#spoiler-heavy explanation behind the reason my love/hate for some of these characters

[aritsukemo]

RANDOM QUESTION INCOMING!!

WHAT’S UR DANGANRONPA TIER LIST??

( I feel like someone's finna flip out on me for this )

LET ME EXPLAIN BEFORE I GET DRAGGED OKAY-

First off, I did this from greatest to least! Second, most people in neutral are people I never seen before because I only watched playthrough of the games! ( Ryota's an exception since I've scene some clips of him and I think he's a little sweetheart 😊)

I feel like there's nothing much to say about the first tier. All those boys hold a special place in my heart ( my pookies Kokichi and Chihiro especially ) and it was pretty easy to decide who I favored more than others! #Love my boys they're the literal best! <3

Now the second tier was a little trickier since I thought Byakuya would be way higher ( he's an asshole, but he's my asshole and I love him ) but I'm also pretty confident with who I put in this tier. I never expected Kyoko to be so high, but when compared to others I was just like..yeah she's close to my favs. Although I'm not a big fan of their game, I'm a HUGE fan of the Warriors of Hope!! They are literally my kids and I actually started working on this multi-part fic of them being taken in and stuff ( which I need to finish ). THEY DESERVE THE WORLD!!! Anyways, this tier to me was basically the 'you were so close, yet so far' list of characters for me who did something that made me bump them down ( that includes dying cause some of them made me want to sob and that was NOT okay )

Now the 'I like them' tier is where I feel like people are going to drag me for.. You see, all of these characters made it to that list because although they had some qualities that I really liked! ..There were some qualities about them ( or something they did ) that really made me dislike them ( Aside from Akane, who just fell low on the list because it didn't feel right to put her in the 'I love them' tier, and Kaede & the Ultimate Imposter, who I didn't have time to really grow attached to )

Now for the ones I do know in the neutral tier, I put them there because I either have a love hate relationship with them ( Ex. Junko ) or I truly have no opinion of them ( Tsumugi )! Sayaka fell down to this tier because I barely remember her as a character since she was literally like the first death EVER and I was more shock that she actually died than anything else.. Mukuro fell between the character I don't know because I've heard some very..interesting things about her and Junko plus I barely know anything about her. Maybe my opinion of her will change when I watch the animes!

I have no regret putting these ( not so ) lovely ladies in the 'I dislike them' tier. I know many love Angie but GOSHHHH did she piss me off in the game. I'm sorry, but that whole third chapter with her was insufferable to me. Himiko fell towards the least hated ( but still disliked ) side because I remember that I got real annoyed with her at some point between the fourth and fifth chapter. ( And the top 3 I feel like are pretty self-explanatory if you played the games )

And Haiji can kiss my ass. Disrespectfully. I cannot stand that man. If he were real, I'd get into a physically altercation with him immediately like it's an on sight typa hate for him. </3

( Anyway, love the games. They were all amazing in their own way! )

[shimmershae]

My thoughts on Episode 3--Hunted.

 Most of you lovelies already realize this, but my thoughts tend to zig and zag quite a bit, lol.  So.  To save some of you the headache and spare you from seeing spoilers you’d rather not see yet, I’m again placing them behind a cut.  

First things first.  I have totally turned into Yvette Nicole Brown with her TWD notebooks, lol, and I’m not even sorry.  I just felt like it would be fun to go back when the final episode is in the books and see how well my thoughts from these early episodes line up with what I’m feeling when we say our (not-so) final goodbyes.  

But that’s enough about that. Let’s get to this thing.  

It really is insane how very much I love Melissa McBride.  Just hearing her doing the previously on TWD recap voiceover makes me ridiculously happy.  

Cole!  Dude!  We hardly knew ya.  

Not gonna lie.  That first shot of Maggie in all the chaos reminded of a shirt I’ve seen.  It says--”Well, well, well.  If it isn’t the consequences of my actions.”  

I have to hand it to Angela and the rest of her team.  These opening scenes--on all 3 episodes--have been BOMB so far.  They really hook you in right away.  At least IMHO.  

I realize I’m behind the game on this little tidbit, but how much do I adore the fact that Dog is now in the opening credits?  

Okay.  Alexandria might look like it’s been on some kind of post-apocalyptic bender but all our girls are looking beautiful as ever.  Maybe it’s Maybelline, lol.  

I love to see Kelly and Carol still gravitating toward each other.  It really speaks to each woman’s heart.  Carol wants to make amends so badly and Kelly just has the most lovely, warm, forgiving heart.  

Carol’s point about Alexandria still needing the horses to help with the heavy lifting and pointing out the walls and rebuilding won’t matter quite as much if they’re limited by their  hunger and what they can physically lift on their own isn’t wrong.  But I’m sure the same viewers that were okay with Daryl and Co. going out on Maggie’s suicide mission (using the same reasoning) and saying it made sense for the bigger picture will pretend not to recognize that the same element is there in Carol’s desire to go out there and look for the horses.  You know.  Because it was Carol’s idea and not that of their fave(s).  

Aaron, Man.  Or maybe I should say Angela.   You just had to put a pit of dread in my belly mentioning Buttons like that.  RIP, Buttons.  You deserved better.  I’m still traumatized.  

Look at all the babies bonding.  Look at RJ getting to sit at the big kid table.  

“My mom always comes back.”  She damn well better.  Those babies need her.  Until she does, though, Uncle Daryl and Aunt Carol (and Aunt Rosita and everybody else) are going to be there.  

Anyway.  Poor RJ.  He barely ever gets any lines, lol.  

Hershel and Judith are obviously the mini-adults in this group and baby Rhee is already more cynical and jaded than his sweet daddy was until they reached Alexandria and the wheels started to come off.  

So.  Does Maggie just think everybody’s already dead here or what?  Hmm.  

You know.  Any building can be creepy AF when the lights are off and it’s dark, lol.  Any building.  

So much darkness so far this season.  I’m going to have to invest in some blackout curtains.  I just know it.  

Where are all those stairs leading?  Why am I thinking of Hitchcock?  Am I mixing up my scary, suspenseful movies?  Probably.  

Of fucking course, Maggie dropped her flashlight.  Thank goodness she had that lighter at the ready just before Ghost Face Reaper took a swipe at her.  

Is that Father G with a screwdriver impaled in his thigh?  Listen.  These people deserve a Mega Bottle of pain killers and a week just vegging out in a soft, luxurious bed.  

All these horror movie tropes.  Some of them are cheesy, yes.  But I’m totally here for it.  

LMAO.  That’s it, Maggie.  A good old punch in the nuts works every time.  

Alden really is having a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day.  

Negan is still Negan.  Self-serving and looking out for number one.  But I believe the man really does feel the group is his group too.  He’s like that long lost, sketchy uncle nobody wants to acknowledge much less invite to the dinner table, but that bond?  However thin?  Is there.  

I am both hating that Maggie is being forced to work with the man that murdered her husband (my baby Glenn) and finding it fascinating the lengths she’s willing to go to survive.  This your plan, Angela?  

Rosita and Carol!  How sad is it that the last really significant scene I can remember the two of these women sharing was way back?  Before Rick and Co. attacked Negan’s outpost and Maggie and Carol were subsequently taken?  If only the show had done more of these kind of scenes.  

How much do I love all the girls working together?  Gimps would never.  They’d all be stuck back at Alexandria minding the kids and the community.  

Shallow aside--Rosita is so pretty in this scene.  

Rosita being worried about Carol honestly makes my heart hurt, because it’s about damn time more of them actually did.  Her saying Abraham is trying to tell her something in her dreams is interesting.  Angela sure loves her dreams, doesn’t she?  

Where are Daryl’s dreams, hmm?  No.  Seriously.  I guess they want to give some viewers plausible deniability until the bitter end.  

“Really?  We’re just gonna go toward the screaming?  Cool.”  Hahaha.  You know.  Even the smart people in horror movies sometimes bite it, Negan.  Just saying.  Maggie really does need to “stop running up the staircase” when she could just run out the front door though, lol.  

Poor Duncan.  I think you could have been another Tyreese, Jerry type for me.  

WTF does this show have against horses?  Those poor creatures.  

Kelly is totally me right now.  I’d be freaking inconsolable.  

Carol needed that hug.  Thank you, Magna.  From the bottom of this tired fangirl’s heart, thank you.  

Why give us that beautiful, golden shot with the horses when you’re planning to stab us through the heart later and twist the knife.  Oh.  Yeah.  That’s exactly why.  

Oh snap!  Father G’s delivery when he tells that Reaper “I’m not.  God isn’t here anymore.”  Cold as ice.  

Judas.  That the Reapers’ work.  Or.  Damn.  Either way, that’s harsh.  

Back to what Alden was saying.  All these oprhaned children.  Who’s going to take on Adam if he dies?  That poor kid has had a rough go of it.  Knowing that, makes you wonder what Alden was thinking volunteering for the suicide mission.  

Omigosh.  There went Agatha.  Terrible way to go.  Right, Beatrice?  

I’m sobbing.  Carol with the horse.  That hurt my baby so much but she hurt herself for her family the same way she has been doing since the Prison.  Melissa Mcbride?  When she cries, I cry.  Every effin’ time.  Aaron being there just made it hurt more.  But at least someone was there to see how and really take in how she continues to break pieces of herself off to keep her family as whole and safe and happy as she can.  

Rewinding a minute--that Magna and Carol conversation.  I get Magna’s reasoning too.  I do.  But Angela is just making everything so dire right now so that the sun when Connie is ultimate found shines a ltitle brighter.  

Those babies know they’re eating horse.  I could never.  

That’s got to be a different Coco.  She’s even smaller.  But she’s gorgeous.  

Fucking finally.  Angela having the other characters notice after an eternity of being blind to it, just how much Carol sacrifices of herself for them.  It’s so long overdue and I imagine Rosita’s even more worried for Carol now.  It’s a shame it’s taken 11 seasons.  My baby’s had blood on her hands trying to keep her family safe and whole and happy and fed for a long damn time.  So heartbreaking watching her try to scrub the blood away.  

Sweet, sweet hug that Kelly gave Magna.  She’s such a sweetheart kid sis to all of them, isn’t she?  

Interesting place of refuge.  A gutted church.  A visual symbol, Angela, of where Maggie and the rest of our people are now perhaps?  

“It’s easy for you, isn’t it?  Being reckless with sombody’s life...”  Maggie.  Maggie.  Those words would have hit so much harder if we hadn’t spent the majority of the last 2.5 episodes watching you ignore sound advice just because it came out of the mouth of somebody you (justifiably) hate.  

But will Alden be there when Maggie and Negan get back?  That is the question.  Or will he eventually Lucille himself?  

That little bit of lineup Negan music to remind the audience of Negan lovers and sympathizers that he once took great pleasure in murderously swinging a bag at people’s heads was a nice, subtle touch there.  Like agree with her or not, Maggie  is literally left to rely  on the hope, however small it is, that Negan has changed just enough that he won’t try to finish a job he taken on years before--killing what’s left of her.  

Oh lawd.  Next episode sees the return of a character literally nobody asked for.  How excited am I not?  

Dog better not be harmed or so help me.  

Now for Angela’s weekly explanations of WTF she/there were thinking because they been doing this plausible deniability thing so long some people out there watching with biased, muddy stan glasses can no longer separate head canon from canon.  

Is Maggie worried at all about Daryl or does she just assume his superhero powers are in full effect in this episode?  

“You can’t really say it wasn’t going to happen anyway.”  Not Angela pointing out that simply laying the blame for literally everything bad that ever happens at Carol’s feet isn’t the answer.  Say it louder for those in the back.  Alpha was going to do what Alpha wanted to do.  

“There is love there.  There is respect there.  However, there’s also frustration...”  You damn skippy.  Friendships and human relationships are complex AF.  Like Carol. She’s honestly one of the most complicated characters on this show and any show, IMHO.  That’s what makes her so memorable and such a lightning rod for discussion.  

I know I might be in a minority, but I really feel like they need more of those little scenes between the kids to keep things real.  

Kang saying she always feels like she’s going to get murdered in a staircase or parking lot is relatable, funny, and sad all at the same time.  It’s a girl thing.  

Why is Carol’s story giving me Dark Knight vibes?  Like I feel like she’ll gladly shoulder the burden of their distrust, their hate, or their judgment as long as the hard choices she makes keeps them safe.  And she’s still ultimately going to come back to save their asses even when they forsake her.  Just like Bruce Wayne/Batman.  Am I reaching too far, lol?  Because sometimes I do that.  

