#often based on the chemistry of the main team

[elendsessor]

ngl i think its so important how the metaphor cast feels like a found family both in comparison to atlus’s/studio zero’s backlog and the general jrpg landscape

repeat after me: metaphor is not a megami tensei game.

this being said, there was definitely some influence because of the devs working on it, though this is due to the gaming landscape. save for indie titles, you’d be hard pressed to find a studio, especially one owned by a big company, to even be given the chance to make a new ip. atlus in particular has a history of financial flops, which is actually why the sega merger is so important. without sega, no matter how successful persona got, they would have died out in the 2000s/early 2010s. this is also why they lean on persona a lot more. of course, persona isn’t the only influence behind metaphor despite the big names having worked on modernsona, as some of its dna draws from traditional fantasy rpg tropes and digital devil saga. however, this has influenced how the game was approached on several levels, as diverting too much could have caused the game to flop. metaphor hinged most of its success based on studio recognition and marketing, and considering how persona is atlus’s cash cow, it needed to take every advantage it could get.

metaphor can definitively be best described as experiencing some first game syndrome pains + development hell complications, but in general, its plot and especially character dynamic writing seems to have been an exercise for the studio they couldn’t get while sticking to persona. no matter how you feel about the series, there’s no denying that, particularly with p3 onwards, it became a very mainstream-influenced anime rpg, filled with tropes and fanservice galore. only issue is how this alienates potential players. everything wrong with persona’s team writing is one reflected throughout the genre because it was made to fit that genre.

the anime rpg market is over saturated, the fandom reputation didn’t help, and to be honest, like many jrpgs in general, the party relationship falls into the trap of having minimal group chemistry outside of a shared goal, leaving them to not truly feel like a collective group of friends once the big bad goes down, especially if there’s a punching bag. as such, there seems to be plenty of reevaluation of how topics and characters are handled in order to attract a new player base turned off from the genre.

and that’s probably why i love the approach to metaphor’s main cast the most. while all end up having a shared goal aka we need to kill that fucking twink, they’re really initially brought together because they’re societal outcasts one way or another, then grow to like each other overtime due to exposure breaking down several barriers.

the biggest example for me is how heismay begins to shut down his perception of paripus after the eht ria arc, as its the first time he hears about what was actually going on the day his son was killed—there was an uprising from a tribe often forced into slavery and becoming lab rats, and unfortunately, an innocent bystander got caught up in it.

his relationship with basilio is really interesting in that regard tbh. there’s a growing respect once he and fidelio decide to help them out in defending other innocent kids caught up in a mess, and i think seeing him lose a loved one really put into perspective paripus aren’t inherently violent. sure, the magnus brothers were on louis’s side because at least fidelio believed might makes right, but having the courage to not abandon morals just to people please? takes a lot of guts.

that’s really where that respect starts to be gained even if it isn’t obvious. by the time the final day rolls around and they help hold the line? heismay actually being nice to basilio and even saving his life feels earned.

junah’s also really important. while initially from a shitty place and not holding sanctist beliefs or at least the extreme parts of it, given how she gets taken into a powerful family, finds success really easily despite her tribe, plus a lot of special treatment from every major group really gives her that unintentional superiority complex. she only goes along with will because they’re both from the resistance, initially treats him like an assistant, and one of the first things she says on the runner is denouncing how it isn’t up to her standards.

it’s another quiet background development in that it’s subtle, but she does end up challenging her worldview upon meeting eupha. being raised in an entirely different culture only to start seeing parallels in terms of faith being warped, causing unnecessary loss of life? that’s why she came to the conclusion she wants to help. this isn’t mentioning the follower ranks, furthering that understanding of how not everyone gets the same treatment as her because of things out of their control.

also noticed how everyone loses someone close and how at least one team member fills that same gap. extra bonus points for gallica because what’s this? a navi character that isn’t beating up on a single character and even then comes from a place of caring, praising those when they deserve it and showing worry when things don’t go as planned?

not a lot of games have this close knit relationship gained, usually only sticking to a couple characters liking one another and everyone liking the protagonist. it’s refreshing. the writing team deserves so many kudos for it it’s insane.

[firebirdsdaughter]

Have I mentioned today…

… how much I love Nate and Eliot?

[rabbit-surfboard]

Fictional podcast recs

One of my friends got into audio drama and I just sent them a whole list of recommendations to go through, I thought someone who follows these tags might also appreciate it and perhaps have some more to throw in. I resisted the urge to throw in the little blurb about audio dramas as a weird little medium and their tropes that I wrote up. It was something to the effect of nodding at how the medium has rapidly been improving since Welcome to Nightvale started, also how a lot of the tropes that tie the medium together are products of the indie podcast scene being accessible and primarily based in audio. Also at how well horror works in the format. Those paragraphs went unsaved but writing first about the medium in general helped me to reflect on a lot of the things that make audiodramas appealing or repulsive to me for discussing each show in brief beyond just explaining what they're about.

All recommendations are tagged for the tldr.

Fiction podcast recommendations in no particular order:

The Magnus Archives

Horror

The biggest criticism I ever had of this podcast’s voice acting from episode 1 turned out to be a relevant plot point. This thing is probably the best of the best, but I would never recommend it to someone unfamiliar with podcasts because the listener only notices a plot hook somewhere between episodes 20-40 and that’s daunting in the face of a 200 episode show. Getting sucked in rewards you with 200 episodes of thoughtful content and a great explanation for most of the weird things this show chooses to incorporate.

Old Gods of Appalachia

Horror

Fantastic production quality on this ongoing show. Many seasons with interconnected lore and a hell of a narrator. It’s not my personal favorite but it’s quite excellent.

Red Valley

Found footage mystery

One of the newer shows I’ve gotten into, Red Valley is well-crafted. It becomes compelling very quickly with a rapid pace that slows down to land in a neat spot for a while so you can savor the cool parts. The production quality is excellent and the two main voice actors have excellent chemistry. The third and final season is currently being produced.

The Silt Verses

Horror

Often compared to American Gods, this newer podcast made by an experienced team is doing a lot of creative and fresh things at once. The magnificently fucked up religious system of The Silt Verses is both a neat plot vehicle and cleanly works as a criticism of late stage capitalism, where many podcasts like to jab at capitalism this one is much more pointed in its commentary. Episodes are long and very well produced. All the credits in the third season have been mostly diegetic and add flavor to the world.

Archive 81

Found footage horror

Slow to start but by season 2 the production quality and plot are among the best in the game. Unfortunately, on an extended hiatus.

Ars Paradoxica

Science fiction, historical

Very well produced considering its age, this is a highly regarded show among people who follow the medium. Excellent time travel mechanics here. The plot drags a bit by the end because time travel stories must violently contort themselves into a conclusion, but the first season or two are fantastic and it’s always nice to have an ending instead of interminable hiatus.

Caravan

Gay demons n stuff

Showed up, did magic and gay shit, disappeared and went on hiatus probably with some kinda unsatisfying cliffhanger seeing as I don’t remember the plot. Could I recommend it in good faith? Not until they at least cough up season 2. I don’t remember it being bad and that alone is notable for the medium.

Mabel

Gothic horror

This is the deepest cut on the list except for maybe Caravan. Lesbians pine at each other for increasingly complicated reasons, eventually devolving into them doing datura and then spewing cryptic poetry together for the rest of their days. The production quality is fair. The slow windup and creepy house are American-gothic af. This show has had a few hiatuses, but each time it comes back significantly more intriguing.

Welcome to Nightvale

Goofy spooky news broadcast

Old and iconic, not very consistent. Sometimes explores emotional, tense, spooky, or funny scenes well, but the show is really focused on being local news for an ooky spooky desert town because Cecil is damn good at his job. Don’t come here looking for plot, it’s a fun vibe and I don’t know that anybody’s ripped it off and notably improved on this classic. Above average production quality for its time which improved through the years.

Alice isn’t Dead

USA road trip, horror

Made by at least one of the Nightvale writers, totally different show with a lesbian trucker making wry observations of some magnificently twisted shit seen around the United States. The producers know how to run a show, so the production is pretty good.

Tanis

Found footage horror

Tanis is not good. However, it was the first fiction podcast to make me ask “Is this real?” and hesitantly believe it for a frankly embarrassing number of episodes. The stories in the first season were interesting and the lore is just some big-tent conspiracy style of cramming a bunch of fun Wikipedia research into what turns out to be an increasingly nonsensical plot. Every season after the second, I return to hate-listen and am gaslit into thinking the show might low-key rock a few episodes before the finale, which is routinely frustrating and makes sure to throw out any good plot points Terry Miles comes up with. The acting is routinely terrible, and the frame narrative allows lazy and frequent retcons, ruining what I think is a good premise. Also it’s incomplete.

The Black Tapes

Horror

Terry Miles started this show before Tanis began releasing about 5 months later. I think of it as one of his earlier works because it behaves like Tanis with an added layer of cringe from a time waster of an awkward romance(?) between the two main characters. I couldn’t finish this show. You won’t see this recommended as often as it used to be online because there’s many better shows now, but this used to be a big deal. There’s a bunch of memes making fun of the annoying cadence of the characters’ speech and iconic sponsorship reads in both this and Tanis. If you’re interested in some cringe atop your creepypasta podcast, the two are interchangeable.  

Rabbits

ARG investigation

Not as horror focused as Terry Miles’ other shows, the cringe is dialed down and the show is better for it. Tanis and The Black Tapes are more well known, I think the only reason more people don’t think about this one is because the first two don’t inspire trust in the production or narrative quality of this show, but I remember it being fine for a season. I have not gone back to catch up now that more is out.

