#but their original soundtrack which is not available online

[williamrikers]

a boss and a babe: the complete make out scene ✨

i cut together their scenes from episode 6, fixed the translation and took out the two terrible sound effects. if anyone wants the version without subtitles hmu

[kaythefloppa]

MUFASA: THE LION KING LIVEBLOG/THOUGHTS [SPOILERS]

Today, Mufasa: The Lion King has released worldwide in theaters. Within the hours of being unleashed upon the world as the latest entry in the Lion King franchise and in the Disney movie lineup, the movie has become available online.

As someone who has been anticipating this film since the day it was greenlit in September of 2020, now I can finally watch it to see if it was worth the hype, if it succeeds my expectations, or if it sucks (it does not).

Also, I should preface this by saying that I am not walking in semi-blind. I was not immune to spoilers, some of which I voluntarily exposed myself to, others were stumbled upon without any warning or disclaimer, but this is still my full thoughts on the film as I watch it for the first time in proper.

SPOILERS BELOW.

I think anyone and their grandma can see Pride Rock next to the Disney castle in the opening. It's not really much to say, but in this movie specifically, I smile noticing it.

It was announced that the film would pay tribute to James Earl Jones in the opening. I was not surprised by that, and I definitely shouldn't be surprised hearing his archived recordings in the opening but... goddamn.

LEBO M HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU. Much like in the original and Simba's Pride, he is the first voice you hear in the story and god it fits.

A lot of people have pointed out how unlike the 2019 remake of TLK, this film has a wide array in emotions, expressions, and life, focusing more on actually being an animated story rather than being a nature documentary (eat it John Favereau). This entire opening solidifies that fact and I think this bears repeating as to what one of this film's biggest strengths are.

SIMBA HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU!!!!!!!!

People have made comparisons to Narnia and Jungle Book when it comes to everything the remake got wrong. I'm making those comparisons to praise this movie specifically, I'm getting those vibes.

Nala is out here doing what we all should be doing; Touching grass.

Also Simba and Nala really be out here making long distance work. I love them so f*cking much and I hate hate hate how we're not going to see much of them in the story [for reasons that are perfectly valid, especially if you know how the movie ends which... we'll get to that]

I listened to the soundtrack before watching this film; It slaps so much. It's everything you would want in a theatrical Lion King sequel, so hearing it in the ACTUAL movie, that's astonishing.

Oh look... Timon and Pumbaa are here. Which is nice cause I'm a huge fan of Timon and Pumbaa (I stand by the fact that Lion King 3 is arguably the most god-tier of all Disney sequels) but.... Seth Rogan warthog..

"And that one three-legged zebra." Fuck that's actually pretty dark and I love it.

Kiara exists in this film. I was at first upset that they were retreading earlier ground but... I'm cool with it now. Not exactly what I would've done, but I can nod heads with it.

I get that Timon and Pumbaa overexaggerate things (a later joke in the film would confirm that) but I don't see why Simba is against the idea of them telling her stories. I think any child would be okay with that, even with the circumstances happening. Then again, this could be an indicator of Simba's paranoia and fearing that Kiara could go through the same thing. Jesus, no matter what universe this guy is in he is still traumatized, got-damn.

Oh wait I take it back I fucking love that Kiara is in this film, she is adorable.

Simba really had a glow-up from having a kid.

We all knew that Timon and Pumbaa fighting Scar in the trailers was just them fucking around, so I don't need to comment more on this. I will point out how one of my predictions for the remake was seeing Pumbaa defend Simba from Scar seeing as how warthogs can often square up against lions in real life. So, even in the context of a Timon and Pumbaa joke that makes zero sense, I'm still vindicated.

As someone who had an INTENSE fear of thunder and lightning as a child and.... still has somewhat of an aversion thereof as an adult, I can very much resonate with Kiara's reaction to the storm.

"We sing that song for 6 years straight." I'm going to ignore that line just so that I can continue to headcanon Lion King characters aging by humans (I am coping and seething rn)

RAFIKI HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU.

Rafiki in this film reminds me of my grandfather I cannot stop smiling every time he goes on screen, I want to hug him.

"Ceremonial birthing grounds" Holy SHIT I was not expecting such lore early on. Bravo Berry Jenkins.

John Kani is KILLING this role as Rafiki. I would easily use this as another opportunity to dunk the remake but I'm too distracted by how good this performance is and how it fits the character so well. I'm the furthest thing from a Disney shill, but I would unoequivcally watch a four-season prequel spin-off series about Rafiki if one ever came out, and I have this goddamn movie to blame.

This is gonna be a running theme but Rafiki has some of the best lines in this movie. What the fuck was Jenkins smoking and can I have it? /pos.

They played the This Land theme whilst Kiara talks about how she could never be brave like her granddad and father. The parallels....

Aand here we go, Mufasa backstory time! I mean, you'd have to ignore the three existing backstories that already exist but then again, all of them suck ass," so here we fucking goooooooo.

I really dislike when movies use "moons" as a time indicator because like, what does that mean? Does it literally mean a lunar cycle of nearly 30 days? Months? Years? I'm thinking way too much into this aren't I?

YEAAAH TITLE CARD BABEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYY. WE ARE SO FUCKEN BAACK.

Goddamn I remember that one frame of Mufasa and his parents being released and it was so stupid. It looks even dumber seeing it to motion but damn it it looks so cute in a way!

Aww, look at how much Mufasa loves his parents. I hope these characters survive all the way to the end of the film without any major catastroph-yeah no, I can't even fucking finish it.

Milele is a good enough song with the vocals, but the visuals are really what hammer it home for me. The wide arrays of gold, pinks, purples, and greens, it brings life into this world, showcases the beauty of Africa, and emphasizes the dreamy aspect of the song. Also, you get Keith motherf*cking David singing in a Lion King movie, game respects game.

Also the T(He)y Lives in You reference was very well put together.

Mufasa chasing a butterfly being a reference to Kiara chasing a butterfly in Simba's Pride!!

I already knew Mufasa's father was gonna die in this but seeing him play with Mufasa, goddamn you Disney. Your never-ending patricide may be predictable, but it will never not tug my heart-strings.

I don't know who this giraffe is but I love them already.

Man, we've really come a long way since Simba's blank expression at the stampede, huh? Nature is fucking healing.

DAM(N)

Bisexual lighting in the water spotted.

You can hear Nants Ingonyama when Mufasa is submerged underwater! Deep cut.

Honestly, the hippos just glancing at Mufasa and swimming past him is hilariously dickish and it makes me forgive how they haven't immediately chomped him /j

Here's Taka (UGGGGGHHH ~ Sorry, I had to get that one out, they could've chosen any other name for him)

From day 1, Scar has always been a little shit lmao.

This doesn't mean anything on any scale, but I would've replaced the crocodiles with hippos. Would've been more scary.

Taka getting Mufasa up is directly contrast to how he will eventually kill him. This movie is going to try and yank my heart-strings out of my chest won't it?

"All important nap of kings." Bro's just like me fr.

Oh wait god I take it all back he's not like me fr HE'S NOT LIKE ME FR.

If I had a nickel for every recent piece of Lion King media that depicts cannibalism with the subtlety of a chainsaw to the pelvis, I'd have 2 nickels, which isn't a lot but WHY THE FUCK DO I HAVE 2 FUCKING NICKELS?!?!?! TWO!?!?

"Do you know what Mufasa means? It means King!" Erhm actually, Mufasa has no direct meaning in Swahili. It's a mix between Mfalme (which is the direct Swahili translation for "King" and the last pre-colonial King of Buganda called Mutisa. Obasi's clearly got his lions crossed. *cinemasins ding*

I love how Mufasa is clearly laughing and joking around as this adult lion is actively trying to fucking murder him. Either he is that oblivious to the danger that he is in, or he is actively trolling this asshole. If it's the latter, or even both, I love it.

I have a feeling that Obasi has actually murdered other outsider cubs before, or maybe even succeeded in sabotaging their initiation rituals so he can eat them. I get that the whole "lions killing cubs that aren't their own" is a part of nature but apply human behavior to that and you can see how sick this is. Not to mention, Taka would have probably been in proxy to these and... shit, no wonder he turned out to be a nasty piece of work.

Oh so THIS is the challenge that Scar was mentioning in the remake.

The PTSD flashbacks jumpscared me.

Oh my god the close up of Mufasa... peak fucking fiction.

Omg that one scene in the trailer of Mufasa leaping from the tree is in the movie- aaaand he is going ass over teakettle afterwards lmao.

The little "I Always Wanted a Brother" instrumental playing when Taka helps Mufasa out of the water🥺

"You will keep him with the females" oh that's not.....

The entiredy of "I Always Wanted a Brother" is amazing. The lyrics cleverly delve into Scar and Mufasa's individual personalities and traits that'll magnify in their adulthood, as well as their growing relationship, and the visuals feel alive as ever with the chorus and beat topping it all off. Lin Manuel Miranda cooked here and I am not afraid to admit it. This song is the best in the entire movie and is everything one would look for in a Lion King prequel. No wonder the marketing loved this song so much.

Also, Mufasa: The Lion King proudly continues the tradition of A) musical numbers with background animal choreography and B) transitions to show characters aging. We truly have come full Circle [Of Life]

Ok but this entire song is way funnier when it's essentially these animals saying "Get your ass back home" to these two little shits.

"Some things you chase but you cannot hold." That line is DEFINITELY a double-meaning and applies to both brothers. For Taka, it refers to how he can't keep/gain the power he obtains + the object of his desires as much as he tries and for Mufasa, it means he won't be able to maintain the relationship with his adoptive brother. The failure to practice this philosophy leads to both of their downfalls so what is at first a cute lyric becomes very dark in retrospect and I have to applaud the songwriter if he was intentional with that.

Ok so if Obasi doesn't allow outsiders and since he values blood and all, then I'm assuming these other male lions are related to him. I'm gonna guess that they're his brothers and/or cousins.

The animals singing in a circle around Mufasa and Taka reminds me a lot of high school dance circles, it's very funny (and also sweet that the animals and Taka are singing for Mufasa).

You heard of the boy who cried wolf; Well here's the lion who cried elephant. (Also, 10/10 prank).

"They did it [the prank] again!" I think the saying goes, "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." Also I was half-expecting an ACTUAL elephant stampede to knock them down, ;p

"You want to be with the females?" I have no jokes for this, I am legitimately disgusted with how mysoginistic Obasi is and yeah, that's definitely the point, but like, I was NOT expecting that. I guess maybe they needed to emphasize how Taka had such a shitty role model growing up and that a large part of his fall to darkness was not learning how sick and wrong this line of thinking is, and objectively that is good writing when handling such a topic, especially since again, the movie is very much against this and to a lesser degree, it's an origin story I guess I'm just taken by surprise at the sudden mysoginy, and at the end of the day, did we really need this character to be a PodcastBro™ to get the idea that he's not supposed to be someone we root for? Or is it really not that deep and I'm thinking too much into this?

Eshe is such a good mother to Mufasa, helping him home into his senses to hunt, and even offering to help Mufasa find his parents. I think this is a good contrast between Mufasa and Taka when it comes to the nurture part of nature vs. nurture. It's also an interesting mirror to the fan-portrayals of their relationships with their parents as it's usually Taka/Scar being close to his mother and Mufasa being close to his father.

I see a lot of Tarzan similarities here and I think you can notice them well. That being said, Tarzan is also peak fiction that I look fondly towards, and this movie is also looking really good so far, so there is nothing but adoration.

Timon and Pumbaa reacting to Mufasa's line of being a stray with no responsibilities, calling him "one of us" all but confirms that if he was still alive today, they would 100% be friends.

"Hakuna Mufasa" essentially means "There is no Mufasa." I.e. what a good chunk of Simba's childhood was like. Shit, I'm pretty sure Rafiki even knew the fucked up implications of that when he interrupted them.

Timon and Pumbaa I love you but please shut the fuck up right now.

I think everyone has made the Kimba jokes, so I'm just going to say how two white lions would NOT stand out in a sea of tall tannish green grass.

This entire hunting scene is the definition of tension. No dialogue, just music.

Oh, the trailers outright baited us into thinking Eshe was gonna sacrifice herself to save Mufasa. Well played Disney.... well played.

