#eh. is it the time to come back to western shows.

[tobiasdrake]

Incidentally, we can't really talk about pragmatism without talking about Future Trunks.

Krillin is a devious and underhanded martial artist, but still a martial artist. Trunks is an assassin. He goes straight for the throat at every opportunity. He's not here to fight; He's here to kill.

Much like his father, Trunks is not a martial artist. Every bit Vegeta's son, he's naturally gifted and has already become a Super Saiyan by both of his first appearances - in the story, when he fights Frieza on Earth, and also chronologically in Trunks the Story: A Lone Warrior.

I can't really say he's untrained. He was trained in the basics by Gohan. But Gohan is also not a martial artist; He's had one year and six months of proper martial arts training. One year from Piccolo and six months from Krillin.

Gohan's a fighter, guided by emotion moreso than technique. So there's a limit to how much Trunks can learn from him. Even Gohan admits that he's a poor substitute for his dad.

This, I should note, is a meaningful admission from Gohan because this chapter was published at the very beginning of the Cell Games. Gohan outright saying "I wanted to follow in my dad's footsteps but the clothes aren't enough" sets up an important contrast to the Gohan of the present time who has had that time with Goku and is ready to take his place.

But his concession of inadequacy is important for how we interpret Trunks as well. Trunks knows the stuff. He can perform Bukujutsu. Throw ki blasts. Power up into a Super Saiyan. But he's not Goku or Krillin or Yamcha or Tenshinhan; Like Gohan and Vegeta, he is a fighter, not a martial artist.

His heart is in the right place, but he's reckless and foolhardy. Chomping at the bit for a piece of vengeance.

This recklessness carries into his journey to the past. He never quite learns from his brief offscreen shitstomp by the Twins. He returns to a point in history just after Goku's return from space. Historically, this was a key moment in history where Goku showed up in the nick of time to save Earth from Frieza and his father King Cold. Which should technically be Great King Cold as it's Cold-Daio but he's far from the first king to have his Greatness dropped in translation, eh Piccolo?

But when Goku's late to the party, Trunks starts to worry and decides to step in himself.

Look at him. The spitting image of his father, full of piss and vinegar.

It's here that we get to see Trunks as a fighter for the very first time. Even chronologically; In Trunks the Story, they skip most of the action; It's very brief.

I mean. It's an absolutely hilarious joke that we see Trunks flying off half-cocked to go get revenge and then he's waking up from a coma on the very next page. Amazing cutaway gag.

But we're here to talk about Trunks's DNA as a fighter, so Frieza offers us the first material we have to work with. And Trunks? He does not fuck around.

Your soldiers are dead. Who's next?

You're dead. Who's next?

Your father's dead. We done here?

Trunks gives zero shits. In the span of two chapters, he massacres Frieza, Cold, and all of their soldiers without an ounce of hesitation. He is not playing.

He was even paying attention to the part where Frieza can survive grievous amounts of harm and come back. He takes great care to thoroughly and utterly annihilate every last bit of Frieza. Taking no chances.

Trunks isn't here to fight. He's here to kill. He is not interested in a protracted martial arts bout.

This fight, incidentally, also gives us a moment to talk about Trunks's sword. Cold-Dumbass thinks Trunks's sword is the key to his power.

He's an idiot. There's a reason he only exists for like three chapters and one page of a fourth. This man doesn't even understand how weapons work in anime.

Japan and the West have very different relationships with weapons. When Westerners think of weapons, we think of guns. Even when we write medieval weapons, we treat them like guns. Guns are disposable tools that bestow killing power upon their wielder. Any average Joe with a gun suddenly becomes a lethal warrior.

But Japan has a rich history and philosophy baked into their culture surrounding weapons and their role in martial arts. In anime, a weapon does not grant power; It manifests power. The weapon is an extension of its wielder. It's a means by which the wielder expresses their own strength.

In Trunks's hands, that sword can cut through Frieza. Because Trunks is powerful, and his might outshines Frieza's.

In Cold's hands, however, that sword is harmless. Because Cold is weak and cowardly. (Uh, relative to Trunks.) He has no power to express.

But Goku is strong. Goku knows power intimately, far beyond Trunks's understanding. And so Trunk's sword, his expression of power, is useless against Goku.

This is what Trunks's sword means, to him and to the story. It's an extension of his character and his strength; The means by which he delivers his killing force. Which is precisely what makes this moment so devastating.

When 18 breaks Trunks's sword, she breaks Trunks. The damage to his blade is honestly not that severe. It could probably be reforged. But the damage to Trunks's self-image, to his psyche, is unshakable.

Trunks never uses his sword again. He leaves it on the plane here.

And then we never see it again. Instead, Trunks decides to pursue greater martial arts training alongside his father, following in Vegeta's footsteps.

But he never quite loses his assassin streak. Though he begins to develop his abilities as a fighter from this point forward, Trunks is goal-oriented. He wants to kill the Twins. He doesn't care how that happens.

In the original version of these events, before Cell further altered the timeline, those blueprints were the key to Trunks's victory against the Twins of his timeline.

Though Cell has no idea how Trunks pulled off this victory despite being too weak to defend himself from Cell himself, the discovery of Gero's lab offers us a possible explanation.

The Twins have shutdown switches built into their systems. Though 17 destroyed the remote Gero built, Bulma is able to use these blueprints to build a new one.

So there's a solid implication that the weaker Trunks of Cell's timeline took Bulma's remote home with him and disabled the Twins that way. Again: He's not here to fight. He's here to kill. It doesn't matter how he does it.

...well, I guess it does matter 'cause that Trunks got wasted by Cell five minutes later.

Point is, Trunks wears his goal-oriented ruthlessness on his sleeve. He's not driven by pride of by love of the art. He has a job he's here to do.

However that single-minded focus, that determination to get it done, also holds him back. Trunks has never had proper martial training. He's been taught by Future Gohan, who is not a martial artist. And he's... taught himself near Vegeta. His developed his abilities and increased his strength, but he doesn't know fighting the way Goku or Krillin or Yamcha or Ten do. Nor does he have Vegeta's natural brilliance and general understanding.

Trunks, for all his strength and all his determination and all his killing instinct, is an amateur. We all know what happened to him in the last fight he ever fought here in the present.

Vegeta breaks the limits of the Super Saiyan and realizes that this power is good but comes at a cost, so he should only do it sparingly.

Goku breaks the limits of the Super Saiyan and realizes this form sucks and is stupid, and decides to go a different route entirely.

But Trunks breaks the limits of the Super Saiyan and goes "AWWW YEAH THIS IS THE SHIT GIMME THAT POWER" because he doesn't know. He has a killer's instinct, not a martial artist's. He's never been trained in technique.

We see, over the course of this series, both Trunks's strengths and his weaknesses as a fighter. In every altercation, he goes straight for the throat. Which is brutally effective when he has the power to back it up but Trunks, more than anyone, is vulnerable to a crushing defeat if he doesn't have the Power Level to back it up. He has nothing else.

Still, he gets to go out on a high note. His final chapter sees him return to the future, not with the remote but with the great strength he gained in the Room of Spirit and Time. And he gets to clean house his way - slaughtering the Twins efficiently and thoroughly, in true Trunks fashion.

And also getting Cell for good measure.

Godspeed, killer. You were the best your world had left to offer but you rose to the occasion, and that's the most that could be asked of anyone.

#dragon ball #dragon ball z #future trunks

[yohankang]

so many dramas that should be my favorites this year and yet. nothing hits

#like?? we had evilive. the worst of evil. the killing vote. vigilante. (still need to watch final eps of 3 of them but shh) #and somehow i couldn't get into any of them???? #tbh i've only seen like 15 dramas this year... #in 2019-2020 i only watched thai bls lol so i won't talk about that #but 2021 was crazy good for kdramas and 2022 had some of my favorites too #but this year??? :/// #i mean i absolutely loved d.p. 2 but that's technically a 2021 series #my favorite this year is probably bloodhouds... there's hardly any competition tho (if i don't count d.p.) (everyone please watch d.p.) #eh. is it the time to come back to western shows. #(i binged 2 seasons of loki last week tho and i wasn't impressed asdfghjhs is there no hope for me) #okay but do you guys have shows that like. blew your mind this year? #k.txt

[mirai-e-jump]

Beautiful Catalog Vol.1 ft. Kamen Rider Ryuki Cast Members Suga, Matsuda, Hagino and Ryohei Interviews & Photoshoot (pages and translations below)

Publication: December 16, 2002

Takamasa Suga (Ryuki) Interview

"We're enchanted by his soft and gentle smile~❤️❤️❤️. Maybe it's because he plays the role of a handsome man (?), but the image of Shinji Kido, played by Takamasa Suga-san in "Kamen Rider Ryuki" makes us feel relaxed when we see Suga-san~❤️❤️❤️. Shinji seems like an honest and hardworking guy, but we wonder, what does he and Suga-san have in common?"

Suga: For one thing, when I think like this, I really get into him, which I guess is all that there is? There are many things I can learn from him. Hmmm~, the same goes for his honesty, and also for his strength.

"Suga-san is also very laid back, yet he seems to have a strong core ❤️. You originally took lessons at a training school to become an actor, right?"

Suga: I've always loved and admired movies. When I was 18, I saw Iwai Shunji-san's movie "Swallowtail" in theaters, and when it was over, I was really shaken up. For awhile, I was in agony over what this feeling was. As time went on, it became clear to me that I wanted to express myself on that screen, and so I entered a training school to study acting. But, it wasn't interesting at all (laughs). I spent about a year wondering if this was the kind of expression I wanted to express. One day, I was sent to a movie set as an extra. I quit the training school because I realized that important things can only be learned on site.

"And? And? What happened after that????"

Suga: I had some free time, so I was given the opportunity to perform on stage. It was right around the time that I was introduced to my current agency, so that's how I ended up here (laughs).

"What was it like auditioning for Ryuki?"

Suga: I just wanted a job. I felt like I was grasping at straws. I was approached by my agency and accepted, but at first, Kamen Rider didn't really sound appealing (laughs).

"Eh~?! When you were a child, weren't there any heroes you admired?"

Suga: I only watched baseball, so I don't remember watching shows like that. I was a (Yomiuri) Giants fan, and it was around the time that (Masumi) Kuwata made his debut, so I think I remember saying, "Kuwata is the future!" (laughs)

"We wonder, what was Suga-san like as a child~?"

Suga: I was mischievous. My family owned a sushi restaurant, and I was always running around the store (laughs). There were many shops in the neighborhood. There was a grocery store next door, a soba noodle shop across the street, and a Chinese restaurant next door, as well as others. It gave off a downtown kind of atmosphere, you know?

"If you were to start a family, what kind of father would you want to be???"

Suga: In my family, both of my parents worked at the restaurant, so we rarely went anywhere as a family. That's why I hope I can create an environment where we can be together.

"Would you participate in the housework?"

Suga: I'll leave the housework to them!

"Would you cook?"

Suga: I don't do it.

"Cleaning?"

Suga: Not at all (laughs).

"Laundry?"

Suga: Well, when the time comes (laughs).

"I see. If it were Suga-san, I'd do anything for him ❤️. However, Suga-san is very fashionable and has a serious image, doesn't he? The outfits for this gravure photo shoot were also Suga-san's personal clothes, and even during talk shows, he wore a turban and a red western hat as his personality shines through⭐. Where do you find these Western styled clothes?

Suga: I'll wonder around Daikanyama, Harajuku, and Aoyama, and think things like, "Ah, I found something!" I don't decide what I'm going to buy today, I just go out on a whim and buy what I think looks nice. I'm not particular about brands either.

"Do you have any fashion references?"

Suga: There's nothing in particular. However, I do read fashion magazines. There's also alot of women's magazines, such as "Figaro," "Vogue," and "High Fashion"……I like women's fashion. The shapes and styles are beautiful.

"I see. The secret of Suga-san's cuteness may be because of the fact that he's honestly attracted to what suits his sense of style. His face is as beautiful as any girl's ❤️. I like girls who wear this kind of fashion when I walk with them! I wonder if he has any particular fashion preferences?"

Suga: That's not really true. I tend to dress up in various styles. But, I like girls who dress up and take care of their appearance. I think that's definitely more attractive as a woman.

"Well, who's your favorite actress?"

Suga: It's Kuroki Hitomi-san! My family loved Takarazuka Revue, and I thought she was beautiful from her Takarazuka days. I still admire her. She's both elegant and attractive, isn't she?

"I see, so older women are okay ❤️. I'm sure there are many mother fans whose maternal instincts are tickled by Suga-san, do you have any message for them?"

Suga: Please take care of your children! There's no exceptions (laughs). I think that Ryuki depicts a world that's truly profound even for adults, so please be sure to look at the content carefully.

"The show is coming to an end and the Riders are fighting a brutal battle. If it were Suga-san, what reasons would you have for fighting?"

Suga: Hmm, when I listen to the other Rider's reasons for fighting, I nod in agreement. It's a reason that only that person has. I think that's the theme of Ryuki as well. It's not about what's right and what's wrong, but since there's many different Riders, I think I've also asked questions like, "What is justice?"

"For example, would you fight for your family?"

Suga: I think so, if it were for family……I think I'd fight for someone I care about and want to care for.

"We know you're extremely busy right now, but what do you plan on doing after Ryuki is over?"

Suga: I'd like to try designing clothes. Also, I'm thinking of going to learn Japanese dance. After that, I'd like to get a license for a large motorcycle. There are so many things I want to do…..

"Finally, some words for the fans!"

Suga: I always do things at my own pace like this, so please continue to support me!

"Of course~ I hope you'll keep being Suga-san, and continue to move forward without losing that current freshness!"

Satoshi Matsuda (Knight) Interview

"A sharp gaze, and a tight body reminiscent of a wild beast. Satoshi Matsuda-san has a cool, wild, and mysterious feel to him, just like the image of Akiyama Ren (Knight) who he plays in "Kamen Rider Ryuki." However, he keeps quiet (laughs). When the hair and makeup artist said to him while setting his hair, "You have more than one whirlpool, don't you?" he responded with, "The official record is five." He also has an outstanding talent for winning the hearts of those around him! And when he smiles, it's so cute, your eyes will become dizzy~💙💙💙. There seems to be quite a gap between Matsuda-kun and Ren's character, but the actor himself feels no discomfort at all. He's an actor 💙. But still, it's tough having so much work, isn't it?"

Matsuda: I think one Kamen Rider is tougher on a schedule than having multiple jobs (laughs). Filming for the final scene of the movie version took a full 24 hours, starting at 6 a.m. and ending at 6 a.m. the next morning. After that, we were taken to a hotel, slept for 20 minutes, and then started filming for the TV version at 7 a.m. Filming would continue until 5 p.m. It really made me think that I was going to die (laughs).

"Normally, Matsuda-san is said to be the mood maker on set, and yet he was in such low spirits?"

