#which was the most memorable moment of my 2020

[kanmom51]

Are you sure?! Episode 6 - Sapporo

Lessons in how to start an episode right here.

Jikook being all sentimental.

This is not the first time they were in Sapporo. JM was talking about six or seven years ago, while this came to mind straight away:

Sapporo snow festival February 2016.

One of those probably memorable moments.

This is such a young Jikook, this being one of the first louder JK moments at the time.

I'm sure they created some beautiful memories there. None as beautiful as the ones they created in Tokyo though.

That was theirs, and that is also why we don't get to share any of their Tokyo time in 2024. That is theirs and theirs alone. And yes, I know that JK was working part of their time in Tokyo, but see, if they weren't intending on spending time together, JM could easily have joined him a few days later. But he didn't.

Them sitting there on that sofa and talking about the show, btw, was filmed most likely at the end of their trip, just before leaving for the airport and home.

This is them leaving Sapporo.

28 November 2023. Basically 2 weeks before they enlisted. Them sitting down, at the very end of their last trip before enlistment. Understandably emotions would be heightened. And that trademarked move of JK's...

Moving on to their arrival in Sapporo.

Ok, so as I mentioned in my Jeju posts, I saw a clear shift in JK in Jeju. Lighter. A weight lifted off his shoulders. He was the same here, even more so. But the one I wanted to talk about was JM. Because I felt like here, in Sapporo, is where we see that same shift in him. In CT he was sick but content to be with JK. In Jeju he was happy but still felt a little distant (not from JK but not allowing himself to fully let go), less touchy feely with JK, like he was holding back (with all of the shifty cheeky behaviour that was going on he still felt like he was holding back). But here, he's just all in. He's handsy and touchy feely, and talkative. So so talkative. I won't lie, I was a little shocked. In the best way possible. This was a side of JM we didn't get to see for such a long time. Free. Open. Some of the conversations they had, and some of the things JM talked about, never in 100 years would I have thought he would bring them up on his own accord and share his thoughts with us about them.

This one for example:

JM talking about this so openly. JK's reaction or lack thereof makes me feel like this wasn't the first time the subject came up with the two of them.

Not to say that I don't think that JK was taken aback by JM bringing it up there and then. His initial reaction was not stressed but maybe a little worried?

But with saying that, imo this is not the first time he's heard this. And the maybe a little worry is not about the subject and more about the timing of the convo.

Happiness.

That is what I see.

Even when having this conversation, which is not an easy one to have for the two of them.

Remember how the subject of being married with children came up during Festa 2020? Remember how the two stayed conspicuously silent on the matter?

And yet, JM brought it up there and then, openly, with a smile on his face, his hand not leaving JK's shoulder for one second during this whole convo.

All and all it was just so heartwarming to see them throughout the whole episode. Like I said, they just looked happy. To be there, together, with each other, making new memories to take with them for the next couple of years.

Back to them arriving in Hokkaido, can someone please explain to me why JK found the need to change that camera angle to show us JM's hand on him?

JM well aware and letting go pretty much immediately.

Next we had them in the car/van/whatever it was. Doing this:

Ok then, what to say here?

What indeed?

Truly, I'm seriously asking here, because I'm kind of at a loss for words, lol.

Just another one of those super sus super "nothing platonic going on here" moments.

Kind of like this one.

But the eye squint, that smile, lip pucker and shoulder lift...

This sequence:

Really JK?

Can you be any more obvious?

🤣🤣

Just two dudes going on a dude vacay, right?

And JK once again when hungry... looking for his food is he?

Oh, and last but not least:

This is how 2 people enter a room when they are well aware of the camera in the room:

And this is how 2 people are caught off guard by a candid camera placed in a room they weren't supposed to be entering together...

Oopsy.

Well my friends, that is how you start off an episode. We have emotional, we have cheeky, we have sus as shit, we have happiness and fun, and we have an audience that is now glued to the screen screaming for more!!!

[annieqattheperipheral]

you have to read this in full!!

i gotchu from behind the $wall:

The day Luke Prokop shook the hockey world by coming out, he needed to get away.

And stop looking at his constantly buzzing phone.

It was July 21, 2021, and the right-shot defenseman had just become the first openly gay hockey player under an NHL contract. The Nashville Predators’ No. 73 pick in the 2020 draft was just 19 years old and hadn’t even turned pro yet. He didn’t know how it would impact his future. His nerves were fried.

But one text message was impossible to ignore. He didn’t recognize the number but certainly knew the name.

“Hey, it’s Auston Matthews. I wanted to congratulate you. I look forward to sharing the ice with you someday.”

Prokop was blown away. The Toronto Maple Leafs superstar wasn’t the most famous person to reach out — that honor goes to Elton John — but the fact that so many NHLers, including one of the league’s best and most powerful players, were offering support meant a lot.

Now 21, Prokop still hasn’t taken the NHL ice, but on Wednesday he took a step forward, being recalled by the Predators’ AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. He could become the first openly gay player to appear in an AHL game Friday night for the Admirals in Rockford.

As difficult as the decision to come out was, Prokop told The Athletic in an extended conversation recently that he’s been mentally and physically freed by it. He doesn’t have to hide. He can be himself, on and off the ice. Heck, he can even date.

“It’s been massive,” he said.

Teammates and fans have welcomed him in his journey toward the NHL so far, from Calgary, Edmonton and Seattle of the junior WHL to, most recently, Atlanta of the ECHL. They treated him like he was any other player.

Not that there’s not room to grow. Prokop figured more players would come out after he did. They haven’t, not that he would rush anyone’s decision on that. He’s also been disappointed by the developments over the past few years with the NHL’s inclusion efforts, including the Pride tape “debacle.”

He can only control his own actions, though, and doesn’t regret his decision.

“I’d like to think I’m a realistic person,” Prokop said. “I know hockey is not going to be forever. As much as (when I came out) I would have loved to keep playing, I was OK with not playing any more if it didn’t work out — just being able to live my life the way I wanted, to be myself.

“But now, I don’t want to stop playing. It was definitely nerve-wracking. You never know what the reaction is going to be inside hockey, outside hockey, because no one has done it before. We kind of went out on a limb and hoped for the best. It’s been way more positive than we thought it’d be. You’re going to have some keyboard warriors, which there were a few, but I was expecting more.

“I did not expect the amount of support I got from NHL players. That was really cool.”

- - - - - - -

The Matthews text and Elton John phone call the morning after were memorable, with the gay rock legend welcoming him to the community and offering his email address if Prokop ever needed anything.

Prokop found even more comfort in a moment that came a few days later — the first time he played hockey since his announcement. It was a four-on-four league in Edmonton at Meadows Rec Center, a place where pros and NHLers competed and kept in shape during the offseason.

Prokop was on a team with Colton and Kirby Dach. The other team had Philadelphia Flyers goalie Carter Hart and the Boston Bruins’ Jake DeBrusk. During warmups, Prokop found himself near mid-ice. The first guy to approach him was DeBrusk. The two had met previously through mutual friends. DeBrusk tapped Prokop’s shin pads with his stick.

“Congrats,” he told him. “I’m really happy for you. If you need anything, let me know.”

“I didn’t know what the reaction would be,” Prokop said. “So that meant a lot.”

Prokop was returning that year to the Calgary Hitmen (WHL), the junior team he had played for the previous four seasons. But there had been a lot of turnover on the roster and, of course, a lot had changed for Prokop. So he decided to address the team in its first meeting in training camp.

“Everyone knows what I did last summer,” he told his team. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. There might be a lot of media asking you for an interview. If you don’t feel comfortable, you don’t have to do them. If you have any questions for me, come ask me. I’m an open book. I just don’t want you guys to feel uncomfortable.”

In that dressing room, Prokop had heard plenty of the uncomfortable language that’s not uncommon for any locker room. He even admitted using it. He didn’t want to out himself. He wanted to act straight, be “one of the guys.”

“I heard it, but it wasn’t all the time,” he said. “I also took it from the perspective that these guys don’t know any better. It’s hockey language. It’s how guys talk. They don’t mean it in a harmful way. They use the word ‘gay’ as a filler at the end of a sentence to make something stupid. ‘Well, that’s so gay.’ I wasn’t comfortable with it, but I used it myself. I didn’t want to seem like I was out of the mix.

“Some guys texted me (after I came out), ‘F—, sorry if I said anything to offend you when we played.’ I’d just say, ‘Guys, you had no idea.’ The lesson is you don’t know what everyone is going through. The words you say do matter. Make sure you think before you speak. It’s a silly rule you learn in kindergarten. It applies to life when you’re 22 or 35 and never goes away.

“The way hockey is going with the language, guys are naturally changing their language. I’ve heard a change in language on every team I’ve been on.”

Prokop said that season was the best of his career, both from a production standpoint and a personal one. He was traded to the Edmonton Oil Kings early in the season and had 10 goals and 33 points in 55 games for them, helping them win the WHL’s Ed Chynoweth Cup and advance to the Memorial Cup.

Luke Prokop won the WHL’s Ed Chynoweth Cup with the Oil Kings in 2022. (Courtesy of Oilers Entertainment Group)

Luke Pierce, then an assistant coach for Edmonton and now the head coach, said the staff and management had discussions with the leadership group before acquiring Prokop — making sure they were comfortable with it, feeling out whether their room could handle the attention. Pierce said he asked one of the captains, Blues prospect Jake Neighbours, for his perspective. Neighbours had known Prokop since they were 10 or 11, growing up playing in spring tournaments together. He told Pierce and the staff there would be “zero issue” and he’d be a great addition.

Neighbours said nothing really changed, that Prokop “fit right in” to the team. Pierce at first wondered if players would have any issue with rooming assignments on the road, but nobody blinked. Pierce noted that Prokop would joke about situations and even opened up about his boyfriend coming to visit.

“He put everybody at ease,” Pierce said. “I often tell people, if the outside world could see how the group of men interacted, it would be just a tremendous inspiration on how we should treat everybody.”

Pierce and Prokop pointed out how this generation is more comfortable and equipped to handle LGBTQ+ inclusion issues. Everyone seems to know someone, be friends with someone, or be related to someone in the community.

