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joshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh · 3 years

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Season in Review - Fall 2020

So I made a couple of posts saying I’d be dropping my current Season in Review format after this last entry and move towards something such as tier lists, but I just decided to move to tier lists with this very entry, so I’ll probably post the draft Season in Review of the old format I still have written. But this is the real deal, and any feedback anyone has about this format, please feel free to share. I hope people are happy with the fact that these are a lot shorter at least, so I won’t get nearly as many people complaining about read mores.

So yeah that’s a very easily understood format, yeah? Like 24 shows I tried out this season, that’s pretty good imo. The intention of the rest of the post is to give what are basically just notes for each show and then I’ll do Girl, Boy and Anime of the Season at the end. I think that last one is kind of obvious just from looking at the scores, but still. Tiers aren’t ordered by the way.

Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka? Bloom

Lowkey we had reason to be worried about this season since the show went through another studio change, and Encourage Films’ track record isn’t really the greatest.

But actually this ended up looking just about as nice as the last season, and it seems like most of the core staff were the same anyway so it all worked out.

It’s more Gochiusa, it’s cute as all fucking hell, I absolutely adore it.

That “Bloom” part of the title is followed up on, lots of the characters and their relationships have actual development this season. I mean, it’s still fairly static - this is mostly a status quo cute girl show after all - but they still feel like they grow in really nice ways.

Chino still best girl.

Gochiusa is the 2nd best cute girls doing cute things anime behind K-On at this point.

Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club

I was more excited for this than any other anime this year.

At the same time I was more nervous about this than any other anime this year.

My specific fears were that we’d see episodes so laser-focused on singular characters that the plot and group relations would suffer, a la 22/7 earlier this year; and that Yu’s presence would spell disaster either by basically resolving everything in typical self-insert manager character fashion, or having so little presence that one has to wonder why she even exists.

Neither of those things ended up being issues. We did do a character-focus episode structure, but they were almost always in service of advancing the current plot and most of the cast had tangible presence throughout the entire show rather than just their focus episode.

Yu meanwhile is just actually a character, she helps out in some conflicts but it would be weird for her to solve all of them, so she doesn’t. And then she has an arc of her own and different relationships with the different girls of the club, it’s not just an “everyone loves her because ???” thing like in SIFAS. As someone who doesn’t like self-insert characters most of the time I was much happier with this angle.

OP and ED included, we got 13 new songs in just this one season, and they all go hard as fuck, this is musically the best season of Love Live yet.

The music is enhanced by a more music video style for the performances, featuring lots of different iconography and imagery for the girls and just taking us to a new world for every performance, they’re always super fun and charming to watch.

On that note the visuals are probably the best Love Live’s looked too - it’s a slightly simpler art style that looks a bit less distinctive than what we’ve had before but it animates so fucking cleanly and is just really easy on the eyes, we don’t have any weird diamond-mouth type shit like in Sunshine season 2. Characters get to be crazy expressive without looking stupid. Also the 3D continues to improve, somehow. Shit just looks poggers as hell.

Once it moves past the single character focused episodes, we’re mostly just up to some charming slice of life and main plot advancement stuff, though we do unfortunately have to deal with a jealousy arc. It sucked the least of every big dramatic thing at the end of a Love Live thing, but it’s not that enjoyable to watch and the resolution felt fairly flaccid compared to how dramatically some elements of this plot were set up.

Other than that the biggest problem with the show was just that some of the character focused episodes were a bit boring or underwhelming, most notably the already lacklustre Kanata.

It’s nice to have a Love Live series where there’s no groping whatsoever - Sunshine season 2 did away with it first but Sunshine season 1 was still a stain on Aqours’ legacy in that regard. Niji girls are perfectly clean.

I shit on N girls a lot but seeing so many of them animated felt really sweet.

I was overall very very happy with this and it would be poggers if we get a season 2 for them.

Taiso Samurai

Thought this would be boring because tbh gymnastics doesn’t interest me in the slightest.

And actually it still doesn’t, most of this show’s gymnastics moments aren’t super easy to understand, use some pretty bad CG, and we probably see more gymnastics from characters we don’t care about than characters we do.

While I’m criticising the show, rival character Tetsuo Minamino feels like he’s set up to be a big part of the narrative but he’s not even present for most of the show and has no development or little involvement when he is present, so that was disappointing.

Everything else about this show is great though.

Rei is an amazing character who gets so many amazing moments throughout the show and made me cry twice - I was definitely worried she’d just be “daughter character” but she becomes so much more than that really quickly and it’s great.

Her daughter moments are also great though, the father-daughter moments in this show are maybe the sweetest I’ve ever seen.

I think one of this show’s biggest strengths is in the fact that the characters feel very lived. When a character thinks back on their past to reflect on who they are or seek motivation or something, it’s basically always a different flashback, it makes the characters feel like they've experienced a lot more life than just what we see on screen, which enhances so many scenes and it’s great.

Jotaro is a very endearing lead and an absolute hunk. He doesn’t have loads of development necessarily, much of his growth comes very early in the show with him learning to listen to the people around him and push himself for their sake just as much as his own, and it’s nice how quickly he learns that lesson, makes him feel very adult. After that he’s closer to a flat character arc thing for the sake of Leo’s growth, and I think that was really good.

Leo is a twink, later twunk, who I wanna plow. And he’s also a nice character with a lot of great relationships and dynamics with the other characters and some really nice voice acting, I think his development across the show is very satisfying.

There’s a really colourful and endearing cast of extended characters that are all either really dumb or really cool, but it’s always in the best way possible. Shoutouts to Mari the gilf and Ayu the Mizuki Nana gyaru especially.

OP and ED go hard as hell.

CG aside, the visuals have a really nice, almost pencil look to them. Really enhances these already lovely character designs and gives the show a very unique style.

I’m mixed about the show’s early absurdity - the Aragakis adopting a ninja and having a witty talking bird called Bigbird in their house felt silly in a way that didn’t really feel in service of anything. Once I’d just accepted that the show was like that, it stopped being offputting, but idk, it still felt weird in terms of the show’s meta.

Maoujou de Oyasumi

This is a show that I watched the first episode of, immediately thought 8/10, and then thought that there’s no way it’d be able to maintain that quality and it’d probs go down to like a 6 or something once the premise got tired (HA CAUSE SHE’S TRYNA SLEEP).

I was wrong. It maintained that quality and never got tired.

From start to finish this show constantly feels really inventive with the amount of scenarios it can get itself into just with the premise of “hostage wants to sleep”. It’s constantly doing new things and getting you really invested in all of it thanks to a cute Dragon Quest-esque quest introduction visual that makes all of our objectives and victories really clear and satisfying.

It’s an anime with a good sense of humour, those are hard to come by so it’s worth watching for that alone.

Unironically Inori Minase’s best vocal performance. Some of the noises she makes in this show are amazing.

This wasn’t a problem later when they turned his character fully into a joke but some early episodes spent too much time on the Hero character out to save our princess when none of us care because he’s boring as fuck.

I wanted to see more of the succubus and harpy girls because they’re adorable beyond words.

Just want to repeat that the most impressive thing about this show is how consistently entertaining it manages to be despite a premise that feels like something you’d only get half an episode or so out of. Genuinely amazed me in that regard.

Akudama Drive

Definitely a show elevated by its visual style above all else, this show’s direction is strong as all fucking hell and enhances every single scene, and then the world and character designs are so over-the-top and colourful and there’s this super stylish scene transition they do with backgrounds entering the frame in partial segments and it looks great. This also isn’t a show that compromises on animation just for the sake of stylish art - it’s not the most outright sakuga show in the world but the animation is still pretty fucking clean given how complex the artwork gets.

Characters and plot are also quite style-over-substance, with every character being larger than life and committing insanely hard to whatever their gimmick is - everyone is dedicated to their craft and it’s fun seeing such intense characters clash with one another.

Writing actually feels quite meaningful at times despite that, there are lots of great dramatic irony moments regarding Swindler’s character and the show can manages to draw great character arcs out of places you wouldn’t expect.

I like that the show doesn’t really shy away from its cast being horrible people either, notably Cutthroat actually is a serial killer and Doctor’s almost cartoonishly evil.

It ends up critiquing criminal justice systems and law enforcements if you care about that too, I thought those elements of the show were fine but they’re not what kept me watching.

The show could be a bit boring at times - it doesn’t always manage to maintain the exciting pace and style of the early episodes. The moments where it drops that on purpose could be pretty good - Swindler being forced to kill some bandits that are out to prostitute her was a great scene - but other times it’ll just not be as exciting as it clearly wants to be.

But I think it still does a really impressive job at maintaining its style and pace for the most part, again there are weaker moments but up to the very end of the show it’s still a super exciting neon bloody joyride.

Semifinal episode is just kinda nonsense and Hacker was definitely the weakest character of the group.

Tomoyo Kurosawa is based as fuck.

Munou na Nana

Death Note but for kids tbh.

Psychological battles between Nana and whoever she’s out to kill that week but usually it’s her against super detective Kyoya, though they’re both kinda stupid and yet constantly overexplaining themselves in ways that are a little weak.

Though honestly I think their dynamic is still exciting to watch - cat and mouse between two persistent genius characters is generally always gonna be fun even with some slip-ups.

Early section could sort of drag when it was trying to establish how Nana really operates.

Mid section could sort of drag when it was just Nana getting in arcs where she kills people as normal - everyone’s too much of a scumbag for the moral question of “is what Nana’s doing right?” to be interesting.

End section could sort of drag with the introduction of some dude in a suit who could transform who I forget the name of and I literally never understood who he was, what he was about, or why. He just kinda sucked.

So the show would frequently drag is the point, which was unfortunate.

Not helping is the visuals - artwork isn’t really outright ugly for most of the show but it’s only really passable as just “fine”. And then there’s very little animation, colouring looks cheap, and the direction is super lame. You can like see the exact manga panel in every shot, they rarely take advantage of the medium. The main way in which they do so is that, whenever we’re in Nana or Kyoya’s mind, the screen’ll change to red or blue respectively and their expression will change. Super boring way of conveying this.

Soundtrack never really did any work either, though the ED would usually kick in at nice times.

Show was probably a bit over-reliant on cliffhangers - they’re always engaging cliffhangers on their own but it’s never consistent how well the next episode follows up on them, so some would be retroactively disappointing.

I’ve mostly said negatives though but to get to the show’s main strength - the dynamic between Nana and Michiru is amazing. My post about episode 13 goes pretty in-depth if you just want to check my tag for that or something, but TL;R is that they operate on so much dramatic irony that frames their relationship in really interesting and exciting yet super fucking sad ways and it literally always tugged at my heart seeing the so innocent and ridiculously good person have so much faith and trust in Nana despite her being a serial killer, and then that kinda worked and made Nana a better person anyway, it’s a super sweet dynamic. Michiru on her own is a pretty boring character but she draws so much out of Nana and it’s the absolute best, these two are probably my favourite character dynamic of the year.

So yeah show could be pretty lacking in a lot of ways but the dynamics between Nana and Kyoya + Nana and Michiru really elevated the thing and I actually plan to read the manga since I don’t know if I should expect a season 2.

Adachi to Shimamura

I’m a yuri cuck

This show is yuri

I’m a slice of life cuck

This show is slice of life

This is a show where we’re inside of characters’ heads a lot and they have a lot of just, thoughts about the nature of the relationships they have with the people around them, and to a certain extent the things they say are quite basic and a little overexplained but honestly I still had fun hearing them, Shimamura especially is really extrospective and nice to listen to.

Adachi’s head is fun to be in because she’s constantly fantasising about Shimamura which is a mood

With this show you kinda need to be okay with the fact that everything happens super slowly and there’s not loads of growth or progression in the narrative, but it’s still going somewhere - I was okay with this so even though we don’t even get a kiss, let alone some sort of confession, I was still enjoying myself just watching these 2 girls vibe.

Adachi is wife as fuck.

This is very much a leg anime and yo I’m good with that.

Not much else to it really. You’re just watching cute girls be gay and think about stuff and being a cuck. Alright by me. Season 2 would be nice.

A3! Season Autumn & Winter

I only got to cover 3 episodes of Spring & Summer when I did my Season in Review for that show’s airing since it got delayed and then never did a definitive thoughts on post, but it wound up being decently enjoyable once we moved on from the Spring troupe.

This season that’s even more the case, since Autumn Troupe actually wind up being super fun and likeable characters. They’re all pretty standard characters still, kind of just stock tropes with stock character arcs, but the stock trope they all sort of embody is some sort of badass delinquent dude with arcs relating to said traits. I’m into that shit just inhernently, so I just genuinely unabashadly liked all these dudes.

I had Winter troupe hyped up to me by fans of the game who promised that they were especially well written compared to the rest, but unfortunately Winter’s 6 episodes were also devoted to being a competition with God Troupe and establishing the future of Mankai Company and doing slice of life scenes with all 20 boys. All of this to say the individual characters in Winter really didn’t have enough time to grow and develop on their own, which sucks.

I’m not the target demographic for these sorts of otome shows at all, and I’m also a secondary with no interest in the game, so it’d be easy for me to be like “hahahahaha I’m glad this show’s over now so I don’t need to think about it more” but I’d be lying if I said that. I genuinely wish this was an 18 episode series because Winter tries to do so much stuff that they genuinely deserve a full cour of their own just so they can accomplish that stuff with any degree of competence. Autumn are simple characters so 6 episodes is fine for them, but Winter should have gotten more.

Still ended up being unexpectedly fun though, I started watching A3 literally exclusively because Studio 3Hz were doing it but now I feel genuinely justified in having done so.

Kamisama ni Natta Hi

Genuinely funny as a comedy, it surpasses both Angel Beats and Clannad as one. It’s great at developing new gags and putting characters in new situations, and Hina’s absolute faith that her plans will work combined with Yota’s absolute insane dedication to playing them out despite his own doubts is a really endearing dynamic.

The early episodes also turn comedy into drama and vice versa quite gracefully, so much so that the Izanami episode became the first Maeda thing I’ve seen to make me cry.

Unfortunately Maeda anime are remembered for their drama, and this show’s transition from mostly comedy to mostly drama is a stumble at best. It’s technically foreshadowed with this hacker dude but it takes so long for that to feel even connected with the main plot at all, so it feels like an awkward divergence at most. And then when it finally does connect to the main characters it just feels sort of arbitrary and like we’ve run out of jokes to tell, so we’re just gonna get to the drama part now.

Beyond an awkward stumble to get us to the drama portion of the show, said dramatic portion just feels a bit sucky. It’s like, it feels like there’s enough material there in theory to have much more of the show be spent on it or even just have an additional cour to fill it out. But at the same time, it feels like it wastes a lot of time saying very little - it just repeats itself without saying anything new and the ending is really fake profound in an unsatisfying way.

I would say I was endeared to the extended cast as comedy characters and some of their own drama could be nice, but it’s not quite enough for me to find their words of encouragement to Yota or their desire to rescue Hina feel compelling or believable, basically these dudes all needed more actual character.

I think just from the comedy stuff this show was looking to be like, a 7 or maybe an 8 from me, but that drama stuff just, wasn’t quite it.

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

This show should be absolutely amazing because it’s about a cute girl with a really nice voice wearing a bear costume and amassing a harem of utterly adorable lolis who completely love her.

Instead it’s just really slow and boring and meandering for its entire runtime. I couldn’t have fun with the show until I started watching at 1.5x speed.

Once at 1.5x speed though I had fun with the show so like, 5/10, sure.

Assault Lily: Bouquet

This was one of the most exciting non-sequel or spinoff shows for me this year, just because original Shaft anime with magical girls and strong yuri vibes and really great character designs that’s fucking obsessed with thighs sounds absolutely based as all fucking hell.

It just wasn’t lol.

Writing was completely all over the place and the show would constantly introduce new shit only to have it not be relevant ever or you’d see a character be introduced, have a complete non-arc that it makes no sense for her to have anyway, and then just be killed off.

Actual best episode of the show is the slice of life one where Yuyu goes to buy ramune for Riri

Outside of that though it’s just huge plot moments out of literally nowhere, repetitive plot beats, and just generally an aimless, structureless mess of a show.

Stupid funny in how bad the writing is a lot of the time though, I laughed at many of the show’s most dramatic moments.

Honestly has super fucking great visuals still so I’d recommend the show on the basis of it being a solid production with a so bad it’s good plot and lots of hot girls.

Class S nightmare. The main characters are called Yuyu and Riri. They adopt a daughter called Yuri. Everyone says gokigenyou. Riri calls Yuyu “onee-sama”. Everyone’s job title is Lily - literally “yuri no hana” in Japanese - the yuri flower. This show is an experiment to see how far they can push every single class S and yuri trope at once without ever having anyone be in a relationship. It’s basically like the show’s just edging for its entire runtime. As a yuri cuck I was pissed off.

Ochikobore Fruit Tart

Kirara cute girl show where the girls try and don’t really succeed at being idols.

Rarely funny and you’ve seen most of the jokes before.

