#like they are hardcore into video games and I just know some stuff meanwhile me and **** are into reading n anime and ****** is barley into | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hiccanna-tidbits · 3 years

Text

Hiccanna--100 OTP Questions, Part 2

So I said I would finish this OTP question meme someday--and I decided, entirely on random impulse, that “someday” is today!!! My Hiccanna-centered account has not been producing enough Hiccanna content lately, and this simply WILL not do.

QUESTION SOURCE: https://the-moon-dust-writings.tumblr.com/post/159857601812/100-otp-questions

LINK TO PART 1: https://hiccanna-tidbits.tumblr.com/post/635744326176129024/hiccanna-100-otp-questions-meme-part-1 51. Does either of them know how to fight? I mean...canonically yeah, they both do??? Lol I mean Hiccup has his fire sword and obviously would know how to fight with the weapons he makes/invents, and Anna literally just instinctively grabs a sword to protect her buddies in Frozen 2 and I mean we all really love Sword Anna anyways and also she PUNCHES A MAN OFF OF A BOAT so long story short yes they can both fight 52. What do they do for Valentines Day? Anna rents a rom-com and pulls Hiccup down onto their couch to watch it with her, and he kinda internally groans because he figures it’ll be something super sappy and cheesy and Anna will just be squealing with delight the whole time. Legit as soon as the first scene begins, Anna begins brutally roasting the main couple. Turns out it’s a really terrible rom-com and Anna rented it solely to make fun of it. Hiccup is like “aight this definitely wasn’t what I was expecting but I’m on board” Also Hiccup gets Anna like 3 boxes of fancy chocolate because...do I really need to explain? Anna gets Hiccup a particularly aesthetic floral arrangement for their kitchen table, something she knows damn well he secretly likes but would never admit XD 53. Who swears more? Anna, for sure. This tends to surprise people, but Anna is actually a notorious pottymouth when she gets comfortable XD Hiccup has a pretty big and borderline pretentious vocabulary, and so he tends to express his frustration in more...articulate ways when things don’t go his way. Like he’d stub his toe and just say “wow, I’d literally rather saw off my other leg than have to deal with this right now” while Anna, in the same situation, would let loose every curse word known to man XD 54. Who has the better comebacks? Hiccup, absolutely. His smart-ass comments to every conceivable situation on earth go absolutely unmatched. Anna can’t help but envy how he can almost instinctually pull out a near-perfect snide remark within seconds, whilst she, at best, thinks of the ideal comeback in the shower 3 days later. 55. Who would start a fight with another parent at a bake sale? I feel like Anna would seek out the most passive-aggressive, bitchy, entitled Karen and just wait with barely-concealed anticipation for her to say something super awful so Anna can just nail her in the face right in front of all the other moms Hiccup and their kids, meanwhile, can’t help but be awed at their wife/mother’s impressive Right Hook 56. Who reads buzzfeed? Anna. Hiccup keeps being like “you know half the stuff on there is total bullshit, right?” and Anna just shrugs like “who cares? It’s entertaining!” 57. Who is the hopeless romantic? Anna, good god, ANNA. After the whole Hans debacle I imagine she’s a bit more subdued about so openly showing this part of her personality, but at heart she just can’t stop being a romantic. Once Hiccup catches wind of this, he naturally makes a point of frequently surprising her with Grand Romantic Gestures and such, which makes Anna’s entire face go bright fuckin red as she cries out “NO STOP WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS YOU’RE TOO NICE” 58. Do either of them know how to do a handstand? Nope! They’d both fall on their faces and it would be hilarious. 59. Who can rap better? I love the idea of them both being looped into a rap battle somehow and Anna just dreading it immensely because she figures they both really suck and then when it’s their turn Hiccup comes out and busts out the BEST, MOST SAVAGE RHYMES Anna has ever heard COMPLETELY ad lib and the poor girl just goes completely catatonic with shock for like 10 minutes. 60. Do either of them want to go sky diving? See initially I was gonna say Hiccup definitely would not because it would give the poor boy an anxiety attack, but then I remembered he basically skydives in canon??? And Anna strikes me as a bit of adrenaline junkie too, so fuck it--yeah, I think they’d both enjoy it. 61. What do they usually text about? They talk a lot about movies, games, books, and shows they both like, I imagine--Hiccup especially likes to overanalyze them to ridiculous extents and Anna thinks this is adorable. The rest of the time, they send each other dumb memes and talk about random animal fun facts. Anna likes to brag that her boyfriend knows more lizard trivia than anyone else on the planet, and how many lizard facts does YOUR boyfriend know? Probably little to none, you big loser. 62. Who is the dramatic one? Anna is INCREDIBLY dramatic. Although Hiccup certainly does have a “dramatic flair,” as he puts it, I still think Anna can out-dramatic him, at the end of the day XD Although perhaps admittedly not by much. 63. Is either one confrontational? Anna certainly can be. She’s usually pretty friendly, but if she ever feels like she’s being challenged, demeaned, mocked, or generally not taken seriously, she’s ready to go to WAR. She certainly not as soft as she might look! I imagine there’s situations where someone is being a dick to either Anna or someone else and Hiccup has to physically hold her back to keep her from just decking them XD 64. What is their favourite cuddle position? Probably just good old-fashioned spooning. Hiccup actually really loves being the little spoon (because Anna just makes him feel so damn safe), but he is loathe to admit it. They also have one I like to call the “Needy Cat,” where Anna just goes and completely drapes herself over Hiccup when he’s sitting on the couch. He’s usually in the middle of doing something else, and is forced to find ways to play video games/read his book/watch his show around Anna XD 65. Who are their favourite musical artist(s)? Hiccup has exactly 3 music moods--pretentious classical stuff (to listen to while working on inventions), obscure underground 90s hipster bands no one’s heard of (to play air guitar to when no one else is home), and some more well-known emo/alt rock stuff (to sing along to in the car dramatically). I can see him liking Panic! at the Disco, The Killers, Fall Out Boy, Linkin Park, that kinda stuff. Anna, meanwhile, likes the trashiest, most generic-sounding pop music and refuses to apologize for dancing to it in the car XD She is most DEFINITELY a Swiftie, no question. She also likes some “edgier” bands like Paramore and Hey Monday. She went through a hardcore Avril Lavigne phase in middle school and she still totally listens to her but is embarrassed to say it. Also I feel like Anna would be into 90s/early 2000s boy bands??? She relates to the boys’ endless pining and just flips the genders in her head so the songs are about Hiccup (before they start dating obs) XD I AM DEFINITELY NOT SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE HERE, NO SIR 66. What are their parenting styles? Anna would probably be like...kind of stern, when she needs to be, but intensely nurturing as well, if her relationship with Elsa is anything to go by. Hiccup would be a pretty laid-back, chill dad who would probably try too hard to be cool and make no end of absolutely horrible dad jokes XD They both lowkey seem like the kind of parents who would end up letting their kids get away with a lot though lmao 67. Who would be the more laid back one? Hiccup probably. I mean, he IS the pacifist/diplomat guy, besides have you MET Anna??? Girl absolutely has NO chill. 68. Who listens to more vulgar music? Anna, surprisingly! Hiccup just kinda enjoys what he enjoys and doesn’t really feel the need to “prove” anything by listening to songs that swear a lot. Anna purposely listens to vulgar music to feed her hidden rebellious side and because it makes her feel badass XD She honestly kinda hates being written off as 100% wholesome and innocent all the time and will readily pull out the “I’M NOT A SWEET LITTLE FLOWER I SANG ALONG TO THAT SONG THAT JUST SAID FUCK SEE” line whenever given even the slightest chance XD 69. Do either of them have secrets even the other doesn’t know? Kind of depends on when in both their timelines they meet. If they meet in the middle of HTTYD 1 or Frozen 1, they probably wouldn’t tell the other right away that they have a dragon and an ice-powered supersister, respectively XD I definitely think they would as they came to trust each other, though. Also I read a headcanon that Hiccup has burn scars from the Red Death incident where he lost his leg, and that’s why he wears so much armor and generally long sleeves--and I kind of love that. So maybe Hiccup would be cagey with Anna about how he lost his leg and that whole incident for a while before he finally opens up to her about it. Other than that I feel like they’d be pretty honest with one another, other than maybe trying to hide the more embarrassing parts of themselves to impress the other person XD 70. Who is their go to couple for a double date? Jackunzel, obviously! They’d probably all go to an arcade or an amusement park or something else pretty fun and high-energy. 71. Do they tip the waiter/waitress on their date? I mean yes, they’re not huge assholes????? 72. How do they work out a fight? I imagine Anna tends to get more worked up and yelley and loud, while Hiccup doesn’t raise his voice much at all but can say some damn cutting things if he wants to. Since Anna probably gets angrier, I imagine she apologizes first, whether or not the fight was actually on her or not--it’s just kinda this girl’s default to apologize for everything XD She’d probably say sorry for yelling and probably overreacting, while Hiccup would also be EXTREMELY apologetic if he realized he crossed a line with one of his jabs at her. I imagine a lot of what they fight about is Anna doing some impulsive Dumb Shit^TM and Hiccup just being like “oh god DAMMIT that’s DANGEROUS you can’t just go WORRYING me like that!!!” and Anna getting offended because she kinda views this as him being a little overprotective and not trusting her to make her own decisions. Ironically, Anna occasionally also gets mad at HICCUP for doing Impulsive Dumb Shit, so he’s not always nearly as much the Voice of Reason as he thinks XD Hiccup also sometimes gets mad at Anna for not taking better care of herself (take it from a fellow ADHDer--we tend to Wallow in Despair sometimes, or straight-up forget to do basic care things like eat lunch XD)--I have an IRL friend who reminds me a lot of Hiccup and he’s ALWAYS getting on my case about not eating enough, not drinking enough water, constantly berating myself, stuff like that. I imagine Hiccup sometimes slips into Mom Mode with Anna when she gets in a bad spot, which she appreciates after the fact but kind of annoys her at the time because she wants really badly to be independent and all that. Basically TL;DR most of Anna and Hiccup’s fights can be resolved by Anna and Hiccup agreeing to next time Use A Brain Cell before they do a thing, or Anna agreeing to take better care of herself XD 73. Who brings home an illegal pet? In literally every AU possible I like to think that Hiccup brings home some variation of illegal pet XD I mean, it’s probably just a dragon (”just a dragon” is never a string of words I imagined myself using in that order like what do you mean JUST a dragon lmao) in a standard crossover timeline, which he basically does in canon, but I do love the idea of a modern AU Hiccup showing up to their apartment with some kind of weird exotic monitor lizard from Bali and being like “I found him in an alley, he’s gonna live with us now” and Anna is like “D: Is someone gonna arrest you???” And Hiccup is like “Nah, no cops followed me home” and Anna’s like “Okay!!! :D” and then goes to PetSmart to buy a big fluffy bed for her new scaled friend XD 74. What side of the bed do each of them sleep on? I honestly don’t think either would care much, and they usually sleep in a tangled-up mess anyways so by morning you can’t really tell who started on which side XD 75. What is their favorite photo of them two together? One from before they got together: I’m just imagining a big group photo with the Entire Squad (Rapunzel, Jack, Merida, Moana, etc.), and Anna has her arms laced around Hiccup’s neck and her chin on his shoulder and a GIANT smirk on her face. Meanwhile Hiccup is laughing and trying to push her off, but his cheeks are BRIGHT fucking red and he’s trying really unsuccessfully to hide it because he’s a pale boi. Anna loves it because you can so CLEARLY see Hiccup’s blush, and she loves to tease him about how flustered he got around her. Hiccup loves it because it reminds him of what was probably the first time Anna was THAT openly cuddly with him, and how exhilarated and giddy he felt the first time he had her that close to him. 76. Who takes longer in the bathroom? Probably Hiccup, if only because I HC him as a bit of a germophobe who is a tiny bit obsessive about washing his hands sufficiently. 77. Who has more songs on their ipod? Anna, mainly because literally every time she hears a song she likes she’s like “!!!!! Gotta download it!!!!” LITERALLY EVERY TIME. And she wonders why her ipod is always running out of space XD 78. What movie did they first see together? As of the Modern AU Hiccanna one-shot I wrote ages ago, Revenge of the Ancient Dragon Masters! XD If we’re talking movies that actually exist, I imagine it would be a Marvel movie, a Star Wars movie, or some super-fancy-CGI high fantasy epic. 79. What do they like to see each other in? You mean like...which of the other’s outfits would they find the sexiest??? Aight, I’ll take a stab at this. Anna gets literally SO fuckin thirsty every time Hiccup wears his dragon rider outfit (the one from HTTYD 2), like it shows off his cute skinny body in the most perfect possible way whilst making him look like a badass and oh how Anna DREAMS of feeling him up in that! (One day, she finally gets to! XD) She’s also very into the scale armor from HTTYD 3 when she’s in...a very different kind of mood XD As for Hiccup, his favorite outfits of Anna’s are probably her coronation dress and her queen dress, mainly because he loves how she looks in green. He also really likes her travel outfit from Frozen 2, mainly because it’s sexy AND practical and damn, he’s gotta admit, that’s a nice shade of purple and she absolutely SLAYS in it XD 80. Who makes jokes during inappropriate times? Honestly both of them??? Like neither are great at picking up social cues, and Anna canonically DOES do this in Frozen! (Remember her comment about ice-selling being “a rough business to be in right now”???) I can see both of them attempting to lighten a tense mood by making an ill-timed joke, hoping to make things less uncomfortable, and they end up making everything MORE uncomfortable XD Honestly sue me, I love the idea of these two idiots bonding over how terrible they are with social cues in general 81. At what age do they discuss the possibility of children? I imagine not til like...their early 30s, if ever. Like I mentioned in the first part of the questionaire, I actually am not sure if they would even want to have kids at all, but if they DID decide to, it definitely wouldn’t be until they’re older and have settled down a bit, and have (somewhat) gotten both of their lives together. 82. What do they love about each other the most? Hiccup loves Anna’s energy and optimism, and how she’ll basically cheer him on and believe in him with all her being no matter how high the odds are stacked against him. And oh boy does he LOVE how hard she can kick ass when push comes to shove, and how goddamn overprotective she is of him. The sword skills and the general willingness to punch problematic people in the face are definitely up there as well. She’s like the perfect blend of fun and badass, and there’s never a dull moment with her for him. Anna adores Hiccup’s connection with animals and general animal skills, especially with the more less-loved and “scary” of the world’s creatures (i.e. dragons lol). She also loves and admires the shit out of his intelligence and inventiveness, and wishes she could make contraptions half as cool as what he turns out. And, of course, she loves that he’s a pretty humble dude who's actually pretty insecure about his accomplishments, and isn’t some cocky guy wanting to shove them in everyone’s face. And, of course, she loves his sarcasm and his dry sense of humor, and few people can make her laugh as hard as Hiccup can. Before she met him, she had no idea pessimism could be this entertaining XD 83. Who is the one that sees the big picture, while the other focus’s on the small details? Hiccup is very detail-oriented--he has to be, in order to make any of his contraptions work! Anna is very much focused on the big picture and gets stressed and exasperated trying to keep track of details--she figures she’ll either sort through the details as she goes, or Hiccup will help do it for her XD 84. What would they write on their partner’s social media’s for their anniversary? One of my IRL friends wrote “Happy anniversary bro, you’re pretty great” on his girlfriend’s instagram for their anniversary, and she wrote back “Happy anniversary, you’re a good buddy, I love you” and I just XD That’s the EXACT kind of weird dorky nonsense I can see Hiccup and Anna doing for their anniversary tbh 85. Who is bad at math? Anna, bless her soul, needs a calculator for literally EVERYTHING. Hiccup kinda trained himself to be decent at doing math in his head, since he often has to calculate measurements for his inventions and whatnot, but Anna is absolutely atrocious at it and generally would like overly-complicated numbers to not be anywhere near her. 86. Who googles everything? Probably Anna, mainly because she’s pretty forgetful and doesn’t trust her own memory half the time so she feels the need to verify everything on the internet XD 87. Who does stuff on impulse? Anna 100% canonically does, although Hiccup has some shades of this too more than he would ever admit, in fact, for someone claiming to be the Voice of Reason 88. How do they comfort each other when they are helpless to do anything about the situation? Hiccup’s approach is probably just to try and distract Anna and take her mind off of it, which he’ll do by either trying to make her laugh, telling her a story, or explaining one of his inventions to her (which she never gets bored with btw, because everything that boy gushes about is fascinating to her <3). Basically he figures if he entertains her enough, it’ll take her mind off of whatever is freaking her out and she won’t fixate on it as much. Anna’s approach is more to accentuate the positives in a bad situation (although like I mentioned in Part 1, not really in a condescending “count your blessings, it could be worse!” kind of way, but more in a “I hope he’ll feel better if he focuses on happy things” kind of way, if that makes any sense?) and also focus on when Hiccup DID do great and utterly kick ass and tell him he’s always better than he thinks he is. 89. What is an inside joke they have? If anything, him calling her “Tiger” as a pet name (which I think I mentioned briefly in Part 1??? Can’t remember) is this, because in my mind it developed because whenever Anna is about to do some Dumb Shit, or punch someone she really shouldn’t in the face, Hiccup has to physically hold her back like “Whoa, slow down there, Tiger!” This happens so frequently that eventually it just gets shortened to him nicknaming her “Tiger” and all their friends are kind of baffled as to why XD 90. Who makes the other smile with almost no effort at all? Hiccup barely even needs to start talking in funny accents or imitating his dad before Anna is just DYING laughing. She thinks he’s the funniest damn person on earth. He honestly gets a kick out of her impressions too--she can do some pretty amusing ones, if that deleted coronation dress-up scene from Frozen 1 is anything to go by. So the feeling is mutual!!! They’re super good at making each other smile and laugh with little to no effort!!! 91. What is their favourite holiday? I feel like Anna especially would get REALLY into Christmas/Yule, mainly because of how much Elsa can spice it up with her powers. And judging by the OFA short, Arendelle gets very hyped for the holidays in general, so it’s probably hard NOT to have a good time. Anna probably also like Mayday a lot because the dancing, the spring cheeriness, and the flower-related festivities are definitely to her taste. Hiccup just likes the energy and general vibes, and would rather sit back and relax and watch Anna dance around and have fun XD Also dun best believe they BOTH get hella into Halloween, because they’re dramatic motherfuckers who loves to dress up, and it gives Anna an excuse to buy a shitton of chocolate and eat all the leftovers XD 92. Who is the one that is calm and collected while the other is angry and destructive? Lmao Anna is definitely the “berserker” of the two of them. She DOES tend to get destructive when she’s angry, if being ready to fight a giant-ass snowman and smacking a wolf in the face with a lute is anything to go by. Hiccup is definitely the calm and collected one, and very rarely gets genuinely angry. 93. What is their favourite board game to play? Does Dungeons and Dragons count??? I can totally imagine Hiccup being hyped up over that or some other super nerdy RPG game and being so enthused to show it to Anna, who just falls even more in love with him after seeing how EXCITED he gets about it. Of course he’s super eager to teach her, and TBH Anna has a really hard time getting it at first because DAMN these rules are COMPLICATED, but after she finally gets the hang of it, she realizes she absolutely LOVES DnD and RPG games in general (I mean...have you SEEN OFA??? Girl gets just a little TOO into reminiscing about her old play-pretend toys XD) and she and Hiccup constantly geek out about it together. 94. Who accidental sets something on fire? Anna, 100% also this is an ever funnier question if applied to Hiccanna in my Fire!Anna AU 95. Who has the car ready while the other is robbing the store? Anna is waiting while Hiccup robs the store, if for no other reason than that Hiccup is much better at Stealth Mode than Anna is XD Anna’s uncoordinated ass would probably knock over like 5 shelves’ worth of merchandise before reaching what they were actually trying to rob XD 96. What artist/group did they go to for their first concert? I M A G I N E D R A G O N S lmao Look what can I say Anna likes the Imagine and Hiccup likes the Dragons 97. Who sleep talks? Hiccup. He mumbles about dragons a lot. Sometimes he jolts awake randomly and just yells out “THE DRAGONS ARE IN TROUBLE!” and Anna has to calm him down after she dutifully manages to not burst into laughter at this. Doubly funny if this takes place in a Modern AU. 98. Who is the more social one? Anna! Hiccup generally prefers to either keep to himself or hang out with animals. 99. What are their karaoke songs? For some reason I feel like anything by P!nk??? Idk why, but I can see them like rocking out and singing along to p!nk songs together and getting really into it. Also basically anything by The Killers and, at Anna’s request, The Chainsmokers (Hiccup thinks this is very basic music indeed but goes along with it for her sake XD). AND “Whatever It Takes” by Imagine Dragons. And they sing it LOUD. 100. Who would get up on stage and make a fool of themselves just to make the other laugh? Highkey both of them??? I kinda feel like Hiccup moreso though, if his little comedy routine imitating his dad in HTTYD2 is anything to go off of. He definitely wouldn’t be averse to making an idiot of himself to amuse Anna, especially since she’s so damn cute when she laughs. Anna, for her part, loves returning the favor, and is all about trying to do all sorts of Goofy Antics to amuse her boyfriend. And she’s overdramatic af, so she gets WAY too into it XD