Malevolent

Horror

Inspired by The King in Yellow, one man performs two voices and verbally abuses himself with aplomb. Having a blind main character with an extra voice in his head is a frame story I haven’t heard yet (unless it came up in the magnus archives and I don’t remember), the concept works out great for the frame of a podcast to deploy the environmental imagery that foley cannot communicate. It also prevents the podcast trope of lengthy exposition about visual surroundings from sounding awkward or potentially impacting someone’s character development to show setting.

Wolf 359

Comedy, science fiction

A crew of whacky characters is stuck in deep space, hanging out and researching a star. Since that’s not actually very interesting they crack jokes and fuck around for a slow burn until interesting stuff happens. Good but not great, this one is long and satisfying and a bit less heavy than all the horror this medium often focuses on. Decent production quality.

The White Vault

Found footage horror

I lost patience with this podcast even though the overarching story seemed very cool – it progresses very slowly yet appears to grow bigger and more confusing instead of deigning to answer basic questions for a frustratingly long drag through the first four seasons. I worry that this frustration may be the point and the Patreon gated stories are the drivers for this tendency towards the confusing patchwork of ideas this show communicates. The production quality is good though.

The Left Right Game

Found footage horror

Genuinely great reddit creepypasta got turned into an overproduced podcast – I say “over” in comparison to the voice acting quality because it’s kind of impossible to sell some of the lines, which makes sense considering the source. Brief, complete, punchy, interesting, and just a little odd to hear such a clean production but a creepypasta this fun deserves the effort.

Wooden Overcoats

Comedy

Surprisingly good production quality for its age, and also a refresher from the usual tropes of the medium. Just a chill sitcom about a funeral parlor in a small town. I haven’t finished this 4 season show yet but its good.

The Black List Table Reads

Movie script readings

Some movie scripts just short of making the cut to be turned into a full Hollywood production were well liked enough by a group of film nerds that sat down to act them out as a podcast. Half of the episodes are interviews with screenwriters, and the other half see a script read all the way through by actors. They’re all rejected for different reasons so there’s a pretty broad spread of genres. My favorites were Blood From a Stone and Balls Out.

[lance-space-mommy]

It’s Kind Of Diabolical

UA was a dream school that people all around the world tried to get into. Not only was it ranked number one in all of Japan, but the school was undefeated in all categories. Whatever category an individual could think of Dean Nezu did everything in his power to make the school the best in said category.

The 3% acceptance rate showed how picky the admissions team was.

Izuku Midoriya was considered one of the smartest students in the school. There were only two people that ranked higher than him in the entire building across all majors. Izuku was in a medical and pharmaceutical concentration of Biology and Chemistry. The double major was hell on earth, but he topped that off with a physics and psychology minor.

No one in the school, including the teachers, understood how he managed his time juggling countless classes all at once. Still, Izuku loved to learn, and he put his full effort into completing every class to near perfection. He worked very closely with his advisors Toshinori Yagi and Aizawa Shota. They complimented each other and it helped Izuku a lot with moving forward and making decisions based on their advice.

Everyone was always talking about Izuku and every move he made. Still, Izuku had something that he kept to himself. Izuku was a professional athlete.

The only reason no one knew was because he didn’t play for the college, making it significantly easier for him to keep it a secret. Well, to a degree he could hide it. He competed in high level competitions, and many were non-profit to raise awareness for important causes. His high ranking often led him to speaking in interviews about the cause.

Izuku was an angel on earth.

Katsuki Bakugo was average in school. He was naturally smart and put as little effort into his schoolwork as possible. Katsuki was a business major with two minors. One was in marketing and another in accounting. As long as he got an A in the class, he didn’t try to push himself harder. His main focus was on sports. After all, he was the captain of the football team and spent most of his free time training.

The school's meal plan was heavily abused by Katsuki as he was often seen inhaling food with his friends whenever he wasn’t in the gym or on the field. The training and consistent meal plan helped him greatly. Katsuki was well built with muscles that made half of the campus jealous and the other half lovesick.

Despite all the attention Katsuki got, he remained single. He appreciated his fans to a degree, but never engaged with them. He enjoyed the chase and the rush he got from the attention. Still, he loved playing football, and he loved his teammates. He’d never let a relationship, or other outside influences distract him.

That was until his best friend, also the vice-captain of the football team, decided it was time to flip his life upside down.

“Who’s that talking to Coach Toshinori?” asked Kaminari excitedly upon seeing a cute boy appear on the fields.

Katsuki didn’t bother looking, not interested in hearing gossip about some stranger. Kirishima on the other hand perked up when he noticed who Kaminari was talking about. “That’s Midoriya! He’s insane.”

Kirishima’s statement caught the attention of Katsuki and the rest of the team. Sero recognized Izuku as well and commented, “Yeah, isn’t he doing a double major and double minor?”

“That’s him! Mina told me that he’s already been accepted by every high end medical school he’s applied to,” revealed Kirishima, happy to say his girlfriend's name every chance he got.

Kaminari stared at Izuku from afar, letting his mouth catch flies. Once he let a couple of moments pass by, he snapped back into focus and smirked. “So, he’s smart and successful. Wait, how does Mina know him?”

“Mutual friends, apparently Midoriya is super popular. Almost everyone knows him, so I’m surprised you don’t,” responded Kirishima slowly, letting his gaze return to Izuku.

Toshinori flashed a wide smile at Izuku, ruffling the fluffy locks of green hair. The excited voices of the duo faintly reached the group's ears. Tetsutetsu chuckled to himself before jerking a thumb over to where they were standing. “Looks like he just got accepted to another school.”

Katsuki’s gaze was fierce, but he couldn’t stop the foreign rushing of his heart. There was something about this smartass chatting with his coach that irritated Katsuki. No matter how much he wanted to roll his eyes and redirect the conversation, he knew Izuku would be on his mind.

Fate had funny ways of bringing destined lovers together.

Three weeks was all it took for Katsuki cave into obsession. He hadn’t realized just how big of a figure Izuku had been in the school. After that fateful day, it seemed that anytime he’d be in the food hall or was hanging out with his friends, he’d hear chatter about the mysterious genius.

All alone in his room with thirty minutes until his bedtime, Katsuki started digging. He found some online interviews with Izuku talking about the charities he’s worked with. Then Katsuki found his social media account that talked about plans for his future, study tips, and a plethora of random school-related things.

It only took a minute of scrolling for Katsuki to realize this wasn’t Izuku’s personal account. No matter how much he dug, he couldn’t find any pictures of Izuku at these apparent parties or hangouts with his friends that Mina claimed he had.

The following morning came around and like clockwork, Izuku would become a part of his life.

The football team huddled around Coach Toshinori when he clapped his hands together with his usual blinding smile. “Look alive! As you all know, the season is starting to pick up and now more than ever, we need to engage with the public. We are the best school in all of Japan and we need to maintain that status. So, I want you to take to social media and hold mini interviews with people in busy areas!”

Katsuki shrugged, not bothered by the assignment. It wasn’t like he had any intention of being the one doing the interviewing. If he partnered with Kirishima who was more of a people person, then he could just record the interviews.

“Let’s do this Bakugo!” cheered Kirishima loudly, letting his manly persona take over.

Katsuki narrowed his eyes, tightening his grip on his phone. “Shut up Shitty Hair! Do you want to scare away everyone with your screaming?”

Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, Kirishima turned back to where people were moving in and out of shops. “Oops, you’re right. Sorry man.”

Huffing, Katsuki prepared his phone to record as Kirishima asked individuals if they’d be willing to be interviewed. Most of the time it took one look at Kirishima and Bakugo for people to say yes. It may have been the duo’s good looks, or their UA letter jackets, but people were fast to do an interview.

They had already held short interviews with ten people by the time their interest had fully worn off. Kirishima groaned, crashing on a nearby bench. “Why does Coach want us to interview fifteen people? We are going to have way too much footage,” noted Kirishima as he watched people pass by.

“Stop complaining, we are almost finished,” grumbled Katsuki, scrolling through the countless videos on his phone.

“Easy for you to say! You haven’t talked to one person,” scoffed Kirishima, failing at guilt tripping Katsuki.

Raising a brow with an unimpressed expression, Katsuki shrugged it off. “Not my problem.”

Kirishima spotted a familiar face in the crowd and his face lit up like a little kid on their birthday. “No way! Is that Midoriya? What are the odds we see him here?”

Katsuki was already handing his phone to Kirishima, not bothering to look back or wait for his friend. “Record me.”

The eagerness Katsuki displayed to interview Izuku let Kirishima know everything. Katsuki had a fat crush on Izuku. He’d never pass up a moment to record Katsuki making a fool of himself. Moments like these were rare and Kirishima usually failed to capture the moment in a picture or video.

Once the redhead caught up to where Katsuki had greeted Izuku, he caught the end of their exchange of pleasantries.

Izuku flashed a soft smile at Katsuki. “It’s nice to meet you in person! Toshinori tells me a lot about you.”

Kirishima was already recording with a bright smile. “Hi Midoriya!”

Turning his head to look at Kirishima, Izuku’s eyes lit up when he realized it was Kirishima. “Oh! Kirishima, hi! It’s been so long since we’ve last talked!”

“It really has been! I’ve been so busy with balancing school and football I haven’t been going to the parties lately,” sighed Kirishima defeatedly. He knew Izuku wasn't one to be petty but still, he felt bad about not keeping in touch with someone he enjoyed talking to.

“Nonsense! Anyway, Bakugo, you mentioned something about interviewing me?” inquired Izuku, returning to the initial reason he was approached by the hottest guy on campus.