Main strength is in the fact that it’s a lot lewder than most other Kirara things, plays up the fanservice a lot and panders to tons of fetishes as well. These are definitely the best moments in the show.

Art’s alright but looks kinda cheap and older than it actually is.

The few idol performances in the show are entirely 2D and usually decently well animated so that’s a plus.

Ino is one of the most based MCs I’ve ever seen.

Senyoku no Sigrdrifa

Written by Re:Zero dude with character designs by Takuya Fujima so it seems like it should’ve been good.

And tbf the character designs did indeed hold up, all the girls are very cute and very hot and I’d probably buy merch of them.

Writing is disappointing though. This is some of the most technically competent on paper yet super fucking boring on execution writing I’ve ever seen.

Like every scene in this show seems good when they’re completely self-contained, you can imagine them being good scenes in a better show, but for some reason they just don’t come together in a satisfying way at all.

I’ve not played enough JRPGs to be bored of the “and then they kill god” trope yet this show’s fight with god bored me.

I don’t think planes are cool at all.

The best episode of the show is like episode 4 I think it was, everyone’s in a swimsuit the entire episode and it’s a semi-absurd slice of life comedy thing. The show’s technical execution of comedy isn’t as good as its technical execution of drama, but the comedy is a lot more appealing anyway.

Noblesse

I also had to watch this show in 1.5x speed for it to be tolerable.

Tower of God of High School felt like weak adaptations without even needing to read the manhwa. Noblesse comes across as adapting an already shit source material. Smh Crunchyroll if you’re gonna be doing these originals then you need to step up your game.

This is another show that’s just boring, it’s not satisfying watching a level 100 character go fight a bunch of level 30 enemies. Not even as a power fantasy either because Raizel is too boring to project onto or be in any way attached to.

Once the show starts settling into comedy a bit more it can be pretty enjoyable though - seeing all these massive bishounen dudes with these crazy designs all living in a house together and doing mundane shit or playing basketball when they’re all gods is actully quite endearing.

Favourite character was the generic shounen MC high school dude with the nose bandage but he had no screentime.

Action looked pretty good but this is definitely a much less lavish production than Tower of God of High School were.

Wasn’t always the worst but I’d be okay if Crunchyroll stops adapting manhwa at this point.

Rail Romanesque

Well dressed train lolis hang out and the voice cast goes pretty fucking hard so I was looking forward to this.

I sincerely like the designs on paper and I guess they weren’t translated to anime in a horrible way, but they still ended up looking like shit anyway, especially in the faces the artwork was just shit and ugly.

I’m not into trains whatsoever so seeing these lolis come up with railway themed merch for like 10 straight episodes was torture.

Episodes were only 3 minutes long but still felt too long.

There are some moments that are just slice of life though with a slight yuri undercurrent and I was into them.

Why does this get a season 2.

Maesetsu!

Another show that seems technically competent on paper and the writing is honestly a bit better than Sigururi but the show is even more boring.

I think this show’s good at making its characters feel like genuine adults who have to struggle on the path of pursuing their dream career.

It also has a couple dramatic moments that like, don’t suck.

Again all of these scenes self-contained would look like they’re good scenes from a good show but they just fail to come together very well so it’s just boring a lot of the time.

So this show is about manzai comedy, but there’s literally not a single comedy routine in the entire series that’s remotely funny.

Some of them are deliberately unfunny and won’t get laughs from the audience and are narratively supposed to be weak performances. Some of them are super successful and will have everyone tell us how great they were. I couldn’t tell these apart.

Looks nice I guess. Cute girls. Distinctive style.

Ayumu’s seiyuu is in it so I got to listen to more Love Live voices.

Iwa Kakeru!: Sport Climbing Girls

Anime about muscle girls so this should’ve literally been anime of the decade.

Most of the girls don’t really have much muscle at all though.

Also the artwork is utter dogshit so nobody’s hot.

Writing is cringy as fuck and it gets laughably bad a lot of the time.

The show’s surprisingly not that boring for much of its runtime though, I laughed a few times even. Not at the jokes but still.

I guess this counts as “so bad it’s good” but it’s not the most enjoyable example of that. I think this was only bearable because I was watching an episode a week.

Wandering Witch

I actually have a full review of this out already that you can read.

TL;DR is that this is the most disappointing anime I have ever seen.

Travel shows are my fucking jam so this sounded hype as hell.

Elaina’s design and the fact that she’s a witch are also things I adored in advance of watching the show.

I just really want to fuck Elaina more than I can put into words.

Elaina ended up being one of the worst protagonists I’ve ever seen - she’s too unlikeable for the dark and dramatic episodes to work and the comedic episodes suck so much to begin with that Elaina doesn’t help them either. Plus she acts so inconsistently that it’s impossible to ever take anything she does at face value.

Every dark plot is too edgy and fucked up for the sake of it, with nothing to actually say.

Every comedic plot is too much fucking otaku pandering bullshit that it completetly takes me out of the world and none of it’s funny either so there’s no value to be found.

I don’t think a single country we visit ends up having any intrigue whatsoever - their depth always extends as far as their premise and that’s it.

Just watch literally any other traveller show. Fuck this show.

D4DJ: First Mix

Started airing way later than everything else and had an episode delayed too so we’re only 8 episodes in as of writing.

I fuckin love this a whole ton actually.

Characters are super duper super duper super duper cute and appealing and I love everyone a whole ton but especially Muni and Shinobu.

This show is consistently cute and sweet as all fucking hell and the one “dramatic” thing that was set up got resolved in a really cute and wholesome and adorable way.

Not super into DJ style music but this stuff just ends up being closer to electro-idol so I could vibe with it.

Some of the best anime CG I’ve seen, they take advantage of the 3D space and camera in a lot of really good ways but they’ve also literally never compromised on character expressiveness, these models get to be stretched and deformed and do super exaggerated expressions and I adore it.

OP is super catchy and memorable, it’s kinda constantly stuck in my head lol.

If you like Bandori you’ll like this, it’s more consistent in quality than that show even if I like the girls and music less.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Started cool as fuck tbh, it’s one of those edgier shounen a la Bleach and it feels even cooler than that series did at first.

Then it went to shit lol.

Once Yuji dies and is brought back to life the series just loses all sense of direction, we’re 13 episodes in and it feels like nothing has happened or nothing will happen - the most eventful thing is that Yuji made a friend who died but I fail to see why that’s relevant or will matter at all.

Yuji’s cool and I like him, and Gojou’s pretty based too and it’s fun seeing him completely overpower his opponents, but these fuckin shounen fans calling him the best character in any show this year just baffles me, he’s fine but that’s it.

Every other character sucks and is annoying because the character writing is for actual babies, everyone just spells out exactly what their deal is and then we just watch them be that deal.

Like oh wow that panda talks? Crazy! How about that dude that only speaks in food names? That’s so endearing! Dude that’s gonna beat you up if you have boring fetishes even though he likes tall girls with fat asses? Inventive and lovable! How about girl? She’s a girl! Oh, and I nearly forgot girl! She’s also a girl! And I’d be remiss to mention girl, she’s a girl!

Directionless and carried by the extremely high quality production, MAPPA have been going off all year tbh.

The one thing I agree on with all these shounen fans I constantly belittle is that the OP and ED are absolute bangers, I think the best of the season for each of them.

I hope the 2nd cour goes anywhere at all.

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Gou

I’ve never seen or read any other Higurashi thing which is important for context.

I like this though. It set itself up as being a readaptation but it’s apparently a sequel, though the story structure is such that I’m not necessarily required to watch the old stuff to appreciate this.

It has spoiled me on old stuff to a degree, most notably the existence of a character called I think Hanyuu, but I’m fine with these spoilers since they make the idea of watching the older stuff more appealing to me. And the old anime should hold up even with these spoilers already known because if knowing these things ruins them then they were bad shows to begin with. And Higurashi is so respected and adored that I don’t think that’s the case.

But anyway so far I do think this has felt a little meandering - we’re basically just in these timeloop stories that’ll follow fairly expository narrative arcs before ending in everyone’s deaths but moving onto a new timeline before we really answer anything.

The moment to moment is fun to watch but it has yet to really amount to anything like I’d expect from such a respected series. 13 episodes into a 24 episode series though so I’m happy to be patient.

It is nice learning about something in one timeline such that it can just be a part of the next timeline without needing to be explained - Oyashiro’s curse stops being explained to Keiichi early on and Shion is also just allowed to exist in the 3rd timeline after we’ve been given a fuller introduction of her in the 2nd timeline.

Mysteries are always pretty engaging and despite some goofy faces it nails the horror atmosphere.

Love Akio Watanabe’s designs and seeing the contrast in having these adorable characters get fucking drenched in blood or whatever is usually pretty effective.

Basically this is fun to watch but the structure so far hasn’t necessarily been satisfying and I’m waiting for the show to “click” so I can understand why Higurashi is so critically acclaimed.

Of course it’s fully possible this anime will fail to have that clicking moment, but just to quell any doubts I fully intend to watch the old anime once this is over and that should make it click for me it this anime fails to do that on its own. I also intend to watch it even if this anime does end up clicking for me, but you know.

This is the first show where I’ve ever heard Yukari Tamura talk in something closer to a normal voice rather than that squeaky loli thing and it’s weird but I like it. I also like the squeaky loli voice, Rika sounds cute as fuck.

Rika’s probably best girl, if not her then Satoko.

Keiichi’s a lot more based than I think I was expecting him to be so that’s nice.

Yeah fun time.

Ikebukuro West Gate Park

Dropped after 3 episodes.

Doga Kobo adapting a respected series of early 2000s gang war mystery novels sounds super interesting.

But it was just episodic task plots with lame climaxes and uninteresting moment-to-moment writing and no compelling mysteries or drama to be found whatsoever.

A lot of this show is just characters talking about how cool and competent they all are and how many useful connections they have. Whenever it would advance the plot to do so, a character will just reveal that “oh yeah I used to have a part time reporting job so I know how to get us in here. Or “oh I’m best friends with the chief of police so I can do anything basically”. The leader of the G-Boys (I can’t take that name seriously) and the Red Angels all constantly suck off MC’s cock and it’s super borign.

You’re literally just watching people talk about being cool while not being or doing anything cool at all. It’s not relatable, it’s not enjoyable, you can’t project yourself onto anyone, nobody’s actually admirable in any way, it’s just fucking words and it’s super dull.

Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle – Rhyme Anima

Also dropped after 3 episodes.

Tbh this wasn’t bad actually, I had no expectations because “bishie-boy rap anime” sounds like an absolute disaster, but it was fairly competently made.

Main strength is the presentation, I kind hate the character designs but much of the world as seen in the early episodes is quite gritty and edgy in a way befitting rap, but it doesn’t go so far as to be too edgy for the silly premise.

Music performances are where the show goes hardest - aside from some poor CG implementation they’re just these visual overloads of style and flair and effects and really exciting and intense lyric integration, just fun to watch.

The rap itself also ends up being pretty good, Buster Bros especially clearly know what they’re doing and how to rap so they’re pretty exciting to listen to.

Unfortunately the charm wears off almost straight after the first episode, with much lamer visuals and tamer performances.

First episode cut between all 4 groups so none of them got tired but with episodes 2 and 3 spent on single groups each it became clear how dull these characters are.

I’m also just not the target demographic for this and I only watched it for the novelty of anime boys rapping. As soon as that novelty wore off, I was done.

I’d probably have finished this in a less stacked season but this is the fucking 23rd show in this post so clearly that didn’t work out.

Tonikaku Kawaii

Once again dropped after 3 episodes.

Nasa’s annoying as fuck.

Tsukasa has basically no personality to begin with but then it’s all drained away so she can be a blushing dere waifu.

Them being married changes nothing about the show and they just use the same tired cliche rom-com jokes we’ve all seen before.

That’s kind of it actually.

OP starts out real nice but has a shitty dubstep bass drop that sounds like one of those 2017-ish Geometry Dash YouTube intros.

It also looks like one of those because it just has the show’s logo bounce around the screen a bit and be zoomed in on at random points and it’s so laughably cheap and shitty that I have no idea how anyone can respect it at all.

Character designs are not nearly as cute as the show wants me to think they are.

That’s it.

And hey that’s everything! Was that fun? It was easier to write, that’s for sure. More good shows than bad this season and we even got a 10/10 in there which is nice, and a 1/10 too, what a season! But before we end this newly formatted Season in Review, I still want to end with some classics.

Girl of the Season - Setsuna Yuki

She’s my pfp on here and Discord, my bio here reads “Simp for Setsuna” my Discord name is “Setsuna Simp”, I really don’t think this should come as a surprise. I went into Niji super biased and expecting Setsuna to be the favourite and the anime did not disappoint at all - they really capitalised on the potential of her two identities thing with how they loaded Nana with regret over her Setsuna persona and her reconciliation with herself is super duper amazing to watch, and DIVE! was the best new song in Niji too pog. Just adore this girl so fucking much.

Boy of the Season - Jotaro Aragaki

Hunky dilf with nice growth early on that becomes a very admirable and enjoyable flat character arc thing. I kinda said everything about him in his show’s section actually, he’s just a really admirable and loveable dude who I’d like to be like. Rei’s a better written character than him but he’s a perfect lead for the type of show Taiso Samurai is.

Anime of the Season - Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka? Bloom

I realise this is kind of implied by it being the only 10/10 show here, but I want the tier list format to be how I do these from now on and with tiers not being ordered, well, some shows might both get 10 and so it’s good to outline the specific winner. And I need that consistency, yo. But yeah. Basically, I had problems with Nijigasaki, I didn’t have any problems with Gochiusa. This show physically hurt to watch because smiling ear to ear for entire episodes would tire my face muscles. If your show can make me smile that much I think it deserves to be called Anime of the Season lol.

And yeah that’s us for real now. I’ll post that draft I wrote shortly.

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bonnieisaway · 4 years

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A Stupidly Long Critique of Saiki K: Reawakened

A Fuckton Of Spoilers Ahead

So I went and watched the new season/continuation of Saiki K today on Netflix and.

Boy, do I have some words.

Spoilers under the cut!

Alright. So as I’ve said, today, (Dec 30th) Netflix decided to rip The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K out of Funimation’s hands and make their own continuation- Saiki K Reawakened. A 6 episode continuation and ending to our beloved show, that’s been hyped up for weeks now.

..Except, it doesn’t really feel that way.

The first episode, (Three Men, A Little Girl, A Police Officer, And A Dog) first of all struck me with this- they no longer had opening/ending theme songs. I posted about it earlier but this made me really upset. The op/ed songs are one of my favorite parts of the anime. Youth Isn’t So Cruel is a beautiful song, The Most Favorable! is hyper active and just a fun listen, Silent Prisoner is bad ass, and Put Your Hands Up always put a smile on my face, and that’s just the opening. But Netflix decided to take away the songs and it’s upsetting. I would’ve been happy even if they just re-used an old opening, because I was expecting something and it was really disappointing.

The episode itself was a bit upsetting itself. I like watch things in order, but the chapter this episode is based off of is literally like the 10th chapter of the manga. I can’t find the exact one at the moment but I remember it was early on (hence, Nendo and Kaido arguing about which one of them is Saiki’s friend and such.) Even then- I went in expecting 6 episodes about his powers reawakening, not “Here’s 5 episodes of chapters we skipped and then we’re gonna mention the powers being reawakened.”

That’s probably one of my biggest problems with Reawakened. It’s just makeup work.

I think it would’ve been better if they put these episodes either in the places they belong or in the Season 3 category under the original show. They didn’t deserve all this hype for filler.

Another thing I missed was that usually, after the ending song in every episode, there’d be a small narration by Saiki of what would come next week. Those were also super funny and I missed that. I feel like Reawakened was a bad fanfiction Netflix wrote which just killed the original work. I thought Reawakened was gonna be a bad ass, slow escalation of Saiki’s powers cranking themselves back up to what they were before the ending of Season 2. And it kind of disappointed.

That isn’t to say Reawakened didn’t have it’s few funny moments. I think the “useless powers” bit actually made me pee a bit.

But it was only of a few. Most moments felt out of character, or out of place, and the bit with the whole “teacher with a 10-year-anniversary-Jump’ was excruciating to sit through. I did like Saiki’s little smile at the end though. It felt like Saiki’s few expressions that make my heart scream ‘uwu’ were the one thing keeping me watching the show.

In Episode 3, (New Teacher with an Outstanding Feature), I personally felt like Iguchi’s existence was a dead horse they kept beating with a stick every time they called him a pervert. He just genuinely made me uncomfortable and felt like a bad forced joke.

On the contrary, Hii felt like a great addition. I think they should’ve added her in the original two seasons in the first place, where she was supposed to be. I didn’t know till the other day that she came in way earlier. She’s a lovable unlucky klutz and she produced some genuinely funny moments. (Though, that whole ‘what happened last time’ bit kinda hurt my soul.) Episode 4 was one of my favorites just because of her. It felt like she brung back what Netflix stripped away from the original anime.

