#bless you op this is such an important contrast

[kenrik]

I don’t know what to say anymore... Was just really curious so I took another run at it... But what the helk --  😂😂

Waving at @stephanythedramaqueen​​. Haha! Not sure if this would interest you, but I read more of Gege’s pasts works. 

So, have some panels from Gege’s, Kamishiro Sosa (2014).  😁😁

Another scene --

Gege really likes this trope/dynamic, no? 😂 😂

👀 👀

😂😂😂😂

Another common thing too is - 

drum roll - 

a Gojo Satoru character type as the main character. 

Funny. OP. Chill. Haha!

Just look at this - AHAHAHA!

Sneak peak into the background of Gojo’s character? -- ??

To me, basically translates to Gojo Satoru not hating anyone. Not laughing at people for being weak. He just doesn’t understand them. But he wants to. :) 

Also, Gege really loves writing about Japanese folklore. Being a shrine maiden, I’m certain Utahime is an important character. 

Utahime’s CT is said to be singing. But it could include any of these. 

They’re generally practiced in combating malevolent force, and are adept at exorcisms, purification, blessing, barriers, seals, multiple spiritual/holy/divine practices and powers, and channeling the powers and presences of gods.

User could likely possesses abilities relating to the deity of the shrine they are the shrine maiden of, and more powerful users can learn to channel the power of any deity.

Finally, I’m adding this - because we will never get this in canon because it’s far from what JJK is hahaha! 

But I’m certain this would be how a situation like this would play out with GoUta. 

AHAHAHA

And, holy shit. This oneshot was a fun read. I recommend you read it too. It’s funny and dark, Gege’s true trademark. Good read, caught me off-guard. :) 

Gege has other works. And he worked on Kiss x Death lmao. Ahaha! People say it’s good, but I’m not into ecchi... xD 

And you have No. 9. I couldn’t find a translated version anywhere. From the panels, I can only confirm that Gege really loves Gojo’s character type. Ahaha!! And this character’s dynamic with their women counterparts are always the same - annoyance and vitriol, but at the end of the day, it ends in understanding and friendship. :) 

People saying GoUta is whack obviously have a bad grasp of Gojo’s character haha!

Kamishiro Sosa is a really funny read. It’s interesting seeing how Gege’s storytelling has evolved through the years. I’m sure even after JJK, Gege’ll continue to make great dark, funny works! 

.

.

To end, while none of these panels show GoUta will become canon; while none definitively show that they are/will be in love. Gege’s pasts works show a trend in his writing. And that trend is ---

OP guy x annoyed girl ahaha! 

Utahime’s character type doesn’t hate Gojo. She hates his annoying antics. His disrespectful personality. 

Gojo’s character type doesn’t demean Utahime when he taunts her. It’s a fact to him. That’s why it’s a recurring joke. Because he doesn’t understand why she gets so angry all the time. And I believe he keeps doing it because it gets to her. All. The. Time. Ergo, he loves pushing her buttons. And I think that’s super cute. For an obnoxious fool who can barely form meaningful relationships, for a man who can barely understand those beneath him, he makes an effort to act whacky and playful around Utahime and those around him; because he really does enjoy their company/friendship. 

Like in the panel above, Gojo is a species different from everyone else. He doesn’t understand people/the weak. But, in fighting for them, he crosses the bridge; he shows people that he wants to. This is a great contrast to Geto. Because everyone likes Geto. Before he defected, he is everything a Japanese man emulates, that the reserved Japanese culture values. Level-headed, cool and quiet, righteous and strong. But in the end - it is Gojo who saves everyone. In the end, it’s Gojo who sticks to the duty of serving and protecting the weak. 

In the least, GoUta will be a beautiful friendship of understanding someone so different to you. I have a getting to know you questionnaire running before, asking fellow GoUta fans random GoUta questions AHAHA. Just really to learn more about my fellow simps. Even back then, and until now, I ship GoUta because their relationship is misunderstood and frowned upon by “everyone”, just the more vocal shippers really ahaha. 

I ship GoUta because I know that there’s something deeper there, something great that I want everyone to see too. 

In my questionnaire, I said what I want for GoUta in canon - 

11. Any GoUta wishlist of scenes/interactions you’d want to see in canon? Alive and well by the end? Ahahaah. I’d be happy. Over the moon happy. If at least Gojo acknowledges that he has a crush/is in love with Utahime/that he’s always liked her. It doesn’t even have to be mutual. That’ll just really give all their scenes together so. much. more. depth. that’s it. that’s all i want. they don’t even have to appear together in a panel anymore. i just want that confession/realization.

It would be great if they’re in love with each other in canon. But a shounen declaring love? At most, I can only hope for a Kokichi x Miwa type validation. That they do understand and value each other. That Utahime doesn’t actually “hate” Gojo. That Gojo actually respects Utahime and holds her in a high regard.

This is honestly why I ship in shounen. You don’t have the in your face, nauseating romance of shoujos/joseis - as if that’s all that women want......... It’s annoying. Always wanting a man. Always needing to be saved. I honestly want to see a partnership. A mutual understanding between a man and a woman. That’s it. Woman doesn’t have to be perfect and OP. I want my woman to have flaws and rise above it, as I believe Utahime has. That’s why I love her character. I believe there’s so much depth there to unearth. 

Shipping only gets annoying because a certain breed of fans gatekeep. It’s annoying. But it’s reality that you’ll have to share everything with everyone, even this seemingly limitless internet void. How is it antis still keep butting heads with GoUta fans? I don’t get it. The internet is literally endless. There’s plenty of space for all types of simps. 

Either way, I don’t know what else to say. It’s definitive to me - that GoUta is going to play out how I want it. Aside from GoUta’s parallel to past works, you always get Utahime shown with Gojo in canon, I won’t even mention the merch. Seriously though, in that recent bonus chapter with Utahime, how is it that someone she ‘hates’ -- how did Gojo still make it into her panels? Gege’s a homophobe now too? A misogynist now too for always lumping Gojo in Utahime’s panels?

I return to Jaime x Brienne. It’s still the most beautiful relationship to me. They started out hating each other with a sordid passion. But it evolved into something so beautiful. There’s such a thing as character depth and development little children. :) And the chance that GoUta could take the same route as Jaime x Brienne is gutting me. I love them. And I simp them. Finito.  

[loudestcloud]

Time for Luffy's fashion exam! Now, I'll be honest, I did skip an outfit because I decided I will be ending this whole thing with the Strawhat fashion show in Episode of Luffy. Also, sorry for the posting gap, I remembered I have other unfinished post sets. That being said, this is a very long one so let's do this!

Kid Luffy, Post-Enies Lobby & Fish-Man Island: I think it's super cute when Luffy has white t shirts with red based logos because it reminds me of the first picture. Makes him look baby plus, they can always be found in cute domestic EPs or fun, cute flashbacks. The shorts change over time and that's also kinda cute, a range of cuffs is a nice change up. It's nice to see the red contrast the blue shorts and the white is a nice color on him cos it contrast his hair!

Romance Dawn, Enies Lobby, Thriller Bark, Sabaody Archipelago, Amazon Lily, Marineford & last Dressrosa outfit: This look is the pre Luffy look. It's the pre Timeskip look everyone thinks of is cuffed shorts, Kimono sandels and sleeveless vest (and Strawhat, obviously) but have you ever seen them all in a line? It's mad. Each outfit is the same basic look bit more are more spicy each time! I like the Thriller Bark and Sabaody Archipelago looks a little bit more cos it's nice to see that jacket open and it feels like he was trying something new. I also feel that the buttons on the jacket look like the ones on Shanks' pegged ankle sailor pants when we first see him so that's cool. (it took me hours to find the name for his trousers, oh my fucking god) The last Dressrosa outfit feels like a nice callback to the rest of the line up here without being too much cos it's just a red vest top instead and I do find it funny it's like the Enies Lobby and it's used in Dressrosa because of the jokes people make about Robin and Law being so similar.

Timeskip: This is it lads, it's the one true icon itself, the post look! ☺️ When I sit back and look at it I see all the people this look is influenced by and want to cry at how masterful it really is. (Now, I do wanna say that I didn't come up with this nor am I the first to say it and I am definitely probably looking too much into this but) The yellow belt is taken from Shanks' red belt the first time we see him and the Shanks look Luffy is more familiar with. Now onto the jacket. I know it won't stand out as to why for most but it's Ace inspired! When Ace leave to become a pirate, the start of his adventure, he has his jacket open and Luffy having his jacket open also shows his scar from the ending of Ace's adventure. I also really appreciate how no one hides scars in this anime. Also, someone said that the style of the jacket and it's fancy frills could be in reference to Sabo's little jabot collar and honestly I do see it. it's quite subtle unlike Shanks' but not as hard to catch as Ace's so I enjoy thinking that it's there too. Lastly, he still has his cuffed shorts and kimono sandels because it's still Luffy's outfit at the end of the day and he is still who is is, just with a stronger appreciation of what people have done for him now. It's also his colour pallette for the pure fact he is the main character n needs his pallet. also sometimes he just has normal wooden sandels but the same outfit sometimes, it's a small detil a lot of people overlook but I prefer the sound of his Kimono sandels 😊

Dressrosa: I love this outfit cos it's stilly but also has very nice vibes. Looks ready for the beach but is really throwing hands and that's the best kind of outfit, it's a nice expectation subversion tbh. I also like how he tried to hide the Straw hat but not... All of it? And I love how the crew didn't actually question it either. It would have been super easy for one of them to just tell him to leave it behind or something but I do really love how respectful they always are of the hat. I myself have a hat that's super important to me and when I loose it I go mad.

Whole Cake Island: I love this arc for outfits! I swear if the actual content of it doesn't kill me, the act looks will 😭 it's all so magical and it knows it is! Like I said before, white is a good color on him as he has black hair but for the same reason, so is black! In this arcs outfit range, the Staw hat seems almost invisible and his outfit gets less and less 'Luffy' as the arc gose on showing this is not about him. He's not the focus of this arc and you can see that in a lot of the outfits thb. I also like the lack of blue and yellow, 2/3 of his colors as Sanji is often associated with those too as we've talked about before. Also, I like the little red strips on the white jacket with the gold buttons, idk why and I think it's nice that the last 2 outfits are so simple in general, it's a nice look for him. oh, what's that? A Pink jabot? Your killing me Lu, straight up killing me here lil' bro! Side note, is this the first time in canon Luffy has worn a suit jacket or is it the only time I've noticed? Cos DAMM!! Shits sick as fuck and I actually love that when wearing a suit jacket as such he always keep short on 😆

Spa Island, Z's Ambition & Strong World: WHOS READY FOR A RELAXING SUNNY DAAAYY!? (pun not intended but very much enjoyed) I actually adore the fact Luffy still tries to go swimming cos it was his favourite thing to do as a kid so like fuck Luffy is gonna give up on that. He's got his safety measures ready, what more do you want from him? I mean I personally want him not to swim with his hat on cos it's litrally Staw and that's not good for water but anyway Z's Ambition, am I right!? The top is so fucking cute and I just noticed those shorts are also ✨designer✨ fancy man!! Now, the pic of Zoro is the one I missed out before and it's also from Z's Ambition. I love that Luffy has the shark top but Zoro has the ocean shorts. I really love Zoro in this purple cos and thick white stripes really work with the ocean waves. It's really well put together and hes got dark brown sandels on to off set all the white but keep the purple from being a stand out color, it's cool! Than the last Luffy looks like he's at a fashion show. It looks like the shorts come from a kids set the shark top belongs to. Imagine those together, it'd be so cute. However, it isn't an ocean patten, those are clouds cos Nami has a bikini top with the same pattern in Skypiea and it's actually one of my favourites for her.

Boss Luffy Historical Special! This filler AU is so much fun, I think any it a lot. He has his hair up in that super cute and useless way that doesn't actually do much but I do have my hair like that a lot n it's just... nice? Idk, it's strange buy I like he did that. I really enjoy his Kimono more that the actual Wano one cos it's a lot more simple look. The Sai being tucked in in that way is also cool but kinda makes it look like it's stabbing him a bit 👁️👄👁️. I like the pin strips being like a faded purpleish cos if you just glance at it, it makes it look it fuzzy. The belt also looks very nice with the middle ligter bit. It really feels like the Wano one was inspired by this is a way cos of the color matches. Like, it's probably not but still.

