#although vbs is episodic you

[pharaohbean]

came to peer review you too jay

oh okay so im not insane that some characters are. sorta sidelined atm?

also "thats what fanfic is for" NEVER BEEN TRUER

you, because im thinking about it: why do you think colopale hasn't really talked about toya and kohane's relationship at all? from my eyes, they've had very little interaction outside of group events (and really even 1-on-1 in them; the ones off the top of my head they actually talked to one another instead of in the group are an1, val3, and their vbs archive). do you think there's a reason behind this, or am i just missing their growing relationship?

I'll be honest with you: probably just bad writing + event format holding them back. I'm not exactly looking to be negative on this account but Sega have kind of written themselves into a corner with Kohane and she's not been getting that much development in general (compared to the others), and Touya has been pretty abandoned as well.

The First Concerto has redeemed Touya to some degree, so one can only hope either An5 or Kohane's next event will tackle Kohane's lack of deep connection between her and Touya, among other things.

[sparrow-in-the-field]

You Know I wanna know about beach vb. Tbitb beach episode???

Ahsjsks not exactly, although I have thought of writing a "beach episode" for my modern au series!! Maybe someday...

Anyway lol this au came about because during the Olympics, dawn @dogwooddiaries posted about the beach volleyball players Kloth and Nuss, how Nuss is really short for a vb player, so they reminded her of Bobby/Don. What Dawn didn't know is that I love beach volleyball and my mind was immediately obsessed with the idea! And Dawn was gracious enough to let me take it and run with it, which I have even though the Olympics have been over for months now ajsksk

But yeah Bobby and Don are competitive beach volleyball players who both find themselves in need of a new partner. At first they don't like each other but they start playing together anyway...fall in love along the way...fun stuff! There's also some themes around sexuality and coming out and that kind of thing, but yeah. A very messy WIP rn so idk when it'll get posted lol

[hearts4akitoya]

Ok ok specific akitoya analysis with the “Waiting for you card”

(bare with me this is from like dec 2021 or jan 2022 i found it in my notes and its probably outdated and wrong by now also the story was only out on jp and the card name was different)

In the card illustration, you see Akito sitting in front of a piano (symbolizing Toya's upbringing) with a somber expression on his face. Paired with the card title "Waiting for That Day to Come", Akito is essentially waiting for the day that Toya is able to break free from the cycle of abuse he faced during his childhood and be himself.

Toya grew up in an abusive household that refused to let him pursue his own passions and binded him to classical music, stopping him from truly being understood and treated like an individual. Although he did rebel against his father and pursue street music, he had still had unresolved, lingering feelings of guilt from being unable to fully confront his father and get that personal closure. Toya never truly understood his father's motivations for why he had been treated the way he was, and he would still come into conflict with his father every single day. Because of this, Toya was never able to unleash his true potential in his singing, because he was subconsciously holding back.

Ever since Akito met Toya, he's been aware of Toya's family situation and has tried to support him the best he could. Together, they trained from the bottom up and made a big name for themselves in the street music community. This part of their relationship being recontexualized in Stray Bad Dog just makes it hurt even more because of Akito's inferiority complex, how he felt so talentless compared to those around him, and how he had to put in that much more effort just to stand on equal footing with Toya because of how badly he wanted to stay by Toya's side. This also does parallel the VBS main story in how Toya felt that his resolve wasn't firm enough and he wasn't worthy enough to remain as Akito's partner. Both of them felt like they weren't good enough to stand by each other's side despite wanting to more than anything.

Akito has acted as this pillar of support for Toya since the day they met, but Toya is the type of person to keep everything bottled up inside and he never truly opened up everything about his family to Akito, which is why he had so many of those unresolved feelings about the abuse he faced. He was still subconsciously holding back from fully expressing himself and what he truly feels, both to Akito and his father.

This card illustration is a CG in episode 7 of Period of Nocturne. Toya, after finally confronting his father, starts to come to understand his father's motives and achieves the personal closure that he had always desired. In this live event, Toya was finally able to be himself and sing to his full potential and Akito was totally blown away so he hugs Toya back stage and starts ruffling his hair (holy shit this illustration is so gay).

The day Akito had been waiting for the entire time had finally come. Toya was able to overcome his father and start to truly live his life the way he should have from the start, by spending time with the people he cares about most and doing what he loves.

