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#Kai loves detective novels
open-hearth-rpg · 2 months
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Hearts of Wulin Now at Age of Ravens
Hearts of Wulin, a PbtA game of wuxia romance and melodrama is now at Age of Ravens Games. Written by Joyce Ch*ng and Lowell Francis (me). This game and its expansion, Hearts of Wulin Worlds, offers a range of playstyles by focusing on the powerful heroes trapped by a web of obligations and personal desires. 
It’s pretty awesome IMHO. It draws on the literature of writers like Jin Yong and Gu Long, in particular adaptations of those stories in dozens and dozens of TV series (Laughing in the Wind, The Proud Twins). It also works to include things like more recent web novels and their adaptations, with rules for xianxia and the fantastic. The core book includes ideas for various genres, narrating fight scenes, building entanglements, and handling historical/courtly games. 
Hearts of Wulin: Worlds includes several settings: 
Shadow of Joseon, set during the Korean Joseon Dynasty. (Yeonsoo Julian Kim)
1905: San Francisco, presents a Chinatown just emerging from the shadow of the Chinese Exclusion Act. (Banana Chan)
Cour de l'Eppee transports Hearts of Wulin to swashbuckling France. (Cat Evans)
Academy of the Blade offers a dueling academy inspired by Revolutionary Girl Utena. (Alison Tam)
Fight Me IRL is a unique take on cyberpunk. (James Mendez Hodes) 
Silk & Steam gives you a wondrous silkpunk setting. (Kienna Shaw)
It also includes two major rules add-ons:
The Villain, a new playbook. Not all wulin "Heroes" are heroes with a capital H. Some start in a darker place... 
Numberless Secrets, a new set of rules for telling mystery/investigation stories in Hearts of Wulin. 
These can be found on Drivethrurpg– both are part of the ongoing GMs Day sale happening right now. 
Personally I’m really excited about the future for Hearts of Wulin. Though I never learned the print run, I do know that the last of the physical copies recently sold out at Indie Press Revolution. I have a short list of things I’m hoping to accomplish. 
Get it up on itch.io. I know some folks prefer to get their ttrpg pdfs via that site. 
Figure out how to get Print-on-Demand versions up on Drivethru. I’ve been told this is a challenging process to get right, so I’m hoping to talk to some folks who have done it before. 
Publish the Names & Entanglements deck. This was a self-print add-on for Hearts of Wulin. It's a useful resource for character creation and I’m hoping to have physical copy available for sale. 
I’ve always said folks should feel free to hack and rework Hearts of Wulin as they wish. But I’d like to get a clear Creative Commons license out there for everyone and encourage folks to play around with the system.
Eventually I might do a 1.5 version bringing some of the HoW: Worlds material over into the main book, as well as a couple of rules updates.
I want to publish a collection of Numberless Secrets mysteries along with guidance for running detective wuxia games. I love the series Ancient Detective and this is the best way I get to play out those kinds of stories. 
Get an online keeper which has easy to use set ups for all of the expansion worlds. We have a solid one– newly automated thanks to Agatha– but it doesn’t have all the expansions. 
Some folks have done from amazing things with HoW so far (inspired by media like Scott Pilgrim, Cobra Kai, Star Wars and beyond). It would be great if I could assemble a collection of new hacks and settings, maybe with some additional play options.
Finalize the one translation agreement I’ve been offered. 
I want to thank everyone who has read and/or played Hearts of Wulin. It remains a game I love to run and it would be amazing to have more people try it out.
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ecargmura · 3 months
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Bucchigiri?! Episode 5 Review - Arajin Is Insufferable
I still stand by my opinion of Arajin being Hiroko Utsumi’s weakest written protagonist. If you look at her past works, you can see that they all have some sort of characteristic out of their usual schtick; well, two of Utsumi’s works are adaptations (Free! Is a loose adaptation of a light novel called High Speed and Banana Fish is a manga to anime adaptation) and SK8 is her first original work, but you get what I mean. Five episodes in and he still hasn’t done anything substantial. All he does is fall for the same tricks and tropes. Like, why is he even the MC? Matakara or Mahoro would make better MCs than him.
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Like, I get that Arajin’s skirt-chasing and cowardly demeanor has to do with not being manly enough to protect a young Matakara in his childhood, but if he wants to get stronger, he has to stop falling for the same things. He couldn’t protect Matakara when he was younger, but he still can’t protect him in his current state—heck, he won’t even protect him! I can’t fault Utsumi for this because she’s not the writer for this anime. The writer is Taku Kishimoto, who wrote the screenplays for animes like Blue Lock, Ranking of Kings, The Millionaire Detective Balance, and Moriarity the Patriot. I’ve heard people rave about these anime (well, Blue Lock anime is a bit mixed) so why is this one so frustratingly written? Still, as a director, Utsumi should know when to have the MC develop and what not—next week is the halfway point as there will be 12 episodes.
Alright, enough about Arajin, let’s talk about the star of this episode, Akutaro. I think he’s very interesting. He used to be in Minato Kai, but got kicked out due to using underhanded methods. He once admired Kenichiro as he was a strong, manly guy while he was a thin, dainty and unreliable one back then. Getting kicked out changed him drastically as he became more violent and hell bent on getting revenge. I do wonder how much of his chaotic personality comes from the blue genie because I know for a fact that the mind control aspect of the NG Boys army is from magic genie powers. I think that Arajin isn’t aware that Akutaro is manipulating him. He’s being all nice to him after learning about his virginity and cozying up to him to get him in his favor. All the stuff he said about Mahoro was to rile him up purposely, as he had a hunch Arajin was possessed by Senya. Also, the casting director should get a raise because Chihiro Suzuki as Akutaro is a 10/10 casting. Suzuki really delivers on the flamboyant but also devious aspect of this character. Like, I always known him as Kisumi from Free and Luke and Asch from Tales of the Abyss, so to have him voice this character who’s completely different from his usual roles was a joy to listen to; I can tell he was having fun recording! I especially loved him speaking English when explaining the E-4 motto; the way he said Ecstasy was amazing.
I feel so bad for Matakara in a way. Like, he is deluded into believing Arajin is the same person as before, but every single time he has his hopes up, Arajin just plummets down in terms of expectation. This episode is where he is a bit more action-heavy as he tries to beat Akutaro, but loses and gets tied up. I wonder when the breaking point is for him because the opening does seem like he’s going to get possessed by Ichiya or something. The question is when and how that’s going to happen. I’m glad that Zabu is a good person who is able to sense what’s wrong and to admit his mistakes. He’s a better friend to Matakara than Arajin.
I wonder if we’ll get some Kenichiro backstory later on because out of the important gang leaders, he is the least developed so far. All I know is that he’s been held back three times and that he’s rather honorable. I also predict that Jasmine-chan is actually a cat and the place the teacher goes to every episode is a rather high end cat cafe. If it’s not a cat cafe, then it’s probably a gay brothel for bottoms as “neko” (cat) is Japanese gay slang for bottoms. I’m leaning more towards an actual cat cafe given the fancy cat sign.
What is going to happen now that the gang war is starting? What are your thoughts on this episode?
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autismmydearwatson · 2 years
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Autism Headcanons
I really like headcanoning characters as autistic, because often autistic people written by nt people are stereotypes (with the exception of Sherlock holmes) so seeing characters who unintentionally relatable to autistics is so important! I have a lot of reasons why I hc Walt Strickler and Newt Scamander as autistic, but maybe I'm just projecting. But look at the concepts! (Some of these may be Canon. Shh let me infodump)
Edward (Edward Scissorhands): Isolated man-made sweetheart with scissors for hands who is incredibly gentle but doesn't understand Society™️. He moves robotically, is mainly nonverbal, doesnt understand common social rules, such as the "if you found a briefcase full of money, what would you do?" Since Autistic people like me need very good reasons to follow rules, and Edward doesnt understand how giving your loved ones found money is "wrong". He uses his "disability" to channel his creativity in his gardening, hedge-trimming, and haircutting. But he was willing to give it all up just to fit in! I have seen many emotional movies, but this is truly the only one thst made me sob out loud, because of how much i could relate. Hes ME. also Tim Burton himself is at least speculated to be on the spectrum, and many see the movie as a whole as an allegory for autism. This doesnt mean that i believe the scissors THEMSELVES are a symbol for autism, because even if edward didnt have them he still exhibits very autistic traits.
Sherlock Holmes: genius detective who's neutral good, physically fights pedos, drinks respect women juice, gay-asexual, and does Crack in his spare time. At the time, nobody knew what autism was! But sherlock is so clearly autism-coded its hard to ignore. Im talking about every adaptation Ever. My first exposure to Sherlock Holmes was the BBC series (granted, i know its not necessarily the most well-written adaptation, but listen) and i was SHOOK at how autistic he was. Even in the novels hes percieved as keeping his things cluttered, but he has a purpose in his clutter, and organizes his thoughts. He goes off on tangents before going back to his original point. Basil of Baker Street, basically Sherlock Holmes in Disneys the Great Mouse Detective, VISIBLY STIMS ONSCREEN. anyway nobody needed convincing on that one but yeah.
Newt Scamander (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them): kind, soft wizard who keeps magical creatures in a briefcase. He's soft-spoken, drops eye-content mid conversation, and PURSUES A LIFE OF CONSERVING MAGICAL CREATURES. HES THE ONLY ONE OF HIS PROFESSION IN THE WORLD. ITS ALL RIGHT THERE.
Fiver (Watership Down): a runty, anxious rabbit with the power of prophecy. the theory of Fiver being autistic isnt originally mine (look through my reblogs) but i fully accept it. Now, its debatable whether autism is a Thing among animals or if it presents itself another way, but then again this is fiction. Where to begin with Fiver? Hes based off the Greek Myth of Cassandra, who was blessed with divination but cursed to never be believed. Growing Up With Autism. I cant explain it but you Autistic readers will understand. And simply look at his character!
Erik Destler (the Phantom of the Opera, Phantom): disfigured savant, expert illusionist, lives in the basement of an opera house. In Phantom by Susan Kay he's portrayed as a savant, and while not all savants are born that way, one out of ten autistics are also autistic savant. His hyperfixation on the macabre, his immense creative drive, its all there knock yourselves out.
