#mentioning 3 reminds me i need to get the 4 remake eventually. i really just want to see rydia and my precious boy ceodore in person

[lecliss]

Re naming ff characters: im a huge fan of ff3 but also most of the main character names are kinda ugly imo 💀😔and with the amount of projection I've done they're pretty much my ocs at this point so. Refia is now (Ama)Ryllis. What is Arc supposed to mean. He's Lark now. Ingus is getting hit with the lancer foil character stick and is named Solaire. Luneth is perfect :)

Also if u don't know anything ff3, please google luneth and look at how gender he is (and arc too). The first thing luneth does in the game is fall down a hole🐦

DUDE I PLAYED THE 3 REMAKE AAAAAAA

Luneth is perfect and I love his design and I'll always be upset that the Dissidia series uses Onion Knight as the 3 protag when Luneth is literally right there. Granted, act 3 of Opera Omnia has really made me like Onion, but at the end of the day I still would have prefered to have Luneth. Tho Refia is an actual character in World of Final Fantasy so we got that at least. (And maybe that could one day lead to her getting added to OO? Team Ninja please? Pretty please???)

But on the naming thing, I've always hated Ingus's name so I would rename him Ignus. And when I finally gave the game away to my younger cousin(I fucking wish I didn't, what was I thinking all those years ago??? He didn't even like the game), I watched him try the game out and proceed to name Luneth after himself and I died a little inside. Like, no stop! His name is Luneth!!!! What are you doing!?!?!?

Amaryllis is a very pretty name btw. Also Solaire is funny cuz I just started a new game of 7 and named Cloud Sol. They are both Sol now.

[taglegend]

Tag Fact #3 -  I’ve come to realize I’ve always been a fan artist more than I thought. so here is a timeline of influences that shaped my childhood to now. from nostalgic times, to sad changes, to great loss, to strange rises to fame and phases, to stepping stones and finally a laughing place. all the things that make up your favorite fan artist Tag.

1. Rayman (bumped into this in the year of 1999) was actually the first fandom (with crossovers) I bumped into when I was 9. although the internet wasn’t available at the time it was still fun to dwell in home amusements. I remember the storylines and the OC’s I made but they’re kind of embarrassing and it’s probably a good thing there was no internet. I’ve done fanart and comic crossovers of Rayman with Calvin and Hobbs and Nights Into Dreams, spinoffs of Sonic the Hedgehog OC’s, Yoshi with Pikachu, and the Pokemon/Digimon craze with OC’s and other Nintendo comic shorts. but the drawings and comics are long gone and disappeared in the garage in a backpack due to suspecting my sister’s dad accidentally throwing them away. years later towards the year 2018 (now 28), we decided to move to North Carolina and it was my chance to find them again. unfortunately the backpack was gone just like I suspected (my main stuff), but for some reason I found my Pokemon/Digimon fanart, a good batch of Super Mario drawings (vaguely remember doing these), my sister’s drawings and some other neighborhood kids’ drawings in a dirty box. I was partially happy I found something at least but it was the backpack I wanted the most. sometimes I regret not looking for the backpack (’cause I was too busy being a kid) but it’s alright, noone needs to see that shit anyway, ha ha. anyways, I recall being a fan of Rayman from 1999 ‘til 2002.

2. Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (bumped into this in the year of 2003) my second fandom I bumped into when I was 12 going on 13. at the time, my sister and I both liked the Sonic The Hedgehog Franchise based on the Battle remake and ended up making our own secret fanart club that consisted of only us two members. she liked Sonic (and that was her boyfriend, ha ha) and I liked Knuckles (and he was my boyfriend, ha ha) and we were crazy in love about Shadow’s backstory. we listened to the game’s soundtracks as we drew fanart and comics after school and man, those were good times. however, as we grew older towards the year of 2005, we ended up having separate rooms and I believe it played a part in disconnecting on the same interest. then one day, I asked her why she wasn’t into Sonic anymore and she replied, “Because I grew up.” I was sad after that and slowly observed that she was influenced by the emo culture and the new friends she’s made. I was the only member of our little club for a little longer...but eventually I moved on too. I still have some surviving fanart we did together but it doesn’t mean shit anymore since she turned out to be an abusive mother from the last I’ve heard of her. 

3. Gorillaz (bumped into this in the year of 2006). as the Sonic years were at its end, I first heard the song “Feel Good Inc” on Music Choice and seeing the first image of them as displayed on this post (except the fan-made background doesn’t count since I can’t find the original artwork). this was my third fandom and later had proper access to the internet to the website I still currently use called DeviantArt. at first I liked 2D but eventually fell for Murdoc and developed a spiritual connection towards the character as obviously seen in my old fanart and rare photos of my devotion shrines on Valentine’s Day and his birthday every year. for the longest time since being a permanent fan from 2006-2017 (11 1/2 years) I had no knowledge that it was a political propaganda band and other realizations I don’t want to talk about. I only followed them because it was a cartoon and not the bullshit behind the musical project. the world I’ve built and support for them for all those 11 1/2 years shattered the fuck out of me and I just wanted to be left alone to find myself again, somehow. activity stopped on all my profiles, the flow of fanart stopped since I now cringe from the fan service and felt I was used for my talent. I didn’t want to be reminded of it all so I took down all my Gorillaz fanart and archived them for old followers’ nostalgia but also in the hopes they’ll be forgotten in my timeline. I ceased to exist in the fandom for huge personal reasons but it’s best to not say why. I know for sure that the fandom wonders what happened but it’s none of their business. THE END.

4. Waluigi (although I knew he’s been around since 2000 during childhood, I took deep interest once I revisited the character again in the year of December 2013). as silly as this sounds, when I revisited him again, the character was so bizarre that I ended up staying up 3 nights and 3 days in a row just looking all over the internet on everything about him and the questionable “hush-hush” absence of a backstory. despite there being no backstory he slowly gained a cult following and in many ways it’s a good thing. however, since the early 2010′s tension has been building up between Nintendo and its fans about him starring in a main game but everyone hasn’t fully gotten it in their heads that it’s not gonna happen. as long as Nintendo is in control of that, the fandom will not win, I’m sorry to say. on the other hand, if it’s going to be this way, then that’s what fanart and comic projects are for. as for me, I am doing my very best to get my comic project “Waluigi Land” going. again, I apologize if it’s taking very long to get Chapter 2 going if you’ve been keeping track but aha moments need to develop before I start permanent drawing (since concepts, character design and storyline needed improvement badly). as of right now I am still a Waluigi fan and I will not quit on him.

5. Turbo from Wreck-It-Ralph (although it debuted in 2012, I watched the movie two years later into the year 2014). for some bizarro reason, I had an unhealthy obsession with this character to the point where I dressed up as him for Halloween 2014. only 2 fanarts of him and the Turbo Twins exist on my profiles, mainly because my mind was more focused on just ‘thinking about him’ or ‘being him’ rather than drawing physical drawings. luckily, this supposed alleged fandom didn’t last long a little after Halloween so I chalk it up as a very short phase. to this day I don’t know what has gotten over me about him. the only thing I can think of now is that I think it’s because the character had yellow eyes and teeth but I don’t know. now that I think of it, that little fucker was ugly as hell and I STILL don’t know what had gotten over me. one day, my brother mentioned what that was about, and I said to him, “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

6. Undertale (although it debuted in 2015, I later took interest in it in 2016). It was all about Sans and Papyrus. I couldn’t get enough of the skeleton bros. eventually Toriel and Mettaton EX became my favorites but it took a long time to draw more of all 4 of them because I had other important things to do in my life plus I was still waiting for the next Gorillaz album to revive my imaginative juices (or so I thought). I really want to have this as one of my frequent fandoms but I just don’t have time for it anymore. it’s still in the back of my head to want to draw them but at this point I still have other better interests to be in. and besides, I’m lazy just like Sans.

7. Cuphead (June 28th, 2017 was the official day I called quits on the British-based band Gorillaz due to the bullshit behind it. since that date I was lost, had no inspiration to look forward to and no cartoon guy to make me smile...but lo and behold of the same year, I took an interest in playing the game Cuphead and man...that shit was a frightening exaggerated metaphor for being on that one drug (forgot the name though) and having sex at the same time but man that was the best fun I’ve had in years. I mean, it’s like, enemies are just so happy to murder you and that scared the shit outta me. and the facial exaggeration?....I think I should stop, ha ha. anyways, the Moldenhauers saved my ass from spiraling down, they have no clue. anyways, eventually I became a permanent fan of their work so to ease the hurt and erase my past from the G-fandom I had to re-wire my brain into a different cartoon category that’s a rather more American, so anything Toon related like Roger Rabbit, Felix the Cat or another favorite that’s a western-based cartoon makes me feel better, especially my new man .......King Dice <3 <3<3<3. however, there was something about this new fandom category I still didn’t quite understand until the date March 14th, 2020. I finally understood what it was but I feel I shouldn’t bring it up. anyways, Cuphead and anything western or rubber hose is my last stop in inspiration for the remaining years of my life. many say never say never but I believe I’ve found my laughing place and that’s all that matters.

[cateringisalie]

I wanna ask about bdii but I'm not sure if you're playing? plus I'm still in the middle of it lol. Sooo how about Aerith!

Good call! (though am playing BDII but I’m only about a hour or so into it)

 OTP for them: A three way tie! Cloud/Aeris; Aeris/Tifa; Aeris/Tifa/Cloud; give me any of them and I will be so very happy.

