#thought i’d include their first encounter for… plot reasons

[mushroomerchant]

Some art of my Gavin design :)

(i headcanon that his hair grows unnaturally fast so his hair styles are constantly changing)

AGHHHH HES SO PRETTY SHFKSBAVEJDBDNSNS

[gremoria411]

Gundam Build Metaverse then, now that I’ve finished watching it.

Well, that was shit.

That’s kind of my opinion in a nutshell, but unlike Gundam Breaker Battlogue, I actually want to talk about this one. I’ve mentioned previously that I hold up Build Divers as an example of what I don’t want to see, but while Build Metaverse shares some flaws, it’s a whole new level of failure.

I do want to acknowledge beforehand though that, as with the rest of the build series, Gundam Build Metaverse is aimed at a younger audience and is pretty blatant about its intention to sell toys. Perhaps this precludes it being seriously analysed as a work of entertainment. However, I quite like the original Build Fighters series so I at least want to compare it to that. Gundam Build Metaverse also has the air of: “we’re not doing anything else with this series, ever” about it, simply because it’s almost a reunion of prior characters from the series. As such, I’d like to consider it as the end of the series (because I likely won’t watch any future instalments).

Alright so, the plot as it is; Rio Hojo is joining the Gundam Metaverse in Hawaii and wants to impress his mentor, Seira Urutsuki. Unfortunately she’s sworn off Gundam Metaverse due to a falling out with her sister Maria, in which her Maria used her Gunpla parts without permission in a battle and still lost, revealing her insecurities about not being as good as her sister in the process. Rio eventually challenges Maria and defeats her, healing the rift between the sisters. Along the way Rio meets and interacts with past series protagonists and characters. It’s about as insipid as it sounds.

I want to specifically focus on Maria, the antagonist, because the reveal of her motivation was essentially the point I realised it wasn’t going to get better. The usage of somebody’s Gunpla parts without permission is exactly as dumb of a motivation as it sounds, but the feelings of inadequacy actually has some weight to it, since it’s the sort of topic Build Fighters has touched on before. What bothers me about Maria is that she presents this cool, unbothered persona for her early encounters, but the second Rio mentions her sister, she basically has a breakdown with zero prompting. Over an event that happened two years ago. But wait! It’s typical Gundam protagonist style to talk female foes in giant mobile suits (Maria’s Typhoeus Gundam even incorporates psycho Gundam Mk-II parts), surely Rio can get through! And what does he say?

“But you kept buying the toys, right?”

Real classy there Hojo. And this actually works too, so it just underlines how stupid this entire conflict was.

It bothers me more, because in the original Build Fighters, Aila Jyrkäinen was essentially being forced to compete against her will due to her extraordinary abilities in the field, so Reiji helping her escape that had actual meaning and stakes. But Maria’s grievances are so stupid that it’s just meaningless, moreso that she’s apparently been holding onto this for two years.

Unrelated point, but everyone��s the same age in this, despite the fact that time was pretty clearly established to have passed in the older series. It’s possible that everyone’s using younger avatars for some reason, but both Reiji and Aila show up in crowd scenes set in the real world with their original designs, despite being established as having a child together. I know no-one really cares about chronology in the build series (myself included), but it’s still notable.

There’s two new designs I haven’t discussed yet that I also want to talk about;

First, the Gundam Typhoeus.

I like the Raphael Gundam, I think it’s a nice unit, but the Typhoeus is just grossly overbuilt. I’m used to the build series having gigantic mobile armours to communicate a sense of threat, but when the Typhoeus showed up I genuinely thought “How the fuck is that legal?” It just one-shots three suits with zero effort. I don’t really like designs that are just a bunch of weapons and systems crammed on to make something appear strong, and the Typhoeus is undeniably that. I understand that its model kit gives it a proper loadout when its just in its mobile suit form, but the additional armour is just unnecessary.

The Amazing Barbatos Lupus. As a design, I kinda like it. It’s a reasonably solid update to the Barbatos Lupus and I like how the backpack resembles a Pluma (or indeed, a mini-Hashmal). The mace also reminds me of the shot lancers from Gundam F91, so it feels like a natural “fit”. The new horns are also lovely. My only real criticism of the design is that I feel more could have been done to make it feel “Amazing” - the legs and front skirt for example, are pretty much unchanged. The shoulders I mind less, since the backpack compensates for their plainness, but the lower half just feels lacking.

However, I feel it had a very poor showing in series.

Part of this is because of a wider issue - while the Typhoeus and Maria are very well-animated, the rest of the series seems to have a very limited budget for animation. Many of the fights were short and I spotted instances of recycled animation. Even the first episode with the 00 Diver Arc, which I would say is the best fight in the series (though that isn’t saying much) feels distinctly wooden. I don’t rate the fights, in a nutshell. Furthermore, despite me gushing over Mask Lady’s design last time, we never get to see her properly animated - she’s in two cockpit scenes, largely static, and another where we only see her head and shoulders. It’s a shame.

But the Amazing Barbatos Lupus seems to have been designed to get around this. It’s virtually always seen in static poses - the only time it’s shown to attack is raising its mace and shooting (allowing the rest of the suit to remain still) or firing a beam cannon out of its mace (while the rest of the suit moves in a single pose). So I’m just thinking this the whole time:

So the Barbatos, a suit defined by its approach to melee combat, just flies about shooting a beam cannon out of its mace. The only dynamic shot it actually has is when it pulls out it’s claws to fight Kyoya Kujo, a fight which we do not see. Speaking of Kyoya Kujo, it’s built up that Meijin Kawaguchi III is finally going to have a climactic battle with Sei and Reiji, then Kyoya (who is, and always has been a nothing character) just shows up out of nowhere to challenge him and prevent the fight (to save them having to animate it, presumably).

Speaking of Nothing Characters, basically every returning character’s bereft of personality in this. They’re just here “to fight”. There’s no motivation or anything, they just want to fight in the Gundam Metaverse. So they feel like cardboard cut-outs. (For the record, I liked Magee in Build Divers, but in this they’re just…. Stereotypical? I think?). Speaking of a cast of cardboard, pretty much all the female characters get pushed aside in this. I’m not going to dwell on it, since I don’t find it surprising given the shows demographic, but none of the female characters are shown with any agency, they lose pretty much every fight they’re in and Maria ascends to the title of “Lady Kawaguchi VII”. So, the seventh Lady Kawaguchi, despite no-one having dethroned Meijin Kawaguchi III in all this time, you’re telling me there’s been six Lady Kawaguchi’s? Almost like the position’s disposable? (You could maybe say Gyanko’s an exception to losing every fight, but that feels like grasping at straws, since she’s barely a cameo).

Gundam Build Metaverse - a show that really wants you to be excited for the Metaverse, and has a plot almost as sufferance.

I feel like the fact that my highlight of the show was seeing 0.3 seconds of the Schuzrum Gallus probably illustrates how little I liked this show.

EDIT: I somehow made this entire post without remembering the name of the series protagonist, Rio Hojo. Instead, I mixed him up with Wistario Afram, the protagonist of Urdr Hunt. So yeah, the protagonist is pretty forgettable, because I literally forgot him.

[aohendo]

Prince for Hire Deleted Scenes, Part Nine

Amount Deleted: 5k?

Reason for Deleting: Rearranged all conversations between Iiriok and Kiris to emphasize their growth; this entire section minus one conversation was an unfortunate casualty.

Way to fix it?: rewrite to tighten these conversations into the plot

Excerpt Length: 960

Context: Kiris has wandered into Iiriok's quarters.

Taglist (ask to be added/removed): @whimsyqueen, @cactusmotif, @on-noon, @houndsofcorduff, @shrunkupthejams.

              “Prince na Suem.” He bowed and stepped aside, inviting him in.

              “I never caught your name,” Kiris said, looking around without looking like he was looking around. Nelovskevouk’s quarters were arranged in much the same way as his, but where Eskarez and the others had taken to collecting books and pillows for him, Nelovskevouk’s remained impeccably devoid of personality. There was the prince’s sword in a place of honor on a stand, and over there was the Nelovskevouk standard crossed with that of Dargoulvga. The only hint of actual occupancy was Nelovskevouk’s golden stole draped carelessly across the back of one of the living area chairs.

              “Trusov of Verovsken, your grace.”

              “Verovsken. On Vgor, right? Voronin?”

              “Yes, your grace.”

              Kiris nodded. He had spent a few weeks there once, during the height of summer. There had been the most beautiful flowers. He’d known they’d be there—he’d seen it in Prophecy—but there was a difference between the haze of Toor and the reality of himself. Prince Thaav had been there. Not for long, of course, and Kiris hadn’t prepared to encounter someone who would know him as Yphant na Suem rather than whatever name he had taken that week, but that had turned out not to matter. Thaav had taken him in for lunch, and then dinner, and then departed without questioning Kiris’ appearance. It had been…

              “Your grace?”

              Sunlit fields of flowers were lost to the Turre fortress. Instinctively, Kiris stepped back from Trusov the guard. He swallowed, mouth dry. He hadn’t spent more than a week in Verovsken; he had no attachment to the place. Why did he feel as if he’d tried to hydrate on snow?

              Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. Nelovskevouk processed from his sleeping quarters with all the dignity of a prince born and bred. True to form, he was head-to-toe in his usual attire, including boots, although there was something different. Maybe it was the missing stole. He probably thinks he’s being scandalous, Kiris thought, shoving aside his feelings.

              “You are clothed,” Nelovskevouk said, in lieu of greeting.

              “Generally speaking, yes.”

              He glided to the chair with his stole and lounged back, settling into it as easily as if it were a throne. “I had prepared for the night robe.”

              “Wouldn’t want to traumatize you.”

              Trusov of Verovsken departed, whispered something about drinks and snacks. Nelovskevouk settled into his seat, the least proper Kiris had ever seen him, other than the night they had first met, so many years ago. There was something more than the stole different. Something that made him look softer.

              Kiris blinked. “Your hair’s down.”

              That’s what it was. His hair was down, rather than pulled back in a formal braid. He had it tucked behind it ears, and of course it was the current fashionable length—brushing his shoulders. More interestingly, it looked silky, and far fluffier than Kiris expected. He wanted to play with it.

              “I am in my quarters,” he said, smiling. “I am allowed some indecencies.”

              “Between that and your stole, you must think yourself almost naked.”

              Nelovskevouk shrugged. A non-answer that may as well have been a yes.

              “Didn’t you know I’d be visiting tonight?”

              “Yes.”

              Kiris considered himself a fairly perceptive person, especially with the Realms thick enough to be a non-issue. Still, he felt he were missing something.

Trusov of Verovsken returned with a pair of crystal cups, a silver decanter, and a tray of cured meats before he could figure it out. The liquid—vodka—sloshed into the cups, the smell burning into Kiris’ nostrils, and the guard departed again to give them their privacy. Nelovskevouk offered the second cup. Tentatively, Kiris took it. The cuts lining his hands stung as they brushed fingers.

              “I’ve been meaning to ask: what happened?” Nelovskevouk asked, looking to Kiris’ hands.

              “Miscalculated,” Kiris said, shrugging. “Failed. Won’t happen again.”

              Nelovskevouk sipped his vodka. “You have a talent for non-answers.”

              “Thanks.” The alcohol burned his nostrils, burned his mouth, burned down his throat and into his stomach. Still, it was pleasant in a way that only came from significant wealth being distilled with the rye.

              “Your other wounds—are they healing alright?”

              Kiris tugged down the collars of his tunics to show Batar’s cut. “Doing okay,” he said. “I’d show you the other one but I think you’d consider that inappropriate.”

              “If your health is a factor, I would not mind.” He finished his drink, Kiris finished his, and Nelovskevouk poured for the both of them. He spilled nothing, and Kiris did not shimmy out of his tunics, although he honestly wouldn’t have minded. It was rather warm in Nelovskevouk’s quarters. “I did not mention it in the library, but I am surprised,” he said, as Kiris plucked a slice of what was perhaps ham off the board, “that you volunteered to help with this imposter. I expected Batar to volunteer; as much as she might try and deny it, she is a decent person underneath her name, but you...”

              “You hadn’t even looked at your own export losses recently, and somehow, you thought you could evaluate other princes’ legitimacies?” Definitely pork. Pretty good, too. He took another slice and continued before Nelovskevouk could defend himself, “I’m not complaining. I’ve never had a chance to explain all the ‘look for this to find forgeries’ stuff to anyone before, much less a willing audience.” Despite himself, he smiled, the vodka blushing his cheeks. “You sat through two hours on ciphers. I don’t particularly care if I end up doing all the work, telling false from true.”

              “I’m not completely useless,” Nelovskevouk protested, also smiling some. “I can tell you the family histories of every prince in the Plateau.”

              “Really?” Kiris set down his cup and leant forwards. “Tell me mine.”

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 301

Funeralla/Rosa

“Funeralla”

Plot Description: eager to find Gabriel, Sam, Dean, and Castiel consider some risky options. Rowena’s tampering with fate puts all of humanity in danger

Did I talk at all about how Gabe really and literally burned Azmodeus up? I feel like I didn’t and I feel like I should have

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: I would NEVER make an enemy of Rowena, so she’d have no reason to kill me. I’d be more like the boy toy she had tagging along with her

Also Cas saying “Rowena’s right. You never go to parties” like….sir, do you remember what show we’re on?

Sorry, more Cas thoughts…babes, why do you think Dean wouldn’t know what a Hail Mary play is? Like…you only recently learned all human idioms. They had to create Jack to take your wide eyed, confused about humans place

Yes, Sammy, justify Rowena’s setting that rich woman ablaze. Join my side

Dean’s giving into too many bad ideas, I think

I like this angel that’s supposed to be guarding the gates of heaven. Oh no…he was being snarky to cover up how depressed he is and how little he believes anything matters anymore 😭

Nooooooooo. I’m glad Castiel is getting help from the angels but are they gonna try to put him in a leadership position again??

I sure hope nothing bad happens to this reaper. She’s apparently been keeping tabs on the boys since Dean almost died when Billie was revealed to be the new Death. She knows entirely too much about them (please don’t eat that three day old burger in your room, Dean. Please throw it out when you get back. NO! IT IS NOT FOR EMERGENCY CASES ONLY! IT IS FOR THE TRASH CAN, DEAN!!)

All-powerful Rowena is very hot

I can’t believe they’re summoning Jessica the reaper like she’s Siri or Janet from The Good Place

I have to know what Dean thinks is Ashton Kutcher’s best movie…

This is me officially turning my back on Sam forever no matter I say in his favor ever again. He’s destined to kill Rowena, and I can’t forgive that

THE WAY MY STOMACH TURNED HEARING NAOMI’S VOICE

Lmaoooo the angels lost their wings so long ago, Dean got unused to people just popping up in the backseat of his car

Hmmmmm…is Rowena trying to negotiate immortality for herself??

I did not realize the angel shortage was THAT DIRE. There’s about eleven left….anywhere, and that’s why heaven’s having power surges

God I love Rowena. Is she killing bad people in the pharmaceutical industry who lied about their product and hurt thousands of sick people? Yes…but she’s not doing it for the “right” reasons

Ohhhhhhhh, oh. She wants Crowley back 🥺 that’s why she’s trying to get Death’s attention

Bernard (Roro’s boy toy) is the most relatable character to me “she’s powerful, she’s gorgeous, and she’s paying me a small fortune. That woman didn’t have to cast a spell on me” I need him protected, but Dean’ll probably kill him :/

I love that she can stop witch killing bullets now 💖

Billie’s hands off policy for reapers is getting to be a liability for the boys. Rowena’s got Sam, and Dean could have gotten there sooner if Jessica could have helped him kill Bernard

Billie’s fair but….it still feels cruel.

It’s really off putting to hear that, in this universe where heaven and hell are very real places, “everything ends” includes heaven

Normally when you fight Death and lose, you die. But Rowena is special like that i guess

“Rosa”

Plot Description: the Doctor and her friends encounter a seamstress named Rosa Parks

Fuck that bus driver. Stole her money and drove off

1955 Alabama is…an interesting place to forget is very dangerous for Ryan to be running around with his modern sensibilities

It’s not often that the local police force of an American town is a potential hindrance for the Doctor and companions

Who is this dude following them around?! I know that’s not what the new Master looks like

Pfffffft, the Doctor insinuating she could be banksy

Omg Graham telling the officer he’s Steve Jobs

The optimism expressed in this show is nice and I have to remember that this is a family show because…otherwise I’d be a little too jaded for it

Why does this guy want to stop Rosa from being on that bus so badly??

