#its good its fun i am excited to dig more into this combo

[andsotheuniverseended]

@floralprintshark replied to your post:

holy shit she has so much going on O-O a+++ multiclass combo tho, i love it!!! 

haha yeah she’s a wild time and a ton of fun to play

so far this multiclass is making Snow an absolute beast at healing, its real good

[waitmyturtles]

Turtles Catches Up With Old GMMTV: Manner of Death, and What is a BL Edition

[What’s going on here? After joining Tumblr and discovering Thai BLs through KinnPorsche in 2022, I began watching GMMTV’s new offerings -- and realized that I had a lot of history to catch up on, to appreciate the more recent works that I was delving into. From tropes to BL frameworks, what we’re watching now hails from somewhere, and I’m learning about Thai BL's history through what I’m calling the Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC). Starting with recommendations from @absolutebl on their post regarding how GMMTV is correcting for its mistakes with its shows today, I’ve made an expansive list to get me through a condensed history of essential/classic/significant Thai BLs produced by GMMTV and many other BL studios. My watchlist, pasted below, lists what I’ve watched and what’s upcoming, along with the reviews I’ve written so far. Today, I cover Manner of Death, a MaxTul crime show that leads us to wonder if we can call it a true BL.]

FINALLY! Yeeeeeeah! I’ve waited a while to get this one out, and I’m so excited to finally drop this review: this is going to be a fun one. Let’s pour one out for the retired homey, Tul Pakorn, as I dive into Manner of Death! (MaxTul after a weekend of PerthChimon and FirstKhao, huh? GIMME!)

So, first things first: I cannot remember who exactly recommended Manner of Death for inclusion on the OGMMTVC watchlist. I APOLOGIZE. I am going to GUESS that it was a combo of @manogirl and @miscellar (and if I’m wrong, friends, please forgive me, and whoever really suggested it, give yourselves flowers in the comments so I can give you a high-five!). In any case, though, as I’ve mentioned previously, @manogirl gets the OGMMTVC Trophy for Hyping a Homey To One of the Best Ships Ever, for real -- MG, your repping on MaxTul has paid DIVIDENDS in my life, DIVIDENDS! I LOVE MAXTUL. I love them, your honors! And they are important, historically, for reasons illuminated below. 

Okay, ha, with that out of the way, Manner of Death as a show gets included on the OGMMTVC list because, as was discussed in the comments of my review of Together With Me, MoD may or may not be a BL by way of the “rules” of the genre. The majority commentary on MoD established that MoD was a show that had BL elements in a crime genre-based show that served as an influence for future genre shows in Not Me and KinnPorsche. 

Now, I will note, during my MoD liveblogging, that @true-unicorn-queen came thru to say -- actually, it IS a BL (thank you, TUQ, for jumping in the comments!). I am really going to enjoy digging into this, and I think there are some good examples that serve as evidence on both sides of the argument. A little outline to help us out, maestro:

1) The frame of this piece is going to center on whether we call MoD a “genre” show of another kind that’s not TECHNICALLY a BL (like a crime story, or a workplace drama), vs. whether we call it a BL because there were quite a few BL tropes in it, and I’ll also talk about 2) Why I think this argument works by way of who worked on this show (and who may have influenced this show), 3) The general excellence of the acting of this show (...okay, we’ll gently poke Tul a bit, ha), and 4) Touching a bit on the conversation of whether or not MoD impacted future genre shows,

along with some other floating bits about MoD and its wild ending, ha.

Off the bat, I think this show worked because it played with successful elements of BOTH the crime genre AND the BL genre. It was like, fusion television. The actual twists and turns of the mystery (I will try to not give away too much if you haven’t seen it yet!) were FABULOUSLY done, and I love suspecting everyone during stories like this. Hell, I was suspecting Oat, for heaven’s sake!

So regarding the is-it-a-BL-or-not conversation: I’m not a person who dabbles in binaries and hardcore definitions. I really think art is best when it is dynamic and NOT definitively binary -- when art is influenced by many things, by many elements, by many tentacles. (You’ll notice that this is why I LOVE this OGMMTVC project.) I really felt that I enjoyed MoD, purely as a fan, in part because this show used the best elements of the crime and BL genres to construct a story that was exciting, that was SMART, that was driven and crisp -- and most importantly, that was not DRAGGED or HELD BACK by EXPECTATIONS of EITHER genre. 

I myself would not call MoD a BL, in part because I don’t want to set up expectations that it needed to MEET certain elements of the genre in order to CALL IT a BL. BUT -- to @true-unicorn-queen‘s point -- maybe I GET to call it a BL, because it used BL tropes so well? I’m not going to quibble in this too much (and honestly, if folks have thoughts on this, jump into the comments, because I think the conversation around this will automatically be fascinating and interesting).

I want to also add that MoD shares many elements with another well-known crime show that is also not a BL, but arguably BL-adjacent -- Jojo Tichakorn’s 3 Will Be Free. 3 Will Be Free is ABSOLUTELY NOT a BL. But what 3WBF established -- on GMMTV! -- was a show that was not CENTERED in queerness or a queer romance story. It was, instead, INCLUSIVE of queerness as a GIVEN of the environment and community in which the show was set. I thought this was groundbreaking for the GMMTV network.

Like I wrote recently about YYY, and akin to 3WBF, Manner of Death, very importantly in its writing, did not hew to a NEED to CENTER the burgeoning queer romance between Bun and Tan -- which I think many would argue is a necessary element of a BL. Their relationship was an important ELEMENT to the show, but it wasn’t a CENTER of the show -- until the end, when we got a bunch of fan service flowers..... and fuckin’ gun whips with a proposal, but let’s leave that alone for another sec, HA. 

I really liked YYY for its macro-level commentary about what BL creators and performers face, by way of pressure, of NEEDING to include and/or CENTER a relationship in a BL. The character of Porpla served as a symbol of that internal and external pressure on BL shows to be ABOUT the romance.

Manner of Death just... didn’t deal with that. The center of the story was: who killed Jane? That was it. It was a murder mystery, first and foremost, with two dudes falling in love as a side story. 

I’m shaking my head in wonder at this, because Manner of Death did the love side story much differently than 3WBF, all while paying homage and respect to the inclusion of queerness within the show itself. How did the show do it? 

As y’all know from my MoD liveblogging, I totally marveled at how WELL this show included some important BL tropes. We had tender gay uncles AND a side couple IN THE SAME SCENE! ThatSorn were a NATURAL side couple, great chemistry, GREAT comedy, and BunTan totally knew what was up with them. Utterly cute! And I cackled at some other tropes, including BunTan choosing to MAKE OUT instead of checking the LAPTOP THEY STOLE from BUSTING A CAR WINDOW, lol. 

The inclusion of these tropes was done VERY well, VERY sophisticatedly. Unlike 3WBF, where I did not expect to see BL tropes -- because 3WBF’s crime story was clearly not a home for BL tropes, at all -- I LOVED SEEING THEM in Manner of Death. It was like seeing old friends again. 

I wanted to know what was up with that. So to MDL I went, and found that Title Nirattisai is MoD’s screenwriter. I knew I knew that name, and I went a-clickin’, and went -- AHHHH. 

Title is the screenwriter of He’s Coming To Me. THE SCREENWRITER OF *HE’S COMING TO ME!!!* And he, along with Au Kornprom, wrote Dark Blue Kiss. As we know -- they are both Aof Noppharnach shows of the highest order.

WELL, WELL, FUCKING WELL! That solves THAT mystery. Why is the writing of Manner of Death so great? Why does it balance a crime genre story so well with the very best of BL tropes?

It’s because we have a writer in Title who defied and/or played with BL tropes in HCTM and DBK. HCTM, as I’ve previously established, was WELL AHEAD OF ITS TIME by way of storytelling, mood, and BL genre subversion. DBK was the first GMMTV BL to focus on an ONGOING and ESTABLISHED relationship -- à la Still 2gether, later in GMMTV’s history, but a decision that goes against the grain of your usual BL assumptions in seeing a relationship BEGIN, complete with flirtation, with longing, with yearning, etc.

Title is a screenwriter who is CLEARLY comfortable with playing outside of the boundaries of BL expectations -- HCTM is DEFINITIVE of that position. Again, I wondered broadly why Manner of Death was just such a GOOD and watchable show. It’s because its writing was flowing, seamless, and SMART. And I think Title knew, that by centering the show in CRIME and MYSTERY, as opposed to romance, that he could actually play around with expectations of BL romance in a new and singular way. 

This is some cool-ass shit. 3WBF established that you could lead a crime story and include queerness. Manner of Death took this a touch further, and brought BACK the very best of BL tropes within a crime frame. BRILLIANT. And, listen. I have He’s Coming To Me on the OGMMTVC list as a BL. If we continue to extrapolate this argument, then -- I might contradict myself, and agree with @true-unicorn-queen, and maybe call Manner of Death a BL. In the end, I’ll give this argument to whoever wants to pick it up, because for me -- MoD was just a good damn SHOW that used mystery, BL, and romance tremendously well in its composition. And that’s why I think it was so successful. 

(One last tiny note on this: let me not forget to note the director of Manner of Death is Ma-Deaw Chookiat, the director and screenwriter of Dew the Movie. He, like Title, is certainly someone who plays on the very interesting fringes and intersections of the BL genre.)

For my pure simpy pleasure, I also thought MaxTul were way better in this than in Together With Me, Max especially. (As I’ve now established -- MoD was an excellent show itself, with the script of Together With Me being shaky at best, except for dear Yihwa.) I previously noted that there were some little fumbles in Tul’s acting in MoD, but nothing that kept me from enjoying the show. But Max was REALLY damn good. AND: listen. I mean, I love how jocky both of these guys were in the show, but Max REALLY did fighting and gun stuff and like, physical crime stuff VERY well. It was exciting -- he didn’t seem like he was doing it for the first time. If the show felt like it nailed CBS primetime shit like, I dunno, Hawaii Five-O or whatever, by way of its fight scenes, then I call that a win. I CLEARLY don’t normally watch those kinds of shows, HA, but I’ll watch a crime show if it has MaxTul in it, dammit!

Really quickly, on the point about whether or not MoD had an influence on future genre shows like Not Me and KinnPorsche: I will await my Not Me viewing, and my rewatch of KP, to make that final judgement, and I promise I’ll include MoD analyses in both those reviews. I think this is an important conversation to have continuing over the course of the OGMMTVC project, because aligned with this conversation is still a lingering awareness and analysis of the pressures that BL creators face and struggle with vis à vis romance, as I mentioned before. This is a struggle that continues to this day, as we most recently saw in Tee Bundit’s Step By Step, and whether or not that show was meant to be a romance, a workplace drama, and/or a macro-commentary on BL and BL expectations. I’ll be watching Not Me for the first time -- and I was not aware, at all, of any of these kinds of pressures when I first watched KinnPorsche. I’d like to go in fresh with both shows to be aware of what they WEREN’T doing by way of tropes to create very unique art, and to understand if and how Manner of Death opened that door.

One other floating point: à la A Tale of Thousand Stars that follows Manner of Death, MoD is centered in the rural town of Viang Phra Mork, showing off Thailand’s gorgeous northern scenery. I actually didn’t fully put this together until I had moved on to ATOTS on the OGMMTVC list, but as I was watching MoD, I loved that over the course of the show, many of the characters, especially Rungtiva, were shown wearing more ethnic Thai-inspired clothes, just like Khama and the villagers in ATOTS. I love that over the course of the OGMMTVC, we have gotten to see more and more deep dives into Thailand and Thai culture (Moonlight Chicken being another excellent example). Y’all who follow my blog know that I’m particularly interested in tracking Thai politics and Thai cuisine in our shows, and any bits of Thai culture that I can glom onto in our shows is so welcome. I loved it, and I’ll refer more to this in my ATOTS rewatch review. 

Finally, oh finally: MoD’s ending, HA. FIRST OFF: I mean, THE WEDDING, GAH. COME ONNNN. What a lovely farewell to MaxTul. At that point, I think it was assumed that we’d see them one more time in Transplant, but alas. But I really loved that we got to see BunTan in full-circle commitment.

And that proposal. Y’all. Y’ALL. I. WAS. DYING. So not only did that proposal NOT NEED GUN WHIPS, LOL, but as @kattahj pointed out to me, the proposal included GIVING SORAWIT/SORN A GUN, which, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. 

