#so he sold me high quality stuff for a great deal I am :))))
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Diabolik Lovers VANDEAD CARNIVAL ;; Kou Route ー Chapter 1
ー The scene starts at the Carnival’s entrance
Yui: ( This is the Demon World... )
( I was wondering just how scary of a place it would be but...Things are actually quite lively. )
Kou: M-neko-chan! You’re getting distracted again!
Yui: Ah, sorry, Kou-kun. There’s so many new things to discover, I can’t help myself...
Kou: I can understand that but if you get separated from me, you’ll end up all by yourself, you know?
Are you fine with that? One of the scaaaary monsters roaming around the Demon World might just gobble you right up~
Yui: I-I’m not!
Kou: Fufu~ Right? That’s why you’ve got to keep your eyes on me. Okay?
Yui: Yeah, I know. I’m sorry.
Kou: Well, I doubt there’s any monsters. Even if there is, I’ll beat them up!
Yui: ...You’re in high spirits today aren’t you, Kou-kun?
Kou: Of course I am~ I get to explore the festival together with you after all. How could I not be happy?
Thank you for choosing me.
Yui: Oh no, you don’t need to thank me.
I chose you because I wanted to, that’s all.
Kou: Fufu~ When you say those kinds of things, my mood will only improve!
...Well, if you’re actually speaking the truth right now, that is?
Yui: Of course I am.
Kou: Really~? Let’s see...?
Nnー...
...Fufu, thank god. Seems like it really is the truth? Your eyes aren’t lying.
In my case, I can tell just by looking someone in the eyes so it’s quite convenient.
I doubt you’re that much of a fool to lie despite being aware of my ability.
Yui: ( Right...Kou-kun can read people’s mind with his right eye, so whenever someone lies, he can tell straight away. )
( Of course, I wouldn’t lie to Kou-kun even if he didn’t have that eye... )
Kou: Well then, I guess we should get going soーー
*Thud*
Kou: ーー Woah!
???: ...
Kou: What’s his problem!? Don’t you think it’s rude to bump into someone and then just walk away without a single apology!?
Yui: Are you okay, Kou-kun?
Kou: Yeah, I guess so...Wait, huh?
Yui: What’s wrong? Don’t tell me, did you get hurt!?
Kou: No, that’s not it but...Hmm~...?
Yui: ...?
Kou: I guess I’m just imagining things? Something just felt slightly off about my eye?
Yui: Your eye? Did something get in there when that person bumped against you earlier?
Kou: Hmー Maybe. Well, it doesn’t hurt or anything so it’s fine.
It’s the Carnival so it’d be a shame not to enjoy ourselves, right? Come on, let’s go?
*TIMESKIP*
ー The scene shifts to the Carnival’s venue
Kou: Say. Is there anywhere you’d like to go?
Yui: Hm...Even if you say that, it’s my first time visiting the Demon World so I don’t know this place very well...
Kou: Ahー Guess that makes sense. To be honest, I’m not too familiar with it either.
Yui: It’s your first time here as well?
Kou: Yeah. We aren’t Pureblood Vampires after all. It’s my first time at the Carnival too.
But you don’t have it easy either~ You were chosen to be the Queen of the Carnival and all.
Yui: About that, I wonder why they chose me?
I was chosen even though I’m a human...I wonder if there’s some sort of reason behind it?
Kou: ...Who knows? I don’t know either. Good question.
Ah, I know! Isn’t it because you’re so cute? Mmh, mmh! I’m sure that must be it!
Well, I’m sure someone will come and fetch us when it’s your time to shine, so might as well have some fun until then.
Let’s have a blast together, okay~?
Yui: Y-Yeah...
Kou: Okay! Then first up...Actually, I have no idea what this place has to offer.
Yui: Want to just walk around for now? Then we can go inside whichever place catches our attention.
Kou: Agreed! Let’s get going then.
Yui: Yeah.
ー The two of you start walking
Male Vampire A: ...Is that?
Yui: ( Hm...? )
Male Vampire B: I see. This scent is most definitely...
Yui: ( ...Am I being watched? I feel as if all people passing by turn their heads towards me... )
Kou: What’s wrong, M-neko-chan?
Yui: I can feel other people’s gazes...Or maybe it’s just my imagination.
Kou: Ahー Of course they’d look at you! You are a feast on legs to those Vampires after all!
Yui: A feast!?
Kou: I mean, aren’t you? Your blood is of the finest quality after all~
...See? Every single one of them is looking at you. Like wild beasts in front of their prey.
Yui: ( ...Now that he mentions it. )
Kou: It must feel very unsettling to have eyes following you everywhere~
I get that all the time in the human world, so I know how you feel.
Yui: ( Ah...Right. Kou-kun’s an idol after all... )
( He has to deal with this all the time. )
Kou: Well, you’ll never get any rest if you keep on fussing about these small things, so just try and ignore it.
The best strategy is to take the offensive yourself! A little word of advice from your Senpai~
Yui: Fufu. Yeah, gotcha. Thank you, Kou-kun.
Kou: Think you can manage it? I doubt it feels very nice since you’re not used to it.
Yui: Yeah...But I’ve decided to think positive.
Kou: What do you mean?
Yui: I’m hoping to be able to relate to you better through this experience.
I’ve never been stared at this much in the human world after all.
Kou: M-neko-chan...
ー Kou walks up to you
Kou: ...Fufu~ They really might have picked you as the Queen because you’re simply adorable.
I like how you can always stay positive like that. ...Nn.
*Smooch*
Yui: ...Kou-kun!
Kou: Yes? You don’t like my kisses?
Yui: But there’s tons of people around...
Kou: Like I said, don’t pay attention to other people’s looks, okay? Did you forget already?
Yui: ( I-Is that what he meant...? )
Kou: Come on, shall we actually get going on? I feel like I might just take a bite out of you if we keep on standing still here~
Yui: Y-Yeah...
*TIMESKIP*
Kou: Wooow~ There’s so many stores!
Yui: Cafes, candy parlors, and over there’s a...doll house? Plenty of choice. What should we do?
Kou: Assuming we’re going to give them all a look, let’s start with...Ah! How about that place over there?
Yui: A dress shop?
Kou: I’m curious what the fashion in the Demon World is like so let’s go take a look.
While we’re at it, I’ll put together the perfect dress for you!
If you wear clothes from the Demon World, you might fit in a little better.
Yui: ( Well, I am a little curious what a clothes store would be like in the Demon World... )
( Also, Kou-kun says he’s willing to pick something out for me... )
Kou: So, let’s go have a look?
Yui: ...Yeah!
ー They enter the dress shop
Yui: ( Wah...Amazing. There’s so many fancy dresses. )
( Nothing strikes me as off about this place? The clothes seem normal too. )
Kou: Hm~... If I had to pick one that would suit you from these...
Oh! Hey, Yui! Come here for a sec!
Yui: Did you find something?
Kou: I was thinking about this one. Here, try holding it in front of you.
Yui: ( A pale pink dress. How cute...! )
Kou: Hmー...
It fits your look but it also lacks impact? I guess it’s a little too obvious of a choice?
Then, how about this white one over he...Oh.
*Rustle*
Kou: Ah, this one won’t do. The silhouette isn’t bad, but you’d get way too much attention in this and I don’t like the thought of that. Next!
Yellow...Hm, I can’t picture it.
Yui: ( H-He’s strict... )
Kou: I’m struggling a bit. I usually don’t have this much trouble picking out an outfit to wear.
Yui: Anything looks good on you after all.
Kou: I’m only wearing the stuff that has been given to me though. Hmー But I actually feel extra motivated as a result!
I’ll definitely find something that fits you so just wait a little, okay?
ー Kou runs off
Yui: ( ...Fufu, Kou-kun seems to be having fun. )
???: ーー You.
Yui: ...!?
???: Oh dear, my bad. Did I startle you?
Yui: ( T-That surprised me...! I couldn’t sense anyone standing near me at all... )
Kou: Yui!
What? Did something happen!?
???: It’s nothing. I simply reached out for this young lady.
Kou: ...And you are?
Dress Shop Madam: I am the owner of this store. It’s a pleasure to meet you.
Kou: The owner? ...Yui, is that true? She hasn’t done anything to you?
Yui: Y-Yeah. I’m fine. I was only a little shocked when someone suddenly started talking to me...
Kou: I see...Geez, don’t scare me like that. I thought a group of Vampires had got you surrounded.
Yui: Sorry...
Kou: So? What does Ms. Magnificent Owner over here (1) need?
Dress Shop Madam: Fufu, I am nobody of great importance, really. Besides, I am no ordinary shop owner either.
Yui: What do you mean?
Dress Shop Madam: I am the designer for this store as well. Every single dress sold in this shop was designed by my hand.
Kou: Heeh. So you’re an owner-designer?
Dress Shop Madam: I’ve been keeping an eye on the two of you and I must say that the gentleman over there has a rather good taste.
Kou: Right~?
Dress Shop Madam: However, it’s too bad. It seems like the clothes you were looking at did not choose her.
Yui: They didn’t choose me...?
Dress Shop Madam: My clothes choose who will wear them.
So no matter how much you like an outfit, if the clothes do not feel the same way as you, they will not let you wear them.
Kou: Eehー!? What are you talking about!? Is that possible!?
Yui: ( I see... )
( I guess the clothing stores here really are different after all... )
Dress Shop Madam: If you want to wear the dresses in this store, you’ll have to be chosen by my clothes.
Kou: No way! I’m gonna be the one who decides which dress M-neko-chan wears! I’m not giving up that right to some clothes!
I’m 100% positive I’d do a better job at picking out an outfit for her!
Dress Shop Madam: Oh dear...Fufufu, you must be bursting with confidence!
If you are that convinced, I suppose I shall allow it. Go ahead and pick one. A dress for her, that is.
Kou: Heeh, are you challenging me?
Fufu, okay then~ I don’t like conflict, but I don’t mind taking up that kind of challenge.
Yui: K-Kou-kun...
Kou: Don’t worry! You wait here, okay?
I’ll get going then!
ー Kou runs off once more
Dress Shop Madam: Fufu...I’m looking forward to this.
Yui: ( Will this turn out okay...? )
*TIMESKIP*
Kou: ーー Okay, it has to be this one!
Sorry for the wait, Yui.
Yui: You made up your mind?
Kou: Yeah. I had a little trouble deciding, but this is the one I went with. Say, try holding it like you did before.
Yui: Yeah!
Kou: Exactly, now stand in front of the mirror...There. See, what do you think?
Yui: ( What a wonderful red dress...! )
Kou: Do you like it?
Selection
→ Yeah, very much so! (☾)
Yui: Yeah, very much so!
Kou: I see, I’m glad!
→ This won’t suit me...
Yui: The dress itself is wonderful but...Don’t you think it’s a little too flashy...?
Kou: You’re too much of a coward, M-neko-chan. I picked it out so it’ll definitely be okay.
Kou: Just try putting it on for now. With that being said, off you go to the fitting room!
ー The scene shifts to the fitting room
Kou: M-neko-chaaaaan~? How are things in there? Did you get it on? Can I come in?
Yui: ...! W-Wait! I’m still taking off my clothes...!
Kou: Ehー? When you say that, you’re only tempting me to open the door even more though. ...Say, can I enter?
Yui: I said no!
Kou: Fufu~ I was joking!
But if you take too long, I might lose patience and come in anyway. So hurry up and get changed, okay?
Yui: ( A-Anyway...I better quickly change into this. )
( This dress Kou-kun picked out for me...I hope it’ll suit me... )
*TIMESKIP*
Yui: ーー Kou-kun? I changed.
Kou: Finally? Geez, I was getting sick of waiting.
Oh well. I’ll open the door now, okay?
*Rustle*
Kou: Let’s see...Oh. ...Woah.
Yui: What do you think? ...Does it look good on me?
Kou: Of course! I mean, I’m the one who chose it, remember? With you in mind.
How could a dress like that not suit you?
It looks great on you. You’re cute, Yui.
Yui: Thank you...
( Thank god...I’m happy to hear him say that. )
Dress Shop Madam: Pardon me. ...Oh my.
Kou: Fufufu~ What do you think? Fits her like a glove, don’t you think?
Dress Shop Madam: Fufu, you did a fine job. It seems like these clothes were planning on choosing her as well.
Yui: Then you were right! That’s amazing, Kou-kun!
Kou: Fufufu. Please praise me more~
See? That’s why I told you. That I’d definitely be able to find something that suits you.
I know everything about you after all.
Since I’ve been watching you from up close, I can tell which kind of clothes would look good on you right away.
Yui: Kou-kun...
( ...Right. He knows what suits me because he’s always watching me right by my side. )
( I’m glad Kou-kun is happy too! )
*TIMESKIP*
Kou: Huh? You took it off?
Yui: Yeah, it was lovely but I’d feel bad if it got dirty...
Kou: Really? Well, if that’s what you want.
Say, Yui. You can choose next. An outfit that would suit me, that is.
Yui: Me?
Kou: Yeah. You don’t mind, do you?
Yui: I don’t but...I’m not very confident. I don’t have an eye for fashion like you do.
Kou: But you’ve been watching me closely as well, right? Then it could be fine! I’m sure you can totally pull it off!
Come on, hurry up and go pick something out. I easily get tired of waiting so make hasteー
*TIMESKIP*
Yui: ...Hm...
( What should I do? I can’t make up my mind after all... )
( Kou-kun usually manages to pull off any look so it’s difficult to narrow it down to just one outfit. )
( But if I had to choose... )
...Here goes nothing!
ー Yui returns to Kou
Kou: Ah, there you are, finally. You’re late. I was getting tired of waiting.
Yui: Sorry. But I managed to choose something.
Kou: Oh! Let me see?
Yui: You see, it’s thisーー
Dress Shop Madam: ーー Hold it.
Yui: Eh?
Dress Shop Madam: Did you...choose these clothes?
Yui: Yes, I did...
Dress Shop Madam: I see...
Yui: ( Did I get it wrong? I thought they would look good on Kou-kun though... )
Dress Shop Madam: To choose something like this...Is everything okay with you?
Yui: Okay?
Kou: Are you saying that her fashion sense is catastrophic?
Yui: ( Uu... )
Dress Shop Madam: No, not like that...
Young lady, could you perhaps be keeping some sort of secret from him?