Matsuda: No, I was in really high spirits. I was just going with the flow. I would fall asleep while in a standing position and wake up to the sound of "Test!" (laughs).

"Such a hard year is finally coming to an end, and we wonder what the end of Ryuki will be like~"

Matsuda: We don't even know if Ren will survive or die. But, even if the name of the show was "Kamen Rider Knight," I want to make sure that the story comes to an end, and I want to do my best to finish the story as Akiyama Ren.

"Despite his tough schedule, he made his debut as a singer with the maxi single "DISTANCE" on December 4!"

Matsuda: I was originally scouted as a singer. After 3 years, I was able to release a song with confidence. And, I think I did a great job~. We recorded 3 songs in 3 days, but we had to shoot Ryuki in the mornings, and the second day's shooting in particular was the scene where Knight screams in agony (laughs). There are no singers like that. Everyone was telling me to take care of my throat and use a humidifier instead of a heater (laughs). On top of all that, I couldn't even eat. I was told that if I put solid food down my throat, it would make my voice noisy, so I wasn't allowed to eat within 2 hours of it. I got through it with things like jelly drinks.

"Oh no~, you poor thing~!"

Matsuda: There's a bonus video on the CD that includes an interview with Manager Kawaguchi right after we finished recording the 3 songs. I was so careless with my manager that I was already dizzy. Since I was dealing with my manager, I let my guard down, so I was alittle unsteady~. I don't think you'll ever see such a burnt out look anywhere else, so it's quite a privilege (laughs).

"You released your personal DVD & Video "Colors" at the same time as the CD~. It also includes footage from the recording process. If you want to see Matsuda-san's true face, then there's his column "Matsuda Lab," which is currently being published on his website. It's a collection of hilarious and interesting writings, which set him apart from the plain diaries that are found on other talent's websites."

Matsuda: It's just for fun (laughs). When people who only know me as Akiyama Ren saw Matsuda Lab for the first time, they were shocked, and I still get emails saying, "I was surprised."

"It's certainly a surprising true face, and it's completely exposed. Apparently, he now types it on his computer, but before that, he'd write it on manuscript paper and have it retyped."

Matsuda: I would get very angry if I got even one punctuation mark wrong, so the person typing was very nervous (laughs).

"You pay attention to every detail 💙. If you join the fan club, you'll be able to see more in depth (?) columns and special videos. I'm curious. We heard that you used to always respond to fan letters and e-mails, but the support of your fans is a source of energy, right?"

Matsuda: Energy's also a big part of it, so I'd like to know what you are looking for from Satoshi Matsuda. There's another "me" who's controlling "Satoshi Matsuda," and he wants to know your opinions (laugh). These days, I don't have much time to reply, but I do read all the letters and e-mails.

"I think there are alot of fans who are older than you, but how old would your lover be?"

Matsuda: It doesn't matter if they're 30 or 35 years old. My grandmother is eight or nine years older than my grandfather, and because of that, every couple in my family has an older female member. I'm not particular about it either.

"Well then~💙. So, have you ever thought about what kind of family you want to have?"

Matsuda: I don't really feel like it. But, there are moments where I'd like to get married. I like seeing happy families at events. And yet, I can't imagine myself as a father. I wonder what it'd be like to become a second generation, when I myself haven't mastered anything yet.

"I think you're abit like Ren in that he's stoic 💙. When you were a child, who was the hero that you idolized?"

Matsuda: Hmmm, there was no one there. I was just a kid who fished outside all the time.

"Your hobby is still fishing, right~?"

Matsuda: To be honest, I want to hide a fishing rod with me on set. If they found out, they'll probably say, "Are you serious?!," but it's frustrating when filming finishes first thing in the morning and there's a good fishing spot right over there. But, my rod is long and stands out. It's a 50,000* yen rod with a reel that costs 40,000-50,000 yen, so it feels like a professional grade weapon for catching fish (laughs). (*over $300)

"He specializes in black bass, with his largest official record being 52cm (20.5in)! Ama~zing! When I asked him to give a final message for the fans, he thought for a moment before answering with……"

Matsuda: Some people seem to think that singing is a side job, but I'm doing my best in singing as well. I can't say which is most important, acting or singing. I hope that people will watch and listen to my performances and judge them for themselves.

"Never cutting corners! So cool~💙💙💙. What else would you like to do in the future?"

Matsuda: I'd like to try radio. With the same spirit as Matsuda Lab.

"We're sure it'll be fun! We'll warmly welcome your efforts that make use of your unique character, and of course, your looks 💙."

Takashi Hagino (Ouja) Interview

"His eyes, with their intense shine, are truly those of Ouja! Once you've caught a glimpse of him with those eyes, you'll be captivated~💜💜💜. Takashi Hagino-san starred as Akira Suzumura in the cult classic show "Choukou Senshi Changerion," and also appeared in "Kamen Rider Ryuki," which was produced by the same Producer, as Takeshi Asakura. His blonde hair matches the mood of his role, and with a leopard print shirt, and slim black pants……it's too intense, isn't it scary?"

Hagino: It's really scary. Nah, I'm kidding, I don't actually know (laughs). I don't mind if people think I'm scary.

"He has the sex appeal of a man, but also has the innocent smile of a boy~💜💜💜. That's how he attacks when his prey is distracted~ (laughs). We wonder if Asakura, a brutal murderer and escaped prisoner, has anything in common with Hagino-san."

Hagino: I think there's some. When you've been doing it for a long time, you become influenced by the role you play. When I'm tired, I'm like, "I'm irritated!" (laughs).

"There it is! Asakura's famous line (?), "I'm irritated!" How does it feel to play such an intense role?"

Hagino: Regardless, it's alot of fun. It's not a role I get to play very often, so I want to enjoy it even more until the end. I don't want to relax in my private life right now, rather, I want to finish the story in the same way that I've been doing it so far. I want to keep the tension, and perform with a sense of urgency. In the meantime, I try to watch the news and live a normal life.

"I guess you could say you've broke new ground as an actor, huh~?"

Hagino: As a job, I was enthusiastic and thought, "Let's do this!" But it was my first time playing such a role, and I didn't have any hesitations about how I was going to do such an amazing role, but strangely enough, I was able to play it quite naturally from the first day. So I'm not sure I can call it breaking new grounds.

"That's true, your performance suggests that you've had plenty of experience. Given your career, we wonder, are you like the older brother on set?"

Hagino: Until now, I've often worked on set with senior actors, and there weren't many people younger than me. That's why it was interesting to see where I stood on set this time around. Suga-kun and Matsuda-kun are really good kids, and I've become inspired by the younger people. I've learned alot from their youthful energy and the way they use it. In my role, I often interact with Ryohei-kun, who's the same age as me, so we have alot of fun together.

"As a fan, it's very moving to see Hagino-san, who used to play the role of Akira Suzumura with all his heart, grow like a snake, shedding its skin, and happily playing the role of Takeshi Asakura. What has the reaction from viewers been like?"

Hagino: There was an episode called "The Girl and Ouja," and since then, I've been getting an incredible amount of fan letters. Until then, I had received letters from people who said they liked, "scary things" and "bad guys" in a cult like way, but when they said, "I saw a different side of him, even though he is a bad guy," the number of letters increased rapidly.

"So, what kind of hero did Hagino-san himself admire during his childhood?"

Hagino: There was no one in particular, but I think I had a desire to become a hero. When I was a child, I genuinely thought that helping the weak was heroic, and I admired it. Doing things like helping girls even if they're elementary school students. In my role now however, I bully girls (laughs).

"Even so, for some reason, Hagino-san always plays "unusual" heroes, right? He's so handsome, that maybe he plays untraditional heros without any complaints?!"

Hagino: I think the roles I've been given to play are wonderful. Both Akira Suzumura and Takeshi Asakura are honest with themselves. I'm not saying that heroes need to be honest, but I think that it's very important. There's something in me that's attracted to that part.

"We wonder what kind of child Hagino-san was~?"

Hagino: I was naughty. But, I studied for entrance exams and went to cram school (laughs). I liked being called "boy." There are pictures of me studying until midnight, and of going to school with dark circles under my eyes. I'd get so excited when it came to studying, that I'd suddenly realize it was 2 a.m. (laughs). I was like, hey, I'm pretty amazing. I liked doing those kinds of things (laughs).

"Kya~! That's just like Hagino-san 💜. What kind of father do you think you'd be if you had children?"

Hagino: I can only imagine, but I think I'd really love it. After work, I'd feel like going home right away.

"Would you let your own child watch Ryuki?"

Hagino: That's……They can watch it, because it's their own father (laughs). If they complain, I'll just slap them. I'm just kidding about that last part (laughs).

"By the way, you also tried your hand at singing for the first time with the CD, "Kamen Rider Ryuki Song Collection", right?"

Hagino: It was alot of fun! I was able to experience recording for the first time in my life, so I was very satisfied with it (laughs). The voice training and the production process were also interesting. Also, I was really nervous. The engineers and everyone else were professionals, so I knew I had to do it right. But, I'm not a professional singer, so I had no choice but to do the best I could, but when I actually tried it, it was alot of fun.

"Does this mean, you'll debut as a full fledged singer?!"

Hagino: It's not like I said to myself, "I want to be a singer!," but it was an experience that I'd like to do again if I get the chance.

"As expected, you'll continue to focus mostly on acting in the future, right?"

Hagino: That's right. I want to play various roles in various situations. I want to play roles that I've never played before, and I want to play roles that I have played before.

"I see. If the current Hagino-san were to play Akira Suzumura, I'm sure we'd see a new side to him. Now then, some final words to the fans!"

Hagino: As long as you enjoy it, that's the most important thing. I'll do my best, so I hope everyone enjoys watching.

"We had a great time during the interview with him, with his skillful storytelling and sexy beams bursting 💜. We hope he'll continue to entertain us more and more as an actor and singer (?)~💜💜💜.

Ryohei (Zolda) Interview

"Kya~! He's sooo~ tall~! Furthermore, his handsome and chiseled face is so cool that it makes us dizzy~. That's because Ryohei-san, who plays the role of Shuichi Kitaoka, a talented lawyer known as Zolda in "Kamen Rider Ryuki," is an active fashion model with a career spanning about 7 years~💚."

Ryohei: In the modeling world, there are people taller than me, but in the entertainment world, I'd say there's only Abe Hiroshi-san (laughs). I don't mind it anymore, but I used to have a complex about it.

"He has long, slender legs, which we think is one of his charming points. Although he has experience from appearing in commercials, this is his first real acting job!"

Ryohei: I've always liked Kamen Rider and other heroic show, and when I was a child, I would wrap myself up in the curtains around my house and say, "Henshin!" That's why I was genuinely happy. You'd never think that you can become a hero, or that you yourself can transform, right?! When I got the role, I was just so happy, that I couldn't stop cackling.

"When he's silent, he looks just like Kitaoka, cool and mature, but when he speaks, he gives off a playful, boyish look that's very cute~💚💚💚. But, you couldn't "cackle" once filming started, could you?"

Ryohei: I think that acting is the same whether it's a regular drama or a tokusatsu production, the creators are always on site, and they're always trying to produce high quality work, so you can't go to a production site just to have fun. There was such a sense of urgency on set, that I felt my back tense up.

"Your schedule was tough, wasn't it~?."

Ryohei: There were times when I didn't perform, so it wasn't that tough. It was a relief for me since I had no experience in acting, but still, I was always nervous whenever I entered the set (laugh). If I go in every day, I can stay in the mode of my role for a long time, but after a 2 week gap, I'm back to my normal self. It was quite difficult to get back into the role. I also tried to imagine how Kitaoka would spend his time off screen.

"What are some similarities and differences between Ryohei-san and the lawyer Kitaoka?"

Ryohei: The movements and gestures are as close to mine as possible. I don't usually talk like him though (laughs). When I first received the script, I thought he was a lawyer, had money, and was a slick guy who could do anything. I hadn't heard that he was suffering from a disease, so I wanted to make him come off as arrogant, obnoxious and unpleasant.

"I see. Kitaoka, a confident man who carries the shadow of his illness, is attractive, but Ryohei-san, who is friendly and talks about many things, is also wonderful~💚. Did you ever feel confused on set?"

Ryohei: To be honest, I never ever knew what to ask. I saw various cast members coming in later and asking the Director questions about things they didn't understand, and that's when I realized that it was okay to ask questions. Since then, whenever I have a question or an opinion like, "Isn't it better to do something like this?," I'll say it as much as I can.

"The setting is that, "Riders are fighting each other!" There are alot of different actors in the show, which is interesting as a viewer, but isn't it also exciting when on set?"

Ryohei: Even though they're younger than me, there are some people who are my seniors when it comes to acting. There's so many different styles and personalities, and it's both instructive and stimulating. I realized again how interesting acting is, and I also realized how difficult it is. It's so deep that when you look up, there's no end to it. I always try not to make mistakes the next time, but when filming finishes, I find myself regretting something again, and the cycle repeats itself. But, I wonder if it'd be bad if that stopped.

"I wonder, what's the difference between modeling work and acting? When I looked at the gravure photoshoot earlier, I saw that your poses and facial expressions were so perfect, and I felt that this is what you'd expect from model!💚💚💚"

Ryohei: It's been a long time since I've done a gravure shoot, so it felt really good. Modeling is all about having fun in the moment. Once I enter the studio, I look at the atmosphere, the photographer's personality, and the clothes they're wearing, and I instantly think about how I want to act. It's an instantaneous decision. As an actor, you spend alot more time developing your character, so it's a great feeling of fulfillment after you're done. There's differences between the two, kind of like short distance running and long distance running, but the sense of accomplishment is the same and both are enjoyable.

"When it comes to future activities, we wonder, what are you thinking about~?"

Ryohei: Regarding roles, I'd like to play a variety of roles without refusing any that are presented to me. It could be a murderer or a comedian. I think that my current popularity was gained as a result of the popularity of tokusatsu, and not because of my ability. From now on, I want to work on closing the gap that has opened between my popularity and my ability. I don't want to let down my fans, so I want to do various things to improve my skills, and I want to acquire as many things as possible as an actor. In that sense, I'm very "hungry."

"Kya~! (starts clapping) Now that I think about it, Ryohei-san also has experience as a salaryman. Now that he's had alot of experience, his words carry alot of weight to them, anyway, tell us about the type of woman you like and your views on marriage~!!!"

Ryohei: I don't have a specific type, but my type is the person I'll fall in love with (laughs). Marriage is about your partner, so I hope to meet someone who has similar values to mine.

"We're curious, in Ryuki, what's going on with the relationship between lawyer Kitaoka and his male secretary Goro-chan?"

Ryohei: It's a mystery, isn't it? (laughs). Since we don't see much of Kitaoka's private living space, we can only imagine how they live together. Personally, I think that maybe Goro-chan is a live in worker, and that they each have separate rooms and are living a normal life.

"With some mysteries remaining (laughs), Ryuki is finally coming to an end, huh?"

