#mr. ultra's reviews

[mrultra100]

Mr. Ultra’s Prehistoric Planet Reviews- Episode 5/Finale: Forests

This is it, folks. Everything so far has all been leading up to this, the grand finale to the Prehistoric Planet. The final episode has now been released, and after seeing it myself, I can say that this show closes out with a bang! (And not in the way that many of ya were expecting’, thankfully). I can say, without a doubt, that the Forests of the Prehistoric Planet were an absolutely phenomenal trip. Let’s not beat around the bush too hard and wrap up our tour of the Late Cretaceous!

We begin by returning to South America, where we experience the media debut of the titanic Austroposeidon. While this first segment is brief, we see these absolute units mow down trees in their usual trek for food. Got nothing much to say, but this was a pretty solid opening.

After that, we return to the northern hemisphere by following a herd of Triceratops into a cave? Why are these horned battering rams on legs heading into a cave? Why, to feed on a special type of clay that acts like an antidote for all of the poisonous plants that they eat! This kind of behavior is a cross between macaws feeding on clay and certain herds of elephants traveling into caves to feed on salt today. However, while the herd moves to their location, one of the calves gets left behind in the pitch black. Eventually, he does find his family again, but can you imagine how frightening it can be if you’re in a cave. By yourself? I dunno about what it’s like, but I’m not planning to find out anytime soon.

And we’re finally at the Carnotaurus courtship scene, something that many, many people were hyped for. I, myself, had a pretty good time with it, the titular “Meat-Eating Bull” is seen in a clearing of the Patagoian forest, cleaning the place up so he can use a low-frequent call to attract a potential mate. Once a female does show up, our male then uses those tiny arms of his to do a courtship dance, they’re even colored blue. And once the dance is over, the female...rejects him. Oh well, doesn’t stop our hero from not giving up.

We then arrive at the temperate forests of central Asia, where focus in on a female Qianzhousaurus hunting a flock of Corythoraptor. This long-snouted relative to T. Rex is another one of the creatures that I just adore in this show, and it’s exciting to see her do her best to hunt down these literal bird-brains. One minute, she fails due to how sparce the leaves are spread. The next, she uses the cover of thunder that’s distracting the flock to score some well-deserved lunch.

Speaking of feathers, we return to North America yet again to experience the aftermath of a forest fire, probably made even worse by the Pyro Troodontid from the last episode. Here, we see 3 different species of dinosaurs reacting to the resulting ash and using it to their advantage; An anklyosaur (maybe Euoplocephalus) feeding on the charcoal to deal with the toxic plants in his gut, an mother Edmontosaurus leading her two calves away from the burnt forest, knowing of how the plants will regrow soon, and an Atrociraptor using the smoky charcoal to get rid of any parasites on its body. Also find it funny that this show is Atrociraptor’s big, primetime debut in pop culture, a good while before Jurassic World Dominion even comes out. Suck it, Colin Trevorrow!

Since this is the last episode (For now, hopefully. I’ll explain later), we return to the Nemegt Formation one last time, and on a creature everyone was hoping to see again. We all knew that Theriznosaurus made a cameo in Deserts, and just as everyone hoped (Along with a personal prediction I had myself), we see the big, feathery, clawed lad once again, this time to focus on a trio of babies trying to get at a beehive. If trying to climb up a tree is hard, then dealing with an angry swarm of bees is another can o’ worms. Luckily for them (And unfortunately for the bees), a fully grown Therizinosaurus shows up to get at the hive. Since he’s much larger, the bees are helpless as the feathery giant claws down the hive, leaving bits of honey for the youngsters to gobble up as he skidaddles.

And after all of that, we’re finally at not only the last segment of the episode, but also the entire show as well. And it’s a pretty beautiful note to end the series on. We focus on a male Hatzegopteryx hunting through the forest of Hateg Island, snacking on young Zalmoxes. As the giant azhdarchid strolls out of the forest and onto a beach, some of the island’s other residents come out to feed on the sea salt-encrusted plants.

Looking to find new hunting territory, our male uses the beach as a launching pad, taking off and flying off into the sunset over the ocean. Han Zimmer’s score really helps settle the mood as the series ends in the same way that it began; A shot of a prehistoric beach. This was a beautiful bookend to cap off the series, and if this remains as the only season of the show, it’s even more beautiful to end things right here. And the best part? No asteroid! We actually get a dinosaur show where it doesn’t end with the K-G extinction! The show leaves its subjects as they peacefully continue on with their lives, no giant space rock involved, no siree!

All and all, this was the best documentary on prehistoric life since the original Walking with Dinosaurs. I had a great time watching all 5 episodes, and if we do get another season of this show (Hell, even an entire franchise attached to it like a modern Walking With...), I’ll be welcoming it with open arms...

However, while the show has wrapped up (Again, hopefully for now), we still have one more bit of business left to take care of...

These are all 5 of my favorite scenes from all 5 episodes, they highlight everything that Prehistoric Planet stands for. I’m really happy that we’ve got what’s this generation’s been referring to as their own Walking with Dinosaurs. It might not be in the same format as WWD, but Prehistoric Planet has become its successor, a new golden standard for how to handle paleomedia like it. To cap things off, here’s a little verdict on how I rank all 5 episodes, along with a personal review on Letterboxd (BTW, I’m on Letterboxd now!)

Deserts (10/10)

Ice Worlds (9/10)

Forests (9/10)

Coasts (8.5/10)

Freshwater (8/10)

While the show’s coverage is now over, I had alot of fun reviewing this series. And given how insanely popular it’s become, I figure we could seen this show again in the future soon for another season, we’ll just have to wait and see.

So, to David Attenborough, Han Zimmer, Darren Naish, and everyone else who’ve worked on the show; Thank you for this absolute masterpiece. And to everyone who’ve read these silly reviews of mine, thank you so much for for reading! 

...I should do this more, should I? 

#prehistoric planet #mr. ultra's reviews #Ultra Ramblings

[recurring-polynya]

Mods are asleep, post Akon gree cards

#akon bleach #mr regular voice: rare! RARE! ULTRA RARE! #(this is a joke from a corvette show review youtube video that my husband and i yell at each other all the time sorry to subject you to it) #why does everyone else get cards where they are dressed like clowns or toddlers or Santa Claus? #and akon only gets Dramatic Lab Power Poses? #i imagine he threatened to quit otherwise #oh man you know what would be great? Gotei stock photography #random collections of too many captains and lieutenants standing around a laptop showing a ppt about Valley of Screams situations #Yamamoto pretending to fire the kidou cannon #looks it's 10am on a Saturday this joke is very funny in my head #anyway i need to figure out how to make my own gree cards this man deserves to get silly. for a treat

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Gangsters Win

Organized, in each category, by ones I'm enjoying most at the top. Delayed October reviews included this week! (Still traveling but now in home territory and familiar hotels.)

Nov 2023 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

My Dear Gangster Oppa (Thurs iQIYI) 2 of 8 - GIVING ME LIFE. How dare they be this… this... Just. How dare!

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 1 of 10 - I have been waiting for another truly sports centered BL since HIStory 2: CTL. This is nowhere near as good, but I don’t care. It’s great pulp and Sprite is a fab central character. I've realized that I love the pulps most when they’re ridiculously soapy (identical twins identity trope for sport’s fuck’s sake) but ERNEST about it (not campy). This one is taking itself seriously and it's so cute that it's trying so hard. Good little pulp. Dee mar.

Dangerous Romance (Fri YT) ep 12fin - was it me or did this show kinda flag on you too?

Poor, struggling Sailom is forced to tutor his bully, Kang, and they fall for each other despite circumstances. I loved it for the first 4 eps, liked it for the middle 4, and then kinda lost interest. I think it's because the focus shifted from Sailom to Kang, and I just find a disenfranchised character more interesting than the poor little rich kid archetype. Ultimately the script waffled and failed these actors - the leads and sides were solid, and support cast on point. 8/10 pretty standard 2023 GMMTV fair

Absolute Zero (Thai Weds iQIYI) ep 6 of 12 - It’s sort of a paradox of emotions not just time. It remains sad and I remain wary. 

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) The Camp Fire ep 11 of 24 - Launched with an argument over rude pronouns and mistaken identity. Highlights the joy of camping. Ugh. I don't think this one is for me despite the pair.

Venus in the Sky (Tues iQIYI) ep 10fin - NO SINGING. I can't believe they brought in rando SIDEs just to sing! WHHHHYYYYY? Sigh.

An indifferent pulp with indifferent acting and poor chemistry (despite high heat) based on the reunion romance trope that was just... so... slow... It wasn’t entirely a waste of time but I can’t in good faith recommend it. unless you have a very high tolerance for Thai pulps and ultra tsundere characters. 5/10 ONLY WATCH IF YOU'VE NOTHING BETTER TO DO

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Kiseki: Dear to Me (Taiwan Tues Viki & iQIYI) ep 12 of 13 - I don’t mean to be rude because you know I love the main couple in the show, but they are simply being out acted by the sides. They are so damn good. Ai Di and his dumb oversized sweaters and flappy flappy sleeves is EVERYTHING.

Bump Up Business (Korea Gaga) 5-6 of 8 - More language negotiation, so of course I like it. I also like that they openly let Eden admit to a crush on a boy. I like this whole thing way more than I should. Save me from myself?

You Are Mine (Taiwan Fri Viki) eps 9 of 10 - I don’t understand why baby boy is trying to escape so badly. (Except for plot reasons.) Running of the gays! Look at you Taiwan stealing Japan’s favorite trope. This show is fun but it’s a bag of tropes held together with some very thin fraying mesh plot. 

If It’s With You AKA Even If I Fall In Love With You AKA Kimi to nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo’ (Japan Gaga) ep 5fin - The leads are so painfully cute portraying a softly simple story of teen first love. This was a nice little piece with an early yaoi feel that come off as brief, as if it were meant to be a short story that had been extended into a series. Sweet but ultimately rather forgettable. 7/10  

Mr Cinderella 2 (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 6-7 of ? - yeah I forgot to watch again, I may be dnfing this by accident.

It's Airing But...

I Cannot Reach You AKA I Can't Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai (Japan Tues Netflix-Japan & ????) - in classic JBL fashion, I Cannot Reach You could not be reached. It looks good though so I mgiht put some effort into finding it grey.

Look at Japan dropping all the tropes in on scene: rooftop, kabedon, hand hold.

SHADOW (Thai Gaga) 1-7 of 14 - this is a horror BL with ghosts & paranormal elements in a boarding school setting. I'm not wild about Thai horror (or horror at all). It features Singto (who did paranormal BL He's Coming to Me) opposite Fluke N (who's done a couple horror's before). Also Fiat. Dan suffers from sleep paralysis, and in his dreams he sees a shadow that suffocates him. It gets worse when he transfers schools. I'm holding off on this one and if told it's good I'll binge watch.

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - I find this series more fun to binge, so I'm waiting until it completes its run.

One Room Angel (Japan Gaga) - adaptation of Harada’s manga of the same name (which I did not like) about a convenience store clerk who's stabbed, nearly dies, and returns home to find an angel waiting for him. With only 5 eps and a good chance this won’t end happy, I'm gonna wait and let you tell me how it goes.

Can I Buy Your Love From A Vending Machine? AKA Sono Koi, Jihanki de Kaemasu ka? (Japan cinema release in-country only) - This one is a movie from Japan so in customary fashion who tf knows when (or if) it will get international distribution. Salaryman Ayumu Koiwai just can't tear his eyes away from the strong, muscular man as he checks on the stocks of the vending machine in his office. I did some hunting but only found the manga, so I'm marking it cnf and moving on with life. This will be its last appearance on the weekly update.

I Finished It!

Love in Translation (iQIYI) ep 8 - solid ending, man these two are a great pairing.

A sweet little pulp about a Thai boy with a crush on a Chinese influencer who ends up in a business relationship with her ex-bf. This show had truly great chemistry between the leads, cute found family with good rep, and an exciting (if silly) ending that almost, but didn't quite, make up for how incredibly annoying the main character was in the first half. Gotta say the make-out scene in the convenience store is one of the greatest in Thai BL, tho. 6/10 DEF WORTH WATCHING BUT FLAWED

I Feel You Linger in the Air (grey) ep 8 of 12 - so that was A THING. I did a seriously extensive deep dive analysis, historical & linguistic extras, and review here.

I truly loved this time travel romance. IFYLITA is an exquisite BL, from filming techniques to narrative framework (much like Until We Meet Again). Steeped in history and family drama it edges into lakorn (but no as much as To Sir With Love and with way less scenery chewing). This is an elegant and classy BL… from Thailand which normally doesn't even try for classy. The main couple (both as a pair and individuals) were excellent, particularly Bright (Yai) whose eye-work acting style is a personal favorite of mine. Pity about the ending. Oh it wasn’t that sad but it wasn’t good either. This show should easily have earned a 10 from me except that it fumbled the… erm… balls. Argh. Whatever. 9/10

Only Friends (YT) ep 11-12 - What can I say, this wasn't my thing, it was never gonna be, and I didn't like it. Basically Thailand did the L-Word but with branded BL pairs and the only agenda seemed to be slut shaming and making sure those pairs stayed healthy and sponsor ready. Consequently, the pairs were all executing well and to the best of their ability (of course) but all other characters got shafted, both in the good and the worst possible ways. Unrated but if falls somewhere between 5 (hot mess) and 3 (what am I doing with my life?)

Next Week Looks Like This

11/10 Middleman’s Love (Thai Fri Mandee's YT & iQIYI 1 of 8? - TutorYim (brand pair origin = Cutie Pie) with side couple KingUea (Bed Friends) from Domundi trailer here. This used to be a JimmyTommy vehicle before the pair split (also prev title Middle Love). Adapted from a Y-novel. Jade works as a graphic designer and has always been stuck in the middle - average. His heart is hardened after a life spent being overlooked because he is not as charming or good looking as the rest of his family or friends. When his office gets a hot new intern, Mai, Jade assumes Mai couldn’t possibly be intersted in him. Mai, of course, has other ideas. Warning this is a Cheewin comedy so tonally it could be very OFF, but the cast is solid, and I have liked his stuff on occasion.

11/10 Last Twilight (Thai Fri YouTube) - JimmySea are bakc and maybe it's good this time? I dont' know, GMMTV isn't doing great right now. Burdened with heavy debt, Mork, a mechanic, is forced to take a high paying job as a caretaker for Day, a rich heir who suffers from partial blindness after an accident. Day recruits Mork as he realizes the latter does not see him as a disabled person, but rather as co-equals. As they spend time together, the two begin developing feelings for the other. However with Day just having 180 days until he becomes permanently blind, how will the two weather the trials ahead?Upcoming November BL

11/11 Beyond The Star (Weds iQIYI) qp 1 of 8 - Looks like House of Stars meets Boyband. I am not excited.

Upcoming in November

11/16 PLAYBOYY (Thurs ????) ?? eps - trailer here, high heat and it's helmed by Cheewin (shudder) with screenplay by Den (Only Friends) under Copy A Bangkok. It's gonna be a shizz show people. It's predicting Thai style "dark" (War of Y) one of my least favorites. Apparently there is a "plot" but when has Cheewin ever bothered with plot? A university kid who was involved with escorts, sex-trade, porn, online hook-ups, drugs, prostitution, blackmail, revenge, and so forth goes missing. His twin (sigh) and two friends look for him.

11/17 Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 1 of 14 - high heat teaser here, based on alittlebixth's omegaverse novel #พิษเบ๊บ’ set in the world of car racing (author says show will not be omegaverse). Charlie (fresh face), a young hot nerd, approaches his driver idol (Pavel "my love" 2 Moons 2) to borrow a racing car and win one for the team. Production house is new to BL but behind the Club Friday stuff. Show stars many known actors: Nut (Oxygen), Pop (Ram in La Cuisine), Pon (Phai in Gen Y, we LOVE him), Benz (twins in En of Love: This Is Love Story).

11/19 Bake Me Please (Sun Gaga) ep 1 of 6 - trailer here, stars Ohm (of OhmFluke) opposite Guide (bestie from IFYLITA) and possibly also Poom (well known, but not for BL). This looks like an actually gay version of Antique Bakery (play it again, BL). Still, I'm intrigued, it looks HELLA pretty.

11/22 7 Days Before Valentine (Weds ????) ep 1 of 10 - trailer here, horror-esk. Adapted from y-novel of the same name, directed by Tu (180 Degree) stars Jet (Why You… Y Me?). When you want your old love again, but fate sends you a reaper instead. All he can do for you is kill people. I'll likely give this a pass and wait to binge later. I'm planning to try SHADOW and I can only handle one Thai horror at a time.

