#not a single weak episode in sight - 10 strong episodes | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kiryuun-blog · 3 years ago

Text

Attack on School Caste ep 4 english translation (Attack on titan drama CD)

Here’s the english translation of the 4th and last episode of the drama CD “Attack on School Caste”. Kind of sad it’s over but it was fun to translate ! Also, I’ve uploaded on my Youtube channel all of the episodes subbed, so check it out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQXkQAha6FpPBkUTg1qB9rA/featured

Translation below:

After spending some time together, and confronting each other several times, they ended up exposing little by little their real personalities. And after they divulgated the reasons why they were in detention, they opened up about their worries and dreams.

A: The reason why I ended up in detention is only known to some of the teachers, and I haven't talked to anyone about it. If it was known, it would be a big problem. J: What the hell did you do ? A: To tell you the truth...with this laptop, World-kun, I created a pirate anime site. R: What ?! A pirate anime site ? I can't believe that. Well, I heard that around Somalia there were pirates, but to think that there was one in our school...and that you tainted your hands with that kind of business, using anime... H: Reiner, it's fine if you don't know about it but there's no need to be that surprised. R: Sorry... H: A pirate site is one that illegally uploads anime, and that is a crime. J: So that's the kind of site where you can watch anime without spending a penny, huh. R: I see. That's definitely not forgivable. M: A complete evil which no one can prevent. A: Yeah...you're right. Not only it's an infringement to copyrights, but it also infringes the rights of all the staff that worked hard to produce these animes. It's the worst, it also tramples on the audience that loves these animes. J: And why did you do that kind of thing ? A: Because I'm someone like that ! I'm made fun of at school for being a geek, I'm not good at sports and I'm not even good at studying, and I don't have a lot of friends. I'm a grandpa's kid and weak, and I can't even tell others what I want. I'm just a pathetic and worthless geek. And that's because I'm this kind of guy that I wanted to, at least, shine on the net ! At the beginning, it was just a site where I recommended my favorite animes, but then, the views increased and I was thanked in the comments, so I wanted even more popularity and started to upload illegally episodes. And one day I realized that it ended up being a complete illegal site. I couldn't bring myself to stop... R: When did you realize it was bad ? A: My friend, Marco, warned me, saying that this was a complete crime. And, in order to stop me, he talked about it with the teachers. J: Huh, so he snitched. That sounds like what a serious ass like him would do. A: But thanks to Marco, I finally realized what I was doing. So that's why I immediately closed the site and it didn't become a serious problem. Well, I ended up in detention though. J: To think that you were a potential criminal. H: That's not a potential criminal, but a criminal indeed. M: One's outward appearance and one's real identity is completely different. Once the mask is removed, the truth shows its face. R: And I thought that you were just an otaku... A: Even someone like me has things I want to do and dreams...One day, I want to go to Akihabara, the sanctuary of anime ! Neons illuminating the high buildings, and posters of my favorite anime characters plastered everywhere...the sanctuary I'm yearning for ! A market so wide and deep that even if the geeks from all over the world were to assemblate, they wouldn't be able to buy everything ! When I was administrating that site, I felt that I was able to touch a little that world... But in truth, I was just drowning in the deep sea of the net... R: Dreams, huh. Up till now, I never even thought about that. H: Are you serious ?! Didn't you want to become a football player ? M: What about those titanic muscles...and that robust body...? R: Those were obtained after training regularly. But that was not because I wanted to become a football player. H: Then, why ? R: It's because I wanted to be acclaimed as an excellent sportsman and obtain a scholarship. J: Ha, what's with that. Such a petty reason ! R: Well, I was brought up by my mother only. It's already tough to let me go to school. I was born in a country beyond the sea. When I was young, my mother and father separated, and me and my mother moved here. After that, there were only hardships. It was tough to only feed ourselves in a foreign land. I want to provide for my mother and let her rest, that's what I always thought. J: H-huh ! After calling me a mother complex, you're not one to say ! R: Yeah, you're right. If I did my best in the football team, it was to make my mother happy. I trained myself everyday, in order to obtain this armor-like body, and even became the captain. And even for my caste, I became the president of the clubs, and volunteered for cleaning garbage, I gained popularity with the students and took special attention of the teacher's moods. I did all I could. And I finally became the jock. A: So you suffered a lot too... H: And why someone like you ended up in detention ? R: On the last physics exams, I had some difficulties... H: So you didn't pass ? R: Y-yeah...that's right. But, no, what I want to say is that...I scored 0 points. J: 0 points ?! For real ?! You must be lying, even I scored 17 points ! R: To tell you the truth...I'm really hopeless with studying. No matter how much I try, I never do well, and up until now, I've managed to barely pass. And physics is my worst enemy. I don't understand a single thing. Like you all said, maybe even my brain has become only muscles. A: But even so, 0 points...? R: That day, during the exam...I lost sight of myself. Until that moment, I always thought that I wanted to let my mother rest, and she has big expectations. In order to meet those expectations, I became the jock, the captain of the football team, the president of all the clubs, and I had to always be strong and right. And when I thought "do I have any dreams of my own ?" "do I have something I really want to do ?", my mind went completely blank, and without realizing, the exam was already over. I couldn't write anything other than my name. J: Well...that explains the score. R: But, even without that happening, it would still have been hard to score more than 10. Armin, before, I said that you were miserable, but, like Jean said, it was me, who has no dreams of his own, that was miserable. A: N-no...that's not true, you're doing your best aren't you ? H: After all, you were just a king in name. That's so stupid. J: Hey ! You don't have to say it like that ! H: It's already great that his mother has expectations of him. Unlike him, no one cares about me, and that includes my own parents. Laughable, isn't it ? R: Hey, Historia, you're a rich lady, there's no way what you say is true ! H: Here's the problem. Just because I’m crazy rich and the cutest, not only in this school but in the entire state, everyone's spoiling me. But no one cares about the real me. J: Huh, that's some luxury ! H: And what do you think you know, Jean ? What do you know, you, who has a mother kind and loving enough to bring your lunch to school just because you forgot it ? I only picked up some fruits that were left on the table. My parents never cared about my lunch. And we never eat together, the last time we ate dinner together was when I was five. They leave my care to the butler, and only see me as a tool for the succession of the family. R: But they're your parents...there's no way they think like that ! H: No, I'm only a tool, and a doll. I've been raised as a rich lady, with disinterested parents, and then I'll marry with a dull man who only has reputation, then give birth to a child and success this house. My parents, teachers and the people surrounding me at school, they're all stupid ! I'm fed up ! School caste ? Queen bee ?! What does that even mean ! A: I understand the situation...but you must have things you want to do, right ? If so- H: Are you really in a position to say that, Armin ? A: Huh ? What do you mean ? H: I also like japanese anime ! I can't help it ! Shugo Chara and Sugar Sugar Rune, they're all the best ! And I'm so envious of your bento box of Maji Moji Rurumo ! I want to go to Akihabara and Ikebukuro and buy all the goods I want ! Armin, you said it, right ? That even if geeks from all over the world couldn't buy everything. But that's not true ! If it's me, I can do it ! With the assets of the Reiss family, I can buy it all ! But I can't ! That's all because I have to be the queen everywhere I go ! I can't like anime ! A: Historia... H: I ended up in detention because I tried to steal an anime magazine, and I got caught. Of course, I had the money. I could have even bought 100 copies of it. But I couldn't let anyone see me buying it. So, I had no other choice but to steal it. J: Being the queen is quite burdening, huh... H: One day, I want my parents to look at the real me. I just want to have fun with real friends and talk about anime. Maybe it's a small thing, but I think that's my dream. I doubt that you all would understand me though. M: That's right, there's no way I would understand. J: Hey, you don't have to say it like that ! M: But, I am aware of the fact that I cannot understand you. You and I are completely different, and we don't live with the same worries. However, it doesn't change the fact that we are together in this darkness. H: Mikasa...how did you end up in detention ? M: After school in an empty classroom, I tried to perform a ritual to summon the goat-faced devil, Baphomet, who has the power to destroy this world and engulf it in flames. And I got caught by the History teacher. J: Ha ! Are you serious ? You should know when to stop with that persona of yours. M: I don't want to hear that from you. J: Well, my apologies ! But that's the truth, isn't it ? It's just a persona. H: Why are you a goth, Mikasa ? Do you really like gothic things ? Or is there another reason that you ended up in this caste ? M: It is...to have perfect control of myself. J: Huh ? What do you mean ? M: Before, I was a normal student. I didn't belong neither to light, neither to darkness, just a normal person. I had a friend, and lived nonchalantly. I had no complaints towards that kind of life. But one day, my friend went up a caste higher. And after that, that friend began to avoid me. R: They didn't want to mingle with a lower caste, huh... H: Well, that does happen often. M: Yes, it's a common story. But to me, that was an unbearable shock. That's when I realized, that this world is cruel. So, I have to have perfect control over myself in order to keep on fighting... J: And that's how you became a goth ? That escalated quickly ! That's crazy ! M: No, occult and curses are helpful to strengthen one's soul. Thanks to that, I managed to remain myself. Also, since I'm asian and my hair is black, it goes well with black clothes. H: It's true that it suits you. M: Also, goth is a caste that isn't bothered by others as much as other castes. If I keep on being immersed in my own world, no one talks to me. It's not that I'm avoided by others, but I do things so that they avoid me. I can think of it that way. R: So, you chose solitude ? M: I want to become stonger. I have to be strong. And one day, I'll become a strong woman like a fearless dark knight. J: Well...you don't have to be that stubborn, don't you think ? And right now, you're talking with everyone just fine. Who knows, you might make another friend ? M: I don't need that. J: Don't say that ! The six of us, who didn't have anything to do with each other, opened up and all ! R: Hey, wait a minute, Jean. J: What ? You want to be in charge again, is that it ? R: No, did you say the six of us ? A: Eren hasn't said a thing yet... E: Huh, me ? J: Don't "huh, me ?" me ! Take part to the conversation ! E: I did listen to you all. I went to the toilet twice though. J: Always about the toilet...what are you, an old man ?! E: I know right, to say the truth, I'm a little concerned about that... My organs may have some problems. Everyone, how frequently do you go to the toilet ? How about you, Historia ? H: Me ?? J: What's with you, Eren ?! No one wants to talk about that ! A: H-hey, Eren...why did you end up in detention ? E: I'm not sure, but I think it's because I skipped the History exam. R: So you skipped, huh. Are you bad with History ? Or, do you have any worries that you can't say to people ? E: Not really, I just forgot about it. When Mr. Smith talked to me about it, that's when I remembered. H: So, is that not because of worries, but because you couldn't think of anything else other than your dreams ? E: Not at all. I really just forgot about it. I don't have any dreams. M: It's complete nought, and thoroughly normal. E: Is that bad to be normal ? I don't really love or hate this world, and I don't have particular worries or dreams. I really don't care about school castes either. Even so, I'm living normally everyday. R: Well, that's true. H: Everyone's worries are different after all... M: Everything comes in all colors. So many men, so many minds. A: Why is it that even though everyone carries its own worries, we all become the same adults...? M: That's because everyone loses to something, and ends up giving up. H: We become arrogant and showy adults, full of deception, huh... A: Hey, in truth, there was something I was thinking about. I know it's weird to ask that, but, when we meet again in school on Monday, what should we do ? J: Huh ? R: What do you mean ? A: We are...friends, right ? H: Do you mean to ask if we should keep up our relationship, where we can talk freely to each other just like now ? A: Yeah. H: Do you really want me to answer ? A: I want to hear it. H: I'll ignore you. A: Is that so... M: Do you mean only Armin, or everyone here ? H: Everyone. I'll pretend that I never met you all. Well, I don't mind Reiner though. R: That's some attitude here. But you like anime, right ? You could talk about it all you want with Armin ! H: Ha, there's no way I could. And that's the same for you, Reiner. When you're with people from the football club, what would you do if Armin, wearing an anime t-shirt and carrying a bento box of Maji Moji Rurumo, went to you and spoke to you ? R: Well, that's... H: Even though you could exchange a few words with him, you would go back to saying bad things about him when he's gone, right ? "What's with that otaku, even though he's a geek, he has the gall to talk to me !" for example. R: I'll never do that, and I don't even sound like that ! H: Then what about that, "Hey, Armin. Everyone, let me introduce my new friend.", would you introduce him to your friends like that ?! They'll just end up mocking you. And without a fault, you'll lose your position as a jock ! Are you fine with that ? Even though you did so much to gain that title- R: Stop that, Historia ! J: Cut that crap... H: You two are liars and hypocrites ! Jean, could you introduce Armin to your delinquent friends ? Could you cosplay as a character from Twilight with Mikasa and go to a party ? J: Shut up ! H: You can't, right ?! There's no way you could ! I'm just being honest. I can't be on good terms with you all ! And why ? Because our castes are different ! A: Then...it's better to be a geek like me. Even if people call me weird, I don't have to care about my surroundings and avoid my friends... M: Armin's right. A: And you, Mikasa ? Would you avoid me if I were to talk to you ? M: No. A: Even if you're with other friends ? M: I don't have any other friends. Even if I had, they wouldn't hate you. J: Mikasa... A: Let me say that, I won't ever avoid anyone here ! That would be too mean. H: Say what you want. I'm different than you, because I'm the queen...the most popular girl in school ! I can't walk alongside with you ! J: I'm astonished...how conceited can you be ? H: I'm not conceited ! It's the truth ! It's because it's the truth that it hurts ! Do you know anything about my pressure ?! The pressure of having to be a good girl at home and at school ! I have to smile all the time to be loved by everyone ! I have to make fun of the anime that I like the most ! I'm fed up with all that ! R: Historia, that's enough ! H: No, it's not ! Nothing's fine ! There's no way it is... E: Hey, sorry to interrupt, but... H: What ? J: What, Eren ? A: Does something bother you ? Feel free to say it. M: You can open up about everything. E: Can I go to the toilet ? J: You...cut it out ! H: How about you try read the room ?? Why do you even ask us permission ! E: If I go on my own, Jean's gonna complaint about it...that's really bothersome. M: Even though he's normal, he's the weirdest... E: Really ? I think it's pretty normal. I just go to the toilet more often that everyone. H: Hah...that's so stupid. J: We were the ones at fault for believing you would say something serious. A: How about you just write your essay in the toilet ? E: Huh ? I don't want to. R: Come to think of it, I completely forgot about the essay. H: We should finish it first. M: Once again, we are back to the cruel reality. J: Let's just do it. A: Yeah. R: Okay everyone, let's finish it quickly and go home. J: Don't you try to be in charge of everything again ! E: Then, I'm going to the toilet. *bell ringing* E: It's finally over. J: I'm so tired. R: We finished just in time. M: We are finally freed from that cage. H: After all it was not impossible huh. Well, as expected of us. A: You all made me write in your place though... L: What, so you're finally going home ? J: Yeah ! R: Mr Levi, thanks for your work. L: Well, that is my work after all. Leaving that aside, what happened ? Your expressions changed since I last saw you. H: Is that so ? I was just having detention, with those five weirdos. M: That's what I want to say. A: Historia was the most surprising, right ? H: Huh ? Did you say something ? A: No, nothing ! L: Whatever. But if you've finished, then hurry and go home. You're going to dirty the floor. R: Mr Levi's right. Let's go home quickly, drink proteins and do some training. A: My World-kun's battery is running low. J: What about you, Mikasa ? Do you have someone to pick you up ? If not, then I don't mind walking you home... M: Huh ? H: Oh my, a bad boy being kind to a goth, what a sight ! J: Shut up ! That doesn't matter ! Right, Eren ? E: What ? J: The castes ! E: That kind of thing doesn't matter. J: Haha ! See ! *everyone laughing*

That is how the six who belonged to different castes, while carrying their own worries and dreams, went home, with the same bright mood. Meanwhile, the History teacher Erwin was in the library, checking their essays.