Katsuki took a step closer to Izuku after letting his eyes trail all over Izuku’s body when the pretty boy had been distracted. Clearing his throat, trying to fight the nerves that flooded his body when he caught sight of muscular legs, Katsuki nodded.

“Yes, the football team is doing interviews with the public so we can post stupid shit to remind everyone why UA is the best.”

Perking up at the explanation of what was happening, Izuku eagerly agreed,” Of course. I’m more than happy to support UA and our football team!”

The three traveled to a more open area of the shopping center. The sun was warm on their skin and there was a gentle breeze. As Izuku and Katsuki waited for Kirishima to give them the go ahead to start the interview, Kirishima swore the scene looked like something out of a romcom movie. The school jock and nerd running into each other and having their worlds collide on a beautiful day with a cinematic breeze twirling their hair around.

Izuku was wearing a white tee shirt with the words “running shirt” on it. He paired the simple tee shirt with some black gym shorts that had white accents on the side seam. Both of his knees were strapped up with yellow kinesiology knee tape, paired with royal blue compression socks. The final addition to the horrifically discolored outfit was a pair of expensive red running sneakers.

Katsuki was in some baggy black pants, expensive white sneakers, and wore his UA football letter jacket.

Their outfits dramatically contrasted each other, but it wasn’t an eyesore like Kirishima thought it would be. Despite all of that, Kirishima cut the two’s ogling short. “Start anytime!”

Without missing a beat, Katsuki went off-script and asked a personal question. “What happened to your leg?”

Both Kirishima and Izuku seemed a bit taken aback by the question, but they quickly recovered. Kirishima knew he was going to use this as blackmail on Katsuki for the foreseeable future. Izuku on the other hand didn’t know what to expect from the interview and was happy to talk to the notorious football captain.

“I do a lot of running. A lot of cardio,” revealed Izuku, smiling shyly at Katsuki as he fiddled with the earbuds he had taken out.

Since he was a person with no filter, Katsuki dove straight into sly flirting. “Were you on your knees by any chance?”

“I actually was,” answered Izuku quickly, a bit surprised Katsuki asked the question. Still, he wasn’t too surprised Katsuki knew what to ask considering he was an athlete too.

Katsuki didn’t falter despite Izuku clearly not understanding what he meant with that question. “Oh. I picked the right guy for the interview,” commented Katsuki charmingly, his eyes looking at Izuku as if he were a meal to devour.

With the single comment, Izuku picked up on what Katsuki was indirectly saying and let his eyes widen and let out a breathless laugh. Katsuki knew he wanted to see that look and hear that laugh every day for the rest of his life. He wasn’t one to believe in love at first sight, but truly Izuku had him captivated. Izuku felt the exact same way.

He got me, hook, line, and sinker.

“How is your day going?” asked Katsuki calmly, reeling back into interviewing Izuku despite him not asking about UA or things about football.

Izuku pouted, looking at the hustle and bustle of the people around. “Pretty slow”

Seeing an opening to be mischievous again, Katsuki leaned closer. “Do you want me to make it faster?”

Perking up at the suggestive question, Izuku was ready to show he was just as interested. Using all the confidence training his teachers have put him through, Izuku tempted, “How would you do that?”

“How do you want me to do that?” fired back Katsuki with pure enjoyment. There was a little voice in the back of his head, wondering if the man before him was being a little shit to mess with him or if he was truly interested.

While Katsuki was overthinking everything, Izuku tilted his head down, looking up at Katsuki through his eyelashes with a shy smile. It was a very pointed look, and Katsuki felt his heart swoon. Katsuki was ready to bite those chubby cheeks peppered with the most beautiful freckles. Still, he was a college student and imagined pinning Izuku against his locker in the vacant locker room, and making those perfect lips spread to let out a scream of pleasure.

“I’m going to have to cut this video short,” half-joked Katsuki, struggling to keep his mind focused on anything but asking Izuku to date him in less than polite words.

The loud, almost manic laughter erupted from Izuku again as the implications of Katsuki’s words sank in. He was infatuated with Katsuki. There was something so thrilling about being the one that caught the attention of the untouchable football captain. In the back of his mind, he was scared this was all some elaborate prank to humiliate him, but he had to trust that Toshinori wasn’t lying about Katsuki being a good person.

It wasn’t uncommon to hear all his friends talking about Katsuki. It was close to impossible not to hear the name when football was such a major sport. Katsuki was the captain and the team's best player. Besides, Izuku often visits the games.

The only problem was he never got a good look at the blonde when their classes had no overlap and Katsuki was nothing more than a small blob down on the field.

Katsuki recalled Kirishima and Izuku’s short exchange. Kirishima mentioned something about not going to as many parties due to his busy schedule. If Kirishima equated not going to parties to a complete loss of communication, he wondered just how often Izuku attended them. “Do you ever go out to parties?”

“Maybe sometimes,” admitted Izuku slowly, raising a brow to gauge just what Katsuki’s aim was. While Izuku enjoyed some dirty talk, he had no intention of being a sex toy. He had standards and he hoped that Katsuki wasn’t just a closeted player.

“Do you ever see frat boys?” questioned Katsuki quickly, feeling anxiety bubble in his gut. He didn’t want Izuku to have his eyes on loser extras. Katsuki knew that some of the frat boys were persistent and relentless when it came to sexual endeavors. Jealousy was an ugly feeling, and Katsuki didn’t like being in a competition where he could easily lose.

Izuku stilled, a bit offended Katsuki was asking about his potential romantic interests in frat boys. How could Katsuki think he had no standards? Sure, Izuku was popular and flirty when it counted, but he didn’t think he gave off the impression he’d settle for a frat boy.

Truth be told, Izuku had a fear of drinking and drugs. He was a control freak after all.

In the end he’d be lying if he said he didn’t notice some of the frat boys at the parties he attended. No matter how many people tried to hide the parties from the frat boys, they managed to find and get into the private parties. “I do see some frat boys. I don’t go for frat boys though.”

Katsuki immediately relaxed and soon realized he had been making a lot of assumptions. Sure, he was gay, but he couldn’t just assume anyone he was interested in was. Yet, he saw Izuku standing across the field on one fateful day and decided the nerd was his. Still, he didn’t have to worry about some horny men getting their hands on Izuku.

With his skin practically itching from anticipation, Katsuki knew he needed to get a better confirmation of Izuku’s sexuality. Their not-so-subtle flirting wasn’t enough. “So, what kind of guys do you go for?”

“Literally any other kind of guy,” chuckled Izuku, feeling his cheeks heat up a bit. It was clear that Katsuki was interested in him no matter what the intentions behind that interest were. Who could blame him for being flattered that Katsuki was giving him attention in a world filled with gorgeous individuals who matched Katsuki’s interests better.

Even if he was a perfect mix of calculated and impulsive, Katsuki was quick to gather the courage and make it clear where he stood. “Like football players?”

The message was direct and Izuku’s face bloomed the most stunning shade of pink Katsuki had ever seen. The shade complimented his hair and made his freckles more apparent. Still, Izuku raised a hand to tuck a stray curl behind his ear. Ignoring the adrenaline pumping in his veins, he smiled confidently. “I’ve never gone for a football player before but…”

All composure was lost, and Katsuki’s buffer vanished. “Do you like dick?”

That was all it took for Izuku to burst out into laughter. Even if Katsuki only wanted him for his body, which meant a hard rejection to an only physical relationship, Izuku had no intention of living a life without Katsuki in it. The vulgarity in Katsuki’s speech and the lack of regret in everything he said was something Izuku quickly admired. “Uh yeah.”

Katsuki couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face, unable to believe that with the dumpster fire their conversation was, Izuku was still laughing and engaged. If his last question wasn’t enough to drive Izuku away, he might as well try to ask, “Can I get your number?”

Not even a second passed when Izuku threw his head back in laughter once more, fully captivated by Katsuki. He enjoyed the directness after all the suggestive language. Waving a hand, Izuku took a deep breath before shrugging and nodding his head. “Yeah, I guess you can get my number.”

Suddenly Katsuki felt like an elementary schooler. He remembered watching all his friends ask girls out and being surprised when they accepted. Now he understood how they felt at that moment. It was a pure, unadulterated sense of belonging and acceptance.

Despite the train wreck he presented himself to be, Izuku wanted to stick around.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” confirmed Izuku as he laughed, raising his hand, messing with his phone to pull up contacts, and offering it to Katsuki.

Kirishima stood behind the camera, wearing a disgusted expression. Izuku and Katsuki were made for each other. He couldn’t imagine any other person in the world still giving their number to Katsuki after being aggressively asked if they liked dick.

Whatever rose-tinted glasses Izuku was wearing, Kirishima wanted a pair too.

Katsuki calmly put in his digits and his name. He knew Izuku knew his name, but still, he liked the feeling of making himself known to Izuku. As soon as Katsuki went to hand Izuku his phone, a calendar notification pinged.

“Sorry, I really must go! I’ll text you, Katsuki. And Kirishima, it was a pleasure seeing you again.”

Kirishima and Katsuki both waved to Izuku and sadly said their goodbyes. They were impressed that Izuku was able to spare them a minute in the first place with how intense his schedule must be.

Izuku walked away with a pep in his step. Kirishima had been busy sending the video to himself when Katsuki’s voice reached his ears against his will.

“I hate to see you go, but I love to watch you leave,” sighed Katsuki, clearly admiring Izuku’s ass-sets.

Kirishima cringed, staring at Katsuki as if he’d been betrayed. “Bro, I love you… but I’m going to need you to stop talking.”

Katsuki gave Kirishima a swift punch to the arm before snatching his phone back. “Never speak of this to anyone. Let’s grab lunch… fuck interviewing anyone else.”