Damn, Taka is horrified as shit.

Go for the juglar Mufasa! The jugular!!

The framing of the scene goes by quick, but I think the implication is that Kiros's son got straight up impaled by one of the branches on the dead tree when Mufasa knocked him down... we're only half an hour into this 2 hour film and we already have a kill count of 3 characters, one of which by the titular.

Ngl, I was hoping/expecting Mufasa to be the aggressor in the fight to try and scare off the lions and this would be how he learns that "being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble." And/or that Eshe potentially sacrificing herself would be what gives him that reality check. But either way, as is, this fight scene did demonstrate bravery as a quality of Mufasa in a good way.

"I owe you a great debt" yeah you also owe him an apology for refusing to take any parental custody over him, for the emotional neglect, for your misogyny-driven alienation of him, and oh yeah, trying to FUCKING CANNIBALIZE HIM.

I mean in fairness to the white lion, what the fuck was he supposed to do? Mufasa LITERALLY impaled Sachu.

Obasi lying to protect Taka reminds me of Rameses offering to lie to absolve Moses of his murder. Also, once again, this scene does very well to point out how Taka's upbringing played a role in his eventual fall from grace without making him an abused woobie stripped of any character.

I was gonna complain about how the Outsiders are a thing in this movie but the fact that they are evidently not Zira's pride and also have an explanation to their existence makes it hard to complain.

Ok so the first act of the film is kinda rushed, I'll admit that. Guess they had to go on the journey pretty quick.

So far, Timon and Pumbaa's commentary has ranged from somewhat funny to cringeworthy. Why exactly are they involved in this plot? Or, if they had to be, why not Sarabi and Zazu who actually partook in this story we're being told. You could get alot of colorful dynamics that would add both extra comedy and emotion to the story. I'm getting this out of the way now because even though there's a later scene that is juxstaposed to this, it still confuses me a bit.

"Yours is the last pride of the valley of kings" woah, that actually means Kiros has killed other prides before. This is straight up the lion equivalent of imperialism.

"Everything the light touches belongs to me," well what about when it's dark out? Ever thought of that, asshole? Obasi could easily lawyer up and kick your ass back to the swamp /j

"There will be one ruler. One, Lion King." He said it, he said the thing!

Not gonna lie, Kiros's villain song, Bye-Bye sounds like it was pulled from Jake and the Never Land Pirates. But then again, that show's soundtrack is fucking awesome, as is this film's soundtrack, as is this song. The vocals and lyrics are deliciously villainous and the beat is haunting. My only gripe is that it's too short, and the movie's version of the song doesn't include the background vocals like the soundtrack version. That and the visuals aren't as stunning as I imagined but, still, it's a good villain song! And for a song titled "Bye-Bye" of all things that is a feat.

Man, I thought I was actually gonna see Kiros kill Obasi and Eshe. I mean it's obvious that he did but, showing it on screen would've really hammered home the idea that he doesn't mess around. But instead we smash cut to the brothers running away. LAME!!!!!!!

"They live in you now" oh that hits so hard.

Aquaphobic Mufasa canon???

"It's not my fault crocodiles are simply attracted to you," tell me why my mind instantly went to a visual of Pua x Mufasa (and why I can somehow buy that???)

"My scent? I've been stalking you two all night." Sarabi how I have missed you.

ZAZU HOW I HAVE MISSED YOU.

Sarabi royalty confirmed.

I once saw a theory that Rafiki (a mandrill) was raised by baboons, which explains why he has no qualms with being called one, and gives a new perspective to his phrase "you're a baboon, and I'm not." To whoever came up with that theory, you are a goddamn prophet.

Again, I think all of this goes by way too fast, I think a few more minutes establishing this troop along with Rafiki's character traits and behaviors and THEN hitting us with the tragic fall-out would've worked a lot better.

"Born with a leg that does not work," that explains the walking stick he has in the movie.

"It was Rafiki who found water in the dry season!" Six New Adventures reference!

Rafiki is fucking hilarious.

''A single stick may smoke, but it will never burn." Once again, Rafiki is the best fucking character in this entire film.

Did... Zazu just break the fourth wall???

"I am not a baboon. I am a mandrill." It took us 30 fucking years for a Lion King movie to address this, god bless.

"No offense, but a monkey is a monkey," Mufasa racist moment /j

Rafiki and Mufasa's discussion at the pool is so good. Once again, it has that natural Lion King narrative DNA in it and it speaks a lot about both characters as part of an origin story. Both characters are very heavy key players in the classic Lion King stroy, so this scene does them a GREAT deal of justice.

"I have a report! It's morning." Ok, funny joke.

"Hallucinating baboon!" Sarabi racist moment /j

This plot really knows how to connect together, via using Eshe's sensory training to help dodge Kiros's team.

We Go Together is an amazing song. It's very good for a road-trip/buddy movie, and, not unlike Hakuna Mtata from the original, is a very good palatte cleanser from the story's more darker elements. The characters have enough time to shien in their own ways and the overlaps of their lyrics is kinda growing on me. I substract points for the stupid-ass love triangle bit they imply and trust me, we will get to that when we get to that.

You know that one scene in kids' shows and movies where it is nothing but unabashed second-hand embarassment and/or cringe. The entire scene where Mufasa gives Taka love advice for Sarabi, and Taka's attempts to kiss-up to her is exactly that. If it's not completely uncomfortable to listen to, it's BO-RING. And I wish it was just a one-off gag that meant fuck-all in the end but I've listened to the soundtrack and got spoilered on a later element in the film that just does not help.

Seeing the elephant herd reminds me of when my sister and I were in Africa and saw an entire herd, moms and their babies pass by. On that same vacation, my grandpa and I also saw an elephant pass the road. Huge disclaimer, never piss them off.

Sarabi rendered an entire colony of bees homeless and more than likely killed a good amount of elephants by getting them stung. That's not very Circle of Life of her.

Mufasa saving Sarabi's life!! That man is her HUSBAND.

Ah yes, the epic tale of Rafiki's stick. The mythos of the stick has finally been revealed. This is the REAL Lion King lore I signed up for. Barry Jenkins you are too good.

On one hand Mufasa lying to make Taka look good is an interesting character study. On the other hand.... that stupid fucking love triangle that this builds up to. I hate it so much, SO MUCH. Replace the payoff with ANYTHING ELSE, and I'd be okay with this. Ugh!

Rafiki, Kiara, Timon, and Pumbaa's hug is great. Rafiki explaining the sad reality of social alienation, relating it to his experiences, followed up by Timon and Pumbaa lightening the mood but adding to that emotion with them being outsiders. I knew it wouldn't be long until I started to love them being in this film. Take your crown you kings, you earned it!

Oh my god Mufasa has hella PTSD here, it's a really good representation of it.

Zazu's a real one here, covering up the tracks.

I. Fucking. Love. Rafiki.

"Mufasa, I gotch'u." I headcanon those were Sarabi's wedding vows. No one can prove me wrong.

I thought Mufasa and Sarabi's romance would be a bit rushed here and to be fair... it almost does??? It's not the whole center of the story, and Sarabi is able to stand out as a character on her own outside of the love story. As for their love story itself, it's very well put together with enough screentime and it feels real. Oh and their love song is also pretty great. We were WELL overdue with a Mufasa/Sarabi love song and this movie did not fail to deliver.

Also, Sarabi figuring out on her own that Mufasa saved her and being able to pick up on all of his genuinely best qualities, that's like really impressive, and it's actually a neat twist on the 'liar revealed' trope.

Okay, now here's my allotted time to talk about one of the things I was dreading seeing in this film and am unfortunate enough to be right seeing. The stupid Mufasa/Scar/Sarabi love-triangle. I hate it. I hate how one of the only major changes the remake had to its story was adding that love triangle to give 'depth' to the characters, when in reality, it diminished the characters by not having more for the story to speak about them, made the tension between them flat by consequence, and the remake never resolves this in a meaningful way. Plus it is BORING as hell. And now the movie is apparently using that same love triangle once again, as a MAJOR plot-point. Not only that, but the fact that Taka immediately snaps and goes villain after seeing his crush go after his brother... what the hell are ya even doing man?

The first act of the film gives us a lot of elements to go off of for his villain arc. Being spoiled by his parents, poor parental influence, being a control freak, maybe we see more signs that Taka blames Mufasa for his parents getting killed, or holds him responsible for it, or heck, even his guilt/inferiority complex that stems from the trauma of running away when his mother was in a life-or-death situation. So many other things that could result in a complex but constructive beginnings of a villain, and yet it's this stupid underbaked love triangle, this one isolated moment that changes the trajectory of his entire character arc and oh my god I hate it, I hate it so much. Nevertheless, Brother Betrayed is a good song.

Seeing Taka throw a tantrum over his crush not liking him back and later falling into the snow is cathartic as hell. I want to see this little turd lose.

So he teams up with the white lions... after they killed both his parents and caused him to be banished from his home... not to mention, they tried to kill him?? Unless he's tricking them somehow so he could get close enough to take them out, this is incredibly stupid. I don't care if this snivelling little shit gets punched in the face, but also as is, this is bad writing.

Taka laying out scars to lead the villains to their location. Now THAT is clever foreshadowing.

Pumbaa your husband is right next to you, why are you pretending not to like love 😭😭😭

That is a cool ass background.

The shots of the Pride Lands matching the visions of Milele. This movie knows how to use its visuals.

Man I remember all the theories saying that the big tree in Milele was the Tree of Life from the Lion Guard, or that somehow Milele was always Mufasa's adopted home. Still, magnificent.

I think all of us could predict Rafiki and Mufasa having a brotherly bond. I like how the theme of this movie involves family in ways other than biological relation. I think the brotherhood theme could've been used with Zazu as well, but this is sooooooo cuuuteee!!!

Wait how do the animals know the Outsiders are hunting Mufasa? Did the Outsiders terrorize Milele before? Did they somehow 'sense' the Outsiders' presence like Eshe taught Mufasa to? I like where this is going but there's no reason for them to have that much frame of reference to our protagonists' plight.

Kiros is truly horrifying.

"There are other lions here," wait, so maybe they're members of Sarabi's pride? Hmmm....

"Sarabi chose you... just like my mother, just like my own father." Uhm,,, what??? Obasi never 'chose' Mufasa for anything over Taka. And Mufasa was assigned to Eshe by Obasi. Sure, the dude may have looked Mufasa in a higher regard after the rescue but that is NOT the equivalent of preference? In fact, the very last thing Obasi said to Taka was to preserve the bloodline by outright lying to everyone. Did I miss something??

Hell yeah fight fight fight.

Is... IS THAT SARAFINA AND A YOUNG NALA IN THE PRIDE LANDS??? HOLY SHIT.

Mufasa uniting the animals together in a war rally... PEAK FICTION. This entire speech is peak levels of badass.

Mufasa said Nants ingonyama bagithi. The opening lines to Circle of Life HOLY FUCK BARRY JENKINS COOKED.

Only a villain like Kiros can make the phrase "Bye-Bye" sound menacing.

Zazu be out here using 0.001% of his full power.

W shoebill character (still sad that there's no caracal yet).

I think Zazu could offer a lot more in the final battle, like say, rallying the birds together and raining hell upon the lionesses, poking them with sticks or dropping rocks. He's gotten a decent enough amount of screentime but this climax should've really brought it home.

BEAT HIS ASS MUFASA. BEAT. HIS. MOTHER. FUCKING. ASS.

Okay, fine, give Taka some brownie points for standing in the way, but he still fucking deserves that scar. Fuck you Taka.

Also, the remake implies that Mufasa gave Scar his scar in the challenge, but it never outright said so, and TLK has always been a loose cannon when it came to... well, canon; So I can buy Kiros giving him the scar. I actualy can't believe that my prediction on Taka taking the bullet for Mufasa actually came true! Mark that off the bingo card!!!

The entire climax/stand-off/showdown has little to no dialogue and BY GOD does it ever work here. Mufasa and Taka looking at each other with clear emnity in their eyes, and then channeling all of their rage into their common foe to tag-team him. So much emotion.

"The earth will shake." LET. HIM. COOK.