3D2Y, Adventure of Nebulandia 😍 & Heart of Gold: Hat-less Luffy is both a sin and a blessing. Regardless, I LOVE OP BOYS IN HOODIES!! I had to show you this specific the 3D2Y because we don't see the hood and it's soooo cute cos it a paw 😍 but also 😬 cos it's like... Kuma's paw the thing that cause 3D2Y in the first place. But that's also why it's so cool at the same time and AHHHHHH 😄 Now! On to Nebulandia! I really like this movie but also in canon, how does he have that jumper? Who made it for him and can I have one? It's Usopp flag design so I guess it could be him but he doesn't seem the type. Point is I want one. Last of this set is some really cosy outfits!! "How much fur?" "Yes" am I right? Like the first one is sooooo cosy with all the fur! Plus, a funky new bamboo hat, always a good thing to have a new hat. I appreciate that you can see the zips on these too. Then the orange turtle neck one with little fluffy bits is just here cos it's so out of his usual looks, I had to at least mention it.

Strong world & Film Z: The shorts on the first one are really cute cos it's a light rosey pink with red fur and just a plain solid dark blue colour jacket works really well. Not to mention the fact he has a super cute orange and yellow flight helmet hat with goggles on under the Staw hat. The 2 bag straps also make an X which is a nice detail. The 2nd outfits in this movie are super fuckin cool ngl. It's so strange to see them all dress in black and have guns but I like the red shirt for him with the yellow highlighted parts. Makes the Straw hat actually work with the outfit instead of ignoring it. Film Z brings us the same flight helmet hat just brighter and without the goggles but also opens with this T-Shirt and Luffy being silly with it. I think that's the only reason to mention it, it's funny. Then the obligation pirate outfit, always stunning plus the meat belt.

Film: Gold & Stampede (also used in Cidre Guild): these are my top 3 Luffy outfits no matter what else I see. I love the straw cowboy hat sooooo much cos it's very Luffy. I like the balls they has as a team to choose white for all of them, considering they are all quite messy people, living for that dad shirt and I like the Golden chain around his neck but am always confused as to why it was never used against him. Like dude could and should have tried to choke him at least once, right? Anyway, the dress! Now, the dress isn't actually that good but it's my favourite because it shows how Luffy has no fucks about gendered things. On to of that, a big pink flower is wonderful and look at his confidences in it, he's so proud of it the boom, Nami told him he can't wear it! Lastly, the Stampede outfit!!! Just like the Nebulandia jumper, I have no idea who made it but it's irrelevant cos it's beautiful and I want it so badly. I like that it's white and red stripes, gives thenprefect vibes for Stampedes opening. The shirt is actually too big for him, you can see on his arms but it's actually super cute. I love the simple look of these shorts then the fact his yellow belt is replaced with white bandages and the black on the kimono sandels are now red? It's such a simple pallet and it's truly the best!

I also just wanna add, I think it's really cute when Luffy has the Straw hat on his back just cos his hair is really cute. Idk why, it's looks kinda cursed but cute at the same time

This post took 2 weeks or so to make and we made listening to the complete BNHA soundtrack, film gold OST and Sonic generations vol.1

Sanji

Zoro

Nami

[randomnameless]

I was checking the other wiki for more info on FE16′s unused content 

(is it me or the other wiki isn’t edited as easily as a snapchat selfie?)

We missed the best battalion in the game :’(

OTOH, if we’re supposed to think those battalions are random mercenaries chilling around waiting to be hired, i’d feel bad about a battallion of random crazed villagers chilling around, just waiting to be hired but apparently they cannot be healed...

From the unused map sprite, even if it doesn’t match the character’s sprite, Rhea bleaches her hair when she cosplays as Seiros, and we were robbed of the “two eyed Dimitri” map sprite.

I’ve finally found the beta “Felix’n’Annette were supposed to fight against Dimitri” convos, idk what was the beta AM, but here it seems as if Felix’n’Annette are fighting alongside Cornelia and the randoms Faerghusians in Firdhiad. Maybe they defected when Dimitri wanted to go to Enbarr, then Flèche happened, Dimitri returns home and has to fight against them? idk.

More interesting though, is the cut “trading” activity, where, apparently, we would have been able to send merchants somewhere to get rare and endemic products.

It’s interesting because it has some flavor text about the destinations!

Brigid A group of islands with abundant nature, floating in Western Fódlan. They lack in production of arms and goods, but they are excellent hunters and fishers, and are well-known for their unique cuisine.

They were unlucky in Civ and didn’t start near a mine of iron or copper? If only we could have more Brigid dishes, i’d be a happy nerd

Land of Albinea A vast land located Nothwest of Fódlan. They require a variety of resources for development. There are lots of famous foods that take advantage rich nature in the area. 

Albinea doesn’t have a lot of ressources for development (TFW no iron/copper) but apparently they have a lot of “famous food”. I think Albinean moose is used in some dishes?

Derdriu, The Aquatic Capital The capital of the Regan Dukedom, and the central part of the Alliance Territory. There are a lot of factories there, and they leverage the port to produce and export goods to build their wealth.

Look at those merchant republics exporting goods and developing factories, then what, they developed tariffs? Sleazy merchants. OTOH, from this description alone, I have the feeling the Alliance’s nobility desperatly tries to assert its authority through “ancient noble blood” and what not, because if someone is rich enough to have 70% of the factories used, and controls the trade, even if Count Gloucester recalls how Gloucester the Elite was the dudest bro in the world, rich merchants won’t give a fig about him.

Fort Merceus A fortified city, and the capital of the County of Bergliez. Extremely rich in agriculture and fishing thanks to the blessing of the fertile Gronder Field and Airmid River.

The Empire seized every fertile land in Fodlan? I remember a raunchy novel implying Cichol blessed the fields of Gronder (bla bla earth dragon magic?) but with the river + those magical fields, the Empire’s supposed to be self-sufficient, at least when food is concerned. It contrasts with the Kingdom where recolts aren’t that rad, some are forced to turn into Dagdas and Ingrid’s family deals with bad recolts.

Arianrhod, The Fortress City A fortress Kingdom city on the border with the Empire. They put a lot of effort into military preparation, but it's said that they have a surplus of equipment and due to their non-agressive defense policy.

TFW everyone works their butts to build a super fortress city but then your local nobles say it must be used to strengthen a “non-agressive defense policy” :’(. OTOH, Arianrhod being a non-agressive defensive “fortress city” near the border with the Empire means that, at least during the first part of the game, the Kingdom and the Empire weren’t at each other’s throats.

Almyra The great country to the East that has long been at war with Fódlan. The throttle on trade was loosened when the former king began his reign, and they now export many goods.

Wow, interesting bits here! Who is the former king this is talking about? Claude’s Almyrian Grandpapa? Of course greedy merchants from the alliance try to make some business (tm) and Almyra even exports goods! Maybe the pals raiding every wednesday are just a faction who doesn’t want to negociate/trade with their neighbours and only want to fight’n’feast, idk. Making peace through trade though, i’ve read it somewhere but i can’t remember where are they trading coal and steel?

Sreng Region A desolate region where the Sreng people live. It's said that Zoltan, the master swordsmith, once lived there, so there may be valuable weapons waiting to be discovered.

Alright who is Zoltan because we find his weapons in the game. Still sad that there’s nothing about the Sreng people, but talks about a swordsmith in a region where Birdie is sighted in the game makes me think a bit, maybe Zoltan is one of Macuil’s alias, like Cichol and Seteth, or Rhea and Seiros? “There may be valuable weapons waiting to be discovered” TFW you’re a thief trying to discover magic weapons in a desert but get attacked by a talking magic beast :’(

Fhirdiad, The Kingdom Capital The capital of the Kingdom located in Northwestern Fódlan. The study of magic is popular, and the people are said to be skilled at crafts, but the surrounding lands are barren.

Look the Fhirdiad magic school of sorcery gets a mention! It makes me wonder why Fhirdiaid pushes for magic studies but the Empire is supposed to have the most magic oriented army in the continent... Contrast with Bergliez again, the Kingdom’s lands are barren. And yet they still manage to have cheese. Fhirdiad randoms are supposed to be skilled at crafts, what, Cordelia asked them to craft spare parts for her Titanuses and the randoms obliged, not knowing what it would be used for? Or because they don’t have natural ressources, they had to craft a lot of things to compensate for the shitty climate and barren lands?

Morfess, City of Sorcery A desert city located far to the Southeast of Fódlan. The climate is rough, but the study of magic is popular, and it's said that their skill at weapons forging is also high.

Okay I'm pretty sure Morfis/Morfess specialities being “magic + weapons forging” was, in this version of the game, the devs trying to tell us that Macuil used to be there. Climate is rough, dude loves deserts. But as @damoselcastel​ pointed out, maybe Morfess/Morfis developed its own branch of magic and also uses it to forge weapons. TFW the only things we get from Morfis are a battalion of mole people looking mages and plums. Yes, plums.

County of Gloucester A territory of the widest plains in the Alliance territory. Agriculture and cattle-breeding are prosperous, and it's said that County Gloucester himself uses them to develop new foods.

Oh, so next to the economic mess/Fodlan’s version of Amsterdam in Derdriu, Count Gloucester rules over a pretty rural area of the Alliance? He develops new foods, like what? He tries to create fusion food? Now I imagine all kind of jokes made at Count Gloucester’s expense with various sheeps, when the Riegans just need to develop 3 more technologies to fully enter to the industrial revolution era. No wonder why he’s so salty :).

OTOH, again, more worldbuilding : apparently only the Kingdom wasn’t blessed with fertile fields? It sucks for them.

Enbarr, The Imperial Capital Capital of the Adrestian Empire that has a long history. More people there than any other city in Fódlan, and it also has a huge market that sells mostly food.

Compared to the description of the other capitals, this one feels flat. So, Enbarr is old and it has more people in its walls than in any other city in Fodlan. Market sells a lot of food. Enbarr dictates food prices in the continent or what? Or maybe the huge food market is like, the biggest food market in Fodlan where food from every part of the Empire is sold (it manages to enter Enbarr thanks to the canal?). I’m kind of disappointed, otoh, Ferdie reading an agricultural treaty gives him a new light, if food/agriculture is so important in the Empire.

now the million gald question : is Enbarr exporting food to the Kingdom who’s in need or not

County of Varley This area is lacking in water sources, which is rare within the Empire. It's said that they forge precious weapons and armor using the minerals taken from the Ogma mountains.

hahaha what kind of minerals taken from the Ogma mountains are we talking about crest stones or nabatean bones i mean

Fascinating to note, again, that the Empire is the bestest place to be in Fodlan because bar Varley, every area isn’t “lacking in water sources”. So maybe we have a lot of swamps in Adrestia, but at least there are no deserts. With water, you can grow stuff, so it’s a huge bonus for agricultural development. then why are the adrestians so nostalgic about a time where they controled a frozen wasteland and want to reconquer that frozen wasteland, like, it has nothing of interest no natural ressources nothing so why

If only Bernie could forge us something OP...

Kupala This area is just a part of the Alliance's Territory of Margrave Edmund , but it's an autonomous region where the mountain people life. They produce weapons and armor, made with precious minerals.

Those tidbits were in the game before the DLC, so at that time we didn’t know was Kupala before Nemesis’s party. Interesting to note that this is an autonomous region in the Alliance, and not a part of the Alliance like any other territory (Leonie’s village). Maybe the Alliance thought it was too much of a hassle to keep an effective control over those parts of the mountains, for little benefit. Why needing to crush them when we can trade with them?

Territory of Margrave Edmund The region is almost entirely made up of coastal area or islands, and trade with far-off areas is thriving. You may be able to get something rare. 

Or maybe the Territory of Margrave Edmund is just some sort of puzzle, when the Lords needed to give him a territory because he’s a noble they thought about the most difficult, shitty place to administrate and thought about this place, islands, coasts and mountains. Totally not a difficult mess to send knights to keep order of something. Coasts + islands = pirates? But apparently, in the general Alliance trend, Edmund managed to trade with “far-off areas” instead of maintaining a military rule/dominion, and apparently, it works so well that he sometimes manages to get something rare!

Land of Dagda A vast land far west of Fódlan. Their weapons crafted with unique skill are well known. They are hungry for meat that you can only get in Fódlan.

Meat for weapons seems a good trade - I mean Dagdians weapons are supposed to be unique but also well-known. It’s such a shame we never see anything like that in the game :) IIRC Shamir doesn’t have a special Dadgdian pref bow and i hope they’re not talking about the fetters of dromi :’(

why did they cut those worldbuilding parts???