Walt Strickler: a devious shapeshifting idiot with genius energy, who drops sick dad jokes, huge history nerd, a minority in his own country while at the same time belonging to no country. This might be just me projecting but I thought it was genius. There's also the widely accepted history theory that the Changeling Myth was based off early perceptions of Autism, and whether this suggests that all the Changelings in ToA are autistic is, I believe, false, since in Trollhunters, changelings are made, but autists are Born, not Made. But Strickler is by far my favorite to fixate on! He's such a good concept as an autistic character because he doesn't fall into the stereotypes that intentionally-written autists do. He's sassy, sarcastic, and is simply UNBEARABLE with puns. I view his Villainous Actions™️ of clicking the pen and sitting on tables as stimming or autistic habits, and his odd collection of books. Despite him not being human himself, he has a WILD fascination with human history and culture, which is a better hyperfixation for an autistic character than He Likes Trains and Math. Strickler also has the general Vibe of someone who's constantly holding back from going completely Feral and Rabid. Absolute autism energy
Wow sorry for the dump. Maybe I'm just desperate for real representation ahaha. I'll make an ADHD list soon, with the help of my ADHD expert friend, so if any are missing here, they may be there
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fandomtrumpshate · 1 year
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Unlisted Fandom Challenge - update
We now have 151 write-in fandoms. Egads.
At the front of the pack it's still Young Royals leading Malevolent and The Queen's Thief, with 911: Lone Star now in a 3-way tie for 4th place with Overwatch and The Owl House. Fifth place is an eleven-way tie -
3 Alex Rider 3 Chainsaw Man 3 Disney's Descendants 3 Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (The Husky & His White Cat Shizun) 3 Homestuck 3 Justified 3 Lout of the Count's Family / Trash of the Count's Family 3 Miraculous Ladybug 3 Red White & Royal Blue 3 The Legend of Zelda 3 Top Gun Movies
Under the cut is the full list of all write-in fandoms with one or two signups … so far. Write in your own fandom, or sign up for one of these to bump it up the list.
Signups are open through Feb 19!
2 Professional Wrestling 2 Aphmau MyStreet 2 Attack on Titan 2 Between Us 2 Bungou Stray Dogs 2 Carmen Sandiego 2 Destiny 2 2 Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency 2 Escaflowne 2 Gravity Falls 2 Hollow Knight 2 Love in the Air (Thai BL) 2 Not Me 2 NU: Carnival 2 Pokemon 2 Scholomance 2 Stargate: Atlantis 2 Supergirl 2 The Song of Achilles 2 Video Blogging RPF 2 X-men 2 YuYu Hakusho 1 A Series of Unfortunate Events 1 A Voice from Darkness (Podcast) 1 Ace Attorney 1 All The Wrong Questions 1 Animorphs 1 Be Kind My Neighbor 1 Bioshock 1&2 (only) 1 Blood of Youth 1 Blue Exorcist 1 Blue Lock 1 Bug Fables 1 Cabin Pressure 1 Call the Midwife 1 Cats the Musical 1 Citizen Sleeper 1 Cobra Kai 1 Coco Pixar 1 Cosmere (Brandon Sanderson) 1 Crossover Chaos AU (multifandom crossover AU) 1 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 1 Danganronpa 1 Dead Poets Society 1 Dice Punks (podcast) 1 Digimon 1 Divergent (Movies) 1 Downton Abbey 1 Dragon Ball Z 1 Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey 1 Dungeons and Daddies 1 Eerie Indiana 1 Elder Scrolls 1 Emma - Jane Austen 1 Fire Country 1 Firefly 1 For All Mankind 1 Glee 1 Grace and Frankie 1 Greys Anatomy 1 Grimm 1 Guardian/Zhen Hun 1 Gundam 1 Half-Life 1 Hit the floor 1 Howl's Moving Castle 1 Hudson & Rex 1 IDOLiSH7 1 Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie 1 Infinity Train 1 Jane Austen (any novel any pairing) 1 Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse 1 Jojo's Bizarre Adventure 1 Jurassic Park 1 King of Scars Duology 1 Kingsman 1 Les Misérables 1 Los Simuladores 1 Love Between Fairy and Devil 1 Madre Solo Hay Dos 1 Miss Scarlet and The Duke 1 Mob Psycho 100 1 Monochrome Factor 1 Outlast 1 Parasol Protectorate 1 Peacemaker 1 Persuasion - Jane Austen 1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 1 Psych 1 Qi Ye 1 Ranger's Apprentice 1 Ranma 1/2 1 RPF 1 Sable 1 Sanders Sides 1 Scooby Doo 1 Shadow and Bone 1 Shameless (US) 1 Sidemen 1 Suits 1 Stephen King's IT 1 Tamora Pierce works 1 Tangled the Series 1 Ted Lasso 1 Teen Titans (Animated Series) 1 Temple of the White Rat series by T. Kingfisher 1 The Ancient Magus Bride 1 The Boys 1 The Daevabad Trilogy 1 The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison 1 The King: Eternal Monarch 1 The Legend of Drizzt 1 The Lion Hunters Series - Elizabeth Wein 1 The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015) 1 The Man From UNCLE (TV) 1 The Tarot Sequence - K.D. Edwards 1 The Terror (TV 2018) 1 The Vampire Diaries (TV) 1 This Way Up 1 Tortall - Tamora Pierce 1 Tower of God 1 Transformers 1 True Blood (TV) 1 Twilight 1 Until We Meet Again 1 UuultraC 1 Valorant 1 Vikings (TV) 1 Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold 1 Warframe 1 Warrior Nun (TV Show) 1 What We Do in the Shadows 1 White Collar 1 Whiteley Foster's Mansong
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claudia1829things · 8 months
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"THE BLACK DAHLIA" (2006) Review
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"THE BLACK DAHLIA" (2006) Review
Judging from the reactions among moviegoers, it seemed quite obvious that director Brian DePalma’s adaptation of James Ellroy’s 1987 novel had disappointed them. The ironic thing is that I do not share their feelings.
A good number of people – including a relative of mine – have told me that they had expected "THE BLACK DAHLIA" to be a docudrama of the infamous 1947 murder case. Others had expected the movie to be an epic-style crime drama similar to the 1997 Academy Award winning film, "L.A. CONFIDENTIAL" - another Ellroy adaptation. ”THE BLACK DAHLIA” proved to be neither for many fans. For me, it turned out to be an entertaining and solid film noir that I enjoyed.
Told from the point-of-view of Los Angeles Police detective Dwight “Bucky” Bleichert (Josh Harnett), ”THE BLACK DAHLIA” told the story of how the January 1947 murder of Hollywood star wannabe, Elizabeth Short aka “The Black Dahlia” (Mia Kershner) affected Bleichert’s life and the lives of others close to him – especially his partner, Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart). The story began over three years before Short’s murder when Bleichert saved Blanchard’s life during the Zoot Riots in 1943. After World War II, the pair (who also happened to be celebrated local boxers) participated in an inter-departmental boxing match to help raise support for a political bond issue that will increase pay for the LAPD, but with a slight tax increase. Although Bleichert lost the match, both he and Blanchard are rewarded by Assistant District Attorney Ellis Loew (Patrick Fischler) with promotions and transfers to the Warrants Department and the pair became partners. Bleichert not only became partners and friends with Blanchard, he also became acquainted with Blanchard’s live-in girlfriend, a former prostitute and artist named Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson). Although Bleichert fell in love with Kay, he kept his feelings to himself, due to his relationship with Blanchard. Thanks to Blanchard’s penchant for publicity, the two partners eventually participated in the murder investigation of Elizabeth Short (nicknamed the Black Dahlia). The case not only led the pair to a rich young playgirl named Madeleine Linscott (Hillary Swank) and her family, but also into a world of prostitution, pornography, lesbian nightclubs and the dark underbelly of Hollywood life.
Written by James Ellroy and originally published in 1987, ”The Black Dahlia” became the first of four novels about the Los Angeles Police Department in the post-World War II era (”L.A. Confidential” was the third in the quartet). In my opinion, it was the best in Ellroy’s L.A. Quartet. I believe that it translated quite well to the movie screen, thanks to DePalma’s direction and Josh Friedman’s screenplay. Like the movie ”L.A. CONFIDENTIAL”, ”THE BLACK DAHLIA” turned out to be superior to its literary version. Not only did DePalma and Friedman’s screenplay recapture the ambiance of the novel’s characters and 1940s Los Angeles setting, the plot turned out to be an improvement over the novel. Especially over the latter’s chaotic finale. Despite the improvement, ”THE BLACK DAHLIA” never achieved the epic style and quality of ”L.A. CONFIDENTIAL”. If I must be frank, I really do not care. Movies like the 1997 Oscar winner are rare occurrences of near perfect quality. Just because ”THE BLACK DAHLIA” was another film adaptation of an Ellroy novel, did not mean that I had expected it to become another ”L.A. CONFIDENTIAL”.
Mark Isham’s score for the film did not turn out to be that memorable to me. All I can say is that I am grateful that he did not attempt a remake of Jerry Goldsmith’s scores for ”L.A. CONFIDENTIAL” and ”CHINATOWN”. On the other hand, I was very impressed with Vilmos Zsigmond’s photography for the film. One sequence stood out for me – namely the overhead shot that featured the discovery of Elizabeth Short’s dead body in the Leimert Park neighborhood in Los Angeles. Ironically, part of the movie was shot in Sofia, Bulgaria substituting as 1946-47 Los Angeles. Production Designer Dante Ferretti and Art Director Christopher Tandon did a solid job in disguising Sofia as Los Angeles. But there were a few times when the City of Angels seemed like it was located on the East Coast. And I could spot a few palm trees that definitely looked false. However, I really loved the set designs for Kay’s home and the lesbian nightclub where Bleichert first met Madeline. I loved Jenny Beavan’s costume designs for the film. She did an excellent job of recapturing the clothing styles of the mid-to-late 1940s and designing clothes for particular characters.
One of the movie’s best strengths turned out to be its very interesting characters and the cast of actors that portrayed them. Characters that included the ambitious and sometimes malevolent ADA Ellis Loew, portrayed with great intensity by Patrick Fischler; Rose McGowan’s bitchy and shallow Hollywood landlady/movie extra; Elizabeth Short’s frank and crude father Cleo Short (Kevin Dunn); Mike Starr’s solid portrayal of Bleichert and Blanchard’s immediate supervisor Russ Millard; and Lorna Mertz, the young Hollywood prostitute portrayed memorably by Jemima Rooper. John Kavanagh and Fiona Shaw portrayed Madeline Linscott’s parents – a Scottish-born real estate magnate and his alcoholic California society wife. Kavanagh was charming and fun in a slightly corrupt manner, but Shaw hammed it up in grand style as the alcoholic Ramona Linscott. I doubt that a lesser actress could have pulled off such a performance.
