#awkward reviews

[psychicfaggots]

Ok this one is my favorite one. This one is the best of the best. Those last two sentences sealed his fate, it’s over bro you’ll never beat the allegations.

[tokiro07]

Ichi the Witch ch.11 thoughts

[WitchCon 2024]

(Topics: praise - comedy, narrative progression, world building, thematic analysis - freedom vs. order, predictions)

Make 'Em Laugh

Y'know, for a chapter that was like...90% political dialogue and exposition, this still managed to end up being one of the funnier chapters so far: Desscaras' report being a comic book that makes her look like the hero and Shirabedonna just throwing it away, Ichi straight up leaving the Zoom call to get food, Togeice goofing up her dramatic entrance; and that's not even every funny bit from this chapter

Handled wrong, this could have come off as a super dry and meandering chapter, but for the sake of setting up the conflict of revealing Ichi's existence to the world, I think an in-depth analysis of both sides of the argument was necessary

Better to Ask Permission than Forgiveness

While I agree with Togeice that Shirabedonna's conclusions are being made on too few datapoints (one grateful village and three unusually quick hunts in only two weeks), I'm also inclined to agree with Shirabedonna that this is a tricky situation to maintain

The longer Mantinel tries to hide Ichi, the more contradictions and public distrust are bound to pile up. Coming up with excuses later to explain every little detail will just make discussing it more difficult, and Mantinel will only look more suspicious. On the other hand, coming clean now less than a month in should be fairly understandable given the implications of Ichi being a male Witch that acquired Uroro - some people will be mad, sure, but most people would probably be forgiving of the caution exercised

More than that, though, Mantinel's acquisition of the first male Witch would do wonders for their reputation, as that's a historic discovery. Even if he ends up being dangerous, the narrative wouldn't be too hard to spin in Mantinel's favor, as no one could have predicted how a male Witch would behave

The fun thing about this argument to me, though, is the acknowledgment of other Witch organizations

Frog in the Well

We haven't been shown a world map or anything yet, so we don't really have any sense of scale to this world, but I wouldn't have been too surprised either way if either Mantinel had a monopoly on Witch administration or if they were just one of many such organizations

The acknowledgment of an equivalent of Japan last week was a good clue that there was more to this world than...whatever this one country is called, but we still know nothing about this fantasy-Japan's society other than that they still have sashimi

Do they have their own Witches Association? Do they even have Magiks there in the first place, or are they endemic to the current focus country?

Black Clover kept expanding to reveal that other nations had different relationships with magic, while JJK revealed that Curses pretty much only exist in Japan for...some reason. I would imagine that this is more like the former, but the realization that one nation is hoarding the concept of magic would be pretty wild, wouldn't it?

Then there's the fact that ch.1 told us that there's only a 0.001% chance of a man being able to acquire magic even if he did have the capacity to pass a trial and physically handle casting spells. That seems like a low number, but...it's one in a thousand

For every thousand men, one of them has the capacity to acquire magic. Presumably this number is compounded by the ability to use it, since the narration said there were so many other factors that had to line up perfectly first, but that just means that the chances of finding another man with the potential to overcome those factors aren't actually all that slim

EDIT: It's been brought to my attention that I goofed the math and this is one in a hundred thousand, but my point stands! I thought it was going to be like one in a million or even a billion, and it ended up being a lot more generous than I anticipated! In our world, that would still be 40,000 men with the capacity for magic!

In other words, it's only a matter of time until another male Witch is found

From there, the method for cultivating male Witches will likely start to become more widespread, and eventually the proportion of female to male Witches should approach an equilibrium

That's probably looking too far ahead, though. That's the kind of thing that would probably take several generations to pass, so while we may have like...a dozen male Witches by the end, they probably won't be a normal part of Witch society until a far-flung epilogue

For now, I'd like to focus on the worldbuilding that we actually received this chapter: that Ichi's acquisition rate is ridiculous

Gotta Go Fast

Ichi has three Magiks under his belt in less than two weeks, and Shirabedonna tells us that one week is on the fast end for a hunt. That seems especially strange to me, since one of the first trials we're ever told of was only set for an hour, but I suppose that figure is based on the number of attempts and the prep-time? It's easy to assume "oh, they got it one," but this statement gives the impression that almost no one acquires a Magik on their first try

I do think it kind of skews our perceptions to tell us the upper and lower limits of one week and ten years without also giving us an average or at least a mean. All she says is "some take X amount of time," like that means anything statistically...

