#which is lovely obviously) but even then ehhhh. It’s not that compelling

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #334

"i dreamed i was missing  /  you were so scared  /  but no one would listen,  ‘cuz no one else cared”

Sunrise or sunset? Sunset has prettier colors, imo, but I enjoy the pastel nature of sunrises, too. Are you mentally ill? Oh brother. Are you physically ill? I don't have any serious physical health issues, no. Introvert or extrovert? I'm a very strong introvert. What do you think when you look at your body? That it's fucking disgusting. What have others said when they look at your body? When I was healthy, I was complimented every now and again. With the body I have now? I'm glad people keep their months shut. Do you have a particular song that you feel deeply? There's a good 'ole handful or two. Talk about a time in your life where you have felt most alive? It's weird, I'm not a city person at all, but possibly when I was walking the streets of Chicago with Sara and her dad one evening. There was just so much life, so many new sights, that it was impossible not to. Plus, I was at a very happy point in my life, so. I just enjoyed a lot. Are you confident wearing a bikini? FUCK NO. Have you ever been hurt physically or mentally by a family member? Mentally, obviously. Everyone has at some point. I've never been seriously physically hurt by family, but Mom did spank my sisters and me as kids if we did something wrong. Biggest lie you have told? I don't really know. I get really uncomfortable telling even minor lies, so making a big one would be excruciating. I'm not saying I've never said a biggie, I'm sure in 25 years of life I said something stupid at one point, I just don't remember it. Do you believe in the Illuminati? Nah; there's some compelling evidence, but I just think it's way too big of a secret to keep. Regrets in your life? Blaming the breakup entirely on Jason and saying just plain cruel things to him afterwards. Also sending an appallingly hateful letter to Dad to vent after the divorce. Flirting with my then-best friend's boyfriend at the time behind her back. Dating Tyler (it's a small one, but still a regret). There are others, those are just the only ones coming to me right now. Achievements in your life? Lots of academic success and awards (before college, anyway...), artistic accomplishments like having my work put in a museum, surviving a traumatic breakup, (mostly) recovering from massive depression... What did people say about you in school? Nothing, really. I was a quiet student who just did her work and tried hard. Is there something you have never told anyone? Yes. If you had two days to spend one million dollars how would you spend it? First, I'm paying off college debt. Then Mom gets a new car, followed by me getting new glasses and renewing my permit. I'm getting a good terrarium setup for Venus. Then, it's tattoo time, baby, haha. I can't really do the mental math on how much this all would cost, but those are the high-priority things I can think of. Describe your first kiss? Was it how you imagined? Jason and I were playfighting in bed, and he had me pinned. Our faces were close, and I decided to kiss him. It was a fairy tale moment, in my eyes. He looked so bashful for once (he's far from shy) but also really happy, and I was too. Growing up were you in a wealthy, average, or low income household? Low, I think. Or maybe average, when Dad was still around. Have you been raised by a solo parent? When I was around 17, my parents split, so kinda-sorta. Do you know both your parents? Thankfully, yes. Have you abused drugs or alcohol? No. Are you comfortable accepting compliments? Ehhhh, I really appreciate them and they can make my whole day, but I'm very awkward about it. I get shy. Are you comfortable giving compliments? Oh yes. I honestly love giving compliments; I know how happy they can make me, so why not share that with others? Is any mental illness hindering your life? Guess. (: Is any physical illness hindering your life? Well, it's not an "illness," but the muscles in my legs have severely atrophied from leading such a horribly sedentary lifestyle, and that has greatly affected my ability to work without the risk of just collapsing. Walking at all is painful. Are you preparing for an apocalypse? No. I'm not really one to worry about "prepping." If it happens, it happens, man. I'm not spending loads of money on a "maybe." Are you interested in cults? Not really, no. Are your parents good cooks? Mom is fine, but it's hard to really judge Dad's cooking since he barely ever did it, plus I haven't had his cooking in many, many years. I remember he was great at making breakfast, though. That was like a rare treat, him deciding to make breakfast for everyone. Have you ever been to a chiropractor? Did you like it? No. Do you know anyone who is an actor? No. Have your wisdom teeth come through yet? They never did. Have you ever used a public pay phone? No. Have you ever made an item of clothing? No. Have you taken someone's virginity? No. Is confidence cute? "Confidence, yes. But cockiness and arrogance, no. That’s a whole different area that’s definitely not cute." <<<< Nailed it. Would you be able to date someone who doesn’t make you laugh? Doubt it. Are you one of those people who never drinks soda? No; rather, I drink too much of it. I'm trying really hard to lay off of it, and I drink nowhere near as much as I used to (when oddly enough, I was healthy and fit), but I'm still not comfortable drinking a can and a half a day. Listening to? "Castle of Glass" by Linkin Park. Kinda obsessed. Ever used a bow and arrow? No, but archery is cool. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer? I don't think this has happened since my senior shot in HS. Take a vitamin daily? Daily, no, but I really should. I take a Vitamin D capsule every Sunday, though. Favorite Taylor Swift song? I only really like "Love Story" and "Picture to Burn." Have you ever cried because you were so happy? Yeah. Which are better: black or green olives? I don't like olives period, but I guess black. What’s your 3rd favourite animal? Huh, never thought of #3, just #1 and #2: meerkats and opossums. Maybe snakes? Do you like mushrooms? NO. NO NO NO. What dream do you remember most vividly? One I don't talk about. A childhood nickname? Mom called me "Twinkie" and still sometimes does. ;-; Does anyone in "real life" know that you take surveys? Would you be embarrassed if they found your blog? Just Sara. And yes, regarding some people. Who was the last person you blocked on social media? Did you have an argument that lead to that happening? I'm unsure, but probably. I don't tend to just like... randomly block people. What was the first social media account you remember signing up for? Are you still a member of that particular website, if it even still exists? Of course it was MySpace. It's still floating around somewhere in cyberspace. What website from your childhood/teen years do you wish still existed? I get nostalgic over the Animal Planet forums sometimes. Have you ever met up with anyone in real life that you first met via the internet? Did you get on as well as you thought you would? Yes, Sara. I felt like it would go just fine, but it went even better than I expected - I was oddly very comfortable around her and her family. Have you ever tried any of those meal replacement shakes? Are you a fan of things like that in general? Yeah; I tried many brands until I settled for Equate, surprisingly. Cheap does not equate to bad quality, my friends. We always have the chocolate ones in the house, and they're really not bad at all. Are you the kind of person to enjoy taking naps? I love me my daily nap, man. What's your favourite kind of cheese to have on a pizza? Idk, whatever cheese is normally used, lol. What's a hobby you loved when you were younger but no longer enjoy for whatever reason? I guess video editing. I can't say I'd no longer enjoy it at all, but now the idea sounds far more like a chore than fun. Is there a popular food/drink that you can't stand? What is it and why don't you like it? I could name five dozen, but here's just a few: coffee, pie, tea, fried chicken (or is that just a Southern thing to be obsessed with?), and... of course now that I'm asked this question, I'm blanking on the huge number I know exist. As for "why," that varies, but it's either just simply a taste or even a texture thing. How would your wedding boquet look like? I want a gothic-themed wedding, so imagine a mix of black and maroon roses... whew-wee. You’re at a bar, and you witness a man drugging some girl's drink. What do you do? No hesitation, I'm decking the motherfucker. Fuck my fear of men, he's getting knocked out, and I'm immediately alerting the staff, as well as of course the girl. Kids? How many? Why? Names? Boy or girl? Y'know, loads and loads of scaly and hairy ones. Got plenty of name ideas depending on what they are and how they look. The only baby whose gender matters to me is the tarantula because females live waaaay longer. Fuck them human babies, not for me. Are you an organ donor? Absolutely. I sure as hell ain't usin' 'em once I'm dead, so consider it my last act of selflessness. Whats the most you’ve ever lost gambling? I don't gamble. What is something you can never give up (that's not love or family)? My pebble from my "graduation" from my first partial hospitalization program. It's meant to symbolize how great pain and trials can file you into something beautiful. It was passed around group, everyone holding it in their hands as they wished me well and spoke their piece about me. I'm honestly just fighting back tears remembering it. Have you ever waited in line overnight for something? No, I'm way too impatient for that shit.. Do you think having an expensive phone is a good investment? Hm. I guess it depends on what you use it for. Have you ever witnessed a birth in person? A human birth, no fucking thank you. I've only ever seen pet cats give birth. Does anyone in your family smoke? My dad does, big time. He quit drinking, but never quite managed to stay away from cigarettes. Have you ever had a pet escape and run away? Seeing as I grew up with outdoor cats that we couldn't afford to fix, pretty much all of our tomcats left for roving once they came of a certain age. Do any of your exes know each other? Juan and Jason know each other, Jason and Girt know one another as well, and Sara and Girt have met. What’s an opinion you find impossible to take seriously? I simply cannot fathom the belief that "dinosaurs never existed." Explain the fucking fossils, like come the fuck on. It's absolute denial in the name of religion. What was the very first election you voted in? This one that just passed, actually. What is one random fact about you? I want like 20 tarantulas but Mom says no. :( Do you spend a lot of time outdoors in the summer? Fuck no, I will do anything to stay inside in summer. Do you wear band tees? if yes, which one is your favorite? I love band tees, yeah. My Ninja Sex Party shirt is the most comfortable, but comfort aside, it's hard to pick a favorite. Possibly my Otep one, 'cuz the design is dope. Do you ever re-arrange your room? No. What season do you want to get married in? Fall. What is the highest name-brand thing you own? Oh god, I don't own expensive brand stuff. I guess the only exclusion would be my Cloak shirt, but even that's not like, mad pricey. What color GameBoy did you have as a kid? Red. What was your favorite GameBoy game? Maybe that Catz game? Even though the music was the most fucking obnoxious meowing ever lmao. What was the last compliment you remember someone gave to you? Who was it? It was this guy in my PHP group; my therapist surprised the fuck out of me by sharing with everyone my most recent poem (I trust him a lot, and he urges me to send him my art, so I've done that twice), and I nearly fucking died from cardiac arrest. However, this Nick guy, who's a poetry major, told me it was better than stuff he reads in his Master's program. I almost cried. Have you ever personally been friends with a stripper or prostitute? No, not that I'm opposed though or anything. If you have tattoos, which one that you have was the most painful? The one on my inner forearm. Have you ever actually met and talked to someone who’s famous? No. When was the last time you got a parking ticket for anything at all? I never have. Do you have any pets who will bite anyone else out there, besides you? No; Roman won't even come close enough to a stranger TO bite, haha. It's funny, he's so goofy and you'd guess outgoing, but instead, he's terrified of people he doesn't recognize. What’s your favorite type of sushi? I don't eat sushi. What’s your favorite patriotic song? Don't have one. Have you ever read a book about a character in a psych ward? No, and I'd really prefer not to because it would just drag me back to dark times. Have you ever been in a mental hospital as a patient? ^ Have you ever had an ulcer? No. Do you like soy sauce? omfg no What’s your favorite store to browse around? Morph Market. @_@ It's a hub for reptiles for sale, and I have my days where I just browse the ball python morphs for like an hour or so, haha. What’s the name of the most recent baby a friend had? Christ, half my friends on Facebook are having babies, idr. I don't know who was the most recent. Do people normally say you’re a fast typer, or are you rather slow? I'm very fast. Have you ever been considered the "smartest person in school?" No; that was my friend Hannia. I'm pretty certain she would qualify as a genius. Her GPA was fucking incredible. Were you named after anyone famous or anyone on television? No.