BROTP for them: Aeris & Avalanche – any combination of them (including the ones above). Also weirdly Rude now I’m thinking about it (This might be Remake’s fault)

Other Ships: Barret/Aeris, Reeve/Aeris, Reno/Aeris, Aeris/Sephiroth, Aeris/Vincent, Aeris/Squall, Aeris/Cloud/Zack (but like the one instance in The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun), and – pretty sure this was your suggestion and probably half-joking but it has been rattling around my head ever since – Ringabel/Aeris (which to my knowledge has still not been done/I should probably try/BSecond made the mechanics of getting them into the same scene so much easier...). Oh, Aeris/Being Alive is good too – though comes with caveats *side-eyes Remake*

What kind of fic I’d write about them: What I am writing about them: The Aeris as a scavenger in her childhood fic is slowly inching towards a new draft; there’s the trio of Resident Evil/FFVII mash-ups which will feature her as a main character (in place of (seemingly confusingly) Claire, Jill and Sherry) which I have finally started. And some mid-canon smut. Because apparently I cannot help myself.

A favorite canon moment: Remake is Remake and I have expended too many words on the thing, but Chairith remains an absolute delight no matter what.

Color that reminds me of them: While pink might be too on the nose, it’s hard to shake the connection. That said! While typing I realised green is possibly as or more apt for her.

Song that reminds me of them: Bad Guy by Billie Eilish thanks to @effortlesslyuncool

A headcanon about them: She doesn’t like to be too hot and has always wanted to see snow for real – not knowing of course she used to live in the far North.

A random AU I think up on the spot for them: Aeris Gainsborough: Planeswarden facilitates the Other Ship ramble up there. How about; Aeris Gainsborough: Marine biologist; Ifalna got her and Aeris out of the city and as far as Costa del Sol – both have remained somehow undetected and Aeris spends her time exploring the corals and reefs around the resort area/fighting local governance about conservation. Somehow the rest of the cast run across her in a succession of other events that need more mapping to get around her absence earlier in the story.

And cut for length because I went off on this last question...

Anything else: I remain highly amused that both OG and Remake Aeris have been deemed troublesome or problematic or abusive or stalkerish or toxic or some other bad term and are in fact the true villain of FFVII/somehow only toxic in their associations with Cloud. Literally everyone else is FINE and she is perfectly lovely with them. But with Cloud she cannot help but be a horrible, horrible person who makes his life an unending hell.

For those unaware, their extensive list of crimes includes:

 1) Asking Cloud to spend time with them instead of taking him straight to Sector 7 (and while the specifics are different between the versions, that this is something she (unspoken) insists upon while Cloud is apparently champing at the bit to get going and not spend time with Aeris.

 This seemingly strips Cloud of the remotest shred of his own agency?

 And is so very weird – not like Aeris is literally the only person who can navigate Midgar and I do not understand why Cloud cannot avail himself of some simple, pragmatic solutions like ditching or refusing to help Aeris at multiple opportunities (like in Remake when she literally leaves him outside Leaf House, or fleeing from Elmyra’s house when she’s upstairs in either version etc) and asking literally anyone else how to get to Sector 7 or using the layout of Midgar itself as a starting point for figuring out the route (he is in Sector 5. If he looks towards the centre of the city, Sector 4 is on his right, Sector 6 is on his left. If he keeps going left he will eventually come to Sector 7. Even if Cloud is somehow unaware of the city’s structure/layout he will be able to extrapolate by looking up from the slums at how the Upper plate looks/how the reactors are labelled. This is not difficult. Also Remake’s secretive way into Sector 7 doesn’t even come up until they reach the park/we see the gate is currently closed, so it’s not because he knows he needs her solely for this otherwise mysterious route/he can still hang around in the park until the gate opens for other through traffic if he’s desperate to get there. There is no actual urgency on getting back to Sector 7 as far as *he* knows – hence why he doesn’t actually hurry) or finding a map or using the station (which should then also circumvent the gate Cloud doesn’t know about) and so on and so on)

 2) Not wanting to be left behind when Cloud tried to leave in the middle of the night (I mean, how dare she want to spend time with him/everyone is so weirdly adamant that she hasn’t, say, overheard Elmyra’s request to Cloud and thus KNOWS it’s not strictly his opinion to stop her going with him/he once again makes almost no effort to deter her when he runs into her. Oh and her not doing that will near definitely cause Marlene’s death to say nothing of most/all of Avalanche except Tifa)

 3) Making Cloud leaving in the middle of the night without alerting her trivially more difficult (given that he can still leave without her hearing and bursting out of her room doesn’t really gel – if she was a mastermind, not sure Cloud should be able to avoid it on tip-toe really)

 4) High-fiving him repeatedly (the monster. Not like she stops when he seems uncomfortable/he later makes the first move to high-five her so... I don’t get it).

 5) *Might* know the whole plot in Remake and thus is culpable for every death in Sector Seven (which is... 1 or maybe 2 named people (there are those tragic sector 7 people without names or context we see die at the pillar admittedly) depending on how you count – and at least one of those (Biggs) is definitively alive come the Remake epilogue, so one named person (Jessie) who was blown up in a fight with Shinra. The villainy of Aeris! Oh sure you are told other people died, but sector 7 denizen’s major concerns seem to be the structures within the sector which doesn’t really indicate any other casualties actually occurred. Those not explicitly depicted would seem to be okay as no one mentions them either: you’d expect Johnny to bring up if his parents died (and like, maybe he doesn’t know, but he cannot have missed the plate-drop and his parents live in the sector and his relationship with them never seemed horrible so, surely he would care a little/react differently if they were dead))/Wedge to mention Jessie’s parents but neither happen). Oh and for Aeris to do the obvious intervention to fix terrible events would increasingly derail the plot even just in the first part, so, *maybe* she doesn’t know the whole plot (or else has some strange reason why she can’t interfere) and that conjecture is not accurate?

[nicknellie]

By the time I finish/send this it’s going to be at the most random time so I say good night and technically good morning for whenever you read this!

I’m glad that you were able to finish your schoolwork, if it’s any consolation you still did hand them in, which is amazing! Also shame on them, they should’ve explained how all of this was going to work.

Same here! It’s so fun replying to these

Let’s do this

(Also if I were to make a tally of how many times I used exactly and agreed I would be in the hundreds by now 😂)

1. You are so brilliant, yes. Reggie just uses random stuff to hold his things especially considering that he has like 1000 scrapbooks so all the other stuff needs to go somewhere. (He also has used Luke’s and Bobby’s)

2. I didn’t think that Reggie actually has pictures of random baby, oh my goodness that is hilarious.

3. Exactly, and the reason why he doesn’t recognize the French dip is because he has no clue where it came from but it does belong to him

The non-box stuff

First two very random comments that totally did not come from me accidentally hitting some board games and seeing jam which led to inspiration for this

First point, Sunset Curve and then later Julie and the phantoms most definitely had board games. In this scenario I’m going to use Spin Master Hedbanz because, I have no clue when this game came out so I’m just gonna say it’s a game that the Molina’s play.

(Hedbanz is the fast-paced, easy to play question game of “What am I?” Ask “yes” or “no” questions, I think Amazon can be thanked for that description)

Anyways, so they play this and after not guess Luke flips a table. that’s this entire point that Luke is the one during game nights to flip tables (never play Monopoly with him)

The second point, the jams. First Reggie hates strawberry jam, loves raspberry jam and is indifferent to marmalade (I mention the last one although it’s not really a jam) however Alex loves marmalade and grape. Luke has no taste, but sometimes likes jelly, and Bobby like marmalade as well (honestly idk)

Now numbers,

2. Wait yes, I don’t know how else to describe it aside from that. (All of them feel guilty, and massive group hug and movie night after)

3. Luke as a frustrated puppy is his facial expression when Reggie accidentally scares Victoria and Luke sits down on the couch. Also yes, that is exactly the conversation they have (Yes Willie can also get through to him). Also it does work when Juli tries it however maybe not as much as when Alex and Willie talk to him.

4. Yes, basically Luke and Alex are two halves of a whole and can read each other very well.

5. Oh yea, Alex is always very sarcastic with the boys and is a tiny bit hesitant in front of Julie however after that interaction he acts more like how he normally is.

6. Yes and there’s no in-between (although it could be that he stayed there for a few days and hasn’t been back since). Aww, that’s so sad and exact what happens, however he doesn’t have someone who gives him a flower, unlike Julie, so he just sits there crying.

8. Yes! I like that theory as well, also for some reason Luke was always very good at solving Rubiks cubes however Bobby never was.

10. So I randomly saw this meme one day and you mentioning the spinning tea cups reminds me of it (I have no clue who made this sadly)

(Just change Luke to be sitting with Julie then) Also yes Luke doesn’t like things that spin, honestly I love the fact that I went off on a board game tangent and you went off on a theme park tangent.

Yes, every single ride Alex goes on, also yes for bobby. I love the little addition you made that they save it for the end of the day, adding on there’s like one ride that Bobby won’t go on (maybe the tea cups) and he always rides the logflume ride during that time)

Oh yes, anytime they go to a waterpark or go on a roller coaster or basically anything Reggie will take a picture of it, (also there’s quite a few of the boys going on roller coasters that Reggie doesn’t want to ride)

Luke goes on a ghost train once and regrets everything, he spends the entire ride with his head buried in Alex‘s hoodie. Yes, also Bobby has to make sure that Alex doesn’t accidentally bump in to random strangers.

Toffee nut- for a second I thought you said that Reggie didn’t know one of his friends was allergic to gluten and I was like this fits Bobby so much but I misread that severely. But that’s exactly what happens, also Julie brings it up once, just in general, and that’s where Alex has to be like ‘Reggie we are already dead’

11. The game to see if Reggie is lying or not, love that. (Honestly I wanted him to have actually met Queen Elizabeth very randomly however your theory fits so well)

13. Yes, they all just randomly dance around the studio. I mean the band in full cowboy outfit should be very high up on your list of things to expect for season two.

14. That’s exactly why I said that, because Nick shouldn’t be able to see the boys however since he’s actually Caleb during that moment he can. So he has to pretend like he isn’t furious, he kind of fails but somehow is able to pass it off.

