#since my friend passed its been harder to deal with character deaths on tv shows and movies for me

[thyla]

.

[melvinfeller]

Life is Hard-But Christian Marriage is Even Harder According to Melvin Feller MA.

According to Melvin Feller. MA who is a business owner and Educator, Christian, life is hard for most people. Having served in the United States Navy Reserve, he knows that is not just for a moment, or in moments—an illness, a lost job, a death of someone we love and just plain separation. Rather, life is hard in a continuous way, as a kind of passage over time. To get from birth to death is very difficult! 

However, on top of that our western culture offers distorted and unrealistic views of marriage. More recently, we have seen the very definition of marriage come under attack. Young people watch hundreds of programs on TV and movies showing distorted Hollywood views about marriage. Couples in love who get married or worse, just move in together and cohabitate, are rarely portrayed resolving conflicts.  Everything is wonderful for these fictional couples. Young people raised on a diet of media entertainment expect to live happily ever after, because that is what they regularly see in media depictions of marriage.

 Real marriages have conflict.  The idealized images of marriage portrayed in the media leave many Christians mentally unprepared for the reality of marriage.  Few young people understand God’s higher purposes for marriage. Marriage is a transformative relationship God uses to build our character and finish what our parents left incomplete. Godly marriage is not just to make us happy; it is a process to blend our personality with our spouse and transform husband and wife. Living happily ever after marriage is distinctly possible, but unlikely, unless couples first learn to communicate and resolve conflicts responsibly. Many married couples never learn to resolve their conflicts Bionically.  They start handicapped because they do not understand God’s transformative purpose for their marriage.

 A proper understanding of marriage prepares a couple for the inevitable conflict and helps them to deal with it responsibly. Unfortunately, well-meaning Christian couples often misrepresent what normal marriages look like. We carefully hide our own perfectly normal conflicts from the view of others. This leaves many young couples woefully unprepared for the normal give and take of marriage.  They frequently become discouraged and embarrassed by the reality of their marriage.

 For those outside the support of the church community, it can be even worse.  Many of today’s young “millennial” newly-weds encounter conflict, and promptly file for divorce.  Our friend’s son-in-law is a professional photographer and shoots many weddings.  Some married couples do not even last the two or three weeks until he delivers the final prints from the wedding ceremony.  He knows of several who did not make it through the honeymoon before calling it quits on their marriage.  Not surprisingly, he collects full payment for his photography in advance of the wedding.

It is not surprising young people fed a diet of Hollywood distortions of marriage in movies and TV form unreasonable expectations for their own marriages. In the church, mature couples can counteract these distorted views of marriage by being transparent about their own experiences with conflict. 

 I have since learned that not every person who claims to love God is willing to approach marriage from His perspective. However, for those who choose to embrace the principles of Christianity that are important to a true “Christian” marriage, the following tips should be useful.

 Love the way God loves us should be an easy concept to grasp for Christians. 1st Corinthians:13 pretty much lays out the kind of love that God desires for our relationships. Marriage is no exception.

 Remember that Christ is the head of your relationship. By keeping this in mind, you won’t be so quick to push for what YOU want but rather what GOD wants in and from your marriage.

 Submitting to one another is not as tough as it sounds.  At times, putting your partner’s wants and needs above yours is more than just a good idea. It’s Biblical, and straight out of Ephesians 5:21.

 It’s good to speak the truth; just don’t forget the love.  As a Christian, it’s important to tell the truth in your relationship. But to do so without tact or compassion is not a good look if you claim to follow Jesus. Check out Ephesians 4:15

 Being a peacemaker goes a long way towards a healthy marriage. Matthew 5:9 tells us that peacemakers are called “children of God.” As a child of God, always seek out ways to establish peace rather than havoc in your marriage.

 Practice self-denial even though it’s hard. When you deny yourself for your spouse, you gain a greater gift in your marriage. Matthew 16:25 promises life to those who deny themselves for Christ’s sake. So, watching the chick flick with your wife when you don’t feel like it can actually strengthen your marriage.

 Pray together as much as possible. While one of the most challenging things for Christian couples to do, this is one of the most effective. Matthew 18:19-20 reminds us of the importance of two people agreeing in prayer.

 Learn to forgive – It’s not easy to let stuff go when you have been hurt. But, Colossians 3:13 encourages us to forgive as we’ve been forgiven.

 Do not keep a record of wrongs – This is not only harmful, but it is a waste of time. Take heed to 1 Corinthians 13:5 and give your energy to uplifting your marriage.