#hiccanna #hiccup x anna #anna x hiccup #hiccup #anna #otp questions #hiccupxanna #annaxhiccup #rotbtd #rotbtfd #httyd #frozen #crossover #hiccup haddock #princess anna #queen anna

4 notes · View notes

recentanimenews · 3 years

Text

OPINION: My Favorite Anime of 2020 Are All Music Videos

Image via ZUTOMAYO

Despite the enormous pressures of COVID-19, 2020 has had its share of anime classics. Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is a stone-cold classic to the degree it now feels as if it’s always existed. Decadence channeled the creative spirit of 2000s-era Madhouse into an off-kilter riff on dystopian science fiction and Pixar movies. Akudama Drive, now in its second half, continues to translate the bonkers, heartfelt pulp style of Danganronpa creator Kazutaka Kodaka to TV anime. There have been big successes in film, as well — Demon Slayer Mugen Train scored the highest opening weekend box office in Japanese history, while folks I follow on Twitter are excited for the new Bones film Josee, the Tiger and the Fish.

One of my favorite anime projects this year was something completely different. It’s "Gotcha!," a short Pokemon-themed music video directed by Rie Matsumoto and her friends at Bones. A sequence that takes all of Matsumoto’s strengths — her attention to detail, the way she depicts exciting and supernatural things bursting out of the walls of our ordinary world, and her obsession with cramming every layer of the screen with stuff — and turns them with the precision of a laser toward celebrating the series’s near 25-year history. As encyclopedic as a Pokedex despite being only three minutes long, it’s a glorious celebration of a series loved and made by passionate fans.

Image via Pokemon Official YouTube Channel

But "Gotcha!" wasn’t even the only fantastic music video made by former employees from the historic studio Toei. Earlier this year, animator Koudai Watanabe collaborated with the talented Naoki Yoshibe — director of the opening sequences for Gatchaman Crowds — to create a music video for ZUTOMAYO titled “STUDY ME.” It’s a rich purple-and-green media landscape of TV screens, glitches, Undertale references, and desperately reaching hands, packed with enough wild ideas and visual iconography to fuel an entire season of anime. But it wraps up in just under five minutes. You’re left watching the video over and over again in a daze, trying in vain to catch every little detail.

The animated music videos being made right now represent the most slept-on creative success in modern anime production among English language fans. (That’s music videos that are animated, not AMVs! You could write an entirely separate article on those.) I need to qualify “slept on,” since hardcore animation nerds like Yuyucow and Catsuka have been stumping for these works over the past several years. There are viral successes like "Gotcha!" and the inevitable crossover that happens when an artist doing the theme song for an anime leads others to check out their back catalog of past videos. But on websites and in magazines, I see stories about Netflix’s aggressive production of new TV series, the renaissance of Japanese anime films after Your Name, and bemused reactions to the shocking popularity of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. Talk about the newest music videos online is a lot rarer. Not to mention older videos. "Gotcha!" may have broken out as a celebration of a popular game series, but its predecessor — a Lotte chocolate commercial produced by much of the same staff — is just as good!

Image via ZUTOMAYO

"Gotcha!" isn’t 2020’s only spiritual successor to excellent early work, either. In 2013, Yoko Kuno produced the video "Airy Me" as part of a graduate assignment. Set to a song by Cuushe, it’s a hallucinatory epic that’s both starkly horrifying and bittersweet. In the years since, Yoko Kuno’s made a name for herself across several mediums — winning the New Face Award for her manga work at Japan Media Arts Festival, serving as a pinch hitter on Orange’s production of Land of the Lustrous and contributing a memorable sequence to Beastars. She returned this year with filmmaker Tao Tajima to produce another sequence scored to Cuushe’s music, Magic. Riffing on Airy Me's themes of bodily transformation and human ennui, it sets the action against real photographic landscapes. It's another haunting masterwork by one of anime’s most multitalented young artists and has been on repeat for me since it came up on my Twitter feed.

Image via FLAU

Meanwhile, the Japanese vocalist Eve continues to commission new and excellent animated work based on his songs. This May saw the release of "How to Eat Life," a video by indie animator Mariyasu which repurposes Eve’s unique symbology of surly adolescents and freaky puppet monsters into a stylish and spooky carnival of carnivorism. It’s an excellent piece that stands tall among the work collected under Eve’s banner, many of which are stone-cold classics themselves. But "Promise," released at the end of this October, threatens to outdo them all. Directed by Ken Yamamoto and produced at Cloverworks, it plays as another greatest hits compilation of Eve’s works — broken promises, collapsing cityscapes, creatures powered by feeling that shake the earth with their footsteps. There’s a real visceral punch to it that beats out even its excellent predecessors. When the protagonist folds over himself in anguish, you feel it in your gut. When he steps deep into the water and the entire world around him is shredded into pieces, anyone who’s ever been a teenager knows exactly how that feels. When his friend reaches in and pulls him out of that water, that’s real joy rising like bubbles through your veins.

Image via Eve

Ken Yamamoto’s a bit more mainstream than Mariyasu — just last year he contributed some face-melting action sequences to Fate/Grand Order Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia. But it says something to me that "Promise" — maybe his best work yet — was released as a music video rather than a new TV series. He’s not alone, either. This August, the animator China (storyboarder for Encouragement of Climb’s third season) together with character designer Mooang (storyboarder for Sarazanmai) produced the music video "Sore wo Ai to Yobu dake." Like the reverse of Yamamoto’s "Promise," it’s the story not of a pair of teenage boys and their separation that devastates a cityscape — but of a pair of teenage girls who reach across time to recover the bond they shared in their high school days. A potent combination of FLCL-style faded nostalgia, careful attention to body language, and pure patented kids-falling-through-the-sky-while-frantically-reaching-for-each-other anime magic, it’s one of the best-animated sequences of this year. I’ve linked it to friends just to plead “Watch this thing!” And it ends in less than four minutes long.

Image via Mafumafu

I can’t help but think: Where is China and Moaang’s movie project? Where is Ken Yamamoto’s TV series? Why is it that Rie Matsumoto has produced two excellent music videos over the past two years that commemorate big franchises, but her rumored film project has yet to lift off? Perhaps the truth is that there isn’t room anymore in the TV anime industry for work like this. Many original projects seem to be tied to cellphone games or stage productions. Projects like Decadence are few and far between, and even those that exist play within a space already laid out by past successes. It’s not all bad, of course — Eizouken this year was a great example of an adaptation working in harmony with its source material. And we’ve seen studios like Orange employ weirder anime creators like Yoko Kuno or the stop-motion team dwarf to great effect in their projects. But perhaps animated music videos represent the future for artists like Matsumoto — a medium that pays well, rewards experimentation, and lets strong artists play around without having to dilute their style. A bite-sized format just outside of the soul-draining churn that defines the industry.

Maybe this is fine, though. Short-form work is just as worthy of admiration as long-form work. I’d love feature-length projects from Ken Yamamoto or China, and I’d love for the world to see another Rie Matsumoto story told on a grand scale. But I can’t deny that Matsumoto rocks at putting together fantastic music videos and that I might even prefer the concise flow of "Gotcha!" to her TV series output. Either way, in this historically difficult year, I’m grateful to these folks for turning in career-best work and giving me hope for the future.

Do you have a favorite animated music video? At the risk of getting off track, do you have a favorite anime music video? Do you still watch different fan edits of Hatsune Miku and wowaka's "Rolling Girl" on rotation, like I do? Let me know in the comments!

Adam W is a Features Writer at Crunchyroll. When he isn't rewatching his favorite anime OPs over and over, he sporadically contributes with a loose coalition of friends to a blog called Isn't it Electrifying? You can find him on Twitter at: @wendeego

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

By: Adam Wescott

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

6 notes · View notes

lazyspeedster93 · 4 years

Text

Shadow Misadventure, Ep. 6: #BlackRose

Rouge: Hey, guys! What happened in here?

Shadow: Watch your step. I just finished sweeping up the goldfish.

Rouge: We have goldfish?

Shadow: Not anymore. Someone smashed that new aquarium I had set up just last night.

Omega: It was not me.

Shadow: I believe you, man. (Doorbell rings) And now the faker and/or his pet morons are bugging us again. I told you we should have gotten an electric fence.

Rouge: And I told you we are not tripling the electric bill to make the neighbors paranoid. I'll get it.

Shadow: Omega, hide me! (Omega suddenly throws a large blanket over him) (Muffled): This isn't any good! Quit fooling around!

Amy: Seems like you're doing that plenty(Shadow: [Startled]: Jesus!) Hi. (^ ^)

Shadow: Did You wipe your feet? I just swept the carpet. Also, what do you want?

Amy: Sonic and Tails are out for the whole day, and I'm bored. I was thinking I could hang out with you guys today.

