#revenge has cool imagery too but none of it is coming to mind

[apuff]

epic mcr merch @thankyouforthev3n0m

ngl you could reverse what's on front and back for this and it would still be cool. ALSO there could be another border line in yellow and it would look nice cause the shirt is in purple

i feel like the shirt color for this is probably best as red (cause it matches the two color vibe) although i could see navy or light blue. if you wanted yellow it'd have to be more mustard so it would stick out from the white, and idk if mustard is an appropriately danger days color :/

WHY DID I WRITE SO MANY TAGS WHAT,

[recentanimenews]

ESSAY: Berserk's Journey of Acceptance Over 30 Years of Fandom

  My descent into anime fandom began in the '90s, and just as watching Neon Genesis Evangelion caused my first revelation that cartoons could be art, reading Berserk gave me the same realization about comics. The news of Kentaro Miura’s death, who passed on May 6, has been emotionally complicated for me, as it's the first time a celebrity's death has hit truly close to home. In addition to being the lynchpin for several important personal revelations, Berserk is one of the longest-lasting works I’ve followed and that I must suddenly bid farewell to after existing alongside it for two-thirds of my life.

  Berserk is a monolith not only for anime and manga, but also fantasy literature, video games, you name it. It might be one of the single most influential works of the ‘80s — on a level similar to Blade Runner — to a degree where it’s difficult to imagine what the world might look like without it, and the generations of creators the series inspired.

  Although not the first, Guts is the prototypical large sword anime boy: Final Fantasy VII's Cloud Strife, Siegfried/Nightmare from Soulcalibur, and Black Clover's Asta are all links in the same chain, with other series like Dark Souls and Claymore taking clear inspiration from Berserk. But even deeper than that, the three-character dynamic between Guts, Griffith, and Casca, the monster designs, the grotesque violence, Miura’s image of hell — all of them can be spotted in countless pieces of media across the globe.

  Despite this, it just doesn’t seem like people talk about it very much. For over 20 years, Berserk has stood among the critical pantheon for both anime and manga, but it doesn’t spur conversations in the same way as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Akira, or Dragon Ball Z still do today. Its graphic depictions certainly represent a barrier to entry much higher than even the aforementioned company. 

    Seeing the internet exude sympathy and fond reminiscing about Berserk was immensely validating and has been my single most therapeutic experience online. Moreso, it reminded me that the fans have always been there. And even looking into it, Berserk is the single best-selling property in the 35-year history of Dark Horse. My feeling is that Berserk just has something about it that reaches deep into you and gets stuck there.

  I recall introducing one of my housemates to Berserk a few years ago — a person with all the intelligence and personal drive to both work on cancer research at Stanford while pursuing his own MD and maintaining a level of physical fitness that was frankly unreasonable for the hours that he kept. He was NOT in any way analytical about the media he consumed, but watching him sitting on the floor turning all his considerable willpower and intellect toward delivering an off-the-cuff treatise on how Berserk had so deeply touched him was a sight in itself to behold. His thoughts on the series' portrayal of sex as fundamentally violent leading up to Guts and Casca’s first moment of intimacy in the Golden Age movies was one of the most beautiful sentiments I’d ever heard in reaction to a piece of fiction.

  I don’t think I’d ever heard him provide anything but a surface-level take on a piece of media before or since. He was a pretty forthright guy, but the way he just cut into himself and let his feelings pour out onto the floor left me awestruck. The process of reading Berserk can strike emotional chords within you that are tough to untangle. I’ve been writing analysis and experiential pieces related to anime and manga for almost ten years — and interacting with Berserk’s world for almost 30 years — and writing may just be yet another attempt for me to pull my own twisted-up feelings about it apart. 

  Berserk is one of the most deeply personal works I’ve ever read, both for myself and in my perception of Miura's works. The series' transformation in the past 30 years artistically and thematically is so singular it's difficult to find another work that comes close. The author of Hajime no Ippo, who was among the first to see Berserk as Miura presented him with some early drafts working as his assistant, claimed that the design for Guts and Puck had come from a mess of ideas Miura had been working on since his early school days.

  写真は三浦建太郎君が寄稿してくれた鷹村です。 今かなり感傷的になっています。 思い出話をさせて下さい。 僕が初めての週刊連載でスタッフが一人もいなくて困っていたら手伝いにきてくれました。 彼が18で僕が19です。 某大学の芸術学部の学生で講義明けにスケッチブックを片手に来てくれました。 pic.twitter.com/hT1JCWBTKu

— 森川ジョージ (@WANPOWANWAN) May 20, 2021

  Miura claimed two of his big influences were Go Nagai’s Violence Jack and Tetsuo Hara and Buronson’s Fist of the North Star. Miura wears these influences on his sleeve, discovering the early concepts that had percolated in his mind just felt right. The beginning of Berserk, despite its amazing visual power, feels like it sprang from a very juvenile concept: Guts is a hypermasculine lone traveler breaking his body against nightmarish creatures in his single-minded pursuit of revenge, rigidly independent and distrustful of others due to his dark past.

  Uncompromising, rugged, independent, a really big sword ... Guts is a romantic ideal of masculinity on a quest to personally serve justice against the one who wronged him. Almost nefarious in the manner in which his character checked these boxes, especially when it came to his grim stoicism, unblinkingly facing his struggle against literal cosmic forces. Never doubting himself, never trusting others, never weeping for what he had lost.