 Spiritual intimacy is about more than just praying together. Discuss the things you pray about with your spouse and worship God together. In Proverbs 31 we see a couple equally matched in their walk with God and it increased their level of spiritual intimacy. It can do the same for you.

 Being faithful to your spouse should be par for the course. It should go without saying to stay true to your spouse and your marriage vows. But in case there’s some doubt, read, study, understand and implement Hebrews 13:4.

 Enjoy sexual intimacy as God intended. Sex and the Christian couple can be a beautiful thing when you are emotionally and spiritually connected. Enjoy Song of Solomon 4:10 and Matthew 19:5.

 Deal with your finances from a Godly perspective. Christian marriages are just as susceptible to financial strife as any other. Tackle the issue of money God’s way. Matthew 6:24-33 can clue you in.

 Don’t go to bed angry. This is easier said than done, even for Christians. But, it’s not impossible. Let Ephesians 4:26 be your guide to rid yourself of anger even if its cause lingers.

 Pursue righteousness in your relationship. You have a choice in your relationship of whether to pursue things that build it up or those that tear it down. When God comes first, Proverbs 15:9 tells why righteousness is the way to go.

 Be humble towards your mate and apologize quickly.  The Christian heart should be sensitive to hurting others, much less your life partner. Own up to your mistakes as in Psalm 51:3.

 Sin shouldn’t get a pass in your relationship. Christian couples can form unspoken truces…” you leave me alone with my sin, and I’ll leave you alone with yours.” To help each other grow, and without being judgmental, call sin out when you see it.

 Allow God’s Spirit to work in your marriage. When Christian couples allow God’s Spirit to work, there’s an emotional connection they experience that helps to lead to the success of their union. See Ephesians 5:17-18

 Lead by example just as Jesus did. This one can be a little tricky for some couples.  Suffice it to say that doing the right thing doesn’t give you bragging rights. It just means you’ve taken 1 Corinthians 11:1 to heart.

 Work daily towards unity in your marriage. Colossians 3:13-14 should be the go-to scripture for Christian marriages. It just about covers it all but wraps it up nicely with the importance of unity.

There are so many other scriptures and principles that can be used as a blueprint for a healthy Christian marriage. But this is a good place to start. Just remember God intends us to be happy and together!  I know that my wife is not only my best friend but a GIFT from God!

[hollands-poppet]

WISE GUY PT 1/ MOB! TOM HOLLAND X READER

Summary: you’re studying abroad with school when you suddenly find yourself at the hands of one of London’s most powerful mobsters.

Word count: 2.3 K 💛

So I’ve actually been quite nervous to post this but so many amazing writers on here inspired me to start my own fic. I hope you guys truly enjoy this, I’m so excited to unfold the rest of the story for you guys. Also shout out to my best friend for helping me with this moodboard..💛

warnings: there is cussing but future parts will have tons of smut fluff angst death all that other good shit

“But [Y/N] this is the first night we actually have free..” I’m listening to my friend on speaker on my phone as I am pouring almond milk into my Special K cereal.

“Alex, I’m tired.. This studying abroad shit is harder than I thought. I don’t know how you guys even convinced me to study out here in London.” I grab my bowl of cereal, I walked from the kitchen to the living room. I plaster myself in the couch and pull up Stranger Things on our shitty TV. Our apartment was small but cozy, one bedroom. I slept on the couch.

“That is even more of a reason to go out dude, we didn’t come here to sit on our asses.” She says through the phone, I roll my eyes and let her blab on while I put her on mute. I zone out until I hear, “ [Y/N] ? [ Y/N] !?!” I quickly unmute her, “ Oh, uh yeahh..sure.” I hear her gasp, “Oh my god, you’re down!? Yaaass! Okay, I’m gonna pick up Cesar and we’ll head over to the apartment in a bit.” She hangs up before I could say even bye.

I wasn’t too sure what I had agreed on but I’m pretty sure I just said yes to going out. I put my feet on the table in front of me and press play on the current show. Drunk Nancy comes up on my screen, “We’re bull-shiitt..” The character Steve responds, “You don’t love me?” I scoff, I can’t believe he actually thought that Nancy was in love with him. We’d been out here for two weeks from LA, and I hadn’t met one anyone out here. Not that I was looking of course but I wanted to live out my fantasy of dating an English guy but that wasn’t happening.