Shadow: Don't you hang out with those rabbit girls or that overweight fisherman?

Amy: Cream and her mom are busy with their new Chao Garden...

Omega: That sounds nice.

Amy: ...and I haven't seen Big for three days.

(Meanwhile, inside the belly of a giant fish in Mystic Swamp)

Big: Don' worry, Froggy ol' buddy, I just gotta light a fire like that lil' puppet in them cartoons, and we'll be scott free! (Starts fire) It's workin'! (Belching noise, they get splashed with stomach fluids, putting out the fire) Dagnabbit!

(Back at the house)

Rouge: I'm sure he's fine. I guess we could hang out at Westopolis Plaza. There's always something to do there. Well, usually.

Shadow: Yeah, the doctor kinda wrecked the place in the Phantom Ruby war.

Omega: All the good restaurants did survive the war, as well as the movie theater.

Shadow: And the arcade! I know you want to go there.

Amy: That sounds like fun!

Rouge: Then it's settled! Let's go!

(Three hours later, at a Soleannan restaurant in Westopolis Plaza)

Rouge: So, Amy, how's that spaghetti?

Amy: This is wonderful! There's a great balance between the garlic and the parmesan.

Shadow: I've gotta say, the beef in the ravioli is exceptionally juicy and savory today. Just the way I like it.

Rouge: You should let our server know. He seemed kind of anxious for some reason.

Shadow: You mean the teenager with the buckteeth? Yeah, I've been seeing him around since Spring Burger.

Amy: I just figured you tend to intimidate people. No offence.

Shadow: None taken, and I mean it this time. By the way, what are you doing?

Amy: I'm getting ready to take a selfie of all of us.

Shadow: In the middle of lunch?

Amy: I wanna take it while there's still food. The pic wouldn't look that good with dirty plates.

Rouge: I take pride in my selfies, too, but I never pegged you as a selfie addict.

Amy: Okay, I can explain. I have entire blog posts dedicated to you guys.

Shadow: About us? Can we see?

Amy: Absolutely! 😍✨ (Passes phone without hesitation)

Shadow: "The Rosy Rascal"? There's some stuff on anime and video games. I can see there's posts about the faker and the rest of your friends.

Rouge: Here we are! Hey, this is a great photo of us.

Omega: "Team Dark are some of the coolest heroes on the planet! They have so much hardcore skill and raw power, and yet they can still stay so mature and organized, paid in no small part of their smart and confident leader, Rouge the Bat!"

That is...unexpectedly sincere.

Rouge: You really think I'm smart? =D

Amy: I wouldn't have posted that if I didn't mean it. ^///^

Shadow: I guess the faker isn't the only one you fawn over, huh?

Rouge: At least you have good taste.

Shadow: Is there anything dedicated to me?

Amy: Here! This is my review of you. ❤

Shadow: "Shadow the Hedgehog may seem like a scary rebel that will beat you to a pulp for looking at him wrong, but I know he's a hard-working man who only wants to do good. Take it from this rascally fangirl, Shadow; we love you!"

Omega: My readings show that your heart just skipped a beat.

Rouge: Aw, how precious. ❤

Shadow: (Embarrassed): Keep it down, people are gonna hear...(Suddenly notices Dave)

Dave: Uh...(6 6)"

Shadow: I think that's the bill. Let's split it and go.

(Whispering to Dave): Hey, don't tell anyone what my friends were saying, and I'll triple your tip.

Dave: You got a deal!

Rouge: C'mon, Shadow, let's go!

Shadow: I'm coming!

Dave: Thank you for choosing Helena's! Ciao and come again!

Amy: How's this, guys? "Just had the best Soleannan meal with Team Dark! #BlackRose"

Rouge: Great photo, sweetie, but I'm sure about the hashtag.

Shadow: (Scoffs) Typical blog branding.

Amy: I bet I'm the better gamer.

Shadow: Bull.

Amy: You wanna bet? There's the arcade. Best two out of three on Tekken.

Shadow: Easy enough!

(40 minutes later in the arcade)

(Amy 2, Shadow 1)

Shadow: FUCK!

#shadow misadventure #comedy #text comedy #parody #shadow the hedgehog #rouge the bat #e123 omega #amy rose #nerdy amy rose

9 notes · View notes

medea10 · 5 years

Text

My Review of Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku

#anime review #wotakoi #wotaku ni koi wa muzukashii #narumi momose #hirotaka nifuji #tarou kabakura #hanako koyanagi #naoya nifuji #kou sakuragi

55 notes · View notes

monkey-network · 5 years

Text

WarioWare The Series: The Final Season Episodes

28 episodes. Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4

* = Episodes submitted by @doodlefox-beta ** = Episode submitted by @ichigo-milk

A Bottle of Soda: After the chaos that was the previous season, all Wario wants is a bottle of his favorite drink. Yet all of Diamond City has stopped selling it, so the big guy sets out to find some before he blows his stack.

Yellow and Black Beebop: Mona and Jimmy T work together to help the bee population, but they succeed too well. Now DC is stuck in a swarmaggeddon, and everyone tries to come up with a way to stop it without getting back to square one.

Dancing with the Demons: It’s Ashley’s first school dance, so she lets Red go in her place. Seems like a good idea as Red becomes the popular one at the hall, but things go sour when a witch child wants him as her servant.

WarioWare, The Anime: Ana becomes obsessed with this new book series and starts to imagine the world of Diamond City as the one in the book. Suddenly she’s thrusted into a quest to save the geisha Mona from the clutches of the Tengu mastermind Big Belly with the help of Cricket.

CatDogFish: Master Mantis and Dribble decide to hang out together by going fishing, which slowly causes a rift between the latter and Spitz. Though Spitz tries to redeem their friendship by catching the most vicious fish around.

Sand Turismo: 9 and 18-Volt wake up in a limo, alone, outside the city limits. There’s mystery afoot, and dinner to get back to, no time to lose!

The Word: Orbulon accidentally says the one word you must never say in public, and this forces the gang to shun him as does everyone in Diamond City. This forces Orbulon on a journey of self discovery to understand the rights and wrongs of speech.

Zine Machine: Lulu and Penny start making a magazine which becomes a huge hit. Such a big hit, that all of Diamond City start to rely on them for the latest of info. Then again, the stuff in this paper was imaginary from the start and the two can only make up so much before things get out of hand.

Michael Checks in: The Gang check in at a hotel where a dog show is taking place. Dr. Crygor wants in on the competition, but doesn’t have a dog. This is where Mike steps up to the plate… helping him build the perfect doggo.

How to Get Away with Dinner: 5-Volt turns detective when her special dinner for the gang turns out into a food fight and yet nobody knows who started it.

Wafted Dimensions (Part 1): Dr. Crygor’s new invention unfortunately creates a crack in space time, forcing each member to live through their most horrible moments of the series. This time, it’s up to an familiar outside force to save everyone.

Wafted Dimensions (Part 2): Wario turned out to be all by himself after the incident struck and has found the door back to the original dimension. Yet struggles to reach it when distractions hit him hard.

Prank Note: While hanging out at Ashley’s manor, Penny, Lulu and the Ninja twins find a journal with the ability to prank someone hardcore just by writing their name on it. Fun ensues until they hurt the wrong person at the wrong time, and this time it’s not Wario.

Lemon: Lemons have warped the fabric of reality to become the rulers of the world and it’s up to the gang to stop. That is, if they can overcome the catchy song by Lemon Demon.

Moonman Magic: A new alien stops by and is able to charm everyone except Orbulon. Is there an alterior motive behind it all? Or is he just a nice guy? Whatever may be, Crygor himself has devi- scientific plans for this new speci... creature.

Lethal Age: One of Crygor’s rejects sets off, making everyone age at a rapid rate. It’s up to the kids, now adults, to set things right. Or namely Penny, what can the others do really?

Automobile Training Video: Dribble and Spitz make a educational video on how to fix, improve, and tame your ride. Wait, tame?

Censored Love: A grumpy exec from the Bureau of Fun Cease & Desists finds Wario both crude, a vile being, and an apologetically attractive guy. He’s enamored with Wario’s “charm” and this makes Mona green with envy. So she tries to stop him while preventing Diamond City from turning into a pixelized graveyard.

Polterguts*: When a demon summoning goes horribly wrong and Ashley is possessed, Wario is forced to call upon a familiar green figure in order to help bring the entity out. The monster isn't content on leaving the physical plane, however, forcing Luigi and a few other members of the cast to think outside of the box...

Bass & 8-Bit: 13-Amp wants a change in her rhythmic style, but is having a hard time finding something original. So she turns to 18-Volt for guidance and he gives her the key place for a potential new sound: the arcade.

Minion Union: The Fronks decide to unionize when a new toy is sweeping the city to the point of annoyance. However, they don’t know how to run an actual union, so they speculate on what a union is.

Yep, This is Totally the Final Episode*: An extremely destructive hurricane is heading straight towards Diamond City and nearly everyone enters the "let's reminiscence about our lives before we get swept up" phase...except for the Crygor and Orbulon, who are trying to construct a device to block the hurricane from touching the city at all because this is definitely the final episode. Mmmhmm, the final one. The one episode that is truly final. That final episode.

Mike & the Bidding Tree: Mike turns from music to a luck machine when a lightning strikes grants him the ability to see probability and uses this to become the empirical king of gambling.

The Heroes Unite: Lulu, with the help of Kat & Ana, 9 & 18 Volt, Penny, and Red for one final heroic quest: finish her cho- I mean, CONQUER THE SEVEN TRIALS OF MOMADIA!

A Blossoming Story: Rejected from another job opportunity, a young woman comes across the gang and they each give her a dose of what it means to be determined.

Mario Party** (Part 1): An old rival of Wario comes to Diamond City for a parade celebration and everyone grows a liking to him, indirectly making Wario feel inferior and unwelcome to the point where he leaves town for good. (Un)fortunately he leaves at a convenient time when things go from good to bad.

Smash Party Ultimate Crusade (Part 2): Evil dopplegangers invade Diamond City and Mario calls upon the many characters of Nintendo to help stop the demonic lords responsible. The WarioWare gang however try to get out of dodge knowing most of them aren’t fit or interested in this massive fight. Meanwhile, Wario laments with his dopplegangers about how he’s acted throughout the series.

WarioWare Forever (Part 3): Ashley merges with Galeem and Dharkon to become the ultimate demon sorceress and plans to sees the universe to her liking. And for this finale, it will be up to Wario to show her what she’s been burying deep down all this time. Mayhem, friendship, and tears are bound to this one last hurrah, so don’t miss out.

Monkey’s note: I’d like to thank the many who liked and shared these posts. Apologies for the long wait. A lot of thought and heart went into these for a game IP I honestly love. Especially love that I got requests for episodes to put in these posts, that was a surprise to me really. Above all, if you get a chance to read this, hope you have a good day.

Oh ye, and I’ll see to continue this with another series I’ve had in mind for a while. But I’ll cross that bridge at a later time.

56 notes · View notes

steve0discusses · 5 years

Text

Yugioh Season Zero: Yuugi Gets a Tomagachi Pt 2

So because I spent like...weeks away from Yugioh I recently decided to kinda review what was even going on in this show, and so, as I was quickly going through my own recaps this week while putting this Season Zero episode together, I was reminded about this observation I made so innocently so long ago.

I keep making jokes with this show and then the jokes end up being real. Like it just keeps happening, so I don’t know why I bother trying to dive so far into the hypothetical thinking “Yugioh would never possibly do this” but...I’ll keep trying.

So, lets see just how dangerous a Season Zero Tomagachi can be. (v bad)

So about 3-4 days have passed since Honda left school for maternity leave despite the fact he is a 14 yo biological male and was never pregnant. I’m glad he’s here to break gender norms and I’m glad that the teacher has just accepted this.

Anzu has decided it’s time for an intervention and thinks, “if I can talk sense into Yuugi occasionally, maybe I can talk some sense into this purple haired alien that we’re also friends with?”

Miho, I swear.

(read more under the cut)

Yuugi has decided to show off his digital pet, which looks a whole lot like the Olympics mascot from 1996.

Izzy. That was the name of the Olympics mascot from 1996. I got the stuffed animal of him for my birthday and that’s the only reason I remember this weird ass 90′s fact.

I do not like the weird bangs that are Tomagachi arms, and it says a lot about the volume of Yugi’s bangs that they could have tiny arms attached to all those little bangs and it would...match up.

Now I watched a dubbed version done by English voice actors (hence why I’m getting all these names wrong) and I figured, I may as well take you on the same journey I went through watching this episode, starting with the name of Yuugi’s pet here.

Some of you, who know every single thing about Yugioh, are right now like “oh girl, do you not even see how you’re getting played all over again? Do you not realize what you JUST walked into?” and don’t worry, we’ll get there. But first, I have to go through this entire episode. Don’t worry, I’ll address the elephant in the room shaped like “the Joshua Tree” but with bangs that are hands.

(if you are too young to know about the lore behind U+Me=Us, then please look it up and listen to their entire discography and know that we were so hardcore about U+Me=Us that, for a very little while, they topped TRL over Destiny’s Child and Britney Spears)

And so they decide to do the very awkward fusion thing where you slap the butts of these Tomagachis together, but Jounouchi’s tomagachi is way too tsundere to date.

Anyway, in walks this boyman who I think gets bigger and bigger every scene he is in, like Violet Beauregarde. I mean...the door is...only so big. One of y’all brought up in the comments (I think gingerninja) that his name means “whale” in Japanese. Indeed he is.

He decides to show us his shiny golden pet, and remember this is 1999, so here’s some...1999 technology alright.

Dear lord, never draw these nips again.

Just...never again.

This is just...

How is this the only post I’ve made in months that hasn’t been flagged?

...Anyways, Kujirada’s monster, instead of going on awkward play dates, just kind of devours whoever he goes up against in a battle. It’s sort of confusing though because like...the same process for battle is the same as for this weird social network/dating scene.

Like there was absolutely no battle system until just now, when this thing started eating other people’s little monsters.

RIP Johnny and Somomo, who we knew for like all of 4 seconds. Truly one of the most devastating blows of Yugioh lore to see the death of these little monster assholes that have consumed all the time that these kids should have spent studying/actually attending school.

And then, our hero arrives and he��s a freakin mess because he hasn’t slept in 3 days.

And I was fully expecting for Honda to also lose and gain a valuable lesson in how to better use his time. I was waiting for Yuugi to pull out his little pet and go through a whole transformation sequence right here and now. But, something impossible happened.

I can’t believe the episode is already over and it was Honda that won. You heard it here first, kids, always skip school for video games, the Yugioh way.

I mean...kudos to Honda, I guess. I’m just really surprised he won something. I mean, the last time I saw him play a game he full on died by being tossed into a pit of lava and then he got turned into a robotic monkey for like 12 episodes.

Haiyama, meanwhile, did not take this very well, since he was the one from the bathroom who was being coerced into giving money to Kujirada in order for Kujirada to buy the golden pet, who just lost within a day of buying it.