    Miura said he sketched out most of the backstory when the manga began publication, so I have to assume the larger strokes of the Golden Arc were pretty well figured out from the outset, but I’m less sure if he had fully realized where he wanted to take the story to where we are now. After the introductory mini-arcs of demon-slaying, Berserk encounters Griffith and the story draws us back to a massive flashback arc. We see the same Guts living as a lone mercenary who Griffith persuades to join the Band of the Hawk to help realize his ambitions of rising above the circumstances of his birth to join the nobility.

  We discover the horrific abuses of Guts’ adoptive father and eventually learn that Guts, Griffith, and Casca are all victims of sexual violence. The story develops into a sprawling semi-historical epic featuring politics and war, but the real narrative is in the growing companionship between Guts and the members of the band. Directionless and traumatized by his childhood, Guts slowly finds a purpose helping Griffith realize his dream and the courage to allow others to grow close to him. 

  Miura mentioned that many Band of the Hawk members were based on his early friend groups. Although he was always sparse with details about his personal life, he has spoken about how many of them referred to themselves as aspiring manga authors and how he felt an intense sense of competition, admitting that among them he may have been the only one seriously working toward that goal, desperately keeping ahead in his perceived race against them. It’s intriguing thinking about how much of this angst may have made it to the pages, as it's almost impossible not to imagine Miura put quite a bit of himself in Guts. 

  Perhaps this is why it feels so real and makes The Eclipse — the quintessential anime betrayal at the hands of Griffith — all the more heartbreaking. The raw violence and macabre imagery certainly helped. While Miura owed Hellraiser’s Cenobites much in the designs of the God Hand, his macabre portrayal of the Band of the Hawk’s eradication within the literal bowels of hell, the massive hand, the black sun, the Skull Knight, and even Miura’s page compositions have been endlessly referenced, copied, and outright plagiarized since.

    The events were tragic in any context and I have heard many deeply personal experiences others drew from The Eclipse sympathizing with Guts, Casca, or even Griffith’s spiral driven by his perceived rejection by Guts. Mine were most closely aligned with the tragedy of Guts having overcome such painful circumstances to not only reject his own self enforced solitude, but to fearlessly express his affection for his loved ones. 

  The Golden Age was a methodical destruction of Guts’ self-destructive methods of preservation ruined in a single selfish act by his most trusted friend, leaving him once again alone and afraid of growing close to those around him. It ripped the romance of Guts’ mission and eventually took the story down a course I never expected. Berserk wasn’t a story of revenge but one of recovery.

  Guess that’s enough beating around the bush, as I should talk about how this shift affected me personally. When I was young, when I began reading Berserk I found Guts’ unflagging stoicism to be really cool, not just aesthetically but in how I understood guys were supposed to be. I was slow to make friends during school and my rapidly gentrifying neighborhood had my friends' parents moving away faster than I could find new ones. At some point I think I became too afraid of putting myself out there anymore, risking rejection when even acceptance was so fleeting. It began to feel easier just to resign myself to solitude and pretend my circumstances were beyond my own power to correct.

  Unfortunately, I became the stereotypical kid who ate alone during lunch break. Under the invisible expectations demanding I not display weakness, my loneliness was compounded by shame for feeling loneliness. My only recourse was to reveal none of those feelings and pretend the whole thing didn't bother me at all. Needless to say my attempts to cope probably fooled no one and only made things even worse, but I really didn’t know of any better way to handle my situation. I felt bad, I felt even worse about feeling bad and had been provided with zero tools to cope, much less even admit that I had a problem at all.

  The arcs following the Golden Age completely changed my perspective. Guts had tragically, yet understandably, cut himself off from others to save himself from experiencing that trauma again and, in effect, denied himself any opportunity to allow himself to be happy again. As he began to meet other characters that attached themselves to him, between Rickert and Erica spending months waiting worried for his return, and even the slimmest hope to rescuing Casca began to seed itself into the story, I could only see Guts as a fool pursuing a grim and hopeless task rather than appreciating everything that he had managed to hold onto. 

  The same attributes that made Guts so compelling in the opening chapters were revealed as his true enemy. Griffith had committed an unforgivable act but Guts’ journey for revenge was one of self-inflicted pain and fear. The romanticism was gone.

  Farnese’s inclusion in the Conviction arc was a revelation. Among the many brilliant aspects of her character, I identified with her simply for how she acted as a stand-in for myself as the reader: Plagued by self-doubt and fear, desperate to maintain her own stoic and uncompromising image, and resentful of her place in the world. She sees Guts’ fearlessness in the face of cosmic horror and believes she might be able to learn his confidence.

    But in following Guts, Farnese instead finds a teacher in Casca. In taking care of her, Farnese develops a connection and is able to experience genuine sympathy that develops into a sense of responsibility. Caring for Casca allows Farnese to develop the courage she was lacking not out of reckless self-abandon but compassion.

  I can’t exactly credit Berserk with turning my life around, but I feel that it genuinely helped crystallize within me a sense of growing doubts about my maladjusted high school days. My growing awareness of Guts' undeniable role in his own suffering forced me to admit my own role in mine and created a determination to take action to fix it rather than pretending enough stoicism might actually result in some sort of solution.