“I just don’t think guys really care anymore,” Prokop said. “They might be nervous as they have this stereotype version of what a gay guy might look like, sound like, act like. Like me, coming to a team, they think I’ll act a certain way, look a certain way, but they’ll realize three minutes into talking to me that I’m not that.

“Hockey is part of me. It’s who I am. Guys totally forget (about me being gay) when I’m at the rink. They’re not afraid to ask questions. But other than that, it never really comes up. That’s how I wanted it to be. I wanted them to know, but we can all go out and play. I never wanted to be a distraction.”

- - - - - - -

The NHL’s decisions around Pride jerseys and stick tape weren’t a distraction, Prokop said, but he has gotten frustrated about it.

He understood the issue over wearing sweaters during warmups — “jerseys weren’t really their choice” — but lamented that the fact the focus was on the handful of players who refused to wear them and not all the others who did. The NHL’s initial banning of Pride stick tape, then its reversal, was a whole other topic.

“To take away choices from players was really confusing,” Prokop said. “Some of them don’t really care. For some, it was near and dear to their heart. To take it away was mind-boggling. From the players’ side, the support was there. Zach Hyman talked about it, Travis Dermott. I like what they did. They didn’t make a big deal about it before — they just did it. Let fans see the rest, and it’ll take care of itself. There’s a massive amount of support from players in the NHL.”

What do the Pride tape and sweaters mean for someone in the LGBTQ+ community?

Prokop didn’t recall noticing them growing up going to Oilers games. He never got to see someone who was gay using Pride tape on the TV screen. He had to deal with it himself — “jump over those barriers without any help.” But Prokop continued pursuing his hockey career whereas “a lot of people don’t feel comfortable pursuing their career without that exposure, without feeling like they’re being seen.”

“I think with the Pride tape stuff, they were trying to show support for their older fans,” Prokop said of the NHL. “The fans that have been watching hockey for 40-50 years. That’s not how you grow the game. You want to get the younger generation, put these guys in the best situation to promote the game. Sometimes I don’t think the NHL does that the correct way. The Pride tape is one example.”

Prokop has been part of two Pride nights since he came out, one with the Edmonton Oil Kings and another with Seattle. The Oil Kings staff approached him after not having that event on their promotional calendar. They planned it in two weeks and it was a big hit, with around 8,000 fans in attendance.

“Some guys told me it was the most impactful game they’d been in during their career,” Prokop said. “They said they didn’t realize how many Queer fans they had. I don’t think they realize how much my community watches hockey, plays hockey and cares about hockey.

The Seattle Pride night was fan-driven, which made it unique. Thunderbirds fans noticed that other rival teams had a special night for Pride and made a push for their own, making bracelets and T-shirts. Prokop told teammates they didn’t have to wear the stick tape — he knows how superstitious hockey players are. They all wore some, for him.

“I always look at the perspective, the other side of Pride nights — why do you have them if no one on the team is gay?” Prokop said. “The point is that it’s for the fans. For me, it means a lot to play in them to show my community and be a representative on the ice.”

While education is important, Prokop said any real change in the NHL when it comes to inclusion will start with other players coming out. He’s not putting any timeline or pressure on that. He didn’t have one. But that’s when players in the league will see a different perspective, get more comfortable with it.

“Otherwise, it’s always going to be a story,” Prokop said. “I also can see why guys don’t want to come out. Especially in the NHL. They’ve been very successful, so why change? I kind of saw that from the perspective when the whole Pride jersey story came out. My phone was blowing up. I don’t think guys want to have to deal with that. There was a responsibility for me to talk about these topics. I don’t think guys want to do that. I can see it from that side, why they don’t want to come out.

“I don’t think anything is going to change unless someone else does. Someone else will step up. It’s only a matter of time. I thought there’d maybe be two, three of us by now. But it hasn’t happened. But I know there’s going to be someone else soon. It’s math. There’s what, 700 players in the league? There’s definitely a few more.”

- - - - - - -

While there have been some derogatory comments coming from the stands on a few occasions, Prokop has been encouraged there have been none from opposing players.

“Zero,” he said.

Most of the feedback he’s received, even on social media, has been positive. And it’s not just the comments like Matthews’ that stick with him. Two high schoolers in Seattle, Kaitlin and Jo, reached out to him over Instagram. They are part of the LGBTQ+ community and were struggling.

“Like everyone, they just wanted someone to talk to,” Prokop said.

Part of Prokop’s pregame routine is usually to hang by the bench and listen to music. On many occasions, Kaitlin and Jo would come by and the three of them would just chat for 10, 12 minutes. They’re the fans that Prokop saw every game above the tunnel on his way to the dressing room. They’ve stayed in touch. Prokop even did a Zoom meeting with their high school class last month. “They have a special place in my heart,” he said.

When, and if, Prokop makes his NHL debut, he says he’ll have a special secret plan for them.

Whether Prokop lives his NHL dream remains to be seen. He’s praised the Predators for their support from the first time he did a group video call with the staff. Former NHLer Mark Borowiecki, now a development coach, has been someone Prokop has leaned on often, not only for on-ice advice but for help getting through things mentally.

Scott Nichol, the Predators’ assistant GM, likes Prokop’s potential.

“Big right-shot defensemen that can skate, move the puck. They don’t grow on trees,” he said. “He just needs to polish up his game in some areas in the defensive zone. He’s got the tools. He’s got the skating ability. It’s just patience and embrace the process.”

Prokop is grateful for his support group, from his parents, Al and Nicole, to his brother, Josh, and sister, Alanna. He’s kept in touch with Heather Lefebvre, who is a specialist in hockey engagement and alumni relations with the Oilers Entertainment Group. They talk almost every day. What sticks out to Lefebvre is how young Prokop was when he came out (19), and while he wears this “trailblazer” cap, he’s still standing alone.

“I think this generation is more ready for it than past generations, for sure,” Lefebvre said. “It says a lot to me that nobody else has come out in the year and a half since he has. He’s the only openly gay player under NHL contract, but he’s not the only gay player under NHL contract.

“That’s where I think we have work to do. Is it great that he’s been accepted and can do his thing? Yes. But he looks at the positives, which makes me really happy for him. But that doesn’t mean there’s no negative.”

Prokop takes the positives in his off-ice life, too. He lives with Alanna in the offseason back home in Edmonton. He’s found teammates to share in his hobbies, like golf (he plays 40 to 50 rounds a year). He loves to read, from biographies to sci-fi. He watches basketball more than hockey and has more than 25 jerseys. He cooks. He got into puzzles during the pandemic and is bullish about doing them on his own.

Prokop also feels comfortable getting out there on the dating scene and not having to hide it from teammates.

“Obviously, the lifestyle of a hockey player is tough for some people,” he said. “I’m trying to find the right person to connect with. I’m a softie, a romantic guy. I love love. I’m always on the lookout for that right person to spend the rest of my life with.”

Prokop doesn’t see the label of being the first openly gay player under NHL contract as a weight. It’s more of a responsibility. He has a platform and wants to use it. He’s realistic, “dreaming about winning the community service award more than the Norris Trophy.”

Making the AHL jump or someday the NHL jump won’t define him.

“One of my main goals when I came out is that if I could have an impact on one person outside of my family and friends in my lifetime, I’ve done my job,” he said. “I think I’ve done that and more. And I want to continue to do that.”

[cosmiiqueer]

replaying mcsm!

i havent touched this game in about 3 years and now im going back through it because i have terrible terrible brainrot

ep 1

-i still had the opening narration memorized oh my god

-THE OLD MINECRAFT TEXTURES DISTRACTED ME SO MUCH absdfkhsh i kept being like :0 old cobblestone texture! when i was supposed to be making choices

-the original oots are all so goofy

-REUBEN, ,, ,, gently holds. baby. protect baby at all costs.

-petra and lukas and their whole thing still make me so insane

-the animation has some really nice little details that i don't remember ever paying attention to before, like jesse's wooden sword breaking in half before poofing. it's a nice blend of minecraft logic and irl logic i think.

-also girl i KNOW you have the materials for a stone sword! you cannot convince me that wooden sword is your best option

-i played mcsm on a tablet in ye olde days, and even though i have played it on a computer before, im not fucking good at it !!! kept almost missing or fully missing arrows and embarrassing myself lmao

-i forgot how unnecessarily STACKED the va cast is like. matt mercer how did you get here

-i love ivor i love ivor so much he is so dramatic

-"ashley johnson sounds like she's trying really hard to sound cool" -my partner. ohhhh he's right. she does.

-i don't actually ship jesstra (kind of over shipping in general) but jesse having a huge dumbass crush on petra is a headcanon i still enjoy. she's silly.

-yes i always play as fem jesse i simply cannot handle oswald's voice for long stretches of time

-I LOVE THE MUSIC SO MUCH, ,, I REALLY MISSED IT. it's so GOOD. i love how many characters and things have their distinct themes, i love how it sounds similar to minecraft music, i'm just literally obsessed with it. ep 1 alone doesn't really have tracks that i go specifically insane over (thats more in s2) but boy does it have some iconic ones. like look me in the eyes and tell me ivor's theme isn't iconic. you can't.

-like i forgot how melancholic the order's temple track is?? that one gave me the most intense 'im still fourteen playing this game for the first time' feeling that i really wasn't expecting

-who in the ocelots had the legit redstone knowledge to make a working rainbow beacon. which one. i need to know.

-truly love the moment of lukas being like "if you're cool with petra, you're cool with us :D" while the other three are standing behind him, VISIBLY not cool with you. peak comedy.

-axel and olivia are the funniest bitches here. some of the jokes fall pretty flat but they definitely have the most lines that do make me laugh

-lukas and axel are such highschool mean girls to each other. calm down.