Before I get to the big money maker, episode 6- I have to point out the elephant in the room.

The fucking English dub.

I figured out that I could turn it on at some point during the episode with the useless abilities so I turned it on. I had heard the trailer with Saiki’s..new VA… but I figured he’d grow on me along with the rest of the cast.

Oh my god I was so wrong.

All I heard was Kuniharu’s and Saiki’s voice and genuinely, I nearly threw up. I’ve never had such an urge to slam my head into a brick wall until I heard the voices. I can’t even say much else because I didn’t and still do not have the willpower to sit through the English dub. It’s just.. so.. bad. I can’t stand it. I know that we can’t have the original English cast back because Funimation copyright yadda yadda I get it. But good lord. I can’t stand Saiki’s voice actor. The sarcasm sounds forced, the pauses are uncomfortable, and it just..hurts. The original one felt fluent, and just organic. The English dub made me, in short, want to blow my brains out.

That aside- episode 6. Saiki Kusuo gets his motha’ fuckin powers back.

I had my hopes low when I started this episode out of fear since some of the others literally just made me want to gag myself.

But episode 6… (muwah.) A masterpiece. No anime is perfect but oh my god.

I loved how Saiki kept forgetting he couldn’t use his powers. Call it weird but the way he’s kind of a tsundere in the sense of lying to himself that he doesn’t like any of this and would be much better off without them is one of my favorite things. And it’s even better when he runs out of lies and has to face it. And even then- as his powers slowly integrate back, I about died. It was so funny, with Tortisuka holding his shoulder when he went invisible and Saiki using that as a way out of it, or hearing others thoughts and thinking of it as an auditory hallucination. I didn’t like how the thoughts sounded distant and kind of echo-ey compared to when they were easy to hear before, but that might just be me.

Also? This scene right here? Where all of his friends protect him and he’s upset because he had to be protected? I started bawling. Maybe it’s because Aunt Flo’s in town and I have an unhealthy emotional attachment to Saiki, but it just hurt so bad watching him upset like that. And on a personal level, I felt where he was coming from. I don’t cry much at movies or TV or anime but good grief, I was crying in the club.

The whole meteorite heading to destroy Japan had me in a bit of shock. I saw the cryptic advertisements hyping Reawakened but I almost forgot about them and even then a meteorite didn’t seem dire until it seemed like Saiki had no say in anything.

As the climax builds and Saiki hears his friends panic-

-also featuring the best line uttered by Akechi ever- but even as Saiko says “I need to get my friends to the bunker aswell!” (which, holy shit, I didn’t care for Saiko but that got me to tear up?) I was losing my mind. After so much disappointment and just agony from this continuation- this had to be the best scene there. It’s hard to describe. It’s just so much emotion.

And then it happens.

The ever tsundere-lying-to-himself Kusuo accepts that he’s a psychic who doesn’t mind his disastrous friends sometimes. What a way to end the anime. Call it a cliche beginning-is-the-end but I’ve never been happier to hear those Japanese words. I’ve never loved an ending so much. It emotionally hurt and was hell, but I loved it. This has been my stupidly long criticism of Reawakened!

So, tl;dr, Reawakened had it’s hard weak points but I’ll be damned if I didn’t love the ending. We love my favorite boyo, Saiki Kusuo. Also I’d die for Hii. Goodnight.

edit: recently i noticed that Saiki's eyes compared to everyone elses doesnt have detail (no pupil/shine etc) except for that epic ending scene with Saiki and I jsut- HOLY FUCK here's a gifnthat kinda shows my point- his eyes transition from normal to detailed

#Saiki kusuo #saiki k reawakened #saiki kusuo no psi nan #saiki k #critisism #i dont know how this got so long

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boltwrites · 4 years

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hey, i want to pay you a compliment but i don’t want to be weird about it - a guide to interacting with a smut writer

so, recently i got a pretty inappropriate ask and figured this would be something beneficial to share with you all, especially if you’re new to interacting with smut writers or don’t know where the line in. i know it can be kind of intimidating and confusing interacting with smut content when you’re new to it or you’ve never spoken to a writer directly, so i hope this guide can offer you a little bit of perspective.

also, a disclaimer - this is based off of what i consider appropriate. if you’re ever worried, just straight up ask a smut writer about what kind of compliments they like, and what would be considered going too far

what compliments related to their work are ok?

so, for me, i highly prefer literature-related comments, however, general enjoyment comments are good as well! here are some examples of each type:

general enjoyment compliments are your safest bet for any fic. they’re a little basic, but authors will still love to see them in tags, asks, and reviews. they’re a fic writer’s bread and butter, and i’d even go so far to say that almost every smut fic writer would find these appropriate. here are some examples:

i loved this fic so much! you’re an amazing writing and i’m looking forward to reading more of your work

EXCUSE ME WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT - this was amazing! one of my fav fics of all time, you have so much talent

THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD (insert praying emoji here)

IJBGRJGOTER OP YOU ARE GOING TO K I L L M E

one of these days i am going to pass out from how good your writing is i SWEAR

you can be funny with these, but the general point is just to compliment the writer, tell them that you enjoy their work and that you value the effort they put into the piece. you can find these kinds of compliments on any sort of fic, i just feel like the last couple of really frantic keysmashing ones are far more common on smut fics!

now, on to literary compliments. this section can be a little trickier, since you’re specifically discussing the smutty content of the story, but here are some general themes to keep in mind: characterization, character relationship, plot/setup, author voice, and realism. since you’re complimenting a writer, leaning into literary elements can do you some good in keeping you grounded in the art of their work rather than stepping over the line into inappropriate comments. some examples:

you write him so well! i definitely think he would be a hard dom, and you captured that perfectly! the dialogue... just *chef’s kiss* (characterization)

dude, the relationship between her and y/n is ADORABLE. like yeah, the smut was awesome, as always, but i love how you captured how soft she would be in a relationship, and y/n is so gentle in return... it was just so sweet, i loved it! (relationships)

i don’t know how you do it but you write the BEST setups. i feel like you can write any character in any kink setup and i would just go “yeah, that makes total sense” even if it’s completely implausible. it’s just that good! respect. (setups/plot)

the way you write is so amazing. i love the way you describe everything, it’s so poetic and beautiful. i definitely think it suits the characters, and i love the idea of a sex scene like that being so intimate and beautiful (author voice)

i love that you don’t take everything so seriously! that you write little jokes even in your sex scenes - i hate reading scenes that are super stiff and overly dramatic, and you capture something so fun and sweet when you write, it’s awesome! (author voice)

ok, can i just say i LOVE how realistic your scenes are? like, i love how you include things like foreplay and aftercare and emphasize the playfulness and even the mistakes that can happen when you’re trying something with a partner for the first time. (realism)

i, personally, love literature related comments. i write smut as a form of literature, and even if it isn’t “high art” i do like it when people appreciate the time i take to work on characterization and similar elements

basically, treat a smut fic like any other fic when it comes to writing a compliment. smut can be literary too!

what compliments aren’t ok?

alright, so this is the important section. mostly this relates to personal experiences that are serious and unrelated to the work itself. basically, you’re treating me, the smut writer, like your friend that you share your sexual experiences with. if it doesn’t relate to the character, the fic, or my writing skill, it’s probably not appropriate. some examples

telling me sex acts you did while you read the fic. this is basically the classic “i jacked off to this, it’s sooooo good” comment. some people can jack off to a particularly curvy piece of driftwood - this isn’t a compliment, this is a violation of writer/reader trust. i don’t want to know about your personal sex life

personal sex stories. don’t tell me about how one time you were fucking your bf and it was like this fic i wrote - i don’t care, i don’t want to hear about how you had sex with your bf.

basically any real life, direct connections to you and your sex life that aren’t jokes (i’ll explain this in the next section)

also, a big section of compliments that are always a hard no - shit that relates back to MY sexual expertise. such as “wow you write this so well, you’re probably good in bed” or “wow you’re a freak huh? lmao” don’t fucking perceive me

what personal comments are ok?

so, this section deals with what asks you can send me that aren’t compliments - aka what messages relating to headcanons, your personal life, etc, that you can share with me that may or may not be smut related. this is specific to ME, as in, check in with other smut writers for these things

sharing jokes surrounding your personal life that may be slightly sexual. for example, at one point, i wrote a set of dick headcanons and an anon commented (in a joking way) that i described their bf’s dick perfectly. while this is a sexual comment, the anon didn’t tell me anything about their sex life or sex acts they committed - they just made a joking sexual comment that connected back to their daily life. for me, personally, if it is slightly sexual, but does not involve any actual sex/masturbation acts, it’s fine to joke about with me

in addition to the above, sending in comments like “thanks, bolt, now i have a praise kink” or similar, after i write something about it. they’re joking, and they’re fine to send in to my blog

sending me in smutty headcanons. i LOVE when people send me in smutty headcanons about how a character would act in certain scenarios. so PLEASE feel free to send those

questions about kink, kink culture, or even general sex ed questions. if it’s educational in nature, i would be more than happy to help, but a reminder that i am just a random stranger on the internet. you should probably just ask me what sex pollen is, and not how to fix your sex life lmao

telling me what you would do to a character is fine. like “omg i wanna peg Bolin so bad can you imagine the noises he would make?” is perfectly fine, to me. we’re all thirsting after these characters, and it’s a major subject of the blog, so i don’t mind these asks, especially since sometimes they lead to me writing out some headcanons or fleshing out a certain part of a character

what personal comments aren’t ok?

i covered this mostly in previous sections, but -

discussions of your personal sex life, as in, sex acts you have committed or partaken in, joking or serious. while i am ok with jokes that are vaguely sexual or hold sexual connotations, please don’t reveal details or your personal sex or self-love life to me, even in joke form

anything pertaining to me and my sex life. there’s no need for you to know, and if i wanted to tell you, i would

starting an argument with a smut writer over what they will or will not write. everyone has different limits and boundaries, and some of these choices are shaped by very personal experiences that someone might not want to share, or things they cannot control - such as dysphoria, trauma, or mental illness. if someone’s limits or lack thereof are offensive to you, it is best that you simply block and move on instead of trying to incite an argument.

this isn’t kink related, but most unrelated comments regarding your day/what you did. while it’s nice that you went out and got an iced coffee, i’m a lok writing blog. unless you relate it back to a headcanon you’re sharing with me, or a request you want me to complete, please don’t just tell me about your day (unless we are friends and talking on discord, lol)

#author speaks #this is long but i feel like i need to write it lmao

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misinformedgenic · 3 years

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The last post on this god awful blog

Hello, I ask everyone who see’s this to unfollow this blog, if you are following me. I can’t look at the reblogs and posts I posted anymore, without feeling incredibly embarassed and I know that I am being aggressive to the people who gave me notes but you know what I don’t care.

(Overall trigger warning: trauma,syscourse,swearing and apologies.)

My message for those who are anti-endogenic:

(tw: abelism,mental ilness)

The truth is, whether all systems are formed by trauma or some can be born that way or it can be formed by something else, it really doesn’t matter. All endogenic systems are just trying to exist and communicate their experiences, and instead of listening and supporting those who might experience their plurality differently from you, you just villanize them and insult them and do the exact same thing that neurotypicals have been doing to us for YEARS. Calling us fake, saying we are trying to get attention, saying we should be ashamed of ourselves for “appropriaiting” from people who had a more severe form of an illness or was priveliged enough to get a diagnosis . If you are traumagenic and you haven’t had that kind of experience, I genuinely envy you. That shit was done to me and it really hurt me. People called me attention seeking for saying I was depressed,or had social anxiety or that I was transgender, or that I was traumatised or plural when all I was trying to do was be myself openly and to accept myself. Why is it that when someone who experiences some sort of plurality and they don’t feel comfortable assosciating their system with trauma, you jump straight to accusing them of something as awful as FAKING or BEING A THIEF!

And yes I know being endogenic means it’s not an illness, but being called a fake for expressing who you truly are when you’ve been forced to hide who you are is such a awful experience. How could you be so callous and careless to even risk that happening to someone else, even once more, in this cruel world. Even if every single endogenic system, who says I can’t help being a plural, was trauma genic, they still associate themselves with that word, endogenic. When you say something horrible about endogenic systems, you are doing so much damage to those people. I mean, to assume without a shadow of a doubt that every single “veritable” endogenic system is actually traumagenic with the limited amount of understanding of DID/OSDD IN ITSELF, as opposed to how this phenomenon could work outside of a disordered framework, really shows you have your head far up your ass. But even then, it doesn’t matter because whether they ended up being traumagenic or not, according to science, no one deserves that treatment.

Even then,in regards to the post on this blog that got the most notes, we need to understand that people with plurality are forced to label their pluraility as a symptom of a disorder. Many systems who needed psychiatry and systems who didn’t and just masked themselves mingled, and they shared terms. This is still happening today, more then ever.

(Just in case you want to know, fictive is not a term used in psychology or psychiatry. It literally came from the soul bonding community, and people who are anti endogenic are still using it. If you don’t believe me use a web browser, and provide some sources to prove otherwise. I didn’t know this, and I’m not going to tag the OP who told me this,because I’m not sure whether they want to be tagged, but thank you. I felt pretty humiliated but it helped to come to realize what I was doing was wrong and that my opinions were wrong, and it helped me to become a kinder and more understanding individual.)

And we need to understand that systems shouldn’t be forced to be involved in exploring their plurality through a lense of trauma, because for many it doesn’t make sense because thats not how they experience it. Even if it is repressed memories ,sometimes or always, systems need a space to be systems without talking about trauma or applying trauma to it. DID and OSDD spaces are not providing that and in those spaces trauma is going to be talked about. Systems shouldn’t have to force themselves to think about trauma and go through pain, just to be able to call themselves a plural and have people acknowledge and accept them.

My message for any endogenic systems and their supporters:

I apologize for everything that you had to go through, from me and my behaviour. My behaviour was terrible and none of you deserved it at all. You deserve so much more than what you get from the anti-endogenic crowd, and you are absolutely valid, and I hope that in the future things will be easier all of you. You deserve love, acceptance and support, and I hope that nobody will ever be able to take that reality from you. You are doing nothing wrong by just being a plural, and it’s really sad that people were and still are fighting about this. Fuck anyone who says otherwise.

Conclusion:

(tw: s***** abuse,ableism,self hatred)

I know I was guilty of what I criticized, and that is really embarassing, but I’m glad I realize that now. I admit I was angry because I was jealous and bitter and I didn’t understand the history properly around this community or how it formed. I went through a lot of online g******g and s***al abuse and my experience with being a system was horrible, I had to deal with alters who had horrible del****ns and wanted to incite gruesome s*** h*** and wanted to k*** me. My system has introjects of my a****rs and random men I see on the streets making pe****ted comments at me pretty much all the time, and I was really jealous of systems who could experience the joys of being a system while avoiding the horrible parts. It made me feel worthless and inferior, because all the interesting and fun parts of being a system could be paraded on TikTok or whether and displayed by people who weren’t f***ed *p and dis*****ng like I was. I am not saying that’s the only basis as to why anti-endogenics hold their opinions, but I am saying this because if you ever see those anti-endogenic posts of mine somewhere and I am very passive agressive or vicious, that’s where it comes from and it isn’t objective or fair.

end of abuse trigger warning.

I decided that I am going to delete all the mean comments I made on other people’s posts that didn’t get any response, so that not another person has to see it again, and for which did get a response I am going to apologize to all those I harmed. If you want to respond to my argument, I can’t stop you from reblogging and making a comment, and that’s your freedom on this website, but I am not going to be replying because discourse on here is so nasty and I’m just done with that. I would rather help contribute to a community of people who feel isolated and who will be empowered by building a culture around plurality, whether that be around trauma or not. I’m tired of focusing on my trauma, it’s in the past and I don’t give a shit about it. It just sucks and I hate it and I am done with it. I will need therapy for it of course,yadi ya, but in terms of my limited free time on this earth I would rather contribute to making people feel happy and supported then argue and be angry about something that is kind of pointless anyway.

So bye, I would like to make a normal system blog in the future and we’ll be using the same names but for now I need to shut the fuck up and reflect.

- Luca

Also hey, on a additional note, my name is Milo and I allowed my name to be associated with this blog and it was irresponsible and unkind for me to do promote this kind of thinking. I am really sorry for any harm I caused by being a part of this blog. Additionally Stanley understands that his post on pride flags was inaccurate and he made some very nasty comments/did some nasty stuff to, he is very sorry to all those he harmed with his previous posts. He is in a really bad situation at the moment, which has gotten worse over time, he is a trauma holder and he is in a lot of emotional turmoil,so neither me or Luca wanted him to be involved in writing this specific post, but that doesn’t mean what he did was okay and all three of us recognize this now.

Best regards,

Milo.

0 notes

throwingideasatthewall · 3 years

Text

Clone Wars Shadow Warriors

Seas 4

Oh this- just screams edgy ... Whelp

So is Jar Jar an adult, now,? (Asking because before his characteri zation was force of nature to child

Now he seems to have his own personality.