It’s been about 20 minutes since I had gotten off the phone, and I hear the front door open and its Alex and Cesar, they’re laughing so loud I’m so eager to know what they’re laughing about. “Hey [Y/N]!” Cesar says as he drops his bag on the floor and takes a seat on the couch. Alex and Cesar were my best friends from school, I’ve known them since I was 16, I’m 22 now. We just happened to go to the same college, and they both convinced me to study out here for 2 months, I mean it was paid for by my scholarship so that was just another reason I came out here.

“Hey, what are you guys laughing at?” I ask as I take a sip of my water.

Alex and Cesar glance at each other before she answers, “Oh, just how you’re gonna die when we’re at that strip club tonight.” I cough and lightly spit up some of my drink, “Strip club?!” Alex plops herself in between Cesar and I, “And you can’t back out [Y/N]! You said you would come!” I bring myself to my knees on the couch, and before I speak I think to myself, “Shit, I can’t let her know I wasn’t listening..”

She puts her hands on my shoulders, “Besides, it’ll be funny dude! Getting a little strip tease from a girl and besides I read reviews about the club and it has good music.”

Wow, even a better reason to go I guess.. I just roll my eyes at her remark and sink into the couch. I don’t know what to expect later tonight.

-

-

I really don’t know what to wear, I brought so much clothes but I swore I didn’t have anything for tonight. I looked through my luggage, and I remembered I had packed one dress that was meant for a “night out on the town.” Although when I packed it, I didn’t intend to wear it to a strip club, shaking my fucking head. Alex also told me to dress boujee, she said it was a hella fancy club so I guess the dress I had was perfect.

It was an long sleeve rose gold bodycon dress, with sequin detailing that really made the dress look expensive. It wasn’t but nobody had to know that. I sprayed glitter on my body, adding a nice glare to my skin. FUCK. I didn’t pack any heels, I ran to Alex’s luggage and pulled out a pair of nude heels, what a life saver. I curled my [Y/H/C] hair and did a really natural make-up look tonight. I highlighted my face to the gods, and threw on some falsies and a nude lip that really brought out my [Y/E/C] eyes.

Alex walked into the bathroom, and her draw dropped, “oh my god, you look expensive [Y/N]!”

I pop my hands into my hair creating more volume, “well you said to dress boujee Alex, I’m just trying to look the part!” I look back at her and she looks just as expensive as me, and knowing Alex she is probably wearing an expensive Chanel dress. We hear Cesar from the living room, “Let’s go before they play all the good music!!” I give Alex a quick hug and start to walk out of the restroom before she grabs my wrist, “are those my heels?”

-

-

The fact that Alex even found this place on Yelp is weird because our taxi literally dropped us off at the most sketchiest place. It was literally an alley that was 30 minutes away from our apartment and the alley only had one light on and it felt like we were about to get mugged at any second. We followed the light that was centered in the alley and we saw a black door that read “knock twice.”

THIS WAS FUCKING SKETCHY.

“Well knock, this was your idea Einstein.” I push Alex forward as she knocks, she’s shaking. The door opens and a man in a suit opens it and immediately looks at us, “Password?”

Cesar and I turn to each other and our eyes widen, we were definitely not in the right location. Before any of us say anything, Alex responds “Wise Guy.”

The man nods his head and moves out of the way so that we enter. Alex steps in first and Cesar and I follow.

I catch up to her side and nudge her “What was that about? What password?” As we keep walking, cigarette smell hits my nose and it reeks of alcohol. She hangs on to Cesar’s arm and starts dancing while walking towards the inside of the club, I stop her before we pass into the next room.

“Alex! What’s going on? Why did he need a password?”

She turned and has a guilty smile, “Uh, I forgot to mention that… this is a strip club that…”

I shake my head waiting for more in her response.

She bites her lip, “It’s basically a place where mobsters hang out. No biggie [Y/N]”

My mouth drops, “Are you fucking kidding?!”

Cesar is starting to get anxious.

“They’re playing good music, can we go inside please?”he asks while tugging on Alex’s arm.

She adds, “Yeah, we’re never gonna see these people again [Y/N], so chill. You can take a taxi back if you want but it’s best if we stick together.” Cesar pulls her arm and they both head through the door without me. I could tell they were annoyed with me. Anyway, I was not walking in that alley alone, so I decided to walk up to the door and take a deep breath, not knowing what to expect to see when they open.

As I open the door, all I could think was that Alex was right.. the club looked totally boujee. Everyone except for the strippers looked like they had loads of cash. I see Alex and Cesar getting down on the dance floor. It’s not a big place, you can see everyone in there, I try not to make eye contact with anyone. I go straight to my friends who are dancing their lives away. I touch their shoulders, “I’m gonna go get a drink.” They nod, they don’t request anything, I have a feeling they’re butthurt because I was making such a big deal. Whatever. I start making my way towards the bar.