ALSO NOT PART OF THE ANALYSIS BUT,

In the next chapter An pokes fun at Akito and tells him how she witnessed Akito being the most excited out of all of them and ruffling Toya's hair akito got embarrassed and was blushing.

In conclusion? Akitoya canon

[analyzingadventure]

Potential Ghost Game spoilers due to new DiMs that were announced?? And GG speculation

Okay so Bandai had announced these two new DiMs that’re coming out, which, okay, sure, nothing fancy, nothing unusual, they’re making lots of new DiMs after all and like, Vital Bracelets with Midoriya Izuku on them or some wild shit

But the fun thing is

This thing is branded as Ghost Game

Which means that these two might appear in Ghost Game. Which on its own may not be that wild, but like. Usually, anime-branded merch like this tends to relate to the main characters, right?

So now we have to ask... are we getting a Green Ranger* in Ghost Game? Maybe two, even??

(*Green Ranger/Sixth Ranger = Term comes from Power Rangers but is used in these kinds of kids shows to refer to new party member who joins the group mid-late series, examples include Hikari, Ken, Kouichi, Rei and Yuujin, just to name a few)

It is a trope old as time, so it’s not like it’d be unusual for GG to do the Green Ranger, it’s just that often there’d be maybe a little bit more foreshadowing for a new party member-- well, maybe not foreshadowing, but often shows like these have more minor human characters, enough that you could maybe even speculate who amongst the sidecast could join the main group.

But, right now, Ghost Game doesn’t really have minor characters like that? Like there’s Nomura, Aoi and... Mika? (I absolutely had to look up their names) But none of them really seem like potential candidates, maybe Aoi, MAYBE, but the other two..?

Like, it’s not like in Tamers where Hirokazu and Kenta made sense, or it’s not like Appmon with Ai or Watson, where had either of those become Appli Drivers, it would’ve made sense, since they would’ve been characters we had known for a long time and all. Hell, there’s a reason people like to associate the other four spirits from Frontier with the leftover kids

But GG doesn’t really do supporting cast, it’s much more focused on the MotW episodic vibes. And that leaves me a little concerned? IDK, I think I would like it if the hypotetical characters were built up more before hand, because without any foreshadowing... we’re going to end up going into an episode one day and they introduce a new member to the party and if not handled right, it’s gonna feel like wack, and I’m kind of concerned about that.

I do feel like, if the kids just kind of show up with their VBs already in hand like Uver had delivered them to the kids directly from Hiro’s dad, that could add to the whole mystery of what’s going on, but yeah, it just depends on how the writing handles it

But I’ve been just talking about the possibility that we could get a Green Ranger in GG. It’s possible we might not get a Green Ranger at all! So who/what is the deal with these two then?

Well, there’s one very Interesting Detail about the evolution tree Espimon has going on for them.

Did you catch that?

Epismon seems to tie to the Ludomon evolution tree here, like an alternative evolution path, so we have understandable shield-based Digimon and the mechs and what not

BUT THEN UVER IS RIGHT FUCKING THERE

AND SURELY THAT’S NOT A FUCKING COINCIDENCE

SO, what might it be that’s happening right here?

Either there is a 6th ranger, and their partner is the same Uver we’ve seen already so many times. Hell, for all we know, it could be Hiro’s dad (although that would be anticlimactic), but yeah, the Uver we know has a partner out there somewhere waiting to be revealed

Or.

Well.

How do I put this.

What if... Gammamon had to... go away for a while... And Hiro and co have to go save his ass from his edgy side? What Digimon would Hokuto send to his son on his quest to save his baby brother?

What if Hiro is going to get another partner for this mission? What if that’s fucking Uver aka Epismon??

Hell, why not two, he could have Ryudamon too, I don’t think Kiyo or Ruri would want or need Ryudamon. Or who knows, maybe there is a Green Ranger but only for Ryudamon and Epismon goes to Hiro.