Which is fine if you want to change some details for the sake of a better story, (Or to simply explore a new angle,). Aesthetic

Just. need to make sure I’m holding them to the right standard,

Okay,

That- was relatively adult,

Um.

Aight . . Well-

Wait

Did they just call Jar Jar away from Cou-ncil-

. I mean they are clearly trying which is some thing I do give credit for-

Though The Tone Is Robot- Ic-

(Though that might be int- entional since it seems to be hinting that this lady is practicing some kind of mind tricks on him

(Aka, he’s doing it under tox, because we don’t do suspension of choice in dra- mat ic Me- -dia,

S’up

What?

I-

H-elp

Screw my own accou- -ntability - See that was the correct -amount of emotion-

. Okay - Right-

Sus- (pic)

No one noticed the obvious people right there?

Like not even Mr. sus there?

[or are they just so kind that it’s like oh yeah we were just talking hate speech but go right ahead?

Logic?

There

Yeah some shit is definitely going on,

For sake of argument* sake, i’m just going to assume that his reaction to toxic behavior

*Account ability-

Any way

I-

I’m still going to try,

Despite you clearly saying you want understood

Because assumed authority - and assuming you know better than a person about themselves

Is totally ok-

- In this society

-[Cries in sad “accountability,” -of- war, ]

Whelp,

In- flue- n -c e

Still an adult-

Okay-

Imagine it was just a normal necklace and he pulled that shit-

[Ok for the sake of argument I’m going to assume the necklace is symbolism for toxic influence,

Being around it enabling]

It- - His voice voice dropped like - 6 octaves

Also I swear if they try to excuse him for his actions-

Mind over matter -Okay, so they’re not excusing him for his -actions,

Me- an - OK so it’s not naturally evil it just comes down to the users so that dude was still totally responsible,

Didn’t change - much

- Ha-Ha

Actual gas -lighting”

Also persuade, - Okay, good not excusing him from his actions, - Thing

The gaslighting goes deep - Also isn’t the Darkside supposed to be negative over involvement? - Aight- - - A-lone

Oh yeah that’s a great idea let’s just let the dude that just got gaslighted and completely fell forward go back into the person who did it,

👍

Genius

(This Jedi Council is fucking brilliant)

Gas- Light- Ing

(Note; Confronting the gas lighter is never the way to do it (Inter- Gen-) (Excluding accountability of the abuser (Gen-break Venting Pro- Ced- u re)

[as you’re usually too angry to let them get a word in edgewise And remain; in control)

With inter- gen productivity, They are possibly given five warnings before Being Kick ed-]

For the sake of argu- ment as well as simplicity-

We’re stick -ing with bas- ic-

If someone’s acting toxic with you, you reflect and you don’t have to hang out with anyone you don’t want to,

Logic

This dude is very clearly making it obvious that he’s willing to listen to this person,

And, enabling

“Cl-”

See he’s gaslighting him again because he thinks he can get away with it,

With no accoun- tability-

(Or the small bit this society believes in which is jail,”

Wr-

Oh!

Is he a Gungan Jedi?

Also,

You Don’t

SAY!

(The repeated Gaslighter who has shown multiple times to be toxic, Was toxic, (And prepared to use any means to subvert the will?

Prize for the most in competent Je di

Like, Serious- (Really had to put those two accoun t- ability- cells to good - use-”

(For matting issue-)

The writer just saving us the effort of him coming downstairs -all feckin- weird, and the obvious “should’ve seen that coming, “

? ha-ha

What?

Oh yeah no the creepy magical stuff wasn’t enough of a fecking clue in-

Appar-

Whelp-

He snapped out of that quick-

Like didn’t even need a reverse- mind trick

Good for him-

And - actual- nar- rative- -

Whelp,

Wreck-ing -house

Okay, but how do you think this is going to look to the general public like two Jedi,( very good at persuasion - mind tricks’ -just showed up, now they’re leader and said Jedi are wreck-ing one of their minster’s houses-

One who could’ve feign- ed lack of support for the war

Like if this is a set up-

the chips- are about to fall,

Da-

Okay, seriously how obviously evil, was this person?

Like we have a weird creepy room, The robots apparently hanging from the chandelier (eck) And the knife

Like if this person ever- went- through a checkpoint

Also, Oh-

That-

(That really does not look good,)

Bo-ss

Yeah, she clearly has medical experience,

(Also yeah that’s really going to make it better-”

Oh yeah the senator was seen trying to clean up the evidence-

Well the Jedi ran out full sword’s- a blazing

(Instead of you know the Senator chasing after him, While the peacekeeper stayed behind and tried to tend to the person,]

Great - - Or Not-

Well- tensions just got raised,

Of,

Ai. Ght,

Whelp,

(Okay, no way he’s totally not dead but sure-)

A-i-

Whe-

That- sucks- - Un- Con-cious

That- doesn’t tell me anything else-

Like; Critical condition?

D-usk

Li-terally no one else?

(Like don’t get me wrong I’ve been a pretty big Jar-jar fan ever since the change-)

But really, the Senator, the person that spends the most time away from your - planet

That’s the person, they trust the most?

Ai-

Hm-

Oh yeah just put on the deadly leaders hat-

The rese-mblance-

Not really?

I mean all humans technically look the same-

But-

Pretty sure Jar jar is a lot scrawn- thin -er

Also if they’re not going to listen to him as him they’re not going to listen to him as he pretends to be their (dead) leader

Also, please don’t go with the liar revealed plot,

Yeah no, they have completely different kind of light. tones,

The face structure-

Co-mpletely different-

Nope

-Dead

Di-ssent

Agree

I-

OK yeah I’m just gonna go over the fact, that as previously state, I am not a huge fan of the liar revealed plot-

-or lying

(No because it’s- unrealistic- - or there’s anything wrong with it

-people do lie

-maybe because of how overdone and poorly done it’s been,

-With the liar getting off Scott free without any weight

But I really don’t like this plot-

-And the skip button maybe used ad- nausuem- -

[Well- shit [for reference; I was using the skip button ad nausuem when I randomly stopped at the part with Greivous

Things just got a whole lot worse]

[Tumblr Refresh] -

Any Way,

Aww, That’s kind of nice the friendship and reliance the dude has on Other- Half - Yes ‘Boss Leoni’ when someone gets tox you leave- - In a - relation ship-

Also yeah he’s definitely not ‘Boss Leoni’ - He would’ve stayed and tried to take the tox

(Aka Jar-jar is less ena- bling, les- tox- And Doesn’t Take It For Much More. Than He Has To,

(He’s les -s

Dyfun. -c)

Okay

Good Job - Also - yeah how’d you manage that - That-

Didn’t get car ried up the chain of com- mand- - Then again Gri- evous has shown to be a pretty shit boss. - So I can’t blame these guys for being like yeah compl- ete stranger I will totally take a nap -right ,now- - You kinda have sticks- - [The rain is really nice,]

[is this the first time we’ve seen them use active particle effects for the camera?

Either way it’s really nice -

Oh,

They’re

electric sticks,

That makes sense

[- bet ter for Figh t- In- g-

Stop one 1v1 -ing- It

W-h

Again this is what happens when you 1v1 it and don’t assume accountability- - -

[Don’t fight a metal cyborg with metal sticks when you’re not prepared to take it, full way,)

I-

[I feel like this is supposed to be some big build up but they only shared like one scene where dude was completely silent,]

Like,

Sacr-ifice

Die to take someone out with you

[Great

Now

Ouch]

Are they actually going to kill off grievous because this isn’t look-ing too - good - Shit-

Dude- is still not dead- - How? - Whelp- - Oh, hey where the fuck did you come from,

I- Ack. Br-u- Tal

W-el

- Un - M - Plan-

“ damn it he messed up the script-, -Pal - patine

Cap-

Prison break-

Also yeah that’s probably like a vacation for him-

Given how toxic these assholes are - Ex- change - Damn Ship per-

Also screw the 150 or how many other sena -tors - Only Amidala - matters - A- ight- - Also, dude knows where everyone’s lair, Is,

Like he pissed off Grievous with -his

Now he’s just chilling in this dude’s sipping earl gray Or- Some Shit-

Him

Okay

Getting a little ahead of yourself episode- - O k

Hearing this, Skywalker doesn’t immediately run back shout -ing nope- - - Because, to my knowledge the speaking at room volume,

Not whispering and the distance isn’t enough to -explain it - Ai - - Wel- - There goes one min-ion- - Droids are apparently expensive enough to chastise Grievous over-

But sen-tient - beings are a dime’ a ‘dozen-

(Also gaslighter’s. don’t give a shit about you dear, God,

The Painful dramatic- irony-

*tra- gic- Wh- -Oa

Ai - Ri-

Wh- -elp,

You know if it wasn’t for the exposure earl- ier

I would assume they would think that the Jedi was just killing all their Im-por- tant- elected officials

Why?

Wh-at

He’s right. - But dude- that’s pretty ham fisted-

I mean-

How many episodes (and possibly seasons-) do we have to go- - - Anakin- is a dick to lanterns- - Also the random theme of the bots- coming out of nowhere- continues- - St -op- - Wh- elp-

? (He live?)

I-

Good Play-

Ah-

To-

Oh, yeah, He’s alive we’re not going to bring that up in any mention-able way?

Ike

Wh e l- p

Oh - That was -nice-

You deceived everyone and lied to all our people, you’ll make a great leader,

Or a great council/ committee leader considering that they do have an open position , Best

I like that they had one bad ass fall and had it replace-d by Dooku being particularly bad-ass - In his place-

In the trade off near the end really speaks to the frag-ility of war

I thought-

It was pretty al-right Though it really did seem like - they were trying to build up to something but the structure unfortunately just didn’t support it,

Which is unfortunate because they do seem like bits- that could’ve been nice

Like Jar-jar being a constant peacekeeper-

The underwater nations-

Wars be- tween - Those Dude’s

And that general guy - Who seems to be like he was supposed to be this - really big deal

[probably intended to do something massive in the previous arcs,]

But, here, all he did was that one scene,

[Would’ve worked better if he was like this Re- Public Gen- Er Al-

To the shark guy-

And Akbar,

Was just like the resident enforcer-

Or something to do with the prince

I think it would’ve really worked better with the concept of ‘being taken’ under, As well that possibly being a good contrast between Jar Jar binks And Char- If Jar- jar got promoted- With Char being eager at first but then realizing he just can’t- And Jar- Jar being reluctant at first but realizing he can-

[Note; assumed authority is bad, Just- some people are better at using it for venting than others)

Nope boomers vs throw- it-back, boom-

I-

And it really did feel like this episode -should’ve been the split one

Nearing the end- it started to feel like the 1st- part of a second ep-

Which is fine

Just cut- of-

Episode all around being al-right, with just several parts that didn’t make quite sense including the emphasis on the general for that one scene,

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recentanimenews · 3 years

Text

FEATURE: The Top 10 Anime OPs of 2020 According to YOU!

As we near the voting period for the Anime Awards where we will collectively determine the anime bests of the year 2020, the well-worn adage of “never skip the OP” comes to mind. I’m confident we’ll make the best choice, but there were many great OPs this year that won't make the cut to be highlighted in the nominations. So let’s take a look back at some of the year’s greatest not determined by our admittedly extremely qualified panel of judges, but by numbers and you, the fans.

We’ve been posting up OPs on YouTube all year and have even made a playlist for 2020 — so what better way to unbiasedly look at the year's best than with the most important votes of all? Views. Below I’ve composed a Top 10 list of anime OPs featured on Crunchyroll Collection YouTube Channel by views at 30 days so as not to give an unfair advantage to OPs posted earlier in the year. This is not a perfect metric — as I’ll get into a bit later — but delivers either an interesting look at what people have been watching this year or, at the very least, some great new additions to your playlist on YouTube ...

10. Black Clover - "Everlasting Shine" by TOMORROW X TOGETHER

youtube

The collision of anime and K-pop will become a theme on this list, so it’s only natural that it should begin with the collaboration between TOMORROW X TOGETHER and the anime that has never missed an OP. Black Clover hit off its next slate of anime-original content under the supervision of Yuki Tabata with a killer opening highlighting the magic knight captains. "Everlasting Shine" cleared 800k views in its first month and joined the series’ killer playlist snuggly between songs by Snowman.

9. HAIKYU!! TO THE TOP - "Phoenix" by BURNOUT SYNDROMES

youtube

BURNOUT SYNDROMES brought in the new year with a bang, heralding the beginning of Haikyu’s spring tournament arc with yet another absolute banger of an OP to compete with their own iconic "Hikare Are" and "Fly High!" Phoenix rose to claim 900k views in 30 days, especially impressive since Karasuno had no highlight opponents facing them down in the first half of the new TO THE TOP season.

8. Black Clover - "Stories" by Snowman

youtube

Black Clovers 11th OP had a lot of weight to carry introducing the first post-manga content the anime had to offer and nailed it with a Snowman collaboration so good that the group not only got signed to return for OP 13, but Daisuke Sakuma voiced an anime-original character designed just for him in Episode 140. "Stories" came just under 1 million views in its first month at 950k, joining the pantheon of hit Black Clover OPs.

7. Rent-a-Girlfriend - "Centimeter" by the peggies

youtube

I don’t know about you, but ever since Sarazanmai’s spectacular ED "Stand by Me" featuring the peggies, I’ve been waiting for more anime music by the group, and it is absolutely not a surprise to see their next collaboration on this list. They delivered an absolutely addictive song which TMS elevated with some great dance moves and brilliant color work. A smart move, as we’ll see later in this list.

No metric for measurement is perfect and "Centimeter" may be the best example of where this list sells an OP short. The song barely cleared 1 million views in its first month and placed the peggies in the Number 7 spot, however, the viewership on Rent-a-Girlfriend’s OP has only accelerated since, and it now sits comfortably at 6 million views, tying it for second place in overall viewership. Looking back again in another six months, it might even be Number 1 ...

6. Black Clover - "Black Catcher" by Vickeblanka

youtube

The original Black Clover OP artists returned to close out the anime’s last wildly-escalating manga-adapted arc with a killer OP that got served up twice. First in a dark black-and-white aesthetic going into the series climactic battle, then again in brilliant color after the conclusion of the epic conflict.

"Black Catcher" brought in 1.1 million views in what is an astonishing sweep in popular viewership for this list. Every OP Black Clover dropped this year made it into the top 10. A spectacular feat for a series that serves up a new one every cour.

5. Re:ZERO Season 2 - "Realize" by Konomi Suzuki

youtube

In a series so notorious for outright ignoring it’s OP and/or EDs for the majority of its episodes to pack in as much extra time as possible for Subaru’s continued suffering, it’s absolutely amazing how quality each of its OPs has been. "Realize" rapidly ascended to 1.5 million in its first month and has since aged like a fine wine as the events of the series slowly added context to many of the unusual and intriguing visuals therein.

4. JUJUTSU KAISEN - "Kaikai Kitan" by Eve

youtube

Launching one of the most anticipated new series in years and adapted by studio MAPPA, who has acted as the headline studio of 2020 with multiple hit productions, "Kaikai Kitan" was a shoo-in for this list. JUJUTSU KAISEN didn’t disappoint with a slick OP directed by one of the all-time animation greats and Naruto alumni Shingo Yamashita. "Kaikai Kitan" cleared 2 million in its first 30 days, and if anything, is only accelerating as the series’ sterling production continues to draw more fans. Also, TOHO released the video early on their own channel, where it’s performing even better.

3. Boruto - "Hajimatteiku Takamatteiku" by Sambomaster

youtube

This ED stands out as a love letter to Naruto in an anime that is essentially one big love letter to Naruto. Returning to the franchise after crafting what may have been the original Naruto’s most iconic OP, "Rhapsody of Youth," Sambomaster delivers yet another bop, while Pierrot seeded the visual sequence with references to many iconic Naruto OP visuals. "Hajimatteiku Takamatteiku" cleared 2 million views in its first month and was the perfect introduction for the series' slow build toward the manga’s Kara arc.

2. The God of High School - "Contradiction" ft. Tyler Carter by KSUKE

youtube

Subtlety is not The God of High School’s thing and "Contradiction" dropped like a punch in the face with some completely wild visuals and music. Techno doesn’t often make appearances in anime OPs, so a song composed by KSUKE featuring the American metalcore vocalist of Issues, Tyler Carter, was a galaxy away from ordinary even in a year where an avalanche of K-pop has been dropping into anime. The accompanying visuals could only be described as aggressive with fight scenes set under a color-swapped psychedelic blacklight style effect. 2.5 million viewers tuned in in the first month, and the song recently cleared 6 million to continue competing with Rent-a-Girlfriend's "Centimeter" from the same season.

1. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! - "Easy Breezy" by chelmico

youtube

It really couldn’t have been anyone else. Storyboarded by Masaaki Yuasa himself and animated with some surprisingly analog techniques by the talented French animator Abel Gongora, "Easy Breezy" cleared 3 million views in its first month and has breezed its way past 10 million over the course of 2020. This OP was easy, it was breezy, and it was super meme-y. The riffs of the girls of Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! dancing to chelmico’s addicting tune were absolutely legion and for good reason, the loud colors, the simple style, and the Drake references were a perfect breeding ground for some truly inspired fan content, making it, in my opinion, the only choice for OP of the Year for 2020.