#survey #surveys #questions #lyrics: ''leave out all the rest'' by linkin park

[vastderp]

Okage: Shadow King is such a great little game.

been replaying Okage: Shadow King this past week or two and it’s both better and worse than I remember. worse in that oh my lord they released this game too early and it’s buggy as fuck. better as in HOLY SHIT WHAT A GREAT STORY. 

spoilers obviously.

like the part you play is fairly boilerplate RPG, but shit’s just... weird. the world is tiny, supposedly having been spared from a global catastrophe 300 years ago. roaming monsters all look like something a child would draw, except finished by a professional. There are monster paintings that are just crayon scribbles on a framed canvas. There is a floating anteater hanging from a party balloon. it has a scribbly checkered pattern that is only partly colored in, also with crayon. 

NPCs are not named, they’re “classified” by their roles in the story. every now and then a list comes from the King of all the new “classifications” for the inhabitants of the world, telling them what they are. So they’ll be called stuff like YOUNG MAN WHO BELIEVES IN JUSTICE (and who can never shut up about Justice) and SLEEPY TOWN MANAGER (who was merely drowsy until he got "classified” at which point he couldn’t stay awake anymore to do his job). 

the world is small and simplistic and the people are very limited, to the point of sometimes seeming to be sleepwalking. The NPC who watches over the nonfunctional train station is completely brain-fried, because there is no train and no purpose for him to fulfill but hey somebody needed a stationmaster for the train station scene. who is that guy? who was he before he was given his incredibly vague role? did it erase everything else about him? is that why he doesn’t know if he’s met me before?

half the people you talk to seem like fully realized individuals being mind controlled into playing a role. funny thing, that!

even the villains are just doing what a little voice told them. they got “classified” as an Evil King, and boom! evil powers! now the Hero has to go fight them! your character’s family are assholes who have sold your soul to the evil Shadow King (stan for short) in exchange for Stan reversing a pig latin curse on your older sister.

this matters because if your sister is forced to speak in pig latin, she will be “classified” (quotation marks are always around that word per game styling) as a comic relief girl and it will ruin her marriage prospects. we’re told “classifications” matter a lot in this world, as you will see for yourself later. something as simple as being “classified” as a different fictional character trope can and will result in your life and your actual personality changing to match it. It’s played for laughs, but imagine if you were a STRESSED-OUT SOPHOMORE and you went on a bad weekend pub crawl and got “classified” as a STUMBLING DRUNKARD three days from final exams.

anyway, your character has no “classification”. he’s so forgettable it just never happened, i guess? which makes him a perfect vessel for a power-drained demon king that needs to parasitize a person’s shadow to live. so, there you go. your job is to beat up the demons that stole Stan’s power, get him back to his full strength, and then... i dunno, watch your swordswoman companion and newly separated Stan fight to the death, probably. that’s what they plan on doing, anyway. and that’s what you’re told is the plot of the game. but nope, that’s just how you get to the plot. see, the fucked-upness of the world gets more and more apparent as you go. at first you can write it off as the gamemakers screwing up (this is a very rough game, so that is understandable) but it’s more than that.

after a while of truly lousy dungeons, hilarious dialogue and goofy monsters, there is a “joke” that you can hear from various NPCs. This joke is actually not a joke at all, but people can’t stop laughing long enough to tell the whole thing to you. the story is actually very sad, but because it’s “classified” as a joke, people are compelled to laugh at it and think of it as funny.

the story is about a parent turtle and its baby turtle. one day the baby turtle is playing in the safe little yard its parent made for it, and gets lost. while it’s looking for the baby, the parent comes across a pebble that looks like its baby, and takes it home all happy that it’s found its child. the real baby finds its way home, only to see the parent has replaced it with a damn rock. the parent turtle refuses to admit the pebble isn’t its real baby, because if it admits to its error, it would look stupid. deep down, the turtle knows the pebble isn’t really its child, that the real baby is out there somewhere alone because the parent can’t put aside its pride admit it’s been fooling itself all this time. 

that’s basically a fairy tale about a narcissistic parent, isn’t it? it’s also the story of the big bad of this game, who made your world into a toybox for his daughter to play in, until she disappeared into it. not to worry, he made a pebble doll that looks just like his missing child and enchanted it to seem alive. don’t remind him it’s not really her. just don’t.

so.

this game has been pretending up til now to be a cheeky parody of the RPG genre with weird details that makes no sense. now we find out another reason why things are this way: the shitty enemies, the dazed and “classified” NPCs, the weirdly non-threatening child’s drawing monsters, all of these things are the creations of the big bad, and they look this way because they’re meant to be safe, fun game pieces for a little kid to play with. 