They can’t deny good music, love this line and yes they most definitely can’t.

15. I’m glad that you like the little Han-solo idea

16. Yes, yes, we all know that Alex still lets them in the kitchen because he can’t say no to the puppy dog eyes however during that moment he tries his best to keep them out

17. Alex was most definitely the cutest baby also that is precisely what the photo looks like. (As you mentioned earlier I believe whenever Reggie was upset at Luke he would give Julie baby pictures of Luke. So of course Reggie does the same to Alex and shows Willie pictures of him as a baby. And Willie has heart eyes for the rest of the day from that photo

19. They definitely jump in puddles also the amount of times Luke has done that to Alex for no reason at all is a lot (also this is adorable)

20. Yes, I think everyone fell in love with Alex after the first episode as they should. ‘I have been crying for 25 years. How is that possible?!?!’

Yes Reggie and Willie definitely only talk in puns to each other and Alex is not happy (lies but for now they will let Alex be)

Also this makes me think that if flynn had known that Luke existed when she was going to egg Julie’s house, he definitely would’ve helped. Also yes, Emily buys those eggs right then and there, alongside toilet paper because.

21. That’s exactly what I thought but now seeing it in writing makes me upset. Him having a key symbolizes that he now found his home, and when Luke ran away Alex was so torn because obviously he supported his best friend more than anything however at the same time he just didn’t know what to do. (I don’t think I’ve seen this list but I am very intrigued, should we petition the show to let you write Mitch‘s character for season two) Yes, Alex and Luke are such brothers and we can blame Mitch.

24. The first time I saw the song I just thought that she sang in it as background vocals or something and then I was massively disappointed. Wait wait, what if in season two we get a song from Flynn that basically answers flying solo and shows how much Julie means to Flynn. I am in the same exact boat flynn is in a music program so at the very least we have to see her doing something they can’t just waste that talent like that. So I know this YouTube creator by one video and one video alone which is I’m going to kill Santa Claus, but yes I added it to my watch later (also you did get the title right, caps and everything)

25. Yes, he wanted to be strong for her which is why he initially went. (Third chance at getting a family 🥺🥺 awww)

Yes they exactly would’ve been uncle Reggie, uncle Luke, and uncle Alex, she definitely would’ve been nicer just due to the fact that the boys never would’ve let her get away with it.

26. I mean even when the boys forgive him, he still doesn’t forgive himself. Also yes, and the first thing he does is remake the hat for Alex because for some reason Alex hasn’t been able to find the hat (and or one for Willie because he wears beanies as well) Just imagine happy Bobby reunited with his bandmates (family) though aww.

28. Yes, also Reggie is like a cat when it comes to yarn so after he initially got tangled of course he got himself even more tangled until he just became a ball of yarn. (I love that title, also there is two parts because Reggie made a similar one again due to the fact that this happened twice)

30. Yes, Willie does have an old soul and him and Alex connect very well with Vitoria

32. Yes, best fan base ever. Legitimately they will get stopped on the street and if someone finds out that their sunset Curve they immediately get some sort of fanart or sticker (also a hug because Luke will give free hugs to everyone)

Yes, honestly I was thinking that Alex could be a cat as well however you’re entirely correct it’s Bobby who is the cat. I’m a bit stumped on what Alex would be, hear me out he would be a hedgehog just because that would be absolutely adorable. (Also I love the owl idea that’s brilliant)

Wait, not only does Alex get that but a fan handmade a puzzle of the band and it’s one of Alex‘s most treasured items from a fan.

34. The boys laugh for so long but the eventually help him out of the fridge, not before Reggie takes a picture though

35. Wait yes, Ray helps them out with the photoshoot. At first he thought that Flynn was asking him to take the pictures and he was completely prepared but then he quickly realizes that she kind of just wanted him to be there too not only help out but because he’s the greatest.

37. They take all of his hoodie expect the pink one, however they do wear it just give it back.

39. He says it immediately, honestly doesn’t even register that he says it until about five minutes later

40. It’s actually a mixture of both, also because Alex wears Luke’s shirts while they are practicing. Even if the practice doesn’t turn out the best they always have a great time just because they love spending time with each other and that makes everything better.

So you mentioning Willie wanting to learn lifts and stuff, and it made me think of the fact that Kenny Ortega has done dirty dancing which means they should have a scene like this

https://youtube/DIKpUa0O7Ns (if the link doesn’t load basically its the dirty dancing - time of my life final dance)

So now I need this in season two. (Also Willie is the one who is being lifted)

Also I agree this may take the cake for my favorite (also because I now have the dance I want Willie and Alex to do in season two)

Now I may have Time of my life stuck in my head ‘and I owe it all to you’ (actual a song lyric and technically I only have myself to blame)

I’ve been trying to answer this all day but kept getting interrupted by things including but not limited to my schoolwork and the fact that my kitten escaped the bathroom while my mum was trying to wash her which caused s t r e s s but I’ve finally got round to it so here we go!

Before I start, thanks! I actually managed to get most of my work in on time today which I’m really proud of (all of it was in on time if we ignore maths, but that’s my worst subject and I don’t think my teacher is excepting much from me anyway 😂😭)

And oh god I kind of am tempted to make tallies of how often we say that now lmaooo I’d add for me any variation of “ahdslflkdp” or “omg lmaooo yes”

Anyway! Let’s start!

BOX STUFF

1. Thank you!!!!! Exactly but somehow I can imagine he still manages to be messy. Like all his stuff is packed away neatly, but the boxes they’re packed away in are just everywhere and it’s a nightmare for Alex who likes to be clean and tidy. (Luke doesn’t care whether things are messy or tidy, and Bobby is messy but not as cluttered as Reggie I think) And yes!! He uses Luke’s and Bobby’s too, as well as a drum Alex accidentally broke and is now kind of like a box if that makes any sense lol

2. Ikr lmaooo he just puts them in there like “well we needed something” and when Bobby continues to say it doesn’t count because it’s not him he just claims the baby is an honorary member of the band

3. Yes! Maybe he found it one day, thought to himself that he’d read it and try it out later but then completely forgot about it and the box

BOARD GAME AND JAM STUFF

1. I am so in love with this idea oh my godddd, yes, your mind!!!! They have these extravagant board game nights that last hours and hours (while they’re all wearing their matching pyjamas or onesies of course). I love games like Hedbanz omg and I can totally imagine them playing this and also games like Cluedo, Pictionary, Articulate (great game btw if you’ve never played, highly recommend), and any game Julie finds like at a charity shop (because I can totally see her and Flynn going to charity shops and finding a bunch of cool stuff??) Whoever is in a team with Julie is pretty much guaranteed to win (unless it’s Luke, but Alex or Reggie with Julie are pretty much unstoppable) and in the old days Reggie was the master of all games. You’re so right about Luke getting angry lmao monopoly was banned after the first fifteen minutes of the first time they ever played it

2. I love how random that whole thing is but also that you’re 100% right. Also the fact that This Band Is Back is also called Reggie’s Jam has led to some interesting different versions of that song over the years

NUMBER STUFF

2. This kind of links in but not really - once they’re with Julie they have movie nights too and Flynn and Willie often join in. Julie and Flynn have a couple’s jumper and Reggie and Luke are jealous of how comfy they look all snuggled up together so because Luke is wearing one of Alex’s hoodies they both get into that. The only problem is Alex’s hoodie only has one head-hole so they end up stretching it and Alex isn’t happy. Him and Willie just watch the whole time, Alex not finding any of it amusing, Willie laughing his head off

3. Yes that was the exact image I had in my head!!! And it only works when Julie does it because it’s Julie and Luke isn’t really convinced but he’ll agree with her because it makes her happy and that’s all he really wants

4. Ok that made me think of Merlin if you’ve ever watched that show??? If you haven’t then you should, it’s on Netflix and one of my all time favourites. Anyway the phrase two halves of a whole is really similar to two sides of the same coin which is used all the time in Merlin and now I kinda wanna write a Merlin AU where Luke is Arthur, Alex is Merlin, Reggie is Gwaine, Julie is Gwen, Carrie is Morgana, Caleb is Uther, etc.

5. Yeah 🥺 I kinda just want more of Alex relaxing around Julie next season y’know? Like they’re obviously super close but he doesn’t always act around her the same as he does with the guys. I want to see them get closer, have nights where it’s just the two of them, maybe Alex officially coming out to her (though I like to think he already did that and it just wasn’t shown to us)

6. Omg ok that hurt. Wow. Because the boys don’t cross over or go to wherever Rose went after they died, they just stayed in the dark room for an hour, they can’t watch over Bobby and see how he’s doing and they can’t send him any signs like Rose did for Julie. If they had been able to do that then things would have been so much different!

8. What if Bobby started trying like everything the boys liked when they were alive? Like after he realises he can’t make jewellery or write poetry anymore he tries the Rubik’s Cube but can’t do it. So he tries puzzles but just can’t find them as interesting as Alex did. And he tries crosswords and sudokus but can’t wrap his head around them like Reggie. Eventually all his interests kind of drop away and he’s left with even less than he already had.

10. Absjdldl yes lmao that’s perfect! Honestly I love that for us, little random tangents here and there is perfect 😂

Yessss I love that lol like when he meets up with the guys again he’s soaking wet and grinning like an idiot lmao

Reggie has scrapbooks dedicated to their theme park trips and it’s kind of messy and most of the photos are blurry but he loves them as they’re some of his best memories

Also the image of Alex getting so lost in his happiness watching everyone having fun that Bobby just has to pull him out of the way of people is glorious and I love it

Also I had another random thought literally just now. This is kinda based on something that happened when I was 12 I think? So Sunset Curve goes to a theme park and they’ve just finished lunch and Alex wants to go back on rides immediately so they decide to go on something small and not scary so they won’t like vomit their food everywhere. Reggie goes with it because they won’t be going on a big ride. They go on one of the smallest rides there, literally it’s this platform that moves side to side I can’t really explain it better than that. And it is the most terrifying ride any of them have been on in their entire lives even though it looks fine and Reggie refuses to go on anything else for the rest of the day just in case he’s tricked by its tame appearance again.

