#older anime just hit way harder than newer anime ever could

[rinka-fuka]

we did nothing to deserve inuyasha

#truly like wtf #inuyasha #don’t really fw the whole inukag not raising their kid but my lord the og content we got was IMMACULATE #older anime just hit way harder than newer anime ever could #not that the fights were any good but they sure as fuck wrote an compelling love story

[zehecatl]

rec post for @f-eef that got too long for its own good, and is now just. a general rec post i guess

(as of writing, today is the steam summer sale! writing this before that goes live, so no guarantee everything on here is on sale, but! most of these are older games, so it’s likely. keep them in mind~)

- Iconoclasts my absolute favourite game, ever (along with OFF, but shh), if you check out one game from this list, let it be this one. it’s a genuinely almost flawless package, with gorgeous pixel art, fun gameplay, a really good story, and a cast of characters i just. adore. it’s so so so good, and three years later, i’m still not over it

- The Binding of Isaac so there’s this genre called roguelikes, wherein the whole gimmick is that, when you die, you gotta start from the Very Beginning; and the ‘point’ is getting better and better at the game, until you win! it’s super easy to just, play a few runs (they generally don’t last that long!), and then go on with your day, so it’s a really fun game to just waste time in, if you just wanna chill with some game. and, in my personal opinion, Isaac is the best roguelike game, with so much stuff to unlock, a whole slew of items to play with, and so much content it’s kind of unreal. i definitely think the DLCs are worth picking up, but it’s mostly for more content than like. actually being necessary

- Terraria it’s minecraft, but 2D. unlike MC, it’s got a bit of guidance, which i personally prefer, with bosses to fight and such. an absolutely BLAST with other people too

- A Hat in Time a 3D platformer, ala Mario, that’s just. super charming. it’s also really fun to play. i haven’t actually played the DLC’s, since i played it way back, but i’ve heard good things about Nyakuza Metro, which does look super slick, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

- Slime Rancher you are a slime rancher. you ranch slimes. it’s honestly just wholesome as hell, and just exudes happy vibes. mostly for running around and collecting slimes, ngl

- The Messenger really funky retro game, wherein you play a ninja on a mission. it’s primary draw is definitely in its gameplay, but there’s a surprising amount of story for this kind of genre? i honestly really just like this one. it’s neat

- Underhero you play as a cute minion, who kind of like. managed to kill the hero. and whoops, guess you’re doing his job now? it’s got that undertale vibe, though i’d say it’s less polished than it. HOWEVER, it’s absolutely lovely and it’s climax is REALLY good

- Hatoful Boyfriend bird dating sim. trust me. the ‘secret’ finale route is just. *chef’s kiss* fantastic

- Night in the Woods if you don’t mind having a very poignant sad time, oh my god, i could not recommend NITW more. it perfectly captures that period when you’re done with school, and suddenly your whole life is stretching before you, and you feel so so fucking lost, and overwhelmed and pained with it. it’s just. so good. a sadness worth experiencing 

- Shovel Knight another retro game! this one is, pretty much, the king of the genre, and for very good reasons. the first one (shovel of hope) doesn’t have much story, but the latter ones really add on it. they’re honestly just, really solid games! with funky knight characters!!!

- Hyper Light Drifter man, it’s just a masterpiece. everything about it is perfect. it’s been like, five years, and it’s still one of the very best indie games

- Tell Me Why it’s currently free for june! and it’s a story game! plus, if you like the genre, the devs got the ‘Life Is Strange’ serie(s) to delve into!

- Cat Quest honestly, i just really like this little game. the gameplay is SO much fun, and everything else is just. really charming :’)

- Yoku’s Island Express metroidvania, where you play as a dung-beetle post officer, and the gimmick is that it’s pinball-y! it’s really fun, and very cute and just an all around good time :)

- Owlboy you play as an owl boy! named Otus! and you can fly around, and there’s GORGEOUS pixel graphics, and a neat story, and just. the BEST cast of characters. it’s delightful

- Yuppie Psycho + Count Lucanor just gonna bundle these two together, because they’re both REALLY GOOD. YP is the newer one, and is therefore probably ‘the better one’, but i like them both a ton! they’re 2D horror, but i wouldn’t say they’re that spooky? though that might just be because they’re pixel games! you explore spooky place, and weird stuff happens around you. just a really fun time :)

- Angels of Death my FAVOURITE rpgmaker game, it’s main draw is, a 100%, the main characters and the relationship that develops between them. i just love it a whole lot, and it’s got that lil’ tinge of horror that i, personally, fucking adore. there’s actually an anime based on this, but i haven’t seen it myself!

- Celeste curve ball! it’s a 2D platformer! it’s really good, got a ton of accessibility features, and has like. the tightest gameplay- and, on top of that, surprisingly emotional story! 

- Bastion putting Bastion here, because it’s actually the only one i’ve properly played, but you could probably buy any of the Supergiant Games, and come out satisfied. Bastion is the oldest of the bunch, and is definitely a bit less polished for it, but i personally adore it; the gameplay probably hasn’t aged that well, but i think the story and presentation more than makes up for it

- The Darkside Detective funny point and click adventure, with great wit, and a pair of characters i kind of simply adore. it’s main draw is definitely its humour

- Littlewood very wholesome and chill farming game, that feels more like an RPG than something like stardew valley- i’d not recommend it over SV, but if you want more of SV, Littlewood might scratch that itch!

- Pony Island + The Hex absolutely adore both of these, though if i had to rec only one, it’d probably be Pony Island? they’ve both got that undertale-off vibe, though Pony Island definitely leans harder into it. very interesting plays, both of them

- Oxenfree another horror-ish game! primarily story-focused, but oh boy, what a story! i’m a BIG fan of this game, and the sequel was recently announced too! definitely worth a look if you like ghost shenanigans

- Creature in the Well wasn’t a 100% sure if i should rec this, but beside the finale boss, i really enjoyed my time with this! it’s this weird pinball inspired hack and slash, with some amazing vibes

- Kindergarten 1 + 2 they’re just fun little games okay. the 2nd is much more fleshed out, but the 1st one is really fun too

- the Henry Stickmin collection I JUST... LIKE THESE GAMES A LOT... i think you can find the old versions somewhere on the internet, if you wanna check them out first? idk, they’re fun!

- LIMBO + INSIDE personally, i like INSIDE more, but both of these are classics, and also they’re made by a danish team, and i like them a WHOLE LOT

- The Final Station i could not tell you why i like this game as much as i do, but oh my god. i love this game? it’s got a dying world, neat pixel graphics, big zombie apocalypse vibes, and a weird little story

- Year Walk i love Year Walk :)

- Smile For Me if you liked undertale’s lovely cast of characters, oh boy, you’d likely LOVE this game! it’s really, really, fantastic, and the epilogue (not in the actual game lol) hit me right in the feels

- Pikuniku just a fun little game! there’s not really much there, in the grand scheme of things, but it’s a wonderful little play, one of those games that just sets out to give you a good time, and absolutely success. i like it a lot :’)

- A Short Hike wonderful game, where it’s more about exploring the island than actively finishing the game. it’s real wonderful

- ULTRAKILL ANOTHER CURVEBALL! no idea if you like FPS, but oh my god. ULTRAKILL is so fucking good. just an absolute blast to play. there’s a demo to check out, and i’d definitely recommend it, because if it’s a genre you might like, you’ll love this one (OH also it’s in early access, which means it’s not finished yet! personally, i don’t mind that, especially considering this is more gameplay focused, but ya’ know!)

- My Friend Pedro it’s honestly just really fun to play, and sometimes i still think about the implied lore, and go all !!!!

- Little Misfortune another point and click! this one is pretty short, and is set within the same universe as their other game, Fran Bow, which is much bigger, but idk. i like this one. it’s dark cute

- This Strange Realm of Mine i honestly dunno how to explain this one, because it’s kind of weird and a bit odd, but i really like it, in all its weird poetic glory. it’s neat!

- Donut County you’re a terrible racoon who’s ruined the whole city with holes. it’s great and i love it

- OneShot another ‘gives me undertale vibes’, though this one was in development before UT, if i recall correctly! it’s so good, and it’s got some fantastic meta bits, and i love Niko. i love Niko so much

- Inmost gorgeous vaguely spooky game with a neat story... my favourite genre

- Sayonara Wild Hearts i’d call this more of a spectacle than anything else, but oh my god. what a spectacle it is! the OST is amazing, everything about it just hits right, and even if you suck at the gameplay (which i did), it really doesn’t matter, in my opinion? it’s just great all around!

#ze.txt #the sale likely just went live so #steam sale #hope there's something here to your taste feef! #i honestly haven't been playing any 'real' games in. A WHILE? so all of these are older-ish #and there's a bunch of good new games out there! #but here's my little rec post of older games :') #that i have. actually played #i think inmost is the only one i never finished? plus TECHNICALLY oneshot since it got a BIG update after i played it but shhhh #also TECHNICALLY also ultrakill but that's in ea so it doesn't count okay #i just love ultrakill so much. i had to rec it. I HAD TO #also keep in mind some of these probably require a mouse!! i know ultrakill DEF does #but you might have one?? i usually play on my big pc so i. would not know #oh also DST does have a single player version which is very good also

[rbbalmung]

Pokemon SwSh GPL AU: Get to know ______

Guys, it’s time for my favourite pokemon ship. Prepare for loads of fluff. 

Get to Know Gloria x Hop (Postwickshipping/Hpyu): 

1: Who spends almost all their money on the other? I headcannon that Gloria really likes pokemon plushies, so Hop is always unconsciously checking the stuffed animal section of stores to see if there’s any she doesn’t have. Gloria tries really hard to get him books that pertain to his research, but she really has no clue what he studies aside from the fact that it’s legendary pokemon (Legendary Pokemon are his focus). 

2: Who sleeps in the other’s lap? Gloria! They are the cuddliest couple ever. There’s about a foot size difference between them, so she fits perfectly in his lap. (Hop is def the little spoon, tho). 

3: Who walks around the house half-naked and who yells at them to put on some clothes? TBH, they would both walk around the house half naked. They’re comfort first babies, so you know Gloria’s bra is coming off and Hop is discarding his work clothes the second their door is closed. I think it’s kind of a casual thing for them, though. They’ve known each other long enough that this kind of thing doesn’t bother them. 

4: Which one tells the other not to stay up all night and which one stays up all night anyway? Gloria has to drag Hop’s ass to bed pretty much every night. They’re both busy people, but we all know that Hop would lose track of time while working on his thesis. It is a fact that if Gloria doesn’t come to get him, he will fall asleep on his desk. 