Er: Hm. "Mr. Smith, thinking about what we all did, it was a given that we ended up in detention. However, the theme "Who I am" was so stupid that it made us want to throw up. This school fixed upon us statuses like the "bad boy", "queen bee", "jock", "geek", "goth" and...the "normal person". Nevertheless, we will keep on moving forward. Without caring about other's expectations, we will do as our hearts please, and this world, this school caste...You will probably say that it isn't the right path, but still, it will surely connect to a future. To a future decided by none other than us."...they're really idiots to the end.

Erwin left with a mysterious laugh. The evening sun illuminated the empty library through the window, and their essay was left there, dyed in gold, like the sun was shining upon their hopes.

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #aot #snk #attack on school caste #attack on school castes #snk drama cd #aot drama cd #my translation #Eren Jaeger #Mikasa Ackerman #armin arlert #reiner braun #historia reiss #Jean Kirschtein #levi ackerman #Erwin Smith

98 notes · View notes

kaicko · 3 years ago

Note

Rukia Kuchiki and Zenitsu Agatsuma!

Rukia Kuchiki 🐰❄🐰❄

Favorite thing about her:

Ok so that was nearly impossible to decide because I love her very much, so I decided to try to have an objective and neutral point of view..... aaaand I still ended up not finding anything because she is PERFECT. But ultimately, I think that's the thing I like about her, she's perfect as a character, in the sense that she's perfectly *balanced*. Like, if I was an author, my #1 goal would be to have characters that as well balanced as she is, personality and ability wise. She's perfect but it doesn't feel exaggerated because she has imperfections too, you see? What I mean is that I'm totally biased. Conclusion: Best girl, 11/10, I love her.

Least favorite thing about her:

Her brother. That bastard's unsufferable.

Favorite line:

"I know what it means to be alone. I know the loneliness of being a prisoner. I know the joy you feel when your friends come to rescue you and the fear of them being injured and defeated. Don't fear, Orihime." Chap. 269

Excuse me while I cry "I remember where the heart lies" is a close second.

brOTP:

Orihime and Ichigo, they're so good for her, I'm weak

OTP:

Renji. Honestly, I just can't really picture her with anyone else haha, but I think a lot of other pairings with her are very good too, I'm very soft for Rukihime for example. :D

nOTP:

I don't have any in particular... maybe byaruki, but it's not really nOTP material, it's more like 'meh'

Random headcanon:

-She discovered Ukitake's secret snack stash and now she perpetuates the tradition of giving them away to kids (except now the kids are Ichika, Nemu and Kazui)

-Her captain haori is a bit too large for her but she loves having long floppy sleeves :D

-She cried the first time she saw a baby seal.

-the bunny hairpin is canon.

Unpopular opinion:

I love her long hair in the final chapter, she looks beautiful. I'm not even sure this is an unpopular opinion haha, I love her other haircuts too!

Song I associate with her:

Shatter me - Lindsey Stirling feat. Lzzy Hale

Honestly if no one makes an AMV of the fight against Äs Nödt with this song is there even a point in bringing back the anime?

Favorite picture of her:

Girl, I'm the exact same.

Zennitsu Agatsuma ⚡😢⚡😢

Favorite thing about him:

Somehow, his cowardice. Shonen protagonists usually shine by their reckless bravery so I'm very glad to see characters like Zennitsu getting attention :D Chapters #33 and #34/episode 17 were absolutely amazing, it really sealed him as great character to me and, in my opinion, the all scene is an exemple of well done character development.

Least favorite thing about him:

His pervy side, when will mangaka stop with that ?

Favorite line:

"I'm having a dream...a happy dream. I'm strong, stronger than anyone else. I can help weak and troubled people anytime. All that time grandpa spent training me, it wasn't for nothing, I got stronger thanks to him. A dream where I can be useful to everyone." Chap. 34

brOTP:

Tanjirô and Inosuke, of course, their trio is very important to me

OTP:

I don't really ship him with anyone haha

nOTP:

zennitsu x any of the adults, I guess?

Random headcanon:

-he'd probably be good at music if he tried :D (good ears)

Unpopular opinion:

I can't really say because I have no idea what the 'popular' opinions about him are haha soooo here's a quick sketch as a distraction!! :

Song I associate with him:

Cry baby - American Avenue

I saw an AMV and now I can't dissociate that song from him hehe

Favorite picture of him:

There's so much hilarious shot/faces in the manga but I think my fav is this one:

Not a single brain cell in sight.

Thank you for asking 😁🌼🍀

#ask meme #that was fun :D #bleach #kny #demon slayer #rukia kuchiki #kuchiki rukia #Zennitsu Agatsuma #agatsuma zennitsu

28 notes · View notes

longinglook · 4 years ago

Note

hi anna!! can i ask what are your favorite fightor moments? i miss them ;(

ahhhh of course you can ask i’ll never get tired of talking about them! (I’m going to follow a chronological order because there’s no way I could rank them by which one I like the most)

-First meeting (ep 1)

I loved that we got to see their first interactions from more than one point of view, first with a neutral interpretation and then from Fighter’s memories because it made everything feel even more special. Fighter messes up Tutor’s name and doesn’t know how to explain it (even to himself) so he reacts with annoyance and Tutor has no clue about what he just started in Fighter’s head and they don’t really understand what’s going on yet but Fighter definitely feels that there’s something about this boy that makes him interesting to him. I just love the general confusion of them both and the fact that it wasn’t love at first sight but something definitely clicked for them, but they had to spend time to figure it out.

-Accidental bench nap (ep 3 + 4)

The premises for this scene were a bit silly because I am sure it’s not that easy to get locked inside a University, but it still gave us such a wholesome moment that I can’t complain about it. Once again they are both confused about what’s going on and how their bodies seem to be at ease with each other when they’re supposed to be enemies. One thing that I really liked is that they both fall asleep on each other, showing us that they are completely equal in the relationship right from the start. There isn’t a weak sleepy one and a strong protective one, they both at different points of the night lower their guard enough to fall asleep on each other’s shoulder. I adore how awkward yet soft they are with each other even then, when they were still arguing and bickering constantly

-Study dates (ep 5)

I have been moderately obsessed with their study dates since realizing that in ep 5 we got an actual montage of many different sessions (i spent months thinking it was just one day). It’s not exacly one moment but it’s a great indicator of how their relationship evolved so quickly, it’s nice to see how playful Fighter is when he’s around Tutor, how they can be serious and focused together but also how much fun they have without really meaning to. And of course it’s an early taste of the domesticity to come, but mostly serves the function of showing how they fell for each other, in the intimacy of Tutor’s condo, studying together and getting to know each other session by session.

-Food spilling accident (ep 6)

This is when Tutor begins to see through Fighter’s facade and realize there’s a lot more to it. Fighter is so surprised and moved by Tutor’s generosity, something that nobody has ever done for him, that he forgets about his walls and masks and finally shows his feelings on his face. I love that a gesture that looks so mundane and normal to Tutor, who has grown up in a loving and caring environment (at least on his mother’s side) manages to shake Fighter so much, it shows that they can help each other heal, with the proper communication. I also like that Tutor pulls back at the end, realizing that he is still confised and needs time to truly figure out what’s happening, what he wants and what Fighter wants.

-Ep 7 part 4

This is more than a moment but it might be my favorite segment of any of the episodes. The airport scene is perfect, so incredibly well acted and emotional, I adore how Fighter has no clue what to do to cheer Tutor up because he’s never wanted or cared enough to do that for someone else, but he still tries his best and Tutor can sense it. I adore the small role reversal on the rooftop when Tutor is ready to give up on talking about it but Fighter stops him, but then Fighter is the hesitant one and Tutor has to lead him, and then again as they’re counting down Tutor looks like he’s scared while Fighter is determined. I just love how when it comes to them they never have fixed roles. (wow looking for a gif for this made me realize I never really giffed much from this episode, that’s unfortunate)

-Morning kiss krub (ep 10)

I could easily list every single scene of episodes 9 and 10 but I’m trying to restrain myself and morning kiss krub is for sure my favorite moment out of them all. I love it sooooooooo much, I love the slowness and softest of it all, it shows us how much of an impact they’ve had on each other’s lives, how they are both happier and more serene now that they’re honest about their feelings. The scene shows us love and trust and affection and care and intimacy and ahhhh so many emotions, it’s my go to scene for when I want to get in my fttt feelings, it’s great motivation and inspiration to write.

-Final beach hug (ep 13)

Definitely one of my favorite scenes, and it’s fitting that it’s right at the end of the series. It manages to incorporate every single element of their relationship in one kiss and hug, there’s needy Fighter asking for a hug, there’s the heat of their kisses, there’s Tutor gently stroking Fighter’s cheek and neck, and there’s Fighter stealing one last surprise kiss while Tutor laughs and pretends to complain, all in a beautiful setting with the sunset light making the whole scene feel even warmer. (I like it so much that it’s my sidebar gif and I have a few different gisets of it lol)

I could go on for hours about this but I tried very hard to limit myself and not make it into a super long post, but my brain is always ready to supply more commentary when it comes to Them

#ask #anonymous #meta #why r u #fightertutor

102 notes · View notes

itsdappleagain · 4 years ago

Text

CS Season 3 Thoughts...

Okay, overall?? Kinda disappointed, like a lot of people. Only five episodes, its been covered. Its disappointing. But lets go over them, shall we...

The Luchadora Tango Caper

Overall thoughts? Well, this season seems so....separated? Kind of out of character and disconnected. I’ll go over why at the end.

Haha, do the Cleaners do everything?? They can cook, rig explosives, kidnap people, play bagpipes, fly a helicopter...is technology really their weakness? Oops. That’s not for another few episodes.

Poor Cleo. She seems rather out of character in this season too. All she wants is to be warm. Throughout, she seems so...almost inexperienced? Where’s the sharp-tongued, sarcastic, delicate in taste and style Cleo we know? She’s there in places.....just...

They faked us out. I thought we were going to see Carmen tangoing. Also, is it just me, or is there a lot of...leg wrapping...this season..?

Ah yes, thank you, musical cues, I was worried Shadow-san had torn Carmen to pieces since Season 3. That’s her triumph score; maybe its like a “welcome back to cs” or something. Honestly, the whole “she’s been missing all summer” seems weird and unexplained, and unnecessary.

Does Veracruz exist? Yes, it does, how did that fly under our radars?

“I have his eyes” tore me to bits. Oh my gosh what a line. She’s seeing her father for the first time.

Thank you for showing us the 10 passports and giving us some pictures, we will never hear anything about Dexter or Vera after this episode again

She was an adorable baby and Carmen acknowledging this is hilarious

“Who may I have the pleasure of declining?” is another really funny line to me

This fight between Carmen and Spinkick has no suspense and its really a bad one to be honest, but holy crap Spinkick can dent stone lol

It makes a lot of sense that Catching Carmen Sandiego 101 is a class now, lol. I really want to see it. That- those fights were horrible by the way. Does Shadowsan know how to use the bolas? Because we know Carmen sure can’t.

Coach sure does like making messes and ruining tables

Ivy is so supportive this season and I am here for it. Kinda unlike Zack who is just “Hi, I hate fish and I misunderstand names” guy.

Yeah Maelstrom, what the hell did you let her walk for? Brunt easily captured her and you want to enforce sketchy psychological doubts in her mind? What?

Don’t show your face, Maelstrom says to Brunt. You know. After kidnapping a law enforcer with apparently perfect face memory recall who now has your face plastered all over wanted posters. Oh, and that Lutedor you knocked out didn’t see your face either

There is so much indirect calling Carmen good looking this season? What? I mean she is but it is so weird

Zack saying juicy steaks is so so uncomfortable

Carmen is so disengaged this season???? *Finds a link to her mother and pictures of her father* oh its another *sad sigh* link to my past. *Wow, you look like your mother, and I knew her, and her name!* Oh. Can you tell me about her.. Family is Carmen’s main trigger and source of steam in s1 and, mostly, s2. Now we get actual parts about it and she seems like she doesn’t care.

HAHA! Julia even gets her own little entrance with music and “camera” angles. And she is SO dismissively sassy sometimes in this season, I love what little we do get of her. I mean it is REALLY out of character, she hardly ever gets sassy/angry. But everyone is out of character so what the hell might as well enjoy it

“We have a fresh Carmen sighting!” Devineaux: “Haha!” Julia: *sigggggghhh* Julia girl, whats up? Please don’t leave forever. I know you said your head was in the game but your heart wasn’t, but? What? Why? Your heart seems to have been in it in season 2! Did you have a really bad summer??

Player has a space alien and a sock on his dresser and why am I not surprised

Okay, Carmen, because sitting down against a door you’re waiting to open (and you have waited for three seconds) is a great thing to do

Hahhaha Player. “I’m sorry, did you not attend a school for thieves?” Carmen is so sad though “Hey, just broke into your house, I’m your long lost daughter” and she should be sadder about the long lost daughter thing!??! It is so out of character!?!?

And so, Uncatchable Master Super Thief Carmen Sandiego breaks into an unknown house without checking it for people or weapons, after waiting three seconds to be let in. What? What?

The casual use of “mommy” and “daddy” is so, so very strange and I hate it a lot

*Snort* Zack and Ivy are doing their best but it is sot hard to see how they got caught by VILE in TSONTS

jgkjjdf Ivy just slings Zack to the floor and he can not move her an inch

I love Lupe a lot and I hope she returns

Carmen is more wholesome in this season too, it seems, probably because of this whole disengaged character shift but its cute

Devineaux *s t r u t s*

I would be concerned if Chief hadn’t made him take the driving course but I was still terrified for Julia’s life ALSO JULIA JUST. ROLLS HER EYES SASSY QUEEN

How is it that Zack and Ivy haven’t been arrested or killed yet, they have been seen so many times with her

Ah, yes. The famed roses scene. Okay, fine, fine....ugh

Julia is looking for Carmen behind because she learned her lesson with Devineaux! yes

Julia knows what is up but Devineaux gesturing at the trophies is pretty funny

Carmen just gets yoinked off her feet by Brunt and it is the most concerned she has been all season and will be all season because getting lifted off your feet in a crowded public place with strong friends and lawmen all around is much scarier than being electrocuted, kidnapped, and gagged on a plane going to an unknown location

Coach Brunt was the Imposter

“This isn’t your fight,” Carmen says, instead of accepting help from the woman who she has seen easily lift probably 300 pounds or more to help her get rid of the lady who’s tried to murder her like twice and nearly succeeded

Oh my gosh Devineaux actually spots her peeking out and recognizes her instead of blindly following Zack/Ivy and Carmen is PEEKING OUT WHY

Carmen is handcuffed and its really funny She just drags him along like later would be a much better time for her fhdgfkhdhsf Also she is much funnier when she threatens people with a bumbling idiot cuffed to her wrist, although he is much less of a bumbling idiot this season, I must say

Of. Course. Carmen has a device which just unlocks handcuffs why wouldn’t she?!

How is Devineaux not dead

HAHA SHE JUST EXAPSERATEDLY DRAGS HIM AWAY “COME ON DEVINEAUX” that is quiet honestly hilarious to me like “My god why do I have to keep dragging you out of stupidly dangerous situations involving Brunt where you get injured”

Oh? Did they rehearse Lupe jumping off Carmen’s back? Lupe had no way to know Carmen was strong or steady enough to handle that

Saira cackling at Brunt getting beat up is the best thing I’ve ever witnessed and she is drawing a thief cat oh my god

Did Lupe still win if that wasn’t her opponent and she had help from Carmen and a debatably helpful policeman

Julia my child what happened to you? Why are you like Zari now?