The third option is that they just put Uver into Epis’ chip ‘cause they needed to include the baby somewhere and this chip was already going to be GG Branded so why not

IDK, these DiMs are giving me a lot of thoughts but it’s all very incoherent... But regardless, the potential these DiMs bring to light for Ghost Game is all very interesting. It’s gonna be one hell of a time to see what’s gonna go down

[battlestar-royco]

here is part 2 of my sci fi recs masterlist! again, i could’ve gone on with even more recs but i decided to draw the line here. this set for the most part errs on the darker side, thematically, visually, conceptually etc. i personally find it super thought-provoking and intriguing but that’s just me. i highly recommend reading the tw under the cut if you’re thinking of watching, especially the matrix and space gothic slides. please view at your discretion <3

part 1/2

If you like WLW (um idk why I only made this slide based on identity; it just kinda happened lmao but I think it works):

Siren: (tw: parent loss, grief, thalassophobia) a mermaid surfaces in a cove town looking for her lost sister. Polyamorous relationship between a man, a black/indigenous woman, and the mermaid!!!! Environmentalism! As a person who has thalassophobia, I didn’t find this too hard to watch. There aren’t that many underwater scenes, thankfully.

Black Mirror: San Junipero: (tw: grief, but otherwise none that I recall; it’s pretty lighthearted) two women meet in a beach resort in the 80s and fall in love. Interracial wlw!

Orphan Black: (tw: suicide, infertility, rape implication, VB, language, drug use) a woman realizes she is one of several clones and uncovers an elaborate corporate conspiracy. This is one of my personal favorites with great rep of complex women of all ages and bodily autonomy. Several central queer characters and a black male secondary character!

Starfish: (tw: grief, a few jump scares and brief monstrous imagery, blood) after the death of her best friend, a young woman breaks into the deceased’s apartment and discovers a chain of music tapes that could save the world. Weird, subtle, and experimental. Not to sound like a surfer but you kinda have to allow yourself to be in the vibe. The main character and her friend were definitely a thing imo.

Annihilation: (tw: body horror, VB, disturbing imagery) a team of women scientists explore an anomaly that rapidly mutates genes. There are canonical and coded wlw and multiple (light-skinned) POC in this but the rep is short-lived. I put it on because although it should’ve been more ambitious with the casting, I think it breaks *some* ground for Hollywood sci fi with the all-woman team and more than one WOC. Wack ending though.

Mad Max: Fury Road: (tw: rape implication, violence) I think everyone knows about this one but: in the apocalypse, a woman breaks 4 younger women out of a harem. A badass car chase across the desert ensues. A bit light on plot/worldbuilding, but sooooo cool-looking and very thematic!!!!

If you liked STRANGER THINGS:

It: (tw: VB) don’t actually watch this lmao I’m serious. It’s really stupid, and not in a funny way. But I do think Stranger Things was inspired by this story overall. The modern It films are better but they’re also really kjslsklskls stupid? Stephen King in general is obsolete imo.

The Thing: (tw: VB) an alien that can take the form of others wreaks havoc on a scientific facility in Antarctica. It’s dark and vibey, but I feel like it’s just Alien in Antarctica with truly terrible special effects tbh?? Others feel differently. It’s also classified as sci fi/horror, so stay away if you’re easily scared! Not too good on representation.

Super 8: (tw: some language) a group of preteens witnesses an alien-caused train crash as they’re filming a home movie. Not diverse but I definitely think it inspired a lot of sci fi for the 2010s, ESPECIALLY Stranger Things. Not too scary either!

ET: (tw: it’s been a really long time since I watched so I don’t remember but it’s rated PG) I think everyone knows what this is about!

Alien: (tw: VB) truckers in space discover a deadly evolving alien. One of my favorite movies of all time! I love the aesthetic and the mood and worldbuilding so much. Ellen Ripley is one of the first Final Girls in the horror genre. I personally found this more of a sci fi than a horror movie but I’d say stay away if you’re nervous!!

Terminator: (tw: VB) a deadly android is sent to kill a woman who’s destined to birth the man who saves the world. Terminator 2 is way better imo because it centers on Sarah rather than the dudes saving her and trying to kill her. But it’s still worth a watch, you know, for the culture.

If you liked CONTAGION:

War of the Worlds: (tw: blood) pretty straightforward aliens come to Earth to take over. Sorry to rec another T*m Cruise movie but I really like the alien design and the apocalypsey feel of this one. Baby Dakota Fanning is in it too!

Falling Skies: (tw: VB, body horror, rape) alien invasion yada yada but the alien lore gets more interesting as it goes on. It’s kind of cheesy and yeah maybe I did discover it by looking up the iCarly boyfriend (and what about it??) but it’s nice to have on in the downtime. An Asian woman co-stars.

Knowing: (tw: blood) school students unearth a time capsule that contains a sheet from a girl who predicted all the tragic world events between 1959-2009. This is NOT a good movie but it’s SO hilarious to me because of the acting and contrivances. Fun to group-watch!!!!

