#persona 5 shoehorning… again

[diamondcrownacademy]

So way back in late 2020 (if memory serves me correctly) I was looking at concept art of the Phantom Thieves when I stumbled upon one of Haru’s concept illustrations… when I first saw this I was all: Hmmm…. You look familiar.

Plus: also from late 2020

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

Ok, I think I have a pretty good idea of why a lot of Akechi's dialogue is... like that.

So, even before his confidant truly started, I noticed that he has a real knack for directing the flow of a conversation. This is very fitting for someone who is both a detective and skilled at interviews - when there is a topic and a goal, Akechi is in his element.

All this to say, he's actually kind of controlling when it comes to conversational flow. He probes for information, or turns the conversation around to a particular topic, usually the Phantom Thieves. He manages to take a few of Joker's dialogue options and spin them so they sound mildly incriminating in the context he's placed them in - the only way to truly get around this is to pick answers that feign indifference, and even then, that's more than a bit telling. He's clearly very good at this kind of thing.

But then, we get conversations where either Joker does something he didn't expect, or else he doesn't have a particular goal in mind - and the conversation stutters. In the first instance, Joker does something (a particularly egregious example is putting his glasses on him and fluffing his hair in rank 3) which both leaves him wrong-footed and no longer in perfect control of the situation. He just kind of... freezes, for awhile. It's hilarious. He has no idea how to respond.

He picks up control again in the phone call afterwards, having chosen to play into it, turning this "fooling the crowds" into a kind of game or secret between them. Nice save.

But in instances where there isn't an obvious topic and the goal is somewhat nebulous, for instance, that one Leblanc scene, it becomes pretty apparent that Akechi doesn't have the right "script" to go off of. Again, it's particularly notable in that scene, because I'm fairly sure he didn't have any specific reason to be at Leblanc, other than him looking for a quiet spot now that public opinion has turned on him. And because there isn't anything specific he's digging for, he kind of just ends up throwing things at the wall to see what will stick. Probing for any kind of recognizable reaction that he can jump on and work with, and that just doesn't really happen in this scene.

He references Sae, a woman in a respectable position, to Sojiro, but instead of that netting a welcome, it earns his ire, given Sae's recent actions against him. He then tries to greet Joker, his... rival? friend? enemy? person who at least seems to somewhat enjoy spending time with him? But Joker's responses are somewhat short, and Akechi practically wilts. He tries to commiserate by oversharing. He tries to involve Futaba and reaches out for the only topic of interest he can think of around "young people". He compliments the coffee. He compliments Joker. He tries to invoke that connection between them. None of it is really sticking, nor does it serve as a jumping off point for him to steer the conversation, or even really start one.

So, he basically just ends up having a one-sided chat with himself and then leaves. Hilarious. Also a little sad, if I'm being honest. It's really giving "guy with no friends who only knows how to speak to adults" energy. If there's no specific purpose to the exchange, or he is not in control of its direction, he seems to be kind of out of his depth. He succeeds only in being a little awkward and confusing, more than anything.

[jadelotusflower]

Roundup - September 2021

This month: Saving Fish From Drowning, Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass, Anne Boleyn, Cruella, The Chair

Reading

Saving Fish from Drowning (Amy Tan) - I've always enjoyed Tan's work (particularly The Joy Luck Club, both the book and film) - Fish is somewhat of a departure, following a group of American tourists in Myanmar, narrated by their recently deceased friend Bibi Chen. The novel begins with a preface in which Tan explains she drew inspiration for the novel based on real events chronicled by a San Franciscan psychic's "automatic writing" channeling Chen's spirit (in truth a complete invention on Tan’s part, both literary device and metaphor).

Bibi is a compelling narrator, full of wry commentary of her friends as they bumble their way through their trip, the tone of the novel quite light despite some of the dark subject matter around the political situation in Myanmar (the novel was written in 2005 and set several years earlier) and the nature of intervention - the title referring to fisherman who "save fish from drowning" by netting them. It was at times difficult to keep track of all twelve (!) of the main characters and who was who outside of the few who get the most attention of the narrative.

An interesting read, about the stories we tell ourselves and others, and the fictions we believe for comfort and hope.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass and what Alice found there (Lewis Carroll) - I've been making more of an effort to work on my novel lately, which makes some reference to these works so thought it was due for a re-read. It seems impossible to consider these separate novels given how conflated they have become in pop culture - even the Disney film takes elements from both - they act as either a duology, or alternatively a single story told in two parts.

I personally much prefer Looking Glass, perhaps because I imprinted on the 1985 miniseries as a child (which adapts both novels, but we only had the second part on tape) - best known for it's celebrity cameos in silly costumes - including Sammy Davis Jnr, Donald O'Connor, Ringo Starr, and Carol Channing, among others, and the danger of the Jabberwocky as a manifestation of Alice's fears quite a nice idea that isn't found in the original text.

Perhaps Looking Glass, while remaining absurdist, is more cohesive than Wonderland with the chess motif and central motive for Alice to reach the Eighth Square and become a queen. I do however find the constant poetry tedious, and wonder whether both Wonderland and Looking Glass are better remembered for the concepts rather than the actual text.

Watching

Anne Boleyn (episodes 1-3) - I didn't think we needed another film/show about Anne, but I was always going to watch it. This series relies upon familiarity with history as it begins with Anne's final, doomed pregnancy - opening with the haunting words “Anne is the most powerful woman in England - she has just five months to live.”

There's nothing especially new here; rather a mood and character piece as Anne's isolation and desperation grows. It is of course built around the central, compelling performance of Jodie Turner-Smith, in every single scene and not afraid to shy away from Anne's sharper edges while remaining profoundly sympathetic, surrounded by a court of whispers, her existence on a knife's edge. We know only what Anne knows, and we see the smaller, heartbreaking moments usually passed over in other adaptations - in her grief following the stillbirth, Anne sits up in bed almost catatonic, milk leaking from her breasts, her attempt to walk back the infamous “dead man's shoes” comment, and the long days of her imprisonment.

Then there’s the beautiful costumes - in a court of dark furs, Anne wears bold primary colours and velvets that catch the light, that them become more subdued prints once she is in the Tower.

The other notable feature is the casting - described as "identity conscious" rather than colour-blind, representative of the othering of Anne and her relatives. Another standout is Thalissa Teixeira as Anne's cousin Madge Shelton, fleshed out as her confidant and the only one who remains true to her. It's a fresh perspective and a worthwhile watch, particularly for Turner-Smith's performance.

Cruella (dir. Craig Gillespie) - Spoilers. I wasn’t planning on bothering with this, but my sister wanted to watch it and I’d been told by several people that it was actually quite good. Look, I'm not saying they lied, I just think they were able to look past things that I was not.

Because actually, the core story has potential and the film has enjoyable elements (notably Emma Thompson), but simply falters every time they try and shoehorn references to the source material, and there are some truly egregious attempts - Roger is the Baroness’s lawyer for some reason? And writes the familiar Cruella De Vil song about how awful she is when she's just given him a puppy?

It doesn’t work as a prequel, or villain origin story, or even a reboot, since Cruella’s character journey is over by the end of the film (I have no idea what the purported sequel is going to be about) - in fact "Cruella" is just a persona Stone's Estella adopts (complete with a terrible affected accent), and there is no conceivable way for her to become the wannabe puppy murderer we know from the book or any of the film adaptations. Oh, and Pongo and Perdita are siblings! Well done, Disney. Slow clap for you.

Also, with a runtime of 2 hours 16 minutes it is Interminable and the whole thing is saddled with a terrible, unnecessary voiceover. Seriously, they should show this in film class to demonstrate when v/o hinders not helps.

They were likely going for a Maleficent-style re-imagining, but where that succeeded (somewhat) in a completely new retelling right down to a different ending to the source material, this wants to have it's cake and eat it too - it wants to have the Cruella aesthetic (the car, the hair, Hell Hall, the camp accent) but doesn't ever let her be a villain, or even the beginnings of a villain, but that's that's reason she's so memorable in the first place. It puts all the pieces in place for the story we know, and yet that story simply cannot happen with this version of Cruella.

In the end, it's a story of a fundamentally decent person who maybe goes a bit overboard in retaliating to bullies, and swindles a sociopath to reclaim what's rightfully hers. Cruella De Vil! I just couldn't get over this fundamental misapplication of the source material.

In many ways, it almost feels as if this was pitched as a sequel, with Cruella in the Baroness role. It would have fit a lot better with the aesthetic, the time period, and the concept of punk disruption of classic fashion. Or, it was a completely unrelated story of a plucky orphan who rises in the fashion world, that at some point was grafted onto the Dalmatians property. Either one would have worked better, frankly.

I am probably being overly harsh. If you switch off your brain and enjoy the clothes it’s fine. But honestly, if you want your live action Cruella fix, just watch the Glenn Close version, because it is superior in every way.

The Chair (season 1) - I watched this for Sandra Oh, and I was not disappointed, because I got to watch Sandra Oh. On the other hand...it's not that I didn't like it, I just...wish it had been better?

The story revolves around Ji-Yoon Kim, the first woman (let alone woman of colour) to become Chair of English at a "minor Ivy" university, as she tries to juggle the clash of old style academia and new, raise her daughter as a single mother, and deal with a series of controversies caused by one of her professors (and love interest). It's the latter I feel sucked up way too much time and was ultimately unsatisfying - particularly the end, which was played like a moral victory but really rubbed me the wrong way. If this gets a season 2, I hope they dump Jay Duplass' fuckup sadsack because hoo boy, am I sick of that kind of male character.

But Sandra Oh is wonderful.

Writing

The Lady of the Lake - chapter 5 posted, 4215 words (10,261)

Against the Dying of the Light 1954 words (11,976)

Here I Go Again - 414 words (12,948)

Novel - 1039 words (1484)

Total this month: 7,622

Total this year: 48,435

[blazingsaadi]

Everything wrong with Demon Slayer. In Bullet Points. Spoilers. Obviously.

•Tanjiro doesn't know what a demon is even though there's no reason why he shouldn't. There are so many around that a whole corp is needed to fight them, people in the village believe it, and Giyu was nearby which implies demons are in the area

•We're never told why the Demon Slayer Corp isn't recognized by the govt, nor does it make sense. Demons have been around for 100s of years as the strongest beings on the planet, with many witnesses and victims to verify their existence

•Tanjiro's setup is not done well. A common trope is for the mc to have a good life and have it taken away. When used correctly, the story takes the time to make us learn and care about the characters. The family is on screen for 2.5mins just to show they're a happy family and they aren't memorable. If I'm wrong give me each of their names, personalities, and guy to girl ratio without googling it

•What is the point of having 5 siblings if they're just going to die in less than 3 minutes? If we don't know the characters there's no reason to care if they die

•The training arc is greatly misused. 2 years in 1.5 eps. Should've been longer to flesh out Tanjro's forms and the overall power system (see my post on that if you're interested)

• It was never explained why Tanjiro could see the ghosts of former students

• Zero reasons to care about Nezuko and her 2-year sleep. We dont know anything about her and we know nothing bad will happen cause she's the entire focus of the mc's mission

• No explanation as to why she slept for 2 years. That may be how she heals, but why that long? Nothing prompted that time

• Nezuko's entire character is being cute. Cute is not a personality trait

• Zenitsu is a bad character. He's comic relief, but he isn't funny. His jokes: he screams, screams about girls, passes out from cowardice. Repeat

•Cant as get invested in fights because we don't know the movesets due to the abilities being specific and restricted (the result of bad training arc)

• Only thing good about the fights is the animation. The choreography is basic and uninspired. MHA is even better in that aspect

• 4 of the 6 lower demon moons were killed for no reason and we never see their abilities. They could and shouldve been used to show progression