“classification” is not just a winking acknowledgement of the genre, it’s an actual magical force used by the big bad to create roles for living human beings who are effectively mind controlled slaves. that’s some dark stuff right there, if you look past the cutesy video game storytelling for a sec and imagine what that must be like for the people. it’s a simple story, hidden inside the decoy RPG plot, but damn if it isn’t good.

so, about the the small world you can explore in the game: it used to be a lot bigger, but it’s been cut out of the much larger real world by magic and turned into a sort of childproofed playpen full of colorful NPCs specifically “classified” (presumably from the residents of the part of the world that got isolated) for the intended player to encounter on an adventure plot. 

You aren’t the intended player of the game, either. your protagonist is a random boring teenager who didn’t get “classified” at all, presumably because everyone, including the big bad, forgets he’s there. He was left off the list entirely, making him very useful to the opponent of the big bad, a former collaborator and “classification” worker who rebelled. this former collaborator is the same guy who originally spread the story of the turtle and the pebble to shame the big bad, by the way. to make the story go away, big bad tried to “classify” it as a joke. ok dude, you do you.

People who don’t get “classified” can act however they choose, it looks like. they don’t get stuck in the story like YOUNG MAN WHO BELIEVES IN JUSTICE, who can only stand on the sidewalk and talk about justice. somebody who wanted to fight the big bad, who’s always looking for gaps in the system to drive a wedge into, could really break the game if he could find someone who wasn’t “classified” to work through. he’s done it before (unsuccessfully) but this time around, your player character is that wedge. 

and what a wedge he is!

imagine Link running all those endless, thankless errands in all his endless, thankless incarnations. saving babies, fetching cheese, herding goats, getting no real say in things but always doing the hard work--that’s you. now imagine Link literally fades into invisibility from being ignored so hard. that is also you. as in, your character will disappear from existence at one point when the big bad decides you’re ruining his daughter’s RPG adventure (more like because you make him remember that she’s just a doll and not actually his missing daughter) and writes you out of the story. it’s easy to do because your character’s main trait is that people don’t really pay attention to him. even in the game itself, this character is just your vehicle to play Okage: Shadow King and enact the choices you make. (this game gets super meta and i love it.)

big bad just emphasizes your overshadowed (eh? ehhhh?) nature until you stop existing at all. 

while you’re invisible, you end up in the town of Triste, where ignored people gather. this whole sequence is just amazing--half the businesses are closed, or they’re open and you can hear music and smell food but no one is inside. a lot of people who are inside their homes won’t open the door and might yell at you to go away. some folks hang around outside and will talk to you. everyone is sad but happy to have this place to belong when no one else can see they exist. Triste is well-named (means “sad” in french). it’s basically the town of social anxiety, hesitation, longing and depression. and it’s amazing. 

you can find a closed up house where, when you knock, a guy inside yells “I HOPE IT BREAKS! THAT TINY WORLD OF YOURS!” like. someone’s extra mad at the big bad 0_0

and oh hey by the way, while you’re exploring this beautiful village of forgotten NPCs, you run into the voice of a certain princess who got lost in the world her father made for her to play in who knows how many hundreds of years ago. turns out this poor kid used to play all sorts of fun games in the world, but she ended up in Triste. while the doll version of her has adventures, she can watch through its eyes, so she knows you despite never having actually met. 

man, imagine being that poor baby turtle princess and having to wait around all alone in a town full of invisible sad people because your dad has replaced you, in his grief, with an enchanted doll. but now someone’s come to help her, someone who is also sad and alone because everyone’s forgotten them. your defining flaw as a character, your tendency to be neglected to the point of non-existence, is what allows you to connect with the lost princess. your sorrow brings you to a place where you can plan to make real change and fix your broken ass world. i fucking love that! 

first you have to get people to acknowledge you so you will stop being invisible, and then you have to confront the big bad’s weird grief-crazy reign of terror, bring the real princess back from Triste, and end the “classification” system that keeps the world isolated and its people enslaved. somewhere in all of this, you will also presumably need to deal with the fully-powered Shadow King, but eh. later for that. 

this is the ps4 version, so first i have to get the goddamn Q of Hearts for the platinum trophy. THEN we’ll deal with Stan.

#okage #okage: shadow king #boku to maoh #okage spoilers #spoiler #i love when the gameplay and the story fit together #like even the many many bugs and glitches are OK in the context of the story #it almost becomes part of the story when this janky ass game goes clunk #there beiloune goes again i says to myself #just as long as i can save without hitting that bug i'll be fine says i #oh no it's frozen again says i #curse you beiloune but at least i saved twice #you have to save twice to be sure not to erase your game #it's a rare bug but it's devastating if you only have one file current #and oh my god can the q of hearts just drop already

[rorykillmore]

and finally, this is kind of a cliche question but i find it interesting nevertheless, what hogwarts house would each of your characters be sorted into and why?

i actually got several hp asks this time around funnily enough; i’ll do this one first because it’s probably the easiest off the top of my head

lucille - i wanna say ravenclaw! not just because she’s “smart” but because a lot of lucille’s past and especially her coping mechanisms related to her past are marked by... the accumulation of knowledge, things she’s taught herself over a very broad variety of subjects (like, medical stuff she learned to take care of her mother, but then how she delved deeper into like... knowledge of poisons and stuff, and then things she taught herself JUST because she wanted to like music, a bunch of random insect knowledge, an entire language!) she obviously values knowledge a lot and just... spends a lot of her time studying and learning.

glory - hmmm glory... is tricky; i actually see a lot of elements of like three different houses in her.  i think maybe she’d be one of those people who’d trip up the sorting hat for a bit between slytherin and hufflepuff; which are actually houses that have some overlap insofar as “value other people’s loyalty”. but i think ultimately her leanings towards sharper cunning and smooth diplomacy make her more of a slytherin, and actually a pretty good example of someone capable of using slytherin traits really compassionately.

kara - hufflepuff! god this was difficult because kara does have a LOT of gryffindor qualities and i kept going back and forth about which of her drives are more definitive for her... like, she definitely has a gryffindor’s will to prove themselves buuut even stronger than that is this desire to belong and keep the people closest to her safe and she’s very driven by like, love and loyalty and compassion, so i think hufflepuff might ultimately be the best fit for her. idk i could change my mind on this tomorrow

siobhan - another slytherin! this one is pretty easy because siobhan, in canon, is REALLY driven by ambition and making pragmatic connections and working her way up in the world. she falls into some of the more negative slytherin pitfalls of being willing to step on other people when necessary, but also caring a little too much about how she’s perceived. her silver banshee stuff has... derailed a lot of her priorities, but those core traits are still there.

caitlin - this one’s easy, ravenclaw! caitlin is a fuckin’ nerd. she’s a scientist because of her affinity for observation and innovation and her desire to learn more about the world and make advances, and she’s so eager to eat up virtually anything in her fields of interest, so... yeah. ravenclaw.

sara - i feel like anyone who knows sara could easily place her as a gryffindor.  she has a lot of reckless, impulsive courage, she’s instantly motivated to protect other people who are less capable than she is, and damn if she doesn’t like to make an impact while she’s doing it! she’s just a classic gryffindor. sometimes a very stupid reckless asshole but also very very brave and compelled to do the right thing. 