As Haiyama leaves, we kind of assume that Haiyama is about to get his ass kicked in, because he’s small and cute and wears glasses, and this is Yugioh Season Zero, and those are all the things required to get your ass kicked in.

When just...everything starts to get really, really weird.

Also, this happened,

And FYI whenever I do these Season Zero episodes, I also look into the other translations on Youtube and the one I looked at seems to have also noticed that the Warehouse situation in Yugioh has gotten a little bit out of hand.

Ah, I see what you did there, random Youtube guy. I mean I love the abandoned warehouse, personally, he’s a core actor in this show. But yes, I do see how it’s turning into a little tiny bit of a meme.

Hilariously, Kujirada makes sure to run directly past Yuugi on his way to the abandoned warehouse district while carrying this girl in a sack over his back.

It is the middle of the freakin day.

So you’ve probably guessed the main twist by now, mostly because of the lack of characters, but as Tristan comes to the end of this warehouse, out steps our very large 3 Stooges boy who keels over and is...entirely covered in bloody lashes????

For your consideration--Haiyama has the yellow glasses and this face type, yes? and Kujirada has the hair? You stick the two together and remove entirely the problematic whipping sequence and you have yourself a

Of course I say this and maybe Weevil is also in S0 and Haiyama is just his own type of nut.

With a whip for some reason. OMG why does this child have a bullwhip?

Also how on EARTH did he manage to get Miho all the way up there???

So Haiyama explains, while pulling out a photo album of just tons of people in it, a comically large photo album of people that I guess he just keeps in his butt pocket, that these were all the people who were doing dirty deeds for him in exchange for money. No idea how the hell Haiyama got all that money, but he likes to blow it all on what is essentially slavery because apparently once you get money from Haiyama, you’re stuck with Haiyama for life.

Like really there is so much gang imagery in this show, it’s like a big PSA of “Don’t Join a Gang, Kids! Or Your Classmate Will Whip You With a Bullwhip Until You Pass Out In an Abandoned Warehouse” and it’s like damn Yugioh fine, I wont, damn.

But like the whole murdery photo album was certainly something because uh--there were more people in there than Kujirada so it’s like...did they die? Did all those people die? Did you in fact murder all those people, Haiyama? Did you manage to kill all those people at age 14 like you’re some sort of Bakura? Like, it’s Yugioh, so I really am just assuming they died but like...can’t add it to the death count until they outright say, right?

And then Yuugi’s timing was pretty excellent.

colorist kinda messed up on Yuugi’s teeth here. It happens. Cartoons are hella hard to make so we’ll give it a pass.

The TRAJECTORY.

Haiyama then decides to point out to Honda that Miho is essentially using Honda like he uses Kujirada and that was...kind of cathartic for me, actually. Thank you, villain, for recognizing that this whole Miho obsession thing is uhhhh kind of wrong. I guess we’ll see if the fact that Haiyama pointed this out to Honda will actually stick or if Honda will forget it by next episode.

Although, in Miho’s defense, she may be too stupid to know that she’s actually using Honda. She may just be that stupid. I honestly can’t tell what her deal is at this time.

But then Haiyama decides to try and extend the great offer to Honda of being whipped and manipulated for the rest of his life in exchange for keeping Miho alive, which um. Wow Yugioh, this is a 14 year old kid. Wow, that’s some dark stuff wow, this basically serial murderer has just been hanging out in the back of their class for their what we assume is their whole lives, and NO ONE NOTICED?

Like again, this entire class is just...they gotta be plants. There’s gotta be at least 3 people in this class being made in test tubes underneath Domino by Gendo Ikari, there’s just no way they aren’t.

And what’s crazy about Zero vs the rest of Yugioh is that in Zero they just happened upon a freakin maniac. They didn’t like...search this guy out, or enter a contest that they knew was freakin cursed. No, they just wanted to play with a Tamagachi. That was it. Instead, they found out that their one classmate has been abusing their other classmate to the point of hospitalization for the past several years.

They just wanted to play with a Tomagachi.

After that, Yugi had a fun intro sequence into Yami Yugi where a beam of light expanded across his face from the middle and that was actually a very nice effect 10/10 I can’t actually cap the animation but you can trust me. For a low budget thing that this season appears to be, that was a nice low budget way to do a good effect.

(seriously, if Yuugi lived a normal life would he have ever known he was cursed? Would Pharaoh have ever woken up at all?)

Honda at this point passed out due to the constant whipping, which is very surprising because I’m so used to Tristan, who once threw Double Spike Mullet Man over his shoulders. Honda is kind of a weakling in comparison.

So, Yuugi looks down at this device with a little monster in it and is like “yo I have a great idea, lets make the monsters fight eachother” and so we got like...a Yugioh meets Pokemon aesthetic, and FYI Yuugi’s monster still has the weird hand bangs. It’s...it still looks like that.

And, turns out the kick that Jounouchi’s monster gave to Yuugi’s monster made Yuugi’s monster learn how to hate, enough to gain a new power.

...so, in the end, Yuugi spent a really long time making his monster just a very nice guy, and would have absolutely lost if Jounouchi’s tomagachi hadn’t kicked Yuugi’s tomagachi’s ass. I guess that’s symbolic.

PS never forget that these are Tomagachi’s with a 20-50 pixel screen.

and there you are, Haiyama eaten by his own Tamagachi.

Yuugi was like “and THAT’s why you don’t whip the people who are your pets. You treat your pets with love.” and it was like wtf that guy was devoured by his own Tamagachi.

And then you think about it a second later and it’s like “WTF YUUGI. Yuugi. That’s still not a very good message.” And like I figured...this is probably a translation error that they accidentally made Yugi seem like he was cool with using people so long as you’re nice about it, but it was in the other version I watched as well so I think the real desired meaning just...didn’t quite make it to the final draft. I hope.

Straight up, this episode would have scared me absolutely to death while I was still in the Tomagachi craze and feeling very guilty about not taking care of them. Like can you imagine just killing your Tamagachi over, and over when you’re 10 and then watching this episode? Like Gremlins did irreparable damage to me as a kid, can you imagine what this episode would have done?

This guy was devoured by a Tomagachi and Yuugi just watched.

Don’t worry, Miho says “momma” here so she is still about as blase towards Honda as ever.

They did pan down to show us that Haiyama is still alive after this whole event. Of course he’s...passed out so he’ll probably just end up in the hospital wing in Domino they’ve reserved for Yuugi’s classmates.

...Eaten by a tamagachi.

Now, a little bit of story time, in the process of putting these caps together, I figured well after the fact that I should, youknow, go and check on the spelling of all of these characters (because again, I watch the dub so I have no subs to tell me how things are spelled) and the sub version had omitted quite a bit of the episode, including the parts where Yuugi says his pet’s name.

...so I was like...is Yuugi’s pet named Yuutou or Yuutsu? And surprisingly enough, when I typed into Google “what is the name of Yugi’s tamagachi” ...

DAMN IT, YUGIOH.

HE REALLY DID CANONICALLY NAME HIS PET U2!

Freakin U2. SPELLED LIKE IT LOOKS LIKE.

That makes no freakin sense, whatsoever. Yuugi is the type of person who listens to weird grungy alternative from whatever local show his weird anti-establishment cousin tells him about and would just--I mean he has so many accessories and eyeliner, he does not put in his Mom’s CD of U2 and drift off, no, he puts in a burnt CD of early Radiohead while he spends 2 hours dying his bangs in the sink. There is no universe, let it be Season Zero or Season whatever where Yuugi acknowledges U2.

I can’t believe this is Canon.

I just...Wow. U2.

U2.

Y’all I am shook that Yuugi is a closet U2 fan.

FYI, I have been listening to U2 for the entire time I’ve typed this. I mean, Pride is a good jam.

Anyways, I know none of you that are too young to know 2gether looked this up when I mentioned it earlier, so here you go, one of the best worst songs ever made. In case you were wondering what I was busy doing as a young tween instead of having a Yugioh phase.

youtube

#Yugioh #ygo #Yugioh season zero #tomogatchi #yuugi muto #jounouchi #honda #anzu #miho #U2 #this episode was mad effed up wow #I mean damn that was um #that whole thing with the freakin whip just came out of nowhere huh #tw blood #tw whipping #I mean you don't really see the blood but even so it's...it's cuts youknow #2gether #U + Me = Us (calculus)#So sad that this song was lost in time youknow the kids these days they know about backstreet they might listen to N*Sync but 2gether? No.

31 notes · View notes

zerochanges · 5 years

Text

428 - Chunsoft’s Sound Novel Perfected

428: Shibuya Scramble is an unequivocal, truly Japanese game, and one that nobody ever thought would come out in English--and the doubters were sort of right. The title was a Japan exclusive for many years since its original Wii release in 2008 but after a decade of being out of reach for the English market this cryptically Japanese exclusive was somehow able to be cracked and come September of 2018 made the journey to North American and European markets on PC through Steam and both physically and digitally on the Sony PS4. Honestly I still can’t believe it and I own the darn game! The journey to getting this game out is surely an interesting one, as localization director David Kracker recounted on the Playstation blog that he had to fight hard to get the game pushed forward for a worldwide release outside of Japan, but ultimately was able to do so by showing that appeal for niche games such as these have been increasing steadily since its original Wii release.

For many people 428: Shibuya Scramble will be their first experience with a Chunsoft sound novel--especially since the localized Kamaitachi no Yoru (Banshee’s Last Cry) is downright almost impossible to play now. Last blog post I discussed in detail what the heck a sound novel even is, and went through a brief history of the visual novel market in general covering where Chunsoft falls in and how much they contributed to the genre. So because of that I won’t go into too much heavy details on sound novels today, but the short and simple answer I gave in my previous entry is that a sound novel is two things. The first of which was a dated term that Chunsoft used regularly (mostly on the Super Famicom and Sega Saturn) and has since fallen out of use in favor of adopting visual novel. The second of which is the more complicated answer that sound novels are both the aforementioned term that was used by Chunsoft for their brand of visual novels and also a certain style of visual novels that would follow years later by other companies that were heavily inspired by the early works of Chunsoft often aping their presentation and narrative style, with 07Expansion’s Higurashi - When They Cry being one of the most popular examples.

If all that sounds like a bit much, or is just all greek to you, don’t worry--all you have to really take away from my rambling is that the Chunsoft seal of quality with 428 really means something, especially to fans of visual novels. You see, 428: Shibuya Scramble is actually a spiritual successor of sorts to Chunsoft’s earlier Machi sound novel released in 1998 on the Sega Saturn and later Sony Playstation. Machi was a highly well regarded game for its time that was a big hit both critically and with gamers, but despite its constant praise still sold poorly. Over the years people started to discover the game through its solid word of mouth and old fans and new fans alike were always clamoring for a sequel. After many years of begging Chunsoft finally delivered just that, and this is where 428: Shibuya Scramble comes in. By no means a direct sequel (so don’t worry you definitely DO NOT need to play Machi to understand the story) 428 is set in the same city of Machi (aka both take place in the same fictional version of Shibuya), and super fans will be able to spot some references and cameos from Machi sneaking in.

428: Shibuya Scramble is essentially a dream game to many hardcore fans in Japan that waited anxiously for a return to form from Chunsoft. When it came out the game even famously got a perfect score of 40 in the well known Famitsu gaming magazine--and this was back when you could still count perfect scores they gave out on your fingers, only 8 games prior made that list; nowadays the magazine is known for being far more forgiving with its reviews. So basically, what I am getting at is this is yet another game that was pretty huge back in Japan but sorely skipped over worldwide.

You may be thinking to yourself then, that’s all well and good, but what about the game itself? Well let me get into that. 428: Shibuya Scramble is as its name implies, a game about Shibuya, while you do take control of characters in the game, at large the characters themselves all feel like a part of the city. Shibuya is a living, breathing entity in 428, and you really get to explore the entire city from multiple perspectives in this one long, crazy day. Shibuya’s story is your story. There are multiple characters you get to play as and each one has their own unique, individual story to tell, but each story is interwoven into the others and they begin to overlap in creative and fun ways. This is where a large part of the game play comes from; finding out how decisions you made with one character affects the fate of another character.

Say for example if you are being chased in one character’s story and decide to run into a busy city street to escape your pursuers thus causing a traffic accident, in another story the character you are playing now is stuck in said traffic accident and cannot progress their story leading to a bad end. Everything you decide to do with one character not only affects that character’s fate but may even affect the entire city’s at large and change the outcome for every other character you play as too. Finding out how to best affect the story by jumping around the multiple characters and getting everything to play out just right is a lot of fun and no surprise was also a major feature in Machi prior.

There are a bevy of characters to interact with in Shibuya but the multiple residents in this major Japanese metropolis you take direct control of are Shinya Kano, a rookie detective trying to make his way in the force and crack a kidnapping case, Achi Endo, an ex-gang leader with a heart of gold trying to make Shibuya a better place, Minoru Minorikawa, an investigative journalist on a mission to save a life, Kenji Osawa, a brooding genius that just wants to be left alone but is trapped inside a corporate scandal that goes beyond anyone’s imagination, and Tama, a poor soul trapped in a big furry cat mascot costume that just wants to be free from the hell that is a terrible part time job. Each character has their own unique flavor they bring to the table and their own individual plots range from comedic to serious, romantic to frightening, and everything else in-between. Kano’s scenario is a pretty straightforward crime drama, while Osawa’s plays like a physiological thriller where you don’t know who to trust, meanwhile Tama and Minorikawa’s scenarios will have you on the floor laughing at the insane hijinks they manage to get into somehow, and Achi is kicking ass beating up thugs and saving a lost girl.

428 manages to combine all these different kinds of smaller stories into one large story seamlessly and it’s an incredible experience jumping between all these fun characters and seeing how they eventually interact with each other as the plot progresses. It’s hard for me to even pick a favorite character in the game as all of them are so well written, and so different from one each other. If I had to pick though, I would say Osawa is probably the protagonist I relate to the most and a lot of his big story moments left me teary eyed and really moved on a truly genuine personal level (I don’t think I’m a genius like him though).

I can praise 428 to the high heavens, and really a large part of me writing about it today is to do just that, but there is an elephant in the room I probably should address at some point. Something truly horrendous, something that prevents the game from ever being a true masterpiece, something that scares everyone away, the horror of … real life actors! Yeah, as I am sure it’s obvious by this point 428 uses real life actors and was actually filmed on location in the city of Shibuya. A lot of people are put off by this and honestly that kind of bums me out that so many are so unwilling to even try different things.

To go off on a bit of a tangent, my own personal opinion is that I freaking love the way 428 looks. I’m someone that quite enjoys campy FMV video games; stuff like Night Trap or any Tex Murphy adventure game is solidly right up my alley. I also enjoy unique mixtures of real life and animation, so I love rotoscoping a whole lot--I’m always ecstatic when I find a cool movie or animated series that is rotoscoped, and that’s a large draw to me for games that use it such as Hotel Dusk. So no, I really think 428 is a beautiful game visually that was made by real pros who had to use guerrilla film making in order to bring their vision to life because of laws that prevent filming on location in Shibuya. What the team was able to do here, while also hiding it from “the man” is incredible work!