  I visited the Berserk subreddit from time to time and always enjoyed the group's penchant for referring to all the members of the board as “fellow strugglers,” owing both to Skull Knight’s label for Guts and their own tongue-in-cheek humor at waiting through extended hiatuses. Only in retrospect did it feel truly fitting to me. Trying to avoid the pitfalls of Guts’ path is a constant struggle. Today I’m blessed with many good friends but still feel primal pangs of fear holding me back nearly every time I meet someone, the idea of telling others how much they mean to me or even sharing my thoughts and feelings about something I care about deeply as if each action will expose me to attack.

  It’s taken time to pull myself away from the behaviors that were so deeply ingrained and it’s a journey where I’m not sure the work will ever be truly done, but witnessing Guts’ own slow progress has been a constant source of reassurance. My sense of admiration for Miura’s epic tale of a man allowing himself to let go after suffering such devastating circumstances brought my own humble problems and their way out into focus.

    Over the years I, and many others, have been forced to come to terms with the fact that Berserk would likely never finish. The pattern of long, unexplained hiatuses and the solemn recognition that any of them could be the last is a familiar one. The double-edged sword of manga largely being works created by a single individual is that there is rarely anyone in a position to pick up the torch when the creator calls it quits. Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond, Ai Yazawa’s Nana, and likely Yoshihiro Togashi’s Hunter X Hunter all frozen in indefinite hiatus, the publishers respectfully holding the door open should the creators ever decide to return, leaving it in a liminal space with no sense of conclusion for the fans except what we can make for ourselves.

  The reason for Miura’s hiatuses was unclear. Fans liked to joke that he would take long breaks to play The Idolmaster, but Miura was also infamous for taking “breaks” spent minutely illustrating panels to his exacting artistic standard, creating a tumultuous release schedule during the wars featuring thousands of tiny soldiers all dressed in period-appropriate armor. If his health was becoming an issue, it’s uncommon that news would be shared with fans for most authors, much less one as private as Miura.

  Even without delays, the story Miura was building just seemed to be getting too big. The scale continued to grow, his narrative ambition swelling even faster after 20 years of publication, the depth and breadth of his universe constantly expanding. The fan-dubbed “Millennium Falcon Arc” was massive, changing the landscape of Berserk from a low fantasy plagued by roaming demons to a high fantasy where godlike beings of sanity-defying size battled for control of the world. How could Guts even meet Griffith again? What might Casca want to do when her sanity returned? What are the origins of the Skull Knight? And would he do battle with the God Hand? There was too much left to happen and Miura’s art only grew more and more elaborate. It would take decades to resolve all this.

  But it didn’t need to. I imagine we’ll never get a precise picture of the final years of Miura’s life leading up to his tragic passing. In the final chapters he released, it felt as if he had directed the story to some conclusion. The unfinished Fantasia arc finds Guts and his newfound band finding a way to finally restore Casca’s sanity and — although there is still unmistakably a boundary separating them — both seem resolute in finding a way to mend their shared wounds together.

  One of the final chapters features Guts drinking around the campfire with the two other men of his group, Serpico and Roderick, as he entrusts the recovery of Casca to Schierke and Farnese. It's a scene that, in the original Band of the Hawk, would have found Guts brooding as his fellows engage in bluster. The tone of this conversation, however, is completely different. The three commiserate over how much has changed and the strength each has found in the companionship of the others. After everything that has happened, Guts declares that he is grateful. 

  The suicidal dedication to his quest for vengeance and dispassionate pragmatism that defined Guts in the earliest chapters is gone. Although they first appeared to be a source of strength as the Black Swordsman, he has learned that they rose from the fear of losing his friends again, from letting others close enough to harm him, and from having no other purpose without others. Whether or not Guts and Griffith were to ever meet again, Guts has rediscovered the strength to no longer carry his burdens alone. 

  All that has happened is all there will ever be. We too must be grateful.

      Peter Fobian is an Associate Manager of Social Video at Crunchyroll, writer for Anime Academy and Anime in America, and an editor at Anime Feminist. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.

By: Peter Fobian

[taiblogcomics]

Underground Fighting Circuit

Hey there, a Winter Friends wish. Probably you're preoccupied with other stuff today. But let me take your mind off whatever that might be with just a little Movement~

Here's the cover:

Classic cover subject here. See such topics as Amazing Spider-Man #33 or Secret Wars #4. A superhero trapped under rock and debris, struggling to lift the stony surroundings around them... It's just such a cool bit of imagery, and it's done well here too. Dunno if Burden is that strong without his demonic side backing him up, though. And you might say Vengeance Moth doesn't have any leverage in the legs, but as a wheelchair user, I bet she has great upper body strength~

We open with Officer Yee continuing to block the way for Officer Whitt (the asshole) to go back and attacking the Movement kids. Yee informs Whitt he is a bad cop, which is true. Whitt replies that at least he knows who the good guys are, which is false. He then decks Yee in the face. Now, Yee himself is no saint either (remember how he sleeps with Captain Meers' wife to start the story). But he's the one I'm rooting for here. It isn't looking good so far, though. And since this is only a page, I'm kind of stretching it out to the end of this paragraph~

Vengeance Moth demonstrates that upper body strength I mentioned on the cover and hauls herself back into her chair. She's ready to get back in there and help out, preparing to go retrieve some backup plan they've hidden. She's pretty worried about what the Graveyard Faction might do if they reach the various innocent kids inside their base. The complication, of course, actually being reaching them, since they've got Burden in full hulked-out demon form guarding the entrance. Black skin, eyeless face, glowing symbols, tentacles for abs, the whole shebang.