11/25 The Sign (Sat ????) ep 1 of 10 - trailer here, horror-esk, but with a suspense and adult characters. Special investigators who loved each other in previous lives reunite with their new bodies, stars Billy Patchanon (BillySeng) & Babe Tanatat (new). Includes other SCOY favorites as a special investigation team. I may give this a try because I like the non-horror bits.

11/26 The Whisperer (Sun ????) 1 of 10 - trailer here. Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). He has dimples (My Ride) but I don't think even that gives me the will. Maybe a binge for me.

11/26 Cooking Crush (Sun YT) 1 of 12 - OffGun are back, trailer here. Adapted from the novel “Love Course! เสื้อกาวน์รุกเสื้อกุ๊กรับ” by iJune4S this is about Prem who runs a not-so-popular restaurant with 2 friends. About to go on a cooking competition with a huge reward, Prem gets involved with Ten, a stressed-out med student who wants Prem to teach him to cook.

11/30 For Him (Thurs ????) ep 1 of 10 - high heat trailer, I suspect iQIYI will scoop this one up. From the people who brought us Unforgotten Night (please no) based on a y-novel, man nursing a heartbreak has a one-night stand, but the other boy didn't want it to end. It looks terribly trashy so I'm in! Maybe I'll do a trash watch?

VIP Only (Taiwan) - may be delayed/canceled

Wuju Bakery AKA Space Bakery (Korea) - this one may be DOA

A Breeze of Love (Korea) - I know less than nothing about this.

Nov 2023 line up with screen caps here. Not kept updated.

Original 2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Yang's little smile! Argh. (Love in Translation)

This is our mean and grumpy gagster character talking about playing in game support roles. It's fucking adorable. Such a nasty criminal. (My Dear Gangster Oppa)

(Last week)

#this week in bl #bl updates #My Dear Gangster Oppa #remains the greatest thing ever to happen to me #thai bl #Love in Translation #Love in Translation review #bl series review #Dangerous Romance #Dangerous Romance reviewed #PerthChimon #GMMTV #Venus in the Sky #Venus in the Sky review #Kiseki: Dear to Me #Taiwanese BL #Bump Up Business #I Feel You Linger in the Air #I Feel You Linger in the Air review #korean bl #japanese bl

[jommycham]

Spirit Hunter NG Radio Drama Bonus CD [Ultra Rough Translation]

[Spirit Doctor Yashiki Kazuo's Consultation Room]

An honest attempt at a translation of the bonus drama CD that came with the purchase of NG: Extreme Kaidanchi. Beware of some minor spoilers if you have not played through all the Spirit Hunter games.

Note: Only did this for fun, and I am not fluent in Japanese, so inaccuracies are expected.

Disclaimers:

This bonus CD is an edited version of Yashiki's Consultation Room that was originally broadcasted on the EXP channel. Some questions sent in by viewers have been altered. What occurs in the Consultation Room should be treated as a parallel universe to the main storyline— therefore all comments made in these sessions are NOT canon.

(btw, Yashiki's title here is "Kai Ika" (怪医家)— or literally "Strange Doctor," which is probably where the "Spirit Doctor" came from.)

✄--------------------------------------------

I did my best with my (admittedly) shoddy translation, and cleaned it up a bit to have it sound more coherent. Again, I do not speak or understand much Japanese, so despite my best attempts, portions can be wrong (though most of it should be reasonably correct). I will highlight those unsure sections accordingly. There are also very small parts I've omitted, either due to it being too difficult to understand (for me) or to smooth the flow of the translation. 🙇‍♀️Thank you very much for your understanding and putting up with my impulsive DM brain rot.

-----------------------------------------------

This CD features Yashiki and Mashita answering the audience's concerns/worries. Yashiki receives these burning questions through occult magazines. This time, however, Yashiki specifically calls Mashita in due to a request from OOPArts, much to Mashita's chagrin.

☕︎ Late for School Reader: This question is basically taken from EXP 4th Season #3 Voice Drama (where it's Yashiki, Moe, and Mashita) regarding the viewer who couldn't get up early.

Yashiki: Moe has answered this before, and I suggest rather than buying a cat, to take supplements, don't accumulate stress, go to bed early, get plenty of sleep, and have yourself plenty of coffee and sugar as soon as you wake up.

Mashita: Well, I guess that's the sort of advice you'd give. At my previous job, I'd take a shower or wash my face with cold water.

Yashiki: Even if someone else wakes me up, I still have to put in majority of the effort through the rest of the process.

➥The answers to this question are a lot more fleshed out in the actual livestream VD, such as the cat thing, the supplements being part of Mashita's answer, and Saya mention for the "someone else."

☕︎ Bug Hater Reader: Also a question taken from the above mentioned Voice Drama about a reader asking about how to handle cleaning the house while bugs are roaming during the summer.

Mashita: You're the type of person who doesn't hesitate to pick things up and put it in your bag. You (the reader) can also try hiring someone or contacting a cleaning company.

[Yashiki is concerned that Mashita also doesn't really like touching gross things and asks if he's okay.]

[Mashita explains that both of them are basically in the same line of work, so it's not like he hesitates either to touch things.]

Yashiki: That's true.

☕︎ Summer vacation is almost over, but my eldest daughter hasn't finished her homework. What should I do, Mr. Yashiki? What did you do with your homework during summer vacation?

Yashiki: The Kujo Family already finished their homework early into summer vacation. How about you, Mashita?

Mashita: Well, it's kind of a hassle, so I tried to finish it early. But I always remember not being able to finish my literature essay/book review until the last moment. It was the only part I didn't fully understand.

*TERROR SOUND EFFECT*

Yashiki: I loved reading books and I don't remember having difficulties with them. Shou doesn't do his in the first place. Moe and Tsukasa seem to be the types who get it done first thing. Suzu seems like she'd get it done unexpectedly early. Eita probably does it early, too. Ai seems the type to get it done and put the rest of her energy into her hobbies.

Mashita: If your parents are willing to help you, it might not be a bad idea to plan your hobbies and leisure activities for the latter half of your summer vacation and finish the homework by then.

Yashiki: And if you don't finish your homework...

*dramatic sound effect*

Yashiki: ... you'll die at dawn. Well, if you can imagine a curse like that/wouldn't be surprising if there was a curse like that.

Mashita: Tch, I wouldn't want that.

➥ The term Mashita uses here is "Dokusho Kanshoubun," and I am not familiar with the specifics of what summer homework consists of, so the closest thing I went with was a book review of sorts.

➥ I got kind of lost on his descriptions, so I honestly wasn't sure who was being described, so the details may be mixed up.

☕︎ I'm waking up in the middle of the night with the need to go to the bathroom. But there are times where I get scared and don't want to go. What should I do in times like these? If you have any tips or advice, please let me know!

Yashiki: Actually, come to think of it...

Mashita: Wait. Just turn on the lights, that's the answer.

Yashiki: What's the hurry, Mashita? I was just trying to...

Mashita: I'm trying to keep you from making an ill-advised comment.

Yashiki: Was it going to be that terrible?

Mashita: No doubt. With this, we're done with the question.

Mashita: Tch, who was the one who chose this question? Maybe they were half-asleep at the time. Well, off to the next one.

➥ I could not tell if Yashiki was asking if his answer was going to be that awful or he was saying "that's terrible (coming from Mashita)." I went with the former to be safe.

☕︎ One afternoon, I was taking the bus to the hospital, and the bus stopped at a bus stop. It was on a main street with only cars and a few pedestrians passing by, making it look quite deserted. The bus driver opened the doors and stared outside. I watched from the back seat as the driver repeatedly, with an impatient tone, asked someone if they were getting on or not. The driver gave up on asking and started driving off. As the bus drove away, I kept looking outside, but didn't see anyone at the bus stop or on the sidewalk of the main street. I wondered who the driver was talking to, or if he had talked to anyone in the first place.

I suddenly remembered this recently— what exactly happened, and how would you interpret it, Mr. Yashiki?

There's a section where Mashita goes into a short explanation in regards to this particular question. I am not sure if he is talking about the reader's question or their reply— but basically either this question has been submitted before (didn't make it into the actual Consultation segment) or it has been replied to, but the reply was not published. Therefore, the editorial department has requested this question be submitted/replied to again.

Yashiki: I remember this question. My original reply was that since it was the driver's actions, it's technically not a paranormal phenomenon.

Mashita: Well, if we can't be sure, we still need to interpret it from that angle (?). What do you think about the situation?

Yashiki: I think it might be someone from the future who came to your rescue, and thanks to them delaying the bus' departure, a major accident was avoided.

Mashita: You're still naive as ever, but worse. No matter who that person was, in the end, you're the one who created that anxiety. You shouldn't willingly go with their plans.

Yashiki: By interpreting the situation in a way that doesn't make me anxious, it allows me to avoid getting swallowed up by fear.

➥ The specific phrase Mashita uses is "お花畑," or "ohanabatake," which means a field of flowers. It seems to be used to describe someone who is carefree or blind.

➥ The answer sort of starts leaning into the more philosophical side towards the end? At least on the basis where my interpretation of "that person" is the imagined time traveler of Yashiki's explanation. If not, I'm terribly sorry.

☕︎ At my previous workplace, there was a tree (?) that always made a ringing noise at night. It was close to a residential area, with an apartment building and a small community center in its parking lot. For some reason, it doesn't bother me on my way to work, and I only hear it on the way home. It also doesn't bother me during early shifts, so I assume the noise only occurs at night. The sound is different every time, ranging from the metallic sound like that of gold or a sandstorm. On bad days the ringing in my ears causes headaches and anemia. I had heard from a friend that the place was haunted/visited by spirits; so I started wondering if it was a paranormal experience.

Yashiki: I answered this question at the time it was originally submitted, but it remains the same. I can't deny the possibility [of it being a paranormal event]. I'm pretty sure the advice given to you was to sing a song. There's also the option of keeping an omamori and listening to your favorite music through earphones. I don't know how effective it is, but as I have said previously— try to avoid feeling anxious as much as possible.

☕︎ I'm an idol who loves the occult, and I love reading about them. I want to consult Mr. Yashiki, as there have been many instances of paranormal sightings in H City. There are also rumors of new sightings circulating on message boards as of late. I'm a bit nervous about investigating it by myself, so can you please help me out? I wonder if the rumors are true or not...

Yashiki: I don't recommend investigating it, because there's a chance you could die.

Mashita: But I guess they can't just leave it be.

Yashiki: This is a difficult question...

Mashita: In any case, I would like to have some more information so I can do some research on this.

Yashiki: I'm sorry, but I'd appreciate it if you could send what you know to the editorial department. I recommend you never investigate matters like these alone.

Afterword

Yashiki: Alright.

Mashita: I think this is enough, about 10 minutes.

Yashiki: I’ll hand the audio recording to Moe later today.

Mashita: I'll leave it to you.

Yashiki: I hope this helps someone with their troubles.

Mashita: Perhaps.

Yashiki: Will you be willing to help out next time?

[Pause]

Mashita: ... Tch. Hm.

Yashiki: Please look after me./Thank you in advance.

➥ The phrase is "yoroshiku tanomu yo," which I've seen can be translated into "please look after —" or just used generally for requesting a favor. I was debating using "I'm counting on you" since it sort of made better sense in this context, but Yashiki ended it with "よ" which is much more casual/polite than "ぜ." I ended up opting for a more... gentler way of phrasing this? I genuinely didn’t know how to write it in a way that conveys how he spoke other than this ( ´_ゝ`).

Spirit Doctor Yashiki's Consultation Room: In addition to our regular consultations, we are also accepting everyday troubles. Please contact us here.

Thank you very much for sticking til the end here. ヾ(´ー`)ﾉ゛ I've been going through some pretty severe rot and this helped to alleviate it somewhat (despite how piss poor my efforts are). It's interesting to see different sides to characters even if it's not entirely canon.

As a lil bonus, I want to show those of you who haven't watched Nezuka Ryo's voice over for the entirety of DM1— Kawabata Yoshiaki's (Mashita's VA) introduction! The gap is... actually really cute in a way???

#death mark #spirit hunter #kazuo yashiki #satoru mashita #spirit hunter drama cd #very awful translation attempt pls do not look at me #death mark brainrot got me #死印 #死噛 #shiin

[beardedmrbean]

Q “How do you tell if someone is a vegan?” 

A: “You don’t have to, they’ll tell you.” 

Maybe it’s jokes like that, highlighting society’s stereotypical view of vegans as arrogant virtue-signallers, that have led to a slump in demand for some plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy, as well as a slew of business failures among manufacturers of plant-based food – most recently Heather Mills’s company VBites, which has just announced it is going into administration. 

Despite veganism being endorsed by a number of celebrities, such as the BBC’s controversial wildlife presenter Chris Packham, it doesn’t seem to have made much headway beyond those segments of the market that are either apocalyptic about climate change or fanatical about animal rights – or both. Perhaps much like Mr Packham himself. 

Then there’s the argument that veganism is good for your health, which has been on an increasingly sticky wicket, deconstructed by books such as the award-winning The Great Plant Based Con by Jayne Buxton. There is also a growing backlash against ultra-processed foods, which many vegan products are. 

But Ms Mills had the gall to blame “gaslighting” by the meat industry for the collapse of her vegan food empire. As a member of the meat “industry”, I take exception to that. Of course it is not really an industry at all in the UK – it is made up of family farms, in stark contrast to the public relations agencies promoting vegan diets. 

Farmers have been hounded and smeared by radical vegan activists for years. I wrote in these pages back in September about Laura Corbett, the Gourmet Goat Farmer, who was targeted by vegan “activists” on social media. Her business was attacked by malicious Trip Advisor reviews. 

Indeed, I would suggest that consumers have been put off by the taint of fanaticism surrounding vegan foods. Recent research has shown that omnivorous consumers are less likely to buy products if they are labelled with the V-word. While it is too early to consign veganism to the history books, I suspect when that history is written it will be seen as a fad that was rejected by the British public largely because the wild behaviour of its more extreme followers trashed the brand. 

It always seemed unlikely that, after millennia evolving on an omnivorous meat-rich diet, we would then wholly abandon it. There is only one species that has ever done that: the panda. And that has not been an unqualified success. 

If the vegans had wanted to actually persuade people to eat better, rather than hector them, they could have chosen a much less blunt message. But a more effective, nuanced approach, focused on stopping the harmful aspects of meat and dairy production, was not pursued and all livestock farmers were tarred with the same brush. This happened even after the positive environmental role of grass-based beef farmers was recognised by the authorities, as they began to be paid carbon credits for the net carbon they sequester.

We can’t allow vegans to continue to ruin the debate about food. We need a real food counter-revolution. 

#nunyas news #vegan #veganism

[everythingblreview]

Kichiku Megane Review (kinda)

So mh…I started this game in 2021 and only recently have finished it……I have no excuses for this, it just took so long. Anyway, Kichiku Megane is a very well known BL game. It came out in 2008 and was produced by Spray. I played some spray games before, and they’re either hit or miss for me. So, lets get into the review~

Warning for discussion of 18+ content

Story

This story is about Saeki Katsuya a weak, pathetic office worker who, one day after another pathetic day at work encounters the mysterious Mr. R in the park. Mr. R gives him “special” glasses that make him confident and make all his wished come true. There is only one catch, once Katsuya put on the glasses he becomes a super ultra sadistic Megane, who enjoys nothing more than raping his victims. You as the player can decide now if you want to go the Megane way or the normal Katsuya way.

It’s pretty simple, Megane Katsuya tops everyone, normal Katsuya is always bottom. Some love interest can be top or bottom some can only be one. But no matter who, once they’re with Megane Katsuya they’re pretty much fucked (literally)

Lets make something clear in the beginning, this is mostly a parody game of all these evil Megane character tops and shouldn’t be taken too seriously, but despite that, I wouldn’t say I actually enjoyed much of the game, sure Megane Katsuya is funny in the beginning, but if you’re not into H-scenes and rape jokes it get’s boring very fast, which it did for me.

As for the office plot, I had to keep myself from not falling asleep (one reason why it took me forever to finish this). It’s very boring if you’re not into it. Katsuya works for a company that sells drinks with funky names and a good portion of the game is revolves around this, with Katsuya being Japanese he will of course put all his life into his jobs. And if you’re not play rapist Megane Katsuya its mostly just office plot.

