and f the other brown-haired oneesan. mio and kanna ftw. obvs i didn’t understand the sayless x takuya thing like dumbass horny teenager . why u gotta creampie the worst girl. u have mio. bruh. (tho mio x ‘oyabi!’ boy is a great ship) also, takuya’s mom? keiko-san? idk if you’ve noticed but that’s literally my name so yeah just glad to finally have some keiko representation. altogether goodass anime. the time travel/ rezero esque reset thing almost got me but this was done well. so no problems. both ops very good. first song was bae, second also bae (just realized it’s by konomi suzuki, one of my waifu idols, so yea nice) and ed2 also so pretty! also yu-no’s design was rly pretty, the outfit colours, and her pigtails rly suited her :)

granbelm: sorry this is the last one lol this was a long ass post! other than the fact i dont rly like mecha this was good.... action, CHARACTER designs aesthetic asf, honestly rly pretty ok. i liked the cast, very diverse and more depth than most shows of this ilk. op was nicely choreographed- especially the part where the girls’ faces are contorted by their gems, showing their magical girl side. nicely done. mangetsu didn’t end up being that bad a char, and honestly? suigetsu is best girl and deserved better. and the ending too- like, bro, that made me kinda sad. some off points: anna’s mom was a little unrealistic as a mom like woman- please learn to control your child, and, white-haired girl’s sister should have played a bigger part, based on how her parts in the opening were emphasized! (quick note- blue girl, love her, great bad guy, when she dumped anna made me so happy honestly, she is beautiful, and i couldn’t actually decide who i wanted to win between her and suigetsu....)

hope u enjoyed this bad review. pls share ur opinions w/ me on some of of these more controversial shows. thank. 

[welpyoun]

New Thoughts On The Sense8 Finale, aka The More I Think About It The Less I Like It

This is a very long text that probably nobody is gonna read, but its 2 am here and I felt like posting it anyways. Also, if you're happy about the episode anddont want to ruin that vibe, pls dont read it. That’s by no means my intent.

And, obviously, SPOILERS

First of all, I’d like to explain the reason why I liked Sense8 so much in the first place, to the point where it became by far my favourite show, was the compelling characters and their connection with each other. Each of them was so different from the other and had their own problems and dilemmas that they couldn’t overcome by themselves. Their connection allowed them to learn from each other and help each other to overcome these problems, with each different personality and background adding something new to the other’s lives.  Perhaps the Homo Sensorium explanation and the BPO hunting them down were necessary for some more plot unity and contextualization (tbh I couldn’t care less about those plot points, but I get their role in the story as a whole), but the core of the show was the characters and their connection.  Tl;dr, what mattered was the characters and the connection itself, not what it was or how it happened.

Now, let’s go back to the episode at hand.

 Back when the show started, it was planned to be four or five seasons long. After the abrupt cancellation and subsequent announcement of the special, Lana Wachowski had to compress those remaining two or three seasons into a two-and-a-half-hour long episode, which is a huge challenge all on itself. The problem is that I don’t think she succeeded. There were too many subplots and too little time to develop each one of them, which meant that they either lost much of their impact or were too confusing to be understood.

For example:

a) There were two Ocean’s 11 style heists/rescues (Wolfgang’s rescue and Whisper’s capture) that happened one right after the other, complete with car chases and  narrow escapes from BPO agents. I mean, come on guys, two heists? Wolfgang’s rescue was exciting, but by the time they got to the second one, I had already lost interest. Those were clearly supposed to be set seasons apart, but were hastily squeezed together. Btw, that part where all the secondary characters were injured one after the other looked so forced and predictable. Felix was shot but we KNEW he was gonna make it, and by the time the scene cut to Mun it was pretty obvious what was going to happen. And wtf was Kala’s scene??? At first I genuinely thought she might die, but then Wolfgang embraces her as if she’s dead and DOESN’T EVEN CHECK FOR A PULSE!!! WOLFGANG!! THE MAN WHO’S FAMILY WAS IN THE GERMAN MAFIA, AND WHO HAS PROBABLY SEEN MORE GUNSHOT WOUNDS THAN HE CAN COUNT!!!! SHE HAD TO LITERALLY TELL HIM, WHILE SHE WAS DYING, TO FUCKING HET HIS SHIT TOGETHER  AND DO THE LOGICAL THING THAT IS CHECKING IF SHE’S ACTUALLY DEAD!!!