5: Which one tries to make food for the other but burns it all by accident and which one tells them that it’s okay and makes them both cookies? They’re actually both pretty good cooks (Gloria’s mama owns a restaurant in Wedgehurst and Hop’s mom is obsessed with cooking), but I think Hop would probably be the one to burn all the food. The only reason why is because he has a harder time focusing solely on cooking instead of trying to multitask. Now, baking is a whole other story. They’re both terrible at it. 

6: Which one reads OTP prompts and says “Oh that’s us!” and which one goes “Eh, not really”? Gloria would be the one to read the prompts and Hop would be the denier (he secretly thinks it’s really cute whenever she does it). 

7: Which one constantly wears the other’s clothes? Gloria. 100% Gloria. She is constantly cold and has a passion for stealing Hop’s hoodies. He thinks its adorable because they’re always really big on her. 

8: Which one spends all day running errands and which one says “You remembered [thing], right?” Hop would be the errand runner and Gloria would make sure he remembered everything. It goes back to Hop’s mind being a million places at once and Gloria hyper focusing on one thing at a time. 

9: Which one drives the car and which one gives them directions? Hop would drive and Gloria would give directions for similar reasons to the question above. 

10: Which one does the posing while the other one draws? Hop doodles Gloria sometimes to keep his hands busy. It’s kind of an absent minded thing for him to do while reading an article/book. Once Sonia caught him doing it, and when I say she teases him relentlessly, I mean it. Hop absolutely does not let Gloria see these doodles (they’re very cutesy and he’d die of embarrassment). 

11: If they were about to rob a museum, which one does backflips through lasers and which one is strolling behind with a bag of chips? Hop would be the backflipper and Gloria would be the follower. Think back to their GPL season: Hop was blazing ahead at all times without a care in the world. Gloria is the slowest traveler in the world because she likes talking to everyone and visiting all the stores.  

12: Which one of your OTP overdoes it on the alcohol and which one makes the other stop drinking? Neither of them can hold their alcohol, but Hop at least has more body mass than Gloria. They’re a pair of lightweights and nothing you can say will convince me otherwise. (Let’s be real: Bede has to be the one to make sure they get home). 

14: Which one keeps accidentally using the other’s last name instead of their own? Gloria. I actually believe that Gloria would keep her last name even after she and Hop get married because it belongs to her mama (after the divorce, they both changed their last names to match her mama’s maiden name). Hop is also a proud Hoffman, so he wouldn’t use the name Park. However, everyone else will mix it up. Gloria gets called “Mrs. Hoffman” all the time if she’s arriving for restaurant reservations or something of the like. Newer reporters/young children call Hop “Mr. Park” because they just assume Park was his last name. 

15: Which one screams about the spider and which one brings the spider outside? Neither of them are scared of bug pokemon. 

16: Which one gives the other their jacket? HOP. I mentioned it earlier, but Gloria is always cold. Bede asks why he doesn’t just make Gloria bring her own jacket and Hop replies that he likes it when she wears his jacket (they’re freaking sappy).  

17: Who keeps getting threatened by the other’s overprotective older sibling? Pft. Leon? Please. By this point, he’s become the big brother of Gloria as well. The League members are a completely different story. They all like Hop, but since Gloria is one of their younger members and the biggest sweetheart, they’re a protective bunch (Especially Melony and Gordie). 

18: Who’s the first one to admit they have feelings for the other? Gloria, but it didn’t go well. It was right before he was leaving to finish up high school studying abroad, and the timing wasn’t right (aka Hop turned her down because he hadn’t yet realised his feelings for her). Gloria tries her best to move on but never truly gets over him. Luckily, his feelings hit him like a bag of bricks to the stomach when they reunite a couple years later.  

19: How good would your OTP be at parenting? The best. They would definitely be the cool parents (I mean, come on. They’re the freaking heroes of Galar!). I think they’d also be super supportive of their child’s choices. 10/10. They’re made to be parents. (Hop would especially want to be a good dad. He’s initially nervous because he never knew his dad and thinks he might mess up, but Gloria reassures him that he’s doing a good job). 

20: Which one types with perfect grammar and which one types using numbers as letters? Hop would be Mr. Perfect Grammar. Gloria would use mostly good grammar, but her texts would be littered with emojis. 

21: Who gets attacked by a bully and who protects them? Hop is the more confrontational of the two. Gloria tends to believe that people are only mean to others if something bad is happening in their life, but Hop will jump from 0 to 100 if someone even looks at Gloria funny.  

22: Who makes the bad puns and who makes a pained smile every time the other makes a pun? Gloria likes Hop’s bad puns, so everyone else has to cringe in discomfort at the oblivious pair. 

23: Who comes home from work to see that the other one bought a puppy? Hop. Gloria likes catching pokemon and sending them on poke jobs, so there’s a new member to their family at least once a week. 

24: Which one gives the other a piggyback ride when they’re tired? Hop. He’s the only one she would show vulnerability to, and he makes sure not to make her feel ashamed of it. (also, Gloria absolutely could not carry Hop. He’s like, a foot taller than her).  

25: Which one competes in some sort of activity and which one does the overzealous cheering? Both! They’re very supportive of each other to help ease the other’s insecurities. Hop gets really invested in her pokemon matches and Gloria throws him a little celebration every time he finishes a project.  

26: Who takes a selfie when the other one falls asleep on their shoulder? Gloria. Since Hop never goes to sleep at night, it is very common for him to take 5 minute power naps without even realising it. Gloria definitely takes pictures when it happens as a reflex (They were long distance for the first 4 years of their relationship) because she wants to be able to look back at their memories together.  Like Gloria doesn’t know about Hop’s doodles of her, Hop doesn’t know about her phone album of him. 

27: Which one would give the other a makeover if they asked? Gloria? I think they both grow into their separate styles as the get older, but Gloria would push Hop to wear more colourful things. Sonia once told Hop that a man should never tell a woman what to wear because it’s rude. I don’t think Gloria would mind if he suggested something, but he is way too nervous to do it (Sonia scarred him).   

28: Which one owns a pet that the other is absolutely terrified of? Hop is very nervous around Urshifu and Calyrex. Urshifu because he’s terrifying, large, and very protective of Gloria. Calyrex because the pokemon will take over his body without warning to tell Gloria something.  

29: Which one holds the umbrella over both of them when it rains? Hop! If Gloria held it, Hop’s head would be in the umbrella. 

30: If your OTP went on vacation, where would they go and what would they do? Who would take the pictures? Oh my gosh, they’d go everywhere. I think that after Gloria steps down as champion, they travel to all the different regions for at least a couple of years. Gloria would be the one to take pictures and make a little scrapbook when they return home.  

#pokemon #pokemon sword and shield #pokemon swsh #swsh #postwickshipping #GPL AU #hpyu #pokemon hop #swsh hop #pokemon gloria #rival hop #swsh gloria #gloria x hop

[thatsgay-writes]

Azula x Reader

Summary: You join Azula and help take over Ba Sing Se, plus some added fluff.

Warnings: Light cursing?

(You are a female.)

You never agreed with the Fire Nations beliefs. You didn't think they deserved to rule the world. You were Admiral Zhao's kid and were meant to take his spot when he died. Because of your dads high rank and age similarity with Azula, you two trained together. And maybe that's why you couldn't leave... God knows you wanted to and you had so many chances to do so. But you had grown up with Azula, seen what she had gone through. All she ever wanted was at least a sliver of the love her mom had given Zuko. When your dad disappeared you took over his role as Admiral. Azula was annoyed that you were now being shipped out with a bunch of soldiers to do her fathers dirty work. So she pulled you in to one final mission with her and her friends.

Dressed up as a Kyoshi warrior was weird. You wondered how they even fought in these ridiculous get ups. You also felt that the make up was a little over the top. But they must be doing something right too, because Azula could not stop staring at you. Yeah she used to stare at you before, but when you would look at her she would just smirk and look away. Now though, when you looked, she would blatantly check you out, looking you up and down, before biting her lip and looking away. And if your blush had been bad before you were sure it was worse now, not even the make up could hide it. You had always felt something more towards the princess than friendship but kept it to yourself not wanting to get on the Fire Lords bad side or even Azula's. But these past few days have you thinking that maybe, just maybe, she felt the same.

You watched in shock as Aang, the avatar, rose up in his avatar state. You looked around frantically for Azula in case you needed to make a quick get away. When you finally saw her, she was standing behind the avatar, you watched in shock again as she sent lightning right into the avatars back. You cringed as the lightning shocked him and caused him to smoke as he fell to the ground. Then you hear yelling come from behind you to see a giant wave come up from behind and wash everyone away. When you got hit by the wave you panicked for a moment trying to find something to grab onto before you felt yourself get pulled up. You put your arms around the neck of whoever pulled you up, as they put there arms around your waist and pulled you closer to them. When you looked up, you were surprised to see that Azula was the one holding you. She was sporting a huge grin while watching Katara take Aang out and away from the battlefield. When she finally looked down and saw you looking at her, her smile softened a bit before taking a hand from your waist and using it to move the hair out of your face. You blushed at the action before hearing people moving behind you. You hastily pulled away from Azula at the noise, knowing that she wouldn't want to be caught in a compromising position.

Azula stood in front of the earth kings throne as she and Long Feng had a stare off. You stood next to the throne, a little nervous. You believed in Azula fully but Long Feng was a wild card and you didn't like wild cards. However, you relaxed when you watched Azula sit on the throne and Long Feng bow. She ordered them all to leave before she grabbed your hand and made you stand in front of the throne and her. You looked at her questioningly before she pulled you into her lap, causing you to blush and look down. Azula chuckled at the action before putting her finger under your chin and lifting it. "Now that I've captured Ba Sing Se, I feel as if I deserve a reward." You looked at her in confusion causing her to scoff. "Don't look so confused. You act as if I haven't caught you staring or let you catch me staring. Honestly, waiting for you to make the first move has been such a bore." Your eyes widen in shock as your realize that she felt the same way, you honestly thought her and Ty Lee and a thing going on. When Azula realized that you weren't going to move, she took matters into her own hands and gripped your chin harder before pulling you into a kiss. When your lips connected you lost your breath. You had imagined kissing Azula many times but none were as good as this. You had expected her lips to be chapped but your surprise they were smooth and had a light taste of cherry. You don't think you could every look at cherries the same way again.

"Ahem." You heard from your right, causing you and Azula to pull away. You eyes widen at the sight of Zuko standings there, arms crossed in front of his chest. "I need to speak to Azula... alone." He stated barely giving you a second glance. Azula sighed before standing up, with you now being carried on her front. "You always were a cock block, weren't you Zuzu." She said rolling her eyes as she placed you down in on the throne. "I'll be right back to celebrate and get more of my reward." She winked before turning around to walk away with Zuko. Leaving you a blushing mess sitting in the throne.

