#you might think i'm nitpicking but the way this game looks is SO essential to the experience

[mar64ds]

you're making this game look too good. too bright. you made max cute when he's kind of ugly in this game. STOP this.

#samandmax #you might think i'm nitpicking but the way this game looks is SO essential to the experience

[eradicatetehnormal]

Okay So I Watched Some of the 6 Hour "Riku Is Gay" Video

Disclaimer: I only watched the KH1-2 sections, the KH3 section, and Sora's Comphet section. Also, I already agree with the preset that Riku is a queer character. Sorry guys, but he is.

Personally, I think it's a good video. It's not overly malicious or angry and the evidence it presents is actually really good, though I'm in the queer spaces of the KH fandom so I've seen most of it.

I really only have 3 major issues:

The video is way too fucking long. Something like this would have benefited from being a multipart series. Also, if all you wanted was condensed proof that Riku is "gay" that's really only a 30-40 minute video. This leads me to my next point.

The title is very misleading. This isn't just a video about Riku's queerness. Hell, there's an entire portion of the video called "Sora's comphet." Most of the KH2 section is dedicated to how passionate Sora is about finding Riku. This video should not be called "Riku is gay (and why it matters)", it should be called something like "SoRiku is canon actually (It's more than a ship)" or "The queerness of KH and why it's essential."

This video has a habit of minimizing Kairi's importance to Sora. Like, they try to give the disclaimer that they don't think Kairi means nothing to Sora, but it's hard to buy it. In the KH2 section, for example, they bring up that Sora doesn't ask about Kairi until he realizes she's been captured by the organization. That's the thing though, for most of the game Sora knows where Kairi is. He saw her drift away with the islands in one and he finds out when she's been captured in 2. Don't forget he also dropped to his knees for Kairi when Saix comes to tell him what happened. Does that disprove any potential queerness Sora might have? No, especially with the scenes of the reunion. "Kairi, you've changed, but we'll always be friends :)" "RIKU OH MY GOD *cries and gets on the floor* I LOOKED EVERYWHERE FOR YOU!" Really it's more of a personal belief that shines through that the romantic love interest has to single-handedly be the most important person to you that sets me off. Though, I don't solely blame Mr. "Whatever his name is" for that. It's more of a "we live in a society" thing.

Aside from that, most of my criticisms are nitpicks. The structure is hella off with the video. He starts off by stating his beliefs and then giving the evidence. Like, dude, you have to lead with the evidence and then tell people what it means. Anyone who's skipping through the video and doesn't already agree that Riku is queer is going to get frustrated watching it and feel compelled to not take it seriously. Especially since the video is 6 fucking hours.

Arguably the KH3 and Coded sections aren't needed. The KH3 section is just theory and conjecture that he could've saved for the end of the video and the Sora and Riku of Coded are different characters than regular Sora and Riku. Can they give us insight into their relationship and their feelings? Yes, but ultimately, their circumstances are different. Feelings can manifest one way in one context and a whole other way in a different one. Regular Sora and Riku have enough evidence all on their own to carry a video.

The novel should have honestly been its own section. People are not compelled to take that seriously. It's cool that Nomura himself was impressed with the writer's understanding of the characters and had her write the novels so far, but that doesn't mean she never takes any creative liberties. It's also worth pointing out that Nomura IS NOT the only writer for the series. He's not even the main writer for the games.

Bro, you're gonna bring up the scene where Namine comes to Riku about getting him to use the darkness but not bring up the aggressively gay scene before that where Zexion makes himself look like Sora in order to defeat him because Zexion knows that Sora is his potential weakness?

But yeah, the vid has a few glaring issues, but it is great. I'm happy something like this exists where we can get all the major SoRiku talking points in one place. No hate to this man, especially for something like this.

#kingdom hearts #kh #riku is gay #he belongs to us #THE QUEERS #get over it #Youtube

[beevean]

Hey I just remembered: Trevor doesn't even use the VK to kill Death, he uses some magic knife that S4 pulls out of its ass. It's like they were going out of their way to make the whip as unneeded as possible: Dracula brushes it off, Death is only somewhat fazed by it, he doesn't even get the chance to use it on Carmilla. The only thing it ever accomplishes is kiling various fodder level vampires and some demons. But hey it's just some video-gamey weapon from a dumb 8 bit game right? It's not like the Japanese manual of the first game specifically mentions that it's a mystical whip passed down through generations capable of killing Dracula right?