-heading to Boomtown because i literally don't remember a thing about it lmao

-i still love this game a lot. i stopped hyperfixating on it around 2019-2020, and replaying it back in 2021 didn't rekindle the intense interest i used to have in it. but god, i missed it a lot. i think it's really fun to rediscover something you used to love so much and i'm looking forward to continuing when i have time

[wlwcatalogue]

Valentine's Special ~ Aerith/Tifa from Final Fantasy VII: Remake (Compilation)

Since today is Valentine’s Day, and FFVII: Rebirth is releasing at the end of this month, it’s the perfect time to get caught up on Aerith/Tifa, a.k.a. Aerti, a.k.a. possibly the most unexpected F/F ship in gaming! Here is what I consider to be the most comprehensive compilation of Aerti scenes from FFVII: Remake, prepared by yours truly for your viewing (and shipping) pleasure :)

Quick sales pitch: While Aerith is famously The One Who Dies and Tifa is known for her sexy character design, they are also popularly remembered as main character Cloud’s two equally appealing love interests, as attested to by one Robert Pattinson. However, just as the elements present in the original 1997 game Final Fantasy VII were expanded on and added to in FFVII: Remake, the relationship between Aerith and Tifa was also fleshed out… to the point where it became very, very easy to ship them together. To put it in Tumblr terms, it’s like Betty and Veronica, but taken in a different – but still (subtextually) gay – direction compared to Riverdale. Check out the video above, it's just 1.5 hours!

(Longer sales pitch / commentary below the cut)

Originally from the hit 1997 Japanese role-playing game Final Fantasy VII, Aerith and Tifa, along with the main character Cloud Strife, were one of the most famous love triangles of video games at the time, and arguably even now. (Note: Think Betty and Veronica (Archie but pre-Riverdale), or if you’re more familiar with anime, Rei and Asuka (Neon Genesis: Evangelion) or Saber and Rin (Fate: Stay Night).) Although they barely had any interactions together and really were primarily love interests for Cloud in the original game (and subsequent related works), the relationship between Aerith and Tifa was significantly more fleshed out in Final Fantasy VII: Remake (2020), going beyond your standard box-ticking “look, girl power!” exercise. There seems to have been many a fan who walked out of playing Remake who found Aerti (i.e. Aerith and Tifa’s relationship) memorable – whether read romantically or platonically – resulting in many GIFs, fanart, and even compilations of memorable scenes of their “friendship”.

Not only do they interact with each other outside of speaking about Cloud or other male characters (scraping a pass in the Bechdel test, yay!), Remake gives the relationship space to develop from “strangers who hit it off” to “individuals who care about and trust each other”. Significantly, Aerith is the one who seems to take Tifa’s concerns the most seriously and comfort her, and Tifa is also able to see past Aerith’s cheery façade and reach out to her at her times of greatest need. In my opinion, each of the pair offers the greatest emotional support to the other out of all the characters – even more than what they do for Cloud (or what Cloud does for them).

So what makes their relationship romantic rather than simply platonic to me (other than sheer force of will)? Even though there isn’t really any direct flirting or explicitly romantic lines, there are a number of moments which are framed romantically or parallel romantic moments between Cloud/Aerith or Cloud/Tifa. Perhaps the most obvious of this is when Tifa protects Aerith from falling (twice), which is animated and shot in a way which suggests that it’s just as swoon-worthy as when Cloud protected Tifa from a fall in a prior scene. However, another notable example is how the high-five gesture is linked to Cloud’s opening up to Aerith (as he has to be persuaded over the course of several scenes to do the high-five), but Aerith also high-fives Tifa in other scenes later, effectively appropriating the gesture. So while I never expect it to ever become canon, Remake’s Aerti has been a wonderful surprise and I hope to see even greater developments in their relationship within this subtextual space as the FFVII: Remake trilogy progresses.

Let's all hope for the best-- in the meantime, please enjoy this compilation!

[beastwistenworld]

PERSONAL DATA:

Full name: Wisten Welin Köhler

Alias: Beast Wisten

Date of Birth: March 16, 2001

Age: 23 (currently)

Height: 5'9

DESCRIPTION:

A demonic creature or a beast with human features. Apart from his face and hands, his body is covered in fur and has a dark gray skin tone. Therefore, it’s important for him to wear a sweater with a turtleneck and long sleeves. He also wears an old gray-green jacket which helps him blend in with the forest. For convenience on adventures, he wears long boots and gloves. He used to work in the service industry and therefore you can also notice that he wears a light gray vest and pants of the same color. Has long ears, turquoise eyes and long horns. Two earrings are visible on his left ear, and the tip of his tail is closed with stitches. Among his things, he carries a dark gray bag in which he keeps his notes and information about other strangers.

BEAST WISTEN MEANING:

Beast: Has many meanings, in my case it was always a scary creature, between a demon and an ordinary monster.

Wisten: His name comes from Dutch as “knows” about something that others don’t know.

PECULIARITIES:

He hates the sound of metal rubbing because it makes him aggressive and makes him want to kill a stranger.

WISTEN’S MAIN TASK:

Observe and extract information from every stranger he meets on his way.

WISTEN’S DESIGNS:

12/15/2019: Gothic period, dressed all in black and has gray soulless eyes. Originally he was a character in my goth band that broke up.

1/1/2020: His clothing designs have become more elegant in the form of a jacket with a striped shirt. On the jacket you can also see a brooch with the sign of the city “WistHell” in which he lived.

10/1/2021: The most memorable design that was first shown in #creepybeastober and was mainly included in the Slenderverse. At that time there was a comic called “Home Sweet Home” where the main characters were Wisten and Toby, as well as the characters “Marble Hornets”. The comic was soon removed.

09/12/2022: In principle, the design didn’t change much, but at the same time he began to carry a crossbow with a sniper scope and a pocket knife, which were only in the 2022 version. This design and its old history were created exclusively for the Creepypasta Fandom.

10/31/2023: Plaid shirt, white sweater and scarf with pin, on rare occasions wore a khaki coat. There was a scar on his eye and his hands were burned. At that moment he was fighting his fears.

04/5/2024: This is a remake of the 2021 and 2022 designs, only he now wears a regular black turtleneck sweater. He also now has a light gray hooded work vest that goes with his jeans. Also, the end of his tail has stitches from a fight with one of the strangers and stitches on his old jacket, which he has altered many times.

[mediaevalmusereads]

Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space. By Amanda Leduc. Coach House Books, 2020.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Genre: literary criticism, Disability studies, essay

Series: N/A

Summary: In fairy tales, happy endings are the norm—as long as you're beautiful and walk on two legs. After all, the ogre never gets the princess. And since fairy tales are the foundational myths of our culture, how can a girl with a disability ever think she'll have a happy ending?

By examining the ways that fairy tales have shaped our expectations of disability, Disfigured will point the way toward a new world where disability is no longer a punishment or impediment but operates, instead, as a way of centering a protagonist and helping them to cement their own place in a story, and from there, the world. Through the book, Leduc ruminates on the connections we make between fairy tale archetypes—the beautiful princess, the glass slipper, the maiden with long hair lost in the tower—and tries to make sense of them through a twenty-first-century disablist lens. From examinations of disability in tales from the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen through to modern interpretations ranging from Disney to Angela Carter, and the fight for disabled representation in today's media, Leduc connects the fight for disability justice to the growth of modern, magical stories, and argues for increased awareness and acceptance of that which is other—helping us to see and celebrate the magic inherent in different bodies.

***Full review below.***

CONTENT WARNINGS: reference to stillbirth/child death, ableism, bullying, suicidal ideation, discussion of sexual assault

I saw this book on a reading list for disability studies, and since I'm generally a fan of folklore and fairy tales, I picked it up.

Overall, I think this book was more insightful as a series of essays and less helpful as a work of scholarship, but to be fair, Leduc claims as much in her introduction. Through that lens, then, I found this book incredibly well-articulated; the way Leduc draws parallels between fairy tales and disabled life is thought-provoking, and I was wholly convinced by her insistence that stories and real life shape one another (whether we're conscious about it or not).

The most memorable discussions, in my opinion, were moments when Leduc and others talked about growing up on Disney and what impact that had on them. Leduc interviews several disability activists about their experience with Disney, and I was struck by how complex the relationship between disability, childhood, and Disney films was. Because Leduc and others grew up during the Disney Renaissance, they have a connection to Disney that I'm sure feels familiar to a lot of us. Disney has been more or less omnipresent since the 1990s, ingraining itself into childhoods and dominating the fairy tale landscape for decades. It was therefore interesting to read about how disabled activists responded to these stories as children and what lasting effects they had as they became adults.

This is not to say that the entire book is about Disney. There are some chapters about French and German fairy tales, and Leduc makes some interesting points about the purpose of these stories during the time they were collected.

I also appreciated that Leduc was open and honest about the book's limitations and made sure to include BIPOC and lgbt+ voices without speaking for them.

If I had any criticisms, I would say that I think there were moments when Leduc tended to meander. This isn't all bad, since I was viewing the book as a collection of essays, but if you're going in for scholarship, you might find yourself wanting a bit more structure. I also think there were some moments when Leduc could have done more with her primary texts and explored concepts further, but again, the author doesn't claim to be a literary scholar.

TL;DR: Disfigured is a good introduction to thinking about the way stories (particularly fairy tales) shape and are shaped by our perceptions of disability. It's suitable for those who want to think critically about media but who don't necessarily have a background in academic scholarship, and Leduc's honesty and vulnerability makes for a compelling series of essays.

[limesandcoconuts]

Ranking RTTE Seasons

This list might offend some people 😬😬 here goes nothin

6) Season 1

Season 1 isn't bad - the first episode is actually one of my favourites - it's just it was more of a taster, a dip in the water shall we say. No huge plots or anything, everything's mostly being introduced. But still fun.

Fave episodes: Eye of the Beholder, Imperfect Harmony, Gone Gustav Gone, Have Dragon Will Travel Pt. 2

5) Season 3

Again, nothing wrong with Season 3 - hello?? Buffalord Soldier?? Flawless - but just purely out of the most memorable episodes and most enjoyable episodes, wasn't as much as some of the other seasons. But RTTE is perfect so Season 3 is still top notch TV 😩

Fave episodes: Buffalord Soldier, A Grim Retreat, Defenders of the Wing Pt. 1

4) Season 4

I feel like I'm committing a crime ranking this one so low because this season is so good but somehow the others are even better (idk how no one is talking about RTTE outside of the Httyd random). For me, there were a couple of great filler episodes but there was also great plot related episodes. I just think apart from the the Hiccstrid episodes and maybe one other, i don't think about this season much, I rewatch the other ones a lot more. That's not to say it isn't good because the episodes i do watch are *chef's kiss*. How can we forget this season is the long awaited birthplace of Hiccstrid??