Ryohei: I don't know how things will turn out myself, but please look forward to more drama towards the conclusion, as well as the future of Shuichi Kitaoka and the Kitaoka Law Office!

"We're really looking forward to what Ryohei-san will do after he plays Kitaoka~💚💚💚."

#kamen rider ryuki #kamen rider #my scans #my translation #beautiful catalog #kido shinji #shinji kido #akiyama ren #ren akiyama #asakura takeshi #takeshi asakura #shuichi kitaoka #kitaoka shuichi #toku cast #tokusatsu #kr ryuki #changerion #takamasa suga #takashi hagino #matsuda satoshi #obsessed interviewer my beloved (me too) #it only took a week of procrastinating to type out ryohei's #rewatching old sentai/rider is dangerous...

[koizumicchi]

はじめての二人っきり旅行 (Full) English Translation

はじめての二人っきり旅行 Hajimete no Futarikkiri Ryokou Our First Trip Alone Together

LIPxLIP 2nd Album Umarete Kita Koto ni Kansha Shinasai Bonus Anime Episode (4 min.)

Trailer 1  2

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T/N: Keep in mind that Japanese and English aren’t my first language. I never claim my translation (attempts) to be error-free. As always, if you’re going to use or reference my translations, please do not claim it as your own and credit me.

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Aizou: Hi, Julietta. This is Aizou.

Yuujirou: Hello, Julietta. This is Yuujirou.

Aizou: Today, we are going on a tour on our so-called “Trip For Two with LIPxLIP”.

Yuujirou: We came to Izumo as a reward for accomplishing our album.

Aizou: Today, we would like to share with you just a little bit of what our trip was like, so we hope you will enjoy it.

Yuujirou: Though, we have come here since yesterday; first, let’s start with the ‘waking up’ scene.

Aizou: Huh!? You’ll use that?!

00:39

Yuujirou: Everyone. Good morning. It’s late at six o’clock in the morning. It’s still too early for our regular meal time, but I would like to show you Aizou’s sleeping face starting now.

Yuujirou: He’s sleeping.

*camera zooms in onto Aizou's face*

Yuujirou: Aizou. You’ll be late. You’ll be late.

Aizou: *wakes up* Eh, what is it?

Yuujirou: It’s already 9 AM! Hurry up and wake up!

Aizou: Ah, 9 AM…?

Yuujirou: *shaking Aizou awake* We have work. I said, you’re going to be late.

Aizou: *sits up in annoyance* Why is there a camera, seriously?! You’re definitely lying! *covers himself with the blanket and goes back to sleep*

Yuujirou: Ahahahaha! Julietta! *waving at the camera* That’s Aizou’s sleeping face!

01:17

 Aizou: We’ve arrived at the dining hall. We’ll eat our breakfast.

Yuujirou: *smiles* Aizou-san has woken up.

Aizou: Eh… As expected, Yuujirou chose Japanese cuisine.

Aizou: Oh! That’s Izumo’s soba!

Yuujirou: And as expected, Aizou has the Western cuisine… What, pasta in the morning?!

Aizou: I’m in the mood for it today.

Aizou: Yuujirou as well, I’m sure there are mornings when you opted a Western-style meal.

Yuujirou: Well, yeah. But I can’t eat pasta first thing in the morning.

Aizou: I’m sure Julietta who’s seeing this would think, ‘Sure enough, Japanese cuisine is for Yuujirou, and for Aizou, it’s the Western cuisine.’

Yuujirou: You’re probably right. There’s an image that comes into one’s mind. Like for coffee, I feel like this person would have something like that.

Aizou: Right. Shall we try switching our image for a while? In our regular meals.

Yuujirou: I don’t want to. Because I want to eat soba.

Aizou: *already getting ready to eat* Alright, alright.

Yuujirou: Does Julietta prefer a Japanese-style or a Western-style cuisine? Tell us next time.

Aizou: Delicious!

02:06

*walking together*

Aizou: It’s not very often that it’s just the two of us filming.

Yuujirou: Rather than not very often, this is the first time we’ve done it. Our Izumo staff is here.

Aizou: They planned and decided on various things. *has a satisfied smile*

Aizou: Then, where will we go now?

Yuujirou: Eh, I don’t know. You decide this time, Aizou.

Aizou: Me? You decide, Yuujirou. Even I do not know where we’ll go.

Yuujirou: You decide, Aizou.

Aizou: Eh. Let me think. 

Aizou: *thinking hard* I can’t think of anything.

Yuujirou: It’s important to plan it.

Aizou: You’re right.

Aizou: Shall we walk for the time being?

*Yuujirou praying with his eyes closed*

*Aizou, holding his phone and looking at the camera, pointing at the displayed wooden tools*

*Aizou and Yuujirou selfie, holding taiyaki*

*taking a picture together on the shore, camera falls over*

*Yuujirou folding his pants almost up to his knees*

02:56

Yuujirou: And so, we came to the footbath this time.

Aizou: How warm!

Yuujirou: We’ve been here before too, right? Right here.

Aizou: Yeah. Before our LIVE tour.

Yuujirou: That’s right. How’s the 2nd album release going with you, Aizou?

Aizou: Of course I’m happy. The first one was already amazing.

Yuujirou: *smiles* Yes.  It’s thanks to Julietta that we can release our 2nd album.

Aizou: Yeah. I really hope to meet more of their expectations of us. 

Aizou: Yuujirou, how is it? The album?

Yuujirou: I guess it felt different from our first album. For me.

Aizou: Really?

Yuujirou: It’s impossible to do it on my own.  Even the whispered expectations of our fans, we stood on stage. And that stage is quickly becoming bigger. I feel like it’s impossible to answer that largeness all alone.

Aizou: I also feel the same. About why LIPxLIP is composed of the two of us. Although I thought that it was better if it’s just me, but that would mean the strength of LIPxLIP would be reduced to half. I thought about it again this time.

Yuujirou: Two people are better than one. We are indispensable to each other. Surely.

Aizou: That’s right. And without rivals, it would be boring.

Yuujirou: Yeah. Me and Aizou’s principle- Wait a second- *blushing* This will be included in the bonus footage! This part is embarrassing-!

Aizou: It is. But isn’t it okay? Speaking of our true feelings like this, since it’s the two of us on a trip together.

Yuujirou: You’re right… It’s a wonderful and precious trip for the two of us.

Aizou: Yeah! Then lastly, a word of gratitude to our Julietta.

Yuujirou: For getting our 2nd album, you have my thanks, Julietta.

Aizou: Thank you, Julietta.

Yuujirou: It has become an album that is full of our thoughts.

Yuujirou: It will make us happy if you listen to it a lot.

Aizou: Listen to it, ‘kay?

Aizou: We will do our best so that we can continue to improve from now on. Come along with us, okay?

Yuujirou: Come with us.

Aizou: Well then~ Let’s meet again, Julietta.

Yuujirou: Bye, bye, Julietta!

Aizou: See you!

Yuujirou: See you!

#LIPxLIP #honeyworks #aizou #yuujirou #hajimete no futarikkiri ryouko #umarete kita koto ni kansha shinasai #lipxlip translation

[deus-ex-mona]

just a v e r y rough tl of lxl honeymoon 2: collab boogaloo

be sure to check out the anime (which hails from the ultimate box of the album) if you're able to!!! and support the official release!!!

all screenshots in here are from the trailer btw

Aizo: Hi Julieta! I’m Aizo!

Yujiro: Hello Julieta, I’m Yujiro.

Aizo: Today, the two of us, LIPxLIP, are on a trip.

Yujiro: We’ve come to Izumo as a reward for completing our album.

Aizo: We’ll be sharing a little glimpse of today’s trip with you guys, so enjoy!

Yujiro: We’ve been here since yesterday, but let’s start off with our wake up call!

Aizo: You’re showing them that?!

Yujiro: Good morning, everyone. It’s 6am. It’s still too early to have breakfast, but I’m going to show you Aizo’s sleeping face.

Yujiro: He sure is asleep, hm?

Yujiro: He’s drooling.

Yujiro: Aizo, you’ll be late. You’ll be late, you know?

Aizo: Eh? What?

Yujiro: It’s already 9 o’clock, hurry! Get up!

Aizo: Ah? It’s 9?

Yujiro: You’ll be late for work!

Aizo: Why’re you filming me?! You’re lying for sure! Stop it!

Yujiro: [laughs] And that, Julieta, was Aizo’s sleeping face!

Aizo: And here we are at the breakfast table. We’re about to have our breakfast.

Yujiro: Aizo has woken up too.

Aizo: Wow, Yujiro, you’re having Japanese food as expected, huh? Ooh, isn’t that Izumo Soba?

Yujiro: And you, Aizo, are having Western food as expected… Wait, what the heck? You’re having pasta first thing in the morning?

Aizo: I just felt like having it today. Even you feel like having Western food in the morning sometimes, don’t you?

Yujiro: I guess so. I wouldn’t eat pasta in the morning, though.

Aizo: I’m sure the Julieta watching this will be like “I just knew Yujiro’d be eating Japanese food and Aizo’d be having Western food”, huh?

Yujiro: Maybe they will. We do give off those impressions, don’t we? Just like how we’d have either coffee or cocoa respectively.

Aizo: I got it. Wanna change the impressions we give off by trading our breakfast meals?

Yujiro: I don’t wanna. I want to eat my soba.

Aizo: Yeah, yeah.

Yujiro: Julieta, which do you prefer? Western food? Japanese food? Tell us, okay?

Aizo: Yum!

Aizo: We don’t usually shoot vids all by ourselves, huh?

Yujiro: Though you say “usually”, this is the first time we’ve done it, right? The staff always tag along with us.

Aizo: They plan all kinds of programmes for us too, right? Yeah. So, where do we go now?

Yujiro: Ehh, I don’t know. You decide, Aizo.

Aizo: Me? You decide, Yujiro. I dunno where to go either.

Yujiro: You decide, Aizo.

Aizo: Eh?! You’re kidding! Hmm… I can’t think of anything.

Yujiro: Planning ahead sure is important, isn’t it?

Aizo: Yeah. Let’s just walk around for now.

Yujiro: And so, we’re now at the footbaths!

Aizo: Phew, it’s hot in here!

Yujiro: We came here too last time, didn’t we?

Aizo: Yeah, back during our live tour, right?

Yujiro: Oh right, Aizo, how do you feel about the release of our second album?

Aizo: Of course I’m happy ‘bout it. I mean, releasing even just one album’s already pretty amazing.

Yujiro: Yup. The fact that we’re able to release a second album is all thanks to our Julieta, right?

Aizo: Yeah. We’ve gotta try even harder to meet their expectations, huh? How do you feel about the album, Yujiro?

Yujiro: I guess I feel differently about it than I did about our first album.

Aizo: Eh? How so?

Yujiro: I feel as though I wouldn’t have been able to do it alone. It’s all thanks to the support and expectations of our Julieta that we’re able to stand on stage. And, as that stage grows bigger and bigger, I get the feeling that I wouldn’t have been able to respond to the size of the stage all by myself.

Aizo: Yeah, I feel the same way. I’ve had thoughts like “Why are there 2 guys in LIPxLIP? I could do it by myself.” before. But this has made me realise once again that going at it alone would just mean halving our power.

Yujiro: We’re able to develop better together as a pair than we would have on our own. I'd say that we’re indispensable to each other for sure.

Aizo: Yeah, we are. Plus, things would sure get boring without a rival around, huh?

Yujiro: Yup. Aizo, the friendly rivalry between you and me… Wait a sec! This is going to be a bonus video! Isn’t this conversation getting embarrassing?!

Aizo: Yeah, it is. But isn’t it fine for us to talk about our true feelings when the two of us are on a trip together?

Yujiro: I guess so. We’re alone on this trip together, after all.

Aizo: Yeah. Aight then, let’s end this off with a word of thanks to our Julieta.

Yujiro: Thank you for getting our second album, Julieta.

Aizo: Thanks, Julieta.

Yujiro: This album is packed with our thoughts and feelings. It'll make us happy if you listen to it many times over.

Aizo: You’ll listen to it, won’t ya? We’re going to keep growing from here on out, so follow our progress, yeah?

Yujiro: Follow us, okay?

Aizo: Till we meet again, Julieta!

Yujiro: Bye bye Julieta. See you around.

Aizo: See ya!

#no im not subbing the anime i dont have windows movie maker anymore :( #but hmmmm ig this can be used as a very rough reference for those of y'all who have the anime but can't understand what they're saying? #may delete this post later idk that's future me's problem #some lines are prettyyyyyy iffy bc 1: my ears are complete and utter rubbish #and 2: i was relying heavily on autocaptions for this to compensate for 1 and it messed up on occasion #and ofc 3: some overcompensation was done in an attempt to make the lines flow decently sooooooooooo~~~~~~~~ #in any case thank you autocaptions for making this possible. genuinely couldn't have done it without you #fingers crossed that a better tl will manifest someday~~~~~~ #ok that's enough lxl for one week gnnnnnnnnnn #染BODY ONCE TOLD ME— #lxl tl things

[magadauthan]

Ep 19: Hang Fire

*Stefon voice* This episode has everything.

Vash and WW acting like a couple of morons

A glimpse into Meryl and Milly's everyday life

Meryl on her way to freakin' go get her man

Vash in civvies (that button-down!)

A catchy song

V/M emotional constipation (catnip!!!)

OK @trigun98watchparty, let's begin the killing time recap.

--It's perfect that Meryl's friend is named Karen, because that mole near her mouth means she's a gossip. She does seem to care about Meryl, though. Wants her to get married and everything.

--Ofc her officemates want to hear all the skinny on her interactions with Vash the Stampede. Wouldn't you?

--Look how happy Meryl is. She's gonna find Vash and give him all the kisses a very stern talking-to. It's official, Meryl and Milly are off to the DIrty Jerz.

--Awwww, the bike broke down again. This is tip-top, grade-A, prime bickering between Vash and WW. "Actually, I'm dissing you, not your stupid broken motorcycle!" It's not Trigun if these two aren't squawking at each other.

--What the hell kind of nasty-ass spaghetti are they eating? It looks like it has Spam in it. That is just wrong. (yeah, I know, spaghetti western.) And WW gets stuck with the check, just like Vash threatened.

--The girls are so cute in their PJ's. I love that we know what most of the main characters wear to bed. (I bet WW wears the rattiest underpants you ever saw, with a tank undershirt.)

--I love that Vash has old friends all over the place. He and Max (and probably Doc) went out for Obi-Wan and Anakin-style Wild Adventures and probably ripped it up wherever they went.

--It has to be incredibly hard on Vash to watch his friends get older while he stays the same.

--Meryl will KICK YOU in the NUTS. < / cartman > Nice subverted panty shot, though it doesn't come through in English. Good luck "having fun" with Meryl or Milly.

--"Total slaughter, total slaughter..."