Arson tries his one trick, puking up fire, but naturally it doesn't work on a demon and Burden just throws the guy into a wall. Pallas steps up and challenges Burden, and Burden just stomps on his chest. Monster Baby kicks him in the face, rambling something about how only she gets to be ugly. And while the Graveyard Faction and Burden (Burdemon?) continue their fracas, none of them notice Moth sneak on by. She's used to that sort of treatment, and right now, she admits it's even kind of useful.

There's a brief interlude where Virtue has to break an apparent date with Rainmaker, since Mouse is still in the hospital. Rainmaker even got dressed up, but she accepts the raincheck--with some sardonic amusement at the pun. But back at the fight, Pallas' big gun makes Burden stagger a bit. With the fear that the Faction might win, Moth makes her move. She approaches Anguish, noting that she seems to be the one they're taking orders from. And with a badass one-liner about needing a crutch, she decks Anguish across the face with just such an instrument.

Fricks, the cop lady who does dispatch, phones in to Captain Meers to report the fight. Meers instantly knows that Whitt is the one that started it, because that's an obvious conclusion. Meers puts his engine in gear to return faster. And while Yee has gotten his ass kicked a bit, Fricks and Pena also prop him up and stand against Whitt with him. Whitt is particularly shocked by this last, since Pena is his partner. And continuing the trend of badass one-liners going on in this issue, Pena retorts that actually he put in a request for a new partner earlier this morning.

Monster Baby and Pallas are continuing to beat on Burden, to the point where he's starting to revert to human form again. Moth is pulling herself into her chair again, and Anguish is getting to her feet as well. Seems some time has passed as, before Anguish can take her revenge and beat Moth with her own crutch, Moth responds that while she was out, she found and broke the signal jammer. The calls can now be coming from inside the lair. And as she falls unconscious, Moth manages to get a call out to Virtue as the ceiling starts to cave in from the battle.

While they're waiting, Mouse starts to come to. He's whispering something, and Tremor leans in close to hear. Like a cheeky bastard, he leans in and steals a kissy, insisting they're in love now. She's mostly that "I'm relieved you're all right, you jackass" kind of annoyed, but the cute tension is broken when Virtue comes in to collect them, having just gotten Moth's call. And off they go, with Mouse even recovered enough to join them. He's not keen on staying in the hospital anyway. Too filthy for his tastes.

With the fight now causing an active cave-in, the Graveyard Faction decides to call this mission a wash and bail out. Arson in particular is looking pretty pitiful, having shattered a leg from the falling debris. Anguish decides to stop a moment and try to take a trophy from Moth before they go, which is her undoing: the Movement arrives in the nick of time, and Katharsis decks her in the face. Lotta face-decking in this issue. But ye, the calvary is here. And without the ability to retreat, the Graveyard Faction attacks.

Virtue uses her powers to borrow some fear from Moth, who has plenty to spare (she even has a legit fear of being buried alive, taphephobia). Glowing with yellow energy, she reflects it all into Anguish, who immediately starts being overwhelmed by fear. And there's plenty to spare. So she gives the Graveyard Faction an ultimatum: get out of Coral City, or live forever thinking you're trapped under a mountain. And if they kill her, the effect doesn't disappear either. They take the deal and get the fuck out. Victory!

Speaking of victories, Meers walks into the precinct, wanting to know what the hell's been going on in his absence. Yee explains about Whitt's plan to go attack the Movement. However, one can't be fired just for talking about committing a crime, which Yee even points out himself. But on the other hand, striking a fellow officer? Immediate dismissal. Creates a hostile work environment, you see. And the security cams caught it all. That's why Yee let himself get decked. Whitt is fired and relieved of duty. Further victory!

While he's escorted out, though, before Yee can finally pass out, he tells Meers some crucial info. He looked into Virtue like he was asked, and there's no record of her--because she's been dead for six years. And on that bombshell, we cut over to the Movement, watching the rising sun on the morn of their victories. They're not trying to be heroes or anything. But maybe once in a while, they can feel a little heroic about what they've accomplished. No one else is here looking out for the city, after all. And the comic ends with someone swinging into the city and stopping before its welcome sign: Batgirl.

Well, we’re two-thirds done with this series now. Two major villains have been defeated. But the Cornea Killer (who doesn’t get even a mention in this issue) is still out there. And now things are gonna get complicated even more than before. Katharsis and Batgirl have scrapped before, so this promises to be a rematch~

[sparda3g]

Attack on Titan Chapter 104 Review

I thought we have already seen all crazy and intense moments of the arc. I was wrong. This chapter doesn’t hold back on the possibilities to get the job done; even if it is done by the cruelest way possible. It is drawing near to the end of the massacre that Eren and Survey Corps brought to their home. It was another intense chapter that had me exhilarated to the very end.

At last, we finally got to see Armin’s Colossal Titan form, though it’s largely similar to Bertolt’s version. I believe it is larger than his though, judging by the drawn angle shot, but I can’t confirm. It makes sense that it won’t have a massive makeover since it’s basically a human body without any flesh. Even so, the devastating presence still leaves a bone-chilling impression.