Contextly Chunsoft’s sound novels opted to not use the now established format that predominantly is how visual novel look. Originally with Otogirisō this was because visual novels were still in their infancy and the now ubiquitous presentation where sprites are shown in front of background art had not yet taken off. Nobody really knew what visual novels at the time should look like. Otogirisō is actually commonly attributed as one of the earliest examples where a visual novel had background art to begin with and wasn't just mostly text or sprites presented over a black void. Chunsoft kept their games pretty consistent visually from that point, and characters were often not seen on screen, usually just presented through the use of silhouette if needed. This really helped the “novel” aspect of their visual novels, since you had to imagine the characters’ appearances mostly through the narrative descriptions about them just like in literature.

Over time this changed with the advent of CD hardware which meant the use of still image photography and Full-Motion-Video could really take off, and Machi ran with this new hardware looking much like how 428 does. You can say these games really have a more broad appeal to them too as they are not just “anime” games but games anyone can enjoy just like a good book. This while true in Japan does get a bit tricky for a localized title as a majority of the actors are Japanese which is off putting to a general public not used to watching Japanese cinema or TV dramas. For better or worse 428 is an unequivocal Japanese game, but I really implore anyone who is even the tiniest bit interested to try it out for themselves (especially since there is a free demo) and stay open minded about the game, because if you do, you will find one of the best written, and best localized games in a generation.

428: Shibuya Scramble's predecessor; Machi on the Sega Saturn

428 didn't get a very fair shot when it came out in the English market. The month of September was jam packed with both Triple-A titles such as Marvel’s Spider-man and niche titles that could not be missed such as Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age. The release date really was setting the game up to go against some huge competitors and with its enigmatic overly Japanese sensibilities 428 lacked much of the charisma to fight them. I followed the localization process very closely and this was a game I dreamt I could play for many years, but even I had to pass up grabbing the game on its release date and waited about a month or so until I managed to pick up my own copy as I had poured all my attention into Dragon Quest XI at that time which as bad as I feel for 428 I still don’t regret. By the time I wrote my annual favorite games of the year list I had to exempt 428 from it even, only writing a brief honorable mention as I knew I would love it but hadn't actually gotten to play it yet. The end of the year was far too packed with excellent titles vying for my and everyone else’s attention and what a shame, as 428 is now easily neck-and-neck with my then favorite game of the year Dragon Quest XI.

The truth is it will be very unlikely we will ever see a game like 428: Shibuya Scramble come out in English again. This was a very unlikely localization to happen in the first place, and a very risky one, but it sadly was not a runaway success. Anyone interested in the history of visual novels, sound novels, or seeing one of Chunsoft’s greatest titles definitely shouldn't pass this game up though. And anyone willing, I really recommend 428: Shibuya Scramble hard. If you love good storytelling in gaming, there isn't any better than what’s here. The story in 428 is so heart felt, and uplifting that I found myself crying a lot during my playthrough. I laughed, I cried, I found tons of inspiration for my own writing, 428 truly is a game that changes you. I think those are far too rare nowadays. This is a game that should be in any niche gamer’s PS4 or Steam collection.

#428 #428 Shibuya Scramble #Chunsoft #Spike Chunsoft #Sound Novel #video games #Visual Novel #Visual Novels #VN

5 notes · View notes

fishylife · 6 years

Text

My thoughts on the state of Tumblr

As I said, I’m going to continue using Tumblr but I think that over time I’ll become less and less active. Of course, that is all dependent on the Tumblr community as well, because most of my stuff is just reblogged from others.

I haven’t decided what new platform(s) I’m going to use because frankly, I don’t think there’s a good substitute for Tumblr as of now (for fandom content, anyway, which is mostly what I use Tumblr for).

Why I’ll miss Tumblr as we know it

(1) The fandom aspect

Tumblr was often my go-to source for fan reactions for movies, TV shows, books, sports, etc. Watch a movie and hardcore ship two characters? Check out Tumblr to see who ships them and what headcanons they have. Saw something happen during a game and want to see it gif’ed? Check out Tumblr to see if anyone else caught it. Finished the end of a TV series and want to speculate what will happen next season? Check out Tumblr to see who has cool theories.

Maybe this is a weird way to put it, but Tumblr has a high amount of people who have the same “fan perspective” as I do. You can take anything as seriously as you want to. If you want to go in depth and do character analyses, there is also an audience for that, but this is also something you can get on other sites (in fact, I find more serious discussions of this kind on Reddit). For fanfiction, we have AO3 (which honest is such a godsent. That website is totally free and I can’t express how much I appreciate the staff there). If you want to make a dumb joke, start an incorrect quotes blog, or talk about a headcanon that popped into your mind, there will be people who are also into that. This less serious, “supplemental” stuff is what I’ll struggle to find outside of Tumblr.

I think part of this is attributed to the fact that you can make different kinds of posts on Tumblr. You can have image posts, long introspective pieces, videos, short rants, one-line jokes, etc. Tumblr is pretty all-encompassing when it comes to fan content. This is sort of related to my next point.

(2) The community aspect

The reason why people can make all sorts of posts and it still works is that people’s posts are tied to their personal blogs. Contrast this with Reddit, where most posts are tied to subreddits, so if you want to make a short post with a joke or something it has to pass the rules of the subreddit, which might not be possible.

However, on Tumblr, you can make a post just shouting into the void. I’ve made posts about obscure stuff (e.g. about a TV show that no one I know has watched), and months later someone likes it. It’s easier for people to shout into the void to look for people with similar interests without having to make it as formal as having to set up a subcommunity. For example, if I just wanted to check out some magic AU headcanons, maybe on Reddit I might have to look for a magic AU subreddit, which is pretty damn specific so there’s a near zero chance of finding something like that. I’d probably look for a magic subreddit (not sure if that exists) or the worldbuilding subreddit, but that’s way too broad to find magic AU. Meanwhile, on Tumblr, I can just look for a tag and anything related will pop up. What I’m trying to say is that it’s a lot easier to look for people who have the same specific interests as you.

I may have mentioned this before, but Tumblr was the first place where I actually got o participate in fandom. I was a lurker on Livejournal and I scarcely commented on fanfiction, and almost never posted original content. On the other hand, Tumblr offered baby steps for me to participate in fandom. It started with lurking and liking posts. Then it grew to reblogging. Then it grew to commenting in the tags, and eventually I felt more comfortable making my own posts about my own thoughts (and writing fanfiction).

I’m also just going to miss having a personal blog. My blog is a mix of all of my interests, and the mix of interests is what makes it unique to me. I like that my blog is a mix of hockey, soccer, Sailor Moon, Bleach, dolls, movie reviews, and a ton of other stuff. At the same time, other people’s blogs are going to be a mix of things they like, and that’s the beauty of being able to build a personal blog.

(3) Types of posts

This ties back to my earlier point about how people can make all sorts of posts. Text posts, images, videos, audio, etc. A lot of people have discussed what platforms they’ll be moving to. The popular ones I’ve seen are Twitter, Instagram, Pixiv, Pillowfort, etc.

I haven’t used Pillowfort before, but from what I hear it’s similar to Tumblr. I hear it’s still in Beta though (and currently has a one-time fee) so I probably won’t be using it for the time being.

In the past, I’ve tried using Twitter but honestly, I don’t like the interface at all. It’s hard to use, it’s a pain to look for old stuff, etc. The biggest thing is that it only allows for short posts. And I’m the kind of person who hates those multi-part tweets. If what you need to say is more than 3 tweets long, you should really be writing a blog post. That’s my opinion. But clearly that platform isn’t the best for longer type posts, like fanfiction, fan theories, character analysis, etc.

Instagram and Pixiv are image-focused. So they’re great for fanart, photography, aesthetic blogs, etc. But it cuts out a lot of other stuff. I suppose you can fit in short witty jokes and stuff in the description parts, but you can’t fit an essay or anything longer than, say, a paragraph. Not to mention these platforms are really more about the visuals.

Livejournal would have offered the freedom to make all sorts of posts, but fandom is pretty dead there. Also, I hear that it had a similar breakdown on adult content.

Why Tumblr will change

I realize I haven’t addressed the actual reason why this is happening though. As I understand it, Tumblr is enforcing stricter rules on adult content.

For the past while, I’m sure a lot of people have been dealing with pornbots. The other problem that I haven’t had contact with is child pornography. However, Tumblr hasn’t been able to effectively handle these issues. They attempted to take down inappropriate and illegal content but as a result, a lot of normal blogs were being taken down.

I don’t post much nsfw content here so I can’t comment much, but there will be many people who are disappointed because they do post nsfw but inoffensive content. I just think it’s unfortunate that Tumblr hasn’t been able to come up with a solution to address the specific problem. They’ve tried to come up with a blanket solution. Although the blanket solution might address the problem, it’s also affecting the ability of a lot of normal users to carry out their usual activities. I know nothing about the sorts of algorithms used to combat these issues but I think it’s just unfortunate that a solution can’t be found.

Next steps

Honestly, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve always been late to fandoms, so I’ll be waiting and seeing where fandoms move. Maybe when Pillowfort is officially released, I might check it out (if it ever becomes free). Maybe I’ll go back to Livejournal. Maybe I’ll lurk on Instagram. Or finally check out Dreamwidth. I really don’t know.

But I have a post with some of my contact info outside of Tumblr. Please feel free to ask me for contact info. I’ve never made internet friends before Tumblr, and honestly I think I’m going to miss how easy it is to talk to others purely on the basis of sharing similar interests.

#thinking out loud #tumblr #thoughts

1 note · View note

graceeast · 3 years

Text

Chapter 2

Part 14

This is a joke NSFW 18+

Today Kim came up to me and A-aron and told us that her and Karen are going to see Hannah Montana in concert. I was like yo Hannah Montana is my jam! They said they were going to hard core marathon all the shows ever made because you know you got to have the #bestofbothworlds. A-Aron and I thought it was a good idea for Karen and Kim a night to themselves.

Later I went shopping with my mom she asked me what I wanted I replied with my usual watermalon! She then asked me what else I wanted I said I dont know yellow is my favorite flavor. So she grabbed a lemon I said no you stupid bitch I said yellow. So she finally got the hint and got a box of just yellow crayons.

That night I played Wii bowling with my bro A-Aron and I was like get good scrub you bowl like your mom and he said it be like that sometimes. Then we got high #hugsnotdrugs #brosfohoes #instaverified. Anyway since kim has had her kids her tits are like #nexleval I wish she would call me daddy 🤤

Part 15

Since the girls are going out tonight A-Aron and I have to take care of the babies. #notavibe but I will still help him apparently his kid Jim said his first words they were "shove it Karen jr. #fuckit" we could not be more proud of him!

I hope A-Aron and I can raise these kids just as good a Sanic and Shrek raised their kids. Each of Sanic and Shreks kids have their own swamps that's what I call very successful.

Meanwhile at the concert Karen passed out from drinking too much and Kim is half naked and Karona is dancing on stage with Hannah Montana and Milly Cyrus herself it was very hardcore.

Part 16

Karona fell off the stage but it's ok because Billy Rae Cyrus caught her. They looked deep into each others eyes until rudely interrupted by Karen . "Excuse me!" Karen exclaimed. The Billy and her eyes locked he straight up yeeted Karona and they had some premarital kissing. Gross!

That day A-Aron texted me. "You ready to rob a bank?" I was like WTF A-Aron did you take your ADHD medication. He was like "I thought we were bros weather I took my meds or not!" "But to be honest I didn't" I said you should probably do that we will talk later. A-Aron than says "I love you bro no homo"

The girls had fun at the concert but Karona is still a little upset that Karen stole Billy from her. But they made up since Karen said "he's horrible kisser I ended up complaining to his manager Hannah Montana about it!" "And we broke up." Karona was glad she dodged a bullet with that one thank our lord and savior Dr. Phil

Part 17

A-Aron and I have to clean his room today apparently I cause 90% of the messes. Anyway his room has a white boy white sanfransico vibe to it, it has several posters of pokeman. It also have posters of big time rush. After picking up his several pairs of board shorts we are lunch which of course was case of dillos #cultured.

Karen jr. Finally learned how to complain to the manager today since we went to friendlies and she got the wrong ice cream. Jim said shut the F up Karen and Boe just minded his own business.

I cant believe Karen won the presidency! Surprisingly since she was going against Bloomerberg. Science he is an old white man and she is a black Mexican. She didn't have a great chance but she made it. She is going to make America love shrek again.

Part 18

In Chillerys class today we were listening to one of those educational songs and low key I got turnt as hell listening to it. Later I ended up buying it on iTunes for my blue totally awesome ipod shuffle. I listened to it only 600 more times. I even made a dance to it to show Chillery tomorrow in class.

We all stood up and said the pledge of the memeist then saluted the flag with Shrek on it with our middle finger as it is the way he would want it. Then we said long live our president Karen amen 🙏. Then we all dabbed and coughed in each other's faces.

That night Aaron, his family and I went to the cheesecake factory and we ate like kings. It was very good till I got home and had explosive diariah every where. Gross.

Part 19

Today I started talking to Korona cause she a cutie. She and I decided to go on a online date on roblox since that game bops. Anyway we were thinking about going to Mac Daddys for dinner on Friday I'm excited! Except when we got there Mac Daddys was closed so we had to hard-core hand job and then well you can only imagine what happened next. Its closed because of of the pepperona.

But its ok because I got quarantined with her which was nice because we did a lot of HBO and chill. We take a couple hits of the mareajowana. She is my Quranqueen.

School is online now and Chillery was talking to us then all of the sudden there was a loud noise. "What was that" Chillery yelled. A-aron raised his hand and said sorry that was me I dropped my iPad. "I soiled my depends" Chillery exclaimed. I than said Sah bro to him and Chillery yelled shut the F up. Whoh Chillery has no chill.

That night I went home and I printed off some black and white nudes for my sweet heart KTVSPN4 I hope she likes them.

Part 20

Today in school a new student came on line her name is Cardi B. All of the sudden someone who had been quiet all day raised their hand. What is it asked Carol Baskin our art teacher. "Yes, is that short for something?" Cardis cheeks turned bright red she hung her head and embarrassed and said "it's short for Carigan Backyardagain" thewhole class laughed. Carol said if we don't stop she would feed us to tigers so we shut right up.

Today after classes Karona came over we had sex and I was pretty sure I tore my rectum. But you know what they say chuck it in the fuck it bucket. Also #worthit. She enjoyed it which is good because we don't waste. Especially seman and hot pickles oh my goodness after eating one of those and watching the hot pickle movie 🤤. Hot pickle I need to repent.

The next day A-aron was down and before class Skyped my friend group apparently Karen Jr. Was getting to be a handful. Thankfully Karona is into all of the astrology stuff and a-aron yelled "what can you tell me about scoripos?" The answer was simple don't be a donter...

