#and those gosh dang pretty visuals

[aleppothemushroom]

The only thing I cared about in Avatar 2 was the alien whales and the friendship the outcast one had with the blue kid. Kinda wish the whole movie was about the whales.

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About "Knock Knock Knockin' on Hooty's Door" from The Owl House

Wow. They are really pushing it for that secret message, huh?

Anywho--Salutations, random people on the internet who certainly won’t read this! I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons!

I think it goes without saying at this point that Season Two of The Owl House is setting itself up as a season without filler. Now, filler episodes aren't always bad. Yes, it hurts when a series turns away from the main plot for a week. But at best, they're utilized as a chance for the writers to play around with the characters and developing said characters without it relating to the overarching story. So, some people who see that consider it a bad thing that a series doesn't have that many filler episodes.

I like to call those people: F**king morons.

Don't get me wrong, I see where some of you are coming from. And I'd be willing to agree...if The Owl House was a plot-driven series. Which it's not. It is a character-driven series. Because for every plot thread and narrative that the show presents, they always relate to the characters and develop them further each time these threads get brought up. For example, look at "Knock Knock Knockin’ on Hooty's Door" (It pains me just to write that). Several narratives move forward, and it’s all done to make the characters grow. And to explain how requires going into spoilers. So keep that in mind as you continue reading.

Now, let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Hooty: Might as well start with the character that this episode is about.

To tell you the truth, I wasn't a huge fan when I found out we're getting a Hooty-centered episode. I've grown to love him over time, but he is a comedic character that's best used in small doses. Primarily due to how his voice is grating to me (My ears are still bleeding...). With that said, I do really love his contributions in "Knock Knock Knockin' on Hooty's Door" (Seriously, there couldn't have been a less awkward title?). Hooty's antics when trying to help everyone are as hilarious as they are heartwarming. He deeply cares for his friends but just doesn't understand how his plans could do some unintended harm, which is pretty lovable if you ask me. We also get some surprisingly great insight into his character, as he feels insecure about basically being the comic relief who doesn't really do that much other than being funny. Rarely do you get that level of dimension from a comedic character, and it's even more uncommon for that to work out as well as it does here. It once again proves just how competent the writing is in this series to the point where we get an episode about Hooty, and it's funny and heartwarming instead of being annoying. And whoever is responsible for that, you're the best.

Lilith’s Letter to Hooty: I mean it when I say that I love how Lilith kept her word about her and Hooty becoming penpals. Their friendship was something I would have never expected to love, and I'm still shocked that it works so well, so seeing it continue like this just warms me to the bone. Plus, it is pretty sweet that Lilith's kind words are what inspired Hooty to do what he's done in this episode...meaning it's Lilith we should thank here--SON OF A WITCH! Even when she's gone, she's still working her way into my heart!

King going through Puberty: What?! KING IS EVOLVING!

(There, I made a Pokemon reference. Do I get my cookie now?)

Eda Keeping Herself Awake to Train Herself: I'm willing to bet a large sum of money that this has everything to with Raine getting captured last week. If Eda was still the most powerful witch in the Isles, she might have actually saved them. But she isn't, and now the love of her life is in the clutches of a tyrant planning something that could potentially be the end of everything. So I can understand Eda pushing herself to her limit to get back on top again, as I would probably do the same. It's not healthy in any way, and Eda would be doing more harm than good. But when it comes to the people you love, logic doesn't always win out in the end.

Luz Wanting to Make her Way into Amity’s Heart by Making the Echo Mouse Happy: ...That's it. I Just...I just love everything about it, ok?

This was also when I knew that I was wrong to doubt that there would be zero Lumity in this episode. I realize my follies now, and I humbly apologize.

Hooty Teaching King About Demons: This was so funny. So, so funny. Probably doesn't come as a surprise, especially since The Owl House proves itself as a comedy before, but the jokes have never hit as frequently and as hard as they did here. From Hooty getting offended by King's dance to him and Dana's insert wanting a "DNA sample," everything managed to successfully make me lose my s**t. It does come at the expense of King suffering, but I can stomach that much more than if it were Eda or Luz. And, as a bonus, we get lore about how demons work, added with another great joke of King getting in trouble with Hooty for saying he already knows this stuff. Humor isn't always the show's strong suit, but when it works, it f**king works.

King Wanting to Know What he Is: But despite how funny King's vignette was, we still get to see more of his character grow. We learn that he's frustrated now that there's this big question mark over his life now, feeling extra angry that his father "abandoned" him to leave such a present mystery. It shows the hidden resentment he has that Lilith inadvertently brought out, made even worse when King's father hasn't responded to the video yet. King hasn't really gotten that much development until "Echoes of the Past," so it's pretty cool that the writers haven't really slowed down on it. Especially when it leads to these great moments of King venting his frustrations.

King’s Shouting Powers: KING learned FUS RO DAH!

(And now that's a Pokemon reference AND a Skyrim reference. WHERE'S MY GOSH DANG COOKIE!?)

Eda’s Nightmare: If King's vignette hits you hard with the laughs, Eda's will absolutely hit you harder with the feels (never make me say "feels" unironically again). Knowing that Eda's life got thoroughly screwed over by the curse is something we could figure out on her own. But seeing just how much the curse ruined her life and tore apart relationships that mean the world to her really does a swell job at ripping apart the soul. What's even more tragic is, technically speaking, it's all sort of Eda's fault too. She kept hiding the curse, refusing to be a burden to others who would do all they could to help. If she had only been open and honest, things probably wouldn't have changed much, but they most likely would have been better than they are now.

Eda Attacked her Father as the Owl Beast: ...I don't know what I was expecting when "Keeping Up A-Fear-Ances" hinted that there was some possible tension between Eda and her father...but it definitely wasn't this.

The fact that we see blood where his eye used to be doesn't make things any happier, either.

Raine Broke Up with Eda: Before we get into anything else, let's celebrate the fact that it's now confirmed that Eda and Raine really did use to date in the past. Because this show is just f**king phenomenal with its LGBTQA+ representation!

But, seriously, this is a fantastic reveal that goes far beyond just shipping...well, sort of. It shines a new light on Eda and Raine's interactions from last week, revealing that while they're not a couple anymore, they still very much love each other. It helps make their last interaction especially tragic, as they were both on the same page now and could very well be together again. Only for them to be forced apart for the second time in a way that's much worse than the first. And I frickin' adore that this series changes the impact of one episode one week later. Again, it shows just how competent these writers are, and kudos to them for making something so...perfect.

The Moon Person: WHO THE FU--Nope. Nope! We have more than enough mystery bulls**t to deal with through CreepyLuz and Philip Wittebane, so I am PUTTING YOU ON THE BACKBURNER FOR NOW!

(They're probably nothing more than a one-off character, anyway)

The Owl Beast and Eda are Connected: Through visuals alone, we, the audience, can clue into what the curse really means. The Owl Beast doesn't want to be a part of Eda as much as she doesn't want it to be a part of her. Whether they like it or not, and they very much don't, they're stuck together. The thing is, and this is what I love the most, they still decide to make the best of their situation rather than let it ruin their lives even more. This might be the best possible turn Eda's curse could have made. It'll still affect her, and there are probably more negatives than positives, but at least now, it's not the worst thing in the world. And I feel like that's all anyone can ask when in a position like her own.

Eda's “Pretty Dream”: I don't know what emotions are toiling inside me more with this moment. Awe and wonder over how beautiful Eda's dream is, or heartbreak over the implication that she has only had nightmares since getting cursed...I'm gonna say both. Yeah, it's definitely both.

Eda’s Harpie Form: Well, fan artists are gonna have a field day with this...especially the freaks.

(You know who you are. And you're weird!)

Luz Calling Amity a “Cotton-Candy Haired Goddess”: ...Have I ever mentioned how much I love this show?

Hooty Kidnapped Amity: ...Hooty, if your stupidity wasn't charming, I would be more than willing to call the authorities over how you kidnapped a girl in your version of a knapsack and locked her in the basement. For that is going to ring SO MANY alarm bells in people's heads.

Amity and Luz Stuck in a Tunnel of Love: *Smacks lips* Mmm. The adorable awkwardness of this moment is just *chef's kiss* magnifique!

Luz being afraid of getting made fun of:

Amity’s look of hope: I mean...just...f**king--LOOK AT HER:

That is the look of a girl who, while embarrassed as hell, still is ecstatic to learn for a brief moment, everything that she is hoping for has a high chance of being real. Who, in their right mind, wouldn't go "Aw!" at something so pure and innocent?!

Luz Destroying the Tunnel of Love: This is how to effectively utilize dramatic irony. The audience can understand why Luz is tearing the place apart because she explicitly states that she's afraid of Amity rejecting her in the end. They also know that's bogus, thus making it extra painful to watch Amity's heart break more and more with each second (which is perfectly represented through Amity's expressions). You feel bad for both of them, and even worse when you know that it can easily be prevented by the simple art of communication. That's what makes it great dramatic irony. Knowing the point of view of each character results in a scene that evokes emotions in two different ways.

Hooty’s Breakdown: This was...genuinely hard to watch. Not that it was badly written, far from it. It just...hurt seeing how destroyed Hooty was when he realized he failed the people he has such an admiration for. On the upside, a wholesome moment follows soon after as the Owl House gang tries to reassure Hooty that he's done a lot of good that night. It's a pure action that shows even though Hooty gets on their nerves all the time, they still care about him...damn it. I think I'm gonna cry.

Eda’s Advice for Luz: ...Eda...You're the best.

You found out that your surrogate daughter wants to ask a girl out, and not only were you quick to deliver the best possible advice ("Just go for it!"), but you also quickly reassure her that it doesn't need to be perfect.

And you know what? That's it. Eda is the best cartoon mom! She might not technically be Luz's mom, but I don't give a s**t because she is the best!

Luz and Amity Ask Each Other Out: Shh-sh-sh-sh...

Do you hear that?

...

...

...It's the sound of dozens of Lumity fans collectively losing their s**t...and I'm one of them.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

HOO-HOO-HOO-HOO!

IT!

IS!

CANON!

AH-HAHAHAHAHA!

HOLY S**T! Holy s**t! Holy s**t...might just be the best way I could possibly describe this! Finally, after all the waiting, speculating, and praying, THESE TWO IDIOTS FINALLY GOT TOGETHER! AND IT WAS PERFECT! I mean, it was awkward as s**t, but that's what makes it perfect! You know why? You wanna--Hey! *snaps fingers*. You want to know why? It's because they're teenagers. Of f**king course, it's going to be awkward! This is their first relationship, so there will be a lot of missteps along the way. And that, in itself, brings me to the best (second best part?) thing about it happening in episode eight of the new seasons. Most endgame couples get together in the climax or even at the end of the series. But to have them get together this early on, means there will be quite a few episodes dedicated to showing them grow as a couple.

And better than that--EVEN F**KING BETTER THAN THAT--dozens of kids are going to see these two, a realistic depiction of young love that just so happens to involve two girls, and are going to learn once and for all that there is nothing wrong with being who they are. That fact alone is f**king incredible. Yes, it sucks that season three got cut short, and we'll have even less time with Luz and Amity, but knowing how many kids have felt seen today almost makes it worth it in the end.

And if I see one mother f**ker saying this was poorly paced, I might just hunt them down for SPORT...Sorry if that was an overreaction. I'M JUST SO HAPPY! Because they're happy! Look at them. Listen to them! It's so...GAH-HAHAHA!

“They’re adorable! And deserve all the happiness!”: You're darn right, Hooty! You're darn right.

King’s Father(?) Shows Up: What the--WHAT?! They're doing this now?! Here?! After everything else?

Oh, man. What could this mean? What dynamic changes will this cause in the main cast? How could the writers fit this in during the next two episodes? And what--

Hooty Eats the Letter: ...Pfffft--HAHAHAHA!

Oh, man...I should be mad, and I wouldn't blame others if they are...but that is too much of a brilliant f**k you that I can't help but appreciate it. Bravo writers. Bravo.

WHAT I DISLIKED

...Dislikes? Dislikes? You would honestly believe that after everything I witnessed in this episode, that I would have the gull to list anything wrong with it?!

HOW DARE YOU ASSUME THAT I WOULD BE SO CALLUS TO--Actually, I do kind of have an issue with the episode's title. It's just too much of an awkward mouthful for me to get behind. I understand that the writers wanted to sneak the K into the secret message, but were there really no other titles starting with K that they couldn't come up with?

But that's just a personal issue, and in no way do I think anybody else would feel the same way. Especially with how well-written everything else is anyway.

IN CONCLUSION

"Knock Knock Knockin' on Hooty's Door" (title aside) is another A+ episode. It was hilarious, heart-wrenching, and downright adorable while keeping me entertained with every minute. I'm sure there are some issues I was willing to ignore due to how expertly written everything else was, but why bother looking for the chinks in the armor when I could just enjoy a perfect episode for being so...perfect! Some of you might be willing to disagree with me, but to that, I say: Don't knock it till you've tried it.

(Now, if you don't excuse me, I'm going to go lie down. It's...It's been a day.)

[nikibogwater]

Aight, loves, I’m only running on four hours of sleep here, but it’s time to Blether (bitterly)

Niki Blethers: Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans (SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT!)

Okay, um, how ‘bout we start with the good stuff first and then move into the Real Discussion.

Animation? Gorgeous. Even watching the movie on a janky iPad screen, I was blown away by the visuals.

Voice Acting: *chef’s kiss* I think this is easily Emile Hirsch’s best performance as Jim. And oh land, Colin O’Donoghue once again nails Douxie’s desperation, exhaustion, and sorrow. Give everybody an Oscar here, they deserve it.

Some of the emotional beats hit so hard. I can’t say all of them, unfortunately, but I was definitely in tears in a couple of places.

Dang, this movie did not screw around. It was extremely hard to watch the Arcane Order torturing Douxie and Nari, Nomura’s death, Jim breaking pretty much all of his ribs…I know whump fans are gonna have a good time with this.

Douxie body swapping with Nari was both viscerally uncomfortable and also made my heart bleed because oh my gosh Douxie you selfless king, c’mere and let me hold you, you brilliant boy. Also @sergeantsporks, how in the blue blazes did you predict that was coming.

Really great to see Barbara in the thick of things. I guess she and Strickler adopted out all the Darklands babies. I’m also so glad that Jim’s father wasn’t some important, mysterious person who left for a noble cause. The guy is just a deadbeat, and that’s all there is to it. It really helps build up the theme of Jim’s arc—that anyone, even the most unlikely people, can move past such challenges and be a hero.

The moments between Jim and his mom were wonderful. Very heartwarming.

DOUXIE BREAKING THROUGH BELLROC’S CONTROL OVER NARI WAS JUST 👌👌👌 LITERALLY EVERYTHING I WANTED FROM THAT SCENE.

MAGICAL SIBLINGS HUG AAAAAAHHHHHH!!! LOOK HOW RELIEVED HE IS, LOOK AT HOW MUCH HE LOVES HER, YA GIRL NIKI TOTALLY CALLED THEIR DYNAMIC!

Badass Nari with the Earth Titan lives in my brain rent-free now.

As much as I hated Nari’s death, I have to admit that Douxie’s response to it was appropriately heart-wrenching. The way he kept desperately calling her name, only to gasp it out once more when he realized she was gone—that was some good angst right there.

I still hate it, tho. 🙂

CHILDREN OF THE SUN, YEEEEEEAH!!! GET ‘EM, JIM!

Jim and Toby being both the beginning and the end for the series is so heartwarming. Honestly lost it over Toby’s death sequence and the way Jim was clinging to him and sobbing.

Okay, time to address the many elephants in the room:

M!Preg Steve should not have happened. Period. That wasn’t funny, that was disgusting, and honestly kind of insulting to the very real challenge of bearing children and giving birth. I’m sorry Dreamworks, but that is a hard no for me.

There were a handful of scenes where characters didn’t feel fully present, emotionally. Like, when the team realizes that Douxie is in the Order’s clutches….no one seems very worried? Like, guys, I know there’s a lot going on right now, but they literally killed him the last time he meddled in their affairs, why is nobody expressing any concern here? And when Douxie realizes he’s never going to see Archie again, he just kind of….shrugs it off? Bro, Archie is your Familiar, he practically raised you, and has been your one constant for nearly 1000 years, don’t you at least want to shed a tear or something? This isn’t anything major, but it was enough to break immersion for me in a few places. Just….why aren’t you guys emoting like you usually do?

I especially noticed this with Nari. She always seemed…really disconnected from everyone, which felt odd, because in Wizards, she very clearly cared about the others, and expressed genuine sorrow over Jim’s suffering and Merlin’s death. But here she seemed kind of….ditzy and out-of-it. Girl, why don’t you just tell Jim what to do. Use your words, I know you have them.

The ending. Oh. My. Gosh, that ending.

Let me make one thing clear here: I’m not averse to bittersweet endings. One of my favorite movies of all time is How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. What I hate is the fact that this movie basically retconned the entire series.

These characters who we have loved and followed over the last few years, related to their struggles, took comfort from their triumphs—all of that is gone now, in terms of canon. Everything and everyone was reset, with the exception of Jim. That doesn’t feel bittersweet. That feels pointlessly cruel. And to make it even worse, it wasn’t reset in a way that would allow for everyone to live in much-deserved peace. The Order is still there, the trials and suffering of the series still have to be repeated—but hey, it’s fine, because at least Jim gets to live happily ever after!!!

I cannot fathom how in the blue blazes anyone thought this was an appropriate finale to this series. What was the point of all those adventures, all those relationships, all those struggles and triumphs, if you were just going to erase them at the end? It feels cynical, not bittersweet or conclusive.

This was….a very difficult morning for me. Most of you know that my passion and love for this series has been a huge driving force in my creative growth as an author and an artist. To have it turn so sour, so suddenly, right at the end of it all…I’m probably going to need some time to get over this.

That being said, I know the team behind the movie was under a lot of pressure. Tales of Arcadia is known for being innovative and breaking storytelling molds. I can understand their desire to take the ending in such a drastically different direction. But I don’t think it was the ending this series deserves.