Kou: Eh...?
Yui: ( Secret...? From Kou-kun? )
( I can’t think of anything of the top of my head... )
Kou: No way! M-neko-chan is the last person who would do that. Right?
Yui: Y-Yeah! I’m not keeping any secrets!?
Kou: Hmー? ...Why are you panicking?
Dress Shop Madam: I hope it’s just my imagination. They say that clothes are a mirror to the soul.
Kou: ...
...Ah-ah, I was in such a great mood up till now. But now it’s totally ruined because of you. I’ve gotten irritated.
Yui: K-Kou-kun...
Kou: We’re done shopping. Come on, let’s get going. Just leave those clothes and the dress behind.
Yui: Wait, Kou-kun! I’m really not hiding anything from you!
Kou: Shut up. Just get over here already. See you, Ms. Owner.
ー They leave the store
Dress Shop Madam: ...Seems like they are still wet behind their ears. (2)
ー The scene shifts to a side street
Yui: ...Wait, Kou-kun! It hurts when you tug onto my hand so strongly...!
Kou: Ahー My badー Unlike you, I have long legs after all.
Seems like I ended up dragging you along even though that wasn’t my intention. ...I ‘truly’ am sorry, okay?
Yui: ( Kou-kun’s giving me a scary look...! I can tell he’s really upset. )
Kou-kun...I’m really not keeping anything a secret from you.
Kou: ...
...If you want me to believe you, then show me some proof.
Yui: Proof...?
Kou: Proof that you’re not hiding anything from me. Something which proves that those words of yours aren’t a lie works as well. So, do you have any?
Yui: ( Even if he says that...If he won’t trust me on my word, what should I...? )
Kou: ...You don’t have any proof? Then you’re lying after all.
Yui: ...I’m not! I’m not lying! I’m not, but...
I don’t know what I should do...to earn your trust.
Kou: ...It’s easy, isn’t it?
All you have to do is look me in the eyes. If you do...It’ll all become clear to me.
*Rustle*
Kou: Like thiーー...
...Hah...?
Yui: ( Kou-kun...? )
Kou: Why...? I can’t see...
Like this, I don’t know anything about you...
Yui: ( Is he saying he can’t read my mind with his right eye? Why doesn’t it work all of a sudden...? )
Kou: Fuck, whatever!
In that case...I’ll check through the taste of your blood.
Your blood is much more honest than you are yourself after all...I’ll be able to tell right away if I have some.
Yui: ...Will you believe me if you suck my blood?
Kou: Who knows...That depends on the taste, I guess?
Come on, what will you do? Or would it be bad if I were to suck your blood? ...Because your lies will be exposed.
Yui: ...No, it’s fine. If that gets you to trust me.
Kou: Hm...So you’re confident, huh? I’ll check then...!
ー Kou bites her
Yui: Uu...
Kou: Nn...Nn...Phew...!
...Fuck...It would be so easy if only I could use my eye...Nn...!
Yui: Do you believe me now...?
Kou: No, I can’t tell yet...So I need more...Nn...!
Nn...Nn...
Yui: ( Perhaps it’s because he’s upset, but I feel like he’s being somewhat more rough than usual...It hurts a little... )
( But I don’t want him to doubt me. I want him to trust me, so I’ll put up with the pain... )
Kou: ...
...Hm. I understand very well now, Yui.
You aren’t lying to me. I’ll believe you.
Yui: Can you really tell through the taste of my blood...?
Kou: No? I didn’t. I mean, how would that work?
Yui: Eh? ...Then why did you...?
Kou: I’ve simply chosen to trust you. My mood has improved from drinking your delicious blood as well.
*Rustle*
Kou: ...I’m sorry for treating you hard-handedly. Did it hurt?
Yui: A little...But it’s okay.
Kou: ...I should already know that you wouldn’t do such a thing though.
I wonder why I ended up doubting you again regardless?
...I guess it’s because I like you?
I want to trust you because I like you, I really do but...
The stronger my feelings for you grow, the easier I find myself doubting you. ...That’s strange, isn’t it?
Yui: Kou-kun...
Kou: This is all I can say for now but...I trust you.
Yui: ( ...It’s okay, Kou-kun. I’m not lying after all... )
( So please believe me... )
ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー
Translation notes
(1) Literally he says ‘What does an important person such as the Owner’, but that sounded so long-winded and stiff in English, so I adjusted it a little.
(2) In this phrase, the term 若い or ‘wakai’ which means ‘young’, refers more to being ‘naive’ or ‘inexperienced’ rather than actual age.
← RETURN TO PROLOGUE
→ PROCEED WITH MAIN STORY [CHAPTER 2]
→ SUB-SCENARIO #1 [W/AYATO]
→ SUB-SCENARIO #2 [W/ LAITO]
→ SUB-SCENARIO #3 [W/ YUMA]
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What would you rank all the fire emblem games that you have played.
Thank you for waiting, anon! This essay is finally finished! XD I don’t know if either of us ever intended for this to end up so long, but it did.
It’s interesting to see how each person experiences each game, so I hope everyone enjoys reading this. If anyone wants to ask questions for more details or just for conversation, please do!
I did a tier grouping ranking as well as ordering from bottom -> top, because that helped explain my feelings a little better. This isn’t really reflecting my nostalgia or personal feelings for the characters/world quite as much as “how much fun I had in my initial playthrough(s).” Because I think that’s what these sorts of lists are generally asking for.
First, I’d like to make a general statement about why I love FE games so much: Well, most simply it’s because I have more fun playing FE than any other series. That much is obvious though, right? I also love them because they all stand out in their own way, with their own unique combination of features, and because they are all super ambitious titles. It may lead to some rushing and half-baked ideas, but ambition is what excites me the most in any series. Even if the creators are not able to fully realize the ideas they had, the hard work still wows me as I play, and I can see hints of the full vision they had in every nook and cranny. Even the lowest games on this list are pretty high up there for me in fun level. The “fun but flawed” games just had glaring issues that interrupted the fun from time to time.
...FEs 1 & 3 are overall exceptions to the “unique and standing out rule,” being early games in the series; and FE6 set up post-Famicom FE, so it’s pretty basic, too - but they still get their own awards for setting a solid foundation for a fun video game series that withstands the test of time.
I can’t fully explain it, why I attached to FE the most over all other game series out there. But when I play FE, I usually don’t think about what’s not so great about the games. I just have fun. The gameplay always has me thinking, and I get engrossed in the stories and unlocking convos and supports.
Basic Tier
These games are really hard to judge properly in the ranking system, because they are just so basic for the series.
FE1 / FE11
When FE11 came out, I remember it getting so much flack for being really, really boring. But I didn’t get that. I like FE gameplay and storytelling at its core, so I don’t need the bells and whistles to have a good time. I knew this is where the series started, and was surprised with what content there was considering this is a remake of a game on the Famicom (NES).
FE1 set a very solid foundation for what the core of the series would be. Load it up next to a modern game, and it feels so the same and different all at once. I’ve only played a little bit of FE1 itself. I just can’t get through it because FE11 is SO similar to FE1, so you really only have to play one to get the whole experience. I didn’t feel like playing the same game over again at the time, so FE1 is still on my unfinished list.
Basic, solid foundation for the ages / 10
FE3 / FE12
After FE11 played it “safe” and took an “upgraded graphics with a few new ideas tacked on” approach, I was blown away by how much FE12 did, even if it was more for worse than better sometimes. It added so many conversations, was the first to tinker with the idea of a more fleshed out Avatar, added more story… and so on.
From what I’ve read recently, the new story stuff isn’t that great, but I don’t remember now. I’ve only played this game once. Overall, despite some clunk with the giant maps and so on, this game really challenged itself to improve from FE11, and it’s how I learned to love remakes that aren’t afraid to deviate from and add a lot to the original!
Set the stage for what kind of fun and ambition an FE remake could have / 10
FE3 is way more of a classic than any of us in the West can truly understand. It sold insanely well (the best in the series until Awakening I believe?), challenged the programmers to put FE1 on the cart as well, long before re-releases were a thing in the industry, and the game even made it to the Super Famicom Mini! I haven’t played it yet because again, it’s hard to get the motivation to play through the slow speed and clunkiness when I’ve already experienced the remake, but I’m looking forward to it some day.
The good ol’ days of the Super Famicom & SNES / 10
FE6
This was the first game without Kaga (the series original creator), so it set the stage for a future without him. The series might have strayed far from his plans for story and such, but this game, while it was pretty basic, firmly established a new foundation for the series on a new system, and gave a glimpse of what greatness the future had in store.
Overall though, this game is harder to commit to memory than others, except for classic characteristics like how terrible Roy is until, finally, BAM he gets his sword in the final stretches of the game; and running in circles from Douglas so you can avoid fighting him and successfully recruit him after the chapter.
Awkward, but sets a solid foundation for post-Kaga and post-Famicom FE / 10
Fun But Flaws Distracted From The Fun A Lot Tier
FE16
I really, really hate to say it, because this game tries to mix up the FE formula with the school setting and other new features and changes, and brought in a good mix of old and new, just like all the other FE games. But this game left very little impact on me for such a big experience. And I’m leaving out the fact that trying to play all four routes is dull as heck when I place the game this low. I’m basing it off of just how much I enjoyed the first playthrough.
Overall, I was most turned off by the class system. Which is funny, because I’ve seen others praise this as FE’s best class system. Everyone’s different. Classic classes like troubadours are just gone. The top tier classes are super limiting. Of course, you can just stop one tier down, but that’s not emotionally satisfying to me - I want my characters to reach the top! Despite having such free choice, I feel more limited than anything. If they’d just stopped at 4 tiers and not tried to go to 5, I think that would have been best. They had to stretch out the available classes too much to get to 5. ...Although being able to have an army of dragon riders is awesome, I’ll give it that. Dragons are too cool.
I was also really disappointed by the story. Fire Emblem has established that it can write a really emotional plot, and not be afraid to pull punches, with games like 4 and 8. I was expecting a huge contrast between part 1, where everyone is friends and classmates, and part 2, where war rips them apart, transforms them into different people, and forces them to brutally slaughter each other.
But in reality…the hate between Dimitri and Edelgard has nothing to do with the school at all… That was jarring to me. Of course there is no one right direction to take a story in. But the worldbuilding and story writing… feels even less coherent than Fates. That’s an accomplishment.
This is the one time I say ambition was really just too much. The game didn’t get enough polish. A game about the seasons doesn’t even have seasonal differences...
While my friends who don’t usually play Fire Emblem have had a fantastic experience with this one, after all I’ve been through, I found that I liked other FE’s more.
I think the best part about this game is the characters and supports. After Fates had a ton of supports in it just because it had to have them, the creators of this game weren’t afraid to change up the support formula once more, so they could balance quality and quantity. ...And then, ironically, this game went for the (almost entirely) mute, personality-less avatar character. Funny how that works out. XD
Dragon Lord Army Go! / 10
FE14
I feel this game deserves way more credit than it gets, while also agreeing with the critiques. The ambition was as great as ever. But then it got stuck in development hell and we got what we got. (For those who don’t know, the team was divided in two - the team that wanted a more fanservic-y experience, and the one that wanted to make a standard FE.)
I think the gameplay is the best part of this game, Conquest is great, and the gimmicks are indeed gimmicks, but still fun. In offering three different experiences, the entire package will please few, but that was the point of the multiple routes, to give everyone one route they would like, not to please everyone with all three.
But beyond the gameplay, the story is all over the place, the multiple routes just create more questions than answers; and features like an increased number of support convos and children feel like they are there only because of a desire to bring back “popular” features. After multiple food/cooking supports in a row, I couldn’t take it any more. There was so little that the characters were actually talking about in their supports vs. Awakening. I generally feel that more supports = better, because character interaction through supports is of course a highlight of post-Famicom FE, but in this case, the numbers did not do any favors.
Bringing back weapons that don’t break didn’t feel well done, either. I just ended up using basic weapons the whole time because I didn’t want to deal with the drawbacks of the higher level weapons.
Back to a positive for me: The hub world was neat, though it needed some convoluted story writing to be included. I was amused by going through the different features and collecting the items. I agree with Nintendo of America taking out the “petting minigame,” but since I lived in Japan when Fates released, it was amusing to do on the train and weird out the bored Japanese people who peered over my shoulder.
Since all three routes were different, this game was fun enough until the end in comparison to Three Houses, of which I am STILL trying to slog through the last route one year after release. But Fates was made for every route to be different, whereas Three Houses was not, so it’s not surprising I feel like that.
But time for the real talk about this game… why is everyone’s HP so low??? What happened?????
Up and down and all around in quality from start to finish / 10
FE15
I really want to like this game more. Oh, do I. It’s absolutely GORGEOUS, the character art makes my heart skip a beat, the game proved that full voice acting does fit FE really well, it fleshed out things like the dungeon crawling & story, and added support conversations & skills, etc. while still staying kind of basic, retaining the feeling that the original was on the NES. The momentum for the fun and ambition that an FE remake could have transitioned well from FE12 to here and led to this being a stunningly presented game.
But the creators totally missed the point on what were the defining features of the game in my opinion, and that mismatch of vision ruined a lot for me. I loved the imbalance, struggling as I placed my units in corners of maps just to survive, until I obtained all those OP items, and my super soldiers marched into battle and did wild and amazing things. Valbar with +5 move and 40 speed with the Speed Ring is the one thing I remember the best of FE2 and oh man was it fun, and did I love it.
And I mean, I understand why the creators weren’t going to keep that imbalance, it doesn’t make the game good for everyone. It’s just something I found fun, and made the game stand out among the other FEs. But the developers really just replaced old imbalance with new imbalance, the dread fighters being the one thing I remember in particular.
And they defined FE2’s best defining features as “the maps and the terrain effects” and I just did not agree. That was the stuff I DISLIKED about FE2! And that’s what they wanted to keep most? The terrain that made battles one giant miss, and the gigantic maps where I’d spend half the time just getting to the enemies? No thanks.
Then the story only cranked up the horrible treatment of the women, with Faye… being Faye, and I hated the direction they went in with Celica’s story... Ugh.
For every step or two forward, there’s one back / 10
FE10
FE games are always ambitious, but this one cranked the dial up to 10 and tripped over itself a lot. Still, it provided (even if it is info dumped) an intense and satisfying ending to the Tellius saga, and is another classic for the ages. I found the pacing boring and slow until then, though.