More than happy to stop where they were, Kirishima started walking to the one restaurant nearby he knew they both enjoyed. Katsuki smiled at his phone when he almost immediately got a text from Izuku.

Katsuki wasn’t planning on letting Izuku go after having a taste.

[goopi-ctures]

Bac(terra) In(cognita)

Usually I am not an OC person, but I do have these guys, which are near and dear to my heart. I've been working on them since 2015-16-ish, and, while initially it all started as an imagined reboot for a super obscure animated mini-series from 2000's, by now the whole thing evolved into an entirely independent project of big personal importance. I've been cagey about them mostly because I really want to make something significant out of them, maybe like a comic or a children's book, all with a major focus on edutainment, but have been stuck on the topic for years.

The overall premise goes as follows: one day, an empty Petri dish rolled under the sink in a microbio lab, never to be found again by any human working there. However, it quickly became a home to a vibrant community of all sorts of microorganisms, who, as it turns out, are not that different from the humankind. They even have schools!

Main cast:

Eccoli (based on E. coli): he's the protagonist. A smart, but thouroughly burned out kid who skips classes to go eavesdropping on the lessons taking place in a rival school. This is how he stumbles upon the other three guys and reluctantly befriends them. He's very anxious and secretive by nature, but blossoms whenever he gets a chance to talk about his special interest in viruses. Also, being a bacteria, he is by far the tiniest of the main quartet - yes, not all microorganisms are equally small.

Penny Cilly (based on the penicillium mold): a diligent and energetic girl with a short temper and an over-achiever.mindset. May not be able to grasp some topics from the get-go, but makes up for it with lots and lots of hard work. Her family wants her to make a career in antibiotic production, but she's more interested in looking for the alternatives, as antibiotic resistance is on the rise.

Muchor (based on the mucor mold): despite being Penny's childhood friend, he couldn't be more different from her. A born genius, he never struggles in class, grasping even the most complex of concepts on the fly, but having to sit down and do homework will make him crumble. His intellectual prowess also led him to developing a self-centered and condescending attitude, but under all that he's actually a pretty chill and pleasant guy. Has a knack for dangerous experiments and stupid pranks.

Ameeba (based on amoebas): the token nerd of the group. Shy and timid, but very observant and analytical - she definitely rivals even Muchor in that regard, which he openly admits. She has a wide range of interests, but mostly they revolve around art, anime and fashion. She has a very eclectic taste and changes outfits constantly. Also, she can shapeshift! Usually it's confined to her hair, but changing the whole body is definitely possible. It's a very handy ability, as amoebas are significantly larger than most microorganisms (some are even visible with the naked eye), and not many places in Ameeba's life accomodate for that.

Here are the size comparisons (the left one is super old and has an outdated Ameeba design, but it's the best that I have):

Here are their humanizations:

And here's their classroom:

Side characters:

Vol'ka (based on the volvox algae): he's a little younger than the main cast and goes to a different school, but often gets himself involved in their shenanigans. Just as smart as everyone on the team, but his main love is math, maybe also chemistry, while the protags mostly gravitate towards biology. Also, he's the fabled single mom teenager boy: every little cell that makes up his poofy hair is actually one of his little sisters, and he has no choice but to babysit them.

The teachers! The one on the left is Mrs. Inforia (based on Paramecium caudatum), who teaches the main gang and is niceys; the one on the right is Ms. Aurora (based on Staphylococcus aureus), who is Eccoli's teacher and is horrible. Honestly, they're both kind of placeholder-ish, I definitely need to work on the adults of this setting more.

Eulene (based on the euglenas, who are... technically not algae? It's complicated): she's also a teacher working part-time at both Vol'ka's school and the main school, but she's significantly younger than the other two teachers - so much so that she was only in her senior year when Ameeba, Penny and Muchor started middle school. So she's in that awkward position of both being their close friend, but also an authority. Honestly, I love this dymanic, it's very true to some of my experiences.

[c-h-pictures]

Genshin Characters Pub Quiz Capabilities: Team 5ggrevate

Team Swirl (Faruzan, Dehya, Dunyarzad, Nilou, Hat Guy)

Basing on the standard pub quiz for ease

Round 1: General knowlege/trivia

Round 2: Science

Round 3: Photo round

Round 4: Sport

Round 5: Maths (Optional)

Round 6: Pop culture

Tighnari

Round 1: 4-6/10

The general knowledge required for being a forest ranger is very different to that of someone living in the city.

Round 2: 6-8/10

Score varies on how many biology questions pop up. He can get about half of the chemistry and alchemy, struggles with physics or geology.

Round 3: 5-6/10

He recognises plants, fungi and animals easily, can often figure out rural locations based on the plants. He struggles more with urban locations. Rarely recognises celebrities.

Round 4: 1-2/10

Maybe he heard about things from the other forest rangers, but he probably forgot it by the time it came to the quiz. Unless its archery related. He knows everytihng that happens in the archery world. But that very rarely comes up.

Round 5: 6-7/10

Can do most pure maths, can work his way through applied maths but takes some time. Often catches his mistakes.

Round 6: 3-8/10

Some things don't spread to Ghandharva Ville, so it's very dependable on how much he was in the city recently.

Overall score: 25-37/60

Haitham

Round 1: 7-8/10

He picks up a lot of random facts during work and reading which he remembers.

Round 2: 4-5/10

Has a standard level of knowledge for all sciences, but nothing too in depth.

Round 3: 6-7/10

Recognises most locations and can usually get half the animals. Struggles with plants, may struggle with rural locations outside of Sumeru.

Round 4: 2-3/10

He hears discussions about athletes in the House of Daena, but he doesn't know enough to match their names to the sport.

Round 5: 4-6/10

Can do pure easily, doesn't really know equations for applied. Often catches his mistakes.

Round 6: 6-7/10

Picks up on a lot from people chatting in the Akademiya.

Overall score: 29-36/60

Cyno

Round 1: 5-7/10

Similar to Tighnari, in that his general knowledge is rather different to those from the city, but he's there more often.

Round 2: 7-9/10

High knowledge of chemistry, alchemy and geology, decent at biology because of Tighnari.

Round 3: 6-8/10

Recognises most locations and buildings, a good amount of animals, some plants.

Round 4: 4-6/10

Has some conversations with colleagues and keeps up to date on some sports when he's in the city for longer periods.

Round 5: 6-8/10

Find pure easy, can get through some applied questions. May miss some mistakes.

Round 6: 6-8/10

Picks up on most things through work, score depends on which area of Sumeru the questions focus on and which area he's been in more.

Overall score: 34-46/60

Sethos

Round 1: 2-4/10

His random knowledge of specific facts largely applies to things no one in the city would ever know, unfortunately for his quiz score.

Round 2: 5-7/10

Has a similar level of knowledge of all sciences, but not of a very high level.

Round 3: 7-9/10

Recognises most locations and buildings, recognises desert animals and plants, recognises some people.

Round 4: 3-8/10

Depends entirely on what he's heard in the city recently.

Round 5: 4-7/10

Can do pure and some applied, but may miss mistakes.

Round 6: 4-5/10

Largely limited to news in the desert.

Overall score: 25-40/60

Kaveh

Round 1: 7-8/10

On his own, he knows less random facts than Haitham, but he then learns more from Haitham.

Round 2: 6-8/10

Standard knowledge of each main science, but more in depth for physics and engineering.

Round 3: 4-6/10

Recognises most people and buildings, some rural locations and animals, occasional plants.

Round 4: 2-3/10

Occasionally picks up knowledge from clients.

Round 5: 10/10

Well versed in pure and applied maths, triple checks working.

Round 6: 5-7/10

Keeps up pretty well through chatting with clients and friends throughout the day.

Overall score: 34-42/60

[peppy-jester]

~ Indie rp and ask blog for Fizzrolli from Helluva Boss. Selective, Mutuals only! Read the rules before following, thank you. Mun is +35 year old fossil, so no minors!

AFFILIATED WITH @rapid-as-sass-in-nation-team @blitzbuckz @themosthatedbeingg @houseofasmodeus / @sinfuldxgenerates @queenbeeibee@hellpride / @originalmigraine / @greedonya @beautifulxdangerous //will be adding here more people who wants to be affiliated

Rules And About Mun // Promo

Mammon sideblog; @unhinged-greed Barbie Wire sideblog @wired-for-trouble

~~Rules for mobile users under the cut~~

1. No godmodding or Powerplay. I don't give you permission to make decisions for my muse without consulting me first. You can move him around if needed to that’s all fine~

2. This blog is an Independent, Selective and Mutuals only blog. I may not follow everyone because I want to keep my dash clean, been unfollowing people who don’t use their roleplay blog only for OOC posting or reblogging unrelated stuff.

3. Minors, personals and rule breakers will be soft or hard blogged. I will not rp or interact with minor muns for my own safety. Personals are welcome to send in character related asks etc, but I won’t be roleplaying with you either.

4. Multimuse, Multifandom and OC friendly. Not okay with roleplaying minor OC characters either. Please have some sort of information page of your character. Multifandom/crossover roleplays are welcome but there are some fandoms I don’t want anything to do with.

5. Headcanon based. Canon exists in this blog. But how I rp as Fizz is bit more headcanon based. He has his childish side showing up quite often, this is because he have been working ever since he was little kid. His parents are dead so he hasn’t been able to be like a ‘normal child’ so now it’s showing up.

6. Duplicate Muses. Are ok only if they are part of multimuse blog. I get very anxious when I see a duplicate muse on my dash, minus a few of my friends who I share Fizz and Mammon with. 