Characters

Katsuya (see picture above)

Like mentioned Katsuya has 2 personalities, his weak (original) self and the Megane self, which could be almost counted as his own character. Normal Katsuya is very weak and pathetic, due to some trauma he suffered in middle school. He is kindhearted and a good worker but, but still often ends up a loser (I feel you Katsuya). Due to that he is easy to step on and some of the Love interest take that as an advantage. In some of the routes he actually develops a stronger personality and becomes more confident. Megane Katsuya is sadistic, overconfident and loves to torture people. Almost all of his routs ends up with the Love Interest stuck with Stockholm syndrome. This man also has an obsession with sticking random things in people’s butts. If you remain with Megane Katsuya he won’t be able to return to normal Katsuya anymore, even after putting the glasses off. There is even a bad end in which Megane Katsuya is even too evil for Mr. R and he kidnaps Katsuya to punish him lmao. 

I honestly didn’t enjoy neither Katsuyas. One is too weak and pathetic and the other is just an asshole and I don’t like these type of assholes.

Midou

Midou is Katsuya’s boss, and another asshole. He is very confident and proud. In his route Katsuya has to work with him for some new product they are selling.

(glasses)

His route was the first one I played. The moment Katsuya puts his glasses on he turns shitty rapist who uses Midou for his weird kinks or whatever and act all sassy with him, which was kinda funny in the beginning but as it keeps going, it starts to get boring. The route is basically just torture porn, with Katsuya abusing Midou until he turned into a soulless shell, and that was when Katsuya finally notices, that he maybe, should stop his “bullying” and abandons Midou. But of course, Stockholm syndrome hit Midou so hard that he suddenly gets his mind back and is all like “Katsuya I can’t live without you T_T” and reunites with Katsuya in the old dramatic Russian movie way and suddenly they were lovers, or something. I don’t know it was weird, and I didn’t really care?

(no glasses)

If Katsuya doesn’t become the rapist, he will be raped. Midou turns big asshole energy on him and blackmails him (forgot with what, I played the route over a whole year in 2022 whoops) and uses Katsuya for his kinks or whatever. Of course, there is one scene where he is all “Katsuya you’re doing a good job” after Katsuya says he is worthless as a worker and Katsuya goes all “omg director Midou uwu dokidoki” and later confesses to him after more sexual harassment from Midou. He was all like “I don’t know why I like you, you treat me like shit and yet I still like you” yeah Katsuya I know why you like him, because Stockholm syndrome. Midou is confused in the beginning but decided “eh whatever might as well” so they finish their job successfully and it ends with Katsuya asking what Midou feels for him and Midou is like “aishiteruu” (I love you)……Bitch what?.

Katagiri (glasses)

Katagiri is the sweet naïve ojisan of the love interests, he is Katsuya’s manager and supporting him during his project. You can only play him with Magane Katsuya (probably because having to pathetic men wouldn’t work out well)

This route is basically as the same as other Megane Katsuya one. Katsuya helps Katagiri with something, so he invited Katsuya for dinner (already a mistake). Katsuya (in his sadistic Megane pride) shows up and immediately starts his evil plan to treat the poor Katagiri as shitty as possible. Katagiri makes another mistake by saying that he will do anything for Katsuya, since Katsuya is working so hard, so Katsuya first release the man’s pet birds and lets them fly out the window and then sexual harass him. This harassment continues with Katsuya raping him a few times after that. Katagiri is also so stupid enough to show up at his house (Stockholm Syndrome hits him very fast). So, somewhere along the line, Katagiri gets used to the constant rape and for some reason starts asking him for it, which leads to Katsuya getting bored and dropping him, because it’s not fun if he can’t force himself on Katagiri (……………. Okay). Followed by a “dramatic” scene in the rain where Katagiri clings to him and begs him not to leave him, because he now feels not like the loser he was before since his child died and his women left him. Katsuya is like “whatever” and just fucks off. After that there is more “Katagiri is so depressed” moments where he even wants to quit his job. (Katyua is still like “whatever”) So someday one of the bird Katsuya release flies in his apartment and Katsuya decides to bring the bird back to Katagiri, because it doesn’t want to leave alone, which he does. Arriving at his places Katsuya sees that he even plans to move out, so he talks to him and is suddenly like “oh no actually I totally like you, don’t quiet your job” like?????? Minutes ago, he didn’t care and now does? No development, no explanation, just very random confession. Katagiri of course is all happy and they live happy ever after.

Yeah, a very strange route, whith no development. I honestly can’t say who annoyed me more in this route Katsuya’s super sadistic rapey-ness or Katagiri being so unbelievable stupid and naïve. This old man was just so pathetic it was painful to watch, I was glad when I finally reached the end.

Honda

Honda is Katsuya’s bestie from university, they both were member of the volleyball club and now work together. You can play him both with Megane and normal Katsuya

(glasses) 

So, this will be funny because I actually have forgotten what happened in this route…. I mean I played it over a year ago, but consider it’s Megane Super S Katsuya we all know what happened, well I do remember some things. Katsuya was pretty mean as always to Honda and somewhere along the way raped him. Honda was later kidnapped by a former classmate who was mad at him because of some stuff he did as the volleyball club captain in university. Katsuya had to show and saved his ass and of course it all ended with them being happy together….I really don’t remember anything I’M SO SORRY T_T Oh yeah in one of the endings Katsuya shows up to the place Honda was taken and just tells his kidnapper to do what he wants  AND JUST LEAVES ahdhhsj KATSUYAAA anyway he gets stabbed right after it by the dude, Karma winning again lol.

(no glasses)

Honda as top was the best route to be honest. Not only did Katsuya actually grew as a character, but Honda was also a pretty good as a love interest…. Later on, before he wanted Katsuya to stay weak and a loser because Katsuya would rely on him…HONDA YOU LITTE FUC- *clears throat* anyway he improved later on. Of course, no route without a little Megane Katsuya harassment, which was the reason for drama in the beginning. But after it, there was a decant amount of (not forced) romance with Honda confessing and even waiting for Katsuya to respond. And even if you let Katsuya reject him he still wouldn’t try to do anything to Katsuya so yeah that was nice. Also, their H-scene was the one I actually read in this game (and they even used lube and condoms, god bless).

Aki (glasses)

Some shota who hangs out in a club and the first “man” Katsuya sleeps with after turning into super S Katsuya. Aki is annoying like you except a shota to be, and apparently still in fucking school bruh. I….aslo don’t remember much about his route actually but here it’s whatever because he is just horny for Katsuya’s D and that’s basically all. This route has no real “happy end” because it ends with Aki becoming Katsuya’s play toy (by his own free will), no dating, no confession, nothing. Not my thing, I don’t like shota and this had basically no plot.

Taichi (no glasses)

Taichi works in a café, or restaurant? Katsuya likes to visit often. Taichi doesn’t like Megane Katsuya so you can only play him in Normal Katsuya version. And I have to apologize again because I don’t remember the route…. It was too long ago, but I what I remember is that their relationship was actually really good with well development. But once again, we also had a Megane Katsuya moment where he decided he has to rape Taichi…god free me from this, I can’t take that anymore. Also, Taichi is actually part of a yakuza family lol. The route wasn’t bad as far as I can remember but for some reason Taichi just wasn’t my type and I can’t even explain why.

Mr. R and Bonus material

The more endings you finish the higher your chance is to get a “extra story” from pomegranates Mr. R gives you, which are 90% made of some horny fantasy stories of Katsuya fucking or getting fucked. We had classic things such as (plant) tentacle rape, threesome, gang bang and fat hentai ojisan (like why????), selfcest and Mr. R sucking Katsuya’s dick (lol) and there was one (more interesting) story about Katsuya school days. You see, Katsuya wasn’t such a loser always he was sociable and had friends, but through some trauma caused by one of his classmates who he thought as a friend, he became like he is now. In this story it shows that Mr. R actually already appeared to young Katsuya and told him about the glasses.

The very last bonus story broke my last brain cell, it featured normal Katsuya covered in cream and fruits getting fucked by Megane Katsuya……I lost it when Megane Katsuya put a banana in his mouth. (Please don’t talk to me about this, I want to drink to forget about it)

Music and Art

The music is pretty generic, the OP song “Under the darkness” is iconic at this point at in the BLVN community.

The art is very yaoi-core, it’s an old game so what else would you expect? What I always thought was amusing how normal Katsura suddenly becomes all “top” looking once he put the glasses on pfffff.

Conclusion

Did I enjoy it? No. Do I think this is worth playing? No. I don’t even know why I started playing it to begin with, this is clearly not for me. H-scenes don’t amuse me, and plot was terribly boring. I know some people like that kind of humour, but if you’re like me and prefer some good plot I wouldn’t recommend it. This game also has a fandisk but I don’t see myself playing it soon.

#bl game #boys love game #blvn #visual novel #spray #kichiku megane #bl game review

[midnightactual]

What Is Shunkō: Raijū Senkei: Shunryū Kokubyō Senkei?

Introduction

Some interpersonal discussion on this happened a few days ago but I was in the middle of having to put my computer's guts into a new case, so I didn't have time to think about it. The truth is, for several years, if I've thought about this form at all, I've only really thought about what it might be from a functionalist point of view: what was the point of trying to create it? And I thought perhaps it was an effort to try and use the cat transformation while Shunkō was active to try and create a melee-focused combat mode, which then went wrong and had to be sealed away. Job's done, right?

But that never really addressed why Kisuke would have the power to unseal it, which quite frankly Yoruichi would never normally permit because she would never let anyone have such power over her, least of all Kisuke, because he's annoying. No, really. This even carries over into CFYOW:

“But Ms. Hiyori did see through me. That’s why, to take a neutral position…well to be accurate, it’s not neutral, but I decided to entrust some matters to a very Soul Reaper-like Soul Reaper.” His features softened then as he spoke about Hisagi. “When the time comes that I really do become someone who could be called a villain, it would be best to leave behind someone who can definitively determine that I’ve sinned, right? I’m sure that Mr. Hisagi, who saw how Mr. Tosen was and saw how he left, well, he would do that. Of course, Mr. Kurosaki or Ms. Kuchiki would work as well.” Yoruichi jumped onto Urahara’s shoulder and protested close enough that she could have bitten his ear. “Are you saying I’m not cut out for that job?” “No, no, but you’d be on my side no matter what anyone says, right? You’re not impartial.” Urahara smiled, and Yoruichi acted exasperated, with her tail hanging down. “I don’t even know where to start with that pretentious attitude you’ve got.” “Also… if you thought I really crossed a line, you’d stop me even if you had to kick me, Ms. Yoruichi.” “I’m telling you to stop being conceited. As if I’d stop at kicking you. I’d snap your neck to stop you.” “You’re so severe.”

It also never addressed why the "seal" is so weird and nothing at all like Kidō or any other magic we ever see in Bleach. Seriously, what the fuck is this:

So there I was earlier today, minding my own business, watching a video about how trash Vegeta's Ultra Ego transformation is just to listen to something because I don't even keep up with Dragonball Super as a manga or anime, when near the end (9:24) there's this:

But a transformation like Ultra Ego should be the spotlight, as transformations are a celebration of all the character's hardships and struggles as they break their limits and ascend to a higher form of themselves, and fulfill the shōnen power fantasy. As they immerse the audience in a world where all their problems can be screamed away as they transform into a version of themselves with more control and autonomy over the world around them.

And I said to myself, you know, by this definition, Shunkō: Raijū Senkei: Shunryū Kokubyō Senkei is a joke. Let's count the ways:

it doesn't highlight anything about Yoruichi as a character because it explicitly eliminates her personhood

it doesn't advance Yoruichi in any meaningful capacity because of the above

she can't even talk in the form let alone scream, just hiss

it removes all control and autonomy, all agency, from her

So, thematically, as a transformation to get you hype, Raijū Senkei sucks. So what was it about then?

The Mystery

If I've learned anything after interacting with Bleach to some capacity for 18 years, it's that Tite Kubo is a troll before he's anything else—and that includes being a screwup. So when I made fun of him for giving two different answers to functionally the same question, I was actually underestimating him. Let's review:

Q331: I want to know how Yoruichi can turn herself into a cat. Is it a technique she herself invented, or does she actually use some sort of spiritual tool belonging to the Shihouin clan? Or perhaps a tool or technique invented by Urahara Kisuke himself? I can’t think of anything else. A331: Yoruichi uses a technique she herself invented so she could sneak out of her clan’s mansion.

Q465: I would like to know why Yoruichi can take the form of a black cat. It seems possible to interpret it as binding Yoruichi-san to another form, a black cat, but it seems to be fundamentally different from hado and bakudo. Is it a power different from Kido? Or is it Urahara-san’s technology? A465: It is the bloodline of Shihōin. From time to time, there are members of the Shihōin family who can transform into beasts.

You see, these only appear to be two different answers to the same question. If you try and look up compilations of Kubo's answers on Klub Outside, you'll find people only list off a fraction of the total number of questions he answers, because most of his answers are non-answers or bullshit. Once you understand his nature, you can realize a fundamental truth: these aren't two different answers, they're two parts of one answer.

Pay special attention to the differences between the questions. Yoruichi using a technique she created is an answer to how she can turn herself into a cat. It being the bloodline of the Shihōin Clan is an answer to why Yoruichi can turn herself into a cat. The former is a process only made possible by the latter. It's thus simultaneously true both that:

some members of the Shihōin Clan can turn into beasts

Yoruichi developed a technique to turn into a black cat

The only thing you have to accept to make these two statements line up is that the beast Yoruichi turns into isn't a black cat. Rather, the black cat form is something she can utilize because she can turn into a beast. It's worth stopping and looking at Kubo's answer in Japanese now:

A465. 四楓院の血筋です。四楓院家からは時々獣の姿に変化できる者が出ることがあります。

The important character here is 獣 in the second sentence, kedamono or kemono, or as Wiktionary puts it, "literally 'thing of hair'", and "an animal covered in fur, a beast".

Now, at this stage it's worth remembering Yoruichi's transformation in chapter 115:

Not a lot of detail here. You could easily think that was a human silhouette pulling out of the cat's body. However, the anime tells a different story, and it's worth remembering that Kubo was quite intimately involved with the anime's production back in the first three seasons. So when we see this from episode 40:

It was probably signed off on with Kubo's approval. And Yoruichi is much bigger than Ichigo here. And then we see this in episode 41:

Now it sure seems as though everyone just assumes this is an intermediate phase in Yoruichi's cat transformation, but I think the truth is now quite apparent: this werecat form is being used to facilitate Yoruichi's transformation into a house cat.

By the way? This has been referenced all along by way of jokes. Take chapter 628:

Or even more on the nose, Bleach: Official Bootleg KaraBuri+:

(Also, what have I said about monsters before?)

So, I think that Yoruichi at least partially transforming into this werecat form while in Shunkō is the essence of Raijū Senkei. Now then, let's talk about that directly.

RAIJŪ SENKEI

Let's talk about the name first, Shunkō: Raijū Senkei: Shunryū Kokubyō Senkei (瞬閧 雷獣戦形 瞬霳黒猫戦姫). This is given by the Bleach Wiki as "Flash War Cry: Thunder Beast Battle Form: Flash God Black Cat Warrior Princess". This is mostly right but wrong in at least a couple important ways.

Now, @littleeyesofpallas has a wonderful essay on the terms related to Yoruichi. (If I may have a little indulgence with its earlier observations: "Becuase [sic] if taken literally, [Shunkō] [瞬閧] means something like, "Instant Battle" or "Flash Battle" which is a little silly, and redundant", is true, but we have a loanword in English which is close: blitzkrieg.) But you'll notice that the essay stumbles upon this character, 霳, ryū, which not even Wiktionary defines. A lot of speculation follows, but I'm going to trace my own route from here.

Google suggests it means "hail":

I'm not sure where they get this from, to be quite honest. I can't find any other definitions in Japanese for it, just like littleeyesofpallas. But it does have a meaning in Chinese:

Now I'm real tempted to end the search there, quite honestly, but I'll humor a slightly deeper dive. If you use Google Translate on Baidu for it, you'll get this:

Now if you search those characters (靊霳) you'll get this entry, which relates it to a 丰隆, Fēng Lóng or Hong Leong. If you search for that in English, you'll mostly get a Singaporean bank. But if you search the hanzi, you can find:

If you search that name, Fēnglóng, you can find this, which associates it with the Chinese god of thunder, Leigong. If we read the Wikipedia page on Leigong, we find he is described as:

Leigong is depicted as a fearsome creature with claws, bat wings, and a blue face with a bird's beak who wears only a loincloth.

