#yes yes they have history together and she's also a folk hero background so

[abysskeeper]

How about "stop distracting me" for your Tav and whatever character they're romancing?

*looks at my growing list of Tav's* Uh...yeah. Sure. Seriously though, thanks. I should break the dam for writing in this game.

Five Ten sentence prompts. I allowed it only because extensive dialogue tagging doesn't really count...does it? Anyways, on the road to Baldur's Gate, my half-drow bard, Fiona, and Wyll...who I'll probably wind up writing more for because poor Wyll has so little content and Fiona hasn't shut up since I started playing.

***

The evening air was crisp with a growing chill, but he hardly noticed despite sitting far from the night's fire, enthralled as he was watching her practice a performance. She moved gracefully, her feet gliding through thr steps of a well-known dance, fingers plucking the notes of imaginary strings, and her voice humming a lilting tune all while she wore a face that haunted his memories--one not quite her own.

"Stop distracting me, I can feel your stare like the point of your rapier," she said, sing-songing to the melody she hummed. A moment later and her feet stopped, a hand went to her hip, and those silvery blue eyes pierced him with a combination of false accusation and twinkling humor.

"That is hardly my intention, though it does not bode well if one adoring fan is enough to drive you to distraction," Wyll laughed, "Especially when I am merely wondering at the necessity."

"The necessity is in the fact I am the only one who remembers what having an actual job is like, and if we wish to not sleep in the cold for our entire duration at Baldur's Gate then we need coin," Fiona answered, "It's just...been a while since I've has to focus on so much during a performance."

"That is the necessity to which im referring," Wyll said and rose, moving to stand in front of her. He watched as her disguise spell dissipated the moment he reached out towards her, brushing her hair from obscuring her face and trailing his fingers down her jaw, urging those eyes he loved to look back at him--one silvery blue, and one drow red. "I understand, but for your sake I wish you did not feel the need to hide, that you could trust the world enough to show the heart I know."

Those eyes softened considerably as Fiona smiled, leaned up on her toes, and--just before closing the distance between them with a kiss--uttered, "If only the world had half the heart you did.

[thegreatelisamousy]

Choose Your Character

The Host shuffled through the character sheets he’d made nervously. Having had much of his homework done in advance, and two of his classes cancelled, he’d had more than enough time to put them together.

A lot of them. Maybe twenty was a bit much...

He was just spreading them out on the coffee table when he heard Bing approach.

“Holy shit!” the android said. “Are those all character sheets?”

The Host nodded. “The Host thought he would make a variety, so that whoever ends up picking last isn’t stuck with the last one by default. But he... may have gone a bit overboard.

“You think?”

“Does Bing know if everyone has dice yet?” the Host asked. If his plan to choose the order of who picked a character fairly was going to work, everyone needed a set of dice.

“Yeah, Dr. Iplier took us all to get dice the other day,” he replied. “There’s a gaming store in town, huge variety.” He pulled out the small, plastic box D&D dice usually came in, housing seven semi-transparent, orange dice. The almost looked like candy.

It didn’t take long for everyone else to show up, all making some kind of comment on his sheer number of character sheets. Yes, he overdid it, he knew that. But it was just... way too much fun. And Dr. Iplier buying him Volo’s Guide to Monsters didn’t exactly help much, giving him even more races to play with.

When everyone was situated, the Host spoke. “First, everyone needs to take out their d20. They’re going to roll for initiative.”

“Roll for what?” Dr. Iplier asked.

“Initiative,” he repeated. “It determines the turn order in battle, the higher the number, the earlier the turn. In this case, each person’s initiative determines the order they choose.”

“You just... made us characters?” CJ asked.

“We don’t get to make our own?” RJ didn’t sound at all upset or disappointed, just curious, but the Host shrunk in on himself slightly all the same.

“The Host... didn’t want to throw everything about the game at everyone all at once,” he explained. “Creating a character can be complicated, and the first campaign is going to be a oneshot, so everyone can make their own characters next time. But... he just thought it would be easier...” He motioned to the papers strewn about on the table. “But he made a wide variety, so... he hopes everyone finds something they’ll like...”

“That was a good idea,” Illinois commented, and the Host relaxed a little. He reached for one of the sheets to read it, but his hand was batted away.

“Roll for initiative,” the Host told him again.

Everyone rolled, and Silver rolled the highest, and 18, while Bing rolled a 15, Illinois a 12, CJ a 10, RJ a 5, and Dr. Iplier rolled a nat 1, earning a snort from the Host.

He motioned to the sheets he’d provided. “As Silver rolled the highest, he gets first pick.”

Silver rifled through the sheets for a bit, glancing up and asking, “How much detail did you go into with making these?”

“The Host chose the name, sex, race, class, background, some of their background traits, their stats, skills, and equipment.”

“I’m not complaining,” Illinois began, “but is there anywhere we can go with making the character from there?”

“The Host said he chose a background and background traits. He did not, however, write their entire history. That is up to the player--they just need to clear it with the Host to make sure it fits into the world he’s creating.”

Silver finally produced a sheet, making his decision. “I think I like... Beiric?” He guessed on the pronunciation, but when he wasn’t corrected, he continued. “A high elf monk that was a soldier.”

The Host grinned, and no one was sure they liked the possible implications of that. “Bing’s turn.”

Bing was already looking through them, so he quickly picked up one of them. His eyes were rapidly flashing orange, indicating he was doing some kind of internet search. “I think I like this Zudronn guy.” He looked at the others. “He’s a bugbear paladin gladiator.”

“What the fuck is a bugbear?” Dr. Iplier blurted.

Bing laughed. “That’s what I was just looking up. I guess it’s some kind of creature distantly related to goblins? But he seems like a lot of fun to play.”

“My turn, then,” Illinois said, looking through them. He read each sheet carefully, flipping them over to read more of what the Host had for the character bio. “Hey Host?” he asked, continuing to read. “What’s a tabaxi?”

“Tabaxis are cat people,” he explained. “Not like... humans with cat ears and a tail. Actual cat people.”

“Huh. I think I like this Smoke character, then. A rogue hero sounds fun.” He grinned. “Especially an assassin hero.”

Dr. Iplier raised a brow. He looked at the Host. “You made an assassin hero?”

“The Host rolled the characters,” he explained. “Each race, class, and background got a number, the Host rolled for it. So... tabaxi assassin folk hero.”

Dr. Iplier just shook his head with a fond smile, watching as CJ rifled through the sheets before picking a seemingly random one.��“Zerissa, tiefling warlock pirate.” He looked at the Host. “Tieflings are those one that have demon heritage, right?”

The Host actually seemed surprise. “Yes, how did--?”

“We did some digging,” CJ replied.

“We wanted to know what might be coming so... we looked some stuff up,” RJ added, already picking his own character. “Mog the Barren, orc barbarian outlander.” He laughed. “This is gonna be fun. I am so the tank!”

Remembering the sheer number of axes he’d given Mog, the Host was inclined to agree.

Finally, it came time for Dr. Iplier to pick, and it didn’t take him long to find the one cleric the Host had rolled.

“The Host kind of figured Dr. Iplier would choose Iarra,” he replied. “Even though she is a criminal.”

“Hey, she’s also a wood elf and a cleric, so shut up,” he replied. “Besides, I kind of wanna see how much of an asshole I can turn her into.”

“Dr. Iplier, no!”

“Dr. Iplier, yes.”

[four-loose-screws]

FE4 Suzuki Novelization Translation - Chapter 8 Part 2

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations - Ko-fi

———————————

Chapter 8 - The Birth of the Second Generation

Part 2

With the welcoming of spring came signs of unrest from Lewyn’s uncles.

When Lewyn left Silesse, it had immediately brought the confrontation between Dakkar and Maios over the crown to a stalemate. Now, Lewyn’s return caused them to become enemies again just as quickly.

Crusader Ced’s Holy Mark had already appeared on Lewyn, so they no longer had good reason to argue against his ascension to the throne. However, both Dakkar and Maios had long since convinced themselves that the crown was theirs, and wanted it as if it was a treat dangling before their eyes.

Silesse’s landscape was divided in two sections, the north and the south, by a rugged central mountain range. Maios had already claimed the north, and Dakkar the south, and agreed that they were each the king of their respective region. Their plan was to have Maios take control of Lewyn’s Sailane Castle, and Dakkar take control of Queen Rahna’s Silesse Castle, though both of them were truly plotting to take out the survivor, and conquer all of Silesse.

Queen Rahna wrote a letter to the King of Grannvale expressing her wish to see Sigurd’s honor restored, attached a letter from Claud to it, and sent it to Balhalla.

However, the return letter demanded that she hand over the traitors immediately.

Queen Rahna and Claud’s letters had clearly been intercepted by Reptor.

Not only that, but Reptor had a secret agreement with Dakkar to send reinforcements to aid in the attack on Silesse. He also secretly sent a messenger to Maios, offering ten thousand gold coins for Sigurd’s head.

But while all of these events were happening in the background, there was still time before the conflict would take form.

-

Peace continued in Silesse through to the end of its short summer.

During that time, Sailane Castle experienced a baby boom.

First, Ayra gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The elder twin, the boy, was named Ulster, after a hero of Dozel; and the girl was named Larcei, after the lover of a hero from an Isaachian folk tale.

Next, Aideen had a boy. He was named Lester, after the founding king of Verdane.

Lachesis also gave birth to a boy. He was the spitting image of his mother, and was named Diarmuid, after her grandfather.

Brigid also gave birth to a boy that looked just like her. Aideen was the one to suggest his name, Faval, after one of the past successors to Yewfelle.

Tailtiu was the last to give birth, and the child was yet another boy. He had the same silver-blond hair as his mother, but otherwise looked just like his father. He was named Arthur, after a king from a Grannvalian folk tale.

The summer winds from the southwest died down, and on the day that the cold winds from the northwest began to blow, Queen Rahna rode with Mahnya as her guard to Sailane Castle.

It had become normal for her to visit at least once a month, and talk to Sigurd.

They conversed freely about whatever came to mind, from negotiations with Grannvale, to news from all across Jugdral, to life at Sailene.

While there were times where they only talked about current events, Sigurd came to look forward to her visits. He’d lost his mother when he was a child, and Rahna’s kindness and warmth reminded him of her.

But on that day, after explaining that negotiations with Grannvale had still not progressed, Rahna warned Sigurd to be wary of Duke Maios’ movements at Torve Castle.

“Maios has always wanted this castle. According to the information I just received, he’s already well prepared for battle. He may attack at any time, so please be careful. If you do end up fighting, I am supposed to deploy reinforcements, but… Duke Dakkar of Zaxon is targeting Silesse, so I must bolster my own defenses.”

“Please do not worry, Queen Rahna. I will defeat the Torvian Army with my own forces.”

“You’re right. You are already a hero who will go down in history, after all. Oh, and by the way, some good news has come out of Grannvale.”

“Really? There’s some good news?”

“Yes. Prince Kurt actually had a daughter. She’s been found, and all the country is overjoyed about it.”

“What? ...Is that true?”

“When she was brought before King Azmur, he knew she was his granddaughter the moment he laid eyes on her. And when she revealed that she had Naga’s mark, there was no disputing that she is a direct descendant of the Balhallian royal family.”

“Wow… That is good news. It means that the royal bloodline continues on after all!”

“And she’s in love with Duke Arvis! The people are saying that he will become the king, and there will be a huge wedding for them soon!”

