#but i feel like this is infinitely more enjoyable i love Flawed Characters

[utilitycaster]

thank you so much for your analysis on BH, Ive been thinking for ages that they seemed like the wrong fit for this particular campaign and it's nice to see that I'm not alone. It kinda baffled me that even knowing the crux of the campaign was going to be about the fate of the gods, Matt didn't like... just tell the cast that their characters opinion on divinity would be important?

I really feel like this plot needed more religious characters, even if they weren't outright clerics or paladins. The only one filling that role is Sam and while I love him and FCG his approach to religion seems kinda... cynical? shallow? Possibly just more focused on the goofs of it all. Which is a fine choice in a vacuum but god, what I wouldn't do for this party to have a Caduceus or even a Vax figure so it didn't feel like a bunch of agnostics were deciding the fate of religion.

So here's my opinion, and I've said this before: I agree that making characters who had a coherent, developed opinion on divinity before the campaign that was discussed as part of the character build is important...but I actually don't think it matters if there's no clerics or paladins or even religious characters. I also said this before: my ultimate problem, in the end, is not just the indecision but the fact that they're not even exploring indecision; they just are drifting through a narrative from which they feel disconnected. I as a person viewing the show think killing the gods is a dumb idea, but a campaign in which the characters confidently embraced an anti-god position and took actions in the service of that goal would be infinitely more enjoyable. I do not need characters to live out my personal values, because I do that in my real life, in the same way that I can enjoy characters who are vastly different than I in personality.

I think Keyleth is a fantastic example of both indecision as an actual conscious character trait (during Campaign 1) and a character who is not religious or even particularly respects the gods but who seems to have actually thought through the implications and made an assessment. Keyleth's analysis paralysis and fear of making a harmful decision or being hurt is the point of the character, and Marisha explores it directly during Campaign 1; it is ultimately what is holding Keyleth back from becoming the leader she needs to be, and working through it is the arc of her character. Avoidance or indecision is a fantastic character flaw to explore (Bellara in Veilguard is a recent example that's been on my mind) but it is a character flaw to be explored, and for the character to do something interesting with, and Bells Hells just...as I've said, drift. They keep going through open doors because they are there and never say "do I even want to go through this door? Why or why not?" and the entire purpose of a character in fiction, in my opinion, is to ask that question.

I actually pretty strongly disagree about FCG. I think they took a bit longer than I'd like to click but I actually found FCG's exploration of religion to be one of the deeper ones in the series. I think the party often disparaged it, and the fandom certainly did ("Fearne should make that stupid robot eat his own coin" will remain burned in my brain forever; I cannot take someone who said that as anything but a shriveled husk of a person unless they admit it was horribly mean-spirited and they regret it) but FCG is the rare member of Bells Hells who actually explored the concept of having autonomy and agency - that was his entire arc, actually - and to have this be told through embracing the god of chance and freedom, whom he learned about by chance, was a highlight of the campaign. I would strongly advise you reconsider seeing this as nothing but a bit; just because Sam tends to make a lot of dumb jokes doesn't mean he's not often telling a pretty profound story underneath, and this is a lesson it took me until this campaign to learn, to be honest. But I will say I don't think FCG being here now would fix things any more than Braius does, in part because the rest of the party looked down on faith but also didn't really condemn it. They just made vaguely unkind comments and continued doing fuck all. As my ask earlier today said, they didn't actually challenge each other; they just sort of passive-aggressively bitch. The point that many people made very early on, that Bells Hells has a veneer of cooperation and civility but lack the actual true bonds that only arise through working through conflict, remains true.

Getting back to it, I think the fact that NPCs who are not affiliated with the Prime deities nor Betrayer Gods and even struggle against them (Percy, Keyleth; the entire Kryn Dynasty; a massive number of entirely secular governments including the Clovis Concord, the remnants of the Cerberus Assembly, as far as I know the Marquesian governments, the Silken Squall) are unambiguously against Ludinus and the release of Predathos means that it's not the lack of clerics or paladins or everyday religious people. I don't care if agnostics decide the fate of the world, but DAMN those agnostics better have a fucking vision for what the world should be. I could talk at length about why I think killing the gods is a deranged and unrealistic solution to the problems the characters claim to think it will fix, but ultimately I don't even feel like the characters care about those problems. The titans are still going to be fucking dead, conquest and colonialism already exist within Exandria without the aid of any gods. Hell, Ashton's whole situation could be replicated precisely again in a world with no gods; and as the Ruidusborn were created by Predathos as keys to release it, I don't think there's a reason to have any more but I don't think that's really what Imogen was going for. It's the same kind of thing we call rapture culture among terminally online types: the idea that with one big act of violence you will usher in a new, better age. The idea that violent change is inherently for the better is infantile and utterly self-centered, as is the idea that putting off a choice until it becomes inevitable is anything other than selfish and stupid. I would rather the choice of the fate of the gods come from atheists who weren't infantile and self-centered and selfish and stupid than clerics and paladins who were. That's it.

[beifong-brainrot]

HI ANOTHER SUYIN BEIFONG FAN. god i love her. she is SELFISH she is UNDERSTANDING she HATES HER SISTER she CRAVES LIN'S SUPPORT BECAUSE BOTH OF THEM WERE EMOTIONALLY NEGLECTED she is a GOOD MOTHER she is SHORTSIGHTED WHEN IT COMES TO THE GREATER FLAWS WITHIN HER FAMILY she is a LEADER she is a SKILLED METALBENDER i want to squeeze her like a squeaky toy. anyways. thank u for defending her you're so right

Yeah Suyin is a very interesting character. I think more people would appreciate her if it weren't for the fact that they feel like they have to choose between her or Lin.

Suyin is one of those characters whose flaws make her infinitely more enjoyable and fascinating.

I think a lot of people treat Su as the "villain" of Lin's life, despite Suyin being equally traumatised by their upbringing

[tiffyfoundsomething]

I haven't had much to talk about lately as far as dolls or doll repair tools go because I've been busy with other things.

My S.O. has been playing Yakuza: Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth, though, and I have some thoughts.

Which is on sale right now for $40 on Amazon:

He's been playing on PS5. Since he's the one playing, I can't give much of an opinion on the combat system or item storage, etc.

I can say there are a ton of mini- and sub- games that he's enjoyed like a bottomless dungeon, an Animal Crossing-like island resort to take care of, baseball, card games, a Pokemon spoof, a dating game, and more.

The game references and mimics many other classic video game genres.

-

Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth is the first in the Yakuza series that he's played (he didn't even know about the series; I did but only from other people), and it was also conveniently a perfect place to hop into the franchise because you get a quick rundown of the games that lead up to this point. Even having not played Like a Dragon, the first in the Yakuza series to feature Ichiban Kasuga as the lead and a whole new battle system (it's now turn-based RPG style) and most of the characters already being established, Infinite Wealth makes sure you know who everyone is and how they're tied to Kasuga and Kiryu.

The Yakuza series is well known and well loved, and despite some heavy, emotional story the series doesn't take itself too seriously.

-

LaDIW looks really great. There is some disparity in quality between cinemas, cut scenes, and game play but that's normal.

Characters have individual facial hairs. There is texture in the clothing. For the most part the movements are fluid and natural, though at times they are stiff and weird. In-game animation has gotten worse as the game has gone on but the cinemas are consistently high-quality. I wonder if they were in a crunch for some segments, or if they used a different, lower quality studio for those parts.

-

The opening chapter is tedious. Cinema after cinema, they're long, they're awkwardly written, they go on and on and on long after the points has been made much like this sentence. If you can get through that, the rest is much more enjoyable.

I have noticed the ending cinemas are similar to the beginning in that they are awkward, keep going past the point being made, etc. That is a bit frustrating.

The English voice acting is..... I wouldn't say it's great, but it's ok. Sometimes it's really obvious when one V.A. is doing multiple voices and that can disrupt immersion. Seunhee likes to hiss her S's at the end of sentences and that gets under my skin. That's just a me, thing, though.