2) They introduced a whole new villain, the Chairman, who I assume was supposed to be a Wispers level threat, but as he gets very little build up and almost no screen time, the effect was completely lost. His name is mentioned a couple of times and he gets one menacing scene with Wolfgang, and that’s barely it. And then they try to make the reveal of his identity as a big plot twist, but the reaction I got when he took off his mask was “who the fuck was he again?” I think this was also supposed to be another one of those things developed in a whole season, with the big revelation as the shocking finale. But since we barely knew who he was and Angelica’s plan was being revealed almost simultaneously with his identity, that shock effect was lost.

3) Dr. El-Saadawi’s daughter showed up almost out of nowhere and acted as a Deus Ex-machina with, again, barely any build up. The subsequent chase was also very confusing, I mean, Mr. Hoy was about to be captured when that old lady that I didn’t even remember existed showed up out of nowhere to give him the blocker and tell him not to give up??? And when we see him again he’s completely fine??? And offers no explanation to wtf happened to him??

4) What was Lila’s plan?? She killed the Chairman’s proxy and kidnapped Whispers only to deliver him to the Chairman herself?? Why?? What did she gain by that??

5) I don’t even know what to say about the Sanctuary thing, or whatever that’s called. You caN’T INTRODUCE SOME WEIRD SHIT OUT OF NOWHERE WITH A HALF-ASS EXPLANATION, LANA. THAT’S NOT HOW STORIES WORK.

 In the end, there was barely any time to cover all of this, much less to focus on the characters and the relationships, which, again, were the core of the show.

Both Capheus’s and Lito’s stories were barely even mentioned at all. Sun’s story got the same treatment, with the exception of her romance with Det. Mun, which, btw, was one of the only things that I actually liked about the episode.

And Wolfgang, with that fUCKING BOMB dropped about his past, that was BARELY DISCUSSED AT ALL, I mean, THAT’S SOME MAJOR SHIT, YOU CAN’T PUT THAT THERE IF YOU’RE NOT GONNA DEDICATE AT LEAST AN ENTIRE EPISODE TO THAT ALONE. And yeah, I know that’s not possible, but if you’re not gonna do it right then DON’T DO IT AT ALL. “Hey, btw, Wolfgang’s dad was an incestuous monster and his wife was actually his daughter so Wolfgang’s his sister’s son, but now let’s get back to two hours of rescue plans”. JUST. NO.

And what about Kala? Whose main dilemma was that she didn’t actually love her husband? Like, her narrative was built around the fact that she was marrying out of duty to a man that, even though she logically knew would be the perfect husband; she couldn’t bring herself to love. Last episode she was relieved that circumstances had separated them and was making plans to move in with the guy she actually loved, but now suddenly she’s looking at Rajan lovingly and calling him “my husband” and the three of them are gonna be together forever????? Hmmm, excuse me, Lana, I think I missed something bc this made no FUCKING SENSE???

So, in the end, the episode was basically two seasons compressed into two hours, and that made it completely lose it’s effect. I mean, if she knew she was going to have such a short ending, why did she introduce so many things?? Imo, it would’ve been so much better if she had just simplified the plot and given proper closure to the character’s stories, that were the core of the show in the first place.

(I’ll give it that though: the wedding was absolutely beautiful and Nomi and Amanita’s story had a perfect ending)

[tombraidergirl]

SotTR Impressions (1): Reveal Demo

On 26 April 2018 I was given the opportunity to try out the first hands-on demo for Shadow of the Tomb Raider at the London reveal event to which I was kindly invited by Square Enix Germany. Square Enix sponsored my travel an accommodations to this event.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider will complete the story arc that began in Tomb Raider - where adventure found young, fresh-from-college Lara Croft, forcing her to fight for survival - and was continued in Rise of the Tomb Raider - where Lara actively sought out adventure to honour her father’s legacy. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider Lara chooses to continue searching for great archaeological and mythological mysteries, out of curiosity and her love for adventure, slowly turning her into the adventuress we know and love from the classic games.