However, I’m aware that this is all pretty subjective. If you loved the ending, please don’t let my take on it ruin that happiness. Just be aware that I will probably be ignoring this movie’s existence as I continue to create fan content. I love these characters too much to abandon the fandom altogether, don’t worry.

[kimonobeat]

aiko bon: Official “Chiisana Marui Koujitsu” liner notes

aiko’s major label debut album, released April 21, 1999. The title of the album comes from a line in the first song, “Orange na Mangetsu”.

Orange na Mangetsu (オレンジな満月; Orange Full Moon)

Jet (ジェット)

Shiseikatsu (私生活; Private Life)

Utahime (歌姫; Diva)

Akai Kutsu (赤い靴; Red Shoes)

Ijiwaru na Tenshi yo Sekai wo Warae! (イジワルな天使よ 世界を笑え!; Mean Angel, Laugh at the World!)

Koi Ochiru Toki (恋墜ちる時; When You Fall in Love)

Natsu ni Muffler (夏にマフラー; Scarf in Summer)

Bob (ボブ)

Naki Mushi (ナキ・ムシ; Cry Baby)

Ashita (あした; Tomorrow)

(Thank you parasmichael for the commission!)

☑ The album as a whole

This was in 1999. When we were making this album I was sorta overwhelmed by just how awesome everything was: “Wow, a studio! Wow, a mic! Wow, oh my gosh, Tokyo!” We didn’t have just one set recording studio either; we recorded in a few different places. Plus, I didn’t have much time because I was still commuting from Osaka then. Because of that, my mental picture of recording it is that it was all pretty much over in the blink of an eye. There’s parts where my voice sounds nasally because we recorded when my vocals weren’t in great condition. (laughs) Oh, and it feels very ‘early’, doesn’t it? Back then I thought it was better to sing everything with force. Like, personally I don’t think you should sing very sharply or shrilly when the song itself is mild, but I used to think the stronger the better. I didn’t know a lot about laying off at certain points in the lyrics back then. What a trip down memory lane.

☑ Orange na Mangetsu

One thing I don’t really like is when people call this song “Oraman”. (laughs) I’m happy people even know this song exists enough to call it that, though. It was the opening theme song for the late-night Tokyo TV show “Gekkan Chikyuu TV (Monthly Earth TV)”. We shot a video for it thereーa sort of music video, if you will. It’s a rare video. I don’t even have it. Thanks to that, I had the chance to perform the song “Utahime” on the show. Back then I was up to my ears in work, so I appeared on the show covered in mud. I’m actually afraid of the moon. You know how sometimes you see it all big and amber-colored up in the sky? A long time ago, I often used to get so scared of seeing a big moon in the sky that I would cry. I’m still afraid of it to this day. I’m really scared that it’ll fall out of the sky or something. The song’s about how I want so badly for my feelings to be understood that I even go as far as to fearfully get a glimpse of it through the gap in my curtains and make a wish, even though I’m so scared of the moon. I used to be such a weakling back then. I used antiseptic for my throat so much that people would say my place smelled like a hospital when they came over. That’s why the word ‘antiseptic’ appears in the lyrics. The album title ‘chiisana marui koujitsu (a nice calm little day)’ appears in the lyrics too. I think that phrase represents what I personally consider to be a happy day well. I still find myself hoping that every single day continues to be full of happy things like these. Another thing I don’t really like was when this one comedian pronounced it as “Chiisana Marui Koupi”. It’s “Koujitsu”, not “Koupi!” Kind of feels like the album kicks off with drums, doesn’t it?

☑ Jet

Okay, first of all… Right around the time Shimayan had finished up the arrangement, I went over to his house and we recorded some vocals as a sort of demo. I was so happy when I listened that tape. I listened to it while running through Sangenjaya by myself. It just kinda made me feel like running. Like, “WE DID IIIIIIIT!” Anyway, I was running, and it felt so good that I knew then and there that this song would be a hit. It just felt so good when I was running that it felt done to me. It gets people really excited at my concerts, too. I guess the “d-dun!” part has a lot of impact. I also use the pronoun ‘boku (masculine ‘I’) in the song too, which is rare for me. The boy in “Jet” and the boy in “Boushi to Mizugi to Suiheisen” are one and the same. So the hair sticking out of the back of the girl’s hat is all messy and curled upーthat’s what the line “Because the messy hair on the back of your head are your wings” means. He’s looking at the hair sticking out of the back of the girl’s capーy’know, those messy hairs that are all over the placeーand looking at the way she lives her life, how incredibly free she is and how she really enjoys every single day of her life, and he sort of admires her for that. That’s why you also see the line “I know for sure you’ll fly” in the lyrics too. I guess I included it after it all just popped into my head once I came up with that visual because this song, “Jet” and “Boushi” are all especially candid. There are others like that too.

☑ Shiseikatsu

I’m really fond of the title and kept saying I wanted to make it the title of the album. Then when I was writing the title track, I was afraid of making the overall vibe of the album into just one thing and gave it up. When you write a title track, the radio stations definitely play the title track on the air. I didn’t really like the idea that the title track would set the image of the entire album even though there were all these other songs on it, you know what I mean? Now I get what everyone was saying to me then. Back then I didn’t understand why at all. Now I’m like, “Oh, so that’s why.” I definitely feel the things I wrote about in the lyrics. It’s an established part of me that I’m a bit afraid of, and because it kinda like, expresses that part of me to a T, I decided to call it “Private Life”. The one thing I really remember about this song was when the bridge over my molars came off when I had my very first solo concert at Nest in Shibuya. I stuck them back on with Poligrip. (laughs) Using Poligrip for the very first time at 23 years old. That was when I first learned that Poligrip was clear. You know how it’s always pink when you see it on TV? When I found out, I thought I’d made some kind of huge discovery and mentioned it during the MC portion of my concertーthat I was using Poligrip and it was clear! I showed everybody. They all went, “Whoa!!!” When I sang “Shiseikatsu” during that Poligrip concert, there was this one girl who was so stoked that she was dancing like she was at a club or something. I remember seeing her and singing while thinking to myself, “Oh wow… That makes me happy to see! I’m gonna keep working hard then!” I also really love the ad-libbing that doesn’t follow the melody at all, and also the ad-libbing in the second half of the song.

☑ Utahime

This is another one of those songs that stands out more than I ever thought it would. A lot of my fans tells me they like this song. Probably because I suddenly started sang this song during the opening of my first time on the national net show “All Night Nippon R” along with the line, “Nice to meet you. I’m aiko, who are you?” Because of that, some people found out about me for the first time through this song and not one of my singles. The people on the radio station really liked “Utahime”, so they asked me to sing it. Everyone gets super excited when I sing it at concerts, too. I still feel like this song’s gotten a lot more mileage than I ever thought it would. But, I’d like to be the kind of singer who’s able to surpass this song so I can continue singing in the future. This is one of those songs that I feel like I need to sing any time I sing at a concert. It was in the program at the concert when I developed those nodules [on my vocal chords]. When I sang the part that goes, “I might cry and cry~”, I couldn’t get the ‘and’ out. That was really painful for me. I figured everything’d be fine if I could just hit that note, but I definitely couldn’t. That was a huge shock for me. Singing this song used to make me feel super sad. I just couldn’t get over how shocked I was about it. Any time I thought about singing this song, the memory of it overpowered the song itself. The song makes me feel really sad, but also happy. I still hope I can be like the person in the song soon.

☑ Akai Kutsu See liner notes for ‘Naki Mushi’ single

☑ Ijiwaru na Tenshi yo Sekai wo Warae

Okay, so another thing I don’t really like (laughs) is when people call this song “Iji Ten”. Sounds like ikaten, doesn’t it? Like some kind of fried food, right? Sounds like a fried fish cake or something like that. I’ve always called it “Tenshi” which is the usual, but some people call it “Iji Ten”. There’s also a part in this song where I put my hands up in the air along with everyone in the audience. I never thought I’d get pretty much everyone to do it. I used to hope that writing this song would help me enjoy myself at concerts. I used to be really bad at writing cheerful songs in the beginning. I write my songs using my piano, and the more I try to sing in-tempo, the more I try to play the rhythm on my keyboard and the harder it gets hard for me to sing. It’s like my right hand’s flipping things with a spatula and my left hand’s doing shabu-shabu or something… But I really wanted to write an up-tempo song. That was my task, an up-tempo song. It still is. So yeah, that’s how this song came to be. I think I’ve been doing this song at concerts since my indie days, maybe. I remember doing the peace sign and thumbs-up since before I had my solo concert. After I debuted, I appeared at this event in Tokyo called “The Freedom Fool Fry”. I was there with about 4 supporting bands. It was my very first time performing in Tokyoーit was a great place to be a nobody, although I was there because they’d asked me to come. I was super happy to see everyone shuffle out there to see me. I was like, “Wow, people in Tokyo are so dang kind~” (laughs) Now a lot of people know the signs. Seeing that from the stage is one of the highlights of the show. It’s just super neat. It almost doesn’t feel over ‘til they do it. Anytime I leave this song off the setlist people always write, “Not doin’ it this time?” on the surveys. The melody moves around a lot in this song and key’s pretty high, so it’s a fight every time. Like, I wanna move around, but I also wanna sing. You know? It’s a fight to the finish every single time, one where everyone who came to the venue is grappling with that ‘seize the day!’ feeling.

☑ Koi Ochiru Toki

My voice was real nasally then. I almost think it might be a good thing when I listen to it now, but the song reminds me how frustrated I was with it at the time. I caught a cold while recording. This was back when I didn’t worry at all about what state my throat was in either, so I slept until about 5 minutes before I had to sing because I had both a cold and a fever. Then they woke me up, I got up, and sang. People told me that they didn’t understand the lyrics of this one song in particular. (laughs) “What’s square foam?” they asked. It’s hard having people ask what things are. I was like, “Don’t ask about every single lil’ thing!” (laughs) In my head, I imagine ‘when you fall in love’ as something impossible happening. That’s what I think falling in love is. You’ve got all these things swirling around in your head. Things are like a cartoon, or a comic stripーthat’s what ‘when you fall in love’ is like to me, so that’s what I wrote about. You feel it with your entire body, you inhale their scent. I was super shocked when I sang it at a concert for the first time in a while and everyone sang along. They had me worrying that I’d mess the lyrics up!

☑ Natsu ni Muffler

So hot it’s like wearing a scarf in the summerーthat’s what I was going for here! I’m expressing the way you feel when you like somebody. I feel like I don’t do anything that sounds even remotely like this now. It’s pretty refreshing, I like it a lot. The more I listened to this song, the more I fell in love with it. I mean, I’m the one who wrote it and all, but… When you listen to something, over time you gradually start seeing new sides to it. Like, I love how expressive the melody is, and I love how the feeling of being purely happy comes through well. I love the phrase “Lemme see the tan lines your watch left behind”ーit’s very realistic.

☑ Bob

I’m the one playing in this song, tee hee. (laughs) Hm, where’d I sing this again? Hitokuchizaka, maybe… ? It came together pretty much instantly so I said, “Hey, I wrote this song.” I remember recording it after showing it to them at Hitokuchizaka Studio and being told it sounded good. You can really tell it was fresh off the press when I recorded it too. Wow, that really takes me back! I sound like I’m saying “I sink” instead of “I think”, “mot” instead of “not”, and all the words are the kind you’d use in school. Thanks to this song, anytime I get letters people write “I sink” instead. I used to write it that way a lot myself, actually. My hair really was cut into a bob when I made this song. That’s why I wrote it! In this song I’m really trying hard to act tough. I’m just talking to myself but wish someone was listening… but I’m also acting tough. That’s because I feel that way 24/7. (laughs) Oh, and the Wurlitzer is just fantastic, isn’t it?

☑ Naki Mushi See liner notes for ‘Naki Mushi’ single

☑ Ashita See liner notes for ‘Ashita’ single

[mum-for-da-sons]

Very messy Delta review

Hey gang, i sat & typed & spiraled while listening to delta for the first time just now, so if that interests you to read barely legible thoughts, it’ll be under the read more thing. dang i’m sad!! BUt spoiler alert: GOOOD ALBUM! I’m SAD!! (do note I don’t find the album or many tracks all-around too sad, I’m just a depressed bih)

Delta thoughts: okay i’m not gonna really edit what i wrote but for everyone’s sanity i’ll bold the song titles, okay?

42: BINCH! See a sign, I need some guiding light,,, eff ME UP OKAY?? This is such a strong start i’m already getting teary-eyed, huh. Ugh, it’s so satisfying… well effing done lads,, well done

Guiding Light: Hot dang the whispered beginning?? I really need to fix my computer speakers because this sounds heavenly in my over-ear headphones,, gosh dang. Discover some new TRUTH! Gosh dang this is not a comprehensive review in the slightest but i don’t care!! Binch!! I can’t even say anything good… when beloved or darkness visible makes me cry, i guess beloved is fourth? So if it does it’ll be first, anyway, when i start crying maybe i have something cooler to say. Not crazy about the “dubstep build” on this, after the bridge, just because i don’t believe it, like it’s not long enough, and resolves unconvincingly. But, anyway.

Woman: literally FRICK i thought if i say was next this start is cool and very Winston. Oh vibes?? Oh worm?? Woman?? I’m like 15 seconds in and this is… yes. Can you ever really know? No. is ths song even about anything lol i don’t think i care?? Issa vibe, gang. Chorus?? Eff me up. He said frosty… wendy’s come collect. Oh that was the pre-chorus?? This is f*cking me up… VIBES. i ‘ve been waiting for them to try this in a song of theirs and not like a cover.. I knew they were capable…. The range they’re displaying rn? I love it. I love them wtf!!  Oooh man i wanna see this live? There’s this drumstick noise, like rimshots? That sounds so satisfying. Yes, clackety clack. This is nice. Nice song. Don’t really know what they’re singing, bt this is warm. I like it. Mumford & sons finally said it’s 2018, huh. I just got a youtube notification of me commenting on their radio appearance and i literally said “the range they’re showing? Fantastic” and yanno what,, same

Beloved: this song started like right away huh. He said darling… dang he did that. He’s fitting a lot of words in on this one. Ohh the lord has a plan? It is hard to understand… i love these lyrics.. Big brain meme. Are you afraid? The attack.. Hand come through the mirror?? That visual!!! O f*ck me up. Before you leave :(( yeah it’s getting to me aHAHA.ohh this breakdown? Yes. these drums are especially nice. Ugh i really missed these guys wtf :(. AND AS YOU LEAVE, YOU MUST KNOW YOU ARE BELOVED> yes. Yes. as you LEeeeEEeaaveee. See my children playing at your feet?? BOI.. i’m so soft wtf.. They’re really putting it all out… i wanna hug them i’m so… this is so sweet aw. Oh no the song is fading, no don’t do that song

What song is this the piano can f*ck me up: ben man, you’re doin that huh. No literally did we have to jump to this painful… frick. This violin? Is nice. WE SAW BIRTH AND DEATH. Oh frick. They’re just going for it this is a lot i’m soft. Lemme actually see what song this is lol.. It’s The Wild. i have like chills & i can’t tell if it’s because i’m cold or not. Do not be afraid :(. OH they stripped it back!!! THIS IS NICE! Binch! Puts the fear of God in me :( this is so nice .. it’s hard to pick what to focus on. What’s that i see binch? I think it’s the wild… marcus is really do THAT with these vocals, huh. There was like a breath and.. The atmosphere during this part?? Nat Geo who??? Ohhh i like this so much.. It’s like a soundtrack.. The sampling of noise?? The background?? It’s cool, doesn’t specifically sound like them at all, but, aw these drums :( now it’s like a war movie.. This is so interesting. Those drums remind me of the drums in winter winds that i can sometimes here & it’s very drill-like and marching band-esqe and i love it. Aw birds??? You know what this reminds me of…. I won’t say

Next song: marcus is playing no games with these vocals, jesus. October Skies.. Isn’t this his favorite one… ooh ted I hear that bass,, eff it up.OooooOOOoooHH. The range… i love these guys. I’m blinded by the light of october skies… the movie with Jake Gylenhaal, and in the valley I am free :( where’d the silehute go? OOOooooOOOOooooHH YOUr’e esesjfsfshesal!! The fear of what’s to come.. CRIPlin’ me :( binch. Is this synth lowkey?? Brand it on my mind is such a great visual, like the “press my nose up to the glass around your heart” line.. Who wrote it. Oh is the sonG_ OOOOOOoooooOOOOOOoooooHHHH. Maggie rogers is that you? Hot dang

An upbeater!! Wipe those tears baby! Is this the just smoke of this album. This is.. Slip Away. “stoic smile” i see you… haha. Ooh this chorus is nice COME AND SUFFER HERE, LADIES! Mood!! Holding my breathe for you? F! In this violence of a mind’s eye… i like everything except maybe---- ohh this falsetto?? I’m.. i’m tearing.. Oooh we just found a song to cry to in the middle of the night, huh. It’s misleading with the beat vs. the lyrics.. I wouldn’t have it any other way!! Gosh i’m so depressed! Lol!! There’s a pulsing beat of some kind that’s nice.. Also some nice guitar work on here, some clackety things… go gently… be still…. Go gently….now… be still… Go Gentlyyyyy nowwwww, be stiiiilllll. Ugh they.. They’re doing this… i’m so proud of them wtf. Is this winston?? Who is singing.. Marcus?? I can’t.. Tell? No i think its marcus but we’ve truly never heard that high-end from him for that long

Okay: next song is pretty interesting- ooh! Right off the bat! This has to be the one they said sounded like ngalma? However you spell it… clap clap clap clap clap, this is a drum-machiner one for sure. I will be yours & you will be mine, ever our lives will be entwined binch! This noise after “my rose of sharon” is a mood. Ugh this is so cute.. Imagine being happy w/ someone else, what a concept ! eeeeeee yuh! That’s what they’re singing in the back.. My rose of sharon, my rose of sharon, BRR BRR BRN NER! Did the song-- what’s up with these abrupt endings