Raijū Senkei puts Yoruichi in a skimpy electric bikini not so different from a loincloth, and she has claws.

The Jade Emperor instructed Leigong to only kill bad people. But the sky got really dark whenever he struck people. So sometimes he killed the wrong people since he couldn't find his quarry.

Raijū Senkei also has poor target acquisition.

With all due respect to littleeyesofpallas, I think that this is a much more accurate pathway than supposing Kubo got the kanji wrong. I'll return to the two possibilities in a moment.

First, I think it's very obvious that Kisuke came up with the name Shunkō: Raijū Senkei: Shunryū Kokubyō Senkei. It's long, it's redundant, it's reductive, it's stupid, and it probably contains at least a couple of puns, none of which are the hallmarks of Yoruichi's choices in naming things and have Kisuke written all over them. Also, Yoruichi isn't conscious so how could she come up with a name for it?

As was noted in the essay, Raijū (雷獣) is a thing in Japanese mythology. I feel the need to add, however, that it has no strong association with cats. I therefore think that Kisuke named it to pun off of the (deliberately chosen) Raijin Senkei, making allusion both to the fact that Raijū accompanies Raijin and the fact that many of the animals associated with Raijū are kedamono, beasts. As mentioned, it literally means "thunder beast".

I then think you can take your pick on exactly which pun you think is being made with 霳. If you think it means "pissed off", then the name is Shunkō: Raijū Battle Form: [Instantly Pissed-Off] [Black Cat] [Battle Princess]. If you think it means the ancient Chinese god of thunder, then the name is Shunkō: Raijū Battle Form: [Instant God of Thunder] [Black Cat] [Battle Princess].

Now, I think changing Raijin to Raijū only to shoehorn in a completely different title for a different god of thunder (Leigong) in a format that evokes Yoruichi's title of Shunshin (Shunryū) is something Kisuke would do. However, given all his complaining to Askin about how "moody" Yoruichi is, I think putting "Pissed-Off" in the title is more likely. So my money is on Shunkō: Raijū Battle Form: [Instantly Pissed-Off] [Black Cat] [Battle Princess].

(This is purely headcanon but I have to imagine Yoruichi would find being called "princess" insulting in the present, which also makes it clear Kisuke came up with this name, in my opinion.)

Great, so now we know what the name means. So what is this form? For the rest of this I'll also be featuring the original Viz translation for the purposes of consensus-building so I don't have to refer to the Japanese:

Kisuke obviously knows about this form. It's worth noting at this point that Raijin Senkei was fairly obviously only created during the time skip between chapters 423 and 424 (circa December 2001 to April 2003) and is a comparatively recent invention. We can assert this as fact from Yoruichi's complaints that her Shunkō wasn't well-controlled versus Soifon (chapter 159), her use of only partial Shunkō versus Aizen (chapter 405), her completely different and perfected base Shunkō versus Askin (chapter 656) and her complaints about how fast Yūshirō has picked up Shunkō and demonstrated an evolved form akin to Raijin Senkei (chapter 657).

So you can say that maybe Raijū Senkei comes from this time period too. But maybe it doesn't. Let's keep going.

We can also say that Yoruichi has been in this form at least once before. The translations agree quite well here regarding her sentiments of it being half-assed and grotesque/disgusting. The fact she can even make such judgments however, means one of two things: A. either testing of it was documented somehow, or B. she retains memories from her time transformed. (A) is not very on-brand for Bleach as a series (at least on Kisuke's side; that's an SRDI/Visual Department thing), so (B) seems more likely. Yoruichi is either "still in there" but can't act, or she can understand her memories well enough after the fact.

While calling something half-assed usually suggests it's done with little care, and is incompetent or inadequate, it can also suggest that it's incomplete; the very word itself suggests this, that it is half of something full. It's implied to be half of a transformation.

We then get the scene we saw earlier. Yoruichi to my eyes looks as angry as she does shocked or disbelieving. It's a 'you wouldn't dare' kind of expression to me.

Now, above is Yoruichi's release of energy upon transformation. Below is Kenpachi's release of energy from Bankai in chapter 669. I believe you can see that these are relatively comparable. We are presumably seeing a Bankai-level energy release here. (Keeping in mind that Yoruichi is described in CFYOW as being a "powerhouse" of reiatsu but not "beyond reason" like Kenpachi plus the fact we seem to be seeing the former from farther away explains the differences handily.)

There is something of a question here of whether the transformation is increasing her energy, or this instinctual form is simply releasing all of her native energy at once without any restrictions, because we know that Yoruichi is normally masterful at reiatsu control. (We also know that even highly experienced Shinigami can misjudge reiatsu, like Retsu with Ichigo on the way to Fake Karakura, so we are left to wonder how high Yoruichi's reiatsu is and if the narrator of CFYOW is truly third-person omniscient or not, which it likely is, but it's still worth pondering.)

However, if it's increasing her energy (which it could very well be doing), then I feel that alone rules this out as being simply forcing a cat transformation, along with Kubo's dual Klub Outside answers earlier; there is no particular reason to believe that giving Yoruichi the mind of a cat should increase her power in a fashion similar to Bankai, and if that were the case, why bother with Hollowfication to increase power rather than just hybrid-animal soldiers? Mayuri would totally be down for that.

And now we get the form itself. We can see that physiologically, the main difference is just that Yoruichi gets a tail. It's impossible to tell if her claws on her hands and feet are physical, or just manifestations of reiatsu and electricity. What previously seemed to be intended to be horns on Raijin Senkei now serve as cat ears. Her preference in terms of how she carries herself and moves reflects an altered mind however, which appears to be that of a cat.

Now, honestly, I can't imagine Yoruichi really giving a damn about having a tail, or claws for that matter. We also know that she doesn't particularly care about showing a lot of skin or not. So it has to be the mind aspect that bothers her. She hates that she's not in control. (And it does prove to be a major hindrance in this battle too.)

We know that this form is being selected for not because of any power increase, however, but because it cycles Yoruichi's reiatsu at a speed of 48 Hertz, which we learn after interminable bloviating about moods and infections.

And we come to the conclusion of talk on the form's nature, wherein Kisuke claims he (and seemingly only he) can "control" it, and that Yoruichi will only return to normal from this form when she feels like it.

Now, I don't know about you, but I didn't see a single instance of "control" on his part throughout the use of Raijū Senkei. I saw a lot of Kisuke narrating what it was in a distracting and time-wasting way while Yoruichi did whatever she felt like. I also saw no evidence that Kisuke can predict or forecast how Yoruichi's behavior will shift, he just points it out when it's visibly apparent.

I wouldn't call this "control". (The color fanlation is closer to being accurate, by the way.)

Also, if he can't end this transformation of his own accord, then to me that also suggests his method of initiating it is incredibly crude. I've heard it conjectured that Kisuke had to seal this form away because it was dangerous or something, but I'd put forward from the evidence that there is no magical seal, and that there's nothing outwardly magical at all about the method by which the transformation occurs; it's more like some kind of post-hypnotic trigger mechanism, like the suggestion to play Solitaire in The Manchurian Candidate. Odds are it's a set of uncommon characters or an unusual image.

However, if that's the case, then odds are Kisuke didn't invent it and implant it in Yoruichi. Odds are he learned it from her in confidence. Think about it. How does Yoruichi turn into a cat? She does it at will, sure, but what's the actual process? There's no verbal command or external trigger like a Soul Candy dispenser. It must therefore be a mental choice. She has to think of something to trigger it. The same must be true for a werecat transformation.

Kisuke knows what that something is, that's all. And we have perfect evidence for transmission of this kind of knowledge in Bleach already, all the way back in chapter 81:

It follows that both the werecat and cat transformations have a similar mental initiator, and the latter is probably a modification of the former. Raijū Senkei is just Kisuke forcing a werecat transformation during Raijin Senkei, such that the werecat also has it. Why is it only a partial transformation? I can't quite explain that except to say that perhaps Shunkō, or more particularly the Raijin Senkei form itself, arrests it and prevents a full transformation. ("Godly" form plus animal form equals still mostly human? That kind of makes sense if you squint.)

Synthesis

So let's bring it all together:

Some members of the Shihōin Clan can turn into beasts

Yoruichi is probably one of those members and has a werecat transformation

Yoruichi created a technique to turn into an ordinary cat

Yoruichi's cat transformation appears to piggyback off her beast mode

Both cat and werecat transformations are likely purely mentally initiated through some kind of highly specific thought

Raijū Senkei is created by initiating a werecat transformation during Raijin Senkei

Kisuke knows how to do this because Yoruichi somehow told him what the trigger for the werecat was, maybe through Charades?

Yoruichi mostly retains her human form from Raijin Senkei partially cancelling out the werecat transformation

Raijū Senkei is essentially the werecat "wearing" Raijin Senkei

Raijū Senkei was named by Kisuke and is largely a joke name

Have a chart that I think roughly summarizes this:

Now maybe you think this is all way too crazy for this kind of throwaway ability that didn't achieve anything, but I'd like to point you to a quote from Ryōgo Narita in his author's postscript at the end of CFYOW:

By the way, after Matsubara and I heard the story of how Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihoin met, both of us said the same thing immediately. “You have to draw that with your own hand as a manga, Kubo!” Or “Really, I’d like to read that as a manga!” Those fascinating characters as well as a story hidden within the world… I do not know if the day will come when that will be created in some form, but as a fan, I will pray that the BLEACH story will continue to expand.

Apparently the story of how Yoruichi and Kisuke met is so interesting that both he and Makoto Matsubara felt it could be a whole manga. Not a chapter, a manga. Their story (and their relationship, as that quote near the top from CFYOW and my analysis on Yoruichi and Kisuke finding one another show) is not nearly so simple as they met and were just friends. (I leave you here with a thought that Kisuke is a vassal and vassals are usually conquered or otherwise obliged to follow their lords.)

What does that have to do with anything? Don't you think that, since Yoruichi and Kisuke likely met before they entered the Onmitsukidō and Gotei 13 respectively, and thus neither would've had zanpakutō, a werecat transformation would be a very interesting thing to help make such a manga-length story work?

Implications

In CFYOW, we're given the following:

Taking a step forward and stroking his beard, the Osho continued. “But there were those who did not believe that was a good world. Although they did not reach the level of the Reio, there were five people who possessed powerful abilities. …They were the ancestors of the Five Great Noble Clans, the Shiba family included.” The Osho spoke. Their motives were different. The Tsunayashiro clan’s ancestor feared that the power of destruction might someday be turned against him. Another clan’s ancestor believed a lid was needed to cover the pit that would later become known as “hell.” The Kuchiki clan’s ancestor believed a new order was needed to guide the world into stability. The Shihoin clan’s ancestor believed that an even greater cycle of circulation was needed to progress the stagnant world forward. The Shiba clan’s ancestor believed that it was necessary to explore the route of purification rather than destruction for Hollows, as Hollows also had minds.

Of course the Shihōin would advocate for such a thing if they were werefolk. Or hanyō, not that those are a thing from classical Japanese mythology. Although note this from Klub Outside:

Q282: Do Yokai and Fairies exist within the world of Bleach? A282: It would be quite fun if they did.

I don't know about you, but this feels rather wink-wink, nudge-nudge to me.

Anyway, I've been pointing out that Yoruichi is ridiculously strong and something is interesting about the Shihōin for a while now and we finally have another intriguing piece to add to the puzzle.

You see, I've already noted that Bleach generally operates by the same rules as Dragon Ball's Saiyans when it comes to Zenkai Boosts—that is to say, after surviving a near-death experience, you gain a notable increase in power. If the Shihōin Clan has beast forms, and those beast forms increase their power output, then we have another analogy with Dragon Ball in that the Shihōin would be even more like the Saiyans, complete with their own Ōzaru mode. This also only strengthens the obvious comparisons to be made between Shunkō and Kaiōken.

Another example might be the "immortal" Ctarl-Ctarl of Outlaw Star, which have their own werebeast transformations.

Both these races are infamous for their martial prowess largely on the back of these transformations. Perhaps the same was also originally true of the Shihōin Clan, before it switched to techniques and technology, and gained higher base power?

You might even extend this to some personality traits of Yoruichi's, which I noted in Yoruichi Is A Killer, as she clearly has a kind of suppressed bloodlust and zeal for battle (can too much literally activate her beast mode?) as well as Yoruichi As An Embodiment Of War, as this "bestial" nature would surely play a role in enhancing her unpredictability (something Kisuke all but gestures at). And finally, it has interesting implications when viewed through the lens of Power-Stacking In Bleach, as if the werebeast transformation were equivalent to Bankai, then the possibility of pairing it with Shunkō and Bankai, among other things, is very crunchy.

Also, this very neatly explains why Yoruichi's Soul appears to be unique to an extent similar to (albeit through wholly different means from) Ichigo's. You might sort of say this werecat ability acts like a kind of DRM.

#Out Of Character #Bleach #Meta #Yoruichi Shihouin #Long Post #[ I make no apology if you don't have ] #[ long-post shortening enabled ] #[ that's on you ] #[ this was a lot of work to write ] #[ I'm displaying it ]

[irrelevantnostalgia]

5. Cake Mania: Lights, Camera, Action (2011)

*Previously on Cake Mania: Main St*

It’s been a while! Throughout this entire cake mania saga I’ve applied, got accepted into, and started medical school. If I’m gonna be honest, this was not even the biggest contributor as to why the Lights, Camera, Action review took forever (I’ll get into another reason later). But I finally finished, and I’m ready to review! 

🄿🄻🄾🅃: Pregnancy is the milestone in Jill’s life that is the center of this next Cake Mania game. A game that represents the entirety of her pregnancy would be pretty boring (I would still play it) and at this point they can honestly tack on literally any kind of plot to go along with Jill’s pregnancy. I mean, she’s been to the moon and in Antarctica in Cake Mania 2. She’s time traveled. There are no rules to contain Jill and her journeys. This time, we are going to be dealing with..

A movie being shot in Bakersfield. Directed by...Michele Be. It is going to be a Pride and Prejudice remake with martial arts starring Tiny as Mr Darcy. It will additionally feature: explosions, aliens, a yeti monster, angry dwarves, and ninjas. It’s very lol-so-random-xD, very in-tune with the time that the game was developed and released. Bakersfield is being overrun by all kinds of interesting characters associated with the shooting of the movie. Eventually, it turns out that Michele Be is an evil fraud of a director that treats has cast and crew like dogshit. Risha is the one who saves the day and directs the movie in her own way.

This game is also repeating the set-up that Cake Mania: Main St has, which is welcome by me. Risha has ditched her stepping stone plant nursery and is now running a business that is more in line with her passions--a boutique. Since Tiny is one of the leads of the movie, we aren’t following his sushi restaurant. Now, we get to go through Giorno’s Pizzeria.

🅆🄷🄰🅃'🅂 🄽🄴🅆

No drink station: The drink station did not make a return this time around. I’m not sure why, I didn’t mind the addition of it and thought it was a nice break when things got crazy. This is just a guess on my part, but there is a new addition to the cake-making process that made its debut, and maybe they got rid of this to make room for that. 

Equipment breaking: Holy SHIT this is so annoying. The first time this happened was when I finally had enough money to upgrade my snail green oven to the slightly faster purple one. Literally the worst feeling on the planet……which is a welcome addition by me. This introduces conflict that breaks the monotony of the game once you become ultra mega gold standard equipment, where the angry and/or Blue Bubble customers become a minor nuisance instead of ruining the whole level. This also does not occur randomly, as it always occurs once you finish a certain level and the opening screen for the next level is Jack admitting to causing it. Speaking of Jack...

Fruit Station: Jill cannot run around like she usually does and now has let Jack take control of operations, which was a risky move, but what business runs without risks? So while Jack is wreaking havoc around the bakery, Jill is sitting in a corner running the fruit decoration station. This game is not going to let you get away with clicking one button to add fruit to the cake, no. Instead, to add fruit to the cake you have click on the cake in a set pattern. 

The equipment: There really isn’t much to say about them, just that I don’t know how I feel about the designs. They feel friendlier and more approachable, but they have less swag than the ones from Cake Mania 3 and Main St. 

