#now the question is whether Mal will eat up my life savings

[kay-kay-is-kray-kray]

Nerdy bastard broke my 100. I didn't even see Grim on the balcony or the mirror screamed at me.

BUT I came prepared for this outcome anyway.

My beloved tako!!!! Now I can get the aforementioned nerd in just 20 summons.

[somegirlsnerdywords2]

Anime i’ve Watched

That begin with a H (Part 3)!

Yep this is how i’m going to bring over all the anime and manga i’ve watched and posted about on the old blog. It’s not so detailed but it will have to do. Anything new I watch or read from this point on will have their own posts.

Hetalia Axis Powers:

Genres: ONA, comedy, historical, parody 

Synopsis:  What if nations were people? What traits would they have? What would this mean for historical events? Hetalia Axis Powers takes these questions and runs with them, personifying countries into characters. The show takes a comedic and light approach to politics and historical events while educating the viewer. Taking place primarily during the events of World War I and World War II, the story focuses on the Axis Powers and occasionally throws the spotlight onto the tumultuous relationship between the Allied Forces. The Axis Powers feature the titular character North Italy, who is clumsy, carefree and loves pasta; Germany, who is very serious but easily flustered; and Japan, who is stoic but has bizarre interests. Based on Hidekaz Himaruya's widely popular webcomic turned print manga, Hetalia Axis Powers is a historical comedy that pokes lightly at culture, examines the relationships between nations and breathes fun into history. [Written By MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2010 with a total of 52, 5 minute long episodes. 

My Thoughts: What an odd but fun concept. I originally did episode reviews for this one and unfortunately was unable to ever view the remaining seasons. Can’t really say whether i’d suggest this one or not but it certainly was interesting. Could potentially be something that someone who was really into world history would be into. 

Himouto! Umaru-chan:

Genres: comedy, school, seinen, slice of life

Synopsis: People are not always who they appear to be, as is the case with Umaru Doma, the perfect high school girl—that is, until she gets home! Once the front door closes, the real fun begins. When she dons her hamster hoodie, she transforms from a refined, over-achieving student into a lazy, junk food-eating otaku, leaving all the housework to her responsible older brother Taihei. Whether she's hanging out with her friends Nana Ebina and Kirie Motoba, or competing with her self-proclaimed "rival" Sylphinford Tachibana, Umaru knows how to kick back and have some fun! Himouto! Umaru-chan is a cute story that follows the daily adventures of Umaru and Taihei, as they take care of—and put up with—each other the best they can, as well as the unbreakable bonds between friends and siblings. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 9/10

Finished airing in 2015 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My thoughts: Now this was a comedy anime that I loved! The character deign was adorable and the comedy was enjoyable. Something light hearted and fun for your viewing pleasure! 

Himouto! Umaru-chan R:

Genres: comedy, school, seinen, slice of life

Synopsis: Umaru Doma is a model student who has a hidden side: when she gets home each day, she puts on her hamster hoodie and turns into a sluggish otaku fond of junk food. As Umaru continues these daily antics, the friendship between her and her classmates—Nana Ebina, Kirie Motoba, and Sylphinford Tachibana—deepens, and more and more interesting events begin to unfold.Of course, these events give rise to numerous questions. What did Nana ask of Umaru's brother Taihei? Who is the mysterious girl with the diamond hairpin? And most important of all: why does this girl seem to know Umaru? These questions and more will be answered in Himouto! Umaru-chan R![Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2017 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: The comedy continues into the second season! Though to be fair I felt that something about it was just the slightest bit off... like a small bit of its original charm was missing. Still and extremely enjoyable season overall but not as amazing as the first. Or perhaps my taste had simply changed. 

Hinamatsuri:

Genres: comedy, sci-fi, seinen, slice of life, supernatural

Synopsis:  While reveling in the successful clinching of a prized vase for his collection, Yoshifumi Nitta, a yakuza member, is rudely interrupted when a large, peculiar capsule suddenly materializes and falls on his head. He opens the capsule to reveal a young, blue-haired girl, who doesn't divulge anything about herself but her name—Hina—and the fact that she possesses immense powers. As if things couldn't get any worse, she loses control and unleashes an explosion if her powers remain unused. Faced with no other choice, Nitta finds himself becoming her caregiver. To let her use her powers freely, Nitta asks Hina to help out with a construction deal, which goes smoothly. But while this is happening, a rival yakuza group covertly attacks his boss. To Nitta's shock, his colleagues later pin the blame on him! Tasked with attacking the rival group in retaliation, Nitta steels himself and arrives at their hideout. But suddenly, Hina unexpectedly steps in and helps him wipe out the entire group. As it turns out, Hina might just become a valuable asset to Nitta and his yakuza business, provided she does not use her powers on him first! And so the strange life of this unusual duo begins. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 9/10

Finished airing in 2018 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Any character in a comedy that has a completely deadpan expression and generally colourless tone of voice is sure to be my favourite. This is entirely true of Hinamatsuri, though to be fair I loved the entire cast of characters. The characters, art and comedy are all strong points of this anime. Another light one to enjoy when you may be feeling a bit down!

Hitorijime My Hero: 

Genres: drama, romance, school, shounen ai, slice of life

Synopsis: Masahiro Setagawa is a hopeless teenager who is often used by the neighborhood bullies as an errand boy. Defenseless, Masahiro knows that nobody will ever save him. However, his life drastically changes when he meets Kousuke Ooshiba, a man known as the "Bear Killer," who takes down neighborhood gangs. A year later, Masahiro and his former friend, Kensuke Ooshiba, attend high school, only to find that Kousuke is their math teacher. While the three grow closer, Masahiro starts to view Kousuke as his "hero," and Kousuke develops an urging desire to protect Masahiro. However, their normal lives take a turn when Kensuke's childhood friend, Asaya Hasekura, returns, seeing Kensuke as more than just a friend, much to his surprise. Will the three boys be able to live a regular high school life? Or will forbidden love keep them apart forever? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 7/10

Finished airing in 2017 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Not an amazing shounen ai but certainly one of the better ones that have made it to anime. None of that creepy dubious consent or abuse here. Bit of an age difference but there isn’t any racy, sexy time so it’s all good. A cute and mostly innocent romance. Nothing amazing but fine enough. 

Honobono Log:

Genres:

Synopsis:  Some of us are fortunate enough to have a partner to confide in on our bad days. In even the most devastating times, we can depend on our comrades for support. Others are incredibly lucky to have a special someone that they can just randomly embrace. No matter the situation, there always tends to be a close ally to help us get by. Honobono Log showcases the best and worst of couples and families, enticing romantic-comedy lovers with various relatable situations.

My Rating: 7/10

Finished airing in 2016 with a total of 10 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Bite sized glimpses into the romantic lives of a handful of characters. Cute and occasionally touching. Nice artwork. 

[boat-full-of-lotus-pods]

MDZS Chapter 108. “Concealment” Part 2

Nie MingJue, I’ll **** your ****X￥#%@&#*&@

If this strike was successful, even if he couldn’t subdue Nie MingJue, he could at least buy more time. However, because the sword had just been overcharged with Su She’s spiritual energy not long ago, it had already exceeded its limits. Before reaching its target, it broke into pieces with a ‘clang’. Meanwhile, Nie MingJue’s palm had struck him right in the chest.

Su She’s spark of brilliance instantly died. He didn’t even get the chance to choke out a mouthful of blood or say a few last words, be it dignified or hateful, before the light in his eyes extinguished completely.

Jin GuangYao slumped by Lan XiChen’s side and witnessed everything. Whether it was due to the pain from his severed arm, bleeding torso, or something else, his eyes were glazed with tears. But Nie MingJue didn’t give him the opportunity to catch his breath or lick his wounds. Retreating his hand, he turned towards Jin GuangYao with eyes like a predator watching its prey.

