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thethirdromana · 3 months

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Some Beetle covers, assessed

This book is about a beetle

A good two-thirds of Beetle covers take this approach, including the first edition on the left. And you know what, I can't fault it. This book sure does have a beetle in it. Bonus points for the middle one that draws on the hypnosis theme by making the beetle look like a brain.

Maybe an Egyptian beetle?

This is essentially the same approach, but more Egyptian, which I think looks very stylish. Given late Victorian Egyptomania, I'm surprised there aren't more like this. I could imagine a luxury edition with lots of gold really making this concept work.

Specifically involving a woman with a beetle on her forehead

This is an arresting image that's also sort-of justified by events in the book. It took me forever to realise what it reminded me of, and it's of course the poster for the Silence of the Lambs, which postdates both of these covers by about half a century. These are two quite sulky-looking Marjories, but perhaps that's the effect of hypnosis.

The cover illustrator read the book!

Given these covers minus the title, I think I would still have a solid chance of guessing which book they were for. The blue cover is the fully illustrated version. But actually, I think my favourite on this theme is redhaired Marjorie being menaced by the Beetle while Sydney tiptoes over in evening dress, both looking they could be in the opening credits of a Bond movie.

The cover illustrator didn't read the book

A very small part of the novel takes place in a railway station. None of it takes place in a cemetery, nor does it involve a hermit studying anatomy. With the whole world of royalty-free images of beetles to choose from, how does anyone land on any of these?

The cover illustrator really, really didn't read the book

Here we have the Beetle as represented by some Taiwanese houses, as True Blood, and as a picture that I vaguely recognise but where the image is so fried I can't even google it to check. At least the previous three had semi-appropriate spooky London vibes; these appear to be entirely random.

How about a bonus subtitle?

The first one here is clearly the weakest of the three, since it just features a picture of Richard Marsh's face, but is redeemed by choosing possibly the most metal line in the novel as its subtitle. I love both of the latter two, with a special mention to the illustrator of the middle one for actually depicting the Beetle's human form as described in the Beetle while also minimising the elements of racist caricature. No mean feat.

The cover illustrator understood the assignment

When I wrote something similar to this about Dracula covers, I was quite critical of the illustrators who decided to depict it as pulp horror. But it is so much more fitting for The Beetle. If you're drawn to buy Scantily Clad Woman Is Menaced By Giant Beetle, or Weirdly Green Man is Terrified of Mural, or even Rasputin And His Giant Beetle Spell, I feel like you genuinely might be the right audience for this terrible, terrible book.

#the beetle weekly #i hate to say it but i think these are collectively more fun than the dracula covers #there's just something about a massive beetle that really encourages illustrators to give it their all

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gojos-thot-patrol · 1 year

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what are the guys reactions to being spoiled with a spa day, fave foods, etc?

ooo, interestinggg I like it. ok ok,

Now Presenting...

Starring Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto, Kento Nanami, and Ryomen Sukuna.

Satoru Gojo

Early in the relationship Gojo is apprehensive.

He’s not used to being spoiled, he’s used to doing the spoiling.

But, as he gets more comfortable with the relationship Gojo loves to be spoiled!

He’s babygirl god damn it, and he LOVES to be treated as such!

Hell yea he wants to go get facials! Yes, lets get manicures, he wants his nails blue 💙

He comes home and you’re making his favorite food? What did he ever do to deserve you?

Now, of course he’s going to repay the favor. You give him a day all about him, he's going to give you a day all about you

But on his day he’s basking in it!

Honestly it just makes him feel loved and wanted. Like, he can do all of this himself, but the thought of someone else wanting to spoil him is intoxicating for him

Being spoiled makes him feel like you actually listen to him and pay attention, because you have to to know how to spoil him! It means you actually want him for him

Does it make him a little bit emotional? Yes. It’s ok though because he can be vulnerable around you

His love language is gift giving and acts of service, ok? This literally sings to his love language

In conclusion: Yes, Spoil Gojo

Suguru Geto

“No no darling, let me cook for you!” “Let me put a face mask on you, you deserve it” “Let me paint your nails instead, that color looks better on you”

Suguru straight up won't let you spoil him. He’s going to spoil you first.

Genuinely, being showered with unending affection and love makes him feel a little bit uncomfortable. He thinks he doesn’t deserve it

So any of your attempts to spoil him, he’s going to take over to try and spoil you instead

And this DOES. NOT. CHANGE. Even late into the relationship.

Even once he’s comfortable with you, and knows you love and cherish him. Then there's no need to spoil him because he knows you love him!

He still spoils you though because at this point it’s second nature to him and he thinks it's nice to remind you how much you mean to him.

Yes he knows he’s a hypocrite.

No he doesn’t care.

If you really want to spoil him, just spend time with him. It will honestly have the same effect on him, minus all the other feelings

And maybe make him a spotify playlist

Spoil him with music, that he will let slide.

I feel like so much of my Suguru characterization is rooted in the fact that he loves music but I CAN��T HELP IT!! He reminds me of So Many People I‘ve seen in the scene, I can’t see him as anything other that a music loving metal head LMAO

Kento Nanami

Nanami is not opposed to being spoiled but it has to be on his terms.

What I mean is like, It has to be in small doses so he doesn’t get overwhelmed, not a whole day of spoiling

And if it's something like a really expensive gift, he’d want to talk about it first. He’d rather not have a lot of surprises.

If you can do that, He’d actually rather like being spoiled

I feel like it makes him feel appreciated

And for almost everything you do for him he does something to match is I promise you lol

Nanami is a caretaker at heart, but that doesn't mean he isn’t willing to be taken care of

The best way to spoil him is with food though

Nanami is a foodie, cook him his favorite meal and it would make him feel really really special

Or sharing a nice bottle of wine with him. That's another way to make him feel special and loved, spoiled if you will

Honestly I don’t think Nanami would necessarily crave or need to be spoiled

But I do think that he very much appreciates it and appreciates you

It just makes him feel all warm and fuzzy

Ryomen Sukuna

Don’t. Don’t do it besties DON’T

Ryomen DOES NOT TRUST being spoiled, AT ALL

If he comes home and finds you cooking his favorite food, he’s going to assume you're poisoning him. “No, You can’t give me a facial, but I can give you one.” You ask to do his nails and he just holds up his black talons like “They’re already done.”

Sukuna has no idea how to love. He thinks love is possession, and as a wicked person he loves wickedly. What that means is everything comes with expectations when it comes to him, nothing is free.

So while you’re just trying to spoil him, he’s trying to find the catch.

If you give him a gift he’s going to straight up ask “What do you want from me?”

Back to the love is possession thing, He’s going to think you’re trying to possess him and he is not a fan of that. He owns you! Not the other way around!

He will honestly probably straight up tell you to stop LMAOOO.

Does he want you to return his affections? Yes absolutely, You would want your pet to behave too. But actively trying to spoil him and bathe him in material affection is not going to do it for him, LMAO

He just reacts so badly. Like, have you ever tried to pet a feral cat? It doesn’t end well. Being spoiled just feels so opposed to his soul.

He’s tried his hand at spoiling you before and found he was actually quite good at it, ngl. Where his words fall short often his small actions and gifts speak louder. But He only really tries to spoil you when he’s trying to apologize for some wrong. If you spoil him, He’s going to think you wronged him somehow my guy

The best way you can spoil him is by spending time with him. Just being around him and indulging in his, honestly much quieter version of love, that’s as close as you’re getting to spoiling him

Oh, that and just like, indulging him in sexy times, but THAT My dear reader is a set of headcanons for another day!!

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electronickingdomfox · 4 months

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"The Entropy Effect" review

Novel from 1981, by Vonda N. McIntyre (same author of the novelizations for the Star Trek movies II, III and IV). This is also the first TOS novel of the Pocket Book line, not counting the novelization for TMP. Even though the Bantam books have some nice stories (in particular, those by the Haldeman brothers are pretty decent), they all seem more like episodes of the series. This is the first time I had the impression of reading a proper novel, and the leap in quality is evident. I really, really liked this novel. It's also veeeery sad; it even made me shed some tears. Of course the reader knows this is Star Trek, and everything will turn out fine in the end, but the sense of despair the author conveys is quite effective nonetheless.

The characters are given much depth, and even the bunch of new additions receive proper attention, and their own side-stories and aspirations. The relations between the triumvirate are pretty much flawless (with echoes from "The Tholian Web"; Spock and McCoy are the real protagonists here). And surprisingly, Sulu has his own subplot and a romance story.

I can't really think of many downsides. Maybe it's a bit slow at the beginning, specially since it needs to introduce the new cast. But as I found the original characters interesting and likeable, it wasn't a major issue for me. Also, the story involves time-travel, so expect the usual head-scratching moments. Though as far as I noticed, there were no plot holes.