Devineaux just can’t keep a car in good condition ever can he? I love how Julia just stands there covering her mouth with her hands

My god Carmen are you going to tell your story and motives to every person you meet this season? Oh? Yes? Oh, okay

No, Brunt, not a single soul saw your face. Nope.

VILE is so, so very unsinister during most of these episodes. They went from murder and trauma to pumpkin carving and nougat

Well, anyway. I’ll do more episodes coming soon.

#carmen sandiego #carmen sandiego season three #carmen sandiego spoilers #carmen sandiego season three spoilers #spoilers

7 notes · View notes

inessencedevided · 5 years ago

Text

The Untamed, episode 28 - watching notes

To recap: Jiang Cheng is currently on a visit in Wei Wuxian's man-cave

Tbh, until now, Jiang Cheng has done nothing I could hate him for. Of course, he's often short-sighted, hot-headed and too wrapped up in his own insecurities, but non of that I can hate him for. It just makes me sad that their trauma and the rigidity of their society is driving a wedge between these brothers 💔

I love Wei Wuxian and his strong sense of justice, but he is naive if he believes the clans will leave him be after this

Jiang Cheng is so terrified to ruin his own clan that he is consciously going against what he just demonstrates he knows is right :/

JC to wwx: "No one will speak for you."

"In the eyes of the four main clans, you're a geek ... " excuse me what? 😂

(I get what they're probably trying to say, but once again, the subtitles provide unexpected hilarity in an otherwise bleak scene ^^)

None of this is okay 😭

Noooo

Don't. I'm certain this is one of Jiang Cheng's biggest fears come true

Their tears 😭😭😭

There is nothing that breaks my heart more than siblings turning against each other 💔💔💔

I think I've said so before, but Wei Wuxian is the epitome of a gryffindor. And I'll add that I believe Jiang Cheng is a prime example of a Slytherin. Equally determined, but for entirely different reasons. (That's not an insult btw ;))

A-Yuan 😭😭😭😭

Wen Qing is joining the "pushing people away to protect them club". Not a chance my dear, you're talking to the president

I adore the budding friendship between wwx and wen Qing is all that's pulling me through right now :')

That and A-Yuan

Honestly, wen Qing and Jiang cheng is the only het ship I'm interested in on this show so far 😅 (so if course, it's doomed to end tragically :|)

All these people being kept apart by circumstance or by society or by their own stubbornness ... 😔

Ning 😥

I love this song so much :)

Wait what? They actually set up a meeting just to fight? These dramatic bitches

Somehow the atmosphere during this fight scene is ... weird

It's not as solemn as I expected it to be

Holy shit, he really wounded him :(

Wait until you have to explain this to Shijie, Jiang cheng

Talking of which 😢

Her dream 🥺

Stop putting on an act and let people help you, you stupid hero!!!! Half of this wouldn't have happened if you'd just used your words once in a while to actually convide in people who goddamn care about you!!! 🤬🤬🤬

Sorry

I'll give it to Jin Zixuan, that was cute :D

For someone of his upbringing to literally get himself dirty for someone else? That's big :)

Okay okay, I was wrong, you all were right, these two are actually quite cute :D

One month later ...

It took wwx and wen Ning a single month to reach the status of folk tale figure. I'm impressed

Lan Wangji, on the other hand, isn't :D

😂😂😂

Same girl, same :D

A-Yuan!!!!

He's like: you! Yes you! You're my dad now! :D

Also, random anecdote, apparently I also once hugged a random dude on the street when I was 4 and wouldn't let go. No one knows why, least of all, me🤷‍♀️

And omg, wwx!

I didn't expect them to meet again so soon!

Worried dad wwx is 🥰🥰🥰

Also, the look on his face when he sees lwj 😍

Oooh, poor lwj. He's within the general vicinity of wwx for like 5 minutes and once again his life is upended and he's a dad :D

"Raising a child is a learning process" for once a random extra is actually helpful 😂

This scene just gave me back 10 years of my life. Pour nourishment for the soul :)

The loooooooook

The music

The everything 🥰

Imma go rewind and watch it a second time :D

Oh I'm so weak for soft dad lwj 😭

I want to live in this scene forever 💚💚💚

They're falling in love all over again :)

Omg, I'm screaming!!! Lwj isn't the strict dad,he's the I'm-going-to-get-you-everything-you-want-if-you-look-at-me-with-cute-puppy-eyes-dad 😂😂😂

And, problem is, he's got two kids with cute puppy-eyes at home, not just one :D

Oh this was so beautiful. Can I just call it quits and pretend they ran away together after this and raised A-Yuan together and nothing hurts???

Must I watch the next episode? 😭

@sweetlittlevampire @fandom-glazed @elenirlachlagos @allhailthedramallama @luckymoony @kyrrahbird (I am watching the last 10 minutes a second time now. Nothing can stop me :D)

#sophie watches the untamed #the untamed #wwx #wei wuxian #lan wangji #lwj #wangxian #a yuan #wen yuan #wen qing #wen ning #jiang cheng #jiang yanli #jin zixuan #yiling patriarch #yiling laozu

35 notes · View notes

youngrevolutionary · 5 years ago

Text

GENERAL.

full name. Seifer Almasy pronunciation. Sigh-Fer Al-ma-see nicknames. Sir Seifer, Knight, Sei, Seif height. 6′2″ age. 18 26 (post-game) zodiac. Capricorn languages. Commonspeak, Centran (studied, never practiced.) (Tenebrean, Nifen in XV Verse)

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.

hair colour. Golden blond eye colour. Blue-green skin tone. Warm body type. Ectomorph, very fit, lean muscle. accent. Non-regional diction. Articulate. Clear. Educated. Will taper off into a more casual speech among familiars.) dominant hand. Right posture. Strong stature, wide stance. Solid with shoulders back and head high. Sure-footed. scars. The very obvious scar across his forehead and nose. Various battle nicks and cuts from training and combat. tattoos. None in his default verse. most noticeable features. Tall. Blond. Strikingly handsome. He carries a presence of authority.

CHILDHOOD.

place of birth. Alnaj region of Centra hometown. Unknown, a village among the mountain face that has since been destroyed. Allegedly. birth weight / height. 10 pounds, 22″ inches / 60 cm manner of birth. Natural birth. first words. Apple. Pronounced, “Ah-paw.” siblings. None on record. (Has a brother in select verses.) parents. Artos and Celina Almasy (Deceased) parental involvement. Involved and present up until their recorded deaths during the Sorceress War. Seifer was sent to Edea’s Orphanage in Cape of Good Hope, in Centra.

ADULT LIFE

occupation. Retired Knight. Now a mercenary-for-hire and young revolutionist by smuggling and moving weapons and curatives out of Garden and into the hands of Timber’s Resistance. current residence. Balamb Garden. close friends. Rinoa Heartilly, Squall Leonhart - Primary verse, Petra Fortis (Begrudgingly), Dave Aburnbrie - Meldacio/FFXV verse, Yazoo - FF7 Verse relationship status. Single, maybe. (Verse dependent as I’m not single-ship.) financial status. Comfortable. driver’s license. Licensed and registered to drive Garden-issued transport vehicles, personal motorized vehicles and motorcycles. criminal record. Seifer is a war criminal. He committed insidious acts against humanity through the direct manipulation of a time witch. Charges include but are not limited to: International war crimes, compromising neutral alliances, illegal occupation of townships and harbors, aiding and abetting, innumerable Garden Code violations, theft of government property, acts of domestic and international terrorism, arson, treason, torture, wrongful imprisonment, murder.

SEX & ROMANCE.

sexual orientation. Bisexual romantic orientation. Biromantic, male-leaning. (Seifer is attracted to masculinity.) preferred emotional role. submissive | dominant | switch | unsure preferred sexual role. submissive | dominant | switch | sex repulsed libido. Moderate turn on’s. Power and experience. He will always enjoy a confident and adventurous partner. Firm hands, playfulness. turn off’s. Weak partners, submissives, bottoms, uncertainty, virgins. love language. He’s not terribly well-versed on it. He gives gifts in the form of practical items. Coffee, a book if he really likes someone. relationship tendencies. He is emotionally distant. If he feels love, he will become possessive, protective. If he feels trust, he will allow that emotional distance to close, bit by bit. If it is betrayed, you will never earn it back.

MISCELLANEOUS.

character’s theme song. FFVIII didn’t have specific theme songs, but I have always associated The Stage Is Set as Seifer’s Theme. It’s an emotionally-driven piece that is played particularly before two very important scenes which strongly tie to Seifer. Unrest is another that plays during two important scenes during the game. hobbies to pass the time. Reading, training, people watching, studying, info gathering. mental illnesses. PTSD, mild anxiety, at risk for episodic psychosis, symptoms of OCD present, delusions of grandeur physical illnesses. None, but he has a resistance to GF junctioning. left or right brained. Right fears. Failure, loss of control, powerlessness.

self-confidence level. He has an impressively high measure of self-confidence. What is often misunderstood for as arrogance is really a very sure and honest understanding of what he is capable of. He is arrogant, yes, but he is also aware of his aptitudes. vulnerabilities. Manipulation and influence, his own arrogance and reckless abandon. His drive for achieving and doing something he will be known for. He is prone to being jealous and possessive. Quick to lose sight of the whole picture when he sets forth on his ambitions. Is also a braggart.

tagged by: I found it neatly tucked between the plush cushions of @xkuja ’s luxurious chaise lounge. tagging: You, darling. You.

#;tag game #i couldn't resist it because i love love love detailed things like these

10 notes · View notes

askthedespairkids · 6 years ago

Text

3rd Year Anniversary Bonus 79-C Report Cards

//I do have more stuff planned for this year’s anniversary but it’s gonna take more time to finish so I figured I would make this post in place just for fun. It’s nice to have these sort of things, I think since there are just so many OCs on the blog

//It will get updated as new OCs join or important information is uncovered.

Amaterasu Hokama - Ultimate Thief

Gender: Female

Height: 5′ 11″

Birthday: April 20th

Likes: Shiny Things

Dislikes: Security Guards

Current Status: Alive

Amaterasu’s family was evicted from their home when she was young, her parents “homeschooling” her in order for her to avoid bullying. When her family were struggling for food, she would steal from stores in order for them to keep surviving. As she grew up, she found her love for the thrill of a heist growing. She would go on larger heists in rich homes and museums, but rather than keeping anything for herself, she would return it the next day. Like it was a simple game for her. Eventually, word got out about a girl that could potentially steal from anywhere she wanted to. An underground team of thieves then decided to recruit her in order to get help for their heists. At first she helped out to get some money for her family, but once they had enough money to get a home and had a stable income, Amaterasu reported all of the people in that team to the authorities. She was also sent to a juvenile center but managed to escape after a week. Though she is rarely ever seen, there are always reports of “an girl that acts like a wolf wandering around the city”.

Doi Kurohiko - Ultimate Romance Expert

Gender: Male

Height: 5′10″

Birthday: November 14th

Likes: Roses

Dislikes: Creepy People

Current Status: Alive

With a handsome face, and a talent like his, Doi is often mistaken as a player at first glance, however his actual personality is the complete opposite. He has awful luck when talking to women, which he calls “his heart’s curse” which causes unfortunate events to happen such as falling down stairs, ripping his pants, and many other occurrences. Despite his failures, he tries to remain optimistic even if he isn’t the most strong willed. His talent isn’t for show either- if you want to fix your relationship, Doi is the one to ask. With a tendency to go off on rants when nervous and a weakness for women, Doi is the walking Ultimate Contradiction.

Junpei Yokozawa - Ultimate Blogger

Gender: Male

Height: 5′2″

Birthday: April 16th

Likes: Co-op Games

Dislikes: Horror Movies

Current Status: Alive

The blogger of several semi-popular blogs that cover a variety of topics such as fandoms, political views, and even gossip, Junpei Yokozawa may be a blogger, but he’s a damn good one. Overshadowed by the rest of family having flashy talents, he’s never seen himself as being worth much in the world of Ultimates. However, his ability to manipulate internet culture is second-to-none despite his lack of presence in real life.

Karma Graves - Ultimate Secret Agent

Gender: Was thought to be intersex by certain staff, and female by peers and other staff. It has come to attention that Karma Graves is a parasitic twin with both male and female organs. Karma Graves says they identify simply as "Karma", and used they/them pronouns.

Height: 5'3"

Birthday: January 18th

Likes: Ukulele

Dislikes: The dark

Current Status: Alive

For the first 13 years of their life, Karma Graves was kept locked in a small basement by their biological father and were heavily abused. This caused some damage to their overall mental health and stability. Their only source of knowledge on the outside world was through movies from the 90s, resulting in Karma preferring to dress as colourful as possible, use the occasional 90's slang, and develop nostalgia for a generation they were never a part of. Karma was eventually rescued by a secret, organized agency which took them under their wing and trained them as one of their own. Though not being in training for very long, they showed natural skill and talent. They trained at the Canadian branch, but had short training sessions in Japan. The agency wasn't always the most moralistic and good, yet Karma dedicated their life to it. Karma had been invited to Hope's Peak Academy, but their superiors said they wold not be attending. This changed and Karma was sent to Hope's Peak after helping a prisoner of the agency, who they allegedly had a relationship with, escape. The prisoner was killed on sight. Karma tends to have violent tendencies and manic episodes, but their loyalty and love for their friends is overpowering.

Kobo Okanaya - Ultimate Tour Guide

Gender: Male

Height: 6′2″

Birthday: June 14th

Likes: Boxing

Dislikes: Fish

Other Affiliations: Starlight Tour Company

Current Status: Alive

Kobo became a tour guide while he was growing up in a deprived area of a port town. He was saved by the manager of a tour guide company during a street fight and to return the favour, he learned the craft of being a tour guide. At first, his rough personality made it hard for him to interact with tourists though over time, through teaching he adapted a “Work Personality” which utilises his non-rough appearance, even changing his mannerisms to seem like a more appealing tour guide. His knowledge of Japan’s streets and landmarks were noticed by Hope’s Peak after their scout had caught wind of a teen tour guide being able to put others to shame. Though despite his work personality, Kobo is always ready to get into a fight.

Maemi Watanabe - Ultimate Harem Mangaka

Gender: Female

Height: 5′6″

Birthday: July 8th

Likes: Cherry Blossoms

Dislikes: Being called a Fujoshi

Other Affiliations: HeartBeat Publishing

Current Status: Alive

Calm and level-headed, Maemi does not seem like the type to produce such critically acclaimed harem series. Always wishing to be a writer, but being unable to write long stories with one single couple, Maemi began writing harem manga as a way to let her creative muse run wild. She is the leader type and has a strong attitude which helps her keep control of situations where people may succumb to stress which helped her during ...-Missing Data-...She can also feel out of place in her class since she feels her backstory is not as tragic as the other members of her class. Her only true struggle being her bad luck with men. Suppressing tropes, and wishing to make harem manga more beloved by the public, her headstrong attitude is admired by all mangaka across all genres.