Toffee nut - omg yeah no I love that! Bobby is definitely allergic to gluten. Alex loves baking special gluten-free stuff just for him and the others are banned from eating it (but y’know they ignore that and do anyway)

11. Tbh now you’ve said that I want it too and I’ve changed my mind, there’s a high chance he did meet her. Somehow. Even he’s not really sure what happened but yeah he did 😂

13. Honestly just any kind of fancy dress? Like cowboys is up there but I’d love to see Fairy Princess Luke ngl

14. I love the image of Nick very poorly containing his anger and ending up accidentally saying something like “they wouldn’t know sophistication if it snuck up and slapped them” and then having to explain what the hell that meant to Julie

16. No one can resist Reggie and Luke’s puppy dog eyes 😂 I love the idea that he shoos them away but they look at him through the door. So he shuts the door, leaving them outside, but they move to the window. He pulls the curtain down over the window but they come in through the front door and stand in the kitchen again and either he has to relent and let them stay or offload them to Bobby or Julie depending on when this is

17. Afjkgjl yes and Alex looks as if he’s embarrassed by it but really he’s isn’t, he’s actually angry because he wanted to be the one to show Willie his baby photos and Reggie stole that from him damnit!

19. This is kind of unrelated but it’s on the subject of water so kinda close - water fights. Absolutely. Especially in summer. Alex is the best at them. Luke sucks (it’s kind of becoming a theme that Luke is awful at anything competitive and I love that lmao)

20. LITERALLY. He said that and a bunch of other things (there’s too many to list lol) and I was immediately like “ok yeah he’s gonna be my favourite isn’t he” and I was right

Absjdidko yeah he hates the puns but love that they’ve found something to bond over, he’ll just never admit it. Whenever they’re doing it he just shakes his head disappointedly, trying to hide a smile

Lmao yeah Luke is well-practised at egging houses and for at least an hour he would have been thinking “I want to but it’s Julie” unable to decide and eventually he would have done it for the fun

Emily Patterson honestly would’ve won Mother of the Year imo (except the arguing with Luke, but that’s one flaw and otherwise she was great)

21. Omg yeah totally, he would have definitely struggled between supporting Luke by not going and supporting himself by going. Either he would have not gone, or gone secretly and updated Emily and Mitch to tell them Luke was safe.

YES DEFINITELY PLEASE AND THANK YOU. Honestly I love Mitch and there’s so much I want to see from him (especially a conversation with Ray) and I would love to write his character @ Kenny Ortega please hire me :)

Also here’s the list of you want to look through it whenever lol

24. I love this yesss we deserve to see Flynn’s response to Flying Solo! Honestly my prediction for her is that she kind of starts feeling left out of everything because she can’t see the boys (even though Julie and the guys obviously don’t mean to leave her out and they’re devastated when she tells them that’s what’s going on) which A) could be how she starts to reconnect with Carrie and B) could be the reason she sings a song for Julie. And YES Jadah Marie is so talented therefore Flynn is and that can’t be wasted!

Lmaooo I’m Going to Kill Santa Claus is one of the only videos I’ve not seen of his but I love all his other stuff. And I’m legit proud of myself for remembering that title 😂😂

25. Exactly! Like Trevor I think would be a semi-lenient parent and whenever Carrie acts up it would have been Alex who was the first to tell her off and tell her what she should have done. He would never shout, but he also wouldn’t sugarcoat it and would be honest. Reggie and Luke would have been gentler on her but Bobby would have just been terrible at discipline lol

26. Yes omg 🥺 the little gestures like making more hats are the things that get the boys to finally forgive him. And I know for a fact that Willie wearing a beanie is all I’m going to be thinking about forever now, holy moly

28. Ajsbdkspskke yes!! Eventually it turns into a whole series of songs that end with “Bobby I Swear I Will Hide All Your Knitting Needles If You Don’t Start Cleaning Up Your Yarn, This Is Your Final Warning”

32. I love that! The band is very sociable so they run into fans a lot and fans just start bringing their fanart and stickers wherever they go because you never know when you might run into Sunset Curve

Omg I can totally see hedgehog Alex that’s literally perfect I love it! Because he’s kind of shy and nervous but also prickly (like come on, his sarcasm and the way he just deadpans half his lines is brilliant)

Yessss it’s this really detailed painting made into a puzzle of all of them and Alex puts off making it for ages because he doesn’t want to damage it or anything 🥺

34. Lmao yeah Reggie has to take a load of photos because he’s using his Polaroid and he’s laughing so much that the camera shakes and the photo comes out blurry every time

35. Yes she wants him there because Ray is obviously the Best Dad Ever (I am definitely in agreement with Reggie on this one). Also it helps because then it doesn’t look like Flynn is by herself taking all these photos because the guys can’t be seen 😂

37. Yes lol the one rule is that if you take the pink one you MUST give it back. Willie is the only one who can occasionally get away with breaking that rule, in which case Alex just takes it back himself

39. Absjdldl yes especially because Carrie doesn’t comment on it (because she’s not really listening to him, just speaking her thoughts aloud, because I feel like she does that a lot? Talks to herself because it’s easier to understand her thoughts when she says them?)

40. Omg yes and that’s even better because Alex had done it with Luke and Reggie so he knows how! I mean, it doesn’t go well at all, but they have fun!

God me too now I’ve got it stuck in my head 😂 tbh I had Devil Went Down To Georgia and also Ring Of Fire stuck in my head for ages after we mentioned those so it only makes sense lol

[nancydrew428]

Hi!! So I’m conducting kind of a survey/study? Can you rank the games in order from best to worst in your eyes? A simple list will suffice. Include MID, and both SCKs please. But exclude dossiers ;)

Hi! Sorry for the late response! I’ve been doing finals and my last assignments of the semester haha. But I eventually finished this!

Also, don’t hate me (I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this except for on my bingo card, subtle plug), but I haven’t played 10 of the games, and of the ones that I have played, I still haven’t finished 3 of them🙊😂 So I might not be the most helpful, especially if you need exact rankings or answers from someone who knows everything about each game. I’m sorry! But hopefully my answer will still help you. If not, I’m hoping it’ll be interesting!

1. Curse of Blackmoor Manor

This one has definitely been my favorite game! It took me 8 years to finally finish it, but I’m so glad I did. I love the atmosphere, especially the creepy vibes (and I do like the English moor aesthetic, haha). The game used to scare me so bad, but now it’s just cute, and a little spooky. The only thing I don’t like is the moving rooms. All the other puzzles were good. But that one made me dizzy and confused, lol.

2. The Secret of Shadow Ranch

Dave Gregory. That’s it. That’s the tweet. Lmao. ...Seriously, though, I love being out on the ranch in real life and I love how that translated in the game. I love horses and cowboys. The love story with Frances and Dirk… My heart. I also loved the book. And I liked the glyphs. And the chocolate Shadow Ranch cake is to die for (it’s my go-to chocolate cake recipe!⁠—although I will never do walnuts).

3. Danger on Deception Island

This was the first game I played, so obviously it had to be high up on my list. Again, I love the atmosphere (that’s probably my biggest factor when ranking these games, and with playing games in general). It really reminds me of a place along the California coast that I visit during the summer. And I don’t think there would have been a better game to introduce 8 year old me into the world of ND video games.

4. Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake

This one used to scare me. Every night I would be afraid for the dogs to jump on the house and windows. Every time I would be in the woods looking for bugs I was terrified that something would happen. Also, Yogi! And I remember actually enjoying the puzzles and the hunt for bugs. Also, the speakeasy was so cool!

5. Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon

The Hardy Boys!! I saw someone say this is like an off-brand Murder on the Orient Express, and it was so funny to me, and I wanted to share it with you. But I love the train idea, the Hardy Boys, cooking, the potential “ghosts,” the hunt, and the dialogue.

6. Secret of the Old Clock

I loved this book. It’s the first Nancy Drew book (definitely a classic), and I love how they set the game in the ‘30s. It was completely different in that aspect than any of the other games. Although the driving wasn’t the most fun, I lovedthe pies, going through the secret passages, playing mini-golf, and the ugly yet cute cat that I don’t remember the name of.

7. Shadow at the Water’s Edge

I don’t know how accurate this is in the portrayal of Japanese culture. I hope that it’s pretty accurate and that it isn’t racist, but I’m not sure. But I remember playing this game when I was 11 and being absolutely terrified. The bento boxes were very cute, but I remember getting frustrated with it. The jumpscare is arguably the best part of the game and the scariest scene in any Nancy Drew game.

8. Sea of Darkness

This one is honestly this high up specifically for the graphics. Overall, it is a good game. I liked the puzzles, the setting, characters, dialogue, etc. But the graphics stole the show. It is the best Nancy Drew game with graphics, plus the scenery is pretty (even if it wasn’t as quality). I love the snow and the chilly atmosphere, and I definitely feel like it’s a winter game.

9. Treasure in the Royal Tower

I liked this game. I loved (you guessed it!) the atmosphere. I loved being snowed in, and I loved Hotchkiss. I don’t remember much of this game, and one might argue that that means that it should be lower on the list, but I remember really enjoying it, so I’m keeping it in this spot.

10. Legend of the Crystal Skull

I love the atmosphere, New Orleans, and Henry so much. This isn’t my favorite game, but it is so good!

11. Danger by Design

I like this one, with the Sonny Joon references. I also like Paris, and I think this is a fun game. But I always get it confused with The Phantom of Venice, which is why Phantom is listed right below this one. Which one has JJ and the cookies? I couldn’t tell you.