bramblestar - slytherin! another easy call just because his ambition has always been such a core drive for him. but i do like that he’s a pretty positive example of an ambitious character; he’s learned to value his ambition and act on it without putting it before others or letting it become dangerous. he is also, of course, very protective of his own. slytherin loyalty tends to be selective but considering the context of clan divisions, i think you could call his loyalty to his clan selective and channeled

heather - another fuckin gryffindor asshole. good thing she already has the color scheme covered! yeah but i’ve said before that heather, previously, could be taken as a really interesting example of a gryffindor at their worst. she has a lot of bold, confrontational energy, a lot of courage, a lot of desire to make an impact (but not necessarily the specific ambition of a slytherin), but she just used it to STEAMROLL people. these days she’s trying to channel those things into more positive, protective qualities, but all the same...

madeline - hmmm god i’m torn on madeline too, like a lot, but. i think i’ll make the call for slytherin? slytherin who could be mistaken for a gryffindor. because madeline has a lot of restless ambition, she’s so possessed by the desire for more than what she is, she’s good at the kind of pragmatic bullshit necessary for dodging around other people and coming in first, and she’s fiercely protective of her small squad of friends and willing to do similarly crazy bullshit to make sure they come out on top too.

badgerstripe - she’d be hufflepuff, i want to say! in her original timeline she did end up as leader, but she never... really had the ambition to go along with that. she cares more about like... she’s very externally focused on others, she really delves herself into supporting groups as a whole, loyalty to her family and to her clan as a whole are very important to her, as is kindness... yeah, hufflepuff.

trish - sighs and sorts another one into gryffindor. this shouldn’t surprise anyone; trish is like... 99% reckless courage and an overpowered drive to help other people and a fierce desperation to prove herself. i don’t feel like i have to go into this anymore; it’s so self-explanatory.

anya - ehhhh i wanna say maybe ravenclaw. i considered hufflepuff for awhile because of how driven she is to find a sense of belonging with other people, but that’s more due to her circumstances and just not knowing who the fuck she is than any inherent qualities or values? if we’re speaking inherently; she grew up very inquisitive and curious and constantly accumulating learning and skills, a lot of which she’s able to draw back on even without her memory, so i feel like ravenclaw is probably the best fit.

dolores - god dolores is hard because her sense of self is so... fragmented by various programming and very much still in development and so i think the sorting hat would more likely than not be kind of stumped with her. she might actually be one of those cases like harry where it goes with what she picks because she has a lot of conflicting qualities that could go either way and it really comes down to a show of what she values the most. that said, i think she’d find appeal in both slytherin and gryffindor but might find gryffindor more... encouraging of her strong ideals and ferocity and everything she wants to fight for, so maybe that

#thanks eps!! #wow some of these were harder than i thought #cuts dennys lvad wire #mikexxwheeler

[destressjournal]

DCOM Rankings #60: Twitches

Yeahhh our country is effed up. Let’s review a movie!

So I loved this movie and it’s sequel as a kid. I forget which one I liked more so I guess we’ll have to see what happens when I get there.

The big question: does it hold up? Ehhhh kinda. The charm is definitely still there! But the logic and reason....no that kinda flew out the window. But we’ll get there!

As always: let’s talk about the flaws first:

- the biggest flaw in this movie is the establishment of the backstory and basic premise. The movie doesn’t have a strong foundation. Okay, there’s this magical dimension called Coventry and there’s this evil thing called “the darkness” (so original), that’s been threatening the main castle. Okay, fine, whatever. Then two twin sisters were born, princesses, and their caretakers sought to get them out of there as fast as possible and into a dimension where they would be safe. Great! I like it. But I don’t like the fact that they reiterated that the babies defeated the darkness before they were taken away. Ummmm, the babies won. Why are you taking them away from their home? They just defeated the monster! It would have been a lot more interesting if either the father sacrificed himself to save the daughters (which he kinda did but not really), or if Thantos had taken the babies away himself or at least orchestrated that plan because he knew how powerful the girls were. Basically the premise and backstory just weren’t thought through all the way. Like iliana and carsh knew where they were the whole time! And they never bothered to tell the mom?!? Wtf.

-the first half hour is waaayyy too fast. Honestly, maybe the entire movie is too fast. The whole thing takes place over the course of one day! ONE DAY. That’s just not enough time to establish the setting, characters, and the plot all at once. I’m impressed how much they were able to achieve but it’s definitely not perfect, especially at the beginning when the sisters meet.

-the villain. Not strong enough. He’s just an evil cloud...ooooo so scary. But I’m not gonna lie, I was scared of the evil cloud as a kid lol. Only at the end where the face popped out. Nowadays I’ve seen all the classic horror films and jump scares soooo a dark cloud just doesn’t do it for me anymore. I don’t need something that’s just scary, I need something that’s compelling and story-driven.

-the rest of the flaws are just logic-based, and are likely related to the first big flaw, so I won’t get into those.

Now, the good things:

-Tia and Tamara are always amazing. All the actors in this movie are great! AND Jocelyn from schitts creek is in this movie!! (she’s not in the second one tho). They definitely casted a lot of Canadian actors for these roles. But they do in every DCOM.

- while the backstory and premise are deeply flawed. The movie itself tries to make up for that as much as it can. It’s charming and cute and i love watching these sisters learn about each other and how to use their powers. I love the sun/moon vibe going on too. And how it reflects in their personalities. I thought that was a neat touch.

-Coventry may not be as fleshed out as Halloweentown but I think it has its own charm to it and I’m glad the second movie took some time to explore that world too. It’s at least intriguing enough that it’s something I would like to learn more about. I’m just glad there was a decent explanation and worldbuilding as to why they have powers (I’m looking at you “now you see it”)

Overall, I think nostagia probably won a bit here, but it’s definitely not A+ level. I’m moving it down to a B+, but probably on the higher end of that B+ list. I feel like I should say more but the only thing I can think of is that, okay, the main characters are 21, umm if this is set in America or even Canada, I’m PRETTY sure there would be a lot of booze at this birthday party. Obviously, it’s a DCOM and they can’t show people drinking alcohol, I just thought that was funny watching this as a 25-year-old and thinking about my own 21st birthday party. But also....I’m surprised the characters still live at home at that age, in a movie, and I think that’s pretty realistic nowadays. Heck, I still live at home. I’d like to move out sometime this year but we’ll see how that goes....

Next movie is the big one....and I know for a fact that nostalgia is going to keep me from being objective on this one. And I’m fine with that! Bring it on!!

[some-flyleaves]

for “no particular reason” some thoughts on stuff I’ve watched/read lately

spoilers ahead but most of these have been out for a while by now

Beauty and the Beast remake

overall entertaining and well-animated, though I still prefer the original

some of the story tweaks were neat and I especially liked the subplot about the cursed servants becoming less sentient(?) as time went on

others were kinda unnecessary imo, the whole opening scene being a glaring example. also giving the Enchantress a bigger role is neat in theory but kinda definitely raises a few Questions

not fond of the autotuned lead singer which is even more obvious comparing soundtracks

the furniture designs cannot grow on me They Simply Can Not, you can’t get nearly as many lines of action or squash & stretch out of a hyperrealistic CGI teapot

on that note the original’s beast design is still the best design, shout-out to my family for calling the live-action prince a “surfer dude”

at the end of the day idk what to make of the LeFou Discourse(TM) but shout-out to the little bit where Potts was like “you’re too good for him [Gaston]” and all things considered I thought it was a biiit more than what those cynical meme posts suggest. mind I’m not sure what I would’ve thought if I didn’t know about the whole shebang beforehand

it was apparently enough to get the film banned in a few countries, which doesn’t equal Instant Representation Pinnacle obviously but ehhhh that’s another topic for another time

Maleficent is still the best live-action “remake” of the films disney’s been churning out lately imo my onion, but I can’t say any of them have really disappointed me? (unless the first Alice counts; all I remember is that it was weird, which I guess is a given considering the source material but idk live action loses so much charm. definitely haven’t watched the second and have no interest in thereof)

anyway Mulan is one of my favorites so fingers crossed...!