Anyway.  This is the third episode of the season and the third episode in a row that I mostly enjoyed.  I don’t know if I’m just so relieved and happy to have all the characters and my show back or what, but overall?  I’ve been pleased with the episodes and found something to love in all of them.  

There’s a much stronger horror vibe woven throughout Season 11 so far.  I feel like it’s a return to the roots of the show and I like that.  Literally none of the characters are making perfect choices and this viewer is here for it.  My only complaint so far is there hasn’t been enough Carol but what we’ve been given has felt like a gift and significant in a way that Gimps’ version was not.  Also?  I really hope the trend of the ladies working together and supporting each other continues because they rule the TWD world, lol.  

Hope you enjoyed at least some of my TWD word vomit.  

Until next episode.  

[shetanchvetan]

ENDGAME writers confirm the father of Peggy's kids... For some reason.

Okay so I'm probably gonna get a lot of shit for this, but I really need to write this thing down because my head is a mess. Btw spoilers down below so beware.

So Avengers: Endgame end with me losing my childhood hero, beautiful fireworks being lit up in Wakanda, yadda yadda yadda, oh and also Steve Rogers going back in time to put back the Infinity Stones the Avengers and Friends, ahem, borrowed from different time streams. Fine. Makes sense. And then he somehow showed up again as an old man, NOT through the time machine, but near Tony Stark's lakehouse (there was a lake okay so it's totally Tony's lakehouse) and handed over the shield to Sam Wilson, passing on the title of Captain America in the process. Also, when he went back in time, he finally got to dance with his best girl. Fine.

I have nothing, absolutely nothing, against Steve being with Peggy. They're cute together, they're good together, and their story is as tragic as it is awesome. I want them to be happy as much as another person with a heart does.

But not like this.

Just to clarify, my problem isn't with Steve and Peggy being together.

No, my problem is with the writers of the Endgame confirming that STEVE ROGERS FROM 2023 HAD BEEN PEGGY CARTER'S HUSBAND DURING THE ENTIRE. MCU. MOVIES. ELEVEN YEARS OF THEM.

WHICH IS.

WHAT.

Listen. LISTEN. I am seriously not convinced. I am waiting for one of them to actually realize what the fuck they're saying. I mean, yeah, you people are the brains behind this storyline but at least come up with a believable and in-character explanation to the decisions you make.

You know what I like about Steve and Peggy's story, aside from them being utterly heartwrenching and heartwarming at the same time? These two people are the embodiment of human strength. And I'm not just talking about the peak of physical perfection, I'm talking mentality. Steve and Peggy loved each other and lost each other, which is sad, but this whole time I thought that their losing each other across time sends an utterly powerful message about humankind: that no matter how much or how heavy the loss you have suffered, there is always the opportunity, the choice, the right, to move on.

And now this.

And I get it, alright, people want a happy ending for them. But for some, maybe them being together is enough of a happy ending. I respectfully disagree. You know why? BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

While trying out the quantum realm suit and arguing about time travel, Bruce Banner explained that there was no way to alter your current present by changing your past, that "changing the past" will only result in the creation of an alternate timeline. Think about this. Think about this. Think about this.

Which leaves one possibility when it comes to the Endgame writers' statement -- Steve Rogers from 2023 was always meant to be Peggy Carter's husband. I KNOW, SUPER ROMANTIC RIGHT.

Not.

So you people are telling me, that STEVE ROGERS FROM 2023 went back to the past and married the girl he loved during WWII and had kids and this went on for decades up until the time IN WHICH ANOTHER VERSION OF HIMSELF WAS RUNNING AROUND IN SPANDEX.

So you people are telling me that he was a househusband during everything (which, nothing wrong with that), including while SHIELD was being slowly but gradually infiltrated by Hydra. You're telling me that he did shit about that even though he knew about it. He didn't try to stop the Starks being killed? Didn't go after his childhood best friend who was being tortured and frozen in a fucking cyro chamber in alternating periods? He decided to, what, let his other self handle it, since things WENT SO WELL THE FIRST TIME AROUND?! You're telling me that during all this, his WIFE became the DIRECTOR and yeah, probably retired at some point but let's face it, no one really retires from spy-business, and that whole time he was just... What? Staying at home? You're telling me that no one that knew Peggy, that worked with her, including Howard Stark, or anyone that ever bought a fucking newspaper with his FACE PLASTERED ON THE FRONT PAGE had never seen or met her husband and connected the dots??????? ARE YOU BEING SERIOUS? You're telling me that Hydra, FUCKING HYDRA THAT INFILTRATED NOT ONLY SHIELD BUT MOST OF THE WORLD'S GOVERNMENT DIDN'T PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER AND WENT LIKE, HEY, THIS GUY LOOKED A LOT LIKE OUR FORMER LEADER'S FORMER NEMESIS?????

I mean, did he get plastic surgery? Dye his hair brown or black or red and wear contacts everyday?

And then somehow, after doing whatever he was doing when the world crashed and burned, you're telling me that he WAS THERE THE WHOLE TIME when his younger self from 2023 disappeared into the quantum realm to pass on the Captain America title to Sam Wilson??????

NO ALTERNATE TIMELINE???????

Am I saying that the Steggy ending is unwarranted? Fuck no. I love that they're together. JUST NOT IN THAT PARTICULAR UNIVERSE BECAUSE IT MAKES NO SENSE. THEY CAN BE TOGETHER AND CREATE AN ALTERNATE TIMELINE. STEVE COULD'VE JUST LEFT SAM HIS SHIELD BEFORE HE WENT AWAY. HELL HE COULD'VE COME BACK AFTER THOSE FIVE SECONDS AND GAVE HIM THE SHIELD AND THEN GONE AWAY AGAIN. SERIOUSLY, I MEAN WTF

......I mean, come on.

Admittedly, I am Team Tony Stark through and through, but that doesn't mean I hate Steve. I love Steve. Do I disagree with some of his decisions? Sure I do. I disagree with some choices Tony made too. But like I admire Tony's character, I also admire Steve and his development throughout both the movies and the comics (and the animated series, yes). I've always liked the fact that Steve is always trying to go forward, always trying to find purpose in life, always adapting -- because one of humankind's greatest capabilities is our ability to adapt, however hard or impossible it might seem. And yeah, I guess you could argue that him marrying Peggy and settling as a househusband is a sort of adaptation to the new environment he's conforming to, that he's earned the right to be selfish for once in his life and raise his kids and be with his wife and not worry about the problems that might or might not be happening at that time.

But, honestly? That doesn't sound like Steve to me. And I. Call. Bullshit.

[blackjack-15]

Staying Tuned for a Soap Opera — Thoughts on: Stay Tuned for Danger (STFD)

Previous Metas: SCK/SCK2

Hello and welcome to a Nancy Drew meta series! 30 metas, 30 Nancy Drew Games that I’m comfortable with doing meta about. Hot takes, cold takes, and just Takes will abound, but one thing’s for sure: they’ll all be longer than I mean them to be.

Each meta will have different distinct sections: an Introduction, an exploration of the Title, an explanation of the Mystery, a run-through of the Suspects. Then, I’ll tackle some of my favorite and least favorite things about the game, and finish it off with ideas on how to improve it.

If any game requires an extra section or two, they’ll be listed in the paragraph above, along with links to previous metas.

These metas are not spoiler free, though I’ll list any games/media that they might spoil here: STFD, FIN, RAN.

The Intro:

Stay Tuned for Danger is another short game, though it owes its runtime more to the limitations of 1999 than anything else. Full of wacky, overwrought characters and hilariously over-the-top threats, puzzles, and ‘incidents’, STFD isn’t a smart game, but it’s a mildly fun one, and definitely improves as the second in a series.

STFD relies heavily on constantly rising action, meaning that things never calm down — the game escalates and escalates until it’s over, which encourages the player to finish the whole thing in as few parts as possible to get the full effect.

It does have its problems — way too many things to click on that are pointless, an obvious villain, frustrating and out-of-place puzzles, and the clunkiest interface known to man, but it saves itself from the scrap heap by embracing, rather than avoiding, its own campiness.

The Title:

Funnily enough, this title is actually straight-up ace. It’s a snappy take on soap opera clichés, and is the only game to have a four-letter abbreviation, lest we take Nancy into the world of sexually transmitted diseases.

Er…considering how Rick looks, make that further into the world of sexually transmitted diseases.

Plus, this game puts a heavy emphasis on the continually rising action of its events, so the “stay tuned” part works really, really well. A+ work here.

The Mystery:

Fresh off of the success of finding a killer in Miami, Aunt Eloise once again hears of trouble and sends Nancy Drew barking after it. This time, it’s off to New York to investigate some death threats that a soap opera star is being sent.

Hold the presses, I know.

With everyone working as hard as they can to be unhelpful, it’s up to Nancy to massively invade everyone’s privacy and discover who’s writing the threats (and making the bombs, and dropping the lights, and…) before Rick Arlen actually gets seriously hurt or killed.

Through a lot of snooping, after-hours sneaking, and clunky interrogations, Nancy manages to “figure out” the culprit when he presents himself at the end despite 90% of clues pointing to him, has to solve a puzzle in the nick of time, and treats the audience to a hilarious-looking “capture” of the culprit.

The Suspects:

Mattie Jensen is the one renting Aunt Eloise’s apartment, and the person Nancy first encounters. Not only is she the (co-) star of the show, but she’s also the only one who stuck with her original agent, Dwayne Powers. 

Her mother is too involved in her life, she moves like a plasticine doll, and is a Horrible judge of character, employing Dwayne Powers and having dated Rick Arlen, but Mattie seems genuinely concerned for Rick’s life, asking Nancy to help by snooping around, and offering her aid to the amateur detective.

Mattie’s not short on motive, having been dumped by Rick and having her career endangered by his anticipated contract-breaking in order to get into films and out of soaps, but she’s not really a “suspect” once you’re 1/3 of the way through the game.

This is one of Her Interactive’s favorite tropes — a suspect cleared early on so that Nancy can have a helper — and it shows up for the first time here. In this case, Mattie helps Nancy go undercover as a budding young actress in order to help her investigate more fully.

Rick Arlen is the other co-star of the soap opera (“Light of Our Love”), playing the male main lead. Tired of the small soap opera notoriety he has right now, Rick longs for the big screen, leading him to try to break his contract with Bill Pappas and leave the show.

Rick is a blowhard egomaniac who’s willing to flirt with any woman he sees — even the young amateur detective Nancy Drew — but that’s pretty much all the depth that he has. He dates a lot, but he’s too shallow to keep any relationship for long, either dumping them (Mattie) or being dumped (Lillian).

There might be a moment or two where you think he might be behind his threatening notes to give him an unimpeachable reason to leave…but then you remember that this is Rick Arlen, and he has No Shame, and doesn’t see anything wrong with breaking his contract.

He does send the first few notes, signing them with an anagram of his name (which somehow Her thought was brilliant enough to use twice in one game), but that’s it as far as his involvement goes — he’s not a man with a death wish; he’s an egomaniac. Pure and simple.

The only other thing about him in the game is that he ditched Dwayne for a better agent, which is treated as, like, the Height of Disloyalty. However, knowing that Dwayne is balls-to-the-wall nuts, not a great agent, and hates Rick for dating Mattie….I’d switch to a new agent as well. Sure, it’s not super kind, but it’s not at all an immoralmove to make, and it’s the best thing he could do if he wants an actual enduring career in showbiz.

Dwayne Powersis Mattie’s agent, Rick’s ex-agent, and all around bleeding psychopath with delusions of grandeur. He’s also one of the most obvious villains in the whole series (tying with…well, RAN), blames Rick for his failing business (when the truth is that he’s just not very good at it and has stopped trying at this point), and casts his Cool Alter-Ego Owen W. Spayder as his crimesona.

Dwayne isn’t diagnosably medically insane like the culprit in FIN, but he’s crazy all the same, from his Loud Speeches about hating Rick, to his skulking around the set in a hat and beard, to his ridiculous bombs and light-droppings, etc. etc.