10 Cloverfield Lane: (tw: VB, emotional abuse) a woman wakes up in a bunker to a captor who tells her that the world has fallen to alien apocalypse. I think this movie elevates the original Cloverfield in pretty much every way. Again, super tense and moody. The conflict revolves around whether or not the captor is being truthful.

Train to Busan: (tw: extreme VB and disturbing imagery) a man and his daughter are on a train when a zombie hops on at the last minute. It’s Korean with an all-Asian cast; Choi Woo-shik co-stars. I definitely wouldn’t watch if you’re scared of blood and gore. It’s very gross and violent.

12 Monkeys: (tw: ableism, violence) a man from the 2030s is sent back to the 1990s to prevent the plague that will end the world. I think the aesthetics of this are really cool but otherwise it’s not a favorite. But I think it appeals to people who like apocalypse and time travel stuff!

If you liked THE MATRIX:

Strange Days: (tw: rape, sex, nudity, VB, racism, police brutality) memories can be saved to hard-drives and sold on the black market for exorbitant prices. Very problematic and triggering presentation of rape, but young Angela Basset stars and there’s a condemnation of police brutality that’s still relevant 20+ years after its release.

Upgrade: (tw: ableism, VB, fridging) a disabled man installs an AI in his spine to help him move and investigate the murder of his wife. The premise is glaringly ableist and I feel weird even recommending it tbh but it’s got great visuals and a few good twists.

Altered Carbon: (tw: VB, weird interracial body switching, uhhh I haven’t finished this one IDK) in a society where human bodies are interchangeable, a man wakes up in a new body after 300 years of his mind being dormant. A Latina woman co-stars, two Asian characters in a subplot, a few other POC here and there as well. I think season 2 stars a black man.

eXistenZ: (tw: VB, anti-Asian racism, general weirdness? IDK it’s hard to describe. There are guns made out of bones and weirdly sexual visuals.) after someone tries to assassinate her, a video game designer and her bodyguard must play through her virtual reality game in order to save the only copy of the game.

Minority Report: (tw: VB, eye removal/insertion) all crimes are predicted and criminals reported before they are committed. The main character is preemptively accused of murder. This one is really white but it was one of the first movies that got me into sci fi. Early 2000s Colin Farrell <3.

If you liked WESTWORLD:

Humans: (tw: uncanny valley, objectification) androids are household helpers and public assistants throughout Britain until one day they start developing consciences. It hits a lot of the themes of Westworld without all the unnecessary pretentiousness, “edginess,” and “grittiness,” and it stars Gemma Chan and Colin Morgan!!

Blade Runner 2049: (^) an android is ordered to find and kill a human/android hybrid. It’s not without its issues but it’s one of my favorite movies of all time, right up there with Alien. So beautiful, so thematic, so thought-provoking (to me, anyway. I know a lot of people thought it was way too slow).

Ex Machina: (^) a man is invited to a private estate to help test the intelligence of an android. It’s kind of predictable imo but you know Oscar Isaac and Sonoya Mizuno are in it so we have to stan, and so is Domhnall Gleeson, for the SW fans! I like how isolated and quiet it feels.

I Am Mother: (tw: blood, gaslighting) after an extinction event, a young woman is raised by a lone android in a human repopulation facility until one day a woman knocks. It starts off slow and a bit generic, but I’m obsessed with the 2nd and 3rd acts of this movie---good acting, dialogue, and fantastic visuals. It has that same isolated feel as Ex Machina with only three characters, all of which are women/woman-coded!!!

If you liked ALIEN (space gothic):

Battlestar Galactica (2004-2008 reboot): (tw: genocide, war, colonization, VB, uncanny valley, rape, infidelity) space opera that follows humanity as it fights the ever-evolving and powerful enemy of their own creation: androids named Cylons. Um? I  L O V E  THIS SHOW SO MUCH and I truly do think it’s everything sci fi should be. There is a really unfortunate Miss Saigon-esque romance plot in season 1 and a lazily-written love triangle involving a black woman in season 3, but otherwise it’s one of my all-time favorites and I highly recommend. It’ll spin your mind and tug your heartstrings for years.