Moana

very predictable but heck if that oscar bait song hasn’t been intermittently stuck in my head since

big earworm shout-outs to “You’re Welcome” and “Shiny” too but this website has ruined the latter sequence to an extent because I’m half convinced someone in production there has a vore fetish

in any case that was way too good a villain song for a one-scene show-stealer wtf the fuck

Moana’s voice & overall expressiveness fuels my soul

also it was GORGEOUS, more than compensates for another ~coming of age~ plot with fantastic colors

I have a lot of questions about the sentience of the ocean

what do you mean the Obligatory Animal Companion was a chicken and not the pig

okay ngl I didn’t quite catch the angry volcano spirit woman also being the green lady? I don’t think...? aw heck it’s been a little while by now but the ending was neat

how fucking old is Maui

Universal Harvester by John Darnielle - if you recognize that name it’s because, as I found out after reading, he’s the guy who leads the band responsible for a song I had on repeat hell for at least a couple months after discovering it via this wonderful, wonderful "lyric.. comic... thing” </ungodly run-on>

if this seems completely out of nowhere it’s because it is. I’ve jacketed and shelved a lot of new books, and while a good handful catch my interest, few compel me to check it out before heading home for the day

off the top of my head the other most recent book this happened with was No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale (heads up for a non-graphic image of hanging on the cover), which was... oh holy shit that was over three years ago I don’t read often enough nowadays x_x

that one started strong but, around if not at the point where the protag was making out with the secondary dude, took a sharp turn towards the cliche & general What Is This Fuckery. but I digress

seriously no image on the internet can do this cover justice, the vaguely vaporwave-lookin part is actually very dark and the whole thing shines like one of those rain puddles mixed with.. gasoline? oil?? whatever makes it rainbow-y at a certain angle

I only skimmed the inside flap description before diving right in the night I took it out, and I realized a good chapter or two in that I’d unintentionally picked up a horror novel.

well. kinda? horror-ish?? despite there being no killer on the loose, no supernatural monster on the prowl, not even an invasion of alien farmers federally paid to invade your small town, basically no imminent looming dagger above the protagonist’s head, it’s VERY unsettling for the most part and I gotta give it major kudos for that

<SPOILER class=“mild”>also huge shout-out to the subtle switch to first-person at a key moment, then scattered throughout from there on.</SPOILER> it was at that point I had to reread the description to see what I’d actually gotten myself into and decided I was gonna read this sucker in one sitting or I wouldn’t be able to sleep

(skip this bullet point if you don’t like vague ending spoilers) despite that it manages to leave off on a somber, even sentimental note. pretty darn satisfying, though upon further thought there are a few big questions left unanswered that probably should’ve been addressed. (/vague end spoilers)

overall I’d recommend it if you’re looking for an interesting little read that might send a few chills from atmosphere alone but also makes you think*. just don’t start reading expecting a chapter or two before bed will do help you fall asleep.

*yeah yeah I know “makes you think” is something of a meme phrase at this point, but screw it I like my media when it actually engages the viewer/reader for more satisfying payoff. I’m not a fan of the “lol intellectualis” thing anyway V: but I digress.

Kubo and the Two Strings

ftr the record I called Beetle being the dad from his debut

my god Laika really likes their bugs and creepy hands (based on this and Coraline at least, I’ve seen ParaNorman but don’t remember much). this is absolutely a compliment.

voice acting didn’t thrill me, with the exceptions of the old lady & spirit sisters, but got dang those facial expressions

magic worldbuilding left a lot to be desired but it took place in fantasy China(/Japan? as with The Last Airbender I think we’re looking at another fictional Asian blend) and I for one am a sucker for that so I can let it slide

climactic fight felt kinda shoehorned, when the moon spirit dude showed up looking like a nice old man I almost thought they were gonna go for a less confrontational ending sequence - which I guess it kinda did but also the obligatory “join me and we can rule forever” stuff came up. I dunno I liked the spirit fish form ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

don’t get me wrong here I did enjoy it, I guess I was just expecting a lot more from all the talk about kids being able to handle mature themes and whatnot? ah well the conflict wasn’t quite Good Versus Evil so that was neat

was the moon spirit just a regular old dude all along though? is the moon going to rise again even with him hanging out among mortals? is he mortal now?? how does the Plot Amnesia work???? can someone tell him who he really was even if it’s not flattering??????

idk for some reason I feel like I’m being harsher here than anything else so far, really did enjoy it though. LOVED the 2d animation in the credits and I absolutely must emphasize how fucking awesome the animation is, being primarily stop-motion and all. they set a very high standard with Coraline and cartwheeled over it with Kubo holy hell

also I have a new desktop background

Wings of Fire Book 1: The Dragonet Prophecy - Iiiii actually haven’t finished reading this one just yet, saving the last part for when I finish at least one mcfucking assignment, but here goes nothin:

if you take a shot for every blatant violation of Show Don’t Tell you’ll be dead three chapters in, not sure if that’s because this is a middle-grade book or what

that said I find the plot & its overall direction intriguing enough to continue and, much as I may internally groan at the repetitive characterization and disney villain dialogue, I thought it was worthwhile and already have the next book checked out ;V

what can I say there are dragons there’s a war and it’s a very interesting take on the whole “because you are the Chosen Ones we will raise you here for hero training” deal

there’s also some intriguing worldbuilding with regards to the “scavengers” and “the Scorching,” not sure how much those are covered in this book but a friend who recommended the series in the first place says it’s some kind of post-apocalyptic thing?? nice.

not really related but shout-out to that one commenter in Script Frenzy who told me it was jarring or weird or something to have my dragon protags straight-up eat a few human researchers. I mean they weren’t wrong and it’s not like the WoF good guys have eaten any people (onscreen, at least) but still. I don’t read dragon stories for the humans >:T

in any case, sorta wondering if that one surviving scavenger will come back in any way later...? chekov’s human.

but seriously we don’t need to be beaten over the head with exactly why each dramatic plot twist is indeed dramatic, I could practically hear the manufactured gasps

despite that there are also descriptive passages of fun events like characters getting their necks snapped or screaming in agony as poison seeps through their scales! and we've barely scraped the surface of the Horrors of War!! >:Dc

conclusion of sorts for this disorganized mishmash of bullet points: why yes I am one of those unrelatable fucks who doesn’t buy the whole “I will defend a shitty shebang of a plot if the characters connect” thing how are you. what can I say, even if I don’t have any particular fandoms right now, I still have Thoughts On Media and no one can stop me from throwing a good ~90 minutes into typing ‘em up despite having other responsibilities ;’V

tune in next time for... well honestly I dunno if this is gonna become a regular thing, but whatever thanks for readin feel free to like reply and follow and see you next time on a-flyleaf dot tungler dot corn~

#''no particular reason'' by which I mean Procrastination Supreme #.rtf #*watches this get longer than my current essay in progress* swell!

[lia-nikiforov]

Fall 2016 Anime: Last impressions

What, me? Posting something that’s not Yuri on Ice? Did I wander to the wrong blog? Oh right, this isn’t supposed to be a Yuri on Ice blog to begin with, oops.

After a very shitty semester and my Mom’s and sister’s vacations messing up with my anime watching schedule (plus a shitty vicious cycle of not watching anime to work on thesis-not working on thesis because stressed from not watching anime), I finally finished catching up with Fall anime, barely on time before Winter begins (I know some winter shows have premiered already, but none that interest me. Rakugo’s on today though!!!!). So here’s a rundown of the best and worst of this most fruitful Fall season. If there’s a gif it means I forgot to take a screenshot of the last episode whoops.  (worst to best my dears, you know how this goes)

Dropped:

Shuumatsu no Izetta: I really tried. Even after the stupidity of episode 4 put me to sleep, I tried to give it a second shot, but episode 6 was literally everything that is wrong with modern anime and ugh, please release me from this hell. Of course having a strong female character was too progressive for a yuribait show, you just had to make her have insecurities about her normal-sized boobs (vs everyone’s ginormous) and dedicate 25 entire minutes to show that she’s actually a real girly girl that likes pie. Ugh. And I didn’t even mention how stupid the “Izetta’s secret might be revealed” plot element was. That was some garbage writing if I ever saw one. Most of what I’ve read after dropping it seems to indicate it was the best choice

3gatsu no Lion: I’m confused with this show. The production values make it very attractive to watch. There is a harsh and interesting story and character drama happening. Episode 5 was particularly great, and some of the storytelling devices are implemented brilliantly. But for some reason I can’t bring myself to care? I don’t know. The more I see the three sisters, the more the scenes with them bore me to death. I found the idea of watching episode 6 terribly not-compelling so I decided to put it in the back burner and wait out. Maybe I’m just incompatible with this mangaka (I really hate HachiKuro). People seem to be loving it, so maybe I’ll give it another shot at a later date.