7. NSFW. Horny demons, what can I say. Fizz has his moments. All the NSFW themes will be tagged as such.

8. Triggering themes. Such violent and more dark themed rp’s will be tagged as “tw; blood” or “tw; injury”. If I ever miss a trigger warning, please message me. I don’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable.

9. Shipping. Yes! This blog is multiship! But I only ship with chemistry and would like to know the other mun before anything happens between our boys. Yes, boys. Fizz is not straight. Never feel pressured to ship with me. I’m fine for example Fizz and Ozzie only being business partners. Also not all the ships need to be healthy or actual romantic ships. The main ships for me are OzzFizz, BlitzFizz, StrikerFizz that I like. Wanna ship? Throw me with IM, let’s see what happens~

10. Safe Zone. This blog is as Drama Free as possible! I have zero tolerance of drama, not gonna spread it. Anons will be blocked and blogs will be blocked forever. 

11. Replies. My replies vary from a few lines to several paragraphs depending how my muse works for me at the time. I always try to end my reply so my partners have something to work with. Icons will be used unless stated otherwise in tags. Icons used in replies are from the show that rightfully belongs to Vivziepop.

12. Never rush. I happen to have a life…. ‘life’ away from the computer. Have a full time job so it’s impossible for me to be around on a daily basis. At times work takes a lot from my energy. I reply on things I have muse for. Roleplay partners who I talk to behind the scenes go most likely first. Timezone is not on my side so the dash is usually most active at 1 am to 7 am my time. Be patient with me. But there may be a slight chance I missed your reply or forgot to reply to it, you can always remind me. Me and my dyslectic ADHD ass tend to forget things.

13. Discord. Open for mutuals. It’s mostly for planning stuff, talking whatever you want. Maybe do some roleplaying there~

14. Following tag #PeppyJester

[nugulover69]

I too am a member of the Taiya-hater club and every episode I question why I'm not dropping this show until they show me scraps of Mira or Agent Shirabe or the Three Idiots, but I think from now on I'll be fastforwarding through new eps just for them. My only sentai are Zenkai and halfway through Donbros so being forced to watch Boonboom Red as the main character is like beibg fed cardboard after a pizza.

Oh man. if your only sentai experience is zenkai and donbros, two very experimental and Not A Typical Sentai sentais, yeah boonboom must hit a real sour note since its a return to basics lol

I personally wouldn't call it bad so far, a solid B+ imo, but Taiya is def the weakest character, and his blandness is only more evident whenever an episode is focused on him

I can suggest some good sentais that are more typical in structure for you to watch in the future:

Gokaiger- the core team is phenomenal here, bursting with personality and incredible chemistry between each of them. this IS an anniversary sentai, meaning past rangers are constantly showing up to be apart of the plot, but you do NOT need to have seen their shows to get the gist and have a fun time. you're following the gokaigers and their character arcs are always the main focus. plus they're aliens (space pirates even) that don't know jackshit abt Earth, so you and them are on the same level of knowledge lol

Idk why folks don't recommend this as a starter sentai more often. it was my first ever sentai and I picked the next sentais I watched based on how entertained I was by a past characters appearance. its how I watched go-onger and carranger (and liveman but I don't wanna talk abt that)

Also Marvelous is best red. this is an objective fact we as a community all agree on, even if he's not our own personal favorite red

Speaking of go-on

Go-onger- the canon, main strength of this team is their stupidity. VERY CARTOONY, heavy on hijinks, light on serious plot (it was written by a veteran kids anime writer and boy can you tell). if you like loud genki kinda assholeish shonen protags than you'll love the red Sosuke. if you don't...perhaps skip this one lol. Sosuke is a biiiig make or break of someone's enjoyment of go-on. the villains are great tho, very team rocket, kinda like the Sanseaters in boonboom

(and its a much better car sentai. Speedor is there all the time. boonboom only has Speedor for one episode. I rest my case)

Zyuohger- if you need an animal sentai under your belt, this is the best one. the red, Yamato, does get more focus than the rest of the team (many more power ups as well) but he's a likeable character played by a guy who can actually act. GREAT VILLAINS, they evolve over time as well and I can't say much w/o spoiling things, but I'll just say Genis caused his own demise

Also I haven't seen donbros but I know the donbros sixth is deranged, so if you need more deranged sixths in your life you should watch zyuoh for Misao

Gekiranger- if you really love serialized story telling and characters growing and changing and all that, I cannot recommend geki enough. in a lot of sentai, the weapons are usually just found or given, which isn't inherently a bad thing but I can see why someone wouldn't care for that. every weapon and power up the gekis get is always earned thru them overcoming some obstacle, literal or figurative, so its that much more rewarding when the new Marketable Touy is used

Also they're kung fu fighting cats. did I mention they're kung fu fighting cats. the red was raised in the woods and literally acts like a feral animal most of the time. he does mellow out over the course of the show, but honestly if someone doesn't like Jan from the jump I don't trust them (he has CRAZY yaois with the main villain Leo btw)

[ryukang1995]

My latest collage of possibly the most prominent ships within my works based on Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Double Dragon.

Ryu x Cammy (American Street Fighter AU)

This pairing largely came from the what-if artwork that Akiman did of Ryu and Cammy's son, but beyond that? I do feel the two have quite a lot in common, especially personality-wise. Plus, Cammy actually admires Ryu in canon.

Guile x Chun-Li (American Street Fighter AU)

The idea of this pairing did technically start with Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie where Guile and Chun-Li teamed up to take down Bison and Shadaloo, but because Guile is more or less the main hero of the American SF AU, it just made sense to pair him with Chun-Li.

Even so, they do have great chemistry together in pretty much the entire franchise.

Liu Kang x Kitana (Main Mortal Kombat timeline)

The pairing that John Tobias intended as far back as the development stages of the first MK game where Kitana was planned to appear as a background character named Kitsune. It eventually was integrated into the canon starting with the 1995 MK movie, and to this day, fans wonder when will they have an offspring.

To me, this is like a mix between a classic fairy tale romance and the traditional tale of star-crossed lovers who may or may not be together in the end. Ultimately, I do want to see them settle together.

Johnny Cage x Sonya Blade (Main Mortal Kombat timeline)

This pairing was technically first hinted at in the MK comics by Malibu, but it first got major focus when it was featured in the 1995 MK movie. Since then, it was hinted at in the 3D games, and it eventually became integrated into canon with the NRS timeline where they ended up giving birth to Cassie Cage.

Despite my ups and downs with the relationship as well as how Johnny was often portrayed in later incarnations (mainly the NRS timeline and the Legends animated films), I do feel it can be done well when given to the right people. It's definitely an "opposites attract" dynamic, for sure.

Ryu x Chun-Li (Japanese Street Fighter AU)

Possibly the most popular SF ship, regardless of it not truly being canon. Many fans, myself included, have always wondered if Ryu and Chun-Li would ever hook up.

Even the SF2 manga from 1993 had it to where Chun-Li had romantic feelings for Ryu, so that might have been one of the seeds that planted the idea of them being a thing in our minds. Since then, Capcom have been teasing fans hard over whether or not they will get together.

Both characters greatly admire each other, and they definitely look cute together. I definitely wouldn't mind it being official either.

Liu Kang x Sonya Blade (Alternate Mortal Kombat timeline)

I would say this is my most prominent ship I have done fan work of, despite it not being the most popular out of these, especially when compared to Liutana and CageBlade.

The pairing was first hinted at in the MK novel by Jeff Rovin, but they never attempted to make it canon, or even drop hints of it in later incarnations. Regardless, I do feel it has great fan art and fanfic potential since the two actually have a lot more in common than you would think.

It genuinely helps that both characters respect and admire each other in canon too. I would also say both this pairing and Ryu x Chun-Li just make sense, considering it's the main heroes and the first ladies of both SF and MK.

Billy Lee x Marian Kelly (Console Double Dragon AU)

While Billy is indeed "player 1" of pretty much every DD game, several of the games also had it to where Billy and Jimmy had to fight for Marian (they were also a trio in the River City Girls games, but I digress).

However, it was the DD games for consoles such as NES that established Billy being Marian's true boyfriend, and so, that is ultimately why it's the case in the "Console" DD AU.

Jimmy Lee x Marian Kelly (Arcade Double Dragon AU)

The official artwork for Double Dragon II: The Revenge has it to where Marian is holding on to Jimmy as he and Billy battle the Shadow Warriors, which did sort of imply that Jimmy was Marian's boyfriend.

Since the arcade games never truly explored lore details, I decided to fill in the blanks as well as take some liberties by making Jimmy x Marian a thing. It also helps that Jimmy is the more mature and stoic Lee brother in this AU while Billy fills such a role in the "Console" AU.

There are some other pairings I left out, such as Ken x Cammy, Kung Lao x Li Mei, and Kitana with both Johnny Cage and Kuai Liang (again, as both Scorpion and Sub-Zero), but I would say these are the most prominent ones.

[yesterdanereviews]

Evolution (2001)

Film review #608

Director: Ivan Reitman

SYNOPSIS: When a meteor falls from outer space into the Arizona desert, two local college professors make an amazing discovery: the meteor contains microscopic alien life. While the two think they'll be rich and famous for their discovery, the microbes begin to evolve at an accelerated rate, and soon become full-sized creatures who threaten all like on Earth...

THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Evolution is a 2001 sci-fi film. The film opens with a meteor crashing into Earth somewhere in the Arizona desert, with signs of microscopic alien life. Two college professors make the discovery and keep it to themselves, thinking it will net them the Nobel prize and other such fame and riches. They learn upon examination that the microscopic life forms are evolving at an exponentially accelerated rate, and will quickly develop to be a threat to mankind. Teaming up with a trainee firefighter and a government scientist, they go about trying to stop the evolution before it is too late. One of the most notable things about this film is it obviously wants to be the new millennium's Ghostbusters: from the director of Ghostbusters, who rewrote the originally more horror/thriller based script to turn it into a comedy, the main characters working at a college/university, and even Dan Akroyd having a minor role. I don't think it's up for debate that this ambition went largely unmet. The film isn't totally terrible, but fails to achieve it's objectives in a number of ways. The story is very predictable, and offers very little surprises, with the usual thing of the military taking over and cutting the main characters out of the loop, forcing them to save the world on their own. There's also not enough battling with the creatures too, which somewhat makes sense given they are microscopic for a chunk of the film, but when they are combating the monsters, there's nothing special or exciting about it, whereas in Ghostbusters had the super cool proton packs and gadgets. It might be unfair to keep comparing a film to another one, but in Evolution's case, I think it is completely fair to do so, considering that it clearly wants to be a new Ghostbusters.

While the leads David Duchovny and Orlando Jones turn in good performances (Duchovny wanting to take this role to move away from his role in the X-files by taking a film about aliens is a bit humourous), they don't really have the chemistry to carry a lot of the scenes. Duchovny is obviously playing the Bill Murray/Peter Venkman role of the dry humoured personality, while comedian Orlando Jones does the more expressive stuff. This overlaps with Seann William Scott's role as the trainee firefighter Wayne Grey a little, but he has a more youthful edge to appeal to a different demographic. Julianne Moore as Dr. Allison Reed is introduced as an attempted serious, but clumsy character, but that clumsiness never shows up again, which is odd. There's some deleted scenes which show it again, but it's odd that's left in there at all. The biggest drag in the film is probably the crude humour. While it starts out building up different kinds of humour, it quickly devolves into crude and cheap jokes that offer nothing new. Again, while Ghostbusters blended in the adult humour perfectly with it's supernatural theme, Evolution tries the same, but comes across a bit of a child's attempt at adult humour. The film very rarely recovers it's footing in this regard, and feels like it's run out of humour fairly quickly.

The well known actors, as mentioned, do turn in good performances, but there's often not much to work with in terms of story or unique things for them to do. The creatures are sometimes creative in their designs, but there's not nearly enough variety in them, and neither do they look "alien" enough to stimulate the imagination. The climax is a bit boring too, with the cast attempting to stop a giant blob by spraying some anti-dandruff shampoo up one of it's orifices. Overall, Evolution has some entertainment value to it, but it is always going to draw comparisons to Ghostbusters, which it can never meet, thanks to it's humour constantly misfiring, and a plot that fails to evolve itself beyond it's very typical cornerstones.

[night-dark-woods]

15, 21, 23, 24!!

THANK U ECHO this got so long oops.

15. that one thing you see in fanart all the time

hmmm not destiny-specific (i dont have any d2 specific gripes i dont think) & i mostly follow cool gay & trans ppl so this is much less of an issue than in the wider fandom (every so often some Main Fandom Art makes its way to me and i do a full double take) but like. i knowww they are almost all the same character model in-game but can we please get some characters who arent super skinny supermodels in here. please.

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

not to sound like an edgelord but. the traveler. if we can acknowledge that the Darkness isnt ontologically Evil, i think we can (PLEASE) acknowledge that the Light isnt inherently good. and im not talking about the superpowers we get, they've (narrative team) made it quite clear that individuals choose to do what they will with based on their own morals. but the traveler is, imo, positioned as a Morally Good Agent Of The Light far more than the witness is Of The Darkness, and i think we need to talk more about the traveler's agenda!!! again, this complexity isnt completely absent from the narrative, but it doesnt feel like those interpretations are... metatextually supported igss? like zavala's frustration with the traveler leaving feels more like a very christian (as someone who was not raised religious) test of faith that zavala (and the canonical YW) have Passed and will be Rewarded.

where's tevis my best friend tevis. we need more characters with that pov. god is real god resurrected you god gave you a second chance at life with no memories of your past and a guardian angel (a "chattering oversoul," to quote toland) to tell you where to go and who deserves to die and raise you every time you fail just to throw you back into the divine crusade. like. lets talk about that a little more!!!

23. ship you've unwillingly come around to

this is hard bc i am in general very willing to "yes-and" ANYTHING with a hint of chemistry or a fun dynamic. it may not compell me but if you can point out a narrative similarity btwn characters i will almost always be down. unless its one i hate ("hate" being a strong word. really its just the strongest possible apathy) bc i contain multiudes :thumbsup:.

i can't think of a pairing i started out disliking and then changed my mind about due to fandom unfortunately. the closest would be igss that i hate crow/amanda as its written in the text BUT my perhaps controversial opinion is i think transitioning could fix crow specifically the version of crow i have in my head who did not get uldren's memories back. SotL was so good for the overarching plot of d2 but so so so bad for the type of awoken-enjoyer i am & imo the like... thesis statement of what a guardian is lol!

so unfortunately i dont have an answer for this one (i dont think "i like the pretend version i made up in my head" counts as coming around on a ship lmfao), bc you can pair any two destiny women and ill be like yeah for sure! and i have curated my online space well enough that i rarely see any other kind of ship, and when i do its gay men (o14, uldren/jolyon, someone i follow is cooking something with saladin/drifter which is inspired. i love whatever is happening there) which is like cheering absently for a sports team idc about but support on principle.

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

mara. its always fucking mara. literally spent an hour and a half last night rehashing d1 mara-course in a server with someone who has not read any lore. which is fine! thats a fine way to engage with the game! its a valuable perspective! but use i-statements and accept that you are coming to the table with 10% of the facts about the character.

honorable mention goes to anything about redemption arcs (and savathun specifically)- most recently that fuuucking saint killing sav repeatedly lore tab. and if you (general) cant be assed to care about evil women (skill issue, but whatever), thats also backsliding YEARS on saints characterization and i dont even care about saint!!!

so really the answer is misogyny lmfao.

[caw4brandon]

Found Families and Why We Love Them

Dominic Toretto once said "I don’t have friends, I got family" with that in mind, that will be our intro for today! Although we find that iconic line cheesy as cheese, the audience loves a great found-family setup.

Something about how a bunch of misfits and inconsiderate douchebags developing to be a family of their own in spite of their quirkiness and tragic backgrounds makes us love them more than the typical and already functional groups. Like most families, there is the father, the mother, and the child. The rest is kind of subjective.

I've talked a little bit about actual families via [The Addams Family] but I think Found Families are a different breed. Let's discuss that and explain why we love them so much~

- Crows Never Forget -

While conversing with a friend I've met on Tumblr. My friend suggested that I should watch the show < Shadow and Bone > based on the Grisha Trilogy by [Leigh Bardugo] The story mainly follows Alina Starkov who lives in a world divided by the haunting dark cloud placed at the center of the three counties known as; The Fold.

Aside from the main plot you can already guess if you know enough fiction. The show features a merry band of dangerous outcasts. The Six of Crows from Ketterdam. Led by the cunning leader; Kaz "Dirty Hands" Brekker.

The team is supported by, Inej Ghafa The Assassin, Nina Zenik The Heartrender, Jesper Fahey The Sharpshooter, Matthias Helvar The Convict, and Wylan Van Eck The Runaway. Like every group that shares this type of beat. The teammates do not trust one another and are only united for the cause.

This will develop as the series goes on and their trust will change from strangers to allies to family beneath the backdrop of a sinfully cut-throat and exciting city. While the series only showed Five of the Six so far. I've grown very quickly to love this group for their chemistry and their respective motivations to stay as a team.

What's so interesting to watch is, despite how typical this trope is. I still couldn't keep my eyes off this concept. It's so much fun to see the Six interact even though for now, it's just Kaz, Inej, and Jesper (also, The Goat; Milo) planning a heist to kidnap our heroine. On the other end of the world, we learn about Matthias and Nina. The Convict and The Witch (Matthias's words, not mine)

Dysfunctional groups like these feel very human. They don't act like they care for the world or for one another but instead, grow in the process.

Similarly, another dysfunctional group called < The Guardians of The Galaxy > shares the same vibes as the Six. Their talent is great but it's their destructive tendencies or personal vendettas that make them less like heroes. Rather, they are people who just so happened to be doing heroics.

- Where is your Supervisor? -

Part of the trick in making fun found families is the will to condense the group down to about four or three characters. In most Shonen manga/ anime, the main character (eg, Naruto) is often supported by a lancer character (eg, Sasuke) and the heart (eg, Sakura) There is also the mentor/senior (eg, Kakashi) and it will always be these four. Other examples like Harry (Potter) and Co are good samples of the main trio with a mentor (Hagrid).

It's rare that we find trios with no mentor figure. Such is the case of another show I recently watched, < Lockwood and Co > based on the book series by [Jonathan Stroud] For a quick summary, Lockwood is set in London with one big exception. The city/ world at large is haunted by lethal ghosts (AKA The Problem) and only kids can sense them. Therefore, fight them.

The main cast consists of Anthony Lockwood, the cool and fearless badass gentleman who is strongest with Sight. George Karim, an all-rounder but a highly talented Researcher. Finally, our main character, Lucy Carlyle. An incredibly talented girl who's the most gifted with Hearing and Touch. Unlike the other agencies which are by the book and led by a Supervisor (an adult). Lockwood is purely independent but is unfortunately small and always in trouble with the law due to their incredibly dangerous methods.

Still, they are the best at what they do. Hunting ghosts while solving the bigger mystery behind The Problem. Despite their terrible coordination, the team has proven themselves to be better and far more personal with the cases they crack. Making it less like a job.

