#i also just have a lot of mixed feelings cuz it was visually stunning with good music. good humor. diverse designs of bipoc and lgbtq peopl

[herotome]

Hello Wudge!!! I know working on such a beautiful and ambitious project must be incredibly tiring. I also know how encouraging it can be to know that people enjoy what you put out there, so I'm here to express my appreciation for Herotome and all the work you have put into it already!

I've been into visual novels for a couple of years now, and while I enjoy my occassional short and sweet dose of cheesy romance, most visual novels could never really satisfy my desire for a good narrative and a lot of time to get to know the love interests (As someone who really needs to know a person in order to get romantically involved with them, I've always found some love stories kind of rushed. That's just my preference tho). I know it's hard to develop a fully-fledged game, especially when you're an independent developer and mostly work for free, so I'm definitely not trying to undermine anyone's work!!!

However, this is why I was so stunned by how much Herotome's DEMO captivated me. Not even just the extended demo!!! The first time I came across this game was before the extended demo got released, and even then, I was so enamoured with the universe, the artstyle, the characters, the writing. EVERYTHING. I'm a bit ashamed to say I can be quite picky with my taste in visual novels, but Herotome literally ticked every single box for me. Visually appealing designs (both with the characters and with the UI!), a great mix of humour and sobriety, clear and skilled writing and awesome world building. All of this in A DEMO??? GOD DAMN, DUDE!

A literal demo unironically managed to put this visual novel among my absolute favourites simply because of how much work and care was put into it. I really hope it gains more attention even before it gets fully released, because you truly deserve the same level of support that games like Our Life (my #1 fav VN, can't wait for OL2) have. I know it'll probably be a while before Herotome gets released, but I'll try my best to wait patiently because I can't wait to see more of everyone! (especially Dart and Jade, I love them.)

I'm really sorry for the whole essay over here, but I just wanted to make my support clear!!! Unfortunately I don't have the possibility of financially supporting (yet) but I'm over here awaiting every update of this game with so much excitement you have no idea (⁠ᗒ⩊ᗕ ྀི) Good luck and stay healthy!

ksbfjsdb how did you know.. 😭😭😭 Thank you, sweet anon! No apology necessary, I love essays!!

Worldbuilding is a area where I've felt particularly lacking -- like, I make a point avoid thinking about it most of the time, so in the rare instances I actually do put in effort it feels like it's coming up short? Maybe not so much in the demos, but nowadays I'll be standing around thinking about how things work in the society of Rhineway and trying to plan out ideas of what's gonna come up in the routes and my brain will inevitably feels like television static by the end.

SO to be praised for worldbuilding gives me a bizarre yet flattered feeling (sort of like "I'm not sure I deserve this but I guess I've done something right"), thank you, and I'm continually touched that people enjoy the humor! I really try to put in a lot of throwaway jokes where it's like -- if you don't laugh, it's totally fine cuz it goes by pretty quick -- but it is nice to know I've made people laugh. Or at least have an sensible inward chuckle :')

It sounds like you're demisexual btw which - lol me too. 🤝 Eyyyy!

I'm not sure how to end this post so I'll just put in some preview of what I've been working on -

Lots of eyebrow dances.

#herotome ask

[lieximhuman]

wait i was just scrolling your blog and i saw that the summer hikaru died got an anime adaption confirmed, i've seen you posting abt it before but i have no idea what it's about could u like give me an overview/tell me abt your favorite characters or smth bc i'm interested in it and i'd rather ask you than google for an exciting synopsis 😭 (don't feel forced to respond to this, this is my weird way of reaching out bc hi we've been mutuals for a while but we never really talk <//3)

Hiiiii <3 yes ofccc (I'll try to do a spoiler-free version wich cuts out some main themes😭) Also additional apologies for my English cuz 💀💀 second language and all, and if I make any mistakes story-wise TwT

Honestly, I recommend reading the first chapter, it's pretty direct in what the themes are and who our main characters are and "represent". It's not like most manga that drags it on for a couple of chapters, I can private chat the link or u can just look it up since it's easy to find (I do NOT recommend starting through the one-shot/ chapter 0 btw!!).

Oh, and the art. God. The art is absolutely stunning so yea, the story works a lot better visually than what I can tell.

So! Those main characters are 'Hikaru' and Yoshiki, mainly Yoshiki. They are childhood friends and in their second year of high school (or third year in the complete four-year American system) living in a small town. In that sense it's a slice of life, going to school with friends and having fun. But!! The town is almost "haunted", it's full of ghosts and some citizens can see/ feel/ hear those, those ghosts aren't exactly evil but they can hurt the living. So it's also a horror with a detective-ish thing going on (with gore aspects too) because of those monsters and what they do and them trying to figure out how everything works because it's being hidden from them by the village elders almost.