Not only were the supporting characters memorable, so were the leading characters, thanks to the performances of the actors and actresses that portrayed them. I was very impressed by Mia Kershner’s portrayal of the doomed Elizabeth Short. She managed to skillfully conveyed Short’s desperation and eagerness to become a Hollywood movie star in flashbacks shown in the form of black-and-white audition clips and a pornographic film clip. At first, I found Scarlett Johansson as slightly too young for the role of Kay Lake, the former prostitute and artist that both Bleichert and Blanchard loved. She seemed a bit out of her depth, especially when she used a cigarette holder to convey her character’s sophistication. Fortunately, Johansson had ditched the cigarette holder and Kay’s so-called sophistication and portrayed the character as a warm and pragmatic woman, who turned out to be more emotionally mature than the other characters. I found Aaron Eckhart’s performance as the passionate, yet calculating Lee Blanchard great fun to watch. He seemed funny, sharp, verbose, passionate and rather manic all at once. There were times when his character’s growing obsession toward the Black Dahlia case seemed to border on histrionics. But in the end, Eckhart managed to keep it all together. Another performance I truly enjoyed was Hillary Swank’s portrayal of the sensual, rich playgirl Madeline Linscott. Just by watching Swank on screen, I got the impression that the actress had enjoyed herself playing Madeline. I know I had a ball watching her reveal the charming, yet dark facets of this interesting character.
Ellroy’s novel had been written in the first person – from the viewpoint of LAPD detective, Dwight “Bucky” Bleichert. Which meant that the entire movie had to focus around the actor who portrayed Bleichert. I once heard a rumor that Josh Harnett became interested in the role before casting for the movie actually began. In the end, many critics had either dismissed Hartnett’s performance or judged him incapable of portraying a complex character. Personally, I found their opinions hard – even impossible – to accept. For me, Harnett did not merely give a first-rate performance. He ”was” Dwight “Bucky” Bleichert. One must understand that Bleichert was a difficult role for any actor – especially a non-showy role that also had to keep the story together. Throughout the movie, Harnett, DePalma’s direction and Friedman’s script managed to convey the many complexities of Bleichert’s personality without being overtly dramatic about it. After all, Dwight was basically a quiet and subtle character. Harnett portrayed the character’s growing obsession with both the Black Dahlia case and Madeline Linscott without the manic and abrupt manner that seemed to mark Blanchard’s obsession. You know what? I really wish I could say more about Harnett’s performance. But what else can I say? He perfectly hit every nuance of Bleichert’s personality. I personally believe that Dwight Bleichert might be his best role to date.
I wish I could explain or even understand why ”THE BLACK DAHLIA” had flopped at the box office. Some have complained that the film had failed to match the epic qualities of ”L.A. CONFIDENTIAL”. Others have complained that it failed as a docudrama that would solve the true life murder of Elizabeth Short. And there have been complaints that Brian DePalma’s editing of a film that was originally three hours ruined it. I had never expected the movie to become another ”L.A. CONFIDENTIAL” (which did a mediocre job at the box office) – a rare case of near Hollywood perfection. I really do not see how a three hour running time would have helped ”THE BLACK DAHLIA”. It was a complex story, but not as much as the 1997 film. Hell, the novel was more straightforward than the literary L.A. Confidential”. And since the Hollywood publicity machine had made it clear that the movie was a direct adaptation of the novel, I found the argument that ”THE BLACK DAHLIA” should have been a docudrama that would solve Short’s murder rather ludicrous. Since I had read the novel back in the late 90s, I simply found myself wondering how DePalma would translate it to the movie screen.
In the end, I found myself more than satisfied with ”THE BLACK DAHLIA”. It possessed a first-rate cast led by a superb performance from Josh Harnett. Screenwriter Josh Friedman’s screenplay turned out to be a solid job that slightly improved Ellroy’s novel – especially the finale. And director Brian DePalma did an excellent job of putting it all together. I highly recommend it – if one does not harbor any high expectations.
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tasukete-eirin · 3 months
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HOWS PERSONA GOING also i was wondering . if i should perhaps play these games . so which one would you recommend
I FORGOR TO ANSWER THIS BC U SENT IT WHEN I WAS EEPING AND THEN I HAD UNI im so sorry kai ily
persona is going good!!!!! im insane abt it as always.
OOOHHHHH YES YOU SHOULD IF THEY ARE A GENRE YOU ENJOY !! it's half life-sim and half turn-based combat dungeon crawler :) there's also an element of strategy cause you have elemental attacks and some enemies are weak to certain elements, which lets you act more on your turn <3
so !! you can start pretty much anywhere tbh? 1, 2:Innocent Sin & 2: Eternal Punishment (PLAYED IN THAT ORDER) are connected, but 3 4 & 5 are only connected by references to one another. (ie references to naoto from p4 and yukari from p3 show up on the news in p5, and a character is called "the second coming of the detective prince" and naoto was the first detective prince, but it's not stuff you need to know or anything)
so !! p1 and the 2 duology are. Old :) and very different. i'd say do Nyat START there but if you want to play them later on, feel free.
I'd personally say start with either 3 Reload or 5 Royal, just because both of those are the newest ones so they're the easiest to handle. HOWEVER you can also start with 4 Golden :) (you can also play 3 Portable or 3 FES but those are older and clunkier but i love them dearly)
also ! guide to game versions:
Persona 3 - base game p3, on the ps2 Persona 3 FES - "updated" edition of p3, including new personas, a new story segment, and some other QoL stuff, on the ps2 Persona 3 Portable - PSP version of P3, adds the female MC (minako i'll get you outta there) but makes the daytime/life sim sections flat and as i call it, "like a visual novel", but the dungeon is still full 3D, on the PSP, and also now on modern gen :) Notes: P3's dungeon is. annoying. and notoriously Very Grindy. also the bosses in it WILL wreck your shit.........
Persona 4 - base game p4, on the ps2 Persona 4 Golden - the "definitive" edition of P4, adds more to the story (you get a third semester), a new character(?? i think??) and some other QoL stuff, on the ps2 and now modern gen :) i got it on PC :3 Notes: The dungeons in P4 are a little more fun since they all have a unique theme, however they can also be just as annoying and grindy as P3's. tbh i disliked them more than i disliked p3's dungeon but alas
Persona 5 - base game p5, on the ps3 Persona 5 Royal - Updated P5, adds a third semester, more story, more lore to certain characters, NEW CHARACTERS, and a fuckton of QoL stuff. on the ps4 and xbox and pc now i think? Notes: P5R is the newest mainline game (excluding p3re) and is like. One Of The Best. the characters can be a little weak at times but i also adore them deeply :)
Also ! P3 Reload: Remake of Persona 3, makes the dungeon Less Annoying, puts everything in HD, adds more story and stuff, its soooo <3 i put this one separately bc it deserves its own league. also on the ps4+ps5. also xbox and pc i think?
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vulpiximisa · 6 months
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so i finally finished chapter 0 and if the rest of the cases are going to be like this i low key wanna die
the mystery labyrinth is sooooooo long???? at first glance it looks super cool but then you realize youre just making yuma walk down a long corridor while him and shinigami talk. And he cant even run any faster
and like, how many modes/mini games are there???? the reasoning death match yeah, okay valid. interesting to see yuma literally dodging the verbal assaults, i like the sword over bullets but whatever
then you chose between door options, not sure if theres a DR equivalent of that but okay, but must we see yuma getting slashed every single time
then theres the “reinvestigate the mind crime scene” like uhhhhh sure. I personally hate these kinds of “lets replicate the crime scene” types (AAI Kay’s Little Thief) because its like, how Valid are these clues anyway if youre physically not there
then theres the minecart which is mind logic, fine, i guess
shinigami beach barrel is... a better version of hangmans gambit but not too much better. I like her eye beams. 
GOD gami is.... the idea is funny but iunno why we needed it (their version of the bullet time battle i think?)
AND WE STILL RECREATE THE CRIME IN A COMIC FORM but its in the death note book. ????????? like i get that the wrap up is is necessary but was the comic book format the only way? The stills are very nice though but it loses the charm from DR where it had a different overall style from the rest of the game
like my take away from this first case (its not even the first case its case 0 and now im on the prologue???????) is the graphics are nice but that labyrinth went on for waaaay too long and i dont know if the dialogue is just not for me anymore but it just being yuma and gami is already tiring.
Theres a lot of just talking sequences and yeah in the end of the day its supposed to be a little more than a visual novel but it just feels so slow sometimes?
rip those detectives in the first case, what a waste of characters. i mean, maybe we will re open the case or see mentions of them later but iunno, somehow doubt
Okay so i had already deduced Zilch as the culprit, knowing he used Aphex’s body as a duplicate. (Nice call back to DR1-5). I knew Car 1 and 5 were swapped but I guess I didn’t understand the world enough because of the existence of Shinigami and the “Fortes” so I was under the impression that Zilch’s real Forte was to make things swap and he was lying about the animals. The fact that they explained the whole train car swap logically made me feel like i was thinking too far like a professor layton mystery lmfao.
My dumb ass did not remember the names of the characters so i was having a ball during the minecart mind logic part
anyway on to the prologue, i know as hell that yakou is a fan favorite. everybody loves a scruffy gintoki voiced by koyasu. (not me, but i know ppl like older 20s/young 30s year old “dads”)
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desolateice · 2 years
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Quick links
In-progress fics:
Muffuletta 
For the start of the All Valley Skills Challenge’s first prompt “Back to School” I decided to dig out two drabbles I did for the All-Valley 100 and expand upon them. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a while but couldn’t find the time. What is it? Set somewhere during TKK3, Johnny and the cobras are starting college. Johnny, overwhelmed by it all and bored because Sid and his mom put him in a studio instead of in the dorms, goes to his first class a little drunk. He doesn’t pay attention to the assignment which is to write a letter, and ends up writing to Daniel only to find out in the next class that the teacher sent his letter. What is a muffuletta? It’s a sandwich! While researching for the fic (I’ve sent the guys to UCLA) I tried finding traditions and possibly traditional UCLA food. What I ended up finding was that UCLA used to (possibly still does in some form) have a huge Mardis Gras event every year. So I looked up New Orleans popular foods for Mardis Gras and saw that the muffuletta had Italian origins and couldn’t pass that up. It’s starts with Sicilian bread, specifically a Sicilian sesame bread and then the sandwichi is filled with olive-salad (celery, carrot, cauliflower, olives (of course), giardiniera (italian relish), oragano, garlic, and olive oil), salami, ham, provolone cheese, swiss cheese, and mortadella (a type of Italian sausage). Where am I? Around chapter 4. I’m doing research for UCLA traditions and things for the guys to do around campus. I don’t know how much or how quickly I’ll get this done due to other fandom events I want to participate in like the Reverse Bang and CKHalloween, both of which are going to make my October hectic. First Chapter
Most Recent Chapter
Hardboiled Gunpowder Tea
A Root Beer Floats and Green Tea alternative route. This one is Tommy/Johnny. However you do not need to have read the other fics to read this one.