I’m inspecting the whole club while making my way to get a drink, the booths and tables were so extra, black leather and all. Each table had a strip pole, practically naked women are all pole dancing. I was surprised when I made it to the bar, it was pure marble, damn thank god I got dolled up today. I feel a hand grab my ass, and quickly remove the hand. I look to see a gentleman in about his late 40’s looking at my body so thirstily, he says “You’ve got a nice arse, sweetheart.”

I literally make a gagging face, “If you ever touch me again, I swear to God, I’ll punch you.”

He laughs in my face, the bartender sets his drinks down and he walks away.

The bartender throws his rag over his shoulder, “You sure are brave enough to be talking to the men in here like that.” I roll my eyes.

“Fuck that. There are a bunch of naked women in here and he has the audacity to grab my ass? No sir.” He laughs, and asks “What are you having sweetheart?” I start tapping my acrylic nails on the marble, and think for a second “Mmm, a tequila sunrise would be nice.”

He smiles, “You got it.” He walks away from me, and I decide to take a seat. I pull out my phone from my purse, and see a text from my mom “I miss you, hope you’re having a great time!” I smile, ahh how I missed that lady.

I’m start scrolling through instagram when I see a shot of vodka get set down in front of me. I’m confused, “I didn’t order that.” The bartender looks at me while still making my drink, “Ah, that shot was sent to you by that gentleman over there, at the VIP booth.”

I follow his pointed finger and find myself staring at the largest booth in the club. I see two gentlemen sitting watching me stare back at them.

In the distance, I can only make out a blonde with blue eyes. My vision is blurry, I have shitty eyesight, I forgot to get a new prescription in LA before heading to London. I squint my eyes, and see the other gentleman next to the blonde raise his glass at me, I look back and pick up my shot and raise it back at him. He nods slightly and drinks his shot, and I follow. I turn back to towards the bartender who sets down my drink in front of me, he looks at me worried, “Be careful with that one. He’s dangerous. I can tell you’re not from around here.” I take my drink, “What do you mean?” Before he could answer he is interrupted by a voice I don’t recognize.

“I couldn’t help but to notice you from across the bar darling.” My eyes widen and I turn my back to see a brunette with slicked back hair and his left eyebrow combed up. His suit is a dark burgundy, he’s so polished and I could smell his cologne. So hot. He grabs my hand and kisses my knuckles, he looks up at me and says “I seen how you handled that man who grabbed your arse..impressive.” I’m pretty sure I’m blushing.

I tug my hand away and set it back on my lap, “Well thank you. By the way, thanks for the drink.” I keep eye contact with him while my tequila sunrise finds its way to my mouth. He responds, “Why don’t you come join me and my mate Harrison at our table? I can buy you more of those drinks.” He smirks, waiting for my response, I pull away from my drink,“You can’t buy me sir, I can buy my own drinks, thank you very much.” I stand up and begin to walk away until I feel him grab my wrist, “I’m not trying to buy you darling, I just want to talk to you..”

Fuck, he was charming. I’ll give him that but the bartender literally just told me that he was dangerous. He brought my wrist up and hecradles my hand, both of his hands are holding it now while my left hand is holding my drink. I see Alex staring at me while she is dancing with Cesar, she mouths the words “GO WITH HIM!” I look back at him and smile. My first thought is what the bartender had said: 

 “Don’t go with him. He’s dangerous.” 

But then I start to think about what Alex said earlier,

 “You’re never going to see these people again.”

She was right, fuck it. I mean, I’m probably never going to talk to this guy ever again after tonight. I make eye contact with him, I pull my hand away from his and take the cherry out of my drink. I bite into the cherry and watch him smirk as he rubs his thumb across his bottom lip. I take another sip, “Fine, I’ll hang out with you at your table.” He grins, “Perfect,” he takes my hand again and puts it on his shoulder. 

He starts to lead the way back to his booth, the stranger turns around and the first thing I see are his lips “Sorry poppet, I didn’t even introduce myself. I’m Tom. Tom Holland.”

Well that was super exciting, please leave me some feedback! The next part should be out in a couple of days! Much Love, -Amy 💛

PART 2

[merrile677vbucks-blog]

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[krissucanwrite]

Persona 5 is  a beautiful game with a lot of flaws.

This review of Persona 5 might contain spoilers for the game.