In the past couple of years the reboot series had to endure a lot of criticism pertaining to Lara’s character and the fact that her weak side was showing, but what people keep forgetting is that the Lara from the classic games (with the exception of Angkor Wat in The Last Revelation and Ireland in Chronicles - which didn’t portrait a very believable character if you’re honest ;-) - which is okay btw, it's fiction) was a seasoned explorer in her late twenties or early thirties (born in 1968). Her original storyline was that an event - in that case a plane crash - at the age of 21 made her turn her life upside down, becoming the heroine of Tomb Raider I and everything after. A storyline that Tomb Raider Legend kind of messed up and Tomb Raider (2013) then tried to fix by getting back to the roots, but replacing the plane crash with a shipwreck to add something fresh, instead of doing Legend’s Nepal again at the “correct” age. So where in the original game was it written that 21-year-old Lara didn’t have weaknesses? I can sympathise with people not loving to play a softer Lara, when we got to know and love her as a tough cookie, but that’s over with anyway, and so is this discussion I hope.

Shadow adds a new layer of toughness to Lara. Her body has changed visibly, her well toned muscles clearly showing. Her face seems a little less soft - something that is probably going to be discussed at length on the internet with comments along the lines of “why did they change her face again” - which is only logical given what she has been through in the recent years.

Story

Lara and Jonah are in Cozumel, Mexico hot on the trail of one Dr. Dominguez, a member of the Trinity order, searching for a hidden underground temple holding a key, the “Key of Chak Chel” to some mystery. Lara herself is trying to beat them to it and believes to have the upper hand as a second piece of the puzzle, the “Silver Box of Ix Chel”, Trinity is searching for in Brazil, might actually be located in Peru according to her own calculations. The Day of the Dead, or Día de Muertos, is being celebrated presenting Lara and Jonah with the opportunity to blend in, Lara hiding her Trinity-wide known face beneath a traditional mask worn for this occasion. With Jonah’s help Lara manages to follow Dominguez, whom Lara begins to suspect of being the actual leader of Trinity. She learns that while they are still unsuccessful in Brazil, they might have found the entrance to the hidden complex here in Cozumel. Gaining entrance to the dig site Lara manages to find a cave entrance Trinity has so far ignored. This ultimately leads her into the heart of the complex, an underground Maya pyramid, where she finds a large mural telling the story of Kukulkan, the creation god, and tells of a ritual that - when combining the key and the box - summons him. But it also warns of many catastrophes, in the order: tsunami, storm, earthquake, and volcanic eruptions. Lara then spots a circular stone tablet depicting the Hydra constellation which is misaligned. After aligning it, the hiding place of the Key of Chak Chel, an ancient ornate dagger, is revealed to her. While Lara marvels at the artefact, she receives a warning from Jonah via the two-way radio that Trinity is closing in. Without having time to think, Lara grabs the artefact and thus inadvertently sets things into motion. “What have I done?” Lara manages to escape the underground structure but is surprised by Dominguez and his men who take the dagger from her and tell her that by grabbing the artefact she started the apocalypse and that the first harbinger, the tsunami, is on its way. Lara manages to escape the tsunami, while witnessing the destruction it leaves in its wake, and is able to reunite with Jonah. She tells him what has happened and that she has lost the dagger to Trinity and that the foremost thing on her mind is beating Trinity in the race for the Box to prevent Trinity from realising their dreams for a new world order. Jonah maintains that Lara is not at fault for the tsunami. “Not everything is about you.” He believes that helping the survivors of the tsunami should be their priority.

Gameplay

In the first part of the demo Lara explores the town square and has the opportunity to interact with a couple of people, by talking to them, and learning more about their lives; a gameplay mechanism that has been introduced in the Reboot, where Lara could talk to the other Endurance survivors and returning in Rise where minor interactions with the Remnant were possible. But Shadow takes the whole thing a step further, as the whole market scene is not really relevant for progressing with the main story, but gives the environment a more lively feel. The market also offers the first resources in the form of a medkit and some herbs.

Another gameplay element returning is the fluent switch between cut scenes and playable scenes, when Jonah distracts two goons to allow Lara to sneak past and explore the back alleys and reach the dig site, which is well guarded and locked down. She then reaches another exploration area, a nice and quiet location with the remains of ruined Maya structures where more resources can be found, including resource crates and where Lara uses the wall scramble, the move that gets her up and over high walls. 