What is it?  Set pre-the karate kid, Kreese has gone missing, the boys are told he’s dead, but mystery loving Tommy thinks something is wrong and is on the case. What is Hardboiled Gunpowder Tea? Hardboiled is a term, a sub genre, in mystery novels, it’s usually for a detective unphased by violence and devoid of sentimentality. It’s also used for boiling, i.e. an egg. Gunpowder tea is a type of tea, specifically a green tea that’s been rolled into little pellets, sometimes called pearl tea, but generally in English called gunpowder due to the resemblance. Where am I? Research mode. I’ve written three chapters and know about where I want to go on the romantic side of things, but I want to work on the ~mystery~ and plot. What am I using for research? I’ve got a pile of mystery novels on my desk I need to read. 🤣 First Chapter Most recent chapter
Completed fics under the read more
Completed fics:
Umibudo 🧜‍♂️ Complete 🍍
Chozen won my 2023 mer-may poll. E rated Johnny/Chozen set after the All-Valley at the end of TKK1 beginning of TKK2 and beyond. Note it earns it’s E rating. What is it? Set right after the All-Valley Johnny struggles with everything that has happened and while feeling sorry for himself ends up fishing a guy out of the sea, not realizing he fished out a merman. He has a one night stand (er middle of the afternoon stand???) to distract himself from everything. Chozen is on a mission to find Mr. Miyagi in a desperate attempt to save everything he cares about on the island, while struggling with his instincts.
What is Umibudo? A type of seaweed that looks like a bunch of little grapes, also known as sea grapes. First Chapter
Final Chapter
Moodboard by ZappedbyZabka
White chocolate coconut vanilla latte ☕ Complete 🍵
M rated Dutch/Johnny set from before TKK through TKK3.
What is it? A coffee shop AU where Dutch is working at coffee shop in order to pay for his cobra kai lessons and after the events of TKK and the start of TKK2 Johnny starts working there too. What is a white chocolate coconut vanilla latte? It’s a drink offered by an USA coffee shop chain that’s name inspired this fic, however that’s the description of the drink, the actual drink is called something like white angel and I don’t think it’s necessarily a latte. (I’ve never been 😅) But every time this cafe is mentioned I think of Dutch and I think he owns a coffee shop. So thus this fic was created.
First chapter
Last chapter
Easter egg: almost all of the chapter titles have to deal with coffee and the final chapter is a nod to the cafe that inspired the fic.
Puppy Chow 🐶 Complete 🌕
For the Cobra Kai Halloween 2023 prompt: mad scientist. T rated Lawrusso (It was originally M, but I bumped it down to T) What is it? John Kreese spends his time leading up to the All Valley digging through Dynatox old experiments before settling on one to put in a drink to give Johnny that he thinks will ensure victory. It doesn’t seem to work. Johnny (in the Cobra Kai time) is losing track of time, keeps waking up in strange places and has ever since he lost the All Valley. He fears what he’s been doing, thinks he’s gotten black out drunk each time, but in actuality is a werewolf. What is puppy chow? Puppy chow was like the best snack for people to make and bring to school when I was in like elementary school. It’s a box of chex mix cereal, 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 3/4 cup of peanut butter (smooth), 1/3 cup of butter, and powdered sugar. Essentially everything gets melted, mixed and tossed in powdered sugar. It actually goes by a lot of names but where I grew up this is what it was called. You can read more about it and how it got it’s name here. First Chapter Final Chapter
Candied Apples 🍬🍎 Complete 🗡🎣
For the Cobra Kai Halloween 2023 prompt: witches M rated Lawrusso (was originally T but I bumped it up to M) What is it? A sort of high fantasy quest AU. In this world everyone is given a quest. Generally in the valley where Daniel lives it’s something simple that helps determine one’s future job, like go get fish for the local duke. But he gets a very important quest, only part of it’s gabled. He decides the quest must be to find an unhappy princess and make her happy, so he leaves his town to go find an unhappy princess and is joined by Johnny who seems to be a rich gentleman or night who wants to travel with him. However he keeps talking to witches which is a huge red flag to Daniel. Johnny’s on his own quest and having an awful time. What is a candied apple? It’s generally a whole apple dipped in a sugar glaze that hardens or caramel, it’s kinda sticky and difficult to eat, but if you can cut it up it’s easier to enjoy. I was thinking of witches and snow white when trying to name this and that poisoned apple from the film. First Chapter Final Chapter
Amaretti🎄🎅Complete 💝💘
Pitch hit for the Cobra Kai Secret Santa for ohnoitsthebat E rated Lawrusso What is it? Set in the 90′s when Mr. Miyagi is gone to Boston. Mr. Miyagi tells Daniel he should make it a holiday. Holidays are the only times he sees Johnny, the two of them and the cobras generally meet up at Ali’s for her holiday parties. Johnny’s picked up a job at a local craft store so the two end up scrapbooking and thinking back over the years and realize just how much they mean to each other. What’s an amaretti? An italian cookie using almond flour First Chapter
Final Chapter
Dark ‘n’ stormy 🥂🌩 Complete 🎃🍕
For the All Valley Skills Challenge Trick or Treat prompt E rated Lawrusso What is it? Johnny decorates the dojo for Halloween and Daniel complains that Johnny got everyone a treat but him, so Johnny asks him what he wants. Ends up going through a bunch of Halloween costumes Daniel bought specifically for Johnny while drunk shopping online. Johnny thinks he’s being tricked but they end up spending Halloween together, bonding over old Halloween traditions they don’t have any more and missing them and Johnny learns the costumes are truly a treat for Daniel. What’s a Dark ‘n’ stormy? Alcoholic drink: rum, ginger beer, lime First Chapter Final Chapter
Camp Stinging Nettles⛺🥾 Complete 🔪💖
For the Cobra Kai Halloween 2023 prompt: serial Killers
E rated omegaverse Lawrusso
What is it? A serial killer at camp atmosphere. Set in a wonky time frame around college after TKK3 and then a time skip a couple years later.
Johnny is a camp counselor at Camp Stinging Nettles and has been every since he could be. Before that he was a camper. He likes the kids but hates the counselors because they harass him for being an omega.
This summer Daniel LaRusso has decided to join the team as the camp chef. He’s surprised to see Johnny and even more surprised to find out how awful the counselors are. As time goes on, all the trauma and angry from everything that’s happened to him causes him to snap.
Major trigger warnings for this. I made the camp counselors OC’s so I wouldn’t like kill off any friends, but Daniel does kill people and there’s highly dubious consent that doesn’t seem like there is any consent until you get to the other pov. He does, in much later chapters kill of characters from canon but off screen and well it’s sort of a good for him type of thing. So just, tread carefully. Also because it’s omegaverse so like everything that goes with that.
What are stinging nettles? Stinging nettles are an edible plant. It can be eaten in a lot of different dishes and is relatively healthy however it does also sting if not handled carefully.
First chapter
Final Chapter
Bûche de Noël 🎅🎄Completed⛄🩰
Ships: Lawrusso, Shannon/Kumiko, Chozen/Dutch, Carmen/Amanda What is it? Multi ship Secret Santa rated T for Raphiday. Amanda visits her cousin in the new town she moved to for the holidays, Mistletoe Falls where she falls in love and breaks things off with her big city LA boyfriend. Only, said boyfriend comes to visit and try and win her back only to realize he doesn’t have a chance and every available bachelor in town might just be flirting with him. Staring: Amanda: the new at risk teen helper quick to punch out the lights of anyone who flirts with her girl though a bit of a klutz Carmen: local nurse Jessica: Happy people are coming to visit and working in the local rock climbing shop Dutch: the local bartender Kumiko: in charge of the ballet and the yearly performance of the Nutcracker Chozen: the town baker and multi-year reigning champion of the local Bûche de Noël contest. Terry Silver: local lumberjack and owner of the local lodge and christmas tree farm with his business partner. Shannon: visiting town with her grieving boyfriend and instantly swept off her feet and off to follow her dreams Johnny: Grieving son who hates Mistletoe Falls despite his family’s legacy. Daniel: A guy trying to solve random mysteries in town and see if he can win back his girlfriend or maybe find love somewhere else unexpected. I tried to fit in as many Hallmark holiday movie tropes in there as possible. What is a Bûche de Noël? It’s a French roll cake, usually like a angle food or sponge cake with a filling of whipped cream or icing covered in more icing and things to make it look like a log or a tree branch and generally it’s a Christmas thing. First Chapter Last Chapter
bagel and lox for me and a maple bar for you Completed
A oneshot for the CK Reverse bang for this art by GJ draws. What is it? An E rated Lawrusso oneshot. Set during Cobra Kai, sometime after the last season. Daniel is teaching his students waiting for Johnny to arrive, and he doesn’t, but then he does, but it’s not his Johnny. He slowly learns that each day he gets a new Johnny but it’s not his and he eventually has to find and help rescue his Johnny and get the other Johnny’s home to their own universe. Background and very minor Cobra Husbands.
Gelato Completed
A oneshot for the CK Reverse Bang for this art by boyswhomaybewatchedsunsets
What is it? A T rated oneshot set in a summer after the All Valley but waaayyyy before Cobra Kai. Daniel is working at his family’s villa in Italy and Sid, Laura and Johnny stay there. Arguably Lawrusso, arguably Gen.
Cinnamon French Toast Completed
A oneshot for the CK Reverse Bang for this art by Lego Cobra Kai What is it? A oneshot about grief and comfort. Set during Cobra Kai. Miguel asks Daniel to check up on Johnny because it’s the anniversary of Johnny’s mothers death so he show’s up to comfort him. Arguably Lawrusso, arguably gen, rated T.