Gotta say I’m overjoyed to see Eizouken at the top of the list even after spending half a year working that earworm out of my head, as well as so much love for Black Clover's OPs which have really been an achievement in quality even against Pierrot’s own storied legacy in Naruto and Bleach music.

And don’t think I’m stopping here. While many fans studiously never skip the OP, I also never skip the ED ...

What's your favorite OP from this list? Let us know in the comments. And tune in tomorrow for the top EDs of 2020 according to YouTube!

Peter Fobian is an Associate Producer at Crunchyroll, writer for Anime Academy and Anime in America, and an editor at Anime Feminist. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Peter Fobian

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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symeraid-s · 3 years

Text

My 2020 Awards (Music & Anime)

Music

Song of the Year: xaa-xaa – Horror This is the most played song on my playlist this year and it’s deserved. It’s just a really great song with one of the best intro’s of the year. Kazuki’s voice is perfection.

Honourable Mentions:

SID – Siren This one could technically be considered SOTY, but I thought that Horror deserves it a bit more. Still, Mao’s vocals give me chills

Taemin – Criminal It’s definitely one of his best songs and one of this year as a whole. And you know… it’s Taemin.

MY FIRST STORY – Underground Has a cool beat and great vocals. I also adore the lyrics.

QUEEN BEE – BL Probably has the best beat/Bass-line of this yea. Also showcases Avu-chan’s range.

Artist of the Year: xaa-xaa (Horror, Happy Wedding, Reito Ningen) I love this group. They constantly put out Bangers only and yet always end up under my radar. But this year, with the rest of the J-Rock scene being kinda dead, they really stood out. All of their songs landed on my playlist this year, so they really deserve it.

Honourable Mentions:

Kenshi Yonezu (KANDEN, Campanella, Canary) This guy is just one of the most interesting Japanese artists currently active. His Stray Sheep album is also really good.

Stray Kids (gods menu, Back Door) This year, Stray Kids really took me over. They had two very well directed Comebacks with amazing Music Videos.

TWICE (More & More, I Can’t Stop Me, Cry for Me) I didn’t really care for them in the past years, but they really delivered good music.

Super Junior (2YA2YAO, Burn the Floor, the Melody) TIMELESS was my favourite album of the year and the tracks we already got for the Renaissance sound really good. The Sub-Units (especially D&E) also had good comebacks.

Best Music Video of the Year: Stray Kids – gods menu This music video is a piece of art. There are no unclean cuts or weird jump-cuts, the Transitions are really fluid and the editing in general is just genius. Even if somebody doesn’t like Stray Kids, they can appreciate this video.

Honourable Mentions:

Stray Kids – Back Door Has the same great editing as gods menu, but there is one(!) unclean Cut. But it does have my favourite shot of the year.

Xaa-xaa – Horror It’s really well made and basically a Horror movie in cue with the music.

QUEEN BEE – BL Has a really creative production design and colour scheme and some really nice transitions.

BUMP OF CHICKEN – Acacia This is just a Music Video straight out of Nostalgia. And it’s animated by Studio BONES, so your argument is invalid.

Dance Performance of the Year: Taemin – Criminal First of all: It’s Taemin. This man can make everything look effortless, no matter how hard it actually is. And dancing with your hands tied is really f**king hard! Let’s just cut this short before I actually get into a five page long analysis about why this choreo is so amazing and just say: It’s one of the best K-Pop choreos of all time.

Honourable Mentions:

Super Junior – Burn the Floor Probably has one of the coolest concepts of this year, but isn’t perfectly executed. The combining of classical and modern elements is really interesting though.

Stray Kids – Back Door It’s energetic and has one of my personal favourite choreo elements of the year.

BTS – Black Swan A cool choreo, but appears to be a bit overproduced. Still, that MMA performance blew me away. It’s also sad, that it got overshadowed by Jimin’s solo dance in the MV.

Dreamcatcher – Scream It’s one of the coolest Girl Group choreos and one of the few, that actually reserved a spot for a missing member, by replacing her with a masked dancer (take notes, EXO!)

Rookies of the Year: E’LAST (Swear, Tears of Chaos) They had one of the most interesting debuts this year, but got massively overlooked. The Comeback they had a few months later was definitely better executed and actually great, but was still overlooked. E’LAST really deserves more attention, please listen to them. If you don’t, them you could at least watch one of their dance covers of Black Swan, gods menu or Criminal.

Honourable Mention:

GHOST9 (Think of Dawn, W.ALL) They also had a really interesting debut concept, but their Comeback was a bit weaker.

Most Underrated Comeback of the Year: E’LAST – Tears of Chaos It’s a really amazing song with great styling, but was overlooked, because the group is from an unknown label and the stages were partly cut, since they couldn’t afford full promotions. Still, please check it out.

Honourable Mentions:

CIX – Jungle People somehow didn’t like this song and I can’t understand it. It definitely had one of the best breakdowns this year.

ONF – Sukhumvit Swimming This song needs more than one listening to like it, but it’s honestly one of the funniest/ most nonsense Comebacks of the year.

Super Junior D&E – No Love D&E is probably one of the best subunits and the song just slaps.

ONEUS – TO BE OR NOT TO BE It has an amazing build up, but the refrain is a bit weak. The Breakdown is the best of the year though.

Most Underwhelming Comeback of the Year: BTS – Dynamite Honestly, the Instrumental of Dynamite is really great, the execution of the rest is just… questionable. I still don’t understand, why this couldn’t be a Korean Comeback. About a year ago, they insisted that they were Korean artists and that they would not release and English song, but look were we are now. And I don’t even want to start on the Autotune. Jimin sounds like a chipmunk and I wasn’t able to pick out the difference between the rest of the vocalists. This could have been a Jungkook solo for all I know. With a better execution, this could have been a good song, but how it is, it’s just a stale earworm.

Honourable Mentions:

BTS – Black Swan It’s kinda the same problem. The Autotune is obnoxious and makes the song too forgettable. Without it, it could be great.

Super M – 100 It could have been better, but sounds a bit phoned in. There’s also a lot of questionable styling.

VAV – Made for Two Similar to Dynamite it also has a great instrumental with a weak execution, but it’s still a nice send off for Baron to the Military.

EVERGLOW – La Di Da The chorus and bridge are really good, especially the chorus, I love this chorus. But sadly the verses and rap fall flat. The rap-part is also slightly obnoxious.

Worst Comeback/Song of the Year: BLACKPINK – HOW YOU LIKE THAT I’m sorry, Blinks, but I really don’t like this song. The lyrics are all over the place, it rehashes the same formulas musical and video wise and the worst part is: It sounds like four songs stitched together. I kinda like the bridge, but the rest of the song is actively obnoxious.

Honourable Mentions:

BTS – Respect The entire 7 Album isn’t really good, but this song is just annoying. The way it starts really grates my nerves and, come on guys, this is basically a Cypher, when did you forget how to do this?

BLACKPINK feat. Selena Gomez– Ice Cream Whoever green-lit these lyrics deserves to be fired. Selena Gomez also sticks out like a sore thumb.

TREASURE – MMM Just… just… No! YG, go home, you’re drunk!

IZ*ONE – Secret Story of Swan The chorus is probably the most obnoxious one, I’ve heard all year. The Music Video is also a technicolour nighmare.

Anime

Anime of the Year: Jujutsu Kaisen This Anime has just really amazing Animation, some of the best animated fights of 2020 and, damn, the characters are engaging. Sukuna really seems like he could be one of the new greatest Manga/Anime antagonists. Park Seonghoo really proofed himself to be a really great director, so now it’s pretty clear, that Crunchyroll is to blame for the train wreck God of High-School turned out to be.

Honourable Mentions:

Attack on Titan the Final Season As a Manga-reader, I really appreciate that MAPPA is not censoring anything from the Marley arc. They really proved, that they can hold the torch from WIT.

Fugou Keiji: Balance Unlimited It’s just a really well made Mystery show, with interesting main characters, but not for the reasons Tumblr says.

ID:_Invaded A really interesting Sci-fi original Anime, with probably one of the coolest protagonists this year.

Moriarty the Patriot One of the most underrated Animes of the year, but Saito Souma really gives an amazing performance.

Opening of the Year: Fugou Keiji: Balance Unlimited (SixTONES – NAVIGATOR) It’s just a really cool song, with a very nice verse. The full version also has a really cool rap-part. It’s just a really well made OP and, even though the Animation isn’t the best, it really hits all the right notes. I also like how in sync with the Song the Animation is.

Honourable Mentions:

Moriarty the Patriot (Tasuku Hatanaka – DYING WISH) Just has a really nice intro and build-up, as well as good high-notes.

God of High-School (KSUKE feat. Tyler Carter – Contradiction) It certainly is the best animated OP of the year, but goes a bit too hard with the Techno for me.

Attack on Titan the Final Season (Shinsekai Kamettechan – Boku no Sensou) It fits the new tone of the season surprisingly well and yeah, it’s basically a banger.

Jujutsu Kaisen OP 1 (Eve – Kaikai Kitan) The song is pretty standard, but it looks really pretty and there is a panda running on a rooftop, so…

Ending of the Year: Jujutsu Kaisen ED 1 (ALI feat. AKLO – LOST IN PARADISE) This is one of the few Anime songs that actually gets me to stand up and dance. The Animation is pretty adorable and, damn, the final chorus hits way too hard in the full version, holy shit. I liked ALI fine for Wild Side (the Beastars OP), but this song really knocks that out of the park. This really is a band I’ll keep an eye out for.

Honourable Mentions:

Fugou Keiji: Balance Unlimited (OKAMOTO’s – Welcome My Friend) This was my ED of the year, before we got LOST IN PARADISE. It has a great intro and I really just adore the song.

ID:_Invaded (MIYAVI – Other Side) It’s really boring Animation-wise, but the Cologne Cathedral may be in it, so that’s a plus. On the other side, the song is really awesome and hits way too hard. I swear, this entire Anime is just a MIYAVI fan convertor.

Haikyuu!! To the Top!! 2 (SPYAIR – One Day) It’s a really nice song, certainly one of SPYAIRs best, there is only one problem: You just don’t hire SPYAIR for an Ending!

The Great Pretender (Freddy Mercury – The Great Pretender) I mean, it’s Freddy Mercury! How can you not like it? Also, the Animation is cute.

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haveyouseenthis · 4 years

Text

Ranking GO生 Tracklist | Stray Kids Special

GO生 Tracklist:

GO生 (Go Live) *intro

神메뉴 (God's Menu) *title track

Easy

Pacemaker

비행기 (Airplane)

일상 (Daily Life/Another Day)

Phobia

청사진 (Blueprint)

타 (TA)

Haven

TOP *“Tower of God” OP

SLUMP *“Tower of God” ED

Mixtape : Gone Days *Pre-release 1

바보라도 알아 (Mixtape : On Track) *Pre-release 2

Since I’ve been so obsessed with this release recently, I thought it’d be fun to post a ranking for its tracklist the same as I did to hype up for its release.

Just as I did in my SKZ discography ranking, I’ll be commenting here and there on why I like certain songs, but I’ll try to keep it to a minimum as I’ll be talking about this album more soon. Also, just like last time, I will not be including the intro track in the final ranks.

Kasin’s final GO生 Tracklist Rankings:

1.“神메뉴 (God’s Menu)”

This track is everything I didn’t know I needed from Stray Kids - from the kpop industry across the board. Most comebacks and debuts this season have felt pretty bland to me. None of them have really been bad, but none have been good either, you know, T? It’s like all of them just knew they needed to be eye catching, but then became nothing more than that. No real effort was put in on the producing side. Songs like NCT’s “Punch” or “Ridin’” feel like they were produced on an assembly line in the company. A cheap way to get max profit with minimal effort.

“God’s Menu” doesn’t feel like that. It’s not recycled. It wasn’t written on an assembly line or according to a formula. I’d bet money that that is because Stray Kids produces for themselves.

“God’s Menu” is shocking. It’s unique. It’s out there. It’s short and sweet for a title track but somehow it feels like it goes on forever. I never listen to it and go “Oh it’s over already”. I listen and find myself somehow feeling like the 2:47 song was actually 5:00. Somehow 3Racha wrote a song that, while being short, makes the listener think it’s longer. It sucks you in and makes you feel like it goes on forever. I mean, it literally only has two verses - two! So why do I feel like it has so many more?

Well, I’ve thought about it and I think it’s how they split up the parts. Verse one is done completely by Han. It also has consistent sound, changing only once halfway through. Verse two, however, is split up between Felix, Seungmin, I.N., Chan, and Hyunjin, and changes line to line, or part to part. This makes each line become its own verse, making the song seem longer.

I don’t think it would’ve had the same effect if they hadn’t given Han all of verse one, or if they had split up each verse like they did verse two, or even if they had split up the first verse instead of the second. Giving an entire verse to one member right off the bat and then giving that verse a consistent sound, gives the listener’s brain the impression that that is how the rest of the song is going to go. Each verse will be sung by one member and have it’s own sound. So when that changed in verse two, and it gets split between five members and has four different sounds (I.N and Seungmin share a part), the single verse ends up sounding like 4 individual verses back to back.

I don’t want to get too sappy or anything, but the song truly feels like it’s its own little world.

There also isn’t a single break in the track. With many comebacks there will be lulls in the title track, normally two thirds of the way through. This is where raps are shoved into vocal songs for line distribution, or vice versa. It often ends up feeling forced, like the producers were trying to fit a square piece into a circle hole.

My point is, this song is a masterpiece. Every line fits. The beat is gorgeous.

2. “Easy”

This is the best song for them to follow up “God’s Menu” with. It has that same braggy style as “God’s Menu”. It’s like a brother to the title track. You can hear the smirk on their face in their voices as they sing - especially in the post chorus with Lee Know and Han. I.N’s voice also pleasantly surprised me this comeback. He has always had a gorgeous voice, but I’ve always been able to tell it's higher in pitch than the others. He sounds younger when he sings and it feels out of place in some of their previous releases. I think Young K said it best in Stray Kids when talking about how I.N’s stage presence disrupted the serious air the crew had with his cute-ness. Listening to “God’s Menu” there were many times I caught myself saying “wait… That’s Innie?”. “Easy” cemented his new vocals. Confirmed that, “yes, that’s I.N you heard,”.

I think “Easy” could have easily been the title track for this comeback if “God’s Menu” wasn’t a part of the tracklist. It’s still powerful and, while I haven’t looked at the line distribution officially, it doesn’t sound so terrible. Seungmin and Chan probably got the most, being the main vocalists (err, official main vocalist and the honorary one…). It doesn’t seem like Changbin got too much time (his only parts are in verse 3) which is probably a reason they nixed it as the title track, if it was ever in the running. It’s probably doesn’t look too good if you don’t give your main rapper significant time in a title track (*cough* NCT 127 - yes I’m still bitter about Taeyong, shut up.).

3. “비행기 (Airplane)”

It’s so pretty and lighthearted at the same time. When I think of it, it’s with the same fond smile that I wear when I think of ballads, but then I listen to it and remember that it’s light and boppy.

What I like most is that everyone’s vocals get to shine. Everyone in Stray Kids can sing. All of them. It was so nice to be able to listen to all of their beautiful voices.

Chan’s vocals at the beginning are everything I never knew I needed - jesus. Felix’s “Ay, ay, 기다려봐 / 잠깐만 진정해봐 / Ay, ay, 있잖아 나 / 네가 난 너무 좋아”, and Chan’s strong soulful vocal response with “처음부터 넌 / 내 심장을 흔들고 나를 미치게 해”. Lee Know, with his focus being dance, is never the first person I think of when I think of Stray Kid’s vocalists. Seugnmin, I.N, Bang Chan, and Han come to mind, but how dare I forget our main dancer. He may not have many parts in “God’s Menu”, but listening to the rest of the album I find myself not really minding it because he has a lot of vocal parts in the rest of the songs to compensate.

I already mentioned how I feel like I.N’s voice has matured a lot, but now it’s time to talk about Seungmin. I wonder if he’s been training more since being appointed as the main vocal? I love his sound this song, especially during his alternating parts later in the song with I.N, namely “난 너의 피터 팬 나의 손 놓지 마 babe”.

4. “청사진 (Blueprint)”

So. Pretty. I’ll talk a little more about it in my GO生 review, but I don’t have terribly much to say. I just love it.

(Also Chan kills his part around 1:57-2:02)

(And I.N’s vocals are lovely)

(K that’s it)

5. “일상 (Daily Life/Another Day)”

I’ll just save all my thoughts for the main review because I have a lot of them, thank you very much (this is already toooo long~).