I think now that I’m older I can appreciate the story much, much more - and how it shows the story and aftermath of the Mad King’s War from multiple points of view - but the lack of the support conversations, and too much going on for any aspect of this game to be properly refined, still make this one lower on my list.
If only I could have played it more than once, to really get a good memory of the events of the game. My Wii actually scratched up my disk (How this happened, I don’t know, and it’s the ONLY disk my Wii ever slaughtered). It only held out long enough for my sibling and I to enjoy one playthrough each. I’ll get to playing my Japanese copy eventually!
Part 4 = Laguz Royals Emblem / 10
Somewhere Inbetween Tier
FE5
The last of the Kaga games. Still clunky and difficult, but with it’s own super unique features in capturing, stamina, and stealing weapons.
The brokenness of staves is not at all a flaw, but a feature in my opinion. Encouraging bizarre thinking and finding new ways to plow through maps is fun. I would probably be critical if this was a modern game, but I think older games need these quirks to stand out among modern titles with better graphics and decades of gaming history behind them.
And you still can complete the maps in a more traditional manner if you are determined. I did even for Reinhardt’s map.
Also, I gotta say... I don’t agree that this is the most difficult FE overall… it just has the hardest individual maps. The difficulty spikes are all over the place. The game goes from bashing your head against a wall to snoozefest constantly.
Fog of war was a mistake though, if I was a time traveler, I’d go back and make sure the programmers never figured out how to include it. XD
Steal ALL the tomes! / 10
FE13
Experiencing this game and its release in real time was an experience. The fandom really, truly thought this game might not only be the last FE ever, but also that it might not get a localization. Thinking there would never be a localization, I spent a night of my first trip to Japan buying a Japanese 3DS and a copy of the game. I only had 2 weeks on that study tour, but I was so determined that I used some of my precious free time to go shopping for it. To afford it, I even used the money my college gave to me for food, then subsided off of cheap convenience store meals with what little I had left. I barely had any true understanding of Japanese at the time, but I wanted other fans to experience this game, so I worked as hard as I could to translate as many supports as I could. This game is why I got into translation, and was what I really thought might be the end, so it will always have a special place in my heart for that.
Now to actually talk about playing the game itself. I really enjoyed it the first couple of times. Who cares that pair-up and the kids were OP, you either blast through the game with them and have a good laugh, or ignore them, set some challenging rules, and enjoy having at least a little challenge. I didn’t care much that the supports were a little lower quality because of the sheer number of them, I eagerly awaited unlocking each one, and reading what the two characters would talk about. (We fans have fanfiction to turn to if we hunger for more development. :p) The bonus content was plentiful, and a great fanservice-y way to bring the series to a close.
After all is said and done though, the game left me feeling empty when I thought about replaying it any further. The maps and story felt empty in comparison to previous games. Now that it’s been 8 years since the initial release, I’d of course enjoy a replay or two, but after having played FEs7-9 5 or 6 times in a row before moving on to the next game… anything less than that level of excitement was surprising for me. I placed this game kinda high on the list because it’s fun when you play it. It’s just doesn’t have as much replay value, I feel.
Also, as a group, the children characters are my favorite in the series. They all come from deeply traumatic backgrounds, and the way they work through that trauma and navigate being given a second chance, but also not a true second chance because this timeline is different from their own, is endlessly fascinating for me. I don’t know if other fans give them enough credit, so I wanted to point them out in particular.
Would have been a fantastic way to send off the series, despite the flaws / 10
FE2
This game is flawed, imbalanced, makes me want to throw things, and it’s all, somehow, in a way that makes me LOVE IT. ...So long as I’m playing using an emulator with a speed up button.
This game is so hard, and the hit percentages are such garbage. But as I played, and unlocked more and more OP weapons and items, until I reached a point where the zombie dragons - what once took all my efforts - were an enemy that can easily be slaughtered in 1-on-1 combat... I felt so satisfied.
Old games need some kind of charm to make them still worth revisiting in a world of much better graphics and features that have now had decades to be refined. For me, this game has that perfect kind of quirky charm in spades.
The maps and terrain though… I have no words, just bash your head into the wall and you will understand how I feel.
Also, this game reminds me of Zelda 2 in it being a black sheep of its respective series… that’s a fun little nugget of info.
Duma’s sprite / 10
FE7
I don’t remember this game as well, despite it being one that I’ve played about 5 times? I don’t know why, it’s yet another fantastic Fire Emblem with its own ways that it stands out, managing not one, not two, but three lords, introducing the tactician, and so on. Guess time has just not been kind to my memory on this one.
I remember being really impressed with the length of this game back in the day, and Hector’s mode offering enough differences to make it totally fun to replay the main game again.
Lyn gets kind of pushed to the side (because that’s what generally happens to women main characters in Fire Emblem, if there’s a male lord around), but having the three lords was really fun. With three people, you get a great balance between all of their personalities, and they all play off of each other well.
Of course I loved Lyn and Hector, most everyone does, but I was always just as much of an Eliwood fan. His average stats pushed people away from liking him as much as the others, but I always looked up to his kindness. Eliwood / Ninian was an especially favorite pairing for my sappy teenage heart. Eliwood was just so romantic and sweet to me.
And though the game was made easier with international audiences in mind, the developers hadn’t invented all of the “easier/for convenience” features yet, so this is the last time we got to enjoy some “harder” features like needing to buy weapons during battles, and a convoy separate from the main lord. That’s cool if you like that stuff.
Unlocking the paralogues is hard though / 10
Favorites Tier
FE8
When it comes to FE8, while there’s plenty to like about the gameplay (despite the game being so easy, but again, like I said with Awakening, you can just set your own challenge rules), what I really love to ramble on about is the story and its emotional impact. Lyon is so precious and kind, but has so many inner conflicts stewing deep inside of him, leading him to elder magics, and… The Demon King is just ends up as a sideshow compared to Lyon coming face to face with his own demons. Both the characters - and many players, I’m sure - hope and hope to find a way to save him, but there just isn’t one. There are never any real leads. There’s nothing. Only the harrowing reality that some people cannot be saved, no, that some people do not want to be saved. The inevitability of Lyon’s demise, and seeing it all play out, packs a punch most plots can only dream of.
But it’s not like I won’t talk about the gameplay features either. Bringing back much of the best of FE2, the overworld map and everything to do really enhances the experience. I mean, yeah, I guess two side dungeons isn’t that much to get excited over, I can see that critique… but I didn’t care, it allowed me to easily chase support conversations, and (with some RNG abusing to obtain enough Boots and money to buy the stat-boosting items, but hey, whatever it takes) I could max out my characters’ stats and truly “complete” a Fire Emblem game.
Sacred Stones is so awesome.
Finally! A postgame! I sure hope the developers keep this up in all the future games… oh. / 10
FE9
This is the first FE game I ever played, so it will always occupy the most dear and special place in my heart, even if FE4 eventually won over as my favorite.
Do you believe in first sight? I do, and this is what taught me it’s real. From the first second of the first cutscene, I was enthralled. ...And that’s saying something, when the FE9 cutscenes are the kind of thing only a mother could love. But I just knew. I may have been a wee lass of 14, but I knew a love that would last a lifetime was being born. ...Or that would at least last 14 more years. I can’t predict the future. Maybe I’ll wake up tomorrow and hate Fire Emblem with a burning passion? 2020 has taught me that tomorrow is always a big fat question mark.
Fun fact: in case you are wondering exactly what inspired my very initial interest in this series, it was a TV commercial. Probably this one. I just remember Ike running, of all things. My sibling and I both thought FE9 looked interesting from this commercial, and sought out the game all on our own with zero private knowledge that anything FE even existed.
This is where obsessions are born. Or mine at least. / 10
FE4
As I’ve established, this is my favorite of favorites. The bizarre way money, arenas, items, and more were handled, actually made the game more and more fun for me. Big maps are just so fun. Gen 1’s story is a tale for the ages, and Gen 2’s story is… well, classic FE, which never gets old for me. It will never cease to amaze me even today what the SNES/S Famicom could handle.
All I’d want added is a “warp between conquered castles” feature. I’m completely neutral on a remake otherwise. Of course a lot more could be added and detailed upon that I’d be happy for, but that’s my one specific wish.
Calvary Emblem Forever / 10
Bonus:
FEH
I played this game every day for around 2 ½ years before I finally felt I had to break the habit, so I’m not leaving it out! This title got a lot of flack for simplifying FE gameplay, but… looking at it that way completely disregards the niche app games fill, and the interesting ways developers view what type of games app games should be, and how the developers work hard to both innovate for the format yet stay faithful to the source.
It is surprisingly deep, and the maps + higher focus on unit skills make you think entirely differently about how to win in what is, in essence, the same gameplay as the main series.
Plus, what fan couldn’t get suckered into the fanservice of it? My best moments include attaining a +10 Nephenee while only spending money to get 2 of her, the other 9 were all F2P orbs; and becoming a Narcian/Valter shipper after supporting them on impulse because they were both on my flier team, and realizing the sick, twisted chemistry afterwards. Discovering rare-pairs is fun.
Also, finally, this game dared to nerf magic users a bit by making them RNG 2 only. If only the main series could do something like that.
I really enjoyed Heroes a lot, I just quit solely because it was a time drain. It was time to move on and play other things. And I’m glad I got out when I did. Seeing the game stoop to over-the-top powercreep (above and beyond what it was always implementing) and add the monthly service to keep the $$$$$ raking in was hard to watch.
Perfect app-style game gameplay-wise and fanservice-wise, but why aren’t gacha illegal yet / 10
FE Warriors
Oh yeah, this game exists too! It’s a Warriors game. If you like the formula and it never gets old for you, you’ll have fun with this game. If you don’t mind the limited game representation too much, you’ll have fun with this game. For me, the answers to those questions were a yes, so I enjoyed FE Warriors.
Yay for wailing on hordes of enemies / 10
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SIEG! His name was sieg, I just remembered. -HNK Anon
hi hnk anon! im using this second ask of yours because its shorter, and putting your other one under the readmore to answer more extensively! X)
Okay. So I just got through the prologue, and I have a few things to say.
1. I’ve only had mash kyrielight for a day and a half, but if anything happened to her I would kill everyone in this and then myself!
youre absolutely RIGHT shes such a good girl! i love her and she only gets better and better as the same goes on! speaking of ‘better’ as it goes on, the game starts kind of slow? okay, so- the company that started fgo unsupervised, and they were making a cash-grabby game with less effort than it deserved... around the fourth singularity, though, nasu, the owner of the ip, saw the state of the game, stepped in and went like “nope, youre making this good, or youre not making it, period”, so... yeah he stepped in, put quality standards, lowered the saint quartz cost, added third skills to a lot of lower-star servants that didnt have them, reworked some other servants... also every milestone they include a quality of life change! earlier this year they increased the saint quartz you got from daily missions, then a retroactive change to interludes that gave me like, 100 pieces of it all of sudden... its good, i actually really appreciate them for that X)
2. The leveling up is a bit confusing for me.
yeah, the levelling up is, gacha levelling up, it was a bit weird at first, buuuut:
there are a few different things with exp in the game! you have your mystic code (your clothes, which have special skills), and your master level, both of which increase by just, doing any quest at all! master level determines your ap point limit, how many friends you can have, how many servants and ces you can have in your team at a time, etc... the mystic code level increases the effectivity of your mystic codes skills
theres bond level! this is how ‘close’ you are with your servant, and you raise it by fighting with those servants in your team! levels 1 through 5 unlock new information about them and new flavor text while theyre in your room! levels 6 through 9 give you rewards, like extra saint quartz, apples, etc... and if you get to level 10, you get a specific craft essence! some are like, “as long as the servant has it equipped, everyone in the team gets a buster buff”, but theres specific effects like, heracles gets a stack of 3 guts- which is insaaaaane
theres craft essences! theyre basically ‘buffs’, and levelling them up gives you some extra hp or attack, but ultimately theyre proooobably the least like, necessary thing to level up? still, you get spare craft essences out the wazoo so you probably want to feed the ones with effects you use a lot... anything with default np charge is GREAT for example, as it lets you charge up nukes all that much easier
and finally we get to servants! so you have the normal servant level up, THIS is what youd consider the classic ‘rpg level up’, but instead of levelling them up by fighting, you need items! specially, embers... feeding a servant embers and other spare servants you dont want (low rarity, pls dont feed people gold servants-), you level them up! this is a basic increase of all stats, but theres a level LIMIT! once they reach the level limit, you can ‘ascend them’ to their next stage, usually accompanied with unlocking new skills, and new cool outfits! you can ascend them up to four times, and once theyre at max ascension and max level, you CAN technically feed them holy grails (palingenesis), to break that max level limit to eventually reach 100... this is mostly unnecessary? but if theres a lower-rarity servant you REALLY like, that can put them on par with 4-stars, for example, or giving them a well needed extra boost to hp and attack
finally you have np and skills! skills are just that, servant-specific abilities! evades, healing, debuffs, buffs... levelling up skills reduces their cooldown at level 6 and 10, and generally increases their effect! np level up needs you to have multiple copies of the same servant, you can boost their np to be more damaging or to give you stronger buffs, depending on what it is
so basically, fighting will increase your master and mystic code exp, and your bond level! to actually level up servants, you have to feed them embers (you can farm them in the chaldea gate quests, or simply get them from story missions and free rolls)! to ascend them or level up their skills, you need special materials, which can drop in some free quests in singularities, be sold/drop during events, or drop from other chaldea gate free quests! not all materials are available from the beginning, so i suggest just, going through the story and upgrading your characters as you can, rather than obsessively farming to get them super high up before continuing with it
3. What’s the deal with the unregistered spirit origin currency? Because they are blocking me from getting the servants I want. That leads me to—
oh yeah no, dont worry about that, you are never, ever EVER going to use that X) basically, if you get 5 copies of the SAME 5-star, that is, if you get them to np level 5, and you get a SIXTH copy, which, again... insane odds? you will be given an unregistered spirit origin currency! basically its the way the game has of saying “sorry you keep getting this same servant so much, here, you can CHOOSE which one you want instead”
basically, insurance so you can never get a useless extra 5-star after fully upgrading a previous version of them
you gotta roll the gacha to get servants! its random! there is NO ensuring which one you will get, you just gotta try! well- there ARE occasionally events, like, twice a year, where you get to PICK a free 4-star actually
4. There are currently six servants that I want, everyone else doesn’t matter at the moment. The first is mash (so that’s one down) the second is artotia, third is Jeanne d'ark. Fourth is Jeanne alter, and firth Lancelot! And sixth- I SAW A MAID ALTER WITH A SNIPER RIFLE- WHAT? THATS COOL/FUNNY AS SHIT! I WANT THAT! (Maybe astolfo and uhhh... what was his name with the gray hair, he’s a caster- but that’s for later, the ones I listed are top priority,
lets see, six servants you want! believe me, you WILL get attached to more, but...
mash is obviously in your possession!
artoria is always, by default, in the summoning pool! theres occasionally ‘rate up’ banners, which give certain characters more weight, but ultimately, every saint quartz roll you do always has a chance of summoning her... specially right now, the more of the game you complete, the more servants you will unlock in the summoning pool, so technically shes at her highest drop rate right now
same with jeanne, shes part of the default summoning pool
jeanne ALTER is limited though! she does not appear normally, she can only be summoned when shes on a rate-up banner! i am not sure if she will be on rate-up before this, but the next banner i know she will for SURE be in is in may! oh! but- if you dont get her, there IS a 4-star, summer version that will be FREE this next summer, if you complete the summer event!
i think lancelot is also in the default summon pool!
maid alter is the summer outfit version of artoria X) i am unsure when she is available again honestly :o we had her event rerun not that long ago, so she may not be available for a while...
astolfo is in the default summoning pool AND theyre going to get a 5-star version this next year i believe! so, double stolfo!
sieg is, the free servant you get for the apocrypha event! it happened earlier this year, so i think that means theres a rerun of it still pending! eventually though, they will add a thing where you can replay events you missed and get the free servants from them, so while ideally youd wanna be playing while the event is up, theres a contingency in case you missed someone you REALLY want!