He’s upset that he couldn’t make it as an actor himself, and resigned himself to helping others with their natural talents. Not only does he let this turn him into an attempted murderer, but he also gives this Huge Speech at the end…which lets us see, yeah, he wouldn’t have made it as an actor (and as if RAN needed to reinforce that point, it does anyway).

Dwayne is interesting in that he’s the only suspect to escape twice and the only villain to be the villain in two games, but…quite frankly, he’s not interesting enough to deserve those distinguishing characteristics. Dwayne isn’t enough to carry one game, let alone two, and it shows.

Lillian Weiss is the snappish, cold director of “Light of Our Love”, who is suspicious of everyone and has the clout of being one of the only characters who can fire Nancy without it resulting in a second chance.

She also happens to be the smartest and most likable character in the game (except for Bill Pappas, of course), willing to accept when she’s been wrong and call Nancy to come back in, who figures out who’s pulling these “pranks” around the set, and poured a pitcher of water on Rick’s head while dumping him. 

She also sent him poisoned chocolates which, knowing the guy, I fully condone. She gets to live out Rick’s dream by going to Hollywood, so that’s nice and karmic as well.

Lillian isn’t ever really nice to you, nor does she lose her snappiness, but she is a good guy, and she’s allowed to be smart and capable without being warm and fuzzy, and I personally think that makes her more multi-faceted than most early ND characters were allowed to be.

Millie Strathorn is the elderly owner and founder of WWB and prop master for “Light of Our Love”. She’s also not quite sane, mixing fantasy and reality at any given moment.

Her “motivation” is that she hates Rick and tries to keep submitting scripts to write him out of the show, and this show apparently doesn’t have a Writer (we’ve got a producer, director, and two stars + talent agent, but no writer?), but her scripts keep being rejected anyway. 

Probably because, once again, she mixes fantasy and reality, and definitely wrote a scene where Rick Arlen and “Rory Danner” face off and mud-wrestle, stabbing each other in the face.

Either that or a ménage àtrois between Rick, Rory, and Yuri (Rory’s “evil twin” in the show”. Which would be Very Tricky to shoot with 1999 technology.

Anyway, Millie makes you solve a few middling riddles and then pretty much effs off for the rest of the game, making her a crazy memorable (not to mention straight-up crazy) character despite her lack of screen time (and overall pointlessness).

William Pappas is the never-seen yet always entertaining producer of “Light of Our Love”, who is super pissed about Rick trying to break his contract is “Light of Our Love” and says that he’ll kill Rick before he let him walk out on him. This threat, of course, is just Bill venting, and after Nancy defuses the bomb in Rick’s dressing room, Bill is more than happy to help her out.

As a suspect, Bill sucks, wholly and completely — to the point where he’s just not a suspect. As a character, however, he is a Delight and a Treasure, bursting with pointless personality. I aspire to be Bill Pappas.

Ralph Guardino is the twice-seen security guard at WWB who gives you access to the building, then promptly effs off until he appears to arrest Dwayne at the end. And yes, his name is just “Guard” with “-ino” added at the end. I guess Her used up all their imagination on weird and wonderful pictures to photoshop their characters into.

Ralph, like Bill, isn’t really a suspect at all; he exists because the story needed a job done, so they created a character to do it. He’s also Bill’s cousin, so there’s some added “meaning” that’s actually pointless as well. There’s nothing offensive about Ralph, per se, but there’s nothing good about him either. He’s just kind of…there.

The Favorites:

The general soapy tone of this game makes it fun, and Dwayne’s villain reveal/speech is only matched in its dramatic campiness by…well, his speech in RAN.

Bill Pappas is my Hero and I wish he’d gotten more screen time (though I love that we never see him), and Nancy’s delivery of “Prop Master of DEATH” alone is worth the price of admission.

The Un-Favorites:

First off, the fact that they forgot to put in the desk key really bothers me. I know that the only stuff in there are fake fan letters to Rick from Mattie, encouraging him to stay (which doesn’t point to guilt at all, and so is pretty pointless), but like…it’s locked. It must be important.

I know Her Interactive wanted to advertise their 100+ “close up shots”, but it drags the game down to look at everything — especially since hidden in those 100+ are 5-10 that are Super Tiny and that you have to click on, even if they don’t tell you anything new, or you’ll get stuck and be unable to progress.

Nancy’s inability to see Dwayne as the villain even when it’s patently obvious is a pretty serious knock against this game. Neither Bill nor Ralph are considered actual suspects, Mattie is cleared early on, Lillian is too snappish with you (too obvious, to Her Interactive’s way of thinking) to be it, and Millie is too old to do the physical stuff (and, with her wanting Rick’s character killed off, is also too obvious) and so as early as 1/3 into the game you’re left with Dwayne and Rick. As Rick needs himself to live so he can go on to Star in Movies, you’re just left with Dwayne, who all the clues point to anyway.

The Fix:

Fixing STFD would require totally re-coding it to fix sound and playability issues on newer computers, updating the graphics, fixing characters so that they don’t look like blow-up dolls…all those Quality of Life improvements are super important and vital to a fix.

But fixing it would also require some re-writing. I realize that Millie is in the game as a nod to the original writer of Nancy Drew, and it’s…well, definitely an homage, if not a good homage, but taking her out would go a long way to streamlining the game.

There are simply too many culprits for Her Interactive’s general ability to write multiple fleshed-out characters who are all plausible suspects (especially with Nik being gone), and so the result is that the incidents, character traits, and character appearances are spread too thin for anything but blatant caricature. Millie is simply the easiest character to remove, along with Bill Pappas and Ralph (who only appears twice anyway).

You could fold Millie into Lillian without too much trouble, get rid of Bill (though it breaks my heart to say it), have Ralph’s name appear early but have him only appear at the end to arrest Dwayne, and it would lighten the load that the story breaks under considerably. I don’t think this would make it an A+ story, but it would at least be less cluttered, and STFD is cluttered enough without needing extra help.

[01littleunicorn]

For the writing prompts 8 U for graybin Please ♥ (am I abusing the fact you told me u could request more than once? Definitely yes)

Hey there!! Not abusing don’t worry, I’m always happy to write for you ^^

For explanation, the lovely person up there is my bff hence why I made an exception to the ‘’only Awakening/Fates’’ rule. She knows exactly where I am in the game and therefore knew not to ask for things happening in the later parts of the story.

Anyway first time writing for Echoes’s characters! Tobin and Gray are two of my favorites so I hope I did them justice ^^’’

8. ‘’I just want to sleep’’

U. Quiet Campsite

Pairings: Gray/Tobin

No warnings, possible spoilers if you haven’t played the game ^^

Enjoy!

The fire had finally diedout and even the remaining ashes were now running cold. A heavy silence was reigningon the campsite, with the exception of the occasional snore coming from one ofthe soldiers. The moon was high in the sky and everyone seemed to be sleeping.

Well, almosteveryone… For what felt like the thousandth time, Tobin turned around on hismakeshift bed, trying to fall asleep.

Tomorrow would be abig day. The Deliverance was going to walk on the Sluice Gate to defeat one ofDuma’s faithful and free Luthier’s sister, Delthea. The fight ahead was notgoing to be an easy one, as those arcanists from Rigel were known to be bothpowerful and vicious, but Alm refused to abandon the young mage to her fate,despite the overwhelming odds.

Coming from a largefamily, Tobin had instantly related to Luthier’s plea to save his sister. Ifany of his siblings had found their way into that kind of danger, the archerwould have begged anyone to help him rescue them. Though, living in Ram village,the dangers he would’ve had to face would’ve been more along the line ofpredators from the woods or the occasional brigands.

In any case, he wasglad Alm had agreed to help save Luthier’s sister, no matter what other membersof the Deliverance might have to say about this decision. Somehow, it remindedTobin that his friend was still the simple man he remembered from hischildhood, even though he was changing more and more into a true militaryleader.

Their battle atDesaix’s fortress remained fresh in his mind and he clearly remembered theevent that took place there. Most of them were too busy celebrating Mathilda’srescue and their victory over Zofia’s traitor to notice, but he had been therewhen Alm found the treasure residing in the general’s vault. 

The sword was beautifullydecorated and automatically caught Tobin’s eyes. However, no matter how hard hetried, the archer was unable to pick it up. Though he might not be as strong asAlm or, even if it pained him to admit it, Gray, he stillknew his way around a sword. And this one was impossible to lift. Yet, Alm thencame and took it like it was the easiest thing to do. While Tobin might not bethe smartest guy around, it was pretty obvious to him that if you can wield aweapon that legends say no one else can lift, that must mean something!

The regal weapon wasnow sitting at Alm’s side like it was the most normal thing in the world, yet hisfriend refused to talk about it to anyone. Both him and Lukas hadn’t uttered aword on the subject, even to Clive, and the archer couldn’t figure out why. Whydid Alm choose to just dismiss this event as if it was nothing? What made himnot mention it to at least his friends?

Tobin didn’t knowmuch about war and strategy and stuff, but something did not sit right withthis situation and he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

With a sigh, thearcher closed his eyes again, trying once more to find some semblance of sleep,when a ruffle nearby caught his attention.

- Pssst… hey…Tobin… psst!

Recognizing the voiceof the annoying mercenary, Tobin simply rolled his eyes, attempting to ignorehis friend by pretending to be asleep. That was counting without Gray’sdetermination.

- Tobin…..Tooooobiiiiiiin…. pssst!!!

Fearing that theother man’s loud whispers would wake up the entire camp, the archer finallylooked at him with an annoyed face.

- Shut up Gray! Ijust want to sleep…

He didn’t truly thinkthis would be enough to really silence the mercenary and the latter proved himright by simply smiling at the exclamation and answering jokingly.

- Bah, you can sleepwhen you’re dead!

Even though he knewthis was just a jest, Tobin did not find it funny and simply responded with adisapproving look.

They were at war anddeath was following them at every step. It could come for any of them, at anytime, and every battle was a new wager with the reaper. Tobin was always afraidthe next fight would be his last, a fear Gray didn’t seem to share with all hisjoking and boasting around.

The mercenary justheld up his hands and simply added apologetically.

- Sorry, sorry… butstill, you must have a bit of time to spare for good ol’ Gray?

Technically speaking,Tobin would have been better off sleeping to regain his strength for tomorrow. Realisticallythough, he doubted he would ever manage to fall asleep any way and was somewhatcurious about what Gray wanted to talk about.

- Fine… what do youwant then?

The other man smiledat his capitulation and proceeded to bring his own makeshift bed closer. However,he sported a more serious look when he whispered to Tobin again.

- I wanted to askabout Alm… I mean… don’t you think he’s been changing recently?

The question didn’tsurprise Tobin that much and it took him back to his recent thoughts. Heanswered with a sigh.

- Of course, he’sbeen changing… but, honestly, everything keeps changing since we left Ramvillage! I barely recognize myself sometimes. Alm is just… more affected Iguess.

He didn’t want tobring too much on the subject. Whatever Alm’s reasons were for keeping secrets,they were his own and Tobin would respect that.

As for Gray, he seemedto think about it for a few seconds more, before adding.

- Yeah, maybe… Imean he’s always been kinda… different, I guess? You know, like he didn’tbelong at the village with the rest of us… I suppose it’s normal he found hisplace here, among all the knights and noble warriors. They’re more his pace, ifyou know what I mean…

There was truth inGray’s words and Tobin had to admit it. While they all had come a long way, Almhad always been the one standing out, much to the archer’s desperation. Alwaysthe brave and strong hero, it wasn’t much of a surprise that he seemed to befitting in his new leader role quite this easily. Maybe it was just his fate,who knows?

- Still, sometimes itfeels like he’s slowly leaving us behind to live this big hero life! He couldat least save some of the glory for his ol’ friends, you know.

Gray had added thatlast part with a wink, making Tobin roll his eyes once more. Gray was often goingon and on about that whole glory thing and the archer knew that was a big partof why he joined the Deliverance in the first place. It wasn’t that Tobindidn’t care about being recognized as a hero, but his main focus had alwaysbeen to bring money back for his family. The fame and glory would just be abonus… if he survived, that is.

- Say Tobe… what doyou think the future will be like for us?

His friend’s voicebrought Tobin out of his thoughts, making him reflect on the question. Truth betold, the archer hated thinking about the future. With every step, they seemedto get more and more involved in a situation that surpassed him and he dreadedwhat was coming on the horizon.

He sighed, turning onhis back to look at the sky.