And scratch "Pride Rock being formed by and earthquake that crushes the villain" off the bingo card.

Mufasa overcoming his water trauma by remembering Eshe's words to sense the rock that he'll use to crush Kiros into the water.

Ok y'all say it with me: Bye Bye Kiros!

I know this is a big emotional moment that shows the last of Taka's humanity and parallels with his first and last encounter with Mufasa.... but the HESITATION to help him, mixed with the clear anger at the beginning would've been enough to make me banish the dick.

See, Mufasa became king after proving his worth of leadership. There is no "he stole the throne/his brother's girlfriend" BS. You Buzzneed nerd-wannabees can fuck off now.

Oh look, I see some hyenas in the crowd. I wonder what their origin stories will be in this Lion King prequel!

"No more Kings, we are all one," setting aside TLK 2 reference, Mufasa is based for implying a democracy.

Are.... are you FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!?! AFIA IS ALIVE???!!! MUFASA'S MOM IS ALIVE!?!?! WHAT THE FUCK?!?!!

Ok I'm conflicted. On one end, I don't like the fake-out death trope, especially when it's used at the end of films. On the other hand... Afia's presence really ties the themes and plot of 'Milele' together and it ~ really works. But still, imagine if Mufasa was visited by the spirit of his mother after becoming king, mirroring Mufasa's later divine intervention for his son. That would've worked so much better. Wasted potential af.

Also, if Afia's alive... who was the lion in the stars Mufasa saw during "I Always Wanted a Brother."

Oh... OH. OH GOD. MY HEART. R.I.P. MASEGO.

Whilst I still think keeping Afia dead would've been more effective, leaving Masego dead and keeping her alive adds an element of tragedy into the story, and the "He Lives in You" callback is well-equipped here.

Fuck you Taka you little shit.

I always took issue with the remake's backstory for Scar implying that he got his scar in a fight with Mufasa; Because if Scar already challenged Mufasa once, why does Mufasa trust him enough to depend on him or let his son romp around the place near him, even if he sticks around bc of "brotherhood." Whilst I don't mind that the remake 'retconned' that story (especially since it wasn't confirmed), I still take issue with that here; Again, if Taka had lied to Kiros, or did something to indicate that he wasn't on his side/wasn't truly against Mufasa, or if Taka could lie his way out of consequences, it would work, but as is, this just feels... off.

Also, Scar calling himself scar as a reminder of his embarassment and what he did, despite him continuing to do awful things rendering that admission completely null and void; it sucked when the books did it, it sucks here.

Maybe the real Milele were the friends we made along the way.

Mufasa's coronation is powerful, and blends well with Kiara's ascension. My only problem is the same problem I had with the remake. The roar came TOO EARLY. In the original's King of Pride Rock, Simba's ascension was concurrent with the swelling of the music, reaching its peak when he reached Pride Rock's peak, and then when Simba roared, that's when the music delved into Busa, which meshed into the reprise of Circle of Life. The remake fucks that up badly, and Mufasa, whilst still better in terms of that detail in pacing, still manages to miss that mark. So close... and yet so far...

Kiara can now Skype call her grandfather. The Circle is now truly complete.

"Kiara, this is your new brother." I... was kinda hoping the film would end with Simba and Nala adopting a new cub and said cub would bond with Kiara the way that Mufasa and Taka used to, and that said cub would be a girl but........ fine, fine. Also, I am 99% sure that cub is Kion. With how Disney recently uploaded The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar onto their YouTube channel in honor of Mufasa, and with how next year is The Lion Guard's 10th anniversary, meaning they'd HAVE to make another large acknowledgement of it, I am more than definitely subscribing to the fact that it is Kion. And... yeah I'm pretty cool with it (if it's Kopa, I will go into hibernation).

Kiara telling her brother the story is a neat way to wrap up this story in a bow.

CONCLUSION:

PROS:

The animals actually emote and express in this movie. Not only that, but the backgrounds and impressive technology are allowed to go all out in strength. We have come a long way. I hope to god the animators get their rents due, especially in an era where animation and animators are constantly getting the middle finger by companies and corporations.

This movie takes a lot of good ideas and executes them brilliantly. Mufasa being an orphan, Sarabi and Zazu being a team, Taka/Scar being descended from a bloodline, the white lions, EVERYTHING about Rafiki. It truly feels original. Regardless as to whether or not it's canon, it's an interesting exploration of the world we know and love, done by people who really understand the movie.

The songs are amazing. Lin Manuel Miranda did his absolute best for them and they manage to serve the plot and characters pretty well. LMM is a pretty hit or miss guy when it comes to music. Sometimes he can flop and we get shit like Scuttlebutt, but other times he hits the bull's eye and we get stuff like Moana, Encanto, and Mufasa. He was on his A-game tonight.

The voice acting had actual direction unlike the remake. The actors had a lot of fun behind the scenes and it's very easy to tell, even without the interviews. And the singing *cheff's kiss.*

CONS:

This movie tries very hard in a lot of directions, but there are some areas where it doesn't really try hard enough. I feel like a few things were a bit underdeveloped. For example, Rafiki's exile. Just, stretch that scene out 3-4 more minutes to establish Rafiki as a character, his traits, the nature of his baboon tribe, and THEN banish him. Or Taka's relationship with Obasi, maybe do a bit more to commentate on the toxic values that Taka grew up with and how they stuck with him, maybe that is one of the things that hints to him not being worthy of the throne, compared to Mufasa's more progressive influence and proaction. Anything besides that stupid fucking love triangle. And maybe some more Sarabi/Zazu backstory, we get to truly see the closeness between them, maybe Sarabi saves Zazu, and vice versa during the climax. What they do with them is fine, but, there was room for more.

Timon and Pumbaa had some good scenes here but also some duds. At the end of the day, they provide some interesting commentary and jokes to lighten the mood but... I think their humor could've been improved upon, especially with how Pumbaa acts too much like Timon and that kinda breaks the whole idea of them being polar opposites. If Disney ever does make a live-action remake of The Lion King 3 (and you bet your ass they will)... they really gotta change how they're utilizing these two.

I know I went on about how this movie's strengths are regardless of canon, especially with how it contradicts both the original and the remake, but there were some parts where I couldn't fully suspend my disbelief, even if you shut canon out of the window. Like, the lionesses we see in the climax helping Sarabi. Is Sarafina amongst them? If not, who? If the cub isn't Nala, who is it? If the cub is Nala, why does she look like she's Simba's age, yet she looks no older than Simba when he's a grown cub? Even if you age them naturally like IRL animals, those numbers still don't add up. And the hyenas. They appear at the end during Mufasa's coronation and bow. Okay... what did they do to get banished or become enemies? I know the story couldn't have shown too much focus over them but why have them there only to gloss over it if it didn't mean much of anything? Not only that, but the hyenas fucking bow down to Mufasa. I'm sorry- BOW??? IN WHAT UNIVERSE???? IN WHAT FUCKING UNIVERSE???? What kind of KFP 4 Lord Shen bullshit is going on here? My suspension of disbelief can only go so far before it is utterly decimated😭😭

The pacing can be a bit better. Some things overall do go on too fast (which results in my first point as to how things can be undercooked, it's a sympton of the issue) or in the case of other scenes like Taka trying to rizz up Sarabi... go on for way too long. It doesn't horrifically bog down the film and there are many, many, many scenes where the pacing is to this movie's advantage, but it could do better in some areas.

Sarabi and Zazu were nowhere to be found in the present day. Unless you count one of those lionesses walking her and her son back home, but still.... HATRED. Is Sarabi not allowed to live past the TLK 1 story???? Is this Disney's subtle way of killing her off, what the FU-

Final Thoughts:

This movie was always destined to be better than The Lion King 2019, but only because of the low bar. A good concept can go along way as long as there is a good execution (there was a lot of potential for the remake, but the management of it lead to an utter waste of a film).

For years I prayed for this film not to suck - with each and every update that this film had, I would manifest that it wouldn't be shit, bare mininum - bc it's a film that SHOULDN'T suck with how good of a concept they had in their hands and how EVERYTHING for this film relied on the execution, especially coming off the heels of an awful film that, like I said, lowerred the bar below the Marianas Trench.

And, despite some of my earlier gripes, nitpicks, and critiques, - I was right.

THIS MOVIE DID NOT SUCK.

Does it have flaws? Yes. Is it perfect? No. Is it as good as the original? Definitely no. But it... it truly is something to behold, and a masterpiece nonetheless that, if anything, will not fail to entertain. With really good writing, nice songs, relatable and interesting characters, a very engaging story, and is [mostly] serviceable as an origin story for some of these characters, canon or otherwise. I am most likely gonna get a lot of people to disagree with me but that's what I stand by. Overall, worth the four year long wait (4 years, fucking really..?). At worst, it's decent, and at best, it's amazing.

FINAL RANKING: 8/10

The movie's opening weekend has only just begun, and reviews and meandering in very opposite directions, but if and when this movie does perform well, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the last time we see these characters again.

[satoshi-mochida]

Needy Streamer Overload Spinoff Typing Of The Net Launches On Steam

(from Jan 20)

WSS Playground, developers of Needy Streamer Overload, have released a new spinoff title, Needy Streamer Overload: Typing of The Net. This typing game, centered on internet culture, is now available on PC via Steam for $7.99. The launch also introduces the “Internet Angel Pack” Digital Deluxe Edition, which bundles the original game, the spinoff, a 300-page digital artbook, and two soundtracks, including music from the new title. In case you missed it, check out our review.

A Typing Game with an Internet Focus

In Typing of The Net, players take on the role of a dedicated fan of OMGkawaiiAngel, a fictional content creator. The gameplay involves typing internet “slang” messages during livestreams to catch the streamer’s attention. With over 200 terms included, the game challenges players to stay in sync with online trends and quick-paced typing mechanics. Each term is explained mid-game, offering a brief exploration of internet culture while advancing the game’s fast-paced challenges. The game combines elements of nostalgia and modern online interactions for a distinct typing-focused experience.

What’s Included in the Digital Deluxe Edition

The “Internet Angel Pack” Digital Deluxe Edition provides additional content for fans of the series. It includes:

The original Needy Streamer Overload and Typing of The Net

A 300-page digital artbook featuring illustrations and concept art

Two complete soundtracks, including new music from the spinoff

Access to the Petit Game Collection Vol. 1, featuring mini-games from the series

This bundle is positioned as a way for fans to explore more of the series’ visuals, music, and gameplay.

Availability and Pricing

Needy Streamer Overload: Typing of The Net is now available on PC via Steam for $7.99. The game offers support for English, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese.

For more updates on this title and others, stay tuned to Noisy Pixel.

[demifiendrsa]

Tales of Graces f Remastered - Announcement Trailer

Japanese version

General producer message

Tales of Graces f Remastered will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Steam) on January 17, 2025.

Title logo

Key visual

Screenshots Overview

In Tales of Graces f Remastered, players will follow the adventures of Asbel and his friends as they embark on a world-spanning adventure filled with unforgettable characters, shocking revelations, and unique companions brought together through promises made across time. The title is set in the world of Ephinea, a planet blessed with abundant greenery. The world is ruled by three great nations, each with the power of Eleth. Tales of Graces f Remastered is a remastered version of Tales of Graces f released in 2010 featuring quality of life improvements and additions, downloadable content from the original version and newly localized scenes that will be available in English for the very first time.

Q & A

What is Tales of Graces f Remastered?

This title will be a remastered title of Tales of Graces f (hereinafter referred to as the original version), which was released on PlayStation®3 in 2010 in Japan and Asia and 2013 in the Americas and Europe.

This title follows the original version, with improved graphics and various useful functions, as well as a number of downloadable content from the original version.

Will this work include the ““Lineage and Legacies”?

It is included. The “Lineage and Legacies” is a story that depicts the world six months after the end of Tales of Graces. You can enjoy an after-story that centers around Sophie.

Were any elements added or removed from the original version?

Added Elements

Quality-of-life functions have been added to the game to make the game more convenient and enjoyable for the player.

Includes many downloadable contents from the original version (some licensed downloadable content is not available).

Add overseas languages for some groovy chats.

Adjusted Elements

The online ranking mode was removed and converted into Trials of Graces, an offline mode found on the Title Menu.