It also focuses a lot on the emotional journey of the characters, mainly towards grief (oh the grief! very well represented and relatable :,/) and friendship. It's really striking when you see how the characters move their face and bodies to show those emotions even tho the speech is also incredible. It's as if the characters are actually real, they have their own little quirks with how they talk and move.

Some people also see it as a BL, which yes... it does have some queer aspects to it but I wouldn't consider it an actual possibility of the two main characters having a true romantic development. But I would say Yoshiki is queer. Also, it does have some - although rare - sensual(???) aspects but you get to see more through that later, which is very interesting.

-> SO, YEA. Main points:

astronomically beautiful gorgeous art in every panel

great characterization

interesting cast (both kids and adults)

interesting and deep lore!

death/ grief

moral dilemmas

Good mix of slice-of-life, horror and mystery

the characters are adorable holly hell <3

It's gutwrenching in the way you really feel it in the gut ahahaha

I really hope this was helpful/ entertaining and that if you do end up reading it that we can talk loads abt it <3 !!! Even if this was like... just me rambling and maybe incomprehensible 💀

Also not sure how the anime adaptation is even gonna turn out! Really hoping I somehow get to watch it tho ^u^ Plus, my favorite character... I don't know? I like the MC's but outside of them I like Asako cuz she speaks in emojis lol

#ask #the summer hikaru died #tshd #hikaru ga shinda natsu #hgsn #manga synospys #I wrote this right after a trip so I'm tired and sleepy af but I was happy writing it lol #hope we talk more Vani!!

[drbtinglecannon]

I know I'm literally decades late to the party but I just finished watching Cowboy Bebop and I'm just sitting here like

#cowboy bebop #i knew going in [REDACTED] dies. like everyone has known for forever. it was still sad to watch #i also just have a lot of mixed feelings cuz it was visually stunning with good music. good humor. diverse designs of bipoc and lgbtq peopl #and the rep was pretty decent esp considering when it came out. and the creativity and designs of the environment #the way it was so anti capitalism #but it also did the whole 'found family except not lmao go back to your abusive ex families cuz you gotta 🤗' at the very end #every SINGLE major char plot point was 3yrs ago. im not even exaggerating. for every char. every. single. one. 3yrs ago. #and there is a LOT of shit in the show that is just. never explained or explored enough. also the ages are wack Jet is NOT 36 hes in his 50 #also vicious is the lamest antagonist ive ever seen lmao. hes so fucking boring and uninteresting i can barely remember what he looked like #and i literally just finished the last ep lmao #it also did the creepy 'hey grown man wanna date this teenager ;)' baiting with everyone encouraging it. thankfully it didnt pan out tho #ed and ein's story arc was fucking bullshit and made me so angry thats how it ended. just. absolutely fuck that #i can't tell if i enjoyed or hated this show. its such a mixed bag. i can say it was definitely iconic & visually stands the test of time #tc posts

[oneweekoneband]

Dinosaur Jr.: Closing Thoughts & Gratitude

This will be the final entry as host of this Dinosaur Jr.-themed week. I’ve already used the term “housekeeping” in a previous post to reference opening with something I meant to include in its immediate predecessor, but it applies much better to this extended closing sentiment you’re about to traverse (hopefully). What follows is a cursory rundown of some things I originally planned to cover but did not make the cut as well as notes on Dino Jr.-related fare that did not justify an entire entry.

On the live legacy of Dinosaur Jr. Mach I...

My first attempt to see the Mach II incarnation failed as it involved a clandestine road trip I took solo when I was still in high school. I arrived at the out-of-town venue during Dino Jr.’s set and to add insult to injury, was denied entry due to being underage. But subsequent to this I did end up seeing the same lineup play a couple of large-scale festival slots, if “seeing a band” means being separated from a giant stage by a roiling sea of “alternative nation” ding-dongs, a row of bouncers and a lot of ingested acid. By the time the reunited original lineup made it to my town (Memphis, TN) in December of 2006, they were at the end of a really long run of playing songs from the first three albums (plus “The Wagon” and either “Start Choppin’” or “Feel the Pain” if I remember correctly) and were obviously not into it at all. It was loud as all hell, though.