12. The Phantom of Venice

Like I said, I always get this one confused with Danger by Design. I couldn’t tell you what happens in each. Except this one has you dance in a catsuit and play SCOPA, but I don’t remember necessarily caring for either of these.

13. The Captive Curse

I like this one. I like Germany, the monster, the scary beginning, Renate falling asleep. But I feel like it could have been scarier. (If it was, let me know! I gotta replay it in that case.)

14. Alibi in Ashes

I love Alexei, the ice cream/milkshakes, and getting to play other characters than just Nancy. But other than that, it’s not my favorite game.

15. The White Wolf of Icicle Creek

I’ve only played the Wii version of this game, so I’m not sure how different it is from the PC version. + I never finished it. I loved the kitchen and cooking, and the wolf is super cute! But I didn’t like the ice thing. I could never get past it. Is it any easier on the PC?

16. The Haunting of Castle Malloy

I’m Irish and I think it’s cool that the game is in Ireland. I actually like the character design, but it feels a little bit….ridiculous to me? And the banshee? I don’t know. But I love the atmosphere, and from what I remember, I liked the characters.

17. The Creature of Kapu Cave

I remember liking the game, and I love anything with the ocean or lakes or swimming or diving. Like, the water is where I belong, and I think it’s so fun. But the character design is awful. Frank and Joe don’t look the way they’re supposed to, and I can’t get over it.

18. The Deadly Device

It’s a good game, but I’ve never finished it. It’s difficult in some parts and boring in others. But I love the Tesla idea, Mason’s sarcasm, and Ryan (I just love Ryan). But it’s never really pulled me in. (I think part of it might be because it’s the only game, other than SSH that I’ve tried playing without using any walkthroughs, so I’m having a tough time, lol.)

19. Warnings at Waverly Academy

I know that this is a fan favorite, but it isn’t my favorite. I like all of the Nancy Drew games that I’ve played for the most part, and it is a good game. But I’m tired of school, and I play video games to escape it. Plus, other than Mel, I don’t like any of the characters. That might be the point, but in a game where you have only a handful of characters, I don’t like only having one of them be likeable.

20. Message in a Haunted Mansion

I don’t remember much of this game. But I love anything even slightly spooky, and I remember thinking this game was cute.

21. Secret of the Scarlet Hand

I’m playing this game right now (not as I type this, but I’ve played it on and off for the past few months), and it’s pretty good. I like learning about Mayan culture, but it isn’t that special of a game. Nothing really stands out to me, and none of the characters are all that likeable imo.

22. Secrets Can Kill Remastered

Again, I don’t remember much from this game. It didn’t stick out to me much, and I enjoy games with a good atmosphere and a somewhat lasting impression. This game isn’t bad; I don’t think any of the ND games I’ve played have been bad tbh. But I don’t care about high school, and I want something else to remember. But I give Her Interactive kudos for making a game for girls about murder (especially because it was technically their first game, and this was just a remake). And that sounds sarcastic, but it actually isn’t! Lol.

23. The Haunted Carousel

This wasn’t a bad game. I just don’t really have an interest in carnivals and that sorta thing. They’re okay, but they don’t intrigue me that much. And I don’t remember much from this game. I played it around the same time that I played most of these games, and it didn’t stick out to me. However, I do love the cover and the fact that not every character is white.

24. Ransom of the Seven Ships

I know this game gets a bad rep, but I don’t think it’s a terrible game. But the black face is just too racist and makes me too uncomfortable to enjoy it as much as it could be enjoyed. If HeR toned down the racism a little bit, I could have actually enjoyed this game (except for George’s character design; they did my girl dirty, but what’s new?).

[atrainernamedradish]

Top 5 Favorite Rivals

Least Favorite list: https://atrainernamedradish.tumblr.com/post/190290513502/top-5-least-favorite-rivals

Top 5 Favorite Rivals:

5) Barry [Diamond & Pearl; Platinum]

I think people can agree with me when I say Barry either needs to lay off the sugar and caffeine, or needs some Adderall, because holy fuck he was so damned hyper it was unreal! And before someone gets mad at the joke let me remind you that there is some dialogue where he tries to count to ten, and proclaims he can’t even sit still to do so! Like sweet Lord Barry calm the fuck down lol!

Jokes aside, I thought Barry was a solid rival. He wasn’t mean-spirited about being so or always trying to act better than you about it. Sure, he was cocky, but he eventually learned that he had to put his ego aside to actually learn how to be that much of a better trainer. His teams were pretty solid too. He wasn’t the hardest person to face, but he wasn’t a pushover by any means. Sometimes his hyperness was a bit annoying, but nothing that bugged me for too long. He was a good rival to have when you’re trying to deal with the headache that is the other rival that is your boring opposite gender.

4) Marnie [Sword & Shield]

Marnie is an interesting character. When I first saw her in the reveals for Sword & Shield I thought she was going to be this arrogant punk (I blame the black leather and spikes :P), but when you actually meet her that isn’t the case. She’s actually someone who doesn’t have that much confidence in herself, at first though, but as you progress through the game she builds up to that. In fact, the only thing she was confident in was not taking over her brother’s gym and setting out to do her own thing. Besides believing how confident she was going to be, I was also expecting Marnie to have this annoying personality (but I feel like that was due to Team Yell being there more than anything), but once again she blew my expectations out of the water! Her personality was sweet and likeable and it was refreshing! Her team was actually a pretty powerful one and was actually fit her aesthetic! That’s actually rare for a rival in this series if I’m being honest… From her aesthetic that mixes hard and soft (which yay the girls will be getting her outfit which I adore and can’t wait to have on my alt character!), her sweet shy personality that eventually gets some quiet confidence behind it, and her battle prowess, I enjoyed her as a rival as opposed to the other two who either got shafted by the overdone formula, or the one rival trying to be the OG rival who we’ll never truly get back.

3) Blue (Green) [Pokemon Red & Blue (Green); Yellow (Pikachu Edition); FireRed & LeafGreen; Let’s Go Pikachu & Eevee]

And speaking of the OG, here he is: Blue (or Green if your Japanese). Many Pokemon games after the originals have tried to replicate this character, and haven’t quite made one that is up to snuff. This character is a perfect blend of cocky asshole and a strong trainer. You almost liked how much smack he talked then enjoyed kicking his ass after the fact, and doing so wasn’t always an easy feat, even in the remakes (excluding the Let’s Go series since he isn’t your rival in that). He had almost the perfect team not only against your starter but to also counteract your team members that made up your team for said starter’s weaknesses. That’s why kicking his ass was all that much sweeter because he didn’t just hand it to you. He made you work for that victory. While I’m not necessarily someone who is looking for a rival that has to be an elite trainer or anything, it’s nice to not have a friendly rival who talks a big game but is always going to face defeat, and quite easily and quickly too, by your hands. There have been some other rivals that have been pretty tough to deal with, but not as challenging as Blue will ever be… There’s a reason you will find this asshole on almost every top rival list. He earned that spot. Because despite being that smack talking asshole that you have to work extra hard to beat… he is kind of charming. He’s the rival you love to beat.

2) Bianca [Pokemon Black & White; Black 2 & White 2]

I want to make this clear with about my opinions on characters in Pokemon: they don’t have to be the strongest to be my favorites or even liked for that matter, and Bianca is one of those characters as far as battling prowess is concerned. I like Bianca for her character arc as well as the character herself. I think this character gets a lot of hate for no reason other than her not being a strong trainer, or not automatically being this confident cool character that should be ready to adventure which is honestly sad…

For me, Bianca is a very relatable character who in my honest opinion is a very underrated character. She is a character who wanted to do something with her life, but wasn’t sure how to start or go about doing it. Her first attempt is by doing what all the other characters her age do and that’s to set off on her own Pokemon journey, even if she wasn’t exactly ready. As her story progresses she comes to realize that that isn’t for her, and honestly not every person in that world is going to go out there finding out that this is for them. Not to mention not everyone who sets out on their Pokemon journey is going to find themselves being these super powerful trainers who are always going to confidently beat everything in their path. Bianca getting picked on by Team Plasma was not all that farfetched. She was a brand new trainer experiencing new things making her an easy target for them. Your character could have easily been just as privy to Team Plasma. Generation V showed that anyone was susceptible to them. But anyway, I’m going a little off topic, Bianca did struggle, but her struggles eventually took her to her calling: being a professor’s aid. Which fits her and overall is a good story arc for her. She’s not your typical rival of going around trying to one-up you and getting on your nerves trying to do so. She’s a friend, a main character, and unlike the typical power hungry overused rival archetypes, she grew and I was happy for her.

Not to mention, Bianca is one of the first few characters in the series to actually really… notice that there is this big new world around you and it’s something to explore taking it in as opposed to rushing into filling the Pokedex or doing the Gym Challenge, and honestly that’s refreshing for a character! Because you cannot tell me that if you were to leave your home setting off on a journey traveling to many new places that you’d overlook everything? Probably not. You’d want to explore all the new sites. That’s the whole point of an RPG is to explore. I felt more immersed in Black & White than most Pokemon games because I had a character in my journey to make it feel like it was actual exploration instead of bare bones places with much to be had. Unova, as to other regions, had a lot more sightseeing options and a lot more to explore. Unova just felt big, kind of like Johto and Kanto for GSC/HGSS. Just, thanks Bianca for feeling like a real person, instead of one-dimension rival who either wants to kick my ass or is so boring that I wish they were annoying lol…

1) Wally [Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire; Emerald; Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire]

It’s like I stated with Bianca: a rival for me doesn’t have to have battle prowess to be liked by or be a favorite for me. Not gonna lie, I wish Wally had a better team, but unfortunately Wally falls under the earlier formulas of forcing trainers to use entirely new Pokemon instead only peppering their teams with a few new ones, but whatever… 

Wally has one of my favorite rival arcs. He is a sickly kid who wants so badly to be healthier and have a Pokemon of his own so he could one day to set on his very own Pokemon journey like the other kids who have probably left by now on it. Nicely enough your character is there to guide and watch over him as he finally catches his very own Pokemon, even if later you were there to kick his ass a bit later on… While I do like how ORAS gave more facial expressions for this character to make you more sympathetic to him in the story… I wish they hadn’t had him show up after your battle with your dad to keep that mysteriousness of him actually progressing along side you on your Gym Challenge (yes I know you could read the gym signs to see that he’s doing it, but no one thinks to read those, let’s be honest!) before running into him at the end of Victory Road, but oh well. Honestly I wish they had had him in the Champion spot, kind of like what RBY did with Blue, but instead of knowing your rival was one step ahead of you as always you had the sickly kid you thought you sent home after a crushing defeat there instead who actually overcame it and decided to meet you there to prove he did so.