The cold, harsh look of scrutiny on his tough, livid face was exactly like the one he used to wear in life. It was the look that Jin GuangYao feared above all else. Even his tears were scared right back into his eye sockets. With a trembling voice, he begged for help, “Er-ge……”

Lan XiChen redirected his sword. Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi also quickened the pacing of their melodies. However, the effect of the whistled tune had already been broken. Re-establishing it now would be much harder. Just then, someone suddenly yelled from the side, “Wei WuXian!”

Wei WuXian immediately snapped back, “What?”

It was only after he’d answered that he realize the one who had called him was Jiang Cheng. Wei WuXian was startled. Jiang Cheng didn’t reply. Instead, he retreated something from his sleeve and tossed it over. Wei WuXian caught it on instinct. Lowering his head, he saw a jet black flute with a scarlet red tassel.

The Ghoul Flute Chenqing!

With his old, familiar flute back in his hands, Wei WuXian didn’t even have the time to be surprised. Raising the flute to his lips without thinking, he shouted, “Lan Zhan!”

Nodding slightly, Lan WangJi didn’t need to respond with words as the qin and the flute started playing in unison. Like a cool spring and a fleeting bird, one suppressed while the other lured. In their combined efforts, Nie MingJue’s body wobbled. At last, he reluctantly moved his feet away from Jin GuangYao.

One step at a time, under the combined influence of the qin and the flute, he stiffly progressed towards the empty coffin a second time. Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi also followed after him one step at a time. Once he’d flipped himself into the coffin, the two of them simultaneously kicked the coffin lid on the ground, sending the heavy thing flying and landing back onto the coffin. Jumping onto the coffin effortlessly, Wei WuXian stored Chenqing by his waist with his left hand and quickly bit open the skin of his right fingertip. With a practiced ease, he painted a full, bloody talisman in one go from start to finish without a moment’s pause! Its wild strokes were like a dance of dragons and phoenixes.

Only then did the bestial howls and roars coming from within the coffin die down. Pressing his hand over the seven vibrating strings, Lan WangJi stopped the qin’s sound. Wei WuXian lightly exhaled. After taking another moment to make sure that there was no more energy coming from beneath the coffin lid, he finally stood up and said, “Such terrible temper, right?”

Standing on the coffin, his height was towering. Putting his qin away, Lan WangJi stared up at him with his pair of light-coloured eyes. Lowering his head, Wei WuXian couldn’t stop himself from giving Lan WangJi’s clean, pale face a few good scratches and, be it accidental or intentional, painted a few strokes of blood onto his cheeks. Lan WangJi didn’t seem to mind and said, “Come back here.”

Smiling, Wei WuXian jumped down and landed right into his arms.

Finally, things had died down on this side of the temple. Over on the other side, however, Nie HuaiSang had started to wail in pain.

“XiChen-ge!” He said, “Quick, help me check if my leg is still attached to my body or not!”

Lan XiChen went over. Pressing him down, he checked carefully before answering, “HuaiSang, you’re fine, don’t be so afraid, your leg isn’t broken. It only got stabbed in one place.”

Nie HuaiSang replied, frightened, “Stabbed! How can I not be afraid when I got stabbed! Was I stabbed through? XiChen-ge, save me!”

Not knowing whether to cry or laugh, Lan XiChen replied, “It’s not that serious.”

Still, Nie HuaiSang hugged his leg and rolled on the ground. Knowing that Nie HuaiSang was scared of pain above all else, Lan XiChen retrieved a bottle of medicine from his robes and placed it in Nie HuaiSang’s hand. “For stopping the pain.”

Nie HuaiSang hurried to imbibe the medicine. He spoke as he ate, “How am I so unlucky? I got snatched by that Su MinShan on my way for no reason. Even while he was running he had to stab me! Didn’t he know that to deal with me he only needs to push me aside? There’s no need for blades or swords……”

Getting to his feet, Lan XiChen turned around. Collapsed on the ground, Jin GuangYao’s face was pale like paper, his hair was slightly disheveled and his forehead was drenched in cold sweat—a terribly unkempt and pathetic state. It must be because his severed arm was in too much pain, a few low moans escaped his lips. Raising his gaze, he looked at Lan XiChen. Though he didn’t say a thing, but just the sight of him clutching his severed wrist and the wretched look of misery in his eyes made it hard to not feel pity for him.

After staring at him for a while, Lan XiChen sighed, and still ended up retrieving the medicine supplies that he’d carried on his person.

Wei WuXian said, “Sect Leader Lan.”

Lan XiChen said, “Young Master Wei. Look at him…… He shouldn’t be able to do anything anymore. If I don’t tend to him now, he might die here today. There are still too many lingering questions.”

Wei WuXian replied, “Sect Leader Lan, I understand. I’m not stopping you from saving him. I was reminding you to be careful. It’s best to silence him and don’t let him talk again.”

Nodding slightly, Lan XiChen said to Jin GuangYao, “Sect Leader Jin, you’ve heard. Please stop making more needless moves. Otherwise, just in case, if you were to make any move, I would, without fail or mercy……” He inhaled deeply before continuing, “Take your life.”

Jin GuangYao nodded and said in a low, weak voice, “Many thanks to ZeWu-Jun……”

Lowering himself, Lan XiChen cautiously but carefully tended to the wound of his severed wrist. Jin GuangYao trembled the entire time. Seeing what state his former sworn brother, once magnificent and formidable, had become, Lan XiChen didn’t know what he should say, and could only sigh in his heart.

Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi went to the corner. Wen Ning was still half-collapsed onto Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling in an awkward position. Wei WuXian laid him flat on the ground. After studying the dark hole on his chest, he fretted, “Look at you……What should I use to fill this now?”

Wen Ning asked, “Young Master, is it serious……?”

Wei WuXian said, “It’s not serious. You don’t need the organs here anyways. But it looks bad.”

Wen Ning replied, “It’s not like I asked to look good……”

Jiang Cheng was silent. Jin Ling, meanwhile, wanted to speak but didn’t.

Meanwhile, as Lan XiChen tended to Jin GuangYao’s wounds, he’d originally planned to take the opportunity to reprimand him a little for his actions. Yet, at the sight of Jin GuangYao almost ready to faint from pain, Lan XiChen ultimately couldn’t bear to do it. Instead, he turned and said, “HuaiSang, give me back that bottle of medicine.”

After eating two pain-killing pills, Nie HuaiSang had stored the bottle in his own robes. He hurriedly said, “Oh, right.” And lowered his head to search for it on his person. Just as he found it and was ready to hand it over to Lan XiChen, his pupils suddenly constricted as he shouted in horror, “XiChen-ge, watch your back!!!”

Lan XiChen hadn’t lowered his guard around Jin GuangYao to start with. Already high-strung, the moment he saw the look on Nie HuaiSang’s face followed by his shout of warning, Lan XiChen’s heart jolted. Without thinking, he pulled out his sword and stabbed backwards.

Jin GuangYao was stabbed by him right through the chest, astonishment written all over his face.

Everyone else were also startled by this sudden turn of unexpected events. Wei WuXian leaped to his feet, “What happened?!”

Nie HuaiSang explained, “I-I-I……I saw San-ge[1]……No, I saw Sect Leader Jin reached behind himself, and didn’t know if he was……”

Lowering his head, Jin GuangYao stared at the sword that had stabbed through his chest. Lips trembling, he wanted to speak, but since he had already been silenced, he ultimately couldn’t. Wei WuXian had the feeling that something wasn’t right. Before he could start asking questions, however, Jin GuangYao had coughed out a huge mouthful of blood and yelled in a hoarse voice, “Lan XiChen!”

He had actually forced himself free of the Silencing Spell’s bounds!

By now, Jin GuangYao was injured all over. His left hand was burned from the poisonous gas; his right hand was severed; his torso was missing a piece; blood littered all over him. A moment ago, even sitting took him efforts. Perhaps it was a rebound of strength now that he was near his last breath, he actually managed to to stand up by himself before yelling again in a voice full of spite, “Lan XiChen!”