Some spoilers below the cut:

Spock is investigating an unusual black hole, and his observations make him reach the disturbing conclusion that entropy is rapidly accelerating, and the universe may have little more than 100 years to disappear. He's about to confirm his suspicions, when the Enterprise is suddenly diverted to the Aleph Prime station by a maximum priority message, so Spock has to leave his work half-finished.

In the station, they're greeted by prosecutor Ian Braithewaite, who is confused at first, since he didn't send any urgent message. Nonetheless, he had asked for a ship to help him bring a prisoner to a rehabilitation colony, so Kirk accepts, once he learns the identity of such prisoner. He's an old physics professor of Spock: George Mordreaux, and Spock is sure he can prove his mentor's innocence, for the charges of murder and unethical experimentation. But when he tries to learn more about the case, he finds all info and details have been erased, so there's something definitely fishy about it all. In the station, Kirk also reunites with Captain Hunter, an old girlfriend, and has serious doubts about his decision to break up with her. He even considers the option of leaving the Enterprise and giving another chance at their relationship. For his part, Sulu has fallen in love with the new security chief: Mandala Flynn. But leaves her, and the Enterprise, to join Hunter's crew, in the hope that this will further his career.

Thus the Enterprise, minus Sulu, starts the trip to the rehab colony, with Modreaux and Braithewaite aboard. Spock insists the professor isn't dangerous, and places minimal security on him. Everything goes awry when the professor appears inexplicably on the bridge, and shoots Kirk and Mandala with a spiderweb gun. This spiderweb has really gruesome effects: it creates some sort of metallic web inside a body, which expands quickly through all organs, even covering the eyes. However, Mordreaux doesn't seem to have left his cell at all, and no intruder or imposter is found aboard. Soon thereafter, Mandala is dead. While McCoy completely breaks down, and insists on keeping Kirk artificially "alive" through machines (though deep down, he knows Kirk is dead for real). In the end, Spock convinces McCoy to disconnect the machines. And there's a gut-wrenching scene, in clinical detail, where McCoy starts turning off all the life systems on him.

After Kirk's death, Spock and McCoy are left in a similar situation as in "The Tholian Web". Though in the episode Kirk had simply disappeared, so there was still hope. Here things are far more depressing. McCoy can't accept Kirk's death, and pressures Spock to try time-travel to save him. Spock refuses to play like that with the space-time continuum. However, while interrogating the professor in his cell, Spock learns that the real reason he's convicted, is because he's been tampering with time travel through a new device. This disruption may be behind the entropy effects Spock had previously discovered. And it's also behind the murder of Kirk, at the hands of a future, insane version of Mordreaux. Since all these events are the results of time alterations, Spock needs, in fact, to travel back in time, and restore things to their original order.

With the help of the (still sane) professor, Spock initiates a series of failed attempts at fixing things in the past. While gradually deteriorating through each time travel. And McCoy has a hard time, being left in charge of the ship and covering up for Spock (they can't tell anyone else about the device, in fear of being arrested for it, just as Mordreaux). Meanwhile, Braithewaite is being a pain in the ass, and gets paranoid about Spock and McCoy having conspired to murder Kirk. He even manages to make Scotty suspicious of them, so things get even more complicated.

In summary, the stakes are pretty high, and the story gets really exciting (and sometimes frustrating for poor Spock and McCoy).

McSpirk Meter: 10/10. I usually only rate the Kirk/Spock material, since is far more common, and ranges wildly from one novel to another (with some of them being borderline slash). But in this occasion is impossible to separate the members of the triumvirate, as the love goes in all three directions.

For starters, there's Spock casting aside all his reservations about hand touching, when Kirk is shot with the spiderweb (maybe this is the first time it's explicitly stated that Vulcans avoid touching hands?). He tries to mind-meld with Kirk while he's dying, perhaps to die himself instead, but Kirk pushes him away to save him.

Then there's the absolutely devastating effect that Kirk's death has on McCoy. He gets totally drunk, breaks down among sobs, and finally passes out. Spock carries him in his arms and puts him to bed; then keeps watch while he sleeps. Later, McCoy starts crying again while viewing Kirk's last will. But once he learns it's possible to bring him back, he's all sunshine once more. Still, the mere reliving of his death is enough to bring him to tears, even while on the bridge. McCoy's pain for losing Kirk is also compared to that of Hunter (who was Kirk's lover), and Sulu's grief for Mandala (also a lover). When Hunter asks McCoy what he has to gain by helping Spock in his mysterious plans, he answers "everything".

Spock deals with the loss of his Captain in a far more subdued, Vulcan way, but it's evident he's falling apart too. He doesn't want to stay in the Enterprise anymore, and once he completes his duties aboard, he's probably going to leave Starfleet altogether.

McCoy has also some tender moments with Spock while treating his wounds, and choosing civilian clothes for him (which he says that enhance Spock's eyes).

Once everything's been solved, Spock lies in bed while recovering, and Kirk and McCoy take turns watching him. Only Spock remembers the events of the altered timeline (for everyone else it feels just like a nightmare). And Spock's reaction upon waking up and seeing Kirk alive has to be read to believe it. Let's say, a mixture of "this simple feeling", and his smile at the end of "Amok Time".

#star trek tos #star trek novels #novel review #mcspirk #spirk #mckirk #spones

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astoundingbeyondbelief · 9 months

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Kaiju Weeks in Review (July 16-29, 2023)

Legendary announced a pair of Monsterverse comics during a panel at San Diego Comic Con. They've said nothing further since, and no one posted the panel online, so I have less to tell you than I'd like. Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted is the obligatory prequel comic for the film. From the pages they showed off, it looks like Zid has art duties again (well-deserved) and the monsters that Kong is fighting could be the "swamp kitt[ies]" cut from Godzilla vs. Kong. Release date is February 27. Monsterverse Declassified is going to spotlight some of the series' original monsters, with the previews showing Behemoth, Amhuluk, and Tiamat. (Supposedly Scylla, Doug, and the previously-unseen Abaddon will be in it too.)

Toho is finally letting Togen's 4K scans of some of its Godzilla films out of satellite TV jail as tie-ins to Godzilla Minus One. Godzilla (1954) and Mothra vs. Godzilla are coming to 4K Ultra HD on October 25, with Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster, Invasion of Astro-Monster, and Destroy All Monsters on November 22 and Godzilla vs. Hedorah and Godzilla vs. Biollante. Expect them to be as English-unfriendly as Toho's other releases - but a vague promise of "unused special effects footage", combined with some very crisp-looking photos in a recent book, means there's a chance the Frontier Missile sequence from Godzilla vs. The Thing will be included with Mothra vs. Godzilla. That'd be a godsend, considering how elusive an uncropped, uncut, high-quality version of the scene has proven to be.

These releases will easily be the best Mothra vs. Godzilla, Ghidorah, Astro-Monster, and Biollante have ever looked on home video. But with Togen shutting down, it's unclear when the rest of the pre-Shin films in the series will get upgrades. (It's also unclear when Toho will permit anyone outside Japan to use these versions for streaming or home video.) So this announcement feels bittersweet to me.

youtube

We have a release date for GAMERA -Rebirth- (September 7), a second trailer, and a reveal for the final monster: Viras! As @starestream pointed out, there's a lot of Legion in that design (along with Iris in Zigra). And as Maser Patrol pointed out, this is the same enemy kaiju lineup that Trendmasters chose for its toyline back in 1998. Poor Barugon, no one wants to taste the rainbow (and it probably hurts that he's so visually similar to Jiger too). To be honest, this trailer didn't do much for me; a bit too chaotic. Hopefully it'll be easier to tell what's happening in the show proper.

Bandai, of course, has readied Movie Monster Series figures of Viras, Zigra, and Guiron already. We're also getting a prequel manga set 100,000 years before the show.

Decades after his rampage through the Marvel Universe, Godzilla is barging into the world of DC (where he'll finally meet Batman). Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong is a seven-issue limited series launching October 17, written by Brian Buccellato (who also penned the short "Fight or Flight" comic that will be included in Legends of the Monsterverse: The Omnibus later this year) with art by Christian Duce. The inciting incident is a battle between the Justice League and the Legion of Doom, which tears a hole in reality to let the Monsterverse through.

I'll confess, I was more jazzed for last year's Power Rangers crossover, thanks to the tokusatsu link. This could just be more of Warner Bros. Discovery bashing its toys together. I'm most curious to see if the Legion of Doom makes a bid to conquer the Monsterverse, which with Godzilla and Kong out of the picture is far less prepared for them than the DC universe is for a couple of giant monsters. Superman beats them all, as Ken Yano once said.