Here is the final set up for everything ^_^

Risha’s Boutique has a similar “fruit station” where customers can request their clothes to be put in a box with a pretty bow

Risha’s Boutique and Giorno’s Pizzeria have the same general format of the Burger Barn and Sushi Restaurant from the previous game. But let me tell y’all...I could do just about anything and beat a Cake Mania level with the superstar goal. I could move as slow as that damn green equipment and make a surplus of like $400. These two games? If I do not sit in the right position, move my arm 0.00005 m/s slower than what is ideal, and pause for 0.0007 seconds to look at the screen to figure out where to click next I am not even going to make the bare minimum goal to get to the next level. Every move has to be perfectly choreographed in order to beat the level. At least with Giorno’s Pizzeria the ingredients are splayed out so you can easily click on what you need. In Risha’s Boutique, the clothes the customers want will be the tiniest little “shirt” hidden between the jackets that are puffier than the average New Yorker’s and you will just have to angle your cursor just right to click on it. So you would think that Giorno’s Pizzeria was a breeze, huh? 

Right?

Well, wrong. 

Now...I pride myself on being a good Cake Mania player. I pride myself on being a tenacious one too. I am willing to play a level 60 times in a row to ensure that I do not leave the game without a 100% rate of achieving superstar goals. This time though.....I had to raise my white flag :( 

Here is Level 18 of Giorno’s Pizzeria. Broke my streak and everything. This shit literally killed a large part of my soul. Had me tweaking and shaking and crying all at once. Once I hit $473 mark I just couldn’t do it anymore. I’m not sure how I pulled this off besides rapidly clicking on the TVs to keep all customers with a maximum number of hearts (thus, maximum number of tips) AND IT STILL WASN’T ENOUGH.

Level 18 is the reason why it took me so long to upload this review. This time last year, I was well on the way to finishing this game until I got to this level. I just couldn’t beat it, I would be like $20-30 off from the superstar goal most times, which is fairly significant in these two businesses, and when I was still $7 off after giving it my all I was seething.  I will not bullshit y’all, the sheer butthurt I felt at not being able to achieve the superstar goal made me take a long, loooooong hiatus from finishing it. And of course, life stuff. However, towards the end of this past semester I picked the game up again, and decided to clear all my progress and restart the entire game. I still didn’t get the superstar goal on day 18 of Giorno’s Pizzeria, but I was able to get it for the rest of the levels. I’m fine with this, I guess (no I’m not). 

But in all honesty, even with me being a dramatic sore loser (just guess my zodiac sign from this) one of the biggest factors I look for in these games is ways to keep it engaging and create some challenges. So I really cannot be that mad that Giorno’s Pizzeria made me work for that Superstar goal. With the cake-baking portion of the game, the monotony is inevitable even if it gets delayed with some new approaches to the recipe of the game. The kooky customers are annoying and do create troubles, but what will a Yeti that pisses everyone off really do when you have gold-standard equipment, high-speed TV, and unlimited distraction cookies? With Risha and Giorno’s games....YOU are the oven and the cake froster.  Each new upgrade you get is just keeping track of more and more possibilities that customers can throw at you. Especially Giorno’s! With Risha, only the most recent clothes collections get featured while old ones are thrown out. By the end of Giorno’s Pizzeria, you will have an entire produce aisle to keep track of, the customers will want every leafy green on their pizza, AND you will have to put that shit on them in order. Your cursor will be forced to move all around the screen. 

Another factor that had me seeing red during Giorno’s is that some of the dishes (like the pizza) would STILL have to bake after you compile all the ingredients 

I know, strange thing to complain about, but hear me out. In all of these games, you want the customers to get their orders and gtfo as soon as possible so you can fit in the maximum # of customers and thus get the maximum number of funds.  It’s why strategically upgrading equipment is so important in the cake-baking parts of these games. When it comes to Giorno’s Pizzeria, it already feels like an eternity gathering all the ingredients for an order. Longer than clicking a few buttons to make a cake. But then, on top of that for a pizza or lasagna you have to wait additional time for it to bake, and then have to wait on the damn customer to do their stupid emote before leaving!! After all of this, what do you get for an order? $40, maximum

Anyways, here are the low paying cheapskates themselves.

🄲🅄🅂🅃🄾🄼🄴🅁🅂

♥Ballerina♥

Favorite TV Show: ANTM

Omg this is so Lana Black Swan Coquette ^_^  

♥Lola Fierezza♥

Favorite TV Show: World Cup

She is That Girl. Because she is That Girl, the moment she steps in and reveals her order, every other customer changes their order to match hers. The Regina George effect. There would be whole levels dedicated to her recurring appearance, and it was fun figuring out how long I should delay handing the menu to her. There is an art to it!

Farmer

Favorite TV Show: ANTM 

Average Customer over the age of 50

Favorite TV Show: The Orange channel. I couldn’t think of a witty name for it so I’m just referring it by the button color on the TV 

He comes in with a stank attitude, so we’re already off to a great start. It takes maybe a few seconds and then he starts swinging his axe around, which causes customers to leave. Ruining your business in the process. They should have AXED him from this game!

♥Cameraman♥

Favorite TV Show: ANTM

Before you hand him a menu, he’ll film the customers in line which will increase their hearts. I feel like something like that may produce the opposite effect, but I suppose I am living in a post-TikTok world where the sight of someone filming me without my permission would turn me into the above customer

Little Kid

Favorite TV Show: Food Network

That’s so Raven 

Favorite TV Show: Food network

In a world filled with Blue Bubble Demons....the game devs decided to give us a character who is actually going to see the pearly gates. Psychic Sheila will use her crystal ball to automatically reveal the order of subsequent customers. It’s like Medieval-level power-up in Cake Mania 3, except we get an entire character who performs this task. I thank her for her service 

Me in the Future if I Become a Superhero

Favorite TV Show: World Cup

Meet Super Cat Lady. She turns people into mimes. Kinda lame, would be better if she turned them into cats. Maybe that’s not actually me in the future...

Mime

Favorite TV Show: Food network

Mimes pair up together in a line.

Biblically Accurate Naruto

Favorite TV Show: ANTM

Another Blue Bubble repeat customer. Ninja does exactly what he did last time make your job harder attack people with smokebombs and make them freeze in line.

Firefighter and Stuntman

Favorite TV Shows: ANTM and Food Network

I putting these two together because it is pretty funny. This doesn’t have much consequence for the gameplay or anything, but a stuntman and firefighter being in line together causes the firefighter to hose him lmao. 

Sad Sack: Chicken Edition 

Favorite TV Show: Orange Channel

Only the most Noble Knight

Favorite TV Show: ANTM

He’s such a good and noble knight. Such a gentleman. He demands to be served before everyone else so that the other customers can have more time looking at the menu ♥ such admirable behavior

Yeti

Favorite TV Show: Orange Channel

He is a double whammy. Not only does he piss people off, but his ass has the nerve to freeze people so they are stuck in place. Pick *one*, jackass! 

Klepto Kelly

Favorite TV Show: ANTM 

You Know, she looks really nice and snazzy. Her outfit must cost a lot *and* she’s ordering expensive cake. I wonder how she makes a living? Oh yeah, she steals from you, that’s how. 

Tiny: Our Leading Man!

Favorite TV Channel: Orange Channel

Another customer who helps you out instead of making you wanna tear your hair out. He orders multiple times, just like he has been doing in the past games!

Risha: Our Debut Director!

Favorite TV Channel: World Cup 

Jack: The dumbfuck

He is typically an endearing Himbo, but in these games......🙄........so you already know that in Risha and Giorno’s games you need to be ON IT! Well, when he walks in, the momentum that I would build up throughout the level would be thrown off because now I would need to use my peripheral vision and WAIT on the proper item to show up in his bubble before I could hand it to him and clear out another space for a proper customer. What’s more infuriating is that in Giorno’s level he would only “order” a single ingredient so I had to expend energy looking out for him only to receive $17 in return. And YES, he appeared in Level 18. Ugh!!!

♥Jill: La Reina del pastel♥

I hope the Duolingo lessons are paying off. 

Also I never figured out their favorite tv shows. Probably because I didn’t need to haha.

🄼🅈 🄾🄿🄸🄽🄸🄾🄽: I mean hey, what can I say? I can’t get too mad about them repeating a good recipe a second time in a row. I really enjoyed the Main St formatting, and think repeating it one more time to experiment with different kinds of secondary games is alongside adding more “Jill lore” is not a bad idea. Cake baking game is a classic and they basically maintained the formula that everyone knows and loves. The equipment breaking was a nice touch to create more “conflict.” Even if the secondary games (especially the damn pizzeria) made me cope and seethe, I didn’t hate them. In Main St, the Burger Barn and Sushi Restaurant were easy as shit and I beat them with very little struggle. These games, on the other hand, made me work a little bit more for the superstar goals. I don’t mind the more relaxed environment in some of  Main St’s secondary games, but as I expressed many times before, I appreciate a good challenge that keeps my on my toes (disregard the long stretch of temper tantrum I had about level 18 of the pizzeria). 

I give this game a ⓕⓡⓔⓢⓗ rating on the tomatometer! 

Now onto the choice screenshots!

When I saw this shit, I actually keeled over. Jack predicted family vlogging in 2011. 

*sighs* 

I love Risha talking about “high couture” and then the collection of clothes we are introduced to look like they are from JC Penny. 

Look at all of them slayinggggggg. The artstyle here is so pretty I love it. 

I will not lie, there were way more screenshots I could have gotten. I couldn’t though, because for some reason this game only works in full-screen. I tried changing my desktop resolution and everything, and the game still wouldn’t budge and I had to play this game full-screen. Which meant. One screenshot per every time I had the chance to play. Let me tell you, each and every screenshot featured in this review I got was very, very strategic. I never put so much brain power in determining when I want to get a screenshot of the customers in my life. 

After everything, here is my trophy room. 

Well, at least it doesn’t look like I’m missing a trophy from not being able to achieve superstar goals for all the levels in Giorno’s Pizzeria! 

#cake mania #cake mania lights camera action #2000s nostalgia #early 2010s #old web #pc game #time management #childhood nostalgia #childhood game #nostalgia

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

[CN] Victor’s Luck Date (Eng Translation)

⌚Warning⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for a date, 运气之约, that is yet to be released in the global server! ♡

[Translation Under The Cut]

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

–

✧ [Chapter 1] ✧

Except for the rhythmic sound of pages being turned and the low humming noise of the Fresh Air System, the office is extremely quiet.

Staring at Victor, who is reviewing the proposal, I make a deliberate effort as I tuck my hair behind my ear and wink at him.

MC: CEO Victor, have you noticed... anything special about today?

Victor: You mean...

Victor’s gaze subtly fixates itself on my face as though he’s realized something.

Victor: This proposal you’ve handed in requires my special attention?

MC: ...

Taken aback, I smirk in haste and gesture for him to “continue.”

MC: No no. Please continue guessing on general grounds, CEO Victor!

Regardless of whether I fiddle with the green leaves at hand now and then, or repeatedly smooth the fur of the rug with the tip of my shoe – he remains motionless as a mountain as he goes through the document.

Finally, he slowly closes the file, pushing it toward me.

Victor: There aren’t any major problems.

Victor: Just revise it according to the annotations.

MC: ...okay.

I pick up the file and turn around. But I still slow down my pace, glancing back at the person behind every three steps I walk, reluctant.

It’s not until I’ve walked to the front of the door that I hear a familiar sigh drifting from behind me.

Victor: Go on, what’s the good thing that’s happened?

YES!

I run back at a brisk pace and lean down joyfully, getting myself at eye level with him.

MC: Take a guess?

Victor: You’ve found a great restaurant?

MC: Is my image of only thinking about food in your eyes?

Victor: Hmm... does your horoscope show you’re going to have excellent luck?

MC: ...while that’s indeed something worth being happy about, don’t you find that my happiness today is very palpable and very weighty?

Victor: [keeps teasing her LOL] The proposal passed in one go.

MC: Victor! That’s undue!

Not saying a word, Victor slightly arches his eyebrows, and I can’t help but sway his arm.

MC: Guess again, guess again~

He sighs a little helplessly, pressing his palm gently against the back of my hand.

Victor: Come on, say it. What on earth is it that has made you so happy?

Seeing how “sincere” he is, I don’t have the heart to keep the suspense any longer and lift my chin with utter complacency.

MC: Dear Mr. Victor, I now invite you to join me in an ultra-luxurious picnic––

I lean in front of him as I speak and can’t help but rock my head, immensely pleased with myself.

MC: Because I...

MC: HAVE! WON! THE! LOTTERY!

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

✧ [Chapter 2] ✧

MC: Victor, I think the look in your eyes wounds me a little.

MC: I don’t see any hint of excitement in them. Instead, there’s a little bit of indifference and a teensy bit of disdain.

I clutch the seat belt in front of me, looking at Victor indignantly.

At the same time, he smoothly turns the steering wheel, and a large expanse of fresh, verdant greenery crashes into our horizon.

Victor: It’s been several days.

Victor: Only a dummy like you can keep harping on it until now.

MC: It’s winning the lottery!

Victor: Even if the prize is only 500 yuan?

–

[Anika’s Notes]: Victor that’s like $70, that’s one top-up SSR + SR right there😂🫣

–

I can’t help but choke, but quickly nod vigorously.

MC: The important point is the 500 yuan! It represents hard-earned luck!

MC: Don’t underestimate the 500 yuan. It perfectly covers this luxurious picnic!

Victor: That’s truly a “great deal.”

Victor: So this “precious and lucky” 500 yuan has been spent?

I perk up the space between my brows and stroke the bag on my lap with a cherishing touch.

MC: Of course not. I’ve already got that 500 yuan nicely framed. How could I possibly spend the good luck!

MC: Naturally, I spent another 500 yuan.

Although he doesn’t respond, I still vaguely hear a soft chuckle.

The street scene outside glistens like an oil painting in the sunlight. Suddenly, I think of something and hurriedly sit up straight.

MC: Victor, have I yet told you that Kiki was the one who gave me the lottery ticket?

Victor: Just said it for the second time half an hour ago.

Not willing to resign myself, I purse the corners of my lips.

MC: I’m sure there are still some details I haven’t told you yet.

MC: Our company held a picnic during the team building activity last week. That day, Kiki gave me the public welfare lottery ticket she had bought randomly.

MC: Just when I was about to fill in some numbers, it accidentally dropped to the ground...!

It seems to be a red light as the car suddenly stops. Immediately afterward, Victor turns his head and sighs.

Victor: Then a little black cat which was passing by stepped on it several times.

Victor: And the 500 yuan you won happens to be the exact number it stepped on.

MC: It seems that you’ve remembered it all very well!

Victor: ...I’ve heard the story of this dummy winning the lottery no less than five times.

Victor: If you continue chattering about this without restraint, today’s picnic will be canceled.

Faced with this “Victor-style” threat, I don’t panic one bit and lightly tap my fingertips against my thigh.

MC: Nope, it won’t be. You already said that yesterday, but you didn’t cancel it...

The next second, he turns the steering wheel, and the car seems to be taking an angle for turning around.

MC: I won’t say anymore, won’t say anymore! I promise it was the last time just now!

He laughs softly, shooting a glance toward the car screen. I follow closely, only to find that the navigation actually shows a U-turn at this intersection...

Damn it. I got bamboozled again.

–

Navigation: You’ve reached the destination. The route guidance is now finished.

As I listen to the electronic sound, I hurriedly look out of the window, and a large emerald, green lawn charges into my line of sight, with three or five tents already standing straight in the shades of the trees in the distance.

Victor: The campsite you’ve chosen, I believe, is the one where you guys had your team building the last time.

In the face of Victor’s inquiry carrying with it a certainty, I grin and unbuckle my seat belt, open the car door and step out.

MC: Hehe, please open the trunk first, CEO Victor~

Very soon, Victor and I walk deeper into the camp carrying the bags of picnic items.

However, my eyes glance towards the underbrush from time to time. But aside from the shadows cast by the grass on the ground, everything is extremely hushed.

Could it be that it’s not here right now?

As I’m thinking this, the footsteps next to me suddenly halt.

Victor: We’ve been walking for so long. Have you still not chosen the spot you like yet?

Only now do I return to my senses and take in the surroundings. I wonder if Victor has intentionally reminded me or not, but the camp scenery in front of us is very nice.

MC: It’s excellent here. Let’s settle here!

I take out the picnic mat, grab hold of the two corners with both hands, and spread it out with a vigorous upward motion. A light pink canvas drops on the grass in a leisurely flow.

