#literally there was no in between the only review that DIDNT say one of these was commenting on this phenomenon

[malleableplatypus]

Remembering when The Dumb Song first came out over a year ago and I checked some song review website after listening to it. They used a bit from another song in The Dumb Song and I knew it and recognized it but for the life of me could not remember which song and was hoping someone could name it for me.

And, I'm not even joking, literally ALL of the comments were either "I'm an AJR fan and this song SUCKS. They fell off HARD with this. BOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! BAD SONG!!!!!!!!!!" or "I'm not an AJR song and this is their only song that I like; it is a masterpiece nothing can compare" and it was actually really funny.💀

[choso-star]

jjk men and jobs!!

summary:

jjk men and there modern jobs!!

characters:

gojo, geto, choso, nanami, toji, megumi, yuji, ino

authors note

wow this was a lot more than i was thinking id wrote for my first time! let me know what you think!

CONTAINS! nsfw, fluff

bartender! gojo

-i just see gojo as a bartender, i have literally no clue why i just do.

-just imagine him standing behind the bar, muscles showing through his tight dress shirt, sleeves slightly pulled up🤭🤭

-thats definitely how you guys met, him standing behind the bar on your 21st birthday, your friends long gone partying and you just sitting there, looking all sweet.

“aww look at the little birthday girl layin down and takin my cock so well” all you can do to respond to the man pounding into you is clench your pussy around his cock. “to fucked dumb to say anything? its okay baby we’ll be finished soon and i can send you back to your friends” when you do end up going back to your friends, gojo is back behind the bar serving drinks and your walking out of the bar with cum dripping down your leg.

—————————————————————————

tattoo artist! geto

-i have such a love hate relationship with this man😞

-he looks like he would genuinely be so talented, and so skillful with his hands(🤭)

-his favorite tattoos to do are definitely the more intricate ones he can really put his heart into

-you probably came into his shop, no appointment and wanting your first tattoo. normally, he probably wouldnt have done it for anybody else, but you’re just to cute to refuse.

“hold still princess, it’ll only hurt for a moment” geto says, pressing the needle to your skin, a loud cry leaving your throat. normally, this wouldnt bother him but today its just different. no matter how many times he tells you to stay quiet or for you to not move, you dont listen, you cant help it after all. “y’know what if your gonna keep bitchin i’ll make you quite”

—————————————————————————

piercer! choso

-this man has my heart he could literally do anything to me

-choso is such a sweetheart, he really is, but he doesn’t necessarily look that sweet.

-with his strong build, arms covered in tattoos, several piercings, he looks a little more rugged.

-this certainly wasnt your first piercing, but it was one of your more painful ones, and based on the reviews, choso was your best and safest bet.

-you were definitely nervous but once you saw choso you almost turned around and left. but your committed, your going to get this piercing.

“just lay down on the chair and it wont take very long” you lay down, ‘to late to turn back now’ you thought. as you lay back choso takes his seat in between your legs, preparing everything to complete the piercing. his hands slightly lifted up your shirt to expose your belly button. you would be lying if it wasn’t a great sight. “so pretty, ready for your piercing?”

—————————————————————————

ceo! nanami

-i know, i know “ceo? everyone puts him as that” its just what he is😞

-he looks so good, sitting at the desk in his office, one foot crossed over the other propped on the desk, working on paper work

-your just his little secretary bringing him coffee every morning and checking up on him every so often. i guess you wouldnt want colleagues to know what you always do at your 2 o’clock meeting.

“such a good girl bent over the desk for me” he says, fingers plunging in and out of your tight cunt. “nanamin p-please give’m more” you slur out, then feeling a sharp slap across your ass, causing you to whimper. “if you dont shut up your not getting any of my cock”

—————————————————————————

plumber! toji

-oh god he can come clean my pipes whenever 😊😊 (please send help)

-definitely fucking hates his job😭 wishes he didnt have to work but knows he needs the money bad.

-you would think he would half ass shit to get it done but he’s doing everything the best he can so he never has to come back.

-and then he came to your house, or, your daddys mansion.

“m’better hurry up before your daddy gets home” toji says, holding your hips as you bounce on his cock. “t-toji your too big., m’gonna cum soon- ah” you cried out, but your sobs fell to deaf ears as toji started fucking up into you harder “c’mon baby lets make this quick, we can do more next time”

toji didn’t fix all of your houses pipes this time, looks like he’ll have to come back to finish the job.

—————————————————————————

actor! megumi

-he’s a pretty boy so ofc he’s gonna be on screen

-all the girls want him, he’s literally the josh hutcherson of his universe. constant edits being made of him, always being shipped with someone new.

-what they wouldnt expect is the one he wants isnt an actor, a producer, another celebrity of any kind, but his own personal makeup artist

“hold still megs i have to put more blush on you” you say, slightly sticking your tongue out to concentrate. megumi’s hands find there way to your hips, and pulling you down onto his lap, causing you to accidentally get to much blush on the side of his face“megumi! now im gonna have to redo your base” you whine, but megumi doesn’t care, pulling you into a slow kiss “as long as i get to spend more time with my favorite girl”

—————————————————————————

delivery driver! yuji

-i felt bad for giving him a delivery driver (no hate to delivery drivers obvi) i feel like its so much less glamorous but it kinda fits him😭😭

-yuji is a little pizza boy, driving around the city in his busted, broken toyota camry, but whatever pays the bills right?

-but, hes a broke college student and this is the only way to pay off all his loans.

-its his last house for the night, he walks up to the door and sees you, teary eyed and holding a tub of ice-cream in one hand and a spoon in the other.

“fuck.. you like that? do i fuck you better than he ever could” he said, your pushed against the wall with yuji fucking you at a pace you cant keep up woth “mmmhm.. m’yes- y..uji soso good!” you cry out, tears spilling from your face as he keeps going “good, i’ll fuck the thoughts of him out of your mind”

—————————————————————————

firefighter! ino

-oh my lord imagine this man in firefighter gear, AWOOGA, that hose aint the only thing spraying🥰(im sorry that was so bad😭)

-ino is a caring person, putting others safety before his own, i mean thats his job as a firefighter.

-so when someone sets your apartment on fore, ino is the first one rushing in to help, even tho he has no clue who you are

-he helps you out, and then theres the investigation, but ino is the only one you trust to talk to about what happened! looks like you’ll be spending a lot more time with him!!

“cmon baby im only fucking you in here cause you basically begged for me infront of those police officers “ he says hips snapping against your own, balls slapping your ass. “i only wanna talk to that firefighter ino! cant i talk to ino!” he says in a high pitch tone meant to be mocking you. “well now im here so talk to me baby, tell me how you feel.”

[fabled-fiction]

Mirror Image (Miguel O’Hara x Spider!Reader) ANGST

Summary: When Miguel and Jess find a new Spider to recruit, neither of them expected to find you. Someone from Miguel’s past that was long gone…just like you never expected to see his face again.

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: SPIDERMAN ACROSS THE SPIDERVERSE SPOILERS, angst, talk of death, use od (Y/N), heavy angst

A/N: I didnt respond to the request cause it had two so I chose the one I liked most! Hope this meets expectations and breaks a few hearts 😈 (it also wouldnt lemme tag you 😭)

Request by @written-subs: “a kinda angst(?) fic where Miguel has lost his s/o right? And then he recruits a new spider and finds out its his s/o but in a universe where HE dies and they just stare at eachother in disbelief and lowkey wanna be with each other again but its not canon :(( and reader feels as if its betraying their miguel”

He would like to say that each Spider person chosen to join the spider society was a methodical, long thought out process.

That out of every thousand Spidermen, one was chosen.

But he would honestly be lying.

While there was a review process, where they evaluated a Spider’s abilities on a scale, it was honestly up to who piqued their interest first.

Like right now.

Jess and Miguel looked at the screen with interest.

The current Spider they were reviewing, was a tough one for sure. Probably one of the toughest that had been considered.

They had been a Spider for about seven years. Practically forced into the position due to the war that was going on on their Earth. You were drafted, and then chosen randomly to be genetically altered with Spider Venom in an attempt to make a super soldier.

It was very Earth-199999 esque. At first it almost made Miguel turn the page. He did not want to deal with a Spider that was from an Earth similar to that one. He could not deal with that headache.

But as the war continued, they became more cruel. Being the only successful Spider-Soldier, they wanted to run tests. Take blood, push your endurance and try to make you even more super. In their search to find out why you works, they pushed you away with their cruelty.

And that's when you truly became a Spiderperson.

“They’re tough. I think they’d be a useful asset.”

“You think they could follow orders?”

Jess stood there for a moment, looking over the files Layla was able to grab off your Earth. Everything was either classified, blacked out, or destroyed by you when you went rogue. She wasn’t sure if you would follow orders. You were soldier turned superhuman, turned vigilante. That was a story that told itself. You were a free agent - literally.

But she could feel your determination, even from dimensions away.

“I think they could.”

“We’ll go when their Earth hits o’three hundred.”

You had hit a dent in your plan.

While you had taken out three outposts, it seemed like they knew the next one you were planning on hitting. In retaliation they upped their security, and strengthened their towers to jam your signals. They had you between a rock and a hard place.

So right now, you were stuck.

Grabbing one of your monitors, you let out a guttural scream as you threw it into the wall.

It practically disintegrated into a million little pieces. The wall that it had hit had a sizable dent, with small cracks forming.

Closing out all your tabs, you sighed as you started at your screensaver. You felt your shoulders drop a little as you saw your reflection in the monitor.

Would he be proud? Or disappointed?

Before you could even reminisce, you felt the hairs on your arm stand.

Clicking a tab on the computer that turned it off completely, you quickly jumped up onto the ceiling. Pulling your mask down, you took in a deep breath as you watched the door get practically ripped off its hinges.

Two people walked in, and immediately you felt fear.

They were both Spider-Soldiers…or at least they looked like it. They didn’t have the uniform or the head gear…but instead were both in brightly colored spider themed outfits. It reminded you of when you broke off, you immediately designed your own to combat against your forced conformity.

You were mostly worried about the fact that they were successful in recreating the serum that made you.