To be fair, if we’re in a room with Rosa Parks and MLK, I’d have a hard time not constantly using their full names, too, Ryan

Oh. The guy who was trying to stop Rosa was just racist……not the most interesting motivation, especially since Ryan got rid of him pretty quickly and easily with the dude’s own vortex manipulator

Obviously living in the Jim Crow south is harder, but strictly speaking from a character perspective, it must be hard for Graham to be one of the white people on that bus. His recently deceased wife ADORED Rosa Parks to the point that on their first date, when she found out he was a bus driver, she made sure he wasn’t like the one who told Rosa to move. This must feel like he’s betraying her

But they kept history from being nudged so I guess that’s that

[adobe-outdesign]

Ranking + Mini-reviews of All the DHMIS TV Episodes

Two important things to note before we start:

DHMIS is an amazing series, and as such there are no episodes that I’d say are bad, or even mediocre. This isn’t an S to F-tier ranking, this is an S to B-tier ranking.

Because all episodes are great in their own right, everyone’s going to have their own opinions on which ones are the best. These are just my personal picks.

With that said, going from worst to best:

Episode 3: Family

Starting us off is Family. While I still like this episode a lot, I do have to put it at the bottom of the list for a few reasons.

First, most of the episode is spent in Lily and Todney’s house, which means there’s not as many of the beautiful sets that the rest of the series provides. This episode also didn’t have many stylistic shifts—the only one being a brief moment of Deep Dream AI rendering. Most people may not mind this, but as someone who’s always loved the artistic elements of DHMIS, this was a bit underwhelming.

Secondly, I found this episode to be a bit messy structurally. For example, Bird gets kicked out first, so he has a long sequence talking about how he doesn’t want to be in a family... that goes absolutely nowhere. Likewise, Red’s arc felt like it had a lot of build-up but little payoff, while Yellow has the least motivation yet the biggest payoff (this may be because early concept art shows Red being the last one standing; Yellow was a good swap thematically, but it feels like they needed to swap the two’s motivations as well).

And finally, while the “found family is more important than biological family” moral is always lovely to hear, it is mostly outright stated; I feel like the best episodes simply allow the viewer to infer the moral for themselves (if they have one). Furthermore, the episode doesn’t offer much commentary on families beyond this basic idea.

With that said, this episode has a lot of great moments in it, including the entire climax with Roy and the funniest moment in the entire show at the end. But comparing it to all the other episodes, this is the one I personally got the least out of.

Episode 4: Friendship

While enjoyable, this episode has some issues in the message department. The whole “your friends don’t hate you, it’s just the worm in your brain talking” thing is great moral, and speaks to everything from depression to intrusive thoughts.

However, the execution is a bit botched. Red and Bird’s jackassery has been cranked up to 10 in this episode, to the point where they feel slightly OOC (such as swearing at Yellow, which is the only time they’ve done so). Thus, when Yellow assumes his friends hate him, it’s less of a “worm in your brain” kind of thing and more of a... logical assumption. The whole thing’s a bit confused and many will walk away with a slightly sour taste in their mouths despite the hilarious ending scene. Other episodes do a much better job of establishing the trio’s love-hate relationship.

The analogy also falls apart because Yellow makes this assumption on his own; Warren has little to do with anything, and Yellow becomes upset long before he enters his brain. It would’ve made more sense if Warren went into his brain to retrieve the password, only to realize that Yellow’s brain is great for ego-stroking. Thus, he convinces Yellow that Red and Duck hate him so he can stay there or something like that.

Another thing is that while most of the TV episodes feel like their own thing, this episode felt like a less effective version of DHMIS 3 (Love) from the original shorts. Both involve Red and Duck upsetting Yellow, who runs away (either psychically or metaphorically) and encounters an insect who teaches him about some interpersonal relationship before his friends show up and apologize and there’s a plot twist that makes you question the reality of the situation. But in 3, the situation that upsets Yellow is far more minor, the apology is more heartfelt, the moral is stronger and much more nuanced, etc.

However, this episode does have a lot of enjoyable gems in and of itself. Warren perfectly captures being a bad friend and is the worst thing Ever, Colin’s appearance was fun as were the brain friends sequences, and I liked the moral they were going for as well as the slightly surreal moment at the “the worm in your brain has a worm in its brain” part (to the point that I kind of wish they leaned into that more for the ending instead of the chainsaw fight). It’s a good time; it’s just up against stiff competition.

Episode 2: Death

This episode was great overall, and it has a lot of good stuff going for it. I love the commentary on how grief and loss is handled by society and the problems it can cause, the coffin’s probably my favorite teacher out of the bunch, and the comedy was fast-paced and effective.

So why isn’t it ranked higher? It’s mostly because the horror/comedy balance feels off. In most episodes, you get a good blend of both; but in this episode, you mostly get comedy and nothing else. There are one or two eerie moments—I liked the scene with Yellow and Red saying it was just them now “until the other guy comes back” with a close-up on Duck’s empty chair, as well as the scene with the mourners—but they don’t hit as hard as they could.

I think the big problem are the scenes with Duck in the coffin. Red and Yellow’s A-plot is where the commentary is, and where the hardest-hitting moments of this episode come in. However, while doing nothing after you die could be existentially terrifying, ala the ending to the original DHMIS 2, it ends up just being funny shenanigans here. And I like funny shenanigans; but I feel like the humor kind of distracts from the deeper, subtle moments of the A-plot, which shouldn’t be the case.

For example, I feel like Yellow digging up Duck would be a lot more impactful if the coffin left earlier, and Duck was starting to rot more. This would add more a lot more tension to the climax, as there’d be something at stake on Duck’s side rather than solely Yellow’s. Likewise, seeing Yellow try to drag around a rotting corpse and convince himself its still alive would’ve been really haunting.

also I have to subtract a point for the piss scene

Like I said at the beginning though, this is still a super fun episode with a lot going for it. It’s just that 20% too much comedy that prevents it from ranking even higher.

Episode 1: Jobs

Episode 1 is the very first episode to kick off the new show, and I’d say that it was a good pick—it’s the one that’s arguably the closest to the original series in terms of plot (a teacher shows up, sings a song that (technically) lasts the entire episode, and the trio ends up traumatized). 

On top of being similar to the shorts, it also happens to just be a strong episode in general. The humor is great as always, and there are a fair amount of horror elements in there.

My favorite part of the episode is definitely the commentary on capitalism. Being promised a bunch of good jobs before being saddled with a terrible one, the HR people that are more concerned with making people useful to the company than helping them, the way the laziest people get the highest positions, the “blink and 40 years have passed” thing, the meager pay at the end (which is later referenced in episode 2)... it’s all really great stuff, and is delivered subtly in a way that really sticks with you.

My only real complaint is that the bathroom scene was mostly pointless (side note: has anyone else noticed that Yellow address the audience in the first two episodes and then never again?), and the beginning is a bit slow. Outside from that, it’s pretty perfect.

Episode 6: Electricity

DHMIS 6 was my second favorite out of the original shorts, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the last episode gets the same spot here. This episode is pretty amazing—not only do we get introduced to Lesley, but there’s an overwhelming sense of dread throughout the episode that leads to some truly terrifying scenes. As an added bonus, we get some wonderful character development for Yellow that hits especially hard if you happen to be neurodivergent.

The only reason I rank this as the second best episode instead of the first is that it doesn’t feel like as satisfying of a conclusion as DHMIS 6. Lelsey’s reveal doesn’t hit as hard as Roy’s because we don’t know who she is or what her motivations are, and we only get a vague idea of what’s going on by the end of the episode. One could argue this is the point—they do shred the book, after all—but it makes it feel much less satisfying as a conclusion.

And this is more of a minor thing, but it’s also strange that after Red’s mental breakdown in the last episode, he’s right back to normal in this one. It’s possible this was intentionally reflecting the “reset” nature of the universe in this series, but it really undermines the horror of 5 a bit and feels like a missed opportunity for character development. If they wanted to go the reset route, I feel like it could’ve been driven home harder than it was, as it feels more like a continuity error as-is.

With that said however, this is still an incredibly strong episode with some of the series most poignant and haunting moments. It’s only slightly beaten out by...

Episode 5: Transport

While the entire series is a masterpiece, this episode in particular Is A Masterpiece. There is scientifically nothing wrong with it. Everything here just works.

First, I love the plot direction. Instead of the teacher showing up and sticking around like we’re used to, they instead just keel over and die immediately, and the trio hijack their corpse to kickstart the plot. It’s refreshing, and adds a sense of unpredictability to the plot.

And on top of that, despite being one of the only times that events take place primarily outdoors, Transport has the greatest sense of dread and claustrophobia out of all the episodes. Watching Red slowly reach his breaking point and become more and more frantic until it ends with the reveal that there is nothing out there is haunting, especially with the little Lesley tease at the end.

It also throws some additional bits of horror in there—Yellow Guy’s dream abruptly ending with him getting hit by a car hits particularly strong, being viscerally realistic. However, it also has some incredibly funny moments (read: the entire sequence with Time Child). The trio’s chemistry is strong in this one, the puppetry with the car is great as are the two stylistic shifts, and the songs are good. You can’t go wrong with any of this series, but if I have to pick a favorite, this one’s the clear winner.

[kayzero]

more rambles re:kh3 (follow me on twitter, i’m never actually active)

[ Image ID: two tweets from me! twitter user @ kayzeros.

the first tweet reads: “I think it’s my favorite title in the series as a full package, gameplay plus story. it used to be tied with KH1, and then I thought about hundo. KH1 100% is a total SLOG and I don’t really like going back to play it because I feel the need to do everything when I play a KH game.”

the second tweet reads: “I bought and played KH2 four times — original 2002 twice, the disc scratched, PS3 1.5, PS4 1.5+2.5. but I’ve never replayed it outside of that. I bought KH3 ONCE, and I’ve played through three times. beginner story playthrough, proud replay, critical plus remind. and I’d do it again.”

End ID. ]

anyways kh1 is a standalone BANGER — in christmas 2002 all tiny child Kay wanted was “to play the Donald Duck game,” i didn’t even know what final fantasy WAS. the concept of a disney-jrpg fusion was novel, and it was implemented VERY well. the disney stories all felt exciting while still retaining familiarity, .

the gameplay is simple without being patronizing, the level design is grand without feeling chaotic, the story is fantastic and easy to follow AND easy to get invested in. the characters, INCLUDING the disney characters, feel alive, their actions have purpose and motive and never feel like they’re only moving because the narrative demands they take a certain action.

but kh3 is, in my opinion, a phenomenal series (season?) finale. it feels as though every kh original character has a nonzero amount of relevance in this game. plot threads from years ago get resolution in this game. boss fight from YEARS ago are revamped and reimagined to play like they did in their original game with KH3’s new engine. everyone you see in the game acts exactly as you would expect of them, which leads to the last thing you thought you’d see in a kingdom hearts game, except it makes so much sense.

the disney properties were all beautifully transposed to the game — the party’s interactions were fun and felt natural, the organization members (mostly*) had reasons to be present in their respective worlds both thematically and narratively, sora learns something in each world and takes it with him to the end of the game. but the worlds that they had (seemed to have?) more creative freedom with were ASTOUNDINGLY original, finally breaking free from the movie script mold while also remaining faithful to the characters’ voices and the movies’ themes.

and then gameplay wise, the scale of KH3 is fuckin

HUGE!

the battlefields are bigger than they’ve ever been!bog standard mob fights have more enemies involved than previous titles’ scripted encounters! midbosses are grandiose and unique and exciting! every single world ends with a behemoth-sized boss fight!

and Sora. Sora makes beautiful use of all this space with a moveset cobbled together with abilities from every previous game! Trinities! [drive]Formchanges! Shotlocks! Flowmotion! You could argue that CoM decks had Keyblade swapping! Rage Form is a Limit Break! I have never played Coded! and the magic. you can’t tell me that sora’s magic didn’t level up for a finale. we have a -za tier! spells cause environmental effects! aero comes back as primarily defensive utility! WE GOT THE WATER ELEMENT AS A SPELL — and not that bullshit balloon element from DDD.

it’s not perfection, and i’ve got my share of grievances with it, but even base kh3 didn’t deserve everyone and their mother saying it was a shit game.

“Need another reason why Marluxia fits in perfectly [in Kingdom of Corona]? How about the fact that he kept Naminé locked away in a single room in order to abuse her powers, the same exact way Mother Gothel did to Rapunzel?

And now the sort of protection that Marluxia suggests for Rapunzel aligns exactly with Mother Gothel’s goals.”

—“Kingdom Hearts 3 Is Great and I Will Die On That Hill” (https://youtu.be/pytjUj-ciJw)

[derxwnakapsyla]

Derxwna Analyzes: Pokemon Reborn

If you're familiar with my blog, you may remember that six years ago, I posted an analysis on the concept of "Edge" in Video Games, specifically Pokemon games, as inspired by the fangame Pokemon Reborn. In that analysis, I stated that Fangames should be allowed to broach darker topics, more serious ones, because they don't need to be marketable to children and families as a whole. To that notion, I still mostly agree, however, there are things I would like to adjust in wording. That is something I'll be attempting to do in this essay of sorts. This essay however is more focused on Pokemon Reborn as a whole, as I'd like to give my full, unfiltered thoughts about it. On occasion, I will be covering the general concept of "dark", "edge", "grit", and "cringe" in Fangames and Media. Do note, going beyond this point will provide significant spoilers for Reborn up to and including E19 content. If you have yet to finish the game, and would like to remain unspoiled, I would not suggest reading this essay.

Trigger Warnings for the following content: Death, Suicide, Gore, Child Abuse, Implied CSA

With that said, let's kick it off proper.

--- Pokemon Reborn: What is it? --- Pokemon Reborn, probably one of the more well known fangames in the Pokemon Fangame Scene for a variety of reasons, released it's final story update to its community on the 18th of April, 2022, 10 years after its first release back in 2012 on the same day. 19 episodes worth of content spanning over 100 hours, easily. With gyms spanning every type, field effects that range from simple (Glitch Field is literally just Gen 1+) to the utterly deranged (Ame I swear to god the Flower Garden field is miserable but I love the complexity of it fuck you and god bless your patience), custom shiny pallets for every single Pokemon, and a plot that you could literally cut deli meats on, Reborn has gained quite the following and acclaim for its features and its story. At the same time, it has also received some harsh, considerably valid, criticisms that I genuinely can't dispute. It is very much the definition of "You can't please everyone", and "You may not be the target audience".

For the unaware, Reborn's plot is about a starting-out trainer traveling to the Reborn Region to challenge its newly rebuilt League. As they're boarding the train, the conductor at the station informs them that the region is basically a "dump", which isn't too far off the mark. On the train, the player gets introduced to the "Professor" of the region, Ame (who is the developer self insert, but she plays extremely minimal impact on the story). As Ame and the Player are finalizing registration, the player gets a very quick introduction to what kind of game this will be, as the train they're on crashes into its station, with the only survivors being Ame and the MC themselves. Reborn City, upon inspection, is quite literally a decrepit city that is being racked by water pollution, earthquakes, gangs and thieves, and is all around a miserable place to be. Not too long into the game, the player encounters Team Meteor, the group responsible for most of Reborn City's current miserable state, utilizing technology called PULSE Machines to mutate Pokemon and cause them to wreak havoc on the city, such as a Tangrowth that is causing vines and other foliage to erupt through the pavement. Their goal is to destroy the "taint" that is Reborn City, and to create a new world in the process- a better world.

As the player progresses further, it becomes more and more apparent that the game relies heavily on darker tones of storytelling- if it wasn't obvious in the intro with the player and Ame being the only survivors of the train crash, there is constant references to people dying as a result of Team Meteor's actions, or of some other actions. This really makes itself apparent after the player deals with Rhodocrine Jungle, where it's revealed that one of the Team Meteor agents, Borealis, is one of the former Gym Leaders, Corey. With his identity exposed and being cornered, he retreats to his former gym, where he battles the player. After losing, he makes for the nearby Beryl Bridge, where after releasing all of his Pokemon, he falls off Beryl Bridge, committing suicide. This is one of the defining moments that most people think about when Reborn is brought up- people die, not just random npcs, but actual people with names and faces, and in very... specific ways. Suicide. Bisection. Decapitation. It gets bloody and gorey.