Earl Gray ☕🕺Completed🐝🦚
 A Root Beer Floats and Green tea alternative route. This one is Dutch/Johnny. You don’t need to read the other fics to read this one. What is it? Set pre-The Karate Kid through The Karate Kid 1. Dutch’s parents continue to pressure him about joining the Season, a fancy upper class time of parties and balls, however they keep trying to set him up with girls. He doesn’t want to go. So he concocts a plan, if Johnny pretends to be his boyfriend his parents will have to rethink everything. Fake Dating AU What is Earl Gray? A type of black tea flavored with the oil of a bergamot rind, (a citrus similar to an orange). First Chapter Final Chapter Easter Egg: Each chapter title is a fairy tale or folk tale inspired by the chapter, mostly princesses. See final chapter notes for the list.
A Feast for Fools 🧘‍♂️🍷 Completed 💕
What is it? A what if silverlaw (Terry Silver/Johnny Lawrence) CK fic. Terry Silver finds out about Cobra Kai immediately in season 1 and goes undercover as a yoga instructor and ends up falling for him. Johnny Lawrence gets to meet a badass who can do high kicks, learns yoga and meditation, questions the Cobra Kai creed early, shows off his competence, gets support, love and care from someone who didn’t know him before.
First Chapter
Final Chapter
Playlist
Wine Dark Night 🍷🌃 Complete (One shot) 🌕🍷
What is it? General one shot fic focused on the Cobras, specifically Bobby. After watching Night Screams 1987 (all the trigger warnings, it’s a slasher horror film) because of a meme and because it stars Ron Thomas who plays Bobby I was challenged to write an AU. So I did. This fic completely spoils Night Screams 1987 and has a pretty intense opening. However rather than a full AU this is more of a character study of Bobby Brown after what happens after the tournament in The Karate Kid and the rest of the fic is angst and hurt/comfort. Want something a little dark for Halloween go for this one. Especially if you want a serial killer AU but don’t want anyone to actually die.
Cherry Cordial 🍒🍫 Complete 🍫🍒
What is it? Lawrusso fic for the CK Halloween Open Season prompt that is late. Combination and expansion of two drabbles. Daniel attempting a potion to befriend Johnny (tw for sneaking a potion into Johnny’s drink) and then freaking out thinking he accidentally hit Johnny with a love potion coupled with the Johnny finding out what kind of witch he is and learning he’s a love witch drabble. Essentially they both think the other is in love with them.
What is a cherry cordial? A cherry cordial is a type of chocolate candy. It consists of a cherry in a cherry liqueur or other type of liqueur (they are generally alcoholic candies) dipped in chocolate.
First Chapter
Final Chapter Extra Content: moodboard by ZappedbyZabka
Conversation Hearts  💕💗 Complete (Collection of stories) 💝💘
What is it? A collection of short stories varying in rating and ship from T to E. Johnny is in each of them, the majority of it is Johnny/Daniel but there is a Johnny/Lyle, Johnny/Chozen and one Daniel/Johnny/Chozen. Some are set in The Karate Kid era, some are set in Cobra Kai, some in the weird in-between time. One’s a science fiction AU, one is a mob AU. For a full list check out either here or the first chapter which is an index and breakdown. Essentially I wanted to do a prompt list and sent out a request for prompts then worked on them as short stories for a Valentine’s Day event. What are Conversation Hearts? Candies that have been around since 1847, made of corn syrup, sugar, gelatin and food coloring. They’re little pastel colored hearts that are a bit chalky but then have flirty messages on them. Because each one has it’s own saying on it and is a bit different then the other I thought it’d make a good title for a collection of short stories. Index chapter
Buku Buku Cha ☁🍵 Complete 🌻🌸
What is it? Chozen/Johnny fic where Johnny finds himself in Okinawa with amnesia and a lot of injuries and unsure where he is or who he is let alone what happened or if he even wants to know. Set between TKK1 and TKK2. It’s a Root Beer Floats and Green Tea alternate universe. But reading RBF&GT will be unnecessary.
What is buku buku cha? Cha means tea. Buku buku cha, or buku buku tea is a traditional type of tea found in Okinawa. While Japan has matcha tea ceremonies Okinawa had and is revitalizing its buku buku cha ceremonies. While the specific tea might change it is made with jasmine tea, rice (white or roasted) and water. Then a big whisk is used to whisk the tea into a mountain of foam that floats atop the tea. It is impossible to drink this tea without getting some foam or bubbles on your nose. The name translates to tea of happiness and was used during-- in the Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawa pre-Japan occupation)-- to welcome envoys. It was nearly lost during World War 2 due to the scarcity of rice and a lot of the tools used which were made of wood being burned.
First Chapter
Final Chapter
Playlist
Inspired Art Art by ririririii-i
Wisteria Sherbert   💐 🍨 Complete  🐺 🎅
What is it? Lawrusso fic for CK Secret santa. Note this fic is rated E, heed the tags. Set during Cobra Kai, though the time line is a little wonky. It’s an a/b/o or omega universe where Johnny is an omega but hiding it and working for a company that places him as a nanny in the LaRusso household. There are some hints of darker elements, hospitals, debt and a boss/employee relationship. This is also slow burn so you’ve got to make your way through all the plot set up to get to the smut.
What is Wisteria Sherbert? Parts of wisteria is edible, it’s that purple plant hanging up outside the LaRusso home in Cobra Kai. Other parts are poisonous, so I’m not going to give you a recipe for this one even though I did in fact find one.
The Wisteria is also considered a romantic flower with a meanings of luck and a "devotion that transcends death". Between it's sweet romantic side and poisonous danger it felt a fitting plant and title for this fic. Sherbert is a type of dessert made with mostly fruit juice and sugar but also sometimes egg whites and milk. Sometimes gelatin.
First Chapter
Final Chapter
Playlist Cut scenes and rewrites Cut scene around chapter 21 Cut and rewritten around chapter 28/29
Semifreddo 🧊Complete👻
What is it? Lawrusso fic for the CK Halloween Environment of Fear prompt. Will definitely not be done in time. Set prior to the karate kid films Sid sends Johnny to a distant relatives house in the Hamptons to clean it all up after the owners passing and Johnny finds that he’s not alone in the house. While this is a ghost story and features a Ghost! Daniel, there is no character death and will be a happy ending.
What is Semifreddo? Semifreddo translates to “half frozen or half cold” in Italian. It is a dessert found somewhere between the realm of ice cream and mousse.
First Chapter
Final Chapter
Snake Whisky 🐍Complete🐍
What is it? Lawrusso fic for the CKHalloween Monsterous transformations prompt. Note this fic has some darker elements to it and there will be an explanation of what snake whisky is and how it’s made. TW for nightmarish animal abuse.
Johnny is a shapeshifter and turns into a King Cobra determined to keep Daniel safe.
What is Snake Whisky? Snake Whisky is an alcoholic beverage infused with a snake. It can be found in many different countries and is considered a pain reliever, is used in traditional medicines, and an aphrodisiac. The way it’s made is described in the fic, and thus the TW.
First Chapter Final Chapter
Root Beer Floats and Green Tea  🍵 Complete 🌳
What is it? A long Lawrusso fic set after The Karate Kid I where Johnny is a part of The Karate Kid II and III. Er, there’s so much so it’s hard to summarize this one. Johnny apologizes and there’s a massive ripple effect. It’s about love, healing, forgiveness and growth.
What are Root Beer Floats? Root beer floats are a combination of root beer, a soda found in North America made from the root of a Sassafras. In some countries like South Korea, root beer is unpopular due to the fact it tastes similar to medication found there. The name is a misnomer, there is no alcohol in North American root beer. A root beer float is made by adding vanilla ice cream to the soda.
First chapter Final Chapter
Extra content
All the food in Root Beer Floats and Green Tea Part 1 (Chapter 1-25) Part 2 (Chapters 26-43) Part 3 (Chapters 44-58) Part 4 (Chapters 59-77) Part 5 (Chapters 78-110) Part 6 Coming soon (final part) Cut Scenes and Rewrites: Around chapter 27/28 ended up rewriting and cut
Cut scene from around chapter 29
Original version of chapter 31 that was rewritten Prom prep and magazines that got cut and moved Original ending to chapter 89 that got cut and changed because oof angst
Original angsty chapter 90 Original chapter 91 and start of chapter 92 Playlist
Inspired Art By Zahara who it looks like deactivated, but you can still see them here and here and here. Art by Haruka Spiegel Inspired fic Warm Places, Safe Spaces by usa123
Konpeitō 🌠🛸Complete🛸✨
What is it? Halloween prompt from @ckhalloween, an alien sci-fi Lawrusso AU set during The Karate Kid I. Soulmate AU.
What is a Konpeitō? Konpeitō is a Japanese candy, specifically a type of wagashi. It came to Japan from Portugal and is essentially rock candy. It’s colorful small pieces of sugar that look like little stars. While the majority of them taste like just pure sugar, they do come in flavors.
First chapter Final chapter Playlist
California Roll 🍣🧜‍♂️ Complete 🧜‍♂️🍣
What is it? Another belated Halloween prompt from @ckhalloween that I saved for Mermay. This is a mermaid pre-The Karate Kid I Lawrusso AU where Johnny is a mermaid who gets lost and stuck in Newark.
What is a California roll? A California roll is a type of sushi, specifically a makizushi sushi roll popular in North America. It includes avocado, crab (sometimes imitation), mayonnaise (sometimes), and cucumber, wrapped in seaweed. As a makizushi sushi roll the rice is on the outside of the seaweed and for a California roll that is then rolled in either sesame seeds or roe (fish eggs).
First chapter Final chapter
Playlist
Devil’s Food (Cake) 👿🎂Complete (Oneshot) 🎂👿
What is it? A oneshot for a halloween prompt for @ckhalloween with a combo for demon and fairy tale where Johnny goes into the desert to make wishes or deals with a demon (Daniel) Link is in the title.
What is devil’s food cake? Devil’s food cake is a rich dense chocolate cake that’s layered with usually a buttercream frosting between the layers.