That being said, Picture You sounds v vibey right off the bat. Okay lads! I thought it best you didn’t knowww. I’m so proud of Marcus for flaunting these vocals, i stg, I’ve spoken on this before but... like he can do that!! I’m so glad he’s,, doing it! Ooh the “away” is v nice. I love full-stops in music, where the sound gets sucked out like here or just stops entirely… yes boys. Okay.. not crazy about this kind of.. Breakdown but it’s still cool. Just not in-rand as much as some other things. I mean, this sound is V different of course but they’re workin’ it. Okay i kind of stopped paying attention for a sec… there’s sampling… ohhh oh no it’s getting dark… hohoho no guys.. I’m excited but the anxiety is jumping out… holy smokes this is cool tho. It’s pretty. Hope that never comes, that comes to all.. Torture without end… yet from the great flames no light,,, but rather.. .DARKNESS VISIBLE. I’m gonna check if it didn’t seamlessly bleed into darkness visible…

Oh it did!! Their minds!! God, i already know i love darkness visible,, it was my pre-album listen fave on details about it alone,, we’re depressed sweeties let’s pop off… it’s so nice >:(. And just like that it ended!!!! BINCH!!! Ooh they’re like not even vocally in that one… i like that ish!! Not the “them not being in it” in that way but OOH! That was effing cool

If I Say: is still v v nice,, sounds effing expansive and beautiful with good headphones, i’m picking up all the lil details and prettiness.. The synth line after “if i say i love you, well then i love you” is sooo satisfying too. Ugh this orchestra,,, it’s building.. Truly their minds were so big on this album, huh. I’ll tell you what It doesn’t mean that i feel better! It doesn’t mean that I feel better! I’m, haha i still kinda hate this chorus but their so passionate i can’t hate it all the way,, like they love this ish and are into it & i love them so it’s allll good homies. I dig. I’ll be fake and wild out when they play it live, don’t worry. But peace you never find :( the guitar tone is crispyyyy,, the instrumentation… ugh it’s so nice. Violins can murder me or someat and I’d accept it. AND IF I SAY I LOVE YOU, THEN I LOVE YOUUUU. Ugh,, so so nice man

What’s NEXT: ooh some seamlessness in that transition.. .is this ghost of tom joad i’m hearing lol, mortal once again!! Oh this is a mood, freak.. Sigh no more marcus really jumped out on this one. This shuffling maraca thing is so nice. I’ll hold you by the jaw!! Hoo hoo bihhh. “It took a wild heart to tame mIIiine” this is so nice wtf!! Ugh this is so nice. I wouldn’t have you any other way,, awwwwwWWW!! Who want a love that makes sense anyway? I’ll effing say! Ugh this is very nice. These lyrics are so interesting… this is a good one guys, quiet & sweet but there’s some pretty cool things also going on, like it’s simple but its… this is it, ya know? This piano is sweet too. This whole thing is sweet, maybe that’s a dumb word to use but. This is so sweeeeet ugh!!! The vocal riffs on “mine” … ugh!! I kind of like the echoey vocals too.. Soft rain patter for two seconds at the end??

Reverse noises w/ a big breath from Marcus: let’s effing go w/ this album, gang!! What song is this reminding me of… whispers in the dark? He did some late-babel, early wilder mind voice thing.. Wait it’s forever isn’t it. I heard this one i think, like 3 yrs ago.. Yup, Dare I Say Forever.. I still don’t like do it for the girl” cos it’s too straightfoward, ,”i’ve known pious women” LOL where is this going. Only mumford & sons can really put that word in a song and just, keep singing. We stan tho, we stan. Think of london,,, we love. The DAAaaYS you defend will turn to gold,, this could easily be the last song on the album, this is like a last-call at the bar song,, in a good way, i’ve linked arms with my buddies & we’re all yelling this song like goons,, yes. Lighters a-waving,, are we too sentimental to not look back atnd!! WOW he realy did that with stare!! I couldnt finish typing that.. Is this part auto-tuned?? Dare I say.. Why? I’m choosing to hear it as a vocoder and many harmonies so i don’t hate that but uhaha they.. Hm they tried that i guess. Other than that the vi- oh why did the violin exit like that

The song is bouncing in my ears weird!! It’s giving me monster vibes atm. There’s a definite thread of messages goin thru this album & oof i love being sad,, the children come & go as you weep? Lol i love being sad. I am a waste?? My words are empty [as the bed we made]. Wilder mind is comin out on this, the album, huh!! The optimism on this album is-- I”LL MEET YOU OUT THE DELTAAA< WHERE THE RIVER”S RUINNING TO THE SEA,, GOD i love it. Ooh these drums, cool cool, it’s.. This is cool. Also sampling marcus’s children is sure way to eff everyone up, but that’s for another post,, ooooh i’m soft!! When it feels like nothing else matters :((((( lets go with this build!!! I wanna go for a run and have a cry.. Ooh man i took a moment there… this is so nice :( i’v missed them!!! Whats goin on with his vocals here,, the recording is like too close,, on purpose?? Hm. dust to dust!! I see you!! Marcus is truly giving his all here,, ugh I”m so proud of all of them, they put their LIVES on this, didn’t they!!! This song is such a feeling,, i can’t describe it i’m sad, but awwwW! I don’t kno wtf these kids are saying but wow that was cute as all heck!!! I”m so soft!! The album is over!! They did it!! Frick i don’t know how to feel!! Good really, but wow!!! Trying to not let my own sadness affect this review haha but !! what a nice body of work they produced!! In all the best ways, mostly!! I love them!!  I wanna have another listen!! Aw!!!! Frick guys. Frick. Can’t imagine anyone wants to slog thru this and have a read but,, anyway thanks if you did i guess, special thanks to Mumford & Sons for being my favorite band and always :( always being there when I need it. I needed this. wow. wow. Wowww!!!  Oof, haha i’m sad

Okay wait also he should’ve repeated the “I’ll meet you at the delta part” at least one more time but eff my criticism that song captures all stages of life and i truly wanna cry, so there’s that. Theses guys put it all out there & I really love them for that.

[exscurus]

DO EM ALL! DO EM ALL

get to know me, i guess? | @letaunloved​

oh gOSH YOU,,, OKAY I’LL DO EM ALL BUT DANG

1. the meaning behind my url

To be honest, the meaning behind my url is layered. A big part is the “ex” at the beginning. Exscurus embodies my hopes for Credence in a way. I want him to be able to put being an obscurus behind him. I want him to be able to heal to the point that being fragmented, so fragmented that it threatens his life and in a sense traps him in fear and unhappiness, is no longer necessary for him to survive. So in essence, I want him to find acceptance. I want him to find love so he’s an ex obscurus. Dumbledore has implied that’s possible and I want it to happen more than anything. I went through a lot of url ideas before I found one that both sounded cool to me and actually had a lot of meaning to me, and I feel like this one really hits the nail on the head.

2. a picture of me

Please forgive my face but boy do I love a good suit…

3. tattoos i have

Shamefully? No tattoos. Not yet, at least. I’m working on that, though

4. last time i cried and why

Oh, god. I think the last time I cried was at work on Friday. So I work in a gas station that also has a kitchen (thankfully I’m a cashier, I can’t handle kitchen work with my anxiety), and we’ve been having some extremely serious staffing issues recently. On Thursday, the team lead (who admittedly never does her job to the fullest capacity, and most of the time doesn’t do it at all) straight up didn’t come in - didn’t call, and didn’t bother showing up. So that night I spent the entire shift running registers essentially by myself while the two kitchen workers took turns occasionally popping out of the kitchen to help me out. That’s fine, I can survive that.On Friday it was way worse than that, though. That same lead had the nerve to actually bother to call off that day, and then because when we’d gotten off work in the morning the managers had said something about us not doing enough, another coworker called off because she was upset. (How the hell could we do more when there were only three of us??) Then, my third coworker stayed for only three hours of the shift and left. The help who stayed past her shift left maybe thirty minutes later.I ended up completely alone for four hours and I had to turn people away from our kitchen because I couldn’t run registers and kitchen at the same time. A few people got angry because I haven’t been trained to give refunds for online orders, either, so when those went through despite everything else in the kitchen being shut down, that was also a nightmare. Oh and someone came in with what the security guard was 99% sure was a gun and asked for one of my coworkers and left when he found out he wasn’t there. Overall that night was horrific and I cried like three times.

5. piercings i have

I have the tops of my ears pierced. I think that’s my only piercing now, honestly, though I used to have a septum piercing and I very briefly had my tongue pierced - though fun fact that one almost killed me.

6. favorite band

Hands down Panic! at the Disco. I’m actually going to a concert on the 30th in Cleveland, OH with one of my best friends. I am ready to ruin my throat scream singing.

7. biggest turn off(s)

Uhhh. Belly buttons. Do not touch me there. Don’t. Doooon’t. Don’t ask me to touch you there. Do not. I am absolutely repulsed by every form of belly button there is out there. I don’t know why but I just… No. No no no. I’m also much more mildly turned off by anatomy mistakes people make with me because I’m trans.

8. top 5 books

Harry Potter (obviously), Eragon, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Inkheart, Chronicles of Narnia

9. tattoos i want

I’m getting this soon, but! I’m getting a tattoo of Panic! lyrics from the newest album on my hip along with the album symbol underneath. This tattoo may be one of like two that I really want that’ll have some pretty deep emotional significance beyond “wow lol this is cool”. The lyrics are “Mama said don’t give up, it’s a little complicated.”

10. biggest turn on(s)

To be completely honest, there’s a lot of little things that get to me. I’m weak in general to attractive people and even more weak when it comes to attractive men because I have… a preference, but. People with intense looks. Really beautiful eyes. People who are incredibly tactile in a casual setting but don’t make me uncomfortable with it. I’m trying to stay safe for work here ahaha.

11. age

I’m 23, but I’ll be 24 in March.

12. ideas of a perfect date

My favorite date idea that I’ve never had a chance to put into practice is…Going out together to the downtown area of a city where there’s a lot of things to do and a lot of restaurants and just going on an adventure. Stopping in little shops that look interesting and when we get hungry stopping in a little hole in the wall restaurant neither of us has heard of or been to before. New experiences and new memories with a person I like just sounds…  Great? But I’m a huge romantic, so.

13. life goal(s)

I want to be a childhood therapist or maybe a social worker. I want to make sure children don’t grow up the way I did, or at the very least have the support they need to grow up and feel like they have the tools to survive after everything’s already been said and done. I also want a house of my own - maybe a tree house? A super functional tree house full of lots of fantasy books. Also with internet and video games. And someone who loves me.

14. piercings i want

I want dermal hip piercings. I have. A thing for hips.

15. relationship status

Single. My last relationship was kind of garbage and it put me in a position for a long time where I was not emotionally healthy enough to enter into a new one. I feel like I’m okay now, but. I don’t want to rush things.

16. favorite movie

Anastasia (1997)

17. a fact about my life

I have lived in a total of seven states in my entire life. Five of those I’ve moved around to and from since I turned eighteen. I moved around a lot when I first moved out on my own.

18. phobia

Nyctophobia. I’m afraid of the dark. Deathly afraid of the dark. I don’t like not being able to see. Though if I were to go into more depth, It’s more.. Scotomaphobia, which is a fear of going blind or visual disturbances in field of view. I have full blown panic attacks when I’m unable to see, and because I’m night-blind, I can’t see in the dark. I have really terrible vision and I’m really afraid of it escalating to a point where I can’t see because the majority of the things I enjoy in life rely on my vision.

19. middle name

Tracey. Y’all don’t even know my first name but there’s that. Ya boi’s middle name.

20. anything you want to ask

I did them all and I feel like a windbag but afkhdsgdjh AAAAAA

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Mahou Shoujo Ore 5 | Yotsuiro Biyori 4 | Lupin III Pt 5 5 | Hinamatsuri 5 | BnHA 43 | Boueibu HK 5

Mahou Shoujo Ore 5

Hey hey hey, this is the second show I’ve seen ape Osomatsu-san this year. Seriously, no show is safe in a parody as a target for humour’s sake…Note Osomatsu-san is also by Pierrot, though, so they’re attacking themselves to some extent.

Now that they’ve pointed the Osomatsu-san reference though, I can’t believe I didn’t see the scarf colours last time! But…this is episode 5…

Oh, I kind of noticed it, but I’m probably too used to it since I watched the first season of Osomatsu-san – the blue lines are part of that show’s signature style.

Muscovado is apparently a substitute for sugar. It literally translates to “black sugar” though…

Sagami is…a former place in Japan…?

Tama River. I’m terrible at Japanese geography, so I don’t think you should be asking me about this…

Dang, apparently Pierrot is based in Mitaka, Tokyo so whatever joke I was chasing there fell flat.

Wow, they got really self-referential this episode…yikes.

So this is the rumoured Chiba-san? Uhh…

Oh my…I do not see the word “Japanimation” get much mileage at all these days, but I cringe every time I see it.

It’s Pokémon Go! Wow, that’s another level of meta for sure. My hopes for resolving all the stray plot threads while maintaining that wacky sense of humour (or however I phrased it) definitely went out the window…Notice the footage is dated April 24th 20X8, which is about a week before the episode went to air if the X actually hides “2018”.

Suginami. Apparently, Bones, Sunrise and other studios are stationed there…but Pierrot isn’t.

If there’s one thing I didn’t expect in MSO, it’s the fact this show became Shirobako in a sense. I still need to get around to Shirobako, by the way…

Ey, wait a second! Astral, you got your wish! We get to see…Fujimoto’s face!

Whoa! They went all out on the CGI fire effects! What is this show, Golden Kamuy?! (LOL)

Comichiya’s probably Comiket. The katakana (chi -> tsu, to -> ya) look kinda similar if mangled.

Dangit! I missed my mark on the guesswork again! Tokyo Big Sight isn’t in Suginami.

Basically, this is just a long road to admitting they couldn’t do a recap episode, but they don’t have enough content to pad this ep either. Ah, sweet revelations (sarcastic).

Is it just me, or does the bottom of Fujimoto (1)’s face look kind of like…Mohiro??? Wagh??? Update: No, the hair colour’s off.

The “on the train” technically says “on the NEXT train” (emphasis mine).

Wow, they namedropped Ishikawa (probably Kaito)! Ishikawa voices male!Saki, so it makes sense.

Oh my gosh, Mahoutsukai Watashi! What a bold move this show’s taken – it’s telling its own meta-narrative. Which means when I cover it for the collab post…it’ll be meta of meta…that’ll put my head in a spin for sure.

You can see Fujimoto and Sakuyo character designs if you pause for one scene (the one with “staff working from home”).

You can see the name Masayuki Ito (伊藤雅之) on that list with the downward arrows, but I don’t know what significance that name has unless they’re an animator or something...

Mensore is explained here.Basically it’s youkoso in Okinawan.

Jimami Tofu…isn’t tofu, as weird as that sounds. It’s an Okinawan-sponsored drama.

Well, at least this time I got a big epic battle (no matter how short it is). Nothing better than that!

They got Akira Ishida, Tomokazu Seki, Koichi Yamadera and some other guys to voice the Fujimotos this time. Notice there’s no crossover between the Osomatsu-san voices and the Fujimotos, which was probably intentional.

I thought there’d be a real Shinzo Chiba, but there doesn’t seem to be one…

There was a shot of Fujimoto (before the manager)! Wah! Was that there in previous episodes???

Every time people promise wardrobe malfunctions, they tend to…uh, deliver on that…

The Monokubo illustration this time is creepy…I like it!

Yotsuiro Biyori 4

Is this a zombie movie (LOL)?

Wow, Sui really loves cats, doesn’t…he…? (LOL)

Oh, so that weird zombie movie in medias res opening was actually one of those fakeouts…DN Angel’s anime did that, I remember…

Wow, they make Tokitaka so epic in this scene! A determined man is more handsome than one in an ordinary state, don’tcha think?

You can even see rice flying! Amazing! Tokitaka’s got such skill.

I am so spoilt for smol boys this season, between this and Boueibu HK…

Ooh! My eyes have been blessed with the hotness of Tokitaka!

There’s more chicken than usual this ep, eh?

Shiratama anmitsu.

I never thought we’d need a backstory for the resident cat, but okay. It was hilarious and fun while it lasted and now it’s almost over…huh.

Denzou? Eh? (I kinda get why the name’s badass with the kanji involved, but it’s hard to explain to a non-Japanese speaker…)

Agedama.

The next ep title translates to roughly “A Loving Hand for the Lost Lamb”…as in, to extend a hand to it.

Lupin 3 Pt 5 5

Okay, part 5 episode 5 is confusing when it’s just “5 5”, isn’t it?

I think the guy in the green jacket will be important later…? He’s in a key visual for this show, at least.

“This pasta called soba’s pretty good!” – LOL, soba ain’t pasta, y’know…

I’ve learnt about the stack before. Here you go.

IP camera. Hey, I’ve done something on IP cameras before, but normally Detective Conan (and most other mystery shows of the modern day) seem to be reliant on CCTV…

Chicken game…? Sounds tasty!...Not.

Ami doesn’t seem too pleased about all the shooting, LOL.

Even Ami knows bowing is a sign of Japanese respect. Just like how dragons understand the meaning of “Hatori Chise” involves birds…(i.e. I’m kind of skeptical that a real French girl would learn to bow to her Japanese friends when her life is always on the line, a la Ami.)

Episode…1? Y’mean, there’s more adventures, but no Ami? Aw, I was enjoying having her in the fray.

Hinamatsuri 5

A TV? $30??? Wow, I would fight a psychic girl for that! That’s friggin’ cheap!

“Toshibu” (sic), LOL.

Bikkuri means “surprise”, LOL.

“A teacher and a student walk into a bar…” – it sounds like a joke. Not that that could be conveyed accurately in Japanese, though. The fact it even works as an English joke must be a coincidence…

Hitomi’s such a terrible liar! Wahaha!

Nitta’s just like “I’ve given up on this girl”. Either that, or he has a hangover…(LOL)

Sayo looks kind of like Hina. If it weren’t for the hair colours I would’ve mistaken the two.

BnHA 43

Carrying a gun to a fistfight…yep, bad. Plain bad, Mustard, ol’ boy.

Sorry, there was a lot of fighting this ep and nothing much to say!

Boueibu HK 5

LOL, the bald bodyguard…he looks kinda grumpy.