“She’s marrying Duke Arvis?”

“Those who have met her say she’s a very beautiful princess, and a perfect match for him. ...They must be so happy.”

Her final words made Sigurd wince.

“Oh, I apologize, Sigurd. ...I made you remember your wife, didn’t I?”

“You don’t have to be sorry. ...It’s already been over a year since my wife… Deirdre… disappeared. I have no idea where she is, but we love each other with all our hearts. Wherever she is, that is the one thing I know hasn’t changed.”

“You will find, her Prince Sigurd. I’m sure of it…”

“Yes, I believe so too. I will reunite with her. I know it.”

Just then, Lewyn poked his head into the room. Sigurd took the hint, said he had cleaning duty soon, then left the room.

“Then I should start heading home. It’s already pretty late.”

“You can’t go just yet, Mother! You spent hours talking to Prince Sigurd, so you can’t ignore your real son!”

“My son abandoned me and went far away three years ago. I don’t know who you are.”

“Ha ha ha, I deserve that. Are you still mad, Mother? I’ve already apologized many times…”

“Of course I am! You have no idea how much I worried about you! No son of mine would ever be that thoughtless!”

“If you are still angry, then I will apologize again. But I’ve come home for good, so please forgive me. I’ll fulfill all my duties to you as your son. I’ll get married and give you grandchildren. I’ll even massage your shoulders right now!”

“Don’t treat me like an old lady! I have a lot to discuss with you. Come to Silesse some time soon. And don’t forget!”

“So you’re going to take me away from my castle again? Oh well…”

“Only if you’re willing to listen to me.” Rahna said, then stood up and left.

When Lewyn tried to see her off, Mahnya came up to him, and whispered, “Prince Lewyn, Queen Rahna may speak like that to you, but she’s actually very happy. She has so much more energy now that she knows you’re safe.”

“I know. It runs in the family. None of us will show how happy we are if it means giving in to someone. ...Anyway, Mahnya, I want to thank you. Please continue to take care of her. Or at the very least, make fools out of these uncles of mine.”

“Yes. As the leader of her pegasus knights, I will guard her with my life. Please stay safe, Prince Lewyn.”

“I will. Oh, but I want Erinys stay here, if that’s okay with you.”

“My sister…? If that is what you’d like, then please be sure to keep her by your side. She…”

“You don’t have to say it. I understand.”

Mahnya stared at Lewyn in shock.

When she saw the look in his eyes, she felt both reassured and lonely at the same time. “Prince Lewyn… Please take care of her.” Mahnya said, then jogged to catch up with Rahna.

‘Whoops, I finally crossed that bridge.’ Lewyn thought. ‘I didn’t mean to say something like that to Mahnya. But I do have a tendency to just blurt things out…’

He climbed atop the castle wall, and watched the two women fly back towards Silesse.

Once they were no more than specks in the sky, he noticed Erinys flying back in from the south, having just finished her reconnaissance duty.

‘She works every day, from morning until night…’ He thought, and suddenly felt his heart well up with love for her. ‘When she comes home, I’ll confess to her. Her sister already knows everything, so I have no reason to keep holding things off any more.’

But now, he had to figure out just what to say.

‘“Marry me” is too plain. “I want you” sounds like something Sigurd would say, and “Let’s be together” sounds too vague. “I can’t live without you” is a bard cliché.  “Rule Silesse with me” is way too grandiose. ...Simple really is best, isn’t it? But which is better? “Marry me?” or “Let’s get married?”’

Erinys landed her pegasus next to him.

He smiled slightly and started to walk over towards her.

She dismounted her pegasus and blurted, “Prince Lewyn, we’re in trouble!”

“What’s wrong?!”

“The Torvian Army’s wind mage unit is moving towards the border!”

“Then I’ll alert Sigurd straight away.”

“Understood!” She rushed towards the stairs.

“I love you, Erinys.” He whispered, but she was already too far away to hear him.

[littlemisssquiggles]

So, Squiggles :) What do you think of the newest episode?

Hey Mizu. I’m not sure if you’re asking me for an overall review of theepisode or one that’s more in depth which potentially goes into more spoiler territory. Just to be safe, I’m going to do it both ways. I’ll give my generalspoiler-free thoughts on the episode before I go into the specifics of somethings I liked and didn’t like about the episode. But undercut for obvious spoilers.Cool?

Overall, chapter 3 was another solid episode. Similar to how V6 started off, CRWBY Writers really aren’t giving any room for downtime with these episodes as we’re immediately chucked into the meat of the episode— the mission with the Aces. I figured we would have at least gotten to seeing our heroes settling into Atlas and adjusting to their new surroundings before the big mission but…NOPE! Mission time! So I’ll at least give you that bit about the episode since it was highlighted in the synopsis for this episode.

Overall, I enjoyed CH3. It was cool and it showed everyone in action. However there were some specific things that stood out to me that I wanted to give my opinion undercut.

[Spoilers Ahead! Nuff Said!]

Rosebuds: 

First off, the brief conversation between Ruby and Oscar. With theway how the episode chucked us straight into the mission, ya girl was worriedthat Oscar wasn’t even going to be in this episode since his absence from themission has been highlighted since as early as the V7 Trailer. But thankfully,the little barn prince shared one scene with Ruby.

Turns out we were all right about Oscar confronting Ruby about her stunt in Ironwood’s office. It was a little shorter than I expected but… then again, it wasn’t the key focus of the episode so I gave it a pass.Still it is noteworthy that Ruby entrusted the Relic of Knowledge back to Oscar. This is interesting to me since it brings to light a point of concern I made in my very last theory post from this week. With Oscar now having the Relic back in his possession, I wonder if history will repeat itself with the roles reversed. 

Could this moment from the episode be a possible foreshadow to Oscar using the Relic to out Ruby in a similar fashion to how she used the Relic on Oz last season?

Could Oscar simply just threaten Ruby with the Relic leading to the two having a big fight or…could Oscar potentially end up using Jinn to show Ironwood the truth behind Ruby’s back? 

All of these are possibilities now to add to the table of events brought to you by this small exchange. It’s quite fascinating really. I don’t want Oscar to come tothis point. But for now, it’s definitely a probability with the Relic in his hands.

———————————————————————————————————–

Aces: 

The Ace Ops were all very, very cool in this episode. I loved their comradery with each other. I especially wanted to point out Vine and Elm’s dynamic. While I’m still unsure if they’re a legit couple, I did like how the chapter paired them off to work with JNR while Bunny Bites—Harriet and Marrow—worked with RWBY. 

Clover was also placed to work with Qrow and might I say this—I’m strangely fighting the urge to ship Qrow and Clover now. 

There is a moment in this episode where Qrow explains his semblance to Clover only for Clover to confirm what us RWBY theorists predicted. His semblance is good fortune which is excellent. 

Clover complements Qrow in a good way. Not to mention that look Qrow gives Clover after he told him his semblance while the camera literally lingers on him for a couple of frames made me wonder.

I couldn’t help but feel as it this moment sparked Qrow potentially being infatuated with Clover or…it could just simply be a respectable man-crush. Y’know a bromance. Nothing really gay about. Not that there’s anything wrong with Qrow being gay (technically bisexual). For all we know, Qrow just loves Clover…in the very heterosexual way. If you caught the reference then y’know what I’m talking about.

Anyways as I was saying about Elm and Vine, this episode definitely highlighted their strong teamwork. These two complement each other so well and the way they bounce off of one another really shines in their pair dynamic. Love it and love these two. This is, however, the least I can say for our favourite little Flower Power pair. This unfortunately which brings to light one of the things I didn’t like so much about the episode.

———————————————————————————————————————

Wilted Flower Power: 

Ren’s sudden change in attitude with Nora—what the f***?  I mean he isn’tbeing cold or rude to her. He just feels oddly closed off from her this episodewhich leaves me, as the viewer, asking the obvious question: Where is this coming from?

Sure we caught a glimpse of it in the first episode when Ren suddenly took off in battle while Nora sulked in the background. And while I was correct in this development in their rapport returning in a later episode; regardless, where isRen’s sudden mood change with Nora coming from?

It’s not to say that it’s been built up since V6? I mean I got the feeling that the Writers might introduce some tension between Ren and Nora given that we’re supposed to be learning more about her. But this still doesn’t give any rationale to this behaviour. If the Writers plan to have Ren and Nora break up temporarily due to Ren acting differently with Nora only to have them learn a lesson through observing Elm and Vine and come back stronger than ever as both a couple and a team partnership then…. that’s fine. Ijust wished they had done a better job at introducing this ‘issue’ inthe Flower Power teamwork if you know what I mean. Cause it feels very out of the blue; at least in my opinion.

I just didn’t enjoy seeing Nora being her usual self with Ren only for him to reply in a way that feels so uncharacteristic for him. Yes, Ren has shown exasperation at times with Nora but it’s never been to a level where he comes off annoyed with her. In spite of Nora’s big animated personality, that might tire some people, Ren has always been very patient with Nora often finding her behaviour amusing which was a big reason why I fell in love with shipping Renora. 

In spite of their different personalities, the two have always complimented each other and worked well together. Having Ren be like this with her…I’m sorry. If this is how the Writers are going to do things with Renora then I’m already disliking the execution of it. It’s not terrible. Just seems a little forced to me.

—————————————————————————————————————–

Dem Bees: 

Another thing that occurred for this episode that I sadly did not care for was the moment between Yang and Blake in this episode where Yang complimented Blake’s new hairstyle.

Some context for the scene: Blake notices Yang staring at her from afar. Yang reacts awkwardly and says, “Sorry. Not used to the new hair yet.”

Blake then asks, while blushing, “Is it bad?” only for Yang to respond many times “No” while fumbling over her words.

This moment. Y’see this moment right here, folks. Do you know what this immediately reminded me of?

It’s like the Legend of Korra Book 4, after Korra reunited with Mako and Asami. In that series, Asami and Korra shared a moment where Asami noticed that Korra had cut her hair and our Avatar blushed at this acknowledgement.

It is literally the same energy. While admittedly an adorable exchange, as I said, I didn’t care for it. As a matter of fact, this moment confirmed my biggest concern for the development of the Bumblebee pair going forward. I was hoping the Writers would’ve taken the time to show these two’s friendship growing a bit more before introducing the potential of romance. Some fans complained about the blatant pandering in favour of actually showing Yang and Blake bettering their friendship last season and it seems like the Writers are adamant on continuing this trend.

Who would’ve expected the CRWBY Writers to take a page from Bryke—the two creative minds who practically created the first most shoehorned LGBT couple I’ve ever seen in an animated series while having the chops to puppet it around as ‘good representation’. While Bryke was praised for what they did with Korrasami since Korrasami was said to be the first LGBT couple in an animated series targeted at children, I didn’t buy into it and didn’t think Bryke deserved their praise at all since Korrasami, in my opinion, was weakly written from the start.  

As you can probably tell, this squiggle meister didn’t buy into the Korrasami romance. Not because it was LBGT (as I’ve said before—I have no issue with that at all) but purely because the showrunners didn’t develop the relationship between these two lead girls in a way that felt natural. 

Rather than watching a beautiful friendship that grew into a sweet romance over the course of the series runtime, culminating in the birth of a great couple by the show’s finale, instead I watched two characters who were barely friends for two full seasons since they were involved in a ridiculous love triangle only to suddenly become quick besties in the third season. Fast  forward 5 years for the show’s final season and now these two girls are in love with each other with their love not being apparent until the final shot of the very last episode. Good shit, right?