Please tell us about the specification information for this work.

The framerate specs and graphics will vary for each platform. Please see the table below for details.

What is included in the “Digital Art Book & Soundtrack” in the Deluxe Edition?

The digital art book is an excerpt from the “Tales of Graces Official Complete Guide” published in 2010 and the “Tales of Graces f Official Complete Guide” published in 2011.

The digital soundtrack includes the background music included in the “Tales of Graces Original Soundtrack” distributed in 2022, as well as 13 BGM tracks newly added in the ” Lineage and Legacies.”

[keyrey]

Behind the fic ‘A thousand Degrees’

Click here if you would like to read before getting a look on my thought process!

I find it interesting that humanity has grown rapidly over just a few hundred years. Back then, blacksmiths were influential and essential to the economy.

Inspiration: Writing the story, I was primarily inspired by the Fontaine soundtrack from Genshin Impact. I learned that the region was centered around the Industrial Revolution in France, which is why you might see steampunk-themed ideas throughout the town, like the robots (Coppelia and Coppelius) and the underwater towers. Although Nanami didn’t swim underwater, hold his breath for an ungodly amount of time, or receive a divine gift of hydro resonance, I enjoyed the direction I took the original premise in… Plus, I really just love the Fontaine soundtrack.

Likeness capture: If you read part one, I attempted to capture Nanami’s personality and morals in this unique way, combining a couple of headcanons together to make one. His tea garden is filled with osmanthus and jasmine flowers. He also started helping others with making financial decisions, a nod to his ex-salaryman character!

Descriptions: Clothing wise overall, I’m seeing a trend of… overalls, white long sleeved shirts, a brown or black hat. Muted colors. ← This one stood out to me the most as a steampunk blacksmith. A mixture of orange and brown tones with a flashy top hat to match.

Overall, I do recognize that ‘Kento Nanami as a Blacksmith’ isn’t the most original idea thanks to the wonderful Mrs. Haitch but I've taken my own spin on this prompt. Fan-fictions are a creative outlet for me and I’m just starting to be brave enough to post them online. I do not think anyone can ‘own’ a writing prompt. It’s why character x reader and all of your favorite tropes exist.

As this is my second ever fanfic, I’m always looking for feedback and improvements that could be made. If you have any ideas for the sequels to come, please let me know in the ‘ask me anything’ box on my page. (I haven’t started part two yet so please give me ideas!) If you want to collaborate and co-write with me, I’m always available.

Once again: Click here if you would like to read ‘A thousand degrees’ part one.

Thank you for reading!

[mariacallous]

Pretty much every online lurker knows the image: A man gawks at a passing woman making the kind of “How you doin’?” face that would make Joey Tribbiani blush. Ever since it landed in 2017, the “distracted boyfriend” meme, which took that stock photo and projected scenarios onto it, has been seared into the internet’s collective consciousness. Now, artificial intelligence is rendering the memory of that viral moment fuzzy, along with the memories of dozens of other memes.

Often called “time traveler” videos, particularly on TikTok, the AI-generated clips currently bouncing around the internet take well-known memes and add context that wasn’t there before. In some cases, they “interrupt” the action; sometimes they include a haunting specter. In the “distracted boyfriend” animation, which was posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) last month, the boyfriend is seen turning around and following the girl walking in the opposite direction while his girlfriend stands nearby.

The clip was made using Luma Dream Machine, an AI model that takes source images and text prompts and creates high-quality, realistic videos. Within days of its release, social media users started to borrow images and frames from recognizable memes to create visuals that test Dream Machine’s generation abilities. The results proved that while the AI model isn’t flawless, it does have the ability to rewrite internet history by altering the web’s most enduring images.

As Dream Machine spread, some common visual limitations and faults of generative AI showed up in the model’s output, such as unnatural human depictions and objects morphing. While some social media users found the visuals to be scary and concerning in terms of AI’s acceleration and its potential to create misinformation, others found amusement in the model’s incoherent errors.

While it may be disconcerting to think that one of these AI-altered memes could go so viral it eclipses the image that inspired it, Know Your Meme editor Phillip Hamilton believes that the trend doesn’t pose a huge threat to digital media preservation. Rather, it’s the ubiquity of the originals that makes the reboots work.

“Generally, everyone knows the context,” Hamilton says, referring to the viral images being edited. “The iconicness of the video is at the core of the trend … the core of the [time-traveler] meme is that popular thing being stopped.”

The nature of meme-sharing on social media revolves around user interaction with memes. Since most are the result of editing to begin with, editing memes with AI is fair game, Hamilton says.

Luma boasts that Dream Machine can generate 120 frames of high-quality video in under 120 seconds, despite facing significant delays due to extremely high demand. The speedy generation, along with the availability of a “free” tier that allows users to generate up to 30 clips per month, have made Dream Machine much more accessible than its OpenAI counterpart, Sora, which, despite being revealed in February, has not yet been released to the public so far.

The freedom and easy access of the Dream Machine model have led many users, like Lukas Robert Hron, a 23-year-old game developer based in Sweden, to create new versions of popular internet memes, like viral videos from the defunct platform Vine (RIP).

On June 14, Hron posted a clip on X showing a modified version of a 2013 Vine where a young kid incorrectly answers the question “What’s nine plus 10?” In Hron’s version, a shadow enters the room right before the boy declares his iconically wrong answer. Soundtracked by spooky music, the video sparked unnerving reactions from social media users who were as confused as intrigued. Two weeks after Hron posted it, the clip had racked up more than 30 million views on X, and as it made its way to different channels, the video accumulated captions like “POV: time traveler comes to stop meme.” As more users have remade viral Vines, the “time traveler” joke has followed them, too.

The videos, often bizarre in substance, trigger the sort of body horror that comes with generative AI’s uncanny depiction of human forms and movements. While Hron—who also happens to make horror games—did intend for his video to have an off-putting vibe, its strange visuals were merely a product of Dream Machine’s faults. Other posts under the “time traveler” trend show the people in the original videos being chased by shadow figures, morphing into unrecognizable creatures, and being consumed by monsters.

“It's a lot easier for AI to get things wrong, and that just makes them inherently scary,” Hron says.

While these AI-generated visuals might not overshadow the original memes, they signal a new wave of digital content and a new engagement dynamic for social media users. What might only look like bizarre and unrealistic meme-editing at the moment could set the groundwork for a widely skeptical online audience, one that believes not even memes are to be trusted.

[bumblebeeappletree]

[Video transcript available below in the comment section]

A new language has been spreading within the DeafBlind community, and has revolutionized how some DeafBlind people communicate. Called Protactile, or PT, the language uses touch as its medium of communication. PT emerged in 2007, when a group of DeafBlind people in Seattle began exploring their natural tactile instinct. Rooted in DeafBlind people's experience, PT aims to resolve previous communication difficulties for DeafBlind people, and advance the community's autonomy. Today, the language has reached thousands of people, and is still evolving.

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This video was originally posted onto YouTube on January 15th, 2020. I will put down the video transcript under the read more.

[Video transcript part 1]

The video opens with a scene of Jaimi Lard, a DeafBlind woman, and Christine Dwyer, a hearing and sighted interpreter. They are demonstrating elements of Protactile language together. Christine describes the layout of a building to Jaimi in Protactile. Jaimi holds out one hand, palm up, to represent the floor. A close up shows Christine’s hand “walking” with two fingers on Jaimi’s palm. Jaimi keeps her other hand on top of Christine’s hand to follow her movements. Then Christine signs and applies various touches to Jaimi’s palm. Jing Peng, reporter and the narrator of this video, sits next to them and watches. There is a marimba soundtrack, which gets softer as the male narrator begins to speak.

Narrator: This is a new language that could change the lives of thousands of DeafBlind people.

The video cuts to a shot of Christine describing a detachable camera lens to Jaimi. Jaimi makes a loose fist to represent the lens. Christine taps on Jaimi’s hand and applies twisting motions to it. Jaimi’s other hand stays on one of Christine’s hands to track her movements.

The words “Protactile (PT)” appear on the top left of the screen.

Narrator: It’s called Protactile, or PT, and it’s based entirely on the sense of touch.

The video cuts to a scene of four DeafBlind people speaking PT. Two people are seated directly in front of the camera, and two others are seated further in the background. Each pair of people sit closely together, facing each other, the outer sides of their thighs pressed together. As the speaker talks with their hands, the person receiving the message follows the conversation with one hand, and uses the other hand to provide reactions on the speaker’s leg.

The video then cuts to another scene, where eight DeafBlind people are seated in four pairs in one long row. They are talking in PT.

Narrator: PT emerged in 2007 in the DeafBlind community. And it’s still growing and spreading.

The video cuts to a scene of Jaimi and Christine demonstrating elements of PT to around 50 people in a conference room. Jaimi and Christine stand side by side. Jaimi holds out her hand, palm up. Christine holds Jaimi’s palm with one hand. Her other hand traces lines on the palm, then applies various finger taps to it. Jaimi’s other hand follows Christine’s hand movement.

The text “Jaimi Lard” and “Christine Dwyer” appear on screen, near Jaimi and Christine respectively. Each name has an arrow pointing to the person it refers to.

Narrator: This is Jaimi Lard, she and her hearing and sighted interpreter, Christine Dwyer, have incorporated elements of PT in their communication.

Christine (speaking to the audience): I've known her for 30 years, and we have changed the way we communicate.

The video cuts to an interview setting. Jaimi sits in the middle of an office, flanked on either side by Christine and Jing. The text “Jing Peng, Reporter” appears under Jing’s chest. Both Christine and Jing have one hand placed on Jaimi’s shoulder. Christine and Jaimi’s knees touch.

Narrator: For this interview, Jaimi speaks in American Sign Language, which Christine interprets.

Jaimi (answering a question about PT): By getting it tactilely, we were able to be included in more.

[Video transcript part 2]

The video cuts back to the conference room. Jaimi addresses her audience in ASL. Christine stands next to Jaimi, keeping one hand on Jaimi’s back as she interprets.

Jaimi (speaking to the audience): I was born deaf and blind.

Narrator: Jaimi works as a diversity speaker at Perkins School for the Blind.

The video cuts to Jaimi’s apartment. Jaimi chats in ASL with a Deaf Japanese woman named Kasumi. Kasumi speaks. Jaimi puts a hand on hers to track the signs. Jaimi smiles and signs “yes” with her other hand.

In the next shot, Kasumi teaches Jaimi the sign “flower” in Japanese Sign Language. Jaimi feels the sign with both hands and copies it. The sign starts with two cupped hands pressed together. Then the wrists rotate as the palms open and all ten fingers spread out like petals.

Narrator: Growing up, Jaimi learned American Sign Language, or ASL. That’s one of the ways DeafBlind people communicate: by placing one’s hand over the speaker’s to feel what they’re signing. But, there’s a problem.

Jaimi (speaking during the interview): American Sign Language is a visual language.

The video cuts to Jaimi and Christine speaking ASL to Kasumi in the lobby of a building. Kasumi watches their signs and nods.

Narrator: ASL is designed for sighted Deaf people. It’s meant to be seen. And many gestures that make sense to your eyes make little sense when you touch them.

The video cuts back to the interview setting. Jaimi and Christine demonstrate elements of ASL that are hard to follow for DeafBLind people. Christine describes a space by pointing at imaginary objects in the air, while Jaimi tracks her signs with one hand.

Jaimi (speaking during the interview): There were things I was misunderstanding. I just began to do a nod, and just go ‘uh-huh, uh-huh,’ and go along with things. But I wasn't always sure what I was going along with.

Narrator: It’s the kind of passivity that could hurt DeafBlind people’s independence and autonomy.

The video cuts to Jaimi’s office. Jaimi writes an email at her computer, using an app that magnifies texts on her screen. She leans forward, her face close to the monitor. She clicks the button “compose,” types on her keyboard. Her sunglass lenses reflect the magnified letters on her screen.

The soundtrack changes to an upbeat, rhythmic marimba, as the video transitions to a montage of PT demonstration by Jelica Nuccio and aj granda, two leaders of the PT movement. They sit close together, half facing the camera, half facing each other. Their knees touch. aj describes a waterfall to Jelica. Her palm makes fast, repeated rubs on Jelica’s hand and forearm, showing the intensity of the water flow. The rubs become slower and gentler, indicating a weaker water current.