They are reminders that less is better. The cast plays the role of Hero, Lancer, and Heart very well and their chemistry is great and funny. Anthony and Lucy will sometimes bud heads, George will do his own thing making two of his partners incredibly proud and, you might see some tender/real moments between them.

Lockwood also removes the typical hero's journey of losing a mentor figure and instead makes the characters each other's mentors. The team relies on one other with their lives to survive every mission and navigate through life as a whole.

It felt more organic for them to grow together because there's a sense for when an adult shares a piece of advice (no matter how good it is) feels very smug and dull. The characters feel like actual teens because the setting for the agency sounds like something actual teens will do. Break the rules and do right for the fun or for some deep-rooted conspiracy that the world has yet to know.

- You Chose The Wrong Side! -

From the dysfunctional groups like the Six or the Guardians to the power of Three. There is one other interesting layer to the Found Family troupe. The Disbanded Found Family.

While most stories tell of how the team came to be, rare stories tell of how they split off and are no longer on speaking terms. For a while, The MCU's Avengers were at war with one another during < Captain America; Civil War > With Steve Rogers and Tony Stark budding heads harshly over the Sokovia Accords.

Seeing a well-rounded team break up is difficult for the characters and the audience because. For all the disagreements they had with one another, they've developed along the way to be close like a family. Seeing them split is like watching a divorce happening on screen and it's heartbreaking and sometimes a little bit awesome because you've got the best of the best competing to declare their superiority.

Perhaps one of the best examples I have seen is through < Kuroko No Baskue > where our main character; Tetsuya Kuroko entered High School and vowed to defeat/ beat some sense to his Former Junior High School Basketball Team with his newfound team; Seirin High

Kuroko's former team is famously known as The Generation of Miracles; an elite team of young talents that excel on the court, thus making them prodigies of their generation.

The Miracles consist of; Daiki Aomine (The Power Forward Beast), Shintarō Midorima (The Star Shooter), Atsushi Murasakibara (The Ultimate Center), Seijūrō Akashi (The Emperor's Eye) and Ryōta Kise (The Perfect Copycat) From the little we have seen, the team is passionate about the sport they play and they share a very brotherly relationship with one another.

As the series develops, we learn more about their personal relationships with Kuroko and with each other. We see the infighting between them and we learn about how their respective egos build. We learn about their vow during graduation and we get to see them reunited once again.

The series as a whole function in two ways. Kuroko develops new relationships with his new team and Kuroko confronts his old team to mend their relationship. It tackles the dysfunctional team setup at its lowest state and rekindles the flame for the respective parties to be healed. Also, it's really cool to see such a colorful cast together.

- I Didn't Pick The Damn Team! -

With that said, it's a wonder for why Found Families are a timeless troupe no matter the settings. But, like how Amanda Waller sets up Task Force X/ The Suicide Squad. Sometimes it's not by choice and it always starts out bumpy.

What I find fun in teams like the ones mentioned is that they share a common language in spite of their unique flavors. The teams are built on trust, a common goal, and the willingness to open up. For all the gimmicks, the core values stay the same.

We, the audience love a good Found Family because in an indirect way. We wanted a group like that. We longed to have a group that we can call family but, the reality of it all is. It's really up to how the characters interact with one another.

Every circle is different and no matter the status or the seasons. All are maintained by the will to reach out. It's something I hope to use for my own team in the process. To have [Them be there for you, Cause you're there for Them too]

Thanks for reading

- Caw4B -

[yuexuan]

[Review]逃离图书馆

Title: 逃离图书馆 Escape from the Library

Author: 蝶之灵

Length: 314 chapters + 16 chapters

Tag: Unlimited flow, school, mystery, action

Summary *taken from Novel Updates*:

One day late at night, Yue Xingwen went to the library to check out some information, and as soon as he entered the door, he heard a cold mechanical sound ringing in his ears — Welcome to the ‘Escape From the Library’ real-life survival game. Library rules:

1. Credits can be obtained for each clearance, and the credits can be exchanged for field of study-related skill books or props;

2. Each department has a different subject course;

3. If you can’t pass the course, you will be obliterated!

The library was full of crises. In order to escape their life, the students trapped in the library crossed the sea with eight immortals and showed their remarkable abilities—

Department of Chemistry’s schoolmate: Acid, base, salt, chemical reaction melt everything!

Department of Physics’ classmate: Light, electricity, spring, magnetic field, gravity, the demons and ghosts stay away from me!

Department of Medicine’s senior: Scalpel, surgical suture, medical gauze, what the hell with pulling out the electric chainsaw?

A student from the Department of Biological Science can do mitosis to directly split himself into countless numbers?

The senior sister from the Department of Environment can plant trees on the spot, and the junior brother from the Department of Architecture can dig a hole in the ground to make tunnels…

Department of Chinese Language and Literature’s protagonist: Don’t panic!

Conveniently taking out a copy of “Modern Idioms Dictionary. ”

Schoolmates: ….???

This escape team is getting stranger and stranger.

Novel | Novel [translated]

Comments **contain spoilers**

One day, Yue Xingwen forgot his phone at the library and decided to head back to retrieve it before the library closed. Something seemed amiss when he went up the staircase leading to the entrance, and his suspicions were confirmed when he found himself trapped inside the building. There, he had to complete various courses in order to graduate from the library system. Fortunately, he wasn’t the only one pulled into this place—there were also top students from all over the country, each specializing in different fields of knowledge. Among these students was Yue Xingwen’s childhood friend, Jiang Pingce.

The novel has the typical unlimited flow scenario setup: students are trapped inside the library and need to pass various courses to earn enough credits for graduation. Each level of the library represents a different faculty, with mandatory courses and electives. Each student receives abilities related to their discipline. For example, Yue Xingwen’s abilities pertain to Chinese studies, including idiom-related and modern literature-related attacks and defenses. If they fail a level, they must retake the courses from the first floor. A second failure results in a death sentence in the real world.

The author, Die Zhi Ling, has a real talent for writing mysteries. Of the various examinations, those that are mystery-based are the most entertaining. The clues are generally well laid out, with red herrings mixed in to misguide both the students and readers. I enjoyed trying to figure out the clues alongside the characters and appreciated how self-contained these short stories are, with most of the important clues being addressed.

Character-wise, Yue Xingwen is a very smart protagonist and excels in Chinese linguistics. As such, he often pays attention to the way the library phrases the rules and their conditions, naturally taking on the role of a leader in Team 183. Jiang Pingce is the typical aloof male lead who prefers to interact only with the main character. He is reliable and equally intelligent, often able to draw mathematical formulas with inhuman precision. Together, they complement each other well, with Yue Xingwen focusing on the big picture and leadership, while Jiang Pingce attends to the finer details. The other characters share similar personality traits (often ranging from goofiness to aloofness), but I suppose the novel's focus is on how their abilities complement one another and the strategies they develop, rather than on their personalities.

In terms of worldbuilding, most of the courses can be classified into one of three formats: mystery, maze-solving, or survival. However, there are quite a few unique courses. One example is a course in the biology department, where team members must work together to properly co-develop a baby. Another example is the sports day event, which provides a glimpse into the diversity of abilities. If I may quibble, one thing that disappointed me was the simplicity of the environmental science courses and the abilities of their students (I was hoping for more environment-related mysteries). Coming from someone with an environmental science background, I feel that the author might not be very familiar with the field as a whole and its various subdivisions, resulting in so many unrealized potential. That being said, I was delighted when the author distinguished between human and physical geography (my geography training approves, hehe). However, they might not be familiar with the theoretical aspects of human geography.

Romance-wise, Yue Xingwen and Jiang Pingce act like an old couple. However, Yue Xingwen is in denial about his feelings for Jiang Pingce for a longest time, so do expect a slow-burn romance. I also wasn’t a fan of how the writing intentionally puts Jiang Pingce in precarious situations when they are close to confirming their relationship, just so that Yue Xingwen would worry and realize his feelings for Jiang Pingce.

[topscoree]

Study Smarter: Techniques for Retaining NEET Syllabus Easily

Preparing for NEET is no small feat—it requires mastering a vast syllabus filled with complex concepts across physics, chemistry, and biology. The key to success is not just studying hard but studying smart. Retaining what you learn is crucial to performing well in the exam. If you’ve ever struggled to remember formulas, diagrams, or theories, these proven techniques will help you retain the NEET syllabus effectively and confidently tackle the exam.

NEET Training in Coimbatore

1. Understand, Don’t Just Memorize

A common mistake many students make is relying on rote memorization instead of truly understanding the concepts. NEET questions often test your ability to apply knowledge rather than recall facts.

·         Divide complex topics into simpler, more manageable sections.

Use analogies or real-life examples to make abstract concepts easier to grasp. When you truly understand a concept, you’re more likely to remember it during the exam.

2. Make Use of Active Recall

Active recall is a powerful technique that involves testing your knowledge rather than passively rereading notes.

After studying a topic, close your book and try to recall the main points.

Use flashcards to quiz yourself on important terms, definitions, and formulas. This approach forces your brain to retrieve information, strengthening memory retention over time.

3. Leverage Spaced Repetition

Cramming might help you remember something temporarily, but spaced repetition ensures long-term retention.

Revisit topics at increasing intervals—review what you studied today after 1 day, 3 days, and then a week.

Use apps like Anki or Quizlet to create spaced repetition schedules.

This method helps reinforce your memory and prevents forgetting.

NEET Coaching in Coimbatore

4. Create Visual Aids

Our brains process visuals more effectively than text. Transform your study material into visual formats:

Draw diagrams, charts, and flowcharts to simplify complex processes.