- I don’t know…Heck! I don’t even know what tomorrow will look like… But, I guess, if I’mstill alive after all this, I would go back to Ram village to help my family onthe farm.

That was the planafter all. Go out there, fight to earn gold and bring it back to his family. Itseemed so simple back then.

Gray looked surprisedby his answer and he added, with an inquiring look.

- Really, that’s all?Is that really what you want Tobin?

There was a rareserious tone in his voice and Tobin was taken aback by the question. What elsewas there to want after all?

- Well… yeah Iguess…

But he wasn’t so sureanymore. Trying to ignore those new uncertainties, he turned his attention backto Gray.

- What about you? Anygreat plans for the future?

The reaction wasimmediate for the mercenary who responded, with a huge smile.

- Easy! I’ll marryClair and we will settle down and have lots of little Grays running around.Maybe I’ll even name one after you, Tobe!

As the darker skinnedman started to chuckle at what he probably considered a hilarious joke, Tobinsimply sighed.

Of course, Clair wasalways the answer. Ever since the young woman had rejoined the Deliverance, shewas practically all the two guys ever talked about. How beautiful she was andwho would win her heart. Tobin had to admit he didn’t have much hope for thatlast part though. If Clair was always chastising Gray about his flirtinghabits, she was at least talking to the mercenary. Beside a salutation duringtheir first meeting, Tobin had never managed to exchange anything more with thePegasus Knight, making his chances even slimmer than the laughing man’s besidehim.

Yes, Clair wasgorgeous, strong… and completely out of his league. He should just give up atthis point.

- Sure… well, Iwish you the best luck then mate… Make sure she doesn’t kill you before sayingyes…

He thought hisattempt at a joke would be enough to stop his friend from prying forward, butGray’s laugh died out almost instantly as he looked at Tobin with concern.

- Since when are youso okay with Clair and I? I mean, I know we agreed not to fight over it but…I mean, I thought you would still wanna have a chance, no?

Being a competitive man,Tobin had always strived to beat Alm or Gray at anything. Yet, he also knew hehad to choose his battles and that was a fight he had already lost.

- What chance? Shedoesn’t even look at me. Compared to Alm, or even you, I have no way of everwinning her heart. She’s a sophisticated noble; I’m a lowly commoner… that’swhat it is.

He then turned tosmile dryly at Gray.

- But don’t let thatstop you from trying for what you really want. Maybe, miracles can come true.

He added that last partmostly as a jape, although the mercenary didn’t seem to catch it. Looking atthe sky and nibbling on his bottom lip, Gray was obviously lost in thoughts andTobin had to call him twice before he responded to his name, with a bashfulsmile.

- Sorry, I was justthinking….

The need to tease wastoo strong to resist.

- I saw that and itlooked hard to do…

- Oh! shut up Tobin!

The archer simplychuckled at the mercenary’s exclamation before asking, more seriously.

- Nah, but really,what’s troubling you? Isn’t marrying Clair your dream?

Gray simply sighed,seemingly searching for his words, before answering.

- Sure… but,like… maybe that’s all it is. A dream, I mean…

He then turned backto look at the sky as he added.

- This journey’salready crazier than what I could’ve ever imagined, yet… I don’t know, maybeI just enjoy dreaming too big…

Somehow, Gray’s wordsfelt really relatable and Tobin could only nod in agreement, whispering back.

- Yeah… I know thatfeeling.

For a moment, the twoboys fell in a comfortable silence, with only the stillness of the nightsurrounding them. In this restful atmosphere, Tobin could feel his eyes closingas he yawned silently, slowly falling asleep.

- Say, Tobin…

Gray’s voice wakedhim up from his sleepy state and he turned his attention back to his friend.

- Hum?

- No matter whathappens tomorrow, or even later… we will always stay together, right?

There was a reallyserious tone in his voice, one Tobin didn’t hear often, and almost a hint ofworry. Gray sounded truly afraid that he might lose him someday and Tobin suddenlyrealised he seemed to be sharing the same fears. At the thought of losing the mercenary;of not seeing him again; of not hearing his dumb jokes once more, the archercould feel a void in his heart and blaming it on their long lasting friendshipdidn’t feel quite right.

But that was too muchthinking for this time at night.

- Of course… westarted this together and we’ll finish it together.

And, with a smile, hejokingly added.

- Besides, no matterhow hard I try, I could never get rid of you anyway.

- Hey!

The exclamation was accompaniedby a playful hit on the shoulder, as both boys started laughing loudly, tryingto stifle it enough to avoid waking their fellow soldiers.

They were both still smilingwhen Gray put his hand on the archer’s shoulder, adding with a familiar smirk.

- And, you know, lifewould be quite boring without you, my Tobi-poo!

The possessive use ofthat appellation and the gesture were enough to make Tobin blush slightly, but hesimply responded with an audible grunt.

- Aw…come on, youknow I hate that nickname.

Gray smirks just grewbigger as he winked at him.

- Oh! I know…

Then, with a yawn anda large grin, the mercenary lay down on his bed, whispering.

- Well… good-nightTobi-poo!

Remaining annoyed by theuse of the ridiculous pet name, Tobin barely answered before lying down again, hopingto be able to fall asleep this time.

But he already knewthis was a lost cause. As he closed his eyes, Tobin could still feel the heaton his face and, in the midst of all his swirling thoughts, all he could seemto think about was Gray, with his loud laugh and his dumb grin…

Damn it!

[aion-rsa]

The Flash: The Forces of Nature Story is a Complete Misfire

https://ift.tt/3whKenL

The following contains THE FLASH spoilers through Season 7, Episode 10

Just went you thought this whole Forces of Nature story on The Flash couldn’t possibly get any weirder or more excruciating to watch, here comes Season 7’s “Family Matters, Part 1,” which not only forces us to watch Barry Allen bully a grown woman he unironically refers to as his “daughter,” it blurs the lines even further between what these Forces are supposed to be, do, or mean within the world of the show.

The result is a convoluted mess that is not just cringe-worthy to watch unfold, it makes absolutely zero narrative sense. For those of us who’ve been holding out hope that something meaningful might come of all this Forces business – despite all visible evidence to the contrary up until this point – it’s time to face the truth. This Forces arc is bad, and we should say so.

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It’s true, The Flash has never used the idea of a Speed Force consistently: In the past, it’s been a godlike being, a plot device, a deus ex machina reset button, a literal location in which people can be imprisoned, and the well of power that somehow unites all known speedsters. Season 7’s version is no different, though it’s now somehow also a godlike being who also happens to sort of be Barry’s dead mother, Nora. Maybe. Kind of.

This half season’s arc was weird enough when it seemed as though it only involved Barry’s deeply unhealthy relationship with the cosmic being wearing his dead mom’s face but, now that The Flash has decided to introduce the Sage, Strength, and Still Forces, things have only gotten more bizarre and nonsensical.

These newly created beings, for reasons the show has never bothered to explain, are stuffed into the human bodies of three average people (named Allegra, Bashir, and Deon) who are suddenly gifted with superhuman gifts and a psychic connection to one another. Why? They’re siblings, you see, somehow born of the power of Barry and Iris’s epic love for one another, which created these new Forces of Nature at the same time they resurrected the drained and dead Speed Force earlier this season.

The West-Allens have unironically started referring to these grown adults as their children, The Flash hasn’t bothered to explain why the other three Forces inhabit the bodies and minds of regular humans while the Speed Force has adopted a dead woman’s face, and there’s no clear reason why Barry and Iris’ relationship – wonderful though it may be! – can now create what is essentially cosmic life.

To call this whole thing a mess is kind, and I hate it here.

The thing is, this is a CW show based on a comic book property, both things that automatically mean that plots will frequently skew toward the ridiculous as often as they do the sublime. A lot of times, you just have to embrace whatever weirdness is unfolding in front of you in the spirit of fun, entertaining storytelling, and getting the chance to spend time with characters we care about. Barry has literally fought a giant genius gorilla more than once. King Shark is a thing that exists. I’ve spent the past two years watching my favorite character essentially carry her dark twin around in her head and loved it. (Well, not always, but you get my point.)

Read more

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The problem is that not only does the Forces arc make no sense, it’s not even fun to watch. Speed Force Nora is deeply creepy on multiple levels. (Her unexplained over the top hatred of Iris is…something!) We don’t know the other Forces from Adam, so we aren’t exactly invested in their stories of terrible childhoods or revenge plots against selfish billionaires. The repeated insistence on some sort of family connection between this group isn’t the same thing as there being an actual connection between them and, to be honest, Barry and Iris’ sudden embrace of the “children” label is just so darn weird.

I get that they feel responsible for what’s happened to these people because of whatever lightning rod love mojo created them, but that’s a far cry from these heavy-handed metaphors about always loving the potential you know exists in your children and forgiving them when they do wrong.

Sure, it’s likely that the focus on Barry, Iris, and parenthood will ultimately have something to do with Jordan Fisher’s arrival as Bart Allen in the back half of Season 7 and the rumored possibility of a Tornado Twins team-up. Admittedly, that’s an arc I’d really love to see play out on my screen. But I’m not sure how or why The Flash thinks that watching Barry straight bully Alexa for twenty minutes is going to make anyone look forward to seeing him parent his actual kids.

On paper, I can see where The Flash was sort of going with this, at least in terms of the way the show is contrasting Barry’s methods of relating to his Force children (which involves confronting them and repeatedly pushing them without trying to understand them) with Iris’s, who tends to want to talk things out and try to empathize with their varied experiences. But empathy and heart has never before been an area in which Barry has ever lacked, and forcing him to be a pushy jerk to people who are clearly struggling with things that are not their fault rings hollow. I’ve rarely disliked Barry as much as I did when he was supposedly “training” Alexa, is what I’m saying.

With just one episode left in this larger arc, there’s little hope that this story is going to end in a way that somehow makes the rest of it coalesce into something meaningful, or that even matters all that much. We all know that there’s no way Iris, Alexa, and Bashir are dead for good, and though the prospect of one final original Team Flash face-off with a villain before Cisco leaves Central City behind is appealing, I’m already dreading whatever nonsense explanation Nora’s sudden heel turn to full black-outfit wearing baddie will bring.

In short: No matter what happens at the conclusion of this Forces story, this is a chapter of The Flash I think we’ll all be more than happy to turn the page on.

The post The Flash: The Forces of Nature Story is a Complete Misfire appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[childofaura]

Rating the anime I’ve watched in 2019: A really short list

Kinda just felt like doing this, 2019 has been a REALLY interesting year in anime. I didn’t watch a whole lot of stuff, but I wanted to kind of go over what I did watch. So I’ll talk about what I thought and rate it 1-10.

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND: THEY’RE RATED SOLELY ON MY OPINIONS, IF I DON’T FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT ONE PLEASE DON’T GET MAD. ALSO ALL OF THESE WERE WATCHED IN SUBS. ALSO SPOILERS AHOY.

1. Dororo.

The OP was AWESOME. The animation in the first half of the series was really smooth, but there was a slightly noticeable dip in animation later on. Not huge, but still there. Actors were FANTASTIC, and the little girl who plays Dororo is so cute! Characters were incredibly well written and varied, Hyakkimaru still struggled despite his honed reflexes and training, and Tahomaru was so morally divisive, it was great. Somber tones really bring out the nasty forbidden underside of the Shogunate’s “lasting peace”. Though the ending with Tahomaru, Hyakkimaru’s mother, and his father figure all dying in the fire was rather... disappointing, Hyakkimaru forgiving his father and Dororo deciding what to do with the large sum of money left behind, to use it for the greater good, wraps everything up.

Dororo’s a solid 8/10.

2. Rising of the Shield Hero

I ended up checking this one out after hearing all the controversy it was stirring up, because I wanted to see what it was. Like always, the “controversy” was a big tepid pile of nothing, and I got to experience an isekai that operates under a different mood with different dynamics. Animation quality is consistent and good, and there’s a LOT of female characters that are well rounded and strong, like Raphtalia, Melty, the Filolial Queen, Glass, etc. Scenery is beautiful, and Naofumi’s growth into trusting again is nice to watch. Also the soundtrack is so enjoyable, Kansas is my favorite song. Cons, though few, are still there: the pacing can be a little funky at times (Mainly what comes to mind is that AWFUL filler episode where they fight the Church from the molten pit, and don’t move AT ALL. Worst episode ever), the physical growth of some of the characters like Filo is jarring (In two days she grows horse sized, after they had that montage of taking care of her) even with an explanation. The last thing that rubs me the wrong way (It’s not really a con in general, just a con for me) is Raphtalia’s crush on Naofumi. It’s simply that they spend the first few episodes building their relationship as a father/daughter, then they try to shift to romance after establishing that first familial relationship.

