#eleven samurai

[browsethestacks]

Arthouse Muppets

Art by Bruce McCorkindale

[blueikeproductions]

A small concept comic about the Stranger Things kids, Braverman and JD meeting the 80’s cartoon TMNT characters, based on the IDW graphic novel using the Mirage versions.

The big reveal is JD’s mom Jocelyn died after a deal Bud Dean had with the Foot Clan went sour, the building she died in being Foot property Bud blew up. Scratch, a toy only character that inspired separate cat characters, I thought would be fun to make a former associate of Bud’s before he Mutated into a cat.

Krang used to work with Vecna at one point, with Dimension X and other Krangzoids being the reason Vecna became a Mutant in this universe. Naturally Krang and Vecna became… estranged, due to Krang being Krang, lol.

Additional information on how the TMNT, Beetlejuice, Stranger Things and Heathers fit together:

In the Heathers AU Beetlejuice exists and is something of a side character when necessary. When Heather Chandler dies, she discovers Hell does exist as she was chucked into the Neitherworld for processing.

Red catches up to what JD, Braverman and the Hawkins kids learned some time ago, that the Earth has a shadow realm enveloping it called the Upside Down and that neighboring dimensions orbit it like moons, for our purposes, that’s the Neitherworld from Beetlejuice (named after the cartoon version but a hybrid of it and the movie/musical Netherworld) and Dimension X from TMNT. (Turns out Stranger Things has its own Dimension X though what it exactly is isn’t super clear, though presumably the creators named it in homage to the TMNT version.)

There are some general rules, as the Upside Down, Dimension X and Neitherworld don’t typically directly interact with each other, (Vecna’s genocidal goals are frowned upon in Neitherworld as it needs Earth as it is to function), but since Red entered Neitherworld all bets are off. She kicked out Beetlejuice from his house, because it looked nicer, slapped Vecna in the face for being a prude and telling him where to shove it, and has gone joy riding through all three dimensions with the Hot Rodding Teens from Dimension X.

It’s implied through Krang, when Braverman, JD and the Hawkins kids visit New York (loosely based on the official crossover but using the 80’s cartoon instead of Mirage), that the Upside Down used to be a normal Earth, but a failed incursion by Krangazoids is what mutated the planet into what it is now.

Vecna however is confirmed to be a Mutant, having gained his form and abilities after interacting with a Krangazoid and mutagen when he was a child. At one point, he and Krang were business partners but had a falling out and is one of the reasons Krang lost his original body.

[featherchan]

Hi there! I'm Feather and I'm an indie-multimuse-multiverse blog. I'm always looking for ways to interact and roleplay with more people. Are you interested in interacting? Please REBLOG (to help spread the word too) and FOLLOW BACK!

Important Links:

♥ Rules (as of 14/04/2023)

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Feat. Ocs Verse Including: 

Avatar (ATLA n TLOK) || Blood Plus || Charmed || Disney Descendents || Ever After High || Greek Mythology || Inazuma Eleven || JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure || Kaitou Jokers || Kingsman [ The Movie ] || Lego Monkie Kid || Lego Ninjago || Miraculous Ladybug || Moster High || Regal Academy || Rozen Maiden || RWBY || Saints Seiya || Saiyuki || Saiyuki Gaiden || Sakura Wars || Samurai Jack || Shaman King || She-Ra || Tales of Arcadia || Teen Titans (2003) || Xiaolin Showdown || Winx Club || and many more (and always growing)

Promo Template

[heroineimages]

"We'll need at least a dozen samurai, doing a combination of jobs. Off the top of my head, I'd say you're looking at a Date Masamune, a Yasuke, a Tomoe Gozen, two Minamotos, and a Miyamoto Musashi, not to mention the biggest Nakano Takeko ever."

watching Seven Samurai

[macrolit]

The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.

As voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book Review.

NYT Article.

*************

Q: How many of the 100 have you read? Q: Which ones did you love/hate? Q: What's missing?

Here's the full list.

100. Tree of Smoke, Denis Johnson 99. How to Be Both, Ali Smith 98. Bel Canto, Ann Patchett 97. Men We Reaped, Jesmyn Ward 96. Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments, Saidiya Hartman 95. Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel 94. On Beauty, Zadie Smith 93. Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel 92. The Days of Abandonment, Elena Ferrante 91. The Human Stain, Philip Roth 90. The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen 89. The Return, Hisham Matar 88. The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis 87. Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters 86. Frederick Douglass, David W. Blight 85. Pastoralia, George Saunders 84. The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee 83. When We Cease to Understand the World, Benjamin Labutat 82. Hurricane Season, Fernanda Melchor 81. Pulphead, John Jeremiah Sullivan 80. The Story of the Lost Child, Elena Ferrante 79. A Manual for Cleaning Women, Lucia Berlin 78. Septology, Jon Fosse 77. An American Marriage, Tayari Jones 76. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin 75. Exit West, Mohsin Hamid 74. Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout 73. The Passage of Power, Robert Caro 72. Secondhand Time, Svetlana Alexievich 71. The Copenhagen Trilogy, Tove Ditlevsen 70. All Aunt Hagar's Children, Edward P. Jones 69. The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander 68. The Friend, Sigrid Nunez 67. Far From the Tree, Andrew Solomon 66. We the Animals, Justin Torres 65. The Plot Against America, Philip Roth 64. The Great Believers, Rebecca Makkai 63. Veronica, Mary Gaitskill 62. 10:04, Ben Lerner 61. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver 60. Heavy, Kiese Laymon 59. Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides 58. Stay True, Hua Hsu 57. Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich 56. The Flamethrowers, Rachel Kushner 55. The Looming Tower, Lawrence Wright 54. Tenth of December, George Saunders 53. Runaway, Alice Munro 52. Train Dreams, Denis Johnson 51. Life After Life, Kate Atkinson 50. Trust, Hernan Diaz 49. The Vegetarian, Han Kang 48. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi 47. A Mercy, Toni Morrison 46. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt 45. The Argonauts, Maggie Nelson 44. The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin 43. Postwar, Tony Judt 42. A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James 41. Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan 40. H Is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald 39. A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan 38. The Savage Detectives, Roberto Balano 37. The Years, Annie Ernaux 36. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates 35. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel 34. Citizen, Claudia Rankine 33. Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward 32. The Lines of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst 31. White Teeth, Zadie Smith 30. Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward 29. The Last Samurai, Helen DeWitt 28. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell 27. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 26. Atonement, Ian McEwan 25. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc 24. The Overstory, Richard Powers 23. Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, Alice Munro 22. Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo 21. Evicted, Matthew Desmond 20. Erasure, Percival Everett 19. Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe 18. Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders 17. The Sellout, Paul Beatty 16. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon 15. Pachinko, Min Jin Lee 14. Outline, Rachel Cusk 13. The Road, Cormac McCarthy 12. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion 11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz 10. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson 9. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro 8. Austerlitz, W.G. Sebald 7. The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead 6. 2666, Roberto Bolano 5. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen 4. The Known World, Edward P. Jones 3. Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel 2. The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson 1. My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante

[acourtofwhatthefuck]

Practice On Me | Series Index

graphic made for me by the gorgeous @writingsbychlo 💕

Summary: Set in Illyria when the Bat Boys are mere twenty-year-olds, Azriel has never explored intimacy and sex like his closest friends have. Reader is more than willing to help — not realising it will offset a series of events that will change life as they know it.

Series warnings: This series is strictly 18+, minors dni. There’s smut, violence, gore, trauma. Read with caution and take care 🫶🏻

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen (Finale)

Bonus Part (Fin x Reader)

The Practice On Me Playlist

Songs I had on repeat while writing this series, for anyone who’s interested!

Sit Down Beside Me by Patrick Watson

From The Start by Laufey

New Girl by FINNEAS

We Go Down Together by Dove Cameron & Khalid

February 3rd by Jorja Smith

She by Harry Styles

Angry Too by Lola Blanc

Afterthought by Joji & BENEE

Faded by Alan Walker

The Summoning by Sleep Token

Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish

Play With Fire by Sam Tinnesz & Yacht Money

Samurai Swords - Acoustic Version by Highasakite

My Love Mine All Mine by Mitski

THE LONELIEST by Måneskin

King by Florence + The Machine

The Practice On Me Face Claims

A look at how I imagined our younger ACOTAR characters looked through this series (and my original characters)!

Azriel:

Rhysand:

Cassian:

Kaeda:

Mor:

Roza:

Fin:

[f2e5b1]

blue lock: endgame | prologue

in a country where tradition is of utmost reverence, [Surname] [Name] aims to set her own path and follow it, even if it means leaving behind everything she has ever known in her quaint city of kamakura.

pairing(s). itoshi sae x fem. reader, itoshi rin x fem. reader, nagi seishiro x fem. reader, mikage reo x fem. reader, isagi yoichi x fem. reader, hiori yo x fem. reader, karasu tabito x fem. reader, michael kaiser x fem. reader, chigiri hyoma x fem. reader

genres + tags. childhood friends au, reverse harem, coming-of-age, romance, slight angst, canon compliant + profanity, mentions of bullying/ostracization, slow updates, reader is a chess player in jpn (wow crazy i know), implied gyaru!reader

wordcount. 404 words

Geniuses are born, and recognized too quickly. 

Take the most famous genius for example, Leonardo da Vinci, an artist and a pioneer for many advancements said to be well-ahead of his time, and subsequently  became so famous during his time in the Renaissance. Or maybe Albert Einstein, who was a child prodigy well-versed in high-level physics before he was even eleven years old, becoming the most famous physicist of all time for his theory of relativity and his contributions to quantum mechanics. Or Mozart, the musical genius who began composing music at the mere age of five, then became widely regarded as the greatest composer of all time during his time and now—his compositions having stood through the test of time, constantly being repeated by those who wish to perfect his craft.

Going local would be towards the genius Samurai, Oda Nobunaga, who was praised for his excellent military skill which allowed him to overthrow the Ashikaga bakufu, ending the long-standing feudal wars and unifying half of Japan. Or maybe Dazai Osamu, the literary genius praised for his influential work in and out of Japan during the 20th century. Even Oda Eiichirō, the creator of the hit series One Piece, is widely accredited for his incredible work and influence in the manga and anime scene—a genius of his own right. 

The world has its geniuses, the best of the best, the cream of the crop, and it knows them. It recognizes them. It will always recognize them. 

Which is how you know that the world will one day recognize your childhood best friends Itoshi Sae and Itoshi Rin, two geniuses at football in their own right, long after you have recognized them first. 

But, you often wonder: will the world recognize—you? 

…Will it recognize the genius born between Fujisawa and Zushi in the peaceful city of Kamakura? The genius who chooses to claw her way out of Japan and its islands to one day show the world what she is made of? The genius so incredibly full of passion it would be unwise to derail her of her goal, to not recognize that she, just like all the other geniuses in this world, the da Vincis and the Einsteins and the Nobunagas and even the Itoshis, is deserving of that title as well? 

Genius—that is what you are. 

And you will be recognized, too. You will make sure of it. 

story by f2e5b1. do not steal.

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

Autistic Anime Boys Round 1 Matchups!

Side A

L Lawliet (Death Note) VS Muichirou Tokito (Demon Slayer)

Gohan (Dragon Ball Z) VS Kiibo/K1-B0 Idabashi (Danganronpa)

Haruka Sakurai (Milgram) VS Seishirou Nagi (Blue Lock)

Satoru Gojou (Jujutsu Kaisen) VS Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Umetarou Nozaki (Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun) VS Tamaki Suoh (Ouran High School Host Club)

Gin Gagamaru (Blue Lock) VS Taisei Yoshida (Assassination Classroom)

Itona Horibe (Assassination Classroom) VS Souichi Tanuma (Those Snow White Notes)

Light Yagami (Death Note) VS Tenma Matsukaze (Inazuma Eleven)

Shouto Todoroki (My Hero Academia) VS Sunny (Omori)

Broly (Dragon Ball Super) VS Kaworu Nagisa (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Yu Narukami/Souji Seta (Persona 4) VS Sechs (XBlaze)

Kiyotaka Ishimaru (Danganronpa) VS Kento Nanami (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Nate River/Near (Death Note) VS Kyouya Ootori (Ouran High School Host Club)

Mash Burnedead (Mashle: Magic and Muscles) VS Noiz (DRAMAtical Murder)

Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist) VS Kabuto Yakushi (Naruto)

Lan Wangji (Mo Dao Zu Shi) VS Rui Kamishiro (Project Sekai)

James (Pokémon) VS Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)

Yuusuke Kitagawa (Persona 5) VS Tsubasa Yuunagi (Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure)

Hitoshi-san (Nyan~ Neko Sugar Girls) VS Illumi Zoldyck (Hunter x Hunter)

Mikazuki Augus (Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans) VS Wakatoshi Ushijima (Haikyuu!!)