6. “Pacemaker”

This almost made 3rd, and there really isn’t a concrete reason why it didn’t besides personal preference. It’s an amazing song, hard-hitting, and sounds like SKZ. That’s actually why I put it after songs like “Airplane” and “Another Day” - because those songs sound different from anything I’ve ever heard from SKZ, and they pleasantly surprised me.

That’s not to say “Pacemaker” is mundane, or sounds just like their previous tracks - it doesn’t. Nothing on this album sounds recycled. None of it sounds like they were uninspired while producing it. “Pacemaker” is a song that stays true to Stray Kid’s hard hip-hop sound, and they spared no expense because of that. There wasn’t less effort put into it because it was another hard track - it demands just as much attention as any other song on this album.

7. “SLUMP”

When “TOP” and “SLUMP” were first released I never really listened to SLUMP. For some reason it slipped my mind that the two were released as a pair, and all I paid attention to was TOP. Maybe it’s because, and forgive me for my sins, I thought “TOP” was “meh” upon release so I didn’t bother listening to “SLUMP”. Or maybe it’s just because “TOP” got most of the hype and I truly forgot about it’s brother track.

Months later, GO生’s release was upon us and I found myself repenting at the altar. How could I have ignored the blessing that is the Tower of God ED all those months ago?

It only has a duration of 2:14, and I’ve seen a lot of STAYs cracking jokes about how the short length is the only bad thing about it. I disagree. I like it the way it is. Something about it being short and sweet makes it better in my opinion.

8. “타 (TA)”

This song feels like old SKZ. I’m not exactly sure why, but it does. This could have been released right after District 9. However, what separates it from their earlier releases is that it sounds more polished. It sounds like an evolved version of their debut sound.

I do like that, with SKZ being self-producing, you can hear their music getting better. Not that it was ever bad, but there is something a little “more” to their more recent songs. You can tell they’ve gained experience. Recently starting around the astronaut era, you can tell they’ve been getting more comfortable with playing around with their sound more, and I like that a lot.

9. “바보라도 알아 (Mixtape : On Track)”

ONE MORE STEP, I WILL NEVER STOP-

Prettyprettyprettypretty

Okay, I admit: I did not like this song when it came out. Like… kind of at all. But then I listened to it again. And then one more time. And then I looked at the lyrics. And then I watched the music video a few more times for good measure.

When I talk about vocals shining I- this. This is what I mean. The chorus, the verses, the everything.

Also, it brings this album’s love song counter up to 4~.

10. “Phobia”

I was hoping to like this song more than I do, but I just don’t. It’s a good song, just not my favorite of the bunch. I had it as 8th, actually, for that reason, but I realised it just didn’t sit right with me. I was ranking it for what I wanted it to be, not what I felt it was.

It’s a solid song, don’t get me wrong. I just favour the above more.

11. “Mixtape : Gone Days”

I’m still not able to make up my mind about this one. It reminds me of the saturated hip-hop sound “Get Cool” and “Awkward Silence” enlist, but somehow it goes farther than either of its predecessors did.

12. “TOP”

If anyone was wondering how close these rankings are, TOP was almost 4th.

Yeah.

I wasn’t sure quite what to think of TOP when it came out. The scythe-y electronic sounds caught me a little off guard. Like “Mixtape : On Track” the more I listened, the more I liked it.

13. “Haven”

I had high hopes for this song, what with its, at least unofficial, namesake being an alternate name for STAY. Meaning-wise it didn’t fall short. It was a song from Stray Kids to their STAY. Telling them this, the music, is STAY’s safe space. It was a message of encouragement and inspiration.

It was a fun song, truly, just not my favorite. However, it still holds a place in my heart for it’s meaning.

Look out for my GO生 review, coming in two parts~, soon. (Pray for T, she had to proofread so much.)

Links:

GO生 on Spotify

GO生 on Youtube

“神메뉴” M/V

#stray kids #skz #go生 #神메뉴 #god's menu #jyp entertainment #kpop #kasin #ranking

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ichika27 · 4 years

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My Thoughts on K - Seven Stories

I binge-watched this a couple of weeks ago. I nearly forgot about these until I found the subs. Haha

Here are my thoughts and a few screenshots (like one for almost each movie). I’ll just say a few things, I guess? Except for LSW (movie 4) and Circle Vision (movie 6) and Idol K (shorts) which will have their own posts cause I have the feels.

Movie 1, “R:B - Blaze” shows us the beginning of how Munakata Reisi got his powers as the Blue King and his first meeting with Red King, Suou Mikoto.

It’s nice to see more stuff about the two clans and how things went before the series began - from within their groups and how they thought of each other. There are also more bits and pieces of the Kagutsu Incident and we get to see the former Blue and Red Kings at their final battle which is awesome.

Movie 2, “Side:Blue” - Like Sirius is about Kusuhara Takeru and Zenjou Gouki. Kusuhara is a member of Scepter4 who wanted to get in the Special Forces (You know, the group that fights directly under the Blue King which we see in the series) alongside his friends and everyone’s really supportive of him which is so nice. However, he’s not as good as they are yet and is told he’d only get in if he can get at least 1 clean hit on Awashima Seri on their spar. So far, no good.

Zenjou Gouki is the former Blue King’s right-hand man. He’s now retired and is working in Internal Affairs. He also watches over the training. Kusuhara ends up working under him later on and is also being trained by him when Kusuhara was given a time limit on his condition to join. Failure this time, though, means Kusuhara will lose his job.

This movie is... he got the job of course. Also, it didn’t end well. On his first day, too like why? Wtf?! I ended up crying when they told Zenjou what happened.

And I know Munakata is just trying to put logic into this and is actually feeling bad about what happened, too but freaking hell, man! That is not what you tell people who are grieving! I know you’re trying to rile them up and piss Zenjou off on purpose for a reason but still... you sound like a real jerk. This is why people think badly of you even though you’re not really that bad.

Also, this reveals why Munakata wants to have Zenjou out of retirement: Zenjou moves on instinct. Actions before thought: he does what’s needed and what's best especially in battle. He was the one who killed the Blue King before another Damocles Down happens after Kagutsu’s fell. He felt really bad for it and probably didn’t want to do it at all as Habari is his friend but it was for the best and so he moved without a second though. Munakata knows that Zenjou will do it again if needed. Munakata has Zenjou as some kind of fail-safe: if he’s become a danger like say, his sword is gonna fall, Zenjou would be able to kill him.

That kinda sucks to be honest. Zenjou was the one who took his own king’s life and he’s gonna be made to do it again if needed be. We all know how season 2 ended so it’s all good but still...

RIP Kusuhara Takeru. You’re one of the Best Boys and you deserved better.

Movie 3, “Side:Green - The Overwritten World” gives us Goujou Sukuna’s backstory. He came from a rich family but with very controlling parents. Finding out his only friend was a fake picked by his parents was the last straw which had him run away from home. He uses the JUNGLE points he earns playing the game so he could escape those trying to capture him to get him back to his parents.

This also shows how he met the Green Clan. How he met Hirasaka Douhan and their first fight against Mishakuji Yukari, which while I wasn’t able to get a screenshot (sorry) to show you, is really pretty. You know how the art for this show is all shiny and kind of have this realistic look, right? Their fight is more 2D-ish but has a purple hue. It’s better if you see it but it’s really, really pretty!

In the end, it also shows how Sukuna became a member of the Green Clan and that he and Hisui Nagare has some things in common. It made this group more interesting, sympathetic, and more human despite being the main bad guys if season 2. It made me like them a lot.

Movie 5, “Memory of Red - Burn” is centered around HOMRA and them planning Anna’s birthday party. I thought “Oh, a fun cute, episode with the Red Clan? Nice!”.

Then Tatara crosses paths with the Colorless King.

The it hit me...

Oh... no.

Yes, this movie is a direct prologue of the first season’s episode 1. How Totsuka Tatara died that fateful night. He’s a really nice guy, you know. They were having so much fun. Anna’s birthday was coming up, too.

When I saw the Colorless King, I started panicking. I told myself “It can’t be, right?” so when Tatara got back to the bar I was relieved. I thought it was safe but then he just had to freaking leave again! I was... I was muttering “No, please... someone please stop him...” while he was looking at everyone, unbeknownst to all of them, for the last time. I know I’m being overly dramatic here cause I already know his death is a foregone conclusion but still... I was getting really attached to these characters as the movie went on. I got to know a bit more about Tatara and why everyone is willing to murder a guy to avenge him in the series. It hurts, man. Even when I knew it still freaking hurts. I was crying when it finally happened.

I said before I started liking them more cause of movie 3 but this, knowing they’re the reason why Tatara died made me hate them the moment I saw it. I still like the characters but I don’t think I could ever forgive them for this.

No Blood, No Bone, No Ash.

Nothing left, not even ashes. Only memories of you in the ones you love. The cremation scene is just as sad to watch. What’s supposed to be a birthday celebration became a funeral.

RIP Totsuka Tatara. You’d be remembered, never forgotten and will always be an important and beloved member of HOMRA.

Knowing what happened at the end of season 1, I hope you and Mikoto are happy watching the outcome of the final battle.

Just wanna point out before anything else that it’s got a bunch of ED songs for each movie but more importantly, the OP “Survive!” by Angela is a total banger. I ended up listening to it on repeat alongside “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” by the Idol K seiyuus. It’s so good. And the OP video is so pretty! There’s a difference in character designs this time around from the original series though and I’m sure you’d realize it when you finally watch it: their eyes are a bit bigger. It made them look younger and it’s something to get used to. I liked the older version but this wasn’t so bad. Still, for K fans, it depends on you what you think.

Anyways, the entire movie series was so good but I wish there were more. So many more backstories unexplained. I know they’re in the LN and manga spin-offs plus some extras on drama CDs and stories posted online but come on, they deserve an adaptation, too!

I really wish they’d made more for this series. If I had the money I’d buy the dvds for these. Or the artbooks. Have you seen the artbooks? The art for posters and stuff are all so pretty! I’d love a copy of them to be honest.

Anyways, I already made a post on Idol K and LSW and Circle Vision’s will be made later.

#K Project #K SEVEN STORIES #anime #movie #sana_post

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ecoamerica · 2 months

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youtube

Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 now: https://youtu.be/bWiW4Rp8vF0?feature=shared

The American Climate Leadership Awards 2024 broadcast recording is now available on ecoAmerica's YouTube channel for viewers to be inspired by active climate leaders. Watch to find out which finalist received the $50,000 grand prize! Hosted by Vanessa Hauc and featuring Bill McKibben and Katharine Hayhoe!

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ksmithhanke · 4 years

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finding my calling as a teacher and creating my own teaching philosophy

Beginnings

I grew up in a suburb of Washington, D.C. and went to a series of large public schools from K-12. My educational experience was competitive and cutthroat; I pulled more all-nighters junior year of high school than I did all throughout college. By the time I got to Swarthmore, I was burnt out and ready to reject the type of education that had gotten me there. I had always planned to major in biology, get through undergrad, and go to medical school where I would pursue a career in pediatric medicine. My burnout started to cloud my dreams of going to medical school as I imagined the years of competitive schooling I had in my future if I wanted to fulfill this dream. I chose Swarthmore in an attempt to break free of the type of academic competition that caused my burnout in the first place, so why was I about to commit myself to the same type of schooling I had come to hate? As my passion for medicine waned, I was left without the identity I had built for myself through my dedication to this idealized life plan. I was totally lost on where to go from there, I didn't even know how to go about rebuilding a new future.

In this moment, I found myself seeking the advice of Rachel Merz, a biology professor who I had previously confided in about my 10 year plan. She asked me to reflect on my favorite classes: the kinds of classes where you can't wait to do the readings, the ones where you find yourself raising your hand at every opportunity. I couldn't help but think about Intro to Education, which I had taken in the fall of freshman year. She asked me why I was so excited by that class, and I responded by talking about the experiences I had in my field placement and the connections I made with kids. It was at this point that I realized the common thread between my previous life goals and my favorite class: a commitment to children. The driving force behind wanting to go into pediatric medicine was the same force that would push me towards education. I realized I could still accomplish my goal of advocating for children and trying to address injustices in their care, but rather than doing it in the operating room I would do it in the classroom. With revitalized passionate for education, I was ready to jump in to accomplishing my new 10 year plan - becoming a teacher.

The Theory that Inspired Instruction

I was cautiously optimistic about my dream to teach at the beginning, but this cautious optimism was replaced by true excitement after taking Educational Psychology. Yamuchi, Wyatt & Carroll's piece about contextualized learning inspired me to think about the cultural context of my students and forced me to consider basing my teaching in real-world problems. Faber & Mazlish's book, entitled How To Talk so Kids Can Learn, begged me to consider the positive and negative connotations of the way we phrase things when talking to children. Engle and Conant introduced me to the idea of giving students "elements of ownership and choice" over their curricula, which gives them authority and a sense of agency within their learning environments. Reading these authors ignited my passion for creating a student directed learning environment where "children are probing into the working of the world and teachers are providing, demonstrating, learning, observing and responding," (Lindfors 1991).

It was at this moment that I knew the type of environment I wanted to teach in. Kids are naturally curious and love to be asked what they want to learn about, we just have to listen better. By asking students what they are interested in, not only are we giving them authority and increasing engagement by using natural curiosities to our advantage, but we are also listening to their thoughts and validating their questions. Through listening to their curiosities and showing them that we take their questions seriously, we are communicating that we respect them and value what they have to say. Creating a classroom environment where we respect and validate our students helps to build meaningful relationships and gives them a space where they feel heard. By ensuring we create a feeling of comfort and a sense of belonging in the classroom, we are supporting our students to engage more deeply with material and setting them up to succeed.

Reading about the Watershed classroom from Mark Springer and Ed Silcox's book to then experiencing it in person through my field placement gave me the privilege of seeing the power of this sort of learning environment firsthand. Researching the positive impacts of project based, integrated education on mental health solidified my commitment to this style of education even more. Hearing the teachers say things like "in here there are so many ways to be valuable… they have value in ways that aren't just their grades and test scores and that helps lessen the anxiety and stress and promotes community,” and “students aren’t a number, they're not data," about their classroom was crucial in my development as a teacher. Coming from my educational background, where students were literally just numbers in a ranked list, hearing this point of view from a teacher was a breath of fresh air. I knew this was the place I wanted to be, so I pursued a placement here for student teaching.

The Reality of Watershed and the Power of Relationships

When the bell rang on that first Monday morning and the kids came into the room, I felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety. Do I even know how to teach? Will they like me? What am I doing? These questions were ones I continued to ask myself (and my cooperating teachers) over the course of student teaching. During that first week, however, my fears of being a bad teacher were pushed to the side by a focus on relationship building. We spent hours playing team building games, learning about each other, establishing a connection that would set the stage for the rest of the semester. Leading activities like this was in my wheelhouse, but as we got to the end of the first week and started really diving into content, my worries about classroom management and being a responsive classroom leader came back. I spent days planning my first lesson, getting feedback from my cooperating teachers, thinking of every possible problem and what I would do in response. But as I stood in front of the kids for the first time, with 40 pairs of eyes on me waiting for me to say something, I realized that the many hours we spent on building relationships made the task of teaching a lesson easy. I wasn't talking to just any kids, I was talking to my kids. I knew what they liked, I knew their senses of humor, I knew what could get them engaged.

Building relationships didn't just help me understand them, but it helped them understand me as well. Because of our rapport, they trusted me to be honest with them and support them through tough projects and even tougher group dynamics. They felt comfortable communicating to me when something was confusing, when they needed more support, or even when they just needed a break from their group members. They were also able to give me feedback on my work just as I was giving them feedback on theirs. Having such a strong relationship with them put me in a position where I could learn from them about what it means to be a good teacher, and what I can do to support them as best I could. The lessons I learned from them about teaching were just as valuable as the theory I learned to get me there.

In addition to teaching the content, my cooperating teachers and I put a big emphasis on social/emotional learning. There were days when kids would seek me out because they were stressed about finishing a project on time, upset about uneven distribution of work in their group, or even just having a bad day. These kids gave me the privilege to work with them from their most vulnerable to their most brave. Watershed taught me the value of not emphasizing academic achievement as the only/most important kind of achievement. As teachers, we should be helping our students develop skills outside of traditional linguistic and logical intelligences. By emphasizing academic achievement as the most important type of achievement, we harm both students who achieve in ways outside of the traditional (through constant negative feedback on academic pursuits and lack of outlets for intelligences in which they excel) and students who achieve traditionally (by neglecting their social-emotional growth and cultivation of other intelligences). I have learned both from my cooperating teachers and from the model of integrated learning about the virtues of educating the whole child. By giving the arts a place in the classroom, we can "suggest new explanations of ways to achieve full individual and societal competence," (Heath and Roach 1999). "Schools worldwide must give children intellectual and practical tools they can bring to their classrooms, families, and communities," and if we only focus on academic achievement in school we are missing out on a whole "set of skills needed to successfully manage life tasks such as learning, forming relationships, communicating effectively, being sensitive to others’ needs, and getting along with others," (Elias 2006, pg. 5).