Lara’s use of the climbing axe has also improved, offering new ways of traversal  not seen in the reboot games yet. Besides climbing on craggy walls, she can now attach the rope she carries to rappel up or down, to use that rope to perform a so called rappel swing and reach far off platforms, and to perform wall runs to again reach far off platforms.

Lara finally locates a cave entrance allowing her passage to yet another type of area, where she meets her first prey in the form of the well known and difficult to shoot rats that can be killed for hide and +25 XP. The new gameplay elements introduced here are the ability to disarm spear traps by cutting tripwire ropes using the knife Lara carries and the improved diving skill that gives Lara a new freedom when exploring under water. Unfortunately Lara has not brought the rebreather from Rise along but she is now able to use pockets of trapped air to extend her time underwater. 

After making her way through the underwater passages Lara finally reaches the interesting bit where a series of counterweights waits to be figured out to allow her to ascend upwards. Through the use of carts that can be pushed, tethered to other objects like cranks, or rotated around on a turntable, Lara can use them to break through walls and to weight down platforms. It seems like more of these kinds of puzzles have made their way from the challenge tombs - of which there were none in the demo by the way - into the base game. 

(Concept Art)

Another well known gameplay element is a water slide scene, where Lara has to be steered down a torrential stream, avoiding deadly traps. 

The axe can still be used to pry open doors, widen cracks in walls and even to break windows in this game.

The resources found in Shadow of the Tomb Raider are more plentiful if we are to believe what the developers told us and besides the known resources like herbs, cloths, hide, hardwood (which can also be dug up from hidden caches) we were able to spot ready made medkits and stimulants. More known elements returning are murals - which will now improve Laras overall knowledge of the culture rather than her language skills in particular - shootable targets as part of a challenge and explorer backpacks or maps - that give Lara the location of hidden collectables.

Impressions

Let me begin with Jonah, because he’s right there at the beginning of the demo. I have spoken with quite a few fans who thought that reboot Jonah seemed a lot tougher than Rise Jonah and who missed that tougher side of him. But in Shadow tough Jonah is back. While in Rise I got the feeling that Jonah wasn’t really there of his own free will but coerced by Lara to be there, but in Shadow he’s back and seems genuinely interested in the adventure. He actively helps Lara by distracting mercenaries. The two seem like equals, two adventurers who can both hold their own, no one in need of comforting and supporting (Lara by Jonah in the Reboot) or of rescuing (Jonah by Lara in Rise). Something that does return from Rise is their occasional difference of opinion resulting in heated discussions not unlike the one that occurred in Croft Manor in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

The Cozumel part is a little reminiscent of the Syria section of Rise. It has Lara finding a hidden tomb or temple, it gives a kind of introduction into traps, but Cozumel is a little more bombastic adding a calm town exploration to it (a little like the very beginning of Peru in Tomb Raider Legend but without the town folk hiding in their houses - a better comparison would be another game that is not Tomb Raider where such explorations of towns with lots of friendly characters is common but I’ll refrain from such comparison at this point, you might not own a PlayStation :-) ) The climbing sections shortly later are a little like the beginning of Thailand in Underworld but with a more impressive environment, with a view close to the one enjoyed at the Coastal Bluffs in the Reboot. (Or, possibly passages of number 4 of the PlayStation game I am not mentioning here. ;-))

And finally: The top Lara was wearing in the demo (a different one from the one in the screenshots) is getting closer to the classic outfit we know.

[svtfoehell]

Getting real pissed off with this season and the love drama. It’s turning into Regular Show real quick.

I’ve followed you on my main blog for ages (fantastic blog btw). I know all about your gripe with Regular Show’s romance issues.

And I get where you’re coming from, and I agree with you in the fact that it can get annoying for people (not me however bc i love watching drama, trashy tv is my guilty pleasure lmao) but I don’t necessarily think it RUINED regular show, I’d say that’s a little extreme.