Korrasami felt so forced to me in the end which was made even more apparent by the finale. It seems like Bumblebee will be heading in the same direction as Korrasami. 

I’m probably digging my own grave here by even talking about the Bees since it’s practically blasphemy now given all the discourse still surrounding this pair and I can only imagine how it is now after today’s episode. But still wanted to give my views on that moment given what it reminded me of.

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 Marrow’s Semblance: 

Getting back on track with things I liked from this episode—Marrow’s semblance man. As I said on Twitter, I really loved the take on Marrow’s unique skill. It’s perfect. He’s a wolf Faunus with a semblance that causes others to listen to his every command. A trained dog treating his opponents to be subservient to him. That is freaking neat as hell. Forget all the other Ace Ops, Marrow’s semblance is the most interesting to me.

What I’m curious about is what the extent of Marrow’s powers are? Does it only work on the Creatures of Grimm since they’re technically mindless monsters acting mostly on instinct or…can it work on people too?

Can Marrow use his semblance to get make another person obey his command? That’s what I want to know. I’m guessing that there is a limit to Marrow’s powers since, we see him using his semblance on the Sentinels earlier in the episode who were probably young Grimm given how easily the group took them down.

However I’m surprised Marrow didn’t use his power on the Geist Grimm. Clover did mention that the Geist they were targeting was an older Grimm. So I figured Marrow’s power wouldn’t work on it even if he tried.

Either way, this episode just made Marrow ten times cooler to me now. The Good Boy continues to impress and he’s definitely the one that stood out to me the most from the Aces.

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No Run Forrest, Run: 

Whelp, if you saw the episode, y’know what this point means. Forrest, the dreadlocked Robyn supporter we met last episode died by the end of this episode. He was killed off by Tyrian so…RIP Forrest. 

I feel so sorry for MurderofBirds since in his last Livestream Discussion on YouTube, he said he was hoping to see more of Forrest.

But in spite of his short time in the story, Forrest’s murder did help me to realize something about Tyrian’s tactics. Since last episode, it was shown by the end that Tyrian has been killing certain people in Mantle. However I couldn’t quite put my finger on a possible pattern in Tyrian’s targets. Now I think I have an idea. I think Tyrian might be targeting Robyn Hill supporters specifically.

On orders from Watts, I think the Scorpion Fauns might be singling out those folks from Mantle who were known to be heavily involved in rallying support for Robyn as another means of turning votes away fromher. 

After all, if the supporters of Robyn are suddenly being found murdered thenit could force the People of Mantle from rallying behind Robyn and tank her chances of winning against Jacques. 

Now this is just a theory for now. Either way, it’s very, very interesting how the audience receives more and more pieces to the plot with Watts and Tyrian as the episodes go back and it’s only been three chapters.

Very interesting indeed and I’m looking forward to seeing what the next episode drops.

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And yeah, those my thoughts on the episode. I hope I answered you well enough Mizu. Thank you for your question.

And as an added point, I pray that my honest thoughts on the Bumblebee scene from this episode didn’t upset or worst offend anyone. My opinion is NOT meant to insult the RWBY ship or anyone who likes it. It’s just my opinion. 

If you love the Bees and you were absolutely over the moon with that little scene from this episode, then that’s perfectly fine, fam. Just don’t mind me with where I stand on this pairing  and how the show continues to portray the development of their ‘potential romance’.

And please refrain from leaving any disrespectful comments in my post just for sharing my opinion. As I’ll say again, I mean no disrespect and will not tolerate any thrown at me.  With that said, that’s all folks! 

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

[comicteaparty]

March 14th-March 20th, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from March 14th, 2020 to March 20th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

How do you react to readers predicting your plot twists?

chalcara [Nyx+Nyssa]

Depends when they do. A page or two before it happens? Both of us get to feel clever. Yay! Months ahead? Well, obviously the thing I thought a a big twist ain't it, so I get to decide what other thing to focus on. I usually don't change the plot on reader predictions, but I can always change how a twist is presented from "Big surprise! Bet you didn't expect that" to "Well, ain't it neat to FINALLY have confirmation about that thing?"

Funnily, the best plottwist I ever wrote was in my now defunct comic. I thought it was obvious, but my few readers went "WOAH, didn't see THAT coming." So these days I try to just write the story and let the twists fall where they may.

Pistashi

ASDFPHIaewpf a friend of mine was reading my comic and he was making a lot of theories, a bunch of them was way off but he managed to be 100% accurate about one of his theories and I just started laughing nervously when he talked to me about it before it happened in the comic. This was years ago and the thing already happened and it's not a big deal anymore, but at the time I felt proud to write something that was obscure enough to not be on the reader's face but at the same time having someone figure it out after connecting the dots

I have little twists that happen in a more funny way, and it's usually used for comedy, and my readers seem to like it

but that's probably because of the expectations in humor coming from my writing style

which is usually bad puns and character reactions to absurd situations

and I agree witch chalcara, sometimes we can feel like we failed a plot twist when people see it from miles away

which is true, but sometimes even when they figure it out it's best to leave it as it is

I've seen a lot of writers fucking up their stories by changing plot twists that were stablished just because "people found out too early", and retconing a lot of the story in result

like, making a plot twist consists in creating some kind of foreshadowing

to make the twist not seem too forced and taken from nowhere

also to make it rewarding for those who searched deep for those clues

idk I love these little foreshadowing/clues we can leave for our readers

to make the twists even more powerful and meaningful

RebelVampire

I want to second a lot of the above. A plot twist should not be completely unguessable. Because if nobody guesses it, it means to most readers it's gonna feel like it makes no sense and came out of nowhere. The goal of a true twist is to have as few people as possible guess it but then when it's revealed, the reader smacks their head going "how could I miss all these clues."

Pistashi

exactly

Deo101 [Millennium]

Readers predicting things usually makes me lead with "oh no, I'm predictable!!!" And then makes me thing "wait, no, it means they're picking up on the hints I've left behind." Though sometimes it's predictable, like if someone guesses the actions of the next few pages, that's less of the readers picking up on hints and more just guessing right. But guessing big plot things, j think, is a reflection that I'm making things as clear as I need to, and I'm rather fond of it

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

99% of the times I am delighted if they guess the plot twist. I like it when I feel like my readers are on the same page as me (pun ...maybe not intended?) and see where things are going. Since my stuff is character driven, it tells me they can read the characters and their personalities well enough. However there was this one time when I had intentionally depicted something that was not going to be the historical norm (namely the p-51 mustangs' coats of paint on a cruiser in the opening scene of my WWII webcomic Brave Resistance). A war history buff called me out on it IMMEDIATELY saying "wait, these aren't how they're supposed to be!" and nearly spoiled the entire plot on page 2! I had to DM him to tell him to tone it down, and explain to him why the planes where the way they were. He apologized and stopped, but I'd wanted to throttle him for a while there

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I agree with Rebel re: the purpose of a plot twist. In that sense, though, I don't think my story even has plot twists. There is no moment anywhere in the story where I want the readers to go "how could I have missed all the clues!!!" ... On the spectrum of brainy vs hearty, my story is very close to the extreme end of hearty. Like, think of stories like The Little Prince or My Sweet Orange Tree. Even when unexpected things happen, it's never about the brilliant reveal. The most shocking thing in My Sweet Orange Tree comes out of nowhere, and it works for that book. Heart of Keol is a lot like those two in this regard. Not exactly the same, but pretty dang similar!

So back to the question, honestly? I want people to be able to guess. The usual bane of my existence is the opposite problem: people not knowing wtf is going on. My story isn't supposed to draw its strength from its surprises, so guess away (edited)

eli [a winged tale]

I love it when the reader guesses the gist of the plot twist a few pages just before the reveal. I sort of follow the novel structure idea that the reader should see what’s coming next right before it hits them, hence rewarding their investment in the story. Wild speculations without the clues I’ve planted are interesting. It does make me wonder if I relied too much on tropes or left too big of the crumbs. That being said, I’m not too fussed by readers predicting the general directions of the plot because it’s all about the character reactions. Could they predict that too? Maybe, to a degree. But there are a lot of subtext I try to write in my characters that give some nuances that I feel may entertain even those who guess correctly how the story would go. TL;DR: guess away. Love reading theories. The story is set so I won’t be changing anything big but perhaps layer the reveal with subtleties.

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I've actually never had readers guess what's coming next. I mean, unless you count obvious, broad stuff (such as "the MCs get together"). I mean, it IS a romance. But in regards to big plot events, no one has gotten remotely close with their predictions (which kind of surprises me, because I drop clues everywhere). To be fair, I'm only a chapter in, so I guess it makes sense. But I am excited for the day when people finally guess

eli [a winged tale]

Same Cronaj! The predictions I’m speaking of are from my betas reading the entire script I love it when then go—- “omg this [plot point] must mean [reveal!]” .... right before the reveal

Feather J. Fern

If anyone does pick out certian plot twists I will be like "Yesssss people do think like me, I am not crazy" XD because most of my twists are all shown from the start through hidden background things so if people found them I am excited they took time and effort to figure out twists

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I love it. I haven’t been disappointed about it yet, and I don’t think I will be. It doesn’t make me change the twists at all - in fact, I’ve even shifted some story elements around to give the readers even more confirmation that they’re right, earlier on in the plot. I want to reward them with a treat, and now they can revel in their cleverness a bit longer Hee hee.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I love it too, but I don't change things to make readers more right like LadyLazuli does. Sometimes I'm tempted to, though! My readers have good ideas!

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

I like plot twists so I like to set a hint of them off early tbh (edited)

but I try not to make it too obivous :3c

tho for those who like to guess, I welcome it. I like hearing folks and their interpretations even if it's not what I'm going for too lol

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Admittedly, a lot of it is due to the nature of the medium. I know that webcomics take ages to get to major reveals or spoilers - I can wait to totally-confirm things, but I can't wait to... almost-confirm things? I don't want people to get tired or frustrated. I know I've gotten angry at anime shows that take 20 episodes to confirm something we guessed at episode 1, so I like when these things are all but confirmed early on. It can be really fun to know a secret that, maybe, the heroes don't know. It gives an extra layer of STOP, NO, DON'T GO IN THERE! in times of danger

But given my propensity to practically s c r e a m my spoilers to people who I can trust with the plot... a lot of it is just me bursting at the seams wanting to say YES YOU'RE CORRECT.