All in all, Reborn isn't one to shy away from darker topics. One may argue whether or not it did them correctly, or whether or not it was necessary, but regardless of that they were still there. It is argued considerably so, especially since, at the time, it was believed that most of the people in the game were based off of real, living people- dead or alive. This made it very... morally and ethically dubious about this game's "plot". However, a lot of these "events", and the legacy of this game, can all be traced back to its real origins.

Pokemon Reborn started out not as a fangame, but as a Pokemon Netplay Battle Server. A small scale one at that, where initially, Amethyst decided to run a "challenge circuit" for her friends irl, and in the process she created gym leaders for every type and built teams for them. At the time, she was effectively roleplaying as all of the Gym Leaders for that league, as she states in her developer room dialogue. Eventually some random strangers came into the server, and started believing the gym leaders were actual people. From there, it sort of became a "if you know, you know" sort of deal- kind of like wrestling. It's fake, and most people know it, but it's not about whether it was real, it was about having fun, and letting others have fun in the process. Ultimately though, this meant that none of the events- Corey's suicide, Kiki's death, the existence of Connal's orphanage that also doubled as an Electroconvulsive Therapy Center- none of it was real. The people never existed. The events, the people, they primarily stemmed from what would become Amethyst and her fellow admins creating lore within their server, sometimes unintentionally so, sometimes by necessity for their own sake. But that being said, events that happened within the roleplaying of the server got translated into the game, which means that most arguments about the "morality" and the "ethical" state of the game start to go up in smoke with that.

--- Pokemon Reborn: The Dark and the Gritty --- There are quite a few notable events that happen within the game that people like to point out when the game is brought up. The two big ones are Corey's suicide, and Kiki's death at the hands of Solaris', head of Team Meteor, Garchomp, as well as the death of her Medicham in the same scene by being thrown into a volcano. The existence of Sigmund Connal, the Electroconvulsive Therapist who also runs an orphanage and basically "treats" his wards with ECT is another thing people like to bring up as well. All of the blood, all of the gore, some of the implied sexual undertones here and there, it leaves a certain taste in people's mouths. You're either okay with it, or it really bothers you.

That being said, there is... some things that I personally find very hard to stomach. One of the bigger ones involves the scene involving the Dragon Gym Leader, Sapphira Belrose, and Sigmund Connal, her former guardian. In one of the patient logs in the orphanage, it's noted that Sapphira has constant delusions, especially of people in power/male authority figures, going so far as to make up events that didn't happen. During a scene in Calcenon City, just before the raid on Labradora, there is a scene with her and her sister, Laura, where she starts to recount an event that happened to her at the hands of Connal. Further in the game, when you're battling her at her gym, she mentions more about this event, but never goes into explicit detail about it. From the dialogue alone (and after asking Ame for clarification), the scene is intended to be interpreted as Sapphira as a CSA (child sexual assault) survivor who has been traumatized by Connal while he was in in a drunken state. This scene, in my opinion, feels... a bit much. This might be my own personal opinions on the subject, though at the same time, the event isn't being portrayed positively, and I can't imagine that anybody is suddenly rooting for Connal to become a good guy. It portrays him in an even worse light than he already is. With scenes like this, one has to ask the personal question: "Is this scene bad, or do I just have a personal problem with it" (Though sometimes, it could be both).

Ultimately, this is what a lot of the game comes down to- asking that very question. A lot of people will rightfully argue that it's the former. It's not my position to say whether they are right or not, just to acknowledge that their beliefs and perceptions are entirely unique and valid. However, I would find someone who thinks the scene glorifies the event, or any event like it, to be very odd, and potentially worrisome- I’m sure they exist, but I’d like to remain blissfully unaware. In my eyes, Reborn is a game that, while it showcases a lot of dark events, it doesn't normally go out of its way to glorify them, or make it seem right. Sure, sometimes in the heat of the moment, it showcases a normally bad action in a good light (Sapphira being introduced to the player by coming on screen after murdering like, a dozen Team Meteor Grunts, or Titania ripping through Team Meteor Grunts with her Aegislash), but these moments are usually fairly sparse- if I'm remembering right, at least.

As I mentioned in my previous essay, I believe that fangames should be allowed to touch on subjects that would never be covered in official Pokemon games. They don't need to,  but the option shouldn't be shunned. Whether or not a person believes that the subject material is portrayed correctly- portrayed appropriately, that's a very difficult thing to answer or judge. I can't speak for everyone, and I know my personal thoughts are my own, but I believe that at times there's lots of the elements within the story that feel like accurate, if unfortunate portrayal. Amaria's depression and co-dependency disorder is something that resonated a bit too strongly with me, even though I'd like to believe I'm not that bad... anymore. Granted on that note, I should clarify that I didn't do the other route where apparently Amaria goes nuclear because Titania does xyz. It doesn't mean I like them though. As I mentioned above, I really dislike the segment with Sapphira and Connal. But that's very much a personal thing, and I don't believe it's a story failing. A scene that makes you think about it critically is- well, it's not always a sign of good writing, but it's certainly a sign that it was enough to make you, the reader/player, think. If it was just thrown in for shock value, just for the sake of grit and edge, as opposed to story cohesion, it'd be really easy to just shrug it off, because there'd usually- not always, but usually- be no real thought behind it to begin with. Your own mileage may vary on this though, and that's just how it'll be.

--- Pokemon Reborn: Flower Gardens are not Peaceful here --- What, you didn't think I'd only be talking about "OW TEH EDJE", did you? That's only one facet of Reborn, and for people who don't care about story it's entirely irrelevant. The other well known thing about Reborn is how brutally difficult it is. At the very start of the game you're told several things. In a non-specific order, you're informed of the following: Gym Leaders use six Pokemon, and have pretty specialized teams, and that there's a soft level cap that, if you cross, your Pokemon will have a chance to disobey you, even if you caught them yourself. It also isn't long before you're introduced to the other massive quirk of the game: Field Effects, which make the terrains introduced in Generation Six look like the cotton gin. These hyper specialized fields have interactions with battles as a whole- on the Pokemon, on their moves, on their abilities, sometimes even the overworld. Every Gym Leader battles on a field effect that benefits them strongly, and combined with the two aforementioned other facts, it makes each gym battle a very daunting clash. You either need to figure out how to strategize around breaking the field, or potentially using it to your advantage, as its effects can benefit you as well and turn the battle in your favor. Something else you would expect, important trainers have competent AI, and are also EV and IV Trained, a very marked difference from official Pokemon games. Sure, it's not IMPOSSIBLE to beat the game without efficient stats, but it definitely makes the game more tolerable if you do so. But are all of these bad things?

Some think the Field Effects are aggressively stupid, and at times they really can be. Let me just post two examples of field effects. First example is the Desert Field, primarily featured in Tourmaline Desert. https://i.imgur.com/c3dcsHZ.png https://i.imgur.com/GJv7khi.png Pretty simple, wouldn't you agree? A good majority are like this. Some are a bit more elaborate, a bit more involved. And then we have the field that Ame herself said "please set this field on fire" in her dev blog post about it - The Flower Garden, featured exclusively in the Elite Four battle against Bennet and Laura. https://i.imgur.com/sFSySSZ.png https://i.imgur.com/bxhdUPd.png https://i.imgur.com/mMpC5pe.png https://i.imgur.com/JeVWSnM.png https://i.imgur.com/v5leLla.png How anybody is able to memorize all of these, I couldn't tell you. Sure most of the effects are just scaling versions of previous stages, but I have dumb bitch disease and forget things fast! As Ame said, just set fire to it (but not with Flamethrower, because that doesn't count as a move that can remove it!!!!) and scatter its ashes. One thing I will give this field, and all 36 other fields in the game, is that they're really fascinating on a conceptual level, with a lot of thought put into their interactions. It is a remarkable addition to the Fangame scene, and until Reborn it was never done to such an extent.

And then we have a feature that comes later in the game. Team Meteor's PULSE Project culminates in a product called PULSE-2, which amplifies the potential of Pokemon to the absolute pinnacle without mutating them. Mechanically, this means that after a certain point, all of their Pokemon have 252 EVs in every single stat, thoroughly breaking the 510 EV cap on Pokemon. This comes around the time the player and opposing trainers are around Level 90~100, where there isn't much left to do for numbers to change. As a result those fights become a fair bit harder, and things that would become a clean victory make a very drastic turn otherwise. This, however, is just a cherry on top of the cake that is already full of pain.

Another thing to bring up is the distribution of certain resources: namely, TMs and Pokemon. The funniest example is the way Magikarp is kept from the player for like, 3/4ths of the game through a long, drawn out sidequest that starts not long after you get your starter. A series of mishaps and shenanigans keeps the Magikarp you end up spending 1000 PokeBucks on at the start of the game isn't obtainable until you reach Tourmaline Desert, which is like, badge 14 of 18. Gyarados is good, but is it _that_ good? This is a common thing in the game, where certain Pokemon are locked behind sidequests or certain areas, or just really late into the game. Items are similar, but none more so egregious than TMs. It isn't until around the second half of the game that you really start getting access to the gnarly TMs. But until then, it's a bunch of lower power/utility TMs which you're expected to strategize with, which it is very possible to do. Some really good TMs are, understandably so, locked behind expansive sidequests or areas that require some hefty finagling to get through. Fortunately, there's nothing locked behind postgame (except for Legendary Pokemon and their relevant items), so that means you can build your ideal team, sans legendaries, by the time you reach the Elite 4.

Then there's also the fact that there's 18 uniquely designed gyms, with each needing to be beaten to clear the game still. Every single one of them is based on most of the leaders from the Online League. The gyms themselves are already difficult endeavors, but you suddenly go from 4 badges being the halfway point, to 9 badges being the halfway point- and you can see it reflected in the game. I believe when I got access to Agate Circus to begin the second arc of the game, I was already clocking in around 60 hours. The game is long.  Long and really hard (Terra don't interact). All of these factors coalesce into one grand epic, narratively and mechanically. It can be a very daunting experience, especially for someone who's used to only spending 20 hours on a Pokemon game- for both its maingame and its postgame. At my time of writing, I'm not even done with Postgame, and I'm clocking in at 130 hours. That's over six times longer than a normal Pokemon game! Fortunately, the game does make the process of grinding much easier, through the use of grind trainers in the Grand Hall (and Agate Circus) that give you EXP Candies, which allow you to blast prospective party members into the level cap extremely fast. This is also useful for a sidequest in which you have to fill out your Pokedex to get certain rewards (such as the Ice Beam TM........).

The concept of the level cap is also its own can of worms. The idea of a level cap in a Pokemon game isn't exactly an uncommon one, but a lot of people have felt it weird whenever it gets introduced. Regardless of opinion, it can definitely be felt a lot, especially in certain battles. As you can't grind levels to overpower certain enemies, you have to resort to strategizing with moves and Pokemon. However, sometimes this can lead to unfortunate circumstances. One of these unfortunate circumstances is the Gauntlet in the bunker near Calcenon City where you have to fight Cain and Shelly in a double battle, then you have to fight Luna, then Radomus and Serra in a double battle, all back to back. Sure, you get healed (to an extent), but good LORD if you don't have hard cap enabled, it is very easy to get over the level cap and have your Pokemon not obey you anymore. In cases like this, it can be quite annoying to keep on the level cap, and the further you get into the game then the more you'll run into this issue. It becomes necessary to have a hundred common candies on hand to keep their levels in check.

There's definitely more that I didn't cover in regards to mechanics and balancing, but these examples showcase that the game has a lot of avenues of difficulty that some people may or may not enjoy. The game takes great strives to keep each experience unique and diverse, with its field effects and challenging AI, trying to make players think outside of the box and use things they wouldn't normally use, or do things they wouldn't normally do. None of this even goes into the myriad of puzzles of all kinds of difficulty (For the love of god why does the Magic Number puzzle exist aaaaaaaAAAAAA, and don't get me started on the fact that Victory Road could be its entire own game lol).

--- Pokemon Reborn: Scattered Thoughts on Murky Waves --- The difficulty, the story. Those two things make up the crux of Reborn, and the crux of what I wanted to talk about. However, that isn't all, and there's miscellaneous things I'd like to bring up that don't really fit anywhere else. So, in this rapid fire segment of topics, lets start with my personal big favorite: the introduction of the password system, and all of the QoL that comes with it.

At the start of the game, you are given the option to input passwords that control like, so many facets of the game, ranging from difficulty, quality of life, to... uhh... [reads smudged writing on hands]... no fonts? Weird flex, but okay. I won't go into all of the types of passwords here, but just the concept of having passwords that allow you to disable the soft exp cap and make it a hard exp cap is really nice. The ability to make it so the grind trainers just freely give you the candy without needing to battle them further cuts down on grinding. The password to remove EVs and IVs from trainers pokemons makes it more in-line with vanilla Pokemon. The password to make it so every trainer is literally PULSE-2'd is, well. If you're insane enough to do that, god speed. A nuzlocke password, a type inverter password, a monotype password for every type, a password to give yourself more cash after every battle. The system is robust and, honestly, I love it. The passwords aren't some like super secret thing that’s hush hush and if you want to find them you have to crack the game open and find them yourselves. No, they're freely given out in-game from certain npcs, and you can activate them whenever you want at a PC (provided you have a data chip). This system is honestly what I'd want my own password system to be like.

This next thing kinda ties back into the story, but it's only really relevant because I played earlier versions of Reborn; Around e17~e19, Amethyst begun to rewrite the earlier portions of the game to make things more consistent and flow better, instead of just making things just feel like they happen for the sake of happening. You get introduced to Corey much, much earlier, as a person helping the police giving aid to people in the city, and it's made more clear much earlier on that he works for Team Meteor not completely out of choice. From a narrative perspective, they also made it so Corey and Kiki were retired, so when you fight them, it isn't under the pretense of getting a badge that you won't get due to plot events. Lin is also introduced like, really goddamn early on as well, as compared to like, what, around Tanzan Mountain? It's showcased immediately that she's a goddamn anomaly of some fucking sort, and she just starts skyrocketing through the ranks of Team Meteor, eventually becoming the leader of it. Overall, the changes made to stuff Pre-Route 1 make a lot of things flow and feel a lot smoother.

The in-game Field Notes app is pretty nice, and did come in clutch for me quite often... However the fact that you can't access it in battle makes it difficult to call reference to what field effects do if you forget, and since they're no longer documented on the website (at least, not that I could find, but I suppose I didn't search enough), felt kinda restraining. Several times I found myself needing to restart a battle just to rehash what a certain field effect did in regards to a Pokemon or Move that was in play at the time. I know I keep coming back to it, but battling Laura and Bennet for the first time was terrifying because I didn't have a move that could nuke the field, and we couldn't reference what all the field did on demand to see how much trouble I was in, lol. Still though, having an in-game resource like that is really handy.

All the shinies. Every single one. They're so good, and I love all of the work put into them. Even if the shiny rate means you run into one every -2 encounters and will scream because it's just a gauntlet of shiny after shiny. Shinypocalypse is real and it is your friend. Be afraid, but welcome it wholeheartedly.

ame thank you for not forcing us to read titania's diary, i know that was done in like e16 but thank u i cry every time i remember being forced to read it to progress that scene. it's okay, i didn't read it, amaria did, she just read it out loud. i'm absolved of guilt, right? right. it's fine. i am free of sin.

--- Pokemon Reborn: The End Result of an Individual's Ramblings --- So, where does this all lead to? Honestly, I still liked the game. It has a lot of things I don't like, and at times the story and writing can be considered "cringe", but like... that's not inherently a bad thing. And like... who cares? People engage with "cringe" content all the time- so long as it isn't hurting anyone, and I guess thanks to recent realizations, it's not walking over real peoples suffering, I just... don't see an issue with it. Sure, one could argue that the inclusion of these events that happened in the Online League's RP setting, then passing it off as events that "actually happened", all under the guise of like "If you know, you know. If you don't, enjoy the show!" is really bad, but... I don't know, perhaps I see it differently here. I see a lot of things differently- it's gotten me into hot water at times because I try to not accuse someone of outright malice.