You're right

And this might come off as a nitpick in a vacuum, but I never liked how N!Trevor is also a sword wielder. On its own, sure it doesn't matter, it might be taken as proof that he's combat ready, but then you consider how nearly useless the VK is, the Belmont weapon ever since the first game...

I like how non-Belmont protagonists use a myriad of different weapons, mainly swords but not just those, while the Belmonts stick to the whip and they're damn good with it (plus any subweapons ofc). They don't need anything else, they're the only ones wielding such an unconventional weapon and making it work as well as a sword. (I think Jonathan is the only character who can use both the VK and other weapons, good for him)

And not to be a CoD stan as usual, but this cutscene really incapsulates for me how the VK works so well:

It's long, so there's the distance advantage; it's flexible, much more than any other conventional weapon, so the Belmont can pull off tricks and block the opponent (not shown here is my favorite tactic of rotating it quickly lol); and it's strong enough to shatter stone. Then you add how it's essentially embued in holy powers. The VK is awesome.

And yes, in the show they manage to make it and the Morning Star (mostly the Morning Star, since I'm pretty sure it nearly replaces the normal whip) look super cool, with the choreography and the fire effects... but then you put all things together and realize it never reaches its potential.

#castlevania #anti netflixvania #i honestly forgot about the knife #apparently he built through the season? #i completely checked out during his and alucard's subplots lmao

[izzy-b-hands]

Rizzy for the ask game?

Ship It!

1. What made you ship it?

A few things, but I'm just gonna choose a couple at random for this ajdnfjf.

For sure that Izzy isn't used to someone else caring or looking after him much, at least not anymore, and Roach Cares.

Yeah He's Mr. Meat's Meat while tossing around a knife, but he also worries abt the Swede during the scurvy episode (as do I. I'm so sorry Swede bby, the teeth SHOULD go back in) and, adding in that historically pirate cooks/docs usually were in that role due to their own injuries (maybe Roach having to sew his own arm back on?) and as such, for Roach, I figure that means he's probably a bit of a quiet background worrier. Abt the crew and supplies and anything else, but he's not gonna Say Anything and ultimately may let a metaphorical plate fall that he's holding up if fun presents itself (understandable and mood)

That's where they meet: Roach finally breaking and admitting yes he's worried he's Always fucking worried, Izzy! People depend on him, especially since the captain doesn't pay half any attention to food supplies, and that's heavy!

Izzy knows similar worries and pressure as the first mate, and he offers a place for Roach to vent those out instead of burying them. A safe spot to complain abt anything and anyone.

Roach gives Izzy a place too: a place to let his guard down and be looked after a little, in the way ppl do looking after each other (roach keeps coffee ready in the kitchen bc he knows izzy will pop in for more, and that he'll sit and chat and watch roach make lunch and think abt something other than work, at least until he offers to help out-tho that tends to turn into making out and ignoring the food on the counter lmao).

Like. a little den, they can meet and be safe together in, after they tunnel out from the stress of work, to put it like that.

2. Fave Things?

akdnfjgng So Many lol. Each fic I write with them is honestly just me trying to highlight another little bit of the ship that I love like.

One thing I've been trying to write and focus more on is that they can be themselves outside of their roles on the ship when they're together, but that they do have to actively work at that.

Like, yes, Roach loves making and sharing food with Izzy, but he also does want a night out at a nice restaurant. He's also absolutely itching to critique every bit of the meal tho. Izzy takes him out and holds his hand whenever he gets twitchy over the plating, and after insists on laying together and letting Roach nitpick the meal and service. He knows Roach still had fun, this is just the easiest way for him to show it at least for now.

Or for Izzy, how he's used to being Ed's intercom essentially and sending out info and orders and he'll stab whoever he needs to if Ed says jump, but occasionally a day off probably wouldn't be a bad thing. Takes ages for him to get even remotely used to the idea before Roach arranges a day for them to stop at a port and do just. Anything. For at least a few days, so Izzy doesn't get anxious abt wasting time and not 'doing enough.' Reminds him while they lay on the beach together that this is the Point of time away, to relax and not be treated like you would at work.