Have you ever been excited for the release of a game? What if that game was the next in a series that contained your favourite game of all time? What if that game got released in Japan almost a year before you had your hands on it? Would your excitement for it die? Or would that just make you more excited?

This was Persona 5 for me.

Persona 4 Golden is my favourite game of all time. To me, it’s perfect in every way. The characters are lovable, the story is fantastic, the music is stellar, and the setting was quaint. It felt like I was returning to a familiar town that I’d been to before. The characters became best friends that I looked forward to seeing each day. There was a true sense of excitement every time a new day rolled over. “Who should I social link with today? What adventures are we going to have? Where will we end up?”

Needless to say, Persona 5 had some big shoes to fill.

First, I’ll talk about everything I love about the game. The visuals are STUNNING. Because they’re so stylised, I’m willing to be they’ll hold up really well in the future. The contrast of reds and blacks and the way colour is used is brilliant. All the in game models, save for one, look flawless. The only model I have an issue with is Ryuji’s, and it’s simply because his eyes look too far apart. One out of dozens is not bad though, and overall, this game has the strongest visuals of any game I’ve ever played.

The soundtrack is pretty solid. Most of the music fits the situations you’re in. My favourite track is the one that plays during exams. Such intense music is really fitting since, even in the world of Persona, exams are a huge deal. I also love “The Days When My Mother Was There” and “Layer Cake.” These three tracks in particular really stood out to me. 

Speaking of Palaces, one of them was really well done. Futabas Palace. It connected with me so hard that once I was done the Palace, I cried harder than I ever have. It’s all about helping a little girl who’s trapped in her own mind. She can’t escape. She’s blaming herself for the death of her mother, and she doesn’t understand how to deal with what she’s feeling. This palace was constructed flawlessly. Every aspect of it was perfect, from the fact she saw it as a tomb to the music to the desert atmosphere. It’s probably my favourite dungeon in all of Persona.

Most of the characters are great, and even though I don’t think they’re as deep as the cast from Persona 4, they still work for the story. I think that the main cast, for the most part, is weaker than the Persona 4 crew, but the side social links were executed better. For example, I really loved Hifumi, the shogi player, and her social link. It was memorable, Hifumi had a great design, and her personality was unique. I also loved Tae, the doctor, and her social link. Even Sojiro ended up having a fantastic social link, and his interactions with the player are great.

The game plays smoothly and I really love the ambush system. The animations for each party member are slightly different and unique, and I really like them all. They took the system in Persona 4, which worked really well, and polished it. Fighting was a joy. The only issue with game play I had was the camera not behaving in certain sections of some dungeons. The issues were few and far between though, and overall the game was a delight in terms of playability.

However, as with all things, there are some problems with Persona 5, and they really stand out to me.

First, let’s talk about the other Palaces. Even though Futaba had a fantastic Palace, I still think most of the dungeons in the game were boring, bland, forgettable, or downright frustrating. The first Palace you do is long, annoying, and visually uninteresting. Madarame’s dungeon is visually boring, and quite annoying because of the security lasers. It goes on like that, and I personally think that even though they hit a great high with Futabas palace and the themes they explore, it doesn’t quite hit the same high again. 

The worst offender, however, is Shido’s palace. This place takes the form of a ship, which is not terrible. It’s slightly boring inside, but not awful. What makes the dungeon awful is the mechanic they introduce. For almost every hallway you have to go through from one area to the next, you’ll pass by statues. These statues turn the party into rats.

No, I’m not joking.

When this happens, be prepared for 20 minutes of avoiding shadows (you can’t fight as a rat), going through air vents that aren’t really obviously placed for the player to find, and being annoyed because you know this isn’t the last time this mechanic is going to be used. There’s one section in particular where you literally leave one set of hallways only to enter ANOTHER set of hallways right after it that use this mechanic. It took me nearly an hour to get through this part. It’s terrible. There’s no other word for this mechanic, and I hate it.

Another huge problem I have with the game is that all the BIG TWISTS are telegraphed so easily. I remember being in that TV studio for the first time and having Akechi talk to me, talking about pancakes, and thinking “Huh, he must be in the metaverse too, so he’s gotta be the one behind the shutdowns.” Lo and behold, there he was. I remember thinking “Huh, they keep telegraphing how important the metaverse is, I bet it’s a really important dungeon later on.” That’s what happens. “Man they keep showing this bald dude, I bet he’s a boss later on. He’s totally super important.” Shido turns out to be one of the most important bosses.