Listen. I didn’t get into the actual deep meat of the show itself, of the UTTER success of the mystery story, in part because I don’t want to give it away for folks who haven’t watched it yet. But -- if you haven’t watched it, please watch Manner of Death. It’s a wonderful break from the BL norm, done absolutely wonderfully by a stellar screenwriter in Title, acted very well by Max, acted very attractively by MaxTul, and the supporting cast was spot on. I know I’ll be checking out Triage at some point to say my final-final farewell to Tul Pakorn, and I wish him all the very best in his next career. We’ll see Max and Toptap next in The Outing, and while that show looks -- confusing? -- I’ll definitely be following it for Max, to see what’s next up in his career. (I hope his health is doing better.) MoD kicked ass, with that classic MaxTul heat, crime, intrigue, AND romance, and it was an utterly successful show that’s absolutely worth celebrating.

[We’re truckin’! I’m making process on my review queue: we have my A Tale of Thousand Stars rewatch review dropping next week, with Lovely Writer after that, and then a double-review of Last Twilight in Phuket and I Promised You The Moon. I’m also going to squeeze in a review of The Warp Effect on Thursday for that Only Friends-flava.

Not Me, 55:15 Never Too Late, and Bad Buddy/Our Skyy 2 rewatch on the horizon. Boom boom boom!

List below. As ever, feedback to ya gal is welcome!

1) The Love of Siam (2007) (movie) (review here) 2) My Bromance (2014) (movie) (review here) 3) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 4) Gay OK Bangkok Season 1 (2016) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 5) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 6) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 7) Gay OK Bangkok Season 2 (2017) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 8) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 9) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 10) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 11) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 12) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 13) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 14) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (review here) 15) TharnType (2019-2020) (review here) 16) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (OffGun BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (no review) 17) Theory of Love (2019) (review here) 18) 3 Will Be Free (2019) (a non-BL and an important harbinger of things to come in 2019 and beyond re: Jojo Tichakorn pushing queer content in non-BLs) (review here) 19) Dew the Movie (2019) (review here) 20) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) (review here) 21) 2gether (2020) and Still 2gether (2020) (review here) 22) I Told Sunset About You (2020) (review here) 23) YYY (2020, out of chronological order) (review here) 24) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (not a true BL, but a MaxTul queer/gay romance set within a genre-based show that likely influenced Not Me and KinnPorsche)  25) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 26) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (review coming) 27) Lovely Writer (2021) (review coming) 28) Last Twilight in Phuket (2021) (the mini-special before IPYTM) (review coming) 29) I Promised You the Moon (2021) (review coming) 30) Not Me (2021-2022) 31) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 32) 55:15 Never Too Late (2021-2022) (not a BL, but a GMMTV drama that features a macro BL storyline about shipper culture and the BL industry) 33) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch 34) Secret Crush On You (2022) [watching for Cheewin’s trajectory of studying queer joy from Make It Right (high school), to SCOY (college), to Bed Friend (working adults)] 35) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here) 36) KinnPorsche (2022) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake of Re-Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist 37) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 38) GAP (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL) 39) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023) 40) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 41) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) (Cheewin’s latest show, depicting a queer joy journey among working adults) 42) Be My Favorite (2023) (tag here) (I’m including this for BMF’s sophisticated commentary on Krist’s career past as a BL icon) 43) Only Friends (2023)]

[paperclipninja]

Younger post-ep ramble 6x05

If I wasn’t already excited about this episode, discovering that ‘Stiff Competition’ was written by Joe Murphy certainly would have got me there. Maybe it’s because he is a fellow Australian or maybe it’s because in every interview I’ve heard I find him utterly delightful and intelligent or maybe it’s because he is a damn great writer, but one thing is certain after this week’s episode of Younger: J. Murphy, I Stan (there was a time I might have been embarrassed about gushing so unabashedly but now I write weekly essays about fake people so I figure the shame level is zero at this point). This ep had the combination of playfulness, funny, flirty and drama that hooked me into this show in the first place and I feel like we got further insight into a number of characters, broadening our understanding of them and where they’re at. Plus kudos must be given for managing to use the title “Stiff Competition” and make the feature book “The Third Leg” in the same ep (one might even call it a riDICKulous feat…and no I’m not even a bit sorry).

A couple of weeks back I wrote about the Liza and Charles dynamic and how it really thrives on the build and resolution of tension. Up until last season it was the sexual tension and now that’s resolved there needed to be something to keep the fuel on the fire, so to speak. Cue the opening scene of this ep, with the competitive fuel well and truly lit and honestly, this whole scene just rocks my world.  We had the drama building the past few eps with Charles being secretive and while that would’ve resulted in the destruction of the relationship had it been left unresolved, it has been used to transition into this next type of competitive cat-and-mouse style tension that the characters are embracing (at the start anyway) and using to their benefit and, let’s be honest, we all benefit because it. is. HOT.

Walking into the National Arts Club party very quickly establishes Charles as well versed at such an event and I am so into the immediate retort from Liza that feisty isn’t the ‘f’ word she would choose to describe Charles setting up Mercury. That does of course come after Charles introduces her to Michael Cunningham as his girlfriend which is just so bizarre to hear but also YES. Their banter, the competiveness in the art of the schmooze, bringing her A game; the whole thing set them on such equal footing and seeing them as ass-slapping sparring partners was something I never knew I needed and could have watched an entire episode of with its feature film feel (Kickstarter for a spin-off series of nerdy espionage-style escapades but about books and authors and literary events…and maybe the odd murder to keep it interesting). 

While Liza was certainly showing that she can work a room, Charles’ reputation and professionalism was on fine display as authors greeted him warmly and Liza’s introduction of him to Meg Wolitzer as her boyfriend (seriously I’m living for these gf/bf drops) just got more and more awks as Meg and Charles clearly knew each other, Liza snatched his business card from his hand and then asked the photographer to identify him as her ‘guest’ in the pic (loved Sutton’s delivery of this and extra loved Meg’s ‘just pretend you’re talking to me’ to the rando so she could get away from the slightly unhinged antics of the editor she just met). Yet Charles is loving every minute of it and I so appreciate that now the whole Mercury situation is no longer a secret Charles is talking openly about it with Liza, evidenced by his telling her he received a message from Zane (about Mercury being highbrow/brilliant nonetheless).

Where there is highbrow there must be lowbrow (old tv proverb) and unfortunately for Kelsey, the head without a neck aka ‘a floating tragedy’, she has taken prime position in that quadrant of New York Mag’s approval matrix (can we take a moment to appreciate Liza’s ‘well it is a good picture of him’ remark re: Charles? Way to make your friend feel better but also lol and accurate). While I sympathise with how stressful it must be to lose authors, this ep once again highlights that our pal Kels is in quite the spiral. Luckily Liza has managed to pull in Chip and Joanna Gaines, I mean Hayley and Cameron Butler, who are promoting their cringe-worthy new book, ‘The Third Leg’, off the back of their New York Flip success. I heart the way this show parodies real people so hard.

I have said it week after week, but Diana has been such a scene stealer this season (Diana Trout proudly pointing out Shiplap, I don’t know why but this just made me grin). The writers keep bringing it with the lines and Miriam Shor’s delivery somehow magically seems to get funnier and funnier and her heart eyed gaze as she recounts her and Enzo’s third leg(s) (like a centipede…but also nothing like a centipede, speaking of A+ lines and delivery) was no exception. The whole pitch meeting was a bit of a train wreck, with Kelsey’s bitterness about the hot or not list spilling in, Liza’s attempt at diverting resulting in Diana railroading the entire thing and Liza wondering if she and Charles are in fact lacking the third leg (Empiriconda notwithstanding) that two home reno celebs have deemed a necessary factor in a successful r/ship (though theirs hardly seems the picture of happiness unless #relationshipgoals is taking jabs at each other through strained grins).

One relationship I am digging on every level is Josh and Lauren’s and this week’s ep gave us a mighty fine dose. Of course Lauren set up a GemmaLoves Insta and I’m 100% willing to overlook the slight ickiness of her pushing a SM account for the baby without asking Josh because it’s Lauren and she is sublime and also without it we would not have had THE film-worthy (minus the butt plugs) montage. I freaking adore that Lauren is so unapologetic about promoting stuff and getting freebies and Josh’s stance on not letting his daughter be a pusher for consumerism lasts approx. 25 seconds as Lauren points out all of Gemma’s favourite things that she will happily take back (Josh’s ‘but she loves it’ was just too good). Lauren’s declaration that both Josh and Gemma are gonna get free swag ‘and ya both gonna love it’ (the Eleanor Shellstrop vibe is strong and I approve) leads us into the shopping montage that made me want to dance around my lounge room and could sit comfortably in any rom-com from the late 90’s/early 2000’s. From ‘Baby Love’ to Josh and Lauren feeding each other cupcakes to that glorious moment of Josh parading back and forth on the pavement like a chorus boy, I bow down to Younger pulling rabbits like this out of the creative hat six seasons in, it was just such damn fun.

You know what else I adore? That throughout the series we have seen so many different aspects of Diana’s character and we just keep seeing more and more layers peeled back through her relationship with Enzo. I am so enjoying the side of her we see being open about her feelings for him when she’s around others, then the way she is with him; proud of their relationship then honest about her disappointment that they have to cancel dinner, rather than shutting down and pretending she doesn’t care. Enzo offering to buy Diana any necklace she chooses made my cold dead heart swell with the sincerity and sweetness of it all, but Diana revealing that she does not choose her necklaces, they choose her = the revelation I didn’t know I’ve been waiting six seasons to hear. Not to be dramatic but it felt like coming home.

 Side note: I’m finding the parallels between the Diana/Enzo and Liza/Charles relationships really interesting. I don’t know whether it’s deliberate or not but these two couples navigating relationships in their 40’s, trying to strike a balance between career ambition and their personal relationships, I am beyond desperate for Diana to know about Liza’s age and for these two to talk about it all tbh.

Speaking of balancing career and relationship, can we please talk about the dinner date because sweet lawd, my heart was already full from the Diana/Enzo goodness, but then along came Liza and Charles with this whole out together with the authors situation and quite frankly, I’m surprised I survived.  Bringing together the book and the earlier meeting was just so well done and the moment Hayley dropped the ‘and you’ and we discover that Charles had indeed gushed about Liza and their shared love of books as their third leg (still sounds weird and gross but totally worth it for the sentiment and post-dinner tie in), I too was staring at my screen the way Liza looked at Charles, but I was also a little bit deceased because I am romantic trash and him casually rubbing her back almost did me in.

I feel like each ep is adding another dimension to Charles this season and seeing him relaxed and candid outside the restaurant was certainly another insight into this character. The entire interaction between him and Liza was effortless and I love that it went from Liza ribbing him about using their relationship to secure the book to Charles being so frank about where it’s all at and how he’s feeling (and does anyone else hope a little bit that Charles does end up needing that room in Liza’s bed coz I am very on board with the idea of C. Brooks living in that loft for a while for many reasons). Bring on lusty Charles and I kid you not I let out a little scream of delight at Liza noting his excitement and then heading straight for the cab (yes Charles, she is just going to leave you like this). Thank you Joe Murphy for the ep and the book title combo so Liza could remind Charles competition is stiff out there while glancing at his crotch and telling him to take care of the third leg himself, you truly are doing God’s work. And I’m just all ‘round loving seeing these two adults in a relationship being flirty and lustful and open with one another.

I have to put it out there that Liza’s hustle game is so damn strong this whole ep and as she is questioned by Kelsey and Diana about how Charles is getting all these authors, I a) am very glad she does not blab, b) find it interesting that Kelsey assumes that Liza mustn’t know if she hasn’t told her and c) wonder why Liza is the only one who seems to understand that other publishing houses will be vying for books and that Millennial will lose some fair and square. But Liza once again has another potential author lined up in the musical prodigy turned conductor Gloria Rivera, but this is Younger, we’ve had lots of fun, flirty and funny, so it must be time for the drah-mah.

The moment Liza ran into Charles at the concert I think we all knew the competition might have just about run its course, and I had legit second-hand embarrassment as Liza so confidently gloated she had been in touch with Gloria ‘for months’ in response to Charles’ knowing her ‘quite well’, though Charles clearly wanted to explain further as he said he wanted to talk after the show before the lights go down and Liza needs to get to her seat. Insert appropriate amount of unimpressed for both Kelsey and Diana and it all goes south pretty quickly once Diana discovers that Gloria was the recipient of the Brooks family Arts Scholarship so knowing Charles ‘pretty well’ is a bit of an understatement.