However, Roach knows that Izzy is like him and can only tear away so far from his work at present, so it turns into something like

Shopping, with them snagging souvenirs for the others in the form of things they actually need bc Izzy has the latest not finished crew shopping list memorized and he Wants to buy them stuff but he can't quite manage it to be something wholly fun and not otherwise useful (which Roach admits isn't the worst thing in the end, and besides that he gets to hang on Izzy's arm and enjoy the show while he argues with a vendor over the authenticity of the materials used in this knife set Jim might like. Jim will know if the knives are crap, damn it!)

3. Unpopular Opinion?

That I ship this at all is at least a little unpopular it seems like lol, but otherwise nothing comes to mindaksnkfgnjg

#text post #ask box things #my friend i am so sorry this took ages for me to type up!! thank u for sending and for ur patience 🫂🫂!!!

[pearlstarlight5]

Licensed Game Review #2: Disney/Pixar's A Bug's Life

Year released: 1998

Developer: Traveler's Tales

Console: PlayStation (played on PlayStation 3)

Funny story: when I started playing this game, I turned off the sound effects in order to complete level 4 because Flik just wouldn't shut up. I turned it back on after I finished level 5 and there turned out to be an in game cutscene. I kept the voices at a lower volume than the music and that compromise made the game a lot more pleasant, and less awkward with Flik shouting "Oh yeah!" every time you press a button.

So on that note, I'll start with the sound design: it's definitely one of the weaker points of the game. Flik talks too much in the game, and while sometimes it's helpful to figure things out, other times it's really not necessary, especially in level 4. Spamming commentary such as "Are we there yet?!" really feels like a sorry attempt to portray Flik as a Mascot With Attitude (then again, the cover also gives off this vibe so I think it's intended).

Another point that I would consider weak, but not necessarily a negative is that the first 4 levels are actual cakewalk if you're not a completionist. I suppose I could have searched for the collectives in those levels to give myself more of a challenge. However, when you get to the city, the game really starts to pick up. If you're gonna be playing it too, please don't judge it by the first 4 levels.

The biggest problem with the game is the camera. The Emperor's New Groove had camera issues too, but makes up for it in that you can use the analog stick to adjust it. You can't in A Bug's Life. I kept pressing the left trigger to refocus the camera instead. Even then, the camera overall is poorly done, but of course, that was the norm for 3D platformers in '98, huh?

One more nitpick, more like complaint, that I have is the lack of a "continue?" screen. Instead, it has a game over screen, meaning that if you run out of lives, you have to skip the logos and reload the game. As you can imagine, it got very tedious to die.

Yet, I enjoyed this game. If that's so, why has most of this review been bashing it? Well, first point is one that I'm starting to see in all these Disney games is outstanding presentation. It doesn't invoke the same geekiness I get over The Emperor's New Groove's legitimately perfect presentation, but it's still fun and does the A Bug's Life movie justice.

Another great point about the game is the seed system. I haven't seen anything like it in other games that I've played and really enhanced the puzzle aspect of it. It's really satisfying to use and feels elaborate in a really fun way.

And additionally, I'm a sucker for 3D platformers, so that alone made the game fun for me. One thing I have noticed about Disney games in the '90s is that the 2D movies have 2D platformers* and the 3D movies have 3D platformers. It's a neat detail that perfectly reflects the times.

*Except for Tarzan, which got a 2.5D platformer, which is still perfectly fitting for that the movie was made using the Deep Canvas method (for those unaware, it was essentially a method that put 2D characters in 2D-looking 3D environments. This was applied to scenes such as the rotating effect when Jane meets the gorillas or any tree-surfing scene). Speaking of Tarzan, I'm playing that one right now.

Verdict: Despite some annoying flaws (that are ultimately a product of their time), still an enjoyable game that I recommend to fans of the movie and licensed games.

Also, you might have noticed that I changed the name of these reviews, and that is simply because I will be playing more than just Disney games.