I’m not saying you should NEVER telegraph your twists. In Persona 4, the twist is telegraphed, but in such a way that, unless you were REALLY paying attention, you wouldn’t pick up on it on your first play through. Everything about Persona 5 is so easily predicted, and that’s my problem. When the twists are revealed, they’re posed as big shockers, when in reality, I’d guessed them HOURS before.

Even though I think the OST was pretty darn good, after a while, a lot of the music felt kinda samey. It was still GOOD, but they all blend together in the end. There’s a lot of funk, a lot of songs with similar sounding vocals. A lot of the same, over and over again. Listening to the tracks on their own feels great. The music outside of the context of the game is a fantastic album. Playing for 10 hours and listening to the music back to back, though, makes everything melt together. Persona 4 didn’t have this problem. Each track stood on its own, outside of the game AND in the context of the game itself.

I think one of my biggest problems with the game, however, is the main cast of characters. Some of them are great. Futaba felt fresh and new and well developed. Yusuke was funny and entertaining and made me laugh consistently through my journey. Haru, though quite bland at times, was charming and the balance the team needed in terms of personality. However, others are quite disappointing.

Ann is very one dimensional and flat. She’s a one note character, and even though I do like her, she’s rather forgettable in my opinion. She doesn’t have the humour or charm that Yusuke has, so she ends up being flat and bland. A character I could see in any JRPG. That’s a little disappointing considering she was the first party member we meet.

Ryuji is loud, obnoxious, annoying, and stupid. I was constantly infuriated with how idiotic and moronic he was. His character didn’t change much throughout the story either, so he was annoying and stupid for over 100 hours of gameplay. I know some people think he’s funny, but the whole “HEY EVERYONE WE’RE THE PHANTOM THIEVES” bit really made me angry. At the end, I truly disliked him.

Another character that was very annoying was Morgana. The character himself wasn’t TOO bad. It was weird how badly he wanted Ann, and some of the phrases he used rubbed me the wrong way. (Like being highly possessive over Ann, using phrases that made it sound like she was HIS and like she was a prize to be won) The biggest problem with Morgana though was the fact he forces you to go to sleep SO. OFTEN. In Persona 4, every time you go to sleep, it’s YOUR decision to sleep. “I’m feeling tired today, I should go to bed.” To me, there’s a HUGE difference between that and “Hey don’t you feel tired????? You should sleep early tonight!” In a game about time management, where every second is important, it stressed me so bad whenever Morgana would force me to go to sleep.

So, after all that, what do I think of Persona 5? Well, it was very hard not to go into this game with high expectations. Persona 4 Golden is my favourite game of all time. I was hoping for a game that took everything that made Persona 4 great and amplified it. Did that happen? Yes and no. The gameplay is a step up from Persona 4. The visuals are STUNNING. The side characters have much better social links. I think, though, the game falls flat on its face in terms of main characters and story focus. The game dragged in a lot of places, and I honestly felt like it could have been a 75-hour game instead of a 100-hour game. When I put the controller down, I wasn’t jumping to come back and play. Instead, I was content to wait a day or two. It didn’t grab me nearly as much as I had hoped.

Is it my fault for going in with such high expectations? Should I have dampened what I wanted in the game, and gone in hoping for nothing? Who knows.

Everything said I did enjoy this game. In terms of JRPG’s, it’s actually pretty good. And I think if you’d never played another game in the Persona series, you’d really enjoy it! I don’t feel bad about the time I’ve spent with it, despite all the flaws the game has. It will be interesting to see how I feel on a New Game + run.

If you’re going in thinking this will be as good, or better, than Persona 4, you might be disappointed. It’s still worth your time, though. If you go in wanting some very pretty, well-executed game play with some awesome side characters, I think you’ll be able to enjoy it. If you want a diverse, deep cast of main characters with a fantastic main story, stick to Persona 4.

[analyticaldragons]

Some Aimless Rambling about HTTYD 2, Featuring a 2-Year-Old First Impressions Review of it, and the Unqualified Thoughts of an Undergrad in Science

Alright, keep in mind that I haven’t seen the TV series, and that this is 2 years old and my first impressions of HTTYD 2 after I walked out of the movie…and that I haven’t seen it at all since then. Still, I’d like to think that it still has some value to it =/