-

The characters are dynamic, flawed, and very lovable. It's easy to feel like you're hanging out with a bunch of your friends, experiencing the same things they are, together.

There is a lot of melancholy in their individual stories. Illness, unrequited love (tons of unrequited love), taking responsibility, letting go of the things they want in order to help the people they love.

They are also mostly in their 40's which makes them a little easier for me to relate to.

I am old.

-

There is a bit of misogyny in the game.

The male characters have skin texture, scruff, wrinkles, eyebags, and flaws while the female characters are all flawless, smooth, and generally younger.

There are 3 playable women and 7 playable men.

Male characters get jobs like cowboy, chef, breakdancer, and surfer, while the female characters get jobs like maid, dominatrix, and idol singer. There is no overlap, men don't get to be maids and women don't get to be chefs, for example. The men also get a lot more jobs than the women do.

There is a lot of ~younger woman interested in oblivious older man~ going on, too.

Everyone is equally capable, though, and all of the characters are treated as equals by the other characters.

-

Without spoiling anything, some features and activities do become redundant due to how the game is set up (you'll see). Like you'll go to Location A and do something, then go to Location B and.... do it again.

-

All in all we've both really enjoyed it, and I'm dreading the game ending because we've enjoyed the experience so much.

[petrichoraline]

hiiii <3 what are your all time favorite bls and why? i need to fill up my to-watch list asap

oh, this ask made me ecstatic to the point i considered one of my moots sent it cause they know giving recs makes me happy 😄

what I'd constitute as faves isn't necessarily what i would usually recommend, to moots i mostly suggest shows and movies that i find unique in some way and that have left a good impression on me like i will knock you, kimi no koto dake mite itai, word of honor, fukou kun, the untamed, docchi mo docchi, seven days, itsay, msp, vice versa etcetcetc. it's not necessarily about perfect writing or acting even, it's about the piece of media provoking either lots of thoughts, emotions or both, having at least one unique trait i associate with it and just being enjoyable despite (or because of) its flaws! so that's the type of media i usually enjoy sharing with others.

now, it's infinitely easier for me to give recs based on any other criteria but "my personal faves" is such a subjective category (that im not even sure exists) that i had to cheat a bit - i went off of what couples make me go feral, what emotions the show title evokes and if i've revisited certain scenes. i don't do full rewatches for the most part but i sometimes go back to watch the main couples (the exception being waantul in between us, i know their scenes a hundred times better than winteam's lol) and most of the shows listed here have been revisited at least once 😗

Love Is Science? - NOT a bl, the pair in question are the second couple; i personally went through every episode looking for their scenes and then went through the cut on yt (and rightfully so, quite a few scenes were missing in that); i'm recommending you smth this inconvenient because i love Mark and Ou Wen so much. their personalities (they have personality for daysss), the chemistry (the hanger scene), their love and support for each other make me giddy. they carry their part so well you don't need much else, just watching them interact is enough. going through gifs now i got reminded of just how amazing the development of their relationship is to me. they're a delight and a half, enjoy them flustering each other 💖

To My Star Season 2: Our Untold Stories - now, i'm aware you have to see s1 first but when it comes to who makes me go feral, it's definitely Seojoon and Jiwoo and this happened mostly because of season 2, i didn't care for them much originally. this season explored an aspect of relationships i don't think i've seen explored anywhere else in a way that makes me still get in my feels whenever anything bout the show comes across my dash. it's angsty but so worth it. my boys have intense personal issues and even more intense love for each other, their personalities, way of thinking and chemistry are fascinating to me. the cuteness mixed with the heavier plot, the pacing, the smart writing, it's so nice. side note, binging both seasons at once wouldn't be that big of a challenge timewise in case you don't want a breather in between 😊 (gif from s1 because you can't watch them separately anyways)

Kieta Hatsukoi - a sweet light romcom for the most part, very entertaining, all of the characters are soo loveable, one of my all time fave girls in bl is here and she's everything <3 in regards to manga accuracy, the main events are all there but the order is all switched around yet the story still makes perfect sense! it's funny, it's sweet, Aoki and Ida are such an interesting pair and it's lovely seeing them figure out how to navigate this unexpected relationship

We Best Love: No. 1 For You - it's such a must watch! the passion these two have for each other and the chemistryyy will make you overlook the sheer absurdity of some of the plot; i also loved the 2 season format where the second season feels well planned, it's almost like one whole season cut in half. the emotional journey that Shu Yi and Shi De go on is so (melo)dramatic but also very touching because Sam and Yu act those emotions OUT, it's a pleasure just watching them interact (also Shu Yi is one of the few brats i adore dearly and i think it's not only because of the writing but Yu's incredible portrayal of the character)

Bad Buddy - i wasn't able to appreciate it for its wit because it was basically my first thai bl, i had no idea what expectations it was defying. nevertheless, i fell in love with it because it stands so well on its own! it's very funny, heartbreaking at times (reading analyses and meta on here made me realise how heavy the premise actually is) and insanely romantic (it caters to my idea of romance so well, the pining and protectiveness and flirting and devotion and-); also Pat and Pran have some amazing communication and mutual understanding, their bond is truly endearing and makes my heart ache if i think about it a bit too long

KinnPorsche - when it comes down to it, i am a very basic person. this show is just a ride, you gotta watch it for the pure entertanment value. there's always smth happening, that's for sure 😄of course chemistry, ofc handsome men all over the place yadayada but it'd be just that if not for the insane plotlines and humour, if you just accept that anything goes, you can have a blast with this show (but also hurt beautiful men finding comfort and love in a world of pain and betrayal>>)

Where Your Eyes Linger - though I can't make myself rewatch the heavier scenes, i love this one, the premise, the execution, it's all to my taste, the longing between these two is palpable (side note: i was getting emotional while searching for a gif but a bunch of the results were porn gifs so i was taken out of my feels multiple times lmao)

Utsukushii Kare - I'm way more normal about them now than before but this show truly makes you feel so many things, it's so smart and fantastic. Hira and Kiyoi's journey is beautiful and it embodies what i love seeing from japan's productions. they're just two lovely guys who are perfect for each other and shouldn't be let anywhere near the dating pool ❤️

Semantic Error - man, i love me some enemies to lovers, especially when both leads are Fools™️ for each other. the humour and pacing, the colourful side characters, Jaeyoung's charisma, his determination contrasting Sangwoo's inner battle..and, I know I'm becoming repetitive, the chemistry! there's a reason my guys won awards js

The End of the World with You - this show drove me insane, it's more of a one-time watch imo but i'm saying this because I was very focused on the main couple and they were what kept me watching (plus the suspense of course); it's a heavy heavy premise with the most controversial couple on this list but somehow it felt very light and exciting for the most part. I think their unconventional surroundings account for it, you don't get the typical chaos an apocalyptic show would display, it kind of feels calm even and it allows you to focus on the interpersonal relationships between the characters rather than on the expected terrors. the show fascinated me with the amazing acting and the dynamic between Ritsu and Masumi, I have a special spot for them <33 (no photo cause the limit was reached lol)

because deciding on faves is hard i'll leave this list at 10 shows, consider these just 10 of the many shows that are important to me in some way 💓

hopefully i suggested mostly things you haven't seen yet (though I went quite basic) <3 i need to know what you think of the shows, okay? and in case they don't do it for you (or, even better, they do and you come to trust me lol) feel perfectly welcome to send me some info about what you (don't) enjoy in terms of genre, tropes, episode length, actors etc.etc. and i'll dive into my lists hahah, it's super fun for me 💗

[wolfreader]

october 2024 wrap-up - young adult fiction

this month i read five (5) young adult novels and one (1) young adult novella.

we unleash the merciless storm by tehlor kay mejia 📖 🌟🌟🌟

in what is beginning to be a trend with young adult duologies i've finished lately, this was enjoyable but simply not as good as the first book. there's not a lot i can say about my specific problems with the book without spoilers, and i don't want to spoil it as i still think the series is good.