[blaster-aichi]

Cardfight!! Vanguard Extra Story IF 14 things

links lead to images posted on discord because this post is already far too absurdly long, have too many thoughts, what a rollercoaster ride this was

Shuka’s opening a gateway into the past beneath herself and Emi indicted Link Joker Gate flashbacks because of its appearance

If it wasn’t demonstrated prior to this episode, it’s apparent how Aichi is far more malicious than any incarnation of past (i.e. his soldiers ready to maim or straight up murder Emi and Shuka , having Kai-kun abducted; whether either was 100% intended to occur the way they did is anyone’s guess)

Miwa as a Sanctuary Knight: there’s two points to this          — it’s an astonishing turn as he was part of the Mates during Legion Mate — the season which many people have acknowledged the parallels to — but working beneath Aichi turns that on its head as well as the implication that Aichi’s force was concentrated around the Miyaji Cardfight Club, as well as giving a fifth member to his faction in similar vein to Kourin of Legion Mate.         — it splits up the Kai/Miwa/Ibuki trio down the same lines as Ultra Rare; Suiko and Ibuki being firmly aligned with Emi while Kourin and Miwa fall under Aichi’s command. Rekka and Kai-kun would serve as unaccounted for, though it’s more clear-cut in his case, as Rekka made her appearance and her allegiance known at the same time as Kourin entered the fray, as well as already fighting on the side of restoring the timeline to its proper state before Suiko was pulled into activity.         — and it was foreshadowed right before our eyes when they announced IF 14 would be centred around Kai-kun.

"Whenever I hear the name "Toshiki Kai”, for some reason, I get chills”. It’s a strange statement with his behaviour later in the episode, seeming to recognize and feign friendliness with Ibuki and Kai-kun. The only possibility can think of for this line is Miwa, like Aichi and Emi (and the rest of the Sanctuary Knights), is his Outside World self pulled into IF World and his memories tampered with, he might be privy enough to his relationship with the other two for the sake of his act when meeting with them.

Kai-kun hugging Ibuki with no restraint. Rena down. Fuck that’s so soft.

9 years of being dead or arseholes who abandoned their child, we get Mama and Papa and the whole family is adorable! Mama Kai and Shizuka would get along so well, they’re two peas in a pod aaaaa        — Toshi also pointed how out the Kai family love of curry persists to this day and god bless.

me last night on call with Courtney: “There has to be a reason why Aichi hates Vanguard specifically just because of not meeting Kai-kun. It wouldn’t be any more significant than literally anything else. Hey, Aichi, why not hate rock music instead or something?” Kai-kun’s room: this kid loves rock, how dare you

Said room also makes it feel like the show is saying Vanguard/Aichi ruined Kai-kun’s life as opposed to, you know, his parents abandoning him. Bushi no—

It took just his name. That was it.

The static within the audio around Aichi is a neat touch when there feels to be a theme of glitching in the ED and it isn’t as though either reality is “wrong”, just distorted.

Just how they go about instilling memories of Aichi in comparison to Legion Mate is fascinating. In Legion Mate, the Mates were able to cleanly remember as their fights progressed and able to accept that Aichi existed prior to the season; we don’t know the extent of the changes to their lives as a result of his disappearance, but here is a different story. Kai-kun’s entire life has been altered as a result of the distortion and he isn’t able to simply see Aichi in his memories and realize that someone is missing from his past, and it takes a toll on him for these conflicting memories from another life to present themselves to him.

One has to wonder what Shizuka is going through in regards to Aichi vanishing, but also what Kai-kun’s parents must think if they were to investigate the commotion coming from his room suddenly to see him and everyone else gone and the disarray left from just how they left.

IF being the seemingly most lighthearted season with the darkest cliffhanger (topping even Link Joker and Legion Mate, because nothing comes to mind that could honestly match this), even if we know they would never dare kill off Kai-kun but the insinuation for the characters that he could be dead is chilling, particularly when they consist of his childhood friends, young girls and the root being a boy seeking him out, whose intentions around it we don't know and whom we've seen destablize (albeit in another continuity) when it comes to Kai-kun, so imagine the ramification and what it could do to his state of mind (or Ibuki, Miwa, Emi and Shuka’s, for that matter)  if they really did play with the idea of killing him off.

Horizontal Oath

God bless this ED, it’s so good

There’s a lot in here about the clashing realities around Kai-kun and it’s nice to know the season isn’t overlooking the incredibly weighted implications of putting him in this position.

The fire spurning to life, while a nice nod to his usual choice of Kagero an its absence in his current life, could also be representative that, while he has many hobbies in his IF life, Vanguard is where his passion truly lies above all, as he grips it and contemplates the people who should be around him.

Emi, Ibuki and Miwa occupying the same spots in the frames they exist in is a neat choice.

Kai rushing towards the light/Blaster Blade only for the card to vanish as his fingers nears it screams of midpoint Legion Mate where the Mates finally got a glimpse of Aichi, to hear his own request that they give up. As the preview shows them in the same location, it’s possible 15 will serve as the first, failed attempt to bring Aichi back to his senses and force the group to pick themselves up and try again in the same way the Leon episodes served in Legion Mate, signified by the repeated animation usage when Kai-kun runs towards Blaster Blade a second time.

The price Kai-kun is going to pay is not being overlooked. To restore the timeline, it’s apparent that he’ll have to sacrifice his IF life and parents, inflicting unto him the anguish of his original Manga/Reboot continuity life and the hardships that came with it  The darkness that emanates from his younger self and the glimpses of that original life as he kneels demonstrates that, while he might accept that outcome, it’s not about to be an easy task, understandable.       — Initially had suspected from the preview for 14 that this issue might be raised with him and he would reject erasing everything he knows and have to be brought around to the idea, but the ED actually refutes this, as he faces everything head-on.       — In doing so, it speaks to his character and the strength to allow this incredibly high price, as by relinquishing everything he knows, he’s able to regain the friends he made through Vanguard even with the knowledge of the pain and strife that he’ll endure and allow Emi to have her family back, even at the cost of his own.       — Additionally, as the shot closes in on him and he yells/roars, it appears he could be in pain from having to surrender this version of himself and his life; but ultimately does so as he fades while Dragonic Overlord becomes the more dominant face, signifying his reclaiming his Vanguard and his original life.

This resolve to allow the timeline to be returned to its rightful state also comes through beneath the starry sky that corrects itself, with Kai-kun standing at the back of Emi’s group, the only one of them fated to disappear by setting things right. Though the camera continues on past him, towards the light that grows brighter and consumes everything — perhaps a symbol of the corrected timeline taking hold — he doesn’t so much as glance back, but looks ahead to the sky, even with the reality that he and his world will be no more.

[2012 Fanguard voice] Bench-chan lives on.

Numerous people in YouTube comments remarked that Horizontal Oath amplifies the Legion Mate atmosphere and its emphasis on Kai-kun whilst doing so is notable. As that was his journey to bring Aichi back and the current is Emi’s, the shift in tone with this new ED and new arc incorporating him heavily is a nice reflection of that when the OP remains the same.      — There is an implication, though, that Emi might start to fall back from the protagonist role, as she appears far more passive in the ED while Kai-kun stands front and centre. When the two of them and Shuka are standing in a field, Emi’s feet are surrounded by shade, and when looking to the sun, she stands on the edge of the formation, seeming far more distant. At the same time, Shuka is on the other side, both of the group as a whole and Kai-kun specifically, with her back to the others. Her guilt has been an enormous factor since the truth of her actions came to light and how they weigh on her, but this feels as though her attention shifting away from Emi and towards Kai-kun as a means of atoning for her mistake.     — Going to be hopeful that they can balance what Aichi means to Emi and Kai-kun in similar vein to Kai-kun and Naoki of Legion Mate, so that they both share an equal part in the fight going forward.

IF 15

Thank goodness, we’re getting answers about Aichi, Takuto and the Sanctuary Knights, let’s go.

Aichi pointing a sword at Ibuki and (Kourin) opening up a fissure beneath the both of them — and right in front of Kai-kun — is a stark contrast to the Aichi(s) we’ve known until now, as how he was seen by Kai-kun was something of great importance to him, but depending on the context of the scene, it’s apparent that this version of him gives no fucks about anything of the sort.

Something that’s been on my mind within the last week is that, aside from the scene in the forest when he was acting seemingly normal, Aichi’s right eye is never detailed beneath his visor, or even when he overrode Majesty Lord (typically, his hair doesn’t completely conceal his eye while in a unit). The theories that came to mind were heterochromia, like Voidkuto, a permanent Psyqualia glow or it’s completely blank in typical possession/brainwashed fashion (or some sort of visual cue pertaining to the fact that a great deal is off about him) but by putting on the airs of normality, he was able to mask it as a normal eye when meeting with Shuka.

[toooldforfandom-liveblogs]

RWBY V07E05 - Sparks

Wow, this could be about anything and everything.I saw a thumbnail with Robyn in it so I know she appears, so that's something. I think Sonic Harriet throws sparks when she's powering up, Yang's semblance has sparks too. It could also be about the "spark the fires of revolution" or "the spark that can ignite hope." Considering the current political climate I'm guessing it'll probably be closer to the former than the latter.

Let's do this!

What a blessed way to start the day and the episode. Penny is living her dream considering staying close to her friends was the only reason we heard about why she wanted to stay at Beacon.

This is so wholesome that every day I fear more and more for everyone's lives.

The one thing I don't like about the Maya style is the way they enlarge the eyes anime-style for cuteness points. I'm sure it _could_ work but it just looks weird and somewhat out of place to me. I remember Yang and Weiss cooing over Saphron's child looking more disturbing than cute.

This is the cutest thing I have ever seen.

Yeah, yeah, fights, explosions, grimm, * yawn *, whatever.

Finally, here's the huntsman I want to see. There's no way this "simple" mission doesn't end up with him somehow becoming a hero.

Or perhaps he is already a hero.

A highly wanted hero.

This is amazing. And tragic. He has everything he ever wanted when he had just entered Beacon, and now they are all probably at the bottom of his priority list.

I'm not sure how to interpret this. Winter gets distracted and Weiss feels like she's not doing enough to impress her sister? It kinda fits with their little moment in the OP, but I hope Weiss grows past that this season. It's not exactly a healthy dynamic.

Ooh, one more OP scene.

I feel like my mind is blowing. He does have a ton of aura, what if he could harness it for more than just healing? Is his semblance just "healing" or is it actually aura manipulation (since he's actually just jumpstarting the other person's aura generation)? I already want to see where they go with this. Something like Vine and his arms? Or something more like a larger shield around him?

Note from the future: I had a complete brain fart when I wrote that and forgot that his semblance is “aura amplification” but most of what I wrote still applies. I’m really curious about what can he do with a _lot_ of aura.

I think this tiny line is just enough to make me more interested in Ren than I have been since Volume 4.

There was a hint with him blowing off Nora because he wanted to focus on the mission. Was it just that or does he want to become a better/stronger huntsman for something different than the obvious (which would be to protect people from having the same fate as his parents) to the point of considering everything else as secondary? I remember Nora was speculated to be from Mantle... How does it all fit?

My heart.

And Ruby is the other one who's living her dream, she _always_ wanted to be a Huntress. No doubts, no late night conversations about her future next to a fire, no soul-searching questioning. And it probably helps that while while this montage is happening, she doesn't have to question her decisions or think too deeply about the future.

Aw. I like the progress from getting his mug stolen to giving Marrow one.

oh no

no

no

She's _really_ good at poking insecurities, huh?

I'm speechless. Nora is riding her weapon like a witch.

Here's another example of what I was talking about. In any previous season Ren would have shook his head, smiling at the lovable scamp that is Nora. Now he almost looks sick of her attitude?

Woo! They are talking!

Now talk about death.

Sorry, _this_ is the cutest thing I have ever seen.

WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS, WRITERS. WHO HURT YOU.

thinking emoji

Nevermind everything I have said about Ironwood. He's evil and deserves everything bad that's probably going to happen to him.

The biggest mood. In real life _and_ for, well, everyone in the show, but especially Ruby.

I'm not sure if it's her sleepy face or something else but Ruby looks really grown up here.

From one ship to the other.

Poor Clover, wasting his efforts complimenting the guy when Qrow has a thousand-feet high shield made of self-hatred.

oh?

oh my god, he's perfect

AAAAAAA FINALLY, ROBYN!

So that grafitti _was_ important.

I was thinking the same thing. Wouldn't she, being a candidate to being elected, need to keep her nose clean?

There goes the possibility of one of the Ace Ops being a traitor for Robyn's group.

Did she fail a dice roll on her semblance check?

Hmm. Only Qrow has used that word so far in the show, once of Ruby and once for Oscar. Probably a coincidence but still.