And I agree, romance sublots aren't everything. But that doesn't make them all like regular show- I think star vs is a different story. The love triangle thing has been around for the majority of the shows run time, and serves more of poetic and educational role in the show (whereas regular show, it was just a simple boy-likes-girl scenario. booooring). See in star vs, we get an decently accurate representation of what adolescent love and dating can be, with all the emotions and awkwardness that comes with it. and if you’re at that age, its something that can really resonate with you. its good for kids to see that. and in my opinion, the fact that now marco is on the short end of the stick (liking star when shes not reciprocating) kind of adds a cool new layer to the whole thing; the show is almost nothing like it was in the previous season. we have seen the characters truly grow and mature. personally i felt like we didnt get a whole lot of that with regular show, sure those characters learned their lessons and such but nothing really ever changed. in my opinion most of the character development happened in the final minutes of the series finale during the huge flashforward.

TL;DR

don’t write off SVTFOE just yet. i know its easy to say “oh its just like that regular show BS”, but have faith in these writers! ☺️Daron is not JG.

[spartanguard]

Hi! :) SN here! I fully agree with you about that Captain Cook drama and ep thoughts. I hope Colin gets a chance to prove he can be much more than some LI (I do NOT think he's ever been just that, just saying),but yes, Rogers needs lots of love,BrOTPs, princess squad II! I loved Ivy twist and Sabine AND Jacinda have grown on me :) I dont understand that anons who come to some blog just to stir shit about Cpt. Cook or LI or 'S7 is a big error,told ya,I was right!'again and again,it's ... (2Bcont)

2/2 I mean it’s always been like that here, but now? If they say they support the actors, why then even say that? You don’t like it? OK, stop watching! Better news - Jen wants to work with Colin again, wants to write scripts, direct… Both have heads full of CS life now great headcanons and BOTH are down for some CS additional goodies, soo… !!!? I hope you are fine and you enjoyed the weekend! P.S.: Btw what are Your current Rogers’ daughter thoughts? I am lost!SN :)

Hey friend! Sorry for the delay in getting back to you—I’ve had a busy weekend (but good!); hope you’re having a fantastic weekend, too! (And tumblr didn’t eat the second half this time! yay!)

I’m with you—I will never understand being an asshole just for the sake of being an asshole, especially when it’s so much easier not to be one. But people have always been like that, ever since Pandora opened her box, and the relative anonymity of the internet seems to make people think it’s easier to get away with. But if they’re an ass online, chances are they are IRL, too. 

(tl;dr: people just suck, but I’m not gonna let them ruin my enjoyment of the season. I will enjoy refuting whatever BS they try to throw at me, though, lol.)

We will ALWAYS have Colin and Jen and the amazingness of seasons 2 through 6 of Emma and Killian’s story! As well as the knowledge that CS is living out their happy ending together with their family. What more could we ask for?

It’s totally fine that some people have no interest in watching the show without them—they’re allowed! But certain bad apples just need to recognize that as far as official narrative, that story has concluded.

And yes—Colin is so much more than just a pretty face and a love interest. It’s kind of funny to me that it’s all some people seem to view him as considering his first big break over here was in a movie with no romantic plot whatsoever (The Rite). Obviously, we love to see him perform those kinds of roles, but he’s got such a range that he should have the chance to show off. And as much as I also support the opinion that he should sleep his way across Hyperion Heights, I do hope that his story stays centered on finding his daughter/the girl.

As far as who she is…I’m still leaning toward Alice until we get more information. I’m also wondering if perhaps Victoria is NOT involved, given that we don’t know who that guy was calling at the end of the last episode. It’s a safe assumption that it’s her, but it could be someone else; as we saw with that Drizella reveal, it’s hard to say who’s really in control here (and I LOVE that!)

Take care, hon!

[ovo1990]

Emily Fields: the rundown

Season 1: 

Emily is characterized as a young talented athlete with a promising future in swimming all the while questioning her sexuality who turned into a confident strong woman who sometimes faces slumps but bounces back and trusts her heart. Always the loyal one. In this season we see her begin to question followed by confirming her sexuality and being more confident in it. I'll always be an Emaya fan, got to respect a first love with so much chemistry. Although I did feel in the beginning that Maya sort of pressured her into coming out at certain points, I feel like when that moment came it was great. I'm glad she told her dad first, I love how she always had the daddy’s little girl dynamic. Even though Pam is my favorite PLL mom, I was irked when she didn't initially accept her daughter but I was like yaaaas when she stood up for her against Paige’s dad. Which brings me to Paige in the first Paily encounter. I’ve disliked Paige from the beginning I can't like someone who attempts to drown someone I like so much. Emily I'll chalk that little fling to being young and naive. Worst season for Emily fashion wise but character wise, fantastic.