The difficulty wasn't necessarily what interested me about the game at first- it was its visual aesthetic, I'm not ashamed to admit that. Once I started playing I just... I dunno, I felt engaged by the story in a way I felt normal Pokemon hadn't been able to for a long time. Then the difficulty started kicking in and I just started... going with the flow, y'know? I learned how to get better (perhaps not good, because I still struggle with memorizing even the vanilla type chart, lol), and watching my progress felt really rewarding.

Reborn isn't my most favorite Pokemon game, or even my most favorite fangame, but it's definitely up there for a lot of reasons. I wholeheartedly enjoy the game. I enjoyed the time I spent with the community. It's inspired me, it's driven me, it's sparked things in me that I thought didn't exist at times. I try not to get bothered whenever people (reasonably so) harp on the game, but it... it's really difficult, because unless I'm in the Discord server for the game itself, nobody around me even remotely likes the game. They take any opportunity to rail on the game any time it's brought up. And again, I get it. I get it! The game isn't the best. The story is dark and cringey. It's not for everyone. But... it's for me. I tend to hold my tongue any time it gets brought up because I don't want to give the wrong impression, or cause a scene because I let my own dumb emotions get the better of me, haha. Streaming Episode 19 from start to finish was a kind of stressful experience, because I knew a lot of things that were coming. Any death I knew that was coming. Any absurd boss fight that I knew was ahead. Stuff I knew would cause a stir, I dreaded it. And for the most part, yeah, I was right to dread it. But there were a few people who were watching that, despite them saying the game was cringe, genuinely enjoyed watching it, and found it fascinating, and some even found it interesting enough to pick it up and play it! I binged it as hard as I did because I had some of an audience that seemed to really enjoy it- one of these people was my roommate who just even offered straight up to handle doing some stuff in game for me while I was at work.

--- Closing Thoughts in the New World --- I'm not a fool to think that just because these things happened that the collective opinion of the game can be changed, nor do I strive to change the opinion of the game. The point of this essay was never to change people's mindsets. It was to just get my thoughts onto paper. I have a lot of thoughts about Reborn, thoughts I tend to keep to myself, because aside from like one friend who I talk within in private about the game on occasion, I don't have a place I feel comfortable talking about the game in. And I mean, I guess that's fair, given everything I've said about the game.

But still, despite all that, Reborn is special to me. So, thank you Amethyst for making this game. I know it may have started off as a delayed April Fools joke of sorts, and it may have grown far beyond what you ever imagined, beyond the small project for the community it was made for, but, if not for that, I don't think I would have had some of my favorite memories of playing a Pokemon fangame- of playing a Pokemon game as a whole. I wish you the best in your future projects, and I hope to see Starlight Divide shine even brighter than Reborn does.

And for the love of god, PLEASE rest more. As a fellow developer, I know how vital rest is, and how easy it is to slip into habits of overworking on passion projects.

--- A Grand Hall of Special Notes --- I would seriously like to thank Ame and the development team for having as much representation as they have in the game. Race, Gender, Sexuality, Physical and Mental Impairments, r/niceguys- These people exist, and they're normal people. They do the same things everyone else does, and should just blend into the game. In some ways, Reborn has helped me to realize a few things about my own identity, but that's not really relevant right now. I just really want to thank Ame for taking the time to do this. It means a lot to me on a personal level.

And finally, I would like to give a special thanks to Reborn for reintroducing me to an old, old friend of mine from school. We weren't super close, and as a result once I changed schools we fell out of contact. Our paths diverged greatly; he went on to become a person who enjoyed competitive Pokemon, I went on to enjoy Glitchology. Despite that, ten years later, this one fangame that he helped make managed to reconnect our paths, with both of us as better, wiser people. I don't know if he'll read this, but if he does, I just want to say this: We made it this far, let's keep doing the best we can for another 10 years. And don't worry, your secrets remain safe with me chief.

Until we next meet again, this is DerxwnaKapsyla, signing out. Hopefully to finish the postgame, and possibly update this post with more thoughts, lol.

[peachscribe]

peach’s summer book list

i had a lot of fun compiling the list of books i read during the 20-21 winter, so i decided i would do a summer one as well! i still have a lot of books i own but haven’t read, so im definitely not lacking in material

if you didn’t see my winter list, how my book list works is basically like this: i read a book that i own but have not previously read, write a short summary immediately after finishing the book, write down my thoughts on the book, and then provide a rating for the book. i also might include background info on why i read this particular book/feelings about the author, but that depends on the book. that’s how each entry works

without further ado, let’s get started!

1. Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

okay so i absolutely adore another book by andrew smith (written after grasshopper jungle) called the alex crow. it’s one of my favorite books of all time, so naturally i wanted to see if grasshopper jungle would make me feel similarly. just like the alex crow, grasshopper jungle’s plot is. so fucking weird. it stars austin szerba, a teenage polish kid who lives in ealing, iowa, and is often sexually confused regarding his girlfriend shann and his best friend robby. and in ealing, iowa, austin and robby accidentally and unknowingly unleash an unstoppable army of huge six-foot-tall praying mantis bugs that only want to do two things: fuck and eat. and i just have to say: andrew smith’s got an absolutely dynamo writing style. alex crow is similar, where it’s a book about kind of everything all at once, framed in a moment centering around teenage boys. it’s fantastic, and it’s more than a little gross, and i love it. this book made me feel so many things, and i thought austin was such an amazing narrator and main character to identify with. this book has it all: shitty teenage boy humor, fucked up science experiments, and poetic imagery that will make you want to cry. and explicit lgbt characters.

412/10 andrew smith what do you put in your water i just want to know

2. Burn by Patrick Ness

patrick ness has written a plethora of some of my favorite books (such as a monster calls, the chaos walking trilogy, and the rest of us just live here) so when i saw this one in the store i knew it would be a great one. burn is an alternate history fantasy that takes place in 1957 frome, washington, during the height of the cold war, and it begins with a girl named sarah and her father hiring a dragon to help out on their farm. but there’s not just dragons, farm living, and cold war tensions; there’s also a really shitty small town cop, a cult of dragon worshippers and their deadly teenage assassin, a pair of fbi agents, and a prophecy that sarah’s newly hired dragon claims she’s a part of. i think eoin colfer’s highfire was on my winter list, which also featured a story that included dragons and shitty cops, so when i first began burn i thought it was funny to have two books that had both things. you know, if you had a nickel etc etc. but that’s really where the similarities end because burn is entirely it’s own monster (dragon). burn is entirely invested in its world, and its fascinating. not only that, i had no clue where the book would take me next. there were so many surprises and amazing twists that honestly just blew me away. this book also includes beautifully written complicated discussions on family, race, and love - it features interracial and queer romances as the two most prominent romance plots which was such a nice surprise from a book i wasn’t expecting to have that kind of representation. this book is witty, fast-paced, and a very heartening read - i absolutely adored it.

9/10 dragons and becoming motivated by the power of love and friendship are so fucking cool

3. As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann

i hate this book! as meat loves salt is a historical fiction novel which takes place in seventeenth century england, which is going through a grisly civil war. the protagonist, jacob cullen, is a servant for a wealthy household and is engaged to another servant in the house. but due to certain events that are almost entirely jacob’s fault, he flees the house and is separated from his wife. from there, he joins the royal army and meets a kind soldier, ferris, and the two become fast friends. jacob and ferris’s relationship begins to bridge past friendly, and jacob struggles with his homoerotic feelings as well as the growing obsession and violence inside him. also, they try to start a colony. listen, i don’t know how to describe the book because so much happens, but it basically just follows jacob and all the terrible decisions he makes because he is, truly, a terrible person. ferris is kind and good, and jacob is scum of the earth. he sucks so bad. the entire time i was reading this book (which took absolutely so long), all i wanted was for jacob to just get his ass handed to him. i wanted to see him suffer. and it’s not like i just personally don’t like him - i believe the book purposefully depicts him as unsympathetic even though he is the narrator. i did enjoy the very in depth and accurate portrayal of what life would’ve been like in seventeenth century england, and i think it was interesting to read a character that is just the absolute worst person you’ve ever encountered and see him try and justify his actions, so if you enjoy that kind of thorough writing, then this book would be perfect for you. however, i did not see that bitch ass motherfucker jacob cullen suffer enough. i’d kill him with my bare hands.

2/10 diversity win! the worst man on earth is mlm!

4. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

i know ive had a friend tell me how great one of schwab’s other book series is, but truthfully i bought this book because the cover is sick as hell and it was on a table in the store that advertised for buy two get one free, i think. something like that. anyway, this savage song takes place in a future in which monsters, for whatever reason, suddenly became real and out for blood in a mysterious event nicknamed the phenomenon. august flynn is one of these monsters, but he takes no pride in that fact and only wants to feel human. kate harker is the daughter of a ruthless man and is trying her hardest to be ruthless, too, but deep down she knows it’s just an act. their city, verity, stands divided, and kate and august stand on either side - but when august is sent on a mission to befriend kate in the hopes of stopping an all out war, the lines begin to blur. this book rules. august and kate are such interesting and dynamic characters, and the narrative is familiar while still being capable of twisting the story around and taking the feet out from under you in really compelling ways. this savage song is part of the monsters of verity duology, and i can’t wait to dive into how the story continues and finishes.

11/10 sometimes you can judge a book by it’s cover

4a. Our Dark Duet by Victorian Schwab

this is the sequel and finale for this savage song and i’d figure i’d update everyone: fantastic ending, beautiful, showstopping, painful.

12/10 loved it and will definitely be keeping an eye out for schwab’s other books

5. White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

oh boy. okay. white is for witching is about a house, and it is about the women who have lived inside of it. when her mother dies abroad, miranda silver begins to act strangely, and there’s nothing her father or her twin brother seem to be able to do about it. she develops an eating disorder and begins to hear voices in the silver family house, converted to a bed and breakfast by miranda’s dad; and she begins to lose herself in the house and the persistent presence of her family legacy. white is for witching switches perspective dizzingly and disorientingly between miranda, her twin eliot, miranda’s friend from school named ore, and the house itself. this story is a horror story as much as it as a tragedy as much as it is a romance as much as it is a bunch of other things. oyeyemi brings race, sexuality, nationality, and family into this story and forces you not to look away. this book is poetry.

(like i mentioned briefly, this book heavily deals with topics of race and closely follows miranda’s eating disorder. read responsibly, and take care of yourselves)

15/10 this book consumed me and i think i’ll have to read it another 10 more times to feel it properly

6. These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

okay. okay. strap in for a ride. these violent delights is a romeo and juliet style story, taking place in glittering 1920’s shanghai. the city stands divided - not only between the foreign powers encroaching on chinese land, but also between the scarlet gang and the white flowers, who are at the height of a generations-long blood feud. juliette cai, heir to the scarlets, has recently returned from four years abroad and is determined to prove herself ruthless enough to lead. roma montagov, heir to the white flowers, is standing strenuously on his place as next in line due to a slip up four years prior and is desperate to keep hold of his title. and in the midst of juliette and roma’s burning history with each other threatening to combust, an unnatural monster lurks in the waters of shanghai, loosing a madness on scarlets and white flowers alike. this book has it all - scorned ex lovers, political intrigue, deadly monsters, and all set on a glamorous backdrop of the roaring twenties. i absolutely was enraptured by this book and the way it plays around the story of romeo and juliet so well that it easily became it’s own monster, but with the punches and embraces of something classically shakespearan. gong does just an absolutely breathtaking job of fitting this fantastical story amid the larger world of shanghai and the real life historical events that had shaken the city to its core. completely immersive and outstandingly heart racing.

17/10 i was chewing on my fingernails for the last thirty pages and will continue to do so until the sequel is released (our violent ends, 16 nov 21)

7. The Antiques by Kris D’Agostino

you ever heard of the american dysfunctional family story? this is most definitely that. at the same time george westfall’s cancer takes a turn for the worse, a hurricane hits the east coast, and suddenly all at once the issues of his health, the hurricane, and all three of his children’s achingly dysfunctional adult lives are crashing into each other. reunited by george’s death, the westfall siblings have to face their grief, each other, and the problems in their own lives they attempted to put on hold while planning their father’s memorial. this is a nice story about grief and loss and love and somehow finding the humor amidst it all.

(this book does include a depiction of an autistic child who does experience several pretty bad meltdowns due to ignorant people around him not understanding how to cater to his needs. im not an authority on what depictions are or are not harmful, but i do believe this depiction is ultimately loving and well-intended.)

7/10 it made me laugh and cry and was generally one of those books that somehow hit you close to home

8. Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill

fierce fairytales is a poetry anthology that reimagines classic fairytales from a modern, feminist viewpoint, acknowledging that the line between hero and villain, monster and damsel, are not as clear cut as the classics try to make you believe. this book also includes illustrations done by the author herself, which i think is really cool. my personal favorite story reimagining was the story of peter pan and captain hook, called ‘boy lost’ which looked at how peter and hook’s relationship began and rotted. all in all, i think this collection of stories had a lot of important things to say and said them in frank, easy to understand poetry and prose.

7/10 beautiful message and pretty prose, but at times a little cliche

and that’s all from the summer! my fall semester starts tomorrow, and overall i feel very good about all the reading i did this summer. i even read four other books not on this list for work! so i definitely feel like i made the most out of my time, and im really glad i was able to read so many stories that made me feel a variety of different things

thanks so much for reading this list, and let me know if you read or have read any of these books and tell me what you think of them!

happy reading<3

[weaver-z]

25 writing tips for new or aspiring writers!

I’m incredibly bored today, so I thought I’d share some advice I like to give to young writers who are planning a novel or work of fiction. Check under the cut if you’re curious!

1. If you’re writing a novel, you should really have an outline written before you start. Yes, some authors have written great works without outlining! However, this is an incredibly risky move that often leads to burnout and a directionless, meandering plot. 

2. On that note, don’t feel afraid to alter or break from your original outline if you have a great idea or a new and interesting plot point to incorporate! 

3. Exposition is a delicate balancing act. Avoid info-dumps, but don’t leave your readers completely in the dark. 

4. Well-written imagery is critical to most works of fiction. Your job as a writer is to craft a rich, vibrant world for your characters (and, by extension, the reader) to inhabit. Even mundane or ordinary settings can be described in ways that make them feel immersive.

5. Your characters should be interesting before they are likable. 

6. Internal conflict makes characters interesting. Explore your main character’s inner life and relationships to others. What ties bind them? What forces and people pull them in different directions?

7. Dedicate yourself to a premise. If your plot can’t be described in one or two sentences, make your work more focused. 

8. While worldbuilding is important to many works of fiction (especially fantasy and sci-fi), worldbuilding is not writing. Don’t fall down a rabbit hole of research or setting-building that will burn you out and distract you from your plot and character development.

9. Show your work to your friends and, more importantly, to people willing to beta-read for you. Try to find people who will give you honest and constructive criticism about your writing, and react positively to their feedback.

10. Kill your darlings. Be your own critic. Your work is a labor of love, but it is NOT your baby. Be willing to edit, alter, and outright scrap portions of your work if something isn’t working.

11. Related to points 5 and 6--give your characters a strong philosophy and convictions, then challenge them.

12. Main characters need to fail, and bad things need to happen that are their fault. Your character needs to struggle, to strive, to fall and get up again. This process makes them human.

13. All of your characters should have key traits that differentiate them from each other in their interactions. These can include tics, manners of speaking, vocabulary, habits, and the ways in which they move. This helps your reader to remember key players in your narrative and makes your work FAR more entertaining and easy to read.

14. When describing the physical characteristics of your characters, focus on traits that make them stand out. Describing a character’s hair color and eye color is expected and a decent way to put an image of the character in your reader’s eye. However, describing a character with hands that twitch and tremble as though constantly grasping for a knife will intrigue your readers and make them want to learn more about this person.

15. Diversity is a great thing in fiction! Try to seek the counsel and advice of people in the minority groups you’re representing if you’re not in those groups yourself. Sensitivity readers are great if you’re planning to publish and share work that tackles social issues.

16. Find a place where you can get into a “flow” to write. Different people prefer to write in different environments; find one that suits you.

17. Villains have to do villainous things. A lot of young writers, concerned with making their villains “too problematic,” create designated villains who do little to further the plot and pose no real threat to the protagonist. Yes, this is a real issue I’ve encountered.

18. When writing science fiction or fantasy, find ways to break from the tropes of the genre. Tolkienesque fantasy settings and StarWarsian science fiction settings are extremely common in genre fiction and thus are hard to write well due to their oversaturation. Having said that, if you have a great plot that fits well into a “typical” fantasy or science fiction universe, don’t be afraid to write it!