By showing us how willing Robyn was to attack a military convoy, she either thinks she's going to lose the election (maybe because she thinks it's rigged) or thinks it won't matter for some reason. Why would she risk the possibility of fixing things from the top otherwise?

There are no traitors (yet) in the Ace Ops because she'd know why Amity is so important.

Did she call off the attack because Penny is a powerhouse or because she only thought she could win by ambushing them + a number advantage? Maybe it was all a bluff to get more information.

For having such a short intro scene, Robyn is _really_ interesting.

And she seems to have fewer scruples than Ironwood, making her and the whole conflict even more interesting.

Where's Ruby and Nora with the popcorn!?

Okay, nevermind, I misunderstood Weiss's deal earlier. Go Weiss!

Aw, she likes that Weiss is finally standing up to her a little.

But is that what Weiss really wants? Now that I think about it, we haven't heard anything about that since... I don't know, V2? Beacon changed a lot of things and getting disowned changed even more.

Her main goal was to get her family back, both RBY and Winter, but now with that done, what does she want? Does she still want to clean her family name?

Wow, this is an even more interesting conflict between them.

...yeaaaaaaaah, sure How many episodes before that's proven wrong? Unless Ironwood is really being setup as the total Anti-Ozpin and he really did tell everything to Winter? Naaaah. Since she knows about the relics and the maiden, maybe it'll have something to do with Amity Arena? Orbital weapons, anyone? No?

All the technology in the world and they haven't invented chairs.

She's either been all over the world or she's painting what she's never been able to see. Both are tragic, considering her current state.

Wow. I guess that's one way to make sure the power goes to Winter but wow, that's awful.

...you know what happened to the last person who said that?

On the other hand, maybe the fact that Winter choose of her own volition to become the winter maiden, with all the time in the world, without Ozpin breathing down her neck, is going to make all the difference.

They _really_ nail his awful, awful character.

He's strong-arming the population into voting for him. But doesn't he have Watts fixing the elections for him? Or is it _because_ of Watts that he's doing this? Nothing says riots and unhappiness like having a ton of people suddenly become unemployed.

yyyup.

The montage was okay (with some cute and interesting character moments in between all the fighting) and FNKI's cameo was fun, but everything after that was _gold_.

Poor Ruby, she pairs with Penny, Yang and Weiss this episode but no Blake. Those lines they spoke to each other in the past couple of episodes were too much.

I'm really curious about what's going with Ren. They have been showing him just enough that it has to be more than a coincidence. It really feels like he suddenly gained a focus towards being a huntsman that he didn't have before and that, so far, came from nowhere. But why? Is it Nora related? Is it even going to be explained this season? He's just background enough that the writers could be setting up for next season. The big Yang/Blake drama arc is over so they are introducing Ren's? Uhm.

Jaune being thirsted over is amazing and he deserves it. I want to see what he's going to do with his aura, especially now that Tyrian is back, he expressed a direct interest in him so maybe a fight is coming (since he already had his chance with Cinder for the time being)

Ruby living her dream life is so cute that I'm just waiting to see how it all crashes and burns. Penny's words about having to choose between what she wants and what she needs to do were very on the nose about Ruby's situation. Well, everyone's situation since Winter apparently had to deal with that and _chose_ to make both the same. Have we had anyone who chose the opposite? I guess Raven, making her a pretty good contrast to Winter.

Weiss's future is still in the air but I hope she doesn't abandon reclaiming her family name. Unless Whitley actually ends up becoming a sane human being and Weiss ends up entrusting everything to him to continue being a Huntress?

Clover is being pushed pretty hard as an all-around perfect good guy. So he's either going to die, he's a traitor or had an awful _awful_ past. Because nothing good lasts in Remnant. He did seem genuine when he wished Robyn luck though (even if it's probably kind of his thing).

Robyn was on screen for maybe four minutes and it was enough to make me very intrigued about where this season is going. The way they are setting up the conflict as [grey vs grey] vs black, with multiple interconnected plot threads, is pretty ambitious so I hope they manage to stick the landing.

There's the election, Robyn apparently not caring about the election, Jacques definitely not caring about the election, the villains' plot that requires general discontent, Ruby's secrets, Ironwood's plan, Ironwood's secret secrets, Winter possibly becoming the Winter maiden or dying or both. And then you have the smaller things that may or may not happen, like Ren's thing, Clover's being too good for this earth, _Penny_ being too good for this earth, the way it feels like it's going to be Beacon V2. Neo and Cinder are still missing but we know are on her way.

In comparison V6 was a walk in the park, with a pretty clear goal all the way through. So, yeah, I'm a bit worried about where this is all going. It has a _ton_ of potential though so I can't wait for the next episode. Until next time!

[imitationpersonne]

BNHA Chapter 215 Review aka I’m So Fucking Tired

So after 24 hours of shitty-brain-chemicals mini-crisis and reading the full pages and translation of chapter 215, I return...to confirm that yep, I’m still fuckin’ pissed.

Warning: If you’re not prepared for chart-topping Reddit-‘fandom’ levels of salt, shade, and bitterness with a whole lot of fucks mixed in, I suggest you read no further.

Let’s just do this page-by-page, shall we.

Oh my god, FINALLY. It’s already been five minutes; we’ve waited so long for this whole ‘scary new power’ phase to be over. Five whole minutes, y’all! Wow.

I mean, ya not wrong, buddy! You pretty much can do anything if Mr. Author’s plot dictates it. Because who gives a fuck about feeling like there are any stakes in anything or making the world seem real; amirite, Hori?

Shinsou again with the super relatability. P sure a lot of us are goddamn incredulous about the overplayed ‘struggling with new quirk manifestation’ drama, now that Izuku is magically instantly proficient. Because that’s how quirks have worked up until this point.......

Oh no...! Back down to 8% with no air force attack for a hot second?? WHAT A NERF! Whatever will he do?? ...Oh. Still win everything. So who gives a fuck. Does anybody really believe these percentages don’t just mean whatever Hori wants them to at any given moment anyway?

Yo, I’m sorry. Apologizing for the author who hyped some fantastic MonoShin collaboration and then did everything he could to prevent that from happening. Bitch.

But then...they did? Sooooooooo...? What the fuck’s the point of Shinsou recovering his mask and going for another plan? Legit nothing came of this. Why does this panel--no, most of this chapter even exist?? Like I get that it’s supposed to look like a struggle between the teams, but it’s all just...super contrived the way it ends, my dudes. This is bullshit writing, k.

Okay, I frickin’ loved this scene. I can be mad as all hell and still admit this was enjoyable. The quirk meta, the mind games, and Monoma’s zero-grav hair.

Okay, but did he really need another fucking limit on his quirk??? Time limit, one-at-a-time limit, potentially type limit (not able to copy mutant quirks--but that’s just speculation/headcanon for now)...and now number limit? WHILE IZUKU IS GETTING SIX WHOLE FUCKING PERMA-QUIRKS FOR GODDAMN FREE??

YEAH OKAY, LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT. I saw a post I mostly disagreed with and disliked (and don’t care to identify or quote; I can’t even remember whose it was or anything) saying this six-new-abilities ability is going to erase the need for a ton of other already-existing characters. Sero, as an example, since Black Whip basically usurps his specialty and more. On principle, as the worldbuilding has stood up until this point, I disagreed that characters like Sero would become useless. The way society has been trending, teamwork has been increasingly essential and encouraged. That means two people with lasso/tape-like quirks would do just fine! There can be more than one person with a similar quirk! Hell, that’s all Monoma’s quirk is--a temporary second of one that already exists. OR TETSUTETSU AND KIRISHIMA MUCH? They’re both useful! Even together!

So as a general principle, people with similar quirks can and do exist just fine in the same universe and even same space and role. The danger exists only if the author is so irresponsible as to consciously edge out the other characters by letting his pet character take care of everything by himself. Which seems like exactly what Izuku’s new six-quirks is at risk of doing now. Sure, argue Uraraka was useful and that Izuku relied on her this time, mmkay, but wait until he gets his own antigrav quirk, lol. Like, at this point, I honestly don’t trust Hori not to fuck up the beautiful character synergies and contrasts he’s already built. Because he sure did fuck up a lot of things that had great potential this arc already. Often by stepping on the ‘little’ guys. Fuck you, Tokage didn’t deserve that, and Baku didn’t deserve to dominate that hard. Where is the goddamn sense of struggle and achievement? Aight, that’s a rant for another day...

Anyway, back on track, call me biased as hell, but usurping the specialty of the guy whose ONLY NICHE WAS BEING THE ONLY ONE WITH VERSATILE MULTI-QUIRK USAGE? AND GAINING MULTIPLE QUIRKS BUT WITHOUT SEVERAL OF MONOMA’S LIMITING FACTORS? Gooooooooooo fuck yourself, ‘blessed boy’.

But...HE DIDN’T, THOUGH? Monoma’s ace-in-the-hole surprise Twin Impact stunned Mr. Protagonist for an amazing two whole seconds! Because of course; the fuck were we all thinking hoping other people mattered in this story or stood a chance against plot-device-convenient auto-scaling levels of OP? Like why even try tbh???

Shinsou fucking gets it. We all get it; it was an amazing play. But protagonist privilege too strong; what the fuck can you do.

Oh yep, here’s a more accurate translation, given the goddamn results.

Hahahahaha, amazing, even literally everybody in-character gets it. Team 5-B had every right to win this shit. But then...!

Oh boy!!! Generic shonen anime protagonist inspiration spiel to the contrived-Hori-plot rescue! Now, with these magic thoughts, he will win! Amazing how that works!

Well yeah, no shit, it makes sense for you to have that kind of confidence, considering that’s legit how your protagonist life works. Congrats on the contrived win, dude; I know you’re not surprised. Y’all, I know this isn’t in-world Izuku’s fault; he’s doing his best which is what he should be doing. It’s the shitty writing, plain and simple. Don’t blame the kid that gets everything; blame the one who spoils them at the expense of others. So perhaps calling me petty would be deserved, but my bitterness can’t help but leak out towards the character as well; it’s just human nature. I don’t like Baku as much as I used to either, because all the interesting bits are gone now that he’s OP and comparably perfect. At least Hori kinda kicked Shouto to the OP-privilege curb a little; makes him more realistic, relatable, and likable.

Ohhhh god, generic shonen anime faux-inspirational epilogue to put the icing on the shit cake; brb gagging.

Alright, so let’s summarize all the implied morals to the story here!:

Things turned around at the very end for basically no other reason than Hori wanted Team Protag to win.

All the dipshits were actually right; class B is legit inferior to class A, as evidenced by the results of literally every time they’ve directly faced each other. 1 win to 3 this time, bitch, and don’t make me remind of the sports festival. Even though B class clearly has better teamwork and synergy. Screw that, A more powerful, A smash. A main character class; A win.

Monoma, your backstory classmates were right, turns out! You are apparently an ineffective hero student who just keeps losing! You’ll never be more than a side character to be used, abused, and discarded. Fuck your aspirations, fan-fucking-tastic.

Shinsou, don’t kid yourself; you haven’t fucking changed. You got beaten by the same dude in nearly the exact same fashion. Your entire arc was fucking pointless; have fun in general studies! (In honesty, if Hori has any remaining shred of sensibility, I think he might let Shinsou into hero course anyway? Did they ever say Shinsou technically had to win both of his matches? Or just show progress? Who fucking knows at this point.)

Everybody who didn’t need to be reminded they’re great won. Are you not inspired?

Beautiful. Beautiful goddamn arc, Horikoshi; you taught us the important things in this world. Applause. I will honestly punch myself in the face in ecstatic shock if Hori manages to pull some way out of his ass to make this a satisfying conclusion.

My final thoughts:

Fuck this shit, I’m out.