It also doesn't help that the first hunt we actually saw would have been over almost immediately had it not been for the circumstances: Desscaras immediately stabbed Uroro's heart, and only failed to pierce it because she was a woman. Now, Desscaras is likely an outlier herself because she's ostensibly the strongest living Witch, but sub-10 minutes is nowhere near a full week!

Again, it's entirely possible that the hunt for Uroro was on a constant timer since Mantinel first started trying, so that would be an extreme circumstance no matter what. I suppose in a sense that would mean Ichi has the record for clearing both the shortest and longest hunts?

But just being fast or lucky doesn't make Ichi an expert, and it's only a matter of time until he hits a wall where his unique perspective fails to compensate for his lack of experience in the field he's so suddenly found himself in

Rising to the Level of Your Incompetence

Togeice is being presented as morally incorrect here, with her talk of reforming Ichi into a "proper Witch" being accompanied by a vision of all of Ichi's best qualities being sanded down to a bland scholarly appearance, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't have a point

Ichi's lack of experience makes him something akin to an outsider artist, which is what allows him to discover unconventional methods within the field, but it also means that he's not familiar with the pitfalls of the profession. Ichi took Hisame's challenge in a different direction than what was intended by the rules; it worked out, but if Hisame hadn't been impressed with this loophole, then that gamble would've gotten everyone present killed. Since she expressed that she wanted to attack another village as a palette cleanser, it's entirely possible that she could have taken this approach as an insult and gone on an even worse rampage after the fact

In fact, Ichi going straight for attacking Hisame could have resulted in her not even bothering to issue her trial, which would have effectively made her invincible in the resulting combat encounter. Perhaps Magiks don't work that way and they have to share their trial in order to maintain their power, but there's no precedent for that yet, so Ichi's ignorant and rash behavior could have sabotaged the entire mission

There's also the possibility that Ichi will continue to acquire stronger and stronger spells that he's less and less equipped to control and will cause some kind of huge disaster. He already used Parthion to create an entire new ecosystem on Druid Mountain, which could well have untold consequences on the local wildlife and nearby settlements, so what's to stop him from naively trying to save a desert village with Poltata and just washing them all away?

Togeice's desire to force her vision of order onto Ichi is obviously wrong and potentially detrimental to Ichi's value, but she is right that he's not capable of wielding his powers effectively or responsibly. Even if Ichi is a perfectly moral and upstanding Witch, if his trump card will only result in him being rendered unconscious for three days, then he's only going to be a liability when the time comes to use it against a major threat

The goal then should be to cultivate Ichi's sense of freedom and experience using magic while also giving him a clear sense of the responsibility that he carries. Fortunately, he's already demonstrated the capacity for that with his strict adherence to Death for Death, but unless he can prove to Togeice that he already has the discipline she's looking for, she won't be able to trust such an unknown with her back

Fortunately, the upcoming challenge provides the perfect opportunity for Togeice to get to know Ichi

Just a Little Guy

It was pointed out to me by @wickedsick that because the mushroom Magik isn't a human-hater, it likely doesn't hold any ill intent towards humans and doesn't go out of his way to hurt them, and therefore shouldn't trigger Death for Death. This would likely prevent Ichi from harming it, and in turn give Togeice the opportunity to take the win

The way I see it, there's five ways that this could go

Ichi loses because the mushroom isn't hurting anyone and he can't bring himself to hunt it -> school arc, Ichi learns valuable lessons, though he doesn't fundamentally change the way that Togeice wants him to

Ichi is just hopelessly outclassed and decides he has plenty to learn from Togeice and Mantinel -> same outcome as above

The circumstances of Ichi's refusal to hunt the mushroom somehow prove to Togeice that he's already plenty disciplined -> she wins, but still lets him go free because she doesn't believe she has anything to teach him after all