Rising of the Shield Hero’s an 8/10.

3. The Promised Neverland

AAAAAAAH HOT DAMN I LOVED THIS ONE. It was completely out of my range of what I normally watched at the beginning of 2019, BUT I LOVED IT SO MUCH. The animation is eerie, especially the facial expressions and how smoothly they move. The children are so darling and thinking about how they might have possibly died in S1 broke my heart, as well as me hoping they didn’t, lol. Every episode leaves off on this wonderfully tantalizing cliffhanger, so binging the episodes are a must. Characters like Mama and Sister Krone are terrifying, though in the latter’s case I love how clever she was, and was sad when she died. Her Japanese actress definitely blew it out of the water and had a lot of fun with the character. I’d say the only (not really a con, but) thing that weirds me out is how close the characters’ mouths are to their faces, but that’s a stylistic thing and I won’t fault them for that. The children are strong and resilient and I can’t wait for the next season.

The Promised Neverland’s a 9/10.

4. Demon Slayer

I got into this one late, and I hate myself for getting into it late. But nonetheless, I’m so glad I watched it and I can say with confidence it’s up there with FullMetal Alchemist: Brotherhood’s level of excellence. Tanjiro is such a kind-hearted boy who constantly puts himself through physical torture for his only remaining family; Nezuko’s “hypnotism” to see humans as family feels more like placebo because she just genuinely has compassion for people, especially when she looks at Ms Tamayo and Yushiro as family when they’re also demons. All the characters are deeply involved in this story with either known or hidden (Zenitsu) strengths that allow them to conquer their struggles. The style is unique and the character designs are pretty, and HOO BOY THE FIGHTING ANIMATIONS, THE STYLIZED TECHNIQUES. MWAH! MUCH LOVE! I love the soundtrack so much, it almost reminds me of the Pokemon movies’ orchestra pieces. The story is well paced, and no issues with filler. Showing how even demons deserve compassion is a beautifully unexpected twist in this show.

Demon Slayer’s a 10/10

5. To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts

I do love this series dearly, and while the good outweighs the “meh”, I still have to address the issues. BUT FIRST, THE GOOD THINGS: Characters in this show are incredibly in-depth, even the soldiers. The designs of the Incarnates are fantastic, terrifying and imposing. Schaal is a strong young girl who sets off with just a suitcase and a rifle and, after meeting Hank, decides to get inside his mindset to see why he’s doing what he does, and why he had to kill her father. Hank is a man in constant suffering who has to see his best friends losing themselves to insanity, knowing that they’re not the people they used to be but questioning whether he’s really doing the right thing regardless. All the soldiers have their own focal point in the episodes they show up in, showing their unique traits and attitudes, and how it links to the monsters they are now. The concept of Incarnate soldiers is parallel to veterans with PTSD. While Liza’s a bit of a ridiculous fan-service character, there’s really no complaints because the fan-service in this show is balanced; they show Hank unnecessarily shirtless a LOT (Though honestly I’d be fine if they let him wear his shirts more). But the cons. There are a decent amount of them. Animation is clunky and lower budget. Pacing is not easy to keep up with, as the split between Hank’s mission and the main conflict with Cain interrupt each other quite jarringly. Schaal’s father seemingly rises as a zombie again to serve no other purpose other than Schaal’s character growth, as we could assume that a LOT of the other monsters like Keynes, with the fire of justice, would also come back to life. Liza doesn’t really seem to do much or contribute much as a character; she came close when she volunteered to take up the Incarnate Extermination Squad’s equipment by saying she knew how it worked but she literally. Just. Held up a shield for the commander (forgot his name, Cain’s little bro) to jump off of. She needs to do more. Love the series and I love watching it, but it’s a mixed bag.

To the Abandoned Sacred Beast’s a 7/10.

6. Fire Force.

Well... this one is definitely gonna be tough to deal with, because I only got maybe 8 or 9 episodes in before I had to break away. So I’ll break it down simply.

Pros: Animation is SOLID. ABSOLUTE. FLUID AND DYNAMIC. It’s literally Midoriya vs Todoroki, but in EVERY EPISODE. Some characters are fascinating and enjoyable like Shinra, Maki, Joker, and Hibana. The concept of Infernals, people who just burst into flames without warning, are a solid idea to run on. The OP is a banger. The soundtrack fits the mood perfectly.

Cons, and a lot of them: There isn’t a whole lot going on in terms of variety, it’s mainly fighting Infernals in the city. It picks up eventually, but slowly. While some characters were enjoyable, others were either flat or downright unbearable to deal with; flat characters like Obi (He’s not a bad character, but he feels... generic) and Iris (Also not bad, she’s strong in what she’s had to deal with and being kind regardless, but it’s just standard quiet girl.). Unbearable character is really just two so far: The lieutenant, who gets borderline abusive (both mentally and physically) with Maki (Like I get it dude, you had trauma with fire and Infernals but you don’t need to be an abusive shit), and Tamaki, ESPECIALLY Tamaki. She’s rude, screechy, treated Shinra like utter shit when they first meet, and respects almost no one outside of her district for no real reason. And she also falls into the next con: The one-sided fan-service. Now I will defend the right to fan-service with everything I believe in, but I’m still allowed to have my opinion on it, and the way it goes in Fire Force is just... so awful. Fan-service jarringly interrupts what are supposed to be heavy emotional or important scenes (Iris sitting on the ground with nothing but a towel, Iris getting her clothes burned off by Hibana, Tamaki sticking her butt out after getting hurt by her district partner, Tamaki’s clothes being burned up and being against the wall with that weird-ass kitty pose with her wrists, etc.), Tamaki’s “lucky lechery” is supposed to be funny somehow but it makes literally no sense, and oh cool she ends up sexually harassing the dudes with it, too. I could understand this level of fan-service if it was like a harem anime or a cheese-cake-ish anime or whatever, but it’s- it’s a shounen. There’s nothing that really shows you there’s gonna be this weird level of fan-service.

I respect everyone who loves Fire Force, but it’s just not my cup of tea. That’s all.

Fire Force’s a 6.5/10.

7. Vinland Saga

THIS ANIME. THIS ANIME IS PERFECT IN EVERY WAY AND YOU WILL NEVER CHANGE MY MIND. The first OP PERFECTLY encapsulates just how much of a hellish live Thorfinn is about to live. The animation (Being from the same company as Attack on Titan and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress) is SUPERB where the characters move with weight and purpose. Seriously, have you seen how the characters jump forward? With their legs and arms forward? It’s a little detail but it’s so great. Characters are multi-faceted and it gives me strong feelings about how awful they are but how clever or strong or brilliant they are. The pacing of the anime is perfect; something plot-important happens in each episode, the characters travel long distances to give you a feel of movement, and there’s not a single episode that could really be considered “filler”. Dynamics of these characters work in fascinating ways at times. The actors absolutely own their roles; Askeladd’s actor nails that perfect nonchalance where he seems surprised but you know he’s truly not, Thorfinn’s older actor knows how to scream his lungs out in anger. The main star, though? Thorkell, hands down. That guy is absolutely having fun with his character.

Vinland Saga’s a solid 10/10.

[redorblue]

Book 18/2017 - Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

I’ve been putting this off for a few days now because I’m not sure what to think. This book took me longer than it should have, considering it’s only 150 pages, because I just didn’t feel drawn back to it. When I was at it it was good, a lot of heavy stuff to think about and an intriguing protagonist, but once I put it down I could have left it there for a long time, which for me is a weird combination. In that regard it’s good that it only has 150 pages because I’m pretty sure at some point I’d have abandoned it, and that would have been sad because I’d definitely have missed something. Plus, I don’t do that kind of thing, unless it’s an awful book, and this one certainly isn’t.

I think the main problem I had was the writing style. I haven’t read anything else by this author and I regret to say that I probably won’t now, because the writing was a bit exhausting. The sentences were very long and just connected with commas and “and” so that sometimes one sentence would span two pages on my e-reader, and while the structure wasn’t particularly complicated, it still dragged. I don’t mean to say that the author can’t write, just that I’m not used to this kind of writing style, which is why for me it disrupted the flow. Funny thing is, in other languages something like that doesn’t really bother me, it’s just English and German, my primary reading languages, where it comes across weird. I can read a bit of Arabic, and a bit more of Persian, and both languages gravitate toward long, “and”-connected sentences, and that’s perfectly fine because I expect it. I looked up the author, wikipedia says he’s from Pakistan. Based on that I assume his native language is Urdu, which is closely related to Persian, so that’s a possible explanation and also a reason for me not to run for his other books immediately, because I guess the sentence structure won’t change much.

What he put into those sentences though was great. The overall tone of the book is quite philosophical, and I dare say it has a melancholy streak (no wonder, it’s about two young people who are forced to flee their country and try to nagivate their new life, their new neighbours, a quickly changing global landscape, and on top of that their relationship). It muses a lot about human nature and the state of the world, how it came to be as messed up as it is and people as vicious toward each other as they are. There’s a lot of thoughtful passages like this, but I’ll just write down one:

The feeling that hung over London in those days was not new to [the protagonists], and they faced it not with bravery, exactly, and not with panic either not mostly, but instead with a resignation shot through with moments of tension, with tension ebbing and flowing, and when the tension receded there was calm, the calm that is called the calm before the storm, but is in reality the foundation of a human life, waiting there for us between the steps of our march to our mortality, when we are compelled to pause and not act but be.

Just skipping through the book kinda made me want to try another one of his books anyway, just for those philosophical moments strewn into the narrative. But I guess now you see what I mean by long sentences...

The book explores several themes in surprising depth, considering its length, mainly migration, identity and love. The main premise is this: in an unnamed, probably Middle Eastern city two young people meet. The woman, Nadia, broke with her family when she moved out against their will. Despite the difficulties of living alone as a young, unmarried woman, she cherishes the independence it allows her, as she is very freedom-loving and rejects the confines of tradition that tell her what to do, what to think and how to behave. The man, Saeed, is more social, rather calm, quietly religious, and has a gentle soul. They meet, fall in love, and are just about to build a relationship when civil war breaks out and they have to leave behind their city, their social circle and (Saeed’s) family in order to escape the fighting. There’s one element of magical realism in the book which is essential for both Nadia and Saeed’s journey and for the general state of the world: everywhere around the globe, unpredictably, doors open that permit people to another place in the blink of an eye. Together with the sorry state of the world in may places, this makes migration toward richer countries increase a lot and undermines the very concept of nationhood and citizenship since the authorities are simply unable to control entry and exit. The book follows Nadia and Saeed’s odyssey to Mykonos, London and San Francisco and sheds a light on how these places deal with the sudden change (spoiler: hostile, mostly. Nativist movements, hate crime and state violence all across the board for a while, until governments and people get their sh** together and either try and facilitate life for the new arrivals for the sake of social stability, or just leave them to fend for themselves on whatever patch of land they can find). The main narrative is interspersed with some oneshot-like stories of people in other places and their experience with the doors, which I really enjoyed because they gave them a lot more variation than was possible with the way Nadia and Saeed use them - basically like very quick, kinda unpredictable airplanes without passport control.

Nadia and Saeed are the only two named characters in the book, and although the secondary characters are fleshed out a little bit, they usually disappear pretty quickly again. I liked both of them, especially Nadia, but the really interesting part was to see their relationship grow, mature, and finally expire - all of that with the shadow of a “what if” looming over it - what if they’d had time to properly get to know each other? What if they wouldn’t have had to rush their relationship the way they did, what with being thrust into the life of refugees and the other person the only one in the entire world that you know? What if they’d stayed in their city? Would their relationsheip have held up? The book doesn’t give an answer to that, but I dare say no - they had something beautiful, in the very beginning, and they never turned abusive or even mean toward the other, for which I am very grateful re: stereotypes, but in the end they weren’t compatible character-wise. The migration experience sharpened those differences, but a lifetime of living together, especially under difficult political circumstances, does the same, so I think it simply wasn’t meant to be. Which rarely happens in any book centered around a couple, so I liked that. And funnily enough I especially liked the way their process of slowly drifting apart was described, with each of them knowing what happens and kinda trying to hold on, but finally unable to do so. I liked how the main reason they stayed together as long as they did was loyalty, instead of some chemicals in their brain or rose-coloured glasses in front of their eyes. I liked how they dissolved things in a mature way when the time came, and how after that they just continued drifting apart. I liked how natural it seemed, despite the unusual circumstances.