in a very general sense it felt very disconnected from the events of the first book. rather than feeling like a natural continuation of we set the dark on fire, the events of we unleash the merciless storm felt like a tangentially related story with the same characters. part of that is due to a change in perspective from dani (the pov character of the first book) to carmen (her love interest). and i understand that, given the events of the first book, having carmen's persepective feels somewhat necessary in order to remain invested in her as a character, but it did not help with the feeling that this is a separate story.

i rarely say this, especially about young adult, but i feel like this would have benefited from being a longer series. at the very least, a trilogy.

belladonna by adalyn grace 📖 🌟🌟🌟🌟

consider this a very low four star. there are some things i think adalyn grace does very well, and some things i think she fumbled.

belladonna has a really great atmosphere. while it certainly has all the expected trappings of a young adult romantasy, i think grace nails a toned-down version of the classic victorian gothic novel. it helps give the book a compelling atmosphere even in the parts that feel a little tired.

my main issue is the relationship between signa (the main character) and death. i understand that he's an ageless entity, but given that he has been actively watching over her since she was a literal infant, having him be interested in her romantically at all is incredibly strange. i think their dynamic would have been infinitely more interesting if it were parental or just generally mentor / protege rather than romantic.

most ardently by gabe cole novoa 📚 🌟🌟🌟

this is a retelling of pride and prejudice in which lizzie bennet is a trans man named oliver. if i'm referring to the events of the original novel, i will use "lizzie" and she/her pronouns, while if i'm referring to the events of most ardently, i will use "oliver" and he/him. just to clear up any confusion as i will be comparing most ardently to the original novel.

as a story, cute. as a pride and prejudice retelling, uninspired. the biggest fumble was making oliver and darcy get along right off the bat. the lasting appeal of pride and prejudice is the slow burn nature of lizzie and darcy's romance - if you're going to take out the central element of the enemies-to-lovers romance, why even make a p&p retelling in the first place? i should not be having cutesy romantic scenes before we're even halfway through.

in the same vein, having oliver immediately dislike wickham was a mistake. i mean, if he's going to get along with darcy and hate wickham right away, what's even the fucking point. why are we here. lizzie's simultaneous dislike of darcy and affection for wickham is the source of most of the drama in pride and prejudice. the entire point of the title is that it describes the main flaws of the two leads - darcy is pride and lizzie is prejudice. she makes snap judgements about people and holds onto those judgements for a very long time.

i think most ardently would have benefited a lot from being an original regency romance that is simply inspired by p&p rather than being a direct pride and prejudice retelling.

also i swear to god... why the hell did we get a fucking tightlacing scene in a book set in regency england? i understand that it's a dream sequence meant to emphasize oliver's dysphoria, but i feel that there are much more regency-period-appropriate symbols of femininity and oppression that fucking tightlacing. the popular silhouette of the regency era didn't even require tightlacing.

mysteries of thorn manor by margaret rogerson 📚 🌟🌟🌟🌟

this was cute! elisabeth and nathaniel's relationship was one of my favorite elements of sorcery of thorns; they present themselves as being cool and collected but with each other they're just dorky teens with crushes and i think that's really cute.

loved everything about silas in this as well.

threads that bind by kika hatzopoulou 📚 🌟🌟🌟🌟

one of the most original and inspired greek mythology derivatives i've read, especially in young adult. i suppose it makes sense given that kika hatzopoulou is actually greek.

the limitations on what gods can pass powers onto their descendants and the specific requirements that must be met for the powers to work are very interesting to me. in fact, i think it makes it more interesting than a world where you can expect anyone you encounter to have magical powers. excited to read the sequel and learn more about this world.

the guinevere deception by kiersten white 📖 🌟🌟🌟🌟

this is my second attempt to read this - back in high school i picked it up from the library and genuinely could not get past the third chapter. i don't know what was wrong with it or with me, i just hated it for some reason. but, i'm older and wiser now, my second hand bookstore had a copy for like three bucks, and i had store credit and nothing to read.

and this second time around i actually quite enjoyed it! very fun take - guinevere is a very interesting character. i think kiersten white does a good job at having her be very capable and competent while making it clear that she is still a sheltered teenage girl. the mystery surrounding her and her origins is very compelling.

that being said, changing mordred's origins to have him and arthur be around the same age was clearly only done for the sake of haing a bad boy morallly grey love interest to contrast with the good boy righteous king love interest. i can see where this is going from a mile away, which is a little boring. and what is even the point of genderswapping lancelot if they're not even going to be gay?

[therealricksanchezpleasestandup]

Ah screw it, i'm not sending this as an anon this time for ya.

Honestly yeah with roiland out of the picture the show certainly feels better from bits i've seen. There are certainly some episodes I hope they just... never acknowledge again or whatever. I understand things being messed up is a form of humor but doing it way too much just kills interest.

...So if i had to compare Rick and Morty to something, it'd be Borderland 2 for me. Because it feels like the main humor in that game boils down to "Hey isn't this fucked up? Isn't that funny?" "Hey these characters are all a bit messed up, isn't that hilarious?" And there's no counter done to balance that out at all. They just keep stacking that over and over and by the time I was doing the DLCs for the game with friends I felt dead in a sense. I no longer cared for the characters or the world cause the game kept hammering at me: "Hey, they're all fucked up in some way, and your characters are too. Isn't it funny?"

There are still enjoyable bits in the previous seasons and stuff. But yeah, it's easy for me to get sick of the "Fucked up, laugh at it" humor these days I guess. Maybe I just care about characters and stuff too much and too easily.

We don't talk about the giant baby episode.

I too also care about the characters a lot. It's what I love most about the series and what I choose to focus on. I think season 3 was peak for me with Summer finally being a more active member in the Rick and Morty crew. God, that felt so good.

Rick and Morty for me had such a good narrative storytelling that I think was dumbed down quite a bit in the later seasons. I really wanted it to be more of something that could teach life lessons.

Nobody belongs anywhere, nobody exists on purpose, everybody's going to die. Come watch TV.

Hit me deep. I miss that era. I cling onto it in my writing. I cling onto character development, relationships, and whatever else in my writing. I love Rick, and I can't let him go. For better or for worse, I'm emotionally invested in him and am determined to bring my perspective to the table. We're flawed, we're fucked up, we're just doing our best. We hurt others we care about, we learn to do better. We're human. We laugh, we cry, and if one thing remains consistent throughout any potential fuckery of infinite dimensions, we always love.

[nightwings-robin]

the last issue of Young Justice: Targets is out now on amazon and DC Universe Infinite. and a free version here.

this very well may be the last we ever see of Earth-16.

I think back to around this exact day six years ago when it was announced that YJ was finally renewed for a 3rd season after it had been canceled in 2012.

I have to say I was really disappointed in season 3 for a number of reasons. I didn't like that they had the team members lying and keeping secrets from each other when they already learned in season 2 not to do that. it just felt like rehashing previous themes. I found season 4 much more enjoyable but it did still have some flaws, mainly some characters being sidelined in their own arcs.

I'm going to pour my heart out a little bit here but only because this is likely the end of the yjtv universe and I have to say just how much this show really meant to me, especially about 10 years ago. it first aired when I was 14 and I was pretty depressed back then. I've talked about this in these posts from several years ago: here, here, and here. the point is that I was sad and lonely when the show first came out and watching it made me feel less alone. I had suicide ideation and I remember thinking to myself "I can't kill myself because then I'll miss the new episode of Young Justice" which I know is sad but that's just how I was back then. the show literally saved by life. I'm in a much better place now mentally (no longer in high school at least).