MC: Plates, forks, sandwiches, cookies…

After laying out the basic elements on the mat, a rustling sound suddenly drifts from the underbrush not far away.

I follow after the sound of the green leaves gently quivering in the sunlight.

The grass soon grows more and more in volume. Then, a round, familiar black head suddenly pops out, blinking at me adorably.

The corners of my lips are instantly lifted–– it’s the little black cat of fortune that stepped on my lottery ticket!

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

✧ [Chapter 3] ✧

MC: Victor, check it out! It’s the little black cat that I met on the day of the team building!

I lower my voice and tug at Victor, who is still busy sorting out the ingredients. He puts down the little tomato in his hand and casts his gaze following my fingertips.

Victor: How can you be sure it’s the one?

MC: It has that same light coffee-colored check-patterned collar on. You can’t miss that!

Victor: You’ve always had a good memory when it comes to having fun.

MC: …you never miss on quipping about me either.

I give him a feigned glare and promptly fish out a small food box from the picnic bag, from which I take out a freeze-dried piece.

Victor: [acting as if he didn’t know already]  You’re so adequately equipped, as if you came prepared.

I pretend not to hear his voice and shake the freeze-dried piece at the little black cat.

MC: Hi! Remember me?

The little black cat immediately sniffs and looks up at the sound, meowing softly.

Seeing that it doesn’t appear to be much on guard, I persistently shake the freeze-dried piece in my hand.

The little black cat bobs its head up and down following the movement, then slowly walks over to the side of my leg and gives me a soft nuzzle with its head.

MC: You’re so obedient~ This freeze-dried piece is yours.

It bites down on the freeze-dried piece, eating it all up very quickly. Then, it walks over to Victor, nuzzling him gently.

MC: HAHAHA, it seems to be hinting for you to give it a freeze-dried piece.

Victor takes the freeze-dried piece from my hand. While he’s feeding it little by little, I take a careful look at its appearance.

MC: It should be a stray cat from around here, right? Probably because we were too many people here last time, so it was given a scare. It disappeared right after stepping on it.

MC: I really didn’t expect that I’d actually be able to see it again!

Victor: This cat must be a domestic cat of a neighboring household.

Victor: Its collar is clean, and its fur is soft, unlike a stray cat.

I gently stroke its head with my hand. It does feel very soft to the touch.

MC: You’re right! It’s just like Pudding, and also looks very lustrous.

After feeding it, Victor stands up, picks up the tomatoes again, and heads toward the water tap next to the camp to wash them.

Victor: A cat like this should be accustomed to going out at regular intervals.

Victor: After it has played long enough, it will naturally return home.

As I listen to the sound of water running behind me, I rub the little black cat’s cheek, moving a little closer affectionately.

MC: It hadn’t occurred to me that you actually ran away from home, Your Majesty!

MC: However, I’m grateful to you for letting me win the lottery! Therefore, I’m going to offer you food to express my gratitude.

As soon as the words are out of my mouth, the sound of water running behind me stops.

Victor: [sulking]  Isn’t this the ultra-luxurious picnic I have been cordially invited to attend?

Victor: [sulking]  Or am I just a casual attendee?

Though the words are light and don’t seem to carry any emotion in them, they cause my back to tighten up with a jolt. Smirking, I turn around at once.

MC: How could that be, CEO Victor!

MC: Both of you are important. Come, come, come, CEO Victor, please~

I promptly rush over to take the little tomatoes from him and push on his back, getting him back to the dining table in the camp.

Victor: Very quick to offer your keen attention, I see.

MC: It’s my wholly devoted sincerity!

MC: You must know, the person standing in front of me right now is the bestest of the best CEO Victor in the world, and my “God of Fortune.”

MC: So you two can only rest and relax, have fun and enjoy the scenery. I’ll be in charge of concocting the feast!

—

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

—

✧ [Chapter 4] ✧

Although the words are out, Victor and I are clearly worlds apart in our culinary talents. The salad ingredients in my hands have all been cut up in uneven shapes…

I sigh surreptitiously and can’t help but cast glances at Victor as I put the sliced tomatoes on the plate.

Victor: Need some help?

MC: Why do you say that? I’m just checking to see if CEO Victor is resting well enough…

Victor: And what if I say it’s not going well enough?

Wrinkling nose in indignation though I am, I immediately open the bottle of fruit juice next to me and hand it to him with a wry smile.

MC: In that case, I must ask CEO Victor to quench his thirst.

He takes the fruit juice but doesn’t bring it to his lips. Instead, he inserts a straw and brings it to my mouth.

Victor: You’d better take good care of yourself first.

Victor: Your mouth is dry.

Warmth surges through my heart. I purse my lips and take a few sips, feeling the trace of sweetness spread from my mouth to my entire body.

MC: I feel full of energy now!

I’m just about to roll up my sleeves when a reaction suddenly comes over me, and I stop in my motion, looking at Victor.

MC: Wait a sec, isn’t this the routine of you capitalists? Giving people a little bit of sweetness so that we work hard without complaints?

Victor: You’re quite good at making associations.

Victor: Clearly, it’s a certain someone who is being insistent on trying to be brave, and now it’s my fault?

Even though he says this, he is leaning against the table with his appearance of remaining calm in the hour of peril, one hand still absent-mindedly stroking the little black cat’s head.

The little black cat affectionately nuzzles against Victor’s fingers, as obedient as if it were Victor’s cat.

This entire picture is simply a hundred percent capitalist behavior.

MC: …humph, that’s fine. Industrious people are never too unlucky. The harder you work, the luckier you get!

MC: Maybe, I will win a lottery again next time!

Even though it has been several days since I won the lottery, the sense of surprise and excitement it has brought me still hasn’t dissipated.

I watch the little black cat wagging its tail, picking up the vegetables while speaking with emotion.

MC: Little black cat, I wonder if your owner knows you’re so lucky.

MC: If you were our cat…

Victor: Every day, you’d let it step on the lottery tickets you bought?

Having my thoughts predicted so accurately by him, I only laugh gleefully, not stopping the movement of my hand.

The glistening water droplets on the washed leaves sway along with the cool breeze, prompting the little black cat to stretch out its paw.

Victor wordlessly carries the little black cat, which has started to become restless, to a table slightly farther away. Then, he shifts closer to me and lays the vegetables I’ve picked on the side.

Victor: Some people may not win 500 yuan even once in their lifetime.

There seems to be laughter laced within his voice, causing me not to want to retort for a moment.

Victor: Luck is nothing more than an appendage.

Victor: It will only knock at your door when you act purely without selfish motives or distractions.

Victor: So, whether it’s a person or an object, it works in the same way.

MC: Indeed. It may also be an encouragement for me to make great efforts~

I smile at the little black cat and am about to continue washing the fruits and vegetables when I realize I’ve been holding chicken liver that cats like in my hand at some point.

And aside, Victor is already skillfully frying the chicken breasts, the delicate aroma of meat partnered with pepper and salt rushing into my nasal cavities.

It appears that we’ve unwittingly switched places with each other while we were chatting…

In a daze, I cast my stare at Victor, and his gaze is also projected on me at the exact moment.

Victor: If we wait for you to finish cooking, I’m afraid others will be preparing for tomorrow’s breakfast by then.

MC: …I call this “fine products come from slow work.”

Victor: The weird shapes you’ve pieced just now, need me to show them to you again?

MC: No need…

Pouting, I walk up to the little black cat holding the chicken liver in my hand and watch it with my head lowered as it combs its fur.

MC: “God of Luck,” before the feast is ready, let’s try the appetizer first, shall we?

However, as soon as I bring the chicken liver to the little black cat’s mouth, it immediately puts down its raised leg and follows the aroma to my hand.

It finishes the piece of chicken liver, licks its lips, and continues staring at me.

MC: If you still want more, we can have another piece.

As I take out a new piece of chicken liver, I suddenly notice that the little black cat has been staring at my hand the whole time, not averting its gaze for even a second.

MC: That gluttonous, huh?

I lift the chicken liver in the air to sound out and find that the little black cat raises its front paws in response, trying to pull it off.

Seeing this scene, the thought of pulling a prank suddenly jumps into my mind.

Thereupon, I slowly lean toward Victor, and the little black cat also follows the chicken liver onto the dining table.

Seeing that the distance is good enough, I immediately lift my hand high and hold the chicken liver in front of Victor.

It seems as though my movements have given it a quickening nudge. The little black cat, which was already all revved up, instantly lifts its paws and crawls them over Victor’s body.

Victor: …

He doesn’t seem to have anticipated this scenario as he subconsciously leans back a little, causing the salad bowl in his hand to tilt slightly.

Looking at how the fringes resting over his forehead conceal the rarely-seen unsettled countenance, I can’t restrain myself from laughing up my sleeves.

MC: Victor, let my “God of Luck” shroud over you too.

MC: Remember to thank me when you win the lottery~

The next second, Victor’s gaze fixates itself straight on me.

Not giving him a chance to say anything, I immediately escape from the crime scene carrying the little black cat in my arms and sit back down on the picnic mat.

Victor: A certain someone runs off quite fast.

Victor: But do you think you can escape just like that?

The tone of voice carrying utter calmness rings out unhurriedly from behind me, and I pretend as if I haven’t heard him as I arrange the plates one by one.

MC: Ahem, the plates are all set. The only thing that’s missing is the big feast.

Victor: All puddings for this week are canceled.

Being hit in a soft spot like this, I promptly turn around, only to find myself crashing straight into Victor’s eyes that brim with smiles.

MC: I was clearly doing a good thing for you just now.

Victor: Good thing? Let’s double it then, as a thank you for your good deed.

MC: Hold on! Let’s make it three days! Three days!

MC: Let me help you tidy up the table first.

I turn back at once, smoothing out the crumpled tablecloth indignantly.

However, I seem to hear the sound of light laughter behind me, followed by a sizzling noise… the aroma of steak permeates the air boundlessly. It appears that a new dish is being prepared.

Looking at how the scenario in front of me doesn’t require my help, I lock eyes with the little black cat curled up in the chair.

Since there’s nothing else to do…

I take something out of my pocket that I have prepared in advance–– a lottery ticket, and place it in front of the little black cat’s paws.

MC: God of Luck…

With my voice lowered, I turn around to look at Victor’s figure from behind and make sure that he is still busy, before turning back and tapping at the lottery ticket.

MC: Please step on it for me again.

–

A week later. I’ve come to Victor’s office at the appointed time to hand over the weekly report.

The twilight outside the window darkens a little, and my heart also can’t help but dim a little along with it, until I hear the sound of the document being closed drifting to my ears.

Victor: You can start preparing to carry out this project.

MC: Okay…

Just as I pick up the document and turn to leave, a voice behind me instantly stops me by calling out to me.

Victor: Give it to me.

Puzzled, I turn back and find him sighing softly while holding out his hand to me.

MC: …what?

Victor: You had the little black cat step on the lottery ticket again last time.

Listening to his precisely accurate prediction of a statement, I find myself rendered dumbfounded for a moment.

Victor: However, it wasn’t a success this time.

MC: Sob sob, don’t hurt me now.

Victor: Give me the lottery ticket.

Pouting, I hand the failed lottery ticket in my pocket to him.

The next second, he stands up, clasps my hand tightly in his, and walks out.

MC: Victor...?

He turns his head sideways, his half-lidded eyes seeming to hide a peal of laughter.

Victor: Consider that you’ve won the prize.

Victor: Now, let’s go redeem it.

•─────⋅◍♡◍⋅─────•

📞 Call and Moments: In Progress

-

[Anika’s Thoughts, feel free to ignore haha]

—

#really sorry for the delay. packed schedule + this is actually fever-brain translation i did last night. been really sick for like a week :> #anyway–– MOM I WANT HIM WHERE CAN I GET HIM (இ﹏இ`｡) #THEM 🥺💖 #mlqc victor #mlqc li zeyan #mlqc #mr love victor #mr love queen's choice #恋与制作人 #李泽言 #love and producer #mlqc cn #mlqc spoilers #mlqc translations

[delafiseaseses]

Beatrix Russell's insights

Beatrix Russell, I'm sure most Fallout New Vegas players know her, but when was the last time y''ad a proper conversation with her? I should also say we ay gonna be analysing 'er recruitment into the Wrangler's employment 'ere or her sexual side (mostly, it'll come up a bit).

Beatrix's Advice

Beatrix offers a lot of insights into Freeside and also offers a few bits of advice. We'll start wi' those for structure all of these responses come from saying 'Got any advice to share?' I'll be honest wi' ya, the 'these are reffrence to X' I'm gonna be sayin' is jus' Wiki information. But I'll also provide me opinions on the quotes.

"Feed a man for free, and he'll be back asking for more. Feed a man a bullet. You won't hear from him again."

That's certainly true, and pretty applicable in the Wasteland, I s'pose.

"Good, bad... The guy with the gun makes the rules."

That's a reference to the movie Army of Darkness and the line 'Good...bad...I'm the guy with the gun.' and, apparently, that's also something John Browning said possibly? Reportedly, anyway. Still, also applicable in the Wasteland (and, if we go metaphorical, applicable to most authority). Personally, I think 'good' isn't applicable when anyone makes rules with the authority of 'gun'.

"Time you enjoy wasting isn't wasted time."

This is an adaption of the quote 'The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.' by Bertrand Russell. The wiki points out the fact that they're both B. Russells, which is pretty curious. The quote itself I agree with (naturally, I mean, why else would I be doin' this? Hahahaa.) and is probably important to consider as someone as old as Beatrix.

"The only thing I know for certain is that I don't know nothing."

That's a pretty famous one, even wi'out the Wiki tellin' me I know that's Socrates accordin' t' Plato. Let's not get too deep into this 'un. Unlike the last two I see no particular relevance to Wasteland life and, quite frankly, this isn't even advice, Beatrix.

"Longing makes the heart grow fonder, but I've always been a fan of hog-tying my lovers to make sure they can't escape."

I'm sure that's advice to people who're into that sorta thing, but I'm very much not the target audience for it (bein' a proud aroace repulsed at the very idea of engaging personally in such acts). Still, maybe someone over the years has gotten into BDSM because the Ghoul Cowgirl who's name rhymes with 'dominatrix' an' good for that 'ypothetical person.

So, in review, some advice that makes sense in the Wasteland, some philosophy and a bit of oversharing that I s'pose could work as foreshadowing of her future profession in a lot of playthroughs. Let's get t' the juicy stuff now, the reason I decided t' make this.

Beatrix's on the History Freeside

Yes, this is the excitin' part. We'll start wi' the start 'Tell me about Freeside.'

"What starts in misery tends to stay there. Freeside wasn't Freeside until six or seven years ago. That's when Mr. House's robots rolled out of the Lucky 38 and started pushing everyone who wouldn't join him off the Strip. Lots of folks died. Some scattered to the winds. The rest wound up in Freeside and seem never to lose the habit of living like refugees."

Things like this, it puts it all into perspective Freeside, The Strip, Hell even Westside and North Vegas Square am all recent developments. The walls an' divisions aren't even 10 years old. Robert Edwin House created modern New Vegas through violence. We have no idea how many people were killed by it, what 'a lot' means here, but think about it this way: there's a good chance that everywhere on The Strip that ain't the Lucky 38 were all inhabited by people who were either killed or displaced by House less than 10 years prior to the game. That is t' say The Tops, Gomorrah, The Ultra-Luxe, the NCR Embassy an' Military Police HQ and even Michael Angelo's Workshop all were potential homes to people who's lives are now lost to time.

There were people already in Freeside, the buildings and streets not claimed by House, that's why you'll meet many people who are 'Freeside Locals' and have been far longer than 7 years, but as Beatrix said, Freeside as we know it wasn't the Freeside before House. None of the three families lived in those casinos (the Boot-Riders weren't even stationary before becoming The Chairmen). The place was created in an act of miserable violence by House.

Beatrix's Views of Factions

Now for faction opinions. After hearing Beatrix's statements about Freeside's violent and very recent founding we can ask 'What about The Kings?'

"What about them? Pretty much the sort of gang you'd find anywhere else, just with better clothes. The King himself, though? He's got that something special you can't put a finger on. Too bad he likes girls with skin."

I'm not 100% sure if Beatrix knows that last part or presumes it, regardless she overall has a rather cynical view on The Kings as 'just another gang'. An', y'know, while they do have points over a lot of nastier gangs, I'm gonna guess 'Gang as de facto government' is a very common arrangement throughout the entire Wasteland. The Kings isn't the worst bunch in the world and The King is a flawed idealist, but its worst tendencies, encouraged by Pacer and its other more nationalistic and violent members certainly makes them not as clean as I'm sure many see 'em. Still, the gimmick is fun (I bet Beatrix even knows who Elvis is).