Mami Asano - Ultimate Living Doll

Gender: Female

Height: 5′6″

Birthday May 6th

Likes: Bugs

Dislikes: Chaos

Current Status: Alive

Mami Asano was a regular child, albeit living in luxury, up until the age of 6. It was then that her parents began having her undergo multitudes of surgeries done by underground doctors who would be willing to operate such procedures that would be traumatizing and illegal to do to a child. Mami's surgeries continued until her parents had felt she reached the epitome of artificial beauty: a living doll. Mami was trained to be obedient, submissive, and docile - never questioning her parents or making a decision for herself. She was homeschooled and taught things such as classical literature and music, dance, a number of instruments, high class manners, and other things. She is graceful and elegant. Mami was given severe restrictions on what she could eat, say, and do. She attended frequent public and private events - appearing at art shows or attending formal dances and galas. If she wasn't participating in the event like a regular attendant, she was on display either sitting or standing in a glass case perfectly still, or behind a rope in a large faux "dollhouse", going about and interacting with the environment while others watched, and even gave commands so as to "play" with her. Mami was invited to Hope's Peak and was reluctantly given permission to attend by her parents who believed that her attendance was one of the highest honours

Rina Kirishima - Ultimate Taxidermist

Gender: Female

Height: 5′1″

Birthday: August 1st

Likes: All kinds of tea

Dislikes: Her loved ones in distress

Current Status: Alive

Introduced to the craft of taxidermy by her grandmother, Rina demonstrated a real talent for it. Unfortunately, her talent and meek demeanour caused her to be bullied in middle school and this shattered her self-worth. Believing she was unworthy to be called by her real name, Rina began referring to herself with the acronym “RAM”, standing for “Rina’s Another Mistake” - “Another Mistake” being the nickname given to her by her bullies. With the help of Sakura Oogami at Hope’s Peak Academy, Rina was finally able to grow a love for herself. Not nearly as shy as she was, Rina consistently does her best to spread kindness to everyone she meets. Her loving heart is always open, and she’s not afraid to give out hugs and the occasional nose kiss. She shows a strong will when confronted with a problem, but will try to solve it with as much thoughtfulness as possible. Hardly will she get extremely angry, but a surefire way to make her mad is to threaten the wellbeing of her loved ones. She also takes her pinky-promises rather seriously, and would appreciate them not be broken.

Ryuu Nagata - Ultimate Lucky Student

Gender: Male

Height: 5′8″

Birthday: February 14th

Likes: Katsudon

Dislikes: Grapes

Current Status: Alive

The twin of Sora Nagata and the 79th class’ Ultimate Lucky student. Unlike other lucky students, Ryuu’s luck doesn’t affect him, but rather the people around him. The earliest sign of this was after he was born, his parents had won the lottery which took place the same week, though at the time they had no idea Ryuu was responsible. Originally a meek and shy boy, Ryuu has grown to become the leader of Future Foundation’s 2nd base, albeit not being confident in his abilities as the leader quite yet.

Sadao Irunami - Ultimate Hypnotist

Gender: Male

Height: 5′6″

Birthday: May 23rd

Likes: Pendulums

Dislikes: Blackouts

Other Affiliations: The Irunami Circus

Current Status: Resurrected

A playful prankster who was a former member of a travelling circus, Sadao learned all he knew from the ringmaster of the circus, his grandfather. He has an impulsive and child-like nature which many can find troublesome though he manages to have his moments of showing off his calculating and selfless side when he wishes to help his friends. When he was young, he no longer wished to be part of the circus and he ran away and became a street performer in Tokyo until Hope’s Peak Academy took notice and asked him to join 79-C.

Saori Kibe - Ultimate Paranormal Investigator

Gender: Female

Height: 5′ 11″

Birthday: June 13

Likes: Conspiracies, the paranormal, and scene aesthetic

Dislikes: Non-believers

Current Status: Alive

Saori genuinely believes she was abducted by aliens and tested on as a toddler. Whether or not this actually happened is unknown. She believes this is why she’s able to interact with the paranormal how she does - and has since been seeking out all the paranormal things she can, helping people with their paranormal problems along the way. She would even travel to different countries and continents. Saori was let into Hope’s Peak as the Ultimate Paranormal Investigator. Saori is a trans girl preferring she/her pronouns, despite her school records saying her dead name and pronouns.

Sly ??? - Ultimate Assassin

Gender: Male

Height: 6’1”

Birthday: July 9th

Likes: Pancakes, Training, Naps

Dislikes: People questioning his abilities

Other Affiliations: ??? Assassin Agency

Current Status: Alive

Having lost both his father and mother, Sly has become the leader of the worlds biggest assassin agency at the age of 18. He has been killing since the young age of 4, making him an extremely experienced fighter. After losing his mother he threw himself into the family business quickly becoming one the top assassins in the business. He wears her dog tag around his neck at all times, which was given to him as a gift from his childhood friend and partner Maki Harukawa. It’s said that his eyes turn from their natural grey to a deep black when filled with rage earning him the name “The Demon Killer” across the Underworld.

Tomoe Hachi - Ultimate Illustionist

Gender: ??? (Goes by They/Them pronouns)

Height: 5’8”

Birthday: September 1st

Likes: Konpeito

Dislikes: Coffee

Current Status: Alive

Tomoe keeps their personal life a mystery. However, they have told people that they’ve simply practiced magic tricks and illusions since they were 4, and may have forgone eating or sleeping for it. They like to keep their mask and magician attire on to hide their physical appearance, except for their hair, which is black, curly and messy. They say that the mysterious aura helps them with their illusions.

Toson Shinko - Ultimate Horror Movie Director

Gender: Male

Height: 6′0″

Birthday: August 30th

Likes: Suspense

Dislikes: Unnecessary Gore

Other Affiliations: Shinko Movie Productions

Current Status: Deceased (As of The Big Bang Arc)

An award winning and genre changing director with a surplus of modern classics, Toson is the most influential director of modern times, even though his reasoning for becoming a director was not in any way inspirational. His father, Shouji Shinko, was a failed horror movie director, and not wishing to be associated with his failures, Toson decided he would create his own horror movies and make a name for himself, separate from his father. Arrogant about his achievements, Toson can be off-putting to people who aren’t used to his blunt words and rude mannerisms, however deep down he can’t stand being around conventionally attractive people as he falls in love easily, nor can he sit by when his friends are hurting.

Tsukiko Ishikawa - Ultimate Thanatologist

Gender: Female

Height: 5′4″

Birthday: August 15th

Likes: Body Farms

Dislikes: Processed Cheese

Current Status: Alive (Thinks of herself as undead)

As a thanatologist, Tsukiko is an expert in all things death: decomposition, rituals, funerals, etc. Similarly, she dresses appropriately in dark clothing. However, in sharp contrast, she's easily one of the most upbeat, cheerful one could meet. While she can come across as weird and creepy, she's really a nice girl. However, her most eccentric quality may be the fact that she believes she's already dead: she suffers from Cotard's Delusion, believing herself to be a walking corpse, even when others point out the inconsistencies in that fact.

Yuuki Kurosaki - Ultimate ??? (Claims of Ultimate Explorer and Ultimate Theorist)

Gender: Male

Height: 6′0″

Birthday: July 1st

Likes: Scrapbooks

Dislikes: Arrows

Current Status: Alive

Travelling from continent to continent, Yuuki Kurosaki is always searching for his next adventure. With credits for discovering hidden temples across the globe and recovering treasure, Yuuki is known among treasure hunters and explorers alike. He loves and values family over everything else, especially admiring his brother Taro. Though he also fears creating bonds with people after...-Data Missing-...occurred, though after he,...-Data Missing-... and two others...-Data Missing-... His personality became more unpredictable.

#Mod J #mod post #DR #anniversary post

6 notes · View notes

baphelon · 7 years ago

Text

The Ancient Magus Bride/Mahoutsukai no Yome and the magic of its world

Since the Anime has now come to a close and the next Manga chapter won’t be out soon I will state my thoughts on The Ancient Magus’ Bride in a little ramble-review-thingy.

So first I will give a little tl;dr without spoilers: I very much recommend this show. Go watch it now, or read the Manga (best is both) if you want to treat yourself with one of the most heartfelt, creative and beautiful fantasy dramas ever made. It is really something special and it is my favourite Anime BY FAR. The Manga is also an amazing read. Go check it out. But I would advise to watch the three ova episodes after episode 13. It is at least worth checking out if you are into fantasy, dramas, romance (but only to a certain degree), mythology and if you can take some mild body horror.

WARNING! THERE WILL BE A LONG POST AND SOME SPOILERS AFTER THE CUT!

So first I will go over the stuff I liked about the Anime, then some stuff I disliked and then I will ramble on in a kind of conclusion.

PROS:

- The art direction is just incredible. The Backgrounds, the designs... everything fits together perfectly and creates an at times breathtaking world of magic and fantasy. The way they combine illustrious panoramas with heavy symbolism is like nothing I’ve seen so far.

- The animation for the most part is above average at it’s worst and just simply stunning at the high points. - The soundtrack is one of the best animation soundtracks out there in my opinion. - The structure of the storytelling works really nice. Every phrase counts and nothing is just said to be filler. Even in the last few episodes there are callbacks to the first episodes without having to rely on flashbacks or such things.

- I love the characters. The idea of putting a traumatized main character with depression in fantasy setting that is rooted deep within mythology and folklore just works so perfectly. The way the story takes elements of Chise’s emotional state and mirrors them in fantastical settings is a very creative and deep reaching approach (like for example the way she starts seeing her childhood trauma as a curse and deals with it as she deals with the other curses she encounters). I know that she comes across as a little shallow in the first like.. 2 episodes (?) but there is a thing called “character development” and subtly but very very steadily Chise becomes stronger, independent and a very VERY lovable protagonist. I also love how Elias’ last name is Ainsworth which is a clever little nod to the developmental pychologist Mary Ainsworth who developed many theses on the bounds between a child and parents and how traumatic loss of parental figures can shape a child in its later life (recognize something familiar??!! Maybe one redhaired protagonist???). The fact that both protagonists have severe issues and are not perfect in any way shape or form makes for great drama and also great chemistry between the two.

- The supporting cast of characters is great aswell. Renfred, Alice, Simon, Titania and Silky (just to name a few) are all very interesting and cool characters to show the different points of view of the world this show builds.

- The relationship between Chise and Elias is a very interesting character study because it is never explicitly stated if it is romantic, family or even just emotional attachement. I know the finale and many other scenes point directly onto the romantic side but the show still takes its time to explore every little facet of these two. Even the negative sides of the relationship they share... like Elias getting overly possessive... or his emotional detachedness in the beginning... or Chises willingness to obey and be depended only on him just because she hasn’t been welcome anywhere in years. The whole thing is so multilayered and constructed very cleverly. We see a nonhuman magic being of unthinkable power become attached to a (VERY) mortal human and the other way around without it becoming like beauty and the beast. It is -and I cant emphasize that enough- very much different from that!

- The mythology and the way the portray magic is one of my favourite depictions of that kind of stuff ever. A+ for the Mangaka Kore Yamazaki for doing her research on celtic mythology and european folklore!

Some of my personal favourite highpoints of the show include: - The entire ep 3. That episode blew my mind when I first saw it. The introduction of Lindel and Nevin aswell as the land of dragons was soooooo good. Nevin’s last dream is still one of the biggest highlights in the entire show. - Definetly ep 14 in which Chise tries to help Joel Garland and the leanan sidhe Redcurrant. This episode was full of great emotions and the twist ending shocked everyone, I think. - Chises past as portrayed in ep. 22 was touching and the scene where her mother tries to kill her was one of the darkest scenes I think I’ve ever seen in an animated show. - The finale as the one singular original episode of the show did a very great job of tying everything together and deliver a satisfying ending without ruining the possibility of more to come. It is the end for now, but it is a great goodbye... I will miss being able to visit new sights in this wonderful world of magic on a weekly basis but the Manga will still go on, so I got that.

CONS:

- The main part of the second half is not as strong as the first half of the show. There are some pacing issues around episode 16-19 that are not ruining everything but after the deliberately slow dramatic pacing of the first 12 episodes it just feels weird that suddenly much stuff is happing in every single episode. Though granted... the Manga also suffers a little bit from that (the whole Ashen Eye turning Chise into a Fox story is solved equally as qucik and awkward in the sourcematerial for example). But it bounces back from those few a little bit weaker episodes by delivering very much in ep 20-24.

- In my opinion they kinda messed up the whole role of Mariel and the other witches. In the Manga Mariel is a very good developed character that is grounded in one of the coolest side aspects of the world... the witch coven... but in the Anime she just comes across as shallow and confusing. Especially since they decided to only introduce her and Phyllis (the witch stuck to the tree... if you haven’t read the Manga I don’t blame you for not knowing who she is) from the coven (and they even did a bad job at that) whereas the Manga shows us all the members and their little quirks. This also meant that the confrontation between Phyllis and Mariel was weird and nondramatic... but in the sourcematerial it was a very dark and heavy scene that had a lot of buildup.

- Also weird was that they decided to mute some dialogue in some of the later episodes. It worked in episode 20 when they played the music over Chises walk through the village and muted her talk with Redcurrant and the old Lady because they were no real plot relevant talk and in this situation it was just a very interesting idea to let the scene speak quietly for itself... but then they muted the talk Elias and Tory had at the college... which was plot relevant... and very confusing for everyone who hadn’t read the Manga. It felt weird and cheap. “Go buy the Manga if you want to know what they talked about and why Elias did the weird magic thing, you nincompoops!”

- They changed some of the most striking and iconic lines from the Manga that didn’t need to be watered down... the worst contender is in episode 21 when Chise hits Elias and says “You were no different”. A strong and well done line, dont get me wrong... but the original line was “You are no different than him... you are a monster aferall!” which is a faaaaar more deep cutting line. - Some of the “Chibi”-Comedy moments don’t really work in my opinion. They felt awkward and forced at times and can take you out of a scene. I tend to blame this on the way they left out some comedic parts out of the Manga, where situations like these are more frequent. The Anime takes itself more serious for the most part so it just feels a little bit out of place (though some of these moments are really funny and a good tool to release tention like the one in the finale for example). - For nearly the whole show Cartaphilus/Joseph is a very generic and weak villain. He gets some very much needed development late into the story which makes hima ctually interesting as character but up until that he is... meh. Not bad but also nothing special. I feel like there should’ve been more of the interesting (literally) split personality stuff earlier. Like... The Cartaphilus we saw in episode 5 doesn’t even remotely resemble the Cartaphilus in Episodes 20 to 24 at all.

CONCLUSIVE THOUGHTS:

Mahoutsukai no Yome is in my opinion an outstanding anime. It wrapped it’s arms tightly around my heart and it is easily my favourite anime I’ve ever watched. It is definetly not for everyone since the slow pacing, the story that sometimes calls back to every little sentence spoken in episodes before and the dark themes and complex characters aswell as the big BIIIIG chunk of iconography, mythology and symbolism thrown in can repell many people. But for me it was a perfect experience I really needed in ym life. After I found this show and binged the episodes that were released up till the point I started watching (I think it was episode 15 but ???). I read the Manga online and then ordered every volume available at once. Judging by the small Tumblr and Reddit Fanbases I saw so far I think this one will not make it big in general but it will be a sleeper hit. For me it is a 10/10 show that I will remember for a long time. I love it to pieces. Also the OVA is worth watching but do not watch it as an introduction to the show like many did... it does a very poor job in welcoming new people to world of The Ancient Magus Bride.

I kinda feel like I have to adress the “controversy” some people try to force onto this show and it’s fans. I saw many claims of this show being “pedophile propaganda” or it “romanticizing a toxic predator relationship”. I see where these claims come from when it comes to VERY FIRST impressions of the series. But if you watch further than... I don’t know episode 1 or just the trailers????? It is not that??? Like... at all?? Especially since all the involved characters are at the age of consent in their cultural environment??? And it is not sexualized... at all??? And it is critical of everything regarding that no later than episode 2?? What the fuck are these claims?! Even the name Ainsworth shows how much the creators cared to make an interesting drama involving a complex relationship... So don’t talk shit about something that is kinda harmless and that you obviously don’t get.