Season 2:

Emily decided to give Samara a chance which I think would have been a good relationship had it not been for A ruining things prematurely. ANYWHO, how creeptastic was the fashion show. Other than that, A really worked hard to not only keep her in Rosewood, but ruin her future as well. I’ve said from the beginning that Emily and Hanna get physically hurt worse, hate it or love it its my opinion and thats how I feel(Ali excluded, only speaking of the core four). Once Emily got the all clear from her mother to stay in Rosewood, A decides to replace her muscle rub with HGH leading to an ulcer. That was wild. Bravo for Maya coming back, I think they would still be together had she not got killed. I’m glad that at the end of the day they knew how they felt about each other, regardless of the tragedy that would soon follow, more cool dad points for Wayne Fields for helping her search when Maya went missing. Again I hate that at a point in this season the parents took Dr. Sullivan’s crap advice and made them split up for a short time but all the girls played up a great set up to catch A. Granted, once again, Emily was physically harmed. Then the whole almost died due to being locked in the barn thing, if it wasn't for Ali she would've been done-zo at 16. Mona was def off her rocker at that point.

Season 3:

The summer they spent apart doing their own thing seemed to work the least in her favor, due to her not knowing how to grieve properly. I find it odd that the new A came for her first by the whole drugging and placing her at Ali’s grave. This is the season where Paily officially kicked off and although I'm not a fan, they had their share of good moments. When Nate came to town I knew something was fishy. I still to this day don't know why Maya’s family didn't give her information about funeral arrangements etc considering they were together but I digress. I wasn't entirely surprised when he came unhinged and almost killed her but damn “the lady killer” episode was one of my favorite summer finales.

Season 4:

Only thing that really happened to her individually was her taking her mom’s pills and ‘’someone’’ calling social services. Emision had a nice little reunion though. Mama Fields struggled by almost getting ran over in her own living room, it broke my heart watching her break down in the hotel.

Season 5:

I knew she’d be too quick to welcome Alison back and then she was lashing out at everyone else who thought otherwise. Then Ali started disappointing her and then she started accusing her of being A. I feel like most of this season everything she did was Ali related. Paige punked out and left. Then when Ali was found innocent via the liars, she felt like she owed her an apology. I think Ali could chop her arm off and shed still forgive her. 

Season 6:

Once out of the dollhouse, she fell right back into the whole dating anyone who walks past her by starting something with Sara Harvey, even though she was a complete stranger that you invite to live with you. I think she should’ve focused less on helping her and more on helping the other girls then she wouldn't have felt so blindsided by Cece revealing that Sara was red coat(she deserved to be hit btw). Five years forward she comes out the least successful with practically nothing going for herself and the worst of it all is that Wayne Fields is dead. Out of all the PLL dad and they kill Emily’s dad, not Hanna’s piece of shit dad who doesn't support her or Byron who cheats but somehow manages to divorce and get his wife back or Peter who has secret kids, they kill WAYNE. damn them. I wasn't going to touch on the whole eggs thing because I knew AD would find a way to f that up. If my eggs were destroyed I'd have plenty more things to say.

Season 7:

I dont hate the whole Sabrina thing and if Emison wasn't endgame I'd want them to work it out. I don't know why she feels so compelled to let Paige know everything but whatevs. Although it’s kind of rude of me to say but I'm glad she hit Noel when he was coming at her and Hanna, even though he ended up falling and getting his head chopped off. Emily is once again there for Ali, and regardless of if the baby is Emily’s, I have the sneaking suspicion that she’s going to help her raise the baby.

Fave moments so far:

Her coming out

Emaya

“You don't have a monopoly on pain, Spencer”

“So Meredith is our alibi? see you in jail”

Emison

When she found out about her dad’s heart condition after he saved her at the school.

Her showdown with Sydney

Season 4 when her highlights were poppin’

What I want for her in the final 10 episodes:

Her to finally be happy with one person as opposed to bouncing from girl to girl,  how emission evolves, the aftermath of AD and the liars friendship afterwards.