'What do you think of the NCR?'

"I reckon they care about getting water and electricity from the dam, and that's where it ends. The locals here are just an inconvenience to them, something to step over or stomp down. They're here for the resources, plain and simple."

Beatrix is correct. Here's a link to Colonel James Hsu sayin' as much an' gettin' called an imperialist bastard by me due to it.

'What's your opinion of Mr. House?'

"Before or after the human race shot itself in the foot? I been around long enough to have both opinions, see. Before the war, Mr. House was a famous captain of industry - robotics, to be specific. Seemed charming in interviews, until he became a recluse. Since the war, though? Didn't make a peep for near two hundred years - but when he came back, he came back strong and killed a lot of people."

Some stuff we already knew there. Unlike Raul, Beatrix is 100% convinced and aware about House bein' House. Beatrix don't actually say her opinion on modern House, but the implication in the way she highlighted that he killed a lot of people 7-8 years ago says all that needs t' be said. She also revealed that House preparing for the War was noticed by the public.

'What do you think of the Followers of the Apocalypse?'

"I don't know how they do it. They're like saints, those Followers. If they didn't charge for their services, I'd think they was crazy. But no, they're just naive. Warms your heart."

Beatrix is a bit of a cynical person, as one would expect from someone who saw the War, saw the next 200 years, saw Mr House's rise and is aware of the intentions of the NCR. So, it's nice to see her have a bit of fondness for the Followers even if she sees them as naïve.

'What do you know about the Van Graffs?'

"A couple of Radscorpions, those two. Gloria is the stable one, but she'd slit your throat if there's a profit in it. Or rather she'd tell her brother to do it for her. Jean Baptiste is one of the sicker humans I've had the displeasure of observing."

Hmm, pretty comprehensive view. Wonder if she ever did any work for the Van Graffs from this view. Prob'ly not, actually, I'm gonna guess she just means she's seen Jean-Baptiste bein' a monster, been in the Silver Rush or maybe she knew the original inhabitants of the Silver Rush who the Van Graffs did a Mr House to. The only other time she uses the term 'observing' there am some sexual undertones, but I reckon that's not 'er intent 'ere.

Conclusion

So, that was Beatrix's insights Freeside, Various Factions and... life, I guess. Some interestin' stuff, I think. An' 'opefully me own provided thoughts an' commentary 'as been int'restin'.

#fallout new vegas #fallout #new vegas #ncr #mr house #robert edwin house #freeside #beatrix russell

[sins-and-wins-with-vix]

Everything Right/Wrong with “Rebooted” E1: The Surge

Sooo it’s been awhile but we’re back! Disclaimers: Show owned by LEGO. This is not a professional review/critique - it’s mainly intended for comedy!

Make sure to reblog, comment, and like! And tell me your thoughts!

- This season is titled “Rebooted,” get it? Cuz the show got rebooted for this season after it was supposed to end? And also the season itself deals with technology? And also if you’re anything like me this season makes you wanna reboot yourself so you can forget chunks of it ever happeneD- ❌

- Not my favorite intro or remix, but I still gotta admit it’s pretty cool, even if I do miss the family photo-like style of the OG ✅

- In the original intro it was just Cole, but now it seems that everyone except for Lloyd has lost their smiling privileges ❌ (the pic below shows everyone with their masks up but it’s taken from a later ep)

- The longer you look at this image, the more awkward the poses get… Seriously, look at all of them for a good while and try to explain what they’re doing ❌

- I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… this show knows music! 2 seconds into the actual episode and this score is already giving me goosebumps ✅

- ^ There’s a lot to say about this photo so I’m just gonna break it down here:

- Jay rocking the pose ✅

- Zane tried ✅

- Kai leaning on Jay… and maybe struggling to balance while doing so? ✅

- Cole is giving Dareth a piggy-back ride and I think we all wish we were Dareth right now ✅

- And Lloyd is very confused as to where the camera is apparently ✅

- “Ninjago City soon became… New Ninjago City.” Creative. ❌

- Also it’s never actually referred to as “New Ninjago City” much after this season, or even in it tbh ❌

- “And it became the center for great technological advancements.” Most of which will exit and re-enter the plot at any given time that’s most convenient for the writers because who needs continuity? ❌

- At first I was gonna ask who tf sings in the shower like this (Kai was just making random, loud noises - no actual words, and it didn’t seem like humming) but while typing I realized that this actually seems more akin to vocal stimming so… neurodivergent Kai canon? ✅

- “Brad got an ultra remote from New Ninjago City and it’s controlling Mr. Zane!” HOW? ❌

- “Mr. Cole is the worst!” Child echoes most of the fandom this early in the show’s run ❌

- Kai’s pudding cup was sitting in his bag with no lid or covering whatsoever ❌

- Wait, the ninja don’t have powers anymore because they don’t have the blades, so how did Zane freeze Jay’s pudding cup? I get that he’s a nindroid, but he doesn’t use ice powers for anything else until later this season when they officially get their powers back ❌

- “Why is it that whenever I teach, I get the feeling that none of the boys are listening?” Oh, I know the answer to this one!⬇️

- “I saved you some pudding.” “What did we talk about?” “Oh, right, boundaries.” You probably have some questions right now, like, “did Jay and Nya break up?” And “Why did they break up?” And most importantly, “are we ever gonna get answers to these questions?” And the answer to that is: No. live and die in wonder ❌

- They get clearance for a field trip that they have to take the day of? You could argue that Borg was in a rush to get the techno blades to the ninja and wanted to take this opportunity while he still could, and Wu really wanted to do this field trip so Nya jumped at it as well, and to that I say… that’s actually a pretty good argument. Well done.

- “If you ask me, people should concern themselves with the lessons of the past - not waste their time on disposable fads of tomorrow…” Of all characters, why would Kai have this sentiment? Especially since they already established Cole as the “lame” one. I guess I wouldn’t say it’s entirely ooc, but it still makes it abundantly clear that they had no idea what they wanted to do with Kai this season ❌

- Wu instructs Nya to “get a move on,” which she does, and immediately drives down a steep mountain, while Wu stands, unsupported, in the front of the bus ❌

- But ya know what? Nya saw her chance to attempt murder and went with it, and I can respect that ✅

- “Wow… you leave town a short while and-“ everything becomes tinted in blue?

- This bit where everything tech-related doesn’t wanna work for Kai is even funnier when you consider that it’s technically all sentient and controlled by the Overlord ✅

- “Your hardware is outdated and your processor is slow and incompatible with ours.” Line is not followed by air horns ❌

- “Even now, he is working on a digiverse…” foreshadowing ✅

- “They have a perfect match console!” Why do I feel a part of my soul dying?

- “What’s perfect match?” Seriously, why do I have this gut feeling that something very very bad is about to happen… like I’m about to witness a moment that will forever go down as this show’s worst writing decision ever?

- “It finds your perfect partner with flawless results!” Wait…

- “Hello, Nya…” No…

- “You are an independent, self-confident young woman who refuses to be in a boy’s club…” please… please don’t do this

- ^ OH GOD F*CKING D*MMIT ❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌

- “I would’ve guessed ninja to sneak in the window… not take the elevator.” Apparently, Borg wanted the ninja to rob him ❌

- There’s no way Jay was this big a fan of Borg but didn’t know he had prosthetic legs ❌

- Most people have heard by now that the inclusion of Borg being disabled wasn’t really done for the sake of representing disabled people so much as it was for the convenience of the situation, but you’d think at least one of the writers would’ve said, “hey, maybe this statue we’re making of a character who can’t use their legs SHOULDN’T be STANDING normally on those two legs?” Could it really have been that hard to work the wheelchair into that statue design? Really? ❌

- “First you call us pedestrians and now we’re assailants?!” Jay finds these both equally insulting, which is not only hilarious, but also in-character since Crystalized showed us the only thing that offends the ninja more than being considered evil is being considered average ✅

- “Let the elevator have the techno-blades Kai! I think its made its point!” Jay has the backbone of a noodle, which we knew but still

- “Looks like we just quit our day jobs!” Don’t think I didn’t just see Cole’s mouth move with Kai’s voice ❌

- “Why don’t boys ever listen to me???” D*mmit, Nya do I need to bring the misogyny gif back out?

- “It’s not sharp. Why even call it a blade!?” Good question ❌

- Also, did you really need to test it out to see it wasn’t sharp? Couldn’t you have just, ya know, looked? ❌

- *glass cracks* “Oh snap.” ✅

- Why would breaking the window cause them all to immediately fly out of it? Before someone who actually understands physics comes into my comment section and explains how this works, I’m gonna cut you off and say I refuse to believe there’s an explanation that wouldn’t violate at least one health and safety protocol. OSHA: my scapegoat so I don’t have to learn how science works! ❌

- “You tried to give them the only thing that could defeat me and thought I wouldn’t notice?!” You DIDN’T notice - not until the ninja broke the statue - and tbh, you really should’ve. I get Overlord had to be cautious so as not to reveal himself too early on, but he literally watched Borg invite the ninja to his office, tell them it’s better if Lloyd wasn’t there, then send them off with a massive statue as a parting gift. Hell, Overlord has constant eyes on Borg, right? Did he not see him making new suits and shoving them, along with the blades, into the statue? ❌

- “A PROMISE ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH!” Admittedly, I have problems with Overlord this season, but I will NEVER insult his voice acting ✅

- I really can’t tell if Borg is screaming or laughing in this scene, which is probably the only reason it made it past the censors ❌

- “Cole, throw me!” “Excuse me?!?” “Throw me!” ✅

- I know it’s just the first episode, but I’m curious as to what they’re gonna do for new toys sets this wave- “The techno blade must’ve hacked the hover-copter’s system! Zane controls it!” Oh, there they are

- “*lying* I always said Mr. Cole was my favorite!” Accurate representation of middle schoolers… I’m counting that as a sin ❌

- “Anyone else feeling all tingly inside?” No!… maybe… ✅

- “I have given you new outfits to help block the facial recognition software.” They never actually do this. ❌

- “Robots vs. ninja? Dare I ask?” Someone mentioned awhile ago that Lloyd enters like a guest star on a sitcom and honestly they’re right ✅

- Also family hug! ✅

- “With a 4.2% chance of success, I’d say hope is slim.” “That’s why it’s called hope, Zane!” I actually have a lot to say about Zane’s arc this season, but for now I’m just gonna win this as foreshadowing and move on ✅

- “We will, but only when you’re safe!” “He wants these weapons, and for some reason, he also wants you. Remember, this was sensei’s plan. They can’t break him!” “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has yet to come. We need to worry about today!” “You said it, Zane!” “We will come back to New Ninjago City, and when we do, we’ll be ready!” I get Jay isn’t really depicted as the wise one, but was it really fair of the writers to take four inspirational, end-of-episode lines and only split them among 3 of 4 characters? Come on, give him a little credit! ❌

- ^ No. assembly line system. Could ever. F*cking. Function like this. ❌

Sentence: Ninjago Reboot….. (1/4)

#ninjago sins/wins #lloyd garmadon #ninjago #ninjago cole #ninjago jay #ninjago kai #ninjago lloyd #ninjago nya #ninjago zane #ninjago pixal

[mrultra100]

Ultra’s Prehistoric Planet Reviews- Episode 2: Deserts

And we’re back! Due to Prehistoric Planet’s 5 episodes airing on each day of this very week, we’re gonna be taking a crack at all of ‘em on each day. For today’s dive into the Maastrichtian, we’re gonna be trekking through the various sandy dunes of the Prehistoric Planet, where we’ll meet such critters like dueling titanosaurs, femboy pterosaurs, and the feathery sensation that’s sweeping the nation (Hey, that rhymed!). It’s now time to visit the hot, sweltering, vastness of the Deserts.

Right off the bat, this episode was just as good as I'd hoped for. The CGI is as good as the rest of the show, the animals feel like and expressive, we got a whole host of creatures both new and familiar to us, Han Zimmer’s score was bangin’ (As usual), and I had a pretty good time with it overall. The only critique that I have is that some of the creatures aren’t referred to by name, mainly the watering hole segment. While Barsboldia, Tarbosaurus, and the Mongolian titan were referred to by name, the names of the other animals in this scene haven’t. You can also see a couple of large azhdarchids (Though, to be fair; They might be the Mongol Giant, a species that doesn’t have a true name yet), some small ankylosaurs (People are theorizing that they might be Tarchia), another, smaller titanosaur (Might be Nemegtosaurus) and even Therizinosaurus. Thankfully, Darren Naish has confirmed that the latter will make a few more appearances in the series, so consider this an early-bird cameo for now (In this case, literally).

Now going into each segment, we start off with, frankly, one of the largest creatures to ever live on land; Dreadnoughtus. It’s honestly satisfying to see an obscure species rise up to the likes of T. Rex and Velociraptor in terms of mainstream media, and a fairly recently discovered one at that. Hell, even Jurassic World’s playing a huge part in this. Going back to the segment, it features male Dreadnoughtus traveling to a mating colony of females, where the size each other up and go full-blown elephant seal on each other; Slamming their necks into one another, biting, puncturing with the spur-like claws on their front legs, it ain’t pretty. And those inflatable sacks on the sides of their necks make it even more intense. What’s even more intense than sauropods finally being shown as the walking disaster that they are, is the fact that the losers get beaten from their fights so hard, they just straight-up DIE. Momma Nature is pretty hardcore, especially when sex is involved (That’s something the ammonites taught us in the last episode too.).

We then cut to the deserts of Mongolia, we experience one, massive segment in 3 parts. The first is about the famous Velociraptor trying to hunt lizards, who in term, are trying to hunt bugs. There’s a catch, however. The bugs are flocking to a bunch of sleeping Tarbosaurus, who’ve just finished eating a massive carcass. The lizards, who see an opportunity, try and risk getting near to the sleeping giants in order to score some lunch. This gets even more dangerous when the Velociraptors try and pick them off. Eventually, the Tarbosaurus do wake up and scare off the raptors, with the big lugs moving on. This lets the pterosaurs flying overhead to come down and finish what’s left of the carcass.

Part 2 then cuts over to another stretch of the desert, where we meet the apparent star of the show; Mononykus. From what I’ve seen, people LOVE this segment, and the lil’ scrunky birb. And I can see why; It’s a delightful few minutes of the the lovable fluffball hunting termites with her big single claws and long, anteater-like tongue, dealing with seasonal flowers for the first time, and not having a clue on what the hell is going on. David even mutters a lil’ “Oh dear” in this scene, and that was the icing on the cake! This is another one of the show’s scenes that’s gonna be going into the “Absolute bangers” tier. And this ain’t even the last we see of Mononykus in this episode...

And that’s because we’re at the ending of the Mongolian trilogy (Well, at least in this episode). Not only do herds of Barsboldia and the Mongolian titan show up to drink at this massive water hole, but so do more of the azhdarchids we saw earlier, desert ankylosaurs, Theriznosaurus, and yes, Mononykus. A Tarbosaurus even gets to appear in this part, coming over for a drink...That still doesn’t stop everyone else from giving the beast a wide berth. If you’re gonna give an apex predator some space, be polite about it.

And now, ladies, gentlemen, and others; Femboy pterosaurs. Remember the Barbaridactylus from the last episode? Well, they’re back! And, they’re gettin’ it on! Similar to how alot of animals alive today do the same thing, some of the smaller males use their female-like appearance to sneak past their larger, created counterparts, giving them enough time to knock up a female. Honestly, considering how this episode has femboy pterosaurs, this is definitely a win for the LGBTQ+ community.

For our last segment for the episode (And of this review, too), we’re talkin’ extremophile hardosaurs! This is the first ever media appearance of Secernosaurus, a hadrosaur species from the ever-shifting and changing gypsum deserts of South America. Since gypsum can only occur in the driest places on Earth due to how easily it can dissolve in water, the few animals that live here are extremophiles, and Secernosaurus is no exception. To make things easier, the herd moves at night, where it’s not only cooler, but they can use the stars to locate where they are. These are really helpful skills to have on standby, especially when they reach a coastal dune filled with water to lick off their bodies (Gross.) and plenty of plants to chow down on. It’s only temporary, but it’s a lifesaver for these creatures.

If you’re tired of all of this heat, then you’re in luck. Our next review will be covering the Freshwaters of the Prehistoric Planet. You might wanna bring some bug spray, just in case a bunch of blood-sucking flies take a liking to you...