This book showed me in a very personal and tangible way how it feels to be a refugee - the waiting, the uncertainty, the tension with the people around you, family, other refugees, and citizens of the country you’re living in.  It picks up some stereotypes especially about people from Muslim countries and takes a look behind the beard and the veil: like Saeed, who is religious and hangs out with other religious people a lot simply because he misses home and needs something to hold on to. Who would never ever do antything violent because he’s such a kind man. Or like Nadia, who is an atheist but wears black robes even after she fled her city simply because she perceives it as some kind of protection from people and especially from men, and who just got so used to it at some oint that she doesn’t see a reason to not wear them anymore. I guess it’s a futile thought, but if a xenophobic or islamophobic person could ever be convinced to engage with the topic in a serious and nonbiased way, this would be the book to start the process.

[c-valentino]

What do you think of Riko as a character inside the books? (no HCs) / Any fave HCs you want to share? / Any pairings/ships you like with him? / fic recs? / art recs? / Kevin&Riko - do they have/had feelings for each other? / Thoughts on his finale scene? / Did you read Nora's extra content? // tag other bloggers you think have something interesting to say about him! (maybe someone we don't know yet??) #Thoughts on Riko Moriyama

What do you think of Riko as a character inside the books? (no HCs) From a writer’s point of view? He’s a fucking tragedy. (and no, I don’t mean the pieces of background story we did get on him, that’s been said and discussed before) He’s kind of the worst villain a story can have - and here is why: 

Riko is ‘one’ of the book’s antagonists, and to quote my German lit. teacher: “Antagonists act while heroes react.” - meaning it is often a villain who initiates any kind of dramatic change in a story. That said, why is Riko Moriyama a bad example of a villain? A good villain needs a plausible background story. The reader needs to actually understand what happened to the character in order to make him into what he is today. A good villain started out as an ‘ordinary’ person, same as a hero. Both undergo a series of events to turn them into what they are. If not enough depth and character development is put into a story the character becomes lifeless, doesn’t spark any kind of interest within the reader and (in this case) the villain becomes a ‘plot device’ - meaning someone who does evil things to create scenes that show more light on the main character and his reactions. (Neil has to suffer through some pretty over the top and kinda unexplained abuse from Riko in order to add to the tragedy and heroic survival in his character’s development). [unexplained meaning: Riko could just have done a million other things to him - it wouldn’t make much of a difference. As long as it fits the excessive violent behavior category it would have worked plot wise. There is no explanation why he is using knives (other than that it fits the whole scar theme of the books (Kevin, Andrew, Neil, Jean… all of them have scars)) … ] Or, to be very harsh here and I know it’s not quite THAT bad, think of those silly cartoons, Road Runner and Coyote - you know the coyote will do any kinds of destructive things, you don’t know why, it’s just his role, he’s a plot device. 

Of course there are ways to create a great villain without spending many pages on his background story. Take Makishima Shogo e.g. (PsychoPass season one), we know next to nothing about his background, yet he is one of my favorite antagonists. His character feels real because there are enough little aspects about him that add depth: he likes to read books (physical copies because ebooks lack character), he likes to quote from those books to drive his point home, he likes to dip his sweets into tea… - non of that makes him better/worse at changing/destroying society, but it gives us an idea of who the man behind that criminal mastermind is. 

Sadly, we only get the smallest glimpses of Riko. Overall his name is being mentioned 595 times in the trilogy, but we encounter him only a few times. Most of his actions happen behind the scenes. He’s also the best kind of HC goldmine you can find. Wasted potential makes for great fan content because there is so much left to explore (no matter if the author had to cut all the information out or cba to come up with anything to begin with. The fields of imagination are endless my friends!) Or, as Nora explained: “I wanted a stronger antagonist, so I kept giving him more power–and then I tore a chunk of it away in the final draft out of necessity. He had more presence in the second-to-last draft, just as Neil’s father did, but I had to delete entire chunks to balance the story out…” Basically all the information we have on Riko comes from Nora’s extra content (his whole backstory is in there). If you read it his character starts to make sense, becomes interesting and worth exploring. But it is what it is. You can’t really blame the readers for hating Riko Moriyama when they pick up the books for the first time. He is a shadow of a character in there. And let’s be honest, the extra content “doesn’t count” in many reader’s opinion. If it’s not in the books it didn’t happen! (true to some degree, but I’m not a purist. I research and dig for those extra pieces of information. I’d rather have four books with all the information on the side characters in there, I don’t need a sequel.)  So, conclusion: If you hate Riko Moriyama, consider reading Nora’s extra content and give him another shot. He is quite interesting.

Any fave HCs you want to share?oh geez…. endless supply of those • Young Riko wide-eyed on his first trip outside of the Nest (supervised &!! unsupervised) like… the things he wants to see/eat/try/buy, (with Kevin by his side/the whole team/on his own/some Moriyama bodyguard), him buying ice cream (wow that’s sweet), fast food (not rly his thing, too greasy), clothes (ripped jeans, t-shirts, that amazing black coat he sees on his way back, a hat - because all he has are workout clothes, Exy gear and suits)• Riko doing promo/commercial stuff for the Ravens, playing nice for the staff on set, but wishing some of them a very painful death because they are so fake… (kinda used that one before) • Riko doing drugs/alcohol for the first time (can’t hold his liquor even though Kevin seems to have no problems in that department, and oh, it pisses him off - gets a huge backlash from his uncle afterwards for being an embarrassment to the family name) (drugs are something he can’t really get to terms with. He likes the feeling they give him (at least some of them) but he absolutely hates the aftermath, remembering how they made him open up, bringing him close to losing control…(ravens are against doping btw) • Endless scenes of Riko/Kevin making out… Young Kevin getting curious at some point and the only one around for him to ask is Riko, Riko being so angry that something has to give and sadly that’s Kevin, both of them being hyped after their first official game(win) and making out on Kevin’s bed, both of them getting drunk at the victory celebration and Riko dragging Kevin off to somewhere that’s dangerously public and oh, Kevin, be quiet dammit… 

•Kevin is like an octopus while being asleep and Riko can’t stand it, it’s too warm, too sweaty, too heavy, too close…. - that’s why they make out on Kevin’s bed and he leaves afterwards. But there are times he wishes he could just go over there while Kevin is asleep. He does one night, when Kevin has been drinking with the older ravens… he has covered his ass and Kevin is gonna pay for it later… gets into bed behind Kevin and prays he won’t wake up…• Riko not admitting that there is more than Exy in his head sometimes… he likes psychology, astronomy, he’s good at math too and maybe physics would be interesting if the teacher wouldn’t be such a boring moron who takes ages to come to the point… but he can’t tell anyone because all he’s meant to be is the heir of Exy, and rly, what’s the point anyway? Chances are he won’t survive the end of his Exy career… • He likes music and some company gave them these awesome noise cancelling headphones. He likes them but only uses them when he is alone because he needs to hear the people around him…  • He’s an awesome dancer with remarkable body control, and so is Kevin, as they both find out on their first (and last) night at a club…

Any pairings/ships you like with him? Both Riko/Kevin & Kevin/Riko work just fine for me. I’ve written (Raven!)Neil/Riko/Kevin before, and if you put some work and thought into a well crafted AU setting even Riko/(raven!)Andrew works. - If it has to be straight… my best bet would be Allison - she has enough of an attitude to stand her ground.

fic recs?let me give you a few but it rly deserves a full list at some pointwhat if i did by MadHatterNO7 - Kevin/RikoNever More by biffes - Kevin/Riko Kevin/Riko/Jeanignominy by Saul - Kandreil but I still like Riko in this one… baptism by Saul can’t go wrong with Saul aka @unkinglythose are only the ones I can name on the spot…

art recs? Well, there is @shihoran , of course, she’s been posting daily. hers is maybe the sweetest Riko I’ve ever seen (nothing like I imagine him but gorgeous art!) I know @foxesrefuge is working on some stuff (since I’ve seen a glimpse of it! ha! no spoilers though) http://berry-muffin.tumblr.com/post/154991766150/insp-and-a-bonus-because-fuck-riko-moriyama    http://llstarcasterll.tumblr.com/post/157091722582 http://schwarzbrot.tumblr.com/image/138611768689 http://ziegenkind.tumblr.com/post/147315366365/here-you-go-nonnyand…. srsly, we need more Riko art!

Kevin&Riko - do they have/had feelings for each other? According to Nora’s extra content ‘yes’ they had feelings for each other. And I’m not talking the platonic kind of feelings. We’re talking the conflicted ‘adoptive’ brother/romance kind of stuff. Inside the books? Yes, I believe they have a nice textbook example of love/hate relationship to the very end. Riko can’t get over Kevin, even keeps his room untouched (as Neil tells us) and I could write you another two pages about that first interview scene. You can’t just ‘hate’ someone for no reason. Hate is a very personal feeling and it needs some kind of obsession behind it. Kevin tells us that he knows how it is to be with Riko. He also tells us that Riko wasn’t always like the way he is now. He’s gotten worse. You hear the Foxes call Riko a bastard, crazy… yet Kevin usually doesn’t outright insult Riko. Does he love him after what Riko has done to him? Probably not! Did he get rid of all his feelings from the time they grew up and learned to love Exy together? Unlikely.  

Thoughts on his finale scene? ¬_¬ you had to… I don’t like it. But that’s my personal (emotionally clouded) opinion. It works as a scene because it is fast paced and written in an almost detached way - like such an experience would be, I imagine. Hard to take in, slow to process, very overwhelming, scattered, scrambled brains and all. The scene itself makes me nearly choke on the tension and displayed/withheld emotions.

Did you read Nora’s extra content? Oh yes! Such an inspiration. I’d love to get my hands on some of the earlier drafts… *cough*moreKandreil/moreRiko*cough*

// tag other bloggers you think have something interesting to say about him! (maybe someone we don���t know yet??) #Thoughts on Riko Moriyama - Already did! :D

[oumakokichi]

Could you elaborate a bit more on Ouma's feelings towards Saihara and his past? Lovely blog by the way!

Absolutely! I’m very invested in saiouma and I don’t minddiscussing it in more detail at all!

I’ll be referencing @kaibutsushidousha‘s translated FTEs forOuma again, so if any of you haven’t read those yet, I really recommend checkingthem out. I believe they’re also translating Korekiyo’s FTEs right now, andhave plans to translate some of Angie’s, too!

As usual, there will be some pretty heavy spoilers forChapter 5 through the end of the game when discussing Ouma, so anyone who doesn’twant to be spoiled that far ahead shouldn’t read past this!

I touched on it near the end of my first ask about saiouma,but I want to just say again that I think it’s pretty canon that Ouma does havefeelings for Saihara. Given the context of his actions in the main plot and theways in which he acts and speaks in his FTEs I would say that his feelings forSaihara are just as canon as Juzo’s feelings for Munakata were.

And I know some people are going to disagree, because there’s“always the possibility that Ouma was lying,” and it’s okay if they dodisagree. It’s just that I personally believe that there’s not much other wayto make sense of Ouma’s behaviors and thought processes unless Saihara wasabsolutely essential to his plans. And in order to be essential or necessary tohave around to a character like Ouma, who is extremely self-reliant, you haveto be…well, interesting to him at the very least.

The thing with Ouma is that he is enigmatic andunpredictable and essentially a complete mystery to most of the people aroundhim. And he could easily remain that way if he wanted to. He constantly pushesothers away for several reasons. The first is that by willingly playing therole of the villain, the others are more likely to trust one another and stayunified, and Monokuma is much less likely to consider him a potential threat tothe killing game if he believes that he’s actually enjoying the chaos. Thesecond is that he simply prefers working alone most of the time. The only onehe believes he can firmly say is not the mastermind is himself (poor Ouma didn’tlearn much from Hinata and Kamukura it seems), and therefore he’s trying toonly rely on himself as much as possible to find out the truth behind things.