Now I get that it must feel like a series of blows and I also get that we need a way for Kelsey and Diana to be at the axe throwing bar so that whole scene can play out, but for them to both bail on Liza and not even try to convince Gloria to sign with Millennial, I mean, you’re not going to get any authors with that attitude ladies. At this point Liza should just bail and start her own damn company, give it a great name starting with ‘M’, maybe Majesty? Mendacity? Or Mitosis and she can just expand quickly and open identical offices all over the place? Either way, Liza had no time for Charles’ girlfriend game post-show (and it is clear here that to Charles it is still just a game and he hasn’t quite clocked that to Liza this is her career being compromised).

While I think Diana and Kelsey leaving Liza to make a last ditch pitch to Gloria solo was a low blow, seeing them together, rage throwing axes while drunk (I both love and am terrified of the idea of people drinking and axe throwing in one place FYI) was pretty damn great. These two are always so messy together and Diana taking off her earrings and prepping only to have such a terrible axe throw was only surpassed by her saying that she tells people Enzo is a surgeon which is why he’s on call and Kelsey offering up that they both wear gloves. LOL. And Diana Trout peeing beside a dumpster is one thing I never thought I’d see on this show, yet here we are and her ‘I don’t know her’ and running away from the cop when Kelsey produces the axe was ridiculous and excellent and a great excuse for some chin-skin holding mugshots.

My one gripe at the mo is the ongoing distrust Kelsey has of Liza, first at the axe bar asking Diana if she thinks Liza is helping Charles land these authors and then when Liza turns up after Enzo has bailed them (can we just pause a moment to appreciate the ongoing mafia jokes since their first date and also Enzo calling Diana a jailbird and her smitten reaction. I heart it all). Seriously, this is just yawn at this point and while I get that Kelsey is scared (and thank you Liza for pointing out that she’s not the only one) surely Liza is over having to prove time and time again how loyal she is only to have Kelsey continue to question it? I know I am. Again, Liza – ‘Mitosis’. Think about it.

Our Maggie moment this ep is of course just prior to the déjà vu of Liza and Josh chilling on the couch with Gemma, a little throw-back to the cacao-induced dream from last season’s finale. But I gotta say, my heart hurt for Charles when he walked into that awkward af loft situation, because while I have no doubt that Liza is solid in her feelings for Charles, seeing your girlfriend in a super domestic looking moment with her ex has to feel like a kick in the guts. I want to bottle the look Liza gave Josh when he said ‘you two seem good’ because if I could whip that out on demand, it would be mighty useful.

The final moments of this week’s ep certainly heightened the drama all round. I feel like this episode really highlighted the insecurity of both Kelsey and Charles, which puts Liza in the interesting position of having to navigate this with two people she loves but also put her foot down for her own sake at some stage. Liza immediately quashes any concerns Charles may have about being in competition with Josh and uses the baby’s inability to talk ergo. steal authors as a way to broach the ongoing company rivalry. As Charles reveals that Gloria will be signing with Millennial, it is evident it is all still a bit of a game to him (though him saying that all he cares about is that he doesn’t lose her, ugh *heart emoji*) until his true take on it all is revealed, that he sees it all as shared victories rather than rivalry. Eeek, I tell you, I get and appreciate the dick theme of this episode but I struggle with the dick line ‘when you get to the bottom line, it’s still all me’ so much. I had an actual physical reaction to how awful this was and it certainly was not something I imagined this character saying. Yet I do think it also gives credence to the type of man Pauline said she was married to.

It felt insecure, like he was trying to talk himself up in some kind of misguided attempt to sound impressive, but it also was a glimpse of the man whose ambition contributed to the demise of his marriage. Pauline herself said that when they got married she thought they would be a team but right away it was all about Charles and she was there just to be his rock (S5E3). The difference now of course is that unlike Pauline, Liza has called him out on it and in the final second, the expression on Charles’ face (it’s gutted for those playing at home) is hopefully one of realisation that he is repeating behaviours of the past and that moving forward, we see that realisation play out and this character develop.

I have no idea how the rest of this season is going to play out but you know what all this drama and intrigue pave the way for? Growth. Liza’s growth as she becomes more sure of herself and her right to decide and demand what she wants and deserves, who she wants, what she will and won’t stand for, Charles to learn from past mistakes and work to redeem those and think about the kind of man and partner he wants to be, no character’s growth has been as glorious to see unfold up until now as Diana’s and I’m sure this will continue and Kelsey...well I’m sure hers will come. We’re almost halfway people and season six is proving to be quite the ride.

[sangriatimes]

Nintendo Switch saves Valentines Day

Can you believe that we are almost half-way done with January? Maybe it’s just me and the countless hours I put into reviewing the latest titles for the Nintendo Switch...which is our focus point that can change the tide if you hit a hard spot this V-Day. Maybe you don’t have enough money for that dinner, movie and gift. Maybe you thought that restaurant you made a reservation at is more expensive than you though. Maybe you just started a new relationship but you still have some awkward silences that seem to kill the mood. Whatever the situation may be a Nintendo Switch can get you to second base and home plate...trust me.

So let’s look at some of the titles for switch that are great to play with that special someone. (Games are listed in no particular order; games are not based on “)sales”; Games are mainly hidden gems)

1. Monopoly | 9.5 out of 10

Hear me out. I was one that grew up playing the original board game with my family and the overall appeal of the game was astounding, but I lost interest when I got older and noticed how long it takes to make everyone go bankrupt. ...but this is something...otherworldly. The first awesome thing you will notice when you pick up this title is the use of the Joy-Con controllers to shake the dice and throw them. Though this is still the same mechanic in spirit as its predecessor but with the newly animated boards populated by Mii’s and watching a living city grow as you play and add properties adds an entirely new respect for Money Bags. Our team lost track of time having so much fun with this one and before we knew it, we had seen 5 hours pass. (No one wants to play Monopoly for that long.) 

2. Uno | 8.5 out of 10

Uno is another one of those games I grew up playing with family. When I purchased the game, I was expecting some sort of controller mechanic similar to Monopoly’s dice...but with cards instead...but I was let down. None the less, going into this, I didn’t even know that there were so many ways to play Uno besides the normal rules. Once again, I was amazed at how much more fun this was than the physical cards themselves. Rules like “Stacking. Where Player 1 can play a “Blue Draw 2″ card and Player 2 can counter play a “Draw 2″ card as well. ...but if Player 3 doesn’t possess a “Draw 2″ card, Player 3 then has to pick all 4 cards from the previous turns” was so exciting to try and there are many other ways to customize rules and play styles. 

3. Super Smash Bros | 9.0 out of 10

I really don’t need to go into detail about this one. My only issue with the Smash series is I would really enjoy a multiplayer adventure mode or campaign. I was quite pleased with the full roster of characters though. Disclaimer: Make sure your partner isn’t a sore loser. We all know about SSB’s steep learning curve for beginners. “Don’t be a butt...”

4. Diablo 3 | 9.0 out of 10

I remember having this title on my old PS4 and being able to enjoy it on my PS Vita while I was in a relationship with someone who liked the game as much as I and we would both take our Vita’s to the restroom with us so we could keep the experience going. This title can definitely be used to understand the mindset your partner has by the way they customize their character and the actions they take in response to events. It’s a top-down action-adventure-role-playing-hack-n-slash (inhale.) It is a port of it’s original released on PS3 & 360...the price tag is still $59.99. That’s a deal breaker in my book.

5. NES Emulator | 7.5 out of 10

I honestly chose this one because of how many gamers I know and how 89% of them are males. This is something for those who don’t game to get their feet wet. The emulator is free on the eShop for a 7-day trial but comes with a subscription cost after. Pretty inexpensive for the titles they have. Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros, Metroid, and many more. It even comes with special versions of some of the games which gives the player the experience of playing with Game Genie cheats.

6. 99 Vidas | 7.0 out of 10

Your probably thinking, “ Why is this even listed?” Well, just in case that partner your with doesn’t dig the 8-bit look or the low-res adventures of the NES Emulator and desires a little more action and has a fetish for Streets of Rage and Beat ‘em Up’s. Simply. The available characters are cool enough to get players to find a favorite out of them. ...so...that’s good!

7. Oh Sir...The Hollywood Roast | 8.3 out of 10

After seeing the Samuel Jackson clone named “Bad MotherHugger” who’s personality is totally canon, I had to dig deeper. If you didn’t play the prequel, you don’t need to. I honestly only used the first title to learn how to play. In this installment, you and a co-star face off on a movie set where your scenario is to insult the other the worst. It plays like a fighting game, complete with health bars, special insults, tag team insults and so much more. For the price it is, I was expecting something way less entertaining. Oh, and one point or another you will joke against a Deadpool copy...a less funnier Deadpool but funny enough.

Consider this the American version of The Office.

8. Oh Sir...The Insult Simulator | 7.8 out of 10

Obviously, this is the European version of The Office. I won’t say this is better than the sequel and I can’t say it’s worse either but I will say “I am an American...” What this game does is teach you how to layer your jokes and how lay the foundation for repetition in your topics to create combo’ s. I like to let the opponent bombard me with little weak jokes and build a super mean and super long insult that grants victory for only one joke. I call it, “The Kamehameha Effect!”

9. No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Back

The third installment to the series hits the eShop and retailers in a few days and I am super excited to get my copy. If you aren’t familiar with the series, let me fill you in:

Travis Touchdown is the protagonist of all three games. In NMH1 we find Travis at his lowest moment in life. Jobless, hopeless and drunk, he runs into a mysterious woman who offers him employment with a sketchy syndicate group he knows nothing about. Luckily he had lost all his money by winning a bid at an online auction for a Beam Katana,  his main choice of weaponry. Not long after, you find out you were hired as an assassin in a shady game by her higher-ups. Travis takes the job after being promised some passionate TLC if he can take out all 10 of the already top ranking assassins all over the world. Travis is a pretty simple guy. He likes mecha anime, luchador wrestling, old school video games, porn, sex, and sleeping on the toilet.

In NMH2, Travis finds out that after becoming the #1 ranking assassin in Santa Cruise, he finds out that he actually has hundreds of more assassins in a new ranking system where Travis is the lowest ranking.

This time around, Travis is joined by the father of one the assassins he killed in NMH1, and the co-op option is something that would have been outstanding to have in NMH2 but none the less the developers always deliver great content in their titles and this one will not disappoint. Couples will enjoy the kinky nature of the series for sure. It has been proven many times.

10. Broforce | 9.5 out of 10

Every wanted to play Super Mario Bros on NES but with guns? Ever want to change Mario for, let’s say...any huge action movie star from the 80′s, 90′s, 00′s? Ever wanted it to be a co-op experience with up to 4 players with local and online co-op? As a mercenary for the USA, you are sent to 3rd world contries to liberate them from the evil control of Satan and his hell spawn. Before that, you will have to fight through waves of kamikaze soldiers, war dogs, giant helicoptors, aliens (...from the movie “Aliens”) and much more. Along the way, you will recruit an entire cast of badasses. From Rambo to Robocop, you will find Chuck Norris, Neo, Blade, Bruce Willis, Terminator, Preditor, Machette, Michelle Rodrigez, The Bride (Kill Bill) & so many more including Mortal Kombats Raiden.

Very easy to pick up, very hard to put down.

11. Nidhogg 2 | 8.0 out of 10

2D-Side Scrolling Fighter. You start of with a sword. When you die, you respawn with a dagger. When you die, you respawn with a bow and arrow. Die again and respawn with an ax. Die again and respawn with your fist. This cycle will continue until you our your opponent makes it to the opposing end of the map. Maps are relatively small and consist of about 2 to 3 different frames. Sounds easy on paper right? 

Tons of laughs to be had!

12. Tales Of Vesperia

If your looking for an in-depth RPG you both can play while she sits between your legs and you both focus on the Switch screen laying in front of you: this is for you two. The co-op system usually only functions when you enter battle. Player 1 will always be the one running around the world map but this is still fine if you keep an open-mind and communicate on decisions that impact the story and more. (Keep track of your own money.)

side-note: All Tales games are co-op in this sense, even the Super Nintendo picks.