Also, #TeamMononykus4Life, yo!

#prehistoric planet #mr. ultra's reviews #Ultra Ramblings #dinosaurs

[headspacedad]

Cinderella and the Four Knights

so my sleep schedule is shot anyway and I’m currently watching kdrama on Netflix.  Shout out to @netflix​ for having my back and having just about any eclectic thing I want to watch available.

Anyway, I’m currently watching Cinderella and the Four Knights which is this cute little story about an Every(wo)man who gets pulled into the life of these ultra-rich guys and tries to turn them into human beings.  I’m only on episode five at the moment but I’m going to give my review of it so far.  No spoilers (just uneducated speculation) so don’t worry.  First off - main cast.

We’ve got - in order: KPop Guy, Motorcycle Jerk, Main Girl, Playboy and the one I refer to with great affection as Mr. Efficient.  I think on those names alone you can already tell who I like best.  Taking it from the top though, thoughts so far:

KPop Guy is adorable and easily the most likeable of the lot.  I cannot see him as being ‘in the running’ for wooing Main Girl but he’s honestly the best out of the three.  Thoughtful, insightful and without all the built up daddy issues the other two guys seem to have, he’s a sweetheart so far and I really like how comfortable him and Main Girl are jiving together.  He totally deserves the Male Bestie spot for her.

Next up is Motorcycle Jerk.  They’re trying to go with Bad Boy with a Vulnerable Heart with him but he just resorts to bullying tactics too much for me to like him.  I get that he’s ‘got a hard shell she has to crack/melt’ but honestly I don’t see why the effort would be worth it despite the fact the show has gone out of its way to show why he’s hurting and lashing out as a result.  But every time the music kicks on and things go slow mo between him and MG I just kind of sigh and wait for it to be over.  NOT rooting for this guy.  The motorcycle and martial arts just aren’t enough to redeem him.

Main Girl is next and she is SO FREAKING ADORABLE!!!  I am super happy she’s the center of the show, I care about what she cares about and I really feel for how wrecked her life is and yet how resilient and positive she forces herself to stay.  Things are absolutely not getting handed to her on a platter and she’s so freaking cute without being oversaturated.  I also love how physically tough she is and I’m quite pleased that when I muttered ‘you could just head butt him again’ she nailed the guy in the shin.  Tiny cute with lion fists?  Not going to apologize, I eat it up.  I want whoever makes her happy for her and I’m not sure any of the three guys is it. 

Playboy is, of course, the standard playboy.  I’m not sure if they’re going to bring in some depth for him later or not but right now he’s just filling the ‘never had a girl that’s  not cookie cutter and MG intrigues him for her lack of ‘put up with his bullshit’.’  I’m pretty sure he’s End Game for her just with the way the writing is and, so far, he’s not horrible, just standard.  I don’t dislike him because he’s pretty unapologetic about what he is and upfront with it so anyone getting hurt should have seen it coming.  I just don’t like him either because he hasn’t done anything to win me.  I mean, I like an asshole (looking at you early game Cloud Strife) but I’d like a bit more than ‘asshole’ and ‘girl opens his eyes’.

Last, but never least, is Mr. Efficient (beloved)

He is super clearly not in the running for MG at this point but I am loving their interaction and how she loosens him up.  Kpop also gets him involved in some HiJinks and its pretty cute watching them run around snickering together.  Also he likes MG’s cooking so he gets points.  And he is, as stated, super efficient and so far the only one that’s 1. not got his head up his ass and 2. seems to know what he’s doing.  I can’t picture him romantic with MG but I do think they’re good for each other and she’s letting him be human instead of the robot his job requires of him.   Plus he treats her like a human being, which is more than Motorcycle and Playboy do and I very much like him for that.  He’s not for her - but I’d take him in a heartbeat.

There’s also this girl

I was hoping I could call her Bestie because she comes off a pretty sweet and kind and determined.  I do like her - but she’s really got a bad case of stalker syndrome and ‘no doesn’t mean no’ when it comes to one of the guys and, having been the girl on the receiving end of that in my past, there is no way I can get behind her until she lets that shit go.  Obviously something went on the past that’s not been revealed yet and my opinion may change but right now she’s not quite into ‘jealous enemy’ territory for MG but she’s hanging on way too hard to someone that has made it very obvious they don’t want to be hung on to.   Plus I think its pretty heavily hinted that one of the other ‘Knights’ has a thing for her and she’d be much better off with him anyway.   Kudos to the show for not, at this point, making her a bitch to MG though.  Its not fun watching her get hurt over and over again and girl needs to Just Let That Shit Go and stop doing that to herself.

Bestie title goes to the friend in pink that I can’t find a picture of that is just the cutest and most supportive friend MG could have and I utterly uplift that girl.  She’s top notch even if she barely gets any screen time.

There is a wicked step mother and wicked step sister (and the father’s an ass too though its obvious he’s got something going on with a side quest that will no doubt show up later) so its really easy to root for MG and be glad when she gets away from her family.  I won’t be upset if raccoons eat that family.  There’s some drama going on in the background with an evil wife and the CEO that brought all the Knights together but I honestly don’t care.  I just like the CEO when he’s interacting with MG at this point because he gets cute and she gets to be extra cute.   I suspect, as a parental figure, he sucks.

And that’s what I’ve got so far with episode five set up to go on my screen.  Cute so far and I’d recommend it at this point as light hearted and not too deep fluff.  I’ll come back and do a bit more once I’m further in but so far, so good.

#cinderella and the four knights #kdrama #netflix #kdrama review #so far its cute #korean drama #okay to reblog #and add comments to #no spoilers yet though please #still on the ride

[mariacallous]

There’s a song on the Lemonheads’ underrated 1996 album Car Button Cloth that I love for very personal reasons. “The Outdoor Type” is a jangly pop tune in which the narrator admits that he had earlier misled his partner about his true interests:

I can’t go away with you on a rock-climbing weekend;

What if something’s on TV and it’s never shown again;

It’s just as well I’m not invited, I’m afraid of heights;

I lied about being the outdoor type.

I love this because I also misrepresented my enthusiasm for rock climbing to someone I very much wanted to spend more time with. And I was thinking about the lies we tell people we’re trying to lay because of the spate of recent articles trying to convince us that former U.S. President Donald Trump is an anti-imperialist.

Sen. J.D. Vance claimed in January that the most important part of Trump’s legacy is his foreign policy. “My entire adult lifetime has been shaped by presidents who threw America into unwise wars and failed to win them,” Vance wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. “In Mr. Trump’s four years in office, he started no wars despite enormous pressure from his own party and even members of his own administration.”

Trump “has done more to restrain the US imperium than any politician in 75 years,” Christian Parenti wrote in Compact recently. This, Parenti claimed, is the real cause of his prosecution by the Manhattan district attorney. “Trump has been investigated, impeached, and indicted not because of the crimes of which he is accused,” wrote Parenti, “but because he has dared to oppose the imperial foreign policy favored by elites.”

Sohrab Ahmari, a former neoconservative now aligned with the Trumpist right, and one of the founders of Compact, followed up with a piece hailing Trump as “the one figure who in my lifetime has meaningfully rolled back the self-righteous imperium” scolding the anti-war left for not embracing Trump as its true hero. “The left suddenly turns ultra-principled when it comes to judging Trump’s record as an anti-imperial president: He wasn’t a total pacifist! He talked about ‘taking their oil.’ What about Yemen? Come on.”

These pieces foretell a larger effort to seduce the anti-war left with the idea that Trump, despite all evidence to the contrary, is an attractive partner for the project of reining in the American empire—that he really is the Outdoor Type. (Although for Vance, who went from outspoken Trump critic to cravenly falling in line when his political ambition required it, a better tune might be Stephen Stills’s “Love the One You’re With.”)

These pieces all rest heavily on the claim that Trump launched no new wars. That’s true as far as it goes. But it was certainly not for lack of trying. Trump might not have started any wars, but he massively inflamed existing ones—and came close to catastrophic new ones.

Let’s review the record. Despite inveighing against “endless wars,” Trump massively escalated the country’s existing wars in multiple theaters, leading to skyrocketing casualties. In Afghanistan, he substantially upped the amount of airstrikes, leading to a 330 percent increase in civilian deaths. In Yemen, he escalated both U.S. counterterrorism activities and support for the devastating Saudi-led war against the Houthis. According to the United Kingdom’s Bureau of Investigative Journalism, there were 2,243 drone strikes in just the first two years of Trump’s presidency, compared with 1,878 in the entire eight years of the Obama administration.

Trump also came very close to tweeting the country into a nuclear war with North Korea in late 2017 and early 2018, a completely self-inflicted incident that seems to have been bizarrely memory-holed. Trump “didn’t merely threaten to attack North Korea if it possessed the ability to strike the U.S.,” wrote the Intercept’s Jon Schwarz. “He ordered the Pentagon to develop new plans, over the resistance of then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis, to do so.” According to former Pentagon official and Asia security expert Van Jackson, who wrote a book about the crisis, “The world was closer … to nuclear war, at that time than any time, since the Cuban Missile Crisis. And it was totally avoidable.”

In 2018, Trump bowed to Washington’s neoconservative hawks and withdrew from a working nonproliferation agreement with Iran, resulting in Iran scaling up both its provocative activities in the region and its nuclear program. According to current U.S. assessments, Iran could now make enough fissile for one nuclear bomb in under two weeks, should it decide to do so. Under the agreement Trump abandoned, it would’ve taken Iran at least a year.

The list goes on: Trump put the U.S. on a path to “great-power competition” with China, incited a failed coup in Venezuela, and increased support for reckless, repressive clients around the world. Indeed, Trump was seen as such a dangerous interventionist that Congress passed the first war powers resolution in history to try to end his support for the Yemen war. Less than a year later, Congress passed a second resolution to brush him back from a potential war with Iran after he OK’d the assassination of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Qassem Soleimani. Both measures passed with Republican support, making opposition to Trump’s militarism one of the very few areas of bipartisan agreement during his administration.

Trump’s defenders praise him for demanding that NATO allies meet their spending obligations, but of course, he’s not the first to do that. Indeed, Trump’s argument against NATO and other partners, such as South Korea, was that they should pay up for the protection racket. Parenti noted that in a summer 2017 meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Trump “demanded to know why the United States wasn’t receiving free oil from the Middle East. ‘We spent $7 trillion; they’re ripping us off. … Where is the fucking oil?’” Trump repeated this in October 2019, telling a meeting of police chiefs that “we’re keeping the oil” in northeastern Syria, where U.S. troops were deployed.

If you think that demanding tribute from partners and client states is “anti-imperialism,” then I’d suggest that word does not mean what you think it means. If anything, Trump was simply more honest about imperialism than the foreign-policy wonks who cloak their undying commitment to U.S. primacy in language about human rights and the “rules-based international order” or whatever. This is the hypocrisy that Trump exploited very effectively.

This is where we do need to give Trump some credit. When Vance wrote that “Donald Trump’s presidency marked the first real disruption to a failed consensus and the terrible consequences it wrought,” he was not totally wrong. As a candidate, Trump performed an important service for the country by helping reveal that much of the so-called “foreign-policy consensus” is held almost exclusively inside the Washington beltway. During the 2016 primary, he gored a number of presumably sacred cows, including memorably and correctly declaring in a primary debate that the Iraq War had been a disastrous mistake (while also lying about having opposed it). The American people had long come to the same conclusion. The only people in the country actually shocked by his assessment were onstage with him.

Acknowledging that Trump helped pry open a long overdue foreign-policy debate does not mean, however, that progressives should allow themselves to be seduced by the fanciful notion that a corrupt, misogynist racist is, either on purpose or by accident, either anti-war or anti-imperialist. Trump’s notorious comment about “shithole countries,” among many other bigoted remarks over the years, reveals a clear commitment to the very racial hierarchies that underlie imperialism: There are classes of people fit to rule and classes of people fit only to be ruled.

Imposing an “anti-war, anti-imperialist” frame on Trump’s foreign policy is simply an attempt to conceal its utter incoherence. Trump attacked China’s policies one moment, and then offered fulsome praise for Chinese President Xi Jinping the next. He tweeted threats at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, ordered the Pentagon to draw up war plans, then proposed meeting for photos in Singapore. Trump has no coherent foreign-policy agenda because he has no coherent position on anything except his own self-glorification. Everything revolves around him and his ego, and that’s inherently incredibly dangerous.

President Joe Biden’s foreign-policy record has been a mixed bag, to put it gently, but let’s compare it to Trump’s: Unlike Trump, Biden didn’t just talk about withdrawing from Afghanistan; he did it. Unlike Trump, he didn’t massively increase the number of U.S. drone strikes; he massively decreased them. Instead of escalating support for the Saudi war in Yemen, he reduced support for it and appointed a special diplomatic envoy to help end it. Rather than support coups in Latin America, Biden has shown support for its democratically elected leaders. Years of organizing by progressives have helped him do this.

Has Biden gone as far as progressives want? No. Not even close. He has continued support for repressive partners, maintained inhumane immigration policies, and his human rights agenda is still largely comprised of statements about his human rights agenda. He broke his promise to rejoin the Iran nuclear agreement. While his rhetoric cautions against a new cold war with China, his policy is driving the United States steadily into one. But it’s worth noting that the areas where Biden has most disappointed progressives are those where he hasn’t differed from Trump enough. The idea that a Trump administration would be more receptive to progressives’ ideas is daft.

Donald Trump was right about Americans’ disenchantment with the existing foreign-policy establishment. The United States desperately needs a renewed global approach that is both more responsive to the American people’s needs and does not simply export violence and poverty onto the rest of the world. Progressives need to build and work with an effective transpartisan coalition to make that change. But progressives also need to be clear eyed about who their real allies in this project are, and which leaders are genuinely committed to that project, and who’s just trying to talk them into the sack.

[jellypumpkin]

I posted 4,424 times in 2022

137 posts created (3%)

4,287 posts reblogged (97%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@divinespanking

@delusion-of-negation

@cantabilechaos

@lilli-sturmreiter

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I tagged 695 of my posts in 2022

#joshi puroresu - 191 posts

#maki itoh - 38 posts

#mina shirakawa - 26 posts

#natsupoi - 16 posts

#tam nakano - 16 posts

#maika - 14 posts

#natsumi maki - 12 posts

#unagi sayaka - 12 posts

#saya iida - 10 posts

#youtube - 10 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#and even when you're finished you can still get enjoyment out of them because you can pose them you can change what weapons they're holding

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

It is a tragedy that there was never an adaptation of Frankenstein staring Peter Steele as the monster.

7 notes - Posted September 12, 2022

#4

I love Final Fantasy 4, and in particular the DS remake, but the decision to make the Namingway quest, which, if done properly follows the progression of the main quest, hinge on you getting an item with a 0.4% drop rate before a certain point or else the planned progression utterly falls apart is one of the worst decisions I've ever seen in a video game.

7 notes - Posted February 28, 2022

#3

My life force is sustained by looking at androgynous men with pink hair and exposed thighs.

8 notes - Posted March 18, 2022

#2

A new name for Mr. John "Johnny" Onyx Superstar Blaze Spade Nitro Morrison Mundo Impact Ultra Blackcraft Drip Drip Caballero Hennigan!

10 notes - Posted May 18, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Just found out that in the manga Leigharch snorts coke and suddenly his character makes way more sense.

11 notes - Posted April 4, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

[posevr]

I posted 14,378 times in 2022

That's 2,807 more posts than 2021!

281 posts created (2%)

14,097 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

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I tagged 564 of my posts in 2022

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#memes - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 126 characters

#just had a flashback to all the times i was creeped out as a kid by women leering at me saying i’m cute and asking me to smile

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Best one I’ve done yet

18 notes - Posted July 9, 2022

#4

Digging into MK Ultra is probably the fastest way to find yourself deep in the Rabbit Trail.

It’s got mind control, propaganda, Nazis, abuse, ritual abuse, sexual abuse, pedophilia, SO MANY drugs, telekinesis, remote viewing, astral projection, and some good ol’ fashioned Devil Worship

27 notes - Posted March 13, 2022

#3

Lord, if you see fit, please bless me with a Goth Latina Cowgirl gf

55 notes - Posted July 15, 2022

#2

Fuckin hate automatic toilets sometimes. I’ll flush when I’m done motherfucker

85 notes - Posted November 26, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

162 notes - Posted May 3, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review