Drabbles
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haledamage · 2 years
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Fic Author Self-Rec
Rules: When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you’ve written, then pass it on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread self-love! Tagging @risualto @rannadylin @actualanxiousswampwitch @msommers and @storyknitter 💖
tagged by @queen-scribbles, which is appropriate because she’s probably responsible for most of these, either directly or indirectly. But I’m also going to immediately bend the rules and start with something that isn’t a fanfic (but is fiction and so counts as fic, right? Right? Of course it does)
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Speaker (Original Interactive Novel)
🎵Can I show you what I’m proudest of?🎵 I have poured so much of myself into this thing. It’s the realization of a life-long dream, and though it’s not finished, it’s still my favorite thing I’ve ever done. It currently sits at about 187,000 total words, or approximately the length of Fellowship of the Ring.
For What It’s Worth (SWTOR, f!Sith Warrior/Arcann)
This is one of my more recent pieces, but I just love the concept so much. Force Bond shenanigans plus enemies to lovers. The person who understands you most in the galaxy is your greatest enemy. You want them dead, but killing them means killing part of yourself. Their presence going from being an annoyance to being a comfort. Good shit.
The Last to Know (PoE, Watcher/Edér Teylecg)
Edér and Kai have been a married couple for years and they’re the only ones that haven’t realized it. I just... love them. I love the way they love each other so effortlessly that they never consider that other people think their relationship is unusual. And I love the way nothing really changes for them, they both just have the epiphany that “we can be best friend and make out sometimes? sign me up!”
Epiphany (PoE, Watcher/Rekke)
Ah, my rarest of rarepairs. There are seven fics in the Watcher/Rekke tag and three of them are mine. I didn’t even know I was going to ship it until it snuck up on me. Kiki is the queen of not realizing she has romantic feelings, and I adore the contrast with Rekke who fell in love with her at first sight.
Only the Dead Never Change (Detective/Adam du Mortain)
Kira and Adam in quiet but charged moments is practically my brand, as far as Wayhaven Chronicles is concerned, but this one’s my favorite. Really solidified a lot of Kira’s characterization for me, especially in regards to her music. “If she could weaponize the way he made her feel, she would be fucking unstoppable” is one of my favorite lines I’ve ever written.
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bananarail · 2 years
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Lamento game images
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LAMENTO GAME IMAGES PATCH
LAMENTO GAME IMAGES WINDOWS
Sure, while you know what happens next, it doesn't change the fact that the moments Shui and Leaks shared as friends are genuinely heartwarming.All three of Konoe's love interests, in their respective routes, compliment Konoe's tail and show a particular affection towards it, which is pretty sweet since Konoe is extremely insecure about how crooked it is.Asato hugs Konoe and licks the tears he would shed Rai keeps Konoe warm with his tail and lets him hold onto it while Konoe vents out his emotions and Bardo embraces Konoe, telling him that it's alright to cry before giving him a kiss. Regardless of who you choose as Konoe's love interest, all three comfort him after he breaks down from seeing what had happened to Karou.It's a purely innocent friendship that doesn't need to be romantic to be heartwarming. Konoe and Tokino's friendship, as it's one of the few good things that Konoe has had since the start of the game, and kept him going after he was cursed.Roommates have alternative personalities who can possess each at any time and they are also romantically involved. Suki na Mono wa Suki Dakara Shouganai!! (Sukisho! First Limit) - Four games that expand on the development that occurred on the 2005 anime.SleepOver - Kano has been in love with is best friend for a long time where one night they have a sleepover.Kosuke has to seduce all 6 of the other Deadly Sins to prove to Lucifer he's up to the challenge! SinSations In Sinsations you play as Kosuke, Lucifer's newest Deadly Sin of Lust.The man he rescued helps him work in his bar that also serves as a detective agency. No, Thank You!!! - Getting hit by a car trying to rescue someone, Haru then loses his memory.Killing Kiss - Ryu, a young pickpocket, stole something he shouldn't have! Three men appeared before Ryu and they try to claim him in their own distinctive ways.What's more, Ryu's secret childhood friend appears and the story unfolds for the five boys.The game is about two lovers, Yu and Kay, who escape to an uninhabited lost planet called Source. Haven - Haven is a third-person role-playing game with survival game elements.He attempts to find evidence regarding the case to prove his innocence. Enzai: Falsely Accused - In France during the early 19th century a thief finds himself sentenced to life imprisonment for a false charge of murder.Bacchikoi! - A transfer student joins a baseball club and progresses as part of the team and with his relationships with teammates.Angel’s Feather also features a character switching mechanic allowing you to build up relationships between whatever pairings you desire allowing many different CGs. Angel’s Feather - Featuring random encounter, turn-based JRPG segments in explorable dungeon sections, a transfer student to an all-boys boarding school discovers his royal lineage as a white wing angel when strange appearance of monsters and encounters with the villainous black wing angels a occur.Absolute Obedience (Zettai Fukuju Meirei) - Two men run an agency and target specific people for clients.Angel’s Feather (fan translation in the works).It's not a yaoi but it features characters from both Togainu No Chi and Lamento) Chiralmori (a set of 3 mini games by Nitro+Chiral featuring characters from previous games.Itsuwari no Alkanet (aka False Alkanet).Omerta~Chinmoku no Okite~ (Apparent Fan Translation in the works on AarinFantasy).PSVita Gakuen Heaven 2: Double Scramble.PSVita Gakuen Heaven: Boy's Love Scramble.
LAMENTO GAME IMAGES WINDOWS
Windows Gakuen Heaven 2: Double Scramble.
Windows Gakuen Heaven: Boy's Love Scramble.
While a lot of the games listed here may not visual novels but they do have at least one Boy x Boy romance option
Story Of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town.
Story Of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town.
Lamento -Beyond the Void- (in progress more information here).
LAMENTO GAME IMAGES PATCH
Lucky Dog 1 (No game patch but translations with pictures can be found online).Haven (RPG with male x male romance option).6 Other Yaoi Games Without Translations.
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yellowaugustnights · 14 days
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Cringe. Or even more cringe than the original. idk. Of course, this is only a pilot trailer so far and everything may change, but it didn't really inspire me to watch it. Apparently everything will depend on the official trailer and my humorous mood, which is not
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Day and Night (you know). The idea is great. More thrillers\ detective stories\ horror films, please. Gun is acting a gifted and possibly slightly autistic guy again. I will definitely take a look.
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I see Ray and Sand here, sorry. They ran from OF here. Jojo went to the set of LT for inspiration (Mechanic boy hello hello). The pilot doesn't really inspire me, and Dunk's acting, as always, raises questions.
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I need subtitles to understand the cause and effect of this shit. for the first few seconds, I thought that the girls would have an affair with each other.
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Should I give this a chance because of Jittirain? her past film adaptations have been great (they again didn't mention Vice versa and be my favorite, eh). Let Emi kiss the girls in this. university and engineers again. Give me the adults, please.
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Emi is kissing girls! and here is the theme of art. although I don't really like topics where siblings fall in love with the same person. I'm going to watch it anyway.
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Gawin is a cop again! Oh my God yes! Is Lookjun with Pepper?? they will finally show real chemistry. I like girls house, it's an interesting design, but most likely it will only be in the pilot trailer. maybe I'll watch it, but nothing is clear about the plot yet, except that everyone in the house is crazy.
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William is very handsome, so it was only a matter of time before the bosses brought him into acting. without further ado, I liked it and I will be following this show. This is a classic melodrama about a relationship that is obviously doomed to collapse, unless one gives in and stays /leaves with another, or maintains a long-distance relationship.
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such a short trailer. perhaps the script is not even available yet. I love Off. He's in a genre like fish in water (midnight motel, hello). I'll wait for the official trailer to figure out if I'm going to watch this show or not.
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gmm took wabi sabi's project under his wing. Okay, back to the vampires. do I think they took the original pilot trailer and changed a couple of scenes, adding their own actors, or did they reshoot the original pilot trailer from footage? Anyway, it looks good. Kay is finally not a schoolboy. maybe I'll watch it.
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Jittirain again. I'm in agony all over. Should I watch this if it's based on Jittirain's novel? Mark sings last twilight. is this project produced Aof? JimmySea song! Jimmy's cameo! Can we expect Sea's cameo? JimmyOhm? It's definitely produced Aof! Captain needs an assistant Captain hehe. I have already imagined the scene in mv "Blame the Stars" and "Maybe this is love", in which Jimmy's character is sitting alone in a cafe after he was rejected and Sea's character appears here, ordering coffee (Sea loves coffee, yes). I'm biased, but I'll watch it 100%.
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Jumanji with bonds and schoolchildren. Not mine.
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Krist and Aou - I laughed so hard (be my favorite, hello). This is for peraya fans. I'm not a fan, but I like Singto. the plot is easy. idk, maybe.
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A historical fantasy het. Not mine. But the cast is wonderful.
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secretsfromsoap · 20 days
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hai (*≧ω≦*)
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she/they, minor!! (09), libra sun, pisces moon, gemini rising ༉‧₊˚✧, intp, literally the 6th libson sister, fig tree analogy enthusiast, fiona apple stan, probably a femcel lowkey…
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likes ‧₊˚♡
music<3, overanalyzing everything, totally not a certain suicidal detective from bsd… not at all…, iced coffee, strawberries, COWBOY BOOTS (maybe js cowboys in general… who knows…), pinterest, sunsets, the moon & the stars, psychology and my absolutely stunning amazing lovely gorgeous beautiful irl friends who cannot know about this blog ♡*ೃ.⋆
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dislikes ༊*·˚
the opps 🙄🙄
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fav pieces of media ‧₊˚♡
bsd (specifically the light novels!! (stormbringer ruined me)), the virgin suicides, the bell jar, basically all of sylvia plath’s works, girl interrupted (movie and book), no longer hum, the setting sun, schoolgirl, crime and punishment, white nights, notes from underground, basically just books in general, heathers (1989), fiona apple & lana del rey’s discography, probably forgetting a few things tbh :(
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kay that’s it!! bye bye (⌒ω⌒)
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taiblogcomics · 2 months
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My Little Taury: Friendship is Parodic
Hey there, sheep of your dreams. A rare update for Leap Day! Honestly, couldn't have picked a better series for this to happen during. Seems fitting, no?
Here's the cover:
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All right, now you kind of see why I wanted to review this series, eh~? So here are the Taurs, the MLP/Smurfs hybrids that closed out last issue. We'll be getting to know them a bit more closely in this one, so that's all I'll tell you here. Instead, let's analyse these cutie marks. There's some classically evil stuff: skull and crossbones, inverted pentagram, Bill Cipher… A couple over here have Backstabber and Money=Power… Easily the most baffling one is the "stock woman on truck's mudflaps silhouette". What kinda traits does that confer~?