#licensed game reviews #video games #licensed games #disney games #gamer girl #disney #pixar #a bug's life #playstation #flik

[majicmarker]

why did you dislike 'the hating game?' (haven't read it; i'm just curious)

AAAUURGGHH okay. OKAY. it’s been a hot minute since i read it, so i’m going off strictly memory here — i am thinking of doing a reread, for the record, but chances are high that’s just going to remind me of/reinforce my initial bad impressions — BUT — 

(oh god, this became an essay so fast, but to be fair to myself i’m coming off a depressive episode and almost everything in this world pisses me off, so this is just where we’re at. and, yeah, i’m really picking this shit apart, no doubt, but I've always owned up to being an enormously picky reader, so we’re off to the races here, i said what i said, etc., etc, ad nauseam) 

you know what, i’m gonna preface this with the One Thing I remember above all else about this book. i am 100% sure this wasn’t the intention but, oh my god, the one thing i will always remember is how lucy (the heroine) refers to one of her superiors as “Fat Little Dick.” dude’s actual name is richard, he’s short and annoying, blah blah. this is supposed to be funny, and i — much as i’m a fan of vulgar humor, lord, i’ll tell you about my favorite shows and movies sometime — find it so incredibly off-putting, that it’s the first thing I think of whenever i see this book mentioned. the immaturity of the nickname doesn’t bother me so much but it’s like, the fact that it’s meant to be clever that irks me. it’s just... gross, to me. this is really individualistic, but i can’t talk about this book without bringing this up because, for me, it set the whole tone for what i was about to read. this is the humor of the whole book, it falls cringingly flat to me, and that means a lot when it comes to a romantic comedy. 

in that vein... look, there is seldom an occasion in which i enjoy first person. this is completely a personal preference, so it’s not a point i hold against this book in particular, but i just... i really gave this book a shot, despite being immediately turned off by the style. first person runs rampant in romance and like, that’s fine, i do have a couple i enjoy and, anyway, it’s not a dealbreaker for me and overall it doesn’t actually speak to the quality of the work. like i said, total personal preference — but. but. it depends on how you write it, and i just didn’t see the merit of it here. I think we would have benefitted from dual pov, even if both sides were written in first person. 

a nitpick, perhaps! and tbh this particular detail might be suited to a larger discussion of narrative structure dependent on genre, but! in this case i just don’t like it and we can go from there. 

MOVING ON. 

lucy has no friends. what the fuck is that? she’s twenty-something and, as far as her character reads, quite sociable. even if she was some awkward mess (like, hey, me too, y’all should’ve seen me in my twenties), she’d probably still have, like, one person she could confide in, and yet... nada. (this is what i recall, anyway. as i said, it’s been at least a year since i tried this book out, so maybe i’m forgetting someone, but from what i remember, this fact stood out to me almost as plainly, painfully, as the “Fat Little Dick” gag.) i’m pretty sure all she has in this world is her job, her weird crush on josh, and her smurfs collection. also, she’s short. that’s cool, but it’s not a personality, and any which way i don’t need to be reminded of it every page. 

on a broader scale, i, personally, find lucy and josh both profoundly unlikeable. lucy is irritating and, if she were a friend of mine, i’d tell her to her face that she needs to get her shit together because this is ridiculous. and josh is just, an asshole? imo. he’s every other guy i’ve met at a bar who pretends he’s really into his personal development but at the same time he won’t go to a therapist. so, like, what’s the point? he’s dull at best, and i’m not surprised robbie amell’s been cast for the film adaptation (last i knew of, that is). and the thing is, like, in romance, the characters need to be likeable. you’re rooting for their personal lives; there is no “greater good” or whatever else at play here. all i care about are these people and, in this case… i can’t deal with them. if this was YA, absolutely, yes, i’m here for it. but, again, these characters are whole-ass adults. i don’t necessarily expect your life to be together at this point — mine certainly isn’t — but have some self-awareness, for the love of god. 

ON THAT NOTE, the book’s focus is on these twenty-something romantic leads, but it reads so juvenile. meg cabot’s high school romances have more self-awareness and depth than these career-oriented Adults. don’t get me wrong — i’m all for relatable, for insecure, for the identity struggles that really shape your twenties, because oh my god, do I Get That, but this was just all so… god, it reminds me of the stuff i’d write in junior high. it’s like what i imagined it was gonna be like to be a grown-up. this is probably personal preference all over again, but it doesn’t read authentic to me. it’s shallow, and sexual without being really, actually emotional. i’m seeing the lust, but i’m being force-fed the love. 