I fully admit that I have on rose-colored glasses when it comes to this show. I mean I just criticized season 3 but I do still have a lot of love for this show, especially season 1. but I'm not going to pretend like it's loyal to the comics in the slightest. like I totally understand that a lot of people don't like yjtv because of how different the characters, relationships, and back stories are. I totally understand not liking it because it's definitely not an adaptions of the 1998 Young Justice comic run (which is a crying shame because that run deserves a faithful animated adaptation).

but it's the show that got me into DC Comics! I was into Marvel when I was younger and yjtv is the first DC property that I ever really got attached to. (I had seen bits and pieces of Shumacher's Batman and Robin movie and also the Teen Titans Trouble in Tokyo movie but that's about it as far as DC stuff I was familiar with back then) so the Young Justice animated show does hold a special place in my heart for that reason. it inspired me to watch Batman the animated series, Batman Beyond, and Justice League/Unlimited. I don't know if I ever would have really gotten into DC as much as I did if I had never watched yjtv at that critical time in my life as a teenager. it's strange to think just how different my life might have been if I had never watched it. or maybe my life wouldn't have been any different at all. who knows. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I still just have a lot of love for the show despite all of its many flaws but some of the flaws are kind of hard to ignore. idk I feel like I'm rambling. I don't know where I'm going with this but I am having some feelings about this probably being the last Earth-16 thing we ever get to see. I was sad when HBO didn't pick it up for a 5th season but maybe it's for the best.

let's just say there's a reason why my blog description is what it is: "yj helped me not kill myself 10 years ago so now I feel the need to continue praising it even though it doesn't warm my heart the same way that it used to and it genuinely hurts to admit that."

(but also I do actually kind of really want that season 5 and beyond so like please renew it warner bros please)

[lunarlagomorph]

Ok this time i actually wrote out what i thought of tsukihime. Im readmoring both for spoilers and length

First off, kohaku's route: really incredible and the way it builds off hisui's route flips a lot of things that seemed innocent on your head, and makes you pay attention to the parts of the plot you already know to understand what Kohaku is really doing and feeling. A good example of this is when Kohaku cuts her finger while cooking and says she can just imagine her hand as a doll hand; in hisui's route this comes across as weird and having more to it, obviously, but knowing exactly what she means makes it a lot sadder to hear.

In general, I think that's one of Tsukihime's strengths you are essentially hearing the same story multiple times, but it manages to recontextualize everything each time and never gets too boring. Certainly there is the difference between the near and far side routes, as well as among the routes themselves, but even those have so many similarities due to shiki's (and SHIKI's) backstory, shiki's connection to the killer, etc. But the timing of the reveals, what shiki does and doesn't know, and a bunch of other things keep the same information feeling fresh, and really lets the game explore all sides of the characters relationships.

Though btw that does remind me why is roa just. Not in the second half? Did he not reincarnate as SHIKI in those? We see Arcueid is in town so one imagines she is here to kill roa. I mean she could just be here to kill the vampire serial killer (SHIKI) but if thats the case she does a real shit job lol. It wasnr that bothersome but it was a little weird to have zero explanation about a major change to backstory.

Anyways i think the near side routes were fine, and arcueid and ciel are both really interesting, fun characters (though i liked arcueid infinitely more) but they definitely lacked the emotional depth the far side routes had. Honestly i knew id like kohaku and hisui as much as i do but i didnt expect to grow to love Akiha as much as i did. It is unfortunate her character is a bit weighed down by nasu's incest fetish or whatever was up with that but pushing past the weird stuff that i think she ended up my favorite character.

And pushing past the weird stuff is like. Required to read tsukihime. Though i will say the sex scenes were very easy to skip thanks tk nasu having specific music for sex lol.

I think besides the weird stuff, though, Tsukihime's major flaw is just the weakness of its themes and symbolism. Which is fine; it more than makes up for that in terms of character depth as well as entertainment quality. But after reading umineko, for example (wow bringing up umineko who would have thought) i really took away a lot of meaning and it's still something i think about in terms of symbolism and themes to this day. The lessons Tsukihime teaches are "killing is bad" and "being nice and forgiving people is good" from what i could tell (though as i let it simmer in my brain i may changs my mind) and those are the same themes as like. Stevens university lol. Again it does a grest job bringing emotional depth to shiki's decision to choose kindness and fight against his nanaya blood or what-not, it just didnt feel like i walked away a changed person like with umineko and similar works. All this does is stops it from being my favorite thing ever, but it was still really enjoyable. I don't do numeric ratings but i think id put this somewhere above steins;gate, and then lowered a bit to account for the fact that nasu was way too horny and way too weird. Which btw i loved steins gate so that means i really loved tsukihime.

Random other thoughtz:

Route ranking:

Hisui=Kohaku > Akiha > Arcueid > Ciel

Character Ranking:

Akiha > Arcueid > Hisui > Kohaku > Ciel >>> inui > yumizuka > nvnsqr chaos > SHIKI > roa(i guess).

This makes me feel mean ranking kohaku so low but honestly all of the route characters were incredible so its not that i didnt like her.

Oh right what the hell was up with sensei i thought shed be a part of the plot. Idk if its sequel bait or what but i was a little annoyed lol.

Ok i think thats it. Im sure no one read this lol but if u did thx

[esoscreenshots]

What are your impressions of Blackwood are you enjoying it or is it lack luster for you?

I've been hearing a lot of mixed opinions on it-- I definitely am seeing a lot more criticism and irritation with Blackwood than with Greymoor. I warn you I have not started the main quest, done any of the public dungeons, the trial, or entered the major cities. (When I adventure in a new zone, I usually do world bosses/anchors/storms first, then delves & delve quests, then public dungeons, then areas of interest e.g. cities, pathfinder spots, crafting places, then squeeze out as much as I possibly can from every location, then do the main questline.)

Under the cut since this might get long? Also spoilers for minor quests.

COMPANIONS:

I think the companions system is great-- definitely a little grindy, and I have not seen a single piece of companion gear in my adventures so far-- but both of the characters are incredibly endearing. It's a lot more fleshed out than I thought it would be in terms of abilities, but there's only one other character to manage beside yourself, so it's not overwhelming. Costume and mount customization was nice, and I definitely did not expect it. The commentary they deliver is varied enough and I genuinely feel great when I unlock special dialogue-- I've ulted many times, and once Bastian said something to the effect of "Huh! Show-off!" and I've been smiling thinking about it ever since.

PERFORMANCE/MINUTIA:

Performance is fine; I've been stuck on one infinite loading screen, but other than that, I've had no issues with performance. There are a few occasional dev issues like spelling mistakes or missing map geometry, but they're banging these zones out like lightning and the pandemic is on, so it's understandable a few things get through the cracks.

COLLECTABLES:

I really hate the tapestry collectable so far. There are, as far as I'm aware, no hints or riddles to where they are, and they're usually in far-flung obscure corners of the map. I've only found three legitimately so far. I really wish it was more like Summerset/Wrothgar/Murkmire and you get a little riddle for each piece. Please let me know if there IS one and I've just missed it and then I'll totally remove this point.

(As an aside, I think the zones for finding the digging spots are way too big in some maps, though this one isn't as bad as I've seen. But like, damn, it should not take me five minutes of painstakingly combing the landscape to find the spot! Especially with all the perks in play! It's a weird/frustrating difficulty spike versus the ease of the divination and the digging minigame.)

ENVIRONMENT:

The environment is really nice. Seeing a return of old Argonian plants make a return alongside new animals and features was pretty cool. I do not care for Imperials (they're pretty close to Bretons as my least-favorite ES race), but even so, the interweaving of architectures and cultures has had... an interesting effect on the landscape. It's kind of cool to see wooden buildings and stone intermesh, and seeing how the landscape blends. I think it's cool. I also like the continuation of the Grapple Bow as a game mechanic. Nothing makes me feel as bad-ass as leaping over a cliff's edge to my certain doom only to grapple to my safety.