But if you truly want to keep working alone and pusheveryone else away, you don’t constantlydrop hints. If you want to remain an enigmatic mystery and a source ofconfusion to literally everyone so that they can never understand you, you don’tconstantly try to give them theselittle clues so that they can actually get past that façade of yours if they try. And these things are exactly what Ouma does with Saihara throughout theentire game.

Ouma is a walking contradiction in so many ways. He utilizeslies and deception in order to uncover the truth. His in-game persona issupposed to be one where he’s a despair-filled leader of a secret, evilorganization from the shadows, but what we know of his pre-game personalitysuggests he was a fairly playful, mischievous kid who wanted to make otherslaugh. He was supposed to be Tsumugi’s pawn and her ace in the hole, but hewound up being her downfall instead. And I believe one of his biggest contradictionsis that while he lies and manipulates and plays the bad guy in order to keeppeople from getting close to him or understanding him, he also desperatelywants at least one person to be able to understand him despite all of that.

Saihara is a detective. He’s traumatized and scared andhesitant that anything he does to uncover the truth will actually result in ahuge tragedy and catastrophe, but he is constantly struggling to overcome thosefears due to the promise he made with Kaede. Momota supports him and helps himovercome those fears with the obvious, familiar sort of encouragement, but Ibelieve Ouma’s constant teasing and leaving a trail of breadcrumbs in the hopesthat Saihara will pick them up is his own way of trying to do the same.

And for all his uncertainty, Saihara honestly is a truedetective at heart. He has a natural curiosity about the things around him andwants to know exactly how things look and work under the surface when they seemto be hiding something. His discomfort around Ouma (I might actually call itsulking) during his FTEs is precisely because he feels like Ouma is justmessing with him, and that anything he says or does won’t give Saihara any ideaof his true intentions or feelings. But whenever Ouma appears to drop his acteven for the slightest moment, such as in his final FTE where he plays theknife game in front of Saihara with absolutely no fear or hesitation, Saiharaalways instantly perks up and becomes fascinated at the idea of seeing the “truth”behind Ouma.

While Ouma won’t allow himself to rely on or trust anybodyelse as long as he hasn’t pinpointed who the mastermind is or forced thekilling game to a stop, Saihara is undeniably the person he’s closest totrusting. In many ways, I think he trusts Saihara more than himself, becausewhile he can always tell when he’s lying or telling the truth to someone sotransparent like Saihara, it’s much harder for him to draw the line with thelies he tells himself.

I personally think that Ouma wants Saihara to surprise him.Nothing will stop him from putting his own plans into action or antagonizingthe others as long as it accomplishes his goals, but I think he wants to seeexactly how far Saihara’s “detective’s intuition” is going to take him, and ifit’s possible for anyone at all in the entire game to come even close tounderstanding him. If he didn’t think Saihara capable of it, there’s noexplanation for why he would constantly tease him and nudge him alongimpatiently towards the truth of each mystery, or why he would be so thrilledwhenever Saihara keeps showing up to spend time with him during the FTEsdespite his threat to “kill him” at the end.

And there’s no conceivable explanation for why he wouldwillingly lay down his life in Chapter 5, despite stating point-blank that hedidn’t want to die if he could help it, unless he trusted Saihara so implicitlythat he knew it was possible for him to find the truth of not only his ownmurder, but of the entire killing game as well.

If it’s true that Ouma realizes his in-game memories andbackstory are fake, and that he remembers bits and pieces of things about theoutside world (and all the evidence, from his FTEs to his actions during theclass trials, seems to suggest that he does), then I think Ouma was ultimatelyhoping against all odds that Saihara could perhaps, just maybe, solve theriddle that was “himself.”

As a detective and as someone capable of weighing themeaning of the truth and how perception changes it, Saihara’s potentialinterested Ouma, and I just can’t think of any other reason why he would spendtime with him if it weren’t because he genuinelyenjoyed it, despite all his plans and all his façade. Canonically, Ouma hatesboredom. He’s so perceptive and intelligent that he’s quick to grow bored ofanything at all that doesn’t surprise him or interest him. The fact thatSaihara was genuinely capable of surprising him when not much else could was, Ithink, honestly fascinating to him, and not a lie of any sort.

This got long again and I’ve already talked about Ouma’spast a little more in-depth here, so I won’t keep going too much longer. Butthank you again for asking me about these two! Their relationship is myfavorite in the whole game and I’m so sad that many people seem to haveperceived saiouma in a negative light because they think it’s “komahina 2.0,”when really it’s not the same at all. I’m glad if any of my meta could clearsome stuff up!

[previously-writer-zero]

Random OC questions I found lying around!

Ok so I found some old OC questions I found in a notebook, but I sadly don't have source who I got these from (it was definitelly from Tumblr). If I remember, I'll definitelly edit in who put these in! I'll also skip the ones that are more like notes, because some of them contain plot spoilers! Some of these are also pretty obscure, but I found them fun at the time, so oh well.

Me, after writing this all down: Yeah, this got super long, so I’m putting it under a Read More link. Sorry!

Q: What does your character's name mean? Did you pick it for the symbolism, or did you just like the way it sounded?

A: In most cases, it's the symbolism. It's a fun easter egg for the readers and also a shortcut for my internal knowledge of the character (I'm basically cheating).

Updated A: This answer isn't true for Team Lasso, introduced in Chapter 21. I just pictured the characters in my head as I wrote the scene, and then I gave them names I thought would fit their description. I only later looked up the meaning behind their names. I only changed one of their names after I remembered the initials have to roughly spell something, whoops!

Q: What is one of your character's biggest insecurities? Are they able to hide it well, or can others easily exploit this weakness?

A: Robin is really insecure about his skills to become a huntsman, because he has virtually no combat experience like for example Ismene, who comes from a martial arts dojo. He trains and studies extra hard to make up for it. Only his team knows about this, and they don't bring it up, just secretly support him.

Q: What is perhaps their biggest flaw? Are they aware of it, or completelly oblivious?

A: Alexander is not that perceptive, and while his team members *do* point this out to him, it never sticks. They gave up trying to change him, and just look out for him (especially Robin).

Q: What are their sleeping habits?

Leiah is a night owl and likes to sleep in, though can function normally with little sleep.

Ismene is a sleep talker, further not helping Leiah sleep (since they share a dorm room).

Alexander is a heavy sleeper and is almost always groggy even after 8+ hours of sleep.

Robin falls asleep quickly and is a light sleeper. He also wakes up stupidly early.

Q: Would your character be the kind to get into fights (physical or verbal)? Would they be a good fighter, or cave in easily?

A: Alexander and Leiah can get into both kinds of fights easily, while Robin and Ismene try to avoid them. Ismene is the only one in the group who couldn't hold her ground, especially in verbal fights.

Q: Does your character like animals? What are some of their favourites? Would they want pets?

A: Ismene loves animals. She would have dozens of pets if Leiah (and the school) let her, but only has 3 mice in a cage next to her bed.

Q: What would be their favourite physical trait about themselves?

A: Alexander is proud that he is already taller than most of his siblings, despite being one of the youngest.

Q: Your OC encounters a huge puddle in their path. Do they try to go around is? Jump over it? Take a few moments to splash around?

Robin goes around, finding the least muddy path.

Alexander doesn't notice it until he's ankles deep in it and the water is in his shoes.

Ismene plays at the edge of the puddle by making ripples with the tip of her shoes.

Leiah jumps over it. If unsuccessful, she walks away as quickly as possible.

Q: Imagine your OCs ghost hunting.

Alexander is immediatelly suspicious of sudden noises.

Ismene freaks out all the time.

Robin finds a rational explanation for everything.

Leiah is just there to freak out Alexander, calm down Ismene, and maybe make some specrtal buddies.

Q: Does your OC have a favourite season? What about a favourite holliday?

Alexander likes summer, because it's warm and there's no school. He likes the Fireworks festival, because fireworks are pretty.

Robin likes spring, because there's finally something to do on the farm back home. He likes Festivale day, because kids get to have lots of fun and it also symbolizes driving away the winter.

Ismene likes autumn (fall), because the colours are pretty. Also the Fireworks festival, also because it's pretty.

Leiah likes winter, because only then her layers of clothes don't recieve weird looks. She doesn't have a favourite holliday, because they didn't celebrate them where she's from.

Q: What is something that would make your character fly into a rage?

Alexander would fight anyone who teases or bullies anyone who can't defend themselves (through absence or otherwise).

Robin is very unreadable, so his rage would be cold and unnoticable. The reason would be someone offending him and his huntsman abilities because of his background.

Ismene is very "Lawful Good". Anything she sees as unfair to her or someone else would work her up

Leiah would fight anyone who she thinks has something against her for no real reason.

Q: Is there a certain person in this world they cannot stand? The very mention of this character makes them tremble with anger or fear.

A: All of them hate Alexander's older sister, Kleo, who is a bully and a witch (figurativelly speaking). Alexander tries to be more reserved around her, Robin and Ismene try to avoid conflict with her, and Leiah would physically fight her if that didn't result with trouble for Alexander. Speaking of Leiah, she also partially hates Mariamne, and fully despises Sam (from Team Lasso).

Q: Does your character have dreams of getting married and/or having children?

A: Alexander, sometimes. Ismene definitelly for both. Robin and Leiah never really thought about it that much.

And lastly, probably my favourite one:

Q: If your character was going to get arrested, what would be the most likely reason for it?

Alexander: disturbing public peace.

Robin: shoplifting just to get to Alexander and keep him for freaking out that he got arrested.

Ismene? Never. She gets nervous just thinking about breaking the law, even in a minor way.

Leiah: getting into fights with literally anyone that looks at her funny for getting into fights with people that look at her funny.

And that’s all I have for now! If I stumble upon any individual OC questions, I’ll add them to the queue individually, tagging them as such. I just bundled these up together as such because I had to transcribe them all anyways, so why not transcribe all in one go?

[totesmccoats]

Mister Miracle #5

Scott and Barda spend their last day together in LA before his scheduled execution by Orion on New Genesis. The two visit the Walk of Fame, and Jack Kirby’s star specifically (unfortunately, not real 😦 ); make love, visit Oberon’s grave, go to Scott’s favorite deli, the carnival, the beach, and get stuck in lots of traffic. Scott doesn’t talk much, his longest continuous thought in this issue being an explanation of Descartes’ “cogito,” and Barda speaks less. Their dichotomy is made apparent, Scott wanting to make his last day with her special, while she’d prefer not to face it; as is their love for each-other. King writes these gods as human, but Gerads manages to inject one very evocative divine image into the issue that approaches dangerous levels of on-the-noseness. I also like to think he snuck in a visual reference to Fraction and Aja’s Hawkeye. This issue is the calm before the storm, heavy with portents, words still to be said, and actions against inevitability to be taken.

Wonder Woman #36

And, four issues into his run on Wonder Woman, James Robinson has jumped the shark.

This issue doesn’t start off well, with a bound Wonder Woman saying that feels hate towards her newly discovered brother. And yeah, hatred is a perfectly human emotion to feel towards someone who betrayed you, bound you, and plans to kill you – but Wonder Woman is better than human, she doesn’t hate.

Things do pick up when Wondy reveals she only let herself be bound so she could try to reason with Jason, and breaks out as soon as it becomes clear she can’t, and starts whooping Jason and Grail’s behinds; until a young-adult Darkseid pops in to turn the tables once more.

And then things jump the shark when Jason pulls a Vader-in-Return of the Jedi-face-turn and then last page spoilers Zeus shows up to save the day end spoilers. Ugh.

Thank goodness that the art team of Pagulayan, Pas, Parsons, and Fajardo Jr. give us something great to look at, starting when Diana breaks out of her bindings by completely destroying the wall she’s bound to, and continuing through her kicking Jason and Grail’s ass, and holding her own against Darkseid. And, despite how bad the actual plot of the final page is, the reveal is cool looking in it’s own right.

  The Flash #36

Barry races to Iron heights to find Turbine – not Kristen – dead of strangulation on the prison floor. And after arguing with Singh about whether his role in this case is as CSI or not, and Singh arguing with Wolfe over jurisdiction, and an attempted breakout by the Trickster; Barry realizes that his only lead in this case is August Heart – his former friend, and more recently, the evil speedster, Godspeed; but he’s a dead end too.

With no leads, Barry needs to blow off some steam, and luckily there’s a bank robbery – or rather, two simultaneous attempted robberies of the same bank – that give Barry and Wally the opportunity to cut loose.