Hiya is stepping further out of S.H.Monsterarts' shadow with a figure of the female MUTO, a character long neglected by toymakers. They showed her off at San Diego Comic Con. Playmates meanwhile releases an ad for Titan Tech Rodan - I'm glad they're not giving up on this delightful subline.

Summer Smash concludes IDW's middle-grade Monsters and Protectors storyline, which has spanned the entirety of their second go-round with Godzilla. You can tell it was supposed to be another miniseries; Godzilla, Jet Jaguar, and Mothra send Mecha-King Ghidorah and the Xiliens packing pretty quickly. Art's still great though.

Godzilla Rivals will persist into October with Vs. Mechagodzilla, the magnificent machine being the last of the Toho's Big Five to headline one of these comics. The intriguing logline:

IS YOUR CITY BESIEGED BY KAIJU? DO YOU LIE AWAKE AT NIGHT ANXIOUSLY LISTENING FOR THE MONSTER SIRENS? HAVE YOU HAD ALL YOU CAN TAKE OF GIANT LIZARDS, MOTHS, PTERODACTYLS, AND SHRIMP? THEN CALL TRACER TECH TODAY! OUR STATE-OF-THE-ART ANTI-KAIJU TECHNOLOGY HAS ALLOWED DOZENS OF CITIES AROUND THE WORLD TO FEND OFF THE THREAT OF MONSTER ATTACK. San Palomar, California. It’s a sleepy city with not much going on. That is, until Tracer Tech built their new corporate headquarters there, displacing lifelong citizens and forcing out local businesses. But what is the source of Tracer’s amazing, almost alien technology, and why has it put San Palomar in Godzilla’s sights? And what can a couple of local kids like Alex and Jaz do to protect their city when the King of the Monsters and its robot doppelgänger clash?

SRS Cinema has opened preorders for The Whale God, revealing this cover art by Bob Eggleton. Special features aren't anything spectacular (they're vaguely described, but I think a couple of essays are included, plus the obligatory trailers). Should be out by the end of the year.

The disc replacement program for Cleopatra Entertainment's misbegotten Shin Ultraman releases has resulted in an only marginally better product. The opening montage has subtitles now... but like the rest of the movie, they're just copied from the English dub. Dubtitles in 2023... and for a film that already has a perfectly good official English translation, no less. Oh, and they threw in some new visual glitches too. If your local library picks up a copy, I recommend telling them about the disc replacement program (as I've done), but don't give these clowns your money.

#kaiju week in review #godzilla #idw #the whale god #gamera rebirth #dc #capes

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nyawn5 · 9 months

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[Part 1] I'm reposting some of my old Kirby artwork. Also going to be a long thread, aka my lore~ *wink*.

Anyway, these two artworks I made, I think from 2018(?), probably my most proud creations. You see, the Kirby café fanart is the first drawing I made after a year hiatus in 2017 got busy because of the class course. Kirby literally brought my motivation to draw again since then. The Sectonia artwork is shortly after that I still proud with it too (and I still don't remember how I made those glittering effect

(╥︣﹏╥)

Oh, and also does anyone know Flipline Studios games? Only the OG's know my old username. That game is the reason why I started my digital art path, well I probably have to make another post about it too hehe....

Anyway back to topic, yes I'm practicing creating a 4koma manga (minus Magolor, Marx, Taranza trio). Also, it turns out there's a similar scenario in Kirby manga the Meta Knight one. I swear idk, am I sharing the braincells with the mangaka? 😅

Nothing much to say about this but I'm happy people found these funny back then.

Nothing much to say about this just experimenting a lot with colors and drawing the Puffball and Egg (─‿‿─)

Ah yes, my Super Smash Bros. phase Kinda miss making this again maybe someday when I got the confidence to draw outside FE again. I still experimenting a lot with flashy colors.

Dunno if some of you have seen it, but yeah I made that comic before all DLC announced. Sad Bandee didn't manage to get the spot, although I'm still hoping he got his "special appearance" one day (ɔ◔‿◔)ɔ ♥

Thanks for reading up to this bottom text, pls do tell me if I made typo or grammar mistakes. Part 2 later ->

#fanart #artwork #kirby #super smash bros #fire emblem #mother 2 #doodles #art dump

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ogradyfilm · 5 months

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Recently Viewed: Godzilla Minus One

[The following review contains MINOR SPOILERS; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!]

In Godzilla Minus One, the eponymous prehistoric reptile is largely metaphorical, symbolizing Japan’s postwar trauma and the fragility of its newfound peace. The figurative nature of the monster is, of course, typical of the franchise; here, however, the creature’s thematic significance is clearer and more elegantly conveyed than ever before (with the possible exception of its original appearance in 1954).

The story is, after all, set in the immediate aftermath of World War II, with the characters struggling to rebuild their lives amidst the scorched rubble of Tokyo. The protagonist—a former kamikaze pilot haunted by the specters of his slain comrades and tormented by the shame of his own "dishonorable" survival—is just one of many lost souls inhabiting a city that has been reduced to a Stygian wasteland. Quite against his will, he soon finds himself in the company of fellow outcasts: a stubbornly optimistic young woman and the orphaned infant that she rescued from the wreckage of an air raid shelter. Despite his initial reservations, the three gradually develop a familial bond—a pantomime of “normalcy” and domestic bliss. Unfortunately, our tortured hero feels too inherently unworthy of happiness to formalize the makeshift “marriage”; in his darkest moments, he even suspects that his companions might be mere figments of his imagination—hallucinations conjured by his delirious subconscious as he slowly bleeds to death in a muddy ditch. Thus, from his perspective, Godzilla’s arrival feels particularly karmic—but is it divine punishment for his “cowardice” during his suicide mission… or a miraculous opportunity for “redemption?”

These internal and interpersonal conflicts enrich the drama and raise the narrative stakes, keeping the audience emotionally invested in the chaotic action and anchoring the already impressive special effects. Indeed, director Takashi Yamazaki delivers spectacle and substance in equal measure—the best of both worlds. His vision of Godzilla revolves around devastation and ruin, but ultimately emphasizes the indomitable perseverance of the human spirit.

And this tonal and stylistic versatility—the filmmakers’ remarkable ability to deftly and seamlessly transition between horror, adventure, despair, catharsis, and sheer awe—distinguishes Godzilla Minus One as one of the finest kaiju movies ever produced.

#Godzilla Minus One #Godzilla #Takashi Yamazaki #Toho #kaiju #kaiju eiga #Japanese film #Japanese cinema #film #writing #movie review

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zoros-bandana · 2 years

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Straw hats with a healer fem S/O! First of all, S/O has the natural born ability to heal wounds. It’s not a Devil Fruit, just a power only she possesses. But, she can only heal wounds, not illnesses and she cannot restore stamina nor heal herself. In addition, there’s a side-effect curse on her healing powers. Whenever she heals someone, she always feels a special yet terrifyingly painful electrical pain coursing through her body. The worst the healing wound, the worst the curse.

I love this request so much omg this power is just *chef's kiss* thank you for giving me so much detail of your creativity

Strawhats with a Healer S/O

(SFW)

minus Chopper and Brook - they will be added as friends

Luffy

At first is super impressed by your power - and even more so when he finds out it’s not devil fruit

His attitude changes when he realises how much pain it causes you

Straight up tells you never to use it

He loves you and although he wishes to protect his crew he knows the crew also includes you and doesn’t see it as fair if you get hurt as an alternative

Hates seeing you in pain - will dream about it and may wake you up as a result just to confirm you haven’t used your power

Understands how you wish to help sometimes but still refuses your wish

Turns from boyfriend mode to captain mode real quick if you disobey him

Appreciates your need for helping people

Will talk to you privately about how much he loves you and how you can still help him in other ways to persuade you from using your power

Zoro

Doesn’t show it but is impressed by your ability - especially when he finds it’s not devil fruit

Like Luffy, becomes less impressed when he finds it causes you pain

Is very adamant for you not to use your powers on him

Is always somehow hurt or covered in blood so he makes it a firm rule

Will get angry at you if you try to help

Doesn’t mean to lose it sometimes but he just wants you to be safe

This includes if you use it for someone else - will be very protect and try to forcefully pull you away from them

Will only consider letting you do it if it’s Luffy - however as soon as he sees you’re in pain or you flinch he will take you away immediately - even if you’re fighting against him

Will try to tell you how much you mean to him/how he hates seeing you hurt but we know this meat head isn’t good with words

Sanji

Is probably the most protective out of everyone

Swoons over you and your power

Is very love struck even after he knows what it does to you

Will not under any circumstances let you use or even think about using your power

Is very upset if you do - will hold you like glass and coo over you

Will probably pamper you as if you were seriously injuries - baths/massages/affection/favourite meals etc.