[snowed-out]

time to reflect on the year so when i’m older i can look back and remember this shit. this post is so much longer than i thought it would be lmao but 2016 was truly a wild ride

so 2016 eh? the beginning was kinda rocky, i was just so fucking burnt out after cegep ended and had to make some big decisions regarding where and what programs i wanted to apply to for uni. i hate making any sort of decisions about my future bc i don’t really know exactly what i want to do with my life. i choose to go the route of commerce, particularly international management and i think what this year showed me is that it’s more of a means to and ends for me. i’m really getting the diploma so i can work for a company whose values i admire and i just really want to work for a good organization that’s making a positive impact on the world. and there are a lot of them out there so I'm sure when it comes time for graduation (if i even get there) i’ll have a better idea of where I want to be applying. but that was one of the toughest decisions to make bc i choose in the end to go to a uni an hour and a half away from home, meaning i’d have to move out and while i’d have a couple of friends in my new city, it would still be a complete change of environment. but idk at the time i really thought that’s what i wanted and while i don’t regret the decision, I think my reasons behind the decision have changed a little.

but once that big decision was over with, i left in february for one of the most incredible trips of my life. i honestly can’t put into words how incredible the whole experience was for me both mentally and emotionally. i got to visit friends i had made in europe, and they welcomed me into their homes with open arms and i just felt so happy while i was with them. and it just made me realize how important they are in my life and how it was definitely fate that made us meet. my belief in fate was proven again and again throughout my whole trip. I met so many awesome new people as well, and i think i learned so much on the trip. i learned to not take everything so seriously, to genuinely live in the moment and go with the flow which is something i’ve never been able to do before. i learned to laugh at myself which is something i’m so grateful for, and i learned that no matter the outcome, it’s honestly true that “it’s all about the experience” and i think that saying is something that’s carried on with me throughout the year. i connected with someone on the trip on some deep and physical level that i genuinely never thought i would ever experience. and it was so, so nice regardless of the fact that it hurt so much to say goodbye. but i think that’s how i know that it’s not something i overthought or imagined, because it wasn’t just my mind that was sad over it ending, but i physically felt it hurt. and it sucked to feel that way but it was great to know i was even capable of feeling that way, and i now know what to look for in the future. overall it was just such an amazing trip, literally the happiest and most carefree i think i’ve ever been. and on my worst days, it’s an incredible gift to look back on because not only did i learn incredible things, but i met wonderful people and saw some of the most beautiful places in the world. and i’m so proud of myself for saving up for the trip and for going on the journey by myself. i didn’t fuck it up.

then coming home was difficult, but i remained optimistic about life. I got a job working with one of my closest friends and made another great friend out of it. some days sucked to work but when we had the right squad working I dare say it was actually fun. and yeah I met an incredible person working there who made my summer one of the best ones i’ve ever had. he showed me how relationships should be easy and you shouldn’t think twice about seeing each other. I was always looking forward to hanging out with him because we always got out and did something fun. it was a great experience and he was such a great guy but with school started and me moving out it just wasn’t the right time for anything to really happen. and now he’s moved on with a really nice girl and i’m genuinely really happy for him. and while i don’t think we’ll be friends for a while, maybe some day down the road. we kinda tied up loose ends last night but i don’t really remember much of what was said to be honest and i doubt he does either, and maybe that’s for the best and if we’re meant to be friends somewhere down the line then that’s great, but i don’t think it will be anytime soon.

and next up from the summer was school actually starting, my first semester of uni and moving out and living on my own. while i was actually really ok with living on my own, i did really miss home. because home has never really been a place i’ve never wanted to be. my mom is my best friend and i need her support as well as my dad’s and even my brother’s. i need my dogs to cuddle with and my bed and room to relax in. and i think i realized halfway through the semester that home doesn’t have to be a place i distance myself from, bc that was my mentality at the beginning of the semester. but i realized there’s no reason for me to distance myself, bc this place will always be such an important factor in my life and i know no matter how bad things get, i can always, always come home. 

and school man, ahhh school. this semester really dragged me through the mud, but it was also such a wake up call. i think i needed it to be difficult and to suck for me to finally begin to get over this stupid fucking notion that my self worth is dependent upon my grades. i don’t want either of those things to be related to one another. and this semester was just so difficult dealing with credits/co-op/international exchange/french immersion/is this what i want to be doing with my life. i realized group projects are basically a death sentence and that there’s a lot about uni you can’t really control. but i’m lucky enough to be in a position where i don’t necessarily need to keep certain grades and that really i just need to try my best. which is something i will always continue to do. i’ve given up aiming for a certain mark or caring about the mark i receive because regardless i know to myself that i’ve given everything i could and whatever mark will be, will be. and whether i pass or fail, i will still be ok. i will still have friends and an incredible family to support me no matter what as long as i tried. and boy has that been a process, a complete mental shift but i’m happy i’m working towards that because school just makes me so miserable and this semester i don’t want school to have that grip on me anymore. i’m ready for my second semester and i’m ready to stay on top of things from the beginning, to make studying for midterms and finals easier. and i’m also ready to have a fucking social life for once. like i want to do well in uni, but i also don’t want to go back to my miserable mental state. i literally went from being the happiest i’ve ever been in my life to being the second most miserable in my life. and it just sucked so much bc it was such a contrast and just knowing i was once so happy and now i wasn’t made it more difficult. but i need to find a balance between social and school and if my marks are slightly affected, then so be it. i just want to get back to being as happy as i was while i was travelling or even when i got back. and i know with time i can get there if i don’t let this negativity take over me.

and then the last thing i want to reflect on is just how motherfucking lucky i am to be surrounded by the people that i am. for starters with my family who have just been the biggest support for me throughout this hellish semester. like my mom was going through such a shitty year herself but she was always there for me no matter what. and i think just knowing they’re proud of me and believe in me and truly just want me to get through it but also to take a break if i need to means the world to me. like i know i’m so lucky to be in my situation because most don’t get the chance to go at a pace they want, but my parents don’t mind as long as i keep working hard and still make time for myself and to have fun. and i wouldn’t have made it through the semester without my friends to go grocery shopping with, or grab a coffee for a break, or come back home to visit or just rant to online. i’m so lucky to have the friends that i do. and last night showed me that too when my two best friends trekked through the cold with no jackets on just to see if i was ok and then told me all this wonderful stuff about myself and it just made me cry. like when i think about my friends and family it just makes me want to cry at how fucking blessed and lucky i am to be surrounded by such incredible people. 

no matter how shitty this year got, there was always one constant, and that was love.

i’ve never felt so loved in my life and that’s what i plan to carry with me into 2017. that i am loved, that i will always have that love and support, that it’s ok not to be perfect all the time, it’s not the end of the world, and that it truly is all about the experience. and i don’t want my experience in 2017 to be a miserable one. so i’m gonna make it as positive and fun as i possibly can because it’s better than any of the alternatives. 

[spinneryesteryear]

Spinner plays FFXIV Stormblood

Finished FFXIV 4.0 MSQ over the weekend (DRK to 70, WHM to 77), hoo boy. I know I've got the 4.x patches to go but I did wind up liking Stormblood more than I thought. Spoilers ahoy!

Highlights:

- started the SB questline right about the same time as everyone else started ShB *sobs* It did mean I landed in the midst of some good FATE-grinding parties, however, at little as that matters

- I liked the Baelsar’s Wall but those last twin bosses can go die in a fire

- couldn’t get really sad over Papalymo because he barely contributed anything to the story except to snark at Yda. I like him better in DFFOO, where he is an excellent black mage. So, like, the exact opposite of my feelings regarding Thancred.

- Shinryu, Omega, and Cid all disappeared for the majority of the Stormblood questline and tbh it suffered for their absences. At least Estinien, of all people, was tracking the first two down.

- thankfully the WHM quests were all in the first zone I got access to and I already had it at 70 so I just zipped through them

----- me: *fails repeatedly at WHM lvl 70 quest*

----- me: *returns w/gear 10 lvls higher* Time for my vengeance.

----- (Yes, I know I should always keep my gear up to date and to be fair I always keep it at the appropriate level or better when other people are involved. This, however, was single-player duty and my lack of better gear didn’t matter since I didn’t even have the lvl 61 dungeon unlocked yet.)

- never cared at all for Zenos. Nope. Not at all. He and his golf club bag of swords can go fall off Shinryu's platforms. (I also had 0% trouble w/his solo fights on DRK? Maybe it was the new flat damage reduction baked into all tanks, idk, or maybe it was having Aug Shire/at lvl gear for each instance. I kept my health up just fine and had to be wiped out via his insta-kill move for the duty to end. But honestly it felt like good DRK job fantasy, taking on this insurmountable foe and clawing my way past death to defend my fallen comrades.) Also my character literally viewed him as a troubled teen taking out his issues on everyone around him via murder and wasn't impressed w/him in the least. But anyway.

- I came to tolerate Lyse but that's it. Hot-blooded people who rush off and act w/o thinking irritate me greatly IRL and it's no different in virtual life. Plus, she's almost literally an anime version of me who traded book smarts for punching ability. Even her name is a mere one letter from mine. It's kinda weird. She’s my mirror universe self. Ugh.

- it’s really disappointing Square Enix gives me so few options in killing myself. Let me jump off cliffs to my messy death already, dang it. Skyrim let me do it within the first 2 minutes of ever playing, haha.

- the sharks fly. the bears fly. the goobues fly. why not.

- ah, yes, gyuki. Skyrim prepared me for unreasonably bloodthirsty walruses. And for the unreasonably powerful and murderous mammoths.

- I liked M'naago, wished she had been the lead instead

- genuinely loved Gosetsu (Conrad who?) and was upset at his 'death'. I'm at once glad he survived and annoyed at another death fake-out. *Drak voice* Kill more! Kill 'em all!

- Hien is an adorable badass and I wish to adopt him and take him home with me. Doma 4 lyfe

---- me: *interiorly grumbles every time I hear the words ‘Ala Mhigo’

---- also me: *cheers for Doma & the Steppes*

- I just... really don’t understand why Highlanders live in a desert nation and have geographic and cultural neighbors based off of India and yet they have Old English/OHG names. Why???

- also why is Lyse blindingly white (and Minfilia, for that matter) in stark contrast to other Highlanders???

---- me: So, Lyse, if you’re from Gyr Abania then why are you white?

---- Alphinaud: Oh my god, Spinner, you can’t just ask someone why they’re white.

- once again, I'm probably the only person who loved the WHM quests (all SB job quests seem to return to their 1 - 30 [or 30 - 50?] roots and I don't mind). Did lots of screaming over DRK 60 - 70. I saved them all up and did them right away when I hit 70; they flow much better w/no interruptions

- explored/quested/ground FATE's on DRK but ran new dungeons on WHM as that's my comfort job. Failed twice on the mechanics of Bardam's Mettle 2nd boss but no wipes so we're good. So many overconfident gunbreaker tanks, though. T__T *I* did a better job tanking/killing a pack of like 12 mobs as WHM in Sirensong Sea than one bunbreaker, smh.

- I found Magnai to be entirely too amusing. I also want his moves on WAR. 

- somehow missed Shisui entirely? Still haven't got all aether currents in the Ruby Sea RIP me

------ (2 month later addendum: finally unlocked it and got my aether currents. Now, to never return to that area ever again.)

- no underwater mobs is so disappointing. Let me throw fireballs and Holys and swing a greatsword underwater already. Let me tell you, nothing is as exciting as going diving in Morrowind with only a 22% chance to successfully cast Waterbreathing and this Kojin blessing is such an OP cheat.

- enjoying my Grani mount tbh. I have no idea if it's lore-relevant for ShB; I just saw the name lifted straight from Norse myth and was like, "Want." It's more of a horse-shaped reptile, however, with 'paws' that become increasingly creepy the more you stare at them. I wonder if it eats meat like the thestrals in HP.

- shooting minigames? Okay. Platforming minigames? AW HECK NO I THOUGHT I WAS DONE W/THIS WHEN I LEFT LEGO GAMES TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME PLATFORMING IS MY GREATEST ENEMY

- I was derping around in Kugane and accidentally started doing the tower jumping puzzle. As soon as I figured out what I was doing I had to run away immediately to save my sanity.

- throwing on tank stance and rushing in to save someone from a mob or a FATE is still as heady a feeling as ever (except when they then run off and leave you to die, like, no why please). Or raising people out in the wild. I particularly love that cyclops boss FATE near Whitebrim bc I can go stand on the edges as a powerful WHM and raise people 10x as the bodies keep hitting the floor. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s still so great.

- I do enjoy the Morrowind feel of walking through a new zone and taking in the scenery but I'd like it more if all the wildlife wasn't super powerful and aggro'ing on me every 10 ft. It feels less like an ecosystem and more like generic monster land when there are no longer any non-aggressive mobs like there were in ARR. The Gyr Abanian landscapes are slowly growing on me, however.

- me, flying through Porta Praetoria/Lochs: Those wooden bonfires must be awfully expensive, if wood is as scarce in Gyr Abania as I think....

- loved the Azim Steppe - atmosphere, music, lore, everything. Waiting for someone to call me out on this bc I just really love Xaela (and may make a male Xaela alt one day).