13. Harvest Moon: Light of Hope

I’ve been a Harvest Moon fan since Super Nintendo and got my first copy on the N64. I know a lot of people see this game and hate the thought of a farming simulator but unlike it’s counterpart with the same name-sake; Harvest Moon is so much more. This can easily tame the craving for an adventure-rpg-dating sim with a very rich story and characters that actually grow on you. I have not had the chance to play this particular version yet, but I saw it was multiplayer and that sold me. If you want to try a good yet cheaper version, Harvest Moon: Back to Nature is by far, one of the best, next to Harvest Moon 64.

So there you have it, our picks of love for your love to love with their love! Honestly...I don’ t celebrate Valentines Day (poly-gang), but I love exposing partners to new things that they can enjoy together.

OUT!

[hedgeradish9-blog]

Daniel's Favorite Recipes of 2018

[Photographs: Vicky Wasik, unless otherwise noted]

This was a big year for me. At the end of 2017, my wife, Kate, and I had a baby, so 2018 was our wild walk through his first year as he grew from a little lump of flesh to a walking and talking(ish) mini human who loves to dance to music, give hugs, and eat literally everything we put in front of him—and we've put some ambitious food on his plate.* This life-changing new family member has also meant that my memory of the past year is something of a blur. What did I cook? What did I write?

* By my own personal standards, I think he's excelling in all the important areas.

This year has also been a big one for the Serious Eats culinary team. You likely (hopefully) never noticed this, but we'd been separated from our colleagues for nearly two years as our new test kitchen finished construction. We produced our recipes and cooking articles from all sorts of temporary spaces, including commercial kitchen rentals, AirBnB rentals, and even my apartment. Finally, though, the work was completed and we moved in (technically we moved in several months before the gas was turned on, using induction units as our only mode of "stovetop" cooking, but now even the gas flows, strong and hot). That gives us a lot to look forward to in 2019, our first year with a fully functioning test kitchen from day one. We've got a lot to cook for you in there!

Before we do, though, here are some of my favorite recipes from the last year. It took some sorting through our archives to jog my blurred memory, but I'm glad I did. We shared a lot of delicious stuff that's worth remembering.

This is one of my last recipes of 2018, and I am very proud of it. Duck à l'orange is one of those dishes that's been bastardized to the point where many renditions now bare little resemblance to the original, often featuring roasted duck doused in an overly sweet orangey glop. Instead of just copying the methods and ratios of most of the other recipes that are online now, I decided to go back to the beginning, making the sauce, classically known as sauce bigarade, with the bitter oranges that are meant to be used. Then I did my best to rejigger things to approximate that more complex, less sweet, flavor in my recipe for the sauce. Tart and aromatic, it's the perfect foil for fatty duck, and also a prime option for the holiday table.

Get the recipe for duck à l'orange or read about the process and testing »

When Sho approached me with the idea of doing a series of ramen recipes including homemade noodles and two different broths that harness the power of the pressure cooker, I got really excited. Homemade ramen is one of those things that just doesn't seem worth the effort, especially when you live near great ramen shops that can serve up a bowl in five minutes, then do the dishes for you. But add in the time savings of the pressure cooker, and the fact that you can first make this clear and savory shoyu broth, then a second creamy paitan broth using the spent ingredients from the first one, and that's a project I'm down for. The results are killer, and remarkably doable.

Get the recipe for chintan shoyu ramen or read about the process and testing »

Senior culinary editor Sasha Marx joined our team late this year, and he hit the ground running. He grew up in Rome, and we wasted no time asking him to share some of his expertise on that city's cuisine. One of the most memorable is his absolutely perfect take on pasta alla gricia—one of Rome's foundational pasta dishes, starring little more than cured pork jowl, cheese, and black pepper. His bowl of rigatoni is coated in a glistening, emulsified sheen of rendered fat and Pecorino Romano, all of it deeply infused into the pasta during a many-minute finishing step in the sauce. This here is how to cook pasta right.

Get the recipe for pasta alla gricia or read about the process and testing »

Coming up with a centerpiece-worthy vegetarian main course for the holidays is an extremely difficult task. Vegetables just don't lend themselves to impressively hulking roasts the way meat does. I'd been wracking my brain for weeks trying to think up something clever and not tired, and was about to give up. Then Sasha suggested stuffed pumpkins. Here's the thing—I know those words don't necessarily grab one's attention. Stuffed pumpkins? Yawn. But these are no joke. Loaded with a custardy savory bread pudding, heaps of melted cheese, sautéed mushrooms, kale, and more, his stuffed pumpkins can take on any slab of roast meat or poultry, delivering layers of flavor and texture in each bite. I would happily take one and leave the meat for everyone else. Or...maybe have both?

Get the recipe for stuffed roasted pumpkins or read about the process and testing »

I'm not a huge frosted cake fanatic, and Stella isn't a huge Italian buttercream fan (you can read why here), making this an unlikely selection on my list. But despite all the odds stacked against it, this one was one of my favorite recipes she made this year. There's just something about the flavor of that honey in the light, fluffy buttercream, especially with a healthy pop of salt, that just does it for me. There's a lot of cake I'll say "no thanks" to, but this one is a "yes, please," over and over, and over again.

Get the recipe for honey buttercream or read about the process and testing »

This is another one of those French classics I tackled this year, and I was surprised at the tweaks I found to make the recipe, I believe, better. First I introduced a dry-brining step, which makes it possible to both season the steak and get the peppercorns to adhere to it (if you put the salt on right before cooking, the pepper won't stick), leading many chefs to add the salt after the peppercorns—in which case the salt doesn't stick! I also decided to only encrust one side of each steak with the pepper, allowing the other side to sear and develop a good fond in the pan that otherwise wouldn't happen with a layer of pepper in the way. That omitted portion of pepper, meanwhile, doesn't get lost: I bloom it in hot fat to develop its flavors, then work it directly into the pan sauce. Result: best of all worlds.

Get the recipe for steak au poivre or read about the process and testing »

I devoted a considerable amount of time this year to digging deeper into the world of mortars and pestles, which I believe should be used way more frequently than they are in most home kitchens. One of the fun byproducts was this recipe for a lesser known Italian pesto sauce. Originating in Sicily, this one replaces the pine nuts with almonds, and adds tomato to the mix, for a fresher, fruitier summery sauce. Dare I say I like it more than classic pesto?

Get the recipe for pesto alla trapanese or read about the process and testing »

When Stella unveiled her cookie ice creams (no, not cookie dough ice creams) a couple years ago, we all went crazy for them. It didn't take long for us to start lobbying her for even more recipes featuring our own favorite cookies. The fact that oatmeal-raisin are at the top of my cookie list very possibly had nothing to do with Stella deciding to turn them into this outrageous scoop, but I'd like to think otherwise.

Get the recipe for oatmeal-raisin cookie ice cream or read about the process and testing »

Inspired by Popeye's but worlds beyond it in flavor (and I say that as a diehard Popeye's fanatic), this fried chicken recipe from Sohla belongs in everyone's rotation...unless you're a mutant who doesn't like fried chicken (okay, okay, or a vegetarian). The buttermilk-brined chicken is juicy, the crust is crispy and nubby, and it's drizzled in honey-butter, then finished with a dusting a fragrant ground spices and chilies. It's hard to top Popeye's, but the twists and turns here just might do it.

Get the recipe for fried chicken with honey and spice or read about the process and testing »

[Photograph: Liz Clayman]

As I near the end of my top picks list, I begin to see a trend emerging: I set my sights on a fair number of classic French dishes. I'm not unhappy about that. This exploration of bouillabaisse got me thinking all about fish—specifically, how to select ones that approximate what traditionally goes into the soup, given that we don't have access to most of the fish used in Marseille. Too many renditions of the dish in the United States have dodged this question, instead loading the soup up with lobster, scallops, clams, shrimp, and other fish that, while delicious, produce a broth that has very little in common with what bouillabaisse is all about.

Get the recipe for bouillabaisse or read about the process and testing »

I like mango lassi as much as, if not more than, the next person, but this salty rendition from Sohla is something I could drink morning, noon, and night. I'm not sure I'd ever tire of the savory combo of tangy yogurt and buttermilk with fresh mint and cilantro, fragrant spices, and a slow-burning hear of kashmiri chilies.

Get the recipe for salted mint lassi or read about the process and testing »

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Source: https://www.seriouseats.com/2018/12/daniels-favorite-recipes-of-2018.html

[tri-to-be]

What they don’t tell you when deciding on doing your first Ironman.

Once you have been bitten by the endurance bug, some of us decide to go for the holy grail in Triathlons; the Full Ironman distance of 3,8km swim, the 180km on a bike followed by the full marathon.  Most people will never experience anything like this and many of us are attracted by the dream that is presented by the marketing guru’s of IronMan and Challenge alike.  After realizing it will take a good 6 months of training - and clearing that with those around you such as your family that won’t see you anymore on most weekends as you will be out training somewhere - you decide to go for it.

The average Full Ironman distance registration fee is just under US$ 1,000.  This gives your between 8 to 17 hours of suffering on race day and about 400  lonely training hours which will cost you another US$ 1,000 or more in coaching fees. Throw in your travel at US$ 500 - 2,000 (domestic or international travel) and your physio due to some injuries, bike maintenance, outfits, wetsuits, new shoes and you are on a roll financially. And since we are already digging deep lets make sure we have top bike gear for at least another US$ 5,000 to get us over the finish line. Yes, triathlons can be one of the most expensive sports i know that does not involve engines or live animals (although sometime the athletes are difficult to distinguish)  For this  investment,  you get the satisfaction knowing that you have an “Iron Will” (TM) according to IronMan promo video’s, are a focussed achiever in life, get a trinket medal and bragging rights for life.  In other words, you can set your mind to ZERO and just keep going and going like the Energizer Bunny only to prove that you can be part of the “elite” finishers. The entire dream has been pre-created and is echoed by many triathletes, especially those who have never done an Ironman.

Ironman is indeed all in the mind. and the less you use your mind the easier it becomes because the more your grey cells start wondering if that strange feeling in your calf could become the end of your race, the more likely it will happen.  Unlike in the game of golf where your mind is like a roller coaster because you earn instant satisfaction of a great shot and depression after a flunked one, Ironman has not much to offer along the way.  Somehow it is boring as you are not really racing but controlling mind and body to keep the pace at max.  Its easy to slack off as your mind wonders off and lowers the pace. A simple pass of a biker or runner  might bring you back to your senses, but you know that at some point that person is likely to do the same to you as we all vary in pace at different times. Ironman is the ultimate race not against yourself, but against your mind and of course your training.

What is interesting is how the mind works on long distances.  I am sure the body fuels some of the thought but in the end, I noticed that the things around me, or rather distracting me, are the ones that keep me going.  I find myself riding and worrying about my knee when it started feeling tight and since my muscles are getting sore, the next thought is about how to even start the run and complete that full marathon. Suddenly my attention is grabbed by a pothole I need to avoid, then I notice the scenery which I vividly enjoy and promptly I am back in good shape.  This - in various forms - happens numerous times.   Aside from that, we are being bombarded with quotes like “this too, will pass”, “just get this over with” and “just take it as another training day”  But we know that once we are in those final kilometers everything will be forgotten and emotion with “I did this” will draw us past the finish line for a few seconds of fame as they call our name as we approach the famous red carpet.  Yes, me too i have dreamed many times of hearing the words, “Marcel; you are an Ironman”. Or so I thought.

But let’s backtrack a little to discuss the months before the race, and start with the training plan.  First, the excitement fuels the first phase your training, where you have to relearn the way you run and bike.  This is where you start to go long and easy, doing things differently and of course enjoy waking up at 6am every day to get that part out of the way. It was fun seeking my hotels during my many business trips and qualify them as “training Hotels”  Who has the right pool size, or a park where we can run.  I even blogged about it in Trip Advisor and rated some hotels purely on Triathlon training capabilities.    The next stage that follows about 3 months inwards was that of fatigue.  The training gets boring, your body is getting tired and your mind is looking for excuses. It was getting harder  to wake up and getting sleep was deemed a higher priority leaving the trainings to the evening with work distractions on your mind and finding every shortcut along the way.  It was getting truly tough.  This is also the period where suddenly minor injuries creeped up such as rotor cuff pains making swimming a real struggle for me.  What followed was logical; depression.  the “I am not ready” phase slowly overtakes and you wonder why no progress what made for weeks  until something makes you realize you are really full of shit and gets you out of that cycle.  My great friend and triathlete Daniel Schwalb, who actually got me on a bicycle 8 years ago that started this madness, and dragged me to my first sprint, reminded me during my whining and ranting about the famous Rule#5 of the Velominati ; “Harden the F@&* up!”.