MANGA and MOVIE SPOILERS

• Ranking system is barely used and has 0 references for strength. Tanjiro didnt even know how to check his rank and never did it again

•Tanjiro couldnt beat the 2nd weakest demon moon yet somehow beats the strongest of the lower six, roided up on Muzan's blood, with Inosuke's help

- Said demon not using his full power

is nothing more than plot

convenience

•Rengoku dies after the first arc where he's relevant. There's little reason for Tanjiro or the audience to be sad about his death because we barely knew him

• Tanjiro later goes on to talk to Rengoku's family like he knew him his whole life

•The Sound Pillar has a similar issue where he shows up for one arc, we get a bit of info and he's gone for the rest of the story. As for the rest of the pillars, there isn't much to them because we dont get to properly know them

•Example: Snake pillars backstory was shoehorned into the final battle where it had nothing to do with what's going on

•Inosuke gets stabbed in the chest by a poison hook and survived. The Sound Pillar who was trained to fight off poison succumbed to it, but Inosuke is fine because he's "a rugged mountain boy"

•Inosuke still had the strength to decapitate number 6

•Zenitsu randomly has a new ability called Godspeed. Never once mentioned or foreshadowed. Not even in the previous (2nd) training arc after infinity train

•A pillar gets stuck in a water trap by the 5th upper demon moon and cant break through it with his sword. A kid swordsmith fails to do it with a knife, be he somehow blows through it with his lungs

• The comment from the mangaka that the illustrations of the breathing forms are just visual representations and not actually there does not make any kind of sense with a lot of the fights

•Giyu and Tanjiro are losing badly to Demon Moon 3 and only won cause Tanjiro's face looks similar to someone he knew (who we dont care about) and lets himself die cause he Tanjiro helped remembered his past

• Misuse of flashbacks and backstories for most characters. They're either unnecessary, irrelevant to the whole story, or dont contribute anything

•Nezuko is way too op for no reason. The only demon who can recover from sleep, regenerates limbs at the pace of an upper 6 demon moon, gets a whole new transformation which was never explained, doesn't need to sleep to recover the energy, and still has enough power to burn away everyones poison

- her blood demon art is to set HER

BLOOD on fire, so that makes no sense.

There's zero explanation to it so choose

your headcanon

•Nezuko is the chosen one. Literally, she overcomes the sun. Because she can. The asspull was so great it echoed to the main villain, changed his plan, and changed to the overall plot

•Muzan isn't a good villain. Tanjiro just walked up to him and grabbed him like it was nothing. He then didnt kill Tanjiro even though he has the same earrings as another demon slayer who tried to kill him just to keep his human persona.

-Why is he even bothering posing as a human?

-He has a kid that is the result of a demon and

human, how on Earth is that not touched

on?? Was he trying to find the spider lily? If so

how does being around random ordinary

families help? IT'S NEVER EXPLAINED

•Zenitsu goes through a very drastic character change with practically 0 transition (due to his old training partner becoming a demon)

• He uses a brand new form to beat him, which we never saw him develop in the training arc before the fight what so ever

• He goes right back to being the person he was before

• Genya's ability is never explained

• Upper moon 1 says he's seen it before but it's still never explained

• The final fight with Muzan is over 10% of the manga and drags on

•Muzan pulls a "this isnt even my final form"

• Tamiyo claimed she needed the blood of the 12 demon moons to find a way to beat Muzan and heal Nezuko, but just ended working with the insect pillar to develop a poison

• Said poison ages Muzan even though he said to be immortal

• Poison counteracts Muzan by going "this isn't even my final effect" and hinders him in 3 more ways

• Tanjiro becomes a demon for honestly no reason

[inmyarmswrappedin]

I always wanted you to do a noorhelm ranking, especially since all them are officially over ?

Hi 🌻 First off I have another ask of yours I haven’t forgotten about. I just want to do another post before I get to your ask. And hopefully organize my tumblr a little.

Second! I don’t think I’m qualified to rank noorhelms because I’ve only watched the Noora season in Skam, Skam España and Skam Austin. And even when it comes to these three I don’t think there’s a cut and dry way to rank them, because Skam was doing so much more than the other Noora seasons even attempted.

So, I’m just going to post some thoughts on each couple, unless I’ve watched the season, in which I will post about the season itself:

Skam España, Nora/Miquel and Nora/Alejandro: Nora’s is the only Noora season I’d feel comfortable showing to teenagers. In fact, it should be mandatory viewing in high schools tbh. I think the story they told really suits the format, because during a binge watch, a viewer would just breeze past the red flags and subtle manipulation techniques in order to get to the cute content. When it comes to pomenora, I’m almost shocked that Skam España teased us with their relationship for so long, only for them to agree that it wasn’t their moment. I’m not mad, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that happen on a teen show before. In some ways I feel like the writers preferred for fandom to come up with their version of pomenora, rather than writing it themselves lol.

Skam, Noora/William: I think Noora’s season fails in its goal of educating viewers. I don’t think it’s realistic in terms of how the characters behave, it sacrifices believability in favor of highkey dramatic moments out of a cheap teen drama. At the same time, the Syrian refugee crisis and Norwegian national identity are two ideas that are present throughout the season and keep coming up, and I think William (who represents a more sexist, violent side of Norway) and Noora (the feminist, open-minded side) coming to the conclusion that Norway’s national identity isn’t threatened by refugees, but rather enriched by them, is a hugely powerful message to have on a show that was watched by 2/5 of the country. I don’t think any remake team had the range or balls to put that in their most cliched “bad boy is redeemed by the love of a good woman” season.

Skam Austin, Grace/Daniel: I mean, I’m just going to be honest here. The only reason Noora/William even remotely work is because of Julie Andem, and Josefine Pettersen’s insane charisma. Yes, Daniel has an emotional range, unlike William. And Grace was told off by Jo, unlike Noora. But this is still the story of a guy coercing younger girls into sex without protection, who zeroes in on the one girl who presents a challenge, and who makes his girlfriend’s sexual assault all about him. The different teams will change details here and there, but this story needs a serious rehaul to be palatable. What Austin has going for it, is that the writers realized the side characters are all much more interesting than the Grace/Daniel drama, and they gave them storylines of their own.

This is getting long, so everyone else goes under the keep reading.

Manon/Charles: What they have going for it are steamier scenes than Noora/William, being the first Noorhelm remake, and the actors being together in real life. I don’t think any Noorhelm fan would care about them otherwise. Manon and Charles are a toxic relationship that the writers haven’t even realized they’re writing as toxic and harmful. Manon at Imane’s Eid party looked like the protagonist of one of those 19th century novels where the women are trapped in awful marriages.

Mia/Alex: I don’t really have an opinion on them as a couple. All my opinions are confusion about how the writers chose to shoehorn them in s4. Another Noora/William ship where all the characters do after their season is argue and cause drama. At least the arguments aren’t about the Noora’s sexual assault though. A plus!

Eleonora/Edoardo: Are they interesting, or are people just thirsty for Giancarlo Commare? I have to say Eleonora reminds me of a teenie Laura Pausini, and that makes me a tiny bit fond of her ngl. 

Liv/Noah: These two actually frustrate me, because I think a good writer could’ve really made them shine. Both of them are given a more attractive persona, the whispery singer and the unwashed artist, but then the writing keeps forcing them into Noora and William’s scenes/characterization. To this day I have no idea if Noah is meant to be moc like his actor, or whether he’s a Blaine Anderson case where his actor is biracial, but the show gives him a white last name and white relatives. And when it comes to Liv, one thing I’ve noticed on twitter is that a lot of Noora/William fans are (imo, not accidentally) woc who relate to Noora and want a William. And it just feels like a missed opportunity that Skam NL didn’t focus on the parts of Noora that these fans relate to, such as her choice to wait to have sex, or her image as the perfect girl (the model minority) which hides a lot of insecurity, curiosity for/interest in the things she rejects, and more work than people guess it takes to be that Perfect™.

Zoë/Senne: Wtfock really said, “oh, you’re telling everyone within earshot that these are a good Noorhelm and they fixed all the dodgy shit in Skam? Lemme take care of that real quick by having Senne make Zoë’s sexual assault all about himself yet again, then date a woc while clearly still pining over Zoë. Everything shall be ruined in the name of realism!” But anyway, I think Zoë is a parody of Noora in looks, lines and jfc that cringy ass instagram bio. And Senne has all the edge of a fluffy kitten, the bad boy persona doesn’t suit him at all. 

[colorisbyshe]

i hope you'll share your thoughts during your reread and after you read CDtH! i personally almost put it down a few times at the start but once i got into it i was invested enough. not as much as i was in the og series, but it could have just been me growing as a reader. yeah i really hate that "wow i was wrong for gut react not trusting this person because they're rich" thing she would write into characters. Yeah she didn't get the nuance she thinks she was hitting on in a Lot of areas.

I’m on TRK right now and I’m almost done. CDtH might take a while because I want to physically read the book (I’m doing TRK on audio rn) and my eye... isn’t on that level yet.

But, yeah, beyond just getting older, it seems the more you get into the books and the more you realize “Oh, this isn’t leading up to some big reveal about wealth that’s worth it” the harder it is to push past it. Like, Adam’s entire “Oh god, I’m gonna be an abuser like my dad, here’s me suddenly yelling and physically intimidating my friends for a whole book also I will never mention this again once this book ends, also no one will EVER take note of it in their own POV chapters so this is espeiaclly obviously shoehorned in” thing... had zero real resolution? Ronan gets this entire slow reveal of secretly being gentle and so much more than his hard persona and Adam gets... to observe that and talk about Cabeswater.

The more of the series you read, the more you realize the payoff is... never gonna be there for these issues :|

By all means I shouldn’t even be into her series. I had tumblr beef with Maggie (like she was in my DMs LMAO) like 5 years ago and yet I love her characters and think her world building is fairly compelling and grounded (at least until Robobee, I think), even while wincing through........ all the shit she does and doesn’t realize she’s doing.

[nolongerhim]

Persona 5 The Animation has merits.

In this post, I will detail a couple of the things that this anime does well. Emphasis on a couple because we all know how this anime is in its pacing. This post will focus on the positive aspects of this adaption with moments that give the show it's one spin while also doing a few things better than the game.

Bear with me here as I dive into this.

1. Cutting out these two gay pedophiles from their second appearance.

It could have been very easy to shoehorn those predators in the beach scene, but they didn't.

Instead, we are given scenes of our main characters having fun on the beach unlike in the game where it's a "babe hunt" and a pedo chase scene along with older men hitting on high school girls. The game adaption is pretty uneventful in terms of us wanting to see these characters bond and have fun.

Here in the anime, we have our main characters enjoying themselves, like you would at the beach. This what we needed.

2. Ryuji not getting his ass beaten by his own teammates after the Shido palace.

We all know Ryuji gets beaten up by his teammates and left unconscious on the sidewalk after Shidos palace.

This is a character that has been abused by his alcoholic father for years until his parents divorced. To get beaten by his friends and left alone unconscious on a sidewalk leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

In the anime, its reduced to Ann, Haru and Futaba crying/yelling at him. This is honestly an improvement considering it doesn't end with his friends abandoning him and abuse. Also, +A for the tears to show how much these girls care about him.

3. Akechi fulfilling his confidant with Ren.

In the game, Akechi tells the MC that he would give him tips on deductions and whatnot whenever they hang out. 

The more you meet Akechi in the game, he is never given the opportunity to actually accomplish this. All he does is just show up and talk to the protag about how much he does not like the phantom thieves while also being fascinated with the MC for whatever reason.

In the anime, Ren and Akechi work together on cases during Yusuke's confidant storyline. His conviction to take down horrible adults is very much clear in these photos when he helps out Ren during Yusuke's confidant storyline.