I could still go on for ages which aspects I like about it, which little details are amazing, how many things you can find by looking deeper into scenes... but that would be an herculean task :D

Phew that was a long one... If you are still reading this... wow thank you for tolerating my rambling! If you liked reading this, let me know! I think I will start doing more of these “review type of things” (I would like to do one for Mob Psycho 100, Re:zero or even Konosuba... maybe Hero Academia??? Who knows what I come up with).

Thanks to Kore Yamazaki and Wit Studio for giving us this amazing experience!

8 notes · View notes

aman-acan-andacityplan · 4 years ago

Text

Legend of the Galactic Heroes - A Review

Link

I guess I will start this review by saying that my history with the show is rather lengthy. I think I first stumbled onto the series around 9-10 years ago. I knew nothing of the series mild cult following and had no intention of finishing the series. I skipped through episodes and thought the concept of NOBLES.........IN.........SPACE was trite and silly. It wasn’t till several years later that I decided to revisit the show and I’m glad I did. This Japanese science fiction series, which ran in video subscription format from 1988 to 1997, depicts a future in which humanity is spread across several star systems and is divided into two forces: a democratic Free Planet Alliance and the monarchic Empire. These two factions are caught in a war that has spanned well over 100 years with no foreseeable end in sight. The rise of two military geniuses though will change the course of the war for both sides and the arc of human history to follow.

Watching the series, there a few broad traits of the show that I would like to point out before getting into the meat of what I think makes the show really work. The amount of attention and care given to world building is impressive as the history behind the Alliance and Imperial military factions spans hundreds of years. Prior to the rise of the Alliance and Empire there are even several hundred more years of backstory, which recounts early human space exploration and galactic expansion. Its also nice to indulge in a sci-fi show that avoids a lot of the overused tropes that have come to permeate science fiction in film and television as of late. Overused plot elements such as time travel, superpowers and telepathy are not found in this show, leaving the focus on big space battles and the different character dynamics across the two groups.

The series though is not without some faults. I think the show’s most glaring weakness is the production. There are 110 episodes of the Original OVA and several other movies, which means a lot of corners had to be cut in the animation. The character motions are a bit stiff and the animation can’t always adequately convey the sheer size of the fleets involved. Despite the lack of fluid animation, the show does more than compensate with beautiful ships, great character designs and excellent voice acting. I’d also like to single out the series superb soundtrack, which includes a wide variety of selections from great classical composers. A full range of music from composers such as Mahler, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky is used to great effect and really compliments the emotional journey the various characters go through.

Screenshot from Hidive highlights the beautiful and intricate starship designs on display in the show.

One element I appreciate about the show is a quality that I think draws people to other cult TV hits such as Babylon 5 and Doctor Who and that is its earnestness. Despite considerable limitations imposed on the series due to its video subscription format and the daunting amount of material to be animated, there is a sense that the creators and animators took the idea of Space Opera seriously and had a strong desire to tell a story that was epic in scope and grandeur even if it lacked the resources to execute a seamless adaptation. The lead animation director, Noboru Ishiguro, had helmed many successful space operas in prior years and the original source material written by Yoshiki Tanaka combined a deep knowledge of military history with careful thought and analysis into what war in deep space would look like.

Where the series excels though compared to other space opera movies and television produced is that the actions of individual characters have immense weight. The story threads numerous different character arcs together in a seamless manner and viewers are witness to many different moments where the actions of a character will reverberate and have significant implications for future episodes. A bit character early on may later become an instrumental leader in the Empire or Alliance while another character may make an egregious sin or error in judgement leading to their downfall. In short, a character may rise to the highest echelons of leadership and command the respect of many men while others may lose all their economic and social standing to greed and hubris.

Also, throughout the story you have an omniscient narrator who serves as a kind of stand-in for the insights and analyses of future historians on the conflict. The narrator, in many respects, is one of the most important characters in the series as he provides future perspective on the conflicts transpiring before our eyes. We get valuable insight into how the main characters viewed their contributions in battle many years later and the judgements future generations render on key characters and their legacies. The narration also helps us understand that the characters are not simply cogs in a war machine, but true legends whose legacies point towards a brighter future for humanity. This makes Legends a unique example of sci-fi storytelling: a futuristic, space show that has historical weight and feels more like a period piece drama in its execution and storytelling.

In short, I feel like this is a series that is a must watch if you are a sci-fi fan. It is a very slow burn and the number of characters is staggering, even for a long-running series. However, the degree to which numerous characters get their own arcs and the care shown in producing a realistic sci-fi world makes for a wonderful watch. The 110 episode series, along with the other follow-up movies and spin-off shows, are available on the streaming service Hi-Dive.

0 notes

jxniel · 7 years ago

Text

KR: IN-DEPTH ABOUT / 최서아

GENDER: Female AGE: 26 (kor.) / 24 (int.) BIRTHDAY: September 3rd, 1993 HEIGHT: 164.7 cm / 5′4″ EYE COLOR: Dark brown SKIN COLOR: Fair BUILD: Slender MARKINGS: Rose tattoos on her right wrist and left foot (and ankle) / one piercing on each earlobe / occasional bruises on her legs due to perpetual clumsiness DEFAULT EXPRESSION: A smile that brightens her face, causing her cheekbones to rise and her eyes to become crescents NEEDS: No specific needs CONDITIONS: No specific conditions DYING 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 HEALTHY

ALL THINGS MENTAL

CONDITIONS: Mental health good despite short episodes of insecurity, vulnerability, and self-loath that set a contrast with her confident demeanor and relatively high self-esteem MOTIVATION: Life itself provides her more good than wrong, although this can’t be gauged. Seo Ah stays positive due to the things and people surrounding her, reminding her she has the life she strived since young to have, even with its ups and downs. FEAR: A fear of bugs, but if talking to something more in-depth, a fear of her abilities to be considered null or incapable of accomplishing goals due to unknown restraints she can’t overcome. Fear of failures can be part of that, but it’s something far more complex than failing itself ASSET: To put it simply, her musical abilities. She can’t go wrong with what she’s best at so far, always having room for improvement and aiming towards perfection FLAW: Her reluctance to open up to others, something that she developed due to past experiences. This goes against how bold she can be with her words, which she finds herself amusingly contradictory. The reasons behind it remains unclear, even to her, but she’s working to cut down on the number of layers she has at the very least OBLIVIOUS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 PERCEPTIVE DULL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 CREATIVE LAZY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DISCIPLINED ILLITERATE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 INTELLECTUAL DROP OUT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 VALEDICTORIAN WEAK 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 STRONG HOW WELL DO THEY KNOW THEMSELVES? 1 2 3 �� 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

PERSONALITY

ONE WORD TO SUM THEM UP: One of a kind TEMPERAMENT: Phlegmatic HOW CONFIDENT ARE THEY?: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 MODEST 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ARROGANT SINNER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 SAINT CLIFF FACE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 JOKER SHAMEFUL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 SHAMELESS COLD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 AFFECTIONATE PASSIVE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 AGGRESSIVE INTROVERT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 EXTROVERT CHASTE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 FLIRT CONSISTENT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ERRATIC GROUNDED 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DISPERSE ISOLATED 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 FRIENDLY DISLOYAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 DEPENDABLE

INTERESTS

HOBBIES: Building Gundam figurines, cooking, drawing, hiking, listening to music, making music, painting, reading, taking long walks, wandering and writing lyrics IDEAL CAREER PATH: A respectable singer-songwriter in the music industry ACADEMIC INCLINATION: Had graduated from School of Performing Arts Seoul (SOPA) back in 2013 and still doesn’t plan on going to university in order to focus on making better music TRAVELING?: Love / Like / Neutral / Dislike DATING?: Love / Like / Neutral / Dislike PARTYING?: Love / Like / Neutral / Dislike READING?: Love / Like / Neutral / Dislike

INTERPERSONAL

CLOSE FRIEND(S): FNC’s artists, former AOA member Choa, Peppertone’s members, EXO’s Kai, 93′ liner consisting of former Teentop member L.Joe, Boyfriend’s Jeongmin and BTOB’s Peniel, SHINee’s Onew, Epik High’s Tablo, Younha, Jung Joonyoung, Roy Kim, Eddy Kim, Yoo Seungwoo, SNSD’s Sunny, Super Junior’s Ryeowook, former EvoL member Hayana... just to name a few. ACQUAINTANCE(S): Friends of friends definitely and pretty much any artist that she met throughout her years as a permanent guest for several radio shows since it will be too long to write the names LIVE FAMILY: Her younger brother Seonho and her parents DECEASED FAMILY: Her family dog named Xia

BACKGROUND

SOCIAL CLASS: Low / Middle / High GUARDIANS: Her parents CHILDHOOD: Very tranquil and, as she would word it, “normal, just like anyone else”. Seoah only has fond memories of her childhood which pretty much consists of spending quality time with the family, going to school, arguing or teasing her younger brother, etc. TRAUMA(S): First love’s death due to a tragic car accident and an abusive relationship OVER IT ?: Mourning progressively dissipates over the course of years, but for the abusive relationship’s aftermath, she did mention that she still cowers in front of her male friends if they ever behave a tad bit aggressive. She’s working on it, working to get better INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE: Her father, her mother, BoA, Shiina Ringo, Peppertones, Younha, The Beatles and Eric Clapton

TASTES

GENRE: For music, ballad, indie, rock, rnb and hiphop. For literature, poetry, comics and webtoons. For movies, animations, action and suspense SNACK: Salted or butter crackers, fruits, candies COFFEE: Not a big fan of coffee, prefers tea, will always go for a green tea latte FAVORITE FOOD: Not picky about food, but will always have sparkles in her eyes for strawberry cheesecake and strawberry bingsu FAVORITE COLOR: Yellow

IMPRESSION

GENERAL STYLE: If seen on stage, her style consists of dresses, blouses, and skirts. She sports a rather classic and elegant look. However, she’s more on the casual and simple style with a touch of cuteness that’s permanent with her. Pants, shorts, and tees are common when seeing her elsewhere than schedules UNLIKABLE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 LIKABLE UNKEMPT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 METICULOUS HANDSHAKE: Doesn’t have one. She either bows, waves or gives a quick hug POSTURE: Rather straight, standing on her two feet with hands linked together at the front. Seoah’s barely seen slouched or putting pressure on one leg than the other. She maintains a posture that will be beneficial for her body and respiratory needs (because yes, she’s aware that having her back slightly bent or shoulders slumped forward can cause breathing to be difficult and making one tired faster) LOOK: Gives an innocent soft vibe with her bright eyes and lovely smile. She appears to be in need of protection sometimes, mostly because she can stand there awkwardly or look lost OVERALL PRESENCE: Doesn’t scream a certain label people attribute her or outshine others. It’s a rather mild presence if she’s placed in a crowd. She makes herself small in that case. She doesn’t bother putting herself in the spotlight unless it is her cue. Other than that, she has a friendly vibe with a bit of laidback attitude

LIFESTYLE

CAREER / JOB: Singer-songwriter under C9 Entertainment CONTENT?: Very happy to do her dream job and to have fun every single day due to it RESIDENCE: A decent apartment that can fit her and her pets comfortably in Seoul FINANCIAL STATUS: Decent as of late, still trying to save RELIGION: Christian

THE EXTRAS

ZODIAC SIGN: Virgo / Rooster DEADLY SIN: 50% gluttony, 40% sloth and 10% envy PREFERRED HUMOR: Anecdoctal humor CRIMINAL RECORD: No criminal record TYPE OF DRUNK: The type to seemingly lose any bodily function and coordination, seek others’ warmth in order to sleep with cuddles TYPE OF CRY: Barely audible, mostly muffled or choked in between attempts to breathe or stop the tears TYPE OF LAUGH: Most of the time, quiet, but can be heard with a clear “hahaha” or “hehehe” soon covered by her hand on her mouth. And if not covered, her eyes become thin crescents with her mouth wide open ADDITIONAL NOTES: Seoah’s a very positive person. Despite her struggles into becoming a singer who can produce and write her own songs and her love life that she prefers not to talk about, she doesn’t lose sight of her goal and continues to work hard for herself. She has quite a sense of independence due to going through hardships and solving them on her own. That causes her to not go to people for help easily. She rather pretends to be fine, thinking she will afterward. Her songs are her pride. Her pets are her babies. She isn’t ashamed to reveal most of what consists of her to others, which are her thoughts and cute antics.

( I’ve tried in the best of my knowledge of the artist to write everything accurately, but I’ve also added bits of what happened in the rp world (e.g first love’s death, distaste for coffee) since my muse matured from those elements as well and can’t be ignored. )

Points: 150

#.deepen #.completed #( because why not? )#( very useful u.u )#( this was resting in my drafts for quite a while-- dust bunnies keeping it company )#( x.x )#kr:complete

3 notes · View notes

enanoakd · 7 years ago

Photo

InFamous Easterlings: Yûmruk, the Black Scorpion of Khand

Read history below

EARLY DAYS

Yumrûk was born in the city of Laôrki, in the land of Khand, in the year 2986 of the Third Age. His parents were wealthy merchants of Khand, owners of large lands, near the Gap of Khand, east of Nûrn. His father was a native Variag, so that he was considered one too, but actually his blood was mixed, as his mother was of Magriag offspring, descendant from the Pultai dynasty of Kýkuryan Kýn, at east of the Sea of Rhûn, and his bloodline to the ancient Balchoth was very strong.

His family enjoyed a high social status in Khand by trading with the tribes surrounding the South and East coasts of the Sea of Rhûn and east of the Ered Harmal and the River Talathrant, in Nûrad, Relmether and Chey Sart. Yumrûk spent more time with his mother than his father. She was the principal in charge of handling the family business since his father was an Ôsvoda; a member of the council of the Khudriag of Khand, which at that time was Ôvatha IX.

Several times these merchant caravans took him to Mistrand, the big city and capital of the Great Khaganate, on the southeastern shore of the Sea of Rhûn. There was a leather tanner named Ulzag, who was one of the best customers of his parents. Ulzag had a son named Margöz, who was descendant from the northern Logath tribe. The Variag and the Logath that was only 3 years older than him soon became good friends. They shared many things together, whether it was sailing in the sea, exchanging knowledge about their native languages, riding and hunting. They had a common ideal: that all the tribes east of the great river are united once again.

TRIBAL BLOOD

Yumrûk inherited a very different attitude, both from his mother and his father's. He hated bureaucracy and commerce, had little patience for things, while he was not of giving up easily. He rode away for weeks and returned only when he had no alternative. He was like one of the fiercest Balchoth and had little mercy for the weak, whether animal or human. At the age of 10 years he killed for first time. The victim was a Haradrim farmer from Chelkar who had been wounded by some other group of mercenaries from the south, and begged for water and a doctor to attend to his horrific injuries. "I'll be your best medicine" were the words of Yumrûk before his axe blew off the skull splinters of the farmer.

At the age of 13 his father tried to instruct him in bureaucracy and commerce, but refused to learn, saying he had better things to do than spend all day locked in a palace. After the discussion, he took his horse and rode westward; farther than he ever had been, reaching the limits of Harondor, a land disputed by the Haradrim and the Kingdom of Gondor. There he lived for a time in solitude, under the shadow of the Ephel Duath, but an unfortunate night heading north he was intercepted by Ithilien rangers. They wore embroidered a white tree in their doublet, and made a torture of the night of the young Variag: he was taken prisoner; they killed his horse, made him starve and get cold, only because he belonged to a different ethnicity. The wars between the West against the South and the East had never entirely ceased. Once bored of their prey, the rangers left him stranded in the middle of the steep land of Harondor to die of hunger. Luckily, a few miles south, was Haradrim camp where some soldiers gave him some food. Since that day, he hated Gondor with all his soul, and the very sight of the white tree, made him want to sow death.