--WW and his noodles, best silly face

--let's all take several moments to appreciate Vash's extreme hotness in his white button-down

--"Luck and persistence won't work forever." Especially with you conniving with Legato and co. to force his hand, eh, WW?

--"Tee hee, ma'am is so happy to see him. I'll give them a couple minutes alone."

--Vash/Meryl fanciers: Take a moment to go read "Biting My Tongue" and then come back.

--Vash and Meryl (at this point, anyway) could never admit in a thousand years that they might have missed one another. Meanwhile, WW likely took one look at Milly: "Big Girl! I missed you!" "I missed you too, Mr. Priest, it's so nice to see you again!" "I have a couple extra double dollars, do you want to go get some ice cream?" "That would be so nice of you, Mr. Priest! Yay!"

--Domo arigatou, Mr. Legato...

Thinking back on it... Vash starts to show a renewed determination to push back after his time with Grandma Sheryl and Lina. For two years (the anime is fuzzy on this so I'm using manga timeline) he got to be who he wanted to be - just another silly guy, living his life, doing ordinary things and being happy. No one knew whether he was alive, and he was able to live in peace. Which is pretty much all Vash genuinely wants. Without his brother chasing him and pulling the strings, he was able to accomplish that.

Vash has had a taste of what his life could be like without Knives being a dick to him all the time. So... what is he going to do about it?

#trigun #trigun 98 #trigun 98 watch party #Day 19 #hang fire #vash the stampede #nicholas d. wolfwood #meryl stryfe #milly thompson #vashmeryl #please let vash have nice things

[turtleations]

HIDE Inspiration Talk 50 (# 16 - 18) - Translation

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

I don’t sweat a lot. So, out of these three, what flows most for me are the tears. I’m a crybaby. Blood doesn’t flow much for me either, because I am not a woman (laughs). I don’t sweat much. Even when I am on stage, there is hardly any sweat on my face, so my make-up doesn’t run. For the rest of my body, on the other hand, it’s terrible. When I am wearing closed clothes that don’t show a lot of skin, it feels like the Kegon Falls [famous waterfall near Nikko] inside (laughs). Eh, is it a requirement for idols that their faces don’t sweat? Well, I’m not a born idol (laughs). I’m crying for all sorts of reasons. Movies like “Ai to Shishun no Tabi” [transl. “A Journey of Love and Youth”] usually make my cry. When I watch a so-called tearjerker, I simply start crying at once. I get emotional just talking about it and have to cry, even if it’s not particularly sad. So, I cry a lot. If it’s especially sad, or happy, if the tension rises, my tear glands just let loose against my will.

Foreign Countries and Japan

If we’re talking about foreign countries, the first one that comes to my mind is, of course, America [US]. My hometown of Yokosuka is full of foreigners, and since I saw drunk foreigners around ever since I was a child, I didn’t particularly like them. If anything, you could say I hated them. But I liked western music. In my mind, the drunk foreigners in Yokosuka and the foreigners who made rock music are two different things altogether. Because now, I have the opportunity to meet foreigners who are experts in my line of work. Back in the day, being able to work with the foreigners in the world of rock music that I was drawn to simply made me happy.  Because it left a deep impression and was stimulating for me. Yet in contrast, working with those foreigners made me feel strongly that “I am Japanese”. Because at the end of the day, I carry the Japanese spirit after all (laughs).

Tokyo Dome

The first time I saw it, it filled me with awe and made me nervous, but with every year going there, I feel like it is getting smaller. It makes me wonder if it really is getting smaller, otherwise it would have to be me getting bigger (laughs). The only bands I went to see there from the audience were BUCK-TICK and the Stones.

#hide #translation #HIDE inspiration talk 50 #words of the bean himself #these were so easy to translate I worry I got something horribly wrong #and too easy to justify the long pause since my last post

[variousqueerthings]

This is what happens when you travel alone for too long

It's A Town Called Mercy, also known as "the one people say is super duper good in season 7" or "oh it's V for Vendetta but a Western"

and... yeah it's pretty good. I feel like it's one I cannot help comparing to other stories like it, and I'm not sure if it manages as much as they do, but I'm going to sit with it for a bit, and in the meantime! Ranking!

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 10/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored): 3/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 8/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 5/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 4/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 7/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 5/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 10/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 4/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 3/10

FULL RATING: 59/100 (if I can count….)

it's the politics that got this one. that and... the Ponds are still just kinda there this season. and other stuff. ah well, it's not terrible, on the whole

OBJECTIFICATION: Listen, there is none. not an off-colour joke, not an ogle, not a strange costume choice

there's not a lot of women in this story generally, Amy is kind of the only one who matters, and this one little girl who's in two scenes and doesn't have any lines, but I think that's something we'll get to later on when discussing this

PLOT-POINT: Eh, Amy doesn't really matter so much in this, apart from the scenes where she calls out the Doctor, which isn't really her, so much as him. it's not even a complaint as such, but I do still wonder... if this is a sign that maybe her story should have ended in The God Complex, since we're three episodes into s7 and she's not got much to do for her own story

COMPLEXITY: it's a good setup, town in the Wild West, beset by a gunslinger from space, because they're harbouring an alien war criminal who has since been repenting by healing their sick and bettering their lives generally

it's there to open the doors to discussions on morality

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: ah soooo, there's stuff here about the Doctor, subtextually, and I appreciate that it didn't do what God Complex did and spell it out so much (even though God Complex is still The episode of all time for this era)

the alien the Doctor has to choose to protect or throw to the gunslinger killed a lot of people in order to stop a war -- okay wait, before I go more into that as "see, like the Doctor," I have a question. has the show added the lore that it's the Doctor that killed the Timelords yet? because I don't think that comes up until later

we have last of the Timelords, we have the stuff at End Of Time where he sends Rassilon/Gallifrey back, but I think... that the Doctor pressed a big button and they all died is the 50th anniversary, no?

point being, one can begin to have a little wonder if this works for oneself or not, in terms of lore. 2005 nu!who established all the Timelords are dead, so far so good, End Of Time the Doctor sends the Timelords back to die, because allowing the Time War out would kill everyone, okay, the Doctor killed everyone... is an interesting thing I haven't thought much about until this moment. and then later on ofc (Chibnall era) we're getting the Doctor is in fact the most special Time Lord, the OG who through experiments gave the others time travel and was then force regenerated and had their memory wiped

it's an interesting thing, all this lore... it adds a lot of baggage to a story about a loser alien who's just out to experience the Universe (and who in the nu!who era is a war survivor with PTSD). in the classic!who series the Doctor is already an outsider, because the other Timelords think they're a fucking weirdo (simplification), and while I think -- biased because my era -- that nu!who made a good choice to have the Time War, so that it could strip away some lore and gradually re-introduce it to a new audience, perhaps we're getting... a teensy bit unwieldy here, in terms of who the Doctor is

that is more of a question to myself than an assertion. in any case, in this episode, war criminal, doing penance, nothing is too heavy-handed in playing into the Doctor that one cannot take it as one wants to, arguably the more obvious thing is the Doctor saying "today I honour the victims first, his, the Master's, the Daleks," which is fun, considering the last time we met the Master, the Doctor was desperately trying to get him to stay, because well... last of their species + the Master and the Doctor are Some Kinda Way about each other, so it's considering the fact that when the Doctor tries to hold an "everyone's lives have equal importance" morality constantly, this has had adverse effects on... victims of violence (especially with regards to the Master), and being the judge on this is no good, but also who is the Doctor to judge who deserves to die, etc.

there's also a question about the Doctor travelling alone (Amy says this) becoming more ruthless in exacting things like punishment

COMPANIONS MATTER: well sort oooof, Amy is mostly there to give another point of view to the Doctor's, especially with relation to "can i say that some people need to die," but I'm not convinced that couldn't have been done with someone else in the story, perhaps by refocusing the importance of the child, since there's that whole VO that's talking about her great-grandmother who was there... idk, they're not... really doing much in the story beyond that, especially Rory (who seems kind of fine with them sending this guy out for execution, and that is never explored)

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: nah, I think this episode did relatively well on having this be quite a Doctor-focused episode, without making the Doctor solve everything (or indeed... anything)

there's this bit that Jex the war criminal say: Looking at you Doctor is like looking into a mirror. There’s rage there like me, guilt like me, solitude, everything but the nerve to do what needs to be done. Thank the gods my people weren’t relying on you to save them

and I can see that's meant to be a bit of an Anti-Doctor moment -- the Doctor is not the great saviour that so many previous episodes have set them up to be in this era, the Doctor is a hypocrite, a coward, etcetc.

IIIII am not sure if.... oof, this is subjective. the idea of this as a continuity of exploring the Doctor's inability to save everyone, and need to be in control of situations, and "honouring the victims" there's just something about this episode that doesn't quite emotionally land for me, and I will continue to try and figure out what. the point being, it's meant to be a strong character piece, but I'm not sure it manages it

I'm also highly dubious in an episode that's exploring the Doctor's morality and what he's all about, about why the Doctor never asks the victim's name or background or... just anything really. but we'll get to that in politics

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: here's some of the "crux" of why I'm not sure it manages it, and it's more to do with "previous Doctor Who episodes of this era," than classic!who

in the sense of continuity of emotional journey. I think it's that seasons 1-specials had one long clear arc, one can pinpoint on the whole why the Doctor goes from s1ep1 to The End Of Time. and I'm not convinced that this episode works in this era, because I don't see that same arc in this era

maybe Twelve's era, from what I've heard of it, which deals with a lot of repercussions of having gone too far with things and not knowing if they're actually doing good on the whole, etc.

the main "big" arcs of this era have been 1. the relationship between the Doctor and Amy, a woman whose life he changed forever due to meeting her as a child and breaking a promise to her, which affected her entire upbringing and bent her towards the Doctor in an unhealthy way 2. the relationship between the Doctor and River Song, who is Amy's child and was kidnapped after being born and "brainwashed" into wanting to kill him, only to fall in love, but also if one takes this idea to its actual natural conclusion in conjunction with point the first, the Doctor's continued influence on Amy Pond continuing to be disruptive to the point that her child's entire life is even more (in fact solely one might say) in orbit around the Doctor, and never has the chance to break free from that destructive influence 3. some shit about a prophecy and a question and blabla, that has about zero emotional weight

there haven't really been stories about the Doctor's morality, so much as the Doctor's far more personal relationships, again The God Complex did this soooo well by introducing Rita as a possible companion and her rejecting the Doctor's whole schtick

so while technically this episode is fine as concept, I don't think it's grounded in an emotional continuity, which is a shame. give it to Twelve! watch Capaldi have these emotions!

“SEXINESS”: can you believe, a whole episode without a single sexy joke? wow, a rarity.

INTERNAL WORLD: so it's a Western town, it doesn't neeeed to be that fleshed out I guess, but I do feel like I wish the townsfolk were a bit more than just quaint set-dressing

we hear about Jex the war criminal's influence on this town, but we don't really see it

the Doctor even says to the gunslinger "this is their home, not the backdrop for your revenge," but it doesn't feel like anything but a stereotypical Western township, which is a shame

POLITICS: HA okay the other point where I am not 100% sure about this episode. it has good intentions, is my first point, it's not like it sets out to make conservative points or needlessly sexually harass Queen Nefertiti (sighs at prev episode)

buuuuuuut I just rewatched V for Vendetta a couple of weeks ago, as is the ritual on Guy Fawkes Night, and it's a very similar story, although ofc in V for Vendetta they're experimented on for far more nefarious purposes than "winning a war"... or are they. because that is my point, and maybe it's a pedantic one that a single 45min episode couldn't possibly have the time for, which is that a society/government that allows this sort of violence is "ends justify the means" and these types of governments are always at war in their heads

the idea of a neat divide between peace-time politics which are free to be nice, and war-time politics which necessitate the hard choices is simply not reality, and so the conceit that there was simply nothing else he could do but experiment on people and turn them into killing machines, it's... on shaky grounds

and it's kind of dependent on those grounds to work, because not only is this guy now repenting by doing good, the ends justified the means. they ended the war! millions were saved! (now where have I heard that before about an atom bomb?)

on top of that, the gunslinger isn't really as well-developed. who was he before he was experimented on? what did being forced to kill do to him? did he have friends on the experimenting tables die in front of him? who is he?

it's all well and good to say "but we don't do this Doctor, every life matters, including the war criminals" but why is the war criminal so well-developed, and the gunslinger -- the victim -- not at all?

those grounds are getting shakier by the Minute

why is this story not about the victim? why does the Doctor not go to hear the victim, not in terms of figuring out whether he should give over the war criminal, but just to be kind?

there is one scene in it where the gunslinger enters a church, sees a child and leaves again, because there's a neat thing in this that the gunslinger Will Not Kill Civilians, but that's such an interesting thing that's under-explored too. what if the gunslinger had to change his programming, because the original maybe didn't make a distinction between "enemy" and "civilian" (after all in these kinds of "wars" every person is an enemy, including the children)

what if the programming fights back when he's really upset and Jex the war criminal realises that this is his fault? what if a child died in this episode... that's getting a bit messed up, but let's entertain it for a second? or a parent died protecting their child and the gunslinger has to run from the town to stop the programming -- the programming that's been forced on him through mutilation and experimentation and that violence can never be undone? what if this story was about the victim, and not about a repenting war criminal?

gunslinger, after Jex self-destructs: "He behaved with honour at the end. Maybe more than me"

DID HE???? He just felt bad really, you're the most trauma-inflicted character we've had on this show in some fucking time

so yeah, it's grounds are. shaaaaky. shaky shaky shaky the more you think about it

another minor thing is that none of the main driving characters had to be men, but there's five extra characters in this episode with lines and big-to-small arcs (marshall, jex, gunslinger, young boy, mayor-type) and everyone else is backdrop, which is just kind of... in your cool scifi Western all the women were silent? why did the little girl not get to speak?

FULL RATING: 59/100 (if I can count….)

It's a good concept, executed at the wrong time in the story, and executed very clumsily

the good parts relate to the concept itself, and not spending valuable time being massively sexist

the problem is that it's just not smart enough to explore what it's trying to explore, and it's such a heavy topic, it better know what it's doing or it'll fall flat on its face. I wish it had come at another time with better writing, because I really wish it was better

I also wish that people were more adventurous about writing women. two historical Moments this season and neither have been kind to women for different reasons

is it time for the Ponds to leave? we'll find out next episode (I say, like I don't know their arcs)

#im watching nu!who #im watching eleven who #a town called mercy #the measurement

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers LOST EDEN ー Shin Ecstasy [09]

ー The scene starts in the entrance hall of the Vibora Castle

Yui: ( I was worried for a second when we got captured but... )

( Perhaps it’s because Carla-san changed his attitude towards the Vibora Clan, but they didn’t treat us particularly bad. )

( On top of that, we were even given permission to see Carla-san... )

( They’re suspiciously nice, you’d almost think it’s a trap. )

Shin: ...