Akechi in these is given more screen time to actually show how dedicated he as a detective, gathering Intel, connecting the dots to people, letting Ren in on it so that no one can ever be manipulated by greedy adults. Having these sequences with Ren and Akechi working together on cases makes their bonding more believable here.

4. Haru looking horrified when her father gets killed on public television.

This is not a case if the game or anime does it better. I just want to give props for giving, what I feel is a proper reaction to seeing someone you love get killed off in real time. Here she is backing up slowing after witnessing that news broadcast and cries out, not wanting to believe what she saw just happened was real.

In the game, she is shocked and just leaves with a minor sadden tone in her voice. Not that impactful, but that’s just me.

5. Almost the entirety of the culture festival.

The goal of attending is to pose as average high school students and yet all the characters do in the game is head straight to the table and discuss how they are going to fix the mess they are in.

However, the anime is here to provide us with scenes of the characters exploring different exhibits like you would if you attended a festival. They even give us what is probably the funniest scene in this anime.

6. The new music in the op’s. That’s self-explanatory.

There are of course a lot more positives than these 6, but feel free to add more if you’d like! Gonna need to watch the anime again to find more.

[ryouverua]

Trial 6 -  Oh, I am one yet many (5)

The above inspirational picture was taken seconds before disaster.

Trial: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Tsumugi is not the one-trick pony we thought she was ABORT MISSION, ABORT MISSION!!!!

NO YOU AIN’T! NO YOU AIN’T I DID NOT SIGN UP TO BE HAJIMEMED, NO SIR I DID NOT!

i mentioned it during the text hellstorm I unleashed when I was mid-playthrough but the way Shuichi says ‘cosplaying’ here is ADORABLE. I love his VA she is so good -

also

oh no

oh no

o h      n o

I can’t just... express how deeply that feeling of ‘oh no’ pervaded my being. My soul.

“THIS IS JUST COSPLAY“ SHE SAYS - AND GOD, THE MUSIC, THE MUSIC IS SO WACKY LIKE THESE ARE JUST SOME NORMAL FTE ANTICS -

wait no this is the ‘let’s start the killing game music’ -

ah that’s why I’m lowkey terrified right now

W-What in the world are those white smears across Hagakure’s eyes??? And oh god the first game too???

WHAT THE HELL TSUMUGI YOU’VE REALLY BEEN HOLDING OUT ON US TELL ME HOW YOU’RE DOING THIS I-I mean oh no, how dare you, this is so awful...

SHE’S TAKEN FULL OWNERSHIP OF JUNKO!PERSONA

AJSLKDF

TSUMUGI

HOLY SHIT

TSUMUGI

IS THIS YOUR FINAL FORM

ironically this got me thinking ‘this would be a really cool cosplay + prop’ once I got over the sheer terror of the situation and I starting thinking, oh, wouldn’t it be cool if you even had a sort of pinwheel mechanism (with the main body of it being hidden by her long hair) that rotated all of these pieces, and have you ever realized that there is a small piece of you that is the monster

also I just realized... she kept putting her glasses on as Junko. But I’m assuming she won’t ever wear them as Hajime. So it’s true - the moment she actually took off her glasses, we really did get to see her final form..

IS THAT KOMAEDA’S HAIR

ALL OF THESE THINGS, I RECOGNIZE ALL OF THEM OMG

This............ this is terrible, terrifying, and also really, really good

don’t say you’re jealous don’t say you’re jealous don’t say you’re jealous okay I’m a bit jealous FFU --

SHUICHI I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE TIMES WHERE YOU DON’T WANT TO PURSUE THE TRUTH I HAVE A TERRIBLE, AWFUL FEELING -

oh no oh no

here I was doing mental gymnastics to justify why she’d be able to cosplay as Junko, a real person

but I was over-complicating things as usual

even the egg has been compromised for her nefarious scheme this truly is the worst timeline

What is with me and stumbling into series that just bloody smash their fourth wall until there’s nothing but broken pieces left

thank you for having twogami right after togami it’s not something I realized I needed and among all this heartbreak is a blessing

THIS IS NOT YOUR CUE TO START PLAYING THE CREDITS MONOKUMA

I am only making it through this trial by sheer force of will and the power of Sweetcheeks’ adorable voice.

Dangan.... ronpa....?

oh god she said ‘we’ she said ‘WE’ THIS IS REALLY NOT GOOD

‘Don’t get too whacky with your theories,’ I said. ‘You don’t want to sound like a total crackpot,’ I said. DAMN YOU SELF I SHOULD HAVE LET MYSELF GO ABSOLUTELY WILD AFTER ALL

So this was invented completely from nothing??? My initial theory had them seeing themselves in someone else’s actual memories as themselves, and having their own brains play tricks on them that way - but all those scenes with them being interviewed by Makoto, of applying to Hope’s Peak, and possibly everything else about them - oh god - how powerful are these lights? How much detail was crammed into them? Can this all be done with a mere flash of a light???

‘We.’ Her use of ‘we’ is interesting, here. It really does feel like Tsumugi sees all of her cosplay personas as actual people that she can channel to ‘help her’ as opposed to just mere characters. Like entities fighting along side of her, not just through her...

also hello ibuki I forgot how much I enjoyed your VA they make me hear seagulls in the distance

aaaaaaw look at how much the art style has improved from the first game!!!

Y.......... YES.......?????? wait actually as someone who is lowkey interested in props and set design - BUT NO WAIT STILL THIS IS WAY BEYOND THAT -

How... the hell... do you cosplay the world?! The entire world?!?!

Is that possible?? If the entire world isn’t real - if it’s all being propped up by you - then -

Who - who are we playing this game for then??? Why make us play it??? Who is watching the game???

I KNEW IT

I AND PROBABLY HALF OF THE PEOPLE PLAYING WERE JUST WAITING FOR YOU TO SHOW UP

......

Did. Did you just say it takes place in the real world.

Oh no -

It... It’s real fiction... because they’ve kidnapped actual people... and brainwashed them... and then trapped them in a situation where they were forced to kill each other to get out?? For things that didn’t exist??? For reasons that weren’t ever real???

Wait - so that means they can get out and it’ll be fine?! That’s..... t-that’s not as bad as I thought, but...

‘STAFF’ OH THAT WORD IS SO OUT OF PLACE -

...............................

There are. There are people backstage. It’s not just Tsumugi. This. This is super not good.

insert inappropriately-timed comment about how I love this VA

Okay. This actually took me by surprise. And I’m kinda terrified to ask.

W.... Why not? Is - Is this actually a space separated from reality? Can they physically.... not go back....???

no wait -

what are you doing

PUT THAT KEY BACK RIGHT NOW

oH

OH UNCANNY VALLEY-LEVELS OF COGNITIVE DISSONANCE

NO DON’T THROW REAL FACES UP THERE -

IS THIS A BLOODY COMMENT BOARD

I mean I know in my head that this is a niconico parody but the fact is they have to translate the comments to suit an english audience so -

omfg no I cannot believe what is coming out of the screen right now

wait wait

Kyoko is my waifu

My husbando Shuichi

first

Sakura is my muscle waifu good taste anon

Bring on the spoilers

LOL are you watching?

I feel like I’m participating too!

she’s shaking

Aaaw, Himiko is still alive.

Wow it’s on? LOL!

this is what the creepy kid at the beginning of the chapter was about

this was who that Makoto kid was

WHERE IS HIS CREEPY-ASS FACE I KNOW YOU’RE THERE MAKOTO

Is this the everyone... the real everyone Tsumugi says she represents, then??? That she’s fighting for? Omg was Kirumi’s motive/trial foreshadowing all along -

Anyway, damn Tsumugi is proud of her viewership.

#humblebrag #musclewaifu

EVERYONE???? LITERALLY EVERYONE?!?!?!

SURELY... SURELY THAT IS THE CONCEITED TALK  OF A MANAGER TRYING TO TALK UP THEIR ‘BABY’.... SURELY...

I appreciate the use of Celes here. This is.... damn dark. They’ve achieved such a peaceful world that the have to manufacture darkness and blood-sport for people to get their kicks???

STIMULATION?!

first of all where’s miu when you need her

SECOND OF ALL ARE YOU SURE HUMANITY WAS BEAUTIFUL, KOREKIYO??? ARE YOU SURE?

“It’s simple economics.”

THERE YOU ARE MAKOTO YOU CREEP

oh no he was... literally... using this game to cope with his problems.... and he said that one day he wanted to be a part of it... oh no.....

..... D... Did one of the comments say that it had been years? That they had been waiting for a few years for the sequel?

Does - does that mean something, or is it just a throwaway audience comment? Why years? If Rantaro was in the last one, why would it have been years for this one to happen??? How old is Rantaro? How old is Tsumugi?!?!

FML I had been wondering how ‘Monokuma’ could exist without Junko existing since they’re inextricably linked. FML.

MONOKUMA CAN YOU STOP ROLLING THE CREDITS, THE MUSIC AND THE TITLE CARDS FOR A MINUTE PLEASE I AM BEGGING YOU

Because I don’t enjoy having Saioinji’s terrifying eyes trained on me while she questions my intelligence, so I’ll sum up the next question - what season of this gameshow from hell are we apparently on?

I mean, considering Junko’s title... well...

..... yeah it looks better with a V.

the real answer to why they used V3 even though it’s technically not the correct way to say ‘53′ - it’s the aesthetic.

FFFF

I actually screenshot all the parody!title cards and they’re amazing. I’ll post them just once a bit later when it shows up again because this post is entirely too long, but needless to say, whoever designed them had fun. And the titles of the games, too - Birth of Despair? Dream Danganronpa? Sign me tf up! oh no does this make me part of the problem I’M SORRY SWEETCHEEKS

I can’t believe I was bitching about Junko being the mastermind for the third game when apparently audience members have had to sit through 53 Junkos

You couldn’t have changed it up??? Not even once??? Like, one led by Mukuro as a prologue idea or??? quietly denies the existence of the anime

Oh, speaking of which, I do like the excuse they came up with as to why the drv3 creators didn’t create new characters from the supposed other games why Tsumugi didn’t cosplay anyone outside the first two games - it’s for the class’s benefit, since they only knew those two casts, and y’know. She cares. about shock value

DON’T YOU PASS THE BUCK, GIRL

Ah, so that ‘staff’ you mentioned earlier...

why is this so funny to me

T-Tsumugi, do you have a tumultuous relationship with your managers or something

why are you airing out your dirty laundry on live television

is it all the incest plotlines

I feel like at this point it’s less ‘Tsumugi is trying to rub into the students how completely and absolutely they are boned’ and more ‘okay, it’s time to give a shout-out to everyone who put this production together! Perfect time to slap on that logo, guys!‘

oh my god that was supposed to be a trailer in-meta too alsd;kfj i’m losing it

AND AGAIN, THOSE TITLE CARDS - THEY ARE AMAZING.

SHE IS SHE’S TOTALLY ADVERTISING MID-SHOW

TSUMUGI STOP BEING A CORPORATE SELL-OUT

"NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR YOUR CRAPPY SHOEHORNED ADVERTISING!!!”

oh god oh no

who’s going to tell him -

MONOKUMA DON’T YOU DARE

i’m having an existential crisis alongside sweetcheeks ngl

there are so many layers

....

we need to go deeper

So, just to clarify, there are three layers right now:

There’s us, the players. In a sense, we could be considered ‘equal but different than the tier’, but we do still operate on a plane separate from the metafiction of Tsumugi’s ‘everyone in the world’.

There’s the ‘audience’, the outside world. This is the space that’s been breached at this point. And this... this is the level where the students are from, too - aka the reason I think we and the audience should exist as separate entities.