Notice Kyotaro goes “ore kyoumi nai” (I have no interest in it), but the subs missed the subject of the sentence! CR, you weirdoes!

Echire butter…exists!

“You know about genetic testing?” - Irina! I think this is your department!

Ryoma’s the end of the evolutionary line!

Hmm…if there was no Ice Age in Honyara Land…might there have been something else that caused the Furanui/Karurusu conflict? There’s only animosity from one side, after all.

Bunbuku Chagama. Magozaemon was fat, so he would make a perfect teapot/tanuki…

Wait, if Maasa = Ichiro in the age department (roughly 16), that would add up. He went abroad for 4 years and held off on carbs the entire time…yikes.

“The people of this world envy those who represent the opposite of what they fear for themselves, so they criticise and attack them.” – Ooh, Ata makes a lot of sense here…! It’s a quote for the collection.

Asobukoto = It’s not really “fun” per se, but “playing” or “hanging out”. That is, if you translate rather literally.

They’re all underage (roughly 16 – 18), of course they wouldn’t drink! Of course, this is coming from a person who doesn’t drink…the only samples of alcohol I’ve had are few and far in between…

Hey, I studied this stuff in the past, you don’t have to regurgitate this info (about needing food to better absorb alcohol). Lemmee tell you, alcohol ads are weird…

They didn’t make the “glasses fogging up” a weird plot hole. Phew.

Wow, to think I’d be getting a science lesson of things I already know in my Boueibu…I never thought I’d see the day where that happened.

According to this page, one of the things the ramen shop serves is gomoku soba. Wait…that’s right! Ramen’s appeared in this show before! In the Chri-pa episode! Sorry Astral, I gotta spoil s2 for you!

Wow, this chicken carcass is even less of a threat than anything else so far! Wow-hee.

Taishi only seems vaguely fazed about the fact he’s being made to fight monsters. Interesting. I never think about the perspective of the non-red boys regarding fighting monsters until they’re pointed out, really.

So wait, the magic knight of space…makes bubbles? Uh, Astral, you might wanna learn from this…?

Hey hey, I found a page on tonkotsu ramens (sic from the Hakata anime) and paitan ramen.

Kyotaro on stairs = basically my mood when I want to imitate the “draw me like one of yor French girls” meme. (Very badly.)

So…when I said I missed individualised attacks, I never saw this coming. Sorry about that, people. (Even if that was only Ichiro’s bubble attack.)

Kyotaro makes a lot of sense here. But seriously, I think I need Astral’s easy button right now. That was easy.

Notice Karurusu is acting as a pelt…weren’t otters hunted for their pelts?

Oh, Sujikawa’s a first year, huh?

*Sujikawa picks up the boulder* - *round of applause from me* Wow!

Both Maasa and Dougo have such supportive friends, it almost makes me jealous.

The English! It’s…correct! (thinks back to a magazine article with “Difence” (sic) written on it in pink letters)

I, for one, am happy they’re tackling relationships aside from “brothers” this time. Finally, here’s something that stacks up against its competition in regards to deeper themes, even if it is a comedy!

Dougo and Maasa (Magozaemon) were in class 2, if you pause at the right time. Notably, the members of class 2 were all boys, LOL. Even with the boy to the left of Magozaemon, I think that name might be pronounced “Ai” (due to this page), but it’s in manly kanji.

[u23art]

A LOOK AT EVIL WITHIN 2

A long time ago, E3 2017 to be exact, I was a boy with stars in his eyes. I saw that reveal trailer for Evil Within 2 at the Bethesda conference. I thought, yeah~, they’ll make improvements to build on the first one, maybe even make it scarier. Then I bought, played and beat it. No……no, they didn’t build, or tamper, or dabble, or fart around.

The story: Sebastian is sad and drunk, then Kidman shows up and kidnaps him. She tells him his dead daughter isn’t dead, and she’s being used in brain experiments by bad people. So Sebastian gets in a bathtub of milk and heads into scary brain land to save her.

My first concerns come from the focus on Sebastian. He is a lot more talkative than in the last game when he served better as a set of fresh eyes seeing the bizarre unfolding scenery around him; a catalyst if you will. The game is frequently throwing characters at you, an attempt to create attachment from the Sebastian and the player. However they come and go so quickly, that this all just falls flat. And they’re all just brief accessories anyway.

In one instant, one character’s exit showcases the level of directionless writing we’re dealing with here. Within the STEM landscape, Sebastian works alongside another Mobius member, Hoffman. In the segment leading up to her death, your job is to escort her to the end of a level and shoot enemies charging at her which you do. In the following cutscene, she is ganged up on and killed while Sebastian pauses dramatically and doesn’t immediately raise his gun and help her. That is stupid and he does that a handful of times throughout the game. Poor Hoffman couldn’t have foreseen Sebastian’s stupidity.

As for the return of the daughter, I’d argue that it’s counter- intuitive to Sebastian’s character arc, on the other hand it’s counter intuitive to still focus the story on Sebastian. The first game did a nice job showing Sebastian coping with all the loss in his life and the damage he lives with, bringing the daughter back is not only a quick and easy plot, it takes the weight away from Sebastian’s character in the last game. You know those coworkers who constantly talk about their kids and you don’t care, this is a very similar circumstance demanding a similar reaction. Then there’s the villains, oh boy the 3 villains. In order of their appearance, we have an artist, a priest, and a wife, they strictly like and obsess over art, preaching and child care. These are gimmicks, these are not coherent themes that work with each other. These characters are never explored in depth, these are archetypical villain hats for QUICK villain creation. The last game had ONE villain, and that did well by showing the player every horrible occurrence that sculpted him into the psycho he grew up to be. Moving on to the gameplay, Sebastian controls just had he had in the last game. He runs and sneaks about with a crouch, but he is slow before upgrades, and enemies are irritatingly fast. This is pretty inoffensive compared to the actual levels you’ll be running and sneaking through.

At first you get the impression the game is a semi-open world in its structure. The game’s first two maps are refreshingly open, HOWEVER, further exploration would prove otherwise. There are a number of wide open spaces throughout the maps, they are filled with the bullet sponge enemies. Upgrading your gun doesn’t in the slightest help or avert the two bullets it takes to blow each one’s head off. So it’s better to avoid these areas, and the gatherings of enemies only manage to turn the maps into a series of funnels to run through as you avoid enemies. And these fields only further show that chunks of the levels are not built with the coveted stealth mechanic in mind. There are barely any spots or bushes to even sneak through. That’s a shame considering stealth is the element that differentiates Evil Within for the Resident Evil games they’re cloned from.

Oh, OH! And I can’t forget the times the game unfairly and intentionally leads me straight into traps. In a later level there’s an incinerating room, you pull a lever outside and it torches the enemies inside to ashes. You go inside, and there are items inside the ash piles to examine. While the examination animation plays out, two of the bulky tougher enemies pop out of the freaking ashes and double team you.

As for the level’s visual appearance, most of the game takes plays in a suburban neighborhood. This is a neighbor, it isn’t visually stimulating, it isn’t stimulated creatively, it is a quick and easy level idea. At least this is the case when comparing it to the gosh dang asylum from the first game. That white goo motif, the one showcased in the reveal trailer, isn’t explored until the last levels of the game and barely so.

The game takes a lot of notes from Resident Evil 4, but ignores a lot of what made that game the exceptional piece that it is. Leon’s movement isn’t hindered by an upgrade system, giving the player consistent rules they must learn and master. The levels have puzzles to break up the monotony of frequent fights. The various installments of Resident Evil had the sense to introduce new protagonists to keep the perspective fresh for what it’s worth. Oh, not to mention Leon was actually pretty cool and dialogue wasn’t overdone, there’s a touch a restraint with the writing. We weren’t subjected to EW2’s level of wiener whining.

On that note, Joseph Oda, this game made me miss him. He just straight up disappears from the story without a clue as to what happened to him. HE could have been the fresh perspective I wished for.

So the story is worse, the level design is worse, the writing is worse, and the upgrade system demands multiple playthroughs that it doesn’t really deserve and doesn’t give enough useful abilities like improved crafting. The game makes no improvements over the first game, and Sebastian’s design is diluted down to looking like an off brand Joel from the Last of Us. I got spooked at first, but the overuse of jump scares just becomes annoying. I wanted honest creeps and scares, I didn’t get them and that is why I’m tearing into this sequel as I am.

Evil Within 2 gets a 6 out of 10.

The first game was better despite the flying humvee. (Never letting that go)

[scithemodestmermaid]

I’m going to talk about Pokemon Sword a bit, and you know I’m serious because I’m actually using proper capitalization.  Warning: it’s a pretty long review.

I’m several hours in and up to Route 5, and while the game does have flaws it’s still a good game.  That’s the short version.  The long version is going to be pretty long.

Now I’m going into this game a despiser of Dexit.  The only reason I bought the game is because this is the first gen where I’ve been at the very least content with all the new designs and because I wanted to see if Gamefreak could put out a good game without all the Pokemon before decrying them for being unable to do so.  And I know a lot of people have been attacking the game and every positive thing said about it, saying that the devs are lazy, and there’s no soul in the game, and the people who buy the game should just kill themselves because they alone are what’s wrong with the world, etc etc etc.

And let me just say, if you’re one of those people telling others to kill themselves because they did or did not buy/like the game....shut the fuck up.  You are not helping your side, whichever side it may be.  And don’t ever, ever, tell someone to commit suicide.  Especially over something as trivial as a game.  This is not singling out Pro-Dexit or Anti-Dexit or whatever; I’ve seen some pretty abysmal things said on both sides towards both sides.  And that needs to stop.   If you can’t discuss your side like a mature human being, then go back to your playroom and let the grown-ups talk.  

Now that THAT’S off my chest, to discuss what I like and dislike...

What I Like:

Visuals are leaps and bounds ahead of USUM, and there have been several spots where I’ve just been impressed with how pretty everything is.  Granted, the Wild Area visuals are a step below the traditional routes.  The trees in the Wild Area do, indeed, all look like the infamous N64 tree that was floating around.  But here’s the crazy thing, I didn’t really notice unless I was specifically staring at it.  Otherwise, it all just blends into the background and doesn’t matter in the end.

The new Pokemon designs.  Like I mentioned, this this the first gen where I have been okay with the newly-introduced mons, if not outright adoring them and calling them my new faves.  Impidimp line, Toxel line, Hattena line, Yamper line, Nickit line, Rolycoly line...all have stolen my heart.  The Galarian forms bear mentioning, as well; so far I’ve only encountered G. Zigazagoon and G. Meowth and technically Giga Meowth (I mean, I’ve seen all the leaks, but still, it’s honestly different finding them yourself), and they are just so fun.  The design team absolutely knocked it out of the park this time around.

The new Mons’ animations.  Yes yes, I know I know, all the crap animation memes.  But, talking specifically about the new Mons...they move really nicely.  An example would be Nickit’s attack (as seen here): after the attack, it deftly brushes away its tracks before settling back into its idle animation.  It’s such a small little detail that adds so much to Nickit’s personality.  There’s several other mons with little visual details like that: Yamper’s little jump after a tackle, Drizzile pulling water balloons from its tear sacs and tossing them, Toxel’s lil temper tantrum, and the list goes on.  The new guys look and move great.

The Wild Area.  Now, if you go in expect the entirety of Breath of the Wild, then yes you will be disappointed.  But the Wild Area is definitely a step in a neat direction for Gamefreak.  There’s a variety of Mons to find, Raid Battles to participate in, and things to just uncover.  So far, most of my time with the game has been spent running around to see what new Mon I’d find.  The area is a bit small, but there’s so much to see that it feels a lot bigger.

Camping.  There’s something so charming about sitting down and seeing all my Mons walk around and interact with each other.  Calling one or two over to talk to them and play fetch.  Enjoying curry together.  It’s so cozy and comfy, and honestly the only thing that would’ve made it better was if they kept actual patting in (but honestly, that’s such a minor thing compared to what all they did add).  But as it is, it adds such a nice, relaxing atmosphere to the game.

Hop.  Lots of folks say that he’s Hau 2.0 (and if we’re talking about a tendency to interrupt the story with cutscenes, yes he is (more on that later)), but I disagree.  Where Hau was easygoing to the point of aloofness, Hop is driven and determined.  He pushes himself and the player character to their limits, trying to become greater than everyone else and make a name for himself.  So strangely enough, Hop shares a lot in common with Blue: aggressively pushing himself and the player forward.  Only difference is that Hop tries to be polite about it.  I’m interested to see where he ends up.

Leon.  Yeah, I’m not beating around the bush here, he’s handsome.  Hot dang.  Bravo.  And even though I know it’s cool to hate on the fact that he uses a Charizard as his ace, the fact that he absolutely adores his Charizard is something I can respect.

What I Dislike:

The old Mons’ animations.  Yes, it turns out that they lied about the remade models (a AAA company lying?  shocking!).  But I was hoping they would’ve updated more of the animations like the other excuse they’d had for cutting Mons.  Honestly, I think I saw just one new animation, and even then I don’t know if it’s genuinely new or new to me (Nuzleaf’s Tackle animation is different than I remember).  The rest of it is the same old, same old.  And it makes the old Mons stand out from the new ones, and not necessarily in a good way.

CUTSCENES.  OH MY GOSH NO PLEASE.  WHY.  Why did Gamefreak decide to bring back the cutscene-heavy storytelling from Gen 7?  Nobody liked getting stopped constantly to read pages of text.  NOBODY.  LIKED.  IT.  And yet, here it is again.  And this time, if the spoilers I read are to believe, the story doesn’t go down dark corridors like Gen 7 did.  Heck, if those spoilers are right, the story doesn’t go anywhere (can’t confirm until I’ve beaten the game myself, so I’ll probably talk more than that in another review)!  So why these cutscenes?!

Dynamaxing.  When I was fighting the Dynamaxed Eldegoss during the first gym, and she used a move that did huge damage, added Grassy Terrain and healing to everyone on the floor, and did that several times in a row...the thought popped into my head, “Wow, this is stupid.”  How is what I just described more balanced than Mega Evolutions or Z-Moves?  Because it’s only three turns?  And why is the sound effect SO LOUD when they Dynamax?  Genuinely, every raid battle that I did, I’d get jumpscared by the Dynamax’d Mon’s cry.  Honestly, instead of adding a new gimmick every 3D gen, they should’ve chosen one and stuck with it.  Improved on it.  Not replaced it.  And especially not replaced it with this.  (As implied earlier though, Giga forms are neat...would’ve made great mega evolutions, oh but what do I know)

Music.  Now, usually when I play handheld games, I’ll listen to music on my computer.  But for the heck of it, I decided to listen to this game’s music.  And it’s...well, it’s no Splatoon 2 soundtrack, that’s for damn sure.  A lot of it is this really bland and forgettable trance beat, or it’s a calliope of sound effects mixed in with the music (case in point: the music that plays when Zacian meets you in the forest).  I know that Toby Fox did a song for the game, and hearing the song it’s honestly the best song in the game and he should’ve just done the whole soundtrack.

Pop-in.  The draw distance is a bit weird, and NPCs will just pop into place once you get close enough.  This can get a little distracting, especially if you’re like me and your reaction to pop-in is to go back and forth and watch them appear and disappear over and over.  To be blunt, though, pop-in is a problem many beloved Switch games have (I’ve seen it several times while playing Breath of the Wild), but I suppose it’s still worth mentioning.

Also, you can’t actually pat any of your Pokemon anymore and Rotomdex is no longer a character that you interact with it’s just a phone.

And there’s other things in the game that aren’t a problem now but who knows what will happen later on (story-related issues, Exp. Share, long-term Y-Comm usage, etc), but I guess that’s a ramble for another time.

As it stands so far, Pokemon Sword is a fun game.  It is no Sonic 06.  It is no Breath of the Wild.  It is Pokemon.  It is nice.  It is fun.  It is better than the entirety of Gen 7 in my humble opinion.  I enjoy it.  I think it’s a nice looking game, and it’s a nice time playing it.  And at the end of the day, that’s why I play Pokemon.  To have a nice, fun time with virtual critters.

[mcmansionhell]

McMansion Hell Does Arch Theory Part 2: The Ancients vs The Moderns

Howdy folks! Today in architectural theory we’re going to get to one of the first examples of serious beef between two guys who wore the 17th Century equivalents of coke-bottle glasses and black turtlenecks. (I’m gonna guess it was powdered wigs.)

The beef, later canonized in theory as the “Ancients vs the Moderns” occurred between two dead French dudes: Nicolas-Francois Blondel and Claude Perrault. 

Way less steamy than Team Edward vs Team Jacob, but we’ll work with it. 

Player 1: Blondel

Francois Blondel (b. c.1618, d.1686) was a military leader, engineer, mathematician, diplomat and architect. He was appointed by Louis XIV to become the first director of the newly formed Royal Academy of Architecture in Paris. His main task as director was to design the school’s curriculum and pen a textbook. 

The incredibly French frontispiece of the of said textbook (Blondel’s Cours d’Architecture, c.1674) Public Domain. 

Architectural thought at the time revolved around the theory of Vitruvius as far as the role of the architect and further established the three Vitruvian qualities (firmness, commodity, and delight) as the main criteria for great architecture. However, theorists, especially Blondel, turned to Renaissance concepts of beauty as being something universal and absolute, and the idea (after Alberti) of “harmonic proportions.”

An academic at heart and a traditionalist to a fault, Blondel believed in the absolute perfection of the work of the Ancients, as exemplified by the temples of the Greeks and Romans. He was, you know, that guy.

Player 2: Perrault

Claude Perrault (b.1613, d.1688), was a guy who, for most of his life, was not the type to start architecture slap fights. He spent the majority of his career working as a surgeon and anatomist - not as an architect. 

Perrault got roped into architecture through Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis XIV’s Minister of Finance and Superintendent of Building, whose secretary (Charles Perrault, famous for being the father of the fairy tale) was Claude Perrault’s younger, more handsome brother. 