Homare Arisugawa (A3!) VS Kamille Bidan (Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam)

Subaru Mikazuki (My Roommate is a Cat) VS Atsushi Murasakibara (Kuroko no Basket)

Tanaka (Tanaka-kun is Always Listless) VS Natural Harmonia Gropius (Pokémon)

Haru (Tsuritama) VS Giorno Giovanna (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Floyd Leech (Twisted Wonderland) VS Laios Touden (Dungeon Meshi)

Touma Akechi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.) VS Trafalgar D. Water Law (One Piece)

Lotte “Roy” Carmine (BlazBlue) VS Gon Freecss (Hunter x Hunter)

Nahoya “Smiley” Kawata (Tokyo Revengers) VS Senkuu Ishigami (Dr. Stone)

Ash Ketchum (Pokémon) VS Mafuyu Satou (Given)

Alhaitham (Genshin Impact) VS Shichirou Balam (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun)

Shintarou Kisaragi (Kagerou Project) VS Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia)

Toshinari Seki (Tonari no Seki-kun) VS Takashi Natsume (Natsume’s Book of Friends)

Side B

Haruka Nanase (Free!) VS Tsukasa Tenma (Project Sekai)

Takeo Gouda (My Love Story!!) VS Karna (Fate)

Shintarou Midorima (Kuroko no Basket) VS Kim Dokja (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint)

Roronoa Zoro (One Piece) VS Junpei Tenmyouji (Zero Escape)

Sig (Puyo Puyo) VS Kanata Shinkai (Ensemble Stars)

Kyoujurou Rengoku (Demon Slayer) VS Yugi Mutou (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Legoshi (Beastars) VS Gaien "Enkidu" Enkidou (Under Night In-birth)

Doppo Kunikida (Bungou Stray Dogs) VS Hiroshi Odokawa (Odd Taxi)

Kusuo Saiki (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.) VS Katsuya Serizawa (Mob Psycho 100)

Nagito Komaeda (Danganronpa) VS Haruhito Yano (Odd Taxi)

Yotasuke Takahashi (Blue Period) VS Manjirou "Mikey" Sano (Tokyo Revengers)

Kyouya Onodera (Talentless Nana) VS Misumi Ikaruga (A3!)

Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney) VS Shu Itsuki (Ensemble Stars)

Meguru Bachira (Blue Lock) VS Ren Mihashi (Big Windup!)

Ranpo Edogawa (Bungou Stray Dogs) VS Kaito (Vocaloid)

Zero (Puyo Puyo) VS Masayoshi Hazama (Samurai Flamenco)

Genos (One Punch Man) VS Jotaro Kujo (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)

Vivia Twilight (Master Detective Archives: Raincode) VS Sora Harukawa (Ensemble Stars)

Satori Tendou (Haikyuu!!) VS Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic X)

Houtarou Oreki (Hyouka) VS Kabane Kusaka (Kemono Jihen)

Ghiaccio (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) VS Tenya Iida (My Hero Academia)

Malleus Draconia (Twisted Wonderland) VS Tetsuya Kuroko (Kuroko no Basket)

Kensuke Aida (Neon Genesis Evangelion) VS Goku (Dragon Ball)

Shinichi Kudou/Conan Edogawa (Detective Conan) VS Toya Aoyagi (Project Sekai)

Rei Suwa (Buddy Daddies) VS Gin Ibushi (Your Turn to Die)

Jade Leech (Twisted Wonderland) VS Akihiko Sanada (Persona 3)

Xiao (Genshin Impact) VS Loid Forger (Spy x Family)

Souya "Angry" Kawata (Tokyo Revengers) VS Sabro Sabnock (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun)

Apollo Justice (Ace Attorney) VS Tobio Kageyama (Haikyuu!!)

Kurapika (Hunter x Hunter) VS Saitama (One Punch Man)

Sol Badguy (Guilty Gear) VS Langa Hasegawa (Sk8 the Infinity)

Subaru Natsuki (Re: Zero) VS Yusei Fudo (Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds)

[echantedtoon]

Demonstober Day 28 Driad

A dryad is a tree nymph or tree spirit in Greek mythology; Drys (δρῦς) signifies "oak" in Greek. 

Tagging: @lavenderdropp @six-eyed-samurai @trancylovecraft @shadyd3ar @cherrysuzaku

@nousija @mspurpl3

Remember if you want to be added to the spooktober taglist lemme know

"You came back."

You smile at the young boy offering his own smile at you in return.

"I did."

You still remember the first time you met the mysterious spirit of the old birch forest. It was a few months ago. Your father worked as a lumberjack and together both you and him would go out and start collecting wood from the nearby forest . However since his leg injury it's been solely on you to make ends meat and go get the wood yourself. It wasn't an easy feat. To help save yourself the trip, instead of going up the mountain to get the regular oaks and maple trees and bring them all the way down the mountain, you decided to go towards the nearby Birch tree forest. Your father did warn you before about the place-

"Do you ever know why we never go near those woods, Y/n?"

"No. Why?"

"Because it's haunted."

"Haunted? Haunted how?"

"Many years ago, there was a group of lumberjacks who were ran out. They saw their axes went flying, the trees spoke, and one of them even went missing. I'm telling you that place is nothing but trouble."

You never took him seriously of course. You've never heard of such things from anyone else who you spoke too. So you decided ond day as your father was still healing, you grabbed the axe and made your way out down the valley instead of up the mountain. Until you came across the first of the White tree line. You weren't very strong by yourself so you decided to venture inwards until you found one thing enough to chop down and easily carry back. The moment you stepped past the treeline-

It was as if no other life was there.