With a look that was beyond disappointed and sad, Lan XiChen said, “Sect Leader Jin, I’ve said already. If you were to make another move, then I would have no more mercy to give.”

Jin GuangYao spat viciously, “Yes! You’ve said so. But have I?!”

He had always acted as refined and genial in front of others; courteous and polite. Yet, here and now, the face he was showing was almost crassly malicious. Seeing how much he was deviating from his usual self, Lan XiChen also sensed that something was off, and snapped his head towards Nie HuaiSang. Jin GuangYao laughed, “Enough! What are you looking at him for? Stop already! What can you tell from it anyways? Even I had missed it all these years. HuaiSang, you really are amazing.”

Nie HuaiSang was stunned wide-eyed and speechless. The unexpected stream of accusations from Jin GuangYao seemed to have frightened him enough to rob him of speech. Full of anger and spite, Jin GuangYao continued, “I can’t believe I’d fall in your hands……”

He tried to force his body towards where Nie HuaiSang’s was but there was still a sword stuck through his chest. Just one step had his expression turning anguished. Unable to either deliver a lethal blow or pull his sword out, Lan XiChen shouted, “Don’t move!”

Jin GuangYao indeed could no longer move. Seizing the blade in front of his chest with one hand, Jin GuangYao steadied himself and spat out a mouthful of blood, “What an impressive ‘headshaker’! No wonder…… Hiding for all these years, that must’ve been a lot of work!”

Nie HuaiSang mumbled, “XiChen-ge you have to believe me, I seriously did see him…….”

Jin GuangYao bellowed with a savage expression, “You!”

Once again, he tried to move towards Nie HuaiSang, causing the sword to stab another inch deeper. Lan XiChen bellowed again, “Don’t move!”

He had been played and tricked by Jin GuangYao too many times, fallen for his lies too many times to not be harbouring a sense of wariness towards him even now. A part of Lan XiChen still suspected Jin GuangYao’s tantrum to have ulterior motive; a desperate attempt to distract him again after having his move foiled by Nie HuaiSang. Jin GuangYao saw through the worries in his eyes instantly, and became so enraged that he actually started to laugh, “Lan XiChen!  All my life, I’ve lied to countless people and have destroyed countless more. Just as you’ve said, murdering my father, my brother, my wife, my son, my master, my friends—There’s not a single sin left in this world that I haven’t committed!”

Taking in a deep breath, he said in a hoarse voice, “But you, only you, I’ve never ever wanted to harm you!”

Lan XiChen was stunned.

Heaving and clutching his sword, Jin GuangYao continued through clenched teeth, “…… Back when the Cloud Recesses was burnt and you were fleeing and hiding, who was the one that had lent you a helping hand and pulled you out of troubled waters? Later, when the Gusu Lan Sect had to rebuild the Cloud Recesses, who was the one that had offered you tremendous aid? All these years, when have I ever given the Gusu Lan Sect any difficulties? When have I not supported you with all my might?! Aside from sealing your spiritual energy this one time, when have I ever slighted you and your family? When have I ever asked for the favours to be returned?!”

Hearing his questions, Lan XiChen could not convince himself to seal Jin GuangYao’s speech a second time. Jin GuangYao continued, “All of Su MinShan’s loyalty and dedication simply came from the fact that, all those years ago, I had remembered his name. But you, ZeWu-Jun, Sect Leader Lan, are just like Nie MingJue. Neither of you can tolerate my existence; wouldn’t even give me a chance to live!”

At this, Jin GuangYao abruptly retreated backward. Shuoyue left his chest in a spray of blood. Jiang Cheng shouted, “Don’t let him run away!”

In two steps, Lan XiChen easily seized Jin GuangYao once more without any effort. At his current state, no matter how fast Jin GuangYao ran, he still wouldn’t get very far. Even a blind-folded Jin Ling could catch him. Not to mention that Jin GuangYao had just been fatally stabbed, the need for wariness around him had long passed. Suddenly, however, Wei WuXian realized something as he yelled, “He’s not trying to run!!! ZeWu-Jun, get away from him!”

It was already too late. Blood from Jin GuangYao’s severed arm had already dropped onto the coffin’s lid, splattering all over the freshly-painted talisman drawn by Wei WuXian, destroying the pattern and seeping into the coffin within.

Nie MingJue broke out of the coffin with ferocious speed!

The lid was splintered into pieces. One large, ghastly white hand seized Jin GuangYao by the neck. The other one reached for Lan XiChen’s throat.

Jin GuangYao did not intend to run. Instead, he wanted to lure Lan XiChen towards Nie MingJue with his last, dying breath, and perish together with him!

Unsheathing Bichen, Lan WangJi directed it towards them with a speed that paralleled wind and lightning, but Nie MingJue had no fear for such spiritual weapons. Even if Bichen were to hit its mark, it wouldn’t stop Nie MingJue from closing the gap between him and Lan XiChen’s throat.

Yet, as the hand was just shy of reaching Lan XiChen’s neck, Jin GuangYao used whatever strength that was left in his damaged left hand and shoved Lan XiChen in the chest hard, pushing him away—

—while his own body got dragged by Nie MingJue towards the coffin, held high by the neck like a rag doll. The sight was beyond horrifying. With his sole remaining hand, Jin GuangYao pried at Nie MingJue’s iron grip. Squirming from the pain, his hair disheveled and flying, Jin GuangYao struggled as he glared daggers. “Nie MingJue, you son of a bitch!” He shouted his throat hoarse and raw and cursed at the top of his lungs. “You think I’m fucking scared of you?! I……”

Painfully, with great difficulty, he choked out a mouthful of blood. Everyone present heard the sickening, gruesome but unmistakable sound of bones crunching.

One last whimper escaped from Jin GuangYao’s throat. Shoulders shuddering, Jin Ling closed his eyes and covered his ears, unable to listen or watch a second longer.

-

Footnote:

[1]:  San-ge: 三哥, “third-oldest brother”

[moistwithgender]

Monthly Media Roundup (April 2019)

April was a bit of a disaster month for me, and as such I didn’t get much of anything finished. Old wounds got reopened, I was sick all month, I had an unavoidably bad birthday, and a lifelong pet died. I didn’t engage with a lot of things, and mostly slept. I did play a lot of Breath of the Wild, but seeing as I didn’t finish that, I’m not including it yet. Here’s the things I did finish:

Games:

Blaster Master Zero (Switch): I actually first bought and finished this two years ago, and since the sequel has come out I decided to replay it with the Shovel Knight DLC character. While I genuinely like this game (I 100%’d it both times), I was not really in a good spot to enjoy this playthrough, and just kinda mindlessly pushed through it for nine consecutive hours, beating it in that single sitting. Playing as a DLC character removes the story, which is fine since they’re intended for replays, though I wonder if it added to my emotional disconnect. SK doesn’t receive fall damage, and so the precariousness of navigating the world outside of the highly-mobile tank doesn’t exist nearly as much, though the trade-off is that SK’s combat abilities in dungeons are hindered by an overall lack of range. The game is still rather easy, though, so I can’t say any particular level cadences or combat scenarios carved their way into my memory.

To the game’s credit, though, the things that are good about it are still good. If you have an attachment to the original NES game, or an interest in retro properties, or just want a nice, breezy platformer, it’s very good. It’s interesting in how it repurposes the altered plot of the US version of the original game (where it was its most popular), including even the plot of the little novelization that came out because Gotta Get Those Video Game Kids to Read Something. It has a fake out ending, and if you 100% the maps it unlocks a final map that is genuinely surreal enough to be the highlight of the game. Despite my sighing, it is a genuinely good time, and I’m very curious to play the new game, somewhat hilariously titled Blaster Master Zero 2.