Yui: ( But Shin-kun has been quiet this whole time. )

ー They are escorted to Carla’s room

Vibora A: ...Carla’s room is over here.

Shin: ーー Don’t refer to Nii-san so casually (1), you Vibora trash. 

Yui: Wait...Shin-kun!

Vibora A: ...! C-Cut it out! Let me go!

*Rustle rustle*

Shin: ...

Vibora A: Anyway, the Founder King is over here. Do not try anything funny!

Shin: Who does that Vibora think he is...?

Yui: ーー Shin-kun.

Shin: ...I know.

 *Knock knock*

Carla: ーー Come on in.

ー They enter Carla’s room

Carla: ...There you are.

Shin: Nii-san...! What is going on!?

I thought you promised that us Founders would fight alone!?

The three of us would conquer the Demon World...That’s what you said back then, didn’t you!? 

Carla: That is what I thought. However, the situation has changed. 

Shin: ...Make yourself clear.

Carla: ーー I believe that you will have to fight this war by yourself. 

I cannot leave you at a disadvantage in that case.

Shin: Alone...You say...?

Carla: I might not even live to see tomorrow.

ーー It is the end for me, Shin.

Yui: ( Eh...!? )

Shin: No way...

Then...Nii-san!

You’re going to throw your pride as a Founder out of the window for me!? 

Just like you did back then...!

Carla: ーー Do not get ahead of yourself.

I am not doing this for you. I am doing this solely...For the sake of us Founders.

Shin: ...For us Founders.

...

Carla: What’s wrong?

Shin: Nii-san, Iーー

...

Yui: ( Shin-kun...I wonder if he’s hesitating whether he should tell Carla-san...? )

( Butーー )

Selection

→ He shouldn’t right now (❦)

Yui: ( Right now...He shouldn’t tell him. )

( Considering Carla-san’s condition, it’s bad timing. )

→ I believe he should

Yui: ( No, now’s the right time to tell him. )

( But...I wonder? What will happen if he tells him now? )

...

( Perhaps it’d be best to not say anything after all. )

*Rustle*

Shin: ...

Yui: ( Yeah...Seems like Shin-kun can’t make up his mind either. )

Carla: ...Shin. Give me your hand.

Shin: Eh...?

*Rustle*

Carla: ーー You will succeed me as the Founder King.

Listen carefully. Protect this woman...and treasure her...

And you will...create a path towards for the future...for our race...

Shin: ...

Carla: This is something...only you can do...I am leaving the future in your hands...

ー Carla collapses

*Thud*

Shin: ...Nii-san?

Yui: ( Eh...? )

Shin: Nii-sa...Hey? What are you doing, collapsing like that? ...Nii-san, hey!!

*Rustle*

Shin: Wake up! Open your eyes! Stop joking around...

*Rustle rustle*

Yui: Shin-kun, calm down...! I believe he only lost consciousness...

Shin: ...Thank god...

Monologue

When Carla-san spoke those words to Shin-kun,

he looked incredibly peaceful (穏やか). 

After showing us a smile (微笑み),

of someone who felt like they had fulfilled all their duties,

he closed his eyes and lost consciousness. 

ーー The two of us will carve a path towards the future together. 

Even though I would absolutely love to do so,

just like Carla-san said...

There are just far too many things,

still on our minds. 

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) 呼び捨て or ‘yobi-sute’ is the term used in Japanese when you refer to someone without any kind of suffix/honorifics. While this may seem normal to most Westerners, in Japanese, you can only do that with people you are especially close with or if they give you explicit permission to do so. 

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #shin tsukinami #lost eden #diabolik lovers translation #leshinecstasy9

[3amclothesmonster]

Filler content while I learn how to draw again ajdjsidjsjdjs

Facts about my welcome home oc's

Belle Dear:

#1 Her full name is Lulu-Belle Dear

#2 She supplies Howdy with most of the produce

#3 She bakes with Poppy on the weekends

#4 Her first appearance was in an episode detailing the importance of vegetables and fruits and how they grow, most of the episode taking place at her farm

#5 When she first moved in she didn't know there was a person named Howdy so when people said he wasn't there she was confused (It took her three weeks to figure it out)

#6 She definitely chases people with a broom when she feel threatened (Or they're trying to steal her crops)

#7 She's friendly with a the neighbors but she definitely glares at Wally time to time when nobody is looking

#8 She constantly shows embarrassing photos of Eddie to Frank (Such as his cringe phases)

#9 She knows every ounce of drama there is (Girls nights get quite heated sometimes and also it's just fun)

#10 Her house is a very western movie cottage/ saloon

Axel Moon:

#1 He doesn't know his last name so he just came up with the first thing he ever saw (Which was the moon)

#2 He has a Galaxy blob as a friend

#3 He is the most clumsy out of everyone in the household

#4 Him and Sally are best friends (Due to them both coming from outer space and sharing a love for acting and music)

#5 He definitely plays the guitar

#6 He will set up shop in the middle of town and just stare and the stars through his telescope

#7 He is never allowed back at Wally's (He broke to many paintings and art supplies)

#8 He knows every constellation by heart

#9 He sleeps with a rag cat doll every night (Elliot gave him it)

#10 Worse babysitter ever

Elliot Bright:

#1 His side of his and Axel's room is covered in books and poems

#2 He's written a two books

#3 He joins Belle and Poppy in baking

#4 One of two in the household that can cook

#5 He has had the same glasses since he was 7 (He's 21 for reference)

#6 He is usually at a library

#7 Actually not an idiot

#8 He never goes out in summer (The mosquitos are attracted to him)

#9 He'll accidentally switch from English to French every now and then

#10 Is an decent babysitter

Vinny Vander:

#1 His left eye is a button instead of the normal other eyes

#2 He only comes outside when it's raining or when he needs to buy groceries for them

#3 Mf has 8 siblings

#4 He is constantly injured due to failed experiments with gadgets

#5 He is covered in stitches due to the constant injuries

#6 He is massively touch starved and if you hug or show any touch related affection he will breakdown and hug you (Can go on for hours)

#7 He is the other one he can actually cook (Oldest out of all his siblings so he had to learn)

#8 Constantly wears glasses that have decorated spirals on them (They're more so goggles buy eh)

#9 Has the most weirdest closet out of everyone

#10 Every corner of the house is filled with gadgets (Failed, in progress ,etc)

Cupid Heart:

#1 Has only succeeded in playing match maker two times (Elliot and Axel + Eddie and Frank)

#2 Is a literal butterfly Muppet version of Cupid

#3 Loves spring

#4 She was the reason her, Axel, Elliot and Vinny became a friend group

#5 Her and Julie definitely have sleep overs often

#6 Has multiple bow and arrows (Broken and unbroken)

#7 The most social out of all of them (A social butterfly you could say!)

#8 She definitely has a lot of plants arounher room and the house in general

#9 She loves tulips and sunflowers

#10 She is horrible at actually striking targets (Has missed all besides the one directed at Axel and Elliot and Eddie and Frank)

Btw the house Axel, Elliot, Vinny and Cupid live in kinda looks like a toy box

THAT IS ALL

#Welcome home oc #Welcome home ocs #Character facts #Characters facts #Elliot Bright #Vinny Vander #Belle Dear #Cupid Heart #Axel Moon

[p-receh]

Eh, I want to stretch out bit from sonic with prime season 3 come out. And therefor I want to express my feelings with another franchise that I dearly missed so much.

So...

Don't mind me, just putting one of my fav scene, from Malaysian's kids show: Boboiboy 😘

Courtesy of: Monsta Channel (YouTube). English dub available on Netflix. Sub available on YouTube.

I cannot held my tears how far monsta team improved their animation from 2011 until now😭

Like bro I went back from hiatus of this franchise since 2014 and I meet with this?!

Holy- The voiceline, the 3D animation, the music, the effects, the movement and that details! It's soooooooo much better and mucn smoother!

I mean this is a quality from SEA! Not western or East Asian countries!

(btw this is a cut version just to show the fusion scene. The actual scene is longer than this).

For comparison, this is how they animated Boboiboy's first fight from the early generation of Boboiboy back in 2011:

(also fuck you Tumblr, I can't post more than 1 vid so I made it gif instead >:[. )

(lol I miss these trio so much, why monsta? :')

Man, i need to recap myself like hooo boy marathon TV and comic book. It's been long time I did this intense marathon after Det. Conan😅

But I'm done and want to share my thoughts on the next post! 😄👍

#boboiboy #boboiboy galaxy #boboiboy sori #boboiboy solar #boboiboy duri #boboiboy halilintar #boboiboy taufan #boboiboy gempa #Whoa that's alot of similar tags O.o #Anywho since prime I can't relax myself scrolling timeline full of prime discourse #I already mute it but fuck why it keeps getting me headaches #curhat #bbbglxs2 #bbbg #bbb

[zak-dar]

I saw that some people have a headcannon, saying that Roberto is actually a trans-Millie. Well, I have another headcanon: Knives swapped all the people, and Roberto actually... is Nicholas.

Haha, sorry about that. Let's talk seriously. I watched 7 episodes and this is quite enough for such an eventful series to understand whether I liked it or not. You know, if I had watched the TV series 2023 first, completely unaware of any anime series of the 90s, then it would have gone to me. "Trigan. Stampede" although a pleasant series in style and animation, it still has completely unattractive characters.

Vash is a "juvenile moron", a rushing teenager who wants to be at least somehow noticeable to others, pretends to be a mysterious guy, but in fact reveals his cards to the first person he meets. And he is also completely unsuited to life. How he survived, I cannot understand... Apparently, only regeneration and the ability to not eat for a long time helped.

Meryl... We constantly reproach the authors of the past for "weak" female characters, but Trigan never showed women physically or spiritually weak. Meryl is the standard of a punchy girl who can stand up for herself. To be honest, I don't discuss this castling with Roberto. Meryl could be a mentor (as it was in the original), and Millie an awkward cute newcomer. And the new Meryl... Eh, this girl is not Meryl. This is another aspiring journalist.

And I can't call the new Wolfwood by his name. Therefore, it will be just Niko. This pubertal ulcer is not at all like the balanced and pleasant Nicholas. Someone once wrote that in the old anime Wolfwood is bland, but in the new one there is a spark. I fundamentally disagree with this. He, like Vash, is hiding behind his bitter fate, which made kgo the way he is. I don't believe that this inveterate scoundrel (and he has "I am a villainous villain" written right on his face) from the new anime can worry about others. I don't believe he would have rushed to save the child. (And yes, I am outraged by how skinny and sloppy Niko is, give me back a handsome priest with a beautiful chest!)

But Roberto pleasantly surprised me. Perhaps because I didn't have any expectations. But most importantly, he looks more like the original Wolfwood than Wolfwood himself. Reasonable, who understood everything for himself, but has some enthusiasm. Besides, he's dying. In my opinion, 100% this guy is Nicholas.

Yes, this is an extremely unflattering description of the characters, but I haven't touched the new anime for several days, if I had written this right after watching the series with Wolfwood, then there would only be hatred. I made a complete fool of myself by watching the new series immediately after watching the old Trigan again. The new anime infuriated me in the very first minutes when the twins' hairstyles were shown, since in the original this topic was a turning point in the relationship between the twins. And the more I watched, the more the new Trigan infuriated me. I take occasional breaks to calm down. Then the truth comes to me: the new Trigan is not as bad as it seems to me, and those who could not love the old Trigan can love the new version. But those who are in awe of the 1998 version will not be able to fully accept the updated Trigan. He is too fashionable, too modern, to match the hype around Cyberpunk, and therefore soulless. They put style, dynamics and trends above meaning, they wanted to ride the wave of deconstruction, meat and cute faces. Who needs this western when there is a stylish cyberpunk? Who needs adult characters when the main audience is Western teenagers? Who needs anime of the 90s? To me and to those who love the original Trigan, because he is magnificent exactly as he was then. And those who disagree with me, I accept them. After all, everyone has their own tastes, and this is inevitable.

#trigun #trigun 1998 #trigun stampede #nicholas d. wolfwood #nicholas d wolfwood 1998 #roberto de niro

[weavercobra]

Dawn of Freeland

This story was written when I first got ready to GM in the Shattered Age setting. Basically, this story is meant to set the tone for the area, give a glimpse of the current status quo and give some cursory information to what notable people are in the area.

So it would not be incorrect to more describe it as a series of short scenes rather than one whole complete story, but I hope people will still find it an enjoyable read.

The first golden rays of the sun peaked over the western horizon, painting the green grass with an orange hue. Its light reached the town of Journey's End, signalling a changing of the guard. Those who had been active under the starlight crept home to their beds, while those who had been sleeping slowly opened their eyes and greeted the new day.

The brief quiet of the morning was cut off by the roar of an engine, as a motorcycle drove into town, a trail of dust kicked up in its wake. It drove halfway through the settlement before coming to a stop outside a semi-large house, the sound of the vehicle abruptly ending with the turn of a key. The driver, a small, lizard-like creature with red scales covered by leather clothes, was one Vrogusz Bouldercrusher. And from the scowl plastered on his face, just about anyone could tell he was in a foul mood. And if not the scowl, the way he stomped up towards the house would also be quite the clue.

The building had looked quite stately at some point, but over time, numerous walls, windows and patches of roofs had been somewhat haphazardly fixed, as if to quickly repair it after some great damage. Two of the beams holding up the porch roof had been replaced with a solid branch and a less solid-looking broom, something the kobold noted as he made his way up to the door. He hammered it with his fist, wanting to make sure the occupants heard him the first time.

It didn't take long for a response, as a human woman opened up. She had straight, light-brown hair and was dressed in rugged leather and wearing a pair of mittens. “Vrogusz,” she commented, as she recognised the guest. “How's it going?” “Terribly,” he replied, as he stepped in. “Where's your mother?” “In the workshop. Been at it all night,” she replied, closing the door after him. “You know how she gets. Why?” “I need to talk to her about those blasted troynts.”

“It's getting worse I take it.” “They think they can just show up and just declare part of Freeland theirs,” the kobold snorted. “That they can just take it. I was fucking chased off by their warriors. They're lucky I was alone. If I had a posse with me, I swear...” The rest of his grumbling drowned in a furious hissing noise.

“Mom would still prefer if we could talk to them,” the human noted, as she headed into the kitchen.

“Yes, well, they're not talkative, Kenya,” Vrogusz insisted.

“Maybe not. Bread?” “Huh?” “I baked some bread for me and Mom. But there's enough if you'd like a piece.”

The kobold paused, tapping his foot as he contemplated the offer. Then his stomach loudly growled. “Damn, I haven't actually eaten in a while,” he admitted. “Eh, sure. Hit me up.”

“Coming right up.” She handed him a piece. “Here you go, freshly baked bread.”