5. Please tell me how the start system works- I’m very new to this and I wanna be invested. Please help-
-HNK Anon
i think thats pretty much all there is! you get saint quartz through the story, by doing interludes, bond-levelling servants, through rewards, etc, as well as summon tickets, and you use those to roll the gacha! free friend currency only gives 3-star and under servants, while saint quartz can give you pretty much anything
theres almost always a ‘banner’ up, which offers ‘rate-up’ servants! the normal summoning pool has all the default servants and the story-locked ones you have unlocked, but the rate-ups can bypass the locks entirely! some servants are limited, so if they seem cool in a banner, you may wanna try to roll!
even if you dont get the servants you want- and believe me... it WILL happen... you WILL get more and more and more cool servants so, dont worry about that X) also a lot of lower-rarity servants are actually really good and can be used for a lot of things, so if you have a favorite, do not be afraid to level them up!
but yeah thats kind of the loop? you do stuff, get sq... roll the gacha for characters you like, level them up, do events... i honestly play mostly for the story, the main story gets really good, and the events are all charming and nice, but id be lying if i said i didnt want some specific servants... most of which are alter egos-
yeah sorry im rambling X) just... ask me anything else you may need! :D
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Nancy Drew 1x15
I HAVE FINISHED THE NEW NANCY DREW EPISODE AND NOW NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT.
LET’S GO.
Okay I will start with my three disappointments. First, I was hoping when they were going down the “you don’t have first-hand exp with the Aglaeca spirit” path they would bring in Victoria. They did not. WRITERS. WHERE IS MY DYSFUNCTIONAL CLAIRVOYANT. Two, they went to the historical society. They MENTIONED HANNAH GRUEN. And then she just wasn’t there, and I was Let Down. Three, Owen and Nancy had sex.
...
No further comment.
Alright to break this down, I thought this episode was fantastic. Nancy coughing up teeth was so metal (the seaweed was a little gross) and they brought back fan favorite Ace’s dad. Side note, I really love what this show does for sign language, just how it is so casually interwoven. And also Ace and his dad’s shock to see Nick knew it, pointing out how uncommon it is which is kind of sad when you consider it’s one of deaf people’s only means of communication. Maybe now that Karen is you know ARRESTED Ace’s dad whose name I do not know will be our point person on the police since the writers have apparently become allergic to Chief McGinnis.
Speaking of Ace, him and Nick being all dude detective duo this episode was fantastic and I loved it. Pair them up more often. And even though I have no idea if they’ll ever be written romantically or not, Nancy has exponentially more chemistry with Ace than with Owen and I would much rather see them explored. I also want to know if anything has even really changed since the last time Owen and Nancy kissed. He asked her out and she said no, and we didn't see what happened the morning after this time around but she clearly spent the night. Bess is bound to bring it up since she spent the night at Nancy’s house and Nancy wasn’t there, and also Owen is her cousin.
I love the bond between Nancy and her dad, it has grown so much and is so beautiful. Her absolute faith and conviction in his innocence and belief that she will get him out of this, especially when he seems to have given up. *chef’s kiss*
I will say going back to Ace and Nick’s detective work, why didn’t they just go ask Claire in prison? “Hey you know how you murdered a bunch of people? We’ll knock like five years off your I presume lifelong sentence if you tell us if you sold this guy poison.” Like admittedly she didn’t, but they didn’t know that at the time. And CAN WE TALK ABOUT KAREN? As soon as it was revealed it was her, I knew she must have known about Ryan and Lucy’s fight before Nancy gave her the emails. Lucy started drawing away after the Velvet Masque but she and Ryan were already dating when he took her, which is probably something Lucy would have told her best friend. And honestly I feel the poison was a little justified? Like at this point Ryan obviously didn’t kill Lucy because the writers know that’s what we’re expecting, but he was involved somehow and if my best friend had been murdered twenty years ago, the case was still unsolved, and her billionaire ex boyfriend was involved and untouchable? I may have also slipped the friend’s brother an untraceable poison. On that note, I love how the writers brought back the Claire episode. At the time we were like, oh it’s just a fun little killer of the week one-off episode, and now a few weeks later here they are like “PSYCHE. What, you thought everything we did wouldn’t have a meaning? Fools.” And honestly, more power to them. I support this kind of intricate planning it speaks to my obsessive perfectionism.
Everything except the Mr. Drew x Karen romance apparently 😂. Like they really did just include that in the pilot to create more drama between Nancy and her dad didn’t they?
Since it turns out Bess is a founder’s descendant, maybe she will be more interested in Marvin family history, get involved in the historical society and we will see Hannah Gruen more often. Make it happen writers. On the topic of Bess, please tell me someone gets that girl a therapist for her kleptomania before she breaks into a museum. Or a bank. Or a mausoleum. Or something high profile.
I did really want to see the Aglaeca, I was looking forward to seeing how costume and makeup pulled it off, but the blackness spreading through the water was really cool too. And considering this episode ended with Nancy like coughing up seaweed for not paying the toll, maybe we will see the spirit next episode as the gang tries to appease it? Let’s talk about the toll for a minute. Did the Aglaeca want to kill Owen or just like want a blood donation? Why? And if it demands a victim for every favor it grants, I can see why the ritual was not handed down through the generations.
NANCY AND NICK. Oh the moments were sparse but they were quality. At the beginning, watching the fight footage when Nick tensed up and Nancy looked away, and she almost rested her head on his shoulder. His continued concern for her. Nancy’s immediately going to the police station when he texted, compare and contrast with episode 7 when Nick kept calling and she kept ignoring. Nick’s reaction when Nancy was about to drink the “poison”.
CAN WE TALK ABOUT ACE’S LEVEL OF TRUST IN NANCY TO STRAIGHT UP DRINK POSSIBLE POISON. COME ON NOW.
George had a very small role this episode which is not exceedingly unusual, but she was funny to watch, falling for Nick, and a great friend to Nancy. All good things. I just hope she doesn’t fall too hard for Nick, since he and Nancy will most likely eventually find their way back to each other. Maybe she can get together with Ace since I ship him with literally everyone apparently. I also like how they brought back that blood bucket she kicked I was beginning to wonder if they’d forgotten about it.
One last thing guys where tf is Josh? Like he walked into a cabinet thing and vanished, maybe Karen is storing him somewhere. Also HOW DID HE SURVIVE GETTING FUCKING ELECTROCUTED. HOW.
Could we really be solving Lucy’s murder next week in The Haunting of Nancy Drew? We will now discuss possible suspects and where the show could go after this.
The episode summary reads “blah blah using forensics and spn stuff Nancy unravels what happened the night Lucy died.” I am going to discount the Hudsons as suspects since we already know they’re involved via the seance.
Owen Marvin. We know the Marvins have family secrets and shady pasts, he is about the same age as Lucy/Ryan and if there was some sort of love triangle
Holy fuck.
Hear me out.
Okay what if Owen was in love with Lucy, and he somehow broke them up (there was a fight and Lucy broke up with Ryan, but in the emails Ryan calls Lucy the whore, so I’m thinking there was definitely some sort of misunderstanding) and he went to profess his love and she turned him down and he killed her? AND NOW, assuming Nancy is Lucy (and Ryan’s) daughter that’s why Owen is so determinedly romancing her? I have absolutely no proof for this theory and it probably didn’t happen since he is helping them out with the investigation but I like it anyway.
There is Lucy’s mother, who I am now convinced was involved because of her trance thing last episode. You can read my last review for more detail (it’ll be under my Nancy Drew tag) but basically upon seeing crime scene photos of Lucy she started singing the Lucy Sable song and was very focused on how Lucy is in the water. And sure parents go crazy over their children dying, but this feels like a little bit more than that? In the transcripts Lucy said if anything happened to her it would be her mother’s doing, and we know they had some kind of falling out before she died over her dating Ryan.
Katherine Drew 😈. Again no evidence but I like to speculate. She was Lucy’s guidance counselor, it gives Mr. Drew a reason to not try very hard to defend himself, to spare Nancy the pain of her mom being a killer. It would make such great drama. That’s it those are the reasons.
Let’s take a moment to examine some untied threads that could be pulled upon in the solving of this murder. Lucy and Josh are only half-siblings, but we don’t know via which parent. So maybe Lucy’s biological mom/dad could have somehow been involved. There are the emails between her and Ryan following the unknown betrayal (you’re a whore like everyone says). I think this one could be tied to what Candice Weaver (sea queen runner up) mentioned, about how there were rumors Lucy slept with the judges to win the title. Maybe Ryan’s parents, especially his mother, were trying to discredit Lucy or frighten her off? Ryan was scheduled to meet with Lucy the night of her death, maybe he saw something he hasn’t come clean about. Back to Josh, right after Lucy died some developers offered Josh and his mom a LOT of money for their house. We know the Marvins deal in real estate, maybe they were trying to get them out of town to cover up for Owen? We also still don’t know for sure how Lucy died, maybe she wasn’t even stabbed at all. And finally, the crown Nancy’s forensic chemist friend examined proves that a woman was up there on those cliffs (KATHERINE DREW) with Lucy because the hair that wasn’t Lucy’s came from a female.
Assuming we do indeed find out who killed Lucy next episode, here are some things the writers could fill the last six episodes with or use to set up season two/things I really want to happen. The episode where Nancy broke into the morgue Ace mentioned Lucy haunts it, looking for her body. Three kids broke in a few years ago, one died, one went missing, one went insane. It was mentioned once and never picked up again. Since Lucy apparently knew where her body was this whole time, maybe a different spirit haunts the morgue and Lucy just gets the blame cause she’s famous. There is George’s blood bucket, which I admit was brought up this episode, but aside from that has not been touched since episode 4. George and Nick’s relationship, Nancy and Owen’s relationship, the Bess/Lisbeth/Amaya love triangle. Whatever sort of closure Mr. Drew needs from Karen or something idk. George could start to become psychic like her mother. There’s the trial of Mr. Hudson for the sinking of the Bonny Scot, along with the haunted dude who survived giving testimony. Maybe he will be killed and Nancy and Co will have to find another piece of evidence really fast like the urn from the Bonny Scot that Ryan is still hanging on to. MAKE BESS AND GEORGE COUSINS WRITERS. MAKE IT HAPPEN.
Even after Nancy solves Lucy’s murder, I want Lucy to stick around. She is my favorite character on the show. She and Nancy can be roommates, she’d be a really great security system. Some guy tries to break into the house only to be greeted by a drowned girl screaming her head off? I’d drop dead. And from next week’s trailer, towards the end when she says “I am trying to solve your murder!” Is it just me or does she sound a little exasperated? Maybe because Nancy is working her ass off here and all Lucy does is scream at her and make her cough up teeth 😂. Yes I want Lucy to find peace, but I also just really really want her to stick around.
Last thing before I wrap up. I know the show is astronomically different from the books but Nancy traveled in the books. She went to different cities, states, countries. As much as I love the creepy superstition loving town of Horseshoe Bay, I am hoping maybe in the later seasons the show’s location branches out a bit? It probably won't because it’s the CW and they use sets and yada yada yada but a girl can dream. See you next week!
#Nancy Drew#Nancy Drew cw#George Fan#Bess Marvin#Ned Nickerson#Nancy x Nick#Nick x George#Nancy x Owen#Dead Lucy#Lucy Sable#the terror of horseshoe bay#Carson Drew#@ the cw this is one of very few decent shows you have rn don't fuck it up#my theories
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TV I Liked In 2019
Every year I reflect on the pop culture I enjoyed and put it in some sort of order.
The era of “peak TV” has never been more apparent to me than the past year. I am very aware of the many shows I have not seen (don’t have Amazon Prime, for example), and yet I expanded my list from a top 10 to top 15 and still had to leave out A LOT of stuff I really liked! These picks include my legitimate favorites, ranging from truly important looks at the criminal justice system to ensemble comedies that I couldn’t wait to return to. In another year I may have been able to include the latest seasons of Barry, Stranger Things, Queer Eye, Bojack Horseman, Glow, or the finale seasons of Legion, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Veep, Silicon Valley and The Deuce, all of which I’d still recommend. But these stood out even more.