19. Read the work of great authors, especially the work of authors in genres you want to write. Reading is, to put it in an extremely trite way, exercise for your mind. You will develop as a writer by reading.

20. Accept that you need experience, time, and planning to publish good, high-quality work. Hone your skill in writing before making your debut.

21. Here’s a petty and very specific tip: if you see one of those horrible “50 words to say instead of ‘said’” lists, which often circulate around tumblr, pinterest, and instagram, ignore it. “Said” should cover 90% of your necessary dialogue tags, as it is a word that facilitates the flow of speech rather than halting it. Other words, such as shouted, whispered, called, or hissed are sometimes necessary to indicate volume, but use them sparingly.

22. Don’t obsess over your first draft. Wait until it’s finished to start doing major edits.

23. Ask your friends for ideas and feedback beyond simple criticism. One of my friends helped me massively expand on a specific part of my worldbuilding that is critical to the novel I’m working on.

24. Don’t incorporate romantic relationships into your plotline without reason or for paper-thin reasons (e.g. “it’s expected in this genre” or “I made these two characters sexy”). Critics have a field day with poorly-developed love triangles for good reason.

25. On that note, don’t waste space on anything that is filler or feels like filler. Padding is the bane of many a good novel. Be efficient, and your work’s pacing and readability will drastically improve.

That’s about all I have for now! If anyone wants me to expand on any of these points, I’ll do so in the comments.

[lovee-infected]

Hello Geo-san, just read your post on Malleus's birthday. It says that his only relative is his grandmother and she still rules the Valley of Thorns. There are theories that his grandmother is none other than Maleficent herself. If that's the case, there are two options here, either she survived her encounter with Prince Phillip or the TW timeline is following the 2014 film. Where she's still alive and ruling the Moors, maybe renamed as the Valley, alongside with Aurora. We'll just wait and see.

I've actually been thinking about this myself, that was much of a shoking reveal!

Aside from revealing the fact that Malleus's parents are dead, this somehow dropped a bomb on "Maleficent being Malleus's grandmother theory"

The main discussion going over the fandom regarding the topic is whether his grandmother is Maleficent or not, which is a really important question!

As someone who strongly supported this theory before this reveal, I can't say I wouldn't be disappointed if Maleficent isn't actually his grandmother, but on the other hand, the possibility of her being Maleficent and still alive would face some strong contradictions in the story:

First off, let's flash back to where this theory begun in the first place:

In Malleus's personal chats, we can find Sebek complimenting Malleus's performance after the classes, telling him that he'd even surpass the witch of thorns herself one day!

Malleus immediately objects to it, saying his powers barely come close to his grandmother's.

Well, to think that they were actually talking about Maleficent but all of a sudden Malleus mentioned his grandmother instead, left us qith a great possibility of him being Maleficent's grandson, to the point that many, including me, considered this theory as canon! But now I highly doubt this theory, even though I wanted it to be confirmed true so much. But since we have more information to seriously discuss the matter right now, here are my thoughts whether this theory is still acceptable or not, which is mainly explaining what would happen if they're actually using the 2014 and 2019 live action movies as a reference:

1) Maleficent being alive would totally WRECK Silver's character development and design!

Come to think of it, there would be no Silver if Maleficent is still alive! Silver's twisted logo is the sword, and the one and only famous sword in the sleeping beauty classic AND the live action movie is the one which slayed Maleficent.

So... If Maleficent's still alive -> There hasn't ever been a sword which slayed her -> Silver doesn't have any special or specific symbol/ character which he is twisted from!

While his name might have something to do with the live action version, where they strongly used Silver to defeat Maleficent, it can also be referring to the fact that dark fairies would immediately be wounded if touched with Silver, which is most likely because of Yana's studies in the fae mythology field (Like how she chose ice cream as Malleus's favorite food since fairies love cream) which isn't necessarily bound to the live action version. But since the sword is Silver's most important role in the game, we can't really stick with the live action version because not only didn't we have any special swords in the live action version, but there also would be a big confusion if there hasn't ever been a sword which slayed Maleficent and Silver is twisted from!

In summary, I'd be honest and say this out loud: Maleficent HAS TO be dead because we need the Silver sword to exist somewhere in the story!!!

2) History of 'Classic Maleficent' vs 'Live action Maleficent'

one of the main points which needs to be considered in this matter, is how different Classic Maleficent and Live action Maleficent are. Maleficent is the very first Disney live action to present a totally different face of a well-known Disney villain such as Maleficent, which also led to a considerable growth in both "Maleficent" and the classic version of "sleeping beauty"'s popularity at the same time! But while 2014's Maleficent was an absolutely amazing movie (to at least) and nearly turned Maleficent into the most beloved villain of Disney's history, the live action (especially the 2019 version) received some strict critiques regarding how they pictured Maleficent: Many of the fans were familiar and attached to the original Maleficent, the mistress of all evil who had control over the powers of hell itself. A REAL villain and an absolutely perfect one. But the live action Maleficent wasn't meant to be a villain, the live action narrated a totally different story from what the classic was.

Though it didn't really lessen the movie's popularity, there were fans who begun to dislike this version of Maleficent after the 2019 version and their reason for disliking the movie actually made sense, the live action went TOO FAR with creating a second Maleficent, almost to the point of not being anything similar to the original, that strong villainous sense they were expecting to see in Maleficent had disappeared.

Now let's talk about twst, what is twst about? Villains. It's basically the world of villains. We need that evil, menacing and demonic sense of villains to be brought back to life through this twisted vessels, as it's confirmed that this school's students have villainous souls. From the Heartslabyul chapter till now, the Pomefiore chapter, his is all we've dealt with: Absolute villains. Each chapter is about a dorm leader (expect for Kalim) discovering and revealing their villainous spirits, which leads to an overblot. They want them to see just as evil and reckless as the original villains, which is why they put them into a mode such as overblot, where they're controlled by a puppet in the shape of one of the great seven.

Is such a story, where they need to make each of the main characters be as evil as possible, choosing live action Maleficent (who is a half villain, half hero character) not only is debatable but ia also a big contract to the previous chapters as they all followed the original villains' stories!

I guess we can all agree that Diasomnia's quite special compared to the rest of the dorms, but going as far as using a different source in character development and plot design compared to the rest of the characters and dorms seems to be a bit too much- I don't think Diasomnia's design and development is planned to be THAT different.

3) Key points about fhat has been officially mentioned in twst

Personal chats are VERY important to go through while doing a character analysis, they're such a wealthy and perfect source of information regarding each and every of the characters!

As for Diasomnia, each and every of the members mentioned something about the witch of thorns and her background, which directly leads us to how and who is the twst's Maleficent:

Lilia: Explains how Maleficent's Chronicles spent 16 years looking for a baby in a cradle -> This only happened in the classic! Live action Maleficent never sent any of her minions to look after aurora as she never had any!

Silver: Explains how the King of a well-known kingdom forgot to invite Maleficent and offended her with this, he wonders what kind of King would ever do such a disrespectful thing? -> Original Maleficent was offended and mad just because she wasn't invited, while the Live action Maleficent was betrayed by the King Stephan, Aurora's father who intentionally refused to invite Maleficent. Keep this in mind that Silver said forgetting to invite her, which is exactly what happened in the classic and King and Queen seriously forgot to invite Maleficent, not to intentionally avoid and decide to keep her away from baby Aurora like what happened in the live action.

Malleus: In his chats with Lilia, he mentions how The witch of thorns once invited the prince of as enemy Kingdom into her own castle -> This is again, something which only happened in the classic, referring to the scene where Maleficent captured prince Philip and imprisoned him inside her castle. Live action Maleficent didn't even have a castle to begin with, note that all she did was to take Phillip to Stephan's castle to give Aurora a chance to live.

Malleus: He explains how The Witch of thorns could turn into a dragon -> Live action Maleficent never turned into a dragon, she just once turned her crow, diaval, into a dragon (2014 ver.) and turned into a phoenix (2019 ver.). The only Maleficent which could and did transform into a dragon is the one we know from the sleeping beauty classic.

Hitting with the lighting: This is something Malleus is capable of doing, he both did this to Sebek back in the manga anthology and threatened Rook with it -> Again, this is something which the original Maleficent and herself only could do.

There are quite a few of other orginal Maleficent references you can find if you carefully go through the story and voice lines, but I'm not going to mention each and every of them because I believe I've already discussed this enough. Note that while there are tens of original Maleficent references in the story, there hasn't been anything mentioned about the live action Malleus so far expect for fan content and stuff.

Obviously, they're using Original Maleficent as the main reference. The question is whether they're using the live action too as a reference or not.

4) A summary + Existing debates

Aside from all of the current theories and headcanons, I guess this is all we can tell about the canon information revealed so far. But before we end, I'd like to add a few of small notes:

Lilia has never referred to the Witch of thorns as Queen of thorns, it's not quite specific to tell but it seems like Queen of thorns and Witch of thorns are indeed to different people.

But then again, why does Malleus bring his grandmother up in the middle of a discussion about Witch of thorns? Could it be that he just used her mother as an example since her too, is a very powerful magician but not exactly the witch of thorns herself, or...??

There hasn't been any information revealed regarding the great seven's current position in twisted wonderland's history, how long ago has their stories taken place? Could it be that some of them are still alive? Did their stories end just the same as orginal stories or did they decide to twist the endings as well?

The main reason why I think Maleficent cannot be alive now is not becuase she died in the original story, it's becuase of Silver, which has already been explained in part (1)!

At last, I'd like to add a final note to this piece: Even if the "Grandmother Maleficent" theory turns out to be wrong, many of the fans are already enjoying the eixisting fanon twst content which are using the live action as a reference! The most popular reference is probably with Malleus's back, where many artists decide to add two wounds on as a reference to what happened to Maleficent's wings in the live action. This is personally one of my FAVORITES and I just love it when artists draw the wounds, though the possibility of Malleus actually having wings is pretty low! We can almost call it impossible lol. The thing is, from how the story has gone so far we can assume that they aren't going to use the live action at all, but if they do, that'll be quite amazing and interesting to discuss!!

[snek-snacc-ficc]

Fare and Unfairness

Summary: As the embodiment of Greed, Janus is no stranger to doing whatever he pleases to satisfy his desires. A craving for delicious food is one such desire with an especially simple remedy, that just so happens to come with the added bonus of visiting Patton.

Pairings: Moceit, implied Intrulogical

Words: 2,010

Janus didn't have a problem taking what he wanted when he wanted it. It was a given being the physical incarnation of Greed. But, sometimes, the sheer effort of having to maneuver his way to his prize was more than he was willing to give. Perhaps it was just another example of his self-serving ways, wanting to hoard everything including his own time. If asked outright he'd jokingly suggest that he suffered the same issue that afflicted Logan, the only one of them who represented two Sins, and that a part of Sloth still remained with him from the time when all seven Sins were the same being. In truth, it simply mattered little to him how he obtained what he desired as long as he obtained it at all. If someone was going to hand him what he wanted on a silver platter he was in no place to complain. Which is why he found himself in the kitchen of Patton's earthly residence when he was hit with a particularly strong craving for lavish wines and rich food, not wanting to bother with wasting hours searching for a human with enough skill to make it for him.

"Hmm," Patton looked thoughtfully at both bottles in his hands. "Would you prefer Bordeaux or Rioja?"

Janus eyed the dishware set hanging atop the wall above the sink with a much too admiring look. "Whatever you think is best, my dear," he said, waving offhandedly. "Is that design made of real gold?"

"What?" Patton asked, glancing up to where Janus's gaze laid. "Oh, yes! More for show than anything, but it sure is pretty."

"Indeed." Janus slowly trailed his eyes away and back to Patton.

Patton didn’t react to his guest looking like he was plotting to rob him blind, much more enthralled with choosing a wine. He observed both bottles for another moment, before shrugging and setting both on the dining table. "Well no harm in splurging a bit, why not both?" he chirped, reaching to the counter for a wine glass for each of them.

Janus chuckled lightly. "Always such a generous host. I'm surprised the Angels haven't made an exception and taken you as one of their own."

Patton huffed, giving the corkscrew a firm twist. "You would think, wouldn't you? Out of all the things in humanity to make a Sin, the Heavens choose a harmless little thing like Gluttony."

"Oh?" Janus quirked an eyebrow. "Is that a hint of bitterness I hear from such a seemingly sweet-heart? Do you think yourself Holier than the rest of us?"

"Of course not!" Patton insisted. "Frankly, I think all of their rules are foolish in some way. But out of all the things to punish, why a little self-indulgence?" He went for the Spanish wine first, pouring a glass for Janus and then one for himself. He took his own seat at the opposite end of the table and gave a snap of his fingers. In an instant the table was filled with trays of food. A beautiful, dripping prime rib sat at the center, surrounded by sides of creamy mashed potatoes and gravy, Yorkshire pudding, garlic-parsnip purée, and an assortment of vegetables prepared in nearly every way imaginable, from roasted to slathered in butter and sauteed with bacon.

Janus nearly moaned at the feast in front of them, the heavenly smells wafting through the air further confirming in his mind Patton's skills to be far more angelic than infernal. He took the time to fold his cloth napkin in his lap, and not hesitating a second longer on filling his plate.

"Continue Dear," he said, spooning out a healthy portion of truffled brussel sprouts. "I don't think I've ever heard anything akin to frustration from you until now and I'm curious to hear more. What brought all this on?"

"It's nothing much, I suppose," Patton said as he began to carve into the meat. "It's just I had a run-in with that Emile a few weeks ago and I swear it sets me off everytime I see them. You know they-"

Janus almost choked, wearing a rare expression of genuine concern he'd never dare let anyone but Patton see. "I wouldn't call an encounter with a Head Angel 'nothing much!' They didn't try anything with you, did they?"

"No, no, nothing happened," Patton said quickly to quench his fears, "I heard their lot has been trying to keep the peace with our bunch. They don't want to cause any other-worldly problems when they can hardly handle this new plague on Earth, or whatever the humans are calling it."

Janus's face melted back into relaxation.

The corners of Patton's mouth twitched upward at the subtle display. Notes of true affection from Janus were few and far between, so much so he doubted anyone but him ever picked up on them, but he cherished those moments where the other let bits of his heart slip through the cracks of his usual facade.

"Anyway," he continued, "They looked like they had an apprentice with them. Remy, I think his name was. I'd never seen him before and mistook him for just another human in the park with his true form covered."

Janus clicked his tongue. "Consciousness Darling, you have to work on it."

“I was getting to that,” Patton said indignantly. “It just so happens I had gotten my hands on a box of these lovely gourmet chocolates I was dying to try and got a little...distracted.”

Janus brought a forkful of mushroom risotto to his lips, barely holding back a smile. “Ah, I see. Completely understandable.”

“And you know what,” Patton said, ignoring the sarcastic quip, “I hadn’t even set out that day to tempt anyone. I thought: Why not leave the humans alone, just this once? They create plenty of Sin on their own, no help from me necessary.” He poured himself another glass of wine, the passion in his voice a testament to how much the alcohol was already starting to affect him. “So when I spot this kid looking around everywhere all disoriented I decided to offer him a chocolate. One, single, completely innocent chocolate, just to perk him up a little cause he looked like he needed it. And right when I go up to him, Emile swoops in from out of nowhere and knocks the box right out of my hands, telling me to stop trying to tempt their pure apprentice like I do the humans.”

Janus gave a sound of acknowledgment. “And how exactly did this specific incident set you off down this ‘Gluttony shouldn’t be sinful’ path?”

“It’s the principle of it Janus! To think that they view such a minor indulgence as a bad thing. And then they hold the humans to the same standard. They have such short, insignificant little lives, and they waste it on concepts like ‘moderation,’ and ‘dieting,’ hoping it’ll be enough to please those stuck-ups. Humans, more than anyone, should be able to soak up every last bit of pleasure from their cuisine while they can. Why, if I were a human, I’d eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it.”

By the time the tirade was over Janus had cleared his plate. He polished off the last bit of his wine and released a satisfied sigh. “You already do that Dear,” he said, taking on a soft, sympathetic tone. “And it’s no use lamenting the sorrows Heaven inflicts on humanity; Just be grateful we can nudge them towards their own pleasure once in a while.”