Patience and restraint. Essential things in webcomics

eli [a winged tale]

Indeed! So much patience needed I do love some excellent plot twists executed just chefs kiss

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Yes! I just want to tell readers, "Oh God, you're right! Good job!" But instead I usually respond with a ":)" or "I like this analysis!" Which I think is basically just confirming it. But if it's a real life friend? I cannot resist from telling them everything. I've even spilled spoilers in this chat before, trusting that most people here haven't read my comic. Kind of backfired when I reached a major plot point and someone commented, "She's been waiting to bust out this plot point for so long." Oops, guess someone did read my forum posts. But even if I did spoil things in the comments, is it really that big of a deal? I'm the kind of person where spoilers don't detract from my experience of things and sometimes even adds to it. But some people care about spoilers, so.(edited)

eli [a winged tale]

Haha yeah it’s honestly so freeing to just tell someone about the spoilers

Here’s what I have planned that will wreak the readers muahaha

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Past me could super relate to that! But these days I don't really want to TELL people? I'm not sure if that's because I've changed as a person, or if it's because this story is different from my previous ones. That being said, my patience is not infinite. I am itching to SHOW people. Can't wait to get to those Big Scenes

"Big" is a weird adjective here because they're very small scenes in some ways. Very intimate/personal

But... you guys know what I mean. The scenes that every longform webcomicker is dying to get to

Mei

Oh gosh, I agree that plot twists shouldn't be entirely out of the blue, since it's nice to have the hints that give people the crumbs to follow a trail. But like, since I write a lot of these chapters way in advance, and if I had the chance I'd love for them to be readable in one go as opposed to a page per week, I fear that I'm boring people with a predictable punchline? That being said, I get so many comments that predict the end of the chapter or the punchline or the joke. And I'm always like "haha maybe????" but inside i'm like "oh my god, they got me, THEY GOT ME"

Ohh yeah keii I get what you mean

the scenes you're like, checking your watch, checking your current pagecount, and thinking "soon I'll get to draw it, and it will be marvellous"

eli [a winged tale]

Oh gosh those scenes for me are at the finale

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

TBH last time I got to one of those scenes (which was very recent), my anxiety skyrocketed because I was expecting someone to say something harsh. Because it happened in all of the previous ones. But this time it went well, so hopefully the future ones will, too?

eli [a winged tale]

Yay!

Deo101 [Millennium]

I think for me, I worry more than anything that it will ruin things for other readers, rather than me worrying so much about someone guessing right or me sharing spoilers.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Someone DID say something harsh, but it was right before the actual scene and not about the scene and a lot of people got fed up with their attitude so I felt like it wasn't my fault, lol

eli [a winged tale]

Ruin things for other readers? Oh like someone predicting correctly in the comments?

Deo101 [Millennium]

Also yay! I always get anxiety about those kinds of scenes

Yes, someone predicting Something

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Well thought-out predictions are a lot of fun to read though, as a reader going through the comment section

eli [a winged tale]

I guess I stopped minding it and now embrace it they could be wrong or right and who knows until we get there~

Oh totally!

Deo101 [Millennium]

Oh I don't mind so much, but that doesn't mean I don't worry a bit too!

J like reading them for me, but I still think "I wonder if this will ruin it for someone else"

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Occasionally there are problems with Korean webcomics that were originally webnovels? Because people who've read the novel version sometimes spoil things in the comic comment section, and that's not cool. They're not even theorizing, they're straight up spoiling.

Deo101 [Millennium]

:(

eli [a winged tale]

Oh no that’s bad

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

But if people are theorizing, and the theories turn out to be right, that's all very fun IMO!

Mei

ugh when people spoil things it irritates me to no end. Let people enjooy it for what it is!

and yes!! that's one of my fave things too

Deo101 [Millennium]

Yeah, every reader is different though. I have some people who explicitly have asked me not to share spoilers, and others who kinda beg for them! So I worry if some people don't like to see predictions (I know my dad doesn't like when I guess things in a movie)

Mei

theorising, discussing with other fans, just chatting about what you think may or may not happen

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

Sometimes you even see comments like "Hurry up, Konans! I'm too tired to think, so post some good interpretations/theories!" lol (Konan as in the detective... in Korea, it's a term for hardcore theorizers in webcomic comment sections)

Oh, I think movies are different

I don't want any form of verbal remarks while I'm watching a movie

Or like, if I'm marathonning a show with my bro, we're entirely silent except between episodes.

But comment section is like, you have to actually go there.

Deo101 [Millennium]

Some people might be like that for comics, too. Idk. I'm not trying to say i don't like to see theories I'm just trying to think of everything that makes me worry about them is all.

And for me, the biggest worry would be that someone seeing a prediction would make them enjoy my comic less. It doesn't mean I necessarily think it's all that common, but I refuse to say it won't happen I think

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Personally, I think that's not an issue unless you confirm the commenter's theories

like I've seen theories for things online where my first reaction is "that's dumb, that would never happen" and then it happens

some people will latch onto another person's theory, others will reject it, but i don't think people will take it as a spoiler in advance

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Yeah, theories are just theories

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I mean I know some people don't even want to hear other readers' theories, but if they are that extreme, they need to avoid the comment section on their own IMO?

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

^^

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

like... cool, I respect your preferences, but you can't hold me responsible, pal!

Deo101 [Millennium]

Again I'm not trying to say I don't like theories or I don't want them I'm just trying to think of all potential issues with them

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Granted, I'm one of those people who will scroll through the comments and read theories because I like to see all the smart people reveal the clues to dumb people like me

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I can relate to that

@Deo101 [Millennium] Understandable! Just don't be too hard on yourself for things that you can't control

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Those geniuses that remember details from 30 chapters ago and somehow manage to connect the dots

Mei

Exactly! The comment section is there, but it's their choice to read it, and also like it's not your fault either? like they're not YOUR comments

haha in our RPG games sometimes people drop character plot hints way at the start of the campaign, and my friend will turn up, 7 months later, " remember when Character A said this? I remember"

and everyone's like "what the heck?!" some people are just detectives

they can see it, they see the matrix

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Anyway, I love when my readers theorize! I don't believe any reader has guessed any of the major plot twists in the first two books, despite there being enough evidence beforehand to make a guess (closest was "whatever zebugu's doing, it's not evil this time" but not the specifics of what he was doing). Though, if they had, I wouldn't mind, since that's max two years they gotta wait before the reveal (and that's assuming they guess it on the cover page lol). Book 3 is a different beast - strictly speaking, there's enough evidence for someone to predict both twists at the end of the book, right now. And... that may be an issue, given that this book will take over three years to reach those twists. So... we'll see if anyone guesses them. What's weirdest is when people guess things almost correctly with absolutely NO hints. And it's some super specific and minor thing like "Mizuki is secretly the reincarnation of a thousand-year-old dragon". Like... there haven't even been dragons mentioned in the comic up to this point. Nor any events from a thousand years ago. And like, that's not exactly the truth, but how do you get THAT close???(edited)

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

They see E V E R Y T H I N G

eli [a winged tale]

Sometimes it’s a trope thing? But yeah wild speculations can be so wild but so spot on

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

but there aren't any fantasy creatures in the comic, at all!

except a squid with feet!

eli [a winged tale]

Lol whaaaat then yea not sure where the dragon part came from then

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Sherlock Holmes readers lol

eli [a winged tale]

Yeah detective Conan lol

Deo101 [Millennium]

Joke gone awry

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

basically

Feather J. Fern

Well I mean I have crack theories about random people being random things too so...

I can see where they come from XD

sagaholmgaard

tbh I think my comic is fairly easy to predict as it has a pretty straightforward narrative xD but I don't have that many readers yet so maybe in the future! I would have fun reading people's guesses and predictions :D

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

AAA my readers right now are so accurate. They're so smart. They make me want to post my entire buffer right now and prove them right.

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I wonder if anyone would be able to predict the next things happening in joe is dead

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I at least have no idea what's going to happen next but am looking forward to it anyways(edited)

🌈ERROR404 🌈

i know that it's only because TH is still quite new, and I haven't gotten to the meat of the story yet, but i like reading some of the really out there predictions and worries i get in some of the comments lol

AntiBunny

I will never tell someone if their guess is right or wrong, but if they do guess it, it probably means I'm foreshadowing well.

Then again I also find myself writing by the seat of my pants, so plans are subject to change.

kayotics

The original question mentions “plot twists” but I’m never trying to make a plot twist personally. I may intentionally obfuscate things, but I don’t ever try to do wild twists and turns. So when a reader predicts what will happen, I actually don’t mind, and I’m pretty happy that it’s following a logical chain of events. On the other hand, when readers are totally off base, I think that’s REALLY fun.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Most of my readers feel that my comics are twisty and surprising, but I often get at least one reader who correctly guesses what will happen, even if sometimes they’re joking or think their theory is wild and out there. Honestly it feels pretty awesome to have a reader shrewd enough to puzzle out the clues, because that means they’re really paying attention. I don’t have a very big audience and most of the time they’re silent, so anytime someone leaves a comment that is carefully thought out, it makes me really happy. As for the times readers joke or wildly speculate but inadvertently hit the nail right on the head, I find those very amusing. I really love stories with well done twists and turns, and so I try very hard to execute good plot twists that have enough foreshadowing to be ‘Aha!’ moments rather than ‘Where did that even come from?’ moments. So I love when readers are both properly misdirected AND when they pick up on the clues and deduce the twist.(edited)

DanitheCarutor

Does my comic have plot twists? I don't really think about it. People have correctly guessed things that will happen in a chapter, someone even guessed correctly on the climax when a character named Daniel was introduced... well, it was more like "I hope things don't turn out like -blank-!". I don't mind, just because they guessed something correctly doesn't mean they know how the story will go for sure, it just means that they're theorizing and that is something I always encourage. I don't think that means the story is boring or predictable either, some people are just really good at that stuff. Even though I don't think my comic is very mysterious/unpredictable it's still impressive when someone pays attention to all the little visual and dialogue details, then guessing correctly about a future event based on them. Nothing more flattering than someone enjoying your comic enough to analyze it.

Lmao! I can't tell you how many movies I've ruined for people because I guessed a plot twist correctly.

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Haha, honestly same. I’m not allowed to make predictions during movies or TV shows anymore bc I almost always get it right. XD Webcomics I find a bit more unpredictable, though, because most of them aren’t nearly as formulaic as mainstream film.

DanitheCarutor

Yeah! Even if it's not obvious most of the time movies go by a pattern or set of traits, once you learn how they go a film or TV show becomes a lot more easy to figure out right away. The only time I'm stumped is when the movie is really surreal or absolutely awful. That's the nice thing about webcomics in a way. I assume a lot of creators haven't had professional training, and we want to tell a story more than be entertaining to the masses, so stories are less predictable. They don't always go by a formula, which can be refreshing.

Capitania do Azar

Aw man I would love to have some theories, but for the time unfortunately I don't I'm always super curious about how readers interpret things given they don't have an inside view of things

[tyrias-library]

Thought I'd try a different type of alternate universe

The Twitch Streamer AU

Subtitle: One small change can make a huge difference

I’m Kazukoh, and I guess you can say I’m a leynet celebrity. Despite being born with a metabolism-afflicting chronic illness, I’ve managed to blossom in my own right.

I guess you can say much like another prodigy born a season or so after me.

Though outside of my diagnosis, my life was fairly average. My Grandma Miimii was horribly injured during a lab accident, and we thought she wouldn’t make it, but she pulled through. If anything, I owe my success to her for being there for me when Mom and Dad can’t.

Went to college, Dynamics, specifically, did an internship with Terranexic after my graduation, as my revolutionary power source that was my final project had all of the Golemancy Krewe’s eyes on me. I remained with Terranexic after my internship as a lab assistant until a position in a relatively small Krewe opened up.

The Krewe I joined was one that made custom Golems for people who were less versed in Golemancy-or were physically unable to put them together. We occasionally also got bulk orders of standard issue Golems, since we could put together simple ones in a relatively quick manner.