In 1666, Colbert, acting on behalf of the king, asked Perrault to do a new French translation of Vitruvius for use as one of the textbooks for the newly formed Royal Academy of Architecture. In 1667, Perrault was appointed (by Colbert) to a three-person committee responsible for preparing a different design for the East Wing of the Louvre, which had been suspended after the design prepared by the Italian architect Bernini got dumped for not being French enough. 

When a building’s Wikipedia page looks something like this, you know some serious sh*t went down. 

Perrault’s concept for the East Wing was totally different than the architectural canon of the time: 

Drawing from Blondel’s (a different one) Architecture françoise, 1756. Public Domain. 

Looks like just another old building, right? *leans into mic* Wrong.

Perrault’s design choices were unprecedented in French classical architecture, and even though his design (he took credit for the work of his colleagues almost immediately) was one of sophistication and visual lightness, the use of unusually thin visual proportions was basically taboo af. 

And where did Perrault think it was a great idea to explain his design choices? In the gosh dang footnotes of his 1673 translation of Vitruvius, which was to be used by the kiddos at Blondel’s school. 

Perrault’s Footnotes

This smug asshole opened up his defense with what seems to be two sentences formulated specifically to piss off Blondel the most:

Gothic architecture, which left behind little primary source documents (dark ages and all that), was totally refuted by the French academy as being ugly, overindulgent and grotesque. 

(Photo taken by me!)

Perrault went on to justify his decision by appealing to Vitruvius’ description of the temple of Dionysus by the Greek architect Hermogenes, who devised for it a flexible system of proportions using the diameter of a column as a unit of measurement. Basically, argued Perrault, proportions were relative, and not absolute. 

Perrault added (throwing some serious shade) that because the Ancients didn’t harp on Hermogenes for doing something different from the then-canon of architecture, Perrault himself shouldn’t be harped on for the same reason. (Also because his cool new engineer stuff expanded the structural capabilities of architecture but whatevs.) 

Blondel’s Response

Blondel’s response to Perrault’s argument in his 1683 Cours d’Architecture textbook (that’s right: all this fighting was done in footnotes and textbooks instead of face to face like normal people) was:

Which was basically 17th century academic speak for:

(yes this is still in my drafts)

Perrault’s Response to Blondel’s Response

Perrault in the &#&@ing footnotes of the second edition (1684) of his translation of Vitruvius, offered these counterarguments to Blondel’s criticism:

It is FAKE NEWS that we’re not “allowed” to deviate from what the Ancients did and that by doing so we’d only invite “””””disaster”””” also btw the Ancients were new in their time. (checkmate atheists traditionalists)

It’s dumber to close the door on good invention than it is to open it “to those who are so ridiculous that they will destroy themselves.”

If the Ancients were perfect and architecture is perfect, are all those other arts and sciences that have improved upon the past totally wrong???

Just bc the goths did some tacky crap, they still created spaces that were open and full of light and we should’t hate them for it. 

Bummer: Perrault got the last laugh because Blondel died. (RIP)

However, Perrault wasn’t done messing with architectural norms. In 1683, he published a super important treatise by the extremely catchy name of “Ordonnance for the Five Kinds of Columns after the Method of the Ancients”

Perrault’s Last Stand

Perrault, in his treatise upended two major beliefs in architecture: the myth of so-called harmonic ratios, and the idea of absolute proportions. 

Perrault, who made a career as a surgeon and studied anatomy, refuted immediately the idea that visual ratios worked the same way as musical harmony (an idea that goes back to Plato) by citing the obvious fact that the eye and the ear don’t work in the same damn way. 

Long before the beginning of neuroscience, (and tbh he was kind of pulling this out of his ass) Perrault claimed that we don’t process visual stimuli in the same way we process auditory stimuli, in that visual stimuli plays a much larger role in how we perceive and interpret the world, adding that responses to visual dissonance are much less visceral than responses to aural dissonance. 

More importantly, Perrault claimed that there were two types of beauty: positive and arbitrary.

Positive beauty consisted of things pretty much everyone could agree on: e.g. symmetry; the “magnificence” of a building, and the quality of its construction and materials. 

Arbitrary beauty introduced the idea that beauty is relative to one’s cultural customs, as well as to the fashion of the times, and the weird inner-workings of people’s taste. Perrault claimed that the idea of “correct” architectural proportions is largely influenced by one’s customs, and therefore falls within the category of arbitrary beauty. 

Well, that does it for this week’s bit o’ theory. Stay tuned for next week’s installment, as well as Wednesday’s continued trek through the 50 States of McMansion Hell, with a guaranteed awful house from Illinois. 

If you like this post, and want to see more like it, consider supporting me on Patreon! Not into small donations and sick bonus content? Check out the McMansion Hell Store - 30% goes to charity.

WAIT

I want to share with y’all this hysterical McMansion interpretation of the Vitruvian triangle from last week’s post created and sent to me by my new bff David Larsen:

Have a good week everyone! 

[bi0w0lf]

Holy aesthetic dude the new layout is beautiful and Tom is too gosh dang pretty

Love notes ;

      weehhh!! TOO SWEET! my friend made the theme, and the visuals of Tom in the theme were also painted by a good friend! I can’t claim any credit for those. But I do think my boy is p cute, even if he looks like he had a harsh run in with the business end of a lawnmower. 

He appreciates your kind words ;3 

[verfound]

Long Post Is Long: Baking Soda vs. Powder a la St. Paddy’s Shenanigans

You know how sometimes life is just funny?

Thursday night, I posted the next chapter of Adrien Can(’t) Bake.  It was the chapter where the Boys Bake, and it included this lovely little bit:

Nino frowned as he snatched the baking powder from him.

 “You wrote down baking soda,” he said, and Adrien blinked at him.

 “What’s the difference?” he asked, and as much as he wanted to slap his forehead and tell him there was a BIG difference…he honestly didn’t know.  He just knew that, clearly, they couldn’t be the same thing.  …right?

So fun fact, as other bakers know: there actually is a difference.  And it’s an important one.  And, as life would work out, Thursday also provided me with a great visual aid as to why that difference is important.

I’m also pausing to say I thought more people were aware of this, but after going into work Friday and getting the Blank Stares that helped show it’s not...hey, ACB Readers, here’s a fun story about how Ver Fecked Up!  :D

Anyway.  The Point.

Thursday night, I was tired from a bakeathon at work.  I rushed to get the chapter posted because my weekend was also looking busy and I wanted to have it up (SBE’s on her way over tomorrow for an Alan Doyle concert - am I stoked?  Oh yes!).  Because Friday was St. Paddy’s, I wanted to make scones for breakfast.  I also wanted to make some brown bread to go with dinner, but since Mum was looking to have dinner done by the time I got home I wouldn’t really have time to bake it after work.  So, hey, let’s make that, too!

It’s important to note that I Was Tired.  The scones called for baking powder.  The bread needed baking soda.

Can y’all see where I’m going with this?

So I get the scones done, and they’re gorgeous (I am Very Proud of my scones, and they will be a staple at the cafe someday).  By the time they’re out of the oven, I have the bread in the skillet waiting to go in (because, like corn bread, brown bread is best baked in a cast iron skillet).  It goes in, I set the timer, and ask Mum to check/pull it out when it’s done.  I go to bed, cause Bakery Hours.  About forty minutes later, Mum’s at my door.

“Ver...you’re not gonna be happy,” she says.  “I don’t think it’s supposed to look like that.”

I make random monster noises, because I Am In Bed And Can’t This Wait?

“...it looks like a hockey puck,” she goes.

“RAWR.”  So she lets me sleep.

In the morning, I notice a Very Flat, Very Shiny disc of aluminum foil on the table.  Mum comes out, which is weird because she gets up much later than I do.

“I did what you said.  I pulled it out, and I need you to Not Freak Out,” she says.  Because it’s me, and I Spazz.  I have literally broken down and cried over Failed Batches before.  So I open the disc, and...it’s a hockey puck.

If any of you have made Irish brown bread before, you know it’s not supposed to look like that.  Actually, if you’ve made bread period, you know it’s not supposed to look like that.  And I’m staring at this disc, wondering wtf happened, and I’m raking through everything I did Thursday night, and it hits me.

Baking powder.

I was 90% sure I forgot to grab the baking soda instead of the powder between the scones and the bread.  And, because it was pretty much all I could do because it’s not even 6:00a and I still haven’t finished my coffee and I have to get to work, I just started laughing.

It was even worse when I cut into it Friday night:

That, m’dears, is some Very Dense Bread.  And I was trying to be hopeful, thinking maybe it would be ok.  It was not.  The flavor was there, but it was so dense you could not eat it.  (Like...chewing rubber.  Congealed, cemented dough.  It was gross.  I was very upset.)

So here’s your Baking Lesson of the Day, to answer Nino’s question: baking soda and baking powder are not the same at all.  Essentially, it goes back to Baking Is Science.  Both are leavening agents (they give you lift~), but they act differently.  BS is a base, and when your dough calls for an acid to react with it - buttermilk, brown sugar, molasses, etc. - you’re good (remember all those model volcanoes?  BS + vinegar?  Same concept).  BP is a mix of BS, cream of tartar (a dry acid), and corn starch.  If you don’t have another acid to interact with the BS, you use BP because the acid is already included.

Fun fact about brown bread: it is a yeastless bread, so all of its rise comes from the baking soda.  I was trying a new recipe, too, that called for 400mL of buttermilk (a cup and a half or so).  So I essentially drowned any hope of rise out of the leavening agent because I did BP (base + acid) + buttermilk (acid) = hockey puck.

I needed to redeem myself here, because I’ve made brown bread before.  I’ve made tons of bread before.  Hell, every Halloween our staple dinner is a pot of pumpkin chili and a loaf of pan de muerto - I can make bread, dang it.  So I redid it today, using baking soda instead of baking powder, and here’s your proof that there is a world of difference:

Gosh, look at that top.  Look at the farls, the ridges of good grainy bread.  Look at the color.  Think of what the house smelled like with that in the oven and Be Jealous.

No hockey pucks here!  (See the blue-topped container behind it?  See those shadows?  Those’re the scones.  C: )

Damn I’m good.  It was a lovely dreary day, and Mum had some chicken stew simmering away all day.  This went lovely with it.

So my point, dear readers?  Don’t mix up your baking soda and baking powder.  Don’t make hockey pucks.

Sláinte!

[comicteaparty]

July 18th-July 24th, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from July 18th, 2020 to July 24th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

What makes you the happiest about being a creator?

carcarchu

getting fanart from people fills me with a certain kind of joy that can't be compared. this has never happened before but if someone told me that my comic inspired them or spoke to them i'd be over the moon

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

Oh gosh, yes, fanart is such a beautiful thing.

For me personally, I just get so incredibly happy when readers just get it. Like, they pick up on a specific nuance or they know exactly what I intended with certain dialogue, or they notice a small detail. Or when they react exactly as I hoped they would.

That's what I live for.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

definitely friendart

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

hahaha

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

also just imagining future scenes to myself makes me smile and laugh

must look crazy to passerbys but i don't care

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

I relate

#when you laugh aloud at something one of your characters said or did in your head

or #when you cry because of something that happened to your characters in your head

I don't need help, I swear

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

all i want out of this server is solidarity with others who burst out laughing in public because of something the people in our heads did

our imaginations are strong enough to entertain ourselves this much, how beautiful

Cronaj ~{Whispers of the Past}~

Who needs movies when you have I M A G I N A T I O N ?

Deo101 [Millennium]

Hm... A lot of things about being a creator make me really happy. For me though, I think that the biggest thing is that I'm finally doing something I've wanted to my whole life. It kind of feels very right that I'm telling stories this way, and that feeling of "I'm meant to be doing this and young me would explode out of pure joy to see where we are now" is incredible.

shadowhood {SunnyxRain}

The best thing for me being a creator is that I’m creating something that can resonate with people. There’s a happiness in me being able to make my own world, a world where people can look at my characters and go “yeah, I know how that feels” or “that’s a mood.”

There’s something empowering about writing an emotional scene that touches you and finding out it touched others too. I think if I wrote a scene that made me cry and found out that it also made others cry....I would be very happy. Just the fact that they understood the sort of emotions I had in making it and also the message I want to send is enough for me.

eliushi [Keyspace]

That I can make anything happen! It’s a fun sandbox to explore narratives I’ve enjoyed or want to discover, a challenge to make something that connects with other people and something I do that’s part of my own personal healing journey It’s amazing what we can do, bringing something completely our own and different into the world

Jib {WIP haha}

For me, the best thing about it is the feeling of having something in front of you. What was once just ideas floating around your head is finally something that you can fully experience yourself and share with others! It can tell you so much about yourself and, if you’re really challenging yourself in the narrative, you can grow as a person. And the fact that other people might choose to also experience what you made is magical too! Just hearing what they think about it is amazing, I haven’t heard anything about something really moving somebody. But when that day comes, I know I’ll be just swimming in joy. I guess the short answer for me would be: seeing things come to fruition and the unique connection only found in shared stories

maxwestart

I have a story to tell and want to share it with others. But even if nobody else cared, I'd still draw comics

Feather J. Fern

That it's something that I can make. I struggle with the idea that I am not good enough to do something, but with my comic, when I finish a page, I always have a feeling of "I made something, I can do it". Also fanart makes me so warm on the inside.

AntiBunny

For me as a creator it's when I finally hear from someone who picked up my comic and isn't someone I know IRL. It's like "you actually read my work of your own free will, and I didn't have to guilt you into reading it just because we're friends?" It's validation for me that my work can reach someone I've never met before. Whether they love or hate it, I just enjoy hearing that someone's read my work and given it enough thought to form an opinion.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I like setting small goals for myself, page-wise, and I enjoy reaching or exceeding them. The story itself is mostly complete in my mind, so the real joy comes from physically inching my way through it. Every page I complete is a step closer to a smaller goal, and a larger goal as well. I love seeing people interact with it, but I get a particular joy looking back down at the mountain I’ve been climbing. I hope to reach the top someday.

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

I love connecting with others through creative stories. Of course, fanart is wonderful, I love the act of giving art and recieving art gifts. I agree with AntiBunny, is when people tell me they read my comic and give detailed thoughts on it. It hasn't reach this point yet but I like to read reader's theories on object symbolisms, events that they suspect will happen, whether it's intended or not.(edited)

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

What I really love about being a creator, is the joy of telling my own stories, to be able to be touched and laugh and get to do fun things around. I love the creative process of figuring things out, set out rules for yourself! And of course getting comments! Wayfinders have not gotten any fan creations yet, but when it does, I will be SO EXCITED! like someone loved it enough to spent time, doing anything?!!?! be it, playlists, moodboards, fanart, fanfics etc etc I love to be told that we do fun things with comic layout. Like the tought about in the future to be used as an example of cool ways to do things is a big goal that would make me so happy

maxwestart

Another reason I like making my comics? It is like what Lynn Johnston (For Better Or For Worse) said - you are in charge. You make the characters, create the world, decide what happens, etc.

YOU are in control!

rajmews

happiest thing about being a creator? For me it's just the act of making stuff. I can't guarantee if anyone will actually...see or like my stuff...but I really enjoy making it. And, when I do art as a job, and I get to help someone with absolutely no art ability make their dream a visual thing they can look at--that's a great feeling.

Miranda (Into the Swell)

I think it's seeing my ideas come to life. It's so frustrating when you can visualize something in your head but can't convey it to others, and when that works out it's just wonderful

AntiBunny

Indeed when you can bring a world to life that once lived in your own head is an amazing feeling.

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

The act of creating... I think that brings me major contentment in my work. of course there's times i feel like "dang why this isn't coming together" it's the culmination of those experiences along having folks looking in my work and interacting with it matters to me

also I get stupid happy when i get nice comments so ye lmao

TaliePlume

What makes me the happiest about being a creator is sharing my culture and changing how people perceive it in a positive and creative way while still staying true to myself.

Desnik

What makes me happiest about being a creator is having something to talk about with other creatives

I don't have to sit on the sidelines being fannish, sometimes my peers like MY things too!

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

yes

persephinnie

I have a question - are any of you afraid of posting your OCs in the risk of it getting stolen? or is this more of a thing in the past?

I feel like it used to be a big deal back then, but I'm not sure how much one would need to worry about this still.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Who would even want to steal my very unremarkable-looking characters? And this isn't a self-neg; my characters shine through their story, not through the easily stolen designs. (May want to take this to #general BTW)

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

hm. not really since past to present time I also made sure I had like watermarked and it's pretty much the only versions I had online tbh lmao

oh and yes

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

like the designs stolen?

i don't think my characters are remarkable looking enough to be stolen

even for the one or two interesting character designs i did, i don't really care if someone steals it?

oh oops this is creator babble. Should move to shop_talk

persephinnie

keii'ii - ack my apologies!

Deo101 [Millennium]

Where's the convo gonna go?

persephinnie

(#general!)

[hentaihunblog-blog]

Nanatsu no Taizai: Imashime no Fukkatsu Episode 21 [Certain Warmth]

New Post has been published on https://hentaihun.com/blog/2018/06/11/nanatsu-no-taizai-imashime-no-fukkatsu-episode-21-certain-warmth/

Nanatsu no Taizai: Imashime no Fukkatsu Episode 21 [Certain Warmth]

Oh my gosh. This episode was REALLY good. Nowhere near as spectactical as episode 19, but the pacing and just the overall content in this episode was great. I didn’t even realize I was reaching the end of the episode because I was so sucked in. But I think the biggest shocker for me was how they changed the opening. I wasn’t expecting them to change it to match the events of the episode. Though I feel like I should have seen it coming since they’ve always tended to do that, but I guess I forgot because they haven’t changed anything from the second opening this season yet. Still a great surprise as the added visuals were stunning and just so PLOT RELEVANT I CAN’T EVEN (continues to rewatch the opening).

Anyways, enough of me gushing about the opening, let’s get into the episode. We start where we left off with Golgius having woken up in the Boar’s Hat and Elizabeth treats him to some soup. Unfortunately, just like Meliodas, Elizabeth can’t cook for beans. (Which is unfortunate ‘cause these two are gonna starve lol) I love how Hawk already knew it was Golgius because of his smell and the guy leaves since he just could not understand Elizabeth’s way of thinking. Though it was pretty hilarious how he told them not to say they saved him despite being an enemy that they couldn’t let him suffer and Elizabeth just stays silent because that’s exactly what it was. While I don’t particularly care much for Elizabeth, I do admire how much she treasures life and hopes to instill some hope in people to keep living and protecting others.