“ The tracker says they’re here…are you sure this is their base?”

“ Look around Jess, this is obviously their base.”

Your heart stopped when you heard that voice.

And while it went against everything you’ve learned, everything that was drilled into your system, you acted on emotion. Screw the stealth tactic.

Shooting a web at the female Spider’s ankle, you yanked her up fast and hard so that she was dangling from her ankles.

“SPI-”

A quick web to the mouth shut her up.

Shooting a web at her wrists, you shot back up to tie her wrists to the ceiling as well. Hog tying her to the ceiling, you stared at her for a moment unknowingly making eye contact with her. She shook as she hung there, unsure now what to make of you.

Especially now, as your face lined up with her. You reached forward slowly, gripping onto her glasses and taking them off. She shook her head, breathing heavily as she watched you.

You moved with deadly accuracy. At first she was curious as to why her spidey-senses hadn’t alerted her to you. But as she watched you she noticed how you used your stature to your advantage. You moved like you were one with your surroundings - more so than any Spider they had recruited so far.

Were you…you weren’t even breathing!

As you descended behind the other Spider, your heart was going a mile a minute. Your own spider senses were flying off the handle, it was almost hard to concentrate.

You needed to see if it was actually him.

You were literal inches away from him when your lungs started to scream for air. You had been holding your breath for a solid few minutes. Your expanded lung capacity could only help you for so long.

The minute you had let out just the smallest bit of pressure from your chest, the Spider in front of you had whipped around.

His hand immediately went to your throat, lifting you up with ease.

With your emotions still at an all time high, you started to kick and scratch. His grip was tight, but not deadly. He was holding you to keep you in place, not to hurt you.

While still keeping you in the air, he brought you closer to his face. His head tilted as he watched you struggle, hanging onto the hand that held you tight. His senses were fighting yours. Both your frequencies screaming at eachother. He could see you flinching as well, and not at his grip.

Despite the ringing in your ears, every sense telling you to trust him you needed to see. The growing pit in your stomach felt like it was devouring every bit of energy you had and throwing out every emotion you had managed to bury in these last few years.

Reaching forward, you hand gripped the top of his mask and quickly pulled up.

As if he knew what you were doing, the minute you had a hold on his mask whatever was making him freeze pushed him into motion. He immediately threw you as far away from him as possible.

Both of you were holding the other’s mask.

And both of your hearts felt like they had stopped.

At first he couldn’t believe it. That you were standing right infront of him.

A warmth he hadn’t felt in his chest had slowly started to grow, spreading to his neck and his heart. His hands gripped themselves tightly, to keep him in place. Oh how he knew that he had to stand his ground, and cement himself in place despite the only thing he wanted to do was to run and hold you in his arms…again.

That's exactly what you wanted too. To have him hold you so so close that you were both almost one. Your heart couldn’t keep up with everything that was pumping through your veins right now. 

You thought you would never see him again. It was fact to you for the longest time. You had watched him get taken from you, slowly and painfully. He was the reason for everything. For you going rogue, becoming the vigilante that you were now and painstakingly taking down the organization that forced you to be the way that you were. They took everything from you, and you had promised to take everything from them.

You had promised him…

Just like he had promised you…

He remembers holding you, feeling your body quiver in his arms after a particularly rough encounter. You weren’t built for his world but you were in it anyway. 

He remembers wiping your tears away, the last thing he saw in your eyes was a yearning sadness.

And here he was again, like it was that terrible terrible day. Tears threatening to spill, a look of want filling them.

That made it worse. That you knew him in this world.

“Miguel..?” You called out, your voice barely above a whisper.

Oh how he missed that sound. The way you said his name.

It was the only thing he wanted to hear.

This had to be some cruel joke that the universe was playing on him. That the multiverse had decided would be his fate yet again.

He was stronger than this.

When you took a step towards him, he took a step back.

Suddenly you felt a hand on your shoulder. 

“Spider-Soldier…We’ve..Maybe we should explain on the way?”

The woman you had webbed up earlier was now standing beside you. Her hand being the anchor you needed to bring you back to reality. Reaching a hand up, you wiped away one of your tears that had fallen.

“You’re not him are you? You’re someone else entirely.”

“Yes…” 

Nodding, you swallowed as you turned to the woman. Giving her glasses back to her, you stood up straighter as the waves of emotion you were feeling began to bottle up.

“Explain what exactly? I have very important matters to attend to here.”

Walking back over to the computer, you turned it back on to try and distract yourself.

You were stupid to think that even for a moment he was back. Nothing in your life had ever been given to you. So to think that he was back without some catch? That was a thought the old you would have believed.

Oh to be that naive again.

Miguel and Jess watched from behind, as you continued to clack away. The way you had just sucked it all in, and became strict in two seconds really reminded Jess of Miguel…it was almost uncanny.

Looking over at him, she frowned when he saw the look on his face. Now that you weren’t looking at him, he let out a little emotion. 

The sadness in his eyes alone could weigh down multiverses.

Jess came to stand next to you, and saw the same look in his eyes that Miguel had. With a heavy heart, she put her hand over yours. It was shaking with every tape of the key, and you were sure if she hadn’t take your attention again another monitor would soon meet its fate

“I know this may be…alot right now but what we’re offering you could do some real good. You could help so many other Earths if you just hear us out.”

Stopping for a moment, you looked over at her and swallowed. You had so much to do here, for him and for yourself.

“My…Earth needs me though.”

Jess took a look over your screen. She could see that you were scrambling for an answer to an almost unsolvable problem. You were backed in a corner with now way out right now. She was sure it was the reason why there was a destroyed monitor on the other side of the room. 

“It looks like you could use some time away…come back at it with fresh eyes? Plus what we’re offering could be a little release of some of that building tension?”

Looking at her, you took in a small breath before pinching the bridge of your nose. Jess would be laughing right now at how uncanny you and Miguel acted oh so similar.

You two must’ve been inseparable on this Earth.

Miguel stood there, watching with a softened gaze. He wanted to go back. Because the longer he stood there the more his resolve was crumbling.

Especially now, as you looked back at him. He felt his heart break all over again.

“What even are you…inviting me too? You’re talking about Earths and you guys are…spider people?”

Miguel sighed, as he crossed his arms and ran a hand through his hair. He couldn’t believe he was dragging you back into this.

…what if this took you away from him again?

“It's complicated to explain here…why don’t we take you back to headquarters, where we can show you the whole presentation.”

Crossing your arms, you looked back at the woman and then Miguel.

You desperately wanted to just run back with him. Your heart was betraying you, because all it took was one look and it felt like you were a stupid teenager again. Hiding behind the bleachers and sharing secret looks.

It was beating in your chest at the same speed it did when he had kissed you for the first time.

He must have known you on his…Earth. Your head was just barely piecing together the fact that multiverses were real. You remember one of your fellow soldiers talking about it…as a way to distract themselves from what was happening around them.

But now you had to catch up to the idea that he knew you too…or at least a version of you.

From the look in his eye that you barely managed to catch every time he would glance at you, you could tell thing had not ended well for you.

That little voice in the back of your head, the voice you usually listened to to get you through tough times started to speak up again.

That since he had known you on his Earth…maybe just maybe you could get to know him.

Like you knew your Miguel.

Miguel found himself having the same thoughts. The same shameful thoughts that your touch would be the same. Your pillow talk could possibly be the same, The way you said his name was, so why not anything else? 

Flashes of your Miguel grounded you though. That he was not yours, at least not here. You had already had your time with Miguel. And for some reason it was only that short amount of time.

You had already gotten your allotted amount of touches,

Kisses,

Caresses,

And time to just…hold one another.

“ (Y/N)...”

Looking at him, he was carefully watching you. Him saying your name in that beautifully pained voice confirmed it for you. That he had already had his time with you too.

The woman, gods you should have remembered her name he said it earlier, came to stand next to Miguel. Pressing a few buttons on her watch, suddenly a medley of light and color opened behind her. 

“It really would be easier to explain if you just came with us. I promise I will bring you back if you say no, but just hear us out.”

Tossing you a wristband, you swallowed before looking back at your computer.

It was probably best that you not be here for a few hours…at least thats what you were telling yourself just to let yourself off the hook for jumping at the chance to be with him again.

Sliding it on, you watched as the woman stepped through and it was just you and Miguel standing there with the portal painting him in a beautiful array.

Holding out his hand to you, you could see how his hand shook.

You also noticed how it stopped when you took it.

“Fine…”

After you took his hand you knew your fate was sealed.

That whatever this “Spider Society” was…you would accept.

Just to be near him again.

Even though it would hurt. That it would feel like your heart was getting ripped out over and over again.

A part of you hoped that it would stop…or numb after a while. But in the back of your mind you knew it wouldn’t

But at least you would get to see his face again.