He returned to Khand only to meet again with the scolding from his father, so he fled to Rhûn, to Mistrand. His friend Margöz had married a maid of Kugavod, a town in the north, called Markîz, beautiful and slender as a snake, she became pregnant soon after. Tigkîz, the daughter Margöz and Markîz was to Yumrûk the closest thing to a niece that he could ever had, because he had no siblings, and Tigkîz adopted him as an uncle with over the years. He instructed her in the art of riding and fighting with polearm, and archery.

REBLOODLUTION

In the year 3003 of the Third Age, died the Lôke-Khan of Rhûn, Borthand. Borthand was the second consecutive Lôke-Khan of the Logath tribe. The immediate past was the Lôke-Khan Zôr. Since the Logath tribe ruled the tribes of Rhûn, the Eastern Empire had done nothing but grow, something both the Lôke-Khan Yuktîr and the Lôke-Khan Bountîg "the golden", had also done, but in a lesser extent, with much more gore and less diplomacy. It was so, a new Lôke-Khan was elected; the fifth of them, and the third of the Logath tribe in instant succession: Margöz his friend, who was part of the Order of the Dragons since a few years. This enraged the Khudriag Ôvatha IX of Khand, who thought the Logath tribe had gone too far, taking three consecutive supreme rulers. The Khaganate of Rhûn, lost a powerful ally.

Margöz was reserved; preferring not to take hasty actions, because he just had assumed the throne and it would not be seen with good eyes the outbreak of a new war between tribes so soon. He tried to use diplomacy, but little did Ôvatha hear it. It was so that Yumrûk recalled that his father was a member of the council of the Khudriag. He traveled to Sturlurtza Khand, capital of the Khudriagate of Khand to meet him. For the first time, he and his father were in agreement: The disolution of Khand from the Khaganate would bring trouble between the tribes, and an enormous commercial damage. The riches that Yumrûk's father had achieved throughout his life would be greatly affected, and he could lose it all.

It was then that his father opposed the wishes of the Khudriag Ôvatha IX. He began to talk against all his decisions, and the Khudriag enraged and expelled him from the council. But Yumrûk’s father foresaw that his fortune would go to ruin if things not returned to be like before, so he hired an assassin from Nûrn to assassinate the Khudriag. The crush went wrong, as a mercenary is sold to the highest bidder, and once discovered, the assassin sold the intentions of Yumrûk's father to the Khudriag, and he went for his head. Thus Yumrûk's father died in his halls of Sturlutza Khand, and Yumrûk escaped with his mother to Laôrki, swearing revenge.

THE BLACK SCORPION

Just six months later, Yumruk’s mother accompanied her deceased husband to the grave, dying of grief committing suicide. Yumrûk then inherited all the land and wealth of his parents in the year 3004 of the Third Age, at the age of 18. Instead of investing their time and work on repairing the economy of his now non-existent family, he chose to sell everything and keep nothing. Big riches obtained Yumrûk for it, and led a wandering life, but he lived with bitterness, and every night his heart again reminded it to him. He vowed to kill the Khudriag of Khand even if it were the last thing he did. But for the moment he could not do anything, he needed allies, and Margöz could not be one of them. His steps led him to a logical place: The Emirate of Lurmsakûm in the South.

Lurmsakûm was one of the many Haruzani kingdoms (a branch of the Haradrim) from the so-called Near Harad. It was located south of Khand, bordered on the west with the Emirate of Pezarsan (another kingdom Haruzani), to the southeast with the Kingdom of Arysis, and southwest to the Great Desert. For centuries, especially in the elderly, when the Nazgul Ûvatha took the throne of Khand, Lurmsakûm was underwent to join Khand, as a province (Sâr-Khand) or as a tributary state. Many times, the Haruzani people of Lurmsakûm had revealed against the hostility of the Khudriags of Khand, returning to independence, to lose it again later. The Emir Shabadhis was now the governor of Lurmsakûm, who remained as a tributary state to Khand.

It was so, Yumrûk lived among the Haruzani for about 6 months. Hiring mercenaries to fight for his cause, thanks to the wealth he had inherited. Soon he was known under the myserious name of "The Black Scorpion" and posed a threat to the Khudriagate of Khand. These mercenaries were not only well paid but had an inflamed and poisoned heart by the multiple offenses that Khand commited over their ancestors, and it was very difficult to be dissuaded to desert or join the ranks of the Variags. It was so Yumrûk marched with a large army of mercenaries to Sturlurtza Khand. He arrived at night and without warning and his forces passed through the streets of the city, and civilians fled in terror. What was seen as an upcoming war in the southeast ended when the axe of Yumrûk severed the head of the Khudriag of Khand and he threw it off the balcony of the palace to the pigpen followed by a fierce cry of rage and anger. So Yumrûk got his revenge.

Upon hearing this, the Lôke-Khan Margöz traveled to the same Khand, and his arrival was greeted with more jubilation than boos among the Variags of Khand. He offered Yumrûk to be the new Khudriag but he responded: "My old friend, my hands were born to wield a weapon, not a scepter." It was so Yumrûk rejected the offer of Margöz, and the Khudriag Ûvatha IV was named Khudriag of Khand and the Great Khaganate could count again with the Variags in their ranks. But the people of Lurmsakûm were released from the embargo, and a business and powerful alliance was born between the two kingdoms.

THE WAR OF THE RING

The following year, again Yumrûk returned to his adventures as a nomad, aimlessly. Much of this time was spent in Mistrand with Margöz and especially with his daughter, Tigkîz, which he instructed as it was already told. In T.A. 3014 Yumrûk joined a group of Haradrim mercenaries with the single excuse to do all the damage he could to Gondor. His heart was still poisoned by that episode in Ithilien during his youth. Together with this group of mercenaries, they wreaked havoc on Harondor, culminating with the fall of Amon Eithel, principal stronghold of Gondor in the Southland. Later, on Third Age 3016, he joined the corsairs of Umbar in the assault on the Watchtower of Gobel Tolfalas, on the Isle of Anduin. Nothing gave him more pleasure than dye in red that white tree.

It was so, Ûvatha IV, the Khudriag of Khand, gathered the hosts of the Variags for war after the alliance between the Great Khaganate and the Dark Lord Sauron. About three-quarters of the army were sent north to serve the Lôke-Khan. One last host was sent to the Pelennor Fields, under the command of Gothmog, lieutenant of Minas Morgul. Yumrûk marched with his eternal friend north, and ravaged Dorwinion, and sprinkled fields with salt and made mountains with the scorched bones of the Dorwinrim. After that, Yumrûk marched to Dale, where took place the biggest of the battles that the north had seen since the days of Smaug the dragon, and once again, the Easterlings were victorious.

Then it began the siege of Erebor. There fell Dain II Ironfoot, King of Durin's Folk, by Margöz's hand, trying to defend the corpse of King Brand of Dale. But the news of the fall of Sauron reached the ears of the Easterlings in the north, and the morale of the Easterlings fell sharply. A lapse in the defense, and the Easterlings were rebuked in a combined attack of the survivors of Rhovanion and the folk of Durin. Thus ended the War of the Ring, and began a new age.

LATER DAYS

Yumrûk, now 33, returned to Khand. He was named captain of the Variags in war by the Khudriag of Khand. The wars against the subjugation of Gondor on the free peoples of the South and East still prevailed. But the ideals of Yumrûk were still intact. So now Yumrûk rides in the east with Tigkîz, who now is 19 years old, and is a slender maiden as her mother, visiting the rebel tribes and clans that have not yet joined to form part of the Lôke-Egleria; the doctrine of The Great Khaganate and the Khudriagate of Khand. If the people of Rhûn and Palisor wanted to remain free, they must unite under the same banner to confront their enemies in the West.

213 notes · View notes

getoffthesoapbox · 7 years ago

Text

[7DQ] - What is found and lost on the other side of the throne

Wow, where to start with this wonderful series now that it’s come to a close? I guess first is simply just that I feel incredibly blessed to have watched this as it aired. It’s already sealed it’s place as one of my favorite k-dramas. Perfectly pitched from opening to end note. I couldn’t have asked for more of a drama. I do feel the last episode was a bit rushed, and it would have been nice to spend more time on the separation of Yeok and Chae-kyung, but they only had so many episodes and what we did receive was more than enough. I won’t waste any time complaining, but I do want to go through the characters and the relationships and explore my thoughts at the end of their journeys.

~ truth reveals itself when all is lost ~

I think it’s no secret that Yeonsan-gun was my favorite character throughout Seven Day Queen’s run. Watching him fall was a bitter pill to swallow, even if I knew it was coming.

Once he falls, though, a miraculous transformation begins to unfold. First, he hits hysteria--revealing at last what he was trying to accomplish with all his insanity: when Yeok chose to give him a final chance and left with Chae-kyung, Yeonsan felt he’d lost. In order to drag Yeok back into the brambles of despair, Yeonsan deliberately became a despot, knowing Yeok couldn’t stay silent and live his life knowing his brother was destroying the kingdom.

Yeonsan wanted, in his twisted way, for Yeok to experience what he himself had suffered on the throne. Of course, this ultimately reveals itself as a deception Yeonsan placed on himself, and as he begins to unburden himself from the palace and from the court, his true self begins to resurface from underneath the muck he’d buried himself under.

For a man who didn’t want to let go of the throne, once it’s time to let go, he does so with grace and quiet. After he kills his concubine, the “old” him is gone, and he’s now free. He’s always looked his best in plainclothes anyway. ;)

He takes only Chae-kyung’s father’s letters with him on his journey and enters exile peacefully. The remainder of his brief life is devoted to righting the wrongs he can still right. He tries to save his wife, children, and Chae-kyung from being destroyed, although this foolish quest endangers Chae-kyung and springs the trap laid for her demise. He manages to survive a nearly fatal stomach wound and gets word to Yeok that Chae-kyung is innocent--too late to save Yeok’s marriage. He thanks his eunuch for the first time, right before his eunuch betrays him. He even reveals that all his antagonism toward Chae-kyung’s father had really been to get him safely out of the way so he and his family would be safe from the hell he was bringing down upon himself.

Although his attempts to right what he can for the most part fail, what he regains is his nobility as a person and a human being. And in the end, when it is Yeok by his side, he is at last able to say honestly that he never hated Yeok, and that he truthfully hated himself all along and hated that his father had been right. He hated seeing himself reflected in Chae-kyung’s and Yeok’s eyes, because their love for him and their faith in him shamed him and revealed to him the flaws he hated in himself.

What’s so incredible about his final days is that he shows the man he could have been had he not been lost to bitterness and resentment. He accepts with grace and dignity the crimes he’s committed and admits he thinks he’ll be punished further on the other side of life. Still, those around him wish him peace in a world with no hatred; surely whatever afterlife he entered will allow him to find that peace after a period of atonement.

Yeonsan was such an incredible character, and I can’t think of a single thing I’d want changed, other than I wish we could have spent more time with him. I wish he could have seen how much he was loved by the woman he’d married and I wish he’d been a stronger man who could have been a good father. But he managed to end his life with dignity, and that’s probably the best I could have expected for him. The drama did an excellent job humanizing him and making his situation understandable and tragic, in spite of the ruthless horror he inflicted. Be at peace, Yeonsan. You were much loved at least in this quarter, and you’ll be missed.

~ how many nights of dreaming ~

Poor Yeok got the short end of the stick in a great many ways. His story reminds me so much of Wang So’s from Moon Lovers that my heart can’t help but go out to him. Just like So, Yeok thinks gaining the throne will make all the pain go away--but the throne is only the beginning. On the other side of the throne lie the snakes who are waiting to bite at the first sign of weakness.

Yeok to his credit remains loyal and true to Chae-kyung throughout all of the insanity his ambitious ministers and scheming mother put him through during the early days of his reign. He’s a capable leader, and his former comrades give him a good deal more support and ability to maneuver than poor Wang So had, but it’s still not enough to save his marriage. It’s enough to prove he can keep the snakes at bay using their own tricks against them, but he can’t save his marriage.

As many rulers before him learned, and as his own brother demonstrated, the only way to rule is to have no attachment. The only way to rule justly is to have no achilles heel. Unless you’re blessed with a queen as crafty and well-connected as any high minister, it’s better to have attachments at all.

And so Yeok achieves what he sought, only to lose the two people who meant the most to him--his brother and Chae-kyung. He faithfully serves his people, takes another wife, and holds Chae-kyung in his heart until the end of his days. How many nights did he spend dreaming of a different life, a life where Chae-kyung had called his name and spent her days at his side? How many days did he awake from that wonderful dream, only to find a bitter reality he’d once foolishly fought to obtain?

The tragedy of Yeok’s life is that the very future he wanted--one where he wasn’t needed as king, where he and Chae-kyung could live happily ever after--could never be his thanks to his inability to let go of his own resentment and bitterness after he thought his brother had abandoned him. The tragedy of Yeok’s life was that he was much more like his brother than he thought, and if he’d been a different person, the life he truly wanted might have been his.

Instead, he carried out his duties and led his subjects with faithful attention, produced the required heirs, and waited for that one, final moment when he might be reunited with Chae-kyung and return home at last.

~ the strength of conviction ~

This was supposed to be Chae-kyung’s story, but truthfully her life was so bound up with Yeok and Yeonsan that it’s hard to separate her from them and them from her.

The prophetess was right in the end--not only did she tear the brothers apart, she also couldn’t break her own ties with either of them. Their destinies were all scrambled together, and only death could break them.

She chooses Yeok against Yeonsan, and then Yeonsan against Yeok. She loves both the brothers in different ways, and thus cannot harden her heart against either of them. This leaves her constantly torn and unable to take a path and stick to it.

This leads to her own decision, one which devastates Yeok, but which was likely the wisest one she could have made: she chooses to be deposed willingly. The Queen’s seat does not belong to her, but she will remain faithful to her Yeok for the remainder of her life. All she can give him in the end is a promise: that if they both live as long as they can, the years themselves will attest to their love. If they live 10 years, it will proved they loved 10 years. If they live 40 years, it will prove they loved 40 years.

Chae-kyung is a strong woman who is capable of bearing the solitude, especially with badass Nanny by her side. She and Yeok still communicate through letters and gifts, but she remains true to her decision. It is the first decision that was truly her own, uninfluenced by anyone else. When she can finally make it, she holds firm and shows the strength that was always within her.

If Chae-kyung was tormented with dreams of what might have been, we’ll never know. I think probably not. She’s much sturdier than that. For her, whatever she could receive from Yeok was enough. That he lived, and fulfilled his promise, was all that she wished for. She waited faithfully for him until the end of his days, and perhaps got a bit of revenge when he in turn had to wait for her in the afterlife until she could catch up to him.

She’s truly a wonderful heroine, and I wish this had been a story where she could have risen to Empress Ki heights, because she had the potential within her. Unfortunately, palace life wasn’t her strong suit, and too many factors were against her remaining in the palace. Although she was wise to leave, it leaves one wondering if perhaps the kingdom lost far more by not having access to the benefit of her wise counsel.

~ reconciled at the end of all things ~

I don’t want to say too much on Yeok and Yeonsan, but I’m glad Yeok went to see Yeonsan in the end, and I’m even more glad Yeonsan didn’t end his life standing on his foolish pride. It’s so clear these two brothers loved each other dearly. If only Yeonsan hadn’t feared his father’s edict so much, Yeok would have remained his brother’s loyal counselor and faithful brother to the end. Yeok’s dream life was one where his brother was on the throne.

It’s interesting that Yeonsan losing his sight in the end finally allows him to truly see Yeok and to honestly face himself. He can now see Yeok with his heart’s eye, the eye that sees true. He releases Yeok from any guilt Yeok might have felt, telling him he never hated him and that everything was about his own self-hatred.