And man, so much deja vu in this episode with the a mysterious armored knight walking into the tavern. Hawk even states it feels like deja vu lol. Shockingly, the mysterious knight turns out to be none other than the the Chief Holy Knight, Zaratras, the one’s murder who was pinned on the Seven Deadly Sins. Thanks to Melascula’s magic, Zaratras was also giving a physical body (if not temporarily just like Elaine). Not to mention he was also at the battle tournament. I remember thinking to myself, who is the armored guy. Guess I got my answer.

I don’t know what kind of person I was expecting Zaratras to be. Though I probably was expecting him to be a serious and dignified guy. However, what we got was this huge, obnoxious dork and I love it. Elizabeth even comments how he’s a lot more dignified when he’s on duty lol. Though I the fact he couldn’t resist the fish pie that Hendrickson offered him (that was obviously poisoned) was hilarious. It’s kind of hard to view this guy as Gil’s dad… well maybe just a little. Gil definitely has his moments of dorkiness, especially when he’s hanging out with Griamore and Howzer.

And we get the confirmation of why Zaratras had not appeared to Fraudrin. The spirits that haunt him currently are the ones who resent him. However, Zaratras reveals that he mostly hates himself for not being able to save Dreyfus and Hendrickson and holds absolutely not animosity towards them. Zaratras is turning out to be a really great guy. And it’s definitely sad to know that this guy won’t be permanently staying. But it’s also sad to see how much Zaratras actually hates himself. He also is completely distraught when Elizabeth brings up if Gil knows he’s here right and just starts sobbing at the thought of Gil not even recognizing him and that he was more attached to Meliodas. And while Gil does show a lot of affection for Meliodas, it was very blatant in the first season how important his father was to him. So I’m sure you meant a lot more to Gil than you realize, Zaratras.

We move into the really interesting part of the episode where Elizabeth shows Zaratras Meliodas’ body that she had been taking care of all this time. As it was stated previously, Zaratras also had druid abilities and sends himself, Elizabeth and Hawk to witness Meliodas’ past memories to see if they can find an answer to how they can bring him back. As someone who knows a pretty big spoiler about Elizabeth I couldn’t help but go “ooooh” when Meliodas comes out carrying her as a baby literally right after he destroyed Danafor. She literally reincarnated as soon as Liz died. That’s some fast reincarnation lol. No wonder she has no memories of her mother. Doesn’t seem like she had one.

Anyways, it was really interesting to see Meliodas and Zaratras interact. Ranging from intense to silly. They looked like nice friends and I wouldn’t mind seeing them interact more. I also got a confirmation of a scene way back in season 1 from this episode. It was when Diane first met Meliodas. I thought it was weird that Meliodas had already been searching for Diane before she even committed her sin and was wondering why he was searching for her. This episode definitely cleared things up as to why Meliodas would somehow be looking for these certain individuals. Due to the king’s future sight, he was able to see who would be the ones to save the Kingdom from the Ten Commandments. Definitely a big OOOOOOH moment.

There were so many confirmations on a lot of questions that I had but a lot of new questions also sprung up (even though I know the answer to some of them already due to spoilers). One of the questions was how Meliodas was cursed so that he could never die. Poor guy even tried ending his own life… And he’s been alive for over 3000 years. There are so many questions surrounding Meliodas, but they all will eventually be answered. And can I just say that Meliodas interacting with a little Elizabeth is just downright adorable? It just felt so pure and it was nice to see none of the gross groping and whatnot (‘cause at that point that really would be disgusting), but I digress.

Speaking of Meliodas, looks like he’s taking a nice little stroll through purgatory and being taunted by his father, the Demon King no less. Interestingly enough, whenever Meliodas dies, his soul gets sent to purgatory, where the Demon King extracts a little of his emotions each time. I guess that’s why Meliodas didn’t want his emotions to be taken away during the training arc. If he had let them go, he would be doing exactly what the Demon King wanted. Since without his emotions, Meliodas would return to being the most powerful demon he was back in the day. But man, the Demon King’s form was INTIMIDATING. The size and shape of him alone… I’m curious to see what he actually looks like.

Back in the real world, the Ten Commandments are closing in on Liones, spreading panic and fear. I internally screamed when Grayroad just kind of oozed through the roof of the hiding place where Jericho was looking after Guila’s little brother, Zeal. Because that was one FREAKY entrance and would instill fear in anyone. GO AWAY GRAYROAD. NO ONE WANTS YOU HERE. LEAVE THE CHILDREN ALONE.

Another confirmation or at least somewhat strongly hinted was how Estarossa stopped Meliodas’ attack. A group of knights, including Gil and Ban were all rendered helpless under Estarossa’s commandment of love. Those who bear hatred in Estarossa’s presence will become weak and unable to fight. And man does everyone have a reason to hate Estarossa considering he was the one who ultimately killed Meliodas. But MAN. Escanor walking up to Estarossa and just talking down to the man was SO EPIC AND SAVAGE. This man literally has the best lines. “Why would I hate those who are weaker than myself? I only pity them.” DANG. That was one heck of a way to end off that episode. Usually prideful characters annoy me, but someone talking down to the Ten Commandments is just too good. I look forward to a good Escanor fight.

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[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Asobi Asobase 1 | Planet With 1 | Hanebado! 2 | Holmes of Kyoto 1 | Phantom in the Twilight 1

Asobi Asobase 1

These girls…have no noses? Gwah?!

…They really went in on the “purity” themes, with the OP and the flowers, didn’t they? It gives off a “sugar, spice and everything nice” vibe.

I’ve had my eyebrow furrowed in disinterest here. The artstyle not only very nearly lacks noses, but Olivia (I think that was the girl’s name from promo material) has such a disgustingly smug face that I can’t laugh at it. It seems mean-spirited and not fun at all.

My gosh, bob girl has such a sadistic streak…

These faces are clearly trying to make me laugh, but all I get for them is a “You tried” feeling. Sorry, must be the yuri vibes. Plus the extra boob jiggle which you really could’ve done without.

You can tell that Olivia wasn’t speaking a lick of sense there. The subbers must’ve had fun trying to convert it to English. *sigh* If only I were part of that team, I’d be having more fun with it than I am just watching it…I’m clearly not having fun here, obviously.

The pigtailed girl stealing the ham made me laugh, but only in a very weak way.

This pen thing? C’mon, they have that in Western-type societies like mine too, y’know.

The artstyle is like Nichijou a few times. Lemme guess, Nichijou isn’t for me…

Asobihito (asobibito…?) =/= Pleasure Seekers. The former translates literally to “playing people”, i.e. “people who play”. “Pleasure seeker” is that in a more general sense…then again, English doesn’t have an equivalent term that doesn’t vaguely sound like someone’s taking advantage of other people.

The sensei finally got me to laugh properly! But hey, it’s just because she’s so dang perky when she shouldn’t be…

The bob girl says “eigo kenkyuu kai” (English study club), but then Honda (pigtails) goes “Eiken?”, which from the translation I’d presume is short for “eigo (no) shiken” (English test).

Ohmygosh, they unabashedly put a Louis Vuitton suitcase into this show! How did they get away with that??? *stifles laughter*

I feel like these girls are trying to just be mean to each other more often than not. Catfights aren’t fun, yo.

The SFX and the visuals make this very clear this is a show for boys. Boys who like to fantasise about girls having fun like this.

Oh dear…did they just…they did! (flat tone) What. *face furrowed in worry, shakes head* A Detective Conan parody…

This comedy is probably a tad too…Western…for my liking…

Uh…I don’t know what to think about that ED…I feel like most of the budget went into the ED, for some reason.

Nihon no Asobi wo Asobase means “Let’s Play Japanese Games!”. It has no “please” involved whatsoever. Also…is that a poop emoji with hands and feet in the corner? (LOL)

Okay, you got me show. You made me laugh a grand total of…twice. That’s a terrible track record, y’know! Also, the real daruma otoshi is like this.

Well, that last segment made me feel like I was watching Potter Puppet Pals. Only it was for an anime I didn’t really care about and it wasn’t particularly funny after the novelty and creativity of it all wore off (and that wore off very fast!). That’s a drop. Also, can we not with the boob jokes???

Planet With 1

Hmm…a low ranker due to Ume potentially being pulled…I wonder how this’ll go.

Thank you for that, show!!! Such a cool, flashy opening!

I keep reading that the boy’s name is Ginko in first episode impressions, but Ginko, according to the ANN spotlight I read, was the maid girl. This boy is Souya. Okay, got it.

That’s one biiiiiiiiig cat, man…

Ohmygosh, I’m going to run out of air from how much I’m laughing! The cat’s eating this cabbage raw! What the heck??? (LOLOLOL)

Youhei Suzuki? Why does that name seem familiar…?

If you’ve been around anime long enough, you’ll get megane (glasses) =/= megami (goddess). Plus, what is it with men and eating lots of meat? Does eating meat affirm one’s masculinity or something?

Is it just me, or am I getting Star Driver vibes from this show? There was a guy in the OP who looked like Souya’s dad, y’know.

I think Souya was doing trigonometry (you can see cos theta on the board). I don’t envy him there.

It’s the kanji for “peace”, but it’s missing a stroke…that’s why it’s spelt “peas” and not “peace”.

There seems to be quite a bit of CGI in this show, huh?

Was that…Ume?! Yes!!!!!!!

Isn’t Sensei trying to peek up the skirt from the girl from Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer? That’s the second pervert today…ick.

Sensei doesn’t even move his mouth??!!!!!!!!!! (LOL)

Benika is the redhead. Beni = crimson, so that should be no trouble at all.

That guy’s book appears to be upside down…? Is it possible he could read a book like that, if he’s constantly holding it that way?

It’s amazing how much anime protagonists can do while pretending to be in the toilet…

Torai in a tiger mecha. I see, I see…

LOL, more ingestion business…just like Hisone and Masotan.

…Why is the protagonist’s motivation meat, of all the things?

Yay, it really was Ume! Thank you, Planet With! Now I’m definitely staying! Even if Ume gets dropped afterwards, there’s enough to keep me here otherwise such as how it feels pleasantly old-school while putting a new spin on a bunch of things, such as how Souya – who should be the bad guy in any other story – is the good guy here.

Who’s the man behind the old guy in the ED? That shadow thing is a dog, by the way - I saw it in the ANN spotlight.

Hanebado 2

It’s all an uphill climb…or a slip into the depths…for Hanebado right now.

There’s a box where the hyphen should’ve been…

To quote Google, a shutout is an N. American term: “a play, game, or inning in which the opposition is prevented from scoring.”

Nagisa’s strength appears to be the smash. It seems probably enough, considering her body type doesn’t seem to be made for speed. (…What? Why are you looking at me weirdly? Analysing these guys is just like analysing fighters in an RPG or something.)

Why are all these girls driven by only the sport or the guys??? People, girls need varied motivations.

The elder Isehara? There are two? Are they twins?

Comedic violence against an almost-pervert…it’s getting to the point where I’m getting a bit tired of that in anime…

Just because people have talent doesn’t necessarily mean that they like doing what they’re good at, Elena…

So Isehara (one of them) is in blue. Hopefully I remember that.

I didn’t really understand why Yu was with these girls…and then something came out of one of their mouths that made me realise these were quitters from the badminton team last episode.

There was something really silly about how Yu chucked the packet and didn’t get it in. She’s not really made for badminton smashes, is she?

Interesting use of a chalk style for a flashback.

Tachibana is clearly trash talking Nagisa to get on her nerves. It’ll mess up her judgement…hmm. Machiavellian tactics. I see.

Cross court drive. Just remember this is a link about squash, so substitute out “ball” for “shuttlecock”.

Just for reference, here’s a guide to a jump smash. It’s a difficult offensive move, so it’s perfect for Nagisa, who works hard to achieve her level of skill.

The picture of the embarrased guy (one of the ED photos) is pretty funny. He’s kind of cute, to boot, haha. Update: I’m not sure if that’s Nagisa or one of the boys...if it was Nagisa...oops.

The ED’s artstyle reminds me of Grimgar. That’s a compliment.

The feather imagery is because hane can mean “feather” or “wing”.

Holmes of Kyoto 1

This one could either be good…or bad like a bunch of other seasonals. Let’s find out…

They’re a bit heavy-handed with the “tell, don’t show”, but that flashback was integrated well.

The actual Holmes is known for occasionally trying to get Watson to try and do some deducing of his own (such as how there was a character early on who’d been overseas – I think he was in a war or something - and Watson was able to deduce that from looking at him, that was how he was able to introduce himself as a doctor IIRC), so having Yagashira (I think that was his name from the promo material) try to get Aoi to look at antiques is a good analogy. Detective Conan also had some of those moments, so this almost feels nostalgic…Update: The thing I was alluding to was how Holmes deduced Watson had been to “the Afghanistan” (sic) in A Study in Scarlet, but that doesn’t match what I’m thinking of.

Welp, this certainly ain’t a show where you’re meant to deduce it along with the detective. They didn’t even have the man mention to the audience he’d come from Osaka…

Chalcanthite.

“[G]ot my goat”? They sure are making some slang out of the Kyoto dialect, huh? Update: I don’t recognise the line that Kiyotaka uses, meaning it might really be Kyoto dialect. (Just for your confirmation.)

Salt…? What is this, an exorcism?

The Japanese word for “boiled egg seasoning” seems to have the word for “salt” in it, which explains what’s going on.

Okay, lemme try and guess how Holmes got those deductions: “You’re a student at Ohki High School.” – the uniform…?/”You originally came from east Japan.” – dialect/”It’s been about 6 months since you moved to Kyoto.” - the time of acclimatisation between getting used to Kyoto or not, or maybe her clothes…?/”You came to this shop because there’s something you want appraised, but it’s not something that belongs to you.” – how she’s holding that bag and has been too hesitant to approach Holmes – if she owned it, she would be less careful with it. Either that, or he can see into the bag. Update: I originally guessed “time of acclimatisation” for the 6 months section, but switched it out before learning that was the correct answer, so I’ve got it in bold there. I did get that thing about hesitance right though, so it’s in italics.

Wait…”when you think of ‘Aoi’”…? Aoi is a type of flower, right? Update: I was right. Aoi is the Japanese name of hollyhock, and turns out there’s a festival named for it celebrated by the shrine Holmes mentions! I’m completely useless against Detective Conan cases, but I can actually guess some of this stuff! Yay me!

H-How old is Holmes…? Stab in the dark says “24”, but lessee…Okay, he’s 22. Close enough.

“Holmes doesn’t speak with an accent. I wonder where he’s from?” – Dangit, I was wondering that too. They got Kaito Ishikawa to voice him, and that guy doesn’t have a Kyoto accent (I know from listening to him when I was trying to guess the clues earlier). Lessee…he has parents who come from Tokyo?

Hakuin Ekaku…is a real dude. Update: Zenga.

Are train tickets really that expensive…?

Oh dear…have I ever seen a grandpa lust after girls of 16??? Don’t think so.

“Us Kyoto boys…are awful nasty.” – *clutches chest in mock pain* Ahhhh! My poor kokoro!

I know I’ll probably regret just watching for the bishie and the guessing game I can make out of this, but…okay, that’s another potential keeper. If it gets any worse on the guessing game front though, it might have to go into the drop pile though.

Phantom in the Twilight 1

This is the last debut before “Dude of Red: Red Guy” (or whatever Moe Sucks called Lord of Vermilion)…hopefully it’ll be good!

Is it just me or are these guys’ eyes creepy...? Also, this is not Rokuhoudou. It’s blatantly trying to be Rokuhoudou…I miss Tokitaka already…*sigh*

Peperoncino.

I like how the girl’s wearing shorts. Unfortunately, they’re those booty shorts that seem to be all the rage these days instead of something more modest, but hey, what can you do? *shrug* Shorts are comfy and easy to wear, as they say.

Okay, if blind guy isn’t a jiangshi I’m going to love this show a lot more. But seriously, if this is going to be the second coming of Anime Twilight, then I’m out of here…

There’s one dude in the OP that looks like he walked out of Joker Game…but with altered eyebrows! What the heck?!

Is it just me, or did they not sub the titlecard?

Is it just me, or is the yuri being hammered on too strongly here?

The Chinese restaurant’s sign says something…about a small lobster?

Sha Rijan…Shinyao…Oh no, don’t tell me! I’m watching a Chinese coproduction?! Well, at least the girl is mighty relatable. She only seems part Chinese.

Luke reminds me of Impey from Code:Realise. Not that it bothers me, it’s just that Van Helsing was my favourite from that.

Huh? Didn’t Shinyao say all their money was inside the luggage? Ton probably had some money on her for that taxi, but still…Update: Could be Uber or just paying by credit/debit card but they never say.

Why are these three dudes like a military squad, anyway? It’s a tad unsettling…

Two of the characters Ton’s written on the board in the ED are jiayou, which is pretty much Chinese’s equivalent to ganbaru.

Shinyao and Ton go back a long way, huh?

What’s up with the chibis? They remind me of the Winx Club or Bratz or something…or even worse, the puppet show from Asobi Asobase! Actually, no, they remind me of one of those online dress-up games more…I’m cringing, man.

Well, that seemed a little misfired but otherwise up my alley! The boys may not be as hot as I’d hoped, but still, the show is otherwise quite fabulous.

Update: Music Girls is performing pretty terribly against these other shows, so that’s on hold.