14 (tie). Chernobyl (HBO) / The Hot Zone (National Geographic)
Two limited series focusing on real-life disasters in the 1980s: the meltdown of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and an Ebola outbreak outside of Washington DC. Chernobyl is an incredibly harrowing account of humanity’s inability to believe things that don’t mesh with their interpretations of reality and the destructive power of lies and cover-ups. The Hot Zone adapts the non-fiction Richard Preston book, a revealing look at pandemics, the power of fear and human resolve. Taken together, they raise interesting questions about governmental gatekeeping, professional competence and personal sacrifice.
13. Mindhunter: Season 2 (Netflix)
Joe Penhall and David Fincher’s look at the early days of the FBI’s criminal profiling department goes broader and deeper in its second season. There are still chilling interviews with incarcerated serial killers and criminal minds (including Charles Manson this time out), but the season really revolves around the Atlanta child murders. This focus provides a compelling look at who the justice system helps and who it ignores, and the investigative – and bureaucratic – work it takes to put together a case.
10 (tie). A.P. Bio: Season 2 (NBC) / The Last O.G.: Season 2 (TBS) / Schitt’s Creek: Season 5 (Pop)
Three great hangout comedies that really came into their own in their most recent seasons. A.P. Bio transcended its first-season preoccupation with revenge and leaned into its fantastic supporting cast – one of the best comedic ensembles around – to become a show I loved spending time with each week. (Thank goodness it’s coming back via NBC’s upcoming “Peacock” service.) The Last O.G. has had a lot on its mind since it began, but its second season covers privilege and the opportunity gap among other issues, ending with a note-perfect homage to Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, making it an unexpectedly resonant comedy. Schitt’s Creek is obviously having a moment right now, and Season 5 (the first season I watched as it aired) was perhaps its best yet. While the whole cast is great, as a big fan of Best In Show and A Mighty Wind, I love seeing Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara share the screen again.
9. Crashing: Season 3 (HBO)
The first two seasons of Pete Holmes’ show made my list in previous years so I’d be remiss not to include the final one, which may be its finest. Pete spends the season making a lot of mistakes – saying yes to things (gigs, relationships) that he probably shouldn’t – and although they provide growth, he doesn’t come across as the “good guy” in how he deals with all of them. This adds additional nuance to the show, questioning its straight white male protagonist’s actions rather than merely rewarding him for following his passions, while still leading to an uplifting and fitting finale.
8. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Season 4 (Netflix)
Netflix split the final season of Kimmy Schmidt into two parts, so technically only the final six episodes premiered in 2019. Those alone warrant a spot on the list, as the show concluded by following its idiosyncratic bliss to the end. The final group of episodes includes a (pre-movie) takedown of Cats, a Sliding Doors homage and an unexpectedly moving series finale. If this one fell off your radar a few years ago, it’s worth revisiting and seeing through.
7. What We Do In The Shadows: Season 1 (FX)
Based on the horror-comedy film of the same name, this series follows a different crew of vampires who live together on Staten Island. I was initially skeptical because I love the movie and couldn’t see how a television version could do anything but dilute its charms. On the contrary, the show broadens the universe in hilarious ways by introducing characters like “energy vampire” Colin Robinson and the incredible Vampiric Council (with so many incredible cameos!). The core actors are all wonderful, but the MVP has to be Matt Berry’s louche and libidinous Laszlo whose line readings are simply hysterical.
6. Les Misérables (BBC/PBS)
Although it aired in the UK in 2018, the BBC/PBS production of Victor Hugo’s epic didn’t grace American screens until early 2019 so I’m including it here. I am a big fan of the musical adaptation and find it quite successful at cramming so much story into a three-hour runtime, though it obviously has limits to how much of the source material it can explore. This (non-musical) adaptation’s six episodes allow for more of Hugo’s tale of forgiveness versus retribution to live and breathe. The terrific cast includes Dominic West as Jean Valjean and David Oyelowo as Inspector Javert, as well as Lily Collins as Fantine whose backstory is more fully realized here than the format of the stage show allows.
5. Our Planet (Netflix)
Essentially a sequel to the Planet Earth documentaries, with the same production team and David Attenborough narration, this Netflix series presents another stunning collection of nature footage that showcases the incredible diversity and beauty of animal life on Earth. Each episode includes a haunting reminder of man’s impact on the featured habitats and serves as a rallying cry in the fight against climate change.
4. The Good Place: Seasons 3-4 (NBC)
The Good Place has been high on my list since its first season and shows no signs of dropping in quality or esteem as it enters its final stretch of episodes. 2019 encompassed the end of Season 3 (including the hilariously imaginative visit to the Interdimensional Hole of Pancakes) and the beginning of Season 4 (with its crew of new characters and just as many reversals and rug-pulls as you’d expect). The final episode before its winter break was “The Answer,” a touching spotlight on William Matthew Harper’s Chidi, which might have been enough to make this list all on its own. (And given the surprise cameo/quasi-crossover in its first episode of 2020, I wouldn’t be surprised if it shows up here again next year too.)
3. Unbelievable (Netflix)
The true story of a serial rape case adapted from journalism by ProPublica, The Marshall Project and This American Life, Unbelievable is one of the most simultaneously heartbreaking and satisfying procedurals I have ever seen. As crushing as it is to watch the initial investigation completely mishandled and devolve to gaslighting, it is powerful and inspiring to watch compassionate public servants and actual good detective work be carried out as the series progresses. Kaitlyn Dever, Merritt Wever and Toni Collette are uniformly excellent here (as they also were in their respective film roles in Booksmart, Marriage Story and Knives Out this year).
2. Watchmen (HBO)
Showrunner Damon Lindelof (LOST, The Leftovers) takes some incredibly bold swings in his limited-run sequel to the groundbreaking 80s graphic novel that deconstructed the ideas of vigilantism and superheroics. Picking up in the same alternate reality as that story but in present day, the main action is shifted to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the central theme is race relations. It could have gone way off the rails in a million different ways, but I found it to be incredibly successful. Each episode is a captivating work of art and it somehow seems to top itself with each subsequent installment. While I appreciate the book, I don’t love it; this series takes that source material seriously and, to me, completely transcends it.
1. When They See Us (Netflix)
As compelling as it is devastating, this miniseries from Ava DuVernay (who directed and co-wrote all 4 parts) dramatizes the lives of the wrongly convicted children the media dubbed “the Central Park Five.” Even with some familiarity of the story from watching Ken Burns’ documentary years ago, I was utterly gutted by the depiction of the injustices and systemic racism that stole these childhoods. Everyone in the cast shines, but Jharrel Jerome’s portrayal of Korey Wise (the only one of the group played by the same actor as a child and adult – and so convincingly) is truly phenomenal. Not a comfortable watch but an essential one.
Bonus! Musical Comedy Specials:
The Unauthorized Bash Bros. Experience (Netflix) – This “visual poem” from the Lonely Island presents “an album of raps” recorded by Jose Canseco (Andy Samberg) and Mark McGwire (Akiva Schaffer) at their steroid-fueled 80s peak with the Oakland A’s. Your likely enjoyment is probably about equal to your reaction to that description. The songs are great, catchy and hysterical on their own, but the videos take it to another level, parodying everything from 80s infomercials to Enya to Beyonce’s Lemonade. There is no 30 minutes of TV I rewatched more in 2019.
John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch (Netflix) – Debuting on Christmas Eve, this children’s television homage/parody snuck in just under the wire. The words of the day could be fear and mortality, as the group of kids Mulaney interacts with reveal their personal phobias and several skits revolve around existential angst. By the end of the first musical number I was sold, by the time David Byrne showed up I was committed, and by “Mr. Music’s” madcap finale I wished it could last forever.
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Pedals, Predicaments, and Pain.
I ordered a pedal off eBay way back in maybe late October/early November last year. It seems forever ago. Anyway, here it is:
The Harmonic Perkolator. It’s a clone of the pedal Steve Albini used, sorta part of his signature sound from a certain era. Anyway, the seller looked like he was legit, an electronics tech or engineer in Poland. Some reviews said shipping took forever and there was little or very slow communication. Couldn’t be THAT bad, could it? Heh. Yeah, it could, it really could. But, the pedals all looked very well constructed, and he uses high-quality parts, and the designs are pretty damn good so I took a chance. I’m still not sure if it was worth it after all I went through just to get this pedal. First, when I tried to buy it, I got a “seller may not ship to Japan” warning. So, I contacted him, and he got right back to me, saying it wouldn’t be a problem, shipping anywhere in the world is just 7 Euro, no big deal, let’s do business. Right. That should have set off alarms. 7 Euro shipping worldwide? That shit ain’t gonna arrive no time soon. It probably came over by canoe or something. I didn’t get the fucking thing until January! Waiting, waiting, waiting, trying to get a tracking number, not getting a response for days, and even then it was something like “postal worker put wrong classification on package. Simple problem. You get package soon. I have this problem before.” And that was like the second week of December or something. Anyway, it FINALLY arrived and I was like goddam, about fucking time! But then I plug it in and fooled with it, running synths and an SG copy I have here through it, and the results were, well, not what I expected, to put it nicely— Fucking bullshit to say how I really feel. First of all, I don’t hear any real change by twiddling the Harmonics knob. Maybe something is happening, but the change is so subtle that it is almost unnoticeable. Then there’s the Balance knob, which may be an error, having been labeled as Balance when it really works like a Volume knob. With the Balance all the way counterclockwise, you get no sound at all. I contacted the seller about this around January 7th, and I did get a rather quick reply stating “I will write you tomorrow,” only to never hear from him again. And to add insult to injury, the timeframe for me to review the transaction has expired, it seems, so I’m stuck with this great-looking, very well-constructed pedal that doesn’t seem to work the way I thought it would. Moral of this story? Buyer Beware. It’s the age of the internet, I know, and I buy shit online way more than in actual shops, but in cases like this I really wish I had a shop to go to and demand a refund.
custompedals_pl is the guy’s eBay thing. I had a look and there are no more pedals listed. Maybe someone got tired of his slow shit and paid him a visit. Damn shame. I could throw the fucking thing on the auction here and maybe recover my loss, but who knows. Not a happy camper about this experience.
In other news, I have been slowly building a pedal myself, a clone of Death By Audio’s Reverb Machine. I started gathering parts way back in November, figuring I’d have time over winter break to build the thing but then I got the flu so there went that idea. Here’s the strip board when I was finished soldering components:
The big black marketed out area is where I put the reverb brick. All said and done, it may have cost me about $60 plus half a day’s worth of soldering and wiring and carrying on to get this done. Here it is after I’d assembled and tested it:
Not bad looking, and maybe I shoulda left it alone at that stage. But I like to fuck around with stuff and personalize things and make them my own, so I took everything out and broke out the mini-anvil (really it’s a 4-inch-or-so long slice of a train rail, or at least that’s what it looks like, and it weighs a goddam ton) and the letter punch set I bought for cheap off amazon, and went to work. Here’s the final result:
Weird lighting because an LED light was on, so the pedal has a weird color cast going on. From left to right the knobs are Mix, Death (decay, but feedback past 12 o’clock, it will self-oscillate and very angrily at that), Angst (drive, which goes from bass-erasing at zero to mild boomy oomph around 9 o’clock, all the way to distortion from noon onwards), and <O> which came out like that because I meant to stamp VOL but had the fucking V stamp rotated so it came out < and I was like OH GREAT WORK DIPSHIT! But anyway. Fuck. The Day/Night switch is something like light/dark on the original. Day gives a bright, shiny reverb that has lots of initial reflection-like delays, which Night darkens it up a bit and in combination with the Death and Angst knobs can yield a really dark, long, creepy reverb. I quite like this pedal, and am super happy that I was able to successfully build it. I should mention that the original pedal doesn’t have a Death (decay) knob, that was a mod someone on tagboardeffects suggested. That site is well worth checking out if you’re even curious about building a pedal clone yourself. Fantastic resource.
And now for the pain part. The other day my submixer sort of shat itself. Yay! I was using a Mackie MS1402-VLZ that I bought used off the auction here a few years ago. It’s always been kinda finicky, with left/right balance issues, and a VERY touchy/temperamental AUX 1 Master knob (it fucking loses its shit if you touch it but will remain calm if left alone). It works still, but it’s getting to the point that I have to fiddle with things to get them the way I want them, almost like having to bargain with the mixer and reach a compromise. No more of that shit, I decided to sell it and in the meantime I bought a mixer I used a while back but sold when space became an issue: the Soundcraft Spirit Folio Si 18-2. Here it is:
I’m not all that picky about mixers. I have a wee Yamaha that I use as a sub-mixer for drum machines. I use a Mackie ProFX12 as my main mixer. And I need a sub-mixer that can handle multiple stereo inputs, preferably with sliders for channel volume, and with EQ and at least two Aux sends on each channel. This mixer does just that. Honestly, I almost wish they’d released a version that didn’t have any mono channels, just stereo channels. But this one is as close to what I want as I can get. It wasn’t all that expensive either, so at least I was able to sort of get back up and running within a few days of deciding I didn’t wanna deal with the 1402 and its flippancy anymore. Hehehe. Ah and anyway the soundcraft mixer sounds good, it’s quiet, and the EQs are a bit different from the other mixers so there’s a bit of spice there that adds to the overall flavor, if you get what I’m trying to say. The other funny thing is that right when all this was going on I get one of those notices on FaceButt “three years ago...” or whatever and it was a photo of when I first got one of these exact mixers. Strange how things work out sometimes.