Anime:

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: I chewed through the last four episodes of this so that I could say I finally finished the season. I didn’t watch the post-season recap episode. TenSura (the abbreviation of the Japanese title, which I will use to refer to it because satisfyingly abbreviating the english title is impossible) is not a very good show, but for about half the length of the 24-episode first season, it fascinates due to how it functions at all. TenSura is an isekai show, much like the other isekai shows, where a person dissatisfied with their life is brutally murdered (usually by a truck. USUALLY by a truck) and is reborn in a fantasy world that coincidentally gives them an absurd advantage over other people, allowing them to live out all the decadence they felt they deserved in the real world. If this sounds like the most boring kind of wish fulfillment possible to you, that’s because it is. It’s also extremely popular with consumers. Which is interesting! I think the isekai boom is indicative of how late-stage capitalism everyday people the world over, that we envision or escape to worlds where your efforts actually return appropriate reward. A bonkers concept, to be sure.

In TenSura, the formula doesn’t stray much. The main character is a man in his 30s (?) who has never fucked and gets knifed to death while HEROICALLY saving a coworker from a plot-irrelevant stabber dude who was running down the sidewalk with his knife out for no reason besides Main Character Needs an Inciting Incident Now. It’s actually pretty weirdly violent for the start to a show that is almost entirely light-hearted. Dude dies, his coworker dumps his hard drive in the bath out of respect (lol), and he wakes up in a fantasy world that works on videogame logic, including loot, skill trees, and class upgrades. He is reborn as an adorable slime a la Dragon Quest, but the personality traits he had in his previous life (and I guess his choice of dying words) scan to obscenely convenient passive abilities that ensure he’s not only invincible, but will never stop experiencing exponential power growth. Also he immediately makes friends with a final boss-level dragon and then eats him. That’s how he makes friends in this sometimes.

I’m being very cynical here, but the core narrative loop (and it IS a loop) of the series kept my interest for longer than I expected. Rimuru (the name of the reborn protagonist) goes somewhere he hasn’t been, astonishes the nearby (sometimes violent) inhabitants with his overpowered abilities, makes friends with them, and then improves their lives with community. Goblins, direwolves, orcs, demon lords. It stacks and builds upon itself to absurd degrees but it’s interesting that in a genre loaded with very problematic stories of disenchanted dudes finally getting the underage harem they’ve always wanted (aaaaAAAAAAAAA) that the main concept of this series is improving the lives of others and giving them closure for the ways life has hurt them. Even if. Sometimes that hurt was the main character’s doing? Like Rimuru absolutely decapitates a direwolf leader and then adopts the pack who from then on absolutely LOVE the dude. Also one of Rimuru’s abilities is that if he gives a monster a name, it class upgrades, which is generally and reasonably seen as a life improvement. Though, these class upgrades are almost always decidedly “less-tribal” or outright human, which smacks of some imperialist thinking. It’s also something I’m sure I never questioned in old videogames growing up. Meanwhile, there’s also a bit with a woman who came from Japan during that one really bad war, you know the one, and the closure she’s given as she’s dying is handled with actual delicacy. It’s a weird series! It’s only a shame to me that after most of the first season, there was less to talk about. Sometime after the halfway mark, you realize the show is never going to maintain tension for more than half an episode, that all problems are solvable (yes, even terminally ill children), and that the show isn’t going anywhere you can’t predict. It’s a checklist show, and the plot points are a list of achievements being checked off one episode at a time.

I don’t think I would actually recommend the show to most people, despite how popular it is. It’s not a great show, but it does weird enough things for a while that it generates conversations. Which is honestly pretty okay. It’s a pretty okay show. Also, Rimuru is effectively nonbinary (with he pronouns), and that’s… somethin’! (24 episodes, finished 4/17/19, Crunchyroll (Funimation also now has the dub I think? Clips I saw were pretty weird, Rimuru seemed to be characterized differently.))

Manga:

Nejimaki Kagyu Vol 1: You would think a manga that immediately starts with a reference to Phantom Blood would be, well, at least interesting.

Okay maybe invoking a beloved work doesn’t actually mean anything. I just wanted to share this blatant callback. Nejimaki Kagyu is a seinen manga about a highschool teacher whose tragically cursed to, uh, have all teenage girls fall in love with him. And the highschool-age childhood friend of his who has spent her whole life obsessed with him and learning super martial arts to defend his chastity. Her supers make her clothes explode.

…

I take no joy in this travesty.

Anyway, uh. The biggest tragedy here is that the art is actually really good, though the paneling is regularly squished around to hilarious degree. Let’s look at some pages and then forget this manga exists forever.

That horror face is how I feel the entire series should be portraying itself. The manga has a distinct lack of self-awareness.

The fan translation for this series appears to have dropped off halfway through and hasn’t been picked up for years, and based on reviews I saw on MAL talking about the directionlessness of the later volumes, I wonder if the translator got fed up with the series. Oh well!

Kyou no Asuka Show Vol 1: Oh god damn it I just got done with talking about a series about ogling the youth.

BLEASE STOP

Okay so. Kyou no Asuka Show, or “Today’s Asuka Show” is an older slice of life manga by the same author I mentioned previously who is doing an edutainment series about people working in a condom factory. Innocently-minded women in comedically lewdish situations appears to be his whole bag. I think Asuka is pretty charming, but I also know she’s designed to appeal to my monkey male gaze. Obliviously sexy is very much a mood, and in a more adult context I would be all for it. There have been a few chapters where I find myself at odds with the wisdom the author is attempting to impart, sometimes through Asuka’s father, who works as an adult photographer, and doesn’t want his daughter involved in anything that could cause her to be ogled. Like, that’s already something that requires a lot of unpacking in the modern day. Aforementioned wisdom sometimes takes the form of Asuka doing something stupid and innocent and ripe for objectifying, like wearing a school swimsuit in a rainstorm. Or she’ll work a job as a cute girl courier and inadvertently turn a shut-ins life around. Situations where, if it were in real life, I’d think “wow that’s weird and charming,” but by being a work of intentional authorship, it inherently loses some of that innocence, and becomes something well-meaning but problematic. Is that the second time I’ve used the word “problematic” in this post? Is this 2014?

I may continue reading this, but I really can’t recommend it to most people I know in 2019 without several disclaimers and also without probably getting some side eye. I think it’s worth a couple chapters to feel out what its doing before you decide whether you can siphon the charm from it, or would rather move on to something else.

Me enjoying myself when this manga tries to suddenly get up to some shit.

Blue Period Vol 1: This is the last thing on my list, because I don’t want to expand this list beyond the three mediums I’ve already assigned to it. Also, I actually finished this May 1st, but I wanted to talk about it now.

If I had the power to actually get people to engage with a specific work once per month, Blue Period would easily be the one I pick. That doesn’t mean as much when all the other things I finished this month were conflicted experiences, but I really think everyone would benefit from this series. Or at least anyone with even a passing interest in visual arts.

Blue Period (named for Picasso’s Blue Period) is about a highschool delinquent who has a knack for studying, a safe social life, and no interests in pretty much anything. He’s on the road to do fine in his life, and he doesn’t question it much, but that’s it, until he discovers art and realizes it’s the only way he’s ever been able to truly communicate his feelings. It changes everything about him, for more emotionally satisfying reasons, but also riskier ones. He only has one year of highschool to go to decide what he’s doing with his life, and Japan has a very strict education system. You’re not really allowed to just “get around” to things.

Apologies in advance if you’re tired of me spamming full pages but I really do wanna show this off. This is another series with an educational angle to it, though the emphasis is definitely more rooted in a personal narrative of growth. The explanations of art practice and the functionality of exercises and tools are both very informative and relevant to the characters, never feeling like the story is taking a backseat to explain. The characters are, hilariously, everyone I’ve ever met in an art class. There’s the kid who would rather exclusively draw the things they like, there’s the kid who likes art as a hobby but haaaates being given a project, etc etc. There are students who have an innate grasp on how to draw but haven’t internalized the Why of the exercises, and students who are receptive to the lessons but don’t have the ability to match. The narrative is extremely even-handed towards all of these different levels of skills, and places a lot more importance on why, emotionally, you should totally care about drawing apples and water pitchers for five hours at a time. It’s GREAT and I want to force it on every creative I’ve ever known.