Our hero(?) Steve Harmon wishes to rid himself of his Slapstick persona, and to that end, he's hired tech goon Quasimodo to research a solution. Since Dimension Ecch gave him his powers, a trip back should undo it. They open a makeshift portal, but are detected and apprehended by SHIELD offshoot ARMOR before they can use it. Turns out there's been a rash of incursions from the dimension, including Bro-Man last issue, and they want to know the connection. When another incursion occurs and the Taurs invade, Slapstick volunteers to take care of it to throw ARMOR off his scent.
We actually join this issue by checking in with Slapstick's buddy Mike, who's working at an art supply shop in a mall in Paramus. He's recounting the events of last issue to his co-worker Jenny, noting how it'll make a great scene for his graphic novel. She's mostly feigning interest, privately thinking how it won't last six issues. Yes, very droll, a wink and a nod to the fourth wall. Except Mike's pitching a graphic novel. They aren't sold issue by issue. Maybe Jenny doesn't know that, but I do, and the distinction is something I love to nitpick~
While Mike continues to go on about presenting it at New York Comic Con, he suddenly feels a sudden sharp pain. He turns to find himself being attacked by one of the Taurs. He yells for Jenny that one of the high-end toys from Kay-Bee has gone Westworld, but that doesn't make any sense. Kay-Bee Toys went out of business in 2009! He seizes the Taur, berating it for breaking the First Law of Robotics, only to now have a view outside into the rest of the mall. The rest of the Taurs are running a slaughter over the other mall patrons.
Slapstick is teleported in, and he starts gleefully going to town on the Taurs. It's a fun fight scene, because keep in mind the Taurs are exactly as small as you think. Basically the size of a FiM brushable pony. Less than six inches tall, I'd say. So while Slapstick has the size on them, the Taurs have the numbers, evening the odds. They also have pointier weapons, at least at first. Once they jab him in the eyes, Slapstick utters the utterly immortal lines "No more Mr. Nice Clown! I'm reaching into my angry pants!" God, I love comic books.
Thankfully, Slapstick has no junk, so he won't be arrested for this. Instead, what he pulls from his pants is Bro-Man's sword. It's already been proven that this sword can cut through electroplasm creatures (but not actually kill them), and it's just as effective on the Taurs as it was at bisecting Bro-Man. In fact, it can cut through anything, and Slapstick's wild swinging unfortunately has him cut through a load-bearing support beam to the level above, collapsing part of the mall's walkway on top of him, losing the sword in the rubble.
Before the Taurs can advance again, they're halted by some weapons above. Mike and Jenny turn up, having raided the crafting store they work in to deck themselves out in post-apocalypse armour and makeshift weapons. This gives Slapstick the chance to haul himself out of the heap, where he finds another Taur in his hair. Before he can heave the invader, she has him halt. Introducing herself as Taurette (which thankfully does not lead to the joke you probably think it might), she offers to help Slapstick defeat her brethren if he spares her.
See, she's the only female among her people, and thus is constantly subject to taursplaining and the male gaze. So she requests asylum on the champion's world. Slapstick agrees, not bothering to tell her that his own people are just as bad. She tells them that the Taurs fear only one thing: the Sorceror Supreme of their dimension, Gorgonzola. He's a wizard who's out to capture the Taurs because they excrete gold. Well, at least he doesn't want to eat them. Slapstick gets a crafty look in his eye. Appropriate, since they're also holed up in the craft store.
As the Taurs--led by their red-hatted, bearded leader, Patriarchy Taur--prepare to regroup, suddenly another bearded figure in red flies overhead. The wizard Gorgonzola declares the Taurs have no refuge from his magic in this realm. In close-up, however, it's clearly Mike being hoisted by a rope, while Taurette hides in his fake beard and feeds him lines. The Taurs all soil themselves in terror--which, I remind you, means they all shit out gold nuggets. The sight of all that wealth gets the better of Slapstick, and he drops the rope he's hoisting Mike/Gorgonzola with, right on top of the Taurs.
The Taurs fortunately don't grasp the deception, but they do notice "Gorgonzola" has Taurette, and attempt to recapture her back to their village. Slapstick re-seizes the rope and swings into the fray, pulling Mike aside. He grabs Taurette from the horde, and not knowing how else to protect her, stuffs her down his inter-dimensional pants. Being stuffed down a clown's pants would traumatise anyone, and Taurette snaps at having to cope with this. She declares she will never be a damsel in distress again and grabs a nearby pocket knife defiantly.
Cutting a hole to free herself, Taurette bursts out of Slapstick's pants, causing a load of his stored objects to also come spilling out. Though briefy embarassed at being in his briefs, Slapstick tells Mike and Taurette to run for it while he holds them off. He doesn't initially have a plan until he spots something among the junk: the robot gun-arm he took from Quasimodo in issue 1. The one that shoots a horrifying electroplasm-disrupting beam. He immediately begins scrambling the Taurs into colourful puddles of goo.
The beam only destabilises them, however, it doesn't kill them. They're still alive and aware, and the big pastel puddle begins swirling around Slapstick. Before he can drown in a pool of Taur juices, the ARMOR agents show up with a big vacuum containment device, sucking up the goo formally known as the Taurs. Taurette buddies up to the competent women who just saved the day, while Slapstick tries not to make an ass of himself despite being literally caught with his pants down. The agent he's crushing on gives him a number to call if another incursion happens, and he treats it like a personal number.
The agents depart with Taurette, and Slapstick and Mike leave with the Taurs' golden leavings. A few days go by, and Mike drops by Slapstick's (parents') house to show off having redrawn his comic pages again. At least he's perfecting his craft! He finds Slapstick hopped up on coffee, having spent the last few days re-creating the portal to Dimension Ecch, deliberately in spite of ARMOR's warnings. Unfortunately, as the comic ends, he didn't successfully remake the portal--he made a device that ports Dimension Ecch's nonsense to this dimension, bringing several inanimate objects to cartoony life~
Well, this issue's a lot of fun. It's the least excessively-violent so far, only a bit of blood at the beginning. The Taurs being hyper violent is an excellent joke, contrasting how gentle their two blending series (My Little Pony and The Smurfs) are. The issue is a lot of fight scenes, but it's a lot of cartoony fun in the fight scenes. Most of the comics I complain about just being an issue of fight scenes (see: The Culling or any given Suicide Squad issue) are just schlocky action movie fodder, while this one is more like a stereotypical episode of Tom & Jerry. And also, despite this series not being above lowbrow, crude humour--the jockstrap pile, the Taurs crapping gold, all the mentions of Slapstick's dingus--I applaud it for knowing where the line is and not doing the obvious joke regarding Taurette's name. Kudos, comic~
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fandomtrumpshate · 1 year
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Unlisted Fandom Challenge
We're coming up on the last weekend of the signup window to offer a fanwork in FTH 2023. In addition to the 101 fandoms in our dropdown list, creators have signed up to create fanworks in 158 write-in fandoms! Our top three haven't changed, but Red White & Royal Blue has moved up into the tie for the fourth spot ... and the fifth spot ... is now a *fourteen-way tie* ... If you're thinking of signing up, you've still got time to do it, to write in a fandom to add it to the list, or move one of these up in the rankings.
Signups are open through Sunday Feb 19th!
Full list of unlisted fandoms under the cut!
8 Young Royals 6 Malevolent (Podcast) 5 The Queen's Thief 4 911 Lone Star 4 Overwatch 4 Red White & Royal Blue 4 The Owl House 3 Alex Rider 3 Between Us 3 Chainsaw Man 3 Disney's Descendants 3 Erha He Ta De Bai Mao Shizun (The Husky & His White Cat Shizun) 3 Homestuck 3 Justified 3 Lout of the Count's Family / Trash of the Count's Family 3 Love in the Air 3 Miraculous Ladybug 3 Not Me 3 The Legend of Zelda 3 Top Gun Movies 3 Witch Hat Atelier 2 Aphmau MyStreet 2 Attack on Titan 2 Bungou Stray Dogs 2 Carmen Sandiego 2 Danganronpa 2 Destiny 2 2 Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency 2 Escaflowne 2 Gravity Falls 2 Hollow Knight 2 Kingsman 2 NU: Carnival 2 Pokemon 2 Professional Wrestling 2 Scholomance 2 Stargate: Atlantis 2 Stephen King's IT 2 Suits (TV series) 2 Supergirl 2 The Song of Achilles 2 Video Blogging RPF 2 Warrior Nun (TV Show) 2 What We Do in the Shadows 2 X-men 2 YuYu Hakusho 1 A Series of Unfortunate Events 1 A Voice from Darkness (Podcast) 1 Ace Attorney 1 Alex Stern series - Leigh Bardugo 1 All The Wrong Questions 1 Animorphs 1 Be Kind My Neighbor 1 Bioshock 1&2 (only) 1 Blood of Youth 1 Blue Exorcist 1 Blue Lock 1 Bug Fables 1 Cabin Pressure 1 Call the Midwife 1 Cats the Musical 1 Citizen Sleeper 1 Cobra Kai 1 Coco Pixar 1 Cosmere (Brandon Sanderson) 1 Crossover Chaos AU (multifandom crossover AU) 1 Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 1 Dead by Daylight 1 Dead Poets Society 1 Dice Punks (podcast) 1 Digimon 1 Divergent (Movies) 1 Downton Abbey 1 Dragon Ball Z 1 Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey 1 Dungeons and Daddies 1 Eerie Indiana 1 Elder Scrolls 1 Emma - Jane Austen 1 Fire Country 1 Firefly 1 For All Mankind 1 Glee 1 Grace and Frankie 1 Greys Anatomy 1 Grimm 1 Guardian/Zhen Hun 1 Gundam 1 Half-Life 1 Hit the floor 1 House of the Dragon 1 Howl's Moving Castle 1 Hudson & Rex 1 IDOLiSH7 1 Imperial Radch Series - Ann Leckie 1 Infinity Train 1 Jane Austen (any novel any pairing) 1 Jeeves - P. G. Wodehouse 1 Jojo's Bizarre Adventure 1 Jurassic Park 1 King of Scars Duology 1 Les Misérables 1 Los Simuladores 1 Love Between Fairy and Devil 1 Madre Solo Hay Dos 1 Miss Scarlet and The Duke 1 Mob Psycho 100 1 Monochrome Factor 1 Outlast 1 Parasol Protectorate 1 Peacemaker 1 Persuasion - Jane Austen 1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 1 Psych 1 Qi Ye 1 Ranger's Apprentice 1 Ranma 1/2 1 RPF 1 Sable 1 Sanders Sides 1 Scooby Doo 1 Shadow and Bone 1 Shameless (US) 1 Sidemen 1 Tamora Pierce works 1 Tangled the Series 1 Ted Lasso 1 Teen Titans (Animated Series) 1 Temple of the White Rat series by T. Kingfisher 1 The Ancient Magus Bride 1 The Boys 1 The Daevabad Trilogy 1 The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes 1 The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison 1 The King: Eternal Monarch 1 The Legend of Drizzt 1 The Lion Hunters Series - Elizabeth Wein 1 The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015) 1 The Man From UNCLE (TV) 1 The Princess Weiyoung (Jinxiu Weiyang) 1 The Tarot Sequence - K.D. Edwards 1 The Terror (TV 2018) 1 The Vampire Diaries (TV) 1 This Way Up 1 Tortall - Tamora Pierce 1 Tower of God 1 Transformers 1 True Blood (TV) 1 Twilight 1 Until We Meet Again 1 UuultraC 1 Valorant 1 Vikings (TV) 1 Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold 1 Warframe 1 White Collar 1 Whiteley Foster's Mansong 1 Xena: Warrior Princess
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goddamnwebcomics · 6 months
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The Depths
Long story short, this comic is porn with an excuse plot written by Paula, aka “Leilani Perriere”, who comes from Ohio.