Fave episodes: Gruff Around the Edges, Not Lout, The Longest Day, Out of the Frying Pan, Blindsided, Shell Shocked Pt. 1 & 2

3) Season 6

For me, a lot of my nostalgia for this show lies in the earlier seasons (1-3) so how it went was I lost touch with the Httyd fandom for a couple years (around 2018) and then came back in 2020 after RTTE Seasons 5/6 and Httyd 3 had been released so I kinda missed out on the hype for it which is really annoying because as season 6 is the finale, I feel like it would've been a great high for the fandom. And then Httyd 3 was the ultimate finale but that's a story for another day. Anyways, I enjoyed a lot of episodes in this season, filler and plot. I think the episodes were enjoyable and it was a very well done send off to the show, i mean the final battle/epilogue always makes me emotional for some reason. Plus, all the little Hiccstrid moments were so cute this season, i mean, the hair touches?? Too much. I also liked how they tied everything up to Httyd 2 quite perfectly, with Drago, Valka, the Bewilderbeast and other small details - it was well thought out.

Fave episodes: All Bark, No Bite, A Gruff Separation, Mi Amore Wing, Family Matters, Darkest Night, Guardians of Vanaheim, King of Dragons Pt. 1 & 2

2) Season 2

This was a real toughie because Season 2 is such a great one, I mean it's nostalgic and so enjoyable and funny and there's so many great moments that happen. The filler episodes are so entertaining and the plot based ones were really interesting, I find season 2 to be so easily rewatchable. I also liked the subplots in the season between certain characters and i think it had some of the best stories.

Fave episodes: Team Astrid, Night of the Hunters Pt. 1 & 2, Bad Moon Rising, Snotlout Gets the Axe, The Zippleback Experience, Snow Way Out, Edge of Disaster Pt. 1 & 2, Maces and Talons Pt. 2

And finally...

1) Season 5 - My Favourite Season

I feel like a lot of people are gonna disagree with me on this bc i don't really see a lot of people talking about the episodes in season 5 much but what the hell. Season 5 was definitely my favourite season. The lighthearted episodes were just so goddamn rewatchable and good, most of my favourite episodes in this season are actually fillers. But I don't know why, there's something about the vibe of season 5 that i just love, it feels...calm?? In a way?? I don't know. But this season just has so many of my favourite moments in the show, maybe in the franchise.

Fave episodes: Living on the Edge, Sandbusted, Something Rotten on Beserker Island, Snotlout's Angels, A Matter of Perspective, Dawn of Destruction, The Wings of War Pt. 1 & 2, No Dragon Left Behind, Snuffnut.

And there ya go! Just a quick reminder that this is completely my opinion and how I feel about the seasons, definitely not saying any of this is a straight up fact.

Bonus: My Overall Fave Episodes:

Night of the Hunters Pt. 1 & 2, Bad Moon Rising, Buffalord Soldier, The Longest Day, Blindsided, She'll Shocked Pt. 1 & 2, Sandbusted, Snotlout's Angels, Dawn of Destruction, Mi Amore Wing, Darkest Night and King of Dragons Pt. 1 & 2.

Lemme know what you guys think!

[stormblessed95]

Have you ever talked about the Jikook moment during the interview where Jimin has a white crescent moon sweater on and Jk is looking sexy as hell in his tight black sweater? It comes up on my timeline frequently as a "Jimin lost in Jungkook" moment but to me, it's always looked as if Jimin literally zoned out/nodded off/started falling asleep for a brief sec. His eyelids flutter as well. He jolts out of it and straight up looks so incredibly tired.

This is the moment in reference?

Video snippet

Full interview video, which is the HITS 97.3 Interview they did in 2020. The moment above happens approx 2ish minutes in

Never say I'm not through! 🤣🤣

They all look a little tired through this interview, keep in mind, they did a few that day lol and American interviews can be incredibly repetitive honestly 😅 But I will have to side with the "he got momentarily lost in JK" crowd this time. While he did look sleepy, he looked over originally to give JK his full attention as he spoke about filming LGO. He blinks, he is paying attention, etc. It doesn't look like zoning out to me, rather him paying attention to JK. And what you are seeing as eyes fluttering, I'm seeing instead as his eyes drifting down JK and momentarily checking him out in his, as you put it, sexy tight black sweater.

He DID look GOOD that day! Can't blame Jimin at all honestly. And after he checked Jungkook out in the middle of an interview, he jerked his eyes away and back to facing front. Almost like he was chiding himself lmfao with those blinking eyes and little smirk. 🤣

And we see JK put his arm up on the chair behind them and lean more towards Jimin as he nods along and gives Jimin his full attention as Jimin talks about something most memorable for them that year. Jimin also looking towards and speaking to JK at times too. As they often do.

They do look sleepy, but they don't look comatose or literally out of it during any part of the full interview to me. Lol just like it's been a long day and they are ready to move on 😂

But that's just me. You all are all free to have your own opinions and disagree here too! Thanks so much for the ask!!

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I was listening to some real people comedians (as in, local comedians whom I have met in real life, and can therefore not be considered to have in any way “made it” in comedy, because if they had then they would not be hanging out around me) talk the other day, and they were discussing the concept of “laughs per minute”, and whether it’s a bullshit way to judge comedy. Which I think it usually is, depending on the context. In a really short club set, it probably does matter a lot because you don’t have time to do more than that. In a Stewart Lee Edinburgh hour, he can go 35 minutes setting something up and everyone will just trust that the punchline at the end will be worth it.

Anyway, it got me thinking about the concept, and how I judge comedy in lots of different ways, and what has made me laugh the most – both in terms of most laughs per minute and hardest laughs overall – is not exactly the same as my favourite comedy shows ever. But anything that manages any kind of notable laughs per minute rating is impressive, because lots of shows I really like never clear that bar. If we define a “laugh” as something outwardly expressed and audible, more than just a smile and a nose exhale, then it doesn’t actually happen all that often. I’ll consider a show very successful if it gets me to do that just a few times across an hour.

So I’ve tried to think of what comedy shows have successfully gotten more than that, have made me properly laugh out loud really consistently for their entire runtime (whether that’s an hour or 15 minutes, though obviously it’s more impressive if they can sustain it for longer). If I’m thinking about this across my whole life, I have to take into account the fact that everything’s funnier when you’re a kid, you haven’t already seen every obvious joke so nothing is hack or overdone. I remember the shows I was into as a kid (ages 7 to 14 or so, I think) as the funniest things in the entire world, I used to watch every episode over and over and over. The main ones on rotation being Flying Circus, Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, Mr. Bean, Ripping Yarns, Yes Minister, M*A*S*H, and Cheers.

Now, at 33, I can understand why it’s annoying to have the parrot sketch memorized – because it’s been quoted so often than at this point repeating it is almost like, for example, trying to sell someone something that's long dead and nailed to a perch. At nine, I could recite every word in it, over and over for hours, and it never stopped being funny. As an adult, I’m still pretty sure Blackadder was a work of genius, but I don’t think I’ll ever again find anything as funny as I found Hugh Laurie’s acting power stance when I was eleven years old. I used to wake up at 5:30 AM to watch a few episodes of whatever show I was re-watching at the moment (my list of shows on rotation was heavily determined by what was in my parents’ DVD boxset collection), until I could mouth along to all the lines but they never got less funny.

I did re-watch every episode of all those British shows in 2020 (so everything but M*A*S*H and Cheers, though I’ve rewatched a few episodes of both those recently as well) to see how they held up, and while they didn’t make me cry with laughter the way I did as a kid, I still thought almost all of them were very good. And by “almost all of them”, I mean… look, I think Mr. Bean is just meant to be a kids’ show. I loved it when I first watched it, because that shit’s hilarious when you’re a kid. As an adult, it looked like a kid’s show with a few genuinely funny moments. The turkey on the head is still funny. Playing with the toy Daleks in the Christmas store is still funny. My family still watches the Christmas special every year on that holiday. The rest of it we can probably leave behind.

Anyway, the point is that you can’t count that because I was a kid. Then I think of my favourite comedy shows that I got into as a teenager. Major ones to come to mind are The Thick of It, 30 Rock, Parks and Rec, Community, Arrested Development, Flight of the Conchords, Freaks and Geeks. My favourite comedy shows of my twenties: Bojack Horseman, Veep, Archer, Brooklyn Nine Nine, The Good Place, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Portlandia, Broad City, Party Down, Bob’s Burgers. I supposed I should add a mention of my mixed and up-and-down longterm relationship with South Park.

I remember a lot of things I’ve loved about those shows besides pure laughs per minute – the characters, the ideas, the atmosphere. I’d go back to certain shows over and over just because I liked the way it made me feel to spend time in the world they created. But for pure, really hard, out-loud laughs? Looking at that list, I think the ones to get the most of those out of me were The Thick of It, Veep, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, and maybe when they were at their best, Portlandia, Archer, and Community could do it. But not all the time. There isn’t really that long a list of comedies that have consistently made me laugh really hard once I wasn’t a kid anymore.

Anyway, that isn’t actually what I was thinking about that made me decide to write this post. The conversation I heard from local comedians, about laughs per minute, made me think of what has done that to me in my thirties, the few years since COVID occurred and I decided to not do anything except British comedy. I have seen and heard and read so much comedy in the last few years, and I have really really loved quite a lot of it. So I was surprised when I realized that I think, if you judge it entirely by out-loud laughs per minute, there aren’t a huge number that come to mind as consistently providing a high rate of those.

In terms of full-length stand-up hours, I think there might still be no one who’s gotten more proper laughs per minute out of me than Rhod Gilbert. All four of his DVD shows are incredible – I think I’d say the first one (The Award Winning Mince Pie) is my favourite, though I might just have a soft spot for the first one I saw, when I first had my eyes opened to that captivating style.