[bilbao-song]

ulterior motives: an unnecessarily elaborate guide & review

okay literally no one asked for this but here is my full synopsis of the ulterior motives album. i wish more secret time capsule-ish albums from past decades would be released so i can start doing this type of thing more often

🐬 disclaimer: i think only like two? three? people who follow me are (currently.....) interested in this as far as i'm aware. therefore it's going to be sooooo self indulgent and tbh partially just for my own satisfaction <3 but hopefully someone will find it useful/enjoyable/etc.!! also it's super long but like...idk it's a Review. also if ur interested but otherwise have no clue what this is about, i'm putting some useful links at the veeeery bottom :-)

🐠 relevant introductory notes: im not rlly a lostwave person actually. like as a concept i think it's very cool, but this is litcherally the only one i've come across that appeals to me thus far. i was somehow exposed to it like a year ago and went bananas bc i enjoy funky little 80s songs and i desperately wanted that song in particular. i think some people have kind of dismissed this as like, a ~tiktok thing~ and well <3 i don't care. tiktok didnt exist in the 80s but this music sure did. anyway i would urge you to ignore that entirely at this point and just enjoy the funky 80s bops no matter how they got here (actually that's like part of why i'm even making this post. consider this like...a guide. forget tiktok exists and learn to love this album full of 80s music w me)

🐬 preliminary assessment of vibes: half cute 80s synthpop and half things that make me want to pretend to be really elegant on a cruise ship somewhere between like 1987-1992, a period of time in which i was not alive but enjoy pretending i have some kind of experience with anyway. sometimes it kind of feels like music that someone would put over an old video of people walking around a mall, which is probably really appealing to a lot of people tbh. that seems to be a well-liked vibe recently. *not* an album to listen to if ur looking for something deep/poetically meaningful/super serious, 10000000% an album to listen to if u want something catchy/fun/zesty/poppy/very 80s!! it is very muchly unpretentious music for a good time

also may i just say that throughout this album there are like, random elements that remind me of like 68769376386896 different other artists who are varying degrees of wildly unrelated to this album. i mean like, there are brief moments that give me michael jackson vibes (tangentially related!), and every once in awhile something reminds me of frankie valli (??????????). that's only the tip of the iceberg tbh but if i made an exhaustive list i feel like it would just look like me listing off every third thing i have ever heard of. also a lot of people have made comparisons to wham! and i can definitely see why, soooo if that’s your type of thing!! ur in luck

anyway:

🐠 a track by track analysis & review:

to preface this: if ur skeptical...the sweet spot for me is like, tracks 8-11, and if you like those, try 4 as well. i like the album start to finish tbh, but if you just want a little sampling for now, i suggest starting with those. beyond that, upon putting this together i have noticed that you can kind of break this album into categories vibe-wise. tracks 1-4 seem like they wanted to be long lost singles, 5-7 = Vibing Music. smooth and pleasant sounds to have on in the background. not the sort of thing you’d probably sing along to but the vibes are immaculate. a calm moment before things get zesty again, 8-11 = back to back hits. cream of the crop. exquisite cuisine. all pretty upbeat and poppy and i genuinely cannot imagine not enjoying this at least a little. 12-13 = very nice closing tracks to put a neat bow on it <3

pink titles = my top recommendations (i'm trying to be selective here)

here is the full album on youtube and here it is on spotify. individual youtube links next to each song title :-)

#1 - chemistry - [x] - excellent choice as a first track bc the quality is very Crisp and it kind of encompasses both the whole 80s synthpop vibe and the smooth, kind of classy thing that a lot of these songs have going on. this one is very popular among those of us who have been eagerly waiting for this album to be released and it’s super nice to have a full version available now!! we had like a minute long sample of it there for awhile and i kept listening to a three minute looped version on youtube bc i was desperate. anyway!! there’s a LOT going on here. it flows well, is super catchy, and i really like it. would probably be fun to dance to if ur into that sort of thing

#2 - your guy - [x] - smooth and snazzy!! makes u want to light some candles. spoken portions in songs are always kind of funny to me for some reason but i can lean into the overall vibe and embrace it. very cute. one of my favorite things about it are the moments where the backing vocals are like, drastically deeper than the lead vocals (around 1:42ish). love that

#3 - ulterior motives - [x] - this one needs no introduction i guess lmao. tbh i feel like i still kind of need more time to absorb this version as compared to the old version — being entirely honest, if i pay very close attention, i CAN pinpoint a few little odd things going on with it quality-wise. idk what that's about (definitely doesn’t seem to be a skill issue lmao these guys know their shit) but it also doesn't ruin it for me or anything. i feel like a major part of the issue is just down to being sooo used to hearing one particular version. any difference good or bad is going to stand out. whatever, it’s still a delicious song (and there are pleeeeeenty of different cleaned up versions ripped from the movie to be found on youtube if anyone is just fully unsatisfied w this one)

#4 - man needs love - [x] - THIS is one of the best ones hands down. once again we are monologuing in the middle of a song but imo it works pretty well here. it feels veeeery of the era and i definitely feel like this could've been tremendously popular if not for the whole Never Got Released thing. it is super fun and catchy. if u came for the wham! comparisons this should be ur starting point

#5 - so in love - [x] - the beginning to this one is soooooooooo exquisite to me. my overall take on this one is that it's kind of...well. Vibing Music. like i would never choose or recommend this for karaoke night but it is excellent for having on in the background while you do basically anything else. smooth and snazzy yet again. definitely creates some kind of vibe. also i really like a lot of the vocals on this one

#6 - you turn me on - [x] - when i first saw the title i did not expect to enjoy this one quite so much, BUT it's actually pretty great.......visceral subject matter notwithstanding (that's just rlly not my thing usually but i think i'm the odd one out here so disregard this lmao). very chill vibes; kind of in a similar category to the previous track re: Vibing Music status. lots of interesting sounds and things, very very VERY of the era. importantly, it contains that instrument that i can only ever think of as "lizard noise thing" (apparently that's a vibraslap), and that appeals to me immensely.

#7 - rock me to sleep - [x] - more Vibing Music. initially i wasn’t sure how to feel about the whole whispering thing but i’ve concluded that they pull it off well. it reminds me of something but i really can’t place what it is — some kind of particularly funky and vibey 80s background music type of thing. late 80s/early 90s fashion show music!! for sure

#8 - think i'm gonna cry - [x] - back to the more upbeat vibes. another one of my favorites!! possibly THE favorite for me. seems a little underrated among fans thus far imo so allow me to champion it here. kind of similar vibe-wise to man needs love, so if u liked that one then you'll probably feel positively about this one too. definitely another one that should appeal to anyone for whom the wham! comparison sparks interest. i honestly think this is like...one of the best tracks. if i didn't know any better you could have easily convinced me that this was popular in its era bc the overall quality is there and it reeeeaaaaally has a poppy vibe that feels almost universally appealing. it feels like a fun song for summer. also pretty short in length, so v approachable to anyone feeling impatient <3

#9 - potion of emotion - [x] - another one that i thought i wouldn't be a huge fan of when i saw the title lmao but i was wrong!! i love the deeper vocals here and just ?? well. basically everything about it. not to bust out a technical term but i do just absolutely love the synthiness. there's something kind of satisfying about the lyrics...i mean they're not like, deep elaborate poetry lmao it just sounds neat from like, an auditory perspective. anyway, it’s smooth yet fun. i want to be hearing this on a cruise ship

#10 - one last look - [x] - deliciousss. i feel like this one is almost a sssslightly different flavor of 80s vibe but i have no idea how describe it. maybe ummm idk more pop-rock than just straight pop. feels pretty summer-y. very 80s classic rock-sounding guitar parts (delicious). if i had heard this on the radio at some point i would've wholly accepted it as just like. idk a normal popular 80s song i just never happened upon before (this applies to a Lot of these tbh)

#11 - nothing lasts forever - [x] - another solid favorite for me!!! suuuuuper catchy, has been stuck in my head for like three days!!!!!! i love it!!!!! fun horns!!!!!! idk what else to say but it's fun, upbeat, and ummmmmm. one of the best songs here imo

#12 - language of love - [x] - actually probably my least favorite, but it's still fine. from what i've seen it seems pretty popular though so who knows!! i feel like putting it second to last was a good idea because it does kind of seem like…idk, calming down after four very zesty ones in a row.

#13 - lie school - [x] - if u feel dissatisfied with the new ulterior motives, this is like...the next best thing. very similar vibes both in terms of theme and sound, but not in like, a repetitive way. i actually rlly like that it's the last track bc it kind of feels like sort of a callback to ulterior motives, and i looooooove when albums do that kind of thing. anyway i definitely feel that it’s a little……hmmm. idk the whole school thing is just such a highly specific theme and they really stick with it. but i like it >:-)

🐬 closing thoughts:

i just really really like it tbh. i hope i have converted at least a few people not only bc it's a worthy cause but also bc i spent literal hours spread across two days writing this. shoutout to christopher and philip booth, thank you for this whole entire album and also for inexplicably moving to my town in the midwestern usa despite being from the uk. idk why you did that but i think it's very cool and learning that information after a year of hoping somebody would find ulterior motives made me feel like i was living in some kind of weird dream. also. vinyl release when?? <3

additional links:

rolling stone article that pretty thoroughly explains what this is about

my tag where i've been putting relevant posts thus far

album on youtube

album on spotify

[sophiesonlinediary]

Official TTPD Review

Fortnight - Such a vibe with headphones on, but still far from being my favorite though. I'm quite shocked this is the first single but I do really like it now at the second listen, still sad post malone didn't get his own verse i was excited for that :/

The Tortured Poets Department - The charlie puth mention really ruined verse 2 for me sadly, but the bridge ruined my life "At dinner, you take my ring off my middle finge. And put it on the one people put wedding rings on. And that's the closest I've come to my heart exploding" LIKE WTF HEART = BROKEN the title of the song is really cool but i dont know i wasnt expecting the song to sound like this.

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys - I think this may be my second least favorite from this album i dont understand why i didnt really like this song. Maybe it was the vibe of the song and sound especially the choruses which sadly didnt hit. i love how she wrote about a rocky relationship in this song. I feel like this one will definetly be a grower

Down Bad - literally one of my favorites from the whole album. Maybe it's cause the sound feels familiar to me kind off like midnights vibe. But wow that chorus is amazing truly so catchy and the lyrics like wow. i love this song so muchhhh

So Long, London - Not what I expected but still so heartbreakingly pretty. I love her voice in this song it's so pretty and the lyrics are so good oh my god. I swear the verse 3's in this album are vile. "I died on the altar waitin' for the proof" like god damn this whole song is amazing.

But Daddy I Love Him - I loved this song so fucking much. When she said "I'm having his babies" my face dropped and then she hit me with "no not really but you should see your faces" was really fun i'll probably never forget that. i believe this song is of everyone trying to decide her love life for her. And her being like fuck you guys it's my life and you have to accept it and i love her for that!

Fresh Out The Slammer - Those choruses are so good man especially the second one is so good and so me. On first listen this one isn't very memorable but still really good. Now that i've listened to it more like i love this song so much too and the bride ahhh <333

Florida !!! - Ok so maybe i'm a little biased but man this one is so fucking good. I have loved Florence and Taylor for years so like them collaborating was like everything and more. I have now listened to the song like thrice and wowwwww i love it so muchhhhh. Taylor, Florence, Fl welcomes you with open arms man. And like verse 3 was so good their song writing skills are out of this world.