“Thanks,” he said and popped it in his mouth. A decision he regretted moments later when he tried to bite into it. He spat the piece back into his hands, licking his teeth with his forked tongue just in case one was missing. “That's some tough-ass bread.” “A bit too crunchy?” Kenya asked, as she put the mittens back on a slightly lopsided shelf.

“The only thing going crunch was my chompers,” he replied, inspecting the unscratched surface of the bread. “Might make for good ammunition though.”

She sighed. “Sorry 'bout that. Still trying to get a hang of it. Would you like something else? We still have some sausages from yesterday's dinner, if you don't mind them cold?” “Not at all. At least I can eat those.”

“Well, let me...” An explosion rocked the house, sending several of said sausages bouncing across the kitchen.

“THE FUCK?!” Vrogusz exclaimed, having fallen on his rear from the shock.

Kenya, who was leaning against a doorframe, didn't comment, instead rushing off, the kobold quickly following her.

Reaching the other end of the house, she threw open a door, blinking as the sunlight blinded her. Where there had been a wall, there was now a hole, broken planks and rubble spread all around.

“MOM!” Kenya called.

A nearby pile of debris coughed and shifted. “Right here, sweetie,” came a hoarse voice, as an older woman sat up. She was wearing a big duster, covered in splinters and dirt, and had hair much like her daughter, though with more grey streaks.

“Mom, what happened?” Kenya asked, as she helped the older woman up.

“Think I knocked over the jug of nitro.” “See, this is why my workshop is nowhere near yours,” Kenya noted with a roll of her eyes. “You gotta be more careful.” She sighed and eyed the hole. “Well, at least the room's well ventilated now.” “Yes, yes, we'll get someone to fix it,” the older woman said, as she fished a cigarette out of her coat. “Now where's my... Ah, here.” She lit the smoke and inhaled. “Ah, much better. Anyway, I see we have guests. What can I do for you, Vrogusz?” “Well, if you're quite done blowing your house up, I was out west here tonight, doing a bit of hunting,” the kobold explained. “Only for, what, six, maybe eight of those damn troynts to sudden call me an intruder and chase after me.”

“Them again,” the older woman commented.

“Yes, Emma, them again,” Vrogusz said in a tone clearly indicating the subject had been brought up before.

“They still haven't made any demands.” “I beg to fucking differ. They're quite demanding.” The kobold stepped forward. “Look, they're claiming more and more territory. It's a fucking invasion, I tell ya. We have to do something.”

Emma paused, pulsating contemplatively on the smoke. “Look, there's room enough in Freeland for everybody. I get they're kinda testy, but they're not all bad. Geng talked with one of their shamans and...” “They attacked me,” Vrogusz cut off.

“Which is not okay,” Emma agreed. “I'll send them a message. And I will keep what happened in mind. But I don't think we're quite at the point where we need to round up an angry mob.” The kobold snorted. “Fine. Then I'll find someone to help me if you won't.” He turned around and stomped out the door.

The two humans waited.

“Anyway, since you've blown a hole in the wall, might as well go this way,” Vrogusz said as he returned and exited via the damaged wall.

The two humans waited a bit longer.

“He's pissed,” Kenya commented.

“Eh, I get him. But I'm not quite ready to start a war over this,” Emma noted, taking the cigarette from her mouth for a moment. “Might send a message down south, see what Catherine thinks.” “But Vrogusz is not wrong, Mom. They have been aggressive and they've certainly not been talkative. If they think they can get away with pushing us around, they might just stake a larger claim.” “All true. But, counterpoint,” she said, holding up a finger. “Starting a pointless conflict might just be a waste of people.”

“Very true. If it's pointless.” “Yeah, see, that's the tricky thing. Here's how I view it.” She leaned up against one of the room's remaining support pillars. “The troynts just showed up here one day. Gotta be a reason. Even something as simple as they just saw we had some nice land. If we can find out why, maybe we don't have to fight. Everybody wins.” She paused. “But if I am to tell our fellow townies that it's us or them, then I want to make damn certain I ain't spouting bullshit. And for that, I need to know more.”

...

A blue skull grinned on the tattered flag that hung over the bombed out shell of the military base, crumbling cement and rusted iron making up its poor excuse for walls. It could be quite the noisy place, but at the moment, most members of the Sapphire Skull Crew peaked out from various covers with bated breath.

Trampling back and forth across the yard, occasionally stopping to chew a new set of teeth marks into his shield was their leader, Mad Man Weller. A short but broad boulder of a man, his skin was a patchwork of scar tissue. His bloodshot eyes looked ready to pop out of his skull, his yellowed teeth scoured against each other, froth occasionally dripping into his patchy, messy black beard and his every feature was like a bomb one second from going off. He'd occasionally stop to wildly swing at something nearby with his axe or scream curse words at the sky, before continuing his grumbling.

It was clear to his followers that he was rather agitated.

Finally, one brave soul dared poke her head out of the old dumpster she was currently residing in. “B-boss?” “WHAT!” came the loud reply, as he swung around to stare at her with such force that most of the other gang members expected her to burst into flames.

“Eep!” she squeaked, diving back into the dumpster. “Uhm, I, eh, you just se-seem kinda angry, Boss.”

“YOU KNOW WHAT!? I AM PISSED!” He kicked a rusty can, sending it careening through the air, forcing a couple other gang members to duck as it sailed by. “BUT I DON'T KNOW WHY! AND THAT PISSES ME OFF EVEN MORE!”

“Are we... Are we out of anything?” one gang member asked.

“No, stocks good,” another replied

“Did we forget his birthday?” “Nah, that was last month.”

“We didn't lose any fights recently.” At the last comment, Weller paused and turned towards the speaker. “You there,” he said, pointing.

“Ehm... Me-me, Boss?” the scrawny man replied.

“Yes. Finley, right?” “Y-yes, Boss.” “What did you just say?” “I, ehm...” He adjusted his collar nervously. “I just... I just wondered if we'd lost a fight recently or something.” Weller just stared. Then he turned towards the rest. “Men,” he began. “When did we last have a good fight?” There was a lot of hemming and hawing.

“I don't remember,” the woman in the dumpster finally said.

“EXACTLY!” their leader yelled, causing everyone to jump. “WE HAVEN'T HAD A GOOD FIGHT IN DAYS! WEEKS MAYBE! THAT'S WHY I'M PISSED!” He hoisted his axe. “LET'S GO FIGHT!”

Everyone cheered and hollered for the suggestion, as instantly the oppressive mood lifted.

Until Finley asked: “Ehm... Who do we fight?”

There was a brief, somewhat contemplative pause.

“BRING OUT THE WHEEL!” Weller yelled.

“THE WHEEL!” a lot of the gangsters echoed, as a massive, wooden wheel was rolled out of their garage, numerous names spraypainted on it. The woman from the dumpster grabbed the edge and pulled down, making it spin.

Weller reared his axe back before throwing it, its edge slamming into the wood with a thunk.

...

If one was to observe the thick, gnarled forest of Llafny Goedwig, one would be forgiven for thinking it an ancient place, with trees that must have watched many generations of Freelanders come and go. And yet, in truth, a year had not even passed since the spot was as flat and bare as many other in Freeland. But all had changed with the coming of the troynts.

Deep inside the forest, cultivated by their shamans, they had set up camp, humongous tents of beast hide raised in the few clearings that existed in the thicket.

And it was to this clearing Aderyn Reese made her way. Like other troynts, she was a muscular, boar-like being the size of a car, her front limbs a rough inbetween of hooves and hands. Sharp bristles poked out from her brown fur, each one poisonous, and her personal comb and scissor hung from the belt wrapped around her midsection. She shoved a tent flap aside with one of her great tusks and walked in, noting that a number of her fellows were gathered around the table therein.

And behind the table, towering over everyone else, were her mother, Angharad Reese, chieftain of the Choroinsnathaide. She snorted in acknowledgement of the presence of her daughter, before with a deep voice asking: “What do you have to report?” “The defenders informed me a Freelander approached late last night, but was summarily chased off without issue,” Aderyn replied. “Scouts also returned.” She leaned on the table and observed the papers. Maps, crudely drawn, of the surrounding area. “They've checked out the nearby town. No walls or natural barriers. Just open plains and hills.”

“Then they shall not be much of a problem,” Angharad declared. “We must send scouts southward next. I want to know where the centres of power are in Freeland. Everyone, get to it.” The other troynts grunted in agreement and wandered out of the tent, but Aderyn stayed.

“Something on you mind?” Angharad inquired, as she studied the map.

“How much?” “How much what?” “How much land will this take? When will we have enough?”

At this, the huge troynt sighed, seemingly shrinking a bit. “I don't know,” she admitted. “I've sent a runner back home. Maybe we won't need as much as I fear. But we need more than we have.” She gestured with her snout. “These lands... They are more fertile than any´our ancestors ever ruled. We can grow strong trees here that will feed our squeakers for many years. We can draw water from the earth such that we will never go thirsty. Here, we can grow a strong army. A powerful army.” She slammed her hand into the table. “And then,” she snorted, fury sparking in her eyes. “Then we will take back what is ours.”

...

Gently, the beaker was tipped, pouring the red liquid into the boiling blue. Then ever so gently, the mixture was stirred, sweet-smelling fumes filling the air. And slowly, the mixture took on a royal purple.

Lucky Pamela smiled. Another successful mixture, gently crafted by her hand. All the more impressive considering her hand was the size of a cutting board. Pamela had, once upon a time, been merely human, until she had volunteered for an elite training program. Injected with alchemical ingredients and subjected to experimental surgery, she had earned the nickname Lucky for being the first to survive the procedure. Her limbs had stretched painfully, her torso had expanded as her organs grew nauseatingly large, arcane crystals had torn through her skin to protect her from danger. All so she could serve her country.

But her country didn't exist anymore. She couldn't even remember the last time she had met someone who had heard of it.

She frowned at the memories, before stopping the bottle, sealing its content. That was the past. She had a future to make.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” she demanded.

A minotaur, an imposing bipedal bull, made their way in, their skin covered in sandy fur. “Just got back from Tread City,” he started, leaning against the wall. “Our dealer says they're running low. Shit's popular.”

“I am not surprised.” She shelved the flask. “And our take?” “Loads of supplies, including a crate of the highest quality White Kiss,” he said. “The really good stuff.”

“Is that so?” She scratched her chin with a crystalline nail. “Let me see it.”

Outside the log house she had her workshop in awaited a wagon, a massive woolly creature with a spiralling horn attached to it. Several crates was stacked on the wagon, most currently being unloaded by the crew.

“Here we go,” the minotaur said, grabbing a box and opening it, revealing it to be densely packed with white flowers. “As I said.” Pamela leaned in, her nostrils widening as she took in the smell. “They are pure,” she agreed. “Good. Good. Who was ever so kind as to 'donate' that to our cause?” “Tirzel. They've been deep in the cups with our products,” the minotaur stated. “And Stonewatcher is gonna get us those Brett and Masons he promised. Just getting them all fixed up first.” “Good.” She paused for a moment, mentally going over names in her head. “What about Armani?” “What about her?” “You said her number was coming up. What did she give?” “Ugh, excuses, as usual.” He snorted. “She's getting flaky on us.” Pamela harrumphed. “Well then. Next time you drop by Tread City, tell her that the Blossom Posse will be sending her flowers soon.” She leaned in, eyes narrowing. “Some nice daisies for her to push up if she doesn't pay her tab.”

The minotaur grinned. “You got it, Lucky.”

...

Fields of red grass gently billowed in the wind, almost giving the impression of waves on a crimson ocean. This field of red came to an abrupt halt at a great wall, it's surface made from many sheets of metal welded, screwed and nailed to each other and to a patchwork framework of steel beams and wooden poles. On top of these fortifications, spaced out with some regularity, were a series of guns, their automated parts gently whirring in the lukewarm morning air. Each one was slightly different, having been handcrafted rather than spat out by a factory, not that this reduced their menacing appearance.

A signal went through the air and one of the guns beeped in response. It first lowered, then raised its gun. Then it spun around to the right, before it began repeatedly clicking.

“Busted servo. Figures,” a voice from below it grumbled. With a series of thumps, the commentator scaled the wall, his long arms and legs lending him excellent mobility. The blue crystals jutting from his skin glinted in the morning lights, as he carefully began disassembling part of the machinery. Pulling some gears from the turret's innards, he noted their teeth had snapped. “Stress fracture,” he commented, holding one up to his eye. “Metal fatigue, obviously.” He sighed, as he pocketed the item.

“Hey, Bruno,” a female voice called from below.

The mutant leaned back slightly, so he could more easily look downwards. “What is it now, Catherine?”

“Well, good morning to you too,” the woman replied with a hint of sarcasm. Her dirty-blond hair was tied up in a ponytail, her brown eyes intently watching the person above her. A leather vest covered her upper body, a pair of denim pants her legs. “So, gun's busted I take it?” “Gear snapped under stress. Some of this junk they bring in folds faster than an ogre at a spelling bee.” He leaned back in to inspect the machine. “So what are you bothering me for?”

“I wanted your opinion.” He clicked his tongue. “There's a rarity. 'Bout what?” “Them Glimmerspore people. Some of the outriders had been out last night, saw some of their crew moving about,” Catherine explained. “Taking measurements, photographing things. Kinda shady stuff. And I know they've approached people from time to time, inquiring about who owns what.” “And where does my opinion come in?” he asked, as he began his descent.

“Do you think they're gonna be a problem?” she inquired. “You've dealt with way more goblins in your time.” “That I have.” He sighed. “Goblins. They look damn harmless, waltzing around, squeaking about this and that. The next thing you know, they taking to the battlefield with some giant-sized doom engine spewing beams of fire left and right. Or claim the skies with some gravity-defying warmachine that rains down death.” He turned towards the woman. “They'll be a problem if they want to be a problem. So what we need to ask ourselves is, what do the runts want?”

“So far, they seem to have settled into the western mountains,” Catherine noted. “Seems they're mining the area. And they ain't too keen on trespassers.”

“Well, let's hope they'll settle for hollowing out the mountain. But knowing goblins and from what you tell me...” He chuckled mirthlessly. “They'll want more. A whole lot more.”

“Then I'll tell the outriders they best keep an eye out and report anything right back to me,” the woman noted. “I'm not letting them take us by surprise if I can avoid it.”

...

Bleary reptilian eyes opened, then immediately shut with a hiss. Kobolds already didn't like daylight at the best of times, so being greeted by the morning sun while nursing a hangover was just the worst. She rolled over, her blue scales glinting in the morning light, trying to make sense of her surroundings. From around her, she registered a number of noises. Snoring from others deep asleep. Grunts from the sparring ring. Moans from whomever still had it in them to get frisky.

She, however, just wanted to crawl into one of the tents and sleep away from the merciless glare of the sun. She grabbed her bottle and tipped it, figuring a nice swig wouldn't hurt.

And then she slowly realized the alcohol wasn't coming.

She forced her eyes open.

One single drop of alcohol hung tantalizing from the bottle's opening, before being seized by gravity, splashing against her tongue.