Overall Wally was an underdog and I like characters like that. You don’t expect him to become much more powerful after Mauville. He takes his defeat and he does his best to make up for it by having it push him. He wants to be stronger to prove to everyone, but more importantly to you, the person who was there to witness his journey from the start, how capable he was. Yeah, you do inevitably beat him, which is the fate of the main player in Pokemon, but when you do it you don’t think “aw man I beat another weak rival” or “hah! I beat your smug ass again!” you think of how it was a fun battle and a great progression in a well developed character’s story. And even then, Wally doesn’t take the defeat as a loss, but more as a way to push himself even further. He sees losing as a way to overcome something as to trying to cover up his frustration or to go packing home, and that is an admirable trait. Plus the final battle with him on Victory Road was pretty epic with that new theme of his as well as made me a bit sad because I had to beat him and all he did was smile and thank me… Made me want to cry lol… But that’s why Wally is my favorite rival. He has a great character arc, personality, and he makes me feel so many emotions that I feel like other rivals or characters couldn’t give me… Good job Wally you will always be the rival. 

[solidandsound]

it's that time of year... the end of year video game retrospective for 2021!!!

My primary gaming goal for this year was to beat every game in my backlog that released pre-2002. By making progress through my backlog at a pace of 2 years per year, I hope to catch up eventually. This year I cleared the PS1 section of my backlog! Hooray! The best of that set was probably Vagrant Story. I did find this game frustrating at times and even gave up on the final boss, but the stuff this game does narratively and aesthetically is astounding. I also got a head start on next year's goal of finishing everything pre-2004.

In total, I beat 33 games this year. A modest number, but I'm happy enough with which games are included. The only 2021 release that's part of that number is the Legend of Mana remaster (along with a couple of free indie games). I did buy a couple of non-recent releases on sale on Steam, but other than them and LoM I didn't spend any money on new games! I did receive a fair amount of recent-ish games as gifts, though.

Here are some of the best games I played this year:

Trials of Mana (remake). I do think being in HD makes some of the silliness more obvious, but a lot is added in terms of gameplay and it's just a really fun time. I plan to come back to it at some point to play with the characters I didn't get to.

The Last of Us Part II. Some really strong emotional storytelling. As a fan of the first game, I was happy.

The Silver Case. Aesthetically, I've never seen anything like this game, and the story did some really great stuff, too. I highly recommend for fans of visual novels.

Yakuza 0. This was my first foray into the series, and what a blast! I definitely plan to play more Yakuza in the future.

Butterfly Soup. Another great visual novel. I think from the outside it's easy to say that VNs are all the same, but games like Butterfly Soup are really out here pushing the genre forward.

Fire Emblem Three Houses. I don't actually count this as completed because I need to play through the other houses, but even just doing the Black Eagle route, I think this takes the top spot in my series ranking. I liked the entire cast, and appreciate that the game is actually about something.

Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (remake). Wow! A contender for the best game I played this year. It's so bright and colourful, the writing is subtle and deep, the design is puzzley without being frustrating. My favourite Zelda game so far!

Honorable mentions: I played three Ace Attorney games this year (3, 4, AAI), trying to catch up a bit; I've already played Xenoblade Chronicles, but I did Definitive Edition this year and really loved Future Connected. I also replayed Xenoblade Chronicles X; I did the first chapter of Higurashi finally, will play more in 2022; I wrapped up the Atelier Dusk trilogy, fun as always; and I am, begrudgingly, getting back into Kingdom Hearts, starting with giving KHIII a second chance and finally trying the ReMind DLC.

I feel like I should mention a couple of games I bounced off of. I played Chrono Cross as part of my goal for this year, and wanted to love it because of its gorgeous visuals and soundtrack, but the gameplay never clicked for me, so I put it down after ten hours. I also wanted to love Muramasa: the Demon Blade because I am so in love with Odin Sphere, but alas, Muramasa is simply worse in every aspect. I didn't get very far. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII was really good for the first 30-40 hours, and then I kind of hated my last ten hours with it before giving up at the final boss. It could have been something special if it was just tightened up a bit.

Next year my main goal, as stated, is to play everything in my backlog from pre-2004. That includes a couple of PS2 games and not much else, so I may shift it to pre-2005 depending on how things go. That said, I do have some other things I plan to play: 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (finally! I'm very excited), The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, Persona 5 Royal (about time, after playing vanilla P5 on release), Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, continuing my Zelda journey with Minish Cap, and continuing my Ace Attorney journey with Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright.

Part of why I played fewer games this year than usual is because I spent more time working on my own game. With any luck, Desert of Ash: a Post-Apocalyptic Gay Sex Simulator will release in 2022, so please look forward to it if you're gay and horny!

[glapplebloom]

The Final Part. 

Death Battle almost has 100 Episodes. And I went through 60 of them. But what about the other 25 episodes? I’ll mention them briefly here and in the order of release (since I lost their placement)

Season 1

Boba Fett Vs Samus - You can tell this is a first episode. Hard to get into especially when you have the Remastered version.

Rogue Vs Wonder Woman - If there is one thing I have to complain about this match, its the choice of Wonder Woman’s sprites. Other then that, it was pretty informative. Also one of the few times they use specific versions.

Goomba Vs Koopa - This was just fun to see. 

Zitz Vs Leonardo - Again, the only complaint would be the sprites used for Zitz. Still a fun match. Did you know, there was a poll for Leo’s opponent. Zitz beats out Tommy the White Ranger and one other that I forgotten.

Yoshi Vs Riptor - Yoshi! You scary! I honestly thought Riptor has this, but their explanation does explain why Yoshi wins.

Bomberman Vs Dig Dug - This was my #11. Big fan of Dig Dug and never really bought some of the stuff I heard about Bomberman. And while I would have used different sprites, it was still a fun fight.

Justin Bieber Vs Rebecca Black - This isn’t as fun as Chuck Vs Segata. Fun if you don’t like them, but not outrageous enough for me.

Luke Skywalker Vs Harry Potter -  Fun match. Didn’t realize they were so similar.

Master Chief Vs Doomguy - I liked that Doomguy was slow in the fight. It gave an air of “he will mess you up if he gets you”. Like a horror movie monster.

Season 2

Fox Vs Bucky - Ripping Arcade sprites is a pain in the butt! Either way, I am still glad to help make this fight into a reality.

Pokemon Battle Royale - This was a fun match to look into. Trying to figure out who would win based on info is an intriguing challenge.

Fulgore Vs Sektor - No, I don’t know why Sektor was chosen over Cyrax. Maybe because Sektor was more opposite of Fulgore’s story. He wanted the cybernization. Still, a fun fight.

Batman Vs Captain America - Surprised to see Batman won. Understandable the reasons behind it.

Iornman Vs Lex Luthor - This was a fun match to see. I figured Iornman would win since he isn’t as big headed as Luthor. And that’s saying something.

Beast Vs Goliath - Its nice to be reminded of this classic series. I just wish Goliath has better sprites to use.

Yang Vs Tifa - Tifa disappointed me. In comparison to the other main cast, she doesn’t get a lot of spotlight. I hope the Remake fixes that and gives us an episode where she goes Solo and takes out something impressive. 

Green Arrow Vs Hawkeye - This was a fun fight and so frikkin close. To the research team, it could have gone either way. But those few tidbits eventually gave it to Hawkeye.

Season 3

Dante Vs Bayonetta - I didn’t research this fight because of two reasons: 1- a bad taste in my mouth during a Factpile discussion of this fight. 2- Was focusing my time on Ratchet and Clank Vs Jak and Daxter. Despite that, this was a fun match. Speaking of not personally researching.

Bowser Vs Ganon - I was rooting for Bowser. But the King of Evil is called that for a reason. Imagine Jerky making Pig Ganon sprites so we can have a Kaiju fight. But the animation was still pretty sweet.

Mewtwo Vs Shadow - Thought Shadow would win by being immune to Black Doom’s mind control. Found more incidents where he was affected by mind control, including by Black Doom. Still a fun fight.

Tracer Vs Scout - I so wanted Scout to win. But in the end Tracer was just too fast for him. Loved the fight still from the dialogue to Scout’s cockiness playing into the fight.

Season 4

Venom Vs Bane - It was an obvious outcome, but still fun to see. 

Sub-Zero Vs Glacius - Glacius was tricky to research since even within the same game he has conflicting stories. But in the end, I feel the right person won. And man, are those MKX comics bloody.

Android 18 Vs Captain Marvel - While we did know 18 never used the Energy Drain outside games, it was easy to believe she never needed to use them prior. After all, if I was an evil scientist, I want to make sure my androids have every advantage they can get. But even without that, 18 was superior in every way.

Lucario Vs Renamon - I was hoping to see Ralord’s Renamon sprites to be used. But sadly, they didn’t have enough to work with. Still a fun fight.

Thor Vs Wonder Woman - Seeing the comment made with the two actors combined with knowing this was in the works was just fun. And the fight lived up to that fun.