The point being that for my entire adult life I’ve read or heard about how amazing and mind-meltingly loud Dinosaur Jr. Mach I was, but I’m glad I never got to see it because I’m old enough as it is. YouTube isn’t exactly the best barometer by which to measure good live performances, but some are incendiary enough to translate through decades and shitty sound/visual quality (something I first learned when finding a clip of Husker Du encoring with “Eight Miles High” in 1985 that raised my arm hair and still does). Here’s some links to live Dinosaur Jr. that blow me away:

Live at Cal State in May of 1989 (this must have been one of Barlow’s final shows)

Amazing 1986 set at UMass (Mascis may have still been enrolled at the time). Check J.’s bangs.

(Audio only) Local show allegedly from April of 1985, but they sure do sound tight and confident for a band that had only been playing together for around six months. Accompanying pic definitely dates to ‘85/’86 because Lou had short hair.

Stunning document of Mach II lineup right after Mike Johnson joined. August of 1991. Sound is good and performance is revelatory.

And here’s the next night’s show at the legendary Vera Club. Set includes some Green Mind songs that never made it past this tour.

On Bootlegs/BBC/Peel Sessions releases…

There’s no shortage of Dinosaur Jr. boots out there, but one of my favorites is also one of the first to surface back in the 90s….

This is the JayLouMurph CD...a boot of a NYC show from 1988. The mix might be jarring at first but it grows on you, namely when taking into consideration how loud this band was. Note the deafening tape loop of a man’s voice repeating “THANK YOU! THANK YOU!” meant to further distance the band from whatever the crowd is doing or not doing between songs (they used this tactic at many shows in 1987/88).

Dinosaur Jr. In Session LP/CD (1999, Strange Fruit) - Official release of BBC/Peel Sessions recordings spanning four sessions (two from 1988, one from 1989 and a Mike Johnson lineup session from 1992) but heavy on the Mach I dates. This is actually one of my all-time favorite Dinosaur Jr. releases and I was planning an entire post based around it. Astonishing performances for the majority of these ten tracks. As for vinyl reissue candidates, this title would be at the top of the list, seeing as how originals on the format are fetching upwards of $100.

On Deep Wound…

There’s a reason Deep Wound was saved for this curtain-dropping post. The short-lived high school hardcore band of Mascis and Barlow has simply never done it for these ears, and I’m coming to you as a pretty big fan of first-gen American hardcore’s more intense and chaotic factions. While active, Deep Wound released a 7” that’s been bootlegged several times (cuz the original will set you back a month’s rent), a demo cassette and contributed two tracks to Gerard Cosloy’s great 1984 compilation, Bands That Could Be God (seen above in a just-taken pic of my personal copy). Bassist Scott Helland went on a longer run in the Outpatients (also on the comp) and vocalist Charles Nakajima joined Mascis and Barlow for a split second in Mogo, which was renamed Dinosaur in honor of his swift dismissal. In the late-80s/early-90s, Nakajima fronted one of the more bizarre bands in the annals of underground metal, Gobblehoof, which released a 7” and two full-lengths. Mascis is the drummer on the first and the producer of the second.

ON COVERS….

Dinosaur Jr. is known, especially since the original lineup reunited in 2005, for their impeccable choice in live covers, with a number of performances seeing the band joined by those responsible for the source material. Besides several different songs by The Stooges and Neil Young, Dinosaur Jr. has covered “Can't Tell No One” & “Nothing” (Negative Approach)“Sunday Bloody Sunday” (U2) “Barmy Army” (The Exploited), “Fun Fun Fun” (Big Boys), “Tame” (Pixies), “Hey Policeman” (Ian Rubbish), “The Boy With the Thorn in His Side” (The Smiths), “I Don’t Live For Today” (Hendrix), and “Hand of Doom” (Black Sabbath). Below are two personal favorites...

“Thorn” (longtime friend and collaborator Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine joins Dino Jr. for a cover of MBV’s classic shoegaze genesis moment “Thorn” during Dino Jr.’s 7-night 30th Anniversary run at the Bowery Ballroom)

“My Pal” (originally by Australian punk band God and one of the greatest 7”s of the 80s. Dino Jr. is joined by God members Graham Clise and Joel Silbersher for this performance in Melbourne from this January)

Ok, that’s probably enough. I’d like to extend the deepest gratitude to OWOB editor/curator Hendrik for having the patience and flexibility needed to see this through to fruition. To all of the readers who navigated my admittedly subjective choice in no-brainers, nooks, crannies, nuances and other inside baseball as related to the band’s legacy, I am indeed thankful for your eyes and ears. If your takeaway from this week’s coverage of Dinosaur Jr. was of the new and positive variety, I’d love to hear from you. Truthfully, any feedback, good or bad, is welcome and I will respond to everything: [email protected]

Godspeed,

- Andrew Earles Twitter: @AEarlesWriter Instagram: @grotto_of_miracles

#dinosaur jr