“I guess so.” Patton sulked while finishing his own meal and snapping the table clean.

“Funny,” Janus teased in an attempt to get Patton’s mind on something else, “I wouldn’t have thought you the type to forget dessert.”

As expected, his energy brightened up at the mention. “You’re right, I never asked you what you wanted. Any preferences?”

Janus thought through various options, drumming his fingers on the table. “I was rather partial to that lava cake we had in France.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a dessert plate with the cake appeared in front of him.

“Toppings?” Patton asked, already doctoring up his own cake with whipped cream and berries.

“Just powdered sugar, thank you.”

A silver shaker popped up next to his plate. He took it, sifting only a small sprinkle overtop before cutting into the miniature cake. It was even more moist than he remembered, and the center of molten chocolate oozing out was the perfect viscosity. It only took one bite for him to conclude that even the five-star Parisian restaurant they had visited didn’t hold a candle to the food Patton could create on a whim.

“Have you heard from any of the other’s lately?” He asked, eager to get the ball rolling for a bit of after-dinner gossip (his personal favorite topic of conversation).

Patton shook his head. “I haven’t had the chance to. Aside from you, I’ve only seen Virgil recently, and that was months ago.”

A delighted, devilish smirk blossomed on Janus’s face. “So I take it you haven’t heard about the...hard time Logan has had as of late.”

“No, is he okay?” Patton asked, voice laced with worry, “What happened?”

“He’s just fine,” Janus said, reveling in the anticipation, “Let’s just say that it appears there’s a reason he’s so fond of the color blue.”

He recounted the entire story Roman had told him about Logan’s budding temptation towards Lust, much to Patton’s shock and amusement.

“I never would have expected those two,” Patton said, getting up and waving away their dishes once they were finished, “But I’m happy for them. It sounds like they’re enjoying themselves.”

Janus hummed in agreement, stretching as he too stood up. “The food was wonderful as always Darling, thank you,” he said, leaning over to give Patton a gentle peck on the cheek.

His face, already flushed from the wine, turned a shade darker. “Leaving so soon?”

“You know the drill,” Janus replied, “Temptations to be made, Angels to corrupt, humans to swindle. Perhaps if I’m feeling especially virtuous I’ll borrow you a gift from somewhere in return for the lovely meal.”

Patton, who had been sinking into the other’s touch, suddenly jerked back. “That reminds me,” he said, “Wait just a second.” He snapped once and a gift bag filled with glittery tissue paper materialized in his hand. “Here.”

Confused, Janus peeled away the top layers of the tissue paper, peeking inside. Everything was sealed up tightly in bubble wrap, but through the translucent covering he could make out a familiar design. He looked up above the sink where the gold accented dish set from earlier had hung, the wall now dotted only with semi-visible outlines of where it had once been.

Patton giggled at his surprise. “You aren’t nearly as sly as you think you are,” he said. “And I don’t care whether I eat off of solid diamond or a paper plate as long as the food is good, so they’re really no use to me.” He winked. “Besides, I think I actually quite enjoy feeding your desires.”

There was a beat where Janus simply stared stunned and silent at Patton, who, in turn, looked to him with all the tenderness in the world.

Janus moved with his free hand, rushing forward to cup Patton's face and connecting their lips in a deep kiss.

“Every single being in Heaven is an idiot for not making you one of their own,” Janus whispered when they had just barely parted.

“Maybe not,” Patton said lightly, “Maybe they have incredible foresight. In any existence I would have ended up Falling for you anyway.”

Janus pulled them in for another kiss, pushing his previous priorities to the back of his mind. He was Greed after all, it was only natural for him to go after his desires. And if what he wanted was right in front of him for the taking then he certainly wasn’t going to refuse the offer.

---

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! If you're interested in this AU I do plan on creating a collection of one-shots for it, so be sure to be on the lookout for those.

Here's just a couple quick notes on the writing itself that I thought might be confusing:

-Fare, as written in the title, refers to food.

-The "Sins" in this AU were once combined into a single physical being. However, as humanity grew in size it became increasingly harder for one being to manage the responsibilities for all seven Sins at once. The internal conflict caused a split to occur, with individual vessels being created for each Sin. The only exception is Logan, who represents both Wrath and Envy. The two Sins compliment each other well, so it's easy for them to work in tandem as one. A similar occurrence happened with Pride and Lust (Roman and Remus) at first, but ultimately fell apart later on.

-The color blue, referenced in the short mention of Logan near the end, is often attributed as the color of lust.

[mcbride]

TWD S11 Predictions - Carol/Daryl focused

disclaimer: i don't know anything. i have no sources. just my predictions, thoughts and wishful thinking based on filming tracking, intuition, some theories, images from the teaser/promo trailers and more wishful thinking!

solely focused on Carol and Daryl's storylines, cause apparently that's all my heart cares about anymore! as a wise person once said (Espy, my positive fairy! if you're reading this, ilysm), our baes need to be dealing with their own issues and demons, separately, while getting some closure with other people, so they can finally move forward together.

so i don't expect many actual caryl scenes in part 1 of s11, but i fully expect them to keep each other in mind, and even make some decisions based on a future they wanna have together even before they resolve the awkward tension between them atm.

imo the perfect caryl arc in 11a would include a lot of emotional encounters, drama, disappearances, fake deaths, torture, tragedy, dog, closure and make up and make out... after the jump....

it appears that Carol and Daryl will be involved in different missions at the start of the season - he will head out with Maggie's group to search for food when they are caught up in a storm and have to hide out in the subway tunnels; while i presume she stays back to defend and help clean up ASZ or goes on her own mission with Kelly and Magna.

Carol, Kelly and Magna end up stumbling upon Connie's journal, a symbol of hope for all of them. they might even decide to search the area for any more signs of Connie. i really want Carol herself to find Connie and bring her back to Kelly. and not cause Carol is a hero who saved Connie, nooooooo cause Connie can save her own self. she is strong, not a damsel in distress. she went through hell but she made it back. i think we will see Connie and what she has been through, however, i don't believe she will reunite with anyone from team family before the MSF (11x08) or even MSP (11x09). no idea who she and Virgil are running from in the trailer - it could either be a whisperer, a stray reaper or just some crazy random motherf*cker they run into.

while Maggie's group are in the tunnels, dog runs off and Daryl goes to search for him, never making it back to the group for some reason. after the storm is over, Maggie and the group search for Daryl but not having been able to find him (?) they just assume he is gone, possibly dead? i don't know why Maggie would give up so easily searching for family, but it seems like her current MO to just leave people behind.

along the way, Carol and Magna will find common ground and actually become besties cause she desperately needs some female friends. please and thank you. they can bond over the hope to find Connie alive and well, or the fact, both of them are currently in a very awkward position with their boos while having no idea where the heck they are.

Daryl probably got separated from the group while escaping a small herd in the tunnels (cue to Daryl's face covered in blood in the woods) and when he finally finds dog, he comes face to face with a masked reaper formerly known to him as Leah. he is shocked to learn she's part of the group that targeted Maggie. Leah is probably bitter Daryl chose his family instead of her a few years ago cause she has no idea he came back for her... so she and her friends take (willingly or not!) Daryl prisoner... possibly torture him and play mind games to gather information on team family.

in the sdcc trailer, there are some very heartbreaking scenes with Carol (and Aaron?), i cannot wait for it. i know it's gonna make me cry so hard and i've been needing Carol/Aaron friendship for years. at the same time, i expect Carol to also have some badass fighting scenes with her daughter-in-law and new bestie, Lydia, and tia Rosita! YES girl power!! people need Carol and she's totally there for them.

Aaron seems to be in a bad place emotionally (possibly something happened to Gracie, or just the fact they lost a lot of people in the whisperers war!) and Carol will be there to urge him not to make the same mistakes she did. hopefully, these 2 can join forces and come up with a masterplan to defeat the reapers.

Daryl being Daryl who always wants to save people even from themselves, tries to convince Leah to change sides, join team family, or convince her own family to leave his family alone. he's unsuccessful and when Daryl tries to escape, setting the whole place on fire and killing a few men on his way out of the reapers compound, Leah threatens to harm dog. cause why not? she obvi loves nothing or no one! they take Daryl back to another cell, and dog manages to escape.

meanwhile, Maggie's group returns to ASZ, where they tell Carol they believe Daryl is lost or dead. please give me all the angst that comes with Carol thinking she may have lost Daryl forever! she has been pretty committed to the group and rebuilding their home, but i believe her first instinct will be to run, to leave... TO FIND DARYL!!! cause no way in hell would Carol just accept he's gone unless she sees it with her own eyes.

WELL in true 'if you can't beat them, then join them' fashion, after a few brainwashing sessions with Leah, Daryl tells her all about the note (FIND ME) he left for her at the cabin, how he knows he made the wrong decision then, declares his loyalty to her and joins the reapers...

dog arrives at ASZ just as Carol is about to leave to search for Daryl. good boy always comes back home to mama and together they will find and save dada. (bear with me! from now on i'll be totally running wild with my wishful thinking... it will pretty much read like some fanfic plot!)

Daryl keeps trying to fit in with the reapers group, but he's only taking a page from Carol's undercover book - fake it till you make it + destroy them from the inside. what he doesn't know is that Leah and her new/old bf (Pope!?) have been planning an attack on ASZ behind his back. they simply let him know, this is his chance to prove himself to the reapers. he has to go along with the plan (or DIE!), but he hopes to be Alexandrians' inside man, helping them protect their family at all costs (ironically, exactly what Negan did when he joined the whisperers and they attacked Hilltop... just not the same motivation! i guess Carol wasn't so wrong about Negan after all!)

at night, Daryl puts on his reaper costume and they head to ASZ. reapers learned the location of the place by tracking dog. the plan was much bigger and more explosive than Daryl expected, the reapers destroy a big part of ASZ brand new rebuilt wall and set fire to a bunch of houses and the mill before Daryl can even react.

Alexandrians and reapers fight as Daryl sneaks out to lead the kids to safety. he finds Maggie, asks for Carol, and is glad she is out there looking for him, relatively safe, rather than around to fight and watch ASZ fall.

while out looking for Daryl, Carol hears the explosions, sees the fire and she and dog return to ASZ as fast as they can. they are greeted by Leah at what used to be front gate...

i realize this is getting extremely long, so i'll just say that i absolutely don't want Carol to have anything to do with Leah's possible imminent death. i don't want that guilt on her conscience, and i don't want her to feel like Leah is just another person she took from Daryl (like Connie!). i don't even want Leah to die! unless she's trying to hurt or kill Daryl.

somehow i think it would be a good twist, if for a quick second Carol thought Daryl had betrayed them and joined the reapers for Leah. of course, Carol knows better. SHE KNOWS DARYL. he would never, but for a brief panicked moment, it would be good to see her react to that. i can only imagine the pain in her eyes. but she also trusts Daryl with her life.

we have no idea what Leah knows about Carol, but i'd like the pocketknife Daryl regifted to come back. how would Leah react? likely angry to see another woman with something that was hers. i want to believe Daryl would never tell Leah anything about Carol because she is just too important and too personal to share. but maybe Leah can tell there was someone else !? who knows.

i just want it to be completely clear Daryl is done with that part of his past. Daryl is not alone and lost in the woods anymore without his brother Rick and his bestie Carol. ever since Carol brought him back, Daryl has acted like he knows exactly what he wants and he's done playing games. and what he wants is not Leah or Connie. he wants for ALL his family to be safe and happy, and he wants to run away with Carol and see the world. AND i want both Carol and Daryl to feel free to be free and live freely.

as for the make up and make out part... (that's saved for 11b, hopefully!)

team family won, most of the reapers are dead, except for Leah. Daryl (with Carol's nod of approval!) decides to spare her, gives her some supplies and tells her to get lost. at the same time, Eugene arrives with the troopers from CommonWealth to help with the whisperer war. WHOOPS. 2 wars, 2 late, bruh! but the group leaves to join the good people at CW.

Carol and Daryl have a very long conversation about everything that happened and what they have been feeling. Daryl telling her exactly why he was so mad at her (she kept leaving, can't commit!), her actions (almost getting herself killed!) since Henry's death and how he needs her in his life. no matter how she sees herself or whether she thinks she's worthy or not, he just wants her to be there next to him for whatever is to come.

plus Carol realizing she needed to get closer and let people in without fear, not give up hope and actually fight for a better future for herself. and finally, admitting to Daryl that it was horrible to think he might've been gone forever, promising to never make him feel the way she felt. basically, a promise to never ever leave him again (cue to making out!)

[requiem626k]

Anime/Game Soundtrack Appreciation (+ little BSD Dead Apple analysis)

Hello everyone! I’m once again back with another music post to make up for my absence, but this time, it’s slightly different.

It’s anime/game soundtrack appreciation time!

We always talk about how good the plot or the characters are, but I find that the beauty of the soundtracks are so little spoken of even though it holds a really great importance for our overall experience in said fictional world.

That’s why I wanted to dedicate this post to my all-time favourite pieces that I encountered in different animes and games.

If you haven’t heard of these animes/games, don’t you worry! There are two types of soundtracks for me: the ones that are beautiful and make sense only with context, and the ones that are mesmerising even without context. I’d like to believe that the ones I chose are all in the second category. Their musical value is just so high for me that I always find myself lost in the music itself instead of thinking of the context of that game or anime; and the fact that they all include classical instruments just reinforces the satisfaction I receive from them as a classical music passionate. My commentaries will have zero relation to their sources and will only be about the music itself (except for the little analysis at the end, which is about our main fandom BSD anyways). I truly hope listening to them will be as enjoyable for you as it is to me.

Let’s go!

🎻 Psycho-Pass - Makishima Shougo

Since the very first time I heard this soundtrack, it’s been nailed in my mind. The mischievous wickedness of that low human voice right in the beginning, the sinister aura of the church organ that starts taking part in the melody after 00.27 (I truly like the church organ touch here, because for some reason, my mind seems to assign very religious vibes to well-built villains such as Fyodor or Makishima that like to play God), the tranquillity of the middle section and the rearrival of the original melody with an even bigger force (01.36).

I’m especially in love with the part starting at 01.56, in the background, you start hearing tick-tocks as if there was a clock, the clock of an about-to-go-off bomb maybe, or a clock that’s merely symbolising the flow of the time- No matter how you interpret it, it keeps you on your toes and stings you with goosebumps.

But what always mainly has me is when the strings start overlapping with the same melody at 02.22. The beautiful build-up until the tension resolves into the last powerful chord�� This soundtrack never fails to mesmerise me.

It has a slightly softer version too, which you can find here 👀. Instead of strings, this version concentrates on woodwinds (especially in the overlapping melody section at the end) and French horn, which gives the track a whole different but egally ominous aura, I love it.

🎻 Kuroshitsuji - Si Deus Me Relinquit

This soundtrack’s lyrics are all in Latin, and I honestly adore it. Even though the video already has the lyrics and the translation, I’ll still add it here because it’s just so beautiful to me.

Si deus me relinquit,

Ego deum relinquo.

Solus oppressus nigram clavem habere potest,

Omnias ianuas praecludo

Sic omnias precationes obsigno.

Sed

Qui me defendet?

Ab me terribilissimo ipse.

Translation:

If God has forsaken me,

Then I shall forsake God, too.

Only the oppressed may possess a black key,

I close all doors,

Thus I seal away all prayers.

However,

Who protects me

From myself who is the most terrible?

When the beautifully lonely aura of the beginning is merged with the bittersweetness of what’s said in the lyrics, I always have the desire to smile and tear up at the same time. Imagine the bittersweetness and irony that lies in the action of secluding yourself from everything around you with the thought that “God” has forsaken you, yet still not being able to find any peace because you can’t run away from the most terrible one: yourself. The last three lines hit me so hard when I first read the translation, and the subtle transition into a totally sinister section at 01.34 started making much more sense and sending shivers down my spine. What happens when we truly are alone with the beast that lies within us? More importantly, under what circumstances it reveals itself to us? I wonder.

Anyways, let’s go on with the soundtrack: I love the orchestral middle section. The strings, woodwinds, they all mix so harmoniously and continuously steal the melody from each other. This game goes on until when the soft voice is once again at 04.20. But the part that truly tugs at my heart strings is when the track comes to a soft conclusion at 06.36, and slowly fades away into a big bubble of bittersweetness with the last, very gentle chord, as if it’s tenderly whispering:

“Do not be afraid of what you call the ‘most terrible’. You are not a monster. You are not inhuman. You are merely a hurt soul, that never deserved any of this suffering.”