From there on you are just 6-8 weeks out and you are getting excited again.  This is where you do you long (and super boring) bricks, runs and rides and realize that after each training you have plenty of energy left.  Recovery feels like a breeze and the 70.3 distance feels like a run in the park.  Its an amazing feeling of fitness strength.  At this point you are cautious to avoid any kind of injury as you have come this far already, then in the Taper weeks you wonder if this is the right  thing to do and why you should’t push for that last bit… but I believed in my Coach Tabitha Bond and she was just spot on on what would work for me.

On race day i had no clue if I was going the complete this and the only thing I had going for me was to believed Tabitha that I was ready.  My conservative estimates came out to 16 hours so i would have an hour to spare before cut off.  I had never ran a marathon before the IM, not even during the training where it stopped at 35km.  I had no clue what to expect next.  The horn sounded, and the familiar swim battle, took place.  It would be a 1,9km swim around the 1,8 km long Jetty and back.  I took an easy pace with long strokes, focussed on my rotations and lightly added my legs to pivot.  I made sure I stayed the course (straight) which did not always work as planned, but it was good enough, and the “with sighting” drills paid off.  after the u-turn around the jetty the adrenaline kicked in again that made me care less about the chafing caused by the wetsuit.  I got close, hit the beach and started making my way to transition… A guy next to me asked for the time (I had decided beforehand not to care as it is what it is) and saw 1:15. I was amazed and happy and dashed to T1… I was on a roll and felt great!.  Once on the bike I knew I had decided on a conservative safe pace (28kmph) and just kept it for 6:30 hours making sure I focused on my nutrition above all.  I ate, I drank, stopped to pee and I peddled. There is really little excitement in this part of the race at all (and I love cycling!). Arrived in T2, I seriously start worrying about the bike-to-run which has caused me and others great trouble in the past for many kilometers. Again a glimpse on the watch and it showed a flat 8:00 total time whilst dashing out of the transition. That would leave me a whopping 9 hours to finish the run.  OMG!  The smile continued and the run was smooth from the beginning short of some minor pains in the lower abdomen, nothing i couldn’t manage. After 10k of mainly conservative running with some short brisk walks I checked for the first time my Heart Rate which to my amazement was 112!  I cursed myself for being conservative and had limitations in my mind and picked up the pace from there.  I stopped for a Red Bull after 20km and kept increasing the pace.  I was going to be early!  It was getting dark and cold now. At 40km a pain hit my knee and despite all efforts, running was over.  but who cared! Yes this added 20-30 minutes to my time but I was well within my race targets and only this joint, not the rest of the body, was giving me a sign of struggle.  Now here in the story I will add that I weighed 104kg at the start of the race.  As a heavy set and overweight (and medically borderline obese with a BMI of 36) athlete my knees are obviously suffering.  Moving close to the finish the familiar thought of making sure you look good for the photo started coming and once the carpet was in sight, I high five’d my way to the finish line.  The victory was bitter sweet despite arriving 2 hours ahead of my expected scenario.

What happened next you don’t hear about either.  I read in an article that during an Ironman, an Age Grouper research has shown that many of the organs age by about 40years in comparison during the race.  It recovers in just a few weeks but it takes a hit.  For me I could no longer read my phone text without glasses which thankfully restored within a day.  I also had bladder issues where I could not hold my pee for a long time - Ithis recovered as well but took about a week.  Wether that was because of the salt intake or a combo of others I will leave to the scientists.  my knee recovered in just days and after a week I started some simple training again.

As today I am an Ironman and for that I feel proud,  However, I don’t feel as gratified as I would expect myself to be.  I felt like going for a super long walk, not a race of any kind.  Maybe unless you are in a higher league of racing, but a 70.3 offers all the right excitement for a triathlon. the Full only offers your the right to show you are physically awesome, at a huge cost on your body, family and finance.  When asked, would i do it again…… Yeah sure, but then race at your peak all the way.

[rieshon]

Summer 2018 Preview

I haven't been keeping up on anime news too well lately so I have almost no idea about anything that's airing next season. This might not be a very good preview.

1 Yama no Susume Third Season: Fuck yes. One of the best cute girls doing cute things series of the past decade is back and it's going to be amazing. I just hope the pattern holds and we get four cours worth.

2 Sunoharasou no Kanrininsan: Cute girl 4koma anime from Oonuma Shin? It's a masterpiece. Girls all look adorable and there's definitely something here for everyone, but holy shit Ayaneru as a lewd brown gyaru? Anime of the year right here.

3 Asobi Asobase: I read some of the manga of this when it was free on eBookJapan and let me tell you, you have no idea what you're getting into here. It's supposed to be about "cute girls playing cute games" but it's actually insane. This anime is going to be great.

4 Jashin-chan Dropkick: I've been hype for this one for a while. Cute monster girls get into shenanigans. The PV gives nothing away, but I've seen some of the original manga and it's pretty funny.

5 Chuukan Kanri Roku Tonegawa: Everyone's favorite middle manager is back! We may well never get a third season of Kaiji proper, but man, just seeing that Madhouse FKMT art style again is getting me misty-eyed. Don't know a whole lot about the manga but I'm sure it will be godlike.

6 Harukana Receive: I swear guys I only watch it for the volleyball... Another all girls sports anime, but this one looks like it's going all in on the lewd beach bods. It doesn't look it, but this is actually a Kirara anime (albeit one from Forward) so I'm definitely optimistic about it.

7 Yuragisou no Yuuna-san: If you know me you know how much I love cute ghost girls, so you should be able to guess how excited I am for this anime. I've actually read some of the manga (cause cute ghost girls) and it's a pretty good if standard lewd romantic comedy, with the added bonus of CUTE GHOST GIRL WOO WOO. She even has the head triangle which is the most important part.

8 Chio-chan no Tsuugakuro: Why do I get Hinamatsuri vibes from this? It's not just cause that one guy looks like Nitta either. I think I remember seeing the trailer for this a while back and it looks bonkers. This'll also be the first time in a long while I've heard Omigawa Chiaki in a major role... interested to see if she's improved in the intervening years.

9 Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight: It's like an idol anime but they're doing musicals instead. At least it's something different. If it's anything like all-female theater in real life it'll be gay as hell, and some of the girls look great.

10 Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu: The title is... what it is, but this actually looks like a pretty decent shinshi anime. Character designs are lewd, animation looks great... sign me the fuck up. Finally some good fucking Blade Dance anime.

11 ISLAND: This is animated by based feel so I'll definitely still watch it, but I'm super bitter about them removing Rieshon from the leading role because the director didn't get along with her. This would have been a great Rieshon girl goddamnit. Eroge adaptations are sadly vanishing from the Earth but this is coming out of Front Wing so hopefully it'll still have that same aesthetic.

12 Hataraku Saibou: So I can't watch the trailer for this because Youtube, but holy shit it's Japanese Osmosis Jones. Definitely a concept for an anime I haven't seen before (besides, you know, Osmosis Jones) so I'm looking forward to it for the novelty if nothing else. Red blood cell looks cute!! I bet this is going to be full of all kind of blood type bullshit though, because Japan.

13 HaneBad!: Badminton club with sometimes badminton? The girl with the glasses looks super cute. Not a whole lot else to say about a sports anime, I think we all know what we're getting into here.

14 Back Street Girls: Back street's back alright! Come on guys you can't just make an idol anime and call it this. Apparently this is about yakuza idols, which sounds like it could be amazing, but I guess it's more of a goofy thing than a scathing indictment of the corruption of the idol industry.

15 High Score Girl: It's funny to think that a couple years ago this series was on the verge of death because of unlicensed use of Sega trademarks in the manga, and now it's getting an anime full of actual game footage and shit. They even lampshade this in the trailer for it. The CG looks pretty garbo, but a lot of people like the manga so hopefully it'll be amusing.

16 Ongaku Shoujo: For a second I thought this was that light novel series where famous composers are cute little girls, but nope, just another generic-ass looking idol anime. If the character designs weren't so fucking amazing I would already have checked out, but damn, these grils.

17 Planet With: I can't tell if this is supposed to be a kid's anime of if it's just meant to look like one. Regardless, a kiddy robot anime might be fun, and it's got J.C. production values.

18 Aru Zombie Shoujo no Sainan: Can't believe they're making Zombiko into an anime. This honestly looks kind of terrible but Hayamin and Chanyui is a powerful combo so I guess. Just really not digging the character designs, and it looks like one of those anime that's too dark (tonally) for its own good.

19 Satsuriku no Tenshi: Be careful not to cut yourself on all the sharp edges on this one. It's got bloody lolis, maniacally laughing men who love murder, death games... This looks like one of those "drop halfway through the first episode" shows. The loli does look real cute though! Real good blondenblu.

20 Happy Sugar Life: With a title like this you would expect the cutest anime ever, so of course it's actually some edgy bullshit with girls with butcher's knives and tasers. Why you gotta do this to me anime? Is it so wrong to just want some cute girls cuting? I just wanna see cute Za-san girl adopt a cute loli damnit.

21 Tenrou Sirius the Jaeger: It looks like they're going really hard on trying to capture the Western audience with this one (the PV even has hilariously bad English subtitles) which immediately gives me pause, but the production values do look pretty high and there's a couple pretty hot girls in it. Not expecting to actually watch this one through though.

22 Lord of Vermillion Guren no Ou: I thought the title of this sounded familiar, and I guess it's based on a card game. I really like the look of that Ao-chan girl but that's pretty much the only thing here I like the look of. WIXOSS will always have the best cute girl card game anime.

23 Hyakuren no Haou to Seiyaku no Valkyrja: Boy that is a title. While our other LN adaptation with an embarassing title this season looks pretty good, this one definitely looks like a bottom-of-the-barrel reject. When the art in your key visual doesn't even really look good, you know you're gonna have problems.

24 Shichisei no Subaru: This looks extremely generic even by generic fantasy light novel standards... Not a single thing about it stands out, other than the fact that a couple of my favorite up-and-coming seiyuu are in it. I guess I'll watch an episode, maybe it'll surprise me.

25 Phantom in the Twilight: This is based on a game from Happy Elements, the same company behind Last Period, which immediately gives me expectations that are way too high, even if it's unfair. This one's not even a comedy and looks like some kind of edgy otome game. Actually I'm not even going to watch this, I just wanted to say how fucking good Last Period was.

[itsworn]

1975 Duster: A Real Deal 10-Second All-Motor Street Car!

We’ve all been there. You spot a nice looking car at a cruise night and decide to dive in for a deeper look. As you are looking at the car you strike up a conversation and ask the guy if he has ever raced the car and if he has, what it runs. Then the dreaded response comes back. “It’ll run 10s in the quarter!” The safest response in this situation is to nod you head and move along, otherwise it’s just going to get weirder. We’ll never understand why people take this line of thinking and the good news is that there are some people out there whose word you can trust and the owner of this 1975 Plymouth Duster, George Kavounis, is one of them. When he tells you that the big-block—powered A-Body runs 10s, you can believe him!

The Chrysler A-Body platform was one of the company’s most successful, and in some respects, longest lasting. The cars were also very diverse in terms of image and performance. From the high-winding, high-performance small-block cars of the early 1970s to the economy themed models of the later part of the decade, the A-Body entries were certainly an effort to appeal to the different interests and needs of customers at the time. For guys like George Kavounis, they are more than that because they represent a vessel to invest time, effort, and finances into personalizing and modifying.

Back in 1970, George had the Mopar bug bad and with the help of his dad, bought a 1970 Plum Crazy Duster with a 340. Being into horsepower and drag racing, George built the car into a Super Stock/I Automatic runner and had great fun with the car until 1975 when he sold it. “I had been into Mopars all through my childhood,” George said. “My dad was a Chrysler guy and while he never had muscle cars, I took to them. I would read every magazine I could find and when the 1968 Hemi Darts and Barracudas came out I was just head-over-heels for them. I bought the Duster and drove it on the street while racing it until I got out of high school and with a friend set the car up to go Super Stock racing. We did that for two years until the index we were racing on got bombed pretty hard by John Lingenfelter and then I sold the car.”