Before heading back to the fire nation Azula decided to take you on a date. You and her hadn't really talked about your relationship status since your first kiss but you had started sleeping in her room since that day. She decided to take you to the newer zoo in the putter ring. (The one that Aang made in that episode with all those short stories) To say you were excited was an understatement, you loved animals. Of course you never told anyone this, not wanting it to make you seem weak. But Azula knew all about your secret obsession, she may or may not have read your journal/diary. Azula made sure that she had guards blocking the entrance/exit to the zoo to not let anyone in. As much as she enjoyed keeping of the façade of a cold hearted bitch, not that it was hard, she wanted to truly relax and be herself. Azula truly trusted you and knew you would never leave if betray her. So she spent the whole day being herself with you. When you would get excited and start practically jumping up and down, she'd hold your hand in hope to calm you down. When you'd lean on the half wall to try and see the animals better she'd come up behind you, wrap her arms around your waist and lean her chin on your shoulder. You loved this side of Azula and you knew that when your back in public it would all end. So you spent the day holding her hand, cuddling in to her as you walked, kissing her. Anything you knew would become scarce once you were back in the real world.

Sadly, everything come to an end. You didn't want the day to be over. You were having so much fun. As you walking towards the exit of the zoo Azula stopped suddenly. You turned around to look at her in confusion. "Azula is everything..." "Be mine." Azula interrupts you. You know she meant it as a question but it came out as more of a command. You raised an eyebrow at her in response. "I... don't do that to me... you know what I meant" she rolls her eyes before trying again, "Will you be mine?" This time you smiled happily before pulling her into a kiss. You tried to kiss her as long as possible but you couldn't stop smiling. "Of course."

*Time Skip*

Zuko barged into Azula's room, letting shock wash over his face as he noticed you laying next to her. Zuko opens his mouth to yell before seeing Azula put up a hand to stop him. She slowly and as carefully as possible, untangled herself from you before walking out into the hall and closing the door behind Zuko. "What do you want?" She asked already annoyed with Zuko interruption. Zuko wanted to ask about what was going on between you and his sister but refrained, seeing as Azula was already so pissed. "You told dad I killed the avatar. Why? What do you gain from this?" Azula smirked at her older brother. "You've been trying to get into dads good graces again. You've returned home a hero. You have been going after the avatar for all these years. You might as well be the one claim his death. Besides what does it matter the avatar is dead now anyways. If he wasn't though... dad wouldn't be happy." Azula ends her sentence with a cheeky smile. Zuko tried to suppress his emotions. He sent Azula a glare before opening his mouth to respond. But before he could they both heard the door next to them creek open. "Azula?" You mumbled out, trying to wipe the sleep out of your eyes. "The bed got cold. I looked around and... oh" you said ending your sentence, just now noticing Zuko standing across from Azula. Azula smiled at you before turning back to Zuko, "As much as I'm enjoying our little... conversation, I am needed elsewhere." Azula turned away from Zuko, not even letting him respond, before picking you up, walking into her room and closing the door behind you. She laid you back on to the bed before going around to her side and climbing in. Almost immediately you latch on to her and fall right back asleep. Azula spend a few minutes admiring you as you sleep before closing her eyes with a smile on her face, hoping to dream about a future with you.

#azula x reader #female x reader #female reader #female character #alta #avatar the last airbender #x reader

[raendown]

The first of my follower milestone gift fics! This one is for @rookie-d for the prompt word effete. 

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Word count: 2884 Rated: T+ Summary: Getting dragged along to places he didn't want to be wasn't new to Madara, not with a best friend like Hashirama. Meeting someone again that he hadn't seen in years and instantly falling in love? That one was definitely newer.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Grown, Possibly Matured

“I cannot believe I let you drag me out here.” 

Hashirama blinked over at him before smiling widely. What a doofus. Did he ever stop smiling?

“No need to be so grumpy, my friend. It’s a celebration! Enjoy yourself!” His ever-present smile grew impossibly wider as he snatched something off the tray of a passing waiter. “Don’t you want any food? It’s free, I checked.”

“Might as well. If I get nothing else out of this I’ll at least have a full belly without paying for it.”

“That’s the spirit!” 

Letting his sigh of disgust blow the hair away from his face, Madara snagged his own passing treat and let his eyes scan the gardens without much interest. It was a nice place. When he’d graduated from college a few years back the ceremony had taken place in the auditorium on campus but Tobirama’s university was one of those fancy big money ones that all the rich families sent their kids to for clout more so than an education. Of course they just happened to have a massive sprawling garden just perfect for outdoor spectacles like this one. He still didn’t understand how a family like the Senju could afford this school. Either Tobirama had the marks to get some very impressive scholarships or every member of their family had agreed to sell at least one of their kidneys to help him pay for it. 

“Why am I even here?” Madara shovelled the little morsel in to one side of his mouth and spoke from the other, ignoring a very prim looking woman in pearls giving him a horrified look. “I haven’t seen your brother since, what, high school? Earlier? I could care less about that knobby-kneed little asshole.” 

“Tobi hasn’t got knobby knees,” Hashirama protested. 

“He did the last time I saw him.”

“Oh. Oh yeah, he did get a little gangly when he finally hit that growth spurt, didn’t he? Ha ha! I remember now! Well he’s grown up a lot since then and I just...I just needed someone here to help me be proud of him!”

Since that was one of the stupidest things he’d ever heard there was no shame in saying so. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. If you want someone to come be proud of him wouldn’t you bring, oh I don’t know, family? You’ve got two other brothers. Or that woman of yours, isn’t she close to him too?”

Hashirama wilted like a flower, as dramatic as he’d been the day they met all the way back in middle school. 

“But our whole family is away on vacation because Tobi didn’t even tell any of us when he was graduating! I wanted Mito to come but she couldn’t get out of work on such short notice and he’d never say anything but I just know he’ll love it so much better when he sees there’s people here to celebrate with him!”

“What was he even in school for again? Something yuppie, obviously.” 

Because his best friend was an idiot who couldn’t read a tone to save his life, Hashirama practically danced off his own feet with pride as he crowed, “A double major! Oh I could just burst! He completed a double major in political science and international relations!”

Madara stared. 

“He went to school...for politics? He’s going in to politics?” 

“Yeah!” 

“Oh great. Wonderful. He was an annoying kid but that brain of his did have some potential. Now he’s gonna waste it.” 

Hashirama stopped bouncing to cock his head, bemused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, you know, what good are politicians really? They all talk a big game and they all wear their fancy suits but I’ve never met one who wasn’t entirely full of shit. Every one of them is basically an over-refined waste of space.” 

“Didn’t you tell me once that you wanted to grow up and be the mayor?”

Face suddenly much too hot for the cool weather around them, Madara growled and gave his friend a mighty shove. “Keep your mouth shut!” 

“So mean!” 

Talking about someone he hadn’t seen since they were all still growing in to their own limbs wasn’t exactly Madara’s idea of a good time. Changing the subject to the plans they had made for a beach day that weekend was much more interesting. A little fast talking, a bit of wheedling, and it was possible he might be able to talk Hashirama in to camping out the night without that terrifying fiance of his. Mito was a strong woman, definitely exactly the sort of person someone like Hashirama needed. Madara still didn’t like her. He always got the impression that when she looked at him she wondered what her fiance saw in him and it made his skin itch every time. 

It took another half hour but finally the ceremony began and all of the gathered family and friends were invited to find a seat. Though Madara had been calling the area gardens inside his head it was more like an outdoor amphitheater of some kind with ascending rows of benches carved in to the natural rock. It sort of reminded him of something out of ancient Greece, actually, and he hated a little that it impressed him all the more for it. 

“Ooh, there they are!” Hashirama grabbed his sleeve in excitement, all but lurching out of the seat he’d only just settled in to point at the thick wave of black robed young adults all marching out of a nearby building. Well, not so much marching. Considering the heavy course loads they had all just finished over half of them looked more like they were shuffling along on the strength of their last cup of coffee. That much Madara could relate to.

“Which one’s your brother?”

“There! There he is! Hi Tobi!” 

Either Tobirama didn’t hear the cry from so far away or he was well practiced at ignoring such a fog horn of a voice but none of the faces that turned towards them had any sparks of recognition. From the audience there was mostly fond understanding. Most of the students that looked towards them just looked confused. It was kind of sad but Madara was pretty sure a lot of them had never seen anyone so enthusiastic about supporting their family before. Yuppie types, in his experience, weren’t really great at loving their kids.

He might have based that opinion mostly off his own estranged father. So sue him. 

“When they’re all dressed the same how am I supposed to tell them apart? I remember he’s got white hair.” Madara gave the massive group of black robed figures a half-hearted once over. “There’s got to be a dozen people in there with white hair.”

“That’s easy,” Hashirama said. “My Tobi is the best one!” 

“Alright, well, that doesn’t really help much but...you tried?”

Despite his friend’s utter lack of ability to describe one simple human face Madara did eventually figure out which one was Tobirama. Not that he had to put much deduction work in; all he needed to do was sit back and wait until eventually the name ‘Senju Tobirama’ was called and one of the white-hair-black-robe-graduation-cap people broke away from the rest to ponce across the stage with more grace than any disney forest animal could ever dream of. 

The distance between them was still too large to really make out any fine details but the one thing Madara picked up on had him scowling out of reflex, hunkering down in his seat with arms crossed while Hashirama practically vibrated out of his own skin trying to holler his pride for the world to hear. 

He’d gotten taller! That rat bastard of an albino must have had another growth spurt since they last saw each other. What the hell was it about Senju genes? Even from this far away Madara could tell he would barely pass the guy’s chin and there was just something fundamentally unfair about that. He was older! Didn’t he get to be taller than anybody? 

Izuna didn’t count. As the youngest brother it was his duty to stay short forever. 

Like the disgustingly emotional child he was, it took Hashirama several minutes after his brother had completely vacated the stage for him to finally sit down and heave a deep sigh, followed immediately by several quivering breaths. Madara dug in to one pocket and threw a tissue in his stupid face. He’d learned to carry those around years ago no matter where they were going after one too many of his shirts had been ruined for lack of anything else around to cry on. When it came to Hashirama emotions could attack at any time. And usually for the stupidest reasons. 

Waiting out the rest of the ceremony was somehow even more boring now that he wasn’t watching for anyone specific to walk across the stage. It seemed unfair to him that alphabetically ‘Senju’ was so far down the list that there was less than a quarter of the names left to call and somehow it all seemed to last four times as long as the rest of this stupid ceremony had. Finally, however, the entire audience was invited to stand for applause and Madara did so with a groan, shaking out his legs in the hopes that doing so would discretely wake up his ass, gone numb from sitting for too long. 