The singing birds stopped singing. No squirrels ran up the trees. And there wasn't a single insect in sight. Only the grass and the white trees. Odd certainly but not really too out of the ordinary in your mind however it almost felt like you were being watched. Nah that was crazy. You were just paranoid from the ghost stories. Eventually you found a good enough tree. A few years old at most and the tree you walked forward to was very thin. It'd make quick but thin firewood you could quickly sell for cheap. Stopping a yard away from the thin trunk, you sat the heavy axe down very quick to roll your sore shoulder from carrying it for so long. Before gripping it tightly, swinging it high above your head-

You froze solid.

Standing before your eyes ...was a young boy.

He couldn't have been older than eleven as he stood there staring at you with a concerned look. You stood there also staring at him and blinking before slowly lowering your axe to the ground.

"Where did you come from?.. Y'know you shouldn't approach strangers especially ones carrying weapons. That's dangerous and it's especially dangerous to get in front of someone who's trying to chop down a tree."

"I don't want you to cut down my trees," he answered bluntly making you blink.

"Oh. Am I trespassing on someone's property?"

"Yes!"

"I see. Where's your parents then?" You looked around but you didn't see anyone else besides the boy. Did you pass someone's house and missed it?

"They're..still asleep. But you can't come here! You don't have permission to take these trees!" He pointed behind you with a stern look. "Go away!"

You didn't know what to make out of it...but if this part of someone's property then maybe you shouldn't cause trouble. "Alright." You hoisted the axe back back over your shoulder. "I don't want to cause trouble so I'll leave."

He seemed surprised. "Wait. Really? Usually I have to chase everyone out."

"No. I'll leave. You just make sure you get on home too. Ok?"

He nodded still looking surprised by you and you left. You felt disappointed by your luck but figured it was better than starting a fight with an unknown family. Your father was surprised when you got home and asked why you were back so soon. When you told him he went extremely red with anger.

"You encountered a Driad?!"

You blinked confused. "Driad?"

"Tree fae! That's what haunts those woods! Didn't I warn you?," he scolded you with a frown, "You're lucky that spirit let you go with just a warning. What if he had made a tree fall on you? Or he followed you home to haunt us? Next time I tell you about something listen to me!

You did. You really did. For the next month you went up the mountain to get wood instead of of the birch woods and thankfully nothing happened but you couldn't help but feel guilty about what happened. You felt like you disturbed a sacred area and now you had to right the wrongs. Despite your father's warnings and your better judgement, you decided to go back but this time with offerings. Some food, money, and incense since that's what spirits like right?

The pattern repeated itself. You went back to the Birch forest only this time without the axe and like before you felt like you were being watched the moment you stepped into the woods. White trees surrounded your body as you walked swiveling your head this way and that making your way back to where you first saw the spirit. You'd just leave it by the tree he was defending and leave-

"What are you doing back here?"

You jumped with a gasp whirling around and coming face to face back with him. he stared at your wide eyes with that curious stare he had before.

You sighed in relief before smiling and holding out the basket towards him bowing. "Im not here to cut down anything I swear! I came to apologize!"

There was silence as you didn't dare look up, however you felt the basket leave your hands and there was silence still.

"..Thank you." You looked up. He was still there holding the basket but now smiling and looking at the food and money in awe. "This is very kind of you. What is your name?"

"Y/n. What's yours?"

"Muichiro! Do you wanna come play with me?"

You blinked before smiling wider. "Sure."

[markrosewater]

Maro’s March of the Machine Teaser

Before previews for March of the Machine officially begin, I thought it would be fun to do another of my Duelist-style teasers where I give tiny hints of things to come. Note that I’m only giving you partial information. 

 First up, here are some things you can expect: 

 • Numerous cards that mechanically care about Phyrexians

• A double-faced token (one that transforms)

• A card that costs XUUUU

• A variant of a mechanic returns to a premier set for the second time since it originally appeared

• A legendary creature returns not seen since Homelands

• A creature capable of dealing eleven poison counters

• Some planes show up in card names that have never done so before

• Wrenn returns with a new partner

• Two draft archetypes that have a creature type matters component (one of which is Phyrexians - see above)

• The tenth _____ & _____ sword

 Next, here are some rules text that will be showing up on cards: 

 • “You may cast spells with flash or flying from the top of your library.”

• “an Aura, God or Demigod card”

• “where X is the excess damage dealt this way.”

• “This spell can’t be copied.”

• “Activate only if you’ve cast two or more spells this turn.”

• “Each player can’t cast more than one non-Phyrexian spell each turn.”

• “X twice, where X is the number of lands you control.”

• “Whenever a permanent you control transforms or a permanent enters the battlefield under your control transformed,”

• “If the opponent protects it, remove a defense counter from it.”

• “At the beginning of your upkeep, if you haven’t been dealt combat damage since your last turn, you draw a card and you lose 1 life.”

 Finally, here are some Phyrexians in the set:

 • Creature – Phyrexian Bear Rhino

• Creature – Phyrexian Devil

• Creature – Phyrexian Dog Warrior

• Creature – Phyrexian Jackal

• Creature – Phyrexian Samurai

• Creature – Phyrexian Shade

• Creature – Phyrexian Shark

• Creature – Phyrexian Treefolk

• Creature – Phyrexian Viashino

• Creature – Phyrexian Weird

 And some creature type lines of denizens fighting them:

 • Creature – Moonfolk Ninja

• Creature – Aetherborn Vampire

• Creature – Fungus Rabbit

• Creature – Dwarf Pilot

• Creature – Raccoon Warrior

• Creature – Goblin Spellshaper

• Creature – Wolverine Dinosaur

• Legendary Creature – Elder Giant Dog

• Legendary Creature – Ape Dinosaur Turtle

• Legendary Creature – Cyclops Homunculus

 For answers to these and more, tune into March of the Machine’s Debut March 29th at 9:00 am on YouTube and Twitch.

[datcloudboi]

List of Video Games Turning 10 Years Old in 2024

Alien: Isolation

Assassin's Creed: Rogue (the one where you play as an Assassin turned Templar.)

Assassin's Creed: Unity (the one set during the French Revolution.)

Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky

Azure Striker Gunvolt

The Banner Saga

Bayonetta 2

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea (the DLC where you go back to Rapture)

A Bird Story (a sort of spin-off of "To the Moon")

BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! (is this a sequel to 1 or a prequel to 1? I forgor)

Bravely Default (in North America)

Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (the one with K*vin Sp*cey)

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (to date, the last new Castlevania game to release)

Child of Light

The Crew (going offline at the end of March)

D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die (a wonderfully strange game from the guy that made Deadly Premonition)

Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (in North America)

Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (in North America)

Dark Souls II

Deception IV: Blood Ties

Demon Gaze

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls

Disney Infinity 2.0

Divinity: Original Sin (from the team that would go on to make Baldur's Gate 3)

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Dragon Age: Inquisition (the winner of GOTY at the very first TGAs)

Drakengard 3

Earth Defense Force 2025 (EDF! EDF! EDF!)

The Evil Within (from the creative director of Resident Evil)

Fable Anniversary

Fairy Fencer F

Far Cry 4

Freedom Planet

Guilty Gear Xrd Sign

Hyrule Warriors

Inazuma Eleven (in North America. And digital only.)

Infamous: Second Son (as well as its expansion, First Light)

Kirby: Triple Deluxe

The Last of Us Remastered (just one year after the original version came out...)

The Legend of Korra (the game from PlatinumGames that you can't buy anymore)

Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

Lego The Hobbit

The Lego Movie Videogame

Lethal League (from the team that would go on to make Bomb Rush Cyberfunk)

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (the third and final chapter of the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy)

Lisa: The Painful (yes, really)

LittleBigPlanet 3

Lords of the Fallen (not to be confused with Lords of the Fallen, which came out in 2023)

Mario Golf: World Tour

Mario Kart 8 (the original version)

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes (the prologue to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which came out 18 months later)

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor

Might & Magic X: Legacy

Murdered: Soul Suspect (it's like Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, but not as good)

Natural Doctrine

Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty! (a from the ground up remake of the first Oddworld game from 1997)

Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 (yes, it got a sequel. I don't know how or why.)

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth

Pokemon Omega Ruby & Pokemon Alpha Sapphire

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy (the last time that Professor Layton himself was the protagonist. At least, until the New World of Steam comes out)

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Pushmo World

Risen 3: Titan Lords

Sacred 3

Samurai Warriors 4

Shadowrun: Dragonfall

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (the 3rd one)

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments

Shovel Knight (yes, really)

Skylanders: Trap Team (the 4th one)

Sniper Elite III

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric

Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal

South Park: The Stick of Truth

Steins;Gate (in North America)

Strider (the one from Double Helix)

Sunset Overdrive

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS (or Smash 4 for short)

Tales of Xillia 2

Tales of Hearts R

The Talos Principle

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call

Thief (the reboot)

This War of Mine

Toukiden: The Age of Demons

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (this game merged the storyline of the War for/Fall of Cybertron games with the storyline of the Michael Bay movies. I’m not joking)

Transistor

Valiant Hearts: The Great War

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

The Walking Dead: Season Two

Wasteland 2

Watch Dogs

The Witch and the Hundred Knight

The Wolf Among Us (sequel this year!)

Wolfenstein: The New Order

Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z

Yoshi's New Island

[shepherds-of-haven]

This might’ve been asked already, but what would the ROs Desert Island movies be? If you can’t think of any movies, tv shows/books/games work too!

Ooh, great question!

Blade: Seven Samurai, The Dark Knight trilogy, Hero

Trouble: Top Gun, Star Wars (IV-VI), The Bourne trilogy, Indiana Jones

Tallys: Princess Mononoke, Life of Pi, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Avatar

Shery: Little Women, Pride and Prejudice, Howl's Moving Castle, Kiki's Delivery Service

Riel: (he would trade out movies for books lol but I'll take a stab at it anyway) Seventh Seal, Ikiru, Nostalgia, Blade Runner

Chase: The Godfather (I and II), Inception, The Prestige, Catch Me If You Can, Ocean's Eleven, Fight Club

Red: Arrival, Jurassic Park, Interstellar, Annihilation, The Martian, Treasure Planet

Ayla: Tomb Raider, The Mummy, Mad Max: Fury Road, 28 Days Later, Alien

Briony: The Lord of the Rings, Pirate of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, A Knight's Tale, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Lavinet: Emma, Atonement, Titanic, The Notebook, The Age of Innocence, The Devil Wears Prada

Halek: The Matrix, Ratatouille, Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Menu

[firefirefruit]

Steel in Her Veins, Chapter: Eleven

Read On: AO3 | Table of Contents | Next Chapter

Characters: Fem!Reader x Roronoa Zoro

Chapter Eleven: The Bushido Code

Obscured and restrained, your only line of sight is of him.

He, who sprawls across the rooftop like some sort of self-fucking-appointed silent guardian. He, who oh-so-stoically observes the battle that unfolds before him.

Your jaw aggressively shudders against the impact of each ear-splitting airborne attack. Suki's relentless wind resistance presses against one side of your body, a constant thrum of concentrated air that drives you deeper into the earth. The soil beneath seems moulded by the contours of your bones and flesh, cradling you in its muddy embrace.

Frustrated tears consume your eyes as you hold in a heart-shattering scream.

You can’t move.

You can’t protect, even with all the years you’ve spent refining your body and soul for battle.

You can’t even look to see if he’s doing okay. To tell him what to watch out for. To figure out a plan to take the enemy out.

With a bitten-back snarl, your erratic eyes bore into the marimo from across the battlefield.

He, who’s resting against three of your most lovingly crafted swords. Those that have been perfectly hammered, refined, and sharpened within the careful fire cradled in your palms - those that were born from your very own fingers in the name of protection and justice.

Protection and justice? You want to scoff at the irony. Your body lies pathetically askew, unable to avert your gaze from the samurai who holds the key to saving a life. No, there’s no justice in whatever this is.

No, you don’t care whether it’s what Gramps wants. You don’t care if he’s just respecting Suki’s wishes, because nothing – nothing – is more important than preserving Suki’s life.

Your Gramps Suki, who sacrificed the comfort of his own lavish, perfect, comfortable life, just to support you in achieving your stupid little dream. Your Gramps Suki, who, while others scoffed at your passion, smiled at you with pride in his eyes, and punished those who berated you.