[comicteaparty]

May 25th, 2017 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on May 25th, 2017, from 5PM - 7PM PST.  The chat focused on There’s No Such Thing as Jason - I.T. by Phenylketonurics.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

Good day everyone~! This week’s Comic Tea Party is now officially beginning. This week we are discussing There’s No Such Thing as Jason - I.T. by Phenylketonurics ~! (https://tapas.io/series/Theres-No-Such-Thing-as-Jason----IT) As CTP is brand-new, please allow me a brief moment to elaborate how the chats are formatted a bit in more detail than I will do for other chats (i.e. prepare for wall of text). The discussions are mostly meant to be freeform, so you can bring up whatever topic you would like about the comic. That being said, in order to help foster discussion, every 30 minutes I’m going to drop in a question. These questions are TOTALLY OPTIONAL, so if you have no interest in answering them, that is perfectly fine; you are welcome to ignore the questions completely. It’s simply going to be there to help those who need a bit of prompting to get into the discussion. As I’ve mentioned in other places, constructive criticism is allowed, please just be sure to be respectful towards the work. Keep in mind you’re also not obligated to give criticism. The goal of these chats is to have fun, talk about comics, and grow as a community. So please discuss what you wish. Since this is the first chat, I also want to mention this chat is free to drop-in and drop-out. If you can’t stay the full two hours, then that’s perfectly fine. Stay as long as you would like~! Tl;dr: Freeform discussions, but OPTIONAL questions will be dropped in every 30 mins. Ignore if it pleases you and have fun.

With that said, let us begin with this first question~!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

DracoPlato

1. The scene where the antenna was coming out of Dim really stuck with me visually as well as from a shock value so that's probably my favorite atm.

RebelVampire

ah yeah that was a really standout scene. with a lot of wtf value.

AngelicEmpyress

Oh my gosh favorite scene

that's a tough one

i think the scene where we first see view and jason as two different people

that was a big what wut? to me

loads of wth value XD

DracoPlato

definitely!

RebelVampire

haha for me i sadly dont remember that scene as well. not cause it wasnt powerful but because my mind was already blown and swirling with what exactly is going on with jason's identiy stuff

AngelicEmpyress

lol i STILL don't know what's going on and i read it twice XD

DracoPlato

hmmm like did sten create a game and is somehow merging it with the "real" world

AngelicEmpyress

oh and i loved the scene when jason is outside and suddenly puts his hood on and his eyes go red and hes like "im not jason"

RebelVampire

ah yeah that was a really great image

i really liked the color contrasts in it

DracoPlato

oh Pheny's art is gorgeous, so many scenes stick with me because of the lighting and colors and panel layouts they use

AngelicEmpyress

yes!

the hair

all the hair

RebelVampire

picking a favorite scene is hard. i think im going to go with the flashback scene of where jason and dim meet. mostly cause i think jason is adorable and i think it gives better insight into what his original personality is.

DracoPlato

haha young jason is adorable

AngelicEmpyress

lol lil jason doesn't seem too different from now jason in so many ways

DracoPlato

i like his iced tip hair reminiscent of the 90s

AngelicEmpyress

Lol

DracoPlato

Pheeeeeny~!!

Phenylketonurics

YO! Oh, it's so exciting to see what some of the favourite scenes are, rock on! ICED TIP HAIR YES!!

AngelicEmpyress

hey there!

DracoPlato

My bro totally had that look going on when he was a teen, lol

AngelicEmpyress

Hahaha

Phenylketonurics

Hello hello~!! THANK YOU so much for being here, aa~

RebelVampire

glad you could make it~!

AngelicEmpyress

oh mah goodness your art is so awesome

Phenylketonurics

And yeah, the whole split in seeing Jason versus View, establishing that these are indeed two different "people" is one of my favourite scenes in the comic as well (I'm so happy for the kind words, wow, mega gobs of gratitude!)

THANK YOU EMPYRESS!!

AngelicEmpyress

and the story is a real page turner especially since thrillers are a genre i normally dont touch with a 10 ft pole

Phenylketonurics

Oh wow, that is a huge compliment then, dang! I'll admit, thrillers are also something I'm weary of -- they're tricky to follow!

DracoPlato

true! It's not usually my genre of choice either, but I just love how thought provoking Jason is

AngelicEmpyress

but i like the 'try to put the pieces together youself'

DracoPlato

yeah!

It's more thought provoking than any other comic i've read

AngelicEmpyress

though i will say this...in your descriptions, when you say "this connects to such and such page" it would be better if you say the episode... since you can't track the actual pages easy in tapas

Phenylketonurics

YES!! Oh man, I hoped so hardcore that it could be approached with the reader's perspective, the reader's ideas in highlight -- THAT is the key to figuring things out.

AngelicEmpyress

so i had a tough time maneuvering back and forth

DracoPlato

oh that's a good point AE!

cosmographia

hey hey hi sorry here I am!! :D/

AngelicEmpyress

hi there!

DracoPlato

Hiiii Cosmo~!!

Phenylketonurics

!!! AE YES! That would be way better, thank you so much. YO COSMO!!

cosmographia

EY!!

Phenylketonurics

Stoked to see you here, aa~!!

cosmographia

Stoked to BE here, so glad people have received it so well!! (cuz I agree with all of this, the comic is phenomenal!)

AngelicEmpyress

also...i feel jason's pain with that noise... i have mesophonia so it would probably drive me completely insane XD

Phenylketonurics

SO MUCH KINDNESS from killer rad creators, wow, I'm on high for the rest of the year, man. Mesophonia is something I am fascinated with, wow, no one talks about that!! RAD.

AngelicEmpyress

really?

no one i met had ever heard of it XD

RebelVampire

ah yeah i empathize with jason's pain noise as well. mostly because my ears are sensitive to cpu hums because ever since i got sick one time, ive been able to pick up the frequency of when its switching to different activity states and it took me like weeks at first to block out the annoyance of it and it drove me quite bananas. could barely even sleep.

AngelicEmpyress

i can hear that too Rebel

DracoPlato

oh wow

cosmographia

oh wow

AngelicEmpyress

least jason handles it better than me XD

Phenylketonurics

The effects of one's sensitivity to the frequencies of such auditory signals is definitely something Jason's dealing with, oh man, this is MAJORLY awesome you know about it firsthand.

cosmographia

yea I've had experiences like that too there's this weird white noise that comes from this one supermarket here and I've asked my family if they hear it and they've said they haven't. And it HURTS. I HATE going to that store hahah <"D

AngelicEmpyress

the ones that are key to me send me into ultimate rage and I cant concentrate on ANYTHING

cosmographia

oh! 80

AngelicEmpyress

i have to wear headphones all day at work because of it

RebelVampire

jason is handling it better than me too. for a week i wore my mom's insulated headphone things that ppl wear when theyre doing loud hardware stuff.

Phenylketonurics

Right, exactly! It's a very physical experience even if it's invisible -- Jason's just starting to re-experience the auditory assault. In one flashback, we see it causes him pretty severe headaches. ;o;

(it in conjunction with the whole video game programme test, aah(

cosmographia

-nod nod-

ngl for like...a LONG time I kept denying that all of this was actually happening (in the comic I mean hahaha)

Phenylketonurics

BUT YES, the whole idea behind Jason as it started was that I wanted people to bring their personal experiences with anomalies and troubled memories forward, inject them side-by-side with Jason's experience.

cosmographia

it wasn't till the recent updates I started taking the experiences more seriously, or more like...ACTUALLY happening, I thought they were psychological projections

now i'm like "WHAT" (with the most recent updates from last month to now)

Phenylketonurics

SEE!! yeah, I really hoped it would migrate from being psychological as in "not happening" to psychological and "VERY MUCH HAPPENING"

AngelicEmpyress

oh i like how Dim and Day look visually different in the past vs the present...i love that detail

RebelVampire

ah its a few mins early but this is a good time to drop in the next question XDXD

QUESTION 2. The comic deals with a lot of themes of perception, perspective, psychology and more. In other words, things aren’t quite what they seem. What in the story are you sure is “real” and what are you sure isn’t “real?” Is there anyone you trust in the story for an objective viewpoint into the events?

Phenylketonurics

oh cool cool, AE, I'm so happy to hear that, thank you!!!

cosmographia

YEP it was a punch to the face (metaphorical and in this case welcoming )

Itrustnoone.

AngelicEmpyress

omg...

i have no idea what is real or not yet XD

i still dont know what the heck is going on XDDDD

cosmographia

Phen keeps pulling the rug from the reader's feet

Phenylketonurics

Hahah! There's A LOT in the air right now, too, haha^^

That rug just tosses everything around!

cosmographia

in a GOOD way mind you!

it's like "-snap fingers- Ya got me again hahahahawhatishappening"

OH YEA def!

AngelicEmpyress

im sure that jason has feelings for Day... i think >.> then again even that is questionable at times

RebelVampire

i feel like the comic could have the assassins creed slogan underneath. about how nothing is true, everything is permitted.

AngelicEmpyress

Lol

cosmographia

seems to me like a co-dependency relationship as in any feelings are just a need for validation turned into romantic attraction

AngelicEmpyress

ah i can see that

Phenylketonurics

AE -- YOU ZOOMED RIGHT IN on a really big part of interplay that feeds on Jason -- View is mixed in definitely but like Cosmo said, co-dependency is an element to how this thing manifests.

Superjustinbros

WHOAH THE MAN HIMSELF APPEARED!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

cosmographia

:U!

AngelicEmpyress

lol super

Superjustinbros

HEY PHENY!!!

:DDDD

AngelicEmpyress

i know...we are in the presence of The MAN! XD

Superjustinbros

Sorry if I'm a bit late ^^;;

cosmographia

that being said, even if the situation is so out there, the characters are SO belivable and their reasoning/actions to how this is happening is relatable and understandable

RebelVampire

i feel like the entire comics begs the question of our definition of reality. like, even if these things are happening in Jason's head, are they any less real than things other ppl experience subjectively

Superjustinbros

I agree with that so hard

The characters of this story are written so well

cosmographia

yep!

DracoPlato

yeah i feel that too

Superjustinbros

Plus with the timeskips and flashbacks changing how they look as mentioned before(edited)

And I really feel like I can connect with Jason on a spiritual level of sorts

since me and him actually have quite a bit it common, especially with how lifelike the story gets

Like, without some of the heavier sci-fi elements like the antennas, I'd say this could all very well happen IRL

but if it did happen I wouldn't want an antenna on my head zapping me while I'm trying to do stuff

AngelicEmpyress

lol

zaps super =p

Superjustinbros

is zapped

cosmographia

yea I can definitely see how it's relatable in such a way

this one scene of Jason desperately trying to get an answer out of Dim (sorry forgot the page number) hit way too close to home haha

Superjustinbros

And it's super rare for me to treat a fictional character as someone like myself

So that alone is quite an accomplishment

AngelicEmpyress

wow yeah

cosmographia

damn! Yea

Phenylketonurics

(sorry sorry, wifi I'm using is a nightmare since I'm in a weird area, aaa! VIEW GO AWAY)

Superjustinbros

GET OUT VIEW

AngelicEmpyress

lol!

Superjustinbros

DON'T VIEW THE VIEW

DracoPlato

gdi View

SirDelta God King of Mecha

oh crap i missed the beginig, sorry whats going on

AngelicEmpyress

lol

gah i love that hair

and so much emotion in the eyes

even for just circles

DracoPlato

pheny's art is amaaaaazing~!

so much love

AngelicEmpyress

yus!

SirDelta God King of Mecha

i admit, not too big a fan of the red hair

Superjustinbros

He looks like such a goof too when he's not trying to plot something sinister

AngelicEmpyress

LOL

DracoPlato

don't trust him, he's evil

Superjustinbros

I even got sharp fangs like him

SirDelta God King of Mecha

but isn't he always sinister

Phenylketonurics

EXCELLENTE!! I'm extremely excited to hear that the characters are believable, too! Even if red hair is not a good thing, hahah^^

Superjustinbros

lol

brb never trusting my characters with red hair ever

RebelVampire

delta why you gotta hate the red?

AngelicEmpyress

red is my favorite color

SirDelta God King of Mecha

its not thats its a bad thing, i just don't like the style and color combo gonig on there(edited)

Phenylketonurics

The play on reality of being like... this question in and of itself is another slant that I DEEPLY enjoy seeing people's take on. Yeah, View's hair is something of Jason's past -- he doesn't like it either!

Superjustinbros

lol

So many possible ideas for what would happen

Phenylketonurics

Exactly!

Superjustinbros

if Jason and View started having a serious conversation between each other

RebelVampire

i think i like young jason's hair the best. so spunky yet so cute. i think compared to his older self theres something that capture youthful naivete

DracoPlato

I like the black hair best but I like all the varities

Phenylketonurics

Rebel has it right on, aa!!! I'm just over the moon that you can read that characters' milestone ages so well, thank you!!

Phenylketonurics

Hair itself has a history of being a strong definition of one's identity (culturally speaking)... so I definitely take that into consideration with Jason! He's constantly messing with his hair!

Superjustinbros

XD

cosmographia

nice!

SirDelta God King of Mecha

i see i see

Superjustinbros

That sounded more funny to me than it should've been

DracoPlato

to represent his ever changing self

Phenylketonurics

Yes! Either in denial of events or possibly even as an affirmation, to distance oneself from things that have happened.

Superjustinbros

That's cool~

Phenylketonurics

A LOT of physical cues like... eyes, hands and adornments thereof have roots in the "magic" of the body. It's all a little superstitious, hah^^

Superjustinbros

I like that! It's a great attention to detail~

Phenylketonurics

Thank you, aa!! I'm really glad to hear that you've been able to pick up on these things yourself, though, THAT is like... half my work done, haha^^

Superjustinbros

You're welcome! Don't think I've ever seen a story that has ever done that to such a great extend personally.

AngelicEmpyress

oh....hand....that little whatcha macallit

ffff

keychain?

Phenylketonurics

YES!

The keyring Dim has!

WELL... rings in general (abstracted in Jason's perspective as a goal in the game programme but it goes back to a literal silver ring, one that is held in hands~)

Phenylketonurics

eheheh^^

Superjustinbros

Realy this is all such a deep lore you got going on!

I love it.

And lots of attentions to keep an eye out on

SirDelta God King of Mecha

this is going eva levels of deep

Phenylketonurics

It's been 10+ years in writing, I really gotta make sure not to get excessive with it, yeah? X]

cosmographia

DAMN

Superjustinbros

XP

Phenylketonurics

I started it when I was 19!! I AM 31 NOW WHAT THE HECK

cosmographia

how much has the story changed since the initial idea? :0

AngelicEmpyress

lol i thought you were younger than that lol

Superjustinbros

LOL

DracoPlato

oh hey we're around the same age

AngelicEmpyress

Yup

Superjustinbros

I'm only 22

turning 23 pretty soon tho

AngelicEmpyress

Hehe

SirDelta God King of Mecha

you seems a lot more lively for someone that old than i expeted

Phenylketonurics

Not much, surprisingly! I started with There's No Such Thing as Jason, it's completely written, done. And... I wanted to take the story and expand upon what Jason meant (since the first focused pretty exclusively on View)

Superjustinbros

Aah, cool!

And I've been working on my stuff since I was,... 14? (at least my current stuff)(edited)

AngelicEmpyress

oh wow

cosmographia

cool tho!

I think my comic has gotten a few minor tweaks throughout the years but damn, keeping it like that for a DECADE -applause-

DracoPlato

that is impressive!

Superjustinbros

I've made so many tweaks to my concepts (and really I've bene conceptualising stuff for so long)

SirDelta God King of Mecha

where did the title of the comic from

cosmographia

good you're getting what you want, tho!

Phenylketonurics

MINOR TWEAKS ARE GOOD! It helps keep the narrative organic and fresh. TNSTAJ was a telling of something already very vague so... it was just a matter of style, haha^^

RebelVampire

ah ty delta. you are segwaying into the next question

Phenylketonurics

Oh! The title came from a line in the story!

Superjustinbros

And I have one other series that I retired that was a self-fic that lasted from 2001 (when I was only seven) to 2009(edited)

Phenylketonurics

WELL DANG! WAIT, there's a big change then.

There's No Such Thing as Jason was originally titled "What is Wrong"

Superjustinbros

XD "What's wrong, Jason?"

Phenylketonurics

Then in 2006, I finished writing and loved the line one of the characters says near the beginning, haha^

SirDelta God King of Mecha

i'm confused with the i.t. part at the end

AngelicEmpyress

information technology i would presume

DracoPlato

lol!

Phenylketonurics

The I.T. part gets added on as a sort of "volume 2"

DracoPlato

Jason are you okay

Superjustinbros

What would volume 3 be, then?

SirDelta God King of Mecha

volume 2?

Phenylketonurics

It's the I.T. side, the technical nitty gritty of what Jason is.

SirDelta God King of Mecha

ah ok

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. What do you think is the significance of the title as it relates to the story? Who is View? Who is Jason? Are they the same person, differing identities, or something else entirely?

Superjustinbros

Aye

AngelicEmpyress

i was right lol

Phenylketonurics

OH THIS QUESTION! W

cosmographia

I was JUST gonna ask about the IT thing I love the reasoning behind it <3

DracoPlato

There's no such thing as Jason

RebelVampire

draco no. youre grounded

AngelicEmpyress

i think view and jason are two parts to the same person and one is trying to overcome the other

DracoPlato

yeah i think that as well

or jason may be a computer program and view is a virus

AngelicEmpyress

oh i like that pov

Superjustinbros

If that wound up being the truth

the part of being "like a compute rprogram"

SirDelta God King of Mecha

from my understanding, i think at some point veiw and jason were the same person, than after some event jason was able to remain the domanit person and go on with his life leaving view in the back of his head just wating to get out and fuck up jasons life

AngelicEmpyress

i feel that view is something that was created for some purpose and is now out of hand

and Dim is kinda the 'ground' persay

DracoPlato

I think Sten created View in his experiments on Jason

AngelicEmpyress

Yes

SirDelta God King of Mecha

i forgot about those

Phenylketonurics

(I am sitting here grinning over every single bit of input, YOU GUYS ARE SO BLOODY SMART WHAT THE HECK MAN!!)

Superjustinbros

LOL

Superjustinbros

YO WE LEVELED UP TOGETHER

SirDelta God King of Mecha

oh cousre your smiling, were all here for your comic

Superjustinbros

Yup~

AngelicEmpyress

i was thinking about the lollipops being what kept view detained, and it kinda showed Dims whole purpose in it all

RebelVampire

maybe view is like the replication of an avatar in real life of some sort. it reminds me of a video i watched the other day about the movie perfect blue and how the movie is about how someone's avatar is something scripted and not the real person. so maybe sten tried to create an avatar that is reflected by the real person.