Will stop you from using it if he sees you trying to

Like Zoro he will pull you away even if you’re kicking and screaming - is very soft with you but will take no shit to keep you safe

Tells you constantly how much he loves you and how you can help in other ways - tries to give you examples and helps you to achieve them

Nami

Confused but intrigued about your power

Like everyone else, still things it’s wonderful and thinks highly of you

Is more lenient to let you use it compared to the monster trio

Doesn’t wish to see you hurt but understands your compassion to help people

Is lenient but will go off at you if you use it

Expect old style Nami going off at the monster trio type treatment

Even if you don’t use your power she will continue to support you - knowing that you chose your safety first

Is more protective over letting you heal others - will give everyone a good scream at to not ask to be healed by you

Loves to praise you in secret - supporting you in whatever decision you wish to make

Usopp

When you first explain it to him he encourages you to show him

When he realises how it hurts you he goes back on his word - immediately panicking and stops you

Struggles with your power

Loves you and never wishes for you to get hurt but is also very understanding of your need to do it

Will try and pull you away from the situation but will quickly stop if you refuse or snap at him

Will panic the whole time you’re doing it - will not shut up so maybe don’t do it around him as he may stress you out more

Will always come up with new ways for you to help the crew that don’t involve you getting hurt

These ways will somehow end up with him getting hurt so you tend to ignore or shut down his ideas

Always tries his best to look after you and love you - will try anything he can to keep you safe

Chopper

Is very much like Luffy when you tell them of your power

Is incredibly impressed

“That’s so cool!!!!!!”

Is in near tears the first time he sees you use it - seeing you in pain

Hates to admit it but he does appreciate the help

Likes to count you as a doctor

But will be very strict and turn on you if he sees you overdoing your power

Will only let you do minor wounds - even then he will stop you if he sees you flinch or act in pain

Will always give you reassuring and encouraging words to let you know he appreciates you and that you don’t need to hurt yourself to help the others

Robin

Is very fascinated by your power

Wishes to study how it works/how it came about/etc.

Very adoring about your abilities

Shifts into protective mode when she sees you using it for the first time

Is soft when it comes to you using it - won’t stop you but will make it clear she doesn’t want you to use it

If she sees you using it she will go almost mom mode and try and softly talk you into stepping away

Likes to guide your hands away and hold them between hers

Will study anything she can to understand your power and find something to help you

Loves to reassure you how perfect you are and how you don’t need to hurt yourself to feel like you belong with the crew

Franky

Like anything you do he thinks it’s “super”

Is inquisitive about your power

Feels some sense of pride knowing you won’t be able to heal him due to him being a cyborg - is relieved he can’t cause you pain

Will try and come up with some electrical device to see if he can transfer the current from you

Is very supportive on your decision to use your power or not

I feel he would be a little thick with his supportive words like Zoro

Doesn’t mean it though because he loves you tremendously

Will try and persuade you to stop once he sees you in pain - can become forceful

Is one to always hold you while in pain or coming down from the shock if you do proceed to use the ability

Brook

Like the rest of the crew, is very wondered by your unique ability

Plays it’s cool but cares about your safety

Will be very serious when talking about your ability to you

Only makes jokes in public - in front of the crew to try and make Luffy laugh

Like Zoro, he will only consider you using it if it’s for Luffy

Is very nervous watching you use it

Will try and make jokes to hide his nerves

“Oh this is making my skin crawl that’s if I had any”

“Yohoho!”

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kamenstranger · 1 month

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Review: The Bullet Train (1975) AKA Shinkansen Daibakuha.

I went back and forth on if I wanted to do this as a bluesky post or a review. I tend to prefer only using tumblr for longer more detailed reviews like Ultra Seven, Black Sun, and Minus One.

But this ended up longer than 300 characters so… here we are.

The basic premise is a train gets wired with a bomb and if the train dips below 80kmph it'll go off. Guy makes demands, cops try to figure out who/how many are involved, things continue to unfold from there. Sound familiar?

Bullet Train is a curious watch in the modern era, mainly in how clichéd it comes off. I don't mean that as an insult, merely an observation. In much the same way Whale's Frankenstein popularized and even originated many tropes of the mad scientist archetype, Bullet Train will be familiar thanks to all the various parodies and homages over the years, even if through more indirect ones i.e. parodies of "Speed." The premise, various plot points and twists; they're all likely to be things you've seen referenced, if not done in other thrillers. That's not a deal breaker per se, but chances are you're going to know some if not most of the twists and contrivances sprung upon the audience due to that pop culture osmosis. You can read a synopsis and immediately have a surface level idea of the film. This leaves The Bullet Train with a bit of an uphill battle when there are so many others that have done similar things. But I think with the right mindset and framing, there's plenty of merits to the film today.

The most obvious of course is the astonishing effects. I was about 40ish minutes into the film wondering as what point they would make more prominent use of the miniatures. There were clearly some used for an explosion scene involving a steam engine, and I was aware there had been a massive 80 foot long model built. But I hadn't realized how much footage was the scale model, and only occasionally inter-cut with wide shots of a real train. Even today the scale stuff looks incredible. The composites and rear projection on the other hand… yeah, they're rough, but that's expected.

The special effects were handled by Shozo Konishi; former TsuPro and Ultraman/Seven designer, Toru Narita; and Gunji Seisakusho. Narita is of course the most well know of the group, but it was Konishi who I see credited for acquiring one of the most advanced pieces of equipment at the time, a snorkel camera, allowing for very up close shots of the models. Star Wars would more famously make use of this 2 years later.

The other big draw is that the film is directed by Junya Sato. He had been doing films at Toei since the early 60s, and in the 70s he started to get bigger pictures, notably 1973's Golgo 13. But it was here when Sato truly entered Block Buster territory and would open up opportunities like The Go Masters and Silk Road. Sato wrote the screenplay along with Ryūnosuke Ono, who you may know as one of the writers on the Crying Freeman OVA series. The result is something that even today feels a bit more unique than you might expect given all the other familiarizes.

One thing that might come as a surprise is that unlike many films following in the same wheelhouse, we don't actually spend all that much time on the train. It's hard to knock them for that given the locked in nature of a rail. Outside a sequence about needing to slow the train down and just missing another train during a rail switch, they kinda spend most of the train's dramatic bits in the first 45 minutes, at least until the last quarter. There are occasional cuts to passengers getting more restless, and the most un-pregnant woman I've ever seen going into labor. But there's little that threatens the speed of the train, which is the far more exciting element. In fact, they actually use one twice, that being the brakes engaging if an external door is opened. You're simply more limited than say a bus in terms of what can stop the movement, so the Train is used as more of a bookend set piece with sporadic check ins.

Instead, the film is primarily a procedural drama about the police solving the case and learning details about the antagonists. We also have a lot of conflict with The National Railway in how disastrous the Police operations are throughout, as well as internal conflict regarding the safety of the passengers vs. cutting their losses. Sophisticated might be too strong a word given the film is still an Action Thriller full of contrivances, but it's certainly less schlocky than other films within the same genre. Think of something more than Airport, but less than The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. Bullet Train wants to have nuance and a tiny bit of social critiquing.

This is most true with our primary antagonist, Tetsuo Okita (Ken Takakura) who is by far the best part of the movie. It's never tiring seeing him plan, adapt, and escape multiple times throughout the film. The script treats the character incredibly sympathetically, to the point where you're kinda rooting for him. Part of that is how great Ken Takakura is in the role. Ironically outside Japan the film gets hailed as a Sonny Chiba movie, it even appeared in a compilation by BCI Eclipse. Chiba's great as always and he has a starring role, but make no mistake, Takakura is top billed for a reason. He brings a lot of complexity to Okita, his experience playing a wide range of Yakuza no doubt being a great boon to that end.

Aside from Takakura's performance, there are some elements delving into Japan's economic and environmental disasters of the 70s, the exploitation of rural areas, and allusions to the Zengakuren (which Okita is implied to have been affiliated.) Some of that is likely to missed given the lack of relevance nowadays, but for those aware of the movements and political turmoil of the mid 60s followed by the mid 70s burnout, I think you'll have a better appreciation for what the film is doing with Okita's character.

Conversely, where the film feels most antiquated in a detrimental sense is the heavy reliance on flashbacks and narration to fill in character details. The problem isn't even so much the flashbacks on a base level, but sometimes their placement and their execution feels disconnected from the rest of the film, if not dated even at the time. Rather than appreciating the nuance it's giving to our antagonists and their plight, I'm thinking about how weird the pacing is, how Okita reminiscing about his comrades often lacks the emotional impact it's looking for by just a tiny bit. It wasn't unusual in this era for films made in Japan to be finished just three-four days before release, so it wouldn't shock me if this was a compromise. That being said… I was more invested in these characters than the last movie I watched. Which is kinda depressing, but makes sense the more I think about it.