Another thing I appreciate about this series so far is that while there has been something resembling sexual/romantic tension, it’s kind of not like that at all? In the first volume I haven’t been able to pinpoint where a potential relationship subplot would go, if at all. Two possibilities are this girl:

...who is a very likable character but surprisingly doesn’t fit into that box of “standard love interest”. The protag’s interactions with her have been exclusively respectful and admiring, which doesn’t even necessarily imply a romantic subplot, but would be pretty cool if it did? And the other girl:

...who is featured in decidedly more sexual tension-y contexts, is actually TRANS. The manga actually portrays them so uncompromisingly feminine that I didn’t realize they were crossdressing (the term used in the text) until the author’s notes at the end of the volume. I will partially blame this on me being out of it this month, since I just went back to their introduction and yep, they got misgendered and contested it. Given how the character is regularly framed (confident, attractive, skilled, nonstereotypical), I’m… pretty okay with this! If a romance blooms between a delinquent boy and a trans girl, that’s amazing.

I hope y’all understand where I’m coming from in expecting a shoehorned romantic subplot. I’m not hoping for one, I just know the product by now. And if it happens, the options are considerably more interesting than usual.

These are pretty good kids.

Manga licensing is a lot better nowadays than it ever was before, with lots of obscure series being picked up, old series getting re-localized, and translations being better than ever. I really really want this series to get licensed so someone can be compensated for it, and so more people might read it. Until then, I think you should look up the fan work.

---

So that’s all for April. If these posts included live-action movies, I’d have talked about Endgame, but I also don’t want to go spoiling anything for someone who still wants to go see that (it’s probably one of my favorite MCU movies, though). I read most of 1970-71 in Marvel comics, or at least most of the issues on my reading list, but I semi-liveblog about those, so you can just search my “curry reads comics” tag for that. Here’s hoping I have more interesting, more positive things to say about May in a month. I expect to finish Breath of the Wild by then, so I’ll finally talk about that. Thanks for reading, if you made it this far! Go check out Blue Period.

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT Rewatch 4X14 - Enter the Dragon

Sorry for all the delays with these reviews! I’ve really been DRAGON my feet through this whole season, haven’t I? 

...You don’t come here for smart puns, Regina! XD

Anyway, there’s a nice juicy review under the cut!

Main Takeaways

Past

I love how this plays as the evil version of every “young person melts the heart of older person and convinces them to go back to doing what they love” story! While it’s not a parody -- and is in fact played deadly straight -- it’s funny as hell to watch because of that!

It’s kind of weird seeing such vague mentions of Mal’s backstory. All throughout the episode, we hear clues, but are never given anything concrete. I wonder when or even if we ever would’ve gotten a backstory for Mal and Briar Rose.

Present

Wow, I gotta say, considering how DESTROYED Mal was by what Snowing did to her kid, stealing another kid is just horrible (The fact that he’s turned back into August and she may or may not have known that is irrelevant for me since she stealing a son from his father at the end of the day) ! I don’t know if it’s exactly poorly written or not -- a case of extremism turning her into what she hates or mishandling a character who is supposed to be more balanced between being evil and sympathetic. I guess it’s up to interpretation, but given that the there doesn’t get to be a reaction from Marco to Maleficent over the fact considering how big of a deal it is that she reverted a little boy back into being a grown man, I feel forced to say the latter.

This also applies to Regina too, ESPECIALLY considering her conversations with Marco in the last episode and this is more of a problem than I realized. She’s stealing a child, putting him up against three villains, AND disposing any direct means of contact between herself and her backup. And the fact that Rumple reverts him into being August at the end of the episode changes nothing here because that wasn’t an anticipated move. It’s even more distracting given the gravitas of the moment where Emma and Regina try to figure out whether or not to steal him in the first place. Regina says she’s going to protect him and pull out if he’s in danger, but what does she think they’re going to do to him if not threaten his life? Even just the emotional duress of those kind of threats is crazy to do to a kid. And then to drop her phone so he can’t even be tracked? It’s played as this necessary evil, but is never given the payoff to back up what a horrible and reckless thing this was to do. They STOLE his childhood -- what was essentially his happy ending -- and that has to be answered for by ALL involved parties: Maleficent, Regina, and Emma too for ultimately agreeing to this.

This segment has a really interesting theme of not being overly insistent on complete control. Throughout it, Regina insists to her friends that she can handle the Queens of Darkness. Even as the stakes raise, she makes risky and riskier decisions that she says she can manage. This culminates in a horribly risky decision (See above) that, in her insistence in keeping control over the situation and her sureness that she’s right, has Regina abandon her means of getting backup. And this all ends with Regina, forced by her own hand, to relinquish control to Rumple. I think that this is an important lesson for Regina to learn, and while I didn’t like the big decision that she had to make for lack of a proper fallout (I’ll actually discuss in a bit why I choose this episode to take the issue with it), I think the rest of the story is good!

Stream of Consciousness

-Regina, you trying to KILL ME with the cut of that shirt?! Because it is working!

-Damn, Regina is AMAZING at acting evil! XD

-HOW THE FUCK DID YOU CRUSH GLASS?! ARE YOU THE FUCKING HULK? XD

-I love how Regina looks between Mal’s castle and her book like “I’m gonna get my favorite author to sign my book!”

-Wouldn’t someone just win “Don’t Be a Hero” by only saving themselves?

-I love how there were freakin’ BETS on the game! XD

-We got another Henry and Belle scene!!! Tbh, I wish there was a bit more substance here too. Belle ADORES books and this is literally a mystery surrounding a book! Why couldn’t she give him some advice on maybe where to look or just talk about the nature of books! You have two book fans sharing a scene! Why not use that?

-I would KILL to know how Regina’s night of drinking with the Queens of Darkness went! Like, they drank a whole bar! XD

-To be fair, Emma, Regina’s probably not reaching out because she’s hungover as FUCK after DRINKING A WHOLE BAR! XD

-MAL, DRUNK AS FUCK, SINGED A COP CAR! XD WHERE ARE FICS OF THIS! THIS IS THE TRUE SEQUEL TO “THE HANGOVER!” XD

-”Some drinking.” SOME DRINKING? YOU DRANK AND ENTIRE BAR! XD

-I like how Regina’s “pathetic” flame was more of a matter of nervousness than inexperience. It shows that Regina’s learned a lot during her tenure with Rumple while still having a lot of space to grow.

-Maleficent is introduced as a druggie! She literally stabs herself with something that “takes the edge off!” XD

-”You need to remember who you are.” “That Maleficent had a foul temper, and if you insulted her, she’d turn into a dragon and eat your flesh.” Holy hell! My eyes are filled with hearts!

-”Where the hell have you been all night?” I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW THAT AS WELL!

-NOW WHAT KIND OF CRAZINESS HAPPENED IN THE VAULT?! XD

-To be fair, Emma, Regina’s been ROCKING this undercover mission so far.

-This episode is full of sexy, badass people, but this cake is the sexiest thing of all!

-”Well, look at which two survivors found a dinghy together.” ...Rumple, HOW ARE YOU SO BAD AT BEING KILLIAN? IT’S NOT ESPECIALLY HARD AND YET YOU SOMEHOW FAILED AT IT! It’s like trying to pet a puppy and instead doing a handstand! XD

-I love how Storybrooke can appear on a GPS system! Is someone in town just a really good techie or is Google our new God? XD

-”The only magical thing you’ll find here is duct tape.” Accurate! XD

-”You didn’t ask your questions more forcefully.” Oh trust me, she did. It was scary.