All these threads aren’t unconnected, but rather a complex power-play made by Central City’s mysterious new crime boss, who’s finally brought Copperhead into the fold, and is preparing to recruit one more supervillain to finally take down the Flash and make Central City pay.

The issue opens with references to Sherlock Holmes, with Barry’s narration bringing up his childhood love of detective stories, and how they’re much less fun in real life, with real consequences. He may be rid of the negative-speedforce, but he’s still on edge, frustrated by the lack of progress he’s been having in pulling his life back together and the inscrutability of the city’s recent crime-wave.

  Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #27

For some reason, everybody, including Dorrine, really wants Nancy or Tippy-Toe to tell them how Squirrel Girl prevented Galactus from eating Earth. Not a huge spoiler, but turns out because they’ve been kidnapped and trapped in a hologram by a race of alien squirrels hoping to find out how to stop Galactus from eating their planet. They’ve been visited by a very jock-ular Silver Surfer and his bros, who tell the squirrels that either they forfeit all their riches – which they don’t have, being squirrels – or they’ll blow up their planet to easily digestible chunks!

Meanwhile, Dorrine searches all over for her missing friends, eventually consulting the new Sorcerer Supreme, Loki, for help. Loki, being tight with Nancy, agrees to help, but before he can, he and Dorrine are transported to Dormammu’s dark dimension!

I don’t know what Loki’s like as the Sorcerer Supreme in his own book, but I’m enjoying how he’s pretty much Taako Adventurezone in this one. That’s the voice I gave him in my head when I read it, at least. North’s interpretations of Marvel’s characters are always enjoyably skewed, which makes this issue’s “Silver Surfer” a bit of a meta-joke, even if what’s really happening is obvious from the get-go. Also, all of the squirrel names are fantastic, A+.

  The Wicked + The Divine Christmas Annual #1

This annual is a collection of seven short glimpses into the early godhood of the pantheon, and how much sex they all had with each other. No, really. I mean, it’s not all sex; a pre-god Baphomet hitchhikes to get to a Morrigan show, and we see how Luci and Ami’s friendship changed after joining the pantheon. And even the fucking isn’t empty, highlighting Baal’s first time with Inanna, and Laura’s first time with Baal.

Plus, Gillan makes a sneaky reference to his own Young Avengers run. The art, by a small battalion of different illustrators, flatters, and colorists, is uniformly excellent; and despite not having much to do with the winter holidays, the book feels the part.

Is this issue skippable if you just care about the current plot and character dynamics? Yeah, pretty much. But also, if you care about WicDiv, it’s probably for the characters, so why would you skip this look into their earliest days as gods? Besides, Baphomet makes a lot of really good puns. Can’t miss those.

Comic Reviews 12/13/17 Mister Miracle #5 Scott and Barda spend their last day together in LA before his scheduled execution by Orion on New Genesis.

[almitarenee-blog]

All the Bright Places (a book review)

“No more winter at all. Finch, you brought me spring.” -Violet Markey

All The Bright Places is a young adult fiction novel by Jennifer Niven which revolves around two characters, namely Violet Markey and Theodore Finch, who, serendipitously, met at their school’s bell tower ledge – six stories above the ground - attempting to commit suicide. Without this crazy coincidence, Violet & Finch never would have gotten to know each other. Then, word spread throughout their school that Violet saved Finch when in fact it was the other way around.

Violet is a popular girl who has it all – until her sister died in a car accident. Since that incident, Violet’s world began to disintegrate, her everyday routine came to a sudden stop. She stopped driving, started to dislike her friends, and most of all, she lost interest in writing. A hobby she held close to her heart. In a nutshell, she began to crumble -- until she met Finch, the boy who saved her. Finch is the total opposite of Violet. His classmates called him “ Theodore freak,” a label that never once had occurred to my mind when the author introduced him. Albeit he was weird, he was not at all a freak. Peculiarly, Finch is fascinated by death. Every day he thinks of the possible ways he might die, tries to attempt them, and later on rates from 1-10 how close he had gotten to commit suicide. The two unlikely characters were then paired for a class project where they had to wander the bizarre, the grand, the ugly, the beauteous, and the surprising sites of Indiana. For months Violet had been avoiding countless of things like travelling by car and writing. But during these adventures, Finch had taught Violet to be herself again, how to live again. It is because of Finch that Violet started to live days instead of counting them. It is because of him, she has healed. However, as she blooms back to the Violet that she was, Finch’s flight came to an eventual halt, fell in a downward spiral, causing him to crash head first. It is a great irony how Violet learns to live from a boy who wants nothing more than to die.

Before reading this book, it had already piqued my interest since I kept on seeing people posting pictures of it. Upon seeing the pictures, I found the book cover beautiful and unique. It had always occurred to me why its design involved sticky notes and why the background wasn’t smooth as it had cracks. Upon reading the book, all my questions were resolved. Finch had a habit of writing down his thoughts in a sticky note and plants it on his wall. His wall was the background of the book which explains why the design had cracks on it.

The book starts with Finch standing on a narrow ledge six stories above the ground, asking himself “is today a good day to die?” Every day Finch asks himself this. As he contemplates the possibility of him throwing himself to the ground, he noticed people were pointing at something near him. That’s when he saw Violet. As the story progresses, Violet and Finch became inseparable. Their relationship improved due to their adventures. Every time Violet and Finch visit a place, the leave something behind, like a memory, to prove that they were there. This for me was their bright place. But their brightest place most of all, was each other. It is with Violet that Finch can be himself and it is with her that Finch found happiness; a reason to last longer, but not forever as it was revealed in the later part of the book that Finch was suicidal and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder; one day, the sun is shining and everything is clear and calm, and the next, waves are crashing against his skull, sending it shaking. This disorder, in my own opinion, helped explained Finch’s “changing” personality wherein he adopts a new persona. He shifts into a new persona by changing his behaviour, accent, clothing, and by doing certain things that he might not have done when he was a different version of himself, – all chosen specifically to match the “new” version of himself. Despite this, deep down he is still the same Finch. This disorder was somehow showed in a way that you couldn’t quite grasp the reason behind it unless it is being deliberately pondered upon by the reader. It just makes you think that that was just how he behaved. Quoting Finch, “The great thing about this life of ours is that you can be someone different to everybody.”

As you get nearer to the ending, you can really feel this stinking feeling in your stomach that something bad is going to happen. You can feel that slowly, all the happy moments would disappear with a turn of the page. As I read half the book, I was quite enjoying it. I felt giddy every time Violet and Finch had these sweet moments together. However, it was unlike any other young adult novels. Crossing the other half of the book, I felt as though it snuck up on me, suddenly clutching my heart, holding it and pressing harder as I move from one page to the next. And without warning,  it crushed my heart, even if I was only getting nearer to the ending. There was this moment when I couldn’t continue reading, I had to stop. It was too much emotion for my too faint heart and too many thoughts in my too little head. I loved how Jennifer Niven perfectly illustrated everything. My mind was playing scenes that were easy to envisage that it was as if I had a mini theatre inside my head. The part where I couldn’t bear to imagine was when Violet found the dead, bloated body of Finch. That scene was too much for me. You can’t read this book without having to cry.

Moreover, I can relate very much to the quote told by Violet as is presented above. The only difference is, this book has brought me spring and winter altogether. 

Writing this book review I didn’t even know where to begin. This book has left me pouring with emotions. To cut to the chase, All the Bright Places is far from any young adult fiction novels I have ever read. Its theme focuses on mental illness and its powerful effects on the person suffering it. Albeit having a heavy adult theme, the author made it understandable for young adult readers.

This book is quite similar to the young adult fiction book the Fault in Our Stars (written by John Green) where in the end, (SPOILER ALERT) the boy dies. Both novels are beautiful and sad but unlike the Fault in Our Stars, All the Bright Places is more realistic, the author did not sugar coat life. The Fault in Our Stars (TFIOS) is overrated and honestly, All the Bright Places is better than the latter, hence I am left to question why TFIOS has earned more recognition.

The character that left a great impact on me was Finch. His thoughts and his words stayed with me even long after he was gone. The book was written in way that two characters alternately narrated the book. I really liked this format because I knew what Violet and Finch were thinking. Because of this, I felt like I was Violet. You could feel like you were Violet. It was enthrallingly written that you could connect with her. I felt her pain when Finch ran away because when Finch ran away to hide after being confronted of his illness, his narration stopped. Nobody knew where he was. Even Violet didn’t know where he was. The readers are left to wonder and worry where Finch could be. I was clueless and lost just as Violet was. I guess one of the things that really drew me in is the portrayal of characters. They feel real, they capture the life of someone who feels a variety of emotions, the confusion and pretenses of being a teenager. It captures anger. It captures heartache. It captures the hopeful dread inside someone young looking at the deep abyss of the future. Forget whatever their issues may be, forget their circumstances, they’re persons and they feel real. What happens to them feels real. 

Also, not only did Finch touch the heart of Violet, but also touched mine. I reckon that I’m not the only one who felt this seeing that many are devastated by his death (who wouldn’t be?) and that everyone I knew who had read this book had a connection with him. He has taught me to live the days we have instead of counting them. He and Violet taught me things that I never had realized up until reading the book. This book made me feel that I should do what they (Violet and him) were doing and that is to explore and contemplate the beauty that is life, and that even in its ugliest parts and places come a beauty that some people hold dear to them no matter how ugly it looked like to some. Finch was a very unique, quirky, and spontaneous character that I was drawn to him. This book makes you fall in love with him, either you’re a man or a woman.

After Finch ran away, they hadn’t any communication with Violet anymore, especially the readers. You could slowly feel this dreadful feeling that something bad was going to happen. The last day Violent laid eyes on Finch was the day they had a fight. Months after that, Finch died without any explanation. He just sent text messages to his family and his friends, including Violet and in it were words of advices. The author didn’t even at least let Violet see Finch one last time. That was what I loved and hated about the book and how the author ended it. It was realistic and sad. I can say this because in life, you don’t get have things to happen no matter what you do. If it isn’t meant to be, it won’t be. Even if it means saying your last goodbyes to the ones you love. Basically, it shows what is true. It is an allegory for reality; in this case; life is not all about sugary happiness and all its colourful rainbow-y colors. Life is life, it is cruel but it is beautiful. It’s as if with cruelty comes with beauty. It’s not all sadness. It’s a mixture of blue and yellow. It is happy in a sense that they had a chance to know and love each other. It is a love shared and lost. The author really earned my profound respect and left me agape with awe and melancholy.

The saddest part of all though, next to when Finch died, is when Violet realized Finch had been completing their requirement. During the days he was gone, he went to the places left visited in their book of wanders, and there he left things, just as they said they would when visiting places. Quoting Finch, “It’s not what you take, it’s what you leave.” And the saddest thing he left was the song he left for Violet – no explanations about his death, just a song about how Violet has made him love her and how “lovely it is to be lovely with the one you love.”

I love everything about it, how everything was perfectly illustrated and narrated, especially its poignancy. You could even say it was poignancy itself in written, tangible form. This book had me crying for an hour and the day after. If I hadn’t stopped to think about it, I could cry for weeks. It was that great of an impact to its readers. It’s just that kind of book that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. This book has changed me. It changed the way I perceive things, the way I see life, how short it is to be spent confined in a certain place; that we should go and explore. It changed the way how I saw mental illness and suicide. All the Bright Places has tremendously and painfully earned my heart and hit all its weak places. It has left a mark on my heart.

I am so glad that this book was written. It serves as an eye-opener to readers that are blinded by the horrors of mental illnesses. It opens the eyes of the readers that it should not be taken lightly. Somehow, 5 stars aren’t enough to rate such beautifully written book. If I could, I would give it a thousand more stars. And if I could, I would read it back, again and again until I am sick of it.

Every now and then you find a book that not only makes you think, but changes the way you look at the world. 'All the Bright Places', in all its clever, poetic and honest beauty is one of those books. It will stay with me, forever.

Words are not enough to express how immensely I feel for this book. It is insufficient to entirely encapsulate the feeling I have, which is a mixture of poignancy and euphoria - emotions that I didn’t know I could feel by reading a book. This novel touches on death, depression, and suicide; it paints a picture of love in a canvas of pain. Personally, I would recommend it to be on every reading list. To me it is simply a masterpiece.