Black Mirror: Men Against Fire: (tw: genocide, war, nudity) soldiers in the near future protect citizens from mutant zombies, but one soldier starts experiencing strange hallucinations in the field. This is such an underrated Black Mirror episode starring a black man. There’s brief objectification of a black woman but it’s very anti-military and it has an interesting sterile aesthetic that reminds me of Alien.

High Life: (tw: rape, black holes/space anxiety, very disturbing) prisoners are given the option to join a space expedition and serve as experimental subjects en route to a black hole. Please please stay away if you are triggered by sexual violence of any kind. There’s almost no physical violence in this movie but it’s psychologically haunting imo.

The Faculty: (tw; VB, drug use) high schoolers discover their teachers are being possessed by an invading alien race. I LOVE THIS MOVIE LMFAOOOO. The cast is SO wild---Elijah Wood, John Oliver, Usher, Salma Hayek, Josh Hartnett??? And I’m probably forgetting more. The combination of the cast, the terrible dialogue, and shitty special effects is PEAK comedy imo. But bear in mind it’s bloody!!

Prometheus: (tw: body horror, VB, uncanny valley) a crew of scientists heads on a deep space mission to find the aliens who created the human race. A prequel to Alien, but I kind of view it as its own thing. Despite the plot holes, I love this movie too! It was one of my sci fi gateways and the visuals are stunning. It’s pretty gory though so if that’s not your thing stay away.

Life: (tw: extreme VB) a lesser Alien, but it provides all the space gothic tropes (jokey crew, shots of space, really pretty spaceship, everyone dies, creepy alien) with a well-known cast---Gyllenhaal, Reynolds, etc.

The X Files: (tw: a few episodes contain 90s racism, sexism, queerphobia etc but you can skip them) a lot of people have watched this so I barely have to explain, but it’s one of my favorites. Two FBI agents investigate multiple aliens and get involved in government conspiracies along the way. A good gateway!

A Quiet Place: (tw: child loss, VB, tension) I think most people know what this is about too. Alien apocalypse with aliens that hunt by sound. The daughter in the family is deaf, and so is the actress who portrays her. The representation of deafness was critically acclaimed.

[yanderesuxreaderinserts]

Oh my God... after those 4 episodes... just imagine mega pearl/or both pearls in general developing an unhealthy obsession with reader.

Ah. ❤️❤️ (also can I just mention how much I adore their design?)

Both VB and Pearl had already lost the same person before, so it was only natural that they would fall for the same person again. The second they laid eyes on you, they seperately knew they had to get closer to you.

Both pearls met you at different points in time, Pearl had known you for a while, never scrounging up the courage to speak to you, whilst VB had only started seeing you around in the past year. Both harboured minor obsessions for you, how could they not? Not when you reminded them so much of what they’d lost. Both were equally determined to not lose you again.

When BP went to Steven for help with her crack, you asked if there was any way you could help, and although Steven said that that was unlikely, BP was quick to request that you stay, just in case. Steven decided that the best course of action was to go to Pearl for help, who mentioned the Shell, a place for pearls in need of repair.

It was decided the best course of action was to take the warp pad to the Shell, in hopes getting VB’s eye fixed somehow. Upon arrival, you couldn’t help but marvel at the architecture, it was built specifically to prevent any sea water penetrating the thick shell, and it seemed the only way of getting in and out was via the warp pad. The four of you made your way through the building, stopping now and then to point out anything interesting. Luckily the Shell recognised Steven as Pink Diamond, and allowed all of you entrance.

Throughout your exploration of the building, you couldn’t help but notice VB and Pearl’s frequent stares at you, gazing at you whilst a bright shade of pink or teal and more often than not biting down on their lower lip, turning away whenever they noticed you making eye contact. There was a point when they started noticing each other’s line of sight, looks of distrust and unease crossing their faces. You considered pointing all this out to Steven, but he seemed engrossed in finding a solution to the current problem at hand.

“No, no, no! Shell stop it!” Steven hammered against the clam shell keeping Pearl and VB imprisoned, yells of protest bouncing off as the Shell began send lines of electricity up and down the two pearls, ignoring your cries of objection as you and Steven struggled to make it cease the rejuvenation process. “Oh.” Steven took a couple steps back behind you, as cracks started to appear in the shell, breaking apart into small shards as a tall silhouette of light rose up above the two of you.