I hesitate a little to comment on his health from the perspective of how much I love his comedy specials, because I don’t want to make something as serious as a person’s life or death about whether I’ll get to hear more comedy specials (I feel the same way about Mark Steel’s current situation – I did make a post a while ago in which I said he has to recover for the sake of Radio Four, but obviously, he has to recover for the sake of himself and his family, even his annoying son, I wish them all the best and it’s not about the comedy fans). But for everyone’s sake, mainly his, God am I ever glad he’s back and by all accounts okay. He’s said he was diagnosed with cancer the day after he recorded his latest special, and you can really tell in that video that he was being slowed down and struggled to match his usual frantic energy levels, but it was still brilliant.

Anyway, I think Rhod Gilbert still wins at laughs per minute from me in stand-up. Proper laughter. Laughing so hard I can’t breathe and have to pause the video so I don’t miss the next bit and end up with tears in my eyes and my throat and stomach hurt. I think Rhod Gilbert has done that to me the most. I’ve tried to think of whose stand-up material might do that to me the second most, and I’m slightly annoyed that I think the main two names that come to mind are Sam Campbell and Nish Kumar. Slightly annoyed because when I look at those two names alongside Rhod Gilbert… okay, is it possible that I might just like being shouted at?

I’m now trying to think of a non-shouty comic who’s done that to me. Kitson, obviously. I think my favourite stand-up hour ever is Daniel Kitson’s Where Once Was Wonder, which is fucking incredible for its ability to get every single aspect right. Brilliant on an emotional level, hitting multiple themes and topics that all have deep emotional resonance and saying original and significant things about them. Brilliant on an intellectual level – every time I listen to it I marvel at the number of layers in its structure, how its conceit of being full of contradictions is embedded in almost every line, how I catch more each time and he points lots of them out but throws even more away. And crucially, brilliant on a humour level. It is consistently, all the way through, hilarious. He probably never goes ten minutes without at least one bit that makes my whole body seize up from laughter until I can’t breathe right.

But honestly, most of the Kitson things that have gotten the highest laugh per minute out of me were not the intricately written shows. I wince at how much he would hate this, but probably, at laughs per minute from me, some of his 2007-2008 Graveyard Triple R radio shows beat some of his best proper stand-up shows. Same with some of his WIP/pre-WIP just messing around shows. There’s some audio footage of a 2007 Late ‘n’ Live night where Daniel Kitson and Andy Zaltzman do an incredibly stupid sketch that has put tears of laughter in my eyes. If you want to know what level of humour we're talking about, that sketch contains the line "That was three ladies booing my dick because it chose the wrong member of We Are Klang to fuck" (which it did, by the way, by which I mean Andy Zaltzman chose wrong while portraying the role of Daniel Kitson's penis, but not for the reasons that this Greg Davies-fancying website would expect, if you'd heard the Triple R shows with Steve Hall you'd understand. He then went on to choose the wrong member of Pappy's Fun Club, what does Andy Zaltzman know about the most attractive members of the most successful British fringe comedy sketch groups of 2007?). It's definitely not better than properly written Kitson shows, or Zaltzman shows, for that matter. But it might have made me laugh out loud more times.

I think It’s the Fireworks Talking is one of the best pieces of performance ever written, but recordings I’ve heard of that have probably made me laugh fewer times than a recording I’ve heard from the Melbourne Festival of when he finished performing It’s the Fireworks Talking and then went into a radio studio to talk shit with David and Claudia O’Doherty all night. Or than the Zaltzman/Kitson penis sketch, put together with everything else from that Late 'n' Live recording.

I know I’m not saying anything new here; I’m hardly the first person to point out that Daniel Kitson is absolutely fucking hilarious when he’s messing around with no script. Lots of people have pointed it out before me, and he has clearly heard those people point it out, as he’s often mentioned that it annoys him, and understandably so. What’s the point of working so hard on proper shows if people just like your unplanned stuff better?

But I don’t think I actually like that stuff better. I don’t think his radio shows are better than It’s the Fireworks Talking (I sort of don’t think penicillin is better than It’s the Fireworks Talking). And this is where I come back to the fact that laughs per minute are not the best way to judge a show (I’d like to clarify at this point that It’s the Fireworks Talking did have quite a high laughs per minute rate out of me, just not as high as Kitson and some O’Doherties getting weirdly competitive about indie music at 3 AM).

Anyway. I think Sam Campbell recently became the first person to make me laugh so hard that I had tears in my eyes, from hearing something that was performed in 2023. He did that with some of his recent stand-up. On Taskmaster he has, more than once, made me laugh loud enough to cause a cat to run across the room (I’m currently catsitting and one of the cats gets easily spooked by sudden noise, so whether I make her jump is a good gauge of whether something’s made me laugh out loud). But only his stand-up has actually made me cry.

I’ve been lucky enough to get to hear quite a bit of recent stand-up in the last couple of months. I’ve really liked a lot of it, but I’m now trying to think of how much of it has actually made me consistently laugh out loud, which is several steps beyond just being funny. I think the only people who’ve done that are Sam Campbell, Olga Koch, Nish Kumar, Greg Larsen, Sarah Keyworth, and Fern Brady. Which actually isn’t that short a list, but it’s a shorter list than the list of comedians I’ve enjoyed at all in the last couple of months.

Anyway, I didn’t start writing this post because of stand-up. I started writing this post because of a conversation I heard some comedians have the other day, but I started thinking of that conversation, and decided I wanted to write a post about that conversation, because I was re-watching some No More Jockeys today. And fucking hell, I have to say, this is supporting the theory that laughs per minute can come so much from unscripted shows that it could justifiably make comedians despair as they wonder what the point is of honing their craft. I’ve listened to a bunch of Tim Key’s properly written stuff in the last few days (went on a bit of a binge of his radio show and some of his old stand-up), absolutely loved it, it’s intelligent and funny and very well written stuff, but it still didn’t make me laugh out loud quite as hard as No More Jockeys does. Almost nothing makes me laugh out loud quite as hard as No More Jockeys does.

I tried to think of some non-stand-up thing that makes me laugh as hard/loud/often as No More Jockeys. The Bugle has managed it, at its best. I've only heard a few episodes of Pappy's Fun Club, but that's done it at times. Catsdown at its best has accomplished it.

The main thing I can think of that's done it really consistently is Taskmaster, but even that probably loses to NMJ at laughs per minute. It’s up there, though. Beats a lot of scripted sitcoms at it, including some really good scripted sitcoms. So from Taskmaster and No More Jockeys, you get the laughs, and the fun of getting emotionally invested in following a competitive game. Why are people still bothering to craft well written sitcom worlds?

This post has been massively disjointed, I think I've hit about six different topics since I've started, somehow including who's the most attractive member of Pappy's Fun Club. I finally have a weekend to myself and have decided I feel like writing things again, and it's started with this. I don't think there was any point to it. All I was really trying to say is I can't believe how fucking funny No More Jockeys is.

Mark Watson desperately, pleadingly trying to argue with Alex Horne about whether Donald Duck has been to prison – I'm sorry but I don't think Rowan Atkinson has done anything funnier than that in his entire life. He's done lots of things that are better than that. But not that can make me laugh harder than that while I'm over the age of 30.

[loveforlandonorris]

💬 Lando's words on having reached 100 races in his career at Austin:

Lando on his debut race at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix:

“I can’t remember all of my debut race, but I can remember a lot of it,” Lando says. “I can remember being on the grid, the nerves, and having so many things to remember. We practised that situation so many times in pre-season testing, but having to remember my stop laps, the plan for the race, and things like that added a lot of nerves, and that’s what I really remember."

“Then I remember being on the grid, lights out and the run down to Turn 1. It was not my best start, I don’t think, but a good memory. It was exciting, and doing it for the first time is special. I wouldn't say my first race was my favourite, it is cool and memorable, but it is nothing compared to a podium or a pole.”

Lando on his 1st podium at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix:

“I remember the whole thing,” Lando says. “I got past [Sergio] Perez at Turn 3, I was driving as quickly as I could. The gap to Lewis [Hamilton] at that point was quite big, but I knew that he had a five-second time penalty and that I needed to push as hard as I could. This is where Scenario 7 happened."

“There were no fans there, which is the disappointing thing, but to see the whole team, to spray some champagne – that was my first time in quite a while - was very nice.”

Lando on his first pole at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix:

“It was an intermediate qualifying on a drying track." “There was one run on slick tyres in Q3, in conditions that I have always enjoyed since karting: slick tyres and that element of taking so much risk. You know that if it goes a little bit wrong, it is pretty much a guarantee you are going to be in the wall or crashing out."

“It is about who is going to take the biggest risk, basically, in every corner. The risk is a tyre's width, and if you go a little bit too wide, you're in the water. It is scary conditions in a way, but I remember my lap and the thought of 'don't mess it up'. I knew we had the chance of getting a good result."

“Crossing the line and getting told that I was P1 was super exciting, it put a big smile on my face. My first pole in Formula 1 was a good one.”

Lando on getting P2 in his home race at the 2023 British Grand Prix:

“Silverstone was one of the coolest, most exciting races,” Lando recalls. “One, because it is Silverstone, my home race, with the fans and the atmosphere, but then, of course, because of the podium. Getting my first podium of the year and having the turnaround we had to get to that point was quite incredible. It was just very special. It was my first [podium] in front of a home crowd."

“To hear everyone chanting my name, cheering for me, and seeing so many McLaren fans, it is one of those times that you remember looking up to as a kid. You really feel like you are in the moment when you are there, it is a very special feeling.”

Lando on his relationship with his teammates:

"There have always been filming days and things that we have done with Carlos [Sainz], Daniel [Ricciardo] and Oscar," he says. "There are moments you don't even see on camera when we are not filming. We have had great laughs. "It is about sharing these experiences with different teammates and people which is what always makes it a lot of fun. I wouldn't say there aren't any specific off-track moments I would name, but just time with my three teammates and the team, sharing my experiences with them."

Lando on having reached 100 races & his hopes for the future:

After completing my first 100, it has got to be a step up from everything that we have achieved so far, that next bracket of success, which is hopefully winning some races and competing for more race wins and podiums," Lando says. "I think this year has been our strongest so far in terms of actually competing on genuine pace for race wins and podiums."

"Previously, it was every now and then. It was a one-off strong race, or maybe we had gotten lucky. Now, we are actually competing."