Use color-coded notes and mind maps to connect related topics. Visual aids are particularly helpful for biology diagrams and chemistry reaction mechanisms.

5. Teach What You Learn

Explaining concepts to someone else is a proven way to solidify your understanding.

Team up with a study partner and alternate teaching each other.

If no one is available, pretend to teach an imaginary student or use a whiteboard to explain topics aloud.

6. Master Time Management with a Study Plan

Divide your study sessions into focused chunks, alternating subjects to prevent fatigue.

Allocate specific time slots for revision, mock tests, and weak topics.

A structured schedule keeps you consistent and ensures that no part of the syllabus is neglected.

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7. Utilize Mnemonics and Acronyms

Mnemonic devices make it easier to remember lists, sequences, or formulas.

For example, to remember the order of taxonomic hierarchy in biology (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species), use the mnemonic: "King Philip Came Over For Good Soup."

Create acronyms for complex formulas or reaction series in chemistry. These memory tools add a fun element to studying while improving recall.

8. Take Regular Mock Tests

Mock tests are essential for retaining the NEET syllabus and building exam confidence.

Simulate exam conditions to practice time management.

Analyze your performance to identify weak areas and revisit those topics. Mock tests help you consolidate your knowledge and train your brain to recall information under pressure.

9. Focus on High-Yield Topics

While it’s important to cover the entire syllabus, some topics are more likely to appear in the NEET exam.

Prioritize NCERT textbooks, as many questions are directly or indirectly based on them.

Focus on topics like Human Physiology, Genetics, Mechanics, and Organic Chemistry, which carry significant weight in the exam.

10. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

A sharp mind requires a healthy body.

Get at least 6–8 hours of sleep daily to allow your brain to consolidate information.

Stay hydrated and eat brain-boosting foods like nuts, fruits, and leafy greens.

Practice mindfulness or light exercise to reduce stress and improve focus.

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Final Thoughts

Retaining the NEET syllabus doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By adopting smart study techniques like active recall, spaced repetition, and visual learning, you can make your preparation more efficient and effective. Remember, consistency is the key—dedicate time each day to revision and practice.

With the right approach, you’ll not only master the NEET syllabus but also gain the confidence to tackle the exam head-on. Study smarter, stay focused, and watch your hard work pay off!

[bansaltrading12]

Surfactants Suppliers in India: Quality Solutions from Bansal Trading Company

Surfactants are essential chemical compounds used across various industries, including paints, coatings, textiles, detergents, and personal care products. They play a crucial role in modifying surface properties, enhancing product performance, and improving overall efficacy. At Bansal Trading Company, we specialize in providing high-quality surfactants tailored to meet the diverse needs of our clients across India.

Understanding Surfactants

What Are Surfactants?

Surfactants Suppliers India, or surface-active agents, reduce surface tension between different phases, such as liquid and solid or liquid and gas. This property allows them to act as emulsifiers, wetting agents, and dispersants. They are critical in formulations where effective mixing and stability are required.

Types of Surfactants

Surfactants are broadly categorized into four main types:

Anionic Surfactants: These carry a negative charge and are known for their excellent cleaning and foaming properties. Commonly used in detergents and household cleaners, they effectively remove dirt and grease.

Cationic Surfactants: Carrying a positive charge, these surfactants are often used in fabric softeners and hair conditioners due to their ability to reduce static and enhance softness.

Nonionic Surfactants: These have no charge and are less sensitive to water hardness. They are often used in applications requiring mildness, such as personal care products.

Amphoteric Surfactants: These can carry both positive and negative charges, making them versatile in various formulations. They are commonly used in shampoos and mild cleaning products.

Why Choose Bansal Trading Company?

1. Diverse Product Range

Bansal Trading Company offers a comprehensive selection of surfactants suitable for multiple applications. Whether you need anionic, cationic, nonionic, or amphoteric surfactants, our portfolio includes products from reputable manufacturers to ensure quality and effectiveness.

2. Technical Expertise

Our knowledgeable team understands the complexities of surfactant chemistry. We provide tailored recommendations based on your specific requirements, ensuring optimal performance in your formulations.

3. Competitive Pricing

We offer high-quality surfactants at competitive prices, making it easier for businesses to enhance their products without straining their budgets. Our cost-effective solutions help you maintain profitability while ensuring quality.

4. Reliable Supply Chain

Bansal Trading Company is committed to timely delivery and reliable service. Our efficient supply chain management ensures that you receive your surfactants on time, allowing you to maintain smooth production processes.

5. Commitment to Quality

Quality assurance is integral to our operations. We conduct rigorous testing on all surfactants to ensure they meet industry standards, providing you with products that deliver consistent results.

Conclusion

Choosing the right surfactants is critical for enhancing the performance of your formulations. Bansal Trading Company stands as a trusted supplier of high-quality surfactants in India, dedicated to meeting the needs of various industries. Our diverse product range, technical expertise, and commitment to quality make us the preferred choice for businesses looking to improve their products.

[blowflyfag]

Pro Wrestling Illustrated: March 2024

IN DEFENSE OF TAG TEAMS

BY DAVID LaGRECA

WHEN I STARTED to fall in love with pro wrestling, tag teams were held in high regard. I grew up in the era of the Road Warriors, the Midnight Express, and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express. Those guys traveled together, had chemistry in the ring, and knew each other very, very well. TO me, those kinds of teams are automatically going to have an advantage over the other teams that are thrown together–even if they’re main-event talent.

Then, you have October 7, 2023. You have Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso, who have never tagged together, other than an eight-man match on Smackdown. Each man doesn’t know what the other is going to do in the ring, unlike two tag partners who are traveling together on a daily and nightly basis. And yet, they were able to beat Damian Priest & Finn Balor, who have been working together all year. Ricky Starks & Big Bill were also a brand-new team, and they were able to defeat one of the most seasoned duos in the game in FTR. On a psychological level–and on a work level–I feel that should never, ever be the case. 

Yes, two main-eventers should be able to beat tag guys in one-on-one singles matches. But, when it comes down to it, they should never be able to beat an established tag team. Ever.

At WWE Fastlane, you have Uso & Rhodes beating The Judgement Day; you have LA Knight& John Cena, teaming together for the first time, beating The Bloodline, one of the most dominant factions and families in wrestling. That same day on AEW Collision, Ricky Starks & Big Bill beat probably the best team in the business–especially now that The Usos have broken up.

The one thing I will say about FTR is they were injured. They were able to talk about their injuries and how they were going into the match less than 100%. But even then, a novice team like Starks & Bill should not beat FTR. Based on their chemistry and experience alone, Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood should overcome their injuries and win. Between that and the events of Fastlane, it was a bad weekend for tag team wrestling. 

AEW, despite having a strong tag division, has on occasion showcased makeshift teams over the more experienced ones. Over the last 10 to 12 years, WWE has probably been more guilty than any promotion of not highlighting its tag teams, even when it had groups as stellar as the New Day and The Usos. WWE had great teams that it never did enough with … until the last year or so.

The last 12 or 13 months saw WWE do some wonderful things, with The Usos main-eventing night one of WrestleMania 39 against Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn. Then, the jJudgment Day pursued (and eventually won) the WWE Unified tag team championship. Reverting the championship to two singles guys felt like a step backward. 

In the case of Owens & Zayn, we again have two wrestlers who were chasing singles gold, who then came together to become tag team champions. These guys were hardly new to one another, though. They’re best friends. While they’ve had a rocky relationship, we’ve seen on TV that they know each other very well. Before WWE, they won tag titles in Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. And they lost to Cody and Jey on Monday Night Raw.

[David LaGreca is the host of Busted Open Radio on Sirius XM, a lifelong wrestling enthusiast, and a longtime reader of PWI.]

C’mon! If Cody is wrestling Sami Zayn one-on-one, I expect Cody to win. If Jey is wrestling Kevin Owens … hey, I don’t know if i can pick a winner. It’s going to be close. If Jey Uso can eke out a win over Kevin Owens, I understand. Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes together? If they’ve been teaming for six months or a year, I’ll be able to buy it. But, being thrown together like that? It’s hard for me to swallow, even with a team like Owens & Zayn.

To me, it’s about logic. We’ve seen that in singles competition, members of an established tag team will often lose. That’s not their forte. They’re part of a tag team. That’s what they specialize in.

I’m a big Cody Rhodes fan. What we want to see is the finish of his story. Michael Cole even alluded to that in an in-ring interview with Cody on Monday Night Raw. “Is this the end of the story? Are you still trying to finish the story?” Because it’s all about him getting back into the ring with Roman Reigns.

Sure enough, the title reign didn’t last long. On the October 16 edition of Raw, Rhodes & Uso lost the belts back to the Judgement Day. This begs the question: What;s next? Is Jey going to turn on Cody? Is this part of the Bloodline story? It’s almost like it's a chapter in that story instead of a real tag team championship reign.

On the Ring of Honor side, at least we’ve seen Adam Cole & MJF working as a team. But do they need to be ROH tag champions? Do they really need the belts to tell the story of them being a true team? No, probably not. And now, it’s even worse. Because Cole is hurt and you're seeing MJF in handicap matches, beating established tag teams on his own.

Over in AEW, what are Ricky Starks & Big Bill going to do as tag team champions? Maybe they do great things and this column is moot … I just don’t know if that’s going to happen.

I grew up on wrestling in the late-’70s, early-’80s. Where–and I apologize–it was real. It was real. And, in that same spirit, I look at wrestling as more of a form of entertainment than an actual sport. 

The storytelling is more important than championship titles, especially in the WWE. And we’re seeing one of the best stories ever in the Bloodline saga. Maybe all that trumps the point I’m trying to make. We will find out soon enough.