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okay, so. most of the day was fairly boring lol as expected but tonight of course was super awesome. I had set a 1 pm wake up if you’re not already awake alarm but I ended up waking up to my phone buzzing right at 11 am, it was a Chicago number so I answered and chatted with this guy from this legal company that does boring shit like document review and is doing like part time temporary hiring projects, which would obviously be a short term fix as I’m still looking for full time employment, but they pay like $20 an hour (and you don’t technically have to be licensed for some of their stuff, so being that I am licensed I miiiiiight get to do some more intense stuff for more pay? Idk, have to see) so I have an 11 am Skype interview scheduled with them for tomorrow morning to chat about that stuff. I’m obviously not like dying to get this job or anything but it’d be nice to have some income while I’m still looking, like if I did like 15-20 hours a week that’s $300-$400 so that’s not insignificant. I’m just gonna be super upfront with them about the fact that I’m seeking permanent employment and if I start anything with them there is a solid chance I will up and leave with fairly short notice, and if they’re not okay with that then we won’t do it, but I get the feeling since a lot of their shit is short term they’ll probably be okay with it. So after I got off that phone call I looked up the number for Ulta and called them to push back my haircut appointment which was booked for 12, I was trying to do think if there was somewhere I could plant myself downtown and do a Skype interview to then just run to the appointment but I obviously don’t want to do like, starbucks, and beyond trying to sneak into my old student org office at school (that’s no longer mine obviously) there’s not very many options, so I was hoping we could just push the haircut back a bit till like 2 and she happened to have an opening then so that was perfect because she gets booked up fairly consistently, so I lucked out there. After that I was lazy and went on my phone for a bit before getting up and going on my laptop at the kitchen table while I ate breakfast and then eventually moved over to the couch and was just listening to podcasts while on my computer for a while, then ended up watching the pilot of the new amazon prime show “Hanna” that’s not actually premiering to March but they were making the pilot available for like 24 hours after the superbowl for some reason and I was fairly intrigued by that (I never did actually see the movie its based on) and it was okay I guess? I wasn’t like super enthralled in it but I may give it a try for a few episodes when it comes out. The main actress is pretty good, but she’s a lot older than I thought she was (she actually turns 19 like, today) when I thought she was more like 13 or 14. and she’s apparently not been in much of anything up to this point, so good for her. After that I just turned the tv off and listened to more Panic music since I downloaded a bunch last night on top of what I downloaded after the concert last week so I could be more familiar with that while doing some computer stuff and trying to get some more Batwoman comic reading done. I was trying to see what they had on DC Universe before switching over to Comixology (which I have to pay for) but they only have issues 1-12 of her new 52 run which is apparently significantly longer than that and I burned through those very quickly, and the other ones on there are basically just one-off appearances in a random Batman story. So I guess I’ll read those then see what I can get on Comixology (they apparently have a subscription thing now which may be more affordable than paying for each comic, I’ll have to see what’s the deal with that). Around 4:30 I started getting ready, tried to do my make up very carefully and ended up trying to use my liquid eyeliner on my bottom lid which I normally don’t do but I like accidentally got some on there when trying to get it on my top lid (not sure how I managed to do that) and wanted to see if I could do the rest. It turned out pretty good in the immediate aftermath at least, but when I got home it had migrated down my face a good bit which is basically my biggest pet peeve with black eyeliner so I probably won’t be doing that again (I’m gonna see if I can find a better one at Ulta/Sephora tomorrow, since I’ll be at the Ulta and there’s a Sephora down the street and I want to find something that’s a Sephora brand product. There’s apparently also a Sally’s around there which I may also hit up for some hair dyeing supplies). But I finished getting ready and got on the bus at like 5:30 to meet Jess at her work so we could go straight to the concert from there, I was supposed to get there slightly before she got off so she could use it as an excuse to leave but the bus was being uncooperative (as public transit often is) and I ended up not getting there until like right when she got off, but it wasn’t a big deal because we weren't really in a rush being that we knew Panic didn’t actually take the stage until like, 8:30 lol. We stopped at a mcdonalds drive thru on the way where we got twenty nuggets, two cokes, and a medium fries (it’s always a debate about how many nuggets to get, because Jess is like “but I want more than 10″ when we’re splitting 20 but it’s more expensive to order 30 nuggets than it would be to order 40 nuggets and that’s just way too many (we did try that once) so I was saying we could do a 20 and a 6 piece but ended up just going with the 20 for us to split. Drove the rest of the way out, the concert was out by the airport which is a bit of a hike but we’re used to going there because most Chicago cons are in a venue that’s right by there. There was fairly massive traffic getting into the venue, and we had some momentary panic (no pun intended) regarding paying for parking because we didn't have any cash and didn’t know if they’d take card, but luckily they did so that crisis was averted. of course it’s bullshit that they’re charging $25 to just park in their giant ass parking lot, but that’s life for ya. Once we parked we had to kinda run to the venue because it was cold and we were both bumming it without our regular coats (I had a leather jacket on) so we were happy when we got in there. Got in without issue, climbed up the stairs to the top level of course and found our seats. We were literally like, the furthest section back on the side before the other seats just weren’t sold because you couldn’t be able to see (the other half of our section was actually closed off) but despite that we actually had a fairly good view and could see most of everything, just mostly from a side view and sometimes the back, lol. I was pumped though because I spent like all of last week wishing I could relive the concert and now I was getting to do that, so I was very excited. The new perspective was interesting, we got to see things from different angles which was interesting, like him popping up onto the stage when he first came out and just jumps up so it looks like he just gets shot out at fairly high speed lol. The set list was the same of course, except I’ve been listening to the music all week and actually knew the vast majority of the songs this time and could sing along, so I felt accomplished for that. I did manage to take a good amount of videos that I posted all on my instagram story if you want to check those out (@ racheleiley) and this time I didn’t ugly sing while recording lol so they’re better quality than the ones from last week. But yeah it was really good, I still got super anxious and cringey when he was on the floating piano above the crowd and very clearly not strapped into anything and like, going to the edge of the platform and I like, couldn’t watch because it stressed me out too much lol but thankfully he made it back okay. When Girls/Girls/Boys came on we hadn’t gotten the little paper colored hearts to put over our cell phone lights this time because we were in the reject section that was mostly empty, but it was still enjoyable and he definitely had no less than 10 pride flags thrown onstage at him during it which he picked every single one up and draped them over him and he was like “this is a record” which was great. But yeah, I really enjoyed all of it. When he came back out for the encore someone threw a little teddy bear onstage and he was like “aw, this is the cutest teddy bear, I’m keeping this” and put it in his back pocket as he kept performing and it was really fucking cute lol. He must be in really good shape to be doing this sometimes multiple times a week because it’s so much energy expended and his voice is so strong to be able to handle it (makes sense that he did a stint on Broadway). But yeah, I enjoyed it a lot and got much better videos this time so I’m pleased with that. Once it ended we managed to get out of the parking lot relatively quickly, definitely a lot quicker than we expected because we kinda cut around part of the line to get to the exit faster (sorry not sorry 🤷🏻♀️) and then made it the rest of the way home, and Jess made me walk back to my place from her apartment instead of dropping me off which she could’ve VERY EASILY done, but she was being a butt and trying to get payback because she always has to make the walk when we hang out at my place (which we do the vast majority of the time). So I walked home, thankfully it wasn’t too cold, and then spent a while uploading the videos to my instagram story because it was being uncooperative while at the concert so I had to do them all after. My roommate got home shortly after I did and somehow managed to leave her keys in the front door, but now our front door wouldn’t unlock, so she was gonna go around the back to get to the front and asked if I had my front door key, which I thought she meant the front door to our apartment, so I gave her that she disappeared. Not long after I could hear someone calling my name so I went to the front door and was like ??? yes??? but she wasn’t at the door and I was thoroughly confused as to where she could be until it occurred to me that maybe she was locked outside, so I went down the backstairs to the back door where she was in fact stuck, we had a slight miscommunication on the key situation and she couldn’t get the front door of the building to open because I gave her the wrong key, whoops, but we got it figured out and fixed the door situation so that was good. After that was settled I got in the shower and started getting ready for bed and now I am here. I’ve been writing this post for about 40 minutes and it’s now 2 am, I have to get up at at least 10:30 tomorrow to make sure I’m presentable for the Skype interview so I think I should get to bed now. Goodnight loves. Have a lovely Tuesday.
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I questioned whether or not I was going to type anything up about the Timeless cancellation, but since I had been posting about it while we waited for news I thought it’d be a little weird if I didn’t respond to NBC finally making a damn decision.
I’m going to preface this by saying this is not a “Ra-ra let’s save our show!” post and if that’s the frame of mind you’re in then it’s probably better to bypass this one. I just need to purge my thoughts because this show’s fate has consumed my brain for too long. I’m hoping some of this will comfort some fans, but I also recognize that I’ll probably tick some people off too.
This sucks. Plain and simple. I am so sorry Clockblockers. This one hurts and I know so many of you worked tirelessly on Twitter tweeting your support for the show. I don’t want anyone to think the reason Timeless didn’t get renewed is because the fandom didn’t do enough or there wasn’t enough fan support online. That’s not what happened. Fans did absolutely everything they could and, in my opinion, went above and beyond for this show.
I know networks love to say “fans saved the show” but one of my problems with that statement is implies it’s somehow the fans’ fault if a show is not “saved.”
This always boils down to money. I know many of you are probably thinking “duh” right now and I also recognize that attitude sounds very cynical. But the thing is... I am very cynical about this particular topic.
Networks enjoy looking like the fairy godmother when they choose to renew bubble shows or pick up cancelled ones and always credit the fans for saving it. It sounds better than “We can still make money off this show.” And sure, fans do have impact. Social media does have impact. Buzz matters. To deny that is silly and ignores the evolving way a show’s success is measured. That said, I firmly believe fan support is seldom, if ever, the deciding factor. Networks do not renew unprofitable shows because fans like it or are vocal online. There is no difference between Timeless fans, Brooklyn 99 fans or Lucifer fans. In my opinion, Timeless had the most vocal and longest running campaign. And yet here we are. But don’t feel bad Clockblockers. This wasn’t in our control. It’s not our fault.
Am I mad? Eh. Not really. It’s more sad for me at this point. I was so fed up with the never ending vortex of NBC’s indecision that I’m almost relieved we are out of it. Why do I think it took so long? I do think NBC and Sony were trying to make a deal. I don’t think they were at the table every day, but I want to believe the back and forth was ongoing until the decision was made. I also think Sony and creators were trying to make deals with other networks or streaming companies. I also think NBC was trying to wait out fans and let the roar of support die down online. #dicks
One of my frustrations with the Timeless renewal last year was I felt the announcement and subsequent story surrounding the renewal was a lot of PR fluff. It was a great story saying fans saved the show in three days, but what didn’t get reported on very much at the time is that after NBC canceled Timeless, Sony came back to the table with a very big check. Sony owned Timeless and NBC paid a licensing fee to air it. In order to secure a second season, Sony gave NBC 50% ownership of Timeless. Then, they cut production costs by A LOT and the show benefited from a land tax credit. That’s how the show was made profitable again. That’s how NBC and Sony made the deal last year.
I feel like I read somewhere that NBC’s 50% of the profits was advertising, while Sony’s piece of the pie was streaming rights and international sales. Don’t quote me on that though. I’ve been researching and reading on Timeless for a loooong time, primarily because this stuff interests me, but articles are starting to muddle together. However, if that is accurate, that could explain why NBC was so focused on live ratings.
Yes, I know the Nielson system is archaic, but it’s the system we got. The Big Four are becoming less dependent on advertising for profits because people are not watching as much live TV anymore. Everyone has had to branch out and find other ways to make money (Hello streaming). However, live ratings still determine ad buy rates and advertising is still the primary source of income for network television. (I do not include the CW in this. They have a different business model.) When a show drops 40% in live ratings it means the network cannot charge Tide as much to air a commercial. This makes the show less profitable and renewal less likely. It is always about the money. Again, I’m sure many of you are saying “duh” but I appreciate you allowing me to purge.
Not that NBC did much to help Timeless succeed their second season. They put a family friendly show on at 9c/10 pm on Sunday night. There was a long break in between Season 1 and Season 2. NBC did very little to promote Timeless’ return and that continued while the show aired. So, it’s not all that shocking ratings dropped another 40%. I wouldn’t be surprised if 40% of the audience didn’t even know the damn show was on again. I don’t know why networks set up their own shows to fail, but they do. And by networks I mean NBC and Fox.
Networks are also moving away from airing shows owned by other networks. The predominant trend is to air shows produced in house. NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox all have their own production studios. Sony has their own production studio but they don’t have a network to air their shows. So, Sony is struggling to sell shows right now. A lot of their pilots were not picked up for the 2018-2019 season. There’s a lot of factors I’m sure, but I think licensing fees are at play. People aren’t watching live TV as much anymore and therefore networks are not able to charge advertisers as much. If the profitability potential is less from the outset then networks want a bigger piece of the pie. So, instead of paying extremely expensive licensing fees they are simply airing shows they own. This is just my theory. My point is simply Timeless had an uphill battle that wasn’t necessarily all about ratings.
I’ve been seeing a lot of comparisons between the shows that were renewed or “saved” versus the ones that were cancelled. I think this is always a slippery slope because these are not apples to apples comparisons. The one I am hearing a lot about is Brooklyn 99, so I’ll just quick toss out my thoughts on that. Brooklyn 99 aired on Fox, but NBC owned the show. NBC sold Brooklyn 99 to Fox before Andy Samberg (their big SNL star) joined the pilot. Greenblatt said he regretted letting the show get away. So, the way I look at it Brooklyn 99 was never canceled. NBC was going to pick it up. They were just waiting to pounce.
Do I think Timeless will get picked up by another network or streaming company like Netflix or Hulu? I was very hopeful of that while we waited to hear on NBC’s decision. To be honest, I’ve always thought Timeless would be a better fit on Amazon or maybe even the History Channel. It works great as short episode series similar to The High Castle (which airs on Amazon). Hulu also owned the streaming rights to Timeless, so I thought it’d be an easy pick up for them too.
Yeah. I was wrong. I have very little hope of that now. The biggest shock to me wasn’t Timeless’ cancellation. I was anticipating that. The biggest shock was the talk of the two hour movie by Kripke and cast. It seems the two hour movie is Timeless’ best bet, which means the creators and Sony have already reached out to other networks and streaming sites like Amazon, Hulu and Netflix and were turned down. Even the movie sounds like a long shot.
Sony and the creators are encouraging fans to campaign again only to direct their efforts at Hulu and Netflix now.
Yeah, this annoyed me. It’s not like the Clockblockers’ efforts were secret while they campaigned loudly at NBC to pick up the show. Hulu and Netflix can see the online chatter just like everyone else. If the fan enthusiasm wasn’t “enough” to convince them Timeless is worth picking up, I don’t understand how tweets directed at Hulu and Netflix are suddenly going to change their mind. This is the disingenuous part of the “fans can save the show” for me. Whatever numbers Hulu and Netflix had is what made them pass on show. It sucks but it is what it is.
Before anyone starts yelling “Yeah but what about Lucifer?” at me - I don’t know what numbers these streaming companies look at. However, Netflix already has a deal with the WB which owns Lucifer. My bigger point is, Kripke wouldn’t be talking a two hour movie if the streaming company options hadn’t already been exhausted.