Something I'm more down on is the run time. The JPN cut of The Bullet Train is surprisingly long, really fucking long. Two and half hours. That's longer than The Shining. By the hour and fifty minute mark, I was starting to notice. If it was 2 hrs. even, maybe 2:15, I think it'd be easier to swallow. For what it's worth, it's hard to imagine the film without its many methodical shots of Okita running through his tasks… but they probably could've shaved a bit off. I've heard there was an even longer 2:40 cut just before release, and if that's true, it's impressive they were able to cut a good 10 minutes out.

All the same, the run time does make it slightly difficult to recommend to just anyone, even Toku fans. I mean this is barely under the umbrella of what I typically cover here. There's plenty of reasons to still watch it of course: The incredible cast, stunning special effects, and being a notable entry in a directors career-- run time be damned. If you're in the right mind set and have an interest in branching outside the typical Kaiju/Kyodai/Kaizo Ningen fare, then I highly suggest it. Maybe even look into the Sanrizuka Struggle to help contextualize the film. For everyone else, the film might come off as a victim of its own formula being so well known and done to death as to instill contempt, not helped by being a tad long in the tooth. But I'd still give it a fair shot if the opportunity arises.

A word of warning, the film is streaming on Tubi, but unfortunately they only have the dubbed version and it looks like garbage. It's not just a bad transfer, it's pixelated as shit. I'm not convinced they didn't badly rip a DVD or possibly a Youtube vid and just shove it on there, which they have done before. Although this one is really weird because it has a Shoreline Entertainment logo, and I can't find any info on them ever being a distributor for any release. All this skeeviness is actually why this is yet another review free of screen grabs, as I watched the very nice Bluray from Discotek and can't rip those.

Tubi also made a shitty Al poster, but I repeat myself. Check out the mysterious third rail, the dropping of "The" from the title, "Sony" Chiba, and the completely wrong train that isn't even a Shinkansen. How embarrassing. Why didn't they just use an official Poster? Unless of course they're not supposed to have it and think Toei might notice. That place is worse than Kissasian while pretending to be legit, I swear.

Speaking of posters, I want to point out the Bluray by Discotek, which brilliantly uses the second release poster "Super Express 109" as the slip cover, and the original "Shinkansen Big Explosion" poster for the case. Love when releases do that. Sadly, committing to a purchase is your best bet if you simply want to check out the film, at least until Mubi or some other niche service picks it up. You can't even rent it digitally. But it is a damn nice release with both versions of the film in gorgeous 2k, new subs, plus a 24 minute interview with Sato. For the UK, Eureka Entertainment did a release with the same transfer and a ton more special features including commentary and several more interviews. So get out there and check out some classic Japanese thriller.

Hopefully you enjoyed taking a look at something different as much as I did. Doing these smaller quicker reviews is nice, and I'm going to see if I can get more done while still doing the deep dives. I've got a few things still in the works, so we'll see what next time brings. Might even do another book review. As always, you can find me on BlueSky and my Ko-Fi here.

#tokusatsu #review #toei #Shinkansen #bullet train #sonny chiba #ken takakura #Ken Utsui #Junya Sato #Super Express #discotek media

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robin-writes-and-such · 1 month

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A silly man! Pony OC!!!

So this guy was made for a oneshot rp im doing with my friends, in which our party are the new replacements for the elements of harmony and the one rule is “interpret the element totally differently from the mane 6”

Lore below 👇

AMANITE AND DOUGHBOY DONT READ THIS!!!

Persiflage

MLP ONESHOT CHARACTER

Alias: Void

Former aliases: Percy, Scourge, Curse, Jinx, Hex, Karma

He/him

Aroacespec

The ultimate edgy pony

26hy

Void is a unicorn with an almost entirely black mane and pelt, (minus a few gray and white flecks here and there) and astonishingly pale blue eyes. The colour of his magic is a yellowish orange, which is a stark and jarring contrast to his depressing gothic colour scheme. He is silent and stoic, frankly quite intimidating, and seemingly judgemental. His cutie mark is a clock with a smiley face on it, which feels incredibly ominous and threatening. While unicorns are by nature somewhat tall, at least in comparison to their winged counterparts, Void towers over most ponies, being the size of a larger earth pony (earth ponies are typically the size of draft horses). He rarely speaks apart from the odd snarky or sarcastic comment.

Special talent

Of course after reading this description you probably have many questions, but one big one. Why the hell is this guy the element of laughter??? Well, first of all, with him being so stoic and serious, anything he does that isn’t serious is inherently funny because it’s unexpected. But that alone shouldn’t be enough to qualify him, right? You’re correct. You see, like every other pony, he has a special talent. And his special talent happens to be comedic timing. He has a magical sense that allows him to sense when there’s an opportunity for something funny or ironic to happen, and through magic and fate he makes it happen. He doesn’t even have to intentionally try, any time there is an opportunity for something funny around him he somehow inadvertently causes a butterfly effect that makes it happen.

Namesake

The word Persiflage can refer to a type of tongue in cheek humour that is easily misinterpreted as mean spirited when it is only meant to be humorous- similar to how Void himself is misinterpreted as mean and intimidating, when in reality his sole purpose is comedy. This poor man is just a misunderstood comedic chaos magnet.

Tragic backstory

Of course our man’s gotta have a backstory!!

Persiflage (nicknamed Percy) grew up in a very small community, a rowdy and excitable young colt. Despite his affinity for attracting chaos, He had a loving family, friends, and a comfortable life. He wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. One day, a travelling comedy act came to town- featuring famous comedian John Mullmaney! Percy became obsessed with comedy, wanting nothing more than to make others laugh. Unfortunately, he bombed over and over. Every one of his jokes fell flat. Until one day, after telling a horrendous joke… “why did the banana call in sick? Because he wasn’t PEELING well!!!” To which nobody laughed, he began to sadly walk away when he slipped on a discarded banana peel, flying into the air. Everyone laughed at the irony and comedic timing of this situation, and in that moment Percy discovered his special talent- comedic timing! Maybe he wasn’t bringing disaster everywhere he went, but comedy! For a while he delighted in making ponies laugh, but like most comedians, he took a joke too far. Only in the MLP universe you don’t get cancelled, you get exiled and/or ostracized. A small filly ended up losing a leg in an incredibly comedic incident. The thing is, Percy can’t control his own power and inclination towards comedy. He just inadvertently makes it happen. Even if it means catching a young pony in a rockslide by accident. He became synonymous with disaster, a jinx, and ostracized. He decided it would be best if he moved away from home, to where he couldn’t hurt the people he cared about. He knew the only way he could exist on peace was to live near ponies that had the legendary plot armour, and couldn’t be harmed by flawless comedic timing. Luckily protagonists aren’t difficult to find, especially when princess celestia and the elements of harmony spend a suspicious and unnecessary amount of time in one place, and so he moved to ponyville.

#mlp #mlp fim #oc #rpg #d&d #elements of harmony #original art #oc lore #Robins pony guys

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tofueggnoodles · 1 year

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Special Edition Drama (Volume 4 of the Reload Blast Anime BR/DVD): Ping-pong

Summary: The Ikkou explores a desolate town which used to be a tourist spot. Not long after they return to the inn, they begin to play a doubles ping-pong match in which Sanzo aims all of his shots at Gojyo’s forehead.

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Proprietress: Here is your room.

Goku: Awesome! It’s so big!

Gojyo: So it’s a room with straw mats. This feels like a traditional inn.

Hakkai: Are we really getting such a room at the regular price? This looks rather like a luxurious room.

Proprietress: Yes, of course! You are our only guests at the moment. It would have been regrettable to leave this room unused.

Hakkai: Is that so?

Proprietress: Yes! Please make yourself at home.

Sanzo (slurps his drink loudly): These are fine tea leaves. Are they jewel dew? [a fine and expensive type of shaded green tea from Japan]

Gojyo: There’s someone who’s already made himself at home.

Goku: What about the food? I’m hungry!

Proprietress: I’m sorry, but dinner will only be served from 7 pm on. That’d be about three hours later.

Goku: N–no way!

Gojyo: It’s just food. There’s no need to act as if it’s the end of the world.

Sanzo: There are some steamed buns served with the tea. Just stave off your hunger with one of those.

Goku: It’s not enough! Not enough!

Sanzo and Gojyo: Shut up!

Proprietress: Er....

Hakkai: I beg your pardon for the commotion. Dinner is at 7 pm, right? Where will it be served?