The significant part of this scene is how Armin feels really uncomfortable with the destruction he and his friends have caused. It is true that they have killed many humans before; however, this is far different for it involves with normal citizens from another country. It’s not self-defense; it’s collateral damage. It’s always neat how Isayama dissect the effect of war differently for each arcs with different characters. Armin also feels sympathetic towards Bertolt for he had to kill as many as this Titan. It proves that everyone is/was human and their action scarred their mind.

One of the most anticipated outcomes was with Jean and Falco in a very tough situation. I have to admit, I was afraid to read this because the possibility of someone’s death with couple of paths to choose from. The way how it builds up was getting to me really bad, like “Who will die?!” It turns out that Isayama didn’t kill anyone off as Jean misses his shot. It sparks a new question on whether Jean missed because of sympathy or the steam from the dying Cart Titan that navigated the spear. This may lead to inner conflict of killing innocent lives or leaving them to be the next threat; which somewhat ties in with Armin’s early scene well.

The good news is Pieck survives; the bad news is she’s in a horrible state. When Falco pulled her out of the titan, I thought he pulled her head and spine only; her hair and blood splattered spots deluded my eyes. Still, she looks awful, nearly thought she’s already dead. Luckily, Falco and Gabi escape with her, thanks to Magath and other soldiers. It’s crazy how much of a hero vibe they’re having yet they’re technically the villain; it’s called humanity.

While the action takes place next, I want to continue with those two kids scene where they are hiding inside a building for shelter. Following up with Pieck’s condition, it’s no doubt that she is done with this battle. The only question left is will she survive to see another day as her recovery is taking a long time. I believe she will survive, so the fans could take a deep breath. The true purpose of the scene is the whereabouts of Reiner.

It’s hard to judge Falco’s decision in this tight situation because he acknowledged that Reiner can’t fight in his current state yet he believes that they shouldn’t disturb him. On one hand, it’s admirable to respect him as a person like he needs a time alone to ease his mind or whatever that overly stressed him. On the other hand, they can’t afford to let him remain immobile when he’s the Armored Titan and he could greatly benefit to the battle right now. It’s like there’s no time to let him rest when they are out there suffering and losing lives.

The airship made an appearance during the moment with Armin finishing his job to wipe out the fleet. Now, it arrives to the active battlefield, which is what those light signals were for in the early chapters. It coordinately lines up like it was ready for an airplane to make its landing. It’s basically a signal call for Survey Corps to make their retreat, which means this battle is close to ending. It has been intense, so I don’t mind a cool down.

Hange makes her time-skip debut and much like Levi, not much really has changed, though she is sporting the new uniform. I guess the veterans don’t change at all while the former rookies get makeover. The tension is that they only have one shot at this and everyone must make this only attempt to retreat; otherwise, they will be shot down. This gives a sensation that something wrong will occur and it could be one member being taken out before reaching to the airship. It certainly gave me a lot to look forward with this rising tension and stake.

We get an intense Titan battle. Porco lost his temper after witnessing his comrades being taken out; not even knowing if they are alive right now. It engages him to attack Eren head-on and he was matching up well.  The devastation was captivating; capturing the intensity of two Titans in a heated battle very well. Jaw is actually pretty damn frightening to mess with because it can chomp down an armored hand like a soft candy. The claws are no joke as well; it can freaking slash the crystal that Tybur lady is resting in and actually leaves a mark. I thought we saw everything from Jaw but when used correctly, it’s terrifying. Eren was struggling, but this would give him a brilliant yet heartless idea.

After the scene with the airship arriving for extraction, Porco did well for taking on Eren, but sadly, his mind was all over the place for vengeance in which will ultimately pay the heavy price. Because of the sight for his enemy to escape, he didn’t think anything else but kill them without carefully check his area. It’s too late now, as Mikasa takes out his legs; similar to what she did back when dealing with Armored Titan. Then we have this scene.

I know the series has plenty of brutality for a Shounen no less; however, I believe this has to be the most brutal way to defeat your enemy. It’s smart no doubt, but good God almighty, this was purely messed up. Eren takes Jaw Titan and uses its jaw to crush none other than the crystal. In other words, use your enemy to crush your other enemy; force him to be a murderer of his comrade. Wow…This whole scene was bone-chilling and rightfully so.

The sensation of this one moment is not only a slow victory for Eren but the large amount of regrets is coming in for Porco for costing War Hammer Titan against his will. It slowly takes the time as he is slowly pleading to stop, but with Eren, no amount of care is given. The crystal shattering is a clever way to illustrate her as a crushed body into pieces without resorting to graphic imagery. Either way, she is crushed and the War Hammer Titan is now in Eren’s possession. That was so painful; dare I say, physically painful to watch it.

Probably my absolute favorite scene is the rise of Reiner to do one act that blurs the line of good and evil. It got to the point that Eren really look like a total heel or villain with how he is annihilating them in the most brutal manner. I know, this is war and understandably so, but the imagery is rather staggering. I can throw this chapter to a newcomer and they will say, “This Eren guy is such a monstrous villain.” Porco was about to be killed, but what lead to next is the imagery of a rising hero.

It is amazing Isayama managed to swap the position of who will get a heroic act in the midst of massacre. Gabi cries for Reiner to help for he is the only one to save him. Falco joins in later on, basically submitted because they are really in need of help right now. Reiner was still sleeping but conscious to know they’re calling for him. It’s very telling that he doesn’t want to help but the more they cry, he finally begins to rise up and manages to turn into Armored Titan. It wasn’t completed, but it was good enough to pull one act.