It was on one of those bulk-order days that Golemancer Klikk asked the Krewe Chief if we could use the projection-screen terminal to play some videos in the background, since today’s bulk order was extremely simple. Our Krewe Chief, being the generous leader she is, approved. Klikk navigated to a leynet site called “Stream.Ear”, and put on a Calamity tournament, between a handful of Statics-backed teams. Given that I enjoyed playing videogames in my spare time, I thought perhaps I could do such a thing.

~~~

Headset, check. Terminal, check. Motobox and capture card, check. Layout. Check. Leycam, check. Going live now.

“GOOOOD EVENING, GENIUSI AND GENIUSETTES! Golemella here, coming at you live with Super Adventure Box! Yes, folks, the home edition of Super Adventure Box, with 8 completed worlds-but only normal difficulty! I’m not just going to beat it, I’m going to attempt to beat it as fast as possible!

And beat the game, I did, since I’ve been playing for as long as I can remember. While it wasn’t even close to a top 100 on leynet records, it was a fairly decent time.

“And that’s that! Sorry it’s so short, I’m just here to test the waters, but I’ll be back tomorrow night! May all your games be winners, and may all your theories be sound!”

~~~

I’ve gotten quite into the groove regarding content releasing, especially now that I have affiliate status and can get money from this. While my job with this Krewe has good pay and decent benefits, I often allot most of my paycheck to an emergency funds account, given my medical issues, so there isn’t much left for leisure. I do have time for leisure, my Krewe is off 3 days a week, but which days vary depending on scheduling and tasks, but I stream all 7 days a week because I find it fun. I even have a schedule-at least for 6 days. Fun Fridays are party games with my viewers, Speedrun Saturdays are speedrunning games I grew up with, or have played a ton of-not trying for Tyrian records, but just for personal bests, Storytime Sundays are for visual novels, Mondays…I’m not sure yet, so I mainly just play what I feel like that day, Teamwork Tuesday is cooperative Leynet games, Wildcard Wednesdays I pick 3 random games and let my viewers vote on them, then play that for an hour before the process starts again, and finally, ‘Thunder’ Thursday, which is competitive leynet games.

What I’m about to dictate happens on one of those Thursdays.

A viewer of mine gifted me “Tyrian All-Star Battle”, a PVP game where you play as major figures in Tyria’s history, heroic or villainous…well most figures. One great hero has not enough records of their battle style, and the Pact Commander declined their role. Destiny’s Edge and Dragon’s Watch are in, however, as are many high level Pact members from recent history. I tend to alternate between Taimi, Snaff, and Dragon’s Watch!Rytlock, depending on if we need a support, DPS, or tank, respectively. You play in teams of 6, you have a main and secondary of each role (I often play secondary since my mains can take other roles if needed), and winning depends on different win conditions-either most points after a set time limit, or last team standing after a limited set of lives.

I chose Taimi for this set of matches, since I was playing with a team I signed on with, called Damsels in Dynamics, which is all female Asura streamers whom graduated from Dynamics, and we commonly play a team of all Asura heroes-and we already had a Snaff. My other teammates were Zojja, Warmaster Efut, Agent Zrii, and Steward Gixx. Our first matchup was against Team IGD-Inquest Gaming Division, a meta-team for the meta-krewe, though thankfully this was just six of them. They were playing Kudu, Kuda, Teyo, Tazza, Vebis, and Frizz. Kudu’s player was also a streamer, known as “TheBloodyDirector”, and was pretty much the ‘face’ of IGD. We were completely destroyed. TBD took out all of the Snaff and Zojja players’ lives alone, thanks to Teyo’s player taking out Gixx’s player early on. I was pretty much the only one healing, and since Taimi is not a high tier support, led to Zrii’s player getting wiped fast as well. It was down to me, and Efut’s player. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my chat was blowing up to the point that my own fans could barely even speak. While I was trying to figure out the chaos, my last life was taken. Efut’s player struggled to hold on while I sourced this bomb. It was not a raid at all-TBD’s fans decided to swarm my chat. And he did nothing. This. Means. War.

Every day I would check his channel, and it seems he streams on Mondays and Thursdays, but only plays competitive games on Thursdays (Mondays seem to be clearing single player feats in said games). Every Thursday, I’d rally viewers to help defeat him as one of the matches/games of the night. And every time, I would fail. The closest I got was 4 members defeated before I, as the last one standing, was wiped out, and yes, this was in Tyrian All-Star Battle. That seems to be the game we usually battle in, though we’ve occasionally duked it out in others.

~~~

Another Thursday, another battle. I checked TheBloodyDirector’s stream…and turns out, he’s not streaming today. Instead, he’s hosting another Inquest member. I didn’t catch her name, but she’s advertising doing something called a ‘mukbang’…but she’s just slowly eating a single cup of instant noodles while doing paperwork. I then looked up what a mukbang really was….and immediately hit paydirt. People watch others eat monstrous amounts of food? Sign me up! Now I know what to do on Mondays!-well that, and social eating, depending on my funds during the week. But for now, I’ll just play some casual competitive matches with my viewers.

~~~

Monday came, and I had some extra money stored up, so I ordered 25 family sized buckets of Metrica Fried Moa, sides included, some curtains to obscure the hospital related things in my room, and a fancy leycamera. Hung up the curtains, my multipurpose Golem (A project from my spare time that transforms into various mounts, a hoverchair, or a Scruffy-like Golem) carrying the food, and I installed the leycam, running a quick test with it. The test was perfect, let’s go.

“GOOOOD EVENING, GENIUSI AND GENIUSETTES! Golemella here, and now I know what I’m doing on Mondays. Every Monday is food related! Normally this’ll be social eating, but today I’m doing something special. Some days, like today, will be mukbangs.” I then pulled each and every one of the buckets and sides closer. “I’ve got 25 buckets of Metrica Fried Moa here, and I’m going to eat ALL OF IT. RIGHT HERE. ON STREAM.”

I was shocked. People were HYPED in chat. Some people were worried that I’d fall ill, some others were concerned about my appearance, but nobody was mean. Most people were hyped up to see me eat all this food, and I sure gave them such. I ate ALL of the food on stream, engaging with viewers all the way. However, if anyone asked how I could do this, I kept it a well-guarded secret.

~~~

TBD wasn’t streaming this week, so I organized a spontaneous tournament between myself and a handful of my viewers in Tyrian All-Star Battle. Rest of the week was uneventful, as was Sunday. Monday on the other hand, was my first normal social eating stream. I sent my Golem out to bring back takeout-this time from the Canthan place near Mom’s lab-I moved out and into an apartment owned by the hospital out in Soren Draa, but visit often-and then started up the stream.

“GOOOOD EVENING, GENIUSI AND GENIUSETTES! Golemella here, we’re doing social eating tonight! I won’t be eating as much as I did last Monday, but it’ll still be a sizable amount, since there’s more focus on you, the viewers, my intellectual fans.” I smiled, waving at the camera. I began to interact with everyone, and things were going well. At least, they started out well. The food hadn’t come yet, and I was starting to grow hungry. I kept speaking with fans, answering questions, engaging in conversation, but it was not to last. My stomach growled. Loudly. And the mic picked it up. My face went dark purple and I was completely silent…but the chat. Alchemy’s Catalyst, the chat! Someone made a BETSEAR emote and uploaded it, and the entire chat was spamming it. That did get a slight chuckle out of me. The Golem soon arrived, with food, and I dug in, profusely apologizing as I did. But they didn’t seem to mind, thankfully.

~~~

I started feeling horrific after work one day, but I felt I was still up to streaming. Thought I’d do a Just Chatting stream since I didn’t think I could play a game, either competitive or otherwise-thankfully it wasn’t a Thursday.

“Hey, everyone. Sorry for no game today. I haven’t been feeling the greatest today, so I’m just going to take it easy. But enough about me, how was your day?” I asked, my voice still on the weak side. Questions and answers didn’t go super fast, unfortunately, as my vision started blurring a bit, and I was growing more and more confused.