Would I love to be wrong? YES. Maybe they are trying to keep the buzz going to get the two hour movie made, but again I don’t think “buzz” will be the deciding factor with that either. Maybe the streaming websites left the door open and the creators & Sony are trying to capitalize on it. I don’t know. But at this point I am tired of seeing these people get the fans’ hopes up by selling this illusion of control. There’s very little in fans’ control. Yes, I acknowledge again this sounds cynical but I’ve danced this dance too many times. I’m old, tired and cynical about this process. I’m okay with it. If you are not - FANTASTIC. Do your thing. This isn’t a post telling fans to stop campaigning. This is just me... venting.
This has absolutely NOTHING to do with the quality of Timeless. It was a great show. It checked off so many boxes. Funny, socially aware and relevant, amazing cast chemistry, wonderful ships (no matter which one you loved), historically accurate and informative (you LEARNED watching this show), emotional and so much more. I wanted more seasons.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that we get a movie because I HATE when shows end on a cliffhanger. There should be a law against writing cliffhangers for shows on the bubble. The writers always think the cliffhanger will stop the executives at the network from canceling the show and it never does.
Alright enough ranting. Whatever the business reasons or factors that went into this decision in the end it doesn’t really matter. It still sucks. But I guess the way I’m looking at all of this is Season 2 was a bonus for me and I’m thrilled we got it. Timeless was an amazing show that I will miss and it will join the long list of shows I have loved and were canceled long before they should have been. Mostly I’m just thankful to the cast and crew for the many hours of entertainment.
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Hey, can you, like, explain why and how youre a christian and how you cope intellectually with h the lack of empathy in Christians and the icky stuff in the old Testament, etc.? Because I'm not doing a good job with that. I feel abandoned by God. Like I have been for years.
Hello anon! Sorry if it has taken me a long time to reply, I am bad at keeping up with my inbox. Also, this is a big question, so I have a big answer! Even though I am long-winded, I may not explain things perfectly, so feel free to ask for clarification if I don’t explain something well.
Also, just know that what lead me to God and keeps me in a relationship with Him may not necessarily be the same for you. There is no one formula to lead to a strong relationship with God. Just as we are all individuals who think and feel in individual ways, so is our relationship with God suited to our individual selves. He knows us best, and my relationship with God could not possibly be the same as your relationship with God. And that is a great thing! It shows just how grand God’s love is; that He is able to form relationships with ALL kinds of people from ALL walks of life and ALL kinds of experiences!
That aside, I will address your answer in 4 parts to make it easier to organize for myself and for you, and others who may read this.
1) First and foremost, why I am a Christian:
To start, let me say that I grew up in a Christian home. Many may think that this fact automatically takes away any credibility I have about my faith. If it is all I have known, from the moment I was born, how could I possibly be right, if I never left the faith nor tried other things/experienced other faiths? That is a thought many non-belivers may have, and I too have had and struggled with. But, here is the thing. Although I grew up in the faith, that does not automatically mean I always lived it. From middle school to high school God was a crutch for me. He was my personal God. I only came to Him when I wanted something for myself. I only spoke with Him when I needed something from Him. I acted the way a good Christian girl should on the outside. But, on the inside I was wicked. That is not a relationship with God. That is a relationship with yourself, using God as some sort of genie who is meant to serve your wants - or worse, using God as an excuse for your sin or ignoring Him when you know you are doing something He would not approve of. Anyone can tell you a relationship that is one-sided like this can not really be called a relationship at all.
I committed many sins under the title of Christian. Some of which I am not yet ready to share with the world, so feel free to ask me in my private messages about them. Some that I will share are slandering others, gossiping, lying, selfishness, pridefulness, and more.
Now, I did always believe in God. I believed He existed, and that belief strengthened over time. There was no one moment where I just believed wholeheartedly. It was more like a gradual understanding of who God is as I got older and gained more knowledge. Why I believed also changed over time. First it was the scientific evidence that supports creation. Next, it was hearing my mother and others share their spiritual experiences where God spoke directly to them. But, most of all, what enforces my belief today and continuously does is my observations of nature. When I see the trees and the sky and all their intricacies, I wonder how one cannot believe in a Creator. This is why Romans 1:20 is my favorite verse.
“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (NLT)
Again, these are the things that strengthen my own faith. They do not have to be the same for you. Andy Stanely, a wonderfully intelligent pastor, states that we all have to adopt a faith of our own - not our parent’s faith, nor our friend’s faith, nor the faith of our childhood.
Despite there being no singular moment where I believed in God, there was a singular moment where I realized I was not actually living for God. This past summer, I realized I wasn’t actually fully committed to Him. I was doing better in that I was not always coming to Him for my own needs, but I still wasn’t really truly in love with God. I was lukewarm in my faith. Comfortable in my faith. This came to my attention after reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. You should certainly give it a read yourself. I found it in a box of books while I was actually looking for the book Mere Christianity by C.S Lewis ( another great book if you are dealing with doubts ). I truly think God wanted me to read Crazy Love first though. He wanted me to see that my relationship with Him was strained, and I am so glad I found that book and gave my time for reading it.
Ever since then, I’ve been wholehearted in my love for God! He has given me a renewed passion for Him and I am so thankful for it! He has saved me from the depths of my suffering!
2) Secondly, how I cope intellectually with the lack of empathy in Christians
I will be honest (and I mean this as kindly as I can! I hope it does not appear rude in how I phrase it!) this is a bit of a loaded question. It is better to say “lack of empathy in many/some Christians”. I am friends and have interacted with many wonderful Christians whose hearts break so easily for others. And, they are like that because they are passionately in love with Christ, and they know that without Him they would still be in the depths of their sufferings (as I was too before I committed myself fully to Him). But, I am also friends with Christians who lack empathy, who can be hard on others and judgemental thinking comes easily to them - so I will not pretend they don’t exist.
For those Christians you speak of who lack empathy, know that that is a sign that they either have either 1) a fractured relationship with God 2) no real relationship at all or 3) are at the beginning stages of working on their relationship with God. These people can be frustrating for those of us who feel that we really are living for God, as it can give this appearance that all Christians are this way and in turn gives God Himself a bad appearance. But, those are the people we must pray for even more! We cannot do much to change their thoughts and hearts - only God can do that (see Jeremiah 17:10 and Psalm 44:21). And, we should not judge their relationship with God! I myself was in a broken relationship with God (in fact, I believe all of us who are current followers of Christ can say that there was a time when we were not fully committed to Him) so I could not possibly judge others when I myself was in that exact situation. All we can do is pray for them.
Also, I should add that I am no real intellectual! All GOOD things I say or do cannot come from my own mind, but from God!
“Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.“ (James 1:17 NLT)
I make sure to pray everytime I speak about Him, because I never want my words to honor me - but to honor God and the truth about Him. If I ever speak falsely, I hope others who know His Word better will point it out to me so that I can be corrected! (And it has happened before thanks to the wonderful @john15-10 and @moderndayoutsider and @strawberry-milktea whom you should follow if you want more guidance! They are strong believers indeed.)
There was a time when I found pride in my own intelligence - but now I know that God has granted such to me. I cannot take pride in what is not my own. Rather, I am thankful that God has granted me my mind, and I know my knowledge will NEVER be a great as God’s. Francis Chan explains it wonderfully in Crazy Love. He says we are like a can of soda, and all of God is a vast ocean. Our brain the size of a can of soda, even overflowing, can only hold a tiny fraction of Him.
3) Thirdly, the icky stuff in the Old Testament
I will be honest, I am not 100% sure what you mean by this anon (which is not a fault of yours, but of mine for failing to understand completely!). My best guess is certain things like God calling Abraham to sacrifice His son, or God condemning homosexuality, or God allowing people to die in the flood or people to die when He destroyed Sodom and Gamorra.
Here is my thoughts with those things. I do not actually see them as ‘icky stuff’. If I were to take these things at face value I would understand completely why you call it that! But, if you really delve into these things and examine them carefully, you will discover that they are not icky at all. They just go to prove how much of a righteous judge God is. Most likely what you are struggling with is that which appears icky is really just the devil fogging up your mind with misunderstandings. Do not rely on your own mind! If you search for understanding outside of your own, you will discover that there is something you may have missed or misinterpreted. Remember the example I shared from Francis Chan: Our brain at its max capacity can only understand a bit of Him. If we could fully understand Him and His plan, then He would not be God.
“’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” - (Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV)
The bible I use currently is an excellent material if you need more understanding of God’s word alongside your bible readings. (Here it is). It gives lots of further explanations of individual verses and adds other information on the history of that time period as well as cross-references other verses in the bible. But, that bible is a bit pricey, so I also suggest these free sites: Desiring God and Focus on the Family. There are also many books sold (that are fairly cheap!) meant to be read alongside your bible to help explain the more complex verses.
Ultimately, seek guidance!! Talk to people who are experts on the bible like a pastor, and they will help you with even the itty bitty things that are causing you to struggle. And, again, pray!! Pray that God will bring you wisdom and understanding. Pray He will provide for you the ability to see His word clearly and not be frustrated, confused, or disgusted by it!
4) Lastly, and most importantly feeling abandoned by God.
This is the most critical section of your question, I feel. It appears to me that everything you are struggling with boils down to this. You feel abandoned. I absolutely can relate to that feeling. I was at that point many times in my life.
Last year, during my sophomore year of college, I went through what I believe was a period of depression. I never went to a doctor to find out if that is what it really was so I cannot say it with certainty. All I know is that there was a hollowness in my heart. I felt apathetic to others. I put up walls and locked out my friends and family. I was easily angered by others. I wanted to ignore the world. But, at the same time, I felt alone. I was deeply lonely, and my foolish solution was to hide from the world. I went to sleep and prayed not to wake up again. I slept at every opportunity because when I was asleep I could escape from reality. I could fall into my dreams where everything was happy and exactly to my liking. When I woke up, I would lie in bed, wishing for the day to pass as quickly as possible so I could fall back into the peacefulness of sleep once again.
I felt abandoned by God at this time. I cried out to Him at night, asking why He hasn’t spoken to me. Why I couldn’t feel His presence anymore. I prayed that He would show Himself to me - would speak out loud, would show me some sign!
What I failed to realize at this time, is that God had never abandoned me. He was not off, helping some other suffering soul and ignoring me. Instead, He was waiting for me.
When we suffer, it is not because God is making us suffer, it is because we are allowing ourselves suffer. We cry out for God, but do not put in the effort to seek Him. When we lose something important to us, do we hope for it to be found and then wait for it to appear before us? No, of course not. If it was truly important to us, we would go looking all over the place for it. We would turn our house upside down until we find that thing we are desperately looking for. This is how we should feel towards God. If He is truly important to us, then we will desperately go looking for Him. Not sit still and wait for Him to find us.
This summer, I realized that the real reason I felt abandoned was because I was stuck in sin and did not really want to get out. It was not because God had abandoned me, but because I abandoned Him. Still I was trying to use Him as some crutch. I was trying to fit Him into a box that was supposed to help my desires right when I wanted them. I wanted God to come and save me, and yet didn’t want to reach out and take His hand that has been right in front of me this whole time.
So, my advice to you is to run after Him!! Go to church and engage with the messages. Worship Him like you’ve never worshipped before. Engage with other believers who are passionate. Read the bible. Read your devotional. Pray and Pray and Pray and Pray.
And, I too will pray for you. May you find God. May you see He never abandoned you. May you fall deeply in love with Him. May you learn more about His true qualities. And then, praise Him with everything you’ve got!!!
#god#christ#christian#christianity#the bible#the holy bible#jesus christ#love#depression#testimony#ask
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From Mixologist to Master Taster, Old Forester’s Jackie Zykan Is Officially a Major Name in Bourbon
Old Forester master taster Jackie Zykan became a household name earlier this year — albeit in a literal sense.
When the brand released the first expression of its highly coveted 117 Series “High Angels’ Share” in March 2021, Zykan etched her name in history by having her signature on the label. The unique packaging design also meant Zykan’s name would soon populate whiskey collections up and down the country — or at least, those of enthusiasts who were lucky enough to get their hands on the limited-edition run.
Any exploration of Zykan’s career cannot ignore that she is among the small number of women to hold a high-profile role in bourbon, an industry that has has a long legacy of male founders, owners, and master distillers. In fact, hers is the first name to adorn an Old Forester label that doesn’t belong to a man. But focusing on the historic nature of her signature on the 117 Series bottle risks distracting from the whiskey inside, and from her growing force within bourbon as a whole.
While the 117 Series is the first Old Forester release to be solely directed by Zykan, it is not the first expression she has had a hand in that had an impact on the bourbon world. Last year, she worked alongside master distiller Chris Morris to comprise three separate blends from 150 barrels for the Old Forester 150th Anniversary Bourbon. Released with a suggested retail price of $150, bottles quickly became collectors’ items and now command four or five times as much in retail channels (and even more in illegal online marketplaces). During the pandemic, Zykan also spearheaded Old Forester’s Master Tasters selection, a popular program that saw single-barrel releases sold for curbside pickup, with a portion of proceeds donated to charities in Louisville.
In a recent virtual sit-down with VinePair, Zykan discussed the singular nature of her role as a master taster; how her previous professional endeavours have led to more “resistance” in the whiskey industry than her gender; and what exactly the release of the 117 Series means to her.
[Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.]
1. Your official title at Old Forester is “Master Taster.” Can you explain what that role entails and how it differs from a master distiller or a master blender?
As it stands right now, my job focuses more on the post-maturation side of things than the pre-maturation side. I take what’s already been laid down and then decide what to do with it from that point forward. There is no clear-cut, industry-standard definition for master taster. My role, in particular, is half production and half global marketing.
New product development also comes through me. I’m transitioning more into the master blender side, but the main difference between my role and a master blender is the authority to make decisions on certain things. Right now, I’m still working very much hand-in-hand with Chris Morris on a lot of our projects, especially things that he started before I was with the brand. I do lead our single-barrel inventory, though, and programs like the 117 Series and President’s Choice. Every day, I’m getting more involved in projects and taking over Old Forester — whether they want me to or not, I’m doing it.
2. You studied biology and chemistry, then later worked in mixology. How do those different fields inform and help your day-to-day work?