MINOR QUESTS:

The minor quests I have done I really enjoyed. The one where one of Hermaeus Mora's servants was desperately trying to escape into the real world, plus the intrigue of the sleepy town's mystery (and adventuring with Alchemy!) was really nice and had me on the edge of my seat entertained. The return of the Blackfeather Court was much enjoyed and I forgot how much I liked the Duke. The "brother was transformed into a pig" bit was also hilarious. Interacting with Nocturnal after thwarting her plans previously was... interesting. There are probably other things I'm forgetting, but I've mostly found the writing and premise of the minor quest to be a cut above those we got previously.

(I really want to advance in the Bog Dog quest, but I don't know how and I don't want to look it up until I'm really, really done with the zone and I still haven't found it.)

QUANTITY:

I've been impressed with the amount of content, though I've seen many who were disappointed or irritated that it was only "eight hours of content" and moved on once they were finished. I've gone through eight hours myself and I haven't touched any of the main story, public dungeons, dailies, 75% of the quests, and probably about half the delves. Granted, this is from the idiot who spent 80 hours in Vvardenfell when they were starting out, so, grain of salt, perhaps. I can easily see 20-30+ hours of content in this expansion. That does fall shy of my usual "a dollar per hour of enjoyment" for most video-games, but whatever; either during the next ESO trial I'll play the second expansion for free and make up the loss, or I'll find something to do. Maybe I'll play through with another character-- I have a Redguard who would really like Mirri.

VERDICT:

Negatives: The fucking tapestry haunts my dreams. Companions are maybe a little grindy in terms of level-up, and their weapons are difficult to get.

Neutrals: I have no idea if the story is any good, or if the dungeons are any interesting. Performance can sometimes be an issue, but othertimes run as smooth as butter.

Positives: I love the companion system, the commentary, the rapport system, etc. The side-quests are fun and interesting so far, and the return of the grapple bow makes my heart happy.

Overall: Got some flaws. Could possibly be considered overpriced given the amount of content, depending on how much you want to play. I think it was worth my forty bucks- I’ve been enjoying it, anyway- and that maybe the whingers might be bandwagoning.

I could feel differently if the main story turns out badly, though...

[kaibutsushidousha]

What's your yugioh series ranking and why

1) Zexal: This one is mostly because of how enjoyable the Barians were as a villain group, but the Tron family was no slouch either. Now that I think about it, the Barians are pretty comparable to FGO's Crypters in their plot position and in-group dynamic. Not sure what to feel about Vector being Beryl. Anyways, back to Zexal, Yuma is another strong suit of it, as I love the infinitely forgiving brand of protagonist, though it's a shame he neglected to extend his hand to Don Thousand, too. It's far from flawless, as the Doraemon parody guys have no place in the story and it gets too silly in killing off and reviving its entire cast, but it still takes the top because all other Yugiohs are also huge messes.

2) 5D's: While Zexal wins in consistency, as its two halves feel like parts of the same whole, 5D's disconnected parts are both really good (if you consider that the second half only really starts with the first Aporia duel). The Dark Signers arc is excellent in making almost all conflicts really personal and, unpopular opinion, Z-One is still an excellent final boss even with the twist.

3) DM: Usually the first entry is the hardest to comment on because the later entries all follow up on what it established, but DM is a weirdly different case. The Doma arc is very in tune with the Yugioh standard, but the manga adaptation arcs feel like an entirely different series when I think back to them. Funny how that works. Even more unpopular opinion now, but I like Doma a bit better. Like with the Dark Signers arc, it makes every duel personal, and it digs a lot on the character flaws established by the manga arcs.

4) VRAINS: Incredibly dry series with an incredibly meh cast aside from a few outliers like Ai, Ryouken, and Spectre. But its final arc is a gigantic saving grace and made Ai probably my second favorite character in the whole franchise.

5) GX: Judai is the franchise's best protagonist. The other dimensions arc is brilliant and was successful in pretty much everything it tried to accomplish. And I mentioned in Zexal's section, every single Yugioh is a mess. But! GX is simply too much of a mess, even for this series' messy standards.

6) Arc-V: It takes a lot of effort to make me dislike the circus-themed story pack full of circus-themed characters, but Kamishiro poured that much effort into making Arc-V's mid to late game plot just that unenjoyable. I was already iffy on Zarc since Yuya first got off his rocker in the Kachidoki duel, but I had no idea the character would end up as this much of a plot-consuming behemoth, to the point all that I cared about in the show. Dennis, Sawatari, and Yusho are my favorite character probably because they were the ones who managed to get out of the Zarc ordeal with some dignity still remaining.

Unranked) SEVENS: I'm some 8 episodes late on this one, but I'm very mixed on this one, probably due to it being so wildly different from everything Yugioh has been thus far. It has an easily likable cast, interesting character work on the side, and very clever foreshadowing, but gets repetitive with the villain goals, never gets serious about exploring Goha's clearly present dictatorship, and suffers a lot from its fixed 13-episode arc format.

[vidalinav]

Hi! I love your vision about the Acotar characters and I wanted to see the opinion of someone else on a thought I've been keeping on my mind. Well, in acosf it was clear that Nesta had no idea of the mating bond, but, I think we can all agree that Cassian knew it, he said that to her after she refused to acknowledge that they were mates. Anyway, the question I keep running on my mind is: if there wasn't a mating bond at all, would Cassian fall in love with Nesta? Does he only wanted to be with her because of this attraction? Or even better: does Cassian only got attracted, fell in love, with Nesta because of the effects of the mating bond? Their feelings towards each other only exist because of the mating bond? I like to think that no, that they really started to falling in love when they start to get to know each other, but it's hard to have any arguments to prove it. We haven't a lot of moments of them making their feelings pretty clear. It got a bit of confused to me. Seems just the mating bond talking sometimes and it feels like they wouldn't be together without it. Idk, I want some opinions here hahahah

Wow, okay. Flattered that you want my opinion of this. I love receiving anons.

I'd say on a surface level it boils down to how much you are convinced of their romance, because mating bonds don’t mean anything contextually. I’ll explain. 

Many people are not convinced of the romance, which is why a lot of people don't care too much for Cassian. A lot of other people like Cassian but either choose to ignore many narratively weird things he does or how he works in "Nesta's story" (putting quotation marks since he is a dual pov) or categorize it as his "flaws." My own stance is that I can admit that Cassian can and should have flaws, but what his flaws were to what they are now are not as complicated or complex as they were prior to acofas. It's infinitely more interesting to read about how Cassian wants Nesta but perhaps doesn't want to admit it for fear of rejection, fear of how things are going to change regarding Mor and Azriel, fear of just being loved and not knowing how that feels. Change is scary. And in acowar, I LOVED that push and pull. That I can't resist you, but I also don't want to admit it. That I'm going to show you a thousand ways I love you, but it's intimate and quiet and sacred and right now it's a secret that I don't want to tell anyone, you know that I’m going to take my hand away when Mor gets in the room circumstance. It fit so much his dynamic of being the comedy relief, the other characters maybe not taking him seriously or what he does, and then also playing this buffer, you know because all of this is a mask or one facet of him, and Nesta's standoffishness was a mask as well and merely one facet of her. It was a beautiful thing, this idea that they could see each other and wanted to see each other, protect each other, not being able to stay away. The potential for that was amazing, because it integrated both romance and potential character development. A mating bond didn’t matter at this point, though we speculated. But even if they didn’t have one, we knew the connection was set in stone. 

In acosf, it really was a let down, because we learn Cassian can't really see Nesta, and doesn't really understand her or put effort into knowing what she's going through. He puts effort in some areas, but motivations are questionable and the areas he puts effort in are questionable. Which is so odd, when you think of the fact that this is the guy who is the only one who validates what Nesta went through in the cauldron, that "her body was violated. It stopped belonging entirely to her." The one who kept coming back over and over, who couldn’t stay away. Before acofas, I'd say 100% the mating bond didn't matter. They might of had one, but that was not what their romance was based on. It was deeper than any frilly bond that any one and everyone does have.