Proprietress: I will bring your meals to your room here, so it’d be fine as long as you’re present in your room ten minutes before.

Hakkai: Understood. Thank you very much.

Proprietress: Well then, I’ll be taking my leave.

(The door slides shut as she leaves.)

Gojyo: Around forty-one, I guess.

Goku: Eh? How could you tell her age?

Gojyo: When you’ve been around as long as I have, you’d be able to tell. Somehow, she seems to exude an immense sex appeal....

Sanzo: What a good-for-nothing.

Goku: Pervy kappa.

Hakkai: We’ve finally found an inn that’s still in business after a long search, so please refrain from behaving in a way that will lead to trouble, Gojyo.

Gojyo: Yeah, yeah. But, even though there are lots of inns elsewhere in this town, they all seem to be closed for business. I wonder what could have happened.

Hakkai: Apparently, this town used to be a famous tourist spot in the past. However, due to effect of the Minus Wave on the youkai, the number of visitors has probably decreased in this dangerous time.

Gojyo: I see.

Goku: Ah! Sanzo just ate my bun!

Sanzo: I didn’t eat your share of the buns.

Goku: But, there are only four buns and that one just now was your second bun.

Sanzo: Don’t worry. The one I ate was the damn kappa’s bun.

Goku: Oh? That’s fine, then. (starts to eat a bun)

Gojyo: That’s not fine! What are you doing, eating my bun without asking me first?

Hakkai: If you want to eat a bun that badly, I’ll give up my share to you, Gojyo.

Gojyo: Er, no, it’s not like I particularly want to eat it... not to that extent, anyway.

Goku: Then I’ll have Hakkai’s bun too. ♪

Gojyo: Monkey! You...!

Goku: But you said you didn’t want it.

Gojyo: I didn’t say that!

Sanzo: Shut up!

Goku: Aw!

Sanzo: You shouldn’t be making such a racket over a couple of steamed buns.

Gojyo: That’s because you ate my bun!

Sanzo: Hmmph. (gets up and slides the door open)

Goku: Where are you going, Sanzo?

Sanzo: I’m going out to buy some cigarettes.

Hakkai: Ah, I’ll do some shopping too. Sanzo, since you’re only getting yourself some cigarettes, you can pay for those with cash, right? Would it be fine to lend me the credit card?

Sanzo: Yeah.

Gojyo: Then, I’m going out too. That sure beats sitting idly in this room.

Goku: Me too! I’ll go out and amuse myself!

(The door slides shut.)

Sanzo: Don’t crowd round me!

Gojyo: It can’t be helped! There’s only one corridor.

Goku: I wonder if there’s anything delicious out there. Hakkai, does this town have a famous product?

Hakkai: Now that you ask.... It seems that in the past, food stalls used to thrive in this town. But, with the way things are now, they’re probably closed for business.

Goku: Eh? Is that so?

--------

Gojyo (sighs): What a depressing atmosphere. I can’t even get in the mood to hit on the ladies.

(Someone bumps into Gojyo as he walks into a shop.)

Hakkai: Excuse me! Ah, it’s you.

Gojyo: Oh, it’s Hakkai. So? Are you done with the shopping? Ah? What’s with this shady-looking shop? There’s nothing here but stuff that looks like plants and dried fish I’ve never seen before.

Hakkai: Ah, this shop sells medicinal ingredients. Coming across it has certainly saved me a lot of trouble. I was running out of items I need to make our medicines.

Gojyo: Is that so.

Hakkai: I’ve been toying with the idea of changing some of the ingredients in order to improve our medicines. They will be stronger and heal us faster.

Gojyo: By ‘stronger,’ you mean.... Don’t tell me you’re putting that weird-looking dried fish in our medicines. (retches)

Hakkai: Hmm? What’s the matter?

Gojyo: No, it’s nothing.

Hakkai: I think I’ll make a new mix for our stomach medicine. That way, we’ll never have to worry about an upset stomach or two anymore.

Gojyo: You have my thanks for that.

Hakkai: I’m done with my shopping, so I think I’ll return to the inn. What about you?

Gojyo: I’m going back too. There are no ladies to pick up in this deserted town anyway.

Hakkai: That’s laudable of you.

Gojyo: We’ve finally arrived at a town and I was so looking forward to some fun with a beautiful lady.

Hakkai: There, there. At least when we return to the inn, we’ll be able to have a nice bath and dinner. Why not just take things easy and relax without doing anything once in a while?

Gojyo: Relax and do nothing, huh? I’m not a geezer, you know. Only the likes of Sanzo can enjoy doing that to the full.

Hakkai: If Sanzo were to hear that, he’d tell you off.

Gojyo: It’s precisely because he’s not here that I said what I said.

--------

Sanzo: Hey, old man. I want a carton of Marlboro.

Shopkeeper: Yes?

Sanzo: Marlboro. One carton.

Shopkeeper: What did you say?

Sanzo: Marlboro. One. Carton!

Shopkeeper: We don’t sell marshmallows here.

Sanzo: Not marshmallow, Marlboro!

Shopkeeper: Ah! Alright, got it. Wait a moment.

(Sanzo sighs in irritation.)

Shopkeeper: I’ve never seen you around before. Are you a traveler?

Sanzo: Yeah.

Shopkeeper: In the olden days, this town used to be swarmed daily with tourists. Now, it has completely turned into a desolate town.

(Sanzo heaves another impatient sigh.)

Shopkeeper: Hmm? Hold on, what am I supposed to be looking for?

Sanzo: Oi!

--------

Goku: I’m hungry! Ah! Although there are lots of signboards advertising delicious-looking foodstuff, none of the food stalls are open for business!

Proprietress: Ah, welcome back.

Goku: Are the others not back yet?

Proprietress: No, it seems like they have yet to return.

Goku: Okay.

(A loud rumbling is heard.)

Proprietress: Er, about dinner – It will be ready around thirty minutes later. Would you like to have it served then?

Goku: Eh, really? Hooray!

Proprietress: Since that would be earlier than the time I previously stated, would that be fine with your companions?

Goku: It’d be fine! They’ll be back before long, so it’s totally fine to bring dinnertime forward!

Proprietress: Certainly! (hurries away)

Goku (walks down the corridor): Food! Food! 🎵 (stops) What’s this room? (reads the sign out loud) Recreation Room? (walks into the room) Oh, this is a–

Gojyo: What are you up to, monkey?

Goku: Ah, you’re back, Gojyo. And Hakkai too.

Hakkai: Oh my, isn’t this a ping-pong table? Come to think of it, I once played several intense matches of ping-pong at a hot spring resort in another town.

Gojyo: Yeah, I remember that. We switched from singles to doubles mid-game. And even changed the rules as the game went on.

Hakkai: The rules became useless after a certain point.

Goku: Hakkai’s serves at that time were awesome, weren’t they? Teach me how to hit a serve like you did. I want to do it too!

Hakkai: They’re not so impressive as to be worth teaching someone else the technique behind them.... Still, I’ll give it a try for a bit. Gojyo, would you be my opponent?

Gojyo: Okay.

Hakkai: First of all, a light rally as a warm-up. Here I go....

Gojyo: Roger!

(Hakkai takes a deep breath and hits a serve with a shout. The ball strikes the wall with a crunching sound.)

Goku: That was super-fast! Awesome, Hakkai!

Hakkai: Gojyo! If you don’t return the serve, it won’t turn into a rally.

Gojyo: You were the one who hit a killer serve despite claiming it was gonna be a rally. The ball has even gotten lodged in the wall!

Hakkai: Goku, did you follow the demonstration?

Goku: Yes! I got the rough idea.

Gojyo: Yeah, right.

Hakkai: Well, for this sort of thing, actually doing it yourself is a faster way to learn than watching. Therefore, since I’ll be the referee, would you please play against Goku next, Gojyo?

Gojyo: Hey, monkey! Don’t use Hakkai’s serve just now as reference. It’s only a warm-up, so make it a light serve. Make it light, okay?

Goku: Make it light?

Gojyo: Yes.

Goku: Got it!

(Goku takes a deep breath and hits a serve with a shout. A loud explosion follows.)

Gojyo: Didn’t I tell you to make it light, stupid monkey?

Hakkai: That was a powerful spin you put in the serve. There’s also nothing to criticize regarding your willpower. Keep it up, Goku!

Goku: Yay! One more time!

Gojyo: Hold on!

(Goku’s second serve is followed by another loud explosion and Gojyo’s shout.)

Goku: Don’t just move out of the way, Gojyo. You should return the serve too.

Gojyo: I’ll die if I get hit by that sort of serve! I said to make it light, so why did you have to hit the ball with all your might?

Goku: I did intend to hit it lightly but it’s hard to keep my strength in check. This is quite difficult, huh.