“WARNING. UNAUTHORISED ENTITY FOUND WITHIN THE FACILITY, DEFENSE PROTOCAL ACTIVATED.” Dozens of vine-like tendrils extended from the walls of the room, reaching out to attack the fusion standing before you. Without hesitation, the fusion seized it’s weapon from it’s gem, tearing each one apart with one rapid manoeuvre. Swiftly, she gently picked up you and Steven off of the floor, and elegantly danced and dodged her way past all of the building’s security measures, hurling her weapon through several layers of it to send Steven through after, and shielding you from harm with her arm as she slid to the ground, a look of utter adoration on her face as she studied your curled up form. In that moment, she decided that two heads were better than one. After all, it was so much easier to protect you this way, and what else was she supposed to do but protect and love you? Especially when the end result was this, the love of her life huddled in her embrace.

[linuxlife]

Linux Life Episode 49

Well hello folks, I have managed to find some time to push out another blog entry between my hectic schedule.  So I have managed a few things in Linux in this time but not much regarding videos as I have been running around like a headless chicken after everybody.  So enough about my nonsense lets get on with the Linux stuff.

Solus 4.0 was just released.  Although I am running Antergos I like to keep an eye on the distributions that are out there.  It would probably take something rather good to extract me from the Arch rolling release setup but they do keep improving things.

So I tested it out using VMWare Workstation and the version I tested was Solus MATE 4.0.  Yes the new Solus version is not just limited to Budgie ISOs they now do a MATE and an GNOME 3 version.  So they are all GNOME based I guess.

The installer worked well and to be honest it worked quite well even in the VM environment.  Software is still installed through it’s Software Centre which is based on the Ubuntu Software package store I believe.  It works OK, previously when I tried Solus 3.0 it regularly crashed the store when you installed anything so it was a bit of a hit and miss affair.  Luckily the version 4.0 seems to work fine.

As well as the usual kernel update and apps updated the new version has some nice little touches far too many to list here.  I must admit if I was going to go back to a fixed release schedule distribution.  I would definitely consider Solus MATE 4.0 as a nice replacement.

If you want further information check out their website at https://getsol.us/home/

OK next on the agenda I have again being playing about with Lutris again and I managed to get Pinball FX3 working.  The latest table set is from Williams so includes pinball tables such as Fish Tales, The Getaway II and about 4 more tables.

I was obsessed with Pinball machines when I was in college.  Every time we had a spare afternoon we used to go to the arcade.  For the uninitiated I used to live in the North East of England not far from the coast so we were about a twenty minute walk away.  We used to play one of six pinball tables they had.

One was Fish Tales, the second was Lethal Weapon III, the third Super Mario Pinball, the fourth The Getaway II, fifth was the Twilight Zone and sixth was The Addams Family.  So as Pinball FX 3 emulates two of the six tables now.  So I am having fun.  The Addams Family being my absolute favourite what an amazing table that was.

Who knows in time they may get the remainder.  Also it’s handy that Pinball FX3 runs using Lutris (Wine gaming front end with DXVK support) is incredibly handy.  As the only way previously to run pinball tables was to try and get Visual Pinball to work using Wine which was always a pain in the neck as everything is a VB script and was temperamental at best.

Now will still have to get Visual Pinball running to play the four other tables as they do have VP conversions but to be honest the ball physics in Visual Pinball is a little bit wonky.

Pinball FX3 seems to have reasonably good ball physics and it is worth playing the game.  To be honest out of the remaining four, The Addams Family or The Twilight Zone would be my choices of ones I would like to see, but understand the problems regarding voice actors and licensing etc..  Actually both will be available once the Williams pack gets out of beta.  So now I just wait.

Sure I can play things like Epic Pinball on DOSBOX or the Pinball series from 21st Century Pinball (DICE) such as Pinball Illusions etc..  It is nice however to see a modern Pinball player which includes modern day effects such as sparkle trails and animations that move when certain events happen.

It also has a nice high score system and you can gain upgrades by achieving certain score markers for example.  It can be played in multiplayer too which is always fun.

OK Pinball FX 3 can be downloaded for free from Steam but if you want the DLC tables such as the Williams ones you do have to pay for them.

Anyway that’s enough waffle from me for this episode so until next time...take care.

[shiraishi--kanade]

Point A: Taiga never actually wanted to stop VBS from pursuing Rad Weekend.

Point B: Taiga massively lost the idgaf war with himself with that one.

I promised I would not be LUtF posting but it seems I'll end up LUtF posting anyway. Oh well, here's a short-ish one

Taiga is one fascinating fucker of a character, but I feel what most people get wrong about him is that he never actually went into LUtF with genuine malice.