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One thing I noticed was that Astrid, Ruff/Tuff, Snotlout, etc. didn’t have much of a role in the plot. Everything that they did just seems like a sideshow with no conclusion or even aim. Astrid even seemed like she got an intelligence downgrade, with her haring off to find and confront Drago. I get that she has a gung-ho attitude, but she always struck me as a more practical and down-to-earth person than Hiccup - and since it’s been 5 years since the original, I felt that she should have had more of a grasp on that aspect of herself. Venturing into the lair of and then essentially giving away information that Berk was filled with dragons to Drago, who had an armada and was a verified and experienced dragon tamer/hunter was …. not a good idea. I expected better from her. I expected her to be intelligent, capable, and knowing that running unprepared to a leader whose forces are experience dragon capturers was not a very good idea. Eret seemed to be thrown in to be the obligatory “not everyone is as horrible and dedicated as Drago” person in Drago’s armada, but I liked his character arc. The romance gags were, in my opinion, unnecessary. And then there’s the fact that Hiccup basically did everything while the rest of the cast stood by and yelled “Go Hiccup!” or was less than helpful in the case of Astrid and co. The pacing was also off. There was enough information in HTTYD 2 that it could have been a 2 hour, maybe 2hr. 15 minute movie. Instead they pared it down to 1:45, and the pacing suffered as a result. The movie’s plot sped up a lot from the relatively slow beginning and middle. We go from Stoick and Val’s reunion straight to the battle, 10 minutes at most for Stoick’s death and funeral, then rushing to Berk, Berk being destroyed, then Drago’s alpha gets Macross Missile Massacred in the face. There were so many WHAM moments at the ending it took away from the individual impacts of all of them. Stoick’s funeral and death in particular I felt should have been given more time. Hiccup had just lost his father, one of the constants in his life, a person that no matter what kind of disagreements they had, they still had their familial love. It’s a major moment for Hiccup, dealing with the fact that his father died, his best friend was the one to do it, and his dragon-taming abilities were seemingly not all they cracked up to be. Seeing Hiccup just shrug it off and not display any other thought about Stoick’s death for the rest of the movie left me wanting, especially since they took the time to do it in the original. If the scriptwriters had Hiccup’s reaction to Stoick’s death and dealing with his grief and working through the realization that even if his world was shattered, everyone else’s was and he needed to be there to prop them up (maybe catalyzed with Val reminding about “an alpha/chief protects his own”) in between Drago’s assaults on the nest and Berk, it would have given the audience a breather from the action, time to process what the fuck just happened (mind control) and some emotional weight to the story. It’s like Dreamworks didn’t want to be sucked into GRIMDARKDERP ANGST that “darker” sequels often fall prey to that they just passed over it. And the constant preaching about peace with dragons got on my nerves a bit. We all know that Hiccup wants peace and companionship, Dreamworks. Stop trying to shove it down our throats. It’s like DW7 Shu with its BENEVOLENCE.  That’s about all the complaints I have, actually. So onto the compliments. I really liked how the movie made the HTTYD world darker, still had that spot of hope at the same time. Dragon trapping, Drago’s entire “dragon slave army” thing, Stoick fucking dying. But it still had Hiccup and Toothless prevail with the power of their friendship, with the very nice caveat at the end of “The vikings of Berk are peaceful industrious folk, but if you fuck with us and our dragons, we will end you,” which just goes to show that Hiccup and Toothless learned from their lesson and knows that while peace is all well and good, sometimes you have to carry a big, big stick. The contrast between Drago and Hiccup was really nice as well. Drago represented the older generation, with hatred against dragons because of the loss of his arm and what was basically a scourge on the Vikings. He pounded and intimidated them into submission because, to him, they were animals that needed to be destroyed, and when faced with evidence to the contrary, he refused to readjust because he was that buried in his hatred. Hiccup, on the other hand, even though he lost his leg and his mom to dragons and his entire life was dedicated to earning recognition through killing dragons, has the capability and flexibility to forgive and build a new world. It’s kind of like Gundam Unicorn - the old guard is not willing to forget the sins of the past, and was just stuck in the mindset of “Zeon/Feds are EEEVIIILLL,” while the kids are willing to set aside those same sins and having the possibility of making the world a better and more peaceful place. Just replace “Zeon/Feds” with “Dragons/humans” and you’re set. Stoick’s death was the big whammy for me. I was surprised that Dreamworks had the balls to do it, especially in the manner that Stoick died. I knew that at the end, to fulfill Hiccup’s character arc in this movie he would have to realize that he has the potential/has to become the chief, but I expected that Stoick would act as a mentor. Worst case, he gets crippled and Hiccup has to take the reins. But becoming chief like that? Ouch. The only complaint that I have about that, again, is that the director should have paid more attention to it. It also reminds us just why dragons were feared, after pretty much a movie and a half of cuddly pet dragons. Mind-controlled Toothless bent on killing you was scary, in more than one way. The scenery and visuals were great - the island archipelago in the first 20 minutes of the movie was absolutely breathtaking and reminded me a lot of some of the stuff in Kung Fu Panda. The flight scenes were miles better than in the original. Even though I was watching it in 2D (Age of Extinction took up the 3D theater >=T

), every single aerial scene was, simply put, amazing. I just wish I saw it in 3D, personally.