and, before i drop without precedent the whole “career-oriented” thing that the plot itself seems to have done — the professional, essential, conflict is never resolved. spoiler alert, i guess, but the conflict hinges on the love interests being up for the same promotion, but we end the book with the male lead quitting and taking a job elsewhere — so his career is stable, right, but the job that’s been waiting in the wings this whole time? your guess is as good as mine as to who gets it. much as i disliked this whole Thing, by the end i still hoped lucy would be offered some professional satisfaction, but we never actually find out.

and, listen, i don’t remember any of the sex scenes. i know they’re in there, but i have zero recollection because they’re boring. gratuitous, maybe, but that’s only if you believe some of the book’s naysayers. i guess i’m a naysayer, too, but it’s not because the sex stuff made me take up a confessional booth for ten minutes (no shame, i’m just saying, from experience, most priests don’t care if you read erotica, okay, they’ve heard it before and frankly they just wanna go home because it’s ten A.M. on a saturday and already they could use a shot of jack in their coffee), 

but if y’all know me, you know i love a good sex scene. what i’m getting at here is that, like, these ones just slid off my radar like melted butter. not good melted butter, either. (this is a bad metaphor, maybe. but the point is that i don’t remember them and i don’t even care.)

i guess, on the whole, the tone here doesn’t land for me. it’s just not real, it feels so forced, so wannabe funny and edgy and relatable, but none of those hit quite right. when i first read it, i recall thinking sometimes that “alright, this isn’t bad,” but then i had to deal with “Fat Little Dick” again, or i was constantly reminded of other things — lucy is short, josh is hot, they hate each other, no scenery is described in a way that i can actually picture it, yadda yadda — or else i was subject to quite a bit of body-shaming. that shit was casually sprinkled all over the place, which was both irrelevant to the story, to the characters, and it was just obnoxious. this sort of casual bigotry happens in romance all the time and, like, i’m over it, so i’m gonna point it out every time i try something new and it crops up. 

when this book was rec’d to me, when i saw all the accolades, i thought i was in for some new, fresh, revolutionary read — but then it wasn’t actually… anything. “sometimes it was sort of funny” is the best thing i can say about it, and that’s the best thing i can usually say about most other romances i’ve tried in the last couple years, so i’m not seeing the distinction here, i don't see anything special. i legitimately do not know why this book in particular is so popular. like, there are romances out there that i Hate, poetically, with the fire of a thousand suns, but at the same time i understand why they hit the bestseller list (yet another Discussion all on its own). but this one? i’ve got nothing. 

i’m tentatively considering doing a reread. as i mentioned earlier, but this is probably only going to reinforce everything i don’t like about it, which means eventually i could perhaps give you a more comprehensive answer as to why i so thoroughly Did Not enjoy this book. but, like, who even wants to read that shit? ireally don’t mean to be an asshole about this, but I Don’t Get It, and some of it legitimately pissed me off (the body-shaming, lucy having no friends, both of which are entire Essays onto themselves) — and it’s that second thing i’m not gonna apologize for. in case anyone wanted an apology, but… too bad. 

anyway, in the meantime, i hope this answers your question well enough. it’s actually probably Too Much. but i’m bored and lonely, so i’m gonna go off like a firework best i can, whoops. 

#long post #y'all I am legit sorry if the read more link doesn't cut it #anonymous #ask

[doubleddenden]

I downloaded Home for Switch so I could gauge how worth it/worthless it is on a free basis.

So far, other than grand oak just kinda being slapped at you like a cartoon fish to remind you of KANTO one more time- just in case you forgot about it- it's just free storage. That's about all I can say.

You get a free Pikachu which... I'm still trying to figure out what is so special about it. It seems plain. Not really worth the space.

Let's just go over some quick points. For reference, I transported pokemon from Let's Go Eevee to Pokemon Sword.

Good:

Extra box

Easy transport. Other than having to go into the game to swap out party members, its suprising how hassle free it is.

If for some reason you haven't unlocked extra boxes in SwSh, you basically automatically unlock all of them by placing a pokemon in box 32. I only had 8 unlocked, so essentially I gained access to storage up to 240 pokemon in game.

You can mass release Pokemon. No real bonus for except, if you're like me, you can get rid of failed babies.

Bad:

Pokemon transported to Home that are NOT available in SwSh take up space in your free box. Currently I have pretty much transferred all but 2 pokemon out of LGE, but I'm still stuck with about 17 pokemon out of 30. In other words, unless