Considering the Future

Seeing the theory I spent years reading and writing about at work in student teaching leaves me with a commitment to the idea of teachers as learners, and students as teachers. This experience has taught me about the wealth of information that comes from relationships with students. The value of things learned through the cultivation of trust with students is remarkable. I end this experience with an understanding of the importance of validating student experiences and supporting them to take ownership over their educational trajectories. I am thankful for the essential role my students have played in my teacher education, and I will continue to be thankful for the opportunities I will have to learn and grow with each group of students that pass through my classroom. My identity as a teacher has been defined by my students, and I am thrilled to redefine this identity every year for as long as I have the privilege to teach.

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toomanysurveys9 · 4 years

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Does anyone know your bank pin number other than you? Who?

Probably not.

Have you ever had a boyfriend/girlfriend who was depressed?

That’s usually my job. -insert eye roll-

Would you be able to climb out your bedroom window to sneak out?

I wouldn’t need to since I’m an adult, but probably not. I would need a ladder anyways to do it.

What would you do if you found out the last person you called was pregnant/got someone pregnant?

I don’t know who I last called even was.

Can you taste the difference between brand name food and store brand food?

Some things, yes.

Would you be embarrassed to buy pads/tampons/condoms? Which one more?

I used to be embarrassed to buy all of them. Now I just turn a little red when I am buying condoms.

If a stranger went in your bedroom, would they be able to tell what gender you are from just looking at it?

I doubt it. Since there are 4 people basically living in it.

Are your parents gullible?

My mom might be to some degree. She tends to read things on facebook and believe it too easily.

Do you still own a VCR?

My mom would like to buy one since we have a million VHS tapes, but no.

About how much money have you spent on food in the past two weeks?

Uh, like $55 or something.

If you were in a car accident would the last person you kissed care?

I would hope so since we’re married.

If you were looking for a new pair of shoes where would you go?

Probably Walmart. They’re cheap.

How much was the last pair of shoes you bought?

It was Converse, so more than I usually spend on myself.

What color is the computer/laptop you’re on? Did you buy it yourself?

Black, and no. My parents bought it for me right before I graduated college because the one I bought myself right after I graduated high school wasn’t holding up anymore.

Do you have a second home?

I do not.

Would you be surprised if you saw the last person you texted smoking?

Kind of, yeah.

Does the smell of cigarettes, weed and beer repulse you?

I don’t really enjoy the smell of any of those things, but especially cigarettes.

Was the last person you kissed younger or older than you?

He is younger by a whole 22 days.

Do you think people have any misconceptions about you?

Oh, I am sure they do.

Have you ever purchased Girl Scout cookies?

I have, but not usually for me. I don’t really care for them.

Do you like waffles?

Sure. I don’t eat them often though.

Do you watch birthing videos on a day-to-day basis?

No. I used to watch birth vlogs on youtube when I was pregnant with Wyatt, but those don’t show everything. Just labor and then baby after, usually when they’ve been cleaned up a bit.

Do you find piercings/tattoos attractive?

Depends on the person, but sure.

Would you talk to someone you don’t know on the internet?

I have several times.

How often do you drink Monster?

Pretty much never these days.

Have you ever made totally pointless videos with your friends?

When I was younger, I did that a lot.

Do you like to buy those Warped Tour compilations?

No idea what those are.

Do you like sitting on the inside or outside of a restaurant booth?

I prefer the inside. But I’m almost always put on the outside so I can feed my babies, or assist them in feeding themselves. Because Jacob evidently can’t.

Do you own a nightgown?

I do not.

Have you ever made a house out of a giant cardboard box?

Kind of, yes.

Have you ever made a tent out of sheets in your bedroom?

Ohh yes. Many times.

Do your grandparents know how to operate a cell phone?

My grandpa on my dad’s side does not. My grandma on my dad’s side can barely. It’s interesting to see her comments on Facebook. My grandpa on my mom’s side can’t really. My biologically grandma on my mom’s side passed away, but she could handle a basic phone well. I’m sure she’d love the phones now. My grandpa’s girlfriend, who’s like a grandma, does really well with her phone.

Have you ever had sex or something like it?

I have two kids. What do you think?

Have you ever read a George Orwell book?

I don’t think so.

Have you ever worn fishnets?

Yeah. For Halloween.

How many piercings and tattoos do you have?

I don’t know what piercings are still open. I have 3 tattoos. I want more tattoos.

Is someone in your family affected by Asperger’s?

One of Jacob’s cousins.

In a hotel do you always nose through all the drawers and cupboards?

Not anymore.

Would you rather go out to eat or be eaten out?

Go out to eat. I’ve missed going out to eat, and I’m too tired to deal with having sex.

Do you always wear your seat belt?

Probably about 98% of the time.

Have you ever liked someone much older than you?

Celebrities.

Have you ever been in a play?

I was in a musical in middle school.

Do you have any secrets that nobody knows about?

Probably.

Is there ice cream in your freezer?

There is, actually.

Have you ever started to laugh but played it off as a cough successfully?

I’m sure I have.

Have you ever liked the lyrics of a band but hated the music?

Yup.

Does your bathroom have a window?

Unfortunately. I hate it.

Do you go somewhere to get your eyebrows done?

I do not.

When you were younger did you read the A Series Of Unfortunate Events books?

Some of them. I never finished the series though.

Who was the last band you saw live?

Does Ed Sheeran count?

Do you believe prayer really works?

I do not.

Are you a fan of the band Gym Class Heroes?

I liked a couple songs.

Frosted flakes or frosted mini wheats?

Lately, Frosted Flakes.

Have you been on a date in the park?

I guess so, sure.

Ever dated someone you were best friends with first?

Not best friends. But we were friends.

Are there any diseases/health problems that run in your family?

Yup.

Do you have asthma?

I do.

Are tongue piercings slutty?

Of course not.

Is there anybody you think is hot over the age of 40?

Jensen Ackles. Misha Collins.

Last person to take off your pants, besides you?

Probably Jacob.

Do you remember those cool highlighters that smelled like popcorn?

I do not.

Might you enjoy hanging out in the woods for day or two?

Eh. Maybe if we’re camping.

Have you ever written something on a bathroom stall?

I have not.

Least favorite alcoholic drink?

Jager.

Have you ever kissed someone named Paul or Luke?

I have not.

How did you meet the last male you texted?

Middle school. He used to sit on my lap and eat my lunches.

Have you ever had an embarrassing email address?

I guess so.

Do you put shampoo in your left or right hand?

Left.

Do you have a bull ring through your nose?

I do not.

Do you and your dad get along?

We do. Might not be as close as I am to my mom, but we get along well. I’m a lot like him in a lot of ways.

Can you see your purse right now?

I don’t carry a purse.

Are you wearing any perfume? What kind?

I am not.

Are there products in your hair?

Nope. Unless you count the remnants of the Splat hair dye.

When you get colds, do you use nasal spray to help get your nose unstuffy?

Not usually.

Do you actually like sneezing?

I hate it.

Have you taken a shower yet today?

No. I did Sunday. And I will probably take another in the morning before work.

Do you have one best friend who is always there for you?

I guess.

Do you wear skirts a lot?

I do not.

Do you wear sweatpants a lot?

Not really. I wear leggings pretty often.

How many pairs of jeans do you think you have?

Maybe four.

Do you like hoodies?

Looove them.

Big ones or the form fitting kind?

Big ones. The bigger and comfier, the better.

Do you wear polo shirts a lot?

I do not. Ever.

Did you ever actually have a rubber duck?

I think so.

Are you one of those people who claim to live with no regrets?

No. I definitely have regrets.

Do you love your computer?

I like it. It works for my purposes.

Do you drink coffee?

Every now and then.

Do you basically like all of your clothes?

I mean. For the most part, sure.

Do you shop mostly with your parents, your friends, or by yourself?

By myself or with my mom.

#survey #surveys #personal #question #questions #random

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unofficialkfamtranscripts · 4 years

Text

King Falls AM - Episode 5: Night of the Living Dread

View on Google Docs

Summary: July 1, 2015 - Sammy & Ben learn of some breaking news regarding the Lake Hatchenhaw John Doe, but not everyone is as pleased as the broadcast duo.

[Podcast intro music]

Announcer Dear listeners, please note that the following program may contain views that do not reflect that of King Falls AM, its management, or its subsidiaries. Listener discretion is advised.

[KFAM intro music]

Sammy You’re listening to King Falls AM, that’s 660 on the radio dial. I’m your host, Sammy Stevens, and as always we are joined by producer and co-host extraordinaire, Ben Arnold.

Ben [trying not to be amused] You’re so- you’re so happy, aren’t you? You’re a child. Getting so giddy over that message.

Sammy Listening to a warning before a radio broadcast I’m on has literally been on the bucket list for a long time. Thanks Merv!

Ben *laughter* Ridiculous. A glutton for punishment.

Sammy What can I say? I enjoy a nice game of hard ball! Uh, y’know, but enough about what Merv doesn’t want you to hear, let’s talk about what he does want you to hear. And what do we have cooking tonight, Ben?

Ben Dude, it’s stacked alright? Stacked. We’ve got the- lovely Miss Emily Potter from the King Falls Library giving us her picks for enlightened summer reading.

Sammy Terrific! We always love speaking with Emily!

Ben You and me both.

Sammy I said “we,” Ben.

Ben Uh, I know. I- *breathes in* [stilted] I- We-We-uh, We’ve got some really cool news! here. We-we are announcing the line-up for the first annual King Falls Ambient Music Festival. That’s coming up the second hour.

Sammy Wait a second. The King Falls Ambient Music Festival? Is this town even big enough for a festival?

Ben Oh yeah! It’s like Coachella[1] but for hipsters that just want to relax. It’s all about “setting the mood.”

Sammy You know, I’m wondering if they’re gonna make it to a second annual.

Ben And then, um, [reluctant and slipping into mumbling] opening up the show we-we’ve got the- doctor *mumbling*

Sammy I-I’m sorry, Ben, what was that? You’re trailing off, buddy.

Ben We have that umm, *sniffs, lets out breath* one… guy. You know that- fo- w- talking about that *deep breath* one thing—

Sammy [trying to cut him off] Ben—

Ben —from a month ago or so—?

Sammy What? What are you talking about?

Ben You know— May- maybe we should start it with Uh, callers first! [mildly frantic] Just-uh-Give us a call at 424-279-3858 and let’s talk about… *tsk* anything! Let’s uh, whats your-whats your-whats-whats on your mind King Falls?

Sammy Ladies and gentlemen, put down your phones for a second. What Ben is trying to say is we’ve got a scoop here this evening on King Falls AM. We’re gonna be speaking with—

Ben [cutting Sammy off]Or you can tweet us! @kingfallsam. I-I-I will literally talk about anything right now. Even to Mr. Derschwitz about that weird toenail thing. Let-lets-lets go, people!

Sammy I thought we agreed—

Ben I know. Sammy, I’m sorry it’s just, [slightly more frantic] I’m-I’m not feelin’ the best here. Alright? my stomach, is all… knotted up, just thinking about this.

Sammy That is journalism. That feeling is journalism—

Ben [speaking over Sammy] I think it might actually be an ulcer! It Tastes, like Fear and Feels, like Cancer . It’s way more than anxiety. I-I’m gonna call Dr. Raúl, at break.

Sammy He’s a chiropractor!

Ben Maybe he can refer me?

Sammy Power through it, buddy! Look at this folks, we got somebody dialing into the hotline right now! You ready for this Ben? Come on.

Ben Please, be Reverend Hawthorne so we can talk about the Revival next month.

Sammy Oh stop it. You know he isn’t even scheduled!

Ben I just thought— maybe that’s how prayers work, I don’t know, I’m not a reverend!

Sammy King Falls AM, you’re on the air.

Dr. Rosenblum [Dr. Rosenblum’s voice is measured and monotonous and mildly creepy at all times] Good evening, this is Dr. Jeffery Rosenblum, with the, King Falls County Coroner’s Office.

Ben C-can I please just say—

Sammy Dr. Rosenblum, it is a pleasure to speak with you this evening.

Rosenblum Excited to be here, Sammy. Ecstatic even. We listen on slow nights.

Ben That’s the scariest thing I’ve ever heard.

Sammy Much appreciated, Doc. Now, as fate would have it, you were the overseeing physician working on the Lake Hatchenhaw John Doe, is that correct?

Ben Doc? Can you just, hold on for- one- moment- please?

Rosenblum Of course, Ben I—

Sammy Don’t start, Ben! We agreed to see this through.

Ben All I’m saying i- lemme finish- a- i-is that maybe it’s not our place *deep breath* to break this kind of news.

Sammy Fine. You know what? You’re right! Let’s just give this to our friends down at Channel 13 and let them be the ones to alert the public about this.

Ben [journalist voice] Doc, Ben Arnold. Tell us about cracking open the mystery body.

Sammy [quietly] Oh.

Rosenblum It’s true that I was the operating physician on that particular John Doe, y-es, irrefutablyy

Sammy Now, as I understand, your official report was released yesterday morning, doctor, but amazingly enough, not one publication or news station in our town- including King Falls AM- reported on it.

Rosenblum You are correct. Busy news day- one would assume.

Ben So, that means, you are— free to talk about it on air.

Rosenblum I would be elated

Sammy First and foremost on everyone’s minds: were there any signs of, uh, y’know, the lake mo- *sighs* I can’t.

Ben Did Kingsie make the body, bite the big one?

Rosenblum There was no evidence that a creature large or small had anything to do with the deceased.

Ben *sigh of relief* That- I knew Kingsie didn’t have it in her.

Sammy Now, Dr. Rosenblum, can you tell us if there was any foul play involved at all?

Rosenblum During our first autopsy we were not able to distinguish with certainty the cause of death. But there were no signs of foul play

Sammy I’m sorry, did you say “first” autopsy?

Ben [confused] Is that normal? Did you- find out the cause of death during the… second autopsy?

Rosenblum Indeed. It was six individual gunshot wounds to the victim’s head. Three shots to the temporal lobe, two to the mendulla oblongata—

Sammy What?! Six gunshot wounds?!

Rosenblum To the cranium, yes. One to the frontal lobe, another to—

Ben So the Lake Hatchenhaw John Doe was, murdered?

Sammy I can’t believe this! This is big! Why didn’t one news outlet report this thing yesterday?!

Rosenblum Well, the cause of death was inconclusive and with no signs of foul play, it was not exactly a juicy story.

Ben and Sammy Wait a second.

Rosenblum …yes?

Sammy I’m sorry, doc. I’m not in the medical orrr criminal fields but, how is six gunshots not foul play?

Rosenblum Well, that was between the first autopsy and the second. The gunshots were self-defense administered via Deputy Kreighauser at my behest.

Sammy Ben, we’re gonna wanna get Troy on the phone and see what he’s got to say about this.

Ben “Things Ben Arnold would never think under ordinary circumstances for 800, Alex.”[2]

Sammy Doc, while we’re getting Deputy Troy on the line, would you mind if we took a quick break to hear from one of our sponsors?

Rosenblum That’s just- Dandy.

[light bg music]

Greg Frickard After a long day’s work or a tough day’s play, you probably just wanna come home and relax. No need to slave over a hot stove for hours on end. Well that’s where we come in! Here at Granny Frickard’s, we know that the less time you spend doing the things you don’t like, is the more time you spend with the ones you love. So come get some of the best frog legs that money can buy. Granny Frickard’s French-fried farm-fresh never-frozen filleted-and-fricasseed fried-and-flambeed frog legs. Mm-mm-mm. So get on down to Granny Frickard’s Froggery at the corner of Main Street and 7th Avenue. We’ll put some pep in your step and some hop in your heart.

[KFAM intro music]

Sammy And we’re back on King Falls AM, here with King Falls County Coroner, Dr. Jeffery Rosenblum.

Rosenblum A Pleasure.

Sammy Do you have Troy, Ben?

Ben He’s booking one of the Williams boys for mooning. He’ll call us in a few.

Sammy I’m a little out of sorts here, doc. Can you explain what happened between the first inconclusive autopsy and the point where Troy filled the cadaver full of lead.

Rosenblum Of course. As I was finishing the initial post-mortem, it came to my attention that the deceased began to emit a hissing sound, fluctuating between the lower thorax and the larynx.

Ben Oh my God.

Rosenblum I called for Deputy Kreighauser and he entered, as I wanted someone else to see this- phenomenon. That’s when the John Doe began a slight, thrashing about the upper torso.

Ben Um… are you saying—

Rosenblum The deputy began to fumble for his sidearm while we both discerned that something was wildly- amiss. The deceased opened its eyes and instantly grabbed for the lapel of my lab coat with voracious tenacity.

Ben Wh- ah- go on.

Rosenblum It gnashed its teeth as I emitted a terrified, albeit, high pitched, scream. And that’s when Troy unholstered his sidearm and administered six lethal shots to the reanimated corpse’s cranium.

Ben A zombie.

Sammy Alright, is there- [fumbling] Let’s just say- is there-

Ben We’ve got Troy on the line.