Hashirama turned to him with brilliant eyes the moment the ceremony was announced complete. 

“There’s more snacks and drinks in the hall over there,” he said. “I texted Tobi to meet us, come on!”

“I could go for another snack I guess.” Madara let himself be pulled through the crowd, grateful for once that his best friend was such a tree that people just stepped out of his way without question. His interest in heading across to the fancy hall looming over them may have had something to do with more than just filling his belly now but he saw no need to say so out loud. 

Once they were inside the sheer number of human beings here for today’s ceremony became much harder to ignore, trapped together between four walls that echoed the roar of a hundred different conversations back and forth until Madara was tempted to clap both hands over his ears. The semi-permanent scowl on his face deepened with every step they took, wading through the tight knit throng until at last Hashirama shot up on to his toes with excitement. 

“There! Look! Tobi, over here! Hey Tobi!” 

Madara sighed, pulling the ends of his hair away from the grasping fingers of someone’s poorly attended baby, then looked up when a shadow fell over him. Alright. So maybe coming here today had been a good decision. If nothing else it afforded him the chance to see this human adonis up close. 

Even with the traditionally ill-fitting graduation robe covering the finer details it was still easy to see that Tobirama had not only grown up, he’d grown up good. The height difference between them was even more than Madara had guessed and the sharp lines of his face had settled in to something like chiseled marble over the years, less the young weasel his classmates used to call him and closer now to what one would expect to find on a magazine cover. He’d even had tattoos done that accentuated his cheeks plus one running down his chin and neck to disappear in line with the buttons of his shirt. To his utter horror, Madara’s first thought was how very much he wanted to trace those lines with his tongue. 

“Congratulations!” Hashirama crowed, throwing himself at his brother with wet eyes and a beaming smile. Tobirama, impossibly, withstood the storm of affection without so much as swaying on the spot. 

“Thank you Anija,” he rumbled, oblivious to the involuntary whine that slipped out from between Madara’s lips. Thank all the non existent gods for the noise in here covering such an embarrassing sound. It wasn’t fair. He already looked delicious, did he have to sound like a wet dream too?

“You remember my friend Madara, right? Were you surprised? Surprise! We wanted to come celebrate with you!” 

One pale brow lifted as Tobirama detangled himself from Hashirama’s embrace with enviable ease. “Hardly a surprise when you called me last night to tell me you were coming, though I appreciate the sentiment. Madara...yes, I remember. Hello Madara.”

“Nng.” Oh very good. Very intelligent. Such a good showing he was making of himself. 

“Your presence here is more of a surprise than my brother’s. It’s been quite some time.” 

“Guess so,” Madara grumbled. 

Tobirama cocked his head to one side. “And what are you doing with yourself these days, Madara?”

He was only being polite, something that age seemed to have added since he definitely wasn’t polite as a little kid, brain too fast for anyone else to keep up with and constantly exasperated that he needed to slow himself down. It was an improvement for sure. One that Madara should have appreciated. It certainly wasn’t his fault that he’d grown up to tick off every box on Madara’s list of things that were physically attractive. Still, the attitude was rising and emotions he’d never liked in himself were prickling and there was no stopping the defensive tone spitting its way out of his mouth. 

“Something more useful than where you’re headed, that’s for sure. Politics? Really? I never took you for the lazy sort.” Madara, with what little wisdom he had, very much wanted to hit himself even as the words escaped him. He didn’t blame Tobirama at all for lifting that second too-perfect brow. 

“I beg your pardon?”

“Everyone knows that politicians are all talk and no action, too caught up in looking all important and sounding all smart but they’re never really useful. Shame. You always had a good brain, too bad you’re gonna waste it cushioning your ass on the publics’ dollar.” 

“The only shame here”-oh but the fire in his voice would have been glorious all on its own even without the deep bass rumble of his voice-“is that you seem to have grown up with your head lodged inside your own asshole. If you think for one second that I intend to rest on my laurels then I invite you go fuck yourself with the sharpest stick you can find. The two of you used to talk big words about changing the word when we were all kids. Tell me, how many internships have you suffered through for the chance to do so? How many scholarships did you study for just to meet the right people and share your proposals with the right ears? Go on, Madara, tell me how many tax breaks you leveraged before you even made it all the way through university?” 

Madara swallowed thickly, barely feeling the pressure when Hashirama put a hand on his chest to separate the two of them. It definitely said something about him that he should be so aroused from getting such a thorough dressing down in public but he couldn’t bring himself to worry much about it. Not when he had more important things to concentrate on. Like the fact that he’d just fallen in love in the space of two minutes. 

“Sweet mother of fire,” he whispered. “Marry me.”

Both of the Senju brothers looked at him like he’d grown an extra limb. Hashirama coughed nervously, eyes flitting between them like a nervous rabbit. 

“Let’s all just calm down now, alright? Today is supposed to be a happy day!”

“Indeed it is. Thank you for coming, Anija. Perhaps you might make this a happier day for me by removing this trash from the premises.” With his final piece spoken Tobiraama lifted his nose in to the air and turned to walk away, striding through the crowd as easily as if the room were empty and exuding all the prim fussiness of someone who had spent a decade in the social minefield of politics already. 

Hashirama moaned dramatically and leapt after his sibling. “Wait, Tobi! Maddy didn’t mean it! Come back, we can all be friends!”

Several minutes passed in a haze before Madara even noticed that he was now standing alone in a room crowded with a bunch of uppity strangers, several of them staring at him as though worrying for his mental health. He couldn’t blame them. Not if the expression on his face was half as dazed as he felt. Considering how loud the place was it was somewhat of a miracle that he could still hear Hashirama’s voice booming from somewhere off to the left but he chose not to question his luck, only turned to float off in that direction, hoping Tobirama was still here. Following after them would almost definitely end with more insults being thrown at him.

And like the twisted man he was Madara could freely admit that he was looking forward to it. He’d never met anyone with half as much fire in them as Senju Tobirama. He wondered, dreamily, how long it was going to take him to convince the other man to take his proposal seriously. 

#rae writes #madatobi #madara #tobirama #hashirama #modern au #fanfiction

[mytwitterisdogtoast1]

Yugi’s decks and some other odd stuff that just makes sense.

This is a weird double kind of post where I focus on many things because of a little project I’ve been working on. So as anyone who has ever grown up and has been into Yu-Gi-Oh knows you just can’t not like the anime. From the ridiculous duels and cards to the ridiculous hair on every single character and I’m not talking about the newer shows so much as just the original show because that’s probably the “best” one to most people (partial to GX myself even though I know it’s not the best and Konami kinda messed up on it at the end of the series in USA). See if you watch the show a simple easy thing that anyone who gets it would like would be to get the decks of a character. Heck even if it was Weevil people would be a little excited but not as excited as if they got one of the main characters. Which was great because even though it’s old news I was very excited to buy the legendary decks for Yugi. See that is an amazing product idea that can bring in everyone who likes Yu-Gi-Oh. You bring in the casuals by giving them his decks, you bring in the collectors for cards that don’t exist yet here in the west or even those who have missed out on older cards, and you bring in the more serious crowd for cards that are in archetypes that might be harder to find maybe (probably not because the game has evolved to such a degree that even mirror force isn’t good anymore.) but still 2/3 ain’t bad. Let’s be honest though. This is Konami so they’re gonna find a way to fuck it up and I’m a decent guy so I usually try to have some faith in things. Even things like Konami who ruin most of their IPs in general but hey, I keep that faith. This was a simple thing to do but in the end they messed it up with really easy to do things. Now let’s just be really honest about this. if this product interested you. You would buy it if it hit the sweet spot of cost = product. I know I would and I’m sure many others would as well. Let’s assume Konami does its best in that it not only releases every single card Yugi has ever used before but also makes each card that doesn’t exist, to exist. They would have to make a handful of cards yes, but people would probably go and buy that product cause every deck he’s run is in it in their entirety. We can assume they would use his actual deck lists and make his actual decks. Yeah, his decks are not good but let’s face it fan, cosplayers, kids, adults and everyone and their grandma would buy this product. Nostalgia is a huge thing nowadays and even if we can’t play it in a tournament and hope to win we could just roll up, throw down a fiver and just play that sweet sweet celtic guardian. Now let’s be a little more realistic. Let’s assume we take the middle road which is absolutely the best idea. Heck we’ll take both sides of that road and give two middle road ideas that are the best idea. Make his actual decks and only use cards printed while printing about 5 cards that haven’t been made. That electromagnetic turtle is pretty dope not gonna lie. Point is even then we would still get a 4 card deck from each main part of the journey. 120 cards, 5 promos, the art cards for duelist kingdom, the god cards (playable or not even) would not set anyone back hard in printing since they’re all stuff already made in real life and would even bring cards like torike and horn imp into the west which haven’t even come here. Heck don’t even make decks. Throw in every card from every single season he has ever used. We don’t need to have 2 giant soldier of stones. (yes he uses two at one point) It would however be nice if we just got the cards the way he has them in looks and what he has. Call it Yugis legendary collection and it is the same exact thing. The worst thing you could do is just make his deck and just add in random shit like 3 dark magician girls. Which is what they did. Like This is a simple thing to make man how could you mess up by adding cards he didn’t use in decks when they didn’t exist then? Even detonate which is a card Kaiba uses. Look man it’s not the biggest of deals but the fact that the next set was stuff “based on their main cards” and Yugi had exodia? HE USED IT IN ONE DUEL. Make a dark magician deck. Sure it would reprint some of the same stuff but lets face it. THAT’S WHAT PEOPLE WOULD WANT. We don’t want something LIKE it. We want that thing.  Why does this matter? Honestly besides how sad the product was it really made me want the thing I didn’t get and it is near impossible ( at least I assume) to get torike and horn imp in the west when I believe it has had one printing in the east only and the only way to buy the cards are to go buy Orica stuff. Which in their own way is nice too. Support artists. So I took it upon myself to make those exact decks and to in general just make it a small side project in my life. Duelist kingdom deck was mostly easy to do and I am missing just 3 cards so I can buy 2 of them no problem and the others are torike and horn imp. Cards we never got (fuck you Konami). That’s when I started to see the other seasons which are not cannon in comics but are technically cannon in the show. Filler is a very iffy thing to use but I’m super casual and actually like filler in things I like. Hell DBZ has some of the better filler in the side stuff it puts in because it never really changes much. However sometimes you can have too much filler or filler that changes the series totally (stares at bleach, Naruto, and one piece. You all know what you did).  Now why does this also matter? Because it raises a ton of questions about the series in general when you look at a characters decks. Did you know that as iconic as Gaia the fierce knight is he doesn’t show up past duelist kingdom? Even in the manga he only has it in duelist kingdom. This raises a ton of questions. Like Gaia the dragon champion is really good in the anime. Because let’s face it. If you are going to use chimera in your duels than why not have Gaia in there as well to make a stronger monster? It’s one of his boss monsters. I mean he still uses curse of dragon in every deck except waking the dragons which again I know it’s not fully cannon but that shouldn’t stop them from using him. Unless there was a decent enough reason. I think that reason is you don’t need the monster itself in duelist kingdom to make the fusion. Which I can actually make an argument for. Yugi has 2 monsters in his deck. First is Black skull dragon and Dragon master knight. I know one is filler but it would fit the same argument regardless because even if we take from the anime it might be a little different in the manga and comic for battle city but that is indeed cannon. So the point I’m making is it’s a little strange Yugi would have either of those mosnters in his deck. He never knew he was going to work with Joey or Kaiba ever so why would he just have them? Trade doesn’t really work that way in the show cause we never see it and I know that dude isn’t carrying around cards because let’s face it. He didn’t bring anything but his cards and a glove. He didn’t have replacement cards. Which makes you wonder where the time wizard was from when he gave it to joey. He isn’t carrying extra cards cause the world doesn’t have packs the same way and cards would be more diverse or shittier and packs are like 5 cards per pack. So having such a rare and powerful card like that and it just “being around” makes 0 sense. Which makes you believe that it came from his deck. So time wizard was an original card. We have to remember that the reason he never played it is he never drew it in his duels and then gave it to Joey. Which makes the most sense. So if we go by that logic it would be understandable that since time wizard doesn’t fuse into baby dragon that you don’t even need thousand dragon in the extra deck. That also means dark sage isn’t even in Yugis deck because if it was meant to pair with time wizard he’d have taken it out or he just simply never ran into it or was a jerk and threw it in to counter Joey. So by that logic the reason Gaia never made a return is he never had the fusion in the first place. This makes me assume many things about the decks written are kind of misleading. Firstly the fact that Yugi has the same deck kind of but changes it every season. It makes 0 sense that he would in a world where cards are not a common supply even though it is the most common thing in his world to have that he would just always remake his deck mostly alike and then in general change 10 cards out only to put them back in to only take them out again. So when mysical elf is in his deck in virtual world but he doesn’t put 2 giant soldiers of stone in makes me question if he actually even doesn’t have mystical elf in his deck normally but sure as heck has feral imp. I came to the conclusion that in every season Yugi is just running the same deck with no differences. If there are differences it would be he added them in later on because he got the card and the only reason we never see it is that the man has over 80 cards in his deck. No it’s not 40 no matter how many times he says it because anime rules. It makes even less sense to change the deck not just for every season but every duel that he would have life shaver in against Kaiba only and then never play it in a duel ever again or something along those lines. Why does this matter? If I am going to make his decks I want to be as “accurate” as possible and am going to make his decks but it’s not like anyone wants to just make 7 decks for the dude. Especially when you take the Pharaoh into account as well. And who even wants to actually just make a Yugi themed deck? It’s not the same as having his decks themselves. It is much cooler in the end to actually have his deck. Even if it is 4000 cards large.