Superjustinbros

So Jason would be like

Phenylketonurics

Delta has a crazy good point about how people can be buried in the back of our minds and REALLY mess us up when thrust back into our lives -- which ties directly into what AE says about Dim -- his presence is absolutely crucial for Jason (and integral for View)

AngelicEmpyress

and i think Day is just using jason to study more about view

Superjustinbros

God dang I dunno how long I can keep up with thsi chat XD

AngelicEmpyress

Lol

Superjustinbros

It's just all over the palce rn XP

AngelicEmpyress

that's the fun part though super

Superjustinbros

(Also in part cause I have the AC set to low)

AngelicEmpyress

you know how every electrical thing has to be ground or else itd go haywire...there you go view and dim

Superjustinbros

Yeah

SirDelta God King of Mecha

i feel like the jason necklace that he gave day was ment to be some kind of restrictor on view

AngelicEmpyress

but i think Dim is slowly growing tired of his 'job' and fromt hat View is slowly slipping out of grasp

Phenylketonurics

Oh man, YES, electricity!! The electrostatic involved with radio frequencies, a physical output of what happens at a mico-level, yes! The necklace is a definite "controller" of sorts, being something that View is quite focused on whenever he talks with the other characters.

Superjustinbros

HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE NECKLACE XO

AngelicEmpyress

Lol

DracoPlato

I didn't forget

cosmographia

ooh

Phenylketonurics

Oh man, noticing Dim's exhaustion~ He's in a job position that... seems to contradict his history with "fiddly little technical things"

SirDelta God King of Mecha

and now its on day and its fucking up her life so it makes me thing it was specily made for Jason

AngelicEmpyress

i dont know...the line "this metal was never meant for you" i'm not too sure

DracoPlato

my wonder is if any of it is real or if there's another reality outside of the one they exist in

SirDelta God King of Mecha

i coud be wrong, i did binge read it last week

RebelVampire

idk i think day has some issues and doesnt need the necklace to bring havoc in her life. cause i mean dont think the necklace has anything to do with the toxic work environment she clearly has.

Phenylketonurics

Ohoho, Day versus Dim with the necklace and the grades of metal that Jason/View have physiological responses to is massive.

DracoPlato

day definitely has some issues i think, haha

AngelicEmpyress

Lol

SirDelta God King of Mecha

everyone in this comic has issues

Phenylketonurics

Draco!! YES, in conversation with Day, Qress (Dim's sister) mentions reality as being a fun little game to play with, yeah!!

AngelicEmpyress

though we havent touched on what jason's older brother has in all this

DracoPlato

yeeees~ she did

Superjustinbros

Lol

AngelicEmpyress

i think out of all of them, he's the only one on the ground of reality

i think anyway

Superjustinbros

(Apologies if I'm not active much atm, there's other stuff I want to get to)(edited)

DracoPlato

I think sten and jason's brother are most aware of what reality is

AngelicEmpyress

Yes

SirDelta God King of Mecha

well what is reality really, its just how we percive it who knows maybe the others see the "real" reality(edited)

Phenylketonurics

Bringing Sten in (Dim's brother) was so difficult, I hoped so much that it would be interesting and not simply break that reality (since yes, reality is dependent on perspective which is often very much skewed!)

RebelVampire

i think bringing in sten actually vastly added a new hand to the table so to speak about what reality. cause things i assumed werent real suddenly were.

SirDelta God King of Mecha

oh yay, existentialism

AngelicEmpyress

i think the only time it was broken for me was with Qress... her scenes just seemed to happen outside of everything else and almost felt it didn't belong

Phenylketonurics

Existentialists, just hold your finger up to any argument and say, "but what's the point" X] BUT NO, no, hopefully I can steer clear of that kinda thing. Qress is heavy, oh my gosh, I'm so glad you said that AE!

AngelicEmpyress

and its almost like after her scene, i forgot about her

cosmographia

I agree with what Rebel said about Sten

DracoPlato

yeah i do too

sten is a huge piece i think

SirDelta God King of Mecha

but whats the point (i had too)

RebelVampire

if i absolutely had to pick someone to trust in this story it would be Qress actually. i think Qress seems the most innocent party so far in what happened in the past. cause even jason's brother mentioned having an idea of what was going on.

DracoPlato

same

i want to see more of her

AngelicEmpyress

i think i trust the brother...i dont know why (cuz im weird)

DracoPlato

I trust no one until it's over

AngelicEmpyress

Lol

Phenylketonurics

IT IS SO GOOD to hear that Sten cemented the reality of the main three in place, heck yes, thank you!! The Qress and Day conversation was a tiny little fragment of establishing their relationship, REALLY hope to expand upon that!

SirDelta God King of Mecha

i don't trust anyone is this comic, too many fucked up people

its just layers of counter manipulation

cosmographia

yea like...without him dropping answers, he GAVE a lot of answers or rather some leads to grasp on till more clues emerge

AngelicEmpyress

its all Stens fault x3

DracoPlato

#BlameSten

SirDelta God King of Mecha

i'm just gonna blame view

that seems like a safe bet

RebelVampire

AH! i trusted jason's brother some until this scene

https://tapas.io/episode/551271

DracoPlato

i feel like sten is responsible for view tho

RebelVampire

and then i went trust no one

AngelicEmpyress

i think view is only trying to create a reality for himself unmanipulated...even if he goes aobut it the wrong way lol

Phenylketonurics

It is such a power play, the manipulation of information -- something of a hornet's nest gone mad at times.

THAT IS A GOOD POINT YO!! AH! I am so excited that you brought that up, dang!

SirDelta God King of Mecha

Brb

DracoPlato

ah yeah i remember that with jason's brother

Tyle

Phenylketonurics

Tyle's weak point is his very short temper.

SirDelta God King of Mecha

i thought that was the wierdist nickname

DracoPlato

haha i had to double check cause i thought his name was Ty

AngelicEmpyress

im kinda reminded of Johnny 5 when i think of View

DracoPlato

omg, me too

SirDelta God King of Mecha

it just seems so odd to call him tyle

Phenylketonurics

(Tyle for Tyler, heh, nicknames can be a fun mask to wear, yeah?)

DracoPlato

Ooooooooooooooooooh

that makes more sense

I am super bad with names btw

Phenylketonurics

haha, no me too!!!

RebelVampire

his name is actually tyler!? my life is a lie

DracoPlato

actually i love that pheny mentions the names so often in artist's comments

that's super helpful

Phenylketonurics

thank you draco, aaa!! I always make sure to list people, I am awful at names everywhere. It's humiliating.

RebelVampire

yeah that is. i say this from doing reviews and always double checking name spellings. sometimes its a pain when i have to search a billion pages to find a single name drop :"D

DracoPlato

yeah I started trying to do it more cause of pheny and mappy doing it i think

Phenylketonurics

Right?! You go back like 40 pages and still get the name wrong because it's vague who's referencing who??

Need a hover-over option, put your mouse over the character in question and the name pops up, hah!

DracoPlato

omg that'd be awesome

character pages are great too

RebelVampire

yeah i really like when ppl have websites with cast pages

it makes life 1000 times easier

Phenylketonurics

khyatix HAS AN INCREDIBLE character profile page set oh my gooossh

AngelicEmpyress

hehe yus

DracoPlato

oooooh no no no it's terrible

the one for zenchav

the one for OoO is decent

Phenylketonurics

IT IS NOT! The one for zenchav is my favourite waaaitt!!

DracoPlato

omg it's so bad, i need to redo it

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. The story, in so far, has hinted that Jason was subjected to some sort of “experiment” in the past. What do you think the goal of the experiment was, and what was it doing to Jason exactly? Or, alternatively, do you think it’s all in everyone’s heads?

DracoPlato

Do you mean this one http://khyatix.com/zenchav/profiles.shtml Or this one? http://khyatix.com/zenchavooo/profiles.shtml

cosmographia

whether or not the experiment is real, it's clear that Jason was manipulated and kinda emotionally abused by the older gang so ū-ū

DracoPlato

The idea of perspective was brought up in relation to reality, so a lot of it may depend on who's perspective the story is really being seen from

SirDelta God King of Mecha

Back

DracoPlato

wb~!

Phenylketonurics

The first one! I LOVE THAT ONE, it's clean and has so much cool information included (everything necessary for referencing while making fanart, heh)! And whoa cosmo, you picked right up on the age play there -- seniority rules, yo.

DracoPlato

Ooooh, maybe i'll do more like that then, i thought they were kind of lame. But I couldn't do time specific ones for zenchav cause of the nature of the story

AngelicEmpyress

i actually have no idea

i sometimes think it really didn't have a goal...but it was just some fun experiment to see how far it could go

DracoPlato

okay so I think the experiment was tyle and sten dicking around creating a game and sten got power hungry and wanted to take it further

SirDelta God King of Mecha

sadly i don't remember those parts too well

DracoPlato

but initially maybe it was just as a to see if it can be done kind of thing

RebelVampire

my running theory is that it was specifically a psychological experiment on personality manipulation. in otherwords, the goal was to see if they could use a game to give someone an entirely different identity. thus view was born.

Phenylketonurics

Tying recounts of past events into present based on who's where (esp in relation to another character/their relationship status) has made the progress for the experimental game's purpose slow-going. but I love that there's so much potential/guessing-room for it.

AngelicEmpyress

oh wow i like that Rebel

DracoPlato

i do too, hahah

Phenylketonurics

Rebel, h'oh man, that is something HUGE to chew on and it's killing me! I love it!!

AngelicEmpyress

i hadn't made the connection with the game until tonight...had forgotten about that part

guess i focused more on the metal

DracoPlato

altho

dim was experimented on too it seems like

and it wasn't personality effecting so much

AngelicEmpyress

i think Dim was more the bracer...

like ok you two want to do this crazy thing ill make sure it doesn't get out of hand

SirDelta God King of Mecha

having two people experiment on someone is a bad idea

AngelicEmpyress

so he agreed to be experimented on

Superjustinbros

Very

SirDelta God King of Mecha

i mean two different experiments on one guy

RebelVampire

im unclear whether dim was experimented on or if they forged dim's name on the consent document so sten and them wouldnt get busted

in the sense that it shows dim as the experiment head instead of sten

Phenylketonurics

The ethical side of this experiment is clear, though, yeah? X]

DracoPlato

that it's unethical?

AngelicEmpyress

btw Rebel, I love these questions! i thought they'd be some generic each week questions but i love that these are tailored ot the story

Phenylketonurics

HAHA! IT IS CLEAR!

AngelicEmpyress

lol Draco

RebelVampire

oh good draco replied what i was thinking XD

and ty~! that was my intention is to have questions more tailored to the story. minus the first question which will probably repeat each week for sake of it being the first question and it letting ppl get their feet wet so to speak

Phenylketonurics

No for real, Rebel, these are such brilliant questions, humbled to the very core, yo. It is making me wanna answer with my all, hah!

AngelicEmpyress

hehe

that means phenny will be at other CTPs?

Phenylketonurics

YOU KNOW IT!!

SirDelta God King of Mecha

kinda makes so i can't wait for my comics day

cosmographia

yea man, the questions are A+ :D

AngelicEmpyress

YAY

Phenylketonurics

Delta, yes~!! I will so be there for your comic's day!

SirDelta God King of Mecha

Woo

AngelicEmpyress

ill be there too delta

SirDelta God King of Mecha

i think its in two weeks

any way we're getting stracked(edited)

AngelicEmpyress

i think the only scene that confused me...not as in what is going on in general...but more i never followed what happened was the game night scene

the description was like "day knows what happened and we do too" and im like i have no idea what happened

Phenylketonurics

THE GAME NIGHT SCENE, AA. That was one I had a lot of people tell me they were too confused over.

RebelVampire

if i understood the game scene correctly

AngelicEmpyress

i think i read it like 4 times before i gave up lol

SirDelta God King of Mecha

i don't even remember this scene

RebelVampire

jason hallucinated sten and they were actually talking to a different person?

SirDelta God King of Mecha

oh that one

AngelicEmpyress

but i thought view set it up but then he didn’t

SirDelta God King of Mecha

it seemed like view did it

Phenylketonurics

Yes! So... Jason was supposedly invited to a floor mate's game night party.

SirDelta God King of Mecha

i remember now

DracoPlato

oh yeah that did confuse me too

SirDelta God King of Mecha

its fine

i just thought of that as view fucking with jasons life

AngelicEmpyress

but then they got there and no one knew what was going on?

i thought the game night was at jason's

yeah total confusion

RebelVampire

it was at a differnt jason's

DracoPlato

Sten already playing a game with Jason

SirDelta God King of Mecha

other Jason

RebelVampire

someone who lived in the building whose name also be jason

or something like that

AngelicEmpyress

Lol

RebelVampire

the point being is i think jason was never invited but view lied to day and said they were invited

which is why when they got there the person said "i didnt invite you."

DracoPlato

jason, you have no friends

because there's no such thing as Jason

SirDelta God King of Mecha

name drop bomb

BOOOOOOM

RebelVampire

jason is a figment of everyone's imagination including ours

AngelicEmpyress

lol draco

RebelVampire

i took that thought too far in my head. now have headache

SirDelta God King of Mecha

I MIUST FIGURE OUT THE TRUTH THEN(edited)

DracoPlato

too many reflections in the mirror

Phenylketonurics

Yes! Earlier in the week, when Day and Jason were going to his dorm, do you remember the elevator scene? And them rushing to his room as someone called to talk to him? Right here>> https://tapas.io/episode/301105

AngelicEmpyress

Yeah

SirDelta God King of Mecha

yeah, other Jason

Phenylketonurics

There's a few little things that have yet to happen that will loop as a recurring moment from this scene. BUT YO, yeah, somatic experience ended up giving Jason a pretty harsh memory of Sten that he tried to resolve in present time.

It could be noted that Jason being aware of JASON and his memory super-imposing Sten over that name as a bit trippy.

ALL WHILE HAPPENING ON GAME NIGHT.

video games, ouch, hah^^

SirDelta God King of Mecha

jesus these people need to see a therapist

DracoPlato

lolol

that is intense though

i should reread that part

AngelicEmpyress

we shouldn't play video games XDDD

SirDelta God King of Mecha

but there so much fun

DracoPlato

it's okay, I don't

SirDelta God King of Mecha

you play the sims

cosmographia

hahahah

Phenylketonurics

THE SIMS IS CRUCIAL.

SirDelta God King of Mecha

...i know it(edited)

DracoPlato

I know right

sims is the best

SirDelta God King of Mecha

Ehh

DracoPlato

gotta make all my characters

damon gotta impregnate everyone

SirDelta God King of Mecha

were getting side tracked again

Phenylketonurics

I still put Sims music on while I'm working on background art.

AngelicEmpyress

sometimes it just makes you want to give jason a hug x3

DracoPlato

omg XD listening to sims music

RebelVampire

the plot twist of theres no such thing as jason is that its just a game of sims that jason is playing

AngelicEmpyress

lol

yus

DracoPlato

Ommmmmg

SirDelta God King of Mecha

view is just jason actully intervining in the game

Phenylketonurics

Jason has had not a very good experience with adults in his life -- crossing the threshold into adulthood might be wearing on his nerves, though! Sims adulthood is so much easier, ahha^^

DracoPlato

does jason have peter pan syndrome

SirDelta God King of Mecha

the fuck is that

DracoPlato

where you don't want to grow up and want to stay a kid forever

SirDelta God King of Mecha

Oh

AngelicEmpyress

Lol

SirDelta God King of Mecha

shoulda guessed

DracoPlato

i mean it's either that or the other thing

RebelVampire

to be fair, with the amount of emotional trauma jason suffered, he perhaps missed some key development points while growing up

DracoPlato

yeah i do feel like jason is off developmentally

AngelicEmpyress

True

SirDelta God King of Mecha

yeah...

that boy is fucked

Phenylketonurics

HOHO, Jason 's perspective on age not yet addressed, I am looking forward to this. His anxiety stems from just what you've been noticing though, yes. Fear of the unknown!

DracoPlato

you and me both Jason

SirDelta God King of Mecha

so...human nature

cosmographia

ay Jason...

Phenylketonurics

Haha, HUBRIS!

cosmographia

but yea that's a good point, he may have missed key developments due to trauma

DracoPlato

but is jason even human

cause he could just be AI

SirDelta God King of Mecha

and view could be a glitch then

SirDelta God King of Mecha

a terrible glitch

AngelicEmpyress

so many possibilities

Phenylketonurics

The problem though is that memory being shifty and undependable makes advancing beyond that fear even worse (view glitch is a freaking killer concept dang)

AngelicEmpyress

lol would be funny is view as he is trying to make the reality accidentally glitched himself

cosmographia

-nod- and confidence issues can effectively make someone far easier to manipulate

so you can just tell Jason "remember when you __" and with enough convincing, he'd most likely believe it?

SirDelta God King of Mecha

buts a little manipulator too

everyone is

cosmographia

oh yea def

but Jason could be a reactive manipulator as in, it's just what seems to work for everyone else toward him so he's projecting what works

SirDelta God King of Mecha

its just layers and layers of manipulation and counter manipulation

cosmographia

yea

RebelVampire

Unfortunately, the scheduled Comic Tea Party is now complete~! Thank you everyone so much for joining this first chat~! We are happy to have had you all here~! That being said, if you would like to continue discussing the comic, we encourage you to do so~! We want to give a big thank you to Phenylketonurics, as well, for volunteering There’s No Such Thing as Jason - I.T. for our reading queue. If you liked the comic, please be sure to support Phenylketonurics’ efforts. If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions about CTP, please feel free to PM me, or e-mail me at rebelvampire@startfaire.com. As CTP is new, we are going to tweak things here or there, but we’ll be sure to let you know of any changes.

With that said, next week’s Comic Tea Party will focus on Psychteria by CalimonGraal. Please use this week to read as much of the comic as you would like. Hope to see you next Thursday (June 1st) from 5PM to 7PM PST~! Until then~! Comic: https://tapas.io/series/Psychteria