Fuck the shitty Samurai honour code, fuck the respect, the silent brooding over a life that’s needlessly hanging in the balance.

With the last remainder of your strength, you open your lips.

“Roronoa,” you cough out, dirt entering into the edges of your mouth.

And, somehow, he manages to hear you. He slowly descends his head, his grey eye latching onto your fury with an indescribable look etched into them.

“Roronoa,” you repeat, voice cracking, malice hitting the tip of your tongue as you write his name out in the air. You grit your teeth against the bone-snapping pressure of the wind.

“Your existence?” Swallowing heavily, you maliciously seethe at his holier-than-thou stance. “It’s fucking unforgivable, Roronoa.”

A flicker of strong emotion dances in his lone grey eye as he remains staring at you; there’s a tightening of his jaw, a subtle clenching of his teeth, as if absorbing the impact of the verbal assault, his chest refusing to let go of his breath.

As you wait, expecting, expecting, expecting some sort of reaction to your words…he offers you none.

He looks at you for a long moment, his lips stoically pursed, deciding on whether to say something, anything. But what can he say? What can he do? What are you expecting to hear from him, to see from him?

His body slackens, about to avert his gaze from you to the chaos above, but he’s immediately stopped by an unexpected force.

A sudden, deafening whistling tears through the air, piercing through the meadow like an atomic bomb hurtling through the air. The air shivers with the approaching force, the anticipation escalating. And that’s when it falls into your line of vision.

Your mouth opens to scream, prepared to rip through your vocal chords as if they’re frail paper; because it’s not a bomb that’s hurtling down on you, no – it’s Suki.

A whirlwind of limbs and robes, he hurtles through the air, colliding with your house like a ragdoll tossed aside by unseen hands.

The impact echoes through the battlefield, a dissonant symphony of chaos. Gramps Suki, once an unyielding force, was now reduced to a flailing figure against the solid structure. The abrupt collision sends shockwaves through the battleground, briefly silencing the ongoing clash between Gramps and the slithering darkness.

For a moment, time stands still. It unfolds in surreal slow-motion, Gramps Suki's body tangled in a dance of uncontrolled motion, like a puppet severed from its strings. Your shop folds from the impact of his body, his spine smashing against its construction, forming a hole the same size as your grandfather's body.

For a moment, you feel thankful that the wind is still restraining you because that means he’s still conscious and alive and strong enough to keep you pushed down. But the relief you’re feeling? It doesn’t last long.

As Zoro alarmedly jumps down from the roof and nears Gramps’ broken body, you see Suki raise a fragile, rattling arm at him.

“Do not,” Suki gasps out, his paralysed eyes still holding a fervent light of personality within them.

Zoro immediately halts in his tracks.

“Fucking do! Go!” You scream in insanity, now thrashing underneath the wind your Gramps is still powerfully pressuring down on you. “Please. Please, please, please, please. Go.”

But before Zoro can even contemplate his next move, the resonating roar of the entity renders everyone speechless.

As the entity's chilling presence reverberates through the air, you find yourself trapped in a nightmarish tableau. The wind that once restrained you now feels like a cruel mockery, a reminder of your uselessness, your frailty. Gramps Suki lies broken against the remnants of your shop, a defiant glint in his eyes despite the fragility of his form.

"My, my, it seems you've gotten weaker," the entity's voice drips with amusement, taunting your once indomitable guardian.

A shallow laugh escapes Gramps. He clutches his arm to his chest, instantly gasping and coughing from the pain of his laughter. 

"Well, age does that to you," he croaks out, a faint smile still etched across his face.

The entity's response is ominous, a sinister acknowledgement of gratitude as it humorously looks down at Gramps’ weakened body.

“Well, we thank you for your…cooperation, little man. We won’t let your admirable efforts go to waste.”

With those words, a black spurt of ink begins to spread from the shadowy figure, weaving a web that extends towards Gramps. The ink, like tendrils of creeping darkness, engulfs him, dragging his helpless body toward the heart of the malevolent entity.

Gramps, once a stalwart defender, is now ensnared in the inky blackness, carried toward the entity as if drawn by an otherworldly force. As the shadow consumes him, there's a moment of profound stillness, broken only by the muted sounds of the battleground beyond.

When the entity stands in the light, a ghastly revelation unfolds before your eyes. Its shadowy form is not purely dark; instead, it's gel-like, translucent and obsidian. Gramps lies within this grotesque body, suspended as if in a polluted incubator. His once vibrant life force appears paralytically confined, a captive within the abyss, a foetus in a carrier’s stomach.

Gramps’ wind that once slammed against you now ceases to exist. It lets go of any remainder of strength it had on you, that even a soft breeze does not caress your face in farewell. And, God, what you would do right now to feel that air battling against your body again. 

A shiver runs down your spine as the realization settles in – Gramps is trapped, his essence entwined with the very entity he valiantly stood against. The battlefield, already scarred by conflict, now bears witness to a macabre fusion of light and darkness, with Gramps Suki ensnared in the gel-like prison of the entity's form. The air thickens with despair as it, now bearing the unsettling silhouette of your beloved guardian, stands ominously in the tainted light.

As the entity turns its gaze toward you, a suffocating tension grips your throat, stifling any breath that attempts to escape. The grotesque fusion of shadow and gel-like substance now bears a feature that sends a jolt of recognition through your core.

One magenta eyeball adorns its face, but you swear a moment ago it had two.

In place of one of its eyeballs, a grey one pops out like a sickening pond of limbs. They watch you, one purple, one grey, and realisation slams into you like a jaw-shattering punch.

Gramps has grey eyes, you think.

The colour, the warmth, the kindness that emanates from that familiar eyeball on its faceless gel strikes you with nausea. It's not just any eye; it's your grandfather's eye.

Time seems to stand still as you stare into that eye, a once comforting and reassuring presence, now entangled within the eerie amalgamation before you.

The eye that once beamed with pride at your first well-crafted sword, that once scolded you for holding knives by the sharp end, and held wisdom beyond measure is now part of this horrific aberration.

The difference is heart-wrenching – the tenderness of Gramps' eye embedded within the unsettling visage of the entity. It's a cruel twist of fate, a cosmic distortion that defies the natural order. And you want to fucking throw up.