Guilty As Sin? - What an interesting song, like man, idk how to feel. I love the chorus fs. I've come to interpret this song as her having thoughts of a man who possibly isn't available per say or it's just something that can never happen between the two but the want for eachother is there. "They don't know how you've haunted me so stunningly" I love this lyric btw and the chorus right after like wowwww

Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me - ME IM SCARED WTF. Her screaming that line was everything and like the second half of the song is so incredible like wow. also this line has stuck with me since last night "Then we could all just laugh until I cry" ALSO THE ASYLUM WHERE THEY RAISED ME SDJNVFI. I love how she's kind of portraying herself in this song as like the stereotypical scary neighbor in movies. At least that's how I saw it. The whole bridge is incredible and magnificent I adore this song.

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) - GIRL NO YOU CANT AND IM SO HAPPY YOU ACCEPTED THAT. Once I got past the point that this song is about ratty healy I really liked it. it's vibes are so good and the imagery is amazing.

loml - what if i said this should've been track 5. This was the only song in the album I cried to on first listen. It hit me like a bullet and I will never forgive cat lady swift for not preparing me for this song. Literally so fucking hurtful i'm screaming oh my lord. I- no im never getting over this song, sorry not sorry. And the fact "They almost had it all" but there life was cut short aka the relationship ended oh god kill me.

I Can Do It With A Broken Heart - I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. This song is heartbreaking don't let the production fool you, the lyrics want to make you rip you're hair out. And you know what i'll be dancing to this song with a broken heart. "The lights refract sequin stars off her silhouette every night. I can show you lies" it's giving mirrorball like augh i love this song so much!!! and the chorus is everything "I'm so obsessed with him, but he avoids me like the plague" SO FUCKING REAL.

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived - DRAG HIS ASS TAYLOR YEAHHHH. HELLO WTF THIS SONG IS SO GOOD AND FOR ALL OF U HATING ON IT U JUST DONT GET IT THE PASSIVE AGGRESSIVENESS IS EVERYTHINGGGG. mad woman you'd be proud asf. also my religion mentioned as a tongue in cheek to his anti religion views 👏

The Alchemy - I'm not gonna talk about this song much but like I didn't like it at all, i'm sorry. It sounds like one of those Kelce parody songs 😭

Clara Bow - Not the name-dropping herself, damn. I wanna manifest that second pre-chorus btw 🤞 i need to see the light of manhattan. I truly love this song and I can tell it's very personal to her. she's had such an unbelievable career it's always interesting when she writes about it. loved this as the album closer!

this is my ttpd review. remember im just a girl who's only listened to this album twice so please dont drag me for these opinions. gonna do the anthology later!

[aroacettorney]

re: moriarty purposely antagonizing casey and posing himself as a villain as his method to draw public attention.

the more i think about it, the less it makes sense to me.

according to ludger, he wanted to use caseys solid reputation to expose the secret crimes committed by the highups in the kingdom of delica. but if we review his actions, they actually went entirely against his goal since he ended up killing every witness and burning every physical evidence leading back to the real culprits. not to mention, he also decided to take all the blame to himself.

caseys reputation throughout the continent was an independent variable to his villainy. she was already the messenger he needed — who everyone would be forced to believe. there was literally no need for him to become the public enemy if his goal was simply to expose the secrets of delica. he could have worked together with her. heck, he could even have secretly leaked all the clues he had found to her if he preferred them working independently. but of course, we know why that didnt happen.

ludger had another goal: to avenge arte's death. it's unlikely that he could assassinate his targets discreetly, given their important positions and the scale of this operation. casey tracing their murders back to him would only be a matter of time. as there is neither legal nor moral justification for him to commit mass murders even when his only targets are the scum of the earth, there is no universe where he could remain in a positive relationship with casey after becoming a known criminal. perhaps his crimes would have been understood if he at least told her the truth about arte, but why should he? he must not be perceived as a victim by casey. ludger becoming a murderer/criminal was a choice that he had already made without hesitation — there were people who needed to pay for their deeds. but, at the same time, he also understands casey well enough to know how important the value of justice is to her.

how cruel would it be if he were to make her choose between a friend and her own principles? how brutal would it be if he were to put her in a situation where she was forced to stop a friend's revenge instead of consolating him over his grief? how could he live with the knowledge that he might become the one who makes her compromise her sense of justice? her purposes of life?

for that reason, ludger alone must pose himself as an irredeemable evil.

She immediately overcame the sadness of betrayal and ignited her sense of justice as a righteous detective.

She possessed a heart as strong as steel.

"James Moriarty. I will arrest you here and now!"

Contained in her eyes was the sublime determination to definitely exterminate the evil in front of her.

"By all means."

By all means.

James Moriarty finally smiled.

for that reason, casey had better never know the truth.

“Maybe she found out the truth about Mr. Ludger by chance.”

“...What difference does that make?”

“Hmm. But wouldn’t it be better than not knowing?”

“It’s better not to know.”

He doesn't know how Casey found out the truth about the past.

Knowing doesn't change anything.

The past is the past.

It had already happened, and the spilled water could not be collected back on the plate.

“Because knowing doesn’t change anything.”

for that reason, casey should never forgive him even if she finds out about the truth.

“Are you pitying me?”

Casey didn't bother to deny it.

“You’ve changed. Casey Selmore.”

“Everyone changes.”

“But because you are like that, you shouldn’t forgive me even more.”

“……What are you talking about."

“No matter how good one's intentions may be, if it is an evil act, you should not stand by and ignore it.”

“That…”

Casey was about to say something but pursed her lips.

“Don’t forget, Casey Selmore. No matter how much there was a misunderstanding and no matter how good the circumstances were... In the end, I am a villain with blood on my hands. It doesn't matter if your intentions are good. Everything is proven by the results.”

for that reason, nothing will change: in the end, he is a villain that casey must defeat with her sense of justice.

“What are you trying to do, Casey Selmore? What are you here for?”

"Shut...up...”

“Didn’t you say you would bring justice? Didn’t you say you would eradicate evil in the world?”

Casey bit her lip. There was no way to refute his words.

“Stand up.”

Ludger's voice was filled with disappointment or perhaps anger.

"Stand up!"

Casey clenched her fists and strengthened her trembling legs.

The body that seemed like it would stumble and collapse stood tall again.

“I’m still here!”

[cutielando]

Kinda sad that you’re now hating on Max. Both were at fault! Lando literally caused a collision, wasn’t able to overtake Max while Max has a slower car and didnt even finish the race. Max was also at fault but please stop saying max was the only one at fault while it was clearly them both.

i’ve stated before and apparently i have to say it again, i was NOT hating on Max as a driver, i was criticizing his behavior when it came to the collision between him and Lando.

yes, Lando was aggressive in some of his moves to overtake Max. i agree with that and nobody is denying that, but he was being respectul the whole time.

Max went off-track to keep his position when Lando took the apex first and should’ve been given the position back by Max, which didn’t happen.

Don’t take my work for it, the Stewards decided Max was predominantly at fault, as you can see in the document issued by them.

I’m not going to comment on this situation from now on, because people tend to attack us writers and anyone who expressed their opinion on the matter. We can have different opinions, yes, but F1 experts, strategists and even the Stewards, upon reviewing footage dozens of times, agreed that the collision was caused by Max.

End of story.

[fapper]

full story of what happened in office hours 2 days ago and how i accidentally rizzed up the TA who is also my crush

*note: FAAM stands for "fine ass asian man" who is like, an acquaintance of mine idk

okay mind you this happened only 2 days ago bruh. okay buckle up cuz i cant stop thinking abt it 😭 so me and FAAM went to this review session for our midterm that was wednessday (i got a 75% btw) anddd i only went bc my crush who is also the TA was going to be teaching. soooo i came into the room and mans was sitting in the front so he didnt notice me, but later on he got to the blackboard and started yk teaching shit, and i made sure i was consistently looking at him to see if he'll look at me anddd i think he did like 3 times. not that many tbh anyways after review session we had office hours in a differrent room, so me and FAAM immediately head to office hours, and they have this annoying queueing system and there were A LOTTT of ppl in offce hrs that night, the room was full and there were only 4 TA's, and i only had my eyes on one guy HAHAHA ok so i mind u office hrs was from 6 - 8pm. i couldnt get help from him and i was waiting and waiting and waiting and me and FAAM kept talking abt him while he was in the room omfg 😭 FAAM was like 'wait so its him?' and he proceeded to point to the wrong TA and i was like, bruh FUCK no ITS NOT HIM DUMBASS like i think our behavior was hella obvious in hindsight bc we were literally talking abt him in front of himmmm bro 😭 FAAM was like 'you should go talk to him' BRO STFU YOU KNOW IM NOT! and i was likeeee 'what do u think of 'eagle' for my nickname for him?' (cuz he had a really big hairdo and it reminded me of wings ok) and FAAM was laughing and we were just kikiing like 2 old bithces bruh.