"Over the next 100, it is about achieving more success with the team, sharing more moments, creating more memories and taking some gold trophies instead of silver or bronze ones - that is my target."

"We have had a great five years together, but there are hopefully many more to come in papaya with the Papaya Army cheering us on every weekend."

[thesinglesjukebox]

SABRINA CARPENTER - "ESPRESSO"

It's I! hi! Me espresso it's I!

[7.41]

Joshua Lu: Sabrina Carpenter has positioned herself as the industry's premiere deliverer of fancy nonsense: "dream-came-true'd" rhymed with "perfumed" rhymed with "Mountain Dew'ed"; a reference to a video game console that actually sounds grounded in the current decade, a possible first for the Hot 100, and of course the titular claim to be "me espresso." Even the song's most memorable line, where she blithely states her occupation as a singer, becomes camp through its sheer banality. This tactical quirkiness elevates "Espresso" from being a decent reinvention of "Say So" to welcome playlist fodder in the months to come. In a time when calling music "brainless poolside summer noise" is used to justify mediocrity, it's pleasant to hear actual brainless poolside summer noise with legitimate thought and personality behind it. [7]

Hannah Jocelyn: Sabrina Carpenter has found her niche by being a total goofball, and I have to respect it. She sings like she knows how dumb “that’s that me espresso” is as a line but also knows that it's a catchy hook. Good thing, too, because Julian Bunetta’s production is unremarkable nü-disco that makes me wonder what to call it when it’s not nü anymore. [7]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: "Say So" is the Urtext of 2020s pop music: often imitated, often matched, but rarely surpassed, which is a shame because, as previously noted, that's a hot loop not a hot song. Carpenter swaps nonsense for missense; every line here is mutated in a way that (intentionally?) evokes Italo disco and Swedish factory pop, and it basically works. I wish it were a little less self aware; both here and on "nonsense," Carpenter feels the need to remark on the stupidity of her own songs in a way that suggests a lack of confidence in the broader act. Even with that slight dissonance, though, it'd be pointlessly contrarian to deny the quality of the groove and the schtick. Just because she thinks it's stupid doesn't mean I have to agree. [7]

TA Inskeep: Jeremy D. Larson is right to suggest that this is like Carly Simon's "Why" pulled inside-out, and then, I think, perhaps stretched a bit like taffy left out on a hot summer day. This isn't as good as "Why" -- few songs are -- but it's got a similar vibe and smartly turns disco into easy-to-swallow pop. Carpenter sounds like she can't be bothered, which helps. [9]

Oliver Maier: It's easy and not entirely unreasonable to dismiss "Espresso" as more of the diet disco fare we've been inundated with for the past half-decade, but it's arch and queasy-sounding in a way that's more Neon Indian than Doja Cat. The mosquito-whine synth riff in the pre-chorus sounds like it could've graduated from the Vega Intl. Night School. I don't know whether I'm totally won over by Carpenter -- the lyrics strike me less as so-dumb-they're-brilliant and more as just dumb -- but I'm taken by the way everything in this song sounds. [7]

Nortey Dowuona: Julian Bunetta returns to our shores, now sipping the espresso of Amy Allen and Sabrina Carpenter. His drums here are a bland 1984 rehash; they sound nice enough but don't really push the envelope. Thankfully, the swirling rubbery synth bass and spectral keys of the chorus are a nice touch, as are the guitar filtered down into a dusting that's revealed in bits and pieces in the mix, and the neat little keyboard riff around the pre-chorus. The voices of Carpenter, Amy Allen and Steph Jones create a lush harmony that allows Carpenter to descant at the top of her range without it feeling jarring or irritable. Very good cup, but it's a medium-size one. [7]

Alfred Soto: I liked it the moment the distorted/sampled/real guitar squealed at 0:52; I loved it when the bass and percussion track hopped into bed and didn't let go. In the last two days I've heard "Espresso" blasting from an F-150 as it screeched past me on my morning constitutional and at my favorite watering hole. The mood lifted. Key is Sabrina Carpenter, heiress of a vocal lineage that includes Andrea True, Kylie, and Annie.  [9]

Isabel Cole: Stupid, she mutters near the end, amused, ostensibly about her affair; but it’s hard not to hear it as a moment of breaking kayfabe about the whole endeavor and be inclined to agree, but cheerfully, in the spirit of: I’ll drink to that! I like that she sings it like her mind is elsewhere, to the extent that she intones “I guess so” so weirdly it sounds like she’s learned the line phonetically. And I really like the little fembot yes-es in the pre-chorus, a mini-posse of Sabrinas programmed only for fun in the sun. "Espresso" is frozen yogurt in song form: sweet and weightless and refreshing enough that if you’re not paying attention you might not even notice how empty it is, and if you do, well, on certain sweltering Sundays that’s part of the appeal.  [7]

Katherine St. Asaph: No thoughts head empty type beat. [7]

Ian Mathers: Aggressively competent, and a fine addition to the annals of delightful pop semi-gibberish in the form of "that's that me espresso." Docked a point for "I know I Mountain Dew it for ya" because come the fuck on. [6]

Taylor Alatorre: "Stupid," indeed, in the most generously and joyfully pre-meditated of ways. But not so stupid regarding the relative caffeine content of different brands of soda -- as Carpenter is no doubt aware, Mountain Dew is by a good margin the most caffeinated of the major brands, with a 12 fl oz can providing about 85% of the caffeine contained in a single shot of espresso. Celebrities: they read the Nutrition Facts when they're bored just like us! [8]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: Hot, sweet, smooth, tasty but not particularly substantive, and with playful notes. Not unlike… [8]

Will Rivitz: A Nespresso pod of a song: shiny, cheaply produced, and considerably worse than the thing it's trying to imitate. Probably bad for the environment, too. [3]

Will Adams: Is this the five thousandth "Say So" retread to enter the pop arena? Yes. Was "Say So" itself not that innovative? Yes. Does "Espresso" get away with it by virtue of being dumb as hell? Yes.  [7]

Kayla Beardslee: Sweet but with a bite like macchiato / Served up just how they like it on the radio / Dear pop girls, can you please move on from "Say So" / Sabrina’s sense of humor makes this land, though. [7]

Rachel Saywitz: “Espresso” is ridiculous, braggadocios, and a bit idiotic, but it also sounds so lived-in: in the way you psych yourself up in the mirror when you’re nervous (“that’s…that’s that me! Espresso!”), or the way you vent to a friend about someone who ticked you off (“like, literally, that’s that me espresso, and I fucking told them that”), or the way you start bawling during a therapy session after uncovering some deep personal truth (“it was me *sob sob* I was the espresso all along *sob sob sob*”). It’s a communal inside joke that gives each of us our own grandiose thrill. [8]

Michael Hong: Originally mistook this for a K-pop song, but no group gets the dumb rush of "I know I Mountain Dew it for you." It's the part of a crush where you're bending over backwards to be whatever they need: a dream come true, their ex, a warm shot of espresso. [7]

Jackie Powell: “Espresso” is such a feat for Sabrina Carpenter. That can’t be understated. She starred on a Disney Channel show that was way past the prime of the network, then she was rumored to be the foil in Olivia Rodrigo’s breakout “Driver’s License," and now she’s on the precipice of having the song of the summer. Carpenter’s previous single, “Feather,” was an earworm that relied upon a steady baseline and a piano riff that intentionally flitters throughout each hook, and built her momentum by becoming a radio sleeper. It's impressive how effortless "Espresso" seems. The song’s grammar-defying lyrics could have made this an absolute mess, but "Espresso” is quite sophisticated in how it plays with appositives —a noun phrase that describes the one that came before it, as in the phrase “That’s That Me Espresso“— and conversions, when a word changes parts of speech, as in how Carpenter turns "dream come true" into “dream-come-true’d.” Carpenter uses caffeine as a symbol of her sexual power, and her confidence in her delivery of the absolutely ridiculous lyrics makes the listener believe her message. Is it just the super smooth rhythm guitar and bassline of Julian Bunetta that puts me under a spell for three minutes? Maybe! When I listen to “Espresso,” I can’t help but feel a sense of autonomy. It doesn’t matter how unrelatable the line “I'm working late 'cause I'm a singer” is. The headspace around moments when you have so much confidence absolutely is.  [8]

Mark Sinker: Natasha Henstridge diving thru the glass in SPECIES (1995): when the song break containment ????? [10]

Dave Moore: The pleasure I found in this too-arch-by-half bon bon early on was fragile, and commercial success has soured the fun -- it wants so badly to be an admirable flop. But given this is the Year of the Flop, maybe the true flop is success? [6]

Alex Clifton: "Espresso" has been stuck in my head for a solid three weeks, even to the point of keeping me up at night (just like a good caffeine buzz). You'd think that would be too much, but honestly I cannot get enough of it. I get buzzed on this like it's a drug. It's a perfect summer pop song -- frothy, cheeky, a little weird, and sunny, with both a beautiful earworm of a melody and lyrics that are just strange enough to question but sound good anyway. (Who would've thought to rhyme "Nintendo" with "espresso"? Now I'll always hear it.) Welcome to the big time, Sabrina Carpenter. So pleased to have see you arrive. [10]

Andrew Karpan: Somehow it took me the entire month of April to listen to “Espresso,” a song that was everywhere and nowhere, a collectively held memory of other songs and how big they used to feel. One misses songs that sound like this. Sabrina Carpenter may sound like Ariana Grande or may sound like Dua Lipa, but what she sounds like is the present day, the wind as the subway doors close, pigeon carrier of a message of hope, on the lips of everyone, at least somewhere. Me espresso, you espresso, we expresso.  [8]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[seventeenlovesthree]

How would you imagine Taikoura would play out in the 2020 reboot? And do you have any moments from the anime where you you imagined this ship shining through?

Mhhh, that's a very interesting question. I have probably memorized all of their most prominent interactions - and less obvious/just implied ones - in the OG anime timeline and usually base my OT3 ideas on that specific version of them as well. But I gotta say... Reboot!Taikoura has its own appeal. In fact, while both versions have several things in common, there are still aspects about them that could - potentially - play out very differently. It all comes down to their different set-ups and personalities (and also a little bit of imagination, because one might argue that the reboot characters are not as fleshed out/deep as their OG counterparts, but that's all a matter of perspective). I will probably compile a post with their most interesting moments at some point, but it's fun to theorize for a bit, shall we?