#yugioh #yami yugi #yugi moto #konami #legendary decks #deck #atem

[dredreadsdrawing]

OC-Tober Day 24: Opposites

*flops while screaming* im not explaining this one, just read aaaaaaahhhhh

A hare joins a group of scientists. He’s a prodigy that’s been sheltered his entire life by his family and community. He’d only ever met fellow herbivores and only heard horror stories of terrible things happening with carnivores. How they used to hunt herbivores. How they find children’s meat like a delicacy. And how, even though peace treaties have been signed and they’ve moved towards eating only non-sentient animals, they can change at a dime. They are never to be trusted.

Welp the first face he sees on this expedition as he walks into the lab he will spend a year on is a tiny dog’s. He’s fascinated and terrified by it.

It’s tiny, it’s friendly, and it always follows protocol and orders. But it could slip up anytime.

Hare stares too much and the office suspects something is up. One of them strikes a conversation with Hare about it, acting sleazy, but Hare turns it from romance to uh. Bigotry. “Why is there a carnivore with us? Aren’t they all impulse driven? Am I the only one scared by this?” The team-mate is like ‘Oh shit, I didn’t realize we had a racist with us’ but he explains, the dog has proven himself to be intelligent enough to join. He has lived his whole life with herbivores, has gone through all the carnivore training, and to top it off, he comes from a family of dogs all known for their cooperation with herbivores. They are safe. Still, Hare isn’t so sure. Meanwhile, Dog has been steering clear from Hare, picking up on how tense he gets when he’s around. Living with herbivores, Dog is used to this. He knows it’s better to just stay away and not cause a fuss. But then they get sent to a mission outside.

At it, something goes wrong. Everyone escapes but Hare was hit with something and is bleeding from the shoulder. Dog is the only one that stayed behind with him. Dog has a medkit and tries to reassure Hare to let him use it. Hare is nervous, so Dog muzzles himself as a sign of good faith.

Dog manages to clean the wound and seal it up. He never showed any signs of wanting to bite Hare. After repairing Hare, they have to hold hands through (idk a blizzard? Something like that) to get to the lab/ship again. They make it and the crew is impressed. It’s only after this that Hare puts down his wariness and picks up an obsession instead. Dog saved his life. He wants to study the Dog.

Now everywhere and doing anything, the Hare is glued to the Dog’s side. The Dog thinks it’s because he helped the Hare, and while everyone in the ship finds it amusing if annoying at times, the Dog likes it and doesn’t mind it. He begins thinking it’s cute. Dog also breaks down the boundaries more by initiating more touching, asking Hare personal questions, and following Hare like he does when he is ordered to do something else. The more Dog shows genuine interest, the more Hare is floored with sudden feelings. Rationalizing them is proving difficult; but he still won’t admit it’s attraction. Doing so would be a death sentence… surely? Relationships like those never last….

(There’s a cute instance where Hare is put on another field mission and they panic about it. Dog sees how terrified they are, and though he had to stay in the ship for this trip, he manages to switch work with someone for the day to help Hare calm down. They pretty much hold his hand the entire time.)

Dog eventually confesses to Hare with a smile one day while they were alone. All he says is “I like you”, and that was it for Hare. All his anxiety, his denial and his fear go out the window. Hare goes for a kiss, and doesn’t let go until there’s tongue involved. Then Hare nicks theirs against dog’s teeth and there’s blood. A lot of blood. Hare surprisingly gets into it but Dog is concerned immediately. Dog has to push back Hare as they both gasp and look at one another. Dog sees Hare shaking and thinks he’s ruined things by scaring the sheltered herbivore again. Hare looks at Dog with their blown out pupils, heckles raised, and blood dripping from their mouth and thinks, “I’m okay being eaten by you.” So hooray for vore haha cries.

Dog makes sure to take everything slower now in the few more months they’re together, being very careful not to hurt or make Hare feel threatened. Needless to say, Hare is very impatient and finds himself thinking more and more of the taste of his blood. The feeling of teeth. He’s uh, going down a bit of a spiral. But this crashes with a nightmare of Dog’s waking both up. Dog had a flashback to a terrible childhood memory where they hurt someone. In real life, he did it out of necessity (some bully), but still, he was severely punished. In his dream, there was no one to punish him. And he just kept going. And he loved every moment of revenge.

Dog’s description of his violent dream sent Hare back a lot. Made them snap from their fantasies and go back to the fear they were so used to. Dogs are dangerous. Carnivores are dangerous. What used to be his delight became shameful. To run from confronting himself, Hare instead began blaming it on Dog. He became a victim in his mind. His jumpiness and avoidance of Dog returned the next day.

Then there’s an accusation that Dog messed with the test subjects, now found horrifically maimed and dead in their chambers. The accusation is taken seriously, even without proof.Dog insists that he was with Hare at the time, Hare’s heart starts to feel cold at the accusation. And his sheltered prejudice springs back up with the rest of the team spouting nonsense. Of course it was the Dog that did it. No herbivore could be that cruel. He doesn’t vouch for Dog, instead joining the team with stories of his own. On how creepy the dog could get sometimes, how he noticed Dog brought meat snacks into the ship, and the dream. He told them all about the dream. Dog was locked inside his room as they waited for the authorities to come in a few days. They were far from civilization afterall. But on the very first night, Dog finds a way to escape and run away. Into the frozen wasteland. This only solidified their guilt in the crew’s eyes. Hare felt disgust for the rest of the two days.

The police arrive. Even without Dog around ,they need to investigate the entirety of the lab for evidence against him in order to persecute him legally. The more thorough investigation quickly brings up facts that pile up better than rumors. Dog was right, it couldn’t have been him. It was the head researcher, who wanted to test new drugs for the sake of it, went too far, got drugged herself and went on a rampage. She didn’t even have to frame the Dog in the next morning, no one had noticed the blood on her shoes. She’s dragged away, and the team is left with guilt at jumping so readily onto prejudice. They were all biggots. The authorities search for Dog but nothing turns up. He’s disappeared.

Hare is a wreck. In his sheltered mind, he had felt so justified to quickly turn on him, but now it was clear. Hare was wrong. He has been the whole time. He only has himself to blame… or atleast… a part of himself. Again, his brain shifts the blame. His instinctual jumpiness. His growing up in a herbivore society. His fantasies. The problem wasn’t that Dog was a predator, it was that Hare was a herbivore and he couldn’t understand. He needs to fix this. Then he needs to find Dog. He has to be redeemed.

So in his twisted mind as time rolls on, he will conduct experiments.

Years later, Dog has been living in a cold, secluded European town. He had miraculously found a fishing boat near the ice and snuck inside. No one noticed him until they reached their town. He was cold, hungry, without a dollar and emotional. He explained his story after a cup of coffee and his first taste of jerky. The town was kind and full of carnivores. They agreed Dog was done dirty, and was right to run away.  He was welcomed in. They are glad to have Dog, particularly as company for one of their own. The town is mostly made up of older folks, with a newer generation now born, but only one person Dog’s age. They are eager to get along and help Dog, and they become inseparable. Dog feels valued here, and unafraid of being himself for the first time. But still. If there’s one thing he’ll always hate, it’s the cold. Cue it being winter time again.

“AAUGH I HATE THE COLD!” He yelled at no one as he shivers and stumbles in the snow to go back home. They’re covered head to toe and they still feel cold. Even his tail has a cover! His outburst caught the interest of a new stranger that was having a conversation with a local. He turns to look at the small figure shuffling by, obscured by all their layers of clothing. But his ears never betrayed him. To the old lady he was questioning, he reassures he’s just passing through and bids them farewell. The old lady gives him a look as she sees him slink off. She doesn’t feel right about this. He’s following the person that made the sound.