Gojyo: Give me the ball. I’ll hit the serve.

Goku: Okay.

Sanzo: What are you guys doing?

Hakkai: Welcome back, Sanzo.

Sanzo: Yeah.

Hakkai: You’re surprisingly late. Is the cigarette shop far from here?

Sanzo: Hmmph. Something like that.

(Gojyo and Goku converse in the background.)

Goku: Gojyo, make sure to return my shot, okay? If you don’t do that, we won’t be having a rally.

Gojyo: You’re the one to talk! Here I go!

(They hit the ball back and forth to each other.)

Hakkai: Is that so? Ah, would you like to play ping-pong too, Sanzo?

Sanzo: No.

Hakkai: I think you’ll find it fun once you give it a try though. Look over there. They seem to be having fun, don’t they?

Sanzo: How stupid. I’m going to take a nap. Keep the noise down.

Gojyo: Eat this, stupid monkey! Killer smash!

(Sanzo grunts.)

Gojyo: Ah.

Goku: W–where did the ball hit you, Sanzo? Your forehead?

Hakkai: Are you alright? That was quite a loud hit.

(Sanzo lets out a heavy breath.)

Gojyo: Sorry, Sanzo! It’s because this monkey failed to return my smash.

Goku: Don’t put the blame on me. You were the one who hit the ball in Sanzo’s direction.

Gojyo: If you hadn’t missed my shot, the ball wouldn’t have hit Sanzo.

Sanzo: Give me a racket, Hakkai.

Hakkai: Eh? Ah, okay.

Sanzo: You’d better prepare yourself, damn kappa. I’m going to shoot the ball through that forehead of yours.

Gojyo: Gek.

Goku: Whoa. Sanzo’s completely lost his temper.

Hakkai: Well, shall we play a doubles match? Sanzo will pair with Goku and I’ll team up with Gojyo.

Gojyo: Why are you so calm about it?

Hakkai: That’s because when I played against Sanzo in a singles match the other day, we couldn’t reach a decisive outcome. I’m thinking that this might be just the right opportunity to continue our match.

Gojyo: In that case, just play a singles match between the two of you!

Sanzo: Stop making a fuss. Hurry up and start already! (hits a serve)

Gojyo: Hey Sanzo! Don’t just aim your shots at my face. Aim them at the table. The table!

Sanzo: Shut up! You keep dodging my shots!

Hakkai: Gojyo, you’re moving way too far to the back.

Goku: Here I go! (hits the ball)

Hakkai: You’re being naively optimistic, Goku! (returns Goku’s shot)

Sanzo (misses Hakkai’s shot): Tch.

Goku: Ah!

Hakkai: With this, the score is tied at 7-7.

Gojyo (pants): I’ve have enough of this! My arm is tired already.

(Someone knocks on the door.)

Proprietress: Er, dinner is ready.

Goku: Eh! Really? The food is ready, guys. Food!

Gojyo: Nice timing there, Ma’am. Hey, let’s take a break!

Sanzo: We’ll have dinner after I hit your head and make mark on it.

Gojyo: This damn monk’s sure pig-headed!

Goku: I’m hungry!

Sanzo: Put up with it. I can’t let this end until I make this guy go through the same thing he did to me!

Gojyo: There’s no playing ball with this guy! ** Let’s break this off already, Hakkai.

Hakkai: I can’t do that. We’ll continue, Gojyo.

Gojyo: Why?

Hakkai: I told you already. I don’t want to defer my match with Sanzo again. Are you ready to continue, Sanzo?

Sanzo: How amusing. This might just be the opportunity for me to exterminate the kappa once and for all. Fine, I accept your challenge.

Gojyo: E–ehh?

Goku (as his stomach rumbles): I’ve reached my limit! I’m too hungry to play anymore. Hey Sanzo, what’s wrong with continuing after we’ve had our dinner?

Sanzo: If you hit Gojyo’s head with the ball, I’ll buy you all the meat buns you can eat once we arrive at the next town.

Goku: Eh? Seriously?

Sanzo: If you hit his forehead, I’ll throw in some pot stickers as well.

Goku: All right! Prepare yourself, Gojyo!

Sanzo: Give it your all.

Gojyo: Oi! Am I a dartboard?

Hakkai: The next serve is ours, right? Gojyo, if you don’t want to die from being hit by the ball, we’ll have no choice but to win.

Gojyo: Everybody’s just doing as they like! Take that! (hits a serve)

Goku: Rice cake ** fried rice ramen pot stickers smash!

Proprietress: My goodness!

Goku: Crap! The table is broken!

Gojyo: What were you doing?

Hakkai: It’s been perfectly split in two equal parts.

Sanzo: Oi, monkey! The thing you’re supposed to split open is that guy’s head, not the table.

Goku: Maybe I should have gone with the super king-size meat bun smash instead....

Proprietress: Er....

Hakkai: We’re in a fix, aren’t we? With this, we won’t be able to finish our rematch.

Gojyo: That’s not the most pressing issue here.

Sanzo: Shall we continue without a table?

Gojyo: That’s obviously impossible!

Goku: What should we do? How about fetching the table from our room?

Hakkai: The size is just right, but not the height. It’ll be impossible to play while standing up with that table.

Proprietress: Er, if I may have your attention?

Gojyo: Look! She’s gotten angry at us!

Hakkai: Ah, we’re truly sorry! We’ll definitely pay for the repair expense when we check out.

Proprietress: Thank you very much. If you’d–

Hakkai: Or would you rather we pay for it before we check out?

Proprietress: No, it’d be fine if you pay for the repair expense during checkout. What I wanted to say is: If you’d like to continue playing, we have a spare ping-pong table.

Gojyo: Eh?

Goku: You have another table?

Hakkai: Is that so?

Proprietress: Yes. How about it?

Sanzo: The answer’s obvious.

Goku: Of course!

Hakkai: Indeed.

Sanzo: We’ll continue the match!

Gojyo: Seriously?!

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(Round brackets): actions and sound effects. [Square brackets]: translator’s notes. Double asterisks **: Stuff I am not sure with. Suggestions for improvements and corrections are more than welcome.

#最遊記 #saiyuki drama cd #saiyuki #translation #sha gojyo #genjo sanzo #cho hakkai #son goku

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ben-the-hyena · 10 months

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Inspired from the TDC limited edition hot sauces

In the Natives AU, a traditional Skeksis dish is called "Gelfling essence". It is a sweet albeit quite spicy milk, hot peppers and cherry (or Thra's esquivalent of those) soup that glows thanks to the milked nebries being fed glowing moss from the Caves of Grot, hence the "Gelfling" in the name since its main ingredient comes from a Gelfling place and is aivailable thanks to trading. It is not very easy to have it especially after the war so its price varies from midly expensive to unaffordable depending of periods, one thing is sure it is a delicacy nobles have and its ambiguous taste allows it to be drunk either as an entrée, a main course, a dessert or just as a drink, sometimes even as a sauce. It is loved not just for its taste and luxury but also it virtues : it is healthy due to being spicy so a natural desinfectant, full of vitamins acting like caffeine on the body (to the point too much can cause to act high and violent, hence why it is forbidden in competitions and not recommended when pregnant or for children) and can be even used as aphrodisiacs during mating seasons depending of the Skeksis. There is also a simpler version called "Podling essence", Podling used in the name since Skeksis, who already see Gelfling as inferior, see Podling as even more. Same ingredients and looks minus the glowing, for no glowing moss-fed Nebries, so much less expensive and able to be enjoyed by many more. But in order to balance out and have the milk taste like glowing moss milk, the makers cheat by using more herbs and extracts making it just as vitam-filled but in other ways, not as efficiently and not as long, but it is still very healthy and without the "high" effects of the real one it is safer to drink for everyone

Usually when a bold high ranked Skeksis has a Gelfling over for diplomatic reasons, they will often serve Gelfling essence to allude passive aggressively they are more numerous, more technologically advanced and "the real children of Thra" and so can "drain" them anytime like mere Nebries if they can one day. The message is often clear, and up to the Gelfling to choose how to respond withour risking a conflict

It is Emperor's SkekSo's absolute favorite he wants it at every meal, in fact he even considered having glowing moss grow in the Skeksis empire not to rely on Gelfling but unfortunately it never tastes the same as from the Caves of Grot, making him wonder what is so special in these caves making the plant unique there. SkekTek's tests are not concluant and so far neither he or Skekna or SkekAyuk managed to find why or balance out correctly, to SkekSo's frustration (SkekTek pays the most from it of course)

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technicianuprisingau · 1 year

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The Weakness of an Adaptor Chip Partnership

Ah, the Adaptor Chip. What a mystery this thing is...