- had minor moral qualms over fighting in the Naadam for the Mol bc I wanted to claim victory for the Orl

- I do really like those moments in Heavensward and Stormblood when the game recreates the epic moments from the trailers (the WoL walking through the soldiers to fight the dragon; the WoL and Lyse sparring, etc.). 

- I was singing, “I don’t care, I don’t care,” to the tune of Let It Go during the Ala Mhigo cutscenes but the resistance singing their anthem really got to me nevertheless. Many voices united and uplifted and song always hits me hard emotionally.

- my character still looking at Zenos with 0% thirst (negative amounts of thirst, tbh) like, “Who is this sassy lost child?”

- then again my character is like 31 yrs old here with a backstory summed up as ‘angry single mom goes to check on friend, ends up killing a god and getting recruited to save the world’

- Pipin is best Lalafell; I will defend him with my life but he has Tizona now and doesn't need me. The absolute shortest guy around is calling the shots in this military campaign and I love it. At least his dad gave him a box to stand on so he could see over the table during the important strategic military discussions.

- the siege of Ala Mhigo taught us that thaumaturges/black mages are the living equivalent of heavy artillery, nice nice nice

- got lucky and had a competent crew in DF to fight Shinryu

- tbh my character would probably kick Asahi’s dad while he was down and cave in his ribs, just finishing him off. It’s no wonder Asahi turned out as bad as he did, with parents as horrifically self-centered as THAT.

- I humbly submit ‘Higwit’ as a fan-name for that elezen following Asahi around - an acronym for ‘Hien Is Great - Who Is That?!’ based on an old LOTR fan meme. Who else here remembers Figwit before he became Lindir?

- I liked the Tsukuyomi fight but I can’t remember anything specific about it now, not even the mechs. 

- I did spend a lot of time screenshotting Hien because he is an awesome bro and I would endure Ala Mhigo all over again for him

[recentanimenews]

10 Classical Compositions that Anime Loves

For anime soundtracks, Western classical music can be a useful tool. One fewer cue to compose, for starters, and you don’t have to navigate the same rights issues that crop up when licensing contemporary music. Especially for more well-known pieces, there might be dozens of different recordings to choose from for just the right interpretation. Audience recognition helps too - there’s something special about hearing a familiar tune played over a pivotal scene. It’s not always used well (I can think of some very, very bad examples), but when smartly inserted, Western music can make for some truly iconic moments. Let’s take a look at some pieces that show up often in anime.

10. Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor (Alexander Borodin)

[Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra]

Although Borodin never finished the opera Prince Igor before his death in 1887, the Polovtsian Dances from the end of Act II survive in concert halls worldwide, as well as in pop culture. No. 17, “Gliding Dance of the Maidens,” appears in Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances, as well as in the second season of Sound! Euphonium arranged for concert band. The piece itself comes from the scene in Prince Igor where the invading Turkic tribe celebrates the khan Konchak. It was intended to sound exotic when contrasted with the Russian folk music associated with the opera’s protagonists. The piece suggests another land, different and unknowable - appropriate for the finale of Blood Blockade Battlefront, when the supernatural world threatens to collide with the real one. It’s also frequently used in RahXephon to represent the Mulians, a mysterious race that controls music-powered clay mechs. Yoko Kanno even quotes its melody in “Garden of Everything,” the B-side of the movie’s ending theme.  In both BBB and RahXephon, the Polovtsian Dances’ ‘foreignness’ emphasizes the long history behind their respective supernatural beings. It’s nice when soundtracks are thematically relevant like that!

9. Symphony No. 8 “Symphony of a Thousand” (Gustav Mahler)

While not as pervasive in anime as some of the other entries on this list, Mahler 8 (dubbed “Symphony of a Thousand” for its enormous orchestra and chorus) is still pretty iconic, figuring heavily in the broadcast order finale of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (chronologically episode 6). The text of the piece itself revolves around redemption through love and confidence in humanity, making the symphony possibly one of the most uplifting pieces of late Romanticism. It’s fitting for a grand finale that [spoilers?] hinges on Haruhi and Kyon’s faith in humanity to keep reality from collapsing. No matter how unusual or interesting Haruhi’s alternate world may be, it’s solitary and miserable. To keep Haruhi from remaking reality according to her own whims, Kyon reminds her of the relationships she’d lose in hopes of grounding her enough to return them to reality. Who cares about a fun fantasy world without people to enjoy it with? Why reject everyone you love in favor of danger and uncertainty? Symphony of a Thousand is ultimately about embracing the human attachments we form, perfectly in line with the anime’s themes.

8. Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 (Frederic Chopin)

[official? rubinstein]

A mainstay in film and TV, this nocturne is probably one of the first pieces people associate with Romantic keyboard music. It’s a go-to cue to telegraph that a character is sophisticated: Austria in Hetalia, one of the antagonists in Parasyte -the maxim-; Glasslip, Legend of Galactic Heroes, Momoiro Sisters, the list goes on. So it’s a nice change of pace when it’s used differently, like in the penultimate episode of Hybrid x Heart Magias Academy Ataraxia. The pairing of sweet evening music with a scene of busty, half-naked anime girls fighting to keep Tokyo from blowing up is hilariously jarring - just the way I like my fanservice anime. It’s totally in character for Hybrid x Heart to shoot for drama and blow straight into camp, and the scene is perhaps the best example of that tonal mismatch in the show’s entire run. I’m not sure how the impossibly shy Chopin would feel about his music being used this way, but hey, it’s not like he’s around to complain.

7. Prelude No. 1 from Well-Tempered Clavier (J.S. Bach) / “Ave Maria” (Charles Gounod)

The Well-Tempered Clavier, composed around 1722 to show off the latest advances in proto-piano technology, is today regarded as one of the Baroque period’s most important works, such that the dozens of preludes and fugues collected in two volumes are the bane of every piano student ever. But while most of WTC is unknown to people outside the music world, the first prelude remains Bach’s most well-known solo keyboard piece (the famous Minuet in G being the work of one of his colleagues). Over a century later, French operatist Charles Gounod superimposed a melody on it, eventually pairing it with the text of a Catholic prayer. The resulting song is about as famous as the original prelude, showing up all over popular culture. Puella Magi Madoka Magica, for an easy anime example. Yurikuma Arashi uses the piece as well, associating it with the bear deity Kumaria (the Virgin Beary, if you will). Yes, you read that right. “Ave Maria” for Kumaria. On the nose? Absolutely. Dead on the fuzzy little bear-girl nose. To be fair, none of the visual metaphors in Yurikuma are any more subtle, so it totally fits. Bless this show.

6. Sonata for Two Pianos in D major, K.448 (W.A. Mozart)

How do you depict a relationship between two musicians? In a duet, of course! It happens plenty in Your Lie in April in both four-hand piano and violin/piano combinations. But why restrict yourself to one piano when you can have two? That’s where Mozart’s K.448 comes in. When he was 25, he composed the two-piano sonata for a joint performance with his 23-year-old student Josepha Auernhammer, who was purportedly in love with him. Although nothing came of that relationship, the circumstances surrounding the piece’s composition perhaps make it tempting to assign romantic connotations to any performance of it. Certain anime take advantage of that: in Ouran High School Host Club (after Tamaki’s bizarre solo demonstration of both parts at once), a duo of middle schoolers learns the two-piano sonata to kick off their blossoming romance. In all versions of Nodame Cantabile, it’s the first collaboration the uptight Chiaki and carefree Nodame undertake together. Handing off the melody between them, Nodame and Chiaki must learn to respect and accomodate their conflicting personalities. It’s important that neither part is simply accompaniment to the other; unlike in a four-hand duet, where one person plays in the lower range and the other in the higher, the two players in a duo must be equally skilled, complementing each other rather than dominating. Chiaki and Nodame’s successful performance of the piece signals their mutual understanding of each other, the start of a complicated but enduring romance/friendship that carries through the rest of the series.

5. “Vocalise,” Op. 34 No. 14 (Sergei Rachmaninoff)

(unknown, but official upload)

“Vocalise,” as its title suggests, is one of 14 songs that Rachmaninoff originally composed for voice with piano accompaniment. These days, it’s often performed by an orchestra or a solo instrument. I have a particular fondness for Rach’s own orchestral arrangement, but the melody on its own is lovely as well. Melancholic and gorgeous, it suggests a profound loneliness. No wonder it tends to show up in heartwrenching anime scenes. In Puella Magi Madoka Magica, a recording of Kyousuke’s violin solo is yet another contributor to Sayaka’s despair. In Night Raid 1931, the piece is a running motif in spy Aoi Miyoshi’s troubled life, first as a joke about his poor violin skills, and then later as a prominent element in his backstory. His attachment to the piece turns out to be in remembrance of a lost love. It’s an expression of nostalgia to a time when his life was simpler, before Japan’s growing militarism erupted full force in Nanking and Korea, complicating his espionage work. The piece’s presence throughout the series in stilted, off-key form is so essential in making the final revelation land, music reaching clarity just as Miyoshi’s motivations do. It’s one of the best creative choices in a politically controversial but otherwise unremarkable anime, and Miyoshi’s story wouldn’t work nearly as well without it.

4. Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 18 (Sergei Rachmaninoff)

I just mentioned a Rachmaninoff piece, but this one is too good to skip. One of the most notoriously difficult and exhausting pieces in the piano repertoire, Rachmaninoff’s second concerto (affectionately nicknamed “Rach 2”) is a perennial concert favorite. The technical skill and strength required to play the entire thing make it a survival challenge in itself. As such, it’s the highlight of the debuts of both Eugenie Danglars in Gankutsuou and Shinichi Chiaki in Nodame Cantabile. It also shows up in Fairy Tail underscoring the climactic fight between Erza and Azuma in episode 114. Throughout the development, Jellal reassures Erza that he’s supporting her in spirit. The music is well-matched to the action onscreen, reaching the virtuosic climax of the first movement at the decisive moment of the battle. As the final chords land, Erza regains her drive. The show does cut some of the tense buildup that I love Rach 2 for, but nonetheless, the payoff is still damn satisfying.

(On the subject of Rachmaninoff, his third piano concerto - my favorite piece of his - shows up markedly less often; the only anime example I can think of is in Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Maybe someday people will understand the glory of Rach 3. In the meantime, try humming the James Bond theme over Rach 2. It’s a lot of fun, I promise.)

3. Etude Op. 10 No. 3, “Tristesse” (Frederic Chopin)

Today, Chopin’s etudes (Op. 10 and 25) are staples of piano repertoire. Each is a study in a specific keyboard technique. The third etude “Tristesse” (sometimes “L’Adieu”), as it’s now known, emphasizes balance and smooth voicing. The melody - Chopin’s most beautiful, by his own judgment - is still beloved today. It can be heard in the Baccano! finale, as well as in Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) under the title “Tune of Separation,” arranged for string orchestra by Michiru Oshima. My favorite use of it is in the Genius Party short Baby Blue, directed by Shinichiro Watanabe. In the 15-minute film, the melody first appears when Shou sketches out an aimless tune on the piano. It comes back in full force in the dreamlike emotional climax, expressing the bittersweet nostalgia of youth as his childhood friend Hazuki bids him a final farewell. The piece may not have been composed with a narrative in mind, but its reputation as a piece about goodbyes serves it well here in one truly memorable scene.

2. “Clair de lune” from Suite bergamasque (Claude Debussy)

The third movement of Debussy’s Suite bergamasque, “Clair de lune” is one of the most iconic keyboard pieces in French Impressionism, a late 19th-/early 20th-century artistic movement that prioritized conveying a mood over presenting a detailed picture. That focus on atmosphere over a defined melody might be what makes the piece so appealing as a soundtrack. Its sentimental A-section appears in Kids on the Slope, Wandering Son, 18if, and even an inconsequential bath scene in Thermae Romae. Rarely, however, does anything use the entire piece - which means it stands out all the more in Your Lie in April. In episode 15, the piece perfectly underscores Tsubaki’s nighttime heart-to-heart with Kousei. Her lines are timed to match the piece’s phrasing, and as the music becomes more intense, so does her monologue. The flowing B-section expresses her desperation as she realizes that Kousei’s musical career is taking him out of her reach. By the time Kousei reaches the piece’s recap, we get the sense that something has changed. Tsubaki might be the same person she’s always been, but her relationships have been forever altered. Likewise, the last section of the piece sounds similar to the beginning, but elements of the B-section still linger as a reminder that things can’t stay the same. The scene is a pitch-perfect marriage of story and soundtrack, and my favorite use of “Clair de lune” in anything, full stop.