Despite his words described as depressing, the fact he did shift to a Titan does speak volumes. Remember, he wanted to kill himself really badly, but he said that the kids are his reason to not give in the temptation. This basically readdresses that since he did shift. Those kids were the ones crying; who knows if the outcome would be the same if it was with others. It does give Reiner a purpose in life as he was cheered like a savior; something that he felt he doesn’t deserve, especially if you based off of his recent flashback. This was really nicely addressed.

The best part is what could have been Eren versus Reiner Round 3, only it is done for one final strike. I was all fired up when he woke up, so when they were about to exchange punches, I was marking out alas going nuts. The tension was running high and it ends with Reiner getting punched out, losing his jaw. Oddly enough, he retrieves the Jaw Titan from Eren. That was just astonishing, because Reiner didn’t bother to fight, rather put his comrade first and retrieve him. This does paint Eren to be the villain of the scenario completely. Newcomers would think Reiner is the protagonist that not only got cheered for like a hero but even pull a heroic act. That’s fantastic.

Eren is finally out of strength and notes that he and Reiner will meet again. It may be early to call, but to me, that basically translate that there will be a round 3 between them. I wonder if I should root for Reiner if Eren continue to act this way. Everyone is retreating, which means we can finally rest from this mayhem. Nope. Gabi is not letting that go by easily, though I don’t blame her.

What this chaos essentially done to her is to be clouded with vengeance. It’s kind of funny because if I recall correctly, she was designed after Eren but as a female instead. In other words, if you associate with Eren, your mind will be nothing but revenge. Joking aside, it does set the tone that the chain of vengeance can pass around by your action and Gabi is the victim. It ends with her going out to take a shot; unlike the last chapter, something big may happen with Gabi. It could end with a fluke like this one, but I think we are in for something going wrong. Oh man…

I got to say, the artwork and paneling has been some of the best Isayama has put out in recent memory. The atmosphere was intense as it should be. The sequence of the action was exhilarating. The moment of breaking the crystal was unnerving and quite shocking to some extent. Something about it gave me serious chills; probably the reaction and slow build to the breakdown got me worked up. The part with Reiner getting up and confront Eren was gratifying; it wasn’t meant to be a battle but damn, I got hyped.

This was yet another intense chapter that Isayama keeps on delivering. It’s going to cool down really soon, but I believe we are in need for one. The action was intense, the tension was running wild, and it was all around riveting from start to finish. The mystery from the last chapter hasn’t been unveiled, including with Zeke. After Gabi takes a shot, whether it leads to more dilemmas or not, we are going to have a lot of time to process this through.

[ginnyzero]

Booktober Week 2: Fave Books!

Welcome back to Booktober! Booktober is a month were I’m talking about books, specifically books in the horror/paranormal genres. Anything with ‘horror’-esque creatures counts and as long as they are books. No television shows. Or movies. Books!

If you want to also do Booktober, I’ve placed prompts on my twitter and on my tumblr.

Back when I was first getting into things that were considered more horror and paranormal, things like urban fantasy books were still in the horror section of bookstores. Only later were they moved off into science fiction and fantasy. (I don’t know why, but that is the way it was.) I’m not going to talk about ‘classic’ horror books right now because that’s week four.

Horror to me has always been described as a creepy uncomfortable sensation that can also be fascinating. It’s not necessarily to scare you or make you jump. It’s to grab your attention and make you uncomfortable. If that is the case, to me the best horror books would be Anne Bishop’s Black Jewels books for many, many reasons.

Anne Bishop calls herself a writer of dark fantasy, and she is. On the other hand, the first books of the Black Jewels deal with a lot of issues that are meant to make you uncomfortable. There is a lot of kink like age gaps, and blood giving with vampire and demon imagery. And there is also sexual slavery, castration, child abuse, pedophilia (mostly not shown,) and lots and lots of death. Granted, this is all shown to be horrible and bad. It’s still uncomfortable and horrible. A huge arc of the first three books is the child heroine growing up to defeat the awful people who are the root of the problem. Not that the problem goes away entirely because those awful people had followers who weren’t as awful but could be in the right circumstances.

Men and women both suffer in the books, as well as talking animals. So, obviously, I do not recommend those books to people who love fantasy without a very long conversation about what dark fantasy when it comes to Anne Bishop actually means. However, if you put them into the lens of horror, they fit rather nicely.

I went in unaware for a plane trip between California and New York (a red eye) and ended up devouring the first two of them pretty much nonstop in a way you can’t look away from a train wreck. Fortunately, the last book does have a triumphant ending. Then the later books are ‘softer’ unless they’re the prequel book, but they can still stray into ‘dark’ quickly.

For actual Dark Fantasy of hers, I prefer the Others series. It’s an interesting take on werecreatures and if werecreatures were actually the dominant life form on Earth rather than humans. I really enjoyed the first three books for their characters, world building, and storytelling style. They’re more slice of life than ‘oh we must defeat the big bad.’ The fifth book though left a very bad taste in my mouth as it took a major step back for our main character and going ahead to see if the sweet romance between her and the wolf shifter was going to happen, I just can’t justify it to myself. Which is sad. Because I really enjoyed the set up and the storytelling as a ‘slice of life’ style writer myself. (This happens a lot to me with series. You’ll notice this is a trend.) I’d use Anne Bishop’s storytelling in the Others as a comparison book for my Heathens series.