-”One little snafu?” YOU WOULD HAVE TO STEAL A CHILD!

-”Break some rules.” YOU ARE STEALING A CHILD!

-A Pirate’s Oath! XD What the hell? Someone’s just looking to cop a feel!

-I love the fact that it is 100% canon that Regina rode on the back of a dragon. Maleficent gave her the best piggyback ride in the UNIVERSE!

-Wait: GOLD HAS A CABIN?

Favorite Dynamic

Rump-illian and Belle. I absolutely love Rump-illian and Belle’s subplot here. Rumple, for better or worse, knows Belle and is exactly slippery enough to forge a story to get the dagger back for himself but also not infallible as to still fail to  discuss things he wasn’t privy to. Major props have to go to Colin. He’s playing Rumple playing Killian and that is AMAZING! His lines and delivery are just awkward enough to capture Rumple’s failure to perfectly capture Killian, but they’re close enough that they could fool someone who’s just getting to be close with Killian like Belle. He’s always a little off center in how he conducts himself, making the reveal something that could feasibly be guessed but also surprise everyone! And the transitions -- the one at the docks the one as he walks into the pawnshop, and the one outside the pawnshop are done so well as to make the whole subplot even better!

Writer

David Goodman and Jerome Schwartz are in charge of today’s episode! So far, they’ve had a perfect season! But...well… Look. This episode isn't bad, but I do wish the present segment had some more polish. Considering that the three people involved in that final decision are all mothers and to not do more with that idea is really distracting in hindsight.

Rating

8/10. I’m torn about whether or not I should punish this episode for what goes down with Pinocchio. This episode is more setup in that regard than payoff and it’s not bad setup. But at the same time, I do have to ask myself if that payoff was ever going to happen and if it wasn’t, then the setup of something that upon inspection is so fucked up. And I do think that the payoff wasn’t intended to come up -- they had to know -- and so I do find fault with this episode for executing this idea in such an irresponsible way. Otherwise though, the storytelling is really good. Everything makes sense, the story’s engaging, the pacing works, the characters are for the most part in line, and the theme of the past segment lines up in a way that’s subtle, yet effective.

Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness”

DRAGON QUEEN - This is my JAM! Look at Regina’s face as Mal enters the room. That is the face of a woman realizing “I am gay for LIFE!” And in the present, could these two flirt any MORE?! <3 Just look at the aspirin scene! Mal and Regina are both letting their guard down (Regina’s being more of a casual spitfire, Mal’s not wearing the jacket and is giving a bit more info), Mal’s helping Regina out a bit, there’s candles everywhere, and there’s a touch of loose tension in the room. It’s enough to make the moment pretty sexy. ALSO, they go on a mission alone and the presentation to it plays out exactly like an impromptu date! This is the BEST! I just love how Regina smiles for Mal. It’s big, but natural and just kind of happy!

Swan Queen - Dude! Emma is so worried about Regina! That panic in her voice is CRAZY and her dedication to having Regina’s back and protecting her really shows how much she cares for Regina! This as some of their best shippy moments by the sheer amount of concern Emma has for her!

Captain Swan - While it doesn’t work exactly, Killian does a really good job assuring Emma that things with Regina will be okay.

Mal/Briar Rose - “What happened to you?” “A Rose. A Briar Rose.” Mal says that line in the same way someone talks about someone who they had a bad breakup with!

-----

Hi!!! Thanks for reading and shout outs to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales and to the lovely @daensarah! See you all next time!

Season 4 Total (121/230)

Writer Scores: Adam and Eddy: (34/60) Jane Espenson: (20/40) David Goodman and Jerome Schwartz: (38/50) Andrew Chambliss: (22/50) Dana Horgan: (6/30) Kalinda Vazquez: (22/40) Scott Nimerfro: (14/30) Tze Chun (8/20)

Operation Rewatch Archives

[wthomeland]

Sniff, sniff, poor Quinn getting baby wipes in the shop (aww poor sweetie) and eating out of tins... WTH what's Carrie's proper address? Cuz c'mon gals and all you anons out there, we can't let that go on for a minute longer! We must tell him, how much we still love him even with a disability and how much we are all routing for him and that we all think he is worth it!!! Oh and of course what do you think, gals, should we tell him Carrie is his true love and really, really , REALLY loves him?

Anonymous 2 said to wthomeland: Well now Quinn gets it why Carrie has been nagging the hell out of him with her Moto-shit, meds schedules and and and …. cuz SHE CARES (well more than that)!!! WTH what do you think?

Anonymous 3 said to wthomeland: Just reading about grand mal seizures (as stated by EMT). After the seizure, people likely experience sleepiness, body fatigue, and headaches. Now it’s even more painful to watch the bed scene again as I see Q finding comfort in his pillow, fighting his aching body after the muscle contractions, and battling sleepiness. And in this condition he wants to watch the video. I think those likely symptoms also explain his quietness in that scene, don’t you think?

Anonymous 4 said to wthomeland: Do you think Quinn really got it - awwww her hand on his heart? I mean how much he means to Carrie or for storyline purposes Gansa will still let him have doubts (ohhhh please noooooo - don’t be so cruel!!!!!!)?

Anonymous 5 said to wthomeland: OMG, 6x02, so there were so so many moments in that bed scene that were just crushing to watch. But the one that is killing me is Q’s expression right after C says “You came very close to dying. You must know that.” Rupes just nailed it in those precious 3 seconds. What was your killer moment in this scene? Off to watch it again.

Anonymous 6 said to wthomeland: I think it just finally dawned on Carrie, her “why” chin tremble (the most satisfying ever, 📣 newsflash Carrie, you haven’t shown him ) that she hasn’t shown Quinn that he’s important to her, that she even cares whether he lives or dies, that he’s not just a useful tool for her, she has flaunted enough men in his face without the slightest concern over the feelings she’s known about for ever, even in her hallucinations she’s aware of his affection for her. Maybe there is a change coming.

Anonymous 7 said to wthomeland: So apparently they cut the scene where Quinn was in the backyard observing Carrie turn off the lights, I’d like to see it, anyway…, what was that final scene?? Beautiful!!! But I have a few questions: 1) What did Max mean when he told her Quinn’s got stranger things ab her? 2) Why did Quinn get “emotionless” re C’s breakdown (I just wanted him to hug her, she was so sad..), it’s like he really didn’t know why but then when she left he kinda got smth and wanted to cry but hold back tears?

Anonymous 8 said to wthomeland: Our prayers were answered tonight!! (6.02) We got TWO touches! Q touched her to give her courage to show him the video. She touched him on his heart to express feelings she was too emotional to find words for. And the way Q expressed so much sensitivity during the fatigue of a post-seizure just left me wanting to reach out and hug him all night long. So how many times did you watch “the scene”?

Anonymous 9 said to wthomeland: Am I alone in having the sickest feeling in my stomach and my heart right now after watching the ending of 6.02? They really delivered on that scene!! Kept waiting for it to cut to another scene, but they let it roll. I will be watching that scene over and over and over. Oh yeah, we should name it, as I’m sure we’ll be referring to it 24/7.

Anonymous 10 said to wthomeland: 6x02 bed scene. Did you notice after C’s second “why” it appears like Q reaches out with his good arm to comfort her? Could there be a third touch?

Anonymous 11 said to wthomeland: Its just so tragic, C and Q. He loves her so much but hates himself more so that he doesn’t even think he is worth saving. And then C loves him too, but is filled with so much guilt. I think she even feels guilty for loving him and needing him, for not being able to let him go. That said, that moment was the breakthrough Q needed. He needed to know that C cared about him before he became a “mutant,” and that she’s not just helping him out of obligation or pity.