🎻 Death Note - Low of Solipsism

Ahh, this one is such a classic <3. As a classical music lover, I can’t express enough how much I appreciate the range of instruments used here. The strings, the aggressive woodwinds, the horn, the chorus, everything just blends so beautifully to create such a dark masterpiece. As the first two ones, this one has an unhealthily religious side too, let’s look at the lyrics (sinisterly used Latin strikes once again!) :

Kira, Deus vici canti.

Translation:

Kira, our God will win.

I probably have to talk about the anime to be able to explain what this means (even though I’m sure many of you know this already haha.) So, this anime talks about a young adult who, one day, finds a Death Note and decides to ‘punish’ all the criminals by writing down their names and killing them through it. And he calls himself “Kira, the God of the New World”. The movement that he started finds its voice all around the world, yet of course there’s an extremely intelligent detective who’s trying to find his identity etc., the rest is not too important now.

This soundtrack sweeps me off my feet every. single. time. Like oh my God. Can you look at how beautifully the introduction is written? The ongoing rhythm in the strings’ section keeps me on my toes, and oh the very beautiful entrance of the woodwinds- I could honestly mistake it for a classical piece, I’m not even kidding.

After that, I want to talk about 00.36 where the chorus comes in with “Kira”, if you listen carefully, you’ll hear in the background a French horn (I think, I hope I’m not mistaken) which plays a very halting, even off-putting rhythm, “syncopation” as we call it in music theory, and the impact it does on that section is just mind-blowing to me. I find myself vibing with the French horn and going along with its limping rhythm every time I listen to this and I sway in euphoria, it’s just so intriguing and appealing to me for some reason.

Then things get silent and you hear the church bell (01.32), then something like a prayer out of a religious mass, and my favourite part: the sharp, tense dissonance that starts at 01.50. I always hold my breath and get on the verge of losing my mind while waiting for that tense chord to resolve into 01.56, it’s just- it’s just so perfectly written, I feel the anxiety it gives off in every single fibre of my being and I honestly don’t know what to say further about this masterpiece, every word falls short.

Looking at the first three faves of mine, I’m noticing a pattern of sinisterly religious tracks😶 When this is combined with the literal meaning of my full name (Requiem: Religious Mass for the Dead), it’s just so funny to me because I’m not a spiritual person at all haha. Anyways, enough of that personal talk.

🎻 Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice - A Cornered Heart

Oh my God I love this game so much.

I’m in a very emotional state at the moment so I’m so sorry if the commentary of this piece feels more subjective than the others, but- it’s been at least two years since I last listened to AA’s sountracks and I cried for a few minutes straight when I listened to this just now. I needed 15 minutes to calm my emotion center down, and another 30 to get out of the memory lane and stop wandering among the other tracks of the game, oh my God.

I won’t be rambling about it or this post will become a long novel, but honestly, Ace Attorney is the love of my life. One of the two things that made me totally fall in love with this franchise is its beautiful soundtracks. It has many, many games and not even one of them disappoints in terms of musical quality, I’ve never seen such a constant quality in another franchise, if I’m being frank. And the 6th game… kills it. In a totally good way. There are just so, so many tracks that I want to put from this franchise but I won’t overwhelm this post with those haha. I doubt it but if you’re interested, you can come into my ask box and I can make a separate post for you including only-AA tracks.

Most of AA’s soundtracks are objectively so beautiful yet hit so different in a subjective way after hearing them in context, yet this one… it’s a real masterpiece. It’s one of the peak points in all AA’s OST history. I don’t know what they did to be able to put such refined but heavy emotions in this short track, yet they did and they did it very beautifully.

Even from the very beginning, that low piano A that strongly comes several times tugs at my heartstrings every time. The little piano theme in the background that comes at 00.23 and 00.28 always makes my heart melt. The build-up that starts at 00.43 and resolves into the literally most bittersweet conclusion at 00.48 (in more technical terms, the classic but powerful “dominant-submediant (the one that usually has the listener so soft is this 6th degree)-subdominant-dominant-tonic” progression) makes me sob. Not figuratively, I literally started uncontrollably sobbing at that part just now. I can honestly envision this playing behind a very painful and bittersweet scene in BSD. Instant goosebumps, I can’t anymore.

Just listen to it. I have no other words to hopelessly mutter in attempt to explain how bittersweet this track is making me feel.

🎻 Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apple - Dead Apple (or as I like calling it… Fyodor’s theme🤭)

Of course, it wouldn’t be a complete post without including anything from our beloved BSD!

I’m truly in love with this track, it’s been my favourite since the day I watched Dead Apple. I adore how it manages to blend classical music with modern, using strings/piano and electro guitars at the same time and making it sound so majestic and grandiose, and I won’t even mention how good the actual melody is.

It starts off with such a lonely and bittersweet aura with only the strings and piano. Then oh! It picks up pace at 01.12, it’s literally the musical reflection of the emoji “👀” as it increases the curiosity levels of the listener with its quick, steady rhythms. I especially adore the first note we hear from the electro guitar at 01.32, it foreshadows many things about the climax of the piece.

The heartbeat motif that starts at 01.48 always has me so good. It constantly keeps me on my toes and I love it.

At 02.24, the electro guitar has the spotlight, it’s almost like a transition happened. Each of the three parts are still there, classical (strings & piano) and modern (electro guitar), yet it feels like they’re constantly fighting for dominance, just like how the Dead Apple trio did. Strings would symbolise Fyodor, the piano Dazai and electro guitar Shibusawa, in my opinion. I assigned the modernity to Shibusawa because he is a relatively modern author, who passed away only 34 years ago. Harukawa-sensei even visited his wife to receive her approval about Shibusawa’s design.

Parting from this theory, let’s see: Starting from 02.24, the electro guitar talks, it’s Shibusawa who’s bringing them all together around the table and talking about his ‘boredom’. Then, the piano comes in, the guitar is silent for a bit, and when the violin starts with the melody the piano goes silent, it’s a constant fight between them that creates a beautiful build-up until the striking climax at 03.19. That’s the moment where Fyodor and Shibusawa have their talk and Dazai’s lying heavily wounded on the ground.

Now, which of the three instruments is absent during the climax? Exactly. The piano. The guitar and the violin are having a talk, yet the piano comes in much later, at 03.35, as an echo, then fades away once again.

Until the end, the wonderful power dance of these instruments go on, and the strong ending gives me goosebumps every time.

This came out much longer than I had expected and planned… I always get so carried out and type so much when it comes to these things haha. Nonetheless, I sincerely hope you enjoyed my selection and analysis!

Please don’t hesitate to do any type of additional commentary or to add your favourite soundtracks from any anime/game/series/franchise. <3

Tagging the usual music posts people: @pompompurin1028 @jadegreenimmortality @alittlesimp @bsdparadise @greenshirtimagines @rouge476

[kim-lexie]

2021 april rewind.

music.

‘all yours’ ep by astro. my boys did not hold back. this album has superior b-sides. the vibe of this one is stellar and i am continually blown away by their vocals. some of my fave tracks include ‘dear my universe’, ‘all good’, and ‘all stars.

‘spider’ by hoshi of SVT. woah. this track appeared out of nowhere. it is up there with kai’s ‘mmmh’, they eat together at lunch kind of thing. the choreo is so unique and never been done before. loved it.

kimsejeong. ‘whale’ and ‘warning’ have been on repeat. i love her vocals and the fresh vibe that these songs possess.

‘drunk dazed’ by enhypen. this comeback was something else. i loved this track. have not really been invested in enhypen, like i listened to their title track ‘given-taken’, but was not awaiting this comeback. but my goodness, this track made me want to listen and watch all their choreos. this was a great comeback, and i loved this track and choreography.

‘after school’ by weeekly. it’s a bop simple fact.

‘in the morning’ by itzy. well this originally was not a fave, but as with most jyp girl group tracks after a listen or two it becomes absolutely addictive, and that is the same with ‘in the morning’. they did good, and it was an unexpected feeling for itzy, because it is typically a fresh pop beat, but this one was on the opposite spectrum. i am excited to see where this will take itzy in the future.

drama & movies *spoiler alert*

hi, me! this was an incredible gem. i would definitely give it a watch. it was sweet, quirky, humorous, and heartfelt. we follow bahn ha-ni, a woman moving through the motions of life in an unstable job. she stumbles upon her past younger self. the younger bahn ha-ni challenges her, offering a fresh perspective that she hasn’t seen in a long time. with her new outlook, we follow ha-ni as she pursues new goals and guides her younger self back to the past. of course we meet a young man, han yoon-hyun, who appears to not have any ambitions, but is just navigating life in his own way. of course in the traditional drama way, turns out they had an encounter as younger children. we also come to find that ha-ni blames herself for her father’s passing, because he saved her and pushed her out of the way of an oncoming car. the younger ban ha-ni was sent by him, and one of the quotes i loved was this:

my life has been completely ruined, and dad wanted to remind of how i used to be. he wanted to tell me that through you. he wanted to show how radiant…we were.

we love it and we stan. overall loved this one and would rate it a 9 out of 10.

navillera. this was another incredible drama. the rollercoaster of emotions. the tears shed, it was incredible piece of art. it’s so bittersweet to say goodbye to this cast of characters. i would 10 out of 10 recommend. deok-chool is a 70-something year old man who is recently retired, and he had previously been unable to pursue his dream of ballet. now he decided to pursue that dream and making it a reality. he meets chae-rok. this young man’s heart for ballet has begun to fade and then he is met with the task of teaching this gentleman ballet. through this odd turn of events, a beautiful friendship starts to blossom. we also come to find that the reason deok-chool is adamant about pursuing dance is because it helps his memories stay fresh, because we come to find that he has alzheimers, which literally hit me like a truck because i did not see that coming. song kang’s performance of this character was stunning. from the ballet to the heart of the character, he embodied him. and the gentle, park in-hwan, did a fantastic job. portrayed a strong man finally finding piece with a dream he struggled for years to pursue. so incredibly proud of him finding himself and then being able to find a new friendship in the midst of his grief. favorite moments: the scene when chae-rok desperately danced to have deok-chool’s memories return to him because he wrote how seeking chae-rok dance brought his memories back. tears were truly shed. and then when deok-chool said, ‘did you soar?’ when he saw chae-rok for the first time at the train track, after he had been away on the global stage.

how to be thirty. this was an interesting one and the plot didn’t go where i thought it would go. like the main dude, seung-yoo lied like a lot, and ji-won lost her job because he was trash. and the two girls he messed with were angry at each other, where in reality shouldn’t they have been angry with him for keeping this secret from them? like he started seeing ji-won while he was technically in a relationship with hye-ryung who he shouldn’t have been in a relationship with in the first place. hye-ryung was holding on to him and she was kinda crazy, but he should have been honest up front with what was happening. and he broke up with her before it spiraled. i really hope our ji-won is happy with the director dude because she deserves it, and deserves a real man who won’t mess with her. honestly, the second lead couple saved this show, ran-joo the radio show host and the young man, joon-young; because seung-yoo and ji-won’s relationship wasn’t it. i would rate this a 5.5 out of 10, because the plot just wasn’t it for me. the acting was good, but the characters were awful.

please don’t date him. this was a short interesting web drama. we follow ji-sung a programmer for an appliance team. she stumbles upon developing a refrigerator that distinguishes bad men. she is able to help the ladies around her who are confronted by horrible men. she then becomes involved with a firefighter kook-hee, but he is struggling with his past. honestly, this was a nice drama, and i am glad that i stumbled upon this one. i loved kook-he’s character and the way in which he wanted to protect those around him, and that he finally learned that he was able to accept love from those around him. they were so sweet ji-sung and kook-hee. i also loved her little trio of ladies and even though they all had different goals they came together to support one another. i would rate it an 8 out of 10.

vincenzo. y’all i loved every freaking minute of this. we meet the mafia lawyer, vincenzo casino, who comes to korea to pick up some gold but gets caught up with cha-young. she needs to avenge the death of her father, and the unjust situations around her. babel a horrible company with shady dealings is at the center of it all. and it all unfolds from there. many, like many plot twists ensue. unexpected characters. it is insanely funny, terrifying, and all the emotions in between. it was a satisfying watch i’d rate it a 12 out of 10 recommend.

[maxwell-grant]

So that ask about a Doc Savage/The Shadow crossover (which as an aside, I agree that Doc is probably the worst of the archetype he is functionally the Ur-Example of that isn’t an intentional deconstruction focusing on his worst eugenicist/borderline-fascist aspects to create a villain) has me thinking: what exactly would be the boundaries for a good, well-written crossover between the Shadow and different genres or eras of what we all collectively call pulp? Could someone do a crossover between the Shadow and Indiana Jones that didn’t rely on one or the other being little more than a glorified cameo in a small portion of what was essentially the other’s story, or reducing the former to his lamest two-dimensional “gun-toting homicidal maniac” interpretations? Could the Shadow ever functionally exist in a universe shared with a space opera setting like the Lensman series? It seems like one could theoretically do a crossover between the Shadow and a character of the same era like Nero Wolfe or Sam Spade, but would it strain credulity to attempt it with characters from an updated form of the private detective archetype like Thomas Magnum’s Hawaiian noir or Rick Deckard’s cyberpunk dystopia? Obviously not expecting answers to each of these hypotheticals specifically, just as examples of the kind of thing I’m wondering now.

I will be going through some of your hypotheticals though, you clearly gave a lot of thought to this and it's only fair I respond in turn. I am always eager to respond anyone who wants to ask specifics about writing The Shadow, because much of what I strive to do through this blog is to just inform people about the many, many things that made The Shadow great, the things that have been neglected, and to provide paths anyone who wishes to write the character may take. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to write The Shadow someday, but the least I can do is spread knowledge as I work my way there. I'd like to think I've done allright so far.

It's a fairly big question though so we're gonna through it by pieces...

...not THAT way

what exactly would be the boundaries for a good, well-written crossover between the Shadow and different genres or eras of what we all collectively call pulp?

Part of the reason why I did a post yesterday on The Shadow's influences is because looking at them, looking at a character's influences and history, I think are always essential to the prospect of tackling them. And in that regard, The Shadow doesn't actually have much, if any, boundaries stopping him from crossing over with just about anything. The most that's stopping the pulp heroes currently is, besides legal issues, their time periods and obscurity, but The Shadow is the most famous of them all, and a lot of stories have already worked with the idea that he's immortal (which I have my misgivings with, but for better or worse is clearly not going anywhere, and it's not a unworkable concept).

Right from the start, The Shadow was designed to be a long-running, versatile character that could partake in whatever adventures they felt like telling, and part of this is due not just to an incredibly strong personality not afforded to most pulp heroes or characters in general, even those who tried imitating him, but also the fact that he often takes a narrative backseat to the agents and proxy heroes, which means he doesn't have to carry a narrative by his own (and is in fact best suited not to), can blend in to just about anyone's story, and still stand out and be the center of sprawling mysteries. Actually, I'm gonna let Walter Gibson answer this one for you:

While his major missions were to stamp out mobs or smash spy rings, he often tabled such routines in order to find a missing heir, uncover buried treasure, banish a ghost from a haunted house or oust a dictator from a mythical republic.

There was no limitation to the story themes as long as they came within the standards of credibility--which proved easy, since The Shadow was such an incredible character in his own right that almost anything he encountered was accepted by his ardent followers.

Widespread surveys taken while the magazine was appearing monthly showed that a large majority of newsstands sold nearly all their copies within the first two weeks of issue. While other character magazines might show an early flurry, their sales were either spread evenly over the entire period or gained their impetus about the middle of the mouth and sometimes not until the third or even the fourth week.

From the writing standpoint, this made it advisable to adhere more closely to the Cranston guise and to emphasize the parts played by The Shadow's well-established agents, since regular readers evidently liked them. Also, it meant "keeping ahead" of those regulars, with new surprises, double twists in "whodunit" plots, and most exacting of all a succession of villains who necessarily grew mightier and more monstrous as The Shadow disposed of their predecessors.

Always, his traits and purposes were defined through the observations and reactions of persons with whom he came in contact, which meant that the reader formed his opinion from theirs.