Chapter 21

I got home and listened to Thomas the dank engine. Then all of the sudden Korona called me. "Honey you know how we had 69 on 4/20?" Yes I answered "well I'm #tomato sauce" what? "I'm sorry I'm prego" she exclaimed I said it was going to be ok and we would figure it out. "Wow you are the best" she said.

That next day in music class we had a project to write a song about someone who inspired us. Danny Devito went first "yes this is a song about me." He said he went on singing -"this won't make us fall there is still one man we can call, Danny Devito the one that we need oh" it was very catchy. The teacher wasn't pleased but it was better then kims song about Carol Baskin.

I'm so happy Karona is prego, today we find out the gender of our baby. Turns out its a girl we are going to name her corona lite extra. I can't wait until our beautiful baby is born!

The next day in class Carole was singing about her husband it was very sus talking about sardine oil on her husband. And something about tigers and how they be snacking on his meat I don't think in a good way. Anyway big yikes.

We had a baby shower for Karona of course on the internet dont want this weird virus. She got a onsie it said dada on it I can't wait for our baby to wear it.

Part 22

A-aron sent me a link last night it said under the link "looks like you" I of course clicked on it and you will never guess what happened. It brought me to a separate video I watched it there was some unmentionable stuff happening in it, I texted A-aron and said "I think that video gave me cancer" he texted "Thanks Obama!"

The baby is due next month and we couldn't be happier we decided that when its born we are not going to vaccinate our child because autism. Dont want our kid to be messed up for life. We are going to be using natural oils and food made from home and of course cloth diapers. Got to make sure she is perfect.

At lunch I was telling A-aron our plan he completely agreed that autism is way worse than being susptible to the flu or polio he said they didn't get Karen Jr. Vaccinated and she has only gotten small pox once and the flu 4 times since she has been alive. To me thats worth it

👌 💯 😌 🙏

Karen started talking about "he own business on Facebook and is trying to get us to start our own. "It only takes one second to share" she sells essential oils.

" its called essential oils for a reason"

I bought some hoping that would shut her up but it did not. The next day she talking about betrayal on Facebook and how hard she is trying to sell this shit to everyone.

Just shut up no one wants your oils!

I'm so excited for Karona to have the baby any day now she will arrive and we will be so happy and a family.

Part 24

Karona went into labor in quarantine with me I delivered my own child! Like we said it is a girl so we will be naming her Karona extra light.

She was healthy and thank goodness 🙏 it was a home birth because hospitals are so disgusting and they might vaccinate her and we don't want that because everything we are doing is all natural. We are even using cloth diapers because the government expects you to use disposable but i just can't in good conscience do that to my sweet daughter.

Karona is nursing which is great because we are planning on nursing her till she is 5 because breast is best.

Part 25

Today on Facebook Karen posted one of her normal posts. "Does anyone have a truck I can borrow need to move a couch also if you could help me that would be great!." And "does anyone have any Bobby pins I can borrow?" "I'm so done with everything" "anyone want to buy essential oils and be a model for me for free?"

What a bitch just trying to get free stuff from people I never understood asking for stuff like that. Like a few things here and there but every day is kinda ridiculous. Plus who barrows Bobby pins like wtf. Like I'm pretty sure those are one time use.

Today Karen also asked me if I would sell essential oils for 10% of the profits. She also said using them could help me lose up to 10 pounds. She said it just takes 2000$ to start out but I'll earn it back next month.

Yeah right I'll earn it back never. I just told her I wasn't interested which she got really upset with. "You know you just lost me 300$!" -yeah I did the math 10% of 300 is 30. Dumb bitch oh well.

Part 26

Karona extra light started talking today apparently she is religious because first thing she said was you may be verified on Twitter but are you verified in the eyes of the lord.

I have had many conflicting feelings lately back in elementary I liked guys but now and then I liked both, but now I'm leaning more towards girls but I still sometimes have feelings for guys. Any way I'm just going to come out as Bi because I still like some guys but lean more towards females. I told Kim she was totally excepting.

Kim started a job at worst purchase today she said her day was so easy and they are actually paying her a good amount. I'm proud of who she is

But who am I is the question

Well now that I got it figured out my name is Atlas Consintine I am bi-sexaul and I'm still trying to figure it all out. I am a chillis employee that has gone through alot but I think its time for this saga of my journal to come to an end you see tomorrow is high school graduation and pretty soon I will be thinking about the next step in my life. Probably join the peace core or something. Ps simp means squirrels in my pants doesn't anyone remember Phineas and ferb. Anyway that's it for now journal until next time.

Atlas

#funny #fiction #short story

0 notes

some-flyleaves · 7 years

Note

steven universe and homestuck :Yc ?

fandom comparison

obligatory disclaimer: not up-to-date with either, lost track of SU at some point before “MindfuI Education” and have yet to read Act 6 of Homestuck. a majority of what I remember about both at this point is probably via dashboard osmosis & scattered chats. but based on that!

better protagonist: hmmmmm see neither Steven nor John stick out to me much, they’re both well-written characters and all but I can’t say either compels me strongly. arguably both stories have more of an ensemble cast to the point where “protagonist” is more of a “here’s the person you probably got most familiar with first” code than an actual fitting label.

for the sake of simplicity though I’ll stick with those two. as for who makes a better protagonist I’d have to say Steven, with him discovering the world of the gems alongside viewers for better or for worse and overall seeming to have a more clearly-defined character arc that hinges on self-discovery and a major flaw of his own (wanting to help everyone always & thinking his way of helping is objectively best).

John gets some personal favoritism points though because he’s flat-out fun to read (as is everyone in home stuck, really). I can’t really say I’d be too hyped about an episode where Steven is alone in his room and plays a game.

better villain: Vriska gaytog has been using Yellow Diamond and Lord English as the designated villain and I’ll copy. since I have yet to properly meet Caliborn I can only really judge local cue ball skeleman based on ominous foreshadowing, so my vote’s for Yellow Diamond. that said, destroyer of the motherfucking space-time continuum or however it goes is a very high bar.

better plot: based ONLY on what I’ve watched/read (see disclaimer above), Homestuck. sorry, stets - without getting too deep into the “filler” discourse, there’s a reason I kinda slowly lost interest in the show, whereas I can’t remember being flat-out uninterested in a single pesterlog.

of course, by virtue of actually being planned in advance and from what I see of the homestuck anime’s… lukewarm reception, I’m sure SU takes the gold here in the long run. it’s certainly less convoluted and probably fits nicer into a traditional narrative structure. but man, the banter in Homestuck can make you forget you’re not reading legitimate chatlogs between real people while also moving along the plot, and I gotta give it endless props for that.

better cinematography setup: you know what? I’m cheating and changing this to be a general question about how the narrative is conveyed in its given format, because “cinematography” is pretty much exclusive to film/television. so… better composition, I guess, if we’re being all artsy, which I am because I’ve been going over this stuff all semester :V

on one hand I think Steven Universe can be held back by its 11-minute (or 22-minute for the two-parters) format, and don’t get me started on the scheduling disaster that is stevenbombs. too much of a good thing. >8,T within the episodes I’m not always a fan of the scene setup and feel there could be a lot more angle variation than there is, but to its credit when the show messes with fun dramatic angle shit it pulls it off brilliantly.

Homestuck, meanwhile… is a sprite comic with a shitton of text tacked on. and flash animations that 9/10 times require an epilepsy warning. and, uh, supplementary shitedits? it’s hardly the most intuitive format to get into and the length is daunting as shit, never mind the acts and subacts and sub-subacts etc. however, it makes use of its convoluted format to the fullest, which I can definitely appreciate. people who have a lot more thoughts on the whole webcomic phenomenon can probably articulate this better but imo it’s just fucking cool.

SO BASICALLY if we put any given frame of SU and a Homestuck panel side by side, unless it’s like… a smear frame vs hero mode guest art, SU wins. but it’s a toss-up! we’re comparing apples to a gif of an exploding orange with jpeg artifacts in every vandalized frame. don’t make me pick one. >:V

more fun: Homestuck, for sure. see above points about character banter. not that I don’t(/didn’t) get any enjoyment from SU, but I’m not gonna lie, half the fun of that was the fandom. I’m… less inclined to rewatch any given episode, especially nowadays, than I am to pick a random log and go.

more thought-provoking: see now I was almost tempted to give this to Homestuck by default because it requires so much sleuthing just to get through on a first read, but for me personally? gotta be Steven Universe, moreso in the characterization than plot department. not that both stories don’t have realistic characters worth every deep analysis the fandom has provided and then some, but I kiiiiiiinda get the sense people might be Reaching when I read, say, an analysis of one of the trolls who doesn’t get much development beyond their gimmick (hello, like 10/12 players of the alpha troll crew, all of whom I have yet to meet but Still). I don’t get that from SU character analyses, generally. if I agree, ofc :P

more relaxing: fucking neither honestly, I don’t watch/read stuff to relax I consume media to WIN. by which I mean my idea of relaxing with media tends to involve Video Gaem if not spacing out in front of a firealpaca canvas but I digress.

I definitely remember at least a few occasions of reading random HS scenes & watching various SU clips (on separate days) while procrastinating hardcore on schoolwork? but I’ll watch paint dry sooner than do my damn schoolwork so it doesn’t qualify, huh. tl;dr another toss-up because I suck

more consuming: hell if I know, I tend to be pretty all or nothing when it comes to watching/reading stuff so 8V I think I’m generally more engaged with homestuck nowadays but I also haven’t y’know Finished It so. eh

favorite: Episode 413: Ace Stares Blankly at Their Flashing Cursor for 20 Minutes Before Deciding They’re Indecisive and Going to Joke About It Instead of Answering The Damn Question

#phyllored #ace answers #THIS GOT LONG but it was fun >8Dc thank!#fandom comparison #sentient space rocks #...shit what was my HS talk tag. I know I /had/ one despite not talking hamsteak much on my blog but er. whoops

4 notes · View notes

segadores-y-soldados · 7 years

Text

(not @-ing the person because if they wanna find this they can) (also not putting this under a cut because it deserves to be “out” (lol) in the open)

“God knows I'm an hardcore r76 shipper but I genuinely don't agree with any of this. Teasing tone?banter? It's interesting to me how people perceive things completely differently. Honestly I always thought as reaper as the concept of people catering to the edgy teen stereotype, he's super macho and mysterious. Now he's getting more background and that's good and right, but it started out as a stereotype of a het teen fantasy. I don't mean this as bashing op, everyone is entitled to their Hc.”

---

I think we’re getting something really LOST in translation here.

Because unless I’m wrong

It seems to me like you think I’m stating that Gabriel/Reaper’s mlm-coding is somehow...intentional.

And that leads me to ask:

Do you know what queer/gay coding is?

Queer/gay coding is NOT necessarily intentional on part of the creators. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. When queer/gay coding IS intentional, that’s a form of “queer baiting” - attempting to get a greater audience, usually LGBT+ people, by dangling a “queer/LGBT character” in front of them. Typically, queerbaiting is never actually fulfilled and instead leaves LGBT+ fans feeling frustrated, denied, and used.

When queer/gay coding is unintentional, it is seen by the creators as “a mistake” and that the fans are “reading too much into it.”

But here’s the thing.

Queer/gay coding exists. It’s real. It happens A LOT, whether intentional or not.

http://theroguefeminist.tumblr.com/post/56658099133/queer-codedqueer-coding

http://lgbtfiction.com/index.php?title=Queer_coding

Here are some good starting places to read up on what queer/gay coding is and how it can manifest. Specifically for our purposes, we wanna look at: “More commonly, however, queer coding is used to reinforce negative and harmful stereotypes. For example, male villains are often depicted as effeminate and flamboyant in contrast to the "manly" hero, reinforcing both damaging stereotypes about masculinity and tropes such as the Depraved Homosexual.”

“Even traits that have become tropes for villains (being well-dressed; having feminine mannerisms or manner of speech; being aristocratic in manner, wealth and appearance; being a smooth talker; having flamboyant hand gestures, manners of dress, and decor in their homes/lairs; having little to no interest in women; being conniving or catty etc etc etc) show how deeply imbedded queer coding as been to the point where queer qualities are associated with evil.”

So let me repeat my original point:

Gabriel Reyes/Reaper is mlm/gay-coded.

That list of design elements?

Those are statements of FACT about his appearance and mannerisms.

I dunno how you think you’re gonna “disagree” with the fact that he wears jewelry, heels, has a faint lisp, is almost 100% sassy/sarcastic/snide/sardonic, has a paired Contra reference spray with another masculine character, permits only one masculine character and reluctantly permits one feminine character to call him by a nickname, drops a ton of pop culture and music references, has a very clearly defined “aesthetic,” etc. These are all things you can double-check in the game, in his character design, and in his voice lines. Here, let me give you some links to start with:

http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/157092621240/reaper-art-assets

http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/157341261265/reaper-references

http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/157452109935/reaper-and-soldier-american-cultural-references

And for good measure, you can also have this one on Soldier: 76:

http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/157721843510/soldier-76-fact-sheet-references-and-some

In fact, with all the new Uprising content, I could actually probably write ANOTHER Reaper/Soldier: 76 “paired cultural references” just with the Commando skin-Predator line-Contra sprays alone.

Which brings me to my next point:

“Honestly I always thought as reaper as the concept of people catering to the edgy teen stereotype, he's super macho and mysterious. Now he's getting more background and that's good and right, but it started out as a stereotype of a het teen fantasy.”

Gabriel Reyes/Reaper’s appeal to “edgy teen stereotype[s]” and “het teen [fantasies]” is about as deep as a puddle. And you wanna know why?

Because about ALL of his references - save for the “I’m not a psychopath” one and “Nevermore” - are approximately 30 - 50 years old.

Present day.

So by “in-game time,” Gabriel Reyes/Reaper’s references are approximately 70 - 100 years old.

The man is a NERD.

Again, I’d like to refer you to the essays above. Almost EVERY reference Gabriel Reyes/Reaper makes is older than you, me, and most of the people on this website. He quotes Chick Hearns, Al Davis, AC/DC, The Last Starfighter, and Predator. He now has a Contra reference spray. His Pumpkin skin is a goddamn Headless Horseman homage. His Raven skin is a Edgar Allan Poe reference. The very name “Gabriel Reyes” is very likely to be a reference to Misión San Gabríel Arcángel and El Camino Real.

Do you know who Gabriel Reyes appeals to?

Men like my father.

Men in their 40’s - 60’s.

(This is why I wrote that “Gabriel/Reaper is basically a ‘mlm character designed and written by straight men (mostly).’”)

“Edgy het teeangers” don’t get the majority of Gabriel/Reaper’s references. Bloody hell, half the replies and tags on my “Reaper References” post are simply “oh I never knew this” or “thanks for sharing this” because many people under the age of 40 simply don’t know them. How could they? How could you? Have you ever heard the phrase “Welcome to the Black Hole?” Unless you’re an Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders fan or you follow American football, how would you know it? Did you know who Chick Hearns was before the “It’s in the refrigerator” quote? Do you know the story of the Headless Horseman? Did you how important San Gabriel Mission is to the history of Los Angeles?