A torrent of emotions floods your senses – grief, horror, and a chilling realization that the entity has not only physically consumed Gramps but has incorporated a part of his very essence into its being. The eye stares at you, and for a moment, you feel a glimmer of recognition, a spark of the love and protection that Gramps always provided.

Yet, it's distorted, twisted by the malevolence of the entity. The eye that once reflected the richness of your shared history now exists as a macabre testament to the sacrilege committed against your grandfather's being. The battle, which already bore witness to unimaginable chaos, has now unravelled into a nightmarish fusion of light and shadow, with Gramps' eye staring at you from the heart of the entity.

As your primal scream echoes across the battlefield, you summon the last remnants of strength within your battered body. Charging recklessly toward the amalgamation of sickly gel, your vision blurs with desperation. The figure, caught off guard by your unexpected onslaught, stands momentarily befuddled, curiously tilting its distorted head at you.

However, as you draw nearer, a sudden restraint pulls you back, yanking your shirt backwards. A force of hands, unyielding and firm, wraps around you. It's fucking Zoro, his stoic gaze meeting yours as he curtails your impulsive charge.

“What the fuck? Are you fucking serious?” You scream, the heat in your arms rising. “Let go of me, asshole! Let me fight my own battle! This isn’t up to you!”

"How…odd…" The figure, observing your peculiar reaction, comments with an air of detached interest.

You thrash against Zoro's hold, but his grip remains resolute. The frustration of being restrained intensifies, and you scream even harder in his face. With a flash, your arms unleash a torrent of fire from beneath your skin, burning the edges of Zoro’s shirt just from your proximity.

The flames dance and crackle, making Zoro instinctively deflect your rage with his Haki. The clash of powers creates a spectacle of contrasting elements—the searing heat of your flames with your now awakened Haki against the impenetrable strength of his own.

“Fuck you!” You scream, thrashing your blackened arms at him, exploding a blend of purple and white sparks as they come into contact with his armoured hands.

Amidst the attack of flying colours, you notice the subtle gleam in Zoro's eye, and it's not a look of triumph or aggression. And that, out of everything, pisses you off the most. You don’t need his understanding, you don’t need his opinions, and you definitely don’t need him to choose your fucking battles.

What you need is your Gramps. And he’s been swallowed away. And all Zoro did was watch.

“This is all your fault! Fuck you!” you bellow, the moisture in your eyes blurring your vision as you both deflect each other’s attacks, laying in a standstill of splintering haki colours.

Zoro remains silent throughout everything. He stares at you, composed yet conflicted, and lets you scream in his face.

Despite your fervent attempts to break free, Zoro remains steadfast. The battlefield becomes a canvas for the clash of wills, a microcosm of conflicting powers and emotions. The air crackles with tension as you wrestle against the hands that bind you, the battle against Zoro unfolding like a tragic dance.

As Zoro stumbles under the relentless assault of your powers, you find yourself momentarily free from his grasp, letting you instantly slip away from his hands. However, it's a pyrrhic victory. The shadow has already initiated its descent, engulfing Gramps in its sticky substance. The figure's chilling parting words echo through the air as you frantically try to scramble towards its sinking body.

“Well, I suppose I pass on my condolences. He will be used most favourably…”

With an agonising sense of helplessness, you watch as the shadowy entity, carrying the essence of Gramps within its inky depths, blends into the ground.

The battlefield falls into an eerie stillness, a profound silence. Gramps is gone, and the shadow has claimed its prize, leaving you grappling with the aftermath of an unfathomable loss.

Silence. Rustle. Silence.

Your head cautiously cocks around, a lethal fury pulsing within your eyes, within your veins, within the curve of your very palms. You meet the green-head’s gaze – he, who let your grandfather be taken away - and a snarl cuts across your mouth.

“Find another fucking swordsmith,” you lowly say, your knees digging deeper into the grass. Your eyes pierce his, shadows curling across your cheeks like soot, the blood from your bitten lips slipping into your mouth with the flavour of sour metal. “I don't serve cowards.”

[featherchan]

Hi there! I'm Feather and I'm an indie-multimuse-multiverse blog. I'm always looking for ways to interact and roleplay with more people. Are you interested in interacting? Please REBLOG (to help spread the word too) and FOLLOW BACK!

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Promo Template

[tobiasdrake]

So. Yeah. Mariko and Yukio haven't gotten to do much in this film.

Fortunately, they carry the final boss fight. Given that this story rightfully belongs to them moreso than Logan, that's pretty cool, actually.

While Viper's out there trying to extract Logan's healing factor, Mariko kicks us off by weaponizing her lampness. Harada comes at her like, "You'll be my lamp now, right?"

HAHAHA GET STABBED FUCKO Princess is rescuing herself from this castle.

Then she does it again immediately after. While Yashida is preparing to slice off Logan's claws with a heated adamantium sword, Mariko jumps in front like "Whatcha gonna do, stab me, YOUR LAMP!?!?"

Yashida's forced to swerve his swing at the last second and accidentally cut the chair open, setting Wolverine free. Though I'm sure there's a hilarious parallel universe where he decapitates Logan instead.

I'm honestly not sure how his sword works? Like. It's an adamantium blade that heats up to be super ultra hot so it can cut through adamantium. But. Like. Wouldn't that weaken the adamantium of the blade? If his blade is so hot that adamantium can be cut through like butter, then the adamantium of the sword should fall apart like butter.

Weird.

Harada switches sides and takes out Viper because she's about to attack Mariko. She didn't do that one on purpose but I'll count it 'cause it's still in a scene where she's weaponizing her lampness and making it work for her.

We all fight with the tools we're given. Agency isn't about how many superpowers she has; It's about what she does with the hand she's dealt.

Which is how we get to the main throwdown for the Final Boss Fight: Wolverine vs. the Silver Samurai.

Viper's fine, mind you. She gets up and starts taking off her clothes while the men are fighting because that's how her regeneration works I guess.

She has to shed her skin like a snake to heal from the arrow. Thematically, it makes sense, though it's funny that the X-franchise found a way to squeeze in another female mutant who has to get naked to use her superpowers.

They're at least more tasteful about it than the preceding films have been with Mystique, however. What you see above is all that's shown. She's shot from collarbone up just for long enough to start ripping off her face and then she's fully dressed next time we see her again.