Just because he was out of the racecar game didn’t mean his love for cars or Mopars had gone away. The first time he laid eyes on the ’75 you see here, it brought him right back to the days of excitement and fun he had with his ’70, and it had the same tough look to boot. “I met Allen Hall at a cruise night and we just started talking and became friends,” George said. “I would see him at the track and I worked with him on the car. I liked the car because I have always been a Mopar guy and Allen’s car was really well kept. When Allen’s health started to get a bit rocky he moved to Florida and before he left I told him that if he ever wanted to sell, I had to be the first call.” Amazingly, after not hearing from Allen for two years, the phone rang. “He told me that this was my call and my shot to buy the car,” George said. “I asked for a couple of days to get the money together and he said OK. I bought the car and he delivered it to me.”

When George got the car, it was a dedicated race car and he wanted to put the thing back on the street. “I knew that there were some things I needed to do in order to get the car back to a point where I could drive it on the road,” George said. “When I got it the car ran on race gas only. I took off the steel heads, changed the intake and carb, and generally went through the engine to make it a really healthy but driveable piece.” A 446ci RB engine that makes torque like a tug boat and still has manners good enough that it does not need race gas to survive is the end result. Using a 1976 model year 440ci block as the foundation, C&C Motorsports took it from there. The build plan involved a stock crank and stock rods with a .030-overbore to make sure everything was round and true. TRW forged pistons were used to get the compression ratio to a healthy 11.0:1, and the camshaft was sourced from Ray Barton who followed up with a mild, street friendly .590-inch lift, 284/296 duration (at .050) bumpstick. The theme of simplicity continues to the upper end of the engine with a set of Hensley Racing ported and polished Edlebrock Performer cylinder heads. Those heads use a 2.14-inch intake valve and a 1.81-inch exhaust. An Edelbrock Victor intake manifold sits atop those heads and a 1,000cfm double-pumper Quick Fuel 4150 carb feeds the whole beast.

With an engine built to make loads of torque and lots of usable power, the rest of the drivetrain has to match it to make the car both happy on the street and a stormer on the strip. The transmission is an ATI Performance built 727 equipped with a manual valvebody and fronted by an 8-inch diameter torque converter with a stall speed of 3,500 rpm. The converter makes or breaks this combo on the street, and with a 3,500 stall speed, it is loose enough to keep the engine happy but not crazy for street operation. Rearend gears are 4.57 ratio Mosers and while you are probably thinking that those cannot be street driven for any time, remember that this car wears a rear tire that is 31 inches tall.

When George said he built the car to drive it (obviously not cross-country but on the street) he meant it. “I cannot stand to see the car sit. I love driving it. I will get it out all through the year. For instance, if there is a warm day in the winter and I can take the car around town, to the hardware store or whatever, I’ll do it. I will take the car on decent trips to cruise nights and events. I don’t like to buzz the motor too badly so if I am on the highway I stick to the right lane and let traffic by me. I really love driving the car.” We love this guy!

The stance of this car is pretty great. There are lots of times where cars using a ladder-bar style rear suspension sit higher than normal to clear larger rear tires, but in the case of George’s Duster, that’s not a problem. Tucking just a touch of front tire and a healthy chunk of the tall and fat rears, it maintains a level appearance until George hammers the gas on the starting line and those big tires bite the track. You can see how well the suspension works in the launch photos where the front of the car is heading up and the rear tires are wrapped up and working hard!

Perhaps the best part of this whole story is the fact that George has spent a load of time working on the car with his sons Nick and Drew. That’s the good stuff. This car that brought Allen so much pleasure when he owned it has landed into the hands of a man who loved it as much as the previous owner did, and has even been able to transfer that experience and passion to his kids. Like we said, this car and George Kavounis are the real deal!

While loads of other cars got big and fat during the 1970s, the Plymouth Duster did not suffer the same fate. Those A-Body lines kept nice and tight when the rest of Detroit was going to flab.

In today’s world it seems like everyone wants to overcomplicate things and that’s why this 446ci big-block is a breath of fresh air. With 11.0:1 compression, a Barton-spec’d camshaft that does not kill springs, and torque for days, it rockets the Duster to 10-second elapsed times with ease. Winning!

A couple of buckets, a nicely padded dash, and a killer Winters shifter make this the office that Geoge Kavonis attacks the drag strip from. Functional and tasteful, we’re fans of its business-like environment.

Here’s a great look at the Duster going to work off the starting line. Note the weight transfer onto the sticky Mickey Thompson rear tires and the fact that this thing is a hair away from yanking those front tires. The car works.

What really spins our crank about this particular 1975 Plymouth Duster is the stance. Ladder-bar cars can have that old-school, high-riding stance but this one doesn’t, and it works great off the line. The wheel tubs allow the car to sit down and take the 4×4 look out of the equation.

While 1983 was not the greatest year for Mopar performance, this Duster’s color was from that year’s palette. Called Aqua Pearl, we dig its classy look in the sun. Oh, and how nice are the lines on this car from this angle?!

Non-car people have no idea what this is but we consider it the Mona Lisa of high performance. A mighty Dana 60, ladder bars, a Moser spool, and 4.57 gearset along with those AFCO coilovers and steam roller Hoosiers mean business and quick 60-foot times.

While we all like to talk about horsepower, it is really torque that gets a 3,700-lb car moving off the starting line. With an Old Testament thick stack of 10-second time slips powered by 446 cubes, a stock crank, and stock rods, George knows all about it. Is there anything better than a car you know you can take to the strip and have fun with without worry?

FAST FACTS

1975 Plymouth Duster George Kavounis; Centreville, Virginia

ENGINE Type: Chrysler RB-series big-block wedge V8 Bore x stroke: 4.35 (bore) x 3.75 (stroke), 446ci Block: 1976 Chrysler iron factory Rotating assembly: stock factory forged crank, TRW forged pistons, stock connecting rods Compression ratio: 11.0:1 Cylinder heads: Edelbrock Performer cylinder heads ported and polished by Hensley Camshaft: .590-inch lift, 284/286 degrees duration at 0.050 Valvetrain: 2.14-/1.81-inch valves, Cloyed double-roller timing chain, Crane 1.6-ratio roller rockers, Crane pushrods, Crane valve springs good to .750-inch lift. Induction: Edelbrock Victor intake manifold, Quick Fuel 4150 series 1,000cfm carb Fuel system: trunk-mounted fuel cell, Holley electric fuel pump Exhaust: CPPA Headers with 3.5-inch exhaust to the rear axle

Ignition: MSD crank trigger, MSD 7AL ignition box, timing locked at 30 degrees Oiling system: Milodon 7-quart oil pan with Milodon wet-sump oil pump Cooling: BeCool aluminum radiator with twin Spal electric fans, CSR electric water pump Fuel: Holley black electric fuel pump Engine built by: C&C in Manassas, Virginia Best e.t.: 10.73 at 124 mph Weight: 3,750 lbs

DRIVETRAIN Transmission: 1971 vintage RB-spec 727 manual valve body built by ATI Performance, 8-inch torque converter with 3,500-rpm stall speed Driveshaft: fabricated by National Drivetrain Rearend: Dana 60 with Moser spool and 4.57 gears

CHASSIS Front suspension: aftermarket upper and lower control arms, torsions bars, 90/10 drag shocks, sway bar delete Rear suspension: ladder bars with AFCO coilover shocks Steering: rebuilt stock Brakes: stock disc/drum combo Chassis: frame connectors and NHRA-legal roll cage installed by owner

PAINT & INTERIOR Color: 1983 Chrysler Aqua Pearl paint with silver peal bottom strip Painter: Papo’s body shop; Annedale, Virginia Interior: JAZ bucket seats, dash pad done by Ernie’s Upholstery, Manassas, VA, AutoMeter gauges, Grant steering wheel, custom carpet

WHEELS & TIRES Wheels: Bogart 15×4 (front), 15×14 (rear) Tires: Mickey Thompson 26×7.5×15 (front), Hoosier 31×16.5×15 (rear)

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[aurimeanswind]

Your Favorite JRPGs—Sunday Chats (8-6-17)

Happy August everyone! The last month of summer, the heat is kicking up, and video games for some reason are coming out an entire month early again. It’s getting a little absurd, honestly, because like 12 games are coming out this month that I want and that’s just like... every month until December. Sooooooo.

Well anyway, this Sunday Chats is a bit different! I said last week that instead of soliciting questions for me from you, my lovely readers in this weekly digest of my life, I’d ask all of YOU a question, and then talk about your responses!

Well, suffice to say, you all blew me away. I said last week that I’d really love it if all of you came out for this, and I was going to start with something easy, but today I got the most responses to any Sunday Chats EVER. Over 30 responses and I am just so so so SO grateful! I love the readers of Sunday Chats as much as anything I make because, much like most things I put out on the internet, it’s very intimate and personal, and allows for a kindred connection between me and you! So thank you all so much for submitting your responses.

This week, I asked the question: in as few tweets as possible, what is your favorite JRPG of all time and why? Now, keep in mind, this isn’t a thing I’ll be doing every week from here out. I think I’ll do it the first Sunday of every month, keep it a monthly thing, and return to your regularly scheduled Sunday Chats next week, but this felt like a good thing to start off on. I am a massive JRPG fan, and I love them of all shapes and sizes. I’m working on a brand new project that is focused exclusively on JRPGs, and I wanted to know everyone’s favorite, but to know where my followers are at with the genre, and also maybe get some ideas of games to play for this new project.

With that being said, since most folks sent in multiple tweets for this (which is totally fine!) it’ll be a bit longer than a normal questions section, and I’ll talk about the games I can, so let’s get to it!

Your Favorite JRPGs

One, it’s SUIKODEN, so I guess the jokes on you, and two, it’s one of those classic JRPG franchises that I have never stepped my toes in. Though I’m not sure “it just is” is a very good explanation as to why it’s the best JRPG for you, but hey, to each their own.

Suikoden has the idea of just tons and tons of characters, kind of Fire Emblem style, and I like it for that. It was going for that army building idea in a JRPG way back when, before Fire Emblem got really crazy with it, and it’s a really cool mechanic to design around. 

I really truly love Ni no Kuni. It’s such a beautiful game about coming of age and dealing with loser, and like you said Brendan, the story is really incredible. Oliver’s struggle with kind of finding what it is and what it really means to love someone and lose them is incredibly poignant, and the turns the story takes as it goes on are really fun. I could not be more excited for the sequel and what it does with the franchise.

Ghibili’s style in that game really does set it apart too. Visual/Audio-wise, it’s unmatched in a lot of cases, with a score done by the Japanese Philharmonic Orchestra, and some of the most stylish and heartwarming designs I’ve seen in a JRPG on consoles. Oh, and most importantly, that game, and its sequel, know what’s up with a world map, and how important it is still.

Now that is quite the praise. Honestly, digging into Nier has been a lot of fun so far, and even though I haven’t played nearly as much of it as I need to, there is something unquestionably special to it.

Now to say its the best 6 hours in is definitely too early, but I’m excited to see what all the dialogue is about.

So of the three classic Final Fantasy games, Four, Five, and Six, Four is the one I have played the most of. I can confirm that the Chocobos are incredibly adorable, but I really loved the characters in FF4. Specifically Cecil was such a great protagonist for me, and his kind of camaraderie turned rivalry with Kain is awesome, and while I never finished the game, that was the crux of what pulled me through what I did see of the game.

The version I actually played the most of was the voice acted DS version, which I really loved! I remember it getting a lot of shit, but I thought it was a pretty dope way to play that game.

While I know remotely nothing about Final Fantasy 5, I know it’s got an infamous job system which, if I am remember correctly, is kind of like an extension of Final Fantasy 3′s job system? And would then continue in Final Fantasy 9? I obviously don’t know for sure, but yeah. I know nothing about FF5 of all the classic FF games (excluding the first three). 

Though I’m glad someone has it as their absolute favorite. In conversations it always seems to be Six or Seven, and to hear Five is at the top of SOMEONE’s list is a comfort to that game I’m sure.

Yeah, I mean Final Fantasy 6 is the one, right? I feel of that era of FF games, it’s the one that gets brought up the most. I’ve tried to start playing it on two separate occasions now and I just have never been able to get into it. Maybe I need to play it on its original SNES format, not the PSone version, but I’ve always just never gotten really interested in it. Folks have defended the Esper system by saying its better than FF7′s materia system too, and I don’t even know if I’ve gotten far enough into the game to see it.

It’s one of those games I want to love and just haven’t given the time really.

Yeah I mean Final Fantasy 7 is one of my absolute all time favorite video games ever, and I don’t think it’s a cliched answer at all. I think that game truly holds up, and is a blast to play. I replayed it early last year and had a great time playing it on PS4 via the PC port to the system. 