In the next shot, aj describes a cooking procedure. Jelica holds out her hand, palm up, to represent the pan. On both sides of the hand, aj traces shapes and applies various taps, showing how the batter spreads out on the pan, how the fire licks the underside of the pan, and how the batter bubbles as it heats up.

Narrator: But in the mid-2000s, a group of DeafBlind people in Seattle realized they should explore their natural tactile instincts, and PT was born in the process.

[Video transcript part 3]

The last shot of the montage is a close up of Jelica and aj’s legs. Jelica maps out spatial information aj’s thigh, tracing lines and applying various finger taps. When Jelica finishes, aj taps and scratches Jelica’s thigh in response.

Narrator: Not meant for sight, PT uses the receiver’s body as its vehicle for communication. Here’s an example of how the two differ: Christine will first use ASL to describing the layout of a building.

The video cuts back to the interview setting. Christine guides Jaimi’s hands around in the air to trace out the shape of the building. She then points to different parts of the imaginary building and signs what’s in those areas. Christine voices what she signs: “In the middle is the tower. And on the sides are two hallways. This one has classrooms, this side has offices. But if I'm going to change it to PT, I'm going to ask Jaimi to give me her hand. And I can use this to draw the visual information.”

The scene continues. Christine pats Jaimi’s hand, which has been placed on top of hers, to signal that she wants Jaimi’s other hand for mapping purposes. Jaimi holds out her hand, palm up. Christine applies finger taps to Jaimi’s palm to indicate the center of the building, then she draws the two hallways extending from either side of the center, one down Jaimi’s forearm, the other up to her fingertips. She then taps the areas on Jaimi’s palm and arm that correspond to the hallways, and explains what each side contains. She voices what she signs: “On each side are hallways, with classrooms and offices.”

Christine then indicates the route to the bathroom. She uses two fingers to walk on Jaimi’s palm, and signs to add information. Christine voices what she is telling Jaimi: “In this hall way you go left to the end. And then take a right. The second door on your left is the bathroom. Jaimi smiles in excitement.

Jaimi: “That's clearer.”

The video cuts to the conference room. During a break in the presentation, Christine draws spatial information on Jaimi’s palm. A woman walks up to converse with them.

Narrator: And this sense of one’s surroundings is vital for DeafBlind people’s safety and autonomy.

The video cuts to another montage of PT demonstration by Jelica Nuccio and aj granda. They sit close together, half facing the camera, half facing each other. Their knees touch. The first shot shows Jelica touching aj’s head and shoulders to describe the length of a person’s hair. One of aj’s hands rests on Jelica’s thigh, and makes tapping motions in response to Jelica’s description. Two arrows appear on screen, indicating the two ways in which information flows between aj and Jelica. One arrow follows Jelica’s arm and points to aj. The other arrow points from aj’s hand on Jelica’s thigh to Jelica.

Narrator: Another key innovation of PT is its two-way communication channel between the speaker and the receiver.

The next shot of the PT montage shows aj describing an intense water current. Her palm makes forceful, successive rubs on Jelica’s arm. Jelica’s other hand, placed on aj’s thigh, makes repeated tapping and scratching motions as Jelica receives aj’s message. An arrow points to Jelica’s hand to highlight its movements.

Narrator: This allows the receiver to transmit reactions and emotions in real time without interrupting the speaker, through a mechanism called backchanneling.

The next shot of the PT montage starts with Jelica speaking to aj, who gives a tap on Jelica’s leg. Two arrows on screen indicate the two-way information flow. Jelica finishes her sentence. As aj starts to speak, she lifts her hand from Jelica’s thigh, and Jelica in turn places a hand on aj’s thigh to provide feedback. The two arrows fade out and two new arrows pointing in the opposite direction fade in.

Narrator: This two-way flow is crucial for a sense of connection and engagement.

Video transitions back to the interview setting. Reporter Jing’s hand stays on Jaimi’s shoulder as he listens to her answer. At one point, Jing taps Jaimi’s shoulder repeatedly, and a circle appears around his hand to highlight the movement. Jaimi smiles and nods in response.

Narrator: During our interview, Christine and I gave tactile feedback to Jaimi.

A shot of Christine tapping Jaimi’s thigh repeatedly. A circle highlights the hand movement.

Narrator: Here, Christine is nodding.

A close up of Christine’s hand making rapid, repeated scratches on Jaimi’s shoulder. Christine’s laughter can be heard off screen.

Narrator: Here, she is laughing.

[Video transcript part 4]

Jaimi (speaking during the interview): If there was no backchanneling, then you kind of get distracted. Because you’re trying to figure out: Are they still with me in this conversation? Did the person turn away? But by having a constant touch, it makes me feel like you care about this conversation, and you care about me. If I trust you, then we're going to have a much clearer conversation.

Video cuts to Jaimi and Christine in the conference room. As Jaimi gives her presentation, Christine places her hand now on Jaimi’s back, now on her shoulder. A montage shows Christine’s hand tapping, scratching and closing into a fist to rub Jaimi’s back. As Jaimi and Christine laugh, Christine scratches Jaimi’s shoulder to convey her mood.

In the next sequence, the audience watches a video about Jaimi’s life. A clip shows Jaimi making coffee in her kitchen. The video’s female narrator, voicing Jaimi’s perspective, says: “My hands are not only tools. They are my eyes and ears too. The way people touch my hands is important: Never grab or pull, using a light touch and gentle guide is much politer.” A blind woman can be seen among the audience. A man in a wheelchair sits in the front row.

Jaimi and Christine chat in ASL as the audience view the video.

Video cuts to the interview setting. Christine uses PT’s mapping technique to describe a space to Jaimi. A close up show Jaimi’s hand on top of Christine’s.

Narrator: Jaimi and Christine are among the thousands of people who have been exposed to PT. As the young language grows, it’s seeing new expressions rooted in DeafBlind people’s experience that don’t exist in any other language.

The video soundtrack rises in intensity as the video cuts to a montage of different aspects of PT. In the first clip, two women interlocutors break into laughter. They guide each other’s hand to their own throat, so the other person can feel the vibration.

The next clip shows a woman talking to two other women in PT. The three sit close together in a cluster, facing each other, their knees touching. The speaker’s two hands make mirroring movements, conveying the same message to the two receivers, who follow what is said with one hand. Both receivers hold out their other hand, palm up, toward the speaker. The two palm’s sides touch. The speaker applies various touches to the two hands, the receivers’ shoulders, and her own chest.

The next sequence shows a man performing PT poetry for two women. All three sit close together, facing each other, knees touching. The man’s hands make mirroring movements on the two receivers’ body. His hands, placed on the back of the women’s heads, start to shake rapidly. Then the shaking hands travel down the receivers’ necks, across their chests, and down their arms to their hands, which are placed on the man’s knees. His hands clasp their hands, and all six hands slowly lift up, continuously shaking, above their heads. The shaking stops.

Narrator: It’s a new frontier of communication and connection.

Jaimi (speaking during the interview): I really want more training actually. I’ve learned some, but I don't really have it all down in depth. So, I would like to certainly learn some more.

Video cuts back to the conference room. Jaimi and Christine thank their audience at the end of the presentation. The audience applauds. Instead of clapping, they shake their open palms above their heads and stomp the ground with their feet. Jaimi and Christine also lift their hands and shake their palms. Then Jaimi and Christine pat each other’s shoulders in celebration. Video cuts to black.

Credit screen: Video produced by Jingnan Peng. Production supervisor: Samantha Laine Perfas. Additional clips: DeafBlind Interpreting (DBI).

Video ends. End of transcript.

[fallloverfic]

ENNEAD volume 4 English physical release up for pre-order! Release date 12 November 2024!

ENNEAD by Mojito, the boys love manhwa set in ancient Egypt, volume 4 in English physical release, is up for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble in paperback and hardcover! It should be available on more sites (particularly international ones) soon! Volume 4 doesn't have a cover yet (which is pretty normal, since volume 3 only got one recently), but since it's following the Korean release, it should be Horus (which is the one here).

Why the paperback and hardcover versions of the English physical release have different age ranges: "Seven Seas will release two versions of the series, which were originally drawn for different audiences: a paperback version rated Older Teen, and a deluxe hardcover version rated Mature. (Each version is standalone but has alternate depictions of some adult material.)"

This mimics the modifications of the censored and uncensored release available on webcomic platforms like Tappytoon, Witchcomics, Ridibooks, etc. Below is a list of episodes with differences between the versions.

Season 1: Episodes 28-32, 42-44

Season 2: Episodes 19, 45-47, 71

Due to the episode allocation of the volumes, volume 3 should be the first with actual panel differences. Volume 4 should also have panel differences.

Currently, you can order volume 1 and pre-order volumes 2-3 as well. Given they are seemingly just making an English version of the Korean + Taiwanese physical release (down to cover + interior design), there will likely be 6 volumes of season 1. Season 2 is not out in physical anywhere yet. If you're outside the US and want more options, try calling your local bookstore if you have one, and asking if they have it or can order it. If you'd like a visual rundown of the comparison between paperback and hardcover, Seven Seas made a video here.

The manhwa online is currently on S02E82 in Korean, and on S02E79 in English on Tappytoon (and various other points in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Thai). If you'd like to read one of those, here's a guide. The physical English release is not just a physical release of the Tappytoon translation. While the text is similar because it's translating the same Korean text, there are a number of differences, mostly involving punctuation, but sometimes with more heavily modified sentences, and there have even been some corrections for errors in the Tappytoon text.

In case you missed it, other stuff in the fandom recently:

The Japanese physical release of ENNEAD will begin with the simultaneous release of volumes 1-2 on 24 April 2024, with various order bonuses depending on where you order.

The Italian translation of ENNEAD volume 1 has been released and volume 2 has also released.

There's a pre-order page for ENNEAD volume 1 in German, also releasing 19 March 2024.

ACO's audio drama adaptation of season 1 is fully available to purchase digitally episode by episode. You need to buy the whole thing to get the soundtrack.

In a BNOW x ENNEAD collaboration, BNOW released an alternate reality card collection! There is a physical set of cards that can be purchased for international sale, and you can download the Korean BNOW app and use the cards you have to generate 3D models of the characters!

[punchdrunkdoc]

Part 2, Chapter 13

Summary: After the events of S3, Matt Murdock is trying to once again balance life as a lawyer and a vigilante. But he’s been scarred by loss and betrayal - will a mysterious new neighbour help him heal? Or will her secrets drag him back into the darkness?

Notes: This is a slow burn romance with an original female character, told in 3 parts. There is mystery, intrigue, action/violence and angst - all the good stuff!

Also available on AO3 and Wattpad

Masterlist

Reference pics

————–

PART 2

Chapter 13

Matt scowled as he walked to work, the incessant racket of Christmas carols providing an unwelcome soundtrack to his journey. They wafted from the stores lining the street to his right; they drifted from the radios of the cars passing on his left. There was even a choir practicing in the church a block away.

Listening to just one carol was bad enough, but when they all merged together like this in a cloying cacophony of noise it was the equivalent of auditory torture.

And it was only December 8th - there were still weeks more of this to come.

The irony was, he’d actually been looking forward to the holidays this year. He’d been looking forward to seeing it all through Calina’s eyes, and getting to share in her wonder and excitement as she experienced it all for the first time. He'd even gotten her a present - weeks ago, before they'd been separated. He'd been searching online for an unrelated matter, and had come across something he thought she'd like, so he'd bought it on impulse. 

Now it was lying forgotten in the bottom of his bedside drawer.

He should probably just throw it away. 

She was gone. And she wasn’t coming back.

It had been 10 days since he’d been left unconscious on the side of a road in Connecticut. 10 days since he’d last heard her voice.

10 days of silence.

In the beginning, he’d allowed Foggy and Karen’s optimism to infect him. They’d convinced him that Calina would call as soon as she was settled in the new base. They’d planted a small kernel of hope inside him, and he’d held onto it as he’d waited and waited for her to get in touch. His phone had been his constant companion since then. He held it in his hand as he walked to work in case he somehow missed the sound of it ringing in his pocket. It sat on his desk all day as he tried to concentrate on his latest cases. When he came home to his cold, barren apartment, he rested it on the arm of his chair while he ate leftovers for dinner.