The next thing I noticed was I was in my bed, hooked up to IVs, and there was a bowl of soup being placed in front of me, atop a tray. I glanced over to the terminal as I ate, and the stream feed was off, but the chat, there were people constantly asking if I was alright. I didn’t get a chance to even let them know what happened until a few days later, since I was resting, not working or streaming, and was under care of a new doctor-one whom watched my streams.

~~~

Even despite everything, I still practiced and practiced, getting better and better at Tyrian All-Star Battle. I was determined to beat TheBloodyDirector at his own game. Loss after loss, some completely wipeouts, others just close. Until that fateful day, where I decided to try Zojja out. I’ve found another hero I love to play. I got into a 1x1 match…against TheBloodyDirector, as, you guessed it, Kudu. And yes, he was streaming this day. Someone suggested in my chat that we hook up, and I was shocked. I heard him splutter over voice comms as well, so I suspect he got the same suggestion. No, random viewer, not happening. But despite this, the match was HEATED. And it was CLOSE. We were neck and neck, if he killed me, I’d kill him shortly after. And given that this was a time match and not a stock one, it was tense. But finally, the timer was up…and I had won. By one kill. Finally…sweet victory against TheBloodyDirector.

(A/N: You thought I was some random writer, but it was me, Kazukoh, this entire time!

Also I'd like to thank ProtonJon, StephenPlays, and Wahnthac for (unintentionally) showing me how Twitch works, and @lewn-acies for the idea for this AU!)

[translationandbetrayals]

Milky Holmes' Rise to Fall, or How to Find Hope in Troubled Times

Milky Holmes reminds me of Žižek. And while it might seem quite nonsensical to tie this sentence together, it’s also something that gives us light about the times we’re facing.

Milky GODS

Always controversial, the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek does have some interesting things to say. But even though he’s mostly known for his approach of leftist politics, the analysis of his that has stuck with me the most doesn’t relate to politics, or at least not directly. It’s his commentary about the animated film Kung Fu Panda, produced by Dreamworks. He has referred to the film a couple of times while highlighting something that has now become sort of a recurrent topic of his mythos. The idea of faith. This idea, also explained by him in the form of an anecdote about a scientist (Niels Bohr) who didn’t believe in charms, yet used to put one in his house just because he was told “it would work, even if he didn’t believe in it”, is essential to Kung Fu Panda and to Dreamworks as a whole (even if Žižek doesn’t directly acknowledge it). While the film works as a parody of Chinese martial arts films, and spends part of its runtime satirizing Chinese philosophy, in the end these principles are embraced, as Po’s wu wei defeats Tai Lung’s ambition (and we can say the same about the way Shrek and Megamind relate to fairy tales and superhero fantasy, just to cite other examples). 

But what does any of this have to do with Milky Holmes? What is this Milky Holmes, even? And as many of you might not be familiar with this long running multimedia franchise, it wouldn’t do harm to recapitulate its history. To understand Milky Holmes, we must first understand its seeds, which are in Broccoli and Bushiroad, two Japanese companies which were both founded by a single man, named Takaaki Kidani. Kidani started Broccoli in the late ‘90s, which first worked as a doujin management company for events, then expanding itself through Gamers, a goods store directed towards the otaku market. Gamers was immortalized and popularized through the Di Gi Charat franchise, produced by Broccoli and extremely massive through the late 90s and early 2000s. Spanning various anime adaptations, numerous manga, and lots of merchandise, the now classic characters were a boom within this same otaku market, and part of this success even crossed overseas, as you might see if you venture into old anime archives.

This really handsome dude is Takaaki Kidani

Now the success of Di Gi Charat probably wasn’t just because of the mascot made designs, though of course that had a part in its popularity. Aside from the already obvious fact, the Di Gi Charat franchise, at least in its first animated adaptation, had a pretty good sense of humor and irony. In a way, it was mocking the very own otaku it was targeted towards, and while it sure wasn’t the first to do so, this style of self-deprecating and sometimes grotesque or even infantile humor the series subjected its viewers to was something special. And while Di Gi Charat had quite the acid tone, it wasn’t without its share of tame and even heartwarming moments. It was moe, marketable of course, but there was something else as well. This series had a heart.

The heart of the show has a name and it’s Puchiko

It’s this spirit that Milky Holmes, more than 10 years after the creation of Di Gi Charat, held as its foundation as one of the star projects of the then recently started Bushiroad, founded after Kidani left Broccoli. Learning from his success in Broccoli’s projects such as the aforementioned Di Gi Charat, and also the media franchise Galaxy Angel, Milky Holmes was thought of as a multimedia project from the start. In the case of Milky Holmes, radio dramas, a manga, a PSP video game, an anime adaptation, and, perhaps most importantly, a seiyuu/idol unit were launched. I say most importantly because it was the disbandment of this unit that signaled the end of the franchise as a whole. In January’s 28th of 2019, Milky Holmes gave their final live performance at the Budokan, in fact ending the decade old franchise.

The end of Milky Holmes

On the anime side of things, the last installment was Psycho no Aisatsu, a crossover special episode featuring the main character of the Cardfight!! Vanguard franchise, a trading card game series for kids that was also created by Bushiroad. It was the symbolic pass on the torch to a younger, still profitable franchise in Bushi, that hopefully might keep the spirit of the Milkies alive. But we must not be sad for what has ended, as this franchise will always stay there to be revisited, even for people who never got to experience it when it was still active.

And it’s because of this that I have not forgotten about Milky Holmes, even though it has been years since it ended. I feel especially partial to the anime, particularly its first two seasons, and the 2016 movie: Milky Holmes' Counterattack (and what a movie is that one). One common thing about these three is that all of them feature Makoto Moriwaki as a director. And I feel she’s the one who better captures the spirit I mentioned above when talking about Di Gi Charat. It isn’t the only way to understand the series: there’s the video games, that might be seen as the source material; the Alternative OVAs, that are a closer adaptation of the games; and the two other anime seasons, which are completely different to anything else (and most people don’t seem to like); but Morikawi’s interpretation is the most interesting one, at least to me.

Now, you might be tired of so much anticipation and context, but it’s important to understand the background of this director to realize what she brought to the franchise (because yes, it’s a she) to, as I believe, perfect it. Makoto Moriwaki has mostly made a career out of directing children’s anime, more specifically anime for girls. Series such as the Sanrio based My Melody and PriPara have been directed by her, along with some Jewelpet seasons and even some Doraemon episodes. But a sort of black sheep among all that family friendly content is the raunchy adult comedy Ebichu, which, in spite of its cutesy visuals reminiscent of Hamtaro, is a series mostly targeted towards older women, full of jokes about adult life that, of course, involve a lot of sex.

it means a dirty word, if you didn’t realize

The Milky Holmes directed by Moriwaki is a middle ground between those two poles. On one hand, the cynicism, irony, and hidden sexual references in an outwardly kids friendly series, and on the other, the fantasy and the hopeful nature of magical girls and idol anime. And this dichotomy is also highlighted when we understand the target of this series. Despite its looks, Milky Holmes is not directed towards children. It’s not a kids show, but rather, a completely otaku business. It was broadcasted as shinya anime at 11 pm, it has its share of adult humor, and of course, the moe characters are exactly that, there’s no ambiguity there. It’s made to sell merchandise, discs and BDs to fat weirdos. But it’s quite interesting how the show treats its own audience, because if we’re to take Milky Holmes as an otaku product, it isn’t simply cynical.

Yes, that there is a ****plug

We have talked about Milky Holmes as a product and as a media franchise, but let’s review the series itself. To those who don’t know, Milky Holmes is set in a fantastical time and space called the Age of Great Detectives. In this world, Great Detectives and their eternal rivals, Gentlemen Thieves, are in constant struggle. They’re aided by their Toys, special powers whose name might be an irony on Bushiroad’s own status as a company.

A fascinating part of the Milky Holmes franchise for any crime or detective fiction freak is that most of the character names are taken from legendary detectives and criminals. There’s the 4 Milky Holmes members, which are respectively: Sherlock “Sheryl” Shellingford, the always energetic and optimistic leader (named after the most famous detective of all); Nero Yurizaki, a greedy, egotistical bokukko (named after the gluttonous Nero Wolfe); Hercule “Elly” Burton, a shy girl who has the most awareness inside the Milkies (named after Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot); and Cordelia Glauca, the shoujo-esque dramatic and delusional member of the crew (named after Cordelia Gray, the only character of the four that is originally female).

From left to right, unlike your Japanese mangos

They battle constantly against the Gentlemen Thief Empire, led by the intense and prideful Arsene (after Arsène Lupin, the French gentleman thief also recalled by the Monkey Punch character); and completed with Twenty, a narcissistic nudist that weaponizes his erect nipples (based on Menso Nijuu, a villain from the Ranpo Edogawa canon); Stone River, a prude warrior with a samurai pride (based on Goemon Ishikawa, the outlaw hero from Japanese folklore, also referenced by Lupin III); and Rat, who’s victim of everyone’s forgetfulness (based on Kozo Nezumi, a folk hero from the Edo period).

Twenty, Arsene, Stone River, and Rat

There’s also a third party in discord, that can either work as ally or enemy depending on circumstance (much like in your typical detective story) which is of course formed by the cops. The G4 is the “elite��� patrol of law enforcement whose effectiveness also depends on plot convenience, and their leader (and child genius with infinite amounts of IQ) Kokoro-chan’s (named after Kogoro Akechi, the famous Ranpo Edogawa detective) mood. The other members are Tsugiko Zenigata (after Heiji Zenigata, a Japanese legend), a somewhat tomboyish girl voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro; Hirano Hasegawa (after Heizo Hasegawa, from the Onihei Hankacho novels), a traditional Japanese girl who is a master of combat; and Saku Toyama (after Kagemoto Toyama, a historic character made legend), the technological expert of the gang.

She just keeps it going up

Don’t call her Kokoro-chan, she’ll get angry

However, the main source of conflict (and comedy) in the series is that, despite being quite powerful and capable as detectives with the aid of their toys, the Milkies are pretty much nothing without them. Dame dame (useless), is something they’ll often have to hear, as they constantly struggle with the loss of their toys at the start of almost every new installment (save for Futari wa and TD, in which they weren’t the main characters because of this exact reason). Nonetheless, in spite of how hard they might fall, how much they can be humiliated and degraded (and they sure will), and basically turn into dumb slapstick cartoons, they will always stand up again, never losing hope even when taking a detour, or when they’re becoming farmers instead.

Milky farmers

In this acknowledgment of the cyclical and absurd nature of their misfortunes, made explicit in the movie by the (unintentional) use of words by Sheryl: “it’s rise to fall”, the philosophical implications of the series are unlocked, at least from the Moriwaki iteration of it. It’s an absurd reality, in which no matter how high one can be, one can always fall to the lowest of the low. Yet, when you have fallen, there’s nothing else you can do but go up, try and hope for the best, never giving in to life no matter how discouraging or absurd it might become.

It’s existential philosophy, right inside a moe anime, and one can’t be anything but thankful of someone who is giving such messages inside a work that could conform to just offering a product for profit. Instead, what Milky Holmes is doing is to tell its audience that no matter how hard their lives might get, no matter how repeatedly they might hear that they’re useless, that they’re dumb or hopeless, they must never give up. It’s quite beautiful, even more so when you’re aware of the darker sides of the otaku and the stigma and social alienation a lot of these people face in their country. And so, Milky Holmes might be a ray of light amidst a rabbit hole of isolation, which can be relatable to most of us as we face the current pandemic. A sign that even if we can’t see it, there’s hope at the end of the tunnel.

Yes, she’s saying that when they’re in prison

Closing on a hopeful note, I’ll let you in on a cool fact. Do you know who directed the Milky Holmes movie alongside Moriwaki? I will give you some lines to guess, if you think you’re smart detectives.

… 

… 

… 

… 

… 

… 

… 

… 