The science education background has been crucial not just to my own understanding of our processes, but also to be able to communicate with a variety of audiences. We’re never just talking to whiskey nerds or bartenders, or the random consumer that only drinks vodka and wants to switch over. The audiences are very diverse. When it comes to new product development, the science background also helps to understand what’s going on from a molecular standpoint, and how to curate different whiskey flavor profiles.
The mixology part is interesting because, while I can’t speak for our competitors, I think I’m the only master taster [Old Forester parent company] Brown-Forman has ever had that has actual experience in the bar industry. Knowing what we can and should be doing with cocktails adds another layer of being able to connect with potential consumers.
3. What trends do you see leading bourbon right now, whether from a “purist” standpoint or the broader market in general?
Different perspectives will give you different answers on this. I think we’re still in the midst of the high-proof movement, and we definitely see that translate into what moves in our portfolio. I wouldn’t say that’s a new thing, and I think there’s a lot behind the high-proof whiskey surge. People get acclimated to the category and realize, “Oh, I actually am not afraid of the taste of this brown spirit.” Then, it’s not enough to just be able to drink bourbon, you have to drink the biggest bourbon and the most expensive bourbon. For somebody that has access to barrel-strength liquid and chooses to not drink it on a regular basis, the race to see who can consume the highest percentage of alcohol is fascinating. Back in the day, nobody was searching for Bacardi 151. Now people wait in line for it.
[Another trend is] single barrels. They’re all very unique, and they’re not replicable; I think the snowflake appeal is a huge part of it. I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from retailers that I’ve done tastings with in recent weeks that want to come to the distillery for single-barrel selection. They don’t want to grab the core stuff anymore.
[We’re also seeing] people play around with mash bills — and you’re always going to see that until people realize that novelty is not sustainable. It’s nice to have fun every now and then, but making sure that you are transparent about your process and doing things from a quality standpoint is timeless.
4. We are around two decades into a “bourbon boom,” the likes of which we have probably never seen before. What can producers such as Old Forester do to ensure that bourbon never goes the way of vodka, which still enjoys incredible sales but doesn’t quite have the cachet that it once did?
There’s a lot of interesting things to unpack here but I [should first say] we are very grateful for the boom. People such as myself have amazing jobs with great brands because of it.
I was once told that alcohol trends go through 30-year cycles, so if we really are in the second decade of this, that would mean that we would start to see the decline soon. The thing is, in the U.S. especially, we’re so much closer to the trend, so the boom seems much bigger to us than it is on a global level. It is creeping into global markets now, and we are seeing a lot more movement out there, but I think that there’s still a lot of opportunity for growth until we get to a point of saturation and exhaustion.
[When] other markets further from home (and maybe less regulated) start catching wind, that’s when we risk compromises to the category. I think we are in for a fight that most people probably haven’t anticipated, trying to [enforce] more rigid regulations, especially in more global markets.
We definitely don’t see [the boom] fizzling out any time soon and, fingers crossed, we hope it doesn’t. It’s not like the vodka industry where you can just pluck a flavor off a tree and you have a new product. We’re sitting on inventory and hoping for the best.
5. What is the most exciting time of the year for you in your role, and what do you look forward to most on the bourbon calendar throughout the year?
It used to be that you had the “busy” seasons: September is always busy because of [the annual release of] Birthday Bourbon, and it’s Bourbon Heritage Month. And when the weather starts cooling down in general, you start to see more interest in aged spirits. That is just not the case anymore. It’s a year-round season that does not slow down. From my perspective, Derby season is always equally as chaotic as it is enjoyable; very media-heavy and very taxing. It‘s full-throttle but these are great problems to have.
6. Can you describe how having your signature on the 117 Series felt for yourself, and what it might mean for other women wishing to follow in your footsteps in the bourbon industry?
It’s still surreal, to be honest, and I forget that my name is on the thing. It wasn’t my idea; it was brought up when we were doing label design for the series and [Old Forester president and managing director] Campbell Brown said, “It’s time to give credit where credit is due.”
I think it’s a big deal as far as normalizing [women in] an industry that was, and still is, very male-dominated. I never set out to do that; I didn’t grow up to one day to show them that girls like whiskey, too. More often than not, though, I feel resistance in the whiskey category not from being a woman, but from having a background behind the bar. You get categorized as “once a bartender, always a bartender.” Not a lot of people in roles like mine have that background, as I mentioned earlier. A lot of them either have family members that got them into the business or they have marketing degrees, which I do not. I feel more “black sheep-ish” — if I can use that term — from that sense, rather than from being a woman.
While it is surreal, I will say that when that product came out, it was very nerve-racking. It set the stage for what I’m going to do from this point forward in my career. If I didn’t get it right, it would be a constant fight against the current, trying to prove myself. If I came out of the gate with something solid that people embraced, it would be more smooth-sailing. I’m very happy that the series was well received because that gives me a lot less stress for the next expressions. I know they won’t be all home runs — and that’s OK. It started with a really good one that’s near and dear to my heart.
7. I’ve read that your preferred pour for the 117 Series is over ice to enjoy it over time. That seems to speak to your background in mixology versus pure distillation, especially as some “purists” might raise their eyebrows at that?
I’ve definitely gotten mixed feedback on that since we released the series. I could have bottled it at a higher or lower proof and I would still say, add water to it. The idea remains that when you have barrels that have such concentrated flavor to them, it’s an experience. It’s not taking a sip and then going on with your day. It’s a sit-down, share-it, and talk-about-it whiskey. The moment of whiskey is just as important as the actual liquid itself. It’s a ritual. I didn’t want to shortchange that by going ahead and skipping to the good parts. Letting people explore with it was really part of the intention.
The article From Mixologist to Master Taster, Old Forester’s Jackie Zykan Is Officially a Major Name in Bourbon appeared first on VinePair.
source https://vinepair.com/articles/jackie-zykan-old-forester-bourbon/
0 notes
Text
From Mixologist to Master Taster Old Foresters Jackie Zykan Is Officially a Major Name in Bourbon
Old Forester master taster Jackie Zykan became a household name earlier this year — albeit in a literal sense.
When the brand released the first expression of its highly coveted 117 Series “High Angels’ Share” in March 2021, Zykan etched her name in history by having her signature on the label. The unique packaging design also meant Zykan’s name would soon populate whiskey collections up and down the country — or at least, those of enthusiasts who were lucky enough to get their hands on the limited-edition run.
Any exploration of Zykan’s career cannot ignore that she is among the small number of women to hold a high-profile role in bourbon, an industry that has has a long legacy of male founders, owners, and master distillers. In fact, hers is the first name to adorn an Old Forester label that doesn’t belong to a man. But focusing on the historic nature of her signature on the 117 Series bottle risks distracting from the whiskey inside, and from her growing force within bourbon as a whole.
While the 117 Series is the first Old Forester release to be solely directed by Zykan, it is not the first expression she has had a hand in that had an impact on the bourbon world. Last year, she worked alongside master distiller Chris Morris to comprise three separate blends from 150 barrels for the Old Forester 150th Anniversary Bourbon. Released with a suggested retail price of $150, bottles quickly became collectors’ items and now command four or five times as much in retail channels (and even more in illegal online marketplaces). During the pandemic, Zykan also spearheaded Old Forester’s Master Tasters selection, a popular program that saw single-barrel releases sold for curbside pickup, with a portion of proceeds donated to charities in Louisville.
In a recent virtual sit-down with VinePair, Zykan discussed the singular nature of her role as a master taster; how her previous professional endeavours have led to more “resistance” in the whiskey industry than her gender; and what exactly the release of the 117 Series means to her.
[Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.]
1. Your official title at Old Forester is “Master Taster.” Can you explain what that role entails and how it differs from a master distiller or a master blender?
As it stands right now, my job focuses more on the post-maturation side of things than the pre-maturation side. I take what’s already been laid down and then decide what to do with it from that point forward. There is no clear-cut, industry-standard definition for master taster. My role, in particular, is half production and half global marketing.
New product development also comes through me. I’m transitioning more into the master blender side, but the main difference between my role and a master blender is the authority to make decisions on certain things. Right now, I’m still working very much hand-in-hand with Chris Morris on a lot of our projects, especially things that he started before I was with the brand. I do lead our single-barrel inventory, though, and programs like the 117 Series and President’s Choice. Every day, I’m getting more involved in projects and taking over Old Forester — whether they want me to or not, I’m doing it.
2. You studied biology and chemistry, then later worked in mixology. How do those different fields inform and help your day-to-day work?
The science education background has been crucial not just to my own understanding of our processes, but also to be able to communicate with a variety of audiences. We’re never just talking to whiskey nerds or bartenders, or the random consumer that only drinks vodka and wants to switch over. The audiences are very diverse. When it comes to new product development, the science background also helps to understand what’s going on from a molecular standpoint, and how to curate different whiskey flavor profiles.
The mixology part is interesting because, while I can’t speak for our competitors, I think I’m the only master taster [Old Forester parent company] Brown-Forman has ever had that has actual experience in the bar industry. Knowing what we can and should be doing with cocktails adds another layer of being able to connect with potential consumers.
3. What trends do you see leading bourbon right now, whether from a “purist” standpoint or the broader market in general?
Different perspectives will give you different answers on this. I think we’re still in the midst of the high-proof movement, and we definitely see that translate into what moves in our portfolio. I wouldn’t say that’s a new thing, and I think there’s a lot behind the high-proof whiskey surge. People get acclimated to the category and realize, “Oh, I actually am not afraid of the taste of this brown spirit.” Then, it’s not enough to just be able to drink bourbon, you have to drink the biggest bourbon and the most expensive bourbon. For somebody that has access to barrel-strength liquid and chooses to not drink it on a regular basis, the race to see who can consume the highest percentage of alcohol is fascinating. Back in the day, nobody was searching for Bacardi 151. Now people wait in line for it.
[Another trend is] single barrels. They’re all very unique, and they’re not replicable; I think the snowflake appeal is a huge part of it. I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from retailers that I’ve done tastings with in recent weeks that want to come to the distillery for single-barrel selection. They don’t want to grab the core stuff anymore.
[We’re also seeing] people play around with mash bills — and you’re always going to see that until people realize that novelty is not sustainable. It’s nice to have fun every now and then, but making sure that you are transparent about your process and doing things from a quality standpoint is timeless.
4. We are around two decades into a “bourbon boom,” the likes of which we have probably never seen before. What can producers such as Old Forester do to ensure that bourbon never goes the way of vodka, which still enjoys incredible sales but doesn’t quite have the cachet that it once did?
There’s a lot of interesting things to unpack here but I [should first say] we are very grateful for the boom. People such as myself have amazing jobs with great brands because of it.
I was once told that alcohol trends go through 30-year cycles, so if we really are in the second decade of this, that would mean that we would start to see the decline soon. The thing is, in the U.S. especially, we’re so much closer to the trend, so the boom seems much bigger to us than it is on a global level. It is creeping into global markets now, and we are seeing a lot more movement out there, but I think that there’s still a lot of opportunity for growth until we get to a point of saturation and exhaustion.
[When] other markets further from home (and maybe less regulated) start catching wind, that’s when we risk compromises to the category. I think we are in for a fight that most people probably haven’t anticipated, trying to [enforce] more rigid regulations, especially in more global markets.
We definitely don’t see [the boom] fizzling out any time soon and, fingers crossed, we hope it doesn’t. It’s not like the vodka industry where you can just pluck a flavor off a tree and you have a new product. We’re sitting on inventory and hoping for the best.
5. What is the most exciting time of the year for you in your role, and what do you look forward to most on the bourbon calendar throughout the year?
It used to be that you had the “busy” seasons: September is always busy because of [the annual release of] Birthday Bourbon, and it’s Bourbon Heritage Month. And when the weather starts cooling down in general, you start to see more interest in aged spirits. That is just not the case anymore. It’s a year-round season that does not slow down. From my perspective, Derby season is always equally as chaotic as it is enjoyable; very media-heavy and very taxing. It‘s full-throttle but these are great problems to have.
6. Can you describe how having your signature on the 117 Series felt for yourself, and what it might mean for other women wishing to follow in your footsteps in the bourbon industry?
It’s still surreal, to be honest, and I forget that my name is on the thing. It wasn’t my idea; it was brought up when we were doing label design for the series and [Old Forester president and managing director] Campbell Brown said, “It’s time to give credit where credit is due.”
I think it’s a big deal as far as normalizing [women in] an industry that was, and still is, very male-dominated. I never set out to do that; I didn’t grow up to one day to show them that girls like whiskey, too. More often than not, though, I feel resistance in the whiskey category not from being a woman, but from having a background behind the bar. You get categorized as “once a bartender, always a bartender.” Not a lot of people in roles like mine have that background, as I mentioned earlier. A lot of them either have family members that got them into the business or they have marketing degrees, which I do not. I feel more “black sheep-ish” — if I can use that term — from that sense, rather than from being a woman.
While it is surreal, I will say that when that product came out, it was very nerve-racking. It set the stage for what I’m going to do from this point forward in my career. If I didn’t get it right, it would be a constant fight against the current, trying to prove myself. If I came out of the gate with something solid that people embraced, it would be more smooth-sailing. I’m very happy that the series was well received because that gives me a lot less stress for the next expressions. I know they won’t be all home runs — and that’s OK. It started with a really good one that’s near and dear to my heart.
7. I’ve read that your preferred pour for the 117 Series is over ice to enjoy it over time. That seems to speak to your background in mixology versus pure distillation, especially as some “purists” might raise their eyebrows at that?
I’ve definitely gotten mixed feedback on that since we released the series. I could have bottled it at a higher or lower proof and I would still say, add water to it. The idea remains that when you have barrels that have such concentrated flavor to them, it’s an experience. It’s not taking a sip and then going on with your day. It’s a sit-down, share-it, and talk-about-it whiskey. The moment of whiskey is just as important as the actual liquid itself. It’s a ritual. I didn’t want to shortchange that by going ahead and skipping to the good parts. Letting people explore with it was really part of the intention.
The article From Mixologist to Master Taster, Old Forester’s Jackie Zykan Is Officially a Major Name in Bourbon appeared first on VinePair.
Via https://vinepair.com/articles/jackie-zykan-old-forester-bourbon/
source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/from-mixologist-to-master-taster-old-foresters-jackie-zykan-is-officially-a-major-name-in-bourbon
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