okay so it was 7:50pm. and at this point i was waiting for my turn to get help so i was literally on TIKTOK bored as shittt 😭. and i feel my crush stand up from his seat and slowly walk to stand behind me... and i was thinking 'aint no way' and then he says 'y/n?' (OKAY FIRST OF ALL HOW DO U REMEMBER MY NAME) and i was surprised at first so i jumped a little and he said 'sorry! 😭' and FAAM immediately says 'do you need a seat?' to the TA cuz we were sitting together and the TA goes 'noo its fine hahaha' but i told FAAM to be a wingman so he was insisting on it and so FAAM moves to the next chair and my crush sits next to me to help me. ight so boom

so immediately i start asking him questions and he was explaining hit to me and i couldnt focus fr. FAAM and i kept making glances at each other and every time we looked at each other we smiled real hard meanwhile the TA probably noticed all that shit HELPPPP I JUST KNOW MY CRUSH NOTICED ALL THE EXCHANGED SMILES ME AND FAAM HAD LIKE U COULD JUST TELL WHAT WAS GOING ON OKKKK!!! at one point when FAAM and i made eye contact and smiled i literally stoppped typing whatever he said and lost my train of thought bc i was trying not to laugh sooo hard bruh. meanwhile the TA is witnessing all this shit happen in front of him rn bruh (the TA was sittin between us 😭) so i notice my crush was starting to struggle in answering the question/ explaining shit so he started looking into the distance to think, and every time he got quiet i would look at his face and just look at him reallll good lmfaoooo omfg i kept looking back at his face while sitting next to him bruh. and one time when i looked at him, he smiled and closed his eyes and looked down like DAMN ARE YOU FR HAVING THIS REACTION TO ME LOOKING AT U RN? OMGGG so immediately i was like. ight he wants me. andddd lo and behold. my crush gives up and puts his laptop on our table and says "okay so im just gonna show you the solution dont tell anyone haha" *nervous laugh* meanwhile everyone in the class heard him and they look at our direction 😭 so me and FAAM laugh at this and when i looked back at the TA his face was literally PINK broooo.... im not fucking kidding he was blushign or something. and so as i was taking a pic i jokingly said "bro is about to get fired" and he was like no its fine and laughed it off. also hes just generally a nice guy like i had CHATGPT open in one tab and i said 'ohhh sorry not me having chatgpt open rn' and i closed the tab and the TA noticed and laughed and i said 'women in stem' and he laughed and said 'no yeah exactly' (i made the same joke the last time in office hours with him, he said 'i believe you' when i hinted that the hw answer i had was NOT INDEED MINE LOL) so i guess u could say i have that joker rizz the way he supports me and laughs at my jokes bruh. anyways after that i was like. 'thank you! *makes thumbs up gesture with both my hands* and he stands up and says something bla bla and i say thank you again and he makes the same thumbs up gesture with both his hands and turns around to help the next person.

bruh moment

do yall think he wants me? it was definitely not his normal or usual behavior, *this is random but his voice is so nice* and i feel like i made it really obvious that i liked him by joking with FAAM.

[survivalistghost]

Top 10 kdrama friendships that had me bawling

#10 - alchemy of souls : mu deok/bo yeon + the boys

the only reason this doesnt get a higher rating is because they just didnt have enough scenes together. it was always pretty secondhanded, like the boys helping her with her servant exam in s1, or scenes between seo yul and mu deok/bo yeon. however, their friendship was amazing, and just adore this show in itself.

#9 - doom at your service : tak dong kyung, na ji na and cha joo ik

okay, they weren't a trio, necessarily, but they had such a great friendship through indirect interaction. joo ik and dong kyung had such a wholesome excited little sister and passive older brother relationship. and dont even get me started on the cuteness that was the friendship between na ji na and tak dong kyung.

#8 - strong girl do bong soon : do bong soon and gyeong shim

i wrote about this in my review of strong girl dbs as well, and the friendship between gyeong shim and dbs was so cool because both women were willing to go to such lengths for each other. one of the lesser-highlighted friendships of kdramas.

#7 - crash course in romance : nam haeng son and kim young joo

it takes a lot to sacrifice your national sports for your friend, and young joo made that sacrifice like a pro. their friendship was so cute, a bit annoying at times, but cute nonetheless. they were there for each through the goods and the bads, and that's all we really ask for.

#6 - lovestruck in the city : lee eun oh, suh rin i and kang geon

why! are! they! not! talked! about! ultimate peak best friendship, no romantic subplots to this gang, absolute delights. everyone should give lovestruck in the city a try.

#5 - twenty five twenty one : the gang

how could i say friendship and not have these people. this gang singlehandedly and platonically had enemies to besties, childhood besties, sunbae besties and just everything. right in the feels.

#4 - weightlifting fairy kim bok joo : the trio + the boys

the 'swag' trio. every time they did the swag thing it made me cringe so bad but they were very cute. the rooftop scene was legit so cute and the addition of the boys was even better. nothing beats these weightlifting girls and we stan.

#3 - extraordinary attorney woo : woo young woo and choi su yeon

this was sosososososo cute. the way su yeon was literally always there for young woo. she couldve easily been a villain, young woo took the guy she had a crush on, was higher in grades and well known. had an influential background. such telltale signs of bad women in kdramas. BUT this amazing person really was so good with young woo and totally spring sunshine su yeon.

#2 - the fabulous - the gang

everyone seems to hate the fabulous. genuinely, come at me. i dont give a shit about cinematic art or marketing strategies or whatever, this is my opinion gonna stick to it. i ADORED the fabulous. their gang was so amazing, the definition of supportive, cute and somehow maintaining that joke around stuff. they had their little pairs in the middle as well, but that didnt take away the overall love. go watch it.

#1 - hospital playlist - the band

im a recent to hosplay bandwagon, but. i fell in love. finished the (almost) entire show in nearly a week, an achievement considering it's my finals rn. we've got the piggies, buddha who is catholic, the guy who knows everybody and his dad. it was the little things with them for me, really. when they called jeong won andrea like that was so cute. when jun wan called seok hyeong ik jun's dad it made me laugh so much. and the fact that they're really not that close when u think about it but they still are? like that is adult friendships and we love.

[redswaberkez]

ok so its been more than a month since my graphic screen is arrived and bein used almost every day for 6-12 hours its time to do a lil review under the cut

(obligatory warning for longreads my english is a crap and yada yada) my bby boaris (kabanchik) cintiq 16'. (old one from 2020) I bought the tablet for a loot of reasons, Very Reasonable ones and not so reasonable too LMAO. Earned money with blood and sweat (literally💥) ANYWAY. Tablet's size is perfect for my needs, not way too small, not way too big, the screen workspace is the same with my old laptop (give or take few mm) This cintiq isnt from manufactor, its used before tablet from someone else in 'from the assembly line' condition. As soon as tab arrived i immediately ordered a ptotective film to prevent the appearance of The Hole. You what im talking about.

I was afraid that it would be extremely inconvenient for me to work with it and that the purchase would generally be unsuccessful, because before ONCE IN MY LIFE 7 yrs ago i had an experience w cintiq 24' and it wasnt really comfortable then. AND i had always used a regular plain tablet. BUT NOOOPE everything is PERFECT and i love it.

PROS!! - brain loves to see what u are actually drawing. Its easier to control every single move and stroke therefore it drastically buffs your skill. The progress of it development i mean. U have to get used to it. the tablet itself wont give u a 'make my skill insane button' u have to WORK ON IT obviously. (says the one who've been stuck in cps for a month straight OUGH) - it works as another monitor. so u can do whatever u wish using two of them. or u can just buy random tablet screen and use it as a SINGLE monitor lmaooo. -doesnt overheat (my main display overheats noticeably thank god i dont need to place my arm over it). -uses one single thicc cable which divides into three at the end (usb hdmi and power cables) - thin, from 1cm to 1,5cm +-, wheights somewhere 1,5kgs, has small stand legs which gives it ahh +- 30 degrees tilt angle. U can travel with the tablet but it needs pc or laptop to be connected with. -i havent seen its guts but i bet the circuits are...fine... i hope so.. at least if it wont overheat then the circuits wont burn down.. makes sense.. yeah.... -I also didnt notice any problems with drivers or connection for this month. u just turn ur pc on and ready to go.

CONS. - ur neck is bout to die if u gonna work like me cuz its tilt is only 30 degs (u can buy a normal stand tho. or a monitor bracket and stop torturing urself). SHRIMP POSTURE CHEEEECK. - it doesn't have buttons like my tablet had. Its a taste preference honestly. for someone its a pros for me its a cons. EASILY COUNTERS BY it might seem crazy what im bout to say A KEYBOARD. you just need to get used to it. again. - should i even mention the price? ofc its a con. since mine is a former usage one it was a lil cheaper than usually. but I knew what I was buying ((WACOM)) so i aint complaining now. - small really small con: sometimes cps wont react to pen button clicks but ig its even a program problem than tablets (easily counters by pressing space button one time). its really just a biiit annoying and nothing special. It works great all of the time. - THE PEN TIP WEARS OFF WITH FIRST COSMIC VELOCITY. ig its affected by protective film (its matte). counters by TITAN PEN TIP (plus now its a weapon if u are brave enough) -due to its protective matte film there is a small insignificant diffs between two screens but its not really this big. At least between mine displays. Diff btw my old laptop screen colors and tablet is fucking HUGE (lap is a 12 yrs old veteran have some respect🙄) - OK OK OK LAST LITTLE NIGGLE. Since I play shooters like valorant and...cs.. and move my hand powerfully across the table, I HAD to look for *that very specific place* for the tablet so that everything would be perRRRFECT by millimeters (ocd moment)

notable mention that takes a special place in my heart

wait while we talk to your displays 😥😥😥😥 omg..... cried....died.... my sons...

thats all i can say for now

[dirtreally]

playing through every fuckinggg vvideo game with gay bitches in it to try and salvage the last 2 weeks of my break. effortpost incoming

potionomics:

kind of insane how high effort the presentation is. the past ten years have been leading up to a kind of cultural dominance of Matte 3D (spiderverse, borderlands, arcane, and every work trying to cop the vibe of any of these three things) so even though this is literally the thing that Matte 3D was supposed to be a break from it still feels refreshing to see an incredibly high effort well-arted-out Shiny 3D thing that splits the difference between "looks like anime" and "looks like a western thingy tryna be anime" really well. of course with shit like The Super Dope And Viral Digital Circus becoming skibidi level popular i can only assume that we're gonna get ten years of Shiny 3D coming up and the ouroboros devours its own tail but right now it still feels fresh in the moment

that being said mannnnnnnnnnn fuck all the stupid ass characters in this game. the writing in this game has the unenviable task of like. trying to sound Whoalsome (cuz it has to market itself that way) while being not as annoying as like when cartoons and games and shit do le quirky dialogue (cuz if you do that now people yell at you on twitter) and for the most part it succeeds but it kind of doesnt matter when every single fuckinggggggg social link conversation is about like your adventurer friend telling you how they feel imposter syndrome about being in a fantasy rpg guild before asking you Okay But Really Though How Can I Contribute To Woke Capitalism While Prompting Reform As A Budding Small Business Owner In Dragontown❓ Awful. you can be gay and have one of several epic girlfriends in this but even after all that they only talk about how they are choosing to work with small clients with their marketing firm (not a joke) fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuc kkkkkk. they dont even show up when you win the fucking potionomics tournament so who cares.