And there’s the domain of the Killing Game, a space created to play out this story, using real people - a place separated from reality... how? If Tsumugi is talking about a set, it could easily be the real world, which means they’ve been isolated somewhere. At the same time though, when they managed to reach the end of the escape tunnel and saw the outside world, they all started to choke and suffocate. So... could this be VR still? Or no? Can these existences known as Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Detective, Maki Harukawa, the Ultimate Assassin, Himiko Yumeno, the Ultimate Robot, K1-b0, the Ultimate Robot, and even Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer, leave this space in any way, shape or form... or not at all? Is them suffocating ^ like that a sign that they literally cannot exist outside of this space?

She is literally throwing the same question back in Shuichi’s face ghdfkgh

NO I’M ON SHUICHI’S SIDE I COULDN’T HELP IT I HAD TO CHOOSE REAL PEOPLE

no!!! no!!!! NO!!!!

no seriously I still chose real people because I am stubborn

sweetcheeks et al. do not deserve any of this

Of course they brought out despair!Mikan for this. Of course.

I have to say, I do like these little character touches - the decisions that have been made as to which ‘cosplay’ says what. I mean, it’s supposed to also act as a way to throw our known and loved favourites in our face too, but having Celes comment on how boring ‘peace’ is? Having Ibuki smashing through the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience, Gundham remarking on their abnormal existence and Leon commenting on how cool the ‘aesthetic’ of the title card is? It’s such a nice touch. also horrifying. butalsonice

Oh we really are addressing the prologue now??? And - I’m assuming Tsumugi is referring to Hajime when she says ‘me’, but is there a chance she isn’t?

Just as I initially suspected, though - they really were normal when they got in. So how did they decide who got what personality/talent, or was that random? I mean, that might be the case - it was potentially hinted by the motive video switch of Chapter 2..

............. Huh.

But..... in what sense? Like the 16 talents were stored in those lights and they were ‘picked up’ by the most suited participant? How could you make sure there were no doubles? Or - and this is possible because of the vague language - did the talents build on what the student knew already? In which case, how would they know what the talents would end up being and plan the labs around them?

No, it would... have to be... the first one. Talents had its own selection in the flashback creating machine, though without verifying what the subcategories are it’s hard to confirm or deny anything... but I also can’t shake what Maki said at the beginning of the game? How it felt like their talents were given at random?

So... so they’re not only back where they started - completely isolated with everyone they’ve ever known and the world they knew completely out of reach (in this sense, dead/not actually existing are functionally the same), but they get a helping of a totally warranted existential crisis on top of that.

And... their bodies are real, so everyone else really is dead. No happy sdr2 ending. Well, unless I mental-gymnastics that to read ‘they have physical bodies to return to, but as manufactured personas it’s pointless.’

Me too, Sweetcheeks.

We can’t go 5 minutes without a WHAM line.

B-But they were kidnapped weren’t they -?!

fujisaki does not deserve this slander

Return of the hat!!!

..... is it bad that I miss his hat. I. I really liked his hat. I know that it was representative of the way he held back and used it to hide himself, but - but I liked his original portrait. And I liked the way it was incorporated into his sprites and all the movements he makes with it and without it, like it‘s a phantom limb. okayI’llstop

Why... are we not getting a name here? Was Shuichi Saihara a made-up name too?

oh -

oh no

D: A... Anything...

H-He’s.... a complete fanboy too.................... holy shit. cute but terrifying he looks like much more of a schoolboy super!fan than real Shuichi

S-So wait, it’s not even autosuggestion then - he asked for it? How - how does this work with the flashback lights? It can be targeted like that??? god I’m going to have so many questions after this is all over

I think this may be the death knell for his psyche oTL I certainly wouldn’t be able to take this if I was in his position.

LOOK I KNOW I GET EXCITED ABOUT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT TOO

but this is a bit much c-can you please keep that drool in -

asdfkjlsdf w h a t

was

was this omitted or something

I - I swear they were kidnapped they seemed a lot more freaked out?!

Even Rantaro, who seemed to know more than he let on at the time - ?!

I... I think I really need to go back and replay the prologue.

ME NEITHER K1-B0 I FEEL LIKE I’M BEING GASLIT

d-did

did you use it on me too

That... that I can believe. No matter who they were before - if they were consenting or not - it might not even matter, if they can’t return to how they were. In a sense, the Gopher Project story was practically preparing them for it - the idea that everything they knew and loved were gone, and would never come back. Oh... oh that’s bad....

TSUMUGI IS ACTUALLY TERRIFYING

SHUT UP NAEGI

wait why is seeing him say that worse than seeing Junko say her normal despair stuff

it’s the insincerity, probably...

YOU NERFED KAITO?!?!?!

YOU NERFED KAITO!!!!!!!

okay I take back what I said Maki you have my enthusiastic blessing to recklessly murder as necessary

RIP Tsumugi and all of her new depth

“I’m also the one that kept sneaking all of the death flags into his room while you were out training every night!”

Y O O O

YOU NERFED HER CHARACTER TOO?!?!?! YOU GOTTA LET THAT HAPPEN ORGANICALLY!!!

LMAO

Souda will never show this much awareness in his actual every day fictional life and that makes this 100% funnier

Everything has a writing credit.... every single thing? Every bit of development?

Even Kokichi’s coup and Kaito’s cooperation? And Kokichi manipulating Gonta? You just seemed so - so angry about that after the trial. Surely those, if nothing else...

At this point they’re just kicking a sad, beaten-down puppy. What more could you possibly do at this point - ?!

oH GOD I DON’T WANT TO SEE THIS

WHAT THE HELL WHO EVEN SAYS SOMETHING LIKE THAT

nNOOO

NO LET ME REMEMBER HIM THE WAY HE WAS

DON’T YOU CROSS THIS BRIGHT RED LINE SHIROGANE

NO

NO THIS IS ILLEGAL I’M CALLING THE POLICE HE LOOKS ABSOLUTELY MAD -

GHGHGGHGHGHGH

GHGHghghghghhh

ghghgh

sdkflj

n o  o o o oooo o o o o o o o

gggkghk

I-It’s not a lie! Even if it was manufactured, even if it was coded into them - their feelings were real to them! It might be by design, but - oh this sounds so hollow. It’s one thing to talk about ‘fate’ and ‘this was the work of a higher power’, but having it brought down on you in such a trivial way must be absolutely soul-crushing.

this is the saddest iteration of hangover!Shuichi that I have laid my eyes on in the entire game

nihilism.

tbh I never found Izuru that intimidating as a final villain in the last game - but here? Terrifying. Maybe it’s in contrast to Junko here, who has the overbearing destructive personality of a tornado, but the quiet emptiness and lack of a higher purpose, of absolute futility that he stands for here - that scares me a lot.   Maybe it’s just because it seems to bring the concept of DR’s despair to a place that I can personally understand?

I keep saying ‘this is terrifying!’ but I mean, to be fair... it... kind of is. as always, fantastic use of text DRV3!

also can someone please shut up the peanut gallery for five minutes

well damn Monokuma that one felt aimed right at me

It reminds me of what Komaeda would say about his own motivation: it was watching everyone struggle with adversity, or the ‘despair of the killing game’, with the end goal of them ‘reaching hope’ - of seeing them overcome and grow stronger for it, that drove him forward. From the outside that makes sense; seeing other people overcome struggles, even ones so terrible, give us the mental strength to overcome our own problems. But for someone on the inside looking out... how perverse would that feel, to think that your suffering is basically being used as inspiration!p0rn? Knowing that there were voyeurs getting a kick out of your struggle?

What happens to game pieces after the game board is closed and put away?

Do they go into stasis? Do they just... exist, outside of time? Frozen forever, until they’re taken out to be ‘played with’ again; left to rot?

If they ‘win’.... they have no future. There’s nothing for them to move forward to reach. A piece learning that they’re a piece, and knowing their dreams after their trials will always stay just out of reach... how can anyone move foward like that?

“love that reaction” OH SHUT UP LUDENBERGxLUVER37

Fight for yourself! They fought to get you this far - Kaito and Kokichi died to give you this chance, even if they are a ‘lie”!

But Shuichi has never been able to fight for himself, only for the others...

Tsumugi, after spending the last hour verbally beating them down and shredding his and everyone’s sense of self to shreds: wow lol what a weakling

Everything is terrible and yet her saying this still got a laugh out of me, damn it.

S-SHUICHI? SHUICHI?

I-IS HE EMOTIONALLY SHUTTING DOWN -

OH GOD

HIS

H-HIS POV - IS GONE -

And nothing but despair left...

Did - did we just lose Shuichi...?

SWEETCHEEKS!!! SWEETCHEEKS, NO!!!

SWEETCHEEKS I’M SO SORRY!!!!

[eggoreviews]

My Top 13 Nintendo E3 Predictions!

It’s that time of year again lads. With Nintendo’s annual E3 blowout now just a week away, I thought I’d lay all my personal predictions on the table as to what we might see at this year’s viddy game christmas. I’m ranking these based on how confident I am about each prediction, so here’s hoping some of these actually happen!

13. SNES for Nintendo Switch Online

I don’t want to jinx things by saying this, but surely Nintendo have milked the NES for all it has now. I reckon E3 could finally be the time we finally get to move into 90s gaming. I really can’t think of anymore NES games they could shoehorn in, especially not first party, and I can’t imagine many more third parties are going to want to jump in. So mostly because we seem to be running out of passable games, my prediction is that June will be the final month of NES Online. But hey, you never know with Nintendo.

12. Pikmin 4

There’s been rumours floating around for a while now that Pikmin 4 is ready to go out and I really can’t think of anything better for a first/final reveal for the direct. If this happens, it’ll be nothing more than a trailer like Luigi’s Mansion 3 had in my opinion, but this is still a very exciting and plausible prospect.

11. Cadence of Hyrule drops during E3

In an unexpectedly brilliant move, Nintendo announced a crossover between their own Legend of Zelda franchise and indie studio Brace Yourself Games’ Crypt of the Necrodancer, with brand new Zelda remixes! This looks like great fun, but so far all we really know is that it has a June release date. Considering the odd quiet around the game, I reckon it’ll get a little dedicated section in the direct, followed by the announcement that it’ll release either straight after the direct or in the intervening days of E3.

10. Bayonetta 3 trailer

Another game that’s gone oddly quiet, Bayonetta 3 was confirmed with a teaser trailer alongside a switch port of the series’ second installment back in 2017, but we’ve heard nothing since. So finally, I think a first proper trailer will pop up, especially after the game’s explicit mention in the last direct in February, but whether or not the game will still release in 2019 (my thought is maybe not) is anyone’s guess.

9. Town info

After a brief trailer and a few synoptic details, Nintendo nudged us in the arm with the announcement of a Gamefreak game that isn’t Pokemon. And since we’ve heard nothing since September, I can see Town getting a second trailer, maybe a few more gameplay details and a vague release window. If not, I’d expect this one in the next direct.

8. Metroid Prime Trilogy

With the still relatively recent news that Nintendo is scrapping development on Prime 4 to pull in Retro Studios, I think Nintendo has been sitting on a Prime Trilogy remaster for a hot minute. And now with E3, the time when people probably would’ve expected Prime 4 to make an appearance (we now know that’s not happening), I think it would be the perfect time to make the announcement. To clarify, I’m almost 100% sure this is happening, it’s just a matter of when, but E3 is a safe bet.

7. Persona 5 for Switch

We’ve had someclues pointing towards this (Joker in Smash), as well as a legion of disappointed fans after discovering Persona 5 S was actually a Warriors game (which I am way too excited for and I can see that appearing in the direct too). But really, I think this is another one Nintendo and Atlus have been sitting on until E3, now that Joker’s in Smash and Scramble’s been announced, I can’t see why they wouldn’t finally announce it.