Fittingly, Yeonsan dies in Yeok’s arms, at last at peace with himself and his life. Whether his father actually appeared to him or not doesn’t matter in the end--he’s at peace. Yeok’s tears over the loss of his brother prove how broken he was over Yeonsan’s descent and demonstrate how much he needed his brother.

These two were all tangled up in a tragedy forced on them by the foolishness of their father. If only they’d been able to overcome their differences in another way, perhaps they might all be family and stronger for it. But the throne tears families apart. Such is the nature of power. This is why Yeok is ultimately stronger alone, and why Yeonsan would never have been at peace until everything fell out from under his feet.

~ reflections in the mirror ~

Before I really dig into my final thoughts on Yeonsan and Chae-kyung, I wanted to talk a bit about how they both end up leaving the palace, and the distinct paralleling between them.

For a pair of people who weren’t meant to be, they sure were deeply connected.

When Yeonsan takes Chae-kyung into the palace despite her being Yeok’s wife, he links them in a way that lasts until her own departure from the palace. Their fates become bound together against Yeok, regardless of their own intentions.

When Yeonsan leaves, he’s dressed in the lighter colors that always suit him so well. He pauses to take a last look at the palace. Serenity settles over his countenance, and he departs without looking back.

Chae-kyung in the next episode mirrors Yeonsan’s departure. She, too, looks back once. Then she turns back around, and looks up at the sky, her own face reflecting the peace she’s found at last.

Both of them were not meant for the palace. Both of them are happier outside its walls. Both of them are always their truest selves when they’re free.

Only Yeok is fit for the cage that is the palace. This alone separates him from Yeonsan and Chae-kyung.

It’s interesting that although Chae-kyung loved Yeok, her choices in life and what is ultimately left to her in the end resembles Yeonsan’s own trajectory, despite them reaching the same path from completely different directions. Chae-kyung chooses her exile, Yeonsan is forced into his (though one might argue that he chose it as well when he decided to make Yeok king).

Their lives retain a strange connection even after it should already be severed. A couple who could never be, and a love that never blossomed, yet still they both find peace outside the palace.

The creators may not have intended this, but I feel their mirrored departures reveal the inner truth of their connection: that they were kindred spirits who met at the wrong place and the wrong time.

~ the bond of the ephemeral spider’s thread ~

The creators truly blessed me with this show. Up until the very last episode, they continued to develop the bond between Chae-kyung and Yeonsan, despite Chae-kyung’s love for Yeok, and I couldn’t be more thankful. (I’ll get to Yeok and Chae-kyung a bit later.)

I loved these two from the moment Chae-kyung first laid eyes on Yeonsan and openly gaped at him. This was obviously her story with Yeok, but that didn’t stop me from loving the effect she had on Yeonsan. I’ve spoken in more depth about their bond in other posts, so I won’t go any further here. I do want to talk about what happened to their bond in the last four episodes, and where it ultimately ended up.

Yeonsan betrays their bond by forcing her to choose between Yeok’s life and her marriage. After he frames Yeok, he announces to Chae-kyung that he’ll have Yeok drawn and quartered, and then decide what to do with her afterward--he refuses her request for him to kill her. In order to save Yeok, she begs for his life using herself and her family as a bargaining chip. She offers herself to Yeonsan as insurance for Yeok’s good behavior, that she’ll stay by his side and not Yeok’s, if he’ll save Yeok. Yeonsan decides to cut off Yeok’s tendon in order to ensure Chae-kyung will keep her word.

Thus their bond is broken by Yeonsan’s selfishness. Although he visits her, she remains chill toward him and doesn’t warm to him, his gifts, or his affection. She hardens her heart against him. Still, foolishly, he’s just happy to be near her every day. She finally confronts him and tells him to expect nothing from her because she has nothing to give other than her dead heart.

Eventually he demands she read her father’s letters to him, but hearing her father’s faithful correspondence in her voice only infuriates him. He also loses his temper over her refusal to wear his gifts, saying he’ll bring them himself in the future.

Before this can happen, Yeok visits her and tells her the plan to depose Yeonsan. She now makes her choice to stand with Yeok. She gets her chance shortly thereafter--Yeonsan arrives and requests that she join him hunting on the very night of the attack. Desperate to keep Yeonsan at that palace in order to ensure Yeok’s plan goes accordingly, she requests that Yeonsan take her to see the moon from the palace interior as her father had mentioned. Yeonsan, conflicted about the request, grants it.

As they walk along the bridge, Chae-kyung at last reveals how much Yeonsan meant to her from the moment she met him. This is the first and last time we ever see her open her own heart about Yeonsan. We see at last that she truly cared deeply about him, that she appreciated his kindness, that she held great affection for him. To her, this man was a lonely and hurt person, no matter what he did. She saw true to his innermost soul, despite loving another. Her words strike Yeonsan deep in the heart too, to the point where he can only say the person she loves is dead.

She agrees and asks him why he killed him. Yeonsan, unable to bear the genuine honesty of her words, attacks her for stalling for Yeok. This attack--which may have been more instinct on his part than plan--proves to hit the mark, and shortly thereafter he’s informed there really is an uprising by Yeok. Yeonsan draws his sword, threatening Chae-kyung’s life.

Instead of backing down, she offers him the only thing she’s capable of giving--her death in twain with his. She offers him a lovers’ suicide--only in this case it’s a sinners’ suicide. She’ll die for her sin of unintentionally eliciting his love, and he should die for his crimes against his people. Yeonsan goes mad at this, and declares that he should have taken her for himself or killed her long ago. He raises his sword to strike her down, but can’t bring himself to go through with it. In the end, his love for her is too strong.

Instead he drags her to Yeok’s mother, and leaves her in a place that is ensured to be safe while he goes to deal with Yeok. This leads to his duel with Yeok. Chae-kyung arrives and tries to stop their fight, but Yeonsan presses Yeok into gaining the upper hand. Kneeling at Yeok’s mercy, Yeonsan tries to taunt Yeok into killing him, but Yeok, like Yeonsan with Chae-kyung, can’t destroy the person he loves. Yeonsan instead is dethroned, leaving Chae-kyung at last free to be with Yeok.

Ordinarily, this would be the end of Chae-kyung’s and Yeonsan’s tragic story, but the creators are the best deities and they gave us a final parting much more suitable to the love these two shared. Yeonsan falls into a trap set to take Chae-kyung down, and flees to her parents’ home in order to confirm that her father truly is dead and to try to save her. By accident--and by intent by those setting the trap--he finds her there alone. He’s wounded and falling apart, and he visibly frightens her, but all he can do is ask if she’s okay. He tries to warn her about the conspiracies around her, but collapses due to his wounds. She runs to his side.

It is here that she makes the fatal mistake of affection--she chooses to treat his wounds and help him. When the minister arrives to spring the trap, she is caught red handed helping Yeonsan. At first, she tries to protect him herself by keeping the guards out of the house to allow Yeonsan time to flee, but Yeonsan isn’t having any of that. He takes her hostage and gets them both out of the house. He offers to take her away on the horse, and while they argue, the guards break through.

Chae-kyung desperately shouts at him to just go, and the fear and worry in her voice are palpable. Yeonsan obeys, hightailing it out of there, leaving her to the fate she’s chosen. Later he nearly dies trying to clear her name, only it’s too late, for she’s already made the decision that will set the stage for Yeok’s reign to be successful.

I was a little sad she didn’t get to be by Yeonsan’s side when he died, but I was glad they got to end their relationship on a more positive note than the sinners’ suicide offer. Yeonsan did offer her an escape, but she wouldn’t take it. This was fitting for them too. She could never take what he offered, and he could never take what she offered. They were a small eclipse, two heavenly bodies unable to connect but once in a blue moon.

Still they were my favorite part of the show. I feel incredibly blessed to have received as many scenes with their relationship as I did get--normally k-dramas aren’t this kind to the secondary pairings. As much as I appreciate Yeok and Chae-kyung, my heart has always been firmly in Yeonsan’s camp despite my best efforts, and I’m delighted to see proper due given to his feelings and to the strength of the bond between him and Chae-kyung even at the end. A small fragile silver thread bound them together, perhaps no red string of fate, but this small thread was as strong as spider silk and never once broke. Even at the worst moment, Chae-kyung still held so much affection for Yeonsan, and Yeonsan loved her with everything he had in him. That’s enough for this viewer. I’m more than satisfied. =)

~ love enduring through the years ~

I don’t have too much to say about Yeok and Chae-kyung. They’re obviously the fan favorite pairing, and the romantic heart of the show. I will say Yeok more than earned his place in Chae-kyung’s heart by the end of his story, and he remained true to her in the face of all conflict. That I appreciated in abundance.

I feel bad for Yeok as far as my own personal preferences go. It’s not that Yeok was ever inferior to Yeonsan in any way, nor is it that I don’t like his scenes with Chae-kyung--I think his story is wonderful from beginning to end, even when he was acting like a jerk. It’s just that Yeonsan stole the show for me, and I just really enjoyed Yeonsan’s bond with Chae-kyung to the point that it overshadowed Yeok for me.

However, in the end, even this stalwart viewer has no choice but to tip her hat to Yeok and his devotion to the woman he loves. I’m a sucker for men who stand by their women through thick and thin, and who hold their opinion highest. You’re a good man, Yeok, and Chae-kyung’s right: you did well. You’ve earned your rest.

I wish we’d had just one more episode so that we could see more of Yeok ruling and sending signals to Chae-kyung, etc. But I won’t be greedy. This was a great story, and it’s mostly just a shame that these two couldn’t have at least had a child to warm their hearts when their lives separated. Still, it’s nice when a real life romance is brought to the screen, and I’m glad they found each other. Hopefully their next lives will be in the modern era, when they can find each other again and be happy this time. =)

~ the road goes ever on and on ~

I probably could keep gushing on about this story, but I’ll leave it there. This post is long enough. I think all the characters received fitting ends, and I’m pleased with how it unfolded. Now I just have a huge 7DQ-sized hole in my heart that I won’t be able to fill for a good long time, fufu.

Ah well, to the pantheon of great k-dramas with you, 7DQ. You had a good run. Bless you. =)

#7dq #seven day queen #seven days a queen #queen for seven days #queen for 7 days

14 notes · View notes

jacewilliams1 · 7 years ago

Text

The after symphony

All materials have a thermal expansion coefficient that measures the minute change in size per degree of temperature change.

When the engines of our aircraft cool on shut down, the heat generated by combustion and friction dissipates at various rates based on the composition of the different materials. Cast iron and nickel based alloys change the least in size; aluminum the most.

These various metals bolted tightly together shrink as they lose heat, creating surface tension at the point they meet. When the amount of change overcomes the static friction a momentary slippage occurs between them.

It’s that shift we hear every time the engine ticks as the parts become unstuck from each other, change position and then stick together again.

The sound triggered vague thoughts that had been gnawing at the edge of my subconscious for months. After each flight I realized I had heard that sound before in a completely different context, that it was important to me, and I needed to remember where, and why and how.

That engine can make unique noises – even when it’s not running.

I positioned the electric tug’s pincers over the nose wheel of the 182, clamped down with the lever and began easing the ship into the hangar. Dallas seemed longer than the five hours ago as I heard the boys in the shed near the museum holler out that the beer was cold. Not wanting to leave my buddy’s Piper unprotected, I let the big door come back down, left my aircraft outside and exchanged lies over Blue Ribbons for an hour.

The sound had continued as I walked away. It was gone when I came back, but the feelings that the sound evoked had stayed.

Trying to force the memory to the surface, others kept popping up, getting in the way.

Rolling in the snow with my six-year-old after his first big mountain ski day.

Sitting by the fire sipping bourbon as my new son-in-law regaled me with the stories of him and my daughter in London.

Feeling happy exhaustion after a day hiking with my too-long-absent son and his girlfriend at Rattlesnake Gulch near Boulder, Colorado.

Sailboats near the beach, sleds at the bottom, bride to the altar, toddler’s first steps.

What did all of these happy memories have to do with surface friction and thermal expansion?

I unlocked the man-door to the hangar, reached inside and turned on the light, punched the green UP button, and walked to the front of the plane.

As the big door slowly rose, light spilling out, I realized where I had heard that sound.

In high school, I was a band geek. I loved playing the trumpet with my fellow nerds. Creating a symphony with these friends and rivals and other similarly awkward teenagers, I felt a part of something bigger, something more than I could ever be by myself.

Our leader – Gladys Wright (no relation to the brothers) – would stand at the podium with her plastic baton and strike it against her metallic music stand as she implored, cajoled, embarrassed and teased us to our best musical selves by pointing out each sour note, poor tempo, and lapse in concentration.

We worked so hard.

We were good, too. Good enough to win an International Competition in Steenwijk, Holland my freshman year. Music was my refuge in high school; it was where I was happiest, most challenged and most accomplished.

When we were practicing during school hours and the band members were raucous and inattentive, Mrs. Wright would smack the stand in an urgent staccato to gain our attention.

But in the nervous excitement in the most important times before our biggest performances, just before the curtain opened, she held us all rapt by a measured and distinct tap that sounds exactly like the various metals of a Lycoming 0-540-D relaxing from its labors at different rates.

I pulled away from the airport and realized the connection: the sound of the engine ticking signaled the beginning of the most important time to my flying that’s not airborne.

I’ve come to know it as the after symphony.

After the winds have been tamed, after the distance traveled; after you have set aside the weather maps and navigational charts and flying’s fears. After you have arrived… it’s a moment so sublime, there is no other feeling like it. Joy and pride and relief and excitement drenched in the smell of hot oil and the sound of happy strangers and friends who know exactly how you feel – because they have felt it, too. It is the first movement of the symphony, brisk and lively, a sonata with you as the soloist accompanied by whoever is there to share the muse. When we are true to our self, we also hear the discordant note of sadness, that the excitement has ended and we have returned to our lesser earth-based selves.

Not all the sights from the air are heart-warming.

As I stopped to pick up dinner, the strong theme emerged of tonight’s opus – it had been a joyous trip across the heartland from bright afternoon to golden dusk exposed and developed with a second darker theme in minor key – the witness of recent raw devastation by tornados in Oklahoma and Missouri. They had roamed my same air just two days before, and the images of the debris field became a foreboding, haunting second melody.

I turned these notes over again and again, recapitulating the larger images of beauty and serenity with the deep sadness including the deaths in an elementary school just 30 miles off my port wing.

After dinner and visiting with my wife, she retired while the song continued for me. The second movement is my time to slowly review the journey, to think of all the mistakes I had made and how I could avoid them the next time. I reviewed every single phase of flight and honed in on the dominant strains.

I sat back and thought deeply about my altitude decisions. I had started at 15,000 and, disappointed by the tail winds or lack thereof, had descended too soon in retrospect. While I still had an hour and 10 minutes of fuel at landing, I would have liked more and wondered what would have been the result had I stayed high.

I thought of lesser errors as well: the biggest was forgetting the autopilot was on Heading not Nav mode and drifting nearly a mile off course as I searched the downed trees and scattered mobile homes; the least was tuning a radio one digit off and immediately catching it myself when Springfield approach failed to answer.

I congratulated myself for good decisions in avoiding buildups, including requesting three waypoints to use a developing low pressure area to slingshot around Saint Louis instead of just asking for a few right and left deviations.

As I readied for bed, the lighthearted scherzo began. I thought of the lineman at Arlington (KGKY) who told me I had just missed a famous actor whose name I didn’t recognize. I had asked him for an encore from the fuel truck – my airplane is so hard to get full – and he found it funny that 2.5 extra gallons really did matter to me, even if he had to spill .1 gallons on the ground to get there. A five spot kept the smile on his face.