The worldbuilding was spectacular as well. All the new dragon species, the giant map that Hiccup and Toothless was making (how does Hiccup know how far the particular islands are from Berk? Does he have a scale? A sextant?), dragon society (alphas), and the way that Berk had adapted to life among dragons - the races, stables, a complex hangar-like system for doors, etc. It made the entire movie seem like it really was branching out into different and new places that the original one didn’t explore.

Overall I thought this was a worthy sequel of the original. It kept the “fight smarter, not harder” and the “make peace, not war” theme of HTTYD, but hoo boy it got a lot darker than the original. Toothless was still the adorable ball of scaly awesome that he was in the original, and Hiccup and the others all grew up nicely. The movie was dark, but not in a GRIMDERP way. However, there were some things that were off about it, like the pacing and the occasional “it’s a kids movie” thing, but overall it was a good movie. Not on the level of its predecessor or Toy Story ½/3, but I would definitely rewatch it.

9/10

Headcanon is being more and more cemented that Tony Stark is Hiccup’s reincarnation.

Also, Toothless confirmed for the unholy cross between the Avatar and Godzilla. 

——————

Looking back on what I wrote, I’d have to elaborate and add onto some things:

On the subject of Hiccup’s insistence for a peaceful resolution, I’m much more approving of it now. It’s part of his character development over the course of the movie. In the beginning, he’s shirking his responsibilities as the chief’s heir: all he does is wander and explore the Archipelago with Toothless, doing what he wants to do instead of what he has to do. Thing is, his blind idealism is part of that shirking of responsibility. Viking society isn’t soft. There are people who take advantage of their power and cannot be taken away from it, and those who has just as much conviction to their beliefs that Hiccup does towards peace…just that they and Hiccup have mutually exclusive views.

Thing is, Hiccup has encountered enemies like this in the past, and he’s managed to convince them to his side. By the time of HTTYD 2, he’s had nothing but proof that enemies can be turned into friends. For Hiccup, it’s just a matter of talking. It may take a long while, but it’ll do the trick. And without bloodshed, too.

Enter Drago.

Drago is a megalomaniac. Drago believes with all his heart that dragons are an existential threat to Vikings, and if the other chiefs don’t listen to him, well, they’ll be made to. He’s gathered his forces for more than a decade, and hasn’t had a whit of his conviction drained from him.

What does Hiccup do with an enemy who has as much conviction and force of will as he does, just with “dragons are evil and should be exterminated,” and “I want power at all costs”? You can’t reason with an enemy like that. By this point, it’s become a basic ideological conflict, and reason won’t work. Hiccup will have to fight them.

Drago represents the challenge, the realization, the responsibility that sometimes, there is no redemption. There is no second chance. When someone is threatening those you take care of, be it Viking clan or dragon nest, you fight him. Because it is your responsibility to do so. 

This was why Stoick had to die. Hiccup needed to be shocked out of his idealistic mindset of “everyone can kumbaya.” He needed to accept the responsibilities of a leader. Most of all, he needed to acknowledge that he would sometimes need to fight to protect.

Hiccup goes from insisting that every situation has a peaceful resolution, an impossible situation for a leader, to accepting his responsibility, an acknowledging that some people can’t be reasoned with if you don’t want undue harm coming to those you lead.

Also, I’d like to point out that Drago serves as a rather nice dark mirror to Hiccup. He’s literally Dark Hiccup:

The cunning, strategic planning, and exploits weaknesses in his enemies… much like Hiccup exploited the fact that the Red Death wasn’t fireproof on the inside to defeat it.

Drago’s a very successful dragon tamer - by force. Contrast to Hiccup, who gets dragons to follow him by befriending them.

Drago is a very charismatic leader. We’re shown that Hiccup is as well.

They both are connected to Night Furies. Hiccup has one as his partner. Drago killed his and wears its skin as a cape.

They both lost a limb to dragons. Hiccup his left leg, and Drago his right arm. Coincidentally, they’re on opposite sides of the body.

Drago is Hiccup if he was born 20 years earlier and didn’t have his open-mindedness. 

(submitted by bingsu)