Dog shakily opens his door and barely steps in, sighing with relief at the warmth, when he feels arms around him. The door behind him closes. He drops his keys. Not alarmed at first, he suspects who it is. “Artemy?” The hare’s name isn’t Artemy. Hare squeezes harder and whispers this to Dog’s ear. Dog is startled as they remember the voice, and he scrambles away, his groceries also dropping to the floor. They look at eachother, Dog on the floor and Hare standing tall. Dog in a panic and Hare overjoyed.

Hare kneels down and straddles Dog as they remain speechless. “Let’s see what you look like now.” He hums as he’s taking off layer after layer, Dog’s body betraying him and letting him. Dog shivers once he pulls the last turtle neck. Dog glares up at him and Hare awws. Hare comments Dog has gotten fluffier. Cuter. But still so vicious. Hare goes for another hug, kissing Dog’s neck. “I missed you so much.” Dog isn’t buying into this. He finally gains back control and pushes Hare away. He gets up, picking up and putting back on his turtleneck.

Dog tells Hare to get out. That Dog is innocent and they’re not going back to be prosecuted. Hare shakes his head. He tells Dog he’s already been cleared once the police came in. That it was the head researcher all along.

Dog laughs. Hare doesn’t.

Hare asks why Dog left if it only made him look more suspicious. Dog said they knew what happens to carnivores in a herbivore court system. They just get blamed.

Dog looks at Hare, eyes still hard. Hare should leave, before they see what happens to herbivores in a carnivore court system. Hare shakes his head.

He’s not there to cause trouble. He came to apologize. Dog growls. Apology not accepted. Dog will never forgive Hare. Hare flinches and gets up. He starts his words slowly but Dog is moving away. Hare yells his immediate thoughts instead. He’s redeemed himself! He can prove it! Just… hear him out…

Dog turns around and sees the baby eyes. He hates how effective they still are.

Dog sighs. Fine. Dog picks up his strewn groceries and goes into his kitchen to make some tea. Before it’s done making, Hare better finish explaining. Hare wastes no time and goes into a tangent about how he knew his herbivore roots failed him. How he realized the problem in their relationship always stemmed from his insecurity in being born prey. So he had to correct this. To better get to know Dog. He slowly goes to Dog and Dog takes a step back. He reaches for Dog’s hands, takes them, and opens his mouth. The Hare has fangs now. He places the Dog’s thumbs to touch them, though the Dog only does so for a second before retrieving his hands and washing them off. “Okay so you modified your teeth. So what?”

It’s not just that, the Hare promises. Dog stares at him, still unconvinced, as the tea kettle begins to whistle. Time is up. Instead of leaving, the hare moves to the bag of groceries and picks up a packet. Pork. Hare smiles. He asks if he can stay for dinner. He’d love to taste Dog’s cooking.

#Oc tober #Oc-tober #October #Ocs #Furry #Furry ocs #Furry dog #Furry hare #Hare #Dog #Digital art #Traditional art #Sketches #I'm a duckin dumbass cries #im soooo behiiiiindddddd #why did i take so long on this? becuase im stupid

[subvertingyourexpectations]

Top Ten Films of 2019

2019 was… I’m gonna be honest, not a very great year for cinema. Aside from a handful of standouts, I have seen very few things that completely blew me away. Especially given the past few years, we haven’t gotten a Roma, or a Phantom Thread, or a Denis Villeneuve movie. Anyway, this is my top ten favorite films of 2019. 

But first…

Films That Would Make It But Didn’t “Technically” Come Out in 2019

Long Day’s Journey into Night

I already talked at length about this film, but I love it to pieces. It has twisted the visual language of cinema into its own beautiful and bizarre version, crafting a puzzle box of a movie that I absolutely adored. But, it technically came out at the end of 2018, so it can’t be on the list. 

Tigers Are Not Afraid

If you like foreign films, this is a must-see. If you like tragic dramas anchored by some terrific child actor performances, this is a must-see. If you like horror movies, well, it’s not really a horror movie but people keep describing it as one, so you should probably see it. It’s a beautiful little imaginative tale about the effects of the drug war on orphaned kids, and if you can catch it on streaming I would definitely check it out. But, even though it came out in limited release in August, it came out in Mexico in 2017, so I can’t include it. 

One Cut of the Dead 

Maybe the most original film I’ve seen in years? The first half is a terrific little zombie flick all in one camera shot, and somehow the second half expands on this and is ten times better. Watching this in a packed house was one of my favorite moviegoing experiences of the year. It’s one of the most funny and, again, original movies I’ve seen in years.  

Shadow

UGH ALL THE GREAT FOREIGN FILMS DIDN’T COME OUT IN 2019. Anyway this movie is incredible and is maybe the best use of grayscale I’ve seen in any film. 

Movies That Might’ve Made the List But I Sadly Have Not Seen Them Yet

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Pain and Glory 

1917

Bad Education

Little Women

The Souvenir 

Okay, now onto the actual list…

10. Ad Astra

Brad Pitt and James Gray’s remake of Apocalypse Now in space is maybe the weirdest premise for a movie, and yet I really enjoyed Ad Astra. There’s clearly some touches of studio interference that make this movie worse (read: Brad Pitt’s narration), but the underlying themes of anxiety and depression are some of the best I’ve seen on screen. Couple that with Brad Pitt’s best performance of the year (yes), the visual splendor on display, and this movie is an easy inclusion in my top ten of the year. 

9. Uncut Gems

I need to go lie down. After really enjoying the Safdie Brothers’ previous films (Good Time and Heaven Knows What), I was really excited for this movie, and I was not let down. The frenetic, dare-I-say crackhead energy that the Safdies are able to convey in their films is immensely satisfying to watch, and the way Adam Sandler channels it is one of my favorite performances of the year. The last twenty minutes of this movie is just pure panic attack. 

8. The Irishman

Somehow Scorsese’s 209-minute long epic is one of the most watchable films of the year. This is just a terrific example of everyone firing on all cylinders; the performances are great, the script is great, the editing is unbelievable (this movie feels like it is two hours long), and the directing and thematic development towards the third act is some of Scorsese’s best.  

7. The Farewell

A calling card for director Lulu Wang as much as it is for Awkwafina in dramatic roles, The Farewell is an absolute delight. The family dynamics throughout all feel refreshingly authentic, and the film masterfully weaves between its comedic moments and tragic undertones. If it wasn’t for some choices made at the ending, this would probably rank higher on my list. 

6. El Camino

How bad was 2019 for film? A Breaking Bad movie is my sixth favorite film of the year. It doesn’t matter if we “needed” this movie or not, El Camino is just so incredibly well-made and enjoyable. It’s always a pleasure seeing something new in the Breaking Bad universe, but more than that I think this film is a genuinely beautiful swan song for one of the greatest characters in television.

5. Waves

This movie is meandering, aimless, pretentious, and completely style over substance. And yet, the last half hour of this movie hit me harder than almost anything this year. Regardless of how you feel about the characters, I feel like Waves has an overwhelmingly positive message in the end, which is to grow away from your hatred and learn to forgive and love. I’m sure many people will find the way this movie gets to that message to be kind of pointless and wandering, but to me it just turned a pretty good film into one of my favorites of the year. 

4. The Mustang

My local 3-screen art house closed in April of this year. I went there as often as I could, because they were the only theater in town that would play a lot of independent and foreign films. It was the first place I saw Roma, and the first (and, let’s face it, last) time I saw Stalker on the big screen. The last night they were open, I went and saw The Mustang, not based on anything to do with the movie, just because I wanted to be there one last time. It was completely sold out, far busier than I’d ever seen them. In the past I’d always had free roam of where to sit, but that last night I was in the third row from the front.  

If Ad Astra is about depression, then The Mustang is about anger, and learning to overcome your anger and grow as a person. It’s about a prison in Nevada that has a rehabilitation program where violent convicts train wild Mustangs, which are later sold to local ranches and farms. Roman (a terrific performance from Matthias Schoenaerts) is one such convict, and his personal struggle to overcome his anger is beautifully realized against the backdrop of having to fight a wild animal. (Seriously, he goes in swinging and it does not end well for him.) It’s a great story, and it’s a must-watch if you haven’t seen it. The emotional ending coupled with the fact that my favorite theater was closing left me a complete wreck when the credits rolled. (I’m starting to realize my top five films all just boil down to “the ending wrecked me”.) 

3. The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part

This is like The Mustang but for kids.

Okay okay, hear me out, I only saw this movie once when it first came out 11 months ago, and I’m not ever watching it again because I thought it was perfection. I feel like on a repeat visit the songs will become grating, the plot will feel ridiculous, and the themes of toxic masculinity that I appreciated so dearly will seem like faint whispers instead of clear subtext. And yet in the theater, I absolutely adored the songs and the plot and the clear subtext about being a better brother/man. The real-world parallels that were a surprise twist at the end of the first film are used beautifully in The Second Part, because the plot is simply just one big metaphor for a little sister who wants to play with her older brother. It’s touching, it’s funny, and it gets stuck inside your heart. It’s such a shame that the LEGO film franchise is all but dead, because if we had kept getting films like this, children’s movies would definitely be better for it. 

2. Parasite

Everything fantastic about this film has already been said about it by people far smarter than me, so I’ll just say this: it is every bit as amazing as people hyped it up to be. This movie is a biting satire, a laugh-out-loud comedy, and an edge of your seat thriller. It has left an imprint on my brain since I first saw it back in October, to the point where as much as I have tried to analyze and dissect, this film, I don’t know if there’s a single flaw with it, there’s genuinely nothing I would change about this movie. If you see one movie this year, it should be Parasite. 

1. The Last Black Man in San Francisco

In July of 2019, I had to make probably the biggest decision of my (brief) career thus far. I was going to leave my management position at a 24-screen theater I’d loved dearly to go work in an office. I loved everything about the movie theater, I’d worked there for almost four years, but at a certain point it just had diminishing returns. Newer upper management and constant changes coming down from the big-whigs had turned my favorite building into a place I started to resent, a place I didn’t recognize. I tried to fight the change, and re-institute everything I loved about this building that I practically grew up in, but you can’t fight change, and you shouldn’t romanticize the past.  

I’ve never seen these themes more realized in film than in The Last Black Man in San Francisco. It tells the story of Jimmie Fails, a native San Franciscan who has to watch the city he’s loved his whole life descend into a rapidly gentrified hellscape that leaves many homeless and helpless. He often visits his childhood home, a beautiful three-story house with a “witch hat” on top, now owned by an older white couple. This doesn’t stop him from romanticizing the house, romanticizing the past, as he constantly visits and attempts to fix up the house, oftentimes clashing with the current inhabitants. 