Batman Beyond Vs Spider Man 2099 - This was my #10 before Sephiroth Vs Vergil. A great excuse to check out the comics based on Beyond. Helpful for not only DB but also my own stuff.

And that’s everything. And already Season 5 is hype. 

[clumsyclifford]

hihi! no thank you for calling me baby a. i love it so much b. it reminded me that i needed to respond to you hjadladha im that type of texter that either responds within 3 seconds or not for like 3 weeks so yikes for me i guess anyway this is a two-fold message bc 1. songs and 2. high holidays so first! i have the jane bordeaux playlist made i just need to go through and add songs but i have no time bc classes so itll happen eventually i guess??? i really just need to put it on my to-do (1/?)

list to constantly remind myself abt it. ha'ahava is gorgeous and i just saved the rest of the album to make sure that i listen later but yes static and ben-el wrote fabulous from hsm im sorry im just here to tell you the facts their music is just so good and upbeat and catchy ur right we deserve a whole album and you are also right they do have some bad songs but i cant believe you didnt mention broke ass millionaire the english version of silsulim that is a whole new song and also dumb (2/?)

but i will say the dumb/weird-ness of their songs is a big part of the appeal for me anyway i have a whole youtube playlist of mostly old hebrew songs that i need to try and remake in spotify but catch me putting the entire static/ben-el discography in it. i am pretty much always feelin some type of jewish so! here i am! i think it was you (or maybe another jewish 5sos blog??? i barely look at urls ahjkdasld) that tagged some picture of 5sos with like baruch hashem or something (3/?)

n i laughed my ass off for a very long time and then was very excited about another jewish person here in 5sos-land. i actually have like 12 tabs worth of rosh hashanah themed coloring pages open rn bc im planning my schools RH program this year and i love arts and crafts so good timing haha on actual RH im driving to go see a friend i havent seen in like 4 mos so ill probably just find a live stream for erev RH services and try to find a circular challah on the day and have that be it :) (4/?)

i do usually fast on yom kippur and ill probably find a stream for kol nidre and YK day theres some pretty interesting ones out i do usually fast on yom kippur and ill probably find a stream for kol nidre and YK day theres some pretty interesting ones out there but im also a fan of the good ol traditional (5/?)

im not living with any other jews this semester but my colleges jewish community is doing a pretty good job of staying connected remotely but i also love making random jewish connections everywhere (and playing jewish geography ajdas) there are no questions in this so pls liveblog ur reactions and all of ur thots (6/6) - שירים

ps wow sorry this got long i think its the longest message ive ever sent wowie :)))) (7/6)

omg okay i cant believe i actually summoned you im gonna put answers under the cut because u know i am a respectful blog runner

i am also one of those texters algkjdfgkdj so i am flattered that you got back to me so promptly!! very excited for the jane bordeaux playlist i hope you will share it with me or at least tell me what’s on it so i can make it myself not trying to manipulate you into revealing your identity i promise

AHHH tell me what you think of the ivri album god im so excited ive been listening to it quite a lot lately LOVING קר קר unsurprisingly dkfjgkdfjg LOOK i didnt mention broke ass millionaire because (1) it’s just a bad new version of silsulim so i feel like the existence of silsulim negates it and (2) i repressed it and am pretending it doesnt exist. but you’re RIGHT ok that song is garbage

JDFKLGLFDGJ EXTREMELY bold of u to assume there are other Very Jewish 5sos Blogs im pretty sure it was me who tagged it baruch hashem god i wish i could find what post it was but it sounds like something i would do

oh thats so cute !! omg rosh hashanah coloring pages......charming honestly i love that. and that sounds like a really nice plan tbh 

wondering if your 4th message got cut off somehow?? but anyway yeah i also fast had to email my profs for the classes i have that day and tell them im not coming to class :))) love not getting YK off :)))) but at any rate i don’t know what im planning to do about services i really Don’t Like services especially not on yom kippur but it is nice to do in a way but also i don’t wanna do services on zoom that sucks so like......we’ll see. we will just have to see

oh my god i LOVE jewish geography you know what shirim anon i bet we could play it. where are you from where do you live

[entergamingxp]

DualShockers’ Favorite Games of 2019 — Allisa’s Top 10

December 29, 2019 2:00 PM EST

My top 10 for 2019 include some obvious choices, such as Fire Emblem: Three Houses and the Ace Attorney trilogy, and a few surprises.

As 2019 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2019 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2019 releases — can be considered.

2019 for me is a year filled with surprises. Although the majority of games on this list were ones that I expected to love, a few of these titles truly threw me for a loop with how much I enjoyed playing them. And for me, that’s the most rewarding part about gaming — finding those hidden gems that reignite your passion for your hobby while challenging your notion of what makes a good game in the first place.

So with that said, here are my top 10 games for 2019.

10. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy

Ace Attorney is one of my favorite franchises of all time, and this collection of the first three in the series–particularly the Switch version–is by far the best way to play it. Not to mention that so many years later the characters, writing, and gameplay still holds up incredibly well.

The writing really is the standout in this series with plenty of heartwarming and hilarious moments conveyed through near flawless story presentation and pacing. With the remastered sprite art, updated translations, and remastered music of the trilogy this already fantastic series has been elevated even more.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Ace Attorney Trilogy.

9. Fire Emblem: Three Houses

After being so badly burned on the lackluster Fire Emblem Fates, all I could hope for the next entry in the main series was something decent. Instead I got my favorite Fire Emblem game in the franchise. The characters are well-written, fleshed out, and with fully realized character arcs.

The gameplay not only polishes the classic tactical formula we all know and love, but also added in bold new mechanics such as the School system. Instead of worrying about future babies, we get by far the most class depth and customization in any FE title. It’s an absolutely solid tactical RPG that continued to blow me away until the very end.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

8. Final Fantasy VIII Remastered

Being able to play Final Fantasy VIII, my favorite entry in the franchise, on my Switch was an experience filled not only with nostalgia but with reminders as to why I loved this entry so much in the first place. Though it seriously misstepped with its romance plot (I’m in favor of removing it all together), this is a game of innovation and risk.

It discarded the hugely popular Materia system from FFVII and instead created one that emphasized on character customization without the need for strict class systems. It introduced summons that have an actual impact on both gameplay and story outside of “doing tons of damage.” And the narrative itself was incredibly subtle and thought-provoking, letting players interpret key plot points without spoonfeeding them story beats. It’s an incredible game that still holds up today, and most importantly, the updated graphics finally let Squall be the most handsome guy in the room.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Final Fantasy VIII Remastered.

7. Pokemon Sword and Shield

I love Pokemon. So, I knew that I would enjoy Sword and Shield regardless of fan controversies, especially with the quality of life changes, brand new Dynamaxing mechanic, fine-tuned battle system, a truly, uniquely designed region, the introduction of the huge Wild Area, and the best 3D graphics this series has seen to date. But what I didn’t expect was to fall in love with the characters so much. The Gym Leaders alone have so much flare and personality, but then we have Champion Leon who’s kind, human, charismatic, and extensively involved in his region.

And of course Hop, the best developed rival character in Pokemon history. His character arc is not only incredibly relatable (living under the shadow of his successful and older sibling) but the way that development is conveyed in the story and gameplay. His animations change to match Leon’s because Hop thinks imitating him is right way of things. He swaps out his first and most treasured Pokemon at one point because a crushing defeat and harsh words damaged his self esteem, and his eventual career choice in the end that’s wholly himself. Hop takes an already fun game and adds tons of heart and that’s what really cemented this game in my heart as one of my favorites of 2019.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Pokemon Sword and Shield.

6. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

My second favorite entry in the Final Fantasy mainline franchise, its inclusive was also a no brainer. I really, really love Final Fantasy XII. It has a richly detailed and extensive world that’s breathtaking to explore, the characters are interesting and well-acted, and its politically-focused plot is a welcome breath of fresh air that never fails to deliver on its intrigue.

The gameplay is also absolutely phenomenal, as it takes the character customization systems of Final Fantasy VIII and X and combines them together while polishing them to a near-perfect sheen. And most importantly, Vaan’s abs have finally been fixed. If I ever had to recommend a single title in the franchise, this one would be right up there with Tactics.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age.

5. Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire’s Conspiracy – Deluxe Edition

The Professor Layton series is one that I’ve always enjoyed because of its excellent soundtracks, fun and satisfying puzzles, the charming characters and graphics. The latest entry in the series, Mystery Journey, is no slouch, as it still manages to deliver on all these points even as it changes direction with a brand new protagonist and different style of story progression through solving cases.

It also managed to accomplish something I didn’t realize I craved: returning the Layton series back to its more focused and simpler roots of the first game, Professor Layton and the Curious Village.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Layton’s Mystery Journey: Katrielle and the Millionaire’s Conspiracy – Deluxe Edition.

4. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux

I played this game last year and then replayed it again in 2019. Strange Journey was always one of my favorite entries in the Shin Megami Tensei franchise even, on the DS. It hits my love for sci-fi, so that’s an automatic point in its favor and the endlessly intriguing and dark story starring nothing but adults doing adult things just speaks to me on every level. Not to mention how refreshing it is to play a game that researches and implements its mythological inspirations with a razor sharp accuracy that’s unparalleled in JRPGs.

Redux takes this game and revamps it with some of the best quality of life updates I’ve ever seen in a remake or port. Even then, it also adds on a brand new dungeon, new characters, a new final boss, and three new endings. I can’t sing enough praises for Redux.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux.

3. Octopath Traveler

When I first tried the demo for Octopath Traveler, I knew I was onto something truly special. Not only was the turn-based gameplay fast and strategic, but the story itself has no qualms about submerging its proverbial hands in the grime and muck of its plot, without losing sight of its characters’ motivations and humanity.