For Logan's part, this fight goes really badly for him. He loses one set of claws on the catwalk.

And the other near the end of the fight.

He gets fucking worked over like he's never been worked before.

Harada doesn't fare much better.

Japanese Hawkeye shoots an arrow with pinpoint accuracy into the Silver Samurai's eye-slit, but then forgets that he's a ninja again and decides to go reason with him.

So. Y'know. His cause of death is being absolutely terrible at reading the room. And at being a ninja. Fantastic archer, though. Amazing at kyudo. Really should have stuck with that.

So. Yeah. The men are getting fucking shitstomped here. Wolverine does use Harada's stupid, pointless death as an opportunity to figure out the heated adamantium swords and decapitate the Silver Samurai.

But it accomplished fuck-all because it turns out that men are not actually eleven feet tall. That "head" was purely decorative to make the powered armor look cool.

"You fell for my trap of thinking that a man tall enough to wear this like normal actually existed." XD

You know, it's not that surprising that Yashida faked his death in the grand scheme of things. But the reveal that the Super Shredder over here is just a mech suit piloted by a decrepit old man is really funny.

Fortunately, things are going much better for the women. Yukio FINALLY! GETS! TO! BE! COOL!

It's by Designated Girl Fighting with Viper 'cause stories created by men sometimes get really nervous about letting male heroes fight female villains, and will rope in either male villains or female heroes to do it instead. Yeah, I see you, movie that has managed to ensure Wolverine's claws never actually come anywhere near the one female villain in the entire film.

But at this point, I'll take it. Yukio gets to fight someone cool, she gets to look awesome doing it, and she actually wins.

Hangs Viper with a cord and then breaks her neck via leverage. Fuck yes. Eat shit, Viper.

Viper can't just take off her clothes to fix that, I guess, because her neck is broken so her hands don't work anymore. Kryptonite factor.

Meanwhile, the main thrust of the Final Boss Fight is going very, very badly for Wolverine.

Yeah, he. Uh. He loses this fight. Logan loses the Final Boss Fight. In a movie called The Wolverine, Wolverine loses both of his claws, gets incapacitated by the Final Boss, and has his bones drilled into to steal his regeneration.

There will be no sudden turnaround for him. No second wind where he gets a brilliant idea and brings it back around. He just. Fucking. Loses.

Letting the character whose story this really should be instead of him be the one to put an end to it instead.

Taking Logan's own fucking severed claws for herself.

Credit where it's due, she's only able to do this because Logan cut his helmet off earlier. But it's still both surprising and refreshing that it's Mariko, not Logan, who defeats Silver Samurai.

She even does it with a sneak attack via throwing the first blade. Because unlike Harada, she fucking paid attention in Ninja Class.

Logan killsteals with his regenerated bone claws at the very end but. Like. He already has one adamantium blade in his brain and the other in his throat. Yashida had a remaining life expectancy measurable in seconds as it was.

Mariko and Yukio are, surprisingly, the MVPs of this battle. Good for them.

[farewell-persephone]

some new-to-me movies I've enjoyed this year so far. reverse chronological watch order:

1. High Life (2018, dir. Claire Denis). Weird, disturbing prison ship science fiction. Sort of an anti-Interstellar; a cynical warning of where we're headed if we continue the depravity of prison slavery and exploitative science. Look up content warnings for this one if you need that sort of thing; it gets rough.

Interesting coincidence: I wrote a short story with a similar basic concept not long before this movie came out (I had never heard of it before last year). This movie is better than my story was.

2. Tampopo (1985, dir. Juzo Itami). Charming food comedy-western with alternately funny, touching, and absurd vignettes interspersed throughout the main plot. The egg scene...goodness, what a scene. This movie made me hungry; pair it with a bowl or two of ramen.

3. Harakiri (1962, dir. Masaki Kobayashi). A brutal and depressing story of a broken ronin seeking the end. If you know nothing about this movie, go into it blind. Absolutely loved the way this was shot.

4. Seven Samurai (1954, dir. Akira Kurosawa). Six samurai and Toshiro Mifune defend a poor village against bandits. Funny, exciting, sad, beautiful. One of the blueprints for modern action movies. Everything from a slew of westerns to Ocean's Eleven to A Bug's Life owes something to this movie.

5. Dr. Strangelove (1964, dir. Stanley Kubrick). Satirical nuclear black comedy that shows that "redpill volcel conspiracy freak" is a type of guy that has seemingly always existed.

6. Come and See (1985, dir. Elem Klimov). "Enjoyed" is a strong word for this one, as good and important as it is. I wrote a short letterboxd review after watching it (something I've sort of given up on after a few):

"In a movie festering with disturbing images, one of the most affecting—and certainly one of the most relevant—was a Nazi woman eating lobster as her cohorts burned a village.

Exhausting."

7. Delicatessen (1991, dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro). Post-apocalyptic horror-comedy. Extremely French. Enough piss-yellow filtering to make Vince Gilligan blush. Kind of dreamlike and hazy in the impression that it left on me. I need to watch it again I think.

8. Amores Perros (2000, dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu). Another one I wrote a letterboxd review for. Some excerpts:

"A story in three converging lanes about the abuse, folly, fickleness, and redemption of loyalty. Ignore surface-level comparisons to Pulp Fiction; structure and violence are not all that makes a movie."

"The recurring variations on the dreary post-rock guitar theme are some of my favorite pieces of movie music I've heard recently."

"Maybe skip if you habitually check whether or not the dog dies."

9. Cinema Paradiso (1988, dir. Giuseppe Tornatore). A beautiful movie about movies. Another one that made it to letterboxd. My short review:

"I've seen this movie described as 'nostalgic,' but I feel that it's rather about transcending nostalgia and accepting that you can never go back. I cried; I wished I'd watched it years earlier; I had the urge to make something and love it."

10. Crimson Peak (2015, dir. Guillermo del Toro). An absolutely gorgeous Gothic horror-romance. Del Toro's beautiful visual style fires on all cylinders here. Similar to Pan's Labyrinth, while the ghosts are grotesque, it's the human antagonists that provide the real horror (though I will say that the Big Reveal is obvious and feels almost quaint these days).