Deputy Troy [in bg] I don’t care if he was only joshin’. You can’t show your G-D derriere out in public! [car door slams] [pleasantly] Hey boys, what’s goin’ on tonight?

Sammy You tell us, Troy, holy geez! Uh, we’ve got Dr. Rosenblum on the line here and—

Deputy Troy Is this about the zombie?

Ben Yes! So-so you’re confirming this story, Troy?

Deputy Troy Well, hell yeah I’m confirming! I had to do three hours of damn paper work from unloadin’ my pistola into a corpse! Sheriff Gunderson was not the happiest of campers.

Ben [excited and awed] This is amazing… This is unprecedented .

Sammy [skeptical] This is a little unbelievable, Troy.

Rosenblum It is a first in my profession. Believe you me. [still tonelessly] Wowzers.

Deputy Troy Honest engine[3] boys. I capped the all get out of that thing! It had the doc by the face ‘bout to start chewing!

Rosenblum You’re my hero, Deputy Troy.

Deputy Troy Shucks, wasn’t nothin’ special.

Ben [slightly sullen] Except killing the first instance of a zombie in King Falls since—

Sammy Don’t say “since”.

Ben … Well… Since that one time at the mall in the '80s.

Sammy No, that’s not a real thing, Ben. That’s a film.

Ben [worked up] Sammy? How many extraordinary things are gonna have to SLAP you right in the face to make you buy into this? KING FALLS, MAN.

Deputy Troy You know me, Sammy. I always shoot ya straight. But it was the craziest sh[bleep]t I’ve ever seen. I mean it was like my-ex-wife-needs-alimony-money crazy.

Ben See? Even Barney Fife[4] saw it.

Sammy *sighs* I just—

Rosenblum I don’t want to cause an uproar here, but since that exam, there have been, other cases.

Ben Of frickin’ zombies?

Rosenblum Of reanimation among corpses… yes.

Deputy Troy Doc, you just give me a call if you need. I’m more than happy to go Clint Eastwood if the situation arises.

Rosenblum Will do, Deputy. Thank you so much for your- assistance. Without you, there may not have been this- interview.

Deputy Troy [proud] To protect and serve.

Sammy I can’t take all this in right now, Dr. Rosenblum I- e- Thank you so much for your insightful information.

Rosenblum As they say, [still monotone] “you got it, duude.”

[click, dial tone]

Ben You okay, Sammy? You… don’t look so well.

Deputy Troy Ah, hell, boys.[siren whoop] I gotta go. I’ll call you back later tonight! One of the Williams boys is tryin’ ta saw through the bars outside the jailhouse? [sirens in bg] [through megaphone] Jacob Williams put your hands UP and the file DOWN.

[click, dial tone]

Ben Alright King Falls, you’ve heard our story, let’s hear yours. Have you or anyone you know experienced anything like what the doctor spoke of? Reanimation? The walking—

Sammy Don’t.

Ben You know what I mean. Give us a call or tweet us.

Sammy Looks like the board is lighting up!

Ben Um…

Sammy What’s up? Okay, it can’t be any crazier than what we just heard, Ben.

Ben Line One, Sammy.

Sammy Welcome to King Falls AM, you’re on with Sammy and Ben.

Line 1 [female, almost sounds automated] Good evening, Sammy—

Sammy Do I know you ma'am?

Riley — please hold for Mayor Grisham.

Ben He… Probably just wants us to— mark these tapes as, evidence. *nervous laugh* Right, Sammy?

Sammy Or burn them.

Riley Sammy Stevens, Mayor Grisham.

Sammy Mayor?

Mayor Grisham Sammy… Ben.

Sammy You’re on live on King Falls AM, sir.

Mayor Grisham [commanding] Take me off and go to break. We need to chat.

Sammy No can do. Ben says we aren’t scheduled for break for another- uh- at least ten minutes.

Mayor Grisham Ben. Cut. To. Commercial.

Ben Uh- uh- uh- the thing is- I- I- I can’t- do that. Sir.

Mayor Grisham [threateningly pleasant] You boys want to talk live on air? We can talk live on air.

Sammy [challenging] Nothin’ to hide on this end of the phone, Mayor Grisham.

Mayor Grisham I hear your snide remarks, Sammy. I’ve read the transcripts.

Sammy Which! let’s be honest, is pretty weird. We’re a late night AM talk show, why are you bothering with us?

Mayor Grisham Oh, I don’t bother with you. I try to keep up to date with all the local news and entertainment. I gotta say, I was really happy a big city radio guy decided to come play host at our little radio station.

Sammy Well, I’m more than happy to—

Mayor Grisham I wasn’t finished… But I have to say, I’m a little less than thrilled with [accusingly] all the excitement you brought with you.

Sammy I’d hardly call reporting the news “excitement”, sir—

Mayor Grisham It’s interesting to me that I don’t see Channel 13 breaking these crazy stories.

Ben [quickly] No offense, your honor, but those idiots don’t know their a[bleep]holes from their elbows.

Mayor Grisham And you boys being on site when these “events” happen? [softly, still accusing] It’s a little bit of a coincidence don’t you think?

Sammy Are you insinuating that we are staging these events, Mayor?

Mayor Grisham I’m stating facts. I’m sure your ratings are way, way up there since all these sensational events seem to coincide with your broadcast. Why do you think that is? Furthermore, I mean who’s up listening to you at this ungodly hour of the night?!

Sammy Seemingly most of the town, Sir. As well as whomever you’ve hired to keep an ear on us.

Mayor Grisham I’ve tried to be nice about this… And I tried to be civil… but I think it’s about time that you troublemakers changed formats. No more of this funny business. It’s not good for the listeners. It’s not good for the residents. And honestly? it’s not good for me. I don’t appreciated being painted in this light, gentlemen.

Sammy Oh! You mean the light where you as a public service,[sic] try to quell the voice of the people.

Ben It’s not your right to tell us what we can and can’t report on, sir. All due respect.

Mayor Grisham [rudely] All due respect, Ben Arnold. Just a couple of months ago you were digging up old records on eBay for Chet Sebastian to run on about. Now you’re a media star?? That’s worrisome! Seems you fellas have All the reasons in the world to fabricate these issues, and I have to say I’m not gonna sit here and listen to this, while you LIE TO THE GOOD PEOPLE OF KING FALLS.

Sammy Well, when we start “fabricating” and “making things up,” you can come throw the book at us. But until then- [click, dial tone] Whoops! Looks like you just got disconnected. I’d wait for you to give us a call back and all, but with it not being an election year I probably shouldn’t hold my breath.

Ben Line One iiis lit up again, Sammy.

Sammy [insincerely] Oh, sorry about that Mayor! I must have fabricated accidentally dumping your call when-

Esther Rollens [heavy metal music in bg] [voice old and wavering] Did you boys fund a lavender ball of yarn in there? Been looking for it all week! [click, dial tone]

Ben [shaken] Sammy, I think that commercial might do us some good right now.

[KFAM outro]

[CREDITS]

References

[1] Coachella - The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called Coachella or the Coachella Festival) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert.

[2] Reference to the TV game show Jeopardy!

[3] I honestly can’t tell if he’s saying “honest engine” or “honest injun” but i’mma go with the one that’s technically incorrect but also not super racist.

[4] Barney Fife - Deputy from the Andy Griffith Show. Calling a police officer or authority figure "Barney Fife" has become an American slang term for gross ineptitude or overzealousness.

#king falls am #king falls #kfam #sammy stevens #ben arnold #troy krieghauser #dr. jeffrey rosenblum #mayor grisham #kfam transcripts #kfam ep5

3 notes · View notes

trans-advice · 5 years

Link

this article has been copied & pasted in its entirety in case there’s a paywall. however, please try to read the article from the link first so that the journalist & newspaper staff get their wages. thank you.

April 28, 2019, 3:11 AM CDT By Alex Berg

The first time JayCee Cooper walked out onto the platform at a women’s powerlifting competition, everything else fell away: her years-long internal struggle over her gender identity, her decision to leave men’s sports when she began transitioning, her doubts that she would ever feel safe if she returned to competitions.

When she stepped out in front of a hundred people in the gym in Fort Collins, Colorado, last September, all she focused on was the barbell, which she hoisted off the ground. And then she heard the cheers of the crowd: “Come on JayCee!” She had found not only a sport, but also a home.

“In a world that wants to take away our power and strength,” Cooper, 31, said recently by phone from her home in Minneapolis, “powerlifting is a way to gain that strength back and feel powerful and feel ownership of our own lives. It helps us find strength within ourselves and helps us find strength within our bodies.”

Cooper signed up for more competitions, but, to her astonishment, USA Powerlifting, the sport’s biggest federation, told her that she could not compete in the women’s division because of her gender identity.

In an email, USA Powerlifting said she was denied because she had a “direct competitive advantage” over the other women who were competing.

“It took me aback,” Cooper said. “I didn’t want to put myself into a situation where I obviously wasn’t welcome.”

Cooper’s story received national attention after she posted about it on Instagram in January. She drew support from fellow powerlifters and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who slammed the ban on transgender women competitors as “discriminatory” and “unscientific.”

It was just the latest in a growing number of battles over the place of transgender women athletes in competitive sports.

As transgender women have become more visible and sought to participate in women’s sports, athletic organizing bodies have grappled with how to respond, and critics of their inclusion have grown increasingly vocal, as well.

In March, tennis legend Martina Navratilova apologized for calling trans women “cheats” in a Sunday Times op-ed in which she wrote that “letting men compete as women simply if they change their name and take hormones is unfair.” Weeks later, marathoner Paula Radcliffe told BBC Sport that it would be “naive” not to institute rules. In an interview with Sky News in April, Radcliffe said that if trans people were permitted to compete without regulations, it would be “the death of women’s sport.”

For transgender people watching this issue play out, the debate — often based more in bias and assumptions than in science — is dehumanizing. Those who seek to exclude transgender women from sports sometimes imply that the athletes are adopting their identity to gain an edge in competition, a suggestion many find offensive.

“They don’t understand what it means to be a trans person,” Chris Mosier, a competitive runner and cycler and the first known transgender athlete to make a men’s U.S. national team, said.

“The folks who are improperly reporting on this are making it seem like cis men are pretending to be women to dominate sports,” he added, referring to people who are assigned male at birth and identify as men. “I can say that the amount of discrimination, harassment and challenges trans people face in their everyday lives would never be offset by glory.”

‘IT’S BEEN A ROLLER-COASTER’

Before becoming a powerlifter, Cooper lifted weights as part of her training for other sports. As a teenager growing up in Clarkston, Michigan, she was on the U.S. junior national curling team, competed in track and field in high school and rowed in college.

But she never felt fully comfortable on those all-boys teams.

“It’s been a roller-coaster,” Cooper said. “One of the reasons I stepped away from curling was that I wasn’t being my authentic self, and I was super depressed, and I needed some time away to figure out what that meant for me.”

Four years ago, she began hormone replacement therapy as part of her transition. She now identifies as transfeminine, which she sees as a more expansive identity than simply female.

Cooper first came across powerlifting in high school, but didn’t decide to compete until last year while recuperating from a broken ankle, and she was struck by the sport’s simplicity and supportive atmosphere. In powerlifting, athletes are divided into categories by sex, age and weight, and they compete in three types of lifts: squat, bench press and deadlift. Each movement is a test of static strength, force and focus.

“The barbell for me has been a very empowering way to be in my body, which is politicized every waking second, connect with it, and feel like I’m achieving something,” Cooper said.

“It’s a very almost spiritual feeling in the sense that I’m carrying all of this trauma with me and I’m literally focusing all of that into the barbell. In that moment, I get to control what’s going on.”

To lower her testosterone levels, Cooper takes spironolactone, a drug that is also used to treat high blood pressure and can mask steroid use.

USA Powerlifting, which follows rules set by the World Anti-Doping Agency, requires athletes to apply for an exemption to compete while taking the drug. The group has granted exemptions to powerlifters who have taken spironolactone to treat acne or polycystic ovary syndrome, Larry Maile, USA Powerlifting’s president, said.

As part of her medication exemption application, Cooper provided documentation that her testosterone levels have remained under the International Olympic Committee’s accepted limit for two years. (USA Powerlifting falls under the International Powerlifting Federation, which adopted the IOC’s guidelines that allow transgender women to compete in women’s divisions provided their testosterone is below 10 nmol/L for at least 12 months.)

But in December, Cooper’s exemption request was denied. She was told she could not compete in the women’s division of powerlifting because she had a “competitive advantage” as a transgender woman, according to an email exchange obtained by NBC News between Cooper and Dr. Kristopher Hunt, the chair of USA Powerlifting’s committee that reviews applications for medical exemptions.

"Male-to-female transgenders are not allowed to compete as females in our static strength sport as it is a direct competitive advantage,” Hunt said in one email to Cooper.

Pressed for clarification, he wrote a follow-up. “The fact that transgender male to female individuals having gone through male puberty confer an unfair competitive advantage over non-transgender females,” he said.

In a phone interview, Maile defended the decision and said the organization’s policy of barring transgender women — as well as transgender men who take testosterone — was not new, though it was not posted on USA Powerlifting’s website until this winter after Cooper applied for the exemption. Maile said that the IOC’s guidelines ultimately give organizations the discretion to make their own decisions about fair play. To reach the decision, he said USA Powerlifting researched the physical differences between men and women in terms of muscle density, connective tissue and frame shape.

“We’ve been referred to as bigoted and transphobic and a whole lot of less kind things, but it’s not an issue of that for us,” Maile said. “It’s an issue that we have to consider dispassionately and make our best judgment collectively about what the impact on fair play is for us, and that’s the basis on which we’ve proceeded.”

He added that powerlifting “is really unique, because we’re a high strength and low technique sport” — so the physiology of the competitors is particularly important.

Cooper doesn’t buy that argument, noting that women’s bodies come in all shapes and sizes, which may confer advantages for different sports.

“You look at a WNBA player, they’re pushing 6 feet versus someone doing gymnastics who’s 5 feet tall,” she said. “Their bodies are built completely differently. That’s what sports are about.”

‘THE SCIENCE IS IN ITS INFANCY’

The policies governing transgender athletes vary by sport.

The NCAA has policies similar to the International Olympic Committee and does not require athletes to undergo gender-confirming surgery, while USA Gymnastics does require it under some circumstances, according to research compiled by TransAthlete, a database of professional, recreational, college and K-12 sports’ policies on trans athletes.

Others aim to be more inclusive. USA Hockey, for example, offers options for nonbinary athletes who do not identify as male or female, as well as guidance for trans athletes.

While opponents of inclusion point to the “bigger, faster, stronger” argument as the basis of their fear that transgender women are taking over women’s sports, there are few examples of trans women who’ve excelled at a national or world level, according to Cyd Zeigler, co-founder of OutSports, an outlet that reports on LGBTQ athletes.

The scientific research on transgender athletes is in the early stages, and there is disagreement among experts about how to determine fair rules of competitions.

“There’s no simple or even complex biological test you can apply that tells you who’s a man and who’s a woman,” Roger Pielke Jr., director of the Sports Governance Center at the University of Colorado, said.

In the absence of such a test, testosterone levels are often used as a proxy to determine whether trans women are eligible to compete in women’s leagues. There is evidence that transgender women who are on hormone therapy have lower muscle mass and less aerobic ability than they did before, said Joanna Harper, a scientist who studies gender-diverse athletes and advises the International Olympic Committee. In a 2015 study she published on trans women who are distance runners, Harper, who is a trans woman and runner herself, found that after being on hormone therapy the women were running more than 10 percent slower.

But testosterone is an imperfect metric. Even among cisgender men and women, there is variance in the amount that is considered normal.

To deny Cooper “the right to compete based on ridiculous fear is completely unfounded,” Harper said.

‘TRANS LIFTERS BELONG HERE’

At the Minnesota State Championship in February — a USA Powerlifting meet where Cooper hoped to compete — almost a dozen athletes and 20 people in the audience protested her exclusion, according to Maxwell Poessnecker, a transmasculine-identified lifter from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Flanked by signs and wearing T-shirts that said, “I support trans lifters” and “trans lifters belong here,” the athletes stood on the lifting platform without competing to show their disapproval of the policy, Poessnecker said.

From little leagues to the Olympics, questions over transgender inclusion will continue to surface. Advocates who say concerns about “competitive fairness” are often rooted in gender stereotypes and scientific research is lacking believe policies should be as inclusive as possible.

“It’s hard to call anything model when it requires an individual to be tested and questioned,” said Breanna Diaz, a powerlifter and co-director of Pull for Pride, a charity deadlifting event that benefits homeless LGBTQ youth. If athletes “have a sincerely held gender identity, that should be sufficient,” she said.

Cooper, who co-directs Pull for Pride, hopes to use her experience with powerlifting as a way to drive the conversation about trans athletes.

On May 9, USA Powerlifting’s national governing body will meet to discuss its transgender inclusion policy.

“I really do love this sport,” Cooper said, “and it’s not fair to genetically eliminate an entire group of people.”

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