This disdain from the couple is an all-too-real parallel message that he’s getting from the city itself: You’re not welcome here anymore. Much as Jimmie has tied his identity to this home, and this city, he is hardly welcome in either. But for one brief instant, he gets to live his dream. The house gets stuck in a familial dispute, causing the older couple to move out. Leaving behind a big empty house that no one is occupying, Jimmie and his best friend Montgomery decide to just move right in, and have their way. They bring in all the old furniture from Jimmie’s childhood, they paint the walls, repair the original woodworking, all in service of Jimmie’s dream to simply exist in this space, and preserve something sacred.

Eventually though, reality comes crashing down, and try as he might, Jimmie can’t stay in the house, and he has to learn a hard truth: you cannot tie yourself emotionally to a physical space. Whether it’s a house, a city, a job, you simply cannot love something that doesn’t love you back. You will get hurt every time. 

But it’s so easy to love. It’s so easy to play the piano in the entranceway of your childhood home. It’s so easy to relax in the sauna upstairs, or smoke on the balcony, or just lay on the floor and admire the witch hat. The Last Black Man in San Francisco makes you fall in love with this house, and with Jimmie and Montgomery, and as much as we see ourselves in them, we too have to learn the same lessons. As much as we want to inhabit a space, and get the fullest potential out of it, you cannot ever stop change, and you cannot stand in the way of it without going insane. 

And maybe it was just because I was going through this personal development the first time I saw this movie, but it hit me like a ton of bricks. It stuck in my brain so much that by the time I saw it a second time, I was a complete mess; I cried four times. I cried for Jimmie, I cried for the house, and I cried for myself. I cried for the things we all lost, the things that would never be the same, and because we would have to learn to accept that. This is what’s so beautiful about The Last Black Man in San Francisco, and on top of the phenomenal acting, emotional script, and gorgeous visuals, it’s what made it my favorite film of the year.  

#2019 movies #2019 films #top ten #top ten of 2019 #top ten films #top ten movies #2019 #year in film #year in movies #long day's journey into night #tigers are not afraid #one cut of the dead #shadow #ad astra #uncut gems #the irishman #the farewell #el camino #waves #the mustang #the lego movie 2: the second part #parasite #the last black man in san francisco

[paulisweeabootrash]

Series Review: Read or Die (R.O.D. the OVA)

Welcome to another episode of Paul is Weeaboo Trash! Today’s topic is a show I’ve previously seen one episode of, so long ago that I’m almost going in fresh: the OVA (what we in the US would call a “direct to video release”) of Read or Die (2001–2002)! I was lucky enough to grow up in a household where education and fun were not portrayed as opposites, and we had the means to find plenty of fun educational things to do.  My parents searched for all kinds of potentially interesting activities, and living in southern New Hampshire, the Boston area was not prohibitively far to go for them.  And so I was signed up for Splash, a program one weekend per fall in which MIT students teach middle- and high-school-age kids seminars on a wide variety of topics.

What counted as topics worthy of education was quite broad, however.  I ended up in a "class" that consisted of watching one episode each of several anime that the student running the class was a fan of.  This was back in the days where anime fandom spread person-to-person by recommendations and there was more emphasis on developing a background knowledge of "classics" among the more informed and/or snootier fans.  (I still feel this way a bit because certain tropes and references are so common or influential that being familiar with the original sources can make newer shows suddenly make a lot more sense, but I disapprove of the gatekeeper tendency to look down on people who don't yet know the things "everyone knows".)

I don't remember how many shows we sampled there, but the two that made an impact were Hellsing, which in retrospect was at best questionable for the age of the audience, and was very much not my thing because I have a low tolerance for gore, and the topic of this post, Read or Die, which was very much the kind of thing I wanted to see: a nerd being a badass in a fantastical way.  Especially since I was also really into James Bond at the time, so I was probably primed to eat up other media involving a British spy fighting a mysterious secret organization.  Since I'm incredibly averse to media piracy and had no clue where to buy anime, though, I never followed up to finish watching it, and eventually it faded from my mind.  Until I stumbled across the first volume of the manga for super-cheap at Saboten Con last year, and it flicked some nostalgia switch that reminded me how much I'd enjoyed it at the time, although I barely remember any actual details, so I am practically going in fresh here.

Read or Die follows Yomiko Readman, a teacher, obsessive book collector and reader, and superpowered secret agent who can manipulate paper in nearly any way.  Any paper available, from money to ribbons to a briefcase full of blank looseleaf she apparently just brings with her.  She uses this power in the course of her service as a secret agent, codename The Paper, working for the British Library?!  Along with Miss Deep, who can selectively phase shift, and Drake Anderson, a gruff and dismissive military type (and apparently potter in his cover job), she is assigned to a plan to save the world in a way that vaguely involves collecting books.  Saved from whom?  The I-jin, clones of historical geniuses with superpowers related to their areas of expertise, such as... knowing stuff about insects, or... uh... spreading Buddhism to Japan... who are going to flashy and violent lengths to steal books the British Library is trying to acquire legitimately.  Trust me, it eventually gets explained, and the Big Reveal, although pretty goddamn weird, fits in with the rest of what has been established.  Suspend your disbelief enough to accept the I-jin at all, and it’s fine, although still a bit ludicrous.

And I submit that all that is still less weird and ridiculous than your typical superhero or spy movie, and this show does after all have elements of both genres in one.  Or, well, more and more superhero and military action as it goes on.  Although the theme music uses 60s guitar sounds, chromatic chord changes, and blaring brass hits that are virtually guaranteed to evoke the James Bond theme, and our main cast do work for a secret intelligence agency, they are in quite open military-style conflict with the I-jin -- with the approval of the UN -- and very little that’s actually covert occurs, with the notable exception of something I can’t spoil that happens at the end of ep. 2.  And because of the superpower angle, some of the instances of weirdness are not flaws at all but pretty creative implementations of the characters’ powers (using a paper airplane as a lethal weapon?!).

This last point didn’t really fit in organically, but I'd also like to mention a couple of things about the art that I love but don't see often.  The very first shot of the series uses multiple flat backgrounds at different distances moving in relation to each other to convey the camera moving across the scene, which I have seen in other animated works (at the moment, I can only think of examples from very old Disney movies off the top of my head), but not in recent ones.  I don't know whether it's simply out-of-fashion or this is a result of the shift to CGI so animators figure "why would we do this when we can actually render a city with realistic perspective?"  This show also has a particular kind of fluid motion in characters that I’ve seen in many reasonably-high-production-value shows from the 90s and 00s, but rarely in newer shows (Space Dandy being a notable exception).  Maybe I'm watching the wrong recent shows, maybe it's just a stylistic choice that's out of fashion, maybe it's harder to pull off convincingly when you're not animating by hand.

I’m glad I finally got to watch this.  It’s even better than I remember.  Now to get to work on the rest of the manga and the other series.  Oh yeah, haha.  The abbreviation "R.O.D." stands for both "Read or Die" and "Read or Dream", which are different parts of the same larger series.  The Read or Die manga (4 volumes), this OVA series, the Read or Dream manga (also 4 volumes), and a 26-episode TV series all take place in the same narrative universe, rather than the usual model of the anime being an adaptation/retelling of the manga.  There is also a light novel series I know nothing about, but it sounds from the Wikipedia article like that is the single ongoing series that is the source for the two manga and two anime.  (There is also apparently a barely-related future side story manga.)

-----

W/A/S: 1/3/3

Weeb: I don’t think there’s much, if anything, in here that would require explanation to a typical Western audience and which isn’t also explained in the dialogue.

Ass: There is a single implied nipple in the opening sequence.  Gasp!  And Miss Deep's costume design is pretty fanservicey, but only barely more explicitly so than you're likely to get in American media deemed suitable for older children.

Shit: Until the Big Reveal, it's just unclear why anyone involved other than Yomiko should be this interested in acquiring the specific books that serve as the show’s MacGuffin, nor is it clear that the I-jin’s plans extend further than searching for them in a very destructive way, leaving me baffled that the Library immediately makes the connection that the books are key to saving the world.  There are a few minor errors in the subtitles and a visual glitch (Blu Ray remaster, please?), and a couple of places where faces just... don’t... look right.  Oh, and if you’re watching the dubbed version, add another half point of Shit for Crispin Freeman’s British accent.

And for the first time I feel the need to add a CONTENT WARNING.  Usually, I think the review is sufficient to give you the idea whether there is anything likely to be disturbing in a show, but this is different, because the first two episodes have the sort of over-the-top stylized combat you might expect from other action anime or Western superhero media, where even a death comes off as un-shocking.  But in ep. 3 of this, there is a shocking pivot.  There are several short instances of graphic and sudden violence of kinds that are quite a bit more disturbing and distressing (even when they involve the use of powers) than anything that occurred previously.

-----

Stray Observations:

- Yes, those of you who know a little Japanese caught that joke: "Yomiko" could be loosely translated as "read girl".  Her name is "Read Girl Read Man".  Because she likes to read.  Get it?  Ha!  Ha!  Ha!

- In the manga, Yomiko is also established to be a literal bibliophile.  As in "books, regardless of content, turn her on".  I'm kind of glad this is not a plot point in the anime.

- The “secret” operation in the last episode, which is conducted with UN approval and involves an actual military attack with an actual goddamn naval fleet (and collaborating with North Korea to keep the US too distracted to notice it, even though this is a British operation against an organization that literally burned down the White House in the first scene of the first episode) might actually beat the first few episodes of Full Metal Panic! for “worst undercover operation ever”.

#R.O.D. #Read or Die #anime review #weeaboo trash

[therummesoccupied]

Home Run: What We Can Learn From Sonic Mania

           Over a year after the 25th anniversary of the release of Sonic the Hedgehog for the SEGA Genesis, the Blue Blur’s first commemorative quarter-century title has finally hit digital shelves – that is, for owners of the Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch consoles. While PC players have to wait an extra couple of weeks to download the game, Sonic Mania’s historical significance in the world of video games is lost to no one. Mania is one of the earliest examples, if not the earliest example of a notable company handing the reigns to one of their flagship series to their fans and seeing how they fare. Put together by a dream team of Sonic fan creators, such as Christian Whitehead, who also worked on enhanced ports of Sonic 1, Sonic 2, and Sonic CD, Tyson Hesse, who provided artwork for a number of Archie Comics’ adaptations of the franchise, Tee Lopes, known for his extensive backlog of Sonic music remixes, and a talented group of other fan creators, Sonic Mania utilizes resources from SEGA to present a letter of true love to the classic Sonic titles of old. By bringing unique, creative design ideas to tried-and-true level construction, and implementing an expressive, nostalgic aesthetic style, Mania manages to overcome many of Sonic’s rockier elements and outshine its flaws with a game that not only reminds us what we loved about old Sonic games, but also to bring new ideas for the table that leave us excited for future possibilities.