Yes! It was Hiroaki Sakurai, who, coincidentally (or not), was the series director for most of the Di Gi Charat anime versions since its first installment in 1999. It’s really cool how everything circles back to a now almost prehistoric franchise, but it also circles back in a less symbolic way. 2021 seems to be a new year for Di Gi Charat, as the franchise is getting a revival as “Di Gi Charat Reiwa”, a new generation of the series which contemplates lots of merchandise and, most importantly, a new anime series, helmed by no other than the same Hiroaki Sakurai. Here’s hoping for a revitalization of this lively spirit, a hopeful affirmation of the disgusting manchildren we all have inside.

Promotional image for this era’s own Charat

Salvador González Turrientes

Links and additional sources of information:

Žižek on Kung Fu Panda 

The Milky Holmes article from the English Wikipedia 

Wikipedia list of the Milky Holmes characters (in English)

Takaaki Kidani's article (in English)

Takaaki Kidani’s article (in Japanese)

Di Gi Charat's Wikipedia (in English)  

Hiroaki Sakurai's (in English) 

Makoto Moriwaki's article (in English as well) 

The news of the Di Gi Charat Reiwa anime (from ANN) 

[the-dork-neko]

1, 3, 4 e 5 das perguntas sobre os Monkees!

Com todo o gosto! :) Vamos lá! Mas vou avisando: sem querer querendo, quase escrevi um livro! :3

(but before, please remember that there are double-answers in English below ;3 )

1. Clipe favorito

Vou fazer menções honrosas entre os dois que me matam de dúvida (sinto muito, mas esta resposta será uma longa fila de menções honrosas, kkk)

Com essa proposta da série de romps como vídeos em que se encaixa uma música, e os meninos improvisam atuações e fazem trapalhadas, eu citaria a sequência em que eles preparam a festa, This Just Doesn’t Seem To Be My Day. É um retrato absurdamente hilário do cotidiano dos meninos, e ao mesmo tempo, uma demonstração de como eles se sentem sempre à vontade quando estão juntos, mesmo que ao juntarem forças não consigam os objetivos esperados. Ainda temos bônus com cenas como a em que Pete e Micky regam a planta, e Mike, que carrega o vaso; Micky “servindo” a pipoca enquanto anda de monociclo, ou subindo pelas paredes; Pete lavando os pratos de papel usados (!) ou espremendo as laranjas de onde sai o peixe; e a icônica batalha de Mike contra o pacote de rosquinhas. 

Meu favorito de fato é este vídeo lindinho de Sometime in the Morning, que pode talvez não se encaixar muito bem naquele conceito de “romp” do seriado, como vídeos musicais curtinhos e cômicos, que às vezes acrescentavam alguma ação ao enredo… Mas eu simplesmente amo a forma como a “mágica” dos meninos acontece nesta cena. Mais do que se oferecerem a tocar para a Millie; eles a convidam para dentro da música, e a empatia que se estabelece em cena rejuvenesce a senhora.

1: Favorite romp

I’ll make a honorable mention for the romp per se (understanding the romp as a short video, with some improvised comedy from the boys, and a song as insertions), with the sequence for This Just Doesn’t Seem To Be My Day, from the episode The Chaperone. The scenes with the guys watering the potted plant and poor Mike who’s carrying it; Pete washing the used paper plates, or squeezing the oranges and getting a fish along with the juice; Micky climbing the walls; or Mike’s epic battle against the pretzel bag, are all like little glimpses of the guys’ day-by-day routine, and how they always feel at ease around each other, even when their combined efforts don’t achieve the pursued goals.

My real favorite, however, isn’t exactly a romp. It’s the video for the song Sometime In The Morning, from the episode Monkee Mother. More than just offering to play for Millie, the boys invite her into the music, and through their empathy, and a tiny touch of “Monkee Magic”, she becomes young again, even if it’s only for the brief moment of the song.

3. Sua música favorita composta por um Monkee?

Carole King, Boyce e Hart compuseram tanto material para a banda, que eu sinceramente os considero o quinto, o sexto e o sétimo Monkees. (~hahaha) Mas poucas coisas são mais restauradoras de se ver, na carreira dos meninos, do que o glorioso momento em que eles tomam as rédeas do controle criativo, então, é difícil não gostar das músicas “100% próprias” deles. 

Novamente, aqui vai outra menção honrosa: Daily Nightly. Com aquela letra toda misteriosa, que talvez seja tanto uma poesia simbolista, quanto uma viagem psicodélica (e um tanto quanto narcótica), que possibilita ao ouvinte dar qualquer significado à música, já que ela fala tanto de dúvidas, perguntas sem resposta, noturnas encruzilhadas sombrias, e todo o clima de suspense místico que ela evoca. 

E ainda tem o bônus - o infame famoso sintetizador. A versão remasterizada de Peixes, Aquário, Capricórnio & Jones Ltda. tem a música em duas faixas, tanto com quanto sem o tal Moog. Tem gente que prefere a versão mais limpa, mas eu sinceramente não abro mão do sintetizador. Ainda mais porque o instrumento, mesmo ausente, duplica o bônus: Micky gosta de brincar que o monstrinho foi embora com a mesma facilidade com que foi comprado. E Mike continua a zuera: depois de afirmar que um Moog genuíno sai por mais de 1 bilhão de dólares, atua como sintetizador humano do amigo.

3: Favorite song written by a Monkee

Carole King, Boyce and Hart have composed such an amount of material to the band, that I sincerely “headcanon” them as the fifth, sixth and seventh Monkees. (~hahahaha). However, one of the most refreshing moments of the Monkees’ history is when they take control over the creative process of the record-making.

Since it’s so hard to dislike their “100% very own” songs, here comes another honorable mention: Daily Nightly. Those mysterious lyrics, maybe a symbolyst poetry, or a psychedelyc (or narcotic?) trip, which grant to the listener the opportunity to give any meaning to the song. A doubt that goes infinetely deep with that atmosphere of mystic suspense.

And the epic bonus - the (in)famous synthesiser. The remastered version of Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. features the song in 2 versions, with and without the trippy improvising. Some fans like the “cleaner” version, without the Moog. But I would sincerely miss it. Even more because, in its absence, the synth duplicates the bonus, as a comic support: during shows, after saying that the geniuine item costs more than a billion dollars, Mike acts like Micky’s human Moog.

4. Qual dos rapazes é o seu ator favorito?

Todos! :) Peter representa perfeitamente o perfeito oposto da sua personalidade. 

Davy é o pequeno John Travolta particular da turma. 

Micky é o “braço-direito” mais fofo e divertido do universo - mas também sabe ser sério, por exemplo, quando interpreta o sósia maligno. 

E Mike consegue ir do caipira tímido ao pai heroico e confiável, às vezes, em um único episódio. 

A melhor dádiva sobre a atuação dos meninos é a oportunidade de vê-los contracenando.

4: Which Monkee is your favorite actor?

All of them! :) 

Peter convinces us, perfectly, that he’s the exact opposite of his personality.

Davy is his buddies’ very own little private John Travolta, a dancing hero. 

Micky is the cutest and funniest sidekick of the universe - and also a good “serious” actor, doing perfect lyp syncs, or playing his own evil double. 

And Mike can go from the shy, twangy, stuttering child of the countryside, to the heroic and trustworhty father, sometimes in the same episode. 

But the best thing about the boys’ acting skills is the blessing we have of seeing them acting together.

5. E o seu cantor favorito?

Hummmm… eu poderia dizer Micky, porque, ironicamente, o baladeiro de carteirinha da turma tem essa voz de anjo espetacular. Mas isto seria pura hipocrisia, porque ainda não parei para ouvir nada da carreira solo dele. Então, minha menção honrosa vai para o rapaz dos cachos.

E meu voto de fato vai para Mike, meu Monkee preferido. Às vezes me pergunto o quanto de verdade existe no famoso recurso cômico do seriado de retratá-lo como um caipira… Da pitada de realidade que essa “piadinha” teria na consciência dele, como uma lembrança constante do “fracasso” que era sua carreira como Michael Blessing, cantor folk. 

Em algumas de suas músicas solo, Mike dá mais destaque a efeitos dramáticos, narração de histórias, ou fundos instrumentais, do que à sua própria voz. As exceções estão, naturalmente, nos álbuns ao vivo… e nos primeiros trabalhos depois da saída da banda, a dita trilogia com a banda de apoio, The 1st National Band. São, antes de tudo, discos de música country, discos que quase começam esfregando na cara do ouvinte, “isto é o que faço quando tenho a oportunidade de ser autêntico, sou um caipira mesmo, e daí?!” … e terminam com a sensação de estar num restaurante à beira da estrada, em pausa de uma longa viagem, junto de um desconhecido que, com graça, charme, empatia e um drama de cortar o coração, conta a própria vida para você, uma pessoa que ele nunca viu antes, e provavelmente jamais verá de novo.

Parece que Mike aperfeiçoou sua técnica intimista ao longo dos anos… E é esta abordagem que faz dele meu cantor preferido entre os quatro charmosos rapazes. 

5: Which Monkee is your favorite singer?

Maybe I should say Micky, because he has the voice of an actual angel - and could keep the most of it, even after more than a half century of partying hard and being accident-prone… But that would be hypocritical, because I haven’t heard Micky’s solo material. So, I’ll give him a honorable mention, with all the love of my heart.

And my actual vote will go to Michael, my favorite Monkee. Sometimes I wonder how real is the running gag of portraying and mocking his “hillbilly-ness” in the TV series. How this “joke” could be a reminder, in his mind, about the “failliure” that was the carreer of Michael Blessing, folk singer.

In some of his solo songs, Mike gives more emphasis to dramatic resources, like storytelling, or instrumental backgrounds, than to his singing voice. The exceptions are, naturally, in the live versions (easily found on YouTube) and in the 1st National Band “trilogy”. Yes, those are, first hand, country music albums. There is plenty of pedal steel guitars, yodeling, mentions to trails, and descriptions of the desertic landscape, in several moments of the day and night. The sound that fills the air, when those records are just put on, nearly screams to the listener “yes, I’m a hillbilly, so what?!”… and when the songs come near their ending, the strongest sensation is like a breather during a long trip, in a diner just ouside the road, where a stranger shares a table with the person to whom he tells, with charm, empathy, and subtle yet heart-breaking drama, the story of his own life. He tells it all to you, a person he’d never seen before, and probably will never see again. 

Maybe I could digress about all the guys’ singing styles, but Mike seems to have taken this intimistic techique to a special point of perfection. And this is the reason why he’s my favourite singer in the band.

[apprenticemages]

Hinamatsuri once again hits one out of the park…  I take a look at this week’s carrots…  and I try my hand at poetry!  All this and more after the jump! The shows that I am watching are in bold, shows my wife and I are watching together are in bold italics.  Question marks denote shows not watched yet (during the premiere weeks), and strikethrough marks dropped shows.

3D Kanojo / Real Girl Ep 8

What a mess…  Turns out that Iroha isn’t as cool as she thought with Tsutsui being anywhere near Ayado.  Even just holding her hand while he’s treating a burn sets her off.  And of course, from her point of view, it’s all Tsutsui’s fault…  There’s been hints all along, but I think this ep cements my thoughts that she’s got a streak of self centeredness.  She keeps expecting him to change – and while he’s trying hard to work things out, he honestly is socially inept.  And she just doesn’t get that, she isn’t even trying.

I did enjoy watching Takanashi stomp Ishino’s advances into the mud.  She has become something of a friend to Tsutsui & Co., but she’s also shamelessly using them for her own ends.  She deserved that.

Anyhow, cliffhanger time…  Iroha ran off into the woods after seeing Tsutsui trying to help Ayado, and now she appears to lost.

Comic Girls Ep 7

Poor Kaos-chan.  One step forward, one step back…  she just can’t catch a break.  Every time she makes progress, she discovers another flaw in herself.

Why did it take me so long to figure she’s a HUGE idol otaku?  I mean we’ve all seen her figure collection any number of times.  And if you look over the left, though you make have to look at full size, that grouping of three looks to me to be a Love Live homage.

Best Girl Tsubasa rocks her glasses…  And speaking of her, both she and Ruki outed themselves as otaku this episode.  That leaves only Koyume (and I guess Fura-senpai) not outed.  I guess I should have expected that.

Crossing Time Ep 7

This week…  a girl composes haiku while waiting at the crossing.  I spent most of the episode cringing for two reasons…  First, what she was composing was much closer to senryu than haiku.  Second because they were just so awful.  Though it’s hard to tell how much was the intention of the production staff, and how much was an artifact of translation.  That is, was it translated literally or poetically?  I suspect the former.

Though I did appreciate her frustration with not being able to produce a finished poem in one go.  It took  me a long time to appreciate just how much work goes into even a simple haiku.  Actually, I think any Creator can appreciate that.

If you’re wondering what she was going on about when she was talking about a seasonal word – that’s called a kigo, and is vitally important in classic haiku.

Her final poem…  I think there’s something good in there, but after fiddling with it for a couple of days I haven’t been able to find it with certainty.  What I ended up with was this:

Snow drifting A crossing gate bars love

It drops the sense of love than cannot be restrained…  But maybe brings in a sense of impatient waiting?  Or maybe not.  And yes, I know the syllable count is off, it’s a work in progress.  If anyone cares to take a swing in the comments, feel free!  I’d love to see what folks come up with.  (More information about haiku from a previous posting.)

Hinamatsuri Ep 7

Hina’s segment was laugh out loud funny…  I’m impressed as hell that they can keep returning the same schtick and still make it so engaging.  Nitta and Utako’s segment was…  I don’t know quite how to put it.  Happy and sad, but not bittersweet?  Nitta has certainly transitioned from player to seriously looking to build a family, but doesn’t quite grasp that it’s not quite that easy.