Let's start with the things both OG!Taikoura and Reboot!Taikoura have in common to establish our baseline. In my opinion, that's exactly three things: 1.) Taichi and Sora already go "a long way back" in both timelines and have a solid foundation as we enter the series. Which gets displayed time and time again by Taiora being portrayed as football duo that is incredibly devoted to (and soft with) one another, even framing Sora as a second in command every now and then. Unfortunately, the OG!football trio does not exist in this timeline - but that doesn't keep Koushirou from swooning over them anyway.

2.) Taichi is basically Koushirou's first "real life" friend and it shows. While OG!Koushirou is seeming more independent and confident in his skills (and masks his insecurities a lot), Reboot!Koushirou only really discovers his self-esteem through the encouragement of their bond (+ Tentomon).

3.) This is probably the more interesting aspect, which is both the same and yet portrayed more visibly than in the OG: The fact that, due to point 1 and 2 combined, Sora and Koushirou are LITERALLY Taichi's knights. Team Light exists for a reason and that is to have these two being constantly framed together to be a.) worrying about Taichi, b.) fighting by his side/to protect him, c.) sending him their energy.

I maintain that the OG was very adamant about framing Koura to be completely ride or die for Taichi as well, but it was never as visibly obvious as it is here. And while Taichi is basically very omni-shippable with the majority of the cast in the reboot anyway, he reciprocates their attitude in particular by CONSTANTLY praising both of them in ways that encourage and enable them to become stronger as well. He helps them to overcome their own insecurities and boundaries for the sake of supporting him and recognizing the true nature of their crests. One could also say: Love and Knowledge can only really thrive when Courage is involved. And the "awesome counter" has been broken by now anyway.

As mentioned in my Taishirou comparison analysis before, that also means there isn't a lot of friction between the three of them - but who doesn't like a peaceful iteration of their favourite OT3 every once in a while, huh?

While the bond between Taichi with Sora and Koushirou respectively is, as mentioned above, very elaborated upon in regards to both individual bonding moments and the "knighthood", Koura don't get as much time to bond individually with each other outside of that. There are some cute moments, but outside of their devotion to Taichi, they still have quite a way to go.

But either way, there is a lot of potential and the fondness is definitely there, so aside from basically all Team Light moments and all those I have already shown above, these are also some honorary mentions. Because these kids are positively enchanted by each other and nobody can tell me otherwise (with episode 36 and 50 probably being my favourites):

[gothicbarbie]

MY TOP 15 BL SERIES OF 2021

I did one of these for 2022, so figured I should do one for 2021, 2020 and then one for the shows before that. I started watching Bls seriously at the start of 2021, and its been such a fun journey. These lists are probably more so for me than anything else but maybe someone will find them helpful when trying to decide which ones to check out... let me know what your favs are!

1. We Best Love [Taiwan] - To date, my favorite BL series thus far. IMO it really has everything. Great premise and storyline, great acting and dialogue, and amazing chemistry between the main two, plus decent enough intimate scenes and kisses. It really ticks all the boxes for me. Plus, I love a good rivals to lovers storyline and samyu are pretty darn sweet.

2. Utsukushii Kare [Japan] - This one is a bit messy and there are definitely some problematic elements, but gosh, it's so entertaining. From start to finish I was hooked into the storyline and the relationship betwene the main two. And I think it was a well-rounded story with a good ending, so it left me pretty satisfied. For a Japan series too, it had a nice kising scene in the finale.

3. Light on Me [Korea] - Adore this series, and finally we get a longer Korean BL. The main characters were adorable, and the show was light enough and funny but had some good drama as well. Not the best kissing scenes ever but the main two's chemistry made up for it imo. Very sweet series.

4. To My Star [Korea] - This one took a few watches to grow on me but in hindsight its one of the better BL's out there (lets not talk about season 2)... the storyline was fun and it was one of the first Korean BL's that I watched, so it was a good one to start on! Korea goes unmatched for me with their BL's.

5. Kieta Hatsukoi [Japan] - Not a lot to say about this one tbh, I would have to rewatch to really give some better insight but I remember really enjoying this one. Japan BL's can tend to be a bit dramatic and sometimes a bit dark, but this one was so light and fluffy. It was a nice change of pace.

6. Don't Say No [Thai] - Okay, storyline wise, this BL kind of dragged for me. I didn't find the premise overly interesting. HOWEVER, Jafirst and their chemistry really made up for it. It's obvious how comfortable they are and their kissing scenes were one of the best scenes from this year. (We won't bring up THAT scene with FIAT in episode 2 (or was it 1?) because I lost my brain there.) But yeah, we'll just say this series was very enjoyable haha.

7. HiStory 4 [Taiwan] - This was a solid season. Not the best the series has ever done but I love that each season is different. The brothers storyline was a hot frickin mess but the main pairing was cute. Overall, I just found it very enjoyable.

8. Peach of Time [Korean] - Is this Korean or Thai? Not really sure, but it was a cute season that felt like a bit of both worlds. Not the most amazing chemstry or storyline of all time but it was sweet and interesting to watch. It had a certain charm to it.

9. You Make Me Dance [Korean] - It's hard to find a korean bl I dislike. And while this one is not that memorable compared to some others, it was still a nice watch.

10. Tale of a Thousand Stars [Thai] - People go crazy for earth+mix... they aren't really my cup of tea. Nothing against them, they are sweet, I just dont go crazy for them. The setting wasn't really my thing either but I did like the energy between the characters and all their cute moments and scenes, so it kept me entertained. Wished they had a better last kiss though.

11. Lovely Writer [Thai] - Found parts of this boring and the storyline didn't really hold my interest all that much but I did enjoy the scenes between the couples. I wish the side "pairing" had gotten more focus cuz that kiss on the street was great! But it was nice.

12. I Promised You the Moon/I Told Sunset About You part 2 [Thai] - Part 2 was nothing compared to season 1 at all. Season 1 imo was masterpeice and season 2 was just like a typical bl series imo. I hate cheating storylines so this series made me pretty mad haha but it wasn't UNWATCHABLE and I still liked the chemistry between the main 2.

13. Nobleman Ryu's Wedding [Korean] - The time setting wasn't really for me, but it was a cute and fun series. Not much else to say!

14. Fish Upon the Sky [Thai] - TBH I don't remember a WHOLE lot from this series and am planning to rewatch for pondphuwin, but I do remember enjoying it.

15. The Tasty Florida [Korean] - Again, can't go wrong with SK for me. But, compared to the other Korean series, this one wasn't AS good. Still enjoyable.

Honorable mentions: (Won't go into detail on these, but overall I found all of them nice and pleasant to watch, but they didn't grab me in the same way as some other series.

BxJ Series - (still have yet to see it but I did enjoy season 1), Bad Buddy - (watched a reactor watch this so technically couldn't add it to my list, but will try to watch it eventually), Be Loved in House I Do, Tinted With You, My Sweet Dear, The Man Who Defies the World of BL, The Novelist, Behind Cut, Stuck on You

Also check out my lists from other years! https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705678223200174080/my-top-bls-of-2019-and-earlier https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705674738528354304/my-top-15-bls-of-2020 https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705139242020618240/my-top-20-bl-series-of-2022

[always-outsider]

Recalling my Christmas with Valkyrie Connect

Suddenly, I'm reminded of a Christmas many years ago (2016) when His Omnipotence was still super rare. I remember getting him in Star Party Summon. He appeared alongside Liesa, another new hero at that time. To get them both in one summon... I felt as if I had wasted the entire year's luck in that exact summon.

There was also a Christmas (2017) in which Ateam held a lottery event on their Facebook page, with Odin as the grand prize. I recall seeing the post while sleeping in the hospital. I had to cover my mouth to keep the giggle from coming out.

A Christmas (2018) when I finally got him Awakened.

A Christmas (2019) when I finally got Valorous Odin and First Boy Ymir in one strike, all thanks to my family good luck (I asked them to press the summon button for me).

2016 to 2019 were the most memorable years for me. After 2020, I was no longer very active, only popping in and out once in a while. I just recall Valkyre Profile Collab; everything else was a blur.

Christmas 2022, I was able to obtain Vindicator Odin thanks to valkconnectfan's blessing. It was truly a miracle. I was extremely moody and anxious because I feared I wouldn't be able to acquire him. I was well aware of my terrible luck. That night, after seeing my vent post reblogged with well wishes, I dreamed of beautiful rainbows. When I awoke, the first thing I did was grab my phone, log into VC, and summon. I got him after 3 spins.

valkconnectfan, if you happen to see this post, I'd like to thank you again from the bottom of my heart. I wish you the best of luck in the coming year.

It's Christmas 2023 and I still playing Valkyrie Connect. For many people, it's simply a gacha game, yet the game has helped me through some difficult times. There was a period when I was so depressed that I wanted to give up everything. Before I did the irrevocable, I asked myself if there was anything that would make me regret not doing it. Then I remembered that I still couldn't beat Utgardar.

At this moment, all I wish is for the game to safely continue. In this current bleak economic climate, I sincerely fear for all game companies. If the game is no longer available, I will be terribly sad and lost...

But it's Christmas, after all! Let just all wish for the best!

[thisaintascenereviews]

Bring Me The Horizon - Post Human: Survival Horror

Bring Me The Horizon is one of the most popular bands in the world, and they can thank themselves for that, because they started experimenting with outside influences and styles outside of metalcore and deathcore. They started off as a deathcore band that a lot of people hated; I remember the disdain in full force, as I was a huge fan of them around 2008/2009, back when they dropped second album, Suicide Season. Even with that, they went into more of a metalcore sound with that album, but they were very heavy. During the early 2010s, when metalcore was at its most generic and derivative, Bring Me The Horizon released Sempiternal in 2013, and that record introduced alt-metal, nu-metal, and hard-rock into their sound, whereas 2015’s That’s The Spirit properly utilized those sounds and they didn’t have as many breakdowns and heavier moments. Things really changed with 2019’s Amo, in which the band doubled down their outside influences by including pop and electronic music. I really enjoyed that record, as it was the first time I enjoyed a BMTH album in years, but I wondered where they’d go from there.