He even started carrying it at night while he was Daredevil. It was reckless - dangerous even - to have that proof of his identity with him as he stalked the streets, but he didn’t want to risk missing her call.

And when he finally slipped into his side of the bed in the early hours, the phone was right there on the nightstand. He would lie awake for hours, listening to the silence emanating from the device, unable to fall asleep for fear that he’d miss her…and because the bed felt far too empty without her.

Everything felt empty without her. Everything felt wrong. Off-kilter and out of sorts.

Her absence from his world was so…palpable.

How was it possible that she’d become such an integral part of his life in so short a time?

So short a time he could still count it in days.

Which he’d done just last night. In a misguided attempt to try to downplay her significance, to fool himself into believing that the length of their relationship somehow negated what he was feeling, he took out a calendar and measured it out.

102 days.

That was all.

102 days since he’d first seen her on the rooftop.

98 days since he’d learned her name.

38 days since he’d discovered her secret.

10 days since he’d last seen her. Since he’d last heard her voice.

And it wasn’t likely that he'd ever hear it again. That small kernel of hope within him had finally withered and turned to dust.

She wasn’t going to call. She was never going to call.

Matt stomped up the stairs to the office, his bad mood evident in the slow, heavy tread of his feet and the force with which he yanked open the door.

“Hey, Matt,” Karen said. Her voice held an annoying note of sympathy.

Matt ignored it as he shrugged out of his coat. The wool was wet with snowflakes and he shook out the dampness before hanging it on the rack.

“I take it there’s been no word from Calina?”

Matt clenched his jaw at the question - the same one she’d asked every day for the past week. “No. And I think its safe to say that’s not going to change.”

“Oh, Matt. I’m so sorry.” She took a step closer, hand outstretched. “If you want to talk about it, I’m here.”

Matt dodged her attempts at comfort - both verbal and physical. “No. I just want to forget it and move on. There are more important things to deal with-”

“Matt-”

“Drop it, Karen. Please. We still have Margaret Posen’s appeal to submit. We have the Chisholm case coming up, not to mention the fear pheromone situation. My love life isn’t important in the grand scheme of things.”

She still tried again. “That’s not true. You’re hurting, I know you are. Please just talk to me-”

“No. Talking won’t help. But working will. Keeping busy will. So just indulge me, okay?”

“We’ve been indulging you, Matt.” This came from Foggy, who’d obviously been listening from his office. He stood in his doorway, arms crossed over his chest, ready to wade into the conversation. “You’ve been working yourself into the ground this last week, and you’ve been out all hours of the night as you-know-who. You look like shit-”

“Gee, thanks.”

Foggy growled under his breath. “We’re worried about you. You’re not in any fit state to be out on the streets right now. I think - we think - you need to take a break.”

“How can you say that now, Fog? We’re so close.” After weeks of adding data, the map of pheromone cases was finally showing a clear pattern. So clear, that they had a fairly good idea where the next victims were going to be located. “Everything we’ve been doing has led up to this.”

“And what if you blow it, because you’re too worn out to concentrate?”

“I won’t be.”

“Oh yeah? How’d you get that shiner, Matt?”

Matt touched the bruising under his eye. He could feel the heat radiating off it, and could picture what it looked like - a vicious dark purple mark that took up half his cheek.

Someone had managed to get the drop on him last night. Just after midnight, he’d noticed a man following a woman as she walked to the subway station. Two blocks from her destination, the man had grabbed the woman by the arm and dragged her into an alley - but Matt has been ready for the move. He was right behind them, and pulled the man off her before he could do more than bruise her wrist.

The man put up a fight, but he was typical of the kind of guys who preyed on women - no match for someone his own size. Matt could have easily subdued him, but he decided to teach him a lesson instead. He drew out the fight, turning it into a punishment and a warning.

But then the woman fled passed them to escape the alleyway.

And her scent drifted towards Matt.

It wasn’t an exact match for Calina’s perfume…but it was near enough. The sense-memory it triggered pulled his focus for an instant - just long enough for the man he was fighting to clock him in the face.

He tried to downplay it to Foggy. “It was a moment of distraction, Fog-”

“And that’s all it takes! For God’s sake, Matt, you’ve been tempting fate out there for years. I’m worried that a single mistake is going to be the end of you - and you’re bound to make mistakes when you’re sleep-deprived, running on empty, and heart broken.”

Matt shook his head. “I can’t stand by and let this continue.”

“We’re not asking you to,” Karen replied. “Just take a night to rest and regroup. Foggy’s meeting his contact tonight, so we’ll still be working on the case. Just from a different angle.”

“What contact?” Matt asked Foggy.

Foggy pointed at him. “See? This is exactly my point. I told you about him yesterday, but you were obviously too distracted to listen.”

Matt put his hands on in hips and tipped his head up to the ceiling, trying to conceal his anger at Foggy’s patronising tone. “Fine. Tell me again.”

“Freddie Carsten. He’s one of those all-purpose scumbags - theft, drug dealing, petty fraud, you name it. But he has a soft spot for his mom, and I helped her out with some legal trouble last year. Now he feels like he owes me, so he feeds me information now and again.”

“Why didn’t you talk to him sooner?”

“He’s been in Sing Sing for the last few months - just got out a week ago. But that’s plenty of time for him to get back up to speed with everything that’s going down in Hell’s Kitchen. Let me see what he knows, then we’ll reconvene tomorrow and plan our next steps.” Foggy reached out squeezed Matt’s shoulder. “I know you hate taking a night off - I know that you feel guilty when you do - but you’ll be of no use to anyone - ever again - if you get yourself killed.”

Matt sighed…then nodded. “Point taken.” 

Foggy slapped him on the back. “Good. Let’s get to work. We have a new client arriving in ten minutes.”

Matt nodded again and made his way to his office. He collapsed into his chair and dumped his briefcase on the desk. Then he contemplated the phone he still held in his hand - the one he’d carried to work, praying it would ring.

After a few moments of deliberation, he put it on silent and shoved it in the drawer of his desk.

It was time to move on. 

It was time to accept that Calina was never going to call.

It was time to accept that it was over. 

 ———

 Calina tugged the blanket tighter around her and wiggled her feet in her sheepskin-lined boots, trying to warm them up. It was stupid to be outside right now - the coast of Maine was a hell of a lot colder than the balmy climate of South Carolina - but she’d been cooped up in her room too long.

She needed space to breathe.

And she needed space to think. She hadn’t been able to do much of that over the past week and a half.

The journey from the old base to this new one was a blur - the days disappearing in a drugged-up, comatose haze. The last clear memory she had was collapsing in the back of the van on the coast road behind the mansion after the shoot-out. Then she’d woken up in this bedroom, a thousand miles north.

The time in-between was a series of snippets and fragments. Of pain and nausea and feverish chills. Of Katya’s worried face hovering over hers; the hushed, anxious whispers between Sofia and Yelena; the nagging ache in her side, and the violent shivers that wracked her body. She remembered a cool washcloth on her forehead, the burning pain as her wound was lanced, and the pinch of a needle as more antibiotics were injected in to her system.

And she remembered the hallucinations.

As the infection raged within her body, her mind added to the confusion by bombarding her with visions - of real sins and imagined ones. Of events from her past, and twisted dreams of her future. And it had all been so frighteningly real to her. She remembered shying away as the hand of a Red Room trainer struck out at her. She remembered flinching at the sounds of gunfire and explosions. She remembered hearing the cries of her victims as her bullets tore through their flesh.

Shameful memories made real again. Rendered in 3D, technicolor glory to torment her as she was trapped by the fever in her bed.

And - worst of all - interspersed with those nightmarish visions were the hallucinations of Matt.

Less horrifying in their nature, but no less of a torment.

He’d be wrapped around her in bed, holding her close and whispering beautiful words in her ear. Words of love, and desire. Words that had tears leaking from her eyes. She’d feel phantom fingers on her cheek, brushing the moisture away. “Don’t cry, sweetheart,” he’d say. “I’m here now. I’ll always be here - if you’ll have me.”

Twisted dreams.

Calina picked at a loose thread in the blanket as she stared out at the harbour. A rickety, old fishing trawler was making its way towards the shore, the surrounding grey sea churning as the ship chugged along. Seagulls squawked and hovered in the air above the pier, and she could hear the calls from the market stalls as they opened for business.

This place was more chaotic than their home in South Carolina, but still in a sleepy, seaside-town way. It was peaceful, despite the noise and the constant activity. And the sunset she'd caught last night had been stunning.

But she missed New York. She missed her life there.

And more than anything, she missed the life that could have been. The one where Matt held her for real, and whispered those words of love for real…

“What are you doing out here?”

Calina tilted her head back to see Sofia standing in the doorway of the balcony, scowling down at her. “I’ve already treated you for one life-threatening infection - the last thing I need is for you to come out here in the freezing cold and catch pneumonia!”

Calina sighed. Busted.

She gathered the blanket and got to her feet. She muttered a half-hearted, “Sorry,” as she shuffled passed the other Widow. “I just needed some air.”

Sofia followed her back into the room and made a point of locking the balcony door. “There’ll be plenty of time for that when you’re feeling stronger.”

Calina dutifully sat on the bed and held out her arm. Sofia took it and started monitoring her pulse. Calina sighed again - she was getting really sick of these constant vitals checks. “I am feeling stronger, Sofia. In fact, I feel fine now.”

“You’ve only been out of bed a couple of days.”

“And if I was still in the Red Room, I’d already be up, dressed and doing drills in the training room.”

“Well, you’re not in the Red Room anymore. You don’t need to power through it like that.”

“I also don’t need to be coddled like I’m some helpless child.” Calina tried to say the words as gently as she could. She’d been right about Sofia’s terrible bedside manner, but she’d always assumed it reflected a lack of care on the part of the medic. In fact, the opposite was true - Sofia cared deeply. She was very invested in the health of her patient - she just had difficulty expressing that. Instead of a reassuring word or a gentle pat on the hand, Sofia’s care came through in how much she…hovered.

Calina had barely had a minute to herself since she’d woken up.

“Well, excuse the fuck out of us for worrying about you.” The response didn’t come from Sofia, but from the Widow in the doorway - Yelena. Another woman who struggled to convey her care in a normal, affectionate way. Hers manifested as intense over-protection.

And it was another thing Calina was getting sick of.

“Like I just told Sofia, I’m feeling fine. I’m ready to get out of this room and be a functioning member of the team again.”

“Give it time, Calina. You almost died. First from the blood loss, then the coma, then the infection…” Yelena swallowed sharply and glanced away.

And that’s when Calina realised - the people who actually needed time to process what had happened were the ones who’d witnessed it. Not Calina. To her, it had been like a week-long nap. Granted, a nap filled with pain and nightmarish hallucinations, but she’d been pretty much out of it. She hadn’t felt the worry or anxiety that Yelena and Sofia obviously had.

Calina got up off the bed and approached the Widow in the doorway. Then she did something she’d never done to one of her sisters.

She gave her a hug.

Yelena was stiff in her arms - either from surprise or discomfort at the unfamiliar affection - but Calina held on. She tightened her arms, and whispered, “Thank you, Yelena. For saving my life. I’m sorry I worried you.”

Yelena patted her on the back - two firm, awkward taps - then squirmed out of the embrace. “Yes, well, it was a team effort. Sofia did most of the hard work, then there was Katya, Inessa and Ma-, um, me.”

Calina noticed Sofia exchanging a loaded glance with Yelena, but she couldn’t interpret the meaning behind it. She looked between the two other women, suddenly getting the feeling that they were hiding something. “Is there something you’re not telling me?” she asked.

Yelena frowned and shook her head. “No.”

Calina stared at her for a few more seconds, trying to discern the truth. She sounded sincere. And Calina couldn’t think what secret they’d be keeping from her.

It was probably nothing…

She just had the nagging sense that she was missing something. From the moment she’d woken up a few days ago, she’d had this vague feeling that she’d forgotten something important.

Something vital.