half the steam reviews are bitching about the day limit thing which is fucking insane to me. the game is extremely generous with your time and the day limit at least sets your ass on fire a little bit which is the only uncomplicated positive emotion thsi game gave me. you might fuck up the first 10-day cycle once or twice but if you can clear that you can do the whole game. i maxed out all the social links and ccleared everything and It Was Fine. also there's a really scary egyptian stereotype character.

summon night swordcraft story:

i played this shit because i saw hazel talk about it being surprisingly gay ina video then i play it and if you do the personality quiz at the start of the game good your summonable creature is just straight up a woman who wants to fuck you. so then i watch the hazel video again and she didnt even get or mention that character. crazy.

anyway the summonable woman thing is kind of fucking epic especially with how played straight it is b ut also really funny to think about. every single other character summons like a cute stage 1 digimon type creature to help them out in battle and the creatures all fuck off when they're not fighting but your thing is a human woman with her tits out who just walks around with you all the time who wants you to fuck her (ESPECIALLY IF YOURE A WOMAN!!!!!!) all the time. i want to imagine that all the other ccharacters are like either incredibly mad or uncomfortable about this but just choose not to say anything about it.

i played this shit on a gba emulator on my phone while chilling on my bed and straight up if i got a steam deck and could play video games on my bed or while lying down it would bef ucking over for me. i would never get up. i think at this point its kind of essential for me that video games require the suck ass task of sitting on an ikea chair to be able to be played. either way its incredibly mechanically and textually light so its kind of perefect to be played while dicking around On Da Phone. the story is extremely standard jrpg but it is a little sweet that for the protagonist, becoming stronger is directly conflated with becoming kinder to other people and learning more about her world. again not the craziest thing in the world but its sweet

apparently da sequel is also gay but i kind of cannot be bothered to wwant to play it because the protag isn't as sauced up as this fucking girl. complete perfect harmony of artstyle and character design and the gba making all the art crunchy

ITS FUCKING PRATTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i usually do the thing of naming every rpg protag with my name whenever i play these things b ut this bitch has so much personality just thru her portrait and vibes alone that i stuck w the default name. idk i am extremely charmed by her shapes

crymachina

this shit looks soooo fucking good what the fuckkkkkk. i posted before about how it looks like the renders they used to have on the boxes of graphics cards but it really is Like That. most of it is still filtered through the lens of extremely NIS-america/JAST japanese enthusiast B-game jank but still. the prerendered cutscenes in this are straight up my favourite part of the game they are straight up gorgeous. god tier anime girl 3d artism

the aesthetic and story are both kind of insane hi-concept sci-fi bullshit to the point where i kind of have to salute it no matter what just for swinging that hard and high. extremely weird pacing and it feels like it got truncated at some point and a bunch of the stuff that was meant to be in the game got put inside some of the stupid ass nier-weapon-story-type things this game has. for the record i hate when any video game does thiis cuz eevery single weapon story is like. okay i spent 10 minutes looking for it but there's a meme with a nier weapon story screen and its like

Weapon story 1:

Girl:I am having heart surgery

Boy: I know... I love you

Weapon story 2:

After surgery when the girl woke up, with only her father next to her

Weapon Story 3:

Girl: Where is he???

Weapon story 4:

Father: who do you think gave you the heart?????

it's completely fucking insane to me that people will make fun of fallout skeletons and skyrim journals and shit like that as if this isn't on the exact same level

anyway its pretty good and like. blatantly about being a gay bitch on e very thematic level its kind of crazy. really fun game to think about. i don't like one of the artistic decisions made regarding one of the late-game twists but whatever. The way you unlock the final ending is one of the most fun ways to do it ive ever seen and i was incredibly pleased when i figured it out. the gameplay in every other aspect is extremely perfunctory but the way you unlock the final ending is kidn of just incredibly pog-worthy in a way that you can't really feel if you just watch a video or read a description of it, especially if you figure it out yourself.

THATTTTTTTTTTT BEING SAIDDDDDDDDDDDDD i think the ending is just Fine. I think i have a built in brain immunity or something to like. specifically sci fi video games cuz i saw this had the same thing as nier automata where a lot of people were going on about Auuuuuuu Fuckkkk I Cried At The Endddd So Crazyyyy but when i hit the final end i was just like Hruh That's It??? and spent like 10 minutes making sure if that was the final final for realsies ending. idunno man.

but also overall i still really liked this game and i still think it is extremely bold for what it does so if youve read this far and have 60-ish dollars to throw around you should absolutely buy it at its stupid ass japanesegameonsteam price cuz i wanna see more crap in the Cry_____ vein (crymachina was made after crystar which like. shares loose Vibe Associations but as far as i can tell is otherwise completely unrelated) and just more games that make as many crazy ass aesthetic decisions as this one. either way im definitely gonna keep an eye on what furyu puts out after this

ok thats it. im gonna try mary skelter 2 now hopefully i dont die

[azumasoroshi]

dude im being 100% fr shizaya fanfic writers were and are fucking insane

because my school banned ao3 (my fault, but that's not important), i saved a bunch of super long shizaya fics (which are PLENTIFUL for some reason, maybe because tastewithouttalent wrote so goddamn many) and have them open to entire work which allows it to stay open on my school devices without being “registered” per say

and they have been like. fucking destroying me

To Hell and Back by corteae started with “izaya and shizuo travel around the world and wacky shenanigans happen” and i was messaging my discord server like “SHIZAYA WORLD TOUR WOOOOOOO” and i was expecting wacky shenanigans and then suddenly everything went off the fucking rails in the way i LEAST expected it to happen

like maybe i wouldn’t have been so blindsided if i hadn’t skimmed through the tags so quickly but like it’s more fun that way. i hate when i actually see a ‘major character death’ tag warning because i want to be surprised

ANYWAY that was genuinely like. one of my favorite fanfiction reading experiences to date. it was like reading a whole novel with how much original stuff was in there but it was so focused on izaya and shizuo and characterized them so unexpectedly well that the original stuff never really felt out of place or forced even though it was so wild

and even though it got super dark at times it maintained this really hopeful outlook on everything and sometimes it was downright cheesy but it just WORKS for that fic and i love it because of that

and some of the challenges it made the characters go through just worked SO well for their canon characters especially post-ketsu and i gasped audibly at some of them and Ahrhghgghhfdgfd

and then the past few days i was reading this zombie apocalypse fanfiction (april 23rd by izayas) and it was like. the most depressing fanfiction reading experiences to date. i literally had a panic attack in school after i read this for a bit too long a session like holy shit it just felt so real and so heavy and hopeless

the writing was phenomenal and well-planned/foreshadowed and probably has the best shizuo AND izaya characterization that i’ve ever seen?? like i could believe things would actually happen in this way in canon. probably because their hate for each other is so intrinsic and they’re never really able to let go of that?? which is not what i expected because yes they bond and yes they care for each other but it was always in a way so that you could feel the wall between them, and even when they connect it’s only briefly, never enough to tear them away from their hatred fully

it almost feels shakespearean in how tragic it is?? everything is so character driven and all their downward spiraling is so poetic and sickening but utterly gorgeous to read. like at so many points you’re like GOD if only they had done this one small thing different, if only if only if only and it’s just htrgrhgfhgd drives me insane which is probably what izayas-san was going for lmao. esoecially at the end you can really feel the shakespeare tragedy kicking in

it’s notable that although it’s tagged shizaya and very much centers around their relationship, it’s much more an exploration of the will of human nature and their individual struggles with coping and growing from their experiences, and there’s like. no typical romance whatsoever

it’s about their sick, twisted, passionate love and whether it’s enough to save either of them or if it’ll kill both of them and just. god. i am empty after that fic i didnt cry but it feels like all the tears have been drained from my body i dont even know how to feel or how to function. i had to take a break from writing this review and it’s been a whole weekend and there’s still this weight on my chest that i cant get rid of :sob: for my sanity’s sake i sincerely doubt i could ever read it again but i honestly treasure that experience

ANYWAY READ SHIZAYA FANFICTION IT’S BUIILT DIFFERENT

[kkagsie]

furuba stage review - part 1?? (casting)

it’s been almost a year since furuba stage last came out, and i was only able to watch it now because i rewatched the anime. do take note that i watched the play without subs and solely relied on my story knowledge to understand the whole thing (they pretty much followed the OG storyline so this isn’t really an issue). 

warning: long post ahead!!

ps. all pics are taken from one of the official pvs

the casting

let’s start with the most important aspect of this (or any) play. the casting. and i kid you not, the casting for this is PERFECT.

when i first saw the cast list, i was lowkey in doubt with some characters seeing im somehow familiar with both the story and the actors (and how they play certain roles) but i was proven wrong when i actually watched the whole thing.

ayano christie yoshida (nogizaka46) who played as tohru, did absolutely great! tohru’s formal way of speaking, her gentle and calming vibe, she got it all down. the eye language (is that a thing?) was superb, considering that furuba has a lot of scenes where monologue comes into play.

Next we have hashimoto shohei (akutagawa - bsd stage, nishinoya - haikyuu engeki, leo - enstars stage) who played as kyo. Initially, i wasnt sure what to expect bc he has a versatile way of acting. but after seeing the true form arc (which i’ll get into detail in a separate post) i thought “yep, he’s perfect. he’s literally kyo in the flesh”. maybe the only thing i didnt particularly like was the fact that his voice tends to go up by a pitch when he screams (which is to say, kyo screams A LOT) but i thought it wasnt rlly an issue seeing that shohei’s voice is naturally high-pitched.

yuki .. OH GOD YUKI.. i might be a bit biased here because i rlly like naoya kitagawa, but to say that he’s the real life yuki is an understatement. he portrayed yuki with grace and elegance i cannot explain. so to say, he also portrayed tsukasa suou in enstars stage so i know he has a delicate performance, which suits yuki. his supposed intimate scenes literally had me dying because it was well executed. his fight scenes with kyo was amazing as he moved with grace despite being an intense scene.

i wont be commenting one by one on them as it’ll take forever to finish, so i only talked about the main trio. but here’s some honorable mentions.

kisa’s stage actress, erina kamata (im not so sure abt the name because i can barely find infos about her, correct me if im wrong), did the greatest. despite the young age, she was performing in par with the adults. her scene with hiro which she caught him doing mischief, the emotions whenever she says “hiro-chan”, the voice she did when kisa can barely speak, she did it all perfectly.

upon scrolling on twitter, i see people talking about ayame portrayed by hiroki nakata and he did not disappoint. he was able to exude ayame’s comedic energy and he did it without looking like a cringe. he was obnoxious, loud, outgoing, literally ayame. im not sure if his parts with shigure and hatori was adlib (esp the “yosh” part), but whether that was adlib or not, it still gave me a good laugh. he also had parts in between scenes that wasnt originally in the story (so im assuming those are adlibs that he had to do for some reason), but he did it with ease and it was perfect nonetheless. (i was too lazy to search for other pvs and this was the only steady shot on him. so in-character right haha)

—--

so for now, that is it for my furuba stage casting review. i feel like if i put my review on how they did significant scenes, and relationship portrayal, it’ll be a whole ass talk. will be putting that in part 2 if there will be one. thanks for coming to my tedtalk!