Touken Ranbu Hanamaru: This was my biggest disappointment of the season because episode 2 was so good. It tickled all my rekijo bones in the best way. But then it just… nothing ever happened? Also the way all the sword boys gush about how much they love the (invisible but obviously audience-proxy) “Master” is way too transparent and took me out of whatever little interesting character dynamics might be going on. What could be an interesting theme –the swordboys having regrets about not protecting their past owners and being tempted to fix it- is wasted in a “it’s okay, I have a new master now!”. Even with my fujoshi goggles there was little of interest because the boys were so infatuated with the Master I couldn’t even enjoy any of it. Held out until episode 9 and just couldn’t be arsed for more. Maybe the more serious ufotable show will be better?

Nanbaka: I don’t know what went wrong with this mangaka that suddenly decided to turn a perfectly fine comedy into a Very Serious battle shonen thing? Especially mid-arc? The New Year tournament had revitalized the show, I was having a load of fun with it, but then it suddenly turned all dark and serious and nonsensical? The only thing tempting me to go back for the last three episodes is Hajime, he’s a champ. But yeah, the shift in tone was too drastic and kind of spoiled the show for me because I was loving it exactly as it was. It didn’t need the drama. Some people seem to be liking the new direction but ehhhh… idk. If I have time.

The worst:

17. DAYS: It was hard to choose which of these two was gonna be the poop prize winner, but in the end, given how much I struggled to even sit through the last couple of episodes, I guess DAYS takes it. Honestly seldom have I seen a show so infuriatingly ruined by “protagonist no jutsu” i.e. things just happen because a dude is the main character. Kimishita scored three completely bananas goals in that game (bless his heart I love him), but Tsukushi gets all the credit for earning the free kicks and second balls and shit and he’s the one credited as the “hero” of the game. It’s amazing that such an insufferable protagonist is part of a show with an otherwise endearing supporting cast. Now will my love for Mizuki and Kimishita be enough to pull me into watching season 2? Tune in some time next year to find out! (spoiler: most likely no unless it comes out on a boring season)

16.Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku: I called this show the winner of the “Showed its cards too early Award” since episode one, but boy I didn’t expect it to continue doing the exact same thing over and over through its entire run. At some point it became a very unsurprising formula of showing a character’s tragic backstory at the start of the episode to fabricate last minute sympathy to make up for lack of proper characterization, only to have the character in question murdered in increasingly distasteful ways. I always knew best girl Top Speed wasn’t long for this world, but the way they handled it was gratuitously vicious. Couple that with a barrage of villains, none of which were remotely compelling or had any interesting motivations, a poor man’s Kyubey, a protagonist that is even more infuriatingly passive than Madoka herself (at least in this aspect, MahoIku surpassed its intellectual mother), and a resolution that basically says this whole thing served no purpose whatsoever and you’re left with just a feeling that you could’ve done something better with your life. I never expected grandeur from this show, and in fact I guess it turned out to be about as bad as I could’ve expected it to be, but that doesn’t really erase how terribly dissatisfying the ending was. I guess that’s one weakness that Dark Magical Girl shows have yet to overcome. 

Normally a “the meh” section would be here, but I dropped all those shows for lack of entertainment and time, so we’re skipping straight to

The okay

(I liked these shows but none of them changed my life and I was severely tempted to drop them at least once)

15.Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans: I have rather complicated feelings about this show. The writing has improved immensely since the second half of S1 and they’re doing a fascinating job at working the different shades of moral grey. Mika’s sick relationship with Orga continues to keep me on my toes. But with only 12 episodes left I’m still not entirely sure of where this is going, and most importantly, it stinks of tragedy and there seems to be a general lack of joy in both characters and story, so I always go to watch it with little enthusiasm and maybe a bit of anxiety.

14.Girlish Number:  This one turned out way better than I expected it to be, although perhaps for different reasons than most. Usually when I hatewatch something, it’s for the pleasant schadenfreude I get out of seeing something continue to fail miserably week after week (see Sailor Moon Crystal or Mayoiga). In that sense, I wasn’t hatewatching Girlish Number but boy was I getting schadenfreude about seeing the exploitative producer go on a downwards spiral and the shitty LN anime adaptation turning up a complete failure. But because this was the source of my enjoyment, the finale was, to say the least, dissatisfying. If the show had ended with Chitose getting a proper comeuppance and landing different jobs (in non-shitty-LN-anime) that forced her to climb her way back up instead of trying to have  sudden fabricated popularity, while Kuzu got his ass fired that would’ve been cool. But the “Oh I ended loving this production” ending was ehhhh. It felt the show ended going milquetoast on its criticism of the industry. Criticized the seiyuu idol units but still had the seiyuu sing the OP and ED criticized the cheap swimsuit fanservice but still had a swimsuit episode etc. I mean they went really damn hard on the industry, so it was weird and a little frustrating that they didn’t go the whole way, given how they’d already guaranteed to lose the buying audience anyway.

13.Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari: It’s hard to explain what went wrong with this one because, if you asked me, I’d say I really liked it overall. But the key problem is perhaps that I adored the first two episodes so deeply and then somewhere in the middle it kind of floundered and went in a different direction than what I expected –which isn’t inherently bad, mind you- but it’s weird that there’s so little actual udon in the show when they’re in the title. The finale was good in idea, but I feel it failed to make the emotional landing, and that they capped it off to be a sort of commercial for Kagawa prefecture was just… weird. So uh, it was a good show but definitely didn’t live up to the promise of the first few episodes.

12.Uta no Prince-sama Legend Star:  For me, this and Magikyun are basically tied, because, although I have more love for Utapri due to how long it’s been around and how I’ve grown so endeared to the characters, I can’t say Magikyun did anything worse or better. But anyway Utapri! Revolutions had me losing a little of my love for the franchise, but Legend Star was really great! The music improved drastically and we got some truly neat character arcs. The Otoya arc was surprisingly good. It’s sad to see they’ve fully committed to shitty CG dancing though ): But oh well, the Quartet Night song was great and there’s even more anime coming because Broccoli does like printing money after all. Almost forgot to mention it, but Haruka is hardly relevant this season and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but I’ll also say I didn’t particularly miss her.

11.Magic-Kyun Renaissance:  I’ll say this about Magikyun, it was less dumb than I expected given the title. I mean it was super dumb, but it could’ve been dumber. It was also a lot of fun, had neat visuals and surprisingly good songs? I feel it could’ve ended in episode 9 because it doesn’t feel like the new resolution in ep 13 actually added anything of note to the story or the characters, but it was okay. It’s harmless dumb entertainment and that’s what I wanted it to be. 