The vast majority of Overwatch players under 20 simply don’t know all this stuff.

Sure, maybe they get the Nevermore reference. Maybe they get the “I’m not a psychopath” reference. They probably get the “Back in Black” reference.

But they probably don’t get all or even the majority of the references. Many of them are just too old for young people to immediately recognize.

While ALL the Overwatch characters have pop culture references built into their in-game dialogue, their voice lines, their skins, their sprays, etc, the only other character to truly have as many “old references” is

Soldier: 76.

Jesse McCree definitely has some as well, but his are mostly limited to “The Dollar Trilogy” and “Mad Dog McCree.” Soldier, meanwhile, has references to Evel Knievel, Michael Jackson, Apocalypse Now, Contra (again), Commando, and M.A.S.H. In fact: “So I brought this up briefly in the Reaper References post, but as far as I can tell, Reaper and Soldier are the only two characters who make references to a major American movie star: Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is rather odd considering characters like Reinhardt and Mercy are geographically and culturally closer to Arnold’s home country of Austria; Reinhardt in particular shares a similar sense of bravado and battle-lust that Arnold has portrayed in many of his films (Kindergarten Cop Reinhardt when?).”

“Reaper, on the other hand, has the voice line “If it lives, I can kill it,” which is a reference to Arnold’s famous quote “If it bleeds, we can kill it” from Predator, a movie that also features Schwarzenegger in a military role. I’m waiting for someone to get an “Hasta la vista, baby” line - bonus points to Blizzard if they give it to Mercy.”

I haven’t gotten either of these yet, but the Contra sprays were a step away. At this point now, I’m waiting for Gabriel/Reaper to get a Rambo or Stallone reference to complete the set.

But sure, yeah.

I’m “reading too much into it.”

Never mind the fact that someone - or more likely, several someones - at Blizzard approved all these cross-references between two masculine characters. Again - they don’t have to be intentional to be coded as queer/gay. But with Uprising - in particular with the Contra sprays - we know that some of them ARE intentional. It is not “coincidence” that the actual name of the Contra sprays is “Commando,” a reference to the Commando: 76 skin, which is in turn a reference to Schwarzenegger’s Commando movie. And it’s not a “coincidence” that stills from the very first Contra box art has stills from Schwarzenegger in Predator, and Stallone in Rambo. And that Gabriel/Reaper has had a Predator quote for ages now.

Do you think Blizzard - a company with their headquarters in Los Angeles, a video game company with their headquarters in Irvine/Los Angeles - is unaware of video game history? Or Schwarzenegger movies? Or Los Angeles/California history in general?

But sure, yeah.

I’m “reading too much into it.”

Which brings me to my final point:

“I don't mean this as bashing op, everyone is entitled to their Hc (headcanon).”

I need to ask:

What EXACTLY did you think you were going to accomplish by coming onto a post - written by a mlm trans man, describing really obvious, blatant mlm-coding in a masculine character’s design, a character who fits the two examples of queer/gay coding I’ve quoted above, all the way down to said character’s SHOES - and saying that you “disagree” and that I am “entitled to [my] own headcanon”?

You offered nothing as a rebuttal, you offered no counter evidence, all you did was lampshade that my discussion on the Reaper-Soldier interactions were not said in “teasing tones” and were not “banter” (hey, by the way, if you want to hear the lines again: http://overwatch.gamepedia.com/Soldier:_76/Quotes there they are. You can hear the sarcastic laughter when Soldier starts the “you sure take to this bad guy thing easily, don’t you” and you can hear the teasing/mocking/sarcastic emphasis when Reaper says “boy scout” so literally no one has to take my word for it - the actual audio is right there).

You just did the deadass “gendered opposite” of when straight cis men went “I never expected Lena/Tracer to be a lesbian/wlw. I never saw ‘the signs.’”

But hundreds if not thousands of wlw Overwatch fans will tell you the exact opposite.

And they’ll also tell you that many of them never dared to believe Lena/Tracer would be confirmed “canon lesbian/wlw.”

Because they had been burned one too many times before.

So what really, really ruffled my feathers about your response

Is the implication that I - a mlm trans dude, someone who has thought about their own masculinity every single day for the last 13 years - was somehow misreading mlm/masculine gay-coding.

That I had formulated some sort of “headcanon” about Gabriel Reyes/Reaper.

It’s true that I have MANY headcanons about the character -

But his mlm/gay-coding is not one of them.

The post was not meant as a defense of “is Gabriel Reyes/Reaper canonically gay?” No. Gay-coding has nothing to do with “level of canon.” Gay-coding is about the presentation, design attributes, and stereotypes built into a character - intentional or not. Gay-coding is about the implementation of ideas, concepts, traits, and biases about LGBT+ individuals - subconscious or not - that creators put on certain characters, especially “villainous” ones.

No, the point of the post was to simply list those exact design elements and “personality traits” that demonstrate just how mlm/gay-coded Gabriel Reyes/Reaper is. The point of the post was to tell other mlm and our allies, “Hey - you’re not alone. You’re not insane for seeing these traits. These traits are real. They are present. They are veiled under a very thin layer of black kevlar, but they’re there. You are not alone. I see them too.”

You proved why the post was necessary.

You proved why this whole list needed to be written in the first place.

Because some people will “disagree” even when presented with a straight (lol) list of elements and traits - things you can literally visually see on Gabriel Reyes/Reaper’s standard design - that show how the mlm/gay-coding was built into his character. And that includes before Reaper even HAD the “Gabriel Reyes” backstory.

http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/156816655280/blizzards-shitshow-of-a-timeline

http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/156928707135/blizzards-shitshow-of-a-timeline-part-2-the

You say that you thought Reaper was designed as an “edgy het teenager fantasy,” but Reaper has ALWAYS had the bangle, the heels, the skintight clothing, the slight lisp, the multiple belts, the hand gestures, the “sassiness,” the sarcasm. These all existed before “Gabriel Reyes the character” did. And even once Blizzard had thought of Reaper’s backstory, they continued to fill it with mlm/gay-coded stuff - voice lines, references, more sarcasm, only they also paired it with a “strong friendship/bromance” between Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison.

The question here is not if Gabriel Reyes is mlm/gay-coded.

By two definitions of queer/gay-coding, by a long list of design elements and traits, by the tone of voice of some of his dialogue, by everything that Blizzard has added to “Reaper” since the mere act of designing him -

He is mlm/gay-coded.

The question now is how intentional is all this.

And if it will actually result in anything meaningful.

So don’t try to imply that I’m seeing or perceiving things that aren’t there.

Like the vast majority of other mlm individuals, I’ve been burned A LOT by hoping and waiting and wanting the mlm/gay-coding to “mean something more.”

I’m not waiting for that here.

Rather, I am writing down what MANY of us are thinking but are too nervous to say: that Gabriel Reyes/Reaper is mlm/gay-coded, and therefore we are NOT “seeing things that aren’t actually there.” They are, and I want my fellow mlm individuals to know that they are.

#long post #personal #response #gabriel reyes #reaper #my essays #my writing #gay coding #queer coding #mlm coding #mlm #this response cheesed the hell outta me #if they had actually offered some sort of counter argument #i would have been willing to entertain it #but instead #they did what every oblivious straight cis 'i never thought she was a lesbian' dude has done #don't you dare come at me in a debate on reaper's references #because I know the vast majority of them #and even the ones I personally cannot speak much on #such as the mariachi skins #i at least know enough to respect the origins and defer to people who actually CAN speak about the #the rest of the tags on that post were wonderful #i'm glad I could help so many other people #and put these things into words for this community #even if Gabriel/Reaper turns out to be straight #we'll all know what we saw #we'll all know that his mlm/gay coding was and is there #and at that point #the responsibility will be on blizzard #not on us

30 notes · View notes

crazy-grrrl-on-the-computer · 7 years

Note

Akoya and Ryuu for the character thing??

Oh my goodness, thank you!!! I washoping to be able to rub my multishipper hands all over some Boueibu charactersfor this~

When it comes to Boueibu, I can makealmost anything fluffy and/or angsty because fluff and angst go hand in handfor me, so those are the only ones that I don’t have designated fluff or angstships for… except in Ryuu’s case because there is one specific ship that has only managed to be angst no matter how Ithink about it. ;;v;; *ahem* So, the other ones I chose are just singular shipsout of many I could have named. ^^

Feel free to send me more characters~

Akoya

MyNOTP for them: Because I ship practically anythingand everything, my only notp would be anything where Akoya is shipped with analien.

MyBROTP for them: Ryuu! The pink brotp is one of my favoritethings! There is so much potential for sweetness and sass and meaningful heartto hearts, plus the “what did you just say about him? only I can be mean to him” trope~

MyOTP for them: Arima because I love how they geteach other and the idea that the teasing is part of their game they play like acareful dance not to cross each other’s boundaries~ >w

Mysecond choice pairing for them:Ryuu, Io, or Kinshirou if I had to choose pairs.

A lot of my brotp feels about Akoyaand Ryuu can be translated into romantic ship feels because, gosh, once theyreally get below the surface to see who each other really is, there’s so muchpotential for something fiercely passionate and sweet there.

I’ll admit that I’m still fond of Iocrushing on Akoya’s money, but then starting to get to know Akoya more as aperson and realizing there’s so much more to him than just his family cash cow,and then the money doesn’t matter so much anymore. Meanwhile, Akoya falls forIo because he sees how special Io makes Ryuu feel, and he hopes that Io wouldlook at him that way and make him feel special, too. So, Akoya’s got thisalmost “enchanted prince” kind of picture of Io in his head because ofhow charming and intelligent and successful and financially secure and perfectIo is. I mean, eventually, he’s gotta confront Io’s glaring flaws, but it’s ajourney for both of them if they’d open up to each other enough.

Okay, but Akoya deeply respectingKinshirou and wanting to see him happy and relaxed for once because the rareinstance where he caught a glimmer of a genuine smile on Kinshirou’s face was worth(almost) all the beauty in the world, plus Kinshirou works himself too hard and(though admirable) he should learn to rest. Kinshirou being difficult becausehe also respects Akoya but doesn’t know how to deal with his feelings, so hejust continues to try to lock them away. The two of them being protective ofeach other but not afraid to cut a little deep if they feel provoked - Akoyamore “polite” than Kinshirou’s blunt “I don’t care if you knowI’m insulting you” - and yet not maintaining any hard feelings becausethey know the blow was low. Both of them wanting to grow closer to each other,but they need the security of knowing how the other feels first before makingany moves, so naturally they come to an awkward standstill that neither of themknows how to break. Probably until Arima notices and tries to push them gentlytogether by getting them to actually talk about it. In which they realizethey’ve been mutually pining this entire time and Arima is happy for hisfriends.

Myfluffy pairing for them: I dunno,call it a “shallow” or “superficial” ship if you want to,but Masuya in puppy love with Akoya and Akoya loving the attention from all thephotography (which he actually has to admit does him justice because Masuya’sgot his angles right) and Masuya’s constant praises gives my heart joy~ Plus,imagine Akoya enjoying giving Masuya facials and styling his hair and Masuyabeing amazed by it all. Akoya noticing Masuya’s usual quietness and trying tohelp him come out of his shell a bit more with those spa/makeover days because“a new look can give you confidence and make you feel like the person youneed to be.” After all, Akoya should know. Masuya doesn’t just make Akoyafeel beautiful on the outside, he makes sure Akoya knows how beautiful he is onthe inside because it shines through in all his photos. ;;w;;

Myangsty pairing for them: The onlything coming to mind is Kou, but I couldn’t explain it to you. I mean, I couldto totally spin it as a “hate” ship because both of them are justdevious enough for that, depending on the scenario or possibly the AU.

I could see Akoya manipulating Kouas some kind of punishment and Kou being too enraptured to run despite somethingin his gut telling him this is dangerous… Kou is and always will be arisk-taker, flirting with danger if there’s the promise of something to piquehis interest. Maybe he just wants to get deep under Akoya’s skin to see what’sreally resting there. He doesn’t care if he unleashes the demons inside. ButAkoya is no fool and would dig his claws in deep the more Kou pushes.

I could also see Kou attempting tomanipulate Akoya with pretty words and grand compliments exaggeratedly praisingAkoya’s beauty and assets (because Kou would also make sure to point out theskills and intelligence Akoya has) in order to get what he wants. Kou promisesAkoya photoshoots, front page stories in the paper, marketing campaigns forwhatever Akoya wants. Akoya uses Kou right back just as much, both of themstruggling to get one up on the other until they’re not really sure who’s aheadand who’s falling under the other’s trap or if they’ve both trapped themselves in this thing without realizing it…and they don’t much care after a point. It’s a push-and-pull game they bothcould play and it would be great.

Myfavorite poly ship for them:Oh my god, it’s a tie between Kinakorima or Akoioryuu~ But I think I mightlean a bit more towards the StudentCouncil OT3 as my ultimate fave. >w

Myweirdest pairing for them: PerhapsAtsushi, but probably Tsukuna (Tofu Monster). I don’t know if you’d call themweird or just unusual ships, though, because I don’t see very many people talkabout them seriously.

It’s been a while since I reallythought about Tsukuna and Akoya as a ship, but it had something to do with howtheir problems were so similar, and they could really relate to and help eachother with their views on beauty. I wish I could remember more of why I thoughtthat ship was interesting/cute, but I apparently didn’t write notes to myself.;;v;;

I started shipping Akoya and Atsushibecause of my Kitchen Princess AU where they’re enemies to friends and the loveis real sweet inthe “I consider you my best friend that I may or may not be a little gay for”way. The more I think about it, themore I figure the type of character dynamics they have in that AU could stillwork in canon with some adjustments. But just in general…

Akoya finding Atsushi’s densenessannoying and frustrating at first, and Atsushi honestly does not understandbecause he thinks he’s being polite. Akoya being mean in the politest way possiblein response, hoping Atsushi will take the hint, but Atsushi just feels awkwardbecause it sounded like a sincere statement yet it’s kind of unsettling andhe’s not sure why. But he tries to be friends with Akoya anyway because Akoyaseems nice and being friends is easier than being enemies for no reason. Iimagine something pretty significant would have to happen before Atsushifinally caught on and got fed up/concerned enough to actually say something toAkoya about it.

I’d have to write a whole fic forthis just to explain fully how I think this would work, but with both Atsushi’sand Akoya’s talents for prying, that conversation could end with some kind ofheart to heart or at the very least Akoya realizing that Atsushi is trying toshow he cares about him as a person. And from there, give them some morebonding moments and they learn to value the traits in each other that botheredthem before. Atsushi helps Akoya to stop being so hard on himself and Akoyahelps Atsushi to be more confident, stand up for himself a bit more, and maybelearn how to read things like tone/mood/body language/etc in a situation thatusually goes right over his head so he doesn’t end up in a difficult spotagain.

This is one of those very situationalships, so don’t take my word for it. I still love them. XD

Ryuu

MyNOTP for them: Basically the same explanation asabove. I notp anything where Ryuu is shipped with an alien, but the rest ispretty much fair game for my multishipper heart.