One of the book series I enjoyed for the world building more than the longer overall story that I found first in the horror section but was actually kitchen sink urban fantasy was Kim Harrison’s “The Hollows” series. The titles first intrigued me being they were takes on Clint Eastwood’s Man with No Name movies and the concept of two women running an agency to solve magical problems sounded really cool to me. Unfortunately as the series progressed it was less about solving magical problems and more about how special the main character was and how messed up her social life kept getting with the final pairing obviously chosen for ‘hotness’ reasons rather than it actually making sense to the narrative.

Look, if it had stayed Rachel and Ivy solving magical problems as they both actually learned from their mistakes and being bad ass and Rachel ended up with the vampire guy who actually respected her and didn’t keep her in a cage like the Fae guy did, I would have gone along with it. It didn’t.

The world building though, I put ahead of something like the Dresden Files because the Hollows worked with the idea the “masquerade” keeping everyone secret had been ripped away and how does a world look if vampires, werewolves, and witches and little Fae have to all co-exist with each other. (The pixie was my favorite character and she did him dirty too.) Werewolves needing extra high basketball hoops and vampires blacking out their basement windows to sleep downstairs. Magic was used more frequently too as Rachel used charms, and circles, and potions on a regular basis.

Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy Dresden for his research into creatures and such. However, at some point, it became less about witchcraft in general and more about Harry shouting invocations at everyone. Gritty Harry Potter style.

Paranormal Romance exploded after urban fantasy became popular. Sometimes, it can be hard to tell the difference between the two except that paranormal romances sold in the romance section have unabashed sex, while urban fantasy sold in the science fiction and fantasy section tend to not. I think the best paranormal romance I came across was Thea Harrison’s Elder Races series. My favorite has to be the first book Dragon Bound with Pia and Dragos. None of her other couples quite captivated me as much as those two. Pia gets herself in a mess and even though Dragos is extremely overbearing, she doesn’t take his nonsense and does what she wants anyways. She needs his strength, and he needs her magical abilities.

The Elder Races series also uses a lot of races I don’t really see in other books, like Medusa. (I’m pretty sure it was her.) Which to me was really cool. I mean the definition of Wyr meant everything from dragons to gryphons on top of wolves and whatever. The Fae were pretty standard Fae for books. I wish her other couples had grabbed me as much as Pia and Dragos. I really would enjoy a series of the adventures of Pia and Dragos. At least they got like three books and several short stories.

Let’s talk about visual books and interactive storytelling to wrap this up. And for manga, I bet you’re going to say ‘Hellsing’ and yes, I did enjoy Hellsing as much as the next person, but no, I’m going with Judal’s Vampire Game. In Vampire Game, the Vampire is trying to get revenge on the reincarnation/soul of the guy who killed him and ending up in the body of a kitten who is taken in by the teenage princess who is this guy’s ancestor. Instead of holding this revenge plot against him, the princess who hates her family decides to help. There’s lots of shape shifting and there are monsters and I didn’t really expect the ending. It’s funny and the princess is a lot smarter and cleverer than her caretakers give her credit for. It was put out by Tokyo Pop and I’m not entirely sure if you can find it anymore. But if you can, I definitely recommend it.

The web comic that I’ve stayed with the longest that involves paranormal and some horror elements is definitely Girl Genius. Girl Genius is considered a Gas lamp fantasy and has definite steampunk elements. It also has werewolves, monsters, mad science, scary ghost like creatures everyone runs away from, eldritch abominations, and the talking emperor of all cats. I know it’s rather a huge deal given how many Hugos it’s won and all, but it’s still one of the comics I still keep coming back to because they keep delivering a good story.

On the interactive side of storytelling, I’m going to stray away from World of Darkness and talk about Firefly: the RPG instead. Yes, Firefly/Serenity has a role playing game! I actually have both and Firefly book has more backstory and lore than the Serenity book, but the Serenity book does a better job of summarizing the elements of the series that are important such as ship as character and the big damn hero crew.

The reason I put this under horror and paranormal even though it is a scifi western is space is pretty scary and reavers and the Blue Sun Corporation with their Hands of Blue make it more so. You could really play around with the horror elements of just being in space, being lost in space or your engine going out like in Out of Gas. And then there’s the different planets with the mining and what else is Blue Sun up to? There’s a lot of wiggle room to make the game and story extremely terrifying and horrifying that didn’t get explored as much in the series or the movie. (And given some of the stuff that’s come out after, maybe it’s a good thing.)

Now some of these recommendations you might be thinking “How can these be your fave? You didn’t like the story completely!” Look, if we’re going to talk absolute faves all I would do is rave about my books and that is just no fun. Plus, I don’t have enough books to cover all the bases. There may be things in these books that I didn’t like, that you might not mind. These are things I’ve read and are traditionally published I can recommend over other things.

Next week, I’m going to talk about more books and specifically about creatures. What books have I read that do creatures the best, in my opinion!  You can join in too. Here is an image, use totally optional. Happy Booktober and happy reading!

[thesinglesjukebox]

K.FLAY - SISTER

[7.00]

Today's posts are brought to you by the letter K! Is that o-K with you all?