The good

10.Flip Flappers:  It’s always great to see passion projects like this, even if they don’t always stick the landing. In the gayest anime season, FliFla gave us a lesbian visual spectacle that was among the best animated experiences of the year. While narratively it blooped a little in the last third and became a weird Eva-ish nightmare, it sorta kinda worked out at the end, although definitely didn’t live up to its initial dreamy potential. And it was very lesbian, although I feel it was lowkey creepy lesbian since Papika is somehow an adult??? I think they explained some things too much and left others glaringly unexplained. Some weird things happened in that production that hindered its potential, but it’s still a fascinating series to look at, even if you don’t dig the character dynamics (which are adorable but in the end didn’t do much for me). Could’ve done with 100% less creepy robot though     

9.Classicaloid: I’d call Classicaloid the Bungo Stray Dogs (season 1) of the Fall because while it wasn’t what I wanted or expected, it managed to grow on me. I was on the edge of dropping it because the wacky one-note humor wasn’t working for me at all, but with the introduction of Schubert and the slow drip of answers to our questions of what is even happening in this show, it became notoriously more fun. Definitely the strongest moments of the show are when we get to see the Classicaloids having flash backs to their past lives (the episode about Beethoven and his loss of hearing was particularly brilliant) and while I still mostly have no idea of where this is going at all, they’ve definitely got me hooked wanting to know what Bach is even planning.

8.Drifters: This might have gone even higher up the ranks if not for all the homophobic and sexist jokes ugh. But I guess it’s a testament to how entertaining it is that I watched it all through and would still watch the upcoming second season (or maybe it’s a testament to what a good job it did in tickling my very specific rekijo bone). The characterization of Nobunaga in particular is absolutely brilliant, and the little nuances in the interactions between characters of different time periods are fantastic. Cool action sequences and interesting strategizing and politicking. But I reckon this isn’t something that’s gonna sway the non-history buffs. Also ew the sexist and homophobic jokes. The show has great comedy without that, please don’t be so gross Hirano.

7.ALL OUT!!: It had a bit of a slow start, but once it started picking up with the practice matches and developing the team, it’s just gotten exponentially better! Especially since the addition of the coach. DAYS could learn a thing or two about how it isn’t necessary to make the inexperienced main character the sudden “hero” of the team to make for a compelling sports story. That said I still do not understand about 75% of how rugby works at all, but the endearing cast and the passionate games make up for it. Also the horrible hair. Definitely looking forward to where these kids will go in the second half.

The excellent

6.Fune wo Amu: This is a case of me one-sidedly having expectations that a show can’t live up to and thus I don’t enjoy it as much as I could. Which is no fault of the show itself and it is in fact one of the best anime of the season (arguably the year). It does fail on the entertainment department, but compensates with beautiful craftsmanship and a wonderful portrayal of human feelings and relationships. While it wounded up being Very Heterosexual (and the main couple develops in a rather cold and questionable manner, but hey, the wife wasn’t forced to give up her dreams to become a housewife. A+ for progress! ) the portrayal of Majime’s camaraderie with Nishioka (and Nishioka’s very great relationship with his gf!) was really the heart of the show, and just for that it’s absolutely worth the watch.

5.Natsume Yuujinchou Go: I think it’s rather telling to the quality of the season overall that Natsume Yuujinchou somehow fell just slightly above the middle of the pack. I do feel this season of Natsume was weaker than the previous ones, but to be honest I can’t quite pinpoint why. Maybe it didn’t feel like we reached a new milestone in Natsume’s development or in learning about Reiko –in fact, it feels we learned conspicuously little about Reiko this season-, although the final episode and the Touko episode were notable highlights. With a sixth season already in the works, I have little else to say other than, even when it’s not in top form, this is still among the best one could ever hope to get from anime

4.Bungo Stray Dogs 2: Remember how season 1 was good but not what I wanted it to be? Well, season 2 wasn’t exactly what I’d originally hope BSD would be about but it sure as fuck was fantastic! Starting with the flashback episodes to Dazai’s time in the Port Mafia and the story of Oda Sakunosuke, to the introduction of the American writers and the follow-up with Kyouka and Atsushi’s arcs as well as Akutagawa (!!!!) it was a genuinely amazing season that completely justifies watching the first one even if you weren’t entirely convinced about it at first. My only gripe is the lack of Kunikida, but this season showed that Dazai is the lynchpin of this series and he fulfills that role to perfection. I loved loved loved this season and I hope we get more of this series.

3.Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable: While it floundered a little in the second cour (seriously I was happy Shigechi died, he was an awful character), it picked itself right back up in the third and the battle against Kira –who is an astonishingly amazing villain- was just week after week of blood-pumping excitement and fun. Not every episode was perfect, but the package as a whole is fantastic. At moments it felt more like Kishibe Rohan’s Bizarre Adventure, but even that was okay because every member of the cast was so great. You can see the passion David Production has for this franchise, and I’m hoping they’ll continue adapting it. While Joseph is still Best JoJo, I think part 4, with its incredibly strong cast and creative set up might be my favorite arc so far.

2.Haikyuu 3: vicky’s probably gonna hate me for this but If I’m honest, the Shiratorizawa match wasn’t my favorite in the manga. I love the development Tsukki got through it and I commend Furudate for how brilliantly he’s been working in making these characters grow in such satisfying ways. But Shiratorizawa, and Ushijima specially, is the epitome of OP rival and that’s something that’s never really worked for me. It felt like the Rakuzan game in Kurobas, there were moments in which it felt that it just never ended. And I was worried about how they were going to work it into ten episodes. I think it’s a testament to the anime team that they managed to make it not actually feel like 10 episodes, and that they’ve made this one of the most exciting matches to watch in all of Haikyuu. It was truly spectacular and I can’t wait for S4

THE BEST

1.Yuri!!! on ICE: Joke’s on you, this was a Yuri on Ice post all along!! Even if my conflicted feelings about the ending had been sourer and heavier, I would have no doubt that this is the best show of the season (and the year). It’s taken me a while, but after having chewed on my feelings for a couple of days (while fighting the denialists with all my might) I’m even more confident about it. I don’t even know what more praise I can rain on this beautiful, beautiful show that has literally saved me so many times during this really difficult trimester and I am ever so grateful to its creators for giving us such a beautiful gift in such dark times. Now please end our suffering and confirm a season 2, because just like Victor and Yuuri can’t live without each other (canon!) I can’t live without them anymore ;---;

What a strong season this was! A high note to end an otherwise shitty year! Thanks everyone for following this nonsense blog and I hope this new year brings us all more beautiful anime (and less menstrual cramps for me). Winter shows I’m watching premiere literally today so I’ll skip the “anticipation” rundown and go straight to my watchlist in a couple of weeks.  As always, I’ll be happy to hear which were your favorite and least favorite shows of the season, but I know y’all never answer to my questions ;----;

#fall anime #final impressions #season review #yuri on ice #haikyuu!! #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure #bungo stray dogs #natsume yuujinchou #fune wo amu #all out!! #drifters #classicaloid #magic-kyun renaissance #uta no prince legend star #udon no kuni no kiniro kemari #girlish number #mahou shoujo ikusei keikaku #days anime #gundam iron blooded orphans #flip flappers #touken ranbu hanamaru #nanbaka #3 gatsu no lion #shuumatsu no izetta

[blackhatclubblog]