MyBROTP for them: Akoya because pink brotp is one ofthe best brotps~ I also pretty hardcore brotp Ryuu with En as well becausegotta love those senpai/kohai dynamics.

MyOTP for them: Io because these two are made ofpure fluff except when I turn it into angst. XD

Mysecond choice pairing for them:Akoya or En are my go-to secondary ships if I’m just going for pairs. Ryuulooking up to En and En imparting his “wisdom” on him, enjoyingflustering Ryuu with compliments or teasing remarks… ashkflhf so precious~>w

Myfluffy pairing for them: I havebeen very fond of the idea that Ryuu went to check up on Komi after the KotatsuMonster incident happened and continued to keep an eye on him. I mean, Ryuu keepinghim company, making sure he’s okay and readjusting well, helping to bring him backout into the world and make new friends~ Of course, for this ship, I usuallyinclude Io in it as well because the three of them hanging out and playingvideo games and cuddling (well, mostly Ryuu cuddling Io and Komi and Io beingtaken with how adorable they are) and generally being happy and cute isprecious. >w

Myangsty pairing for them: Aha…Ichiban. //bricked

I’M SORRY ALL I EVER CREATE IS ANGST FOR THESE TWO. And italways ends up making Ichiban out to be a worse guy than he actually is becausehe’s a jealous kid who thinks Ryuu is his ticket to being popular and likeableand he goes too far and ruins everything nice between him and Ryuu. But Ichibansays such sweet things because he genuinely believes them, he just doesn’t listenwhen Ryuu says “no”, and depending on the scenario, once things gosouth, Ryuu always sticks with the relationship because he’s been so desperatefor attention/affection that he thinks this is the only thing he’ll get or hefeels so bad about himself that he thinks he deserves this (either aspunishment for being “worthless” or because he thinks he isn’t goodenough for anything better). ;;n;;

Myfavorite poly ship for them:Without a doubt, it’s Akoioryuu! If Io and Ryuu let Akoya in, I could see thistrio being very good for each other in many ways. Ugh, but just give me all theAU’s where Akoya is a sassy little badass befallen by some tragic incident thatstirs up the extremely protective sides of Io and Ryuu the way they’reprotective of each other and he’s protective of them. I need it.

Though I am very partial to a lot ofother poly ships, especially my ever-growing love for Io/Ryuu/Aki and Haru. Thesetwo exclusive duos would totally make a game out of poking at each other withsassy remarks and ugh the snark would be so great. I wanna see Io and Ryuu makeAki and Haru flustered because, as hard as the twins try, their sass is nomatch for the ultimate sass of Io and Ryuu.

Myweirdest pairing for them: I dunno,man. I think the idea of Ryuu trying to flirt with Goura (because who wouldn’t,honestly?) and Goura brushing him off because he’s just a silly kid who triestoo hard to be smooth is hilarious. And I also find the concept of Ryuu andMasuya adorable because of the photoshoot putting the mental image in my headof Ryuu going “photograph me like one of your French girls~” andMasuya being in puppy love. Also, for some odd reason I can’t quite put myfinger on, the thought of Ryuu and Tsukuna (Tofu Monster) is starting to growon me. But again, I don’t think these are weird ships so much as unusual onesjust because I don’t see them really talked about much.

#Ask That Dork #boueibu #Ichiryuu #please send me more characters #especially Boueibu because I need to talk more about my ships and I can't do it unless I'm prompted apparently ;;v;;

16 notes · View notes

icharchivist · 3 years

Note

so…. icha…… how would one go about watching a playthrough of ff7….

oh my god

hi!!! i see it's once again a way i drag you into something 😭😭

Unfortunately there is no *easy* answer so please bear with me before i give some links, and i would understand you not being interested anymore then but, bear with me

Anyway FF7 is a big franchise with multiple games and this is where it can get tricky. Depends where you want to start, but effectively, the plotline of the Original game is the best place to start for the most efficient storytelling.

There is a remake. But recommending it for a first watch is.........

The remake is great and it deepens the characters a lot. Honestly i WOULD recommend you watching it at some point. But not as an intro point because

-The remake is coming out in parts: the current release covered only the 5 first hours of the original game as well as a totally original campaign DLC

-The remake isn't exactly a "remake" but is an alternative timeline. Super confusing i know. I don't want to ruin the fun of discovering it, but the remake is based entirely on "those events already happened - they are stuck reliving it... unless??". Even people who know the saga have NO IDEA where it's going at this point.

-Because of this^ two things fundamentally changed: Sephiroth, who is conscientiously refusing to replaying his part 1:1 as he knows what will happen (and therefore i think newcomers are missing Sephiroth's build up and introduction since Sephiroth isn't even supposed to appear during the OG in those events and pre-game to post-game Sephiroth are so different that jumping immediately to post-game Sephiroth is.. welp.) AND the ending of the game include a key game event that happens ways further in the game and they... undo it???? I have been Confusion ever since. And they don't explain any bits of it, so for newcomers it must just be like "?? okay???". (and for long time player it's "WHAT WHAT WHAT???")

-In general too the game kinda vagues super spoilerly events that happens ways further in the OG... and kind of in a way of "maybe we'll undo them ;)" which has just got us all ???? and meanwhile for newcomers this is kinda spoiling them big parts of the OG out of nowhere?? i know the game has been spoiled to death at this point but still?

The remake is a great concept (i'm just having mixed feelings about where they're going to take it), and i would recommend it but as a first intro it's....... welp.

I have seen people starting with it though and i don't really know how they got through the confusing parts so what do i know DLKJFDLKFJ

SO YEAH MY POINT IS

that for efficient storytelling, you should start with the Original Game.... which is a relatively long game with a styled polygon style, and not voiced, so it's all about reading a lot.

I know people are turned off by this style but personally i find it charming.

but if you want to start with the remake, i'm not going to stop you, just, discover it the way you want to discover it. Personally i got into ff7 because of Crisis Core after all, and i think my watching order was... Crisis Core >Last Order > Advent Children > Original Game > Episode Denzel > Dirge of Cerberus > Remake which..... is the most chaotic way possible to watch it, so like i'd be the last person to judge.

Just as info:

the order i'd recommend to watch them:

Original Game (1997) > Crisis Core > Advent Children > Dirge of Cerberus > Remake

(Last Order and Episode Denzel are OAVs happening around Advent Children, they're very optional, i'm just mentioning it in case)

ONTO LINKS.

i've been looking into videos of the 1997 game and oof it's tough to find one that has all the elements i want.

1997 GAME: This one seems pretty complete without being too long (it's 21 hours long tho). it's missing three of my favorite scenes though and one that i will NOT let you not see. (im linking them but don't check them out of context) -this scene when they are in Gongaga at 8:15:37 -when reaching the part at the 2nd visit at the Gold Saucer at 11:08:16 i prefer the other alternative scene in term of story/lore -the important one: watch this anytime after 17:23:00. It's an optional flashback that explains a lot of things, but that people tend to miss and i had to check and it's missing from the video while it's super important. mark my words.

(also i cannot check to be sure everything is in it (aside from like those three scenes i hunted down), personally it takes me so many hundred hours to play DLKJFDF)

If you want to watch a longer one that is more complete and that i can attest for, but has commentary over it (so at least someone is reading along?) there's this one by snackattack8 that i did watch. it's pretty long, but everything i remember from it is pretty good; and the guy's commentary is okay (he's softspoken and his commentary is pretty okay). it's the PSx graphics though so it can look a little fuzzier, and he posted all the time just wandering around, so you can watch the scenes from fetch quests but it's a lot of wandering. And for the Gongaga scene i mentioned you'd want to check the link i posted on the other one. (the other two links should be fine though)

If from then you want to explore the rest of the saga, in order of their release:

-Advent Children Complete (2005/2009) is the sequel movie that concludes the game. In 2009 it got a remaster with added scenes in relation to Crisis Core so for the full punch you may prefer to watch Crisis Core first.

-Dirge of Cerberus (2006). It's a sequel to Advent Children, focusing on another character and secret stuff. It's not that good, but the lore elements explored in it is being used in the remake (the dlc extension touches a lot on stuff that happened in DOC) so you may want to check it out only if you're hardcore into it.

-Crisis Core (2007) <3 personally i started the saga here but it will spoil some fun if you do start here. It's a prequel, focusing on another guy, and it spoils the OG a lot, but it's. <3.

-Remake (2020). my disclaimer is on top of the post lmao. -Intergrade (2021) Remake DLC

There was a mobile game with tons of lore in it called "Before Crisis" (the lore is linked to the one explored in DOC) but it was only ever released in Japan so finding it online is complicated.

Else bonus OAV round:

-Last Order. This was the OAV touching the events of Crisis Core before they decided to extend on it. It came out with the 2005 version of Advent Children in order to remind people of that plotpoint that is relevent in AC. It's super spoilery.

-Episode Denzel: this is the backstory of a character in Advent Children. His intro in the 2005 version was confusing, they released this OAV to explain his backstory, but then when they did the remaster in 2009 they added scenes to explain him better. Still the OAV touches on things not mentioned in the movie so.

that's as complete as i can make it, but i know it's confusing LDKFJDFLKJ

i hope it can help though and hope you will find something good in all of this?

Take care :3c

#ichareply #sonnets of beauty #ichafantalks ffvii #why are the things i'm into never just easy to get into #at this point everything i ever recommand always come with an essay disclaimer #like it's never something i can just go 'oh sure here's a link' why am i like this #anyway <3

3 notes · View notes

sugirandom · 7 years

Text

365 days of writing: day 39

Warning: Currently a tad hyper so I wrote a long one today.

Day 39: Preparations

I’m a bit elated with fan giddiness at the moment because I guess I just had my own version of an impulse buy. I say my own version because I had points on the website so technically wasn’t giving up any of my money, at least not literally so that’s the only way I could justify such a thing. I was going to buy a new back applicator because you are supposed to replace it often and I was already overdue for replacing it so I had intended to simply use points for just a necessity buy however I looked up Chrono Trigger and it’s sort-of sequel (different case, deals with dimensions instead of time but had a lot of the same staff…also supposedly in the same verse) initially just planning to add them to a wishlist but Chrono Cross is apparently a really popular game and they claimed it only had 3 left in stock so I looked at my points and sure enough I had enough money. I used some remaining points to buy the Japanese version of the PSONE remake of Chrono Trigger…in the back of my mind I wanted to buy it because I love the cutscenes and also it’s good practice to play games in Japanese.

So yeah I got them and got very excited thinking about it. Seriously as I’ve already nailed in precisely my CT fandom is dangerous and I’m sure this isn’t the last bit of money I dished out for this franchise since the squeal has a good soundtrack (my kryptonite) so it’ll be mine if I happen to find it in Den Den Town and if I happen to find the original Japanese Super Famicom version there goes that paycheck and if I ever happen to be lucky enough to find the artbook that is rare and out of print oooh boy what even is money? Alas, you see if an Anime is every made of this series I would gladly buy all the limited edition boxsets and I know I alone can’t warrant enough money for them to make it but if there are other fans as hardcore as me trust me it will be lucrative in the end. Sorry I shifted who I was talking to just then… Anyway, enough spouting my intense love for a fictional game that was made in the mid-nineties

I’ve gotten two votes from people I get advice from that say to just wait and not sign up for online dating so despite my loneliness I’ve decided I will wait and see what happens when I go to Japan. I might have to get the forms for my passport, etc. signed by a different person than I initially thought, I mean it’s the doctor I see for my Testosterone instead of just where I get the shots done so I’m hoping he can do it relatively quickly even though he’s sort of slow but I made an appointment with him so I can emphasize when I see him how I’d like them done A.S.A.P unless by some miracle he has the stuff done before our appointment in two weeks. I’m also going to ask the admissions apartment of the language school all the questions I have in the meanwhile so I know exactly how to do the application and don’t make any mistakes that could slow things down. I worry a little bit about timing but I think I’ll be able to get everything done in time. I just have to keep telling myself that to keep myself optimistic otherwise I’ll be constantly anxious which would be very bad for my health and that would slow things down even more so…yeah no can do.

I tried twice now to call my best bro but I guess he’s scrambling to get things ready to come over today or his phone is charging because he hasn’t answered. We’ll probably continue as usual with our watching Gundam Anime and playing Chrono Trigger. Sadly, we have to level up one of our characters so that might slow the process down a little but once we do that we should have a leg up with unlocking the multiple endings. You can tell I’m obsessed with this game because I have every intent to play it again myself even after I’ve seen all the endings of a game and for me to not tire of a game like that means it has an intense hold on me. Anyway, other than that I guess I might show him some stuff on youtube and we’ll discuss how our week has been and whatever we feel like talking about. Our discussions usually go all over the place.

Tomorrow it’ll be back to work for one more day and then I’ll have three days off again. I don’t think Chrono Cross is going to arrive until next week and Chrono Trigger will take until March to come since it’s a Japan import so I might just play more of Pokemon Moon or another video game on my down time. I want to get back to writing my stories too but I rarely feel like actually writing them when I sit down to do so and I have to try and figure out why. I guess it’s my critical voice so I suppose at the very least I’ll have to tell myself that only my best bro will read them at first and hope that quiets the critic that’s already trying to guess what issue my not-yet-written narratives will have. Since I don’t yet know how to fix the issues I’ve potentially seen and think it would be better to do so once I have the entire story at least in a rough format written out I know I have to push myself to just write.

I also want to allow myself a little leeway initially because I sadly have to confess my Zelda-based story does use a cliché and it pains my heart but I do want to wait and see if my narrative makes sense with said cliché or if I can somehow drop it. My honest hope is to approach it a different way and tie everything together, including the message I hope to convey, by the end of the narrative. I also really want to try to write my Sci-fi genre idea because I really want to develop the two alien races I’ve created for that idea more in-depth. I also think that is one I can write without having to do a ton of research. For my idea that involves Gods and Goddesses I have to get back to reading mythology. It involves the mains traveling to an alternate world where everyone is a God or Goddess or well most of society is and they have to help with a civil war or sorts that breaks out. These are of course more human Gods and Goddesses and I’m basing a lot of it off of Mythology since I’ve had an instense love for Mythology since I was very young.

So yeah, that idea needs more research so I can flesh out the characters some though a lot of the base characters were established when I was about twelve years old. I also have to debate how to portray certain characters if I ever draw this as a sort of comic since I went for my pure idea when I was younger but didn’t think about how some character portrayals might be a bit too sexy or misinterpreted as such. You see my 12-year old self didn’t view having naked human-like character as sexual and while I don’t support the sexual stigma of nudity all the time…yeah I have to figure out how to work that issue out so I don’t seem like I’m doing fanservice or something like that. So yeah, I need a lot of work before I’ll write that one is basically what I took too long to say.

I’ll end this entry here because I went on and on and now my fingers are tired of typing. I think I might sing some while I wait for my best bro to come over since buying those games made my hyper and I haven’t recovered yet yikes.

#365 days of writing #day 39 #Sugi writes #if you read all of this congrats I love you

0 notes