Anonymous 12 said to wthomeland: Yup! Seeing Carrie rubbing Quinn’s boobies gives me life. Hell yeah! ✊️

Anonymous 13 said to wthomeland: How dare Gansa, playing with our fellings! 6.02 final scene was so powerful, beautiful, I don’t remember seeing this in any other scene on this show so far. Quinn and Carrie’s emotion was so well showed without them even saying much we could feel their struggle. Rupert and Claire nail it! It’s just the 2nd episode, more to come, our hearts must be strong 😍😭

Anonymous 14 said to wthomeland: Wow. That last scene was so perfect. The portrayal of a thousand little meaningful moments by Rupert and Claire, it was like 4.12 all over again, and this is just 6.02. The way Q shifts to his side to make room for C on the bed… the way he touches her arm and says, “Just play it.” Can we talk about how he chose to have C show him that awful video because he could not be vulnerable with anyone else? How he has no idea and how C basically tells him she loves him without actually saying it?

Anonymous 15 said to wthomeland: Hey I’m over in the UK and havnt watched it yet but have given into the spoilers. I read somewhere that Quinn asks how her day was or something? How does that go? How does she reply? Sorry for being wierd but I’m decending into madness not watching the episode and I’m obsessing over the details…

anonymous 16 asked: Oh I think they will definitely revisit the stroke and waking him from a coma. All of that was running through Carrie’s mind during the conversation. She knew there was much more than she was saying but how does she tell him? Did she really save him? Would he better off if she had decided to kill him? She knows she wouldn’t be able to live with that decision but seeing the pain he’s now in, does she regret it? She’s been holding it all in but at some point it’ll come out for better or worse.

Hi guys! Sorry for the mass response! Anon 13, we agree, that was the most intimate Quarrie scene EVER and we were pleasantly surprised that it happened in 6x02 (though it makes us fear what kind of fuckery they have in store for later in the season LOL). 

Anon 9, IKR? It was a super long scene! I was like, wait, I think there’s been some kind of mistake. We are not worthy of so much Quarrie goodness. I’ve taken to calling it the “Why” Scene, but feel free to suggest a funner name!

Anon 1, definitely one of the big take-aways from the episode is just how depressed Quinn is - and who can blame him? - his body and mind are failing him. Like Anon 11 said, he doesn’t think he’s worth saving. He’s really trying his hardest to let the darkness take him, thank goodness Carrie’s not having it!

Yes, Anon 2, I think one of the important points of the scene was to draw Quinn out of himself. He’s been (understandably) focused on himself for many months - his recovery or lack thereof - has probably been pretty much all the thinks about, except for the occasional escapes with Clarice & Co. I think he hasn’t really stopped to think about Carrie or how she must be feeling during all this. You can tell the way he just stares at her the whole time she’s crying that his empathy muscles are just starting to be probed after a prolonged atrophy. It’s literally like he’s seeing her for the first time since his stroke and registering that she is an actual human person with emotions.

And, Carrie, bless her, has been trying so hard to be strong for him, to keep it together for him (you can see this when she apologizes to him for crying), that she hasn’t realized that what Quinn needs most is to feel needed.

Anon 3, sure it makes sense that he would be tuckered out after his seizure, but I think his quietness was mostly due to the fact that he was in receptive mode during the scene. He was trying to take and process the information that his eyes were receiving - the video, Carrie’s tone, her words, her tears, her touch. Quinn’s brain is not processing very swiftly, and I got the sense that he was really, really concentrating on trying to make sense of what all this meant. Anon 7, I think this is why he appeared “emotionless” - but he was far from it (I’m going to answer your Max question with another set of questions).

Anon 4, I don’t know that this is the big “aha” moment when Quinn realizes that Carrie loves him, I don’t think he’s emotionally ready for that, but the realization that Carrie is actually hurting because of his condition, because he has given up on himself, I think is going to motivate him to try harder. This is the first big turning point in Quinn’s recovery. In fact, that’s the main purpose of the scene, to stimulate Quinn’s desire to get better, not for himself, but for Carrie.

Anon 11, sorry, but I don’t see the guilt in Carrie. Not at all. I see that she is hurting because he’s hurting and he doesn’t know what he means to her, but I don’t see guilt. I see her being selfless in not wanting to burden him with her feelings and needs (this is why she apologizes for crying). I also don’t think (at this point, at least) Quinn thinks she’s helping him out of obligation or pity. Like I said above, I think he just hasn’t thought about it much at all. He’s been absorbed in his own issues, and figuring out why Carrie’s hanging around nagging him was the last thing on his mind.

Anon 5, so many killer moments, but some that come to mind are:

When they ask each other how their day was, like a married couple who had a fight in the morning and wants to make up at night. (Anon 15, when he asks how her day was, she says “Well, it started with someone throwing a coffee mug at me, went downhill from there”)

Quinn re. watching the video, “I didn’t want to… but I do now.” He feels safe with Carrie and wants to connect. (right Anon 14?)

The way Quinn reaches out and touches her arm, telling her to play it (and Anon 8, I have now watched the scene more times than I can count)

The way Carrie keeps looking at him when he’s watching the video to see how he’s reacting

Carrie, “those tiles, those are what led me to you.” The “led me to you” is just so touching - she’s making sure he knows how hard she tried to find him

The way she gasps when she says “three whole minutes you were dead”

The single tear streaming down Quinn’s face

Her utter heartbreak when he asks why she saved him, and the way her voice breaks when she asks “why?” like how could you not know? (Anon 10, I noticed his arm was in a different position after her second why, but I think there’s just some kind of continuity error bc when they cut back to him, his hand is behind his head again)

How she apologizes to him for crying, like she’s supposed to be the strong one now

How she has to leave because she is so overwhelmed, but she lays her hand on his heart and looks him hard in the eye before leaving. (Anon 12, it’s his heart, not his boobies 😒)

Anon 6, well, it won’t surprise you that I disagree. Carrie’s been by Quinn’s side for six months now. If he hasn’t realized how much she cares about him it’s because he’s been wrapped up in himself, as well he should.

Anon 14, I agree, this was her ILY, without saying it. I love how the dialogue between the two is so sparse - they really don’t exchange that many words, but so much is communicated in other words. Truly amazing! Rupert and Claire killed it in this scene.

Anon 16, while they may revisit the stroke, I don’t think that was running through Carrie’s head at all. His question was about what happened before the stroke - he didn’t remember the sarin incident and so she walked him through it. He was poisoned; left for dead; she looked for him; found him alive (hence saved him); and he died/was revived in the ambulance. The purpose of the scene was to show Quinn how much Carrie loves him, the lengths she went to find, not to download all the factual details of that day into his brain. And I don’t believe for a minute that she would ever regret not killing him. She knows it’s the depression talking, and that in him somewhere there’s a fighter (”for a man who wanted to end his life, I’ve never seen someone fight harder to stay alive”).

[handofvictory]

Hi I redid Allen's questionnaire but did better this time.

What is your characters name? Does the character have a nickname?:

Allen Cooper. He lacks a nickname, though he has the title of Shadowblade.

What is your characters hair color? Eye color?:

His hair is black, and his eyes are now purple since he's become a shadow ascendent.

What kind of distinguishing facial features does your character have?:

… I’m not sure how to answer the question, honestly.

Does your character have a birthmark? Where is it? What about scars? How did he get them?:

He doesn’t have a birthmark, but boy does he have scars. He has been whipped for his crimes more than once, and in some universes that’s not all that happened to him. The scars of his beatings are large and ugly, and will never truly fade. He has scars on his hands from various incidents, many he can’t even remember. He has managed to avoid receiving any scars on his face.

He also has scars on his soul from his torture from the Legion, as well as from being thrown into the Void. He has suffered immensely and has the marks to show it.

Who are your characters friends and family? Who does he surround himself with? Who are the people your character is closest to? Who does he wish he were closest to?:

Allen's family would have to be Ellisse, Devon, and Malkhaz, whether or not he fully acknowledges any one of them. His friends would be Dar'nul and Althrich, more probably pending. Hand of Victory is in general a family to him, which he sort of accepts.