Most importantly, Taiga is a character who vastly prefers to speak with his actions rather than words; this is somewhat canon and is referenced in On Your Feet!:

With that in mind, you have to consider the things Taiga did for VBS (+ team) prior to LUtF. And it's actually... More than anyone else aside from maybe Ken.

1. Probably the most important one, letting them see COL venue (Legend Still Vivid)

This is both a precious memory for Akito and An and an important experience for Touya and Kohane, who have not been there before. He does this entirely on a whim by Kohane's request, but it's important to see that he is genuinely touched by Kohane's resolve, as well.

(It's heaving implied that literally the only people who would be able to give VBS that opportunity would be Taiga and Ken, but Ken was at that point still massively hitting the brakes on how much he wanted to involve himself into the mess that would later become LUtF - although we can see him starting to crack, as well)

2. Giving actual, genuinely good advice to Kohane that pointed VBS in the direction of "you need to connect with people of the town to be able to surpass RW" (Kick it up a notch)

Taiga and Kohane's mentorship relationship were genuine to some degree; even before that, in Awakening Beat, Taiga also gives Kohane the advice she needed.

Bonus point: he also gave this same advice to Arata, a kid he barely knows (Power of Unity)

This is genuine and valid advice; you can see how it ties into Nagi's story and how RW came to be. Why would Taiga be giving out free tips if he was opposed to anyone trying to surpass RW? Let's mark that down for later.

3. Helping out Akito as well (Fina a Way Out). Whether is intentional or not is up for debate, but it's important that it took Taiga to talk to Akito for him to finally find inner peace.

While he's at it, Taiga gives almost the same, if not more, amount of support to VBS. So why?

Because of VBS' third event, RISE. it's a pivotal moment for their story, and it changed a lot of things... But most notably, it showed Taiga that they are serious.

Keep in mind that Taiga never entertained Nagi's idea to pass their dream on to the next generation in the first place. It was something Nagi wanted, and what Ken wanted to see through, but not Taiga (Light up the Fire, Episode 7)

Taiga: (...Nagi. This isn't for you.)

Shortly after:

Taiga: after everything, no matter what you say to me, my resolve won't change.

Taiga: no matter what, I will make our music the best in the world.

Taiga: this if for nobody's sake - I'm doing this for myself.

Through the event, Taiga is strongly against the idea of giving up on their dream - on his dream. While he doesn't appear to harbor any grudge towards Ken in particular, he is very unhappy - and is downright cynical - about the idea of someone following in their footsteps.

So for the most of his presence in the story, what he does is just entertain the idea of VBS actually getting on that level. He's tentatively curious, but he's not exactly emotionally invested in it. He's taking a "wait and see" approach towards VBS as a team, nudging them on, but without any particular serious intend behind his actions - he doesn't believe they're strong or willful enough.

And hoo boy he waited and saw.

After the absolute hell VBS brought up at Crawl Green and most of the audience seeing Nagi in Kohane (basically confirming his suspicions), Taiga realised that oh shit, those kids are actually doing it... Which meant it was about for him to show them what they're actually getting into.

(please refer to the first picture again. I'm working with limitations here)

This isn't an attempt to kick them down as much to give them a reality check. Remember, for the entirety of their 3-4 rotations, VBS have been pacing in circles trying to figure out why they host an even after an event and basically achieve nothing. Moving forward, yes, but they still don't understand why the RW was the way it was, and Taiga wands to give them the answer, because they would never progress themselves without it.

Which is: a) Nagi's story 2) the skill difference between VBS and Radder. Caucasian Destination aside. Please suspend your disbelief for a moment. This is a shounen anime about rap. Still with me? Okay, moving on.

But why a battle?

Well, aside from him being a calloused old bastard who also likes to scratch his ego, because he knows that the harder VBS lose, the higher they rise.

Don't get me wrong, he's downright cruel to Kotarou and antagonistic towards the rest of them and talks a lot of shit, but all of it is to make VBS hit the ground harder and test their resolve.

Because losing and then getting back on top is how VBS thrive - their frustration from losing is what drives them to work harder. This is part of Vivid Street's battle culture, as well; they kind of weed out the "weak", depending on how the loser react, and good sportsmanship is encouraged - so trying to "get back at ya" after losing is entirely normal and a part of the culture Taiga and VBS both were practically raised in.