So I agree both with people who think he's horrible and those who don't think he's horrible and is very sweet, and this makes all the difference to “is the romance fulfilling or not?” Which then segments this notion of the mating bond. The mating bond doesn’t make the relationship. The relationship makes the mating bond. Unfortunately, I'm going to once again mention that SJM wrote this story weird, where there's a lack of grey but a heavy amount of black and white. That's how I'm going to explain it. Because there was so much of two different extremes and no meeting in the middle. The push and pull was gone or maybe reduced to the sexual aspect of their relationship, but I say even that is not a push and pull because they aren't really fighting against their relationship. It's a very shallow push and pull, rather it seems that SJM wants to say there's a push and pull but that actual problems within their relationship have everything to do with how characters are perceived particularly Nesta, rather than conflicts within their narratives and their relationships with other people. It wasn’t about Cassian and his insecurities, and it should have been at the same time, because he was grappling them when he didn’t go to Nesta, when he pulled his hand away, when she laid her body over his and then spent weeks healing without any acknowledgment of that moment by her. It was all about Nesta's reputation, their opinion of her and her opinion of herself, and the readers’ opinion, and changing this stance. I can't say that it was really about anything else at the core. It certainly was not a healing arc. It was not her discovering her powers. It was not even about her training or making friends. That is what I will remember of it, but it wasn’t the main recurring theme. It wasn’t even involving Nesta’s own internal monologue beyond her self criticism and changing this to appreciation. Personal thoughts are way more complicated than this, even if people relate. Cassian could have had a better and more thorough narrative that could’ve sold me completely on this romance. We get action that we can equate to emotion yes, but we don’t get true emotional integrity and this makes romance iffy, because romance is 100% about emotion and how people fee. It’s the problem with show don’t tell. It cannot be all show and no tell.

So regarding the mating bond, I don't really think it matters. I wouldn't think too much about it, because in a text, even without the use of a mating bond, the author would show some "fated" connection to two people, that of course may extend cosmic levels if we're being romantic. We don't have to label it mating bond when two people have some connection, but a mating bond works the same way in this series regarding romance. Mating bonds don't mean anything and I say this because there's no clear rules as to what they are and what they do. Characters can reject mates, the cauldron doesn't get them right all the time "theoretically," they don't mean relationships will last, they sometimes are great, they might mean only strongest offspring. It's basically SJM saying hey this literally doesn't mean anything, but know that this relationship is special for some reason but who knows really, especially now that all my mains have them or will have them. Ultimately, it’s mating bonds are decided by the mates in question. (rolls eyes) What you need to be convinced on is the romance, and are you convinced?

It's something I'll never be able to answer contextually with acosf, because that book was a hot mess. I'd spend hours writing about every way that it is, but I have fics to write and that's more enjoyable.

(edited)

[arctasy]

dsmp hot take? ish?

i think analyzing lore from a perspective of understanding a character is infinitely more interesting than arguments over who was right or wrong. don't get me wrong, i do love a good morality discussion every once in a while, but it easily becomes repetitive and mentally draining because at the end of the day, people will always have different moral compasses, the discussion will devolve into a moral superiority contest at some point, and there isn't really much you can do about it.

analyzing with the intention of cracking open a character's brain and sticking it under a microscope, however, is one hell of a fun ride. i get to take a character and poke 'em with a stick trying to figure out why are you like this. i get to come to understand their motivations, their flaws, their fears, how and why they interact with the world around them in the way that they do.

take for instance the prison. many people focus on "is the prison ethical?" and while this is an interesting topic to discuss, i feel like you can do so much more with it. "how does the prison impact the way sam views himself and his relationships to others? how about dream?" or "how does dream being in the prison change the way the rest of the server carries itself?"

with this approach, there's so much more to delve into, and imo does the lore a lot more justice, because at the end of the day there is no character ultimately and objectively in the right all the time (apologists please don't come for me ahahaha <3). like wilbur said, the lore was written to be complex and morally grey on purpose, so there will always come a point where morality discourse is just walking in circles.

i also find that when approaching lore from a perspective of character analysis rather than ethical judgement, people tend to be more calm, willing to listen to other perspectives, and overall just a lot less toxic (one of the reasons why i came to tumblr-on twitter i was so tired of seeing harassment because of people's different moral opinions on minecraft roleplay, and while tumblr still has similar issues, there's a lot more people writing researched character analysis essays, and i'm just like i will make out w you on the spot).

personally, ever since i started focusing on the character aspect of the lore, the dream smp has just become a lot more? enjoyable, i guess? i don't see it as discourse anymore, i see it as a bunch of nerds gathering together to break down this piece of media, and it's just so fun. if lore discourse is currently draining you, i highly recommend you try this approach instead.

this applies to narrative analysis as well, which i also absolutely adore (by narrative i mean analyzing themes, plot structure, methods of storytelling, etc)

[venus-says]

Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo Episodes 38-48 + Movie

Bloom, flowers of life.

And we reach the end of another season! Wow, it has been a while since I could say this for precure. But we're finally here again.

The GoGo ending was a pretty interesting one, I quite enjoyed it, but before talking about it I wanna comment on the movie of the season because I wanna end this post on a positive note and if I leave this to the end I won't achieve that.

Y!PC5GG: Happy Birthday in the Land of Sweets♪

So, this movie was a choice. I feel like if you're someone who likes Nozomi and Coco you will probably like this movie, but if, like me, you're someone who sees this relationship as problematic then you will probably not care or hate this movie. To be honest, I think that even if you do like this pairing you may not like this movie as much, because even though this movie is very Nozomi focused and a huge part of that focus is on her relationship with Coco, the everything around it isn't much interesting so in the end, it's nothing really special.

I personally didn't enjoy this movie, but it wasn't even because of the Nozomi and Coco stuff. To begin I don't like that they introduced another character that is used to instigate jealousy in both Nozomi and Milk, thankfully they don't do much with that. I don't like how the other cures are useless here, like yeah, Aqua & Rouge and Mint & Lemonade fought against the minions but they didn't really impact the outcome of the movie, and they just forget Milk has powers up until the end where she's beaten down by the villain. And I also don't like how in the call to action scene they start to cheer for Dream only and not for the Precure and I don't know this kinda sounds disrespectful, it makes it look like the only important cure here is Dream and the other ones are just backup dancers, though Shining Dream is a pretty beautiful form, I can't deny that. But the thing I hate the most about this movie is one specific scene, while Coco is being controlled by Mushiban, and he corners Dream against a pillar or a wall and he gets close to her in a very predatory way and he says "Make me feel satisfied" and the way they frame the scene looks like it's something sexual and it's just very gross, and it gets grosser when you think it's a much older man behind Coco saying those words. I get that by the context of the movie he was just talking about turning Nozomi into chocolate and eating her like a snack, but the movie frames it like Coco is going to kiss Nozomi by force and it's not cool to see. I'll probably never watch this movie again.

While I'm still here in this gloomy mood let's talk about what I didn't enjoy in the actual season?

So my fears came true, we had almost like a boss rush in this final quarter which made those defeats a little less impactful, in fact, the first episode of this section we had the defeat of that pair of villains and I can't remember much about it. Mucardia's end was also kinda lame, first because we had a fake-out death and second because he was just killed away by the Director in the blandest way possible and it was pretty lame.

And speaking of lame endings, poor Anacondy. They really went to the "I'm in love with this man route" for her and in the end, she was just used and discarded by the man she loved like if she was the wrapping paper of candy, it was pretty sad. It was impactful, and it made me hate the Director more than I already did, but I wish she could have gone in a glorious way rather than by the hands of a crap man. And since we're talking about him, gosh I hate this dude. He's like those guys that get obsessed with a girl and just can't accept when they say no and instead of looking at themselves to try to find out why they don't want anything to him he just keeps forcing himself like if this is gonna change something. The Director is the concept of thrash man impersonated in a cartoon character. It was very cathartic seeing the cures whoop his ass with that giant rose.