The ladies at the front desk told me the actor was Ty Burrell who plays Phil Dunphy on the ABC sitcom Modern Family. They said he was super nice in real life, “Just like you,” added the older woman who had checked me in on arrival. My gratitude included the special note that my adult daughter has said since the show’s pilot episode that I AM the real life Phil Dunphy. The kindness of the staff and their response to me reveal – “I don’t think that is a compliment!” they chortled – was a counterpointing fugue added to the movement.

I thought of the thorough preflight I had done, a slow trio shared with the lineman and his supervisor. As I touched each panel, checked each door, I ended with sounding the stall horn and bid adieu to the friendly ground-bound Texans and said hello to those above in the tower. A waltzing movement using a progressive taxi led to the thrilling takeoff capped by a “Ya’ll come back now” flourish to send me off to departure.

It is when I begin to fall asleep that the after symphony reaches its finale. It always begins with the joyous ode of overwhelming gratitude I have for the opportunity to pilot an aircraft, the realization that I am immensely happy and fulfilled in the air, that nothing could ever take the place of being in that left seat and that I can’t wait to get back there again.

A pilot and a controller working together – sort of like a waltz.

This night it continued with a rollicking repetition of all I had before reviewed. The beauty and devastation; the strong and weak tones of my airmanship; the happy people who greet me away and at home.

It always ends with what I call the rondo of responsibility.

I am a good pilot.

I have a lot to learn.

I am a good pilot.

I will be better next time.

I am a good pilot.

I must always be vigilant.

I am a good pilot.

I will continue to read, to study, to practice and to remember that complacency is the enemy, the after symphony the ally.

I am a good pilot.

Mrs. Wright would be proud of me.

***

Three days later on a cold spring morning the process reverses.

The Cessna is pulled from the hangar and the engine instruments catalog the rapid temperature increase. I know under the cowling surface tension is being overcome at a rapid rate but its sound is inaudible among the cacophony. Now is not the time to play the music. It is time for the serious business of composition.

Frost covers the airport grass dusted by the slightest bit of granular snow that streams across the runway, driven by the northwest wind of a departed cold front. I am pleased taxiing south for a north departure turning west. This route will pass just to the right of my neighborhood and I will have a great view of my home.

Rich, the airport maintenance head, zooms across the ramp on his green ATV pick up attending to one of the multitude of details that make Clow International (1C5) as perfect as possible. We exchange gloved hand waves.

After liftoff the dawn has risen so the view is bathed in sunlight. I look down upon my street as the yellow school bus waits patiently for a child running on the sidewalk along Princess Lane. All around me the moisture in the trees and on the grass reflect the morning light and the refraction causes a billion pinpoints of brilliance to stream upward to meet my appreciative gaze. My net worth will never be more than a rounding error for the truly wealthy but this morning I am a king in a sea of diamonds.

So often the music writes itself.

Up here, the music writes itself.

A too short 70 minutes passes to find me on the ground at Grinnell, Iowa (KGGI). Over the radio the friendly voice of the lineman tells me to park at the self-serve. He already has the rental car running nearby.

“Just leave it at the pump, I’ll take care of it in a few minutes,” he says. “We’ll worry about the money later.”

Exiting the aircraft, I am alone, the engine clicking loudly as the chill meets the hot metal. Oil perfumes the air while I load the luggage into the car.

I absorb the stark beauty of the prairie, slowly turning a full 360. To the south the dull roar of Interstate 80 is a mile and a half away and I can see large trucks tracing the route. Just beyond is the purpose of the trip – my insurance company customer. Westward I know from experience the land is flat for miles and then slowly rises until interrupted by the majestic continental divide. Now I can see freshly plowed fields in that direction with tiny rows of struggling corn. North are the structures of the airport, the weather station, the beacon. Behind them I know is the quaint town with a jewel box and famous university, both surprising additions to what many would mistakenly consider the middle of nowhere. And east toward home the endless blue sky with smears of high white cirrus, an unspoken invitation to my anticipated return.

Locking the baggage and pilot doors, I take one last look before I head to the building for the restroom and more coffee. It is impossible to miss: the baton is lightly tapping the music stand.

Inside Ron Lowry and the duster boys are getting ready to spray. Their chorus of greetings – banal, bawdy, bantering at once – are the opening notes.

The next performance of the after symphony has begun.

The post The after symphony appeared first on Air Facts Journal.

from Engineering Blog https://airfactsjournal.com/2018/04/the-after-symphony/

0 notes

johnmkenney · 7 years ago

Text

Game of the Year 2017

You’ve likely heard it everywhere, but 2017 sure was a fantastic year for video games. Nintendo released their latest system, Microsoft put their upgraded revision of their console out on the market, and an Early Access title took the world by storm. All while this was happening, fantastic games were coming out at an unprecedented pace. Three of the games in my top 10 last came out within 10 days of each other early in the year, and two others came out on the same exact day later in the year. There’s something to be said about years ending in 7 having good games, and this decade provided yet another stellar showing.

This was a year where almost the entirety of the top 10 could have ranked even higher in previous years. That’s how good games were this year. I also spent a lot of time ordering my top 3 when I put this together last weekend, as the line is so razor thin that any of them could have won it. The end moral: what a year for games.

As always, the rules for inclusion are as follows:

The game must have its final retail release in 2017. Thus, anything in an alpha/beta state or Steam Early Access does not qualify. Based on the way games are being developed, this will likely be the last year this rule is in place.

In the case of episodic games, they must have their final episode delivered in 2017 to make the list.

While this list is comprehensive, I haven’t played everything. Games like A Night in the Woods, Hollow Knight, What Remains of Edith Finch, and Divinity: Original Sin 2 all seem great but are unfortunately all still on my backlog.

Most importantly: the game has to be really good. No-brainer there.

Honorable mentions:

This was the hardest year yet to limit the list to ten games, but here are the last five cuts I made:

Destiny 2 - Bungie managed to take the positive momentum of the later years of the original Destiny to make a great experience in Destiny 2, but there are definitely still some aspects to be cleaned up. Sonic Mania - It’s the first truly great Sonic game in decades as Christian Whitehead nailed the essence of the Genesis-era games. Persona 5 - A fantastic entry in the series that provides another strong cast of characters, stellar RPG gameplay, and a wonderful soundtrack. Nioh - While often labeled a Souls-clone, the mission based structure and smart take on combat stances make this a unique experience. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice - This is definitely an important title for exploring mental health, and the true shining star here is the audio design. Definitely play this with headphones.

And now, here are my top 10 games of 2017:

10. Typeshift (Zach Gage - Mobile)

While many successful games this year focused on large, sweeping adventures, the one game I found myself launching daily was this clever word game. TypeShift gives you a simple task: shift columns of letters vertically to make words until you’ve used every letter at least once. While this sounds simple at first, the variety of different modes, including crossword-style clue challenges, help keep you coming back for puzzle after puzzle. There’s also a free daily puzzle every day, so the replayability is infinite here. This is the type of game that will stay installed on my phone for a long time to come, as it’s not something I see myself tiring of anytime soon.

9. The Sexy Brutale (Tequila Works - PC, PS4, XBO)

One of 2017’s most unique games: The Sexy Brutale is a Groundhog Day-esque murder mystery adventure. Stuck in an infinite time loop, the player needs to witness party-goers at a mansion party get killed throughout the night. Using the knowledge you’ve received as well as the ability to reset time by a few hours, you’re able to foil the attempts at their lives and slowly piece together the story and motives. This isometric puzzler presents you with a simple objective but continues to use it in clever ways throughout the story to fill in all of the missing pieces in this adventure. Figuring out how to save each character is a joy, and the setting and soundtrack help make this something that won’t soon be forgotten.

8. Horizon: Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games - PS4)

After over a decade of developing Killzone games, Guerilla Games delivered a fresh and intriguing new world with Horizon. In the developer’s self-described “post-post-apocalypse”, you’re given a beautiful open world filled with the remnants of civilization that went nearly extinct thousands of years prior. Horizon does a good job painting a picture of new class structures and struggles as humans redevelop their societies, but the true spectacle comes within slowly learning more about what caused the downfall of humanity in the first place. It’s a well-told tale that helps sets the table for more adventures to come in this universe in the future. Combat and discovering the weaknesses of beasts in battle is a great hook, and the strong gameplay gives you reasons to stick with Aloy for dozens of hours.

7. Pyre (Supergiant Games - PC, PS4)

With its third entry, Supergiant created another enthralling universe to get lose within. Pyre’s gameplay hook of “RPG meets NBA Jam” is a great way to get people into the door, but what’s more important here is the story that is told. Half the game presents itself as a visual novel of sorts, where you spend time talking to various members of your party (as well as your opponents) to build a bigger sense of what being trapped in this underground is truly like. Winning your matches is important, but if you lose, the game continues, as your loss hindered the team and is part of the story. There are no do-overs in this world, and you must soldier on even if your failure caused members of your team their freedom. This is one of the strongest aspects of the game, and the relationships you build with the multiple well developed characters in this game make you want to earn their freedom, even if it means you lose them for future matches. The battles are fun every time, but the true reason to stick around this world is the characters.

6. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (Machine Games - PC, PS4, XBO)

Wolfenstein II is probably the game that features the worst gameplay on this list. Why mention that and even put it on this list? Well, that’s because tearing through this world and seeing the adventures of B.J. Blazkowicz and his resistance team is a sight to behold. Set in an alternate reality a few decades after the Nazis won World War II, there isn’t much hope left in the world for those fighting back, and this is a story about starting a revolutions. Words cannot even describe the twists and turns this story takes, as there are enough clever moments and setpieces that could fill a whole series instead of just a single game. I found myself putting down the controller several times out of shock with a “did they really just do that?” thought throughout the adventure. It’s quite alright to throw the settings to easy and tear through this adventure, as it isn’t something to be missed.

5. Cuphead (StudioMDHR - PC, XBO)

There’s one thing painfully obvious about Cuphead right off the bat: this 1930s cartoon inspired run-and-gun platformer is one of the most beautiful games you’ll see in motion. The game is so faithful to its source material, straight down to the occasional tears in the film and garbled voice audio from some characters. StudioMDHR went for an aesthetic, and they nailed it. However, looks aren’t what make a game, and Cuphead’s true strength comes within its stellar gameplay and boss design. It feels like you are playing a modern-day Gunstar Heroes while you tear through dragons, genies, haunted roller coasters, and so many more diverse villains. While everything may look cute, this game provides a challenge that is not for the weak of heart, but it’s certainly worth surmounting. The boss battles a true delight, and something as simple as a progress meter that shows how far you got during your failed attempt is a great touch to make you want to immediately hop back in to try to redeem your loss.

4. Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD - Switch)

While Super Mario Galaxy 2 may be my favorite 3D Mario, there’s something to be said about Nintendo wanting to go back to the world-exploring approach seen in Super Mario 64. What resulted is a fantastic journey through a dozen worlds with clever platforming and environments that reward you for searching every nook and cranny. Almost every level brings fresh ideas and challenges that help present one of the most fun Mario adventures yet. All of that being said, I haven’t even touched on the capture mechanic, which helped breath new life into this story. Using Mario’s new hat companion, Cappy, you are able to possess a majority of enemies you come across to gain their abilities. The foes you can overtake range from classics like Bullet Bills and Chain Chomps to new foes such as a giant T-Rex. These traits help you look at your surroundings like you couldn’t before and uncover new secrets and objectives, leading to an absolute sense of wonder for the player. From the New Donk City Festival to the Darker Side, the moments in this game will keep a smile on your face throughout.

3. NieR: Automata (Platinum Games - PC, PS4)

NieR took me a very long time to finally get through, as there were a few separate occasions early on where I fell off the game. I decided to stick with it, and shortly after I came to a moment that I immediately intrigued me to keep pushing. After finishing the game (aka Route A), I enjoyed it enough to see what the alternative routes would show me. Immediately upon starting the second playthrough, I was hooked and the game wouldn’t let go until I saw the credits no less than six more times. The twists and turns the story takes in NieR are unprecedented, and the beauty of is it in the way that the story itself is told. This is one of those experiences that wouldn’t have the same effect if shown in another type of medium. The answers are in front of you the whole time, but seeing the way that the game handles subjects such as loyalty, the human essence, and society as a whole are fascinating. Characters are built so incredibly strong in this world that you want to see what happens to each one of them, even if the outcome isn’t usually the happiest. It’s to the point where even the end credits have a moment that left me with a “wow, I can’t believe they did that” feeling. It’s a hard game to discuss without spoiling some of the genius found within, so if you’re at all interested, it’s worth a look. It’s been weeks since I’ve finished NieR, and I still can’t stop thinking about some of its themes and story.

2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD - Switch, Wii U)

The crown jewel of Nintendo’s new platform is Link’s latest adventure. It’s hard to think of an open-world created that is as stunning and provides the freedom to explore as the world found here. 2013’s handheld Zelda, A Link Between Worlds, toyed around with the idea of giving the player access to most abilities immediately and setting them loose in the world. Breath of the Wild took that concept and ran with it, as you spent the first few hours on a seperate plateau learning the mechanics and receiving all of the items that give Link his abilities in the game. Once you have that, you’re turned free to go anywhere you want in the world. I spent dozens of hours just exploring mountains, lakes, and deserts before even approaching the first story milestone of the game, as there was just so much to do by wandering. Something as simple as giving Link the ability to climb instead of gating with invisible terrain presents the player with the ability to explore so much so quickly, and the world seems so vast thanks to it.

Nintendo’s decisions to add challenge shrines, which were all mostly unique, in place of the typical heart piece search granted a new reason to try to uncover everything there was in the world. The in-game physics also lead to so many moments of creating unique solutions to obstacles and combat that you won’t believe what you can pull off. The newest Zelda also used one of the series core strengths, its music, in a novel way, as the world is more silent and songs are used more as ambiance to accompany Link in key moments, and it works. It’s a world you’ll never want to leave, and the fact that Nintendo provided a Zelda adventure that can give you 100 hours a playtime if you choose is something truly special. The one piece that was the deciding factor of keeping Breath of the Wild out of my top spot was the dungeons, as the focus on letting the player have access to all abilities led to all the dungeons and their bosses seemed sub-par compared to everything else. Still, this is not an experience to be missed.

1. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG Corporation - PC, XBO)

As with most people, if you would have told me I would have been hooked by a full game version of one of those Battle Royale mods in 2017, I would have called you crazy. However, here we are. Very early in the year, I found myself watching a few PUBG streams on Twitch and decided to pick it up about two weeks after it launched in Early Access. I mentioned at the start of this list how I consistently played TypeShift throughout the year, but 2017 was also the year that I was constantly drawn back into PUBG week after week.

The concept is simple: you and 99 other people are dropped onto an island with nothing. The goal: be the last person standing. This isn’t the first time this has been attempted, as I mentioned earlier how mods and other games have attempted this same idea. However, this is the first time where it’s been streamlined in a way that makes it super easy to hop in and play. There’s nothing overly complicated about it: as all you need to do is run around and loot weapons and recovery items to better prepare you for battles you’ll have on a fairly large map. In one of the ways that makes PUBG so accessible, there’s always a circle slowly encroaching onto players to ensure games move quickly and that you cannot just hide in one spot. Sure, you can hide in a bathtub and hope to get lucky with circle positioning, but it’s probably not going to happen.

No two games of PUBG are exactly alike, and there’s nothing that compares the heart-pounding experience of being one of the last 10 people alive, knowing your next move could win you the game or expose you to be easily killed by another opponent. It’s a game that has already inspired developers to start working on adding similar concepts to their games, and this could very well be looked back at as a seminal title years down the line. It’s been a fantastic year for video games, but nothing could compete with the thrill of trying to earn a chicken dinner in PUBG in 2017.

0 notes