Allen honestly considers himself close to just about everyone he bonds with (due to how few he really bonds to), though to Devon moreso than others. There's a common bond between the two of them, and Devon is a father figure to him who has guided him through a lot of his problems and continues to help him to this day.

Ellisse and Malkhaz are sibling figures to him, and he has specific feelings regarding the two of them.

Ellisse he viewed as a savior for a long time, much as he knew it was unfair to her. To him, she was his chance to seek redemption, which he had no clue how to find or even how to start to look. He latched onto her and assumed that by following her, he might find change. He has since let go of that a lot thanks to serious amounts of recovery, but he still cares for her deeply as a sister.

With Malkhaz, he has chronically worried about failing him, and that fear is still there. Memories of his old teacher still haunt him, and he worries that the example he'll impart to Malkhaz will be the same one his teacher gave him. He didn't think of Mal positively initially, but he still did his best for him and tried to encourage his growth, and as a result he grew on him.

Allen doesn't actively seek relationships, but he does wish to mend his relationship to other guild members.

Where was your character born? Where has he lived since then? Where does he call home?:

He was born in some obscure kingdom I have yet to name that's based off of Latin America. Nowadays he's an adventurer, but the guild's home base counts as a consistent place he can call home.

Where does your character go when hes angry?:

Allen is chronically angry, so he doesn’t really “go” anywhere. He does try to go somewhere quiet and secluded to calm down when it gets to be too much for him, but that’s frequently unsuccessful and he becomes angrier as a result.

What is his biggest fear? Who has he told this to? Who would he never tell this to? Why?:

He fears losing all the progress he has made in his recovery and his redemption. He fears going back to the way he was, at which point he'd rather just kill himself because that is not a life he wants to live again. He hasn't said this to anyone, but the most likely one to hear about it would be Devon (followed by Dar'nul, oddly, then his two siblings maybe).

Does he have a secret?:

Not really. He doesn't tell everyone everything, but he's not really secretive either.

What makes your character laugh out loud?:

I have no clue how to describe his sense of humor but it's considerably easier to get him to laugh nowadays, even with dumb jokes.

When has your character been in love? Had a broken heart?:

He's never been in love, although he's been heartbroken by various traumatic events in his life. Losing his family twice comes to mind.

Then dig deeper by asking more unconventional questions:

What is in your characters refrigerator right now? On his bedroom floor? On his nightstand? In his garbage can?:

His room is a mess, but not a COMPLETE mess. Papers are on the floor, a book is on the nightstand, candy wrappers in the trash, along with other forms of garbage. He also has several books on the floor, and his room is completely disorganized.

Look at your characters feet. Describe what you see there. Does he wear dress shoes, gym shoes, or none at all? Is he in socks that are ratty and full of holes? Or is he wearing a pair of blue and gold slippers knitted by his grandmother?:

He wears leather boots that tend to be worn, but are still completely functional. Whenever they start losing their function, he makes new ones. His pants tend to be tucked into his boots.

When your character thinks of his childhood kitchen, what smell does he associate with it? Sauerkraut? Oatmeal cookies? Paint? Why is that smell so resonant for him?:

Allen doesn’t remember much of the kitchen from his childhood, but if he were to try hard enough, the smell of tomatoes would come to mind, and he has no clue why.

Your character is doing intense spring cleaning. What is easy for him to throw out? What is difficult for him to part with? Why?:

Allen finds it difficult to do any serious cleaning. If it isn't garbage, he finds it near impossible to throw out. He also has a difficult time motivatinf himself to clean. This is caused by his depression, but also he has spent his entire life only owning what he could carry, and so he tends to try to keep whatever he can.

Its Saturday at noon. What is your character doing? Give details. If hes eating breakfast, what exactly does he eat? If hes stretching out in his backyard to sun, what kind of blanket or towel does he lie on?:

Assuming he has nothing to do (which is not often the case), Allen is probably reading some historical fiction with some kind of food on the highest spire of either Dalaran or Silvermoon. The food is likely a candy or a sweet (coffee cake, for example). He may also have tea with him.

What is one strong memory that has stuck with your character from childhood? Why is it so powerful and lasting?:

The second time he lost his family sticks out to him, primarily because he tried to keep them together, and ended up badly beaten as a result. He remembers the aftermath, wherein his life was saved by Wolfgang. He then insisted that Allen owed him, and he suffered horribly under his tutelage for years without ever fully recovering from his loss.

Your character is getting ready for a night out. Where is he going? What does he wear? Who will he be with?:

If it's a night out, he's probably being dragged out by someone else. He himself has no ideas in mind as to where he would go, and would probably let Devon dress him up, because otherwise he would just show up in the blandest clothing imaginable.

Character Questionnaire 2 These questions are frequently used in interviews so you may want to pretend you’re interviewing your characters.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?:

"I’m not proud of what I’ve done."

What is your idea of perfect happiness?:

"General peace, I guess...?"

What is your current state of mind?:

“Tired.”

What is your favorite occupation?:

"Being a monk was... nice. I don't think I'll properly go back to it, but it was a good change of pace that I shouldn't have abandoned."

What is your most treasured possession?:

“... nothing, at the moment. I just enjoy having things, to be honest...”

What or who is the greatest love of your life?:

"I'm not answering this."

What is your favorite journey?:

“… I don’t think I could pick a favorite, I’m usually just here for the ride.”

What is your most marked characteristic?:

“Uh. I used to say it's my eyes, but I'm not sure anymore.”

When and where were you the happiest?:

“I'm not answering this.”

What is it that you most dislike?:

“... hm. I despise loud, sudden noises, and I hate [cotton] fabrics. Itches like hell.”

What is your greatest fear?:

"I don't know anymore. I think I've seen too much."

What is your greatest extravagance?:

“I suppose any time I buy myself something to eat, otherwise I try to spend only when I have to.”

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Which living person do you most despise?:

Sigh. "I don't have the energy to hate anyone specifically. Catahecas comes closest, I suppose, but even then, I'm just too... tired to make note of him when he's not in proximity to me, or when I'm not joking about how loathesome he is to guildmates."

What is your greatest regret?:

"Everything. Just... everything. Let's leave it at that."

Which talent would you most like to have?:

“I don't think I can think of anything. Maybe be a good speaker.”

Where would you like to live?:

"I think where I currently live is fine."

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?:

Allen looks to the side and seems to become lost in thought. His expression becomes somber, and he's unresponsive for a bit. The question is never answered.

What is the quality you most like in a man?:

His cheeks darken, and he clears his throat. "Next question."

What is the quality you most like in a woman?:

His cheeks darken a little further. “Next question!"

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?:

Gestures to his entire self.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?:

"It's hard to think of one, seeing as I have a hard time actively hating people. I suppose I avoid people who would take advantage of me or my loved ones the most."

What do you most value in your friends?:

“… kindness, compassion, a willingness to listen, that sort of thing...”

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?:

"I can’t say I have one."

Whose are your heroes in real life?:

"I suppose there are people in my life who count, but I... don't really see them as heroes per se. They're extremely important to me, but not... heroes."

Which living person do you most admire?:

“Shut up.”

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?:

“I don’t see how any of them could be overrated, they’re virtues for a reason.”

On what occasions do you lie?:

"When necessary. I don't like doing it, though. I then have to go along with the lie and it becomes a chore I don't want to do. I'd rather be honest if I can."

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?:

“Any time I talk about my past. 'In my lifetime' I should really just tell myself to shut up.”

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?:

“I'm working on changing what I can, but I would make myself less judgemental.”

What are your favorite names?:

“… names for what? You need to be more specific here, because I don’t think about peoples names all too much.”

How would you like to die?:

“Painlessly. Just... painlessly."

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?:

Allen sighs. "I've never been given the choice, to tell you the truth. I don't think many people do. I think I'd rather just play the hand I'm dealt rather than imagine what could have been."

What is your motto?:

“Mottos are overrated.”