And someone on Twitter pointed out…  The end title card has changed.  On the left, the original – with Utako behind the bar.  On the right, she’s absent after this week’s events.  What’s going on here? will she still be in OP next week?

But once again…  Anzu steal the show.  Not a tearjerker like last week’s ep, but no less powerful.  OK, OK, when she was bathing the onion ninjas weren’t attacking in force but there were a few scouts sneaking around.

I’ve seen a name plaque on a kid’s door in plenty of anime…  But it was a real kick in the feels for Anzu’s to be the one from the shed she lived in at the homeless camp.

Worth reading:  Matt & Irina’s joint review of episodes 6 & 7.  Be sure and stick with it all the way to the end.

My Hero Academia 3 /  Boku no Hero Academia 3 Ep 7 (Ep 45)

It turns out that the League Of Villains has adopted a new strategy.  They’re not out to kill heroes (or at least that’s not now the whole of their strategy), they’re out to destroy them.  And by handing the pro Heroes a decisive defeat and kidnapping a student, they’ve succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.  The public is questioning and criticizing UA.  The teachers are UA are questioning and criticizing themselves.  Of course, discrediting heroes is an ancient trope in the comic book world, but I find myself curious to see MHA‘s take on it.

The split between the students is interesting…  It was pretty predictable that Lida would take the “let’s follow the rules” position, but the others appear to be wavering.  Deku of course won’t waver long – he’s never let the rules stand in the way of doing what is right.

And it’s very cool to see Yaoyorozu’s powers be used in interesting new ways.

Worth reading: Luminous Mongoose over at Anime Junk takes a look at the ‘edgy’ characters in MHA, and what makes them so:  Revelry in the Dark – The Refined Edginess of My Hero Academia.

Rokuhoudou Yotsuiro Biyori Ep 6

As I said last week, I was about ready to give up…  But this week gave us a ton of history and backstory on Rokuhoudou, Kyousi, and Tokitaka.  We knew Sui had a business background, but I found it interesting that Tokitaka has been (still is?) an artisan (a potter) rather than a salaryman.  I don’t find it all surprising that he became Rokuhoudou’s cook, almost all of the talented artisans I know IRL are also very good cooks.  All the talented Makers I know love nothing better than the see stuff meant to be used actually being used…*  The fusion of seeing someone enjoy the food you cooked on plates you made?  That just has to be powerful as all hell.

A few years back our local SCA culinary group was the pastry/bread team for a feast and we all had to bring our own rolling pins.  Of the twelve pins, eleven of them had come from the hand of the same woodturner.  He was at the feast, and when I told him about this he had to come to kitchen and see…  and was grinning like an idiot the whole time.  Pleased as punch to see his stuff getting used.

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online Ep 6

OK, we knew Pito was messed up…  But who could imagine that messed up?  Though M-san (who we know have a name for – Asougi Goushi ) himself isn’t exactly a shining example of mental health.

Either way, now we know at least the basic plot for the remainder of the season.

Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai / Tada Never Falls in Love Ep 7 Tada-kun has reverted to its usual way of doing business…  All about the loves and emotions of everyone who isn’t the show’s main couple.  This week, a quadruple dose of unrequited love.  And while Nyanko Big can’t vocalize his feelings, there’s no damm reason why none of the three humans can’t do so.

Yata at For Great Justice dropped Tada this week, and I’m starting to get mighty tempted myself.  I listed it as a keeper mid-season because last week’s ep seemed to show they were going to start making progress, but this week blew it.

However, this is cool:

https://twitter.com/Surwill/status/999725355333226496

Uma Musume: Pretty Derby Ep 9

This week’s carrots…  Being bet during a game of Blind Man’s Bluff.  And am I the only one who thinks that “This Week’s Carrots” would be a cool name for a band?

Anyhow, this week – another training camp ep.  (They’re really pounding the tropes in here, aren’t they?)  And finally Trainer-san gets off his dead ass and acts like a trainer with a clue.  Seeing that Spe-chan‘s consideration for Silence is holding them both back, he finally confronts them.  And they both realize that the other is not only their dearest friend, but their closest rival.  Both of them run their little horse girl asses off – and handily beat the others, even with their head start.

It’s kinda annoying sometimes…  Uma Musume seems to really badly want to be a proper sports anime, but doesn’t (or won’t) put in the work to sustain the tone.

Also, just now…  Arby’s (who has a history of anime references on Twitter) tweets about Uma Musume…

https://twitter.com/Arbys/status/999681432166350848

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku Ep 6

Honestly, this week’s ep seems to have been mostly forgettable…  When it came time to write this review,  I pretty much couldn’t remember anything other than the gift scene at the end.   Looking around the rest of the web, it becomes clear that I couldn’t remember because pretty much nothing happened.

I should be clear though…  In this kind of semi-anthology/slice-of-life romance series, that’s not actually a glaring flaw.  It’s pretty much par for the course in that genre.

I do sympathise with Nafuji though.  I’m the oldest of five, and there’s seven years between me and my original youngest brother and sixteen years between me and my actual youngest brother.  (Which sounds funny…  But the explanation is simple, my parents had an unexpected late life (by the standards of the day) child.)  I was in fourth or fifth grade when I grasped the truth about Santa – but my parents made it Very Clear that I was to keep my lips zipped for the sake of my younger siblings.

=========

And that’s this week!  Remember, between the holiday weekend (which we traditionally spend geocaching) and preps for and recovering from the Kitsap Medieval Faire, there will be no weekly posts on the 30th and the 6th.  I may or may not get some editorial content out, that just depends on time and energy.

So, what did you think of this week?  Care to take a swing at poetry?  Drop a comment and let’s chat!

  Spring 2018 – Week 7 Hinamatsuri once again hits one out of the park...  I take a look at this week's carrots... 

[mamabearsaidso-blog]

Possibly the easiest way to sum up 2017 is to say that it’s the worst year ever. And I’m sure a lot of folks would agree. It’s been a messy, divisive, violent, angry, painful, scary year. On a personal level, it’s been the year that my family has had to deal with, among other things, cancer and an unimaginable loss. It’s been a year of incredible highs and crippling lows. But in the end, it just leaves me hopeful that 2018 holds something truly magical for us all.

I started out 2017 with a joyous occasion – my daughter and son-in-law (well, son-in-law to be) got engaged on her 25th birthday on New Year’s Eve! It was a beautiful way to cap off what had been an incredibly difficult year and we were blessed to have been with them to witness the engagement.

Before the engagement surprise – she’s just the birthday girl at this point. 🙂 

I also started 2017 by officially promoting to leadership with KEEP, with a team that had grown to almost 20 designers. Being in leadership meant trips to Cleveland and Chicago, meeting a few of my heroes within the company’s management, and doing things I’d never imagined myself doing. But the year is ending with me as a lone designer, having resigned my team and somehow more content than I was before. Somewhere midyear I began to get really uneasy. At first I thought it was just that I had stepped so far out of my comfort zone, but I soon realized that it was that I was trying to live someone else’s dream, someone else’s goals. I had never really wanted to be a coach; it all happened rather unexpectedly. But I loved the girls that were on my team, and so I tried really hard to make it work and to be the best coach that I could be for them. In the end, I had to take a good hard look at myself and my life and I realized it wasn’t what I wanted for myself and certainly not for them. And then when my husband was diagnosed with cancer in August, it lit the fire under me and I knew it was time to take the plunge. I didn’t want to disappoint the girls and I didn’t want them to take it personally but in the end, I knew it would be best for everyone. And it has been. I’ve watched the team members who are still with KEEP soar to new heights, with me cheering them from the sidelines, and I’m happy with my business again.

And yes, the cancer diagnosis. Although everything turned out the best way that it possibly could having been given a diagnosis of bladder cancer, it is one of the scariest things I’ve ever been through in my life. I’m the kind of person who’s always waiting for the other shoe to drop, always waiting for the rug to get yanked out from under me, so I’ve lived for 30 years thinking that at any second, this man that I love beyond all reason is going to somehow disappear. And I don’t care what the prognosis is, what the tests say, what the surgeons tell you – when you hear the word “cancer” – it’s like a punch in the gut, and even worse, it’s every nightmare you’ve ever had coming to life right before your eyes. Thankfully, he came through surgery just fine, and didn’t need any treatment (just constant monitoring for the next few years at least), but it opened my eyes in a way that nothing else could. Life is just going to keep rolling on, and it’s up to me to make the most of it. Treading water, worrying over stupid things and spending my time doing things that don’t matter or don’t make me happy is just a waste. And it’s made me appreciate what I have right now, in this very moment, so much more. I know it’s not going to last forever, but there’s not much I can do about that, so I may as well enjoy what I have. (Also it makes those dumbass arguments about things like socks on the floor and such seem a LOT less important.)

I found out sometime during the spring that I was smack in the middle of menopause. I would have known earlier but I had a hysterectomy in 2008, so some of the signs weren’t there. I went through a weird period of mourning (not sure why – I haven’t been able to have kids since 1999), but somehow, I was convinced that it meant the end of the “young” me. It’s funny now, but it wasn’t at the time. Right about the same time, our youngest was graduating high school, so I was hitting some weird empty nest/menopause matrix that had me all caught up in self-pity and bittersweet sentimentality. And then on July 31st, we got the news that we were going to be grandparents, and suddenly getting older took on a whole different meaning, and I was thrilled beyond belief.

As many of you know, we lost little Ezra on November 24th, and I can honestly say it was the hardest day of my life. Having to watch my oldest son and his beautiful wife go through this kind of loss, knowing there was nothing any of us could do to help them, was agonizing. And it still is. But in the midst of this unthinkable loss, there were moments of unbelievable grace and beauty. Seeing these two beautiful people become parents to this perfect, sleeping boy and watching them support and care for one another, was the best illustration of unconditional, flawless love that I’ve ever seen in my life. In the week that we all spent together preparing to meet little Ezra, I saw unimaginable strength, love, grief, compassion, sadness and peace. And alongside the grief that I feel at the loss of that beautiful angel, I feel so incredibly blessed to have shared those moments with him and with his parents. I think that I was changed when we got the news that we’d become grandparents and changed again when I met him. And in spite of the heartache, he changed my life for the better.

In just 3 short weeks, I enter yet another phase of my life. I’ve taken a job at Wittenberg University that I am really excited about. I had been toying with the idea of going back to work for the past few years, but I was determined to find a job that was meaningful. And this one has felt like fate every step of the way. I accidentally stumbled on the job listing one night while I was searching job sites like I’ve done 1,000 other times and decided to go for it. I didn’t think I’d get a call back since I had such a long gap in my employment history, but I got called for an interview. I was so nervous through the whole thing I was sure I’d botched it, but a week or two later, I got through to the second part of the job process where they started calling references and doing background checks. And then the week before Thanksgiving, I found out I’d got the job!

And although some of the absolute worst things have happened in 2017, I’ve had some true bucket list moments, too. I finally made a pilgrimage to Paisley Park (I’m still in shock) and got to be closer to Prince than I could’ve ever imagined by taking the Ultimate tour. I finally got to see Lady Gaga in concert. I got to see a Broadway play and visit the Statue of Liberty and the Met Museum and the Museum of Natural History in NYC.

It’s been a year of incredible highs and lows, but I guess that’s how life goes, isn’t it? In the end, I’ve learned a ton about living in the moment and enjoying things as they are, not as you wish them to be, and about quieting the storm inside. I’ve learned that I’m not likely to ever get over my depression and anxiety or my grief, but they’re just pain in the ass roommates that I have to live with. They don’t define me and they are not badges or labels I’m going to wear anymore. I’m more than the challenges I’ve had or the abuse I’ve endured. And somehow, I’m more “okay” with myself than I’ve ever been before. I’m not sure if it’s a product of getting older, of changes I’ve made in my life or what, but it feels pretty good.

Here’s hoping we all have an amazing 2018.

Much love,

Michelle

P.S. Stay tuned for some exciting changes in the new year involving a podcast. 🙂

  2017 – What a Year Possibly the easiest way to sum up 2017 is to say that it's the worst year ever.