6. Smash Bros. amiibo

With news of more amiibo coming from the last direct, I’m fairly certain that we’ll get some firm release dates for Squirtle, Ivysaur, Snake and Simon Belmont. I also reckon that we’ll get a brief look at the final wave of base roster amiibos, which will be made up of Dark Samus, Chrom, Richter and Incineroar. As for Joker, I think they’ll hold off on him for now, as it’s less likely his amiibo will be finished up due to his character being finalised much later than the others.

5. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening info

I’d say the Link’s Awakening remake is fairly likely to get a spot in this direct, though I can’t imagine it’ll be an especially long segment. My thoughts are that we’ll see another trailer showing off some new gameplay, followed by a release date. And that’s an exciting prediction for me because this game looks incredible.

4. Smash reveal: Banjo & Kazooie

I’m pretty much 100% on the fact that we’ll see a Smash reveal for Fighter Pack 2 at the end of the direct, so I thought I’d go a step further and try to predict who it will be. With Nintendo and Microsoft’s strong relationship as of late and VP of Microsoft Phil Spencer going on record as recently as 2018 stating he’d be chill with B&K joining the fight is good news for Banjo fans. It’s pretty safe to say there’s a pretty overwhelming fan demand for them too, and it certainly wouldn’t be out of the question for Nintendo to pick them if they’re wanting to bring the hype for E3. As a couple of placeholders though, I’ll say 2B from NieR: Automata or Erdrick from Dragon Quest in the event Banjo misses the cut.

3. Astral Chain info

Astral Chain is the first of 3 games I can see getting a fairly beefy segment in this direct, as so far we’ve only seen a trailer and the game is out August 30th, likely before the next direct comes around. So this is looking to be their main chance of exploring what Astral Chain is going to be and how it’s going to play. Definitely something to look forward to, because I’m loving how this game looks so far.

2. Luigi’s Mansion 3 info

Yeah these predictions are getting fairly, you know, predictable at this point, but I did say least to most confident and these top ones are almost guaranteed to happen. I don’t think this will get quite as much screentime as my top pick, but Nintendo have already reaffirmed that this is still slated for 2019 so a gameplay breakdown, title reveal and release date confirmation do seem to be on the cards. At a guess, they’re probably going to want to cash in on the Halloween aesthetic, so late October as a release seems likely to me.

1. Animal Crossing info

Of course this is here. And of course it’s going to happen. I think Animal Crossing will end up taking around 5-10 minutes of the direct at least, with a proper title reveal, trailers, gameplay, release date, the works. Because we haven’t even seen any gameplay for this yet and it’s arguably Nintendo’s most anticipated title so I think they’re gonna want to shine the spotlight on this one, especially since they seem to be handling Pokemon Sword & Shield outside of the main directs.

So there’s my best guesses for next week’s direct! Got any predictions or big wants of your own? Drop them in the comments! And make sure to check back next week for my breakdown of everything that got revealed. Oh, and one last thing, make sure to keep your hype levels healthy so you don’t get let down on the day.

[michaelandy101-blog]

The best way to Calibrate Your Model Voice to Your search engine marketing Benefit

New Post has been published on http://tiptopreview.com/how-to-calibrate-your-brand-voice-to-your-seo-advantage/

The best way to Calibrate Your Model Voice to Your search engine marketing Benefit

The writer’s views are fully his or her personal (excluding the unlikely occasion of hypnosis) and should not all the time replicate the views of Moz.

It’s a aggressive world on the market. Everybody’s after a chunk of the pie, and in these unsure occasions, companies have to work tougher than ever to face out from the herd.

Among the finest methods to realize that is to develop a singular model voice in your firm – one that can attraction to prospects and get seen by way of search engine marketing.

What precisely is a “brand voice”? It’s merely the way in which your group expresses its messaging when it comes to model and tone. Your voice ought to reveal your core values and attraction to your goal prospects.

It’s very important that this voice is constant throughout all facets of your communications, from blogs to adverts to signage. In case your content material doesn’t keep on-brand, your viewers gained’t make the affiliation between your newest services or products and those they’ve loved earlier than, and the essential loyalty issue is gone.

This text will present you just a few methods to assist develop a singular voice, construction your content material, and switch Google’s algorithms to your benefit on the similar time.

Source

Growing your model voice

This isn’t fairly as straightforward as you would possibly suppose. Your model voice has to replicate who you might be as a enterprise, and guarantee it “speaks” to potential prospects on the precise degree, whether or not they’re already conversant in your model or they’ve simply discovered you in a Google search.

This implies actually attending to know your prospects – discover out what they want and the way they need it introduced to them. Contemplate the demographics: age, gender, career, monetary state of affairs, way of life. It’s additionally useful to hold out a competitor evaluation for firms in the same business and see how their model voice works for them.

When who you’re speaking to, you’ll be able to tailor your model voice to the people who find themselves (hopefully) going to hearken to it, and goal them by means of intelligent search engine marketing strategies.

As an illustration, in case you’re focusing on a youthful viewers, you would possibly use a chatty and pleasant model with just a few emojis thrown in. In case your content material is geared toward older professionals, it’s most likely higher to maintain issues a bit extra formal.

Content material ought to all the time be informative and useful. You would possibly use jargon in case your viewers is conversant in a topic, however easy language is commonly finest for explaining one thing technical. Be sure to all the time again it up with reliable sources.

The important thing to creating participating content material that will get prime rankings on search engines is to inject some persona. Some entrepreneurs wish to push the boundaries with wacky concepts and irreverent humor, however provided that it’s applicable for the viewers and the model. Contemplate making a tone and voice “style guide” for use by everybody in your group, guaranteeing consistency throughout all content material. 

Optimizing your model voice

So, you’ve developed your distinctive model voice, now how do you let folks hear it? Properly, you have to optimize your content material to choose up essentially the most site visitors from search engines.

The trick right here is to reply to key phrase developments with out compromising your model voice. Your search engine marketing and marketing groups might want to work collectively on this. search engine marketing will enhance your web site’s efficiency on search engines with a view to attain the highest positions on Google. Most individuals don’t learn past the primary SERP, so entering into the highest ten is essential in your firm’s success.

We’ll present you some recommendations on tips on how to get there by optimizing your content material construction, title tags, and meta description copy.

#1 Outline your key phrases

Often, it’s fairly straightforward to establish your individual key phrases: they’re going to embody the identify of your model, its identification, and the issues it sells or gives. Key phrases are the foremost descriptors of your model and its USP – and the hooks that can attract your goal prospects. However in case you’re unsure tips on how to decide a main key phrase, you should use an online instrument resembling Moz Professional’s Key phrase Explorer.

Key phrase analysis is a vital a part of your search engine marketing technique – establish common phrases and phrases that individuals search for, and construction your content material round these matters whereas protecting your message on-brand.

#2 Create catchy title tags

A title tag is an HTML aspect that specifies the title of an internet web page (to not be confused with the H1-tag, which is the displayed “title” on the precise web page). Its principal perform is to inform guests what they’ll discover in the event that they go to that net web page.

The title tag is the very first thing a possible customer will see when your web site pops up in an online search, so that is your probability to make an incredible first impression! You’re aiming to tempt the searcher to click on by means of to the interesting content material in your submit.

Ideally, a title tag ought to:

When you’re already a well known enterprise, be certain your model identify is included within the title tag. Record posts are all the time common, so utilizing numbers within the tag is an attractive hook. For instance, in case you had been writing about a substitute for Zoom, your title could possibly be “8 powerful Zoom alternatives for video conferencing”.

Folks don’t need to learn previous info, so add a date to your tag – or no less than say when it was final up to date. They do like thorough and authoritative articles, although. Suppose “The Ultimate/Complete Guide To…”.

Be sure that all title tags are distinctive to keep away from confusion, and guarantee each web page in your web site has its personal title tag. Lastly, bear in mind that Google could rewrite your title tags if it doesn’t suppose they’re as much as scratch!

Tip: Check your tags. A/B testing and measuring the site visitors generated from new key phrases will allow you to work out what you’re doing proper or mistaken.

#three Write an attractive meta description

A meta description is the textual content block or “snippet” that seems beneath the title tag within the search outcomes. That is the place you could have a bit extra room (150 to 160 characters) to explain and summarize the contents of your web page – and encourage the reader to click on in your submit.

Key phrases are simply as essential right here, as search engines will spotlight these phrases within the SERP. However you too can optimize your meta descriptions to replicate your model voice and attraction to guests.

The extra inviting the copy is, the extra it should encourage folks to click on, thus rising your SERP rating over time. You’ll be able to arrange your meta descriptions to incorporate your brand, a picture, or a evaluate – all issues that can draw the reader’s eye.

Tip:When you don’t write a meta description, the search engine will most likely create one for you – and it will not be what you need to say!

#four Use the headline as a hook

Nice, you’ve efficiently enticed a customer to click on by means of to your web site. Now you simply should preserve them engaged, as extremely optimized touchdown pages are important to rising conversions.

The reader is already excited by your group, so pull them in additional with an attention-grabbing headline. It’s a good suggestion to incorporate a variation of your key phrase, however you’ll be able to add different wording to make the reader eager to study extra.

Most individuals will take a fast scan by means of the article earlier than deciding whether or not or to not learn the entire thing. Utilizing catchy H2s and H3s with variations of the first key phrase will verify that this is the article they had been searching for – in addition to breaking apart the textual content and making it simpler to learn.

#5 Let your model voice sing

The principle article copy is the place your brand voice actually comes into its personal. Nice copy could make your model memorable, so inject loads of persona to maintain the reader entertained in addition to knowledgeable.

Scatter some key phrases all through the copy, however there’s no have to shoehorn within the actual phrasing if it’s grammatically clunky. It’s extra essential to fulfill the search intent and reply the questions that led the customer to your door.

Selecting the best subject to put in writing about is a vital side of your model communication. It ought to reply to your goal prospects’ wants in addition to becoming together with your marketing technique. Folks get pleasure from studying hands-on, actionable content material that can truly add worth to their lives. When you can appeal to the precise prospects, you’ll be able to assist them construct a long-term affiliation together with your firm.

#6 Be image good

Photos are virtually as essential as phrases in terms of selling your model. Posts with pictures get 94% more views, so it is vital to ship interesting visible content material.

Photos enhance the consumer expertise by making your content material extra interesting and memorable, and offering a break from the physique textual content. You can too use graphics to elucidate complicated concepts in a visible manner.

Pictorial content material gives you an enormous search engine marketing enhance by rising the time folks spend in your web site, and guaranteeing you additionally seem within the picture search outcomes.

For model consistency, be certain your company colours and firm brand seem throughout all channels. If these parts assist to point out off your model persona, a lot the higher.

#7 Discover a good influencer

Partnering with business influencers is an effective approach to appeal to extra site visitors to your web site, as their followers shall be inspired to attach with you. It’s finest to construct hyperlinks with influencers who match your individual model voice and values, to make these connections extra apparent.

Even in case you don’t go so far as forging a partnership, you’ll be able to nonetheless take inspiration from influencers by following and subscribing to their content material. Bear in mind, you’re not seeking to copy another person’s model – simply study from individuals who do it properly.

Source

Trying to the longer term

When you’ve calibrated your model voice for search engine marketing and your small business is reaping the rewards, don’t cease there! There are just a few extra methods to think about for future content material campaigns.

Monitor social media

As social media continues to develop in reputation, it pays to watch different firms’ channels and establish which social media posts get the most effective engagement. You’ll be able to then use these insights to construction the tags and descriptions of your individual pages, to extend the possibilities of site visitors. 

Prepare for voice search

You also needs to be sure that your group is optimized for voice search, which is about to take off over the subsequent few years. Because of “digital assistants” resembling Alexa, Siri, and Cortana, potential prospects are conducting searches differently.

As a result of folks have a tendency to make use of full questions in a voice search (fairly than typing just a few phrases into Google), search engine algorithms will deal with analyzing total intent as an alternative of tangible key phrases. This implies long-tail key phrases will grow to be customary for all search rankings.