Jackie Powell: This song is personal while also serendipitous for me. I came to the same realization as K.Flay this past Thursday. "Sister," according to Flaherty is a song about "unselfconcious love" that comes to the forefront in sisterhood, a bond that is free from institutional standards and rules. I said goodbye to my younger sister this past Thursday. She's a college freshman now. It still doesn't feel real. But this track helped me internalize the concept that my sister won't judge me for how weird I am, and that love is eternal. This track is both a promise and a dictionary definition. Katy Perry attempted to explain it in "Unconditionally," but K.Flay's take is about a type of relationship which retains a less continuous spotlight. While the earnestness in her writing is consistent, "Sister" represents a sonic departure. It's less dark and sexy compared to the Tommy English-produced "Giver," which plays in the background during the most NSFW scene I've ever seen on any teen soap: Choni, the best queer pairing on Riverdale. The brighter "Sister" may lean toward the stylings of Lorde rather than K.Flay's usual Joan Jett vocal tone, but that's the effect of production from Joel Little. The explosion into and out from the chorus is accompanied by a rhythm guitar loop that's reminiscent of Annie Clark but is still fresh. What's most impressive about Little and Flaherty's collaboration is how they've allowed this track to breathe, providing it with surprises including that cartoonish slide sound that enters the song for the first time after 2:00. The lyrics "If you ever go and get your heart broke/I would go and take a red-eye plane" illustrate the rage I feel inside when I hear that anyone crosses my sister. I'm so lucky. [8]

Kylo Nocom: Sure, crush songs are great, but friend crush songs are something to cherish. What makes "Sister" such a resounding victory lap, though, is how K.Flay manages to shed the slight misanthropy that she engages with too often on Solutions. There's none of the signature try-hard cool here that's stuck with her since originating as a "real" rapper in the aughties (and hasn't quite gone away even after transitioning into a bit of an alt-pop oddball since her Dan Reynolds co-sign). "Sister" shines as the most heartwarming thing I've heard all year, where the awkwardness this time lies not in her self-importance but in endearingly lame adoration, which makes the release of those Sucker guitar blasts that much more exciting. On an album so concerned with others' nihilism and its own blank inspirational platitudes, there's something resonant about how the most obvious standout is a song that's so dedicated to sincere companionship. [9]

Will Adams: Putting the CRUSH in friend crush, "Sister" dials up the distortion to match K.Flay's professions of loyalty to her would-be sister. But more than trying on all their clothes, offering to be an accomplice or to revenge-kill someone (not the person who hurt them, mind you, just some random someone), the line that rings the truest is the chorus's repeated, "DO YOU WANNA BE MINE?" That's where the vulnerability lies, and that it's set to the song's loudest, unabashed moment makes it all the more effective. [7]

Ian Mathers: Even just the delivery of "if somebody hurts you/then I'm gonna kill somebody for you" manages to sell the two-edged blade of wonder and terror that's a particular kind of intense friendship, especially when you're still in the feeling-out phase ("do you wanna be mine?" I mean, sometimes we check that before swearing murderous pre-vengeance, but I get it). K.Flay matches the sentiment with maybe the most quiet/loud/quiet song like this since, what, "I Love It"? [7]

Alex Clifton: Platonic relationships can be really tricky to navigate, especially in adulthood; you can't really go up to someone and just declare an intention to be BFFs for life. And yet you can go up to someone and ask them on a date without hardly knowing them -- why isn't there any sort of middle ground? "Sister" is highly relatable because it's a wish for intimacy with a person, a closeness with a friend that definitely builds over time -- but sometimes it's like a crush that just overwhelms your senses. I want to be there for you! I want to have your favourite flavour of ice cream in my fridge for when you have a bad day, I want to keep a mental log of the books you want so I can get you them for your birthday, I want to let you know that if you need a friend in the middle of the night I am always here for you. I have spent much of my life writing stories about this kind of friendship and trying to build it myself, although I know (again) solid friendship takes constant work and time to build a foundation. It's a rush and a thrill, though, to know you want to be friends with someone, and I don't think I have ever heard that expressed so clearly in a song before. It's not a perfect song (I find the industrial-ish synths a bit much at times) but K.Flay has knocked on a feeling I have chased my whole life. [8]

Nortey Dowuona: A thick, rubbery bass line is strolled over with an unerring calm by K.Flay, who starts back flipping over the volcano as her sister sends pics to the family group chat. [8]

Alfred Soto: When the synths go blippety-bloopety like Eno rubbing knobs with erotic glee in Roxy Music's "Editions of You," I consider "Sister" one of the more garishly, fully realized approximations of erotic craving. And K. Flay shows more vocal power than recent Taylor Swift and Carly Rae Jepsen. [7]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: K.Flay saves "Sister" from pure Imaginary Draconian burble with a few weirdo turns of phrase and vocal melodies, but can't save it from her own variety of too-specific corniness. The third verse is nice -- tightly written and with a nice melodic shift -- but the hammer of the chorus can't help but ruin a good moment. [4]

Joshua Lu: All of the background information and promotional imagery K.Flay has released in support of "Sister" paints the song as genuine and heartfelt, an honest depiction of a filial love that can be applied to anyone, regardless of blood ties, you hold dear to you. Yet upon listening to the song, I feel more frequently uneasy than I'd expect; at times K.Flay's delivery sounds sinister, and the second verse's allusions to death and murder feel oddly serrated for a song with a concept as ostensibly frictionless as this one. This impression comes and goes, and I'd prefer if the song committed to one interpretation instead of hovering between two. [5]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]