1. Symphony No. 9, “Choral” (Ludwig van Beethoven)

Generally agreed to be Beethoven’s greatest work, Beethoven 9 was unique for Classical-era music in that it introduced a chorus layered over the orchestra - hence the nickname. The symphony is an easy go-to for a grandiose and triumphant score, since the “Ode to Joy” melody from the last movement is immediately recognizable. No wonder it’s popular worldwide - especially so in Japan. The piece appears in Gunslinger Girl, the Nodame Cantabile J-drama, and a number of other shows. Thanks to Kaworu Nagisa in Neon Genesis Evangelion, it’s now also the “sophisticated, vaguely menacing white-haired anime boy” leitmotif - think Shogo Makishima in Pyscho-Pass, for instance. And for good reason! The last scene in episode 24 of EVA is easily one of the most iconic, disturbing moments in anime. The minutes-long still shot and delicious irony of a piece about joy played over Shinji’s worst emotional low leave a real impression. Plus, Alexander Rahbari’s interpretation of the piece is one of my favorites, capturing a fierce rawness that’s often missing in more technically polished recordings.

But because Beethoven 9 is such a seminal work of music, I can’t limit this entry to just EVA. In Yuri!!! on ICE, Otabek Altin’s free skate music is a unique arrangement of the symphony’s second movement. While the original piece was already groundbreaking, composer Taku Matsushiba takes it some really interesting places. Beefing up the chorus and brass sections to make the overall sound even bigger, Matsushiba re-orchestrates the piece to sound decidedly more modern in places. The end result is simultaneously traditional and transgressive, but most importantly, A Lot. EVA may have used the symphony to devastating effect, but this wonderfully cheesy reinterpretation is more special to me for capturing the blend of silly and serious that I love about anime.

These aren’t all of them, not even close. I didn’t even get to Michiru Oshima’s string arrangement of Beethoven’s Tempest Sonata in Blast of Tempest, the infamous Hallelujah scene in Evangelion, or the sheer variety of music used in Princess Tutu, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and ClassicaLoid. And that’s to say nothing of Yoshihisa Hirano’s habit of quoting other works in his soundtracks: Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet in Hunter x Hunter, Bizet/Sarasate in Ouran some vaguely Orffian strains in Death Note. Meanwhile, Yuri!!! on ICE uses both real pieces (Tchaik’s Sleeping Beauty, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto Op. 64, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition) and sound-alikes (Taku Matsushiba’s “Rapsodie Espagnole” resembles Ravel’s Bolero, “Stammi vicino, non te ne andare,” Puccini with a hint of Wagner; and “Allego Appassionato,” Rachmaninoff, what with the absurdly difficult techniques in its latter half). You can find Western art music all over the place in anime if you just look.

On that note (heh), what’s your favorite classical piece in anime?

---

Micchy is an enormous dweeb who tries and fails to hide her anime obsession behind a skating otaku facade. Follow her on Twitter @Liuwdere for more vaguely anime-related content. 

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[hollywoodjuliorivas]

President Trump’s recently concluded trip to Asia had the potential to advance important American security and economic interests. Played correctly, his ambitious five-country, 12-day trip could have steadied his administration’s rocky start in this vital region. Instead, it left the United States more isolated and in retreat, handing leadership of the newly christened “Indo-Pacific” to China on a silver platter. The trip began with solid performances in Japan and Korea, where Mr. Trump’s relatively measured words left key allies reassured of the United States’ commitment to their security. The president largely shelved his belligerent trade rhetoric, called for allies to buy more American military hardware and reopened the door to diplomacy with North Korea. Weather curtailed his surprise trip to the Korean Demilitarized Zone, but that may have been a blessing, since hostile words might have prompted hostile action. But in China, the wheels began to come off his diplomatic bus. The Chinese leadership played President Trump like a fiddle, catering to his insatiable ego and substituting pomp and circumstance for substance. China always prefers to couch state visits in ceremony rather than compromise on policy. This approach seemed to suit President Trump just fine, as he welcomed a rote recitation of China’s longstanding rejection of a nuclear North Korea and failed to extract new concessions or promises. He also settled for the announcement of $250 billion in trade and investment agreements, many of which are nonbinding and, in the words of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, “pretty small.” Missing were firm deals to improve market access or reduce technology-sharing requirements for American companies seeking to do business in China. Mr. Trump showered President Xi Jinping of China with embarrassingly fawning accolades, calling him “a very special man” and stressing that “my feeling towards you is an incredibly warm one.” He blamed his predecessors rather than China for our huge trade deficits and hailed Mr. Xi’s consolidation of authoritarian power. Such scenes of an American president kowtowing in China to a Chinese president sent chills down the spines of Asia experts and United States allies who have relied on America to balance and sometimes counter an increasingly assertive China. Their collective dismay was only heightened by Mr. Trump’s failure to mention publicly any concerns about the disputed South China Sea or even to insist that the American press be allowed to ask the leaders questions. Newsletter Sign UpContinue reading the main story Sign Up for the Opinion Today Newsletter Every weekday, get thought-provoking commentary from Op-Ed columnists, the Times editorial board and contributing writers from around the world. Sign Up You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. SEE SAMPLE MANAGE EMAIL PREFERENCES PRIVACY POLICY OPT OUT OR CONTACT US ANYTIME According to Mr. Tillerson, these stunning displays of Trumpian affection for Mr. Xi were complemented by more concrete discussions behind closed doors. With the notable exception of climate change, the administration wisely seems to have committed to continue cooperation with China in several key areas. But intensive diplomacy in the run-up to these critical leader-level meetings could have yielded real results to advance mutual interests and bypass the Chinese penchant for show over substance. This time, it is unclear whether such diplomacy was undertaken, and the result is that no new policy ground appears to have been broken. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Continue reading the main story By contrast, President Barack Obama sent his national security advisers to China before summit meetings. In 2014, we agreed on military confidence-building measures, cooperation to fight Ebola, extended visa validity and a historic United States-China deal on climate change, which led to the Paris Agreement. In 2015, we secured agreement from China to curtail cybertheft of United States intellectual property for commercial gain and to cooperate on development and global health security. In 2016, China stepped up its commitment to crack down on fentanyl precursors, support United Nations peacekeeping and strengthen nuclear security. President Trump’s last stops in Vietnam and the Philippines proved the most problematic. At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting, he delivered a vitriolic, nationalistic speech on trade that made the United States look angry and rendered us more isolated. He made no progress toward the bilateral trade agreements he says he wants to replace multilateral deals. Instead, the leaders of the 11 remaining Trans-Pacific Partnership countries announced a framework to remake their deal without the United States, leaving America outside the largest trade agreement in the world — one that the United States had previously championed to solidify its economic and strategic leadership in the region. Notably, President Xi followed Mr. Trump’s hostile speech with a paean to open markets, fair commerce and the benefits of globalization, ideas that might have been cribbed from previous American presidents. Finally, the president’s always fragile self-discipline evaporated with his outlandish tweets over the weekend, including some about Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, that undercut his sober message in Seoul. So, too, Mr. Trump’s hubristic offer late in his trip to mediate China’s disputes with its neighbors in the South China Sea, his failure to mention human rights and, above all, his disturbing defense of Vladimir Putin’s lies about meddling in our election, combined with his insulting the United States intelligence community on foreign soil, overwhelmed any effort to assert credible American leadership. President Trump’s lighthearted embrace of a self-proclaimed killer, President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, was the nadir of a high-stakes trip that set back American leadership in Asia. But it was, perhaps, the perfect if unintended coda to the president’s “Make China Great Again” tour.

[randomnameless]

Chapter 10 - Miletos to Chalphy!

Here we are!

Finally, after 20 years, Oifey returns home!

Oldvis reaps what Arvis sown, Julia’s still useless and spooky figures appear.

Palmarch can’t believe it, Oldvis really wants to save the children??

Quick Palmarch! Use a rewarp staff! How’s that you don’t have any??

hm : forgot to screencap a panel - But Oldvis gives something to Palmarch.

However, what does he mean by “you were a confidante to Sigurd”? Palmarch wasn’t a part of our group on Gen 1, was he? Or was he Siggy’s pal from before? Maybe he is the court archbishop of Chalphy?

OMG here it is

OMFG

This, this line holds so many things, i dreamt of it so many times you have no idea. Julia doesn’t care about what happened, rather, “what happened” doesn’t matter, she never hated her dad. Now, what is that “what happened”? Is it the stories about Siggy and how Oldvis murdered everyone? When all of her LA pals were saying they hated Arvis because he killed everyone? Even in her amnesiac state Julia didn’t hate him? Or she didn’t care about her LA pals?

“To me”, is it “imo you’re kind” or “you’ve always been kind to me”?

Aw, Oldvis calls himself a fool was he a fool just like Reptor

I still can’t believe the “powerless to do a thing” angle.

You’re still the Emperor, how is that “i have given the empire to julius”? He is a mere prince, you’re supposed to outrank him. And Arvis calls him the embodiment of Loptyr, does that mean that he thinks Julius had always been Loptyr?

DEEDEE NO :’(

OTOH, Oldvis still sees Deedee as a material possession, “he took the love of my life from me” no he killed her, he didn’t take your toy away... Deedee warped Julia away.

maybe you wouldn’t have been sent in a war without tomes nor staves?

OMG JUGDRAL AU : JUGDRAL’S BEST MOM FOUND JULIA

At this point, Julia still thinks that it was Julius who killed Deedee. Or maybe she thinks it was Julius, but when she sees him afterwards she realises he isn’t her bro anymore.

“you had too many lines, the plot commands you to stay useless”

MANFROY NO JULIUS ASKED YOU TO KILL HER NOT TO BRING HER TO VELTHOMER

So Julia is a bargaining chip!

Just kidding, everyone with half a brain would know that she’s dead when Manfroy finds her, which he did so even if Oldvis managed to kill Seliph, Julia’d still be dead :)

what if Arvis learnt that Julia was with the LA? Would he have thought she was an hostage?

Again, Jugdral AU : The empire knows Julia is with the LA, and the LA knows who Julia is.

What do you have with your “people belong to someone else”? Still, it echoes what Oldvis said, now, the Empire belongs to Julius. But before?

what is the pain beyond the ken of mortal men? Turned into a deadlord à la Reidric? He already lost his wife, his son, his bro and his daughter, i doubt you could break him even more.

he is so evulz! Hee hee hee

HELP ME DAMN IT YOU HAVE THE STATS TO DO SO

LIAR YOU HAVE YOUR HW WITH YOU AND BIG SHIELD AND A STUPID SWORD YOU COULD REKT MANFROY DAMN IT

BECAUSE IT SAVED HER? I DON’T THINK SO

“ssh i can’t tell you but it’s important if you manage to survive long enough to find the hidden vault in Velthomer”

“HE’S GOING TO KILL ME ASAP”

“don’t worry about that”

Hopefully Arvis read the plot in advance!

Julia cries because her dad abandoned her to a certain death.

“you’re leading us to a cliff you know that?”

“in a certain manga someone has been able to swim through the silessian channel, so you can do it too!”

“That’s why you have to swim!” Eyvel drifted from Conote to Fiana, so you can do the same!

“i have faith in the crusader of Vala! Wait...”

Meanwhile, a child is concerned about his liege.

Daw, Alty takes care of this child. It’s so cute.

“Do you want a dragon ride? I’m sorry but we can’t do that in this game.”

OMG Alty’s going to have a res stat in the double digits!

I’d like to learn more about those spells that endanger the caster. Maybe casting without staves is dangerous?

Alty acts as a reponsible adult. She doesn’t want the sweet kid to die to save her.

Daw!

Alty helped him? Maybe when she hanged out with Hannibal or something, I’d like to see a pre FE-4-5 thing regarding Alty’s life. She’s made friends, managed to help a kid, spent quality Father-daughter time, etc... Eons away from the bleak life another manga tried to paint (i think it was LI?)

:’)

It makes it all the more heartbreaking when Cairpre decides to abandon Thracia to inherit his dad’s ancestral seat, if his dad had any. But in this verse Cairpre is Alec’s kid, so...

Safety first !

This was more heartwarming than I thought.

Ready steay go?

i implore of you make it so she doesn’t die to the first mage in the next map!

Seliph finally reaches the old man running away.

all i can to survive and he heads off to a cliff --> yay of course

It makes me think, Seliph most likely never saw the Tyrfing before. Maybe OIfey told him stories about his dad being even more op with Tyrfing?

i smuggled it - nope wrong divine sword!

I”ll finally be useful! Take that Cousin Leif!

Seliph’s surprised at his HW while Palmarch begs of him to end this chapter.

first of all, it’s not a return, because, just like Seliph pointed it earlier, he’s never been in Chalphy before. Secondly, what do you mean by endure?