Suppose world

If your organization desires to draw worldwide prospects, it’s best to take into account a multilingual marketing strategy. It will assist your model voice attraction to folks all over the world by making your content material accessible throughout completely different languages and cultures.

search engine marketing is the important thing to getting your model voice heard

Your model voice is considered one of your most essential property in terms of attracting potential prospects in a extremely aggressive world.

When you take the time to know these prospects and their wants, you’ll have the ability to communicate their language and work out the most effective methods to entice them in. When folks purchase into the values demonstrated by a constant model voice, guests shall be transformed into loyal followers.

Optimize your title tags, meta descriptions, and net content material efficiently, and also you’ll see a rise in web site site visitors – serving to you stand up these all-important SERP rankings.

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[biscuitreviews]

Biscuit’s Top Games of 2017 and Personal Game of the Year

2017 was a great year for gaming. Although the end of 2017 has a few people dubbing this “The year of the loot box” with games such as EA’s Star Wars Battlefront II, Destiny II, and Call of Duty WWII, just to name a few, I don’t think we can encompass a whole year of amazing games, from a few outliers.

Unfortunately, for a lot of the great games that came out this year, I wasn’t able to play a lot of them because I didn’t own a PS4 or a Switch. I just recently acquired a PS4 and will be playing catch up on many of these great titles. So the games listed below are the ones that I personally played this year that I really enjoyed.

Mass Effect Andromeda

This will probably be odd to see this game on someone’s “best of” list when this title is going to be on a lot of “disappointed” or “worst of” lists. Personally, I enjoyed Andromeda. I will admit that on release there were some weird animations and the writing was a bit weak in some areas. However, even some of the greatest games with great stories, have some places where the writing in their story was a bit weak. Uncharted 4’s Nathan Drake’s brother that he just never talked about ever is a perfect example of this. Great game with an equally good story, just the sudden appearance of a brother felt shoehorned in and forced despite Sam actually being a good character in his own right.

Nonetheless, Mass Effect Andromeda’s environments were beautifully crafted and the combat was extremely fun. Being able to switch to a different class on the fly to have the necessary skills to fight different enemies adds another element of control during combat. I really enjoyed myself with this game and it’s disappointing that the majority was hung up on the first few hours of the game, rather than playing through the entire game to see it’s shining moments.

Doki Doki Literature Club

Although this psychological horror disguised as a cute visual novel takes a bit to get into, once it reveals it’s true self, the ride doesn’t stop. Without spoiling much, this game slowly and I mean SLOWLY pulls back the curtain to how truly messed up this game can be. The game’s twist is something that truly impacted me and it’s something I applaud this game in accomplishing. If you haven’t played this game yet, go in blind, don’t look anything up, it will make the scares and the twists, that much more impactful.

Fire Emblem Heroes

I had two mobile phone games that I played a lot of this year and Fire Emblem Heroes was one of them. Yes this is a more watered down version of Fire Emblem, but despite that, it’s still a really fun game and will require strategic thinking, especially if you try the higher difficulties. This game eat up quite a bit of my time in the February and March period. It’s also one of the few mobile games out there that gives you plenty of opportunities and chances to build your team and gain new units without succumbing to microtransactions and it was something that I really liked with this game.

Magikarp Jump

The second mobile game that came out this year that I played quite a bit. This in my opinion was the definition of a great mobile game. It’s a game you can play for a few minutes while waiting in line because of how easily you can start and stop a play session. The ability to play the game offline was also an awesome feature and once again you can go through this game without purchasing any microtransactions.

Cuphead

Although I never finished this game, the 1930s cartoon aesthetic of the game was truly unique for a video game. I also loved how the story was built with couch co-op in mind. Yes you can play this game solo, but it is clear that the ideal way to play this game is co-op with a friend. I also really liked the easiness of how co-op was handled. You can be playing a game and have a friend join you while your playing in the overworld and they can exit out just as easily. The difficulty of this game was also one of the key on the major points with this game and it’s no joke. Many gamers have compared the difficulty of the game to Dark Souls. Now, personally, I have never played Dark Souls so I can’t really say for sure because I never played Dark Souls. Something I hope to remedy in the future.

Horizon Zero Dawn

I’m actually currently playing this game and I have to say I am loving it so far. I definitely see why gamers and critics alike just can’t stop talking about this game. It features a strong female protagonist, it’s a sci-fi setting, it’s open-world, and you get to fight robot dinosaurs. On paper that sounds like a fantastic idea for a game and it really is. I will be doing a review of this game once I complete it. It may take me a bit because I bought the Complete edition which included all of the DLC for the game.

Sonic Mania

In celebration of Sonic’s 25th anniversary, Sega decided to release not just one but two Sonic games. This is a game that is a love letter to Sonic’s past and is appropriately priced. This is a must have for fans of the Blue Blur, especially for those that grew up playing Sonic during his golden days.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of Wild

This is a game that really allows you to explore and experiment with its world and mechanics. To this day, many players are still finding neat things that you can do to where people are still saying “You can do that?” I can’t help but wonder what other mechanics and secrets are still to be uncovered. My favorite moment, although simple, is still something that I will always remember.

When I started the game I was wandering around the Great Plateau. I saw a small group of bokoblins at the bottom of a hill. I was at the top of the hill and next to me was a boulder. I pushed the boulder and it rolled down the hill crushing two of the three bokoblins. Simple, but something I’ll always remember.

Biscuit’s Game of the Year: Persona 5

This is my personal game of the year. This game not only made advancements into the turn-based RPG formula, but everything blended so well together. The menus, the interface, injecting personality into a silent protagonist, it’s a fantastic game. Completing the main story took me 101 hours and that was just going through the main story and doing some side quests and missions.

It also gives more of an emphasis on choice, not in a narrative perspective, but in a gameplay perspective. It’s something I think many people often forget when it comes to choices in gaming. It doesn’t just have to be only narrative choices to shape the story, it can be choices in gameplay to make things easier or harder during the journey. Do you increase your social stats to be able to increase your Confidant rank? Do you work a part-time job to have money for items and weapons? Do you hang out with a Confidant to increase their relationship to gain advantages in combat? All of that will shape how your gameplay experience will go and what advantages you’ll have throughout the game.

This is easily my favorite game of the year and is a definite must play. Even if you’ve never played any other Persona title, this is the game to play as it’s friendly to new players in the series.

I actually started playing Persona 3 right when Persona 5 came out and worked my to it. Also as some of you might know, my first review on this blog was Persona 3 and I marathoned the modern Persona games back to back to back.

[entergamingxp]

Persona 5 Scramble Makes Persona 5 Royal Look Like a Joke

April 1, 2020 2:00 PM EST

Persona 5 Scramble is a red-pilled, politics-free experience straight from Japan, infinitely superior to the SSJs infested Royal “enhanced” version.

Atlus just released Persona 5 Royal on PS4 this week, and meanwhile in Japan, Persona 5 Scramble has been available for a bit more than a month on PS4 and Switch. You might be wondering which between Royal and Scramble is the better game. Luckily, DualShockers has spent hours with both games, so we’re here to answer all your questions.

Persona 5 Royal is Political; Persona 5 Scramble Isn’t

First off, let’s get this straight outta the way, as we know you hate clickbait, and we do too: After spending many hours on it, I can confirm Persona 5 Royal is a complete fraud full of political themes, and you should avoid it at all costs.

It’s a well-known fact that Japanese media traditionally do not include shoehorned-in politics. Take kids-oriented anime such as Sailor Moon and Pretty Cure, for example. They never try to overstep their bounds and influence children with any kind of politics. Meanwhile, adult anime watchers with mature tastes will rightfully cast aside the aforementioned shallow kids series for more mature experiences, such as Dirty Pair and Cross Ange. These two anime focus on their scantily-clad heroines without ever forcing political themes into their viewers, old enough to make their own opinions.

Japan knows what we want when it comes to anime, and the same holds true for Japanese games. Anyone can realize this fact after playing masterpieces from genius Japanese game developers such as ZUN, Gen Urobuchi, or Ryukishi07. Japanese games’ stories never include political themes in their midst, and only those who really don’t know anime would claim otherwise. Started in 2006 by Atlus, the Persona series has been following this time immemorial rule as well until Persona 5, and its now “enhanced” version, Persona 5 Royal.

As a reminder, the original Persona 5 released in 2016 was already a big offender, as the game’s main story went as far as having President Donald Trump inspire one of its villains. However, the game had enough waifus to keep it worthwhile. Regrettably, Persona 5 Royal goes way over the line. Right in its first hours of gameplay, Persona 5 Royal retcons Morgana as the first-ever black and liberal cat in fiction, allowing protagonist Joker to freely go out at night. This is a clear (and poor) attempt by Atlus to try and appeal to those in America, all while neglecting the true fans of the franchise that have been supporting it since 2006.

In opposition, Persona 5 Scramble (developed by Koei Tecmo, the creators of Atelier Ryza and Fire Emblem Three Houses, two based and red-pilled masterpieces) has absolutely no politics. And yes, this means none of this global warming stuff, despite the game being set in summer. Instead, the characters travel all over Japan and have fun during their vacation. Persona 5 Royal‘s entire story is set in Tokyo, with very few environmental variations. Persona 5 Scramble brings you the beautiful landscapes of Hawaii, Kyoto, and Ozaka. Koei Tecmo’s chef-d’œuvre delivers to its players a real taste of Japanese culture, between tradition and innovation, with sushi, kimono, and a fully apolitical environment.

Lastly, I’d point out Joker is also much more of a Chad in Scramble, as he cooks for his homies all by himself during the whole trip. He is completely different from Persona 5 Royal‘s Joker, a beta virgin who can’t even date more than 10 waifus simultaneously. This brings us to the next main reason why Persona 5 Scramble is better than Persona 5 Royal.

Scramble has Better New Waifus than Royal

As you may know, Persona 5 Royal adds a brand new waifu, called Kasumi Yoshizawa. You might think this a good thing, but don’t be fooled. As someone who already played the game in Japanese, I can assure you Kasumi is a horrible waifu. She’s boring, and you can’t even play with her for most of the game. She’s a transfer student, but she must have fooled around with boys before going to Shujin and I bet she’s not even a virgin. Plus, Kasumi is a huge eater.

Moreover, Kasumi’s persona is Cendrillon, a Disney character. I believe it is unnecessary to remind you how Disney always shoehorns politics in whatever they touch, just like how they ruined Star Wars. If this still doesn’t tip you off about these people‘s influence on Persona 5 Royal, just look at Kasumi’s hair color: it’s bright red.

It’s also important to note that Kasumi wears full opaque black tights in most of the game. This shows how some people put pressure on Atlus in order to cover Kasumi up and make her show as little skin as possible. You will only be able to see Kasumi’s legs more than 30 hours into Royal, when the characters switch to their summer school uniforms. This is simply unacceptable. Sadly, nothing will change unless we gamers rise up. Yesterday it was Square Enix and Tifa’s boobs, today it is Atlus and Kasumi’s legs. Who knows what could get censored next?

On the other hand, Persona 5 Scramble has over three new waifus. One of them is Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, featured further above. With over 5 million followers, Kyari is known as the Queen of Based

in Japan. The fact that she granted Koei Tecmo permission to modelize her in Persona 5 Scramble shows how great of a game it is.

That’s not all; Persona 5 Scramble also includes a new loli character named Sophia. She’s wearing very short shorts, so you can see her legs anytime. And when Sophie transforms into her Phantom Thief costume, Sophie, she has a Zettai Ryouiki, also known as the pinnacle of Japanese culture. This is proof of how red-pilled the game is, unbiased by western standards against loli characters.

The last new waifu featured above we’ll introduce is Kuon Ichinose. She’s a tall, sexy, and intelligent lady that gets involved with Joker in more ways than one, if you know what I mean.