The Materia system really doesn’t get enough credit it honestly. The idea of leveling up these gems and having them give you more spells and then split off into more and more and more Materia is so cool. Plus, I loved the way Materia was just all about slotting things next to each other in simple ways to make combos, like combining “All” with “Cure” and being able to cure your whole party. The magic was just great, and things like the Enemy Skill Materia and the 2x/4x attack Materia just made leveling and grinding in that game super different, since you were leveling your characters but also the Materia on them.

I’m a massive fan of FF7′s story, and its music is just all time for me. It’s an absolute classic, and weirdly enough, I think actually looks kind of great still. It’s backgrounds are all prerendered and blurry as hell, sure, and the characters all have Pop Eye arms, but there is a charm and a consistency to that presentation that I love.

Now to answer your questions Brandon, I think Tales of Vesperia is all time as far as some of the most underrated JRPGs. So few folks have played it, and what that game does with weapon skills is incredible. It’s also one of the best JRPG stories out there too! I like it even more than Final Fantasy 7!

As for most overrated JRPG, I’m not sure. Probably for me PERSONALLY it’d be Final Fantasy 6 right now, but I know that comes from ignorance. That game is hard for me to penetrate, mostly because it hasn’t grabbed me. But it’s of a different era and I haven’t given it a true shake yet. Unfortunately, it’s the best answer I can think of off the top of my head.

JRPGs are about their systems and their characters. I love a good world and story, but I think if the systems that link together are good, and the cast of characters you have are memorable, you’re in for a winner no matter what.

Final Fantasy X is another game that I tried to play multiple times and just never penetrated. To be fair, it’s been a great deal of time since I actually tried, and I’ve never given it a shot as an adult, so I want to, don’t get me wrong. Just to find the time...

Ten-Two is one of those games that I feel like you don’t hear a lot of love for, but when you find someone who loves it, they really love it. And yeah, the whole dress-system (I think its dresses?) that replaces the jobs has a really cool ring to it. Plus, who doesn’t love pop-idol main characters?

Kingdom Hearts is one of those all time games for me. Much like my cohost Nabeshin, Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix is one of my all time favorite games. It perfectly does mesh two amazing things I love: Final Fantasy JRPG goodness, and Disney, and honestly makes it look easy.

If you think of the big budget mash up games, none of them have gone as far as Kingdom Hearts as far as trying to create a cohesive universe and tie it all together.

There are just so many true genuine feelings that Kingdom Hearts evokes. It tries, and I think for the most part succeeds, at being the Disney movie of Japanese Role Playing Games. It tries to teach the player about love, friendship, and the sacrifices and struggles that come from that. At least, the first one does. It takes that to another level and tries to build a universe after that, and say what you will about the later games getting away from the core concepts, it creates something magical and expansive. A world that sucked me in with characters I love and wonder to be shared for all. Its a franchise that, above most, has felt like a warm hug when I need it.

The World Ends With You is a game Nabeshin and Scott from Irrational Passions have been trying to get me to play for years. I’ve tried it out before and it’s crazy intimidating, but there is no doubt that it is one of the most original video games I have ever seen, just in general. It takes the pop/punk/hiphop style of music and art and beautifully coalesces it into a Tokyo as it is realized in TWEWY. I really respect the game, and I wish I could break into it, even though it feels impenetrable.

Just another one I need to add to the list.

Dragon Quest is ashamedly a JRPG franchise I have never touched, and it’s one I desperately need to play. With DQ7 and 8 out on the 3DS now, I feel like there is no better time to get into it, but I just don’t have the time or money. DQ11 is one that is on my radar though, and looks excellent. I feel like its really the progenitor of Chapter Based JRPGs like you pointed out Harold.

So yeah, Pokémon!

Anyone of those haters out there that says Pokémon isn’t a JRPG, they can go shove it. It totally is, and still today acts as maybe the best gateway into the genre. It’s phenomenal and I adore it. Like Nato said, there are really technical levels to the game if you want to get into them, but also like Jeff said, it’s just real good monster catching and raising.

I think Silver/Gold/Crystal and then by extension Soul Silver/Heart Gold are definitely the best Pokémon games, essentially because they refined the mechanics to a great point before you get into all the incessant mini game bullshit, and also happen to have pretty much the whole first pokémon game in them as well. 

For me though, it’s still Pokémon Black and White. 150 new Pokémon and through the run of that game you see nothing but those new Pokémon? It was like being in the OG Pokémon game but all knew, and recapturing that experience was really magical for me.

So Fire Emblem is incredible. I’ve played all the Fire Emblem games released in the US save for Shadows of Valentia, and I absolutely adore the franchise.

As a JRPG built around tactics gameplay, it’s definitely one that you have to commit to and be careful, especially because it’s a deep rabbit hole. Both the original Fire Emblem and Path of Radiance are absolutely fantastic. Path of Radiance is probably my second favorite in the series, behind Fire Emblem Awakening, which is also one of my favorite video games of all time.

Awakening is just the tactics gameplay perfected, with amazing stacking system, duos that can link up and fight together, and of course the relationship system with tons of cute Fire Emblem babies to be had. I love it.

The series has grown and evolved so much over the last few years, and I cannot wait to see the next major console release next year with all the learnings of the 3DS entries.

I have never played Vagrant Story, but if it has spies in it, and Jarrett Green likes it, then you know it’s good.

I’m sorry Kaylie, you know I hate hurting you so, but Tales of Symphonia is the gateway. For all three of us I’d say it played the same role of discovering games like that.

Symphonia was my first Tales game, a franchise I love and adore to this day, I mean look at what I said above about Tales of Vesperia. It was one of those times where I went into a GameStop and said “I want an action game like this that’s long and has a lot of voice acting and cool characters in it”, and back in the day my GameStop/Babages was legit, and the guy behind the counter pointed me onto the TWO DISCS that made up Tales of Symphonia. And boy did it change my life.

It was the first time I was “aware” of what a JRPG was, why Japanese games were the way they were, and really what the game, and the genre, was going for. It was really eye opening for me.

I played the game predominantly cooperatively with my brother and my friends, and it was amazing. I cannot undersell how much fun I had with my first play through. It was also the first game I remember playing that had a New Game Plus, and though I never got into it, I was so blown away by the idea, I have always saw that as a huge plus since.

While I don’t think the game holds up as well as I’d like it too, having beaten it on PS3 just a few years ago, the game is definitely still super special for me, and I do love it.

Goddammit Roger.

Seriously, shoutout to Persona 3. Good god is that game incredible. I have a long history with that game, playing way back when in 2008/2009 and loving-loving-LOVING it. It means more to me than almost any game, and on any given day is probably my second or third favorite game ever.

It’s dark, its character driven, and as the first game to use the Social Link System, it really hits a lot of the potential the series holds. A surprising amount I’d say, only to be evolved on in its sequel.

It’s a special game and I hope with Persona 3 Dancing Moon Light coming out soon a lot of folks will consider revisiting it. Hopefully Atlus just does a proper remake like the game deserves.

Yeah y’all.

I mean, it may be preaching to the choir here, but this is the game, in my humble opinion. Persona 4 Golden is my favorite video game of all time, and I absolutely and without question, adore it. I have often described it as “the perfect game for Alex O’Neill” and I stand by that.

The game is perfect. For me, at least.

There are blemishes on its perfection, for sure, and parts of it may not have aged incredibly well, but when I think of the potential of video games and their character/storytelling, Persona 4 is it for me.

It’s approachable, its lovable, it’s got some of the best gameplay ever, and the way all the systems interlock and support one another is brilliant. I cannot say enough good things about Persona 4, and I will likely never stop.

If you have never played a Persona game or Persona 4 specifically, you should fix that. 

Persona 5 is truly, truly fantastic. It’s near impossible to follow up a game like Persona 4 Golden, and yet Persona 5 does it and honestly makes it look easy. While the game’s message didn’t hit me the same way Persona 4′s did, I think that says more about me than the game. It’s still something to behold, and I’ve written and talked plenty about it all year.

I’m just bummed Cameron didn’t feel the need to tell me why it was his favorite...

Lunar is another game, like Final Fantasy 6, where I have tried to get into it and failed on multiple occasions. I will someday though, because in a recent attempt to get into Lunar I was having a great time and then a bunch of games came out. I think I will get into it at some point, what with the pretty great PSP version of the first game out there, and I really love the loving style and design that game puts out. I really want to know more about it, but want to play it to learn it.

Wow. Those are a lot of fantastic games, and thank you all so much for sharing! My favorite JRPG is obviously Persona 4 Golden, like I said above, with Persona 3 FES, Tales of Vesperia, Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix, and Final Fantasy 7 being pretty close runners up. I feel I’ve touched on why all those games matter to me so much, and what makes them so good, so I won’t repeat myself here. 

But JRPGs are an incredible genre. They’re expansive, world building titles that create misfit casts of characters and send you off on your own Goonies-like adventures. The idea of a group of misfits saving the world is a classic story, and though almost all of these games mentioned above follow that same arc, they somehow all have their own unique aspects. Whether its a multilayered system of mechanics and monsters to catch, or great writing, or in depth character development, they each bring something new to the table, and those are the best things a JRPG player could ask for. Now, there is still plenty of room to go up for the genre, and I’m excited for this new project to talk about maybe the ways it could do that.

What’s On Tap

The only thing I’ve been playing is Overwatch, and while Doomfist is still great, the main draw has been getting back into playing Overwatch with people again! I convinced friend of the Chats Kaylie Woomer to buy Overwatch and seeing her get into it and actually have fun with a multiplayer shooter for the first time. Like, ever? And this would be her first multiplayer game on top of that just in general. Which is super exciting!

It helps keep pushing that idea that Overwatch is crazy accessible and fun to get into. Even for folks who aren’t super into shooters!

But it’s been fun to see someone else’s genuine first experience with the game, and shooters in general. Shoutout to Kaylie for playing with me! Also to Andrew, Cameron, Xyger, Sean, Danny and more for playing with me this week. It’s been a ton of fun!

The Checklist

There is a lot of drama going on in video games recently, so I’m just going to pimp out locally sourced projects, so to speak.

The new show from Irrational Passions: Input - http://irrationalpassions.com/the-first-episode-of-our-new-show-input/

So Jurge Cruz, Logan Wilkinson, and Jarrett Green, the editorial team for IrrationalPassions.com, have put together a new show. It’s called Input, and it’s a news-based show that discusses stories, games, and the stories of the people making games. I’m so excited about it, and you should please subscribe and rate/review it. It just launched and it would help a ton right now.

Break in Reality Podcast Episode 56 - https://soundcloud.com/breakinreality/bir56gotyw

I was on Quinten Hoffman’s podcast this week, Break in Reality, with other friend Andrew Taylor! We did our “Game of the Year Watch” talking about our top picks so far in the year, and it was a great time! Give it a listen!

4 Yanks 1 Aussie Episode 48 - http://www.4yanks1aussie.com

I was on Episode 48 of 4 Yanks 1 Aussie with the good boys over there, which is not out yet, and probably won’t be out for a few weeks, but I’m excited for you all to hear it. Well, yes and no, but it was a great fun time, and I really do love and respect those guys.

I hope you all enjoyed this very unorthodox Sunday Chats. I had a lot of fun putting it together, and we’ll be back to the normal Sunday Chats format next week, so don’t worry too much about it.

Well, I’ve had a nice long day, and it’s time to chill out with some Game of Thrones and Chinese food.

Cheers all.

Keep it real.