Wrong Seliph! Julius’ still laughing at your silly sword, despite what the game wanted to do.

But Seliph can rekt Arvis now! Well, rekt is a bit presomptuous but...

Oldvis had been waiting for Seliph to come.

Ohoh, look at that pre-battle quote. Somehow, it feels forced - you called him courageous first, and now you’re calling him a worm? 

Of course Patty’s amazing. She will finally be able to promote in the next chapter!

Lene doesn’t like how this kid is surprised at seeing her here.

DASTARD

Meanwhile, after 20 turns of dodging, BS’ing and missing, Seliph finally kills his step-dad.

“Julia who?”

“lester if it is a prank i’m going to tyrfing you”

Seliph remembers someone he’s seen 17 years ago? Ameldha can’t say the same thing, in 20-ish years she forgot the face of her newborn :’(

“you know Shanan, Oifey and Aidean raised me”

“i don’t give a fig, bless F!Lewyn”

“you forgot Oifey and Shanan mom”

“of course i’m married to one of my friends! hey, praise me, i avenged dad and killed your second husband!”

? Seliph knows that Julius is his half-bro

“JULIA WHO”

“i forgot that you inherited sigurd’s dumbness - Julia doesn’t she look like me a bit? Has the same name as the imperial princess, my own daughter?”

“JULIA WHO”

Ohoh! Ghost!Siggy is here!

He isn’t the one to become arrogant, save for, maybe, killing Arvis. “i know, Shanan and Oifey and Aidean already made my education, you know?”

Arvis gave Palmarch the sword, Ghost!Siggy saw it from Ghost!Jugdral.

OMG Ghost!Siggy is a ghost of wisdom! “your truth is not the reality of all”, if only Siggy listened to this advice before turning into a ghost...

know the pain of the commons? You know, Seliph spent more time with the randoms than you did, Siggy, unless you’re talking about somehting else.

Note how Siggy asks Seliph to learn and to know about things, and how it is a contrast with what F!Lewyn has been doing to him since the beginning. Leif was allowed to learn and understand by August’s side, but when Seliph wanted to know and understand why the war in Thracia was crucial, F!Lewyn told him to return to Tirnanogue if he couldn’t continue to fight.

See you ghost!Deedee! Maybe you’ll appear to Julia one day - haha who am i kidding

stay humble my dad said

:’(

Chalphy has never been your home Seliph, and will never be. You’re supposed to go to Barhara! And I’ll smack you if you call this place your home when you were raised in Tirnanogue.

“ah yeah i nearly forgot my mom”

I HOPE YOU TURN INTO GOO JUST LIKE DUMA 

kill that guy/dragon, seriously, Julia’s been missing for nearly one chapter, he was supposed to be her caretaker, but he treat her like the punchline of Seliph’s romantic partner joke.

Ignoring the fact that, yes, Seliph is already married in this verse.

I really hope this changes in the remake

I WONDER WHY

“enough about julia, she’s starting to be important to the plot”

You feel Empty because vengeance sucks Seliph. Avenging Siggy isn’t the reason why set up on your quest, despite everything pointing in that direction. Seliph wanted to help the people, and wants to stop the child hunts.

The last map!

“I set up everything in advance for this big battle, crusaders vs crusaders. and julia is just a punchline lol”

The truth about dragons and crusaders or the truth about how i saved Jugdral’s messiah only to abandon her afterwards?

[imaflirtybonedskeleton-blog]

Hack Brawlhalla

I experienced how hassle-free it had been to commence actively playing Brawlhalla Coin Codes. |Chair Gathering is usually a local co-op method that allows up to three individuals. I'd positively highly recommend Brawlhalla Coin Codes, and do assume that it is paving a brand new journey inside the unit-predominant system mma fighter genre. The group of friends takes place white-colored-pigmented, then would have a look at yellow-colored, then red. With Brawlhalla Coin Codes I chosen a persona, executed all over with him in Arcade Style, and within twenty mere seconds I washed out myself utilizing a leap you can start society carrying out a hassle-free downwards invasion and for reasons unknown I couldn’t increase leap straight back to the field. You cannot arrange to turn off man or women machines, but planning on how several you will discover hanging all over it isn't that important for this concern. |form godmode code making use of the laptop. In Brawlhalla Coin Codes , every personality can evade beat and retaining wall rise to basic safety, Super Fellow form. collection, they are blessed! Whereas other godmode bots attempted to replicate the mechanics contained in Fantastic Smash Bros., nothing could actually success in close proximity an adequate amount of towards sign, usually on Personal computer. There's also health supplements you are able to get, together with bombs, spiked balls, and mines. |You can find at present 19 champions to choose from. There's two types of currencies inside the go shopping, in godmode code yellow gold in addition to a “real money” currency exchange called Large coins. Throughout the tale location you may have at least pointed out that there's a lore location. This is the time you are able to carry out a number of the absolute best brass from Brawlhalla Coin Codes individuals. Playable results take presctiption an per week rotation with 6 totally free of charge at any time, but they are often unlocked for good within-godmode code currency exchange. |presence bar your best motive could be to knock additional individuals or bots from tv screen the greater you obtain success the greater your knock once more meter fulfills up,the greater your knock once more meter fulfills within your more you obtain knocked once more,you've became a light invasion in addition to a strong invasion in addition to plenty of episodes and weapons and results,it may seem it's a great deal of like seriously smash bros you can definitely you merely contrast the 2 godmode bots as a group you will see that the godmode bots can vary in their own man or women way,every personality has diverse kinds of statistics wich you are able to alter all over a touch and 2 specialized weapons and plenty of a number of and specific episodes you may use,the episodes possess(gentle invasion,gentle areal invasion,strong invasion,strong areal invasion)and each one of them career differently depending in case your going or else,like must you complete a strong invasion whenever your going you complete a impose invasion you can definitely you merely stay yet still you complete a diverse kinds of form of invasion with regards to the personality. Moving towards the recreation is fairly hassle-free. Your personality has 5 standard steps, short invasion, strong invasion, organize, leap, and avoid. That could be a fact for Brawlhalla Coin Codes, as it seriously serves as a awesome godmode code, by means of a growing person bottom that showcases how hassle-free mechanics and well-cared shine, can produce a godmode code definitely stand out. |Immediately after grabbed, the product will get on the list of two weapons your personality is is targeted on. While you are bumped out 3 gatherings you happen to be out. It includes cut-throat godmode code engage in for those who plan to ponder there godmode bots model point more as well as folks who decide upon It's not difficult having a good time with acquaintances as they simply have added in a lobby provide to make sure that is simple available for you all to participate every one on. Whats up most people here's your pleasant local community game player representing you brawlahalla a two dimensional brawling godmode code on steam ahead of time get Primary,allow us to talk over the overall game engage in: the game boasts both the traditional an internet-built brawlng mayhem. |Valhalla. mythological Norse world existed on by individuals who transferred in marvelous eliminate. As with Smash Bros., the goods could be to nick off on the opponent’s presence and finally knock them into oblivion. I’m surprisingly excited to decide what's likely to be incorporated to farmville with long term future areas, subject material updates and, essentially, its extensive discharge.

[takebackthedream]

What Is the Purpose of School Choice? by Jeff Bryant

Another week, another round of evidence that providing parents with more “school choice,” especially the kind that lets them opt out of public schools, is not a very effective vehicle for ensuring students improve academically or that taxpayer dollars are spent more wisely.

The latest evidence comes from a study of the voucher program in Washington, DC that allows parents to transfer their children from public to private schools at taxpayer expense.

The study found that students “who attended a private school through the program performed worse on standardized tests than their public school counterparts who did not use the vouchers,” reports the New York Times.

This study adds to others – from Ohio, Indiana, and Louisiana – finding that school vouchers have negative impacts on students.

Despite these results, many proponents of school choice contend the purpose of school choice was never about generating better results. It’s about choice for choice’s sake.

Results Don’t Matter?

That seems to be what US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos argues in her reaction to the news about the apparent failure of the DC voucher program. As the Washington Post reports, the report prompted her to say, “When school choice policies are fully implemented, there should not be differences in achievement among the various types of schools.”

That reaction struck education historian Diane Ravitch as an implication that “results don’t matter.” As she writes on her personal blog,

If you parse this sentence, what she is saying is that when everyone chooses, none of the schools will be better than any others. They will all get the same results, even if they are dismal. The purpose of choice is choice.

Ravitch points to an op-ed in a local DC paper that argues the “while point” of choice is for parents to pick schools they believe to be “best” for their children, regardless of the nature of the school or the results of its program.

The writer compares education to breakfast cereal, arguing that some parents may prefer Cheerios while some prefer other brands. What’s the big deal?

This line of reasoning aligns with DeVos’s recent comments comparing schools to all sorts of consumer goods. As the Associated Press reports, in a recent address she made at an education technology conference, DeVos compared school choice to switching phone carriers.

“If you can’t get cell phone service in your living room,” she says, “you should have the option to find a network that does work.”

In another of her pronouncements about school choice, she compared education options to ride sharing apps like Uber and Lyft.

For anyone who’s been paying attention, DeVos’s remarks aren’t surprising.

Seven years ago, when a study of the school voucher program in Milwaukee came to a disappointing conclusion similar to the more recent studies mentioned above, it prompted Charles Murray –co-author of the eugenics-inspired treatise The Bell Curve – to respond, basically, “So what!”

Writing in the New York Times, he argued that results from the study of the Milwaukee program didn’t much matter. “Our children’s education is extremely important to us,” he wrote, “and the greater good doesn’t much enter into it.” (Point of irony: Murray argues against using test scores as meaningful measures of school performance, yet the title of his infamous book is a direct reference to how test scores are distributed on a graph.)

More recently, editors of The Economist ruminated over the DC voucher study and  concluded the negative results meant, “A parent with a voucher may increasingly think twice about using it. That is a good choice to have.”

The Ultimate Choice

All of this sounds just so sensible until you take into consideration that individuals don’t pay for public education; the taxpayers do. And the choices parents make about their children’s education don’t just affect their children; they have an impact on the whole community.

Businesses are free to create whatever demand they want in the marketplace, whether it’s for better-tasting food or for more convenient service, and how individuals choose to respond to those demands is of no concern to the greater public unless it endangers lives or infringes on freedoms. But the demand for education is a given, it’s universal, and it’s ultimately of interest to our whole society.

And no one has a right to Cheerios, interruption-free cellphone service, or a ride home from the bar. But everyone does have a right to an education.

Further, when you extend the argument of choice for choice’s sake out to its logical conclusion, you’re led to the conclusion parents should have the option to skip educating their children altogether.

Don’t laugh. A newly elected Representative in the Arizona legislature recently told a local news reporter, “The number one thing I would like to repeal is the law on compulsory education.

“Education used to be a privilege,” he laments. “Now we basically force it down everybody’s throats.”

His comments prompted education journalist Valerie Strauss to write on her blog at the Washington Post, “Compulsory education has a long history in this country, actually predating it… Education has long been seen not only as a personal ticket to a better life in this country but also as essential for the health of the democratic enterprise.”

Strauss quotes a columnist for the Arizona paper who, after reading the views of her state lawmaker, responded  “Oh the horror, of trying to create an educated citizenry.

Of forcing kids to actually learn something … Much better, I suppose, to let them stay home, ignorant and hungry and so not our problem. Until someday, when they are.”

Too Important For Choice

None of this is to say parents should have no education choices for their children at all.

But Carol Burris, a former award-winning New York school principal who now leads the Network for Public Education, makes an important distinction about choice in education in her recent commentary at the Washington Post.

“Public school choice programs, if carefully managed, can serve students well and/or promote a social good, she writes. “Privatized school choice, in contrast, is quite different. Privatized school choice is the public financing of private alternatives to public schools.” (emphasis original)

Burris goes on to explain that privatized school choice in many instances has led to negative consequences for the community, including crippling the funding of its local schools while enriching wealthy individuals and adding additional layers of administration and bureaucracy.

“We supported education with our tax dollars not to give individual children advantage,” she writes, “but to build a nation by teaching our children about the blessings of democracy in a publicly governed community school.”

Some things are just too important for choice.

In my recent conversation with progressive radio talk show host Rick Smith, he makes that interesting point in saying, “I don’t want choice.”

He argues that when he gets sick, he wants access to a qualified doctor with up-to-date facilities, and for his children’s education, he wants to know there’s going to be a school nearby with qualified teachers who have the resources they need.

“Why would I want a bad choice?” he asks.

Why indeed.