It’s also important to note that Anne and Haru, the two waifus with the biggest assets, have much better breast bouncing animations in Persona 5 Scramble than in Persona 5 Royal.

Royal has Paid DLCs; Scramble (Almost) Doesn’t

Persona 5 Royal is a DLC fest, a clear reflection of everything wrong with games nowadays. Meanwhile, Scramble has almost zero DLC. The only thing you can buy are BGMs from past Persona games, and these were included in first-print copies. In fact, Scramble gives you free stuff. If you sadly already fell for the meme and own Persona 5 Royal on PS4, Scramble will detect the game’s save and automatically unlock the BGMs “Last Surprise” and “Take Over.”

Meanwhile, on Nintendo Switch, both BGMs unlock if you have a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate save, regardless of whether you bought the Joker DLC or not. This is all thanks to Based Sakurai. Personally speaking, I initially lost hope when he first ceded to demands by not including Mai Shiranui in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Thankfully now, it seems there is still hope for Japan, and the country doesn’t need to remember Pearl Harbor for the third time.

Persona 5 Scramble has a better localization than Persona 5 Royal

Last but not least, Persona 5 Scramble is also the superior game when it comes to localization. The original Persona 5 was in English, sure. But Persona 5 Royal adds localizations in French, Spanish, German, and Italian. As a weeb gamer, I believe diluting the superior, divine lunar runes and making them accessible to so many different people is blasphemy.

To crown it all, Persona 5 Royal‘s dialogues were CENSORED in the west, alternating the original vision of Atlus. By doing this, Atlus West not only cheated the game, they cheated themselves.

Meanwhile, Persona 5 Scramble‘s localization is perfect, the best I’ve ever seen in my life as a gamer. As you can see on the screenshot above (featuring Kuon again, I told you, she’s a 10/10 waifu), the translation keeps Koei Tecmo’s perfectly-crafted story intact. All the honorifics are in there, as well as the kanji. Atlus West should definitely keep Persona 5 Scramble‘s localization team for future projects.

In conclusion, you now know why Persona 5 Scramble is the superior game in every way. With its Unneeded Opinions, forced political agenda, and a disappointing new waifu, Persona 5 Royal is an affront to the history of Japanese gaming I wouldn’t recommend to anyone. Persona 5 Scramble is the way to go.

Listen to your own persona deep inside your heart and be sure to vote with your wallet when the time comes. Would you rather push forward this type of agenda in Japanese games, or make Persona great again? The ball is on your court now.

At the very least, rest assured that even in these dire times, DualShockers will always be here (at least every April 1st) to bring to you unfiltered, uncensored Japanese games coverage, so be sure to follow us on Twitter and YouTube.

April 1, 2020 2:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/04/persona-5-scramble-makes-persona-5-royal-look-like-a-joke/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=persona-5-scramble-makes-persona-5-royal-look-like-a-joke

[jadedahlia]

I beat Persona 5 today! I’m definitely going to do a New Game Plus since not only did I not finish all the social links but a bunch of them were at Rank 9 so I was just short of maxing them out (I blame finals and all those nights Morgana made me go to bed early). I'll probably pace myself a lot more this time around, since I have other stuff I need to do this month, but I definitely want to get the rest of the Social Links maxed out.

Anyway, without spoiling anything major, overall I really loved this game. But major points off for the homophobia (not to mention tons of heteronormativity, but as annoying-yet-not-surprising as that is, the homophobia was straight-up inexcusable, especially since it’s just there and doesn’t add anything to the story. I actually thought Lala was okay btw, just not the predatory dudes.) and some of the fanservice (again not surprising but still irritating. Also this includes being able to date several adult women characters despite your character being a minor because wtf, that’s apparently okay but my protag still can’t date a guy his age??).

While the characters were overall really good, I do think they were trying to shoehorn Ryuji into the “dumb pervert friend” role more than they should have (I mean, he’s not all that dumb, and for the first half of the game at least, he didn’t straight-up objectify his female teammates and seemed to respect them as people despite occasionally being a bit of a perv, but in the second half he was reduced to just objectifying them in almost every scene, ugh).

But despite those issues, so much of this game was done so, so well. Obviously the visuals and the soundtrack are amazing as always, and the plot is very compelling, but the best thing is probably that every aspect of the gameplay is an improvement from the previous games. Even level grinding doesn’t feel like a chore because there’s so many fun features in the combat.

Basically if a queer-friendly version of this game existed, it would probably be the closest possible thing to a perfect game.

[ultraericthered]

When They Cry - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27.

1. It's not exactly an "OTP", but I'd not get anyone's decision to ship Keiichi/Shion. Rena and Mion are viable options for him, but Shion??? She was only ever attracted to the shadow of Satoshi that she saw from him, never to him. Also, she killed him thrice over that one time. 2. Eva/Natsuhi is apparently a thing? Uh, they're literal family, so them as Brotps is easier to swallow.

3. Not that I know of.

4. Sayo Yasuda/Maria Ushiromiya. It's not a fandom OTP from what I've seen and thank Heavens 'cause that'd be creepy as fuck.

5. Surprisingly not.

7. The Meta World and all the magical feats performed by Witches who inhabit it was cool in Umineko, but much less so when shoehorned into Higurashi. (Bern VS Lambda feels like a legit epic clash of superpowers compared to Rika VS Satoko in the penultimate Sotsu episode, which felt like comedy/parody.)

9. Teppei Houjo in Higurashi 'cause he's a violent, criminal scumbag, Kinzo Ushiromiya in Umineko 'cause he's a toxic, demented madman, and Rena's dad in Higurashi Meguri 'cause what the actual Hell, man!?!?

10. The Curse Killing Chapter in Higurashi, Turn of the Golden Witch in Umineko, and pretty much all of Higurashi Sotsu except for the Curse Revealing Chapter 'cause that actually had some amazing shit in it.

11. Kyosuke Irie. He's got more depth in the original work and the anime did him so dirty with the excess of "lolicon/pedo" jokes with him. The guy's a skeevy creep with an attraction to minors and a maid fetish, but NOT an active perv or child molestor!

12. Again, the Curse Revealing Chapter in Sotsu. I get the turnoff of "Satoko faking her own abuse to both her friends and her former abuser" as a premise, but whenever the focus was on the Houjos, Ooishi, and the Witches, it was surprisingly solid and emotional.

13. Erika Furudo barely did anything wrong. Yes, even the objectively terrible things she did were all part of the role she was meant to play, don't hold it against her.

14. Some of the really need to try and read deeper into the work they're engaging with. WTC BEGS for its fans to read deeper, otherwise the whole "game" between Ryukishi07 and the fans is uneven and out of balance.

15. That said, Ryukishi07 really did need to minimalize his involvement in the franchise after Umineko. We've seen it can be done in a good way with Meguri, and in a bad way with Gou/Sotsu.

16. I can't answer this! Whatever fixes I might propose, the franchise usually makes all those fixes for me!

17. Similar answer to the above.

19. Ableists, misogynists, child haters, abuse apologists, and just hateful people in general who really have no place in this fandom.

22. None. Popular characters earn their popularity here!

23. "Unpopular" is a stretch, but...SATOKO. I loved her in the OG series, I love her in the spinoffs, and I still love her as a gaslighting gatekeeping girlboss Lambda prototype witch, particularly in Meguri. Fuck all the haters!

25. I like the idea behind the ending of Sotsu, but it really needed a ton more work to refine it and I hope that Meguri will eventually deliver next year.

26. Sayo Yasuda, obviously! She's got more than one persona for it!

27. Kinzo. What he did to his secret daughter is a dealbreaker there.

[cbilluminati]

There have been reports that Marvel Comics will be going under a reset of sorts in order to directly compete with DC Comics and their popular REBIRTH line. This is a good idea! Not only has Marvel’s sale dipped according to the only numbers we’re allowed to see, but DC has overtaken their rivals for months now in sales, market, and quality. Marvel’s overall quality has suffered since the end of Secret Wars, and there are many reasons for it. One of the biggest reasons, however, is the fact that many of their standard, most popular characters are currently unrecognizable to one extent or another.

While Marvel has put crazy spins on their A-List characters in the past, outside of line-wide events I’m not sure we’ve ever seen so many widely famous and popular characters so wildly different from their traditional personas at the same time, and it’s become part of a larger issue for the publisher. This alienates current fans and new readers alike, and these are just the top of list of culprits over at the House of Ideas. So, without further ado, that’s not Wolverine, he’s not really Spidey anymore, and that definitely ain’t Cap, with Outright Geekery’s Top o’ the Lot: 6 Famous Marvel Characters Non-Readers Wouldn’t Recognize.

Honorable Mention: Spider-Man

This article isn’t meant to be a bash or even a critique on Marvel’s line overall. The facts are just that. Marvel’s sales are down, the negative critical reception is up, and changes should be made. But Spider-Man is still Spider-Man…kind of.

Peter Parker is still wearing the suit, swinging around, doing his superhero thing, but he’s also a CEO in control of a billion dollar company, and it’s weird. Gone is the photographer barely getting by with his day job while striving to do well in his night job. He’s not that Peter anymore, and although there’s an interesting story going on, it’s a book that certainly needs more of a traditional tone after Slott’s very long run as writer. Miles Morales is turning out to be a shining star as he continues to settle into the Marvel Universe proper, but having Peter back to where Peter belongs is long overdue.

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6. Iron Man

Because of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, everyone knows who Iron Man is. It’s Tony Stark, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, genius. But those people would be wrong, as Tony has been replaced by Riri Williams, a super-smart firecracker of a character with a lot of appeal. Marvel killed off Tony at the end of their last event, and have replaced the well-known hero with a black girl who has plenty to prove.

Riri as Iron Man has actually been pretty fun, and her A.I. counterpart is the digitized form of Tony Stark himself, but she’s still not the Iron Man most people know. And this is a problem. No, it’s not a problem because Riri is black or a girl, it’s a problem because Iron Man is very well-known as a (wait for it) man. New readers looking to get into a character they learned to love from the movies will have no idea whatsoever who Riri even is. This makes for a huge obstacle for gaining new readers, and the sales numbers support the fact that this partuicular character change simply isn’t working to attract new readers.

5. Captain America

Every aspect of this entry has made big news and caused major uproar, but it’s all unfounded nonsense. Sam Wilson makes a terrific Captain America and Steve Roger’s current predicament as brain-washed member of Hydra is certainly temporary, but it’s not nearly as temporary enough.

There’s a specific problem with this entry that makes it unlike the others. Like the other entries on this list, Steve Rogers was in fact replaced by another character, but that really wasn’t a big deal. Captain America becoming a vile, evil, villainous member of the same organization readers have watched him fight against for decades is very much a problem. How does a comic book fan explain a Captain America who’s now a member of – for all intents and purposes – the Nazis? The more important question, however, is how do you get a non-comic book reader who only know Cap via the movies and his 70 years of backstory to pick up a book like that? Answer: You don’t.

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4. Thor

Thor is a tough addition to this list, but hear me out. The story of Odinson losing his Worthiness via a Nick Fury whisper leaving him hammer-less was a terrific story. His long time co-star Jane Foster picking up Mjolnir and donning the armor, helmet, and name of the God(ess) Of Thunder has always been a spectacular tale penned by superstar writer Jason Aaron. It also makes it difficult for new readers wanting to read Thor to pick up the series and have any clue at all what’s going on, but there’s also the problem that the other Thor never really left.