The nature of the trial doesn't necessitate Death for Death, and Ichi wins solely through his specific skillset -> Togeice realizes that she was not equipped for this specific scenario and different approaches will always be necessary for different circumstances, so she drops her objection

Togeice accidentally goads the mushroom into triggering Death for Death and realizes that it was her irresponsibility that endangered people, not Ichi's -> same outcome as above

For sure, there are more nuanced outcomes available, but those seem like the most likely either for developing the themes of the story or driving the plot in a specific direction. I'm definitely open to whichever route Nishi chooses to take, as I think that the two broadest outcomes of Ichi going or not going to school both provide interesting opportunities for the story going forward. Whichever she chooses, I have faith in Nishi that it'll be a fun time

Until next time, let's enjoy life!

[earlycuntsets]

mcr unboxing lame time

-frank iero's hallowed grounds coffee by la paisa bonita

-strange fan-made mcr vhs from ebay of "fireside bowl 2002"

my sweet husband wanted to go all out for the production of this and I am forever grateful to him. he does tech repair/3d printing tutorials.

he also 3d printed the little franks in the top left of the shot that were drawn by @horrorhare.

@myxchemicalximbalance & @ronna-rue here's my coffee review lol

wanted to use @batman-gifs comment below in the video! But I jumped the gun and missed the opportunity. They just capture the mystery of the vhs really well lol

also there's an easter egg in the audio when i pour the coffee high fives to anyone that catches it

[doomed-jester]

If I've taken away anything from the Quinton Reviews situation, it's to never reach out to people I admire because they'll publicly shame me for being weird and awkward

[so-long-soldier28]

i finished the show 😭 (minor teen wolf spoilers)

it was way less a tragic ending than predicted, thank god. everyone and their mother showed up in the last thirty minutes and i loved it, coach, especially; you CANNOT tell me he didn't know something was up. man was johnny on the spot with that stick. minorly confused on alec, but i think i understand, the more i think about it? oh!, and mason and corey were so cute. scott without eyes is my sleep paralysis demon. they should've kissed in the elevator.

[battywitch]

Hey. Listen. No really, look at me and listen, please.

Cast iron and stainless steel cookware are not like non-stick. They require different methods of cleaning, and there IS a learning curve.

Unless you've been taught how to use them, when you first try, you're probably going to have a rough time. Maybe your food sticks or burns, idk.

That is NOT a sign that your cookware is defective. Ignore whatever the packaging said about it being non-stick. Yes, with time and practice, you'll have far fewer instances of things sticking, but if your good sticks at first, stay calm.

You need to practice and look for tips based on your exact issue (eg, food burning) and type of cookware (eg, cast iron).

Also, you probably need oil.

[puppyeared]

if escape rooms as team building exercises became popular im not sure if id be more excited or terrified

[why-the-heck-not]

>:(((( I have a phonecall today that I have to answer, and ofc some other random phone call came in and I answered bc thought it was that. >:((( it wasn’t and now today’s total is going to be 2 phone calls. this is my nightmare

[screechingfromthevoid]

The reviews are in folks shit hurted

[yuri-puppies]

In the Fabru Lavander Marriage AU, I think one of the ways Marcille copes with Falin's marriage of convenience (a door, which she had previously refused to acknowledge as open while taking it for granted, shutting close*) is by suddenly becoming the world's most obnoxious Labru shipper and making it Laios' problem

Marcille, fully draped over Laios' back and using his head as a stim toy: "I get we have to sell the story but they don't have to be so lovey-dovey about it. It's starting to bother me on your behalf. I saw them cuddling in the rose gardens today. Cuddling! He was resting his head on her shoulder. She was petting his hair."

Laios, aware he's on a minefield but unable to avoid taking a step: "Aren't we- aren't we doing the same thing."

[mytastessuck]

Sam Reich & Dan Gurewitch & Amir Blumenfeld: Awkward Rap

From the early days of Collegehumor, the Paleolithic Era of 2008 comes this decent comedy rap that will ALWAYS hit too close to home. Jake and Amir team up with current Dropout CEO to remind you why you put your face in your hands every time you're alone.