The last thing I didn't like was the resolution for the mystery of Syrup's past. Like, seeing how this was a big thing throughout the whole season you would think his past would be more than just "he was born in the Cure Rose Garden, he was raised by Flora, and he was attacked while he was doing a delivery from Flora to the Director and that's probably what made him lose his memory". I don't know, for the amount of build-up this had I expected them to do something bigger with this. And it feels like that was the plan at some point because in the middle of the season we see Syrup meeting the Director and recognizing him from somewhere, it seemed like there was more to uncover there, but no, we just got some lame past stuff.

Before moving to the positives, I wanna quickly mention the Christmas episode that wasn't anything exceptional, but that there was some cool stuff in it, like Syrup being a fan of Santa since, when you think about it, Santa IS a delivery boy. To be honest, I was just glad they didn't have any sort of world-threatening invasion in this episode, it was very refreshing. XD

In any case, as it's usual for any precure season we get episodes for each cure's closing arc as an integral part of the final quarter. Being completely honest, I feel like Kurumi and Karen got the short-end of the stick here because while they had good episodes it didn't really give me the impression that they were concluding anything for them, different from Urara, Rin, and Komachi who got episodes where the conflicts had conclusions that tied-in more with their future aspirations and the path they've been walking through this season and also the previous one.

I think the reason why Kurumi and Karen's endings didn't feel as conclusive is that other things in their episodes stole my attention more than their conflicts. For example, in Kurumi's case, we see her feeling pressured because of her mission, which is very in tune with her whole thing as a caretaker, but this episode also shared space with working her relationship with Nozomi and that's what I was more focused in rather than Kurumi's personal thing that felt like it was more in the background. In Karen's case, the conflict was she doubting that she had what it takes to follow a career in medicine, but the show was putting more importance in King Montblanc being sick and again Karen's plot was kinda in the background. This is not to say that their endings were bad, it just seems a bit forgettable when you put that in comparison with the other episodes for the other girls.

For example, Urara's final episode was about her doing an audition to get in the same musical her mom performed before she passed, we also have a MOTW plot that works in a way to directly affect her negatively in this audition by making a Little Mermaid plot where Shibiretta steals her singing voice. This is a combination that works with Urara both in her precure life and in her civilian life. It concludes her arc and it feels rewarding to see her finally pass that audition. Kurumi and Karen didn't really have that. Actually, Rin and Komachi didn't have a conclusion that was so well rounded as Urara, but it was more centered on them, they were still in the center and able to shine in their episodes, though I wish Komachi had done more in her episode, it didn't really feel like she had much agency in that episode.

The Nozomi episode is a bit unfair to put in this comparison because while it is an episode that dwelled with her efforts in studying in order to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher, this episode was more to show the difference of power between them and the Director while Nozomi's conclusion comes around in the end during the final fight and the aftermath of the battle.

And about this finale, this was very enjoyable. I like that we had the final conflict happening through 3~4 episodes but it didn't feel like they were stretching a plotline or maybe dragging the finale for more than it needed to. It was pretty solid, it was well built, and despite the problems, I mentioned it was pretty good. I think my favorite moment of this ending was when Syrup was giving his speech to the petrified cures, and we could see that the things he was talking about was pretty much related to his growth and his development through the whole season and it was pretty moving, I also think it was hella cute when he mentioned that letter the cures sent was the first letter he ever received in his life and that he was really happy about it, and my heart just melted and all I wanted was to hug him and say "you're a good boy, my son T-T" to him.

I also liked that whole seed of life and how seeds have infinite potential discourse at the end, yeah it was a bit of a stretch after all depending on the case seeds are pretty predictable, but it was a good message for the end, it hit the points it had to hit so I count it as a win. I also like how in the end Flora turned into a seed in hopes to bloom into a new life in the future, it was a pretty optimistic and happy way to end the show and it was a good way to wrap-up this pretty good season.

And that's it for Yes! Precure 5! I gotta be honest, I didn't think I'd enjoy this season as much as I did because I wasn't the biggest fan of its predecessor and I didn't have high hopes for the sequel, but I found myself enjoying the show more and more as I would go, even with its flaws and the elements I don't like. It was truly a joy to find a new love for this season, a new love for this world, and a new love for these characters. While the original season is at the bottom of my list of favorites during this series of rewatches, this sequel sits more close to the top, and that makes me very happy. So, what are your thoughts on GoGo? Let me know in the comments down below. Next, we're finally getting to Fresh which is one of my favorite seasons and I'M VERY EXCITED!!! I can't wait to watch this season again. But that's for another day, for now, stay healthy, stay safe, never stop resisting, thank you so much for reading, and until the next time. See-ya~

[qazastra]

4, 10, 12

4.) is there any logic that grinds against you

ya i hate the uncaring logic of the infinitely dying universe but i’m ok with it bc of my belief in the intrinsic value of human life

10.) what do you value in media

Good Times, valuable themes and aesthetic value. for instance: i don’t like hereditary because it sucks it’s technically really good and well-shot but come on i don’t need that shit in my life. Not an enjoyable or valuable experience for me. however even though it’s kid lit the 7th harry potter book has a special place in my heart bc the whole point is Love and that slaps!! that shit made me so happy in middle school and it still does. fuck jk rowling though for real. also parasite was Very good and i actually would watch it again, unlike hereditary, because i feel like it was a valuable experience with important themes.

12.) please gush about something that makes you so happy!! ramble as much as you want to !!!

a friend introduced me to hypnosis microphone like a month ago. wild concept if you don’t know about it. very fun. anime men have rap battles basically. not highbrow and i don’t care. fling posse are such good friends it makes me go heart eyes emoji. The Found Family of it all... im cry. like... the song stella... impeccable. dice and gentaro really said ‘lets get thru our issues together’ and they were like ‘hey ramuda we didnt know you at first, we thought you were some weirdo, but now we know there’s more to you that isn’t necessarily fun and we care about ya not in spite of that but because of it and we see that you care about us and we’ll be here to help u get thru ur shit and reaffirm your humanity because your feelings are not a flaw they’re what makes life worth living <3’ im probably just Yearning for close human contact but that shit makes me tear UP oh my GOD!!!

not to be dramatic but this ask gave me permission to be dramatic so fuck it. that commitment... im..... wow............. WOW..... imagine being able to hug people you remember what that was like?? fling posse makes me want to hug my friends. i love them so much wow. when i watched the live performances of stella and pink colored love i had Feelings, like wow they love each other so much!!! i know its kind of lame to be emotionally invested in fictional characters’ friendships at my age but they’ve been making me really happy lately. :-)

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael After Midnight: Duke Nukem Forever

I like to kick off each new year with a truly magical review. Remember when I kicked off 2018 by reviewing a Jesus porno? Let’s be real, I peaked with that one. I’m not even gonna try to top it. What I will do, however, is talk about something I’ve wanted to discuss for a long time: Duke Nukem Forever.

This game almost needs no introduction; its stay in development hell and its tumultuous development is the stuff of legends, second only to Half-Life 3 in infamy among gaming vaporware. And it somehow managed to stay in infamy because despite releasing, UNLIKE Half-Life 3, most people who bought it really wished that it hadn’t. It turned out Duke was in the oven a bit too long, and the game we got was a mediocre shooter that was already out of date by several years when it finally released, not helped by its potshots at better series and use of extremely dated memes (Leeroy Jenkins? Really?). 

Thankfully, I was divorced from this decade-spanning drama, being barely aware of the game until a few years back. Being a fan of Duke as a character - he is a loving spoof of the kind of action heroes I enjoy after all - and curious about the game after reading the fascinating history behind its development, I ended up playing it and… I thought it was okay. Yeah, I was expecting a lot more from this game in either direction, but it ended up being a rather middling, decent experience.

So let’s talk about what’s unironically good first: the interactivity. There are a LOT of little things Duke can interact with around the world, from a whiteboard you can doodle on to a functional pinball machine. None of this is groundbreaking by any means, but there is a certain childish thrill from picking up a turd from a toilet and flinging it around or from smacking some alien wall titties. There’s even an enjoyable dream sequence where Dukeis at a club that has tons of interactive elements in it! The fact that a lot of these interactive elements can lead to increases in Duke’s health is an added incentive to spend time doing them.