That feeling continued to nag at her for the rest of the morning. As she took a long shower and got dressed in something other than pyjamas for the first time in over a week, she tried to force her recollections into some semblance of order. She tried to piece together a proper timeline, and slot her snippets of memories together to try to work out what she was missing.

But the puzzle was incomplete. And there were too many gaps.

She couldn’t see the bigger picture.

She sighed and closed the bedroom door behind her, then made her way down to the kitchen. She was a little shaky navigating the stairs, but she was sure that once she got some solid food in her system she’d feel a lot stronger.

She took a seat at the enormous oak table and grabbed a sandwich from the pile in the centre. In the mansion in South Carolina, the Widows used to congregate in the living room. It was the heart of their home, with enough space to fit them all, and enough deep couches and comfortable armchairs for most of them to get a seat. They would spend all their free time in that room, just hanging out, slowly learning to become friends.

To become a family.

The large beach house in Maine had a relatively small living space - but a spacious kitchen-slash-dining area that took up most of the ground floor.

And that room soon became the new heart.

Calina glanced around at her sisters as they chatted and ate, and she noticed a couple of new faces - Widows that had been simultaneously freed from the serum and the nanite trackers in the past ten days. According to Sofia, it was Yelena’s new priority. She’d made quick work of finding and procuring another plasmapheresis machine and now there was a task force who took it out on the road to liberate more Widows.

One of those Widows gaped as she took in the relative chaos of the lunchtime melee. No one was hanging from the rafters or starting a food fight, but compared to the militant, silent mealtimes of the Red Room, they may as well have been. 

It was always easy to spot the newly freed - they all shared the same bewildered, slightly shell-shocked expression for the first few days.

This new life was a lot to get used to.

“…feeling, Calina?”

Calina jerked her head around as she heard her name being called. “Sorry?”

“I asked how you were feeling.” It was Viktoria, the Widow to her right.

“Much better, thank you.”

Viktoria opened her mouth to speak again but there was a sudden commotion at the front door. The two newest Widows went on instant alert, their hands instinctively reaching for their weapons, but the rest of the group recognised the sound for what it was - the roaming task force had returned home.

Sure enough, moments later, Anya, Katya and Inessa sauntered through the swinging doors of the kitchen. “We’re back!” Katya called out.

Calina smiled. “We can see that.”

Katya faced her, and matched her grin. “Well, if it isn’t Sleeping Beauty finally up and about!” She rounded the table and shuffled onto the bench beside Calina. She gave her a quick one-armed hug around the shoulders and whispered, “Seriously, I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks,” Calina replied. “And likewise - how was it out there?”

Anya grimaced as she answered Calina’s question. “We were tracking down a Widow last seen in Montreal, but she’s in the wind. Let’s hope Volkov doesn’t get to her before we do.”

Calina frowned. “Any word on him? I have no idea what’s been going on. I feel so out of the loop.”

“Not that I know of,” Katya answered. “But we’ve been concentrating on tracking Widows. Yelena’s taking point on Volkov - you should ask her.”

Calina rolled her eyes. “Yelena’s being weird around me at the moment. When she’s not obsessing about my health she’s giving these weird looks to the people around me, acting as if she’s hiding something…”

Calina’s voice tailed off as she noticed Katya suddenly glance at Anya, that same furtive look on her face that Yelena had had this morning. “Oh no, not you guys too,” Calina groaned. “What’s going on? What am I missing?”

Katya and Anya stared at each other for a few more moments, a wordless conversation taking place between them. Anya eventually nodded, her face resigned to whatever Katya was planning. Katya then abruptly stood up and motioned for Calina to do the same. “Come on,” she said. “We need some privacy for this.”

The three of them headed upstairs to Calina’s room. Calina took a seat cross-legged on the mattress while Katya chose the armchair next to the bed. Anya lurked by the window, looking grim, her hands squeezing around the edges of her ever-present tablet. “Yelena is gonna kill us,” she mumbled.

“Not if Calina kills her first,” Katya replied with a shrug.

“Why would I want to kill Yelena?” Calina asked slowly, her gaze bouncing between the other two women.

“Okay,” Katya said, holding up her hands in submission. “In Yelena’s defence - in all of our defence - we were just doing what we thought was best. You were in no fit state to do anything about it when you first got here anyway, and then the infection set in…you’ve only really been lucid for a few days, so its not like we kept this from you the whole time. And we didn’t even realise you didn’t remember at first…”

“Kept what from me? What don’t I remember? Spit it out, Katya!”

Katya took a deep breath, then blurted it all out in one breath. “Matt came to see you when you were in the cabin - he’s the reason you woke up.”

Calina leaned back, as if the words were a physical blow.

Matt came to see her?

Matt was the reason she woke up?

She shook her head. “Wh-what are you talking about?” she stuttered - her mind too busy reeling from the news to form a coherent sentence.

“We were really worried about you, Calina - you were comatose! As a last resort Yelena went to get Matt. We thought his voice or his presence might bring you back. And it did. It worked.”

“Yelena went to get Matt…” Calina repeated, frowning. “But she doesn’t even like him.”

Katya laughed. “She likes him a lot better now. Although the reverse probably isn’t true.”

“What do you mean?”

Katya smile dropped. She glanced nervously back at Anya but the other widow just shrugged. “You have to tell her now.”

“After you woke up, we had to move quickly - we had intel that Volkov was maybe scoping out the area so we had to hit the road. Matt included. But then we…”

“What?”

“We dumped him.”

“You dumped him? What do you mean you dumped him?”

Katya cringed. “We sedated him and left him in Connecticut.”

Calina jumped to her feet. “Are you fucking kidding me?!”   

Katya stood up and backed away, her hands up in defence again. “We couldn’t let him know about this location-”

“That doesn’t mean you had to dump him unconscious in another state! I don’t even know if he’s ever been out of New York before!”

“He’s Daredevil, Calina. He’s perfectly capable of taking care of himself.”

“That’s not the point! You could have just talked to him and explained-”

“Yelena tried! He was desperate to stay with you. He wouldn’t have left on his own.”

He was desperate to stay with you.

Calina’s heart leapt involuntarily at those words.

Matt came to see you.

He’s the reason you woke up.

He was desperate to stay with you.

Hope fluttered it’s wings inside Calina. She tried to cage it, to dampen the rising joy. She tried to convince herself that it didn’t mean what her heart thought it did. That it was just Matt’s overly-developed sense of guilt and duty at play.

It didn’t mean that he…cared…about her.

She tried to convince Katya and Anya too. “He feels responsible for the people around him. He probably just wanted to make sure I got here safely.”

Katya tipped her head and gave her a strange look. “Calina…I don’t think that’s it at all.” She turned to Anya. “Show her,” she prompted.

Anya tapped at the screen of her tablet then held it out to Calina.

Calina took the device. It showed a black screen with a play button in the middle. “What is this?”

“We set up a camera in the cabin so we could monitor you through the night. It was running when Matt visited. I asked Anya to save the footage.”

Calina glanced between the two other women. “You’ve watched this?” She held the tablet to her chest, as if somehow sensing that whatever was on the video was intensely private and not meant to be shared around.

Katya shook her head and rested a hand on Calina’s shoulder. “As soon as I realised what it was, I stopped watching. And no one else has seen a single frame.”

“What do you mean, ‘realised what it was’? What is it?”

“Just something that you needed to see. Something that you need to hear.” She motioned to Anya and the two of them left the room, closing the door quietly behind them.

Calina sat back on the bed and contemplated the screen in her hands, suddenly nervous. She had the strange feeling that the entire direction of her future hinged on what was on this video.

Her heart started pounding as a result, and her throat went dry, whether in dread or anticipation, she couldn’t tell. Her emotions were as mixed up as her thoughts.

“Get a grip, Calina,” she whispered to herself. “Nothing can be worse than what you overheard from Foggy in the bar.”

She didn’t know why she was trying to lie to herself. There were a million more things that Matt could say that could break her heart.

And a million that could mend it.

“There’s only one way to find out…”

She took a deep breath…and pressed play.

———

Chapter 14

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[nerdsleaze]

Fae Farm: Skies of Azoria DLC...It's Available Right Now!

Phoenix Labs today released Fae Farm: Skies of Azoria, the second expansion to its cozy farm sim. With this major content update, players are invited to explore the three mystical regions of Skyvale, an all-new realm in the clouds. With new friends to meet, new romantic interests, and new mysteries to solve, Fae Farm has never been more magical.

Fae Farm: Skies of Azoria is now available as a free content update for Nintendo Switch™ players and is included in the Deluxe Edition on PC. Owners of the Standard Edition on PC can also access this new content by purchasing the additional DLC for $14.99/€14.99/£12.79 on Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Skyvale, the setting for Skies of Azoria, is a mysterious celestial realm situated over the lands previously discovered in Fae Farm. The winged denizens invites players to visit them as the patron Sprite, Gusto, has turned unusually moody, and new dungeons with puzzles to solve with rewards to collect are part of the solution. Players can meet a host of new characters and build relationships with them, platonically or romantically, as well as master new skills, recipes and potions. Take home exciting new crops and resources as well as new cosmetics and decorations.

Fae Farm: Skies of Azoria is neatly intertwined with the main storyline, so players can start a new adventure and discover how this content and its new gameplay features weave into the main narrative. Alternatively, players who have completed the main story can easily jump right into the Skies of Azoria content update and experience it as a standalone adventure.

Fae Farm can be enjoyed solo, or with up to four players in online multiplayer. The game features full cross-play functionality, enabling players to share their adventures with others regardless of their preferred platform. Players on Nintendo Switch can also play locally via the ad-hoc wireless feature.

Players who purchase the game on Nintendo Switch receive the first two post-launch content updates, Coasts of Croakia and Skies of Azoria for free. On PC, players can purchase the Fae Farm Standard Edition for $39.99/€39.99/£29.99 which includes the base game, or the Deluxe Edition for $59.99/€59.99/£39.99, which includes the base game, the first two post-launch content packs, along with Fae Farm’s original soundtrack.

Fae Farm is rated E10+ by the ESRB / PEGI 7 / USK 6, and is available for Nintendo Switch and for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. A physical edition for Nintendo Switch is available at select retailers worldwide.

[bluebudgie]

so after i got the information that in the console versions of the pixel remasters you can switch to the OG soundtrack i caved in and with the power of my amassed nintendo gold points got the ff2 pixel remaster yesterday evening. (context: i'm a pixel remaster hater) (but I'm also on my quest to having played every version of this game available)

i've played about an hour so far (just delivered the mithril) and here's my observations:

while i still think the character sprite work is only rivaled by the psp version in ugliness i have to admit overall it looks better than at least the psp version. the battle effects (like magic) look so much better as actual pixel art. environments look pretty. you can actually change the font to look slightly less horrible by choosing the alternative setting in the options. really not as ugly overall as screenshots online make it out to be. i have to admit defeat here. dont understand why they wont let us change the textbox colour tho.

absolutely stupid that they got rid of character portraits in dialogue boxes. "it's supposed to be close to the original release" - bullshit. this version is as close to the original as literally every other remake this game got. plus some optional quality of life so arguably actually further removed from the original than any other version of this game.

the music box in the extras menu won me over. there was minwu walking along a little road whistling little music notes and suddenly gordon stood in the way and got run over and they both fell to the ground. this is the content i'm here for.

in the german translation the king of fynn says he got shot in the butt and that is not what the english translation says at all and it kills the mood bc the man is dying but it amused me so thats a positive point as well

minimap in dungeons feels cheaty as hell but also who the fuck cares, the dungeons in this game aren't spectacular enough to warrant an actual exploration challenge. means i'm glad the stupid map is there.

overall decent version so far and actually playable with the OG soundtrack selected. i think i might end up prefering this version over the psp release. in which case the only thing the psp version has going for itself at this point are the character portraits. but at least it has the best character portraits of all available versions.

edit: wait i forgot something

minwu is white. i mean i knew this before, this wasnt a new shock but i still cannot believe they whitewashed the man to be as white as untoasted toast

so is firion but that transition already happened years ago with dissidia so its less of a shock. still. holy shit square enix leave your brown characters brown please i cant deal with this

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

In response to my BBCF Lobby Sprite Edits, @cavewulf added the following;

Did you know the lobby sprites design first appeared in a game called magical beat, which had a collab with blazblue

I actually did not know about that! Though, inspired by your comment, I decided to do some digging. The trailer I found (posted by Arcade Belgium) even teases at the BlazBlue cameos, giving us a brief glance at Carl and Nirvana while previewing the game's Character Select menu, and showing silhouettes of Ragna and Noel toward the end of the video!