[floor10ghost]

Rena Reviews Euro Demo 67!

I don't remember many demo discs I had as a kid, just this and one other come to mind right now (which I'm also downloading) - but I'm just gonna chuck my thoughts on revisiting this silly psx demo disc here! It was in the official uk playstation magazine, i used to play the shit out of it over and over but only remember a couple of the games on there. Maybe I'll remember more while playing, who knows!

look at this sexy fucking disc. This invokes absolutely nothing.

The playable games on here are:

Asterix: The Gallic War

Bugs Bunny & Taz: Time Busters

Chicken Run

Cricket 2000

Frogger 2: Swampy's Revenge

Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness

Re-Volt 2 (RC Revenge)

Time Crisis: Project Titan

anyway. Join me under the cut as i talk about each of these!

straight away LOOK AT THIS SCREEN

guys i think my demo disc has covid

the music is too generic to describe lmao but it goes very well with the imagery

anyway

Asterix:

I didnt grow up with Asterix! So there isn't the full nostalgic attachment there, but theres some *vague memories* here? Anyway I don't think I played much of this because it's dogshit.

It's a *VERY* rudimentary turn based strategy where you pour potions on provinces to reinforce them, then you enter an attack phase where the bigger number wins, then Caesar's Legions attack (fallout new vegas omg????)

At the end of the attack phase you enter a minigame, one of them is a 3d platformer where you play as Obelix

VERY bare-bones. There's no music *anywhere* in this demo. It's also all just very very slow. Won't be buying this when it comes out :/

Next up: Bugs and Taz!

This one is how I found the demo disc! It was one of the ones i played over and over, lets see if it holds up lol

There's thankfully a lot more to talk about here... and music!!!

This is a pretty standard 3D platformer at its core, but you can switch between Bugs and Taz, or you can play it co-op! I imagine that's how its meant to be played. If you're playing single player the other character stands entirely still, however you can hit the left bumper to summon them back to you.

You collect carrots throughout, as well as medallions that I imagine don't do anything in the demo. They seem to be your stars.

When you have enough carrots you can participate in a minigame, the one I remember is the Pelota against the Aztecs.

It's a fairly standard game, if you're playing single player though you *are* outnumbered - but it's not too hard anyway. You just steal the ball and try to throw it through the hoop.

The one I don't remember however, is

Baladi lessons? It's a fairly standard simon says type game but

it got gender in it

all in all, neat lil demo! I mostly remember finding rabbitholes and digging around in them because I thought it was insanely cool that bugs could go underground lol

Next up: Chicken Run!

this is the *other* game I played on repeat! But it *scared the shit out of me*. You'll see why.

So... this is a stealth game

You play as Ginger and you must *be careful of the dogs*

The entire demo is dreary with unsettling ambient music, why the fuck did they make the chicken run game a metal gear clone????

Anyway, you are quite literally a chicken being chased by fucking dogs. and if you get caught a menacing stinger plays as you see this

Was a bit much for me 2 year old heart i must say! Couldn't quite handle that!

Anyway, the stealth is really simple and easy, as one would expect. There's not much going on here other than childhood trauma.

Next: Cricket 2000!

yeah

Next up issss: Frogger 2!

Okay, I had no idea this existed at all. What the fuck?

Whenever I think of frogger sequels I think of those weird ps2 ones, but this is straight up frogger

Rather than the traditional level though you're presented with a themed gauntlet, such as the first stage, a garden themed one. You are tasked with saving frogger's children.

You might be wondering, what happens if you get run over by a lawnmower?

he explodes into chunks. What the fuck?

The second level is a haunted house

This is genuinely an oddity to me, I never expected them to try implement traditional frogger gameplay into something like this. Might play it on stream at some point, I'm intrigued. That being said, I definitely dont remember this. Pretty decent? The music fucking OWNS btw

NEXT: Ms. Pacman Maze Madness!

I had no idea this existed. But first I gotta say

REST IN PEACE MS PAC-MAN

she lives on in our hearts. Fuck pac-mom, ms. pac-man was where its at

Anyway this is. really *really* boring.

It's that era of pac where they clearly had no idea what they were doing, which still goes on to this day (i say this affectionately, i love pac-man) but this one was a fuckin MISS

It's trying to translate the mazes into something completely different, more a labyrinth than the single screen mazes of yore, with block pushing puzzles and launchpads, a gauntlet you must get through while collecting as many pellets as possible

and its really lame and boring im sorry. I like that the ghosts seem to wear different attire in each level, i like that my gal ms. pac-man is here

i dont like much else. its slow and tedious as hell

however

ROCKET LAUNCHER???? HUH???

Two games left!

Revolt 2!

I forgot to take screenshots but... this is an RC Racing game, it's really a cart racer with really confusing level design, a slight bump in the road will get your car flying across the entire universe and world. There's a bit where you drive under a jeep though which is pretty cute! @is-the-driving-good? No I'm afraid, ridge racer this is not.

Anyway I'm kinda rushing a lil bit because I'm tired and the last one is TIME CRISIS!!! ITS FUCKIN TIME CRISIS, DUDE!!! I love Time Crisis!!!

Time Crisis Titan

Alas... This was not the saving grace this demo disc needed. I can't get far at all for reasons I'll get into, but what *is* there is full of the silly janky charm Time Crisis is known for.

Love these silly models! Love em

Anyway, why is this on here? Why would you put *Time Crisis* on a demo disc? This *will not* shift copies, put it as a video or something, not as a playable demo! It's a fucking lightgun game, this is clearly made for a ps1 lightgun peripheral, but people are going to be playing this with a controller!

the crosshair is incredibly slow and it's VERY difficult to aim properly which is why i didnt get far, it's just... either someone is gonna not own a lightgun and see this and think its just shit, or own one and probably plan on getting it anyway, all that's needed here is a video feature showing it off, having it be playable is *a bad move*

this is likely a pretty good time crisis game! Most of the negative reviews I can see mention the beautifully crunchy graphics being bad so the gameplays probably fine, but by advertising it like this youre convincing people it isnt.

ANYWAY

this was disappointing lmfao

a fun trip down memory lane, but yeah none of these were really that fun at all. Thankfully, the PS2 demo disc I'm downloading has much more interesting titles. Will be doing the same thing with it when I can. I wrote this one over the course of a few hours, but that one will likely have more put into it.

If you read this far thank you very much lmao, and remember:

[songsfordustmites]

okay... del toro's pinocchio. I have many conflicting feelings about it. all of my initial thoughts underneath the read more if anyone wants to read it. I typed out a lot.

if I didnt care about the original story then I would give it a 8.7/10, but I do care about it immensely so I would give it maybe a 6.2/10. I felt the cricket was insufferable here. pinocchio should have killed him like in the original story. I did like the music. when pinocchio started singing I rolled my eyes but then it got good.

this adaptation is missing a bunch of characters, but the story is really different. they still get swallowed by pescecane (thank you for not making it a whale!) but that basically is it. his nose works a lot different here. I kinda didnt like the story until pinocchio dies for the first time which was around thirty or forty minutes into the film. I dislike geppetto having a son beforehand. I understand that it gives pinocchio this expectation that he cant ever reach and really creates this tension between geppetto and pinocchio but I felt it was unnecessary. I think pinocchio being an awful son is good enough.

they completely got rid of mangiafuoco and replaced him with volpe...which means there was no gatto too if volpe is a different character now. idk. can I really compare the stories if they aren't even the same but use the same characters?

things that I liked about it: the setting. I think having it set in fascist italy was quite interesting. I also like how pinocchio does not become a real boy in the end. I feel it fits so well with how much they changed the story. pinocchio couldn't become exactly like carlo so of course he stayed as a puppet! I think that was cool. I think it gives a completely different meaning than the original story. I also really love pinocchio's design in the film. okay maybe I have more positive things to say about this film than I thought.

I also really loved when pinocchio first comes alive and he doesnt know how to really walk yet. I also loved what they did with the black rabbits. I got so excited when they appeared on screen. ALSO I loved when they gave him his legs back. instead of him getting whole new legs, geppetto made some legs and feet for him and just tied them onto the legs that got burned. I thought that was a great idea! I just really enjoyed how they did pinocchio in general.

one complaint which isnt specific to this film, but it's all of the different accents. I see this in a lot of english films that take place in countries where english isnt the main language, but the accents are all different. some characters have english accents, some have italian accents. I wish they all had italian accents. I kinda wish I watched this in italian instead of english anyways.

also lucignolo 😔 my wonderful lucignolo. they didnt do much with him. so sad.