“Well, shit,” she cursed, before dismissively hurling it away. Forcing herself up, she staggered over to the crew's bottle crate, looking for a stiff drink. Reaching in, she found an empty bottle. Then another. Then yet another. And then her claws furtively scratched against the wooden planks at the bottom.

Her eyes widened as she looked inside, confirming her fears. The crate was empty. Desperately she looked in the next crate and the next. One was empty, the other filled with vomit. She looked up. “Fuck.”

Seconds later, the ramshackle campsite was slightly stirred, as the kobold charged across it on all fours calling out: “THUNDERCLAW! THUNDERCLAW!” She dashed over to the largest tent in the entire camp, throwing open the flaps.

Inside, was a pile of sleeping people in various states of undress, the most notable being a truly enormous, long-legged, long-necked avian, with a bony crest and a large beak, currently using a naked and heavily snoring human as a pillow. Their body, easily allowing them to look giraffes in the eye, was covered in a mixture of feathers, red, yellow, basil and honey. One of their eyes opened, turning to gaze at the intruder with annoyance. “What is it now?” “We have a problem,” she responded, waving her arms in the direction of the crates.

“Is the camp on fire?” “Ehm, no.” Thunderclaw turned his head so he looked the other way. “Then come back in an hour or five.” “But we're out of drinks,” she continued.

The kobold fell on her tail with a squeak as the ratite's head shot out of the tent. “What do you mean we're out of fucking drinks?” “It's all gone,” she said. “We've got nothing left.” The avian stepped out of the tent, rising to his full, imposing height. He stalked over to the crates and looked into them with dismay, as all around other members of the crew started noticing the ruckus. Thunderclaw hissed in annoyance as he squashed one of the boxes under his table-sized foot. “Blast it. We are out.” They tapped one of the boards with a talon. “Oh well,” they said with a gesture of their wing. “Guess tonight's party will be without drinks.”

There was a pregnant pause. “Really?” came a disappointed question.

“Of course not, you fucking oaf,” Thunderclaw snorted. “Party without drinks? Seriously.” He turned towards the open plains that surrounded their simple camp. “Looks like the Wild Ones are going shopping today. All of you, start fanning out. There's gotta be some wimp around here with some half-decent booze on them. And while you're at it, get everything else we'll need. Drugs, food, whatever. We're going to party and I don't mean the limp-dick kinda partying with teacups and nice talks about the weather. I mean a real party. One so loud even the gods won't be able to sleep on it.” He looked around, before stomping the ground with a loud thump. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get your asses in gear already.”

The various Wild Ones excitedly ran for their vehicles, or in the case of the members who were already fleet of foot, just ran for it. The whooping, cheering horde spread out from camp in all directions.

Thunderclaw craned their neck, resulting in a few popping sounds. “Well, ain't gonna let them have all the fun,” he remarked, before dashing out, every footstep accompanied by a loud thump.

...

A large claw tapped against the paper and then slowly slid down across it. Green eyes peered through a pair of glasses, unhindered by the darkness of the room. A pen was spun between digits, before being put to the notepad. The goblin began rapidly adding numbers up and doing calculations.

She smirked, revealing her sharp teeth. “So productivity is up twelve percent. Promising.”

There was a hefty knock on the door to the office. She finished her current equation, then looked up: “Come in.”

The door opened, allowing light to fall on the small woman, illuminating her bronze skin and the yellow-dotted fungal cap on her head.

Standing in the doorway was a massive bipedal woman. Her skin was covered in rough scales, with the ones on her pudgy belly being a creamy white and the rest a sandy brown. Her head was notably pointed forward, with a pair of black eyes and a maw full of sharp teeth. A thick tail with fins on them dragged after her, poking out from under the loincloth she was wearing. “Supervisor Grilx. Our prospectors have returned.” “Ah, great. Let them in then.” The ogre noted and stepped aside, letting a motley crew of people enter.

“So, what do you all have to report?” the supervisor asked.

A slightly hunched-over, hyena-like biped, a gnoll, stepped forward. “Lots of food in the area. Rabbits, birds, fresh fish. Even large sheep.” “Noted,” the goblin replied, writing on her notepad.

“There's also lumber. Though that mostly seems concentrated towards the mountainous areas,” a human reported. “There's also some small springs up there.” “Lumber, stone, freshwater,” she muttered as she wrote down. “How large are those streams?” “Not too large,” came the response. She tapped the end of her pen against her chin. “I'll have someone from engineering check out if we can maybe get something hydroelectric going. Anything else?” “The locals have dug a number of wells across the land,” another goblin informed her. “I think there's a lot of water underground. Would explain why the land keeps so fertile despite the heat.”

“We should probably take some samples, check the water table once our new equipment arrives,” Grilx muttered. “That reminds me, Glamerek, has the message been sent back to high command?” The ogre nodded. “A few hours ago, yes.” “Excellent. I cannot imagine my request would be denied.” She wrote a note. “Now then, Rocco, yours is the report I am most curious about. You went to... Red Rim Station, was it? Did you learn anything?” “I did,” the grey-haired human replied. “The locals appear to be skilled scavengers. The place was surrounded by a big scrap-iron wall with, I shit you not, functional turrets. Local economy is barter based. No coinage whatsoever. I also didn't see a lot of precious metals.” “Curious. Prospector reports noted both gold and silver in the region,” the supervisor remarked. “Local veins are probably untapped then.”

“Anyway, I started asking around, see who owns the land and so on,” the human continued. “And it's the darnedest thing, they insist that no one owns land in Freeland.”

The gnoll glanced. “But they live in a city. With houses. Someone must own them.” “That's what I thought, but apparently people just claim an empty house if they want one,” the human replied with a shrug. “Local peace-keepers are all volunteers and half the people of the city seem to be somewhere else most of the time.” “Interesting,” Grilx mumbled, them smirked. She jumped off her chair and hurried over to a nearby computer. With a few button presses, an incomplete map of Freeland popped up. “Now, first rule of acquisition is what?” she asked, turning to the group.

“First come, first serve,” Glamerek stated.

“Exactly. Now, who would that apply to here?” “The, uhm, Freelanders?” the gray-haired human asked uncertainly.

“Normally, yes. But they have elected to claim nothing. Which means there'd be no-one to contest our claim, if we were to make one.” She smiled predatorily, her emerald eyes almost glinting. “So, people, who's ready for a land-grab, hmm?”

...

Slowly, more and more of the mountainside was illuminated by the sun's amber rays. As it reached the cavern entrances that dotted the side, there was a stirring. A large shape lumbered out, their body obscured by a massive, woolly pelt, hiding all but the most rudimentary signs of their identity. They stepped forward to the cliff's edge, taking in the fresh scent of a new day. And Terry the Fang, chieftain of the Cougartooth Clan, smiled. Turning around, they grabbed a spear leaning against the cave wall just inside the opening, then leapt over the edge. They skated down the cliff-side, pebbles and dirt bouncing around them, their massive pelt billowing heavily, as they slid down to a lower level.

There, sitting around a campfire, were several other people dressed in rags and pelts, who bowed as Terry descended, greeting him with a respectful: “Chieftain.”

“Morning, lads,” they greeted them. “Who've been successful during their hunt?” “Blake caught us some spring pheasants. Three,” one of them said, pointing to a young man barely done being a teenager, who smiled with pride at the attention.

“And Kayla managed to down a prowler,” another said, gesturing to a woman armed with a bow. She proudly grasped the necklace of feline teeth around her neck.

“And the rest?” the chieftain asked.

“No hunt worth talking about,” one of the others said, shaking their head.

“What a shame. But today is a new day and a new hunt.” Terry sat down by the campfire. They ripped a leg off one of the roasting pheasants and bit into it, barely acknowledging its warmth. “So, anything new to hunt today?”

“There's more and more of those strange mushroom heads,” one of the others began. “They bring with them strange machines. Good fight, but probably not good eating.”

“There's also more boars. They've been lead here by these bigger boars,” another reported. “They've summoned a forest. Good place for a hunt.”

“Excellent. Then you know what you must do. Eat, rest and then bring back new totems for our tribe. These newcomers will lend their strength to ours the same as everyone else. Now then...” Terry grasped their own necklace of teeth, a large empty spot in the middle. “Any new sightings of Daggerclaw?” “Found the remains of a tachash lamb. Shredded to bloody giblets,” came the response. “Definitely the work of Daggerclaw. But that was three days ago. She might have moved on.”

Terry smiled. “Do not be so sure. She likes to linger after a proper meal. What about the others?” “No sign of Red Scars. Old Longhorn has moved south, probably gonna start gathering a herd soon.” “I hear the Usowa Roha might try and hunt him this year,” one of the others said. “Chieftain, what if they succeed?” “They won't. Old Longhorn has managed to fend them off every year.” They chuckled. “Too stubborn to die, too strong to yield. That's what makes him worthy prey.” They got up and hoisted their spear. “I shall journey out to hunt for Daggerclaw. Expect my return in a week, successful or not.” “Blessing of the hunt be with you, great chieftain,” they replied.

Terry laughed and then leapt down the mountainside, letting the pull of gravity add to their stride as they stormed into the lowlands. Today was the start of another great hunt. To become the greatest hunter of all the land, to be blessed by the strongest, fiercest spirits, they'd have to hunt the greatest beasts to claim the lands as their home. Only by claiming their remains would they be immortalized as the greatest hunter and secure their tribe's place as the greatest clan of hunters. Daggerclaw, Red Scar and Old Longhorn. And then one other. A worthy foe, a powerful beast, a champion of the land. Adding her talons to their amulet, binding her powerful, independent spirit to their soul, would grant them strength beyond measure.

Under their hood, they smiled blissfully, their fingers tracing a set of jagged scars on their chest. “I'll get you yet, Foulbeak. You will be mine.”

...

The hooded figure took in a deep breath. Only the faintest hint of the morning light penetrated the dirty windows, so covered in grime and dust that they had long lost their transparency. The room was illuminated by a select few candles, place equidistantly along the rim of the ritual circle. The robed person looked over the many occult glyphs that made up the circle in front of them, then looked to the tome again, cross-referencing the design with the one on the ancient, mouldering page. Satisfied that they had made as accurate a replication as they could determine, they lifted the tome up and turned to the circle. Their eyes went over the incantation a dozen times, before they dared to open their mouth, finally chanting the demonic verse hidden in the book.

The flames of the candles took on an ominous red glow. The room seemed to darken, what little sunlight that managed to enter now completely eclipsed. The symbols began crackling with energy.

The hooded figure repeated the chant, louder, more intensely. He could feel it, the very air in the room buckling as the fabric of the universe was twisted. Droplets of sweat began forming on his skin, as he repeated the chant again and again, beckoning forth a figure from the abyss.

The crimson flames on the candles blazed into pillars of flame, illuminating the room with a diabolic light. Arcs of black lightning danced between them, centering on the middle of the circle. A smoking orb of dizzying colours began growing, twitching and roiling as it expanded.

He was practically yelling the chant, his heart pounding like crazy, his voice threatening to give in. But he kept at it, repeating the words again and again.

He'd finally get a girlfriend. Or boyfriend. He was honestly not too picky anymore.

The orb crackled and then detonated, sending the robed figure stumbling back. As one, the red flames intensified and then died out.

For a moment everything went dark. For a moment, as he held his breath, he worried he'd made a mistake.

But then he saw the new arrival, the massive figure now occupying the circle. The robed figure looked to the page with the chant, where there was a illustration of a muscular, winged, scantily-clad female leaning suggestively against a halberd. Then he looked back to the figure.

There were quite the number of differences.

The figure was large, their broad body easily out-sizing the circle on the floor. Their massive, multi-faceted red eyes scanned the room, their face featuring a notable, needle-like proboscis, under which there was a mouth full of teeth that easily looked capable of chewing a car to pieces. Massive, glassy wings flickered lightly on their back and protruding from their rear was a great, bulging abdomen. They stood on a series of six legs, the end of which were occupied by hands with four clawed fingers each.

And yet the most eye-catching thing for the robed figure, was the equally large hoodie the newcomer wore. It was just about the only thing he didn't expect from a demon.

The hulking fiend finally noticed the summoner. “Are you the one who have conjured me?” “Ehm... Are you a lilin?” he managed to ask.

“Heck no,” came the response, accompanied by a smirk. “I'm an adze.” He looked around at the ritual circle. “A lilin you say? No, I think I see what happened. You've switched the glyph of the dawn and the glyph of the black road around. And this is the glyph of swarm, not the glyph of union. It lacks the line through it, see. And here... The glyph of the silver monkey. I see you substituted the glyph of the groaning one. Was that even intentional? And your glyph of the spider's candelabra is missing a set of legs.”

“Oh,” the robed figure replied, slightly disappointed. “So-sorry about that. I'll send you back.” “Hey now, my man, let's not be hasty,” the demon said, refocusing their attention on the human. “What's your name?”

“Y-Yousef. Yousef Perkins.” “Well, then allow me to congratulate you and shake your hand,” the demon said, stepping out of the ring with a front-leg extended. “And no, I'm not bound by the circle. Your glyph of the headless emperor is upside down.” He gently grasped the surprised human's hand and shook it, careful as to not hurt him. “I'm Kito, archdemon of the Crimson Needle.”

“Wait, archdemon?” Yousef repeated, eyes wide. “Ho-how?” “Beats me. Anyway, can we step outside? Seems a bit cramped down here and I'd like to stretch my legs.”

“Oh, sorry, this way,” the summoner said, as he lead the insectile demon up a flight of concrete stairs to a rusted, iron trapdoor. With some effort and a lot of metallic whining, he pushed it open, allowing the two to step outside. Around them were overgrown boulders and decaying buildings, rusted hulks of war-machines littering the open spaces.

“An old military base,” Kito surmised.

“Ye-yeah. I figured I could, uhm, summon in peace,” Yousef remarked.

“And you were trying to summon a lilin? Something tells me that you wanted privacy for more than just the summoning.”

Yousef nervously twiddled his thumbs and looked to the side, feeling his cheeks heat.

“Ah, seems I was right. Well, maybe I can arrange something for you.” Kito took a step forward, taking a deep breath. “Smells good. Lots of life in the area. But not so much as a hint of other demons. Now that's exciting.” He looked around. “Will need to fix this up of course. Place has more holes than the last guy grandmother threw to the bloodfeasters. We'll need more people.” “Ehm...” Yousef began. “What... What are you talking about?” “Huh? Oh, I'm moving in,” Kito replied. “This place seems way to fun to leave behind. What country is this?” “Freeland.” “Freeland? Oh, I think I... Right, grandmother talked about the place. Highly recommended it even. Of course, that was, what, sixty years ago, so basically an eternity for you humans. Looking forward to see if the place is still as fun as she recalled.” He smiled. “I tell ya, you're something else, kid. You screw up your summoning circle and still call in an archdemon. You must have quite some talent in you. I'll train you. Teach you the arts of summoning. And then you can finally have a lilin to snuggle up to.” He leaned over, a slightly hungry look on his face, as he cupped Yousef's chin. “Or maybe... You wanna snuggle up with someone else?” “I, ah, ah, uhm...” the young conjurer replied, his legs starting to shake and an entire colony of butterflies exploding in his stomach.