I actually enjoy some of the level design in the first half of the game, in particular the segments where Duke is shrunk down. I don’t know about you guys, but there’s something I really find charming about hopping over fryers and climbing through conveniently placed holes in the walls of a shitty fast food joint. It’s the sort of stuff I imagine when I’m bored at work. If the whole game had been as creative and fun as these parts and had expanded on the interactivity more, I think this would have been worth the wait a bit more… but unfortunately there’s more to this game.

After the first couple of segments, the level design plummets. The portions where Duke has to drive through the desert are especially jarring as they are incredibly barren with little to do or discover. This is then taken to the opposite extreme when you get to the final area, the dam, which is downright labyrinthine at parts and absurdly difficult. You will likely not die any place more than in this level due to the ridiculous number of enemies they cram into the tight corridors and underwater sections. It makes you wonder if this area was made so difficult to hide how short the game is - things wrap up after the dam level ends, with one ridiculously easy final boss left once you escape.

Then again, you may be thanking your lucky stars this game is mercifully short, because Duke and the world he inhabits are pretty intolerable. The entire world has become a monument to Duke’s ego, with just about everything revolving around him. Duke is like a Mary Sue escapist fantasy - a huge macho man who kicks ass, takes names, gets blowjobs from twins and his genderbent counterpart (apparently it is Bombshell’s model behind the glory hole in Duke’s dream, so he can literally go fuck himself), and is adored by literally everyone. And yeah, Duke was always kind of like this… but somewhere along the game’s journey somebody forgot that the tongue of the writers is supposed to be firmly planted in their cheek. The issue here is that the game is taking everything about Duke DEAD SERIOUS. We’re supposed to see Duke as the supreme god-tier badass who makes Master Chief and Gordon Freeman look like pussies, but it’s hard to buy into that idea when we are only told this while playing as him is just an unfun chore.

And maybe this would be better if they had polished up Duke’s character a bit, but he’s really inconsistent. Jon St. John is still absolutely fantastic with the voice and the delivery, there’s no denying that, but he unfortunately is portraying a really lame iteration of this beloved character. I think the point where I lost faith in this Duke is when, after finding the blowjob twins trapped in alien cocoons and begging him for help, Duke’s response is to just tell them they’re fucked. This is in stark contrast to him going apeshit when the aliens stole his babes, and is yet another sign the writers just didn’t GET Duke. Duke is an overly-macho chauvinist, yes, but he DOES care about babes. He’s more Johnny Bravo, less conservative pro-life blogger. Here though? This is just an uncharacteristically misogynistic response, and it is never commented on again. It’s just so jarring and bad that it kind of hampered my enjoyment of the game.

Still though, there is something halfway charming buried under the garbage. There are flashes of fun here and there that show promise of a better game, but they are always ultimately crushed. I feel if this game had come out in a more timely fashion with the innovations it does have, it would be considered revolutionary, but alas, we don’t live in that world. Half-Life 2, Halo, BioShock, and countless other franchises came and redefined what an FPS could be while this game was floundering between studios, leaving it so that when this game finally dropped, there really wasn’t anything special about it save for its protagonist, who himself felt like a relic from a bygone age who had become in earnest the very thing he once parodied so effectively. 

It’s hard to really recommend this game; even among first-person shooters, which tend to age like milk, this game has aged very poorly. If you’re curious about it like I was, well, there are worse things to pull out of a bargain bin; the game is dirt cheap on most consoles. Generally speaking though I’d say just get the equally cheap yet infinitely better Duke Nukem 3D; it’s frankly amazing how much better that game has aged despite it being a game released in the wake of the original Doom. 

What the future holds for Duke is rather unclear; at the end of this game he says he’s gonna run for President, but I dunno, the idea of an overly macho, violent, misogynistic celebrity becoming president is pretty far-fetched, riiiiiiiiiiight? Let’s not end this on a depressing note that reminds us of the bottomless stupidity of American politics, though. Let me tell you the one genuinely good thing this game brought to the world:

I brought the cover insert of the game to be signed by Jon St. John at a convention, and when I presented it he said in a tone that clearly was used to being dunked on for the game “Be honest, what did you think of the game?” And I told him, “There were a couple parts I didn’t like, but overall I thought it was fun,” and the guy just lit up. It just made me really happy that someone liking this dumb game brightened his day like that, and honestly? It wasn't a lie. I did have fun with this game, despite its flaws, and if it let me brighten the game’s star’s day by saying I enjoyed it even a little, I’m glad it exists.

[galoots]

Donald Duck for the character thing :D

Take Two! Thank you for the opportunity to write an essay about why I love Donald Duck

favorite thing about them: What makes Donald an infinitely more compelling character than say, Mickey Mouse, is the fact he actually possess negative qualities. His short-temper, his incredible bad luck, his braggadocious nature; all these things make him an empathetic character. I think we can all identify with his failings at one point or another because they are such human faults. 

Moreover, his faults all correlate - insecure about his bad luck and his shortcomings, Donald’s given to boasting and showing off which inevitably propels him into comic situations where he ends up in over his head. Similarly, he likes to play tricks (never malicious if he’s characterized right) but if the prankee retaliates he’ll explode because he’s an insecure character at heart. On the other hand, while Donald is renown for his temper i think he just as easily tends towards despair and depression. It prompts a basic empathetic response from the audience, and for viewers who are neurodivergent, like me, we can easily relate to his tendencies towards self-loathing, insecurity, and bouts of hopelessness. 

Coupled with his undogged perseverance in the face of a world that’s constructed to antagonize him, he’s instantly lovable as an underdog figure. The heart of his character, forgoing his flaws for a moment, is a warm, affable figure who enjoys the simple pleasures of life: fishing, reading, relaxing, spending quality time with his family, and a good ice cream float now and again. (I’ll paraphrase a Scrooge line here: “No man’s poor who gets to do what he likes every now and again.” Although, in Donald’s case his enjoyments are much much more down-to-earth than Scrooge’s preferred pastime of swimming in money.)  I think these latter traits hearken particularly to the nostalgic Americana sensibilities that I fall prey to as an american. However, Donald’s global popularity, especially in Nordic countries, Germany, and Italy, definitely speak to his wide-spread appeal. 

least favorite thing about them: Honestly, the traits I don’t like about Donald are ones I usually associate with a badly characterized Donald Duck. Portrayals of him as overtly cruel, malicious, greedy to the point of harming others or ignoring their well-being, or plots that don’t offer him a redemptive moment for his bad behavior. 

favorite line: “Ew. A worm. Ew. Icky.”

brOTP: He’s got his main buds Mickey and Goofy! There’s a cute comic where the gang gets together to play DnD on a regular basis. Or the Paul Rudish short Potatoland where Mickey and Donald build a whole theme park for Goofy just so he doesn’t feel disappointed. 

OTP: The Three Gay Cabarellos! I like that Donald gets to cut loose and have fun with Jose and Panchito. Plus they genuinely love him. Storkules and Donald is a close second though! I like seeing a big buff greek god with his small unenthused boyfriend.

nOTP: I don’t really have one. I suppose Donald and Daisy when its written exceptionally poorly. 

random headcanon: Donald is HEAVILY entrenched in a feud with another PTA parent. If Susan thinks she’s going to manage this year’s annual fundraiser bake sale for the Duckburg Elementary School, then she’s got another thing coming. Really this headcanon is a better, updated version of Donald’s ongoing feud with his neighbor Jones. 

unpopular opinion: Donald will always be an infinitely better character than Della Duck in my mind. 

song i associate with them: transdonaldduck already used Dread in My Heart so I’m gonna go with a different Mother Mother song: Wrecking Ball.

favorite picture of them: 

It’s not really my favorite per se but I like how round and goofy OG Donald looks.