He's seen the way Akito behaved after battling Shephard, and he knows An well enough to know she's an extremely sore loser and will always push herself to work even harder. It's not hard for him to deduce the rest of the team will react similarly. He simply sees them losing, and losing in that way, as a necessity for them to realise their limits and find strength to move forward. And they do.

( ^ On your feet. Make no mistake, this is An's "I'm being a little shit right now" face. The "I'm about to rub your fur entirely the wrong way and enjoy it" expression if you will).

The entire 3rd episode was an - callous and assholey, yes - attempt by Taiga to rile VBS up enough so that they want to challenge him again, now with the whe context behind the story and what will it take of them. It was never, at least, not intentionally, attempt to stop them - Taiga is putting his whole trust in VBS as the only ones he respects enough to actually show the them the wall they're claiming to challenge, and he fully believes that when he does, they'll just come back stronger for it.

Which is why, as they call him out and threaten to go beyond his dream, to be even better than he is, he is smiling.

[analyzingadventure]

You think the digital world is gonna appear this seadon?

I think... that really depends on the "future" of Ghost Game. Like...

If Ghost Game is a normal 55~ish episode kids anime, then it'd be way too late at this point, since we'd only have like 6 episodes left at this point.

If Ghost Game is like Psi though and is like, a near 70~episode series, then I think there'd be a higher chance we might see a few episode worth of the DW possibly

But these are both relying on the idea that GG is ending in like 6-20 episodes, there is a third option where GG ends but we get a second season much like Zero Two and Hunters (though maybe without a new protagonist). And although it's theoretically possible, I kind of doubt it.

So TL:DR; no I don't think we're gonna see the DW in this series, mainly because I don't think it'd actually add anything to the story.

And to elaborate a bit more on that;

So what I've been getting from GG is that Gammamon is a reincarnation of his previous life as GulusGammamon (or a higher evo form, I know there's new evolutions in the VB but I did not look at those on purpose), the Dark Conqueror. Somehow he died and turned into a Digiegg with no memory of his past life (as the series has been building up to that, explaining and establishing the cycle of death and rebirth, memory, etc), and now in his reborn form Hokuto shipped Gammamon off to be Hiro's baby brother, giving Gammamon a second chance at life. And that's what GG is about.

GG is Gammamon's second chance at life, it's about us witnessing what kind of a person he grows up into, if his past sins will be inescapable and if he's doomed to become a corrupt, cruel entity once more*, and if so, should he be given another chance again, and again, or if he should face total deletion (if that's even an option in this series) for the greater good, including himself.

*Interesting sidenote; the Shadra/Nanomon episode went really hard on establishing and Digimon can not retain memories of their past lives, but Gulus seems to Know Things. So, Gulus is special somehow in that regard, and it's going to be interesting to find out why and how

So, since that's what I'm currently getting from GG, I don't think Hiro and co going into the DW would actually help with telling that story. Like it could be a cool backdrop for a final battle, but I don't think it'd add anything to the story. The battle could happen in Hiro's dorm room, it wouldn't make much of a difference really.

Really all we "need" from the DW is to maybe get Hiro's dad back if he can even be brought back (like he could also be totally dead and can only exist as a ghost in the DW or something, IDK), and we don't even have to really go to the DW for that, just open a gate and make sure Hokuto's at the right place at the right time and boom, he's been brought back.

I will say, let's say GG does go on for like 70 episodes or gets a sequel, if GG takes a turn where Gulus goes on a rampage and flees into the DW, forcing Hiro and co to go on a grand quest to fetch him, Espimon and Ryudamon replacing Gammamon as Hiro's partner(s), THEN I think we could get to experience this series' DW in more detail, but I kind of doubt it.

There was a recent interview with the staff where one of the GG staff members (can't remember who but you can find the interview on WtW) explicitly stated they didn't want GG to focus too much on an overarching story, just to keep the show more fun and make kids more likely to tune in, thus the heavy emphasis of the MotW formula in GG. And, knowing that, although the scenario I suggested above could be something you'd see in another season of the franchise, with GG, I don't think it'd actually happen, since it'd just go entirely against the goals of the staff and what they want to achieve with GG.

I've rambled on enough now but I think you get what I've been trying to say, so, yeah. Don't think we'll see the kids go to the DW in GG. There's no reason in the narrative for them to do so right now at least), and little time left for them to create a reason.