The mosquito demon leaned further in and exhaled, his warm breath washing over the human's skin, causing goosebumps to form. “I'm not hearing a no.”

“I, uhm, m-maybe,” Yousef managed to squeak.

“Cool. Looking forward to it,” Kito said, as he let the summoner go. “But first, I need to bring in some staff. And then, I'm gonna go recruiting.” He smiled and took another deep breath, allowing the scent of living blood to fill him. “Oh, we're gonna have so much fun.”

#story #shattered age #tabletop

[invalidtumbls]

I Love “Rumbling Hearts”. Don't watch it.

Copying this over from a thread on Mastodon, for the sake of a first post.

Well, I said I was going to post more original content here on Mastodon than on the other site.

And despite the fact that I see a lot more of my iOS/Mac dev friends here than Anitwitter refugees, I'm going to kick off a thread about #anime, because my favorite show just became available on Crunchyroll, as part of the Funimation merger: https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/G6ZXM399R/rumbling-hearts

Rumbling Hearts, or Kimi ga Nozomu Eien ("The Eternity You Desire") is a 2003 14-episode series based on a 2001 visual novel, a sort of choose-your-own-adventure style of video game that's heavy on reading and light on interaction. The anime is rated mature for adult situations and nudity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumbling_Hearts

I'm not going to recommend you watch Rumbling Hearts, because I believe it is an uncommonly difficult sell in 2022. But the fact that it's so much of its time might be why I like it, why I go back to it, and why you won't find anything remotely like it today.

For starters, Rumbling Hearts is a romantic drama aimed at adult male viewers. We really don't have anything comparable in the west today.

I think we used to! I mean, Casablanca is one of Hollywood's most beloved romantic dramas, and that's told from Rick's point of view, not Ilsa's. But romance has been denigrated in the west, marginalized as being for women only, and saddled with insulting slurs like "chick flicks".

Anime has a thriving genre of male-skewing romance, often built around the concept of "moé", ("mo-EH"), a feeing of wanting to cherish and protect someone.

Some of the most popular of these come from a company called Key, known for tear-jerkers like Clannad and Angel Beats.

The thing is, in Key's stories, the romantic interests are tragic characters who usually suffer through no fault of their own. In Clannad, for example, Nagisa has a chronic disease, Kotori's parents died in a plane crash, Fuuko is a girl in a coma in the next town over and doesn't actually exist, etc.

What makes Rumbling Hearts different is that the characters aren't innocent. They are all deeply flawed, and largely the cause of their own suffering.

Takayuki, our protagonist, is friendly, cheerful, and just wants to get along. This, unfortunately, is his problem: that's all he wants. He is evasive, quick to tell little white lies, and unwilling or unable to make the right decision when he needs to.

Haruka has had a crush on Takayuki for years, but hasn't been able to act on it. She is innocent to a fault: timid, shy, sometimes even mousy.

Mitsuki is Haruka's best friend, and a gal-pal to Takayuki. She sets the two of them up, and then later decides she might have actually wanted Takayuki for herself. She can be manipulative, and after the three-year time-skip, her adult version develops some truly dangerous habits, like using sex to get what she wants, and going blackout drunk to avoid her problems.

Akane is Haruka's younger sister. In her youth, she aspired to be a swimming champ like Mitsuki. Post-time-skip, she fiercely defends her sister. She's everything that Takayuki and Haruka aren't: bold and pushy, though she has a tendency to take things way too far.

So, there I think is the problem. In 2022, western audiences generally don't want flawed characters. We want protagonists who are likable. More than that, I think there's a mindset that if we're going to imprint on a character, they have to be perfect, because that reflects better on us. We can't relate to fuckups, because that would mean that we're fuckups. There's an empty narcissism to modern media consumption and I really hate it.

When I was young and learning writing, all the guides said that characters have to be flawed to be believable and relatable. Whatever happened to that?

I'll tell you my pet theory: JK Rowling ruined an entire generation of readers and viewers. When the Sorting Hat literally tells you who's good, bad, and indifferent, there is zero room left for nuance or depth. Harry Potter is the good guy, I like Harry Potter, therefore I am a good guy. Thanks, I hate it.

So that leaves Rumbling Hearts to thread this incredibly hazardous needle: to give you these characters who screw up and hurt themselves and hurt those around them, and then asks you to root for them anyways, to want them be able to overcome themselves and their own bad habits.

As you probably guessed, this goes over like a lead balloon with a lot of people. You'll find a lot more YouTube videos trashing Rumbling Hearts than praising it. https://youtu.be/wr0BuAUbDqw?t=1048

So, yeah, I can't recommend Rumbling Hearts, because I doubt most people are going to relate to it. The ideas behind it are fundamentally unpalatable to most modern audiences.

And the fact it was made with early digital animation techniques to save money, with the expectation it would be viewed on a fuzzy CRT and not a 60" 4K LCD, doesn't help either.

But… well… I wouldn't have written such a long and unwelcome thread if I didn't think there was something truly special and valuable here. I come back to it every few years and discover something new, either in the show or in myself.

So, don't watch Rumbling Hearts, but hopefully you'll understand why it lands like it does for me.

#rumblinghearts #kiminozo #kimiganozomueien

[minetteskvareninova]

Reasons you hate Ibrahim? Reasons to like him? How does he compare to other unlikable male characters in the show like Rüstem or Süleyman or Bali Bey? Just rant sis.

Reasons to hate Ibrahim pasha, well... - The poisoned lokum gambit. Like, I get wanting to get rid of Hürrem, but taking an innocent man and her unborn child with her? And in such a pointlessly cruel way? Like, wow. Hürrem could be petty and cruel, but this is just on a whole another level. - Just the whole thing with Nigar, period. Like, first he abuses his position and her feelings for him to have a one-night stand with her. He tries to forget her, but I guess pussy was that good, and Hatice has grown some spine since they got married, so he decides to use his best friend as a decoy for his affair with her... Which, he must've known the kind of trouble she would get into if the whole thing came to light, he just had to. Then he just gets tired of her and crawls back to his wife (and she eventually takes him back, like an idiot). Basically, he screwed over two women for nothing but his own ego, and what was his punishment? A cold shoulder from his wife for like five minutes. - He saved Süleyman's life not once, but two times! Shame on him. - I guess this wouldn't bother me if I didn't hate him already for the other stuff, but he's a smug little shit. Like, just his attitude is pretty insufferable. "Lion tamer" my ass. That resting bitch face doesn't lie. - He's horribly corrupt, as Hatice's hoard proves. - Breaking Şah's heart. Yes, we don't know exactly what happened way back when, but fuck it, I am going to blame him for it anyway, because he sucks. - And after all of that, he has the audacity to not die of the multiple attempts at his life! (I should probably stop, because I am getting increasingly petty.)

Some reasons to like him? Eh... - His relationship with Mahidevran and Mustafa. He's a better dad to him and better partner to her than Süleyman ever was, lol. - For that matter, his relationship with Süleyman is pretty interesting, just from a character perspective. - For most of season 1, before the whole Leo fiasco, he was actually pretty reasonable and kept his assholery mostly in check. I kinda liked him back then. - His banter with Hürrem can be pretty entertaining. - He's such a nerd. A complete... Whatever the Ottoman version of a weeaboo obsessed with Western Europe is. Adorable - or it would be if it wasn't, well, Ibrahim. - Okan Yalabik is just objectively a great actor. This is admittedly not that big of an achievement, considering most actors in this show are superb, but I guess it is a reason to like the character.

As for the comparison with other assholes... Well... - Süleyman - I have a sneaking suspicion that friendship with Süleyman, even more than power, is what corrupted Ibrahim. The two of them really deserve each other. With that said, I think there is a difference in the scale of their worst deeds. Süleyman mostly (at least untill, like, Mustafa's execution) trades in small acts of assholery, while Ibrahim's small-scale dickery is less frequent, but he wins out in terms of big sins. Although Süleyman's constant cheating does come close to being as bad as what Ibrahim did to Nigar and Hatice. - Bali Bey - Well, let's put it like this. If I had a gun with two bullets and somehow found myself in a room with Bali and Ibrahim, I would put two bullets into Ibrahim just to make sure he's dead. Bali annoys me a lot, but outside of kidnapping Armin (which is a big thing, but also happened like a season and fifteen years in-universe ago) he's mostly just this boring Gary Stu that I personally don't care for. Ibrahim, meanwhile, is just an objectively terrible human being who deserves to die in fire. - Rüstem - He kind of has the opposite advantage to Bali Bey over Ibrahim, in that he's to unlikeable to even be approached as a hero. And as a villain, he's actually pretty good? Of course, he does do a lot of things that annoy me even as someone who appreciates his villainy: he acts like a petty douchebag, has a crush on a teenage girl, and then there is his tragic backstory (tm) that makes him seem a bit too similar to Ibrahim. It's not a character that everyone would like in any way, but he can be a solid villain when he puts his mind into it. Ibrahim is just framed as a protagonist way too often to be a villain, even when his actions are purely villainous. And as a protagonist (and human being), he just sucks.

#magnificent century #answered asks

[anime-dub-transcripts]

Hetalia: Axis Powers Episode #15 Transcript

This episode has Japan being confused about Western culture.

Japan [talking to the audience]: Hello, I am Japan. Although I formed an alliance with these two, I am finding it difficult to understand their Western ideas and cultural idiosyncrasies.

Japan: Ehe, how strange and new. Never before have I witnessed a meal as interesting as one you are eating now. It look like you are consuming snail.

Germany: It’s a French delicacy called escargot.

Italy: I learned about it from my big brother France! Would you like some?

Japan: I…sorry, but I am still full from eating raw fish.

Japan’s thoughts: Western culture will certainly take some getting used to.

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

Japan: I can’t believe this! Put some clothes on at once! Bare skin in public dishonors the ghost of your ancestor!

Italy: Now? But I’m hot and I’m Italian and all the chicks dig it. Why don’t you get naked?

Japan: I couldn’t possibly show a strange man my loincloth! I begging you to put some clothes on! I consider your deviant need to sleep in bed completely nude already! I give up. Mr. Germany, you have to say something to him, please!

Germany: Hm? Hey, Japan. Can I wash your back?

Japan: No. It’s clean.

Japan’s thoughts: Nakedness in Western culture will also take some getting used to.

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

Italy: Hetalia!

{Caption: Hetalia}

Germany: Count off!

Italy: Uno!

(Uno!: One! → Italian)

Japan: Ni.

(Ni: Two → Japanese)

Germany: It’s time to start our training! We’ll start with the things every soldier should know.

{Text on Italy’s shirt: Squadsman 1}

Italy: Yes, sir!

Japan: Ahuh? Uh…what was that?

Germany: And when your commander approaches?

Italy: I’ll salute him…then ignore him, sing, eat, and go to bed like an Italian!

Germany: I only want you to salute!

(Japan: Ahuh…)

Japan: Nani?

(Nani?: What? → Japanese)

Japan: Your strange Western ways are confusing.

Germany: Right. Well, don’t do what Italy does, ja?

(Ja?: Yes? → German)

Italy: You’ll be okay. How about a nice massage?

Japan: Please stop touching me.

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

Japan: Hetalia!

{Caption: Hetalia}

Germany: Listen up! We’ll try this one more time.

Japan: Uh…yes, sir!

Italy: No, sir!

Germany: Do you want to end up an experiment?! Next lesson: what do you do when your enemy tells you to surrender?

Italy: That’s an easy one, sir: surrender immediately, kiss their butts, inform on our friends, sing, eat, and go to bed!

Germany: That’s the same thing you do to me! Japan?

Japan: Yes, sir! I respond Japanese way! Be unclear! Say one thing, but mean something else completely opposite! Like, “I’ll think about it”! Lie to them!

{Caption: Yay! Yay!}

Germany, Italy, Japan: Yay! Yay! Yay!

(France: Weeh! Weeh!)

France: I lost to those idiots? Le pamplemousse!

(Le pamplemousse!: Grapefruit! → French)

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

Germany: Hetalia!

{Caption: Hetalia}

{Caption: When I started cleaning my storage room on a whim, it brought back that memory}

{Caption: Mr. America!}

Lithuania: Mr. America.

{Caption: Are you trying to clean up here? I’ll do it for you}

Lithuania: Are you trying to clean up here? I’ll do it for you.

{Caption: Eh, no}

America: Oh, no.

{Caption: It’s a little shit cleaning. I can handle it}

America: That’s all right. It’s just a little shit cleaning; I can handle it.

{Caption: I need to see on my own what I should get rid of}

America: I need to see for myself what I should get rid of.

{Caption: All the good things and bad things are in this place (storage room)}

{Caption #1: Hetalia}

{Caption #2: America’s Storage Room Cleaning}

{Caption: Coming soon on this show}

{Caption: Hm, okay. Then I’ll go make some coffee for you}

Lithuania: ‘Kay. Some coffee? I’ll go make some.

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

America: Hetalia!

{Caption: Hetalia}

Japan: So this is Rome! It’s wonderful, just wonderful!

Italy: Really? You like architecture?

Japan: Hai.

(Hai: Yes → Japanese)

Japan: It’s a hobby of mine.

Italy: Is that right? Then I’ve got the perfect gift for you. You’re going to love it.

Japan: Nani?

(Nani?: What? → Japanese)

Japan: Are you sure?

{Caption: Column}

Japan: A column.

{Caption #1: To the land of the White Tigers}

{Caption #2: On the land where the White Tigers fell, there stands a column from Pompeii sent by Italy and a stone monument sent by Germany. The phrase ‘Dedicated to the bushido spirits’ was engraved on the column, but it is said that it was whittled away under the orders of the US after the war. You can see these two in Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture}

Narrator: On the land where the White Tigers fell, there stands a column from Pompeii sent by Italy and a stone monument sent by Germany. The phrase ‘Dedicated to the bushido spirits’ was engraved on the column; however, it is said that it was whittled away under the order of the U.S. after the war. You can see these columns in Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture.

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

Italy: I’m so surprised such a brute culture could produce such fine paintings! They’re so beautiful!

{Text on book: Japanese Paintings}

Japan: I am humbled to have Italy pay us such a warm compliment. Please, enjoy this library which is dedicated to Japanese work.

Italy: Thanks, Japan! I love art books.

{Caption: Shock!}

Italy: Huah! Ohoh!

Japan: Is there something wrong? Aah!

{Caption: Pornography}

Italy: It’s porn…

Japan: Ehmmm…

{Caption: To be continued}

Children: To be continued!

#anime #anime transcripts #anime dub transcripts #hetalia #hetalia dub transcripts