Then when the full game released, I fell in love all over again. The plotlines of the eight protagonists are all so varied yet equally compelling, the graphics beyond breathtaking, the battle system even more polished and rewarding while maintaining its strategic depth, and the character customization is rich. This is easily one of the best JRPGs I’ve ever played and it absolutely had to be on my top list for 2019.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Octopath Traveler.

2. Cadence of Hyrule

Despite how awful I am at rhythm games, I find myself addicted to polishing my skills and learning the ins and outs of this game’s battle mechanics. Based off the original Crypt of the NecroDancer, Cadence is set in The Legend of Zelda‘s Hyrule as you dance your way through hordes of foes to save the land either as Link or Zelda.

The 16-bit graphics are richly detailed and colorful while the combat system, although based in rhythm game mechanics, never feels tacked on or out of place. It’s amazing how much I feel like I’m playing a traditional Zelda title.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Cadence of Hyrule.

1. VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

Imagine a world where corporations reign supreme, all human life is infected with nanomachines designed to oppress them, and the terrifying White Knights ensure that everyone obeys the laws. This sounds like the setup for an epic tale of rebellion against an oppressive capitalistic society right? But that’s not it. You play as a bartender who serves her customers whatever drinks they desire while listening to them pour their hearts out. It’s a simple premise that’s executed perfectly.

Between the graphics straight out of a PC-98 Japanese adventure visual novel, killer retro soundtrack, endlessly intriguing and raunchy dialogue, and incredibly unique gameplay centered around making good drinks, VA-11 HALL-A is a real standout title.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action.

Check out the rest of the DualShockers staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 23: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2019 December 25: Lou Contaldi, Editor-in-Chief // Logan Moore, Managing Editor December 26: Tomas Franzese, News Editor // Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor  December 27: Mike Long, Community Manager // Scott White, Staff Writer December 28: Chris Compendio, Contributor // Mario Rivera, Video Manager // Kris Cornelisse, Staff Writer December 29: Scott Meaney, Community Director // Allisa James, Senior Staff Writer // Ben Bayliss, Senior Staff Writer December 30: Cameron Hawkins, Staff Writer // David Gill, Senior Staff Writer // Portia Lightfoot, Contributor December 31: Iyane Agossah, Senior Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Senior Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Contributor January 1: Ricky Frech, Senior Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer

December 29, 2019 2:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2019/12/dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-allisas-top-10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-allisas-top-10

[sowhatisthisfor]

Filipino films: a starter

When you’re a cinephile, you get to talk to a lot of people from all over the world who share the same interest. You share your all-time favourite films, and speak about your local cinema. 

Therefore, to make sharing easier, I came up with this list of Filipino films I really really really love.

Many Filipinos prefer watching Hollywood movies over local ones because they think all local movies are cliches and are second or third-rate remakes of already existing ones.

But there are far too many good local films available, we just have to give extra effort in finding and supporting them.

Here are just a few of those good films released in recent years:

In no particular order:

1.    Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan (Norte, End of History) [Lav Diaz, 2013]

Drama/Crime/Art house

This is my all-time favourite local film and it’s the most unforgettable to me for a reason I can only share in person because of its utterly weird context. 

Anyway, anyone who has watched a Lav Diaz film would know that his style is visually hypnotizing but is intellectually exhausting. Norte is no excuse. It’s crazy how all the rots of society are presented in this film, yet it tells you that zero-society is even more messed up.

Apart from its complex philosophical and political views, it also seems like every scene, line, off-frame sound, literally every component has a deeper meaning, a metaphor for something. You’ll need four hours to watch this film, and probably a lifetime to dissect it.

Other great films by Lav: Ang Babaeng Humayo, Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis, Melancholia

2.    Thy Womb [Brillante Mendoza, 2012]

Drama/Art house

Brillante Mendoza has already been making noise in the International cinema scene particularly after winning best director at Festival de Cannes in 2009 for his movie “Kinatay”. I am personally not a big fan of him but this particular movie by him still haunts me every single time I think of it. 

Thy Womb is a story of an infertile midwife who loved her husband so much to the point of personally finding a surrogate mother to give her husband a child. This film presents the tradition and culture of Badjao (an indigenous people in the Southern Philippines) too raw and natural. 

People might think that the first half of this film is slow and stuffy, but what Mendoza is actually doing is creating an atmosphere where the audience is slowly transforming into the lead character. By the second half of the film, I am completely captivated and torn into pieces that even a week after watching it, I still find myself crying. And four years later, this film has that same effect on me.

3.     Sana Dati [Jerrold Tarog, 2013]

Romance/Drama 

Jerrold Tarog has made history with his independent film “Heneral Luna” which could easily be the most successful indie film in the country in terms of reach and gross.

A less popular one is “Sana Dati” which is my favourite local romance movie and probably the film I’ve watched the most ever in my life. If you love romance movies and is tired of clichés, then this is the perfect movie for you. 

In this film, the lead character is about to marry a man she doesn’t love, and at her wedding, she suddenly met someone who reminds her of her true love. The premise seems very simple, but the narration of this film is equal parts breathtaking and heartfelt.

4.     Women of the Weeping River [Sheron Dayoc, 2016]

Drama/Art house

This film literally left me speechless, I needed time to recuperate minutes after the credits rolled (this happened to me too after watching Dayoc’s Cresent Rising). In this film set in a remote area in the Southern Philippines, Dayoc insightfully shows the unending violence between two families fighting for their lands where women play vital roles in finding peace. It questions why death is society’s answer to end a war and why vengeance doesn’t exactly justify the deed. It also examines people’s internal battles and our ways of grief.

It is a film about a generational blood feud, and also a metaphor for the unending armed conflicts in Mindanao where the vulnerable is the most at risk, and the strong isn’t really unbreakable. The all non-actor cast delivered raw and believable performances. It has one of the most beautiful endings where it subtly concludes that in war, no one really ever wins. All these witnessed by the weeping river. Perhaps, our land is crying.

5.     Saving Sally [Avid Liongoren, 2016]

Sci-fi/Romance/Art house

The poster of Saving Sally says that it’s a typical love story, and it really meant it. But what’s beautiful about this film is its creative visual style and artistic combination of reality and fantasy to tell a typical story in an extraordinary way. 

In my opinion, this is the freshest and has the most distinct vision I’ve seen in Philippine cinema. It’s after-credit animation is already worth your money. By the end of this film, I found myself wishing to the gods in heaven that Avid Liongoren would not stop creating his craft.

6.     Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B [Prime Cruz, 2016]

Romance/Suspense

I once tweeted that if I can only use beautiful once a year to describe a film, I’ll use it on this one. Prime Cruz’s Ang Mananggal sa Unit 23B is visually very beautiful, you’d initially think of Wong Kar-wai. But apart from its breathtaking cinematography and production design, this film is made of highly-entertaining performances and genius metaphors. 

In hindsight, this is a love story between a Manananggal (our version of vampire) and a normal human being, but it is more than just that. It is a representation of forbidden love in which the world says no because your body structure says you shouldn’t. It’s best line is “May sakit ako (I’m sick)” -- spoken when the secret about the lead’s identity was eventually found out. This is exactly how society claims that being gay is a sickness, and therefore coming out is a major struggle. The entire movie is dedicated to that -- how one person is forbidden to love another just because of how he or she was made. Not many people may have related it to that because on the surface, the film was all about comic fun and romantic entertainment.

7.     Violator [Eduardo Dayao, 2014]

Horror/Thriller/Art house

Violator is the debut film of critic Dodo Dayao that is full of impressive dreamy style. It is a quasi-apocalyptic thriller told in almost independent subplots. 

What I like best about this movie is that it could be the only thriller film that brought me to tears for reasons out of its narrative. As the credits roll, I found myself shaking while fighting my own demons, and it’s really damn scary.

8.     Ari: My Life with a King [Carlo Catu, 2015]

Drama

This one has a special place in my heart because it is a film that centers on traditional poetry set in Pampanga which is a little north of Metro Manila. 

It is a movie that aims to preserve local culture, art, and dialect. However, it is also a film about the search of identity both individually and collectively as a province, and establishing that identity as a whole that could withstand time and be passed on to generations.

9.     On the Job [Erik Matti, 2013]

Action/Crime thriller

Erik Matti is one of my favourite local directors who continues to impress as a filmmaker. On the Job is a sophisticated action/crime thriller based on a true story about prisoners who are temporarily released by jail guards and are hired as contract killers by politicians or anyone equally powerful.

In this film, Matti shows the rot in Philippine society and political structure, and the bullshit that power can do. It has a powerhouse cast who delivered amazing performances to conclude a gritty action-packed movie.

Other films by Erik Matti that are worth mentioning are ‘Honor Thy Father’, ‘Seklusyon’, and my personal favourite ‘Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles 2′.

MORE RECENT FILMS TO CHECK OUT (not mentioned above):

Anino sa Likod ng Buwan (Jun Lana, 2015)

Imbisibol (Lawrence Fajardo, 2014)

Magkakabaung (Jason Paul Laxamana, 2014)

Sunday Beauty Queen (Baby Ruth Villarama, 2016)

Apocalypse Child (Mario Cornejo, 2015)

And my favourite classics:

Maynila: Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag (Lino Brocka, 1975)

Kisapmata (Mike de Leon, 1981)

Oro Plata Mata (Peque Gallaga, 1982)

Burlesk Queen (Celso Ad Castillo, 1977)

Manila by Night (Ishmael Bernal, 1980)

Best of 90s and early 2000s:

Tanging Yaman (Laurice Guillen, 2000)

Dekada ‘70 (Chito S Rono, 2002)

Magnifico (Maryo J De los Reyes, 2003)

Anak (Roy Quintos, 2000)

Muro Ami (Marilou Diaz-Abaya, 1999)

Disclaimer: This is not my top 9 favourite Filipino films. I just chose these movies that could represent different genres in the context of sharing it to people who have zero to slim knowledge of Filipino cinema/culture.