I was watching the behind the scenes extra thing while typing this and so now I know why there is no mangiafuoco. I understand them wanting a main antagonist in the film, but pinocchio doesnt really have a main antagonist. mangiafuoco is only in the story for a few pages and literally spares pinocchio's life, volpe and gatto spend more time with pinocchio but they're not there throughout the original story, pescecane is there for like three pages (mentioned earlier in the story but once pinocchio enters pescecane, he leaves quite quickly)..umm there is more I could say. there is the fisherman who tried to eat pinocchio and also the carabinieri. I'm trying to think of more antagonists. there is l'omino who brings all of the kids to paese dei balocchi and then there is the farmer who stole pinocchio to use him as his watchdog and umm there's more, but I am trying to explain that there isn't one main antagonist in the story. pinocchio meets so many characters.

there is a lot more than i can say. i might write out a more serious review later on if i remember to do such a thing. after watching the behind the scenes thing it makes me like the film a lot more. maybe increase it to a 7.6/10 for a guy who cares about the original story.

[lemonhinoo]

Ni no Kuni II Review

I finish the vanilla NnK 2 ( without DLC ) after 5 years not playing it again ( Last time I finish it around 2019 ish ). Well, mostly just whole bunch of my opinion.. so take it with grain of salt. I'm just bored and really annoyed at college class so lmao. This will contain A LOT OF TEXT, just warn you first. Feel free to add your opinion & say something to help me clear out something that I might missing out.

Extra note : I DONT play NnK cross world, i just check a bit that some of the town from this game make it to there.. unfortunately i’m not interested into play that game

The story : It starts great, the biggest problem with this game story imo.. the pacing and how they didnt really explain some stuff. The start of this game always one of the wildest thing ever, like NOT EVEN 3 MINS into the game, a whole town already got destroyed, that so chaotic. I dont have much to talk about the first 3 chapter since I think okay, we just starting out there’s really no problem. Maybe the pacing between Tani & Batu become your party member is too short. Since the time Tani joined your team, the story progress to part where you mostly play Evan and haven’t try how Tani play style is.

I think the pacing start falling off at around after the Goldpaw chapter. 6 years later I just notice how funny Goldpaw tradition... like a dice roll is how they base amount their taxes, it's just funny af for me. I still feel it really odd how there's no story about Goldpaw citizen complaining about Pugnacius, their leader literally just do sort of corruption / manipulating one of most their sacred tradition. Just because Pugnacius do this for the good of them still dont justify it tho, I think there's should be more in depth story about this problem.

For Hydropolis, I'm seriously think it's TOO SHORT. Yeah, the fake propose between Evan & Tani is great ( poor Evan tho ). I dunno something about this chapter kinda off, I didnt connect well, I dunno why since this is the problem I only have with Hydropolis. Somehow I also think there's a lot of thing that make me confuse. Like do they repeat time just the state / condition in their geographic ? I really dont know the word but it just weird? Does anyone esp human ages there? Even if they keep repeating time and time again, is it really no one notice something weird with that place ?? One of the ghost NPC literally said that the kingdom got destroyed so bad that maybe all left is “their kingmaker corpse”. The 4 pillar rules is understandable, but like.. i dont understand why you should not be allowed to go higher place ? Is it because they afraid someone gonna fall off / the citizen relaize that their kingdom just repeating while the other part of the world changing ?? And for marriage too, is it because they dont want a newborn life there too? But like falling in love doesnt always equal getting marry ??? I think I’m questioning too much, Also when you in Abyss in a way kinda wish we actually fight Queen Nerea that under Doloran influence, since she did attack us. So.. in short this chapter just feel bare bone

Well.. next is Broadleaf. I think this actually a great chapter. We get to know a bit about how the kingdom condition, the relationship about Bracken and Zip backstory. It’s great and OOOH the sort of plot twist that Bracken actually lost her leg and Zip is the one help her make a new mechanical leg is just great!! A bit of downside is the part how Zip come to his sense but eh.. not much of problem. And the climax with Lofty showing his real power / form is okay… it’s just Evan speech & Loft awakening ( I will talk about this more later ) kinda out of nowhere since they didnt struggle that much yet imo.

SPEAKING OF DOLORAN.... He's so.. meh as a villain, he doing well in final chapter but before that ? meh. He didnt do much other than just stealing Kingsbond and influence some people. Like... Be more intimidating!! Why he didnt do anything other than stealing kingsbond, yeah that is his goals but did he really didnt think Evan & Roland gonna stop his plan...? Even Shadar in first game is much better villain and way more intimidating than Doloran ( sorry I gotta compare them in a way of them being the villain ). Sure, he got the kingsbond in early of each chapter but like... DO SOMETHING MORE, BE MORE INTIMIDATING, Even Roland in his diary journal confuse wtf he actually want. I just wish they give a lot more scene about Doloran outside the final chapter…

I think the Roland betrayal chapter is good, it’s a breath of fresh air since the previous 2 chapter just kinda the same in a way, you know.. making it a bit different not all static. Nothing much to talk since it’s short chapter. Well now the Ding Dong Dell one.. it’s great , i like it but they should add a lot more scene & what’s actually inside Evan’s father diary, that scene is just TOO SHORT ! They should add more depth about the struggle of Evan’s father wanting to make equality between 2 races. Just like the thing in Hydropolis, I didnt connect well in late chapter.. The sudden Evan’s father ghost is also a surprise like… wow dude and the fact Evan’s own father didnt give “any word” to his son just…. HUH ????? His father care a lot more to Maussinger than his own son… wow :0

Finally chapter !! This.. really a mix.. now all of the kingdom united to fight Horned One But.. when all of the soldiers complaining about how they’re not sure if they can fight together. Evan give speech that… eh.. i’m not really sure… and the fact each leader of each kingdom didnt make any comment is stupid. I know Evan like prolly the leader of the king / queen (?) but like… if you really want to proof working together is the way and will result win / peace.. why not make all the other king / queen also giving speech ? That way it will make more sense and convincing. The plot twist that Doloran actually Roland’s soulbond is intresting tho, so now there IS a reason why he teleported to other world. Then… my problem with the fact Doloran actually love Alisandra, Allegoria kingmaker.. I think they want to show us a “tragic backstory” but like… sorry I can’t connect that. I get it the forbidden love story part but.. why they like each other? Why Alisandra become selfish and decide to throw away her power just to make sure she can be with Doloran ?? Because of that now the whole kingdom is gone, what a… I’m having such a mixed feeling about it. Yes the DLC do explain more about it ( and I already forget the story about it ) but I haven’t got time to grind yet since I want that exclusive outfit for clearing expert faraway maze door first… Maybe someone can help me clear this up for me…

Is the ending great ?? Yeah so so… so the peace is return & They didnt give us any clue about how’s the kingmaker ? Is the kingsbond that got stolen now just gone forever ??? Does a kingdom really can’t survive without a kingmaker & kingsbond ? All that know Kingmaker is a mark of authority & the aid for nation. I mean.. since they literally just fight a horned one and unite as one they should probably fine ? Unless the kingmaker has a magic that also protect the kingdom geographically or something I dunno.. ( i mean brineskimmer didn’t exactly protect Hydropolis either huh… ) This is one of the thing I wish they actually explain & develop more. And what exactly this “kingsbond” actually is ?? How does one can make the kingsbond between them and their kingmaker more powerful ? Is it really just the more citizen the more powerful it is ? A better leader ? They should explain this more

Then The curious Boy is actualy FERDINAND WHICH ACTUALLY IS EVAN’S SON. WHAT ?? This.. part make me so confuse cause like.. it’s kinda a paradox loophole ? Like all of the things Ferdinand said is from Evan.. but.. Evan can actually learn what Evan said from Ferdinand too ? Like.. making curious Boy is actually Ferdinand is okay but adding spice that he actually Evan’s son is… NOT RIGHT. I think it will better is Ferdinand is Evan’s son revealed by not them talking directly, that just… messing up a timeline here.. unless Ferdinand erase Evan’s memory that might do..

Then it ended with Roland going back to his own universe / world. Ended with him going back to his world that… God who knows when exactly & what time he’s going back since it ended with the town that looks like celebrating something. Great game 💙💙 ( Alisandra did cast gateway to Roland and prolly time travel…. It didnt matter my brain already hurts

Gameplay : A WHOLE LOT DIFF from previous game. I personally prefer this action game. I LIKE the familliar but.. taming one is so random and can be a bit annoying and since you use familliar near end game, all the human is kinda useless in first game so you have to rely on Familliar 80%. Meanwhile in 2nd game it’s action. Just mash the same button and avoid the attack you good to go.. most of the time. BUT OH WHY THE AI PARTY SO BAD… I hate how they so… stingy with healing skill. Bracken is the only one with GOOD healing skill but if the AI wont use it, so you have to swap to her just to use that skill. Yes, Evan & Tani can use healing but you have to learn it, and by the time you got the material for them to learn that healing skill, Bracken prolly already in your team and both Evan & Tani wont use healing skills too so you gotta do it manually. I mean yeah the game isnt difficult , you probaly will do just fine with healing item but playing this on hard / expert level ? Na’ah, those enemies will more than 2x the damage on normal difficulty.

I think one of the part that suprise me is the “skirmish” one. Like I do remember the first time play, I was like “wth ? Now this is Suikoden?”. It’s fun, it’s not that hard. I think it’s interesting so no complication. This is just a side thing, but I mostly use a member that either debuff / buff , damn this person play too much SMT , I HAVE TO BUFF / DEBUFF

Other Stuff : I LOVE THE CHARACTER DESIGN. It’s simple yet memorable AND SO PRETTY. I love how this game design a character that not overly complicated. I’m not a big fan of fantasy game tropes where the character design is too detail & complicated design just for the sake it’s a fantasy game ( ex : Genshin / GBF imo ). The citizen you can scout also blend in pretty well with the normal NPC, it’e not like their design stand out too much.. no their design blend in well..

So in short…. This IS a great game, but if you do look deeper especially near the end it’s just.. there’s a lot stuff that need questioning imo. Again if you have something to help me clear things up , please feel free. I think the develop either in time crunch / they didnt want the game end too long, since the first game is took pretty long time to beat it. It took Stampy 91 vids to end the game with each vids around 20 mins ish ( outside showing the sidequest ). Once again.. I know the DLC add more in depth to the story not I think not a lot.. the 2nd game didnt took long to beat it, it took me 60 hours ish with kingdom level 3 with all of the facility already build ( except the inn ) and 2 left dream fragments

For me the rating is overall: 8/10

Thank you for reading this awfully long essay review of this game. My hand hurt from typing too much lol.