This gave The Shadow a marked advantage over mystery characters forced to maintain fixed patterns and made it easy to write about him. There was never need for lengthy debate regarding what The Shadow should do next, or what course he should follow to keep in character. He could meet any exigency on the spur of the moment, and if he suddenly acted in a manner opposed to his usual custom, it could always be explained later.

The Shadow’s very versatility opened a vast vista of story prospects from the start of the series onward. In the earlier stories, he was described as a “phantom,” an “avenger,”, and a “superman,” so he could play any such parts and still be quite in character. In fact, all three of those terms were borrowed by other writers to serve as titles for other characters.

Almost any situation involving crime could be adapted to The Shadow’s purposes

The final rule was this: put The Shadow anywhere, in any locale, among friends or associates, even in a place of absolute security, and almost immediately crime, menace or mystery would begin to swirl about him, either threatening him personally or gathering him in its vortex to carry him off to fields where antagonists awaited.

That was his forte throughout all his adventures. Always, his escapes were worked out beforehand, so that they would never exceed the bounds of plausibility when detailed in narrative form. And that was the great secret of The Shadow.”

In some regards, The Shadow is a mirror. He presents himself to people the way that's best suited to them, the way they'd like him to be, the way he needs to be to affect them. They want money, he has it. They want honor, glory and purpose, he gives them that. They want to fight and turn around social systems for the better, he funds their dreams. Gangsters want the underworld's greatest hitman on their side, he becomes that and lets it be their doom. The story calls for a rich aristocrat who can rub elbows with politicians and kings and presidents, he can do that as long as it suits him. Kent Allard can be a world famous celebrity in one story and a disfigured, broke and faceless nobody in the next. You want a kind janitor with unexpected fighting skill to spy on police and assist the homeless, he has a little someone named Fritz for the occasion. You want an evil monster to be defeated, bring out Ying Ko. Hell, James Patterson's upcoming Shadow novel, which by all reviews seems to be pretty lousy, apparently features The Shadow transforming into a cat. Why? Screw you, that's why! But you'd never see James Bond or Batman spontaneously transforming into a cat without outside interference. He's The Shadow, he's got a face for everything.

(Okay to be clear I don't actually want the Shadow to literally transform into animals, at least not without a good explanation which the book clearly doesn't provide, but I do think it illustrates my point about how generally weird he is)

He is a shapeshifter who can be just about any character in any given narrative who only reveals himself when it's time to materialize into a cloaked terror or a familiar face (whether it's Cranston or Allard or Arnaud and so on). War stories, romance stories, sci-fi stories, globetrotting stories, parody stories, he's done all of them and then some. He doesn't need to be the protagonist of a story, he doesn't need to be invincible, and he doesn't really have any set rules regarding powerset. Gibson stressed credibility a lot, but for over 70 years now, that's clearly gone by the window of the character's writing. By design, he was always meant to be able to smoothly integrate into any existing narrative. Frankly, the only thing that's really holding him back (or saving him, depending on how you look at it) is the fact that he's not public domain (yet).

I think for a start, it's not so much boundaries, because in make believe land boundaries are just things to be overcome on the way to telling a story, so much as it's a good working knowledge of the character and of how far you are willing to stretch your storytelling limitations to include him, because he can account for just about all of them. Now, obviously there's stuff that works for the character better than others, a lot of Shadow fans don't like it when they take the character too much into fantasy, there's debates on how superpowered should he be if at all, and so forth. I have my own preferences, but one of the bigger tests of long-running characters is how can they succeed and thrive when placed outside of their element, and The Shadow can do that.

Could someone do a crossover between the Shadow and Indiana Jones that didn’t rely on one or the other being little more than a glorified cameo in a small portion of what was essentially the other’s story, or reducing the former to his lamest two-dimensional “gun-toting homicidal maniac” interpretations?

would it strain credulity to attempt it with characters from an updated form of the private detective archetype like Thomas Magnum’s Hawaiian noir

Well regarding the first question, the latter portion I think is very easy to do. Just, don't write him like that. Just be aware of why that's a mischaracterization, why the character doesn't need that to work, why he works better without it, and so on. It shouldn't be that hard.

Regarding Indiana Jones and Thomas Magnum, I think these two actually lend themselves very easily to crossovers with The Shadow. On Indy's case, he already is a Pulp Hero operating in the same time period, who's got a heavily contrasting niche and personality to build a fun dynamic around. Indy is more story-driven, in the sense that the Indiana Jones moves are all centered around his experiences and point of view and growth as a person, compared to The Shadow's stories, which are not really about "his" story as much as they are about the stories of the people he comes in contact with. Indy is a blockbuster superstar while The Shadow lurks and slithers through the edges and cracks of a story until it's time to strike. But if anything that just makes even more of a case as to why they could team up without issue, since there's a further built-in complimentary contrast to work with.

I have never watched Magnum P.I so there's definitely stuff I might be missing, but looking him up, past the necessary explanation as to why The Shadow's hanging around the 80s, it wouldn't strain credulity at all for the two to team up. The Shadow has had Caribbean/beach-themed adventures and one unrecorded adventure in Honolulu, he has a beach bum secret identity called Portuguese Joe that he could use for this occasion, and Magnum seems like exactly the kind of character who could star as the proxy hero of a Shadow novel. He's lively and friendly and can look after himself, he has a job that leads him to trouble and puts him on contact with criminals as well as victims, he's got secrets and a dark past and a laundry list of character flaws, he's perfectly capable of carrying a story by himself but can be out of his depth in the schemes that he gets caught up in.

Could the Shadow ever functionally exist in a universe shared with a space opera setting like the Lensman series? Or Rick Deckard’s cyberpunk dystopia?

I'm going to tackle parts of this question more throughly when I answer one in my query that's asking me "How would you do The Shadow in modern day?", which I still haven't gotten around to answering because it's a tricky one. I won't go into the specifics for the two examples you listed because I've never read the Lensman books and googling about them hasn't helped much very much, and Deckard's a fairly standard P.I character mostly elevated by the movie he's in, there's not really much to discuss regarding him specifically interacting with The Shadow. The question you're asking me here seems to generally be: Could The Shadow functionally exist in settings so radically apart from the 30s Depression era he was made for?

My answer for this is a maybe leaning towards yes. Starting with the fact that the concept of The Shadow is more suited for allegorical fantasy along the lines of space operas and cyberpunk, than the gritty realism he's been saddled with for decades, which I'll get into another time. For some reason, a lot of people seem to harp on about how the Shadow's costume is impractical and unworkable for modern times, and said James Patterson novel mentioned above ditched it all together, which as you can guess was a massively unpopular decision. Matt Wagner talked once about how cities don't have shadows and men wearing hats anymore and that's part of why you can't have The Shadow in modern times (as if The Shadow was always supposed to be dressing like an average guy, and not cowboy Dracula). But nobody seems to have a problem with characters dressing up exactly like The Shadow showing up all the time in dystopian future cities with fashion senses where they stick out like a sore thumb (and really, they should stick out, otherwise what's the point of being all weird and dark and mysterious?)

Although The Shadow is specifically suited for urban settings, is conceptually rooted in 1930s America, and there are important facets of his characterization related to history like the Great War, there are not the be-all end-all of The Shadow. It's part of the character. Other parts integral to the character are, as mentioned above, the versatility and metamorphous nature he was always intended to have. His nature as a character who exists to thrive in narratives not about him and not centered around him. His roots on Dracula and King Arthur and Oz and Lupin which are concepts that have had so, so many drastical revisions and turnabouts that still stuck to the basic principles of the icon.

Besides, The Shadow's already been there. He's already been to space, he's already been in alternate dimensions, he's already reawakened in modern/future times several times now (when he doesn't just live to them unchanged). He's been a cyborg twice, and between those, El Sombra, Vendata, X-9, the Shadow-referencing robot henchmen from Bob Morane and Yu-Gi-Oh's Jinzo referencing the movie's bridge scene, it's enough to constitute a weird pattern of The Shadow and Shadow-adjacent characters turning into robots. Perhaps one positive side effect of The Shadow's decades-long submersion in fantasy is that it's opened the character for just about anything, and I think this could be a good thing if it was married to an adherence to the things that made him such a juggernaut of an icon in the 30s and 40s.

Really, The Shadow partially works on Predator rules. And by that I mean, the big secret of the Predator that filmmakers don't seem to get is that the best way to make a Predator film is to just put the Predator somewhere he's not supposed to be, and let that play out. Because the Predator is, by design, a trespasser who invades narratives and turns the power dynamics around, and that works for any narrative you put it into.

The first movie is all about setting you up for a jungle action movie with Schwarzenegger's Sexual Tyrannosaurus Crew as the biggest baddest death squad around, only for the Predator to appear, turn the tables on these shitheads and pick them off one by one until Arnie scrapes a victory by beating it at it's own game. The 2nd movie is about a drug war between cops and gangs in L.A, until the Predator shows up and suddenly he's the big problem again that's gotta be put down. All the other movies fail because they try to be "about" the Predator, but the Predator doesn't work that way. He's a ugly motherfucker who's here to fight and kill things in cool ways for the sake of it's warrior game, who already has a specific structure to how his story's meant to play out, and that's all he needs to be. What you do is just take that character, take the structure he carries around, and throw it somewhere that works by different rules, and let the contrast play out the story.

Obviously there's a lot more to The Shadow than this, I write a billion essays on the guy after all, but much of what makes The Shadow work, much of what made The Shadow such an icon at the decade of his debut and such an interesting character to revolve any kinds of stories around, was because of the great contrast he posed to everything surrounding him, and the ways he can both be at the forefront as well as the backseat of any story.

Going back to what Gibson said:

Almost any situation involving crime could be adapted to The Shadow’s purposes. He could meet any exigency on the spur of the moment, and if he suddenly acted in a manner opposed to his usual custom, it could always be explained later.

The Shadow was such an incredible character in his own right that almost anything he encountered was accepted by his ardent followers.

advisable to emphasize the parts played by The Shadow's well-established agents, since regular readers evidently liked them.

The keyword here isn't that the Shadow should be realistic, frankly that's always been a lost cause. He was never really that realistic, and it's unfair to expect writers to keep pace with Gibson who had lifelong experience with the in and outs of magic and daring escapes and whatnot. The keywords I want to stress here is "accepted by his ardent followers".

Make a good explanation, an explanation that fits the character, an explanation that works, and the rest will follow. And if you can't, make us like the character. Make us accept that he can do and be all these things. Give us something to be invested in. And if that can't be The Shadow himself because he has to stay at arms length constantly to be mysterious, Gibson cracked the code almost a century ago through the agents. Make us invested in them, and through them, we will become invested in The Shadow.

The pulp Shadow would get tired, get injured, need rescuing, need to stop and rest and catch his breath, would need to think and plan and make split decisions on the spot and sometimes would make the wrong ones only to reverse them in the nick of time, and it made the fact that he was achieving all these things all the more impressive. The pulp Shadow was a creature of fantasy grounded in the history of the world he was a part of.

If you can make people care about The Shadow, be truly, genuinely invested in him and his world and the people he comes in contact with, be as invested in those as audiences were back then, you can and maybe should put him anywhere, doing anything, as long as you know what you're doing. As long as you understand what makes The Shadow tick, what makes him work and what doesn't, and whatnot.

Which is a lot of words for "do whatever you want, just don't fuck it up"

[cynical-mystic]

I didn’t think I’d like Elementary, but here we are.

I just finished a COVID induced binge of Elementary, and I have a lot of feelings.

First off, I’m furious with my teenage self for writing off this show after season one. This show is a beautiful representation of my two favorite literary characters, and I’m livid that the Sherlock hype made me write it off. Sherlock wishes it was this show.

I’m putting my feelings under a cut for spoiler purposes and length purposes.

Joan Watson is an icon. If you, for a moment, ever said to yourself, “Watson can’t be a woman” for WHATEVER reason, you should be ashamed. When a female Watson is done right, it’s magical. And this show is the embodiment of a female Watson done right.

The first thing that struck me about Joan Watson is how she dresses. She is fabulous. Constantly.

The second thing that struck me is that, unlike her original counterpart, she is not a bumbling idiot. Holmes chooses her because of how remarkable she is, not because it’s convenient. Her remarkableness is reinforced at every turn. Every person they encounter acknowledges that Watson is Holmes’ equal, including Holmes himself. Once she decides to become a detective, she is his partner in every sense of the word but a romantic one.

This leads me to my next point. From what I recall, everyone was complaining about Watson being a woman because there would be romantic undertones and they’d have sex and it would ruin everything blah blah blah. However, there is none of that. Yes, Watson is the person Holmes loves most in the world, but, newsflash, you can love someone deeply and have no romantic attachment/attraction to them! Another great thing about this is Watson feels exactly the same way about Holmes, and there is absolutely no “she loves him but he doesn’t love her so she spends the whole time pining for him in a romantic way” bullshit. Their relationship is the pinnacle of what it means to love someone completely without being romantically involved.

Some of my favorite Holmes/Watson love moments:

“For you, Watson, I would make adjustments.” - said in response to Watson being concerned about adopting a baby, it living in the brownstone with them, and how that would affect Holmes.

“I’m staying, Watson.” - Holmes finds out Watson has cancer and this is the first time Holmes hugs anyone on-screen of his own accord. He promises to stay with her to help her through it, even though he’s legally dead.

“We’re not partners. We’re two people that love each other.” - said to Watson by Holmes when he’s on the cusp of leaving for London after having confessed to a murder to keep Watson from taking the fall for it (she was innocent, btw; watch the show).

“The thought of her little boy coming home to find me on the floor with a needle in my arm” - Holmes telling Gregson about how he can’t stay; he doesn’t want to put Watson or her son in danger.

Watson telling Holmes’ father he needs more time with her as his sober companion, his father saying her time won’t be extended, and Watson staying with him even though she won’t get paid because she cares about him and wants to make sure he gets through the betrayal he just experienced.

Holmes telling Moriarty there are two people in the world she can’t predict and Watson rolling in like a bamf with Marcus and other officers to take Moriarty into custody, and Moriarty subsequently putting Watson and Holmes on the same level with regards to how she treats them.

Mycroft acknowledging that Watson is the person Holmes loves most in the world when they’re trying to find her after she’s been kidnapped.

Someone saying Ms. Watson should step out bc he doesn’t want her to see what he’s brought and Holmes going, actually she’s a doctor and can take whatever you’ve got.

“As long as we’re together, does it matter?” - the last line of the fucking show al;sndpiuahpoih[oaivhoej

These two had so many beautiful moments that were never romantically coded and that makes them so much better. They don’t need to be in a romantic relationship to be the most important person in each others’ lives. HIT ME WITH THAT KIND OF LOVE.

Now, for Sherlock Holmes. This is my favorite adaptation of this character. This Holmes goes from being a complete git to a lovable, quirky man so fluidly you don’t even realize it’s happened until you’re in the middle of it. Darcy, eat your heart out.

This Holmes also truly cares about the people he’s working with and/or for. Yes, he’s doing it for the work and the justice and the sake of solving problems, but he genuinely cares about people and can relate to them. Him being a recovering addict is probably the best thing he could have been. His body language and the meetings and everything about him show how hard he’s working to be a better person and how that’s coming across in his work. He doesn’t treat the people around him like objects to be used, but like people who are hurting. People who need help. Just...people. 

A human Sherlock Holmes? Who’s dealing with the repercussions of his past as an absolute arse in a legitimate, realistic way? Sign me the fuck up. I believe in Sherlock Holmes. In this Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock can suck it.

The last thing I want to touch on is this show’s use of the source material. It manages to have mostly completely original plots but sprinkle in some things for the Sherlockians in the most beautiful of ways.

When Watson is going through some clothes to lend to a friend, they find a deerstalker. Watson tells the friend to take it because Holmes never wears it.

They go to a convention of people dressed in costume and it cuts to two people who, from the back, appear to be Holmes and Watson dressed in clothing like the original characters’ but then it turns out to be two completely random people and Holmes and Watson are dressed normally.

“Hounded,” the episode based on The Hound of the Baskervilles? Stunning.

Cases randomly name dropped? Iconic.

Watson and Marcus going over a case obviously based on one of the original short stories? Beautiful.

Watson casually mentioning the three Garridebs and their story? Magnificent.

The modernization of the orange pip story? Marvelous.

This show is a beautiful representation of my absolute favorite piece of literature and I couldn’t be more pleased.

10/10, would recommend.