Song Score: 1996/10

[asian-drama-whump-blog]

Cherry Magic Movie

I FINALLY FOUND IT! You guys probably got a hold of it ages ago but I just couldn’t find the movie anywhere! Here’s the link to it on youtube. I haven’t had the chance to watch it yet but I can confirm there is whump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YlPjhuScxA

[snappingtwiggs]

Stik's Movie Review Corner: The Wild Robot.

Hey. you. You should go watch The Wild Robot. The advertising team really failed this movie HARD.

I literally knew of the movies existence, nothing more, and that's because the advertising didn't tell you anything about this movie. Well, I am here to tell you that it is a 8/10 to 9/10. And I think going in with literally no expectations is a very good thing to do. Its a little awkward sometimes, but all in all its a really good movie. Soundtrack killed me too. I know I'm not hard to make cry, but man. It hits right. In particular the main theme. I wasn't planning on seeing this movie before my sister said she wanted to see it. And I think that's a bad thing. You should want to see this movie.

Anyway... I don't really feel like spoiling anything for you, and that's how I know its a good movie. Other than I guess mild gore warning (In a PG movie somehow, like more than I think I've seen in a decent amount of PG 13.) and the robot designs are super sick. So uhh... Go watch it.

[hanakihan]

cracked NSFW idea in comedic way though because me and friends were drunk

So anyway jinwoo gets his own yt channel where he reviews good and bad hentai manga either in aesthetic appreciation of straight up losing his mind of how bad it is (he doesn’t openly say what’s happens of shows too nsfw panels but he does it in comedic way with completely straight face while wearing a face mask and overall having his own aesthetic)

and like channel becomes a niche and very few actually connect that cool cold handsome hunter sung and this energetic full of humor and existential crisis hentai reviewer

and then there’s jinchul just accidentally starting to watch one of the videos because he had it in background and it started to play automatically and he doesn’t really care about hentai even though it’s interesting to hear how reviewer talks about it and progressively loses his mind at trashy ones and this channel becomes jinchul’s guilty pleasure because you can turn off your brain and appreciate a reviewer and their jokes

and then memes arise and imagine that awkward absolutely weird moment when jinwoo and jinchul are in same room and then jinchul references one of the channel memes with others not understanding context but finding it funny and jinwoo choking on his drink while sweating nervously

and with knowledge that jinchul is watching his channel jinwoo also starts to review stuff that either references it or straight up trolls jinchul’s work (like you know those office hentai doujinshi and stuff)

/and then they have sex and jinwoo does or says something and jinchul goes full nerd way like ‘oh did you just referenced that quote from your 37th review?’ and jinwoo just stops like ‘are you fucking seriously—‘

[bigredsartt]

Is there a specific reason why that was the only scene you've seen or/t

i COULD be funny and be like "i like girls LOL!" but actually, i was just curious because like. is it actually good or are people just hyping it up because the show was popular??

[afza147]

Ep3 Queen of Tears short review

Is she really going to die for real? For real ?coz the epilogue got me question that.

I can't have another death drama on my list.

Overall still laughing hard with the awkwardness of them sleeping together🤣🤣🤣

Gosh they acting like it's their first time sleeping together 🤣🤣🤣plus him calling her yeobo too..cute😍🤣

I was scared too when she ask for a cuddle🤣🤣🤣

3 different emotion in watching today ep

1. The hyun woo that still want to divorce

2.The jealous hyun woo..oo I love it..the tension gap😍😍😍

3.The handsome hyun woo saving the dog plus he still in I want to stay married kinda mode

Gosh the side plot..what could be the mysterious person plotting this..for now my guess it's the grandfather girlfriend..team up with the daughter in law and the secretary and the new man.

Yes a kiss was expected on the ending position plus a scaring moment for hyun woo too..I'm scared as well🤣

I wonder the good news is either she don't have the illness or she got the shop deal for tomorrow.

Most importantly..please delete the message first. The noisy sister was about to ruin everything

Plus I was well prepared if hae in found out..thank goodness new man turn off her phone

When hae in ask her secretary on her sudden love toward her husband..I also have the same answer she's sick🤣🤣

More jealous hyun woo tomorrow 😍😍