Now, from our previous explanations we have learned that this chip's entire gimmick focuses on creating a 'bond' by personalizing a empty vessel into a partner that works best to your skillset via DNA specialization and analisis.

...of course some does not know that.

Yes, that's exactly why Robobot Armor was born, meant to be a partner that caters to Kirby's skillset of copying abilities, which actually worked okay, minus, you know, the infamous bug...

But there's one tiny oversight with the use of these chips. Sure, you get a partner for life that has abilities that work well with you, but still, it can backfire if not careful.

And that weakness is... most if not all of the abilities of your helmet are with your partner.

Surprise! The Nullari thought that since this thing is meant to replicate bonds, nothing says bonds than depending on each other, so what if the partner has all the powers, and the admin has all the commands? To make sure that both of them connect well with each other, which is a good thing... and a bad thing, actually.

Good news! This encourages coordination, and makes sure that both sides bounce from each other to work together and defeat their opponents! Bad news, if they are separated, the admin can be left defenseless. To give you a good example, Kirby only has Tech Guard while the rest of his supposed powers are with Robobot Armor. THIS IS PRE-WAR. So how Kirby survives with the helmet? Steal weapons from fallen enemies and pretty much travel like a roguelike character.

Sure, there are those that later on find loopholes by activating the chip WITHOUT a partner so the skills can go to them instead, then register a partner... but still. Due to this, the chip becomes a double-edged sword. Had the creators think more, maybe they can make this chip more effective. Shame the first person that found out about this is literally the enemy who has been consistently having good rolls on luck and charisma checks...

#kirby #kirby planet robobot #kirby au #technicianuprisinglore #oh yeah FUN FACT the chip Kirby has is technically the BETA VERSION #THE BETA VERSION OF THE CHIP BECAME THE HWC'S DOWNFALL #LET THAT SINK IN #HOW IS THIS KID STILL ALIVE

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spoocys-glade-of-dreams · 8 months

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You got any plans to tie in the characters and setting from Rayman 1 here? Like Mr. Sax, Scops or Space Mama?

HEADS UP THIS IS GUNNA BE A LOOOONG ONE

The worlds from Rayman 1 are on a different continent than the Glade of Dreams. It's Rayman's birth place! After Dark's defeat, the bosses all treat Rayman a lot better and there's no hard feelings between any of them. They were tricked by Mr. Dark to think Rayman was an enemy. When the truth came out, they shunned Mr. Dark and are back to doing their own thing.

Though after these events, Betilla decided to go take the great protoon into safekeeping and travelled with Rayman to the Glade of Dreams and that's where they all stayed. The Great Protoon currently rests within the fairy council in their artifacts vault.

Whenever Rayman does go back to his birth home he'll stop by and meet with some of the old characters. He still hits up Joe's whenever he's there for example. He's always gotta grab an ice cream soda float since it gives him childhood nostalgia.

Out of the original boss roster (Minus Mr. Dark of course), the ones that do pop up outside of the Rayman 1 Universe continent (Haven't come up with a name for it yet) are Bzzit and the other mosquito boss (Bzzit having the role he had in Revolution where he acts as the Dockmaster. The other Mosquito is a relative of his), Space Mama, and Mr. Sax.

Skops just tends to keep to himself and doesn't really like having visitors. Rayman only goes to see him when he needs information. Skops knows Rayman doesn't normally bother him unless it's important. A mutual understanding between the two. Because of that, he doesn't pop up frequently. Same deal with Mr. Stone.

Mr. Sax is a famous orchestra conductor and actually does leave the continent with other members of Band Land for performances. Has even performed at some of Rayman's hero ceremonies and other events. He's also old friends with the Limbless Musician and his family.

Space Mama often leaves Picture City with her assistants to perform plays around the world. Rayman likes to get tickets to these and will take friends to these performances. Space Mama always makes sure Rayman gets the good seats.

There is one very important face from Rayman 1 that does pop up or is mentioned frequently, and that's The Limbless Magician. That character is Betilla's lover and Rayman's Father figure. Betilla created Rayman in his image. The Magical Academy Raymona and Ales Mansay attended was the same one he attended with his cousin, Andrew.

When Rayman and Betilla left that continent to safeguard the Great Protoon, he stayed behind to keep an eye on things. Mr. Dark is currently recovering at the candy chateau, so the Magician would be the first to know when he finally makes a comeback.

The Magician always writes to them both, and always visits for special events and holidays. It's just been hard on Rayman because he misses the days where both of his parental figures were a constant presence in his life and not separated.

Raymesis is also the same as the Dark Rayman from the first game. Over time he matured and gained more of a personality for himself that wasn't just an evil copy that mirrors Rayman's movements. He became his own person.

Raymesis also lost the ability to kill on touch. He's glad that ability is gone, but it does effect him to this day where he sometimes wonders if a person he touches is going to just die. When you touch him, it actually gets a reaction out of him. May even scare him a bit if it's someone that isn't Mr. Dark that gained his trust and respect.

Sorry for the long response there anon, but my world building does try to include faces from games past. The original Rayman and some of the educational games included. I've also considered adding some things from the fan remake of Rayman Redemption.

Heck even some scrapped content also appears in some way or another. Characters included!

#Rayman #Rayman Head canons #Long Post

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lenorethequietbookkeeper · 2 years

Note

If you had to write the concept of the holders in other fandoms youre in (any genre), who would you place where and why?

Ex. John in animal crossing, etc.

OSHSKJS I READ THAT AS JOHN ANIMAL CROSSING THE FIRST TIME I SAW THIS And it was stupidly funny. Also!! I'm so sorry for the late reply I kept getting distracted with other stuff irl.

Mild content warning for mentions of death, murder, poisoning, and vomit

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Charles (Steven Universe)- A Cinnabar originally made for the court of Pink Diamond. For my headcanon, Cinnabars are basically just the fire counterparts to Larimars (same size and everything). Got corrupted during the gem war, turning him into a fox-like creature with multiple eyes that's constantly on fire. Extremely mischievous and downright mean as a regular gem, but does have a friendly side he shows as time goes on. Particularly likes pranking his fellow gems in Little Homeworld, said pranks start out destructive but gradually become harmless.

Ferris (Danganronpa)- The Ultimate Dog Catcher. A lax and carefree guy with a love of arcade games and dumb movies. Will talk your ear off about dogs and all the different breeds of them if you give him the chance. Gets along with most anybody he meets, including the player themeselves. Dislikes dark chocolate. Uneasy about the nature of the killing game, but believes that everyone can get out alive if they relax and take their time.

He gets murdered first, of course. He dies via lethal injection while asleep.

John (Animal Crossing, cause my stupid humor demands it)- An extremely shady Greenland shark NPC who "is just mindin his own business, kid." Talks and dresses like a guy from the 50s, minus the slurs. Begrudgingly asks the player to bring him along to a NMT island, claiming he only wants to see someplace different. Rewards the player by mailing them 3 gold nuggets. Implied to be associated with Redd in further dialogue interactions.

Jeagar (...My Little Pony YEAH YEAH DONT BULLY ME /j)- The spirit of a long dead unicorn trapped in the Inspiration Manifestation spellbook. Accidentally released after the book is destroyed in an earthquake. Becomes disgusted with the current materialistic state of the world, then decides to destroy it by bringing the darkest desires of all Equestrians to life. Probably gets defeated and banished forever by the Mane 6. Implied to have been a student of Starswirl's when he was alive.

Daniel (Yume Nikki)- The Living Room, which can be found in the Mall. It consists of multiple pipes laid next to each other, making up the floor and walls. A giant, blue eye sits in the center of the back wall, watching the player. Under the eye is a multitude of buttons and levers. Pressing a random one of these, which changes with each playthrough, will give the player the Steamwhistle Effect. A small whistle lays on top of the player's head, which makes noise as they walk around.

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And two bonuses specifically for all the support you've shown me! :)

Sylvain (Snowperson)- A small but angry and borderline feral snowman. Often runs on all fours, each limb having 3 steel hooks instead of fingers or toes. No buttons, but has two red cat's eye marbles for eyes. Hair is made of cheap black pinata paper. Special power is Hemopremolar, which allows the subject to inject a powerful anticoagulant into the victim's bloodstream via biting. This usually guarantees the victim's death from blood loss or shock.

Aldin (Frostbitten)- A tourist from southern Australia who was killed by Sylvain during his vacation. A rather dense and reckless man who throws caution to the wind in the name of fun. Not exactly fond of cannibalism, but does enjoy the immortality and endurance aspect of being a frostbitten. Special power is Acetate Reflux, meaning the subject has the ability to produce extremely corrosive vomit after eating road salt.

-From Biblically Accurate Producer!

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