The original Thor never really left the Thor title. While the new, Jane Foster Thor is indeed the star of the series, Aaron never truly let go of Odinson. He appeared sporadically throughout the series, was mentioned repeatedly in terms of calling out the supposed usurper Foster, and eventually got his very own mini-series (also penned by Aaron) as he searches for his lost Worthiness all alone. The new Thor has been amazing, but unrecognizable to new readers, while the old Thor hung around just enough to keep current readers hoping that the other Thor would be back eventually. And, oh look! There he is. Marvel, of course, wanted to have its cake and eat it too by changing Thor (arguably for the better) but also kept the other Thor around in what felt like an odd insurance policy against a poor reception. The worst part? Old Thor is getting a new hammer, making him a new Thor, which not only puts Jane Foster back in the shadow of the original, but changes the original to the point where new reader aren’t really going to know who he is either.

3. Hulk

Bruce Banner is arguably the character who saw the most success in the comic because of Marvel’s series of films (maybe Black Widow). But Bruce is dead in the comics. In his place is the absurdly named Totally Awesome Hulk, a teenage version of the green monster, who isn’t a monster at all. Cool, calm, and collected, this Hulk is a complete 180 from what the majority of new Marvel fans know from the screen. It doesn’t take Hulkbuster armor to beat this kid, while hacking into his online video game account is sure to stop him in his tracks.

This one particularly upsets me because Banner Hulk underwent dozens of changes to his persona, his attitude, his look, and even the language he’s able to use while Hulking Out. Yet, Marvel decided to take the wonderfully appealing character Amadeus Cho and shoehorn him into a role that just didn’t need to be changed. Cho was a terrific teenaged, Asian-American character before Marvel forced him into the role of Hulk. It was completely unnecessary. And, yes again, no one knows who this kid is! Everyone knows who the Hulk is, but no one knows who this Hulk is.

2. The Wasp

This is the craziest one to me. The Wasp is a founding member of the Avengers, although she never appeared in Marvel’s Avengers films. The character has, however, appeared (kind of) in Marvel’s Ant-Man movie, and has earned a title role in the upcoming sequel Ant-Man and The Wasp. Previously The Wasp moniker was adopted by Hank Pym (the original Ant-Man), but is now claimed by Pym’s young daughter.

This change up has actually been a great read, as the young woman in the book is a science nerd with a very high intelligence. She’s a wonderful role-model for young girls, and a great example of what true equality in fiction looks like. But no one is going to know that who isn’t already reading comics, and those people don’t really care. Furthermore, if any movie character needs a bit more of a spotlight in the comics to help push their onscreen version it’s The Wasp. Onscreen she’s a middle-aged scientist with a love interest for Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man character. In the comics she’s a newly discovered daughter to a B-Lister with nothing really at all going for her but a familiar name.

1. Wolverine

The worst there is at being a subject of this list, Wolverine has so many problems in the comics right now, especially when put into the context of how people have become familiarized with these hugely popular characters. Maybe you’ve heard about the Logan movie breaking Box Offices, the internet, and our hearts. This film stars an old man Logan and a young girl called X-23. But instead of these characters doing what they did best on the screen, they’re just being that dead guy in the comics.

Don’t get me wrong, X-23 is an awesome character. But by giving her the Wolverine moniker and the yellow-and-blue suit (soon to be given other classic black-and-greys) just keeps her in the shadow of a dead mutant. She had her own thing going on, it was cool, and this just feels like cheap marketing gone wrong. And Old Man Logan doesn’t even feel like an old man, he just feels like a grey-haired Wolverine. And how does that even work? Plus, neither of these characters even look like their on-screen versions. Hot iron, Marvel: Strike it!

See a mistake? Disagree with the choices? Let us know!

Send emails to OutrightGeekery@Gmail.com Find us on Facebook at the Outright Geekery Page Join the discussion at the Comic Book Illuminati Leave us a comment below

TotL – 6 Famous Marvel Characters Non-Readers Wouldn’t Recognize

There have been reports that Marvel Comics will be going under a reset of sorts in order to directly compete with DC Comics and their popular REBIRTH line.

TotL – 6 Famous Marvel Characters Non-Readers Wouldn’t Recognize There have been reports that Marvel Comics will be going under a reset of sorts in order to directly compete with DC Comics and their popular REBIRTH line.

[outright-geekery]

There have been reports that Marvel Comics will be going under a reset of sorts in order to directly compete with DC Comics and their popular REBIRTH line. This is a good idea! Not only has Marvel’s sale dipped according to the only numbers we’re allowed to see, but DC has overtaken their rivals for months now in sales, market, and quality. Marvel’s overall quality has suffered since the end of Secret Wars, and there are many reasons for it. One of the biggest reasons, however, is the fact that many of their standard, most popular characters are currently unrecognizable to one extent or another.

While Marvel has put crazy spins on their A-List characters in the past, outside of line-wide events I’m not sure we’ve ever seen so many widely famous and popular characters so wildly different from their traditional personas at the same time, and it’s become part of a larger issue for the publisher. This alienates current fans and new readers alike, and these are just the top of list of culprits over at the House of Ideas. So, without further ado, that’s not Wolverine, he’s not really Spidey anymore, and that definitely ain’t Cap, with Outright Geekery’s Top o’ the Lot: 6 Famous Marvel Characters Non-Readers Wouldn’t Recognize.

Honorable Mention: Spider-Man

This article isn’t meant to be a bash or even a critique on Marvel’s line overall. The facts are just that. Marvel’s sales are down, the negative critical reception is up, and changes should be made. But Spider-Man is still Spider-Man…kind of.

Peter Parker is still wearing the suit, swinging around, doing his superhero thing, but he’s also a CEO in control of a billion dollar company, and it’s weird. Gone is the photographer barely getting by with his day job while striving to do well in his night job. He’s not that Peter anymore, and although there’s an interesting story going on, it’s a book that certainly needs more of a traditional tone after Slott’s very long run as writer. Miles Morales is turning out to be a shining star as he continues to settle into the Marvel Universe proper, but having Peter back to where Peter belongs is long overdue.

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6. Iron Man

Because of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, everyone knows who Iron Man is. It’s Tony Stark, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, genius. But those people would be wrong, as Tony has been replaced by Riri Williams, a super-smart firecracker of a character with a lot of appeal. Marvel killed off Tony at the end of their last event, and have replaced the well-known hero with a black girl who has plenty to prove.

Riri as Iron Man has actually been pretty fun, and her A.I. counterpart is the digitized form of Tony Stark himself, but she’s still not the Iron Man most people know. And this is a problem. No, it’s not a problem because Riri is black or a girl, it’s a problem because Iron Man is very well-known as a (wait for it) man. New readers looking to get into a character they learned to love from the movies will have no idea whatsoever who Riri even is. This makes for a huge obstacle for gaining new readers, and the sales numbers support the fact that this partuicular character change simply isn’t working to attract new readers.

5. Captain America

Every aspect of this entry has made big news and caused major uproar, but it’s all unfounded nonsense. Sam Wilson makes a terrific Captain America and Steve Roger’s current predicament as brain-washed member of Hydra is certainly temporary, but it’s not nearly as temporary enough.

There’s a specific problem with this entry that makes it unlike the others. Like the other entries on this list, Steve Rogers was in fact replaced by another character, but that really wasn’t a big deal. Captain America becoming a vile, evil, villainous member of the same organization readers have watched him fight against for decades is very much a problem. How does a comic book fan explain a Captain America who’s now a member of – for all intents and purposes – the Nazis? The more important question, however, is how do you get a non-comic book reader who only know Cap via the movies and his 70 years of backstory to pick up a book like that? Answer: You don’t.

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4. Thor

Thor is a tough addition to this list, but hear me out. The story of Odinson losing his Worthiness via a Nick Fury whisper leaving him hammer-less was a terrific story. His long time co-star Jane Foster picking up Mjolnir and donning the armor, helmet, and name of the God(ess) Of Thunder has always been a spectacular tale penned by superstar writer Jason Aaron. It also makes it difficult for new readers wanting to read Thor to pick up the series and have any clue at all what’s going on, but there’s also the problem that the other Thor never really left.

The original Thor never really left the Thor title. While the new, Jane Foster Thor is indeed the star of the series, Aaron never truly let go of Odinson. He appeared sporadically throughout the series, was mentioned repeatedly in terms of calling out the supposed usurper Foster, and eventually got his very own mini-series (also penned by Aaron) as he searches for his lost Worthiness all alone. The new Thor has been amazing, but unrecognizable to new readers, while the old Thor hung around just enough to keep current readers hoping that the other Thor would be back eventually. And, oh look! There he is. Marvel, of course, wanted to have its cake and eat it too by changing Thor (arguably for the better) but also kept the other Thor around in what felt like an odd insurance policy against a poor reception. The worst part? Old Thor is getting a new hammer, making him a new Thor, which not only puts Jane Foster back in the shadow of the original, but changes the original to the point where new reader aren’t really going to know who he is either.

3. Hulk

Bruce Banner is arguably the character who saw the most success in the comic because of Marvel’s series of films (maybe Black Widow). But Bruce is dead in the comics. In his place is the absurdly named Totally Awesome Hulk, a teenage version of the green monster, who isn’t a monster at all. Cool, calm, and collected, this Hulk is a complete 180 from what the majority of new Marvel fans know from the screen. It doesn’t take Hulkbuster armor to beat this kid, while hacking into his online video game account is sure to stop him in his tracks.

This one particularly upsets me because Banner Hulk underwent dozens of changes to his persona, his attitude, his look, and even the language he’s able to use while Hulking Out. Yet, Marvel decided to take the wonderfully appealing character Amadeus Cho and shoehorn him into a role that just didn’t need to be changed. Cho was a terrific teenaged, Asian-American character before Marvel forced him into the role of Hulk. It was completely unnecessary. And, yes again, no one knows who this kid is! Everyone knows who the Hulk is, but no one knows who this Hulk is.

2. The Wasp

This is the craziest one to me. The Wasp is a founding member of the Avengers, although she never appeared in Marvel’s Avengers films. The character has, however, appeared (kind of) in Marvel’s Ant-Man movie, and has earned a title role in the upcoming sequel Ant-Man and The Wasp. Previously The Wasp moniker was adopted by Hank Pym (the original Ant-Man), but is now claimed by Pym’s young daughter.

This change up has actually been a great read, as the young woman in the book is a science nerd with a very high intelligence. She’s a wonderful role-model for young girls, and a great example of what true equality in fiction looks like. But no one is going to know that who isn’t already reading comics, and those people don’t really care. Furthermore, if any movie character needs a bit more of a spotlight in the comics to help push their onscreen version it’s The Wasp. Onscreen she’s a middle-aged scientist with a love interest for Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man character. In the comics she’s a newly discovered daughter to a B-Lister with nothing really at all going for her but a familiar name.

1. Wolverine

The worst there is at being a subject of this list, Wolverine has so many problems in the comics right now, especially when put into the context of how people have become familiarized with these hugely popular characters. Maybe you’ve heard about the Logan movie breaking Box Offices, the internet, and our hearts. This film stars an old man Logan and a young girl called X-23. But instead of these characters doing what they did best on the screen, they’re just being that dead guy in the comics.

Don’t get me wrong, X-23 is an awesome character. But by giving her the Wolverine moniker and the yellow-and-blue suit (soon to be given other classic black-and-greys) just keeps her in the shadow of a dead mutant. She had her own thing going on, it was cool, and this just feels like cheap marketing gone wrong. And Old Man Logan doesn’t even feel like an old man, he just feels like a grey-haired Wolverine. And how does that even work? Plus, neither of these characters even look like their on-screen versions. Hot iron, Marvel: Strike it!

See a mistake? Disagree with the choices? Let us know!

Send emails to OutrightGeekery@Gmail.com Find us on Facebook at the Outright Geekery Page Join the discussion at the Comic Book Illuminati Leave us a comment below

TotL – 6 Famous Marvel Characters Non-Readers Wouldn’t Recognize There have been reports that Marvel Comics will be going under a reset of sorts in order to directly compete with DC Comics and their popular REBIRTH line.