[witchykitchenconjureman-blog]

As i often am, that morning i was feeling equal parts martha stewart and marie leveau. In addition to being those two ladies, im also always the dude everybody LOVES to make halloween costumes with, since i have craploads of little knick knacks, trinkets, and odds and ends sitting around for years, waiting for a purpose. And that, folks, is what voodoo is all about: collecting simple things from around your world, creatively making your purpose their purpose, and sending their magick off to do what it does how it sees fit. Who knew all this shit around my house was a link to the universe?                  {{{{{{MIND BLOWN}}}}}} Before i digress further, back to my point..... That day being saturday, and me being a 35 yr old gay guy with a cat and an injured knee, I had an urgent need to do something exciting, but with some meaning....and almost always with glitter. This is why we craft. Both artsy-crafters and witchy-crafters; we're just lonely creative geniuses with sewing kits and glue guns and mason jars and quill pens and mortars and pestles. We're like pioneer folk, but gothier and with bluetooth capability. And, usually, we're kinda the shit. Again, it being a saturday, and with all the voodoo ive been studying, i immediately think "hmm, saturday...BARON SATURDAY!" A LITTLE BACKGROUND INFO... The baron i most often speak of is Baron Samedi (translated: "Baron Saturday"), but there are several Baron incarnations (LaCroix, Cimetiere, etc.) The barons belong to a group of loa called the ghede. In essence, the ghede are cemetery/death-related spirits, but they live right here among us in our world, and they are no angels.  They drink, they smoke, they cuss, they fuck, the are quite obscene at times. So basically, theyre that hot mess Laura from yr cousins wedding, right? Nope. They're better. Know why? Cuz the barons aint all doom and gloom. They can actually be helpful, albeit obnoxious  guardians who can sometimes help in dire situations. They also hold a very important place in the voodoo/hoodoo pantheon, because they are in charge of our exit from this life, and can help when things hang in the balance. Petition them carefully and dont expect special treatment...but if u offer some candy and alcohol, u just may luck out (still not Laura, i swear!) The ghede dance the banda, and they represent death and fertility. They each have a unique and fascinating story to tell.  Baron samedi is probably the most famous of the ghede, and his wife Maman Brigitte also plays a prominent role in their graveyard community. The baron is revered by new orleans  natives and tourists alike. In haiti to this day, the first male grave in a cemetery is dedicated to him, and the first female plot to his wife Brigitte. The Baron along with the rest of the ghede are celebrated on November 2nd (All Souls Day, Day of the Dead). The dark, skeleton-like images of the ghede have got a very halloween-y appeal for many, understandably. But they also have a significant religious, cultural, and practical appeal for like bazillions of people (according to the university of vague and exaggerated facts.com......ok, lets just say alot of people then). From africa, haiti, cuba, throughout the caribbean and south america.... and here in the states, specifically in louisiana. Each place has evolved its own traditions and spin on the original african Voudon tradition. But his tophat! His glasses missing one lens! His funerary style! His skull face!....Laura? Nope the unmistakable baron samedi! The loa are fascinating to learn about. Personally i find that, through creating items with the powers and symbols of a certain loa in mind, i can make a connection to them. I begin to understand them. I feel their vibe (like dig it man....no, but seriously). Do i believe a mystical being is possessing me in a supernatural sense when i serve the loas? No. I do however feel as if i invoke certain energies from the idea of them. They are powerful archetypes associated with specific numbers, colors, plants, animals, objects, and acts. Putting a human-like name, face, and personality to these energies is the best way to get to know them and their inherent power. 

         A) Smudge my sacred space (my home)

         B) Welcome ghede spirits/energies (by fanning towards me, prefferably when the moon is waxing)

         C) Get rid of ghede spirits/energies (by fanning away from me, prefferably when the moon is waning).....

                Plus....on the other side is a sacred mirror, perfect for mirror spells! Personally, ive seen similar feather orisha fans (and mirrors, but not fan/mirror combo), and i havent seen any dedicated to the baron or the ghede, though im sure they exist. But who needs their fans?!! I poured this one out from my heart and soul and, because i made it, my magick comes built-in. All of the details are specific to the ghede or the baron specifically, and quite honestly it made me feel closer to understanding what makes Baron Samedi a powerful image i can channel into my own creative magick.

There was no plan.

No specific end goal.

No list of supplies.

Just grabbin' and gluin' and beading with fervor until painstakingly perfect. I wouldnt stop until it looked like something the baron himself had commissioned from me. Beautiful in an honest way, and beautiful in its ugly aspects as well. The ghede have a twisted beauty that is awe-inspiring....

As the process continued, the art transformed. I was, in a sense, "possessed" by creativity. Quickly i grabbed anything i could use that has an association with the baron and the ghede:

Numbers 9 and 13.

Colors purple, black, and red.

Skulls and skeletons.

Crosses.

Nails.

Every detail bringing the baron closer.

By the time i was finished,  the entire table was a full-on Baron Samedi conjure altar:

Offerings of rum, coffee, and cocoa. Cigars. An image of a rooster. Candles. Incense.

And my fan. OUR fan. Without the idea of him and his signature style and tastes, none of this very real magick would have occurred.

Even if he is a mythical being or a metaphor, his mere history and unique character make him someone who will continue to carry magickal associations when focused on.

After the work was complete, i blasted "No time to cry" by sisters of mercy, danced a bit in my legbrace, and fanned the incense throughout my apartment, feeling as if those feathers were part of my very own wings.

I left the baron his rum, coffee, cocoa, rooster, and half a cigar in a nice black box with a bow. I wouldn't have felt right removing them (even in the world of the dead, there are no take-backs).

Finally,  i hung the fan, mirror-side down, on the inside of my front door. This is where i can interact with it daily, and also where it can best fan in the good and fan out the bad.

Though i never petitioned the baron for anything (it felt more like a fun boozy brunch with a friend than conjure), i left the experience  feel honored and powerful. And with a dope piece of magickal art.

Its nice having friends in high places.

P.S.  tell hot mess Laura, Baron Samedi says hello.

[aurimeanswind]

Funky Town—Sunday Chats (2-19-17)

Bleh.

I’m in a Funk.

Funk-Junk-Dunk

I don’t know what’s going on exactly but I’ve found myself in a total funk this week. I have been known to see some gaming ruts before where games just don’t bring me that much joy anymore. This is the opposite of that. I’m playing so many goddamn video games you guys. You have no idea. I played like, 45 hours of Tales of Berseria this week. It was crazy. And unhealthy.

But creatively I’ve been falling behind. Maybe it’s the stress of planning stuff that’s coming. To give you an idea, we just finally got everything booked for PAX East. Flights, hotel rooms: everything is booked and ready. Also, there is a new site launch coming from Irrational Passions. Redesigning the site, which has been a long time coming, for sure. I think our current Wordpress theme is totally fine, but it’s a bit outdated at this point. But hey, that’s fine, it’s definitely gotten the job done. As a simple blog with mainly written articles and podcast posts, it’s been a great theme for us. But it’s a bit restricted, and it doesn’t give us too much room to highlight big, sweeping articles across the site, like guest columns and features.

In conjunction with that, we have a new logo coming, which I’m proud to give you all a preview of today. A massive thank you to Roger Pokorny for doing the base design for this.

This is not final, not yet, but it’s gonna be real close to this, so I’m happy to share it out.

But I have been falling behind on all my creative ventures. I’ve been writing everyday, of course, but I have this Alex Talks I have been sitting on for weeks and weeks now, and I still haven’t edited it. I just can’t get myself to bring it together. On top of that, I need to really start figuring out how I am going to frame this new version of Alex Talks, Case Study, but I haven’t built the digital set or logo for that yet either.

Ugh.

I’m sorry to everyone who follows me. I’ve been off playing games and planning for PAX, but since I left school I’ve been in a weird emotional place. I need to get to work and get stuff done, I just haven’t been in the right place to do that yet. I’m sorry for that, and I promise new, cool stuff is coming soon.

PAX East 2017

Happy to remind everyone that we’re gonna be at PAX East. Everyone everywhere should be excited for this, because we are going to take PAX East by STORM. I will be there, alongside Tony Horvath, Danny Juarez, Logan Wilkinson, and Jarrett Green, all representing IrrationalPassions.com. You should be excited for the content we’ll be posting there, because it’s gonna be killer.

A new design is coming to IrrationalPassions.com to coincide with that, so look forward to that sometime in early March, please god hopefully.

What’s on Tap

Nioh

I’ve been playing a good chunk more of Nioh, and I continue to dig it.

There seem to be a lot more situations where you just get caught in an enemy or boss’ too-long-combo that kills you instantly without fail. That sucks? Like, is that fun? I personally don’t think so. It happens a lot in this game.

Otherwise, I’ve found the built-in loot sorting systems and they work super great. Very happy to finally have that under my belt.

Game good.

Tales of Berseria

THIS GAME IS SO GOOD.

I’ve run into at least some problems with it, which is probably a good thing.

It has some pacing issues. I think the payoff for why they have these longer, drawn out parts is more than worth it, but there are some heavy combat sections in the second act of the game, with some really slow story parts, that are intentionally slow to kind of bring some real dark topics out of the woodwork.

Like I said, they are totally worth it for the payoffs, but it just felt a bit wonky when they were going on. For the most part, the entire first two thirds of the game are paced really well as far as story-to-combat-ratio is concerned.

The side quests are pretty back-loaded on the game, but they are kind of like mini stories that are told throughout the game as the world progresses, and they’re very good.

I fucking adore this game. So happy Tales has hit a big one out of the park again.

Questions

Y’all better tune into Episode 21 of The BrOC where Harold Price joins us to discuss such topics as:

Teens fucking adults

Adults fucking teens

Teens fucking other teens

Pregnancy Scares

Probably some super racist shit that Tyler will say and Jon will edit out

This is cute. Adorable.

Are Robot Dinosaurs cars? I think so. Equal in metal-count, so they count, right?

Wow Joey.

You have time to send me tweets asking me what I’ll miss, but you don’t have time to figure out how to go to PAX East with us?

How about the fact that you’re hanging out in Universal Studios today, having fun at Harry Potter world and fuck-all and whatever, which could probably definitely for sure inmyhumbleopinion paid for a trip to Boston.

Huh.

HUH.

But for real like everything and wine. That’s what I’ll miss.

I’ve been on record as stating I am a proud-as-fuck Ravenclaw. Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure.

But I think all the houses are great. People give shit to Gryffindors but like, why? Because your insecure in your shit you assholes? 

I was always hesitant about Slytherin but one of my best friends, Jazz Foster, is a total Slytherin, and she’s great. So like, everyone chill.

But Ravenclaw for sure.

I’m not a piece of meat. No one calls “dibs” on my “booty” for “PAX East”.

But seriously, I’ve gotten three separate private messages from all the men staying in my room at PAX East saying they were going to 

(1) sleep in the same bed with me,

(2) fuck my ass

(3) “claim” me, whatever the hell that means?

Jesus Christ guys.

Jesus Christ.

I honestly don’t see it changing too much. Last year, and the multiple years leading up to it, I discussed on IrrationalPod the need for E3 to be more relevant, because really it hasn’t been as relevant as it used to be. Now, it’s still a massively important show and the show of most developer’s choice to reveal or announce their games, but there are so many other shows for that now. With E3 going public, they can reinvigorate that and speak directly to the public again, instead of this kind of press only, kind of not event that everyone who cared about games paid attention to anyway.

Now, with consumers actually attending the event, I think it’ll encourage the big companies to still participate in E3, because they can really sell their things there again. Before the PAXes and the PSXes, there was no way for consumers to come and preview games early. Now E3 has to open up to the idea of that too. 

This doesn’t necessarily mean E3 will be that, nor does it mean everyone will be able to attend the pressers and whatnot, but it makes things a bit more interesting again. That’s a big plus for an event that’s been struggling for quite a bit now.

Dude, Persona. For sure.

Just directly spew that anime right into my body. I need it.

That or Zelda, because no matter what you think of any given Zelda game, it’s good vibes. It’s an adventure game that is at its worst comfort food.

This is a tricky question. There are usually redeeming qualities in all the games I play, or sink any amount of time into, and I think I’ve gotten pretty good at knowing when a thing isn’t for me, so I’d just avoid it.

I think Tales of Graces f was a rough one for me. The end of Tales of Zestiria couldn’t come fast enough when I was playing it. But for the most part I enjoyed that game.

Omega Quintet is garbage but I was playing that for a Let’s Play with Tony so I guess that was *kind of* worth it.

I was not into Battlefield 1 when I played it. I know, I know, I have to legitimately sit down and play it, not tired out of my mind in the middle of ExtraLife. 

Past that, it’d probably be some free PS+ game that just didn’t jive with me. Lords of the Fallen was free with Gold and I wasn’t very into it when I gave it a shot.

Shoutouts

I wanna give a shout out to Dustin Furman and Brandon Duncan for inviting me on their show Adventure Mode. Was listening to it on my lunch break earlier today, and you should definitely check it out if you haven’t already. We were originally going to record tonight but it sounds like we’ll be doing that on Tuesday instead, but those guys put on a good show and you should check them out.

http://www.handsomephantom.com

Alright, I have to go watch two episodes of the OC and then probably go to bed early because it was someone’s bright idea to have me on a podcast at 11 in the fucking morning on my day off. I’m not very happy about it, but the creative wheel never stops turning.

Until next Sunday: keep it real...