A new year, a whole new set of Asian dramas to look forward to!  Welcome to the first WWW of 2017!  We have some good kdramas; some weird cdramas mixed with good cdramas; half the time I don't even know with twdramas because sometimes I think, "Oooh, this sounds cool," and the rest of the time I think, "WHO WOULD WATCH THAT IT SOUNDS DEADLY DULL," but we have a couple for you to check out; aaaand no HKdramas. KOREAN: ~ Fireman AKA 'Naked Fireman' Empress: I'm dying...I just cannot understand...I...what...*cracks up again* Ambassador: City Hunter's gloriously tragic prosecutor LEE JOON HYUK, and since it's SK the modeling storyline can't be TOO BAD and I can look past the title- I'm interested enough to watch it... but I'm still cackling. Unni: -- ~ Chief Kim Empress: ....Nam Goong Min makes me a little curious...but not curious enough to watch it at the moment. Ambassador: Nam Goong Min and Nam Sang Mi sounds like an interesting combo.  The writer wrote Blood and God's Quiz- which I liked but wasn't terribly compelling- so given that + what this plot is so far, naaaah.  Far too many 2016 dramas for me to catch up on first.  The director did Page Turner, Empress. Unni: -- ~ Missing 9 Empress: Kang Ha Neul had me curious....Jung Kyung Ho Had me also curious but in a totally different way because he didn't seem like he'd fit the original story...then I found out the writer of Bad Guys was involved and it had possibly switched from comedy to thriller - I am absolutely going to check it out, and see if anything good manages to come from the mess that was this drama's making.   Ambassador: Nooooot really.  I was interested when it was called Picnic and was going to be a kpop band on a desert island- because I adore Swiss Family Robinson stories.  Then when it was renamed Gaia but the same plot and also KANG HA NEUL, I was definitely intrigued but I'm not any longer.  I'll check it out if the buzz is good but otherwise I'll focus on finishing my backlogged 2016 dramas. Unni: -- ~ Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People AKA Rebel Hong Gil Dong Empress: I have been forever meaning to watch one of the many Hong Gil Dong stories...this might be finally the one I watch. I was actually less interested in it when Ji Sung was considering it, but now that he's safely in Defendent where I wanted him, I can be excited for this one again. XD Ambassador: YESSSSS.  I'VE BEEN KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THIS DRAMA AND CAN'T WAIT.  YOON KYUN SANG AS HONG GIL DONG AND KIM SANG JOONG AS HIS FATHER. Unni: -- ~ Defendant Empress: hahahahah YES. I haven't managed to get through Entertainment yet...Ji Sung was horrendously miscast in that...but I am still in awe of him from Kill Me, Heal Me.   Ambassador: Ji Sung, Yuri, and Kim Min Suk in a prison break thriller.  ABSOLUTELY WATCHING IT.  Ji Sung is going to kill this role, I can already feel it. Unni: -- ~ Saimdang, Light's Diary Empress: I'm curious...time travel dramas either seem to be REALLY GOOD or really NOT (Queen In Hyun's Man is one of my favorite romances; Signal one of my favorite dramas...Moon Lovers...well...) so I might check it out if I can. Ambassador: After I get done fuming that this drama apparently gets 30 episodes and SCARLET HEART RYEO ONLY GOT 20 then yes, I'll probably check it out at some point, but it's not at the top of my list.  Kim Mi Kyung is in it, and she tends to pick great roles (Ahjumma or Lady Kim, anyone?). Unni: -- ~ Voice Empress: I have been liking the teaser trailers, and enjoyed a lot of the OCN dramas I've seen. AUGH, I'm still overwhelmed with 2016 dramas, and wanting to watch all of these does not bode well for my 2017 list... Ambassador: It looks pretty intriguing, OCN usually has good dramas and this is Jang Hyuk + Yesung and Baek Sung Hyun as secondary/minor characters so it's definitely going on my list.  The idea of tracking a person by voice alone is fascinating.  Multiple times I've recognized an actor in a drama by their voice more than their face so I'm really interested in this one. Unni: -- ~ Introvert Boss Empress: This is an odd drama that I've somehow managed to see mentioned in so many places I felt like it was already airing. Ambassador: Introvert vs Extrovert in a work place sounds hilarious but it's not something I immediately jump for.  Maybe at some point. Unni: -- ~ Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon Empress: ...I am literally watching Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, which is adorable and has me howling but which I can't picture being repeated with Park Bo Young. WHY do dramas come in groups like this? I like Weightlifting Fairy just fine, and don't feel like watching another version.   Ambassador: This one comes out at the end of the month or early next month and as a result there is little info on it yet but it sounds...odd?  *scratches it off list* Unni: -- ~ Justice Team Empress: Not much there, but 4 episode minidramas are nice to have around. (MINUS NUDE FIREMAN MODELS MAKES THEM EVEN NICER.) Ambassador: Messed up synopsis but enough to persuade me to try 4 episodes and Lee Joon Hyuk again apparently.  I'm glad he finished his weekend makjang drama so he is taking on other projects now.  HUZZAH. Unni: -- CHINESE: ~ Pretty Li Hui Zhen Empress:  *CRINGES* AHem. We're gonna finish SWP. But no way am I touching a Chinese version with a ten foot pole. Siwon was the only redeeming feature. XD Ambassador: HEH, China's She Was Pretty.  Well, since the Empress and I still have to finish watching SWP together and since we spend most of our time watching it yelling annoyance at everyone except for Siwon's character, NO.  I'm not sitting through the Chinese version.  There is only so much stupidity the human brain can handle before going insane or shutting down.  At least I now know how to torture some certain kinds of people... 'sit down and watch all 16 hours of this right now'.  (Obviously this does not apply to those who would like the drama.) Unni: -- ~ The General and I Empress: XD It could be describing any number of cdramas. I am intrigued by it (and the other any number)...but I am also buried under a mountain of kdrama... Ambassador: The plot sounds pretty cdrama typical but I have a weakness for this kind of plot- especially when one is a prince-general and another is a strategist.  There are a lot of names I know in this one: Angelababy, Madina Memet, Sun Yi Zhou, Wallace Chung.  There's been a lot of buzz around it online.  *adds it to list* Unni: -- ~ Magic Star Empress: This sounds like a video game...did I mention my impending suffocation by kdramas? Ambassador: The plot sounds pretty standard wuxia.  I'd be more likely to check it out for the actors than the plot: the detestable villain and fun third lead from Tornado Girl/Whirlwind Girl 2... but still, it's not very likely you'll find me watching this one. Unni: -- ~ Love, Life, & Lie Empress: Whatever happened to Live, Love, Laugh...I am not intrigued.   Ambassador: Ehhhh, too much standard rom com fare for me. Unni: -- ~ Xun Zhao Qian Shi Zhi Lu Empress: Okay, more intriguing..though I think I'd like to repeat what I said earlier about Time Travel...and maybe wait and see if the Ambassador ever gets around to it and what she thinks. XD Ambassador: This though, makes my ears perk up.  Time travel mixed with a backstory mystery?  *adds it to end of list* Unni: -- ~ Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossom Empress: Okay, based on a novel...a weird title that I actually completely love, unlike most "different" titles...it feels a bit melodrama, but sometimes I'm very much in the mood for that.   Ambassador: I've been planning to watch this one for a long time.  The title is beautiful, I've heard good things about the novel and now the drama plot, plus it stars Yang Mi, Mark Chao and Dilireba Dimurat.  Count me in! Unni: -- ~ The Chronicles of a Town Called Jian Empress: This reminds me of The Devi/Mawang, which is a drama I am positive I will like, once I get through the first 2 episodes. (Right up there with Heartless City and My Beautiful Bride and Bad Guys.) If this is a Chinese version of that, I am intrigued. If it's tarot cards and supernatural happenings...nope. Ambassador: Hmmm, it depends.  Generally I avoid anything with the use of tarot cards, but Asia tends to do that kind of thing differently, and the plot is just interesting enough that I might check it out.  Victoria, Yang Yang and Jiang Jin Fu star, and all three are good actors. Unni: -- TAIWAN ~ Close Your Eyes Before It's Dark Empress: I...haven't actually ever watched anything Taiwanese not a rom-com...well, I guess MARS was a little more on the dramatic/suspense side - and it creeped me right out a few times...so, while this is 7 episodes long and sounds exactly up my alley as far as dark, suspenseful, psychologically intriguing dramas go...I'm going to start it warily. XD Ambassador: Sounds like a mix of one episode of Vampire Detective and White Christmas.  *sticks it firmly on list* Unni: -- ~ The X Family 2 Empress: As is...nope.   Ambassador: *squints at it*  Whatever a Fenglongtie is, I think I want one to put on my brothers.  That said, I didn't see any of the other 6-8 dramas in the series and I won't be watching this one. Empress: *dying* yeah, maybe if we could get a few Fenglongties, I'd watch it. Unni: -- Empress: Cheers to wherever BHB goes in the next year! Ambassador: Hear hear, and we look forward to bringing you more reviews, WWWs, and other posts about the wonderful world of Asian drama! HAPPY 2017!! 

#www #the empress #the ambassador