Magical Beat was released for the Playstation Vita in 2014, published by Arc System Works, just like BlazBlue. I did notice it as an option on the ArcSys games poll that ended just recently!

Magical Beat was (or is, I guess, one could still play it, though it's certainly faded from the public eye) a combination drop-down puzzle game and rhythm game. A fun thing I noticed was that levels in Magical Beat are comprised of ten stages, just like the Arcade modes in some of the BB games (though I think it was eight in Chronophantasma?)

The world of the game does seem to have some kind of story, taking place after the extinction of humanity. The three human-looking characters that seem to be the face of the game are actually "humanoid cyborgs" from some great war in the past... a character archetype that ArcSys seems to really enjoy using.

In addition to the game's original soundtrack, courtesy of Kikuo-san, the game featured 20 songs from the BlazBlue series, and 15 from XBlaze! The songs were released as DLC in sets of six (on average) that would also unlock an associated cameo character to play as!

The game also featured a small selection of music from the Guilty Gear series, but no Guilty Gear characters were featured.

Another interesting note; while I was working on this post, I noticed the Makoto sprite from Magical Beat looks a lot different than the sprite I used for my edits. Here's a comparison;

Magical Beat Makoto --

Makoto available on the Librarium Wiki, used for my edits --

Note how much more red the Makoto sprite here is! The difference in eye color! The Magical Beat Makoto also features slightly more detail, with a hair shine at the back of her head that our Makoto lacks. What's up with that??? I'm aware that the CF sprites have multiple alternative color palettes people can use, but it seems strange that out of all the sprites uploaded to the wiki, only Makoto's page lacks her original palette.

I decided to boot up my copy of Central Fiction to see figure out whether or not this was her default palette, but I had trouble getting online- I have CF on the Switch, so I have to deal with Nintendo's finickiness.

I reached out to Carl @goofballproximitysurveyor for some help, and it provided the following screenshot of Makoto's CF sprite --

Which is the same as her Magical Beat sprite! Aside from the fact that she's still missing her hair highlight thing. I wonder why that was changed. I haven't noticed it with any of the other CF sprites.

Welp. Moving on from that mystery.

I never did play Magical Beat myself. This was supposed to be a Magical Beat post, though, before I got sidetracked. If any of you did play the game and have memories of it, please share them!

[satoshi-mochida]

Urban Myth Dissolution Center launches February 13, 2025 - Gematsu

Mystery adventure game Urban Myth Dissolution Center will launch for PlayStation 5, Switch, and PC via Steam on February 13, 2025, publisher Shueisha Games and developer Haka Bunko announced. It will support English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, and Hindi language options.

In Japan, the PlayStation 5 and Switch versions will be available both physically and digitally for 3,740 yen. A 6,930 yen limited edition will also be available, which includes a copy of the game, an original board game for up to six players, the one-disc original soundtrack, a booklet, and a special box.

Here is the new key visual featured on the special box of the limited edition:

Here is an overview of the game, via Shueisha Games:

About

The Urban Myth Dissolution Center—your one-stop solution for researching and (dis)solving monstrous oddities, cursed relics, and dimensional anomalies! Take on urban myth cases as heroine Azami Fukurai, under the supervision of Ayumu Meguriya, Level S psychic and Center Director. The game is an episodic digital mystery adventure themed on multiple urban myths that roam the internet and presented in stunning psychedelic pixel art. The player takes control of Azami for the detective legwork, collecting circumstantial evidence and social network posts to unravel the truth behind each urban myth, the hidden pasts of each client, and why they came to encounter each oddity. Dis(solve) each myth and case to discover each episode’s resolution and unexpected consequences.

The Urban Myth Dissolution Center

The Urban Myth Dissolution Center is a privately owned institution specializing in adaptive research (both onsite and online) and collection, as well as psychic divination by Center Director Ayumu Meguriya, of the numerous urban myths that dot the offline and online worlds.

Characters

Azami Fukurai – “Anything to help a friend!” The game’s heroine is a newly hired full-time, part-time member of the Urban Myth Dissolution Center’s staff. Working the Center’s cases inevitably makes anomalies and oddities part of her working day. She is able to see others’ intentions and residual thoughts through her glasses.

Ayumu Meguriya – “Another oddity, seeping through.” Center Director of the Urban Myth Dissolution Center and Level S psychic. He avoids onsite research due to his wheelchair but can divine oddities’ true forms with his clairvoyant abilities.

Jasmine – “Who’da thunk, I’m actually serious about this one.” Real name: Yasumi Tomarigi. Onsite Operative at the Urban Myth Dissolution Center. Her unmotivated part-timer attitude hides an unexplained wealth of skills including driving, close combat and surveillance ops.

Watch a new trailer and the opening movie below.

Trailer #2

English

Japanese

Traditional Chinese

Simplified Chinese

Prologue

English

Japanese

Traditional Chinese

[demifiendrsa]

Hi-Fi RUSH | Official Launch Trailer

Official Gameplay Deep Dive Trailer

Hi-Fi RUSH is available now on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC for $29.99. It’s also available on Xbox Game Pass for Console and PC.

Key visual

Character renders

Screenshots

Overview

About

Hi-Fi RUSH is a single-player rhythm action game from Tango Gameworks, the award-winning studio behind Ghostwire: Tokyo and The Evil Within. In Hi-Fi RUSH, the entire world moves to the beat. Everything from the trees swaying in the environment to each hit landed during combat auto-syncs to the game’s music with stellar animations.

The player takes on the role of Chai, a free-spirited slacker with rockstar ambitions. During a technological procedure to receive a robotic arm, he finds an unexpected “bonus” when his music player is fused within his power unit. If that wasn’t enough, the company behind the experiment labels him a “defect,” making him a target for deactivation. With a squad of corporate overlords and an army of robots after him, Chai must defend himself through rhythmic combat and the help of a motley crew of allies to take down the company’s ruthless business leaders and escape.

Key Features

Gameplay That’s Always in Sync – Every element in the world of Hi-Fi RUSH is synced to the game’s soundtrack. Combat sequences perfectly align to the rhythm of the music, allowing for gameplay that is not only exhilarating but also extremely satisfying. Hi-Fi RUSH is a rhythm action game, with an emphasis on action. A player’s moves aren’t dictated by the music like in a traditional rhythm game — players have the freedom of a full action game, but inputting actions with the beat amplifies a player’s attacks along with the music.

Packed With Personality – Hi-Fi RUSH features a cast of outrageous characters, each with their own unique personalities and skills to help Chai take down the bad guys and turn up the volume on the game’s playful tone. Hi-Fi RUSH is unlike anything Tango Gameworks has created before and offers a lighthearted and humorous gameplay experience for everyone to enjoy.

Addictive Music – Hi-Fi RUSH showcases an energetic and catchy soundtrack of licensed songs, ranging from well-known rockers to some inspired cuts that will keep players engaged and headbanging as they play. Both the licensed and original music in Hi-Fi RUSH offer more than just background music with each track matching the pace of that level’s characters, environment, platforming, and combat.

Dynamic Visuals – From lovingly animated gags to crisp comic book effects, the visuals in Hi-Fi RUSH are vibrant and fun. Hi-Fi RUSH‘s visual style not only appeals to a variety of audiences—it’s also easy on players’ hardware and doesn’t require an expensive graphics card to look alive and stunning on Xbox or PC.

Streamer Mode – For those looking to livestream Hi-Fi RUSH or post gameplay online, Hi-Fi RUSH offers a Streamer Mode which replaces the game’s licensed tracks with original songs. This mode should enable streamers and content creators to stream and post their gameplay with a low risk of claims, takedowns and muting. This option is toggled in Gameplay Settings. Please note—even if players take these actions, because of forces outside of our control, there is no guarantee that external parties or software won’t interfere with posted content. However, using Streamer Mode is intended to reduce the chances of that happening.

Licensed Tracks (not featured in Streamer Mode)

Nine Inch Nails – “1,000,000”

Nine Inch Nails – “Perfect Drug”

The Black Keys – “Lonely Boy”

Prodigy – “Invaders Must Die”

The Joy Formidable – “Whirring”

Number Girl – “Inazawa Chainsaw”/li>

Wolfgang Gartner – “Wolfgang’s 5th Symphony”

Zwan – “Honestly”

Deluxe Edition

Included in the Hi-Fi RUSH Deluxe Edition:

Hi-Fi RUSH (base game)

Two Chai outfits*

Seven bonus Chai t-shirts

808-Themed Guitar Skin

808 Alternate Skin

Gears Starter Pack with 20,000 Gears for unlocking combat skills and other upgrades. (Note: Gears are obtained through combat and exploration in-game and not available as a purchasable currency.)

*Each of the Chai Outfits includes a hairstyle, scarf, jacket, trousers and shoes which can be mixed and matched with the T-shirts and guitar skins.

Note: Gears are immediately available after purchase. Players get access to the other items after beating the opening stage and can change their outfits in the Hideout.

[znt-decoded]

It has been 8 years since my last post on this fanblog of the Terror in Tokyo anime and I discovered within my first ever post on this account, of the soundtrack, that the two links to own the OST went to a soundcloud link and a tumblr post of toph fanart. This was not my intention and should never be anyone’s action yet anyone behind the production of Terror in Tokyo’s soundtrack, can see it to be disrespectful. Maybe it was enough to not make it available for purchase or streaming at my region (United States) after so long. What’s worse is that a google search for purchase of the soundtrack goes to deezer, which I can only guess tried to generate better revenue from listeners like me but now can’t be reached. I was not able to update this blog any earlier due to personal crisis and now it is even too late for an active deezer link.

At this time as I find the links on my post to be the way they were, at a time in my life ready to reevaluate my past behavior online, I am mortified and wonder if this post can still matter. But here it is.

Even if something wasn’t right about the state of my post, ie. I worry and now ask myself did tumblr go through a time when someone could edit someone else’s original post using code? And I can only feel more mortified that this type of trolling post material was allowed to live for so long,

and so, I will be deleting the post and refreshing the links with a new post (links can’t be edited by me after tumblr’s newer update). I don’t know how anyone can enjoy the music after so much bad context of it, but if you do not live in the United States, you can at least have a greater opportunity to purchase or stream it and please find yourself really lucky!

In the meantime I will maintain this blog and will post about any updates I discover in the passing years.

[evas-apartment]

I'm glad I don't at all feel FOMO. Like I couldn't give a shit. I want things when i want them, and I couldn't be happier. But I'm not immune to want. Like when I hear a game I'm interested in is gonna be next-gen exclusive, that bums me out.

Until I find out that I'm not missing out on anything lol.

The new MGS collection? The one that just came out for PS5 and such? Nothing THAT special. It's a port of MGS1. Whoopee. I already own two copies of MGS1 (one for PS1, one for PS3 via the Solid Snake collection). And the versions of MGS2 and 3? Just a strict port of the MGS HD collection that was on PS3/4. WAS being the operative word.

They did what Rockstar did when they released the awful "dEfInItIvE" versions of GTA III, Vice City and San Andreas, which was completely pull the original games from the PlayStation store! Scum! Too bad I already own those games! Idiots!

So as such, the MGS HD collection is no longer available on PS4. Sad. BUT, I already own MGS 2 and 3. I have two copies of 2 and one of three. So I'm not missing out on ANYTHING from them strictly porting those games to a console I don't want yet.

ALSO, there's no like quality of life improvements made at all, no changes made from the HD collection. You STILL cannot pause during cutscenes. Literally what's the point.

The only thing I'm missing out on is apparently there's a set of graphic novels, and like soundtracks and stuff like that on top of the games. Which sure is neat, I'm sure those are just available online too.

So I don't need to buy a PS5, I don't need to buy games I already own again for no real benefit, and FOMO doesn't work if you're not even missing out on anything :P

No but seriously I thought they were remastering MGS1, that would have been dope. They just ported it.