Right off the bat you know it’s going to be an objectionable “adventure” comic when you have a Midwestern American girl trying to pass themselves off as Tahitian by using a Hawaiian name (when they have literally no ancestry of either two ethnicities of any sort) on social media and in the fandom that makes a porn comic that relies on stereotypes and caricatures, and then tries to pass it off as adventure. But more on that later; let’s get to why this comic is a good entry for this blog and why it’s bad.
The comic starts off with “Leilani Perriere”, Paula’s fursona (real creativity using the most cliche Hawaiian name one could for a character in the South Pacific), who’s the daughter of a Chief from Bora Bora. Just to give you an idea of how the first few pages of the comic begin, it literally starts off in the ocean with Leilani blowing her lover Thierry Savage, a stereotypical French guy who’s a panther and apparently a detective, as he’s trying to get air…then they’re on the beach running after eachother butt-naked trying to fuck.  Apparently later she divulges her backstory to him, and Thierry tries to get her to move to France with him.
Probably the most problematic thing about the comic is the fact that the porn frequently overshadows the fact that there’s even an adventure to begin with, and also how blatant it is in sexualizing women of a vulnerable minority group (and it’s not the first comic she’s done that with) in the most tasteless way possible. There’s a right way and a wrong way to portray a vulnerable minority group in any shape or form, and Christ does Paula fail there…She couldn’t even start off with some sort of exposition on the adventures that would await, they just had to jump right to the porn, which shows they don’t know how to pace things in their own comic.
Even if it’s fictional otters, it’s still incredibly poor taste for someone to use fictional characters as a proxy and an excuse to get away with bastardizing indigenous women of the South Pacific by portraying them as the submissive sexual island fantasy girls that America typically does…I mean, one page into the comic and you already got a submissive hypersexualized caricature (whom she explicitly has called a “savage” on her Ko-Fi) in love with a “dashing man” from a European country; it’s a cliche beaten to death by alot of romance novels you’d find at a store…and Paula’s really gonna sit here and tell us this is meant to be an “adult adventure webcomic”?
Come on, now…when the first page literally starts off with a blowjob followed by raw dogging 4 or 5 pages later, who’s really gonna remember it for the “adventures”? It’s basically Monster Girl Academy but in the South Pacific…
If you want a story to be annoyed by on the level that you would with Kit n’ Kay Boodle or Monster Girl Academy, this is the comic for you!
Well uh, I’m gonna say Paula has some very bizarre fantasies. I feel like it is definitely “oh god I wish I was born a poor black child” of porn.
That being said, the “Yikes Sweetie let’s unpack this” aspects of this comic clearly has no effect on this comic’s popularity, seriously, this is apparently in the list of Top 100 Most Read Webcomics of All Time...unless that source is directly from Paula herself which could be likely.
But whether or not its popularity is legitimate, it does deserve a riff. The artstyle is not hot in the slightest, and the disguise of “adventure comic” will certainly confuse a lot of people.
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fandom-space-princess · 11 months
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Read 2023 (Jan-June)
Curious about what good books I've read so far this year? Cool, because I want to tell you about them. List by genre and very brief thoughts about each below. (Ratings out of 10 are how each book landed for me personally; they're not meant to be in any way objective).
SFF: Uranians - Theodore McCombs 10/10. Scifi; short story collection. Queer pasts, presents, and possible futures, populated with as many trans spaceship priests and unkillable women as you could want. Counterweight - Djuna 8/10. Scifi; short novel. Biopunk cybercrime detective mashup by South Korea's science fiction Banksy. Quick and weird and fun. The Crane Husband - Kelly Barnhill 10/10. Fantasy; short novel. Retelling of the crane wife as a dark midwestern Americana fable. Equal parts charming and distressing. The writing is utterly lovely. A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy - Becky Chambers, both 9/10. Scifi/fantasy novellas. Nonbinary tea monk and it/its robot strike up a friendship and wander the land having pleasant adventures. I don't think I've ever read anything written with such palpable kindness and charity of spirit. A soothing, joyful read. To Be Taught, If Fortunate - Becky Chambers 10/10. Scifi; novella. Polycule who may be Earth's last astronauts go exploring among the stars. This was so beautiful it left me a sobbing mess on my couch. Light From Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki 9/10. Scifi/fantasy; novel. Dramatis personae: a violin teacher trying to save her soul from hell by damning her students, a runaway trans girl with otherworldly musical talents, and an alien refugee spaceship captain and her family fleeing from intergalactic war. Strange, and hard to read at points (tw: transphobia, sa) but it was lovingly constructed and a wonderful ride. Space Opera - Catherynne Valente. Currently reading, but so far I LOVE this. Like Douglas Adams dropped acid and watched The Fifth Element, then decided to invent Eurovision about it. Completely bananas. I'm in awe.
Horror: Sister, Maiden, Monster - Lucy A. Snyder 6/10. Three interconnected stories of an apocalypse that turns people into brain-eating Lovecraftian horrors. Heavy on body horror and sexual gore. Kind of "everything and the kitchen sink" writing for my tastes, but it was a good, creepifying romp if you're up for it. Monstrilio - Gerardo Samano Cordova 9/10. Literary horror. After losing a child, a mother carves out a piece of his lung and grows it into a replacement son. Impressive character writing. Tone: monstrous and tender. Desert Creatures - Kay Chronister 8/10. Postapocalyptic Southwestern desert wasteland wandering. Very "The Last of Us" vibes. Camp Damascus - Chuck Tingle 9/10. Short novel. Tonally, I imagine this story is what you would get if "Hellraiser" and "But I'm a Cheerleader" had a fanfic baby. A quick, fun read. Saluting you, Mr. Tingle.
Fiction: Idol, Burning - Rin Usami 8/10. Short novel. Exploration of pop idol culture and teenage obsession. A solid addition to the "fandom culture required reading" list. Cursed Bread - Sophie Mackintosh 9/10. Historical fiction, technically, about a town that suffered mass poisoning and hallucinations after WWII, told from the POV of the baker's wife. A story about desire and shame, and the ways in which they can rot a person from the inside out. I only wish I could write obsession like this. Mrs. Caliban - Rachel Ingalls 8/10. Novella. 1980s precursor to "The Shape of Water" (though they apparently aren't related): housewife falls in love with frog man. Subtle but haunting. The Fifth Wound - Aurora Mattia 10/10. My new favorite book! God this was good. Lyrical trans life, full of joy and pain and love and the most gorgeously-rendered language. I could not put this down, and keep recommending it to everybody. The Museum of Human History - Rebekah Bergman 7/10. Story about what it means to stop living: to be in a coma, to lose your memory, to cease to age. Kind of lacking in direction; wandering but pretty. House Gone Quiet - Kelsey Norris 9/10. Short story collection. Each of these stories, in its own way, dredges up all the guilt and wonder and nostalgia of the family/community/hometown left behind. "Her Body and Other Parties"-type of energy. This is a debut collection, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what the author does next. Piranesi - Susanna Clarke 8/10. Surrealist story about a man with no memory trapped under mysterious circumstances in an infinite, labyrinthine house filled with the sea. This deserved all the rave reviews that it got. Nightbitch - Rachel Yoder 9/10. A story about a woman who is convinced she's transforming into a dog: about reconciling what it is to be an artist and a mother, to be messy and animal and human, full of love and rage. I don't normally connect with stories so intimately tied up in motherhood, but this one goes for the throat. Loved. Bliss Montage - Ling Ma 8/10. Short story collection. Speculative fiction in a realist way? Happy, in an intensely lonely way? Hard to pin down, but worth taking the time to try.
Poetry: Judas Goat - Gabrielle Bates 9/10. I originally picked this up while I was receiving books at the store, flipped to a random page, read a paragraph, and muttered "Jesus Christ fuck" so loudly that my coworkers were concerned 💀 That pretty much sums up my feelings on this collection: velvety in a gothic sort of way, sharp and unkind: not in the way of a butcher's knife, but in the way of an amputation. The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On - Franny Choi 9/10. Poems for surviving your daily dystopia with acceptance and hope. Mad Honey Symposium - Sally Wen Mao 9/10. Lush, sticky, verdant language with phenomenal rhythm. The written equivalent of being dropped into a greenhouse in which much of the vegetation is carnivorous.
Graphica: Night Eaters: She Eats the Night - Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda 9/10. The first in a new trilogy by the creators of "Monstress." Signature quality from both author and artist on display here, with a darker premise about family, inheritance, and the dangers of both. Gender Queer - Maia Kobabe 9/10. If I could change one thing about the way I grew up, I would wish to have had this book, or something like it, 20 years ago.
As usual, please feel free to creep into my dms or asks if you've read any of these and want to talk about them, or have been reading your own cool stuff. I will literally always want to hear about it.
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