Well, that’s where Post Human: Survival Horror comes into play. This was supposed to be the first of four EPs, so who knows if we’re getting the other three, but this came out around the start of the pandemic in 2020, and I remember listening to it a couple of times, but I didn’t think too much of it. Fast forward a few years later, and BMTH are not only one of the biggest bands in the world, they’ve been steadily dropping new songs, the latest of which being “Kool-Aid” just a couple of weeks ago, I thought I’d go ahead and revisit this album. It’s not quite an album, I guess, but it’s 32 minutes, so I don’t know. I figured I’d revisit this, and spend some time with it, because I didn’t have anything else to sink my teeth into. I also think it would be worth looking at in retrospect, just to see how well it’s aged, or if it hasn’t.

Thankfully, though, this record has aged quite well, but that’s kind of because Survival Horror seems to be at a crossroads for them. This album reintroduces some elements of metalcore, surprisingly. If you’re a fan of their older material, you’ll like a few tracks here, especially the opener, “Dear Diary,” which is some of the heaviest stuff they’ve done in awhile, but they’re still moving forward in their sound with songs like the Babymetal-assisted “Kingslayer,” or “1X1” with alt-metal / nu-metal duo Nova Twins. Songs like these are both heavy and catchy all at once, but you do have some softer moments, too, such as “Obey” with Yungblud, where it does have some heavier stuff in it, but the backbone of the song is very pop-focused. I’m not personally a huge fan of Yungblud, and I’d say that’s the song that probably works the least for me, but its hook is still really solid.

Closing track “One Day The Only Butterflies Left Will Be In Your Chest” not only has a song title that sounds like it would have been in the mid-00s, but Evanescence’s Amy Lee is featured on this ballad, and my god, it’s gorgeous. This song sounds beautiful. Her angelic vocals add a level of gravitas that makes it work really well, but it’s such a great closer. It’s a great ending for a half hour record, and it never feels as though it’s too long or dragging. This record has the distinction of having songs that are memorable and are distinguished from each other, but they all flow together, nonetheless. Frontman Oliver Sykes is a good reason for that, too, and I haven’t mentioned him much here so far, but wow, he’s so good. His voice has gotten better over the years, and he has a good range within his clean vocals and harsh vocals, but the addition of harsher vocals on this record is a good one, because he handles it well.

The rest of the band is good, too, and the instrumentation is a good complement to him. This record isn’t all just pop hooks and breakdowns, either, but to be fair, the hooks are really good. Sykes and company are one of the best bands in this style that utilize hooks, and Sykes has a way with writing catchy hooks, and this record is no exception. I hadn’t listened to this album in a few years, and I remembered it quite well. There are a handful of really cool riffs and solos, too, and it’s surprising coming from this band, but I perked my ears up every time I heard something interesting and that did something cool, such as a solo, a really unique breakdown, or something interesting, but I enjoy this quite a lot. If you’re like me, and you jumped ship after a certain point with these guys, or you still like them and just want to see them go back to a heavier sound, you’ll probably like this. The best thing about this record is that it doesn’t feel as though they’re trying to pander, but they’re just trying to incorporate older sounds, and it works very well. If anything, and from the new songs they’ve put out, too, I’m excited for another record from these guys.

[rharyx]

I've been going through all the mainline Final Fantasy games (and such side games as well) since I've never really played that many growing up and felt like getting into them all. Doubt I'll ever play all of the main 16, since not all of them look interesting to me, but we'll see.

Final Fantasy X This was the first one I played, back in 2014. I wanted to have at least one FF under my belt before XV came out, and X looked the most appealing. Played it and loved it. Definitely a 10/10 game for me, and I think the Sphere Grid is one of the most fun leveling systems I've seen. The story is so good, the cutscenes go hard, and the characters are really well-designed and memorable. I think one of the most important aspects of FF is a good main party, and X is one of the best in that regard.

Final Fantasy X-2 I've tried twice to get into this game, and I couldn't do it either time. I love Yuna's development from X to here, and I love the aesthetic and vibe of the game, but I couldn't get into the gameplay or how the story was paced and broken up. Maybe I'll get back to it for a 3rd time someday...

Final Fantasy Type-0 I only got this because it came with the demo for FFXV, and I dropped it pretty quickly back in 2015. I only came back to it a couple months ago (2023) and played it to completion. It was definitely a chore. The gameplay itself can be fun/addicting, but everything else is just outright boring or done in a way that makes things as joyless as possible. Especially the story, which is handled super choppily. The cast was mostly one-note (which I get was intentional, in-universe, but still...) and I only really played as Ace and Cater. Machina is probably my least favorite FF protag I can think of while writing this up. I only did one playthrough, and I know there's more in NG+, but I just have no energy to go through it again. Overall, it's like a 4/10.

Final Fantasy XV To say I was disappointed is an understatement. Not really a hot take, shitting on XV, but I mean...it is what it is. I knew it was never going to be the game I was looking forward to back in 2006, but the final product was just so far removed from anything resembling a coherent thought. The combat isn't fun, the skill tree is so boring, and the "open world" is mostly lifeless. Noct and the boys had potential, but they're barely developed or given much to do -- and don't even get me started on Luna and the rest of the side cast. There's a really good story and setting somewhere underneath all the issues, and it's impressive they released anything at all, all things considered. But man, is it just disappointing. 6/10.

Final Fantasy VIII As someone who really loved Leon in Kingdom Hearts, I was always interested in seeing the origin of the character, but just like Type-0, I could just not get into this game. I tried it in 2019, after Kingdom Hearts 3 came out and let me down -- I wanted to pivot to something in the same ball park of Square Enix, so I tried seeing if other Final Fantasy games were up my alley instead. But unfortunately, I didn't click with the gameplay, and the writing felt all over the place. From the bits of it I did play, I did enjoy Squall, Rinoa, and Selphie at least. I plan on getting back to it later, but for now I just don't see myself completing it. And after dropping X-2 and Type-0, and being let down by XV, this was the moment that made me go, "Oh, maybe Final Fantasy just isn't for me."

Final Fantasy XIV The game that made me love Final Fantasy. I've never played an MMO in my life before, but I remembered watching Ray Chase (Noct's VA) stream FFXIV once or twice before and thought it looked cool. In 2020, I got Covid and was pretty much bedridden for the next nine months, so I figured then was as good a time as any to invest myself in an MMO world to whittle away the days. "If I can't live in this world, I way as well live in another," my thought process basically was. And it ended up being a great decision. I love so much about this game, from the stories, to the characters, to the world building, to the music, etc. It's just magical through and through, and I can't wait to see where the next story arc takes us. 11/10.

Stranger of Paradise Jack Garland is an amazing protagonist, and this entire game is so fucking cool. Anyone who hates it doesn't like fun. Chaos/10. The DLC is some of the worst DLC I've ever had the displeasure of paying for, though -- never managed to finish it.

Final Fantasy XVI After XV, I was reasonably hesitant to expect much from XVI, and I remember being turned off by the aesthetic and general art direction from the first trailer. But I was really surprised by how good the game ended up being. It does feel like they're sometimes overcompensating for what they got criticized on with XV -- like having so many cutscenes to the point it feels like a movie, as opposed to how chopped up and bare boned the story in XV was, for example. But the cast is likeable, the gameplay is fun, and boy howdy some of those boss fights will live rent free in my head for the rest of time. Also, the voice acting is on another level. I really didn't enjoy the ending, though, but overall it felt like a step in the right direction for future entries. 7/10.

Final Fantasy VI Man, I just love this game. It was after XVI that I decided to play the older games and finish as many as I could, and I started with VI. I didn't expect a game from 1994 to win me over so badly, but everything about it is so fantastic. I love the whole opera vibe where it's almost like the characters are actors performing a stag play, and it has some of my favorite characters in the franchise. I love Cyan, Terra, and Celes so much. I love the scene at the opera house, the phantom train sequence, the dream world, how some dungeons and parts of the game have you split up and utilize multiple parties in tandem. The music is great. I love Kefka. And dude, the ending is my favorite ending to a Final Fantasy game that I've played so far. It basically took everything I hated about XVI's ending, but did the opposite, and it was beautiful. It was exactly the kind of ending that I needed to see after all the previous games I'd been playing. 10/10.

Final Fantasy IX Another masterpiece. If VI was like an Italian opera, XI felt to me more like a post-renaissance Disney movie. The art direction is so good, and the story is really well written. That said, I don't really care for a good chunk of the main party (Quina and Amarant especially), and like I said above, a good party is one of the most important aspects of a FF game. Zidane, Garnet, and Vivi are all amazing, and I really like Freya as well, but beyond that...meh? I wish Beatrix was a party member. I will admit though, I cheesed it by using the handicaps on the Pixel Remaster version (dealing 9999 damage by default), so I can't actually say if I like the gameplay or not, but it seemed like standard FF gameplay, and the Trance system looked cool at least. But I was just super invested in the story, and didn't want to spend a lot of time fighting. The locations and cities in this game were noticeably good, I do want to say. Overall, a solid 8/10 for me.

Final Fantasy VII I almost didn't want to play this one. It's by far the most popular one and I already knew so much about it through two decades of cultural osmosis and Kingdom Hearts, I was almost content just continuing to be the guy who could say, "Yeah, nah, I've never played FF7" just to be a hipster or whatever. But I did play it. And I can see why it's so loved. The story is so good, and unlike with IX, I actually didn't use handicaps (besides the 3x speed for grinding), and I really enjoyed the gameplay. Probably one of the more addicting gameplay loops from a FF game. The main cast is really good, even if it does have its weaker links (Cait, Yuffie, Vincent). My only real complaint is the translation felt really stiff, like even the translators didn't know what they were reading sometimes. It's probably just because it was the 90s. Still, not a big enough nitpick to not give the game a 9/10.

And that's where I am now.

I want to play Crisis Core and the 7 Remake now, since I have context for what's going on due to playing the OG 7.

And then I think IV is the pixel game I'll tackle next.

I really want to play the XIII series, since I don't believe it's as bad as I remember people claiming it was back in high school. But they're not on PS5, so that'll have to wait.