           Sonic Mania takes everything there was to love about classic Sonic level design and turns it up to eleven. Long, twisting paths traversed at breakneck speeds, thrilling stunts, and extreme 90’s grandeur are all front-in-center, putting the player in an exhilarating position of awe while needing to maintain a quick thought process in order to keep the hedgehog on the right track. When Sonic isn’t bursting forward at the speed of sound, he’s required to traverse carefully crafted puzzles and platforming sections that ask the player for a bit of clever thought. All of this has been present in Sonic games before, but never so well-balanced as it is in Mania. Whenever the player is going fast, (ha) it feels like they are doing just that, not like they’re just along for the ride, a noted flaw of many older Sonic games. The player is given just enough control and asked to make just enough decisions during these high-speed sections to be given a feeling of agency many might say Sonic has always been lacking. The low-speed areas are portioned and placed just right so that they don’t feel like they’re hindering the player’s speed, but rather, these lulls only serve to build anticipation, getting the player more and more eager to hit the “open road” of the speedier areas, so that when they finally work their way through the tricky yet engaging platforming segments, the subsequent speed feels like a reward for their good thinking rather than giving the impression that they’re finally getting back to the “real game.” With old ideas being improved upon, the development team also implemented numerous newer ideas, each worked into the game in shockingly creative ways – I won’t spoil anything, but this marriage of old and new ideas is especially prevalent in the boss fights. Each one brings back a classic component of Sonic history and presents it in such a unique, clever way that the battles are honestly my favorite part of the entire game. The game similarly uses its distinct new concepts to escape the trap of monotony, as each level has its own unique design cues and constructive elements so that the game never feels the same from one Zone to the next, yet also manages not to lose the feeling of consistency. Each part of this game manages to capture something timeless about the Sonic franchise and spin it around so that we are able to see it in a totally new light, leaving us in awe of it once more.

           In terms of visual style, one might say that Sonic has never run so smoothly. All of this game’s motion is nearly seamless, giving us a clearer picture of the fluidity and momentum we’ve come to expect from the Sonic franchise. The Sonic series has additionally never looked so expressive – with colors appearing to be the brightest they’ve ever been, and exaggerated movements and shapes abound. Every action and object in this game is distinct and draws attention in such a way that the player, while speeding through the game’s environments, is still able to perceive and appreciate each and every creative touch sprinkled throughout the scene. In addition to being packed with visual creativity, the game also boasts an impressive soundtrack, composed by Tee Lopes. Lopes presents us a throwback to the funky, ambient tunes of Sonic CD, while managing to keep levels from other previous entries in the series both true to their original styles and revamped to fit the sound of the new game. Lopes has once again shown his prowess when it comes to adding a fresh yet fitting twist to classic Sonic tunes. The game additionally boasts phenomenal animated cutscenes, directed by renowned web-based artist Tyson Hesse. Hesse applies a flexible and vivid lens to the classic Toei animations we saw back in the 90’s with Sonic CD and the Sonic the Hedgehog OVA. The distinct shapes, colors, and animations shown in these scenes give us view of what is, in my opinion, some of the best Sonic the Hedgehog artwork currently available anywhere.

           Unfortunately, the game is, like any other game, not without its shortcomings. Over time, it becomes evident that some of the enormous and complex level design, might be a little too meticulous, with some portions of the game abruptly bringing Sonic to a halt to solve puzzles the player simply isn’t in the mindset for. These roadblocks can get to be quite frustrating and confusing, as the player is still in a mental state in which they want to go fast, (ha) and as a result, one often gets caught up trying to find a quick, reckless solution to a problem that requires a more careful, delicate touch. Additionally, the eye-catching visuals can, at times, complicate the experience. While it’s true that virtually every part of the levels in visually interesting, this can sometimes work to the game’s disadvantage, as, during some of the more complex areas, the attention-grabbing visuals can clutter up the screen and be quite distracting, making many dilemmas much harder to resolve than they need to be. Lastly, while it’s true that the soundtrack brings a lot of energy reminiscent of the Sonic CD OST, sometimes the chill, environmental jams can get to be just a tad too atmospheric. Much of the music that Sonic is best known for is upbeat, melodic, and intense – and CD’s smooth grooves can, at times, betray the game’s high-speed, adrenaline-driven nature. Lopes has shown time and time again that he’s more than capable of giving music befitting of Sonic titles other than CD - in fact, many of his remixes are arguably even more fitting for their respective levels than the songs they’re based off of, so it’s a tad disappointing we didn’t get to see a larger spread of his potential in this game than we did. My last issue with the game lies in its story. While I’m often one to argue that a game’s story usually matters very little when judging its overall quality, I must admit, I was a bit distracted by how confusing the game’s plot was. The story centers around a powerful gem that Dr. Eggman acquires on Angel Island… which… isn’t floating? Even though it went back to the sky at the end of Sonic 3 & Knuckles? Similarly, the Death Egg is still shown in Lava Reef Zone, despite being destroyed in the same game? And Tiny Planet is still chained to Sonic’s world, even though the chain was broken at the end of Sonic CD? There might be a sensible explanation if the gem induced time travel – though this would be the 5th time in the series that this was used as a key plot element – but it’s unclear whether the gem warps Sonic through time to his past, or if it sends him to places he’s visited before in their present state. Whatever the case, the story created a lot of conflicts for me, especially when trying to consider how this game affects the canon of the franchise as a whole.

           Still, the story of a game does usually matter little to me, and this game does more than enough right to keep me true to that philosophy. The mechanics and design of the game add new twists to old ideas, making their return even more welcome than it would have been to begin with. The game’s style is absolutely delectable, bringing a dynamic energy to Sonic that could hardly be more fitting for the speedy blue hedgehog. It brings out the franchise’s strengths to help it leave its flaws in the dust, and managing to do the same for its own issues. Sonic Mania is a stunning example of how well a project can come together when worked on by people who truly love it. SEGA gathered a team that displayed a great creative passion for Sonic, and their passion showed in the love and care that is clearly present in the crafting and presentation of this game. By working with their fan-creators instead of against them, (as many game developers are wont to do) SEGA managed to create not only a true testament of their fans’ love for Sonic, but also a game that exceeds expectations entirely, standing out as one of the best, if not the best, Sonic the Hedgehog game of all time.

#sonic mania #sonic the hedgehog #sega #review

[mariettalocksmith]

When to Replace Different Automobile Locks

It’s easy to believe that there is only one lock that would ever need replaced in your car. However, considering the different types of locks based upon make, model and year of your automobile there are many issues to consider. There are also additional wheeled items that hit the road like trailers and transport units that we tend to use much longer than any one automobile. In those cases, there is the chance of old locks becoming rusted, worn and torn to the point that keys will break off, fail to turn or work. In the case that this may inhibit the security of whatever you transport in these units it is important to prepare yourself on how to manage these situations.

When to Replace Automobile Locks

First and foremost, if your car has been broken into then it is a good idea to replace door locks, trunk locks and even your ignition keys. Luckily, with the way things work today, if you have an automatic locking system there is the option for many cars to have the code updated and not necessarily take the entire set of locks out and replace with a new system. It will depend on the make, model and year of your car. But, Marietta Locksmith, LLC, right here in Marietta, GA, has a number of top-quality professionals ready to check into these emergencies 24/7 for you.  

When to Replace Auto Locks on Trailers

Do you have a trailer that is used for transporting racing automobiles? Maybe a trailer that is used for your farm animals or other work needs? Well, just like the car or truck itself there is a chance that the trailer can be broken into while you aren’t watching. While nothing may have been stolen, there is always a chance that someone made the attempt. If you have any suspicion at all then it is a good idea to take a look at the lock and the area around it. If someone made the attempt to break in they could have damaged the door, the lock and completely faulted the ability of the key to work. This could ruin your safe work immediately. So, it is helpful to have Marietta Locksmith, LLC technicians available 24/7 for any of these emergencies as they arise. We can make it to your rescue, whether it is to check the situation, a potential lock replacement or just a key cut after an emergency lockout. Our staff is always on call, so we can make it to you any time day or night.

When to Replace Locks on Other Storage or Transport Units

Well, we’ve talked about theft and break-ins quite a bit! However, we also understand that those trailers and transport units are ones that you like to use for long periods of time. That means they can wear out easily, with locks becoming rusted in the weather or other wear and tear. It becomes harder to turn them or even to insert the key. Even the chance that a key may break off at the worst possible time can cause the worry that it’s time to replace the lock before your next trip.  

Even if you are out on your trip or in a hurry to get loaded up and going, our locksmiths are able to get to you immediately. Those trailer doors and hitches may have started to rust and deteriorate over the years in the rain and weather, but there is no need to buy a whole new one. Our quality professionals are here for you at the drop of a hat. With operators available to answer your calls 24/7, and lock replacement emergency can be handled on your trailer right away.

When to Replace Locks on Truck Beds or Car Trunks

This is is an easy problem to let pass, especially when the trunk or bed of a car or truck is not in use very often. With trucks, especially so many older models that are used for manual operations, there are standard turn-and-lock keys. In the condition that we have more contemporary cars and trucks, most of us have the newer transponder keys that are included in the overall computer operation of the automobile’s security, lock and ignition system in one.

If you have the transponder key that can unlock or open the trunk with the button, take note if it is delayed in doing its job. Whether it won’t work or works slowly, it is likely time to have the transponder checked or replaced. Check and see if the spare key works fine, and that is likely the best indicator that your primary key needs replaced, possibly with the lock as well. Since it may need reprogrammed or coded, it is easy to call a professional locksmith who is able to come to you and check and resolve the problem right there on site. While the dealership is able to handle the problem, it can mean setting an appointment, waiting to get in, and the chance that everything fails completely before you are able to get it fixed. Luckily, if you have an older model manual key and lock, or the new transponder key, our locksmiths would be able to easily recut, replace or fix your lock or key as needed.

Manage Lock Replacement in Marietta

It’s great to know that you have a quality locksmith company right here in town, with Marietta Locksmith, LLC prepared to assist in lock replacement on site 24/7. Our operators remain on the line day and night, keeping our technicians prepared for any of your emergency needs at any time. With our professional locksmiths on call 24/7, no matter the lock replacement or other issue you need fixed our locksmiths are on their way to you in a matter of minutes. With your safety and security as our top priority, we always have the leading brands of parts, equipment and tools to make sure that we can work with the locks already in your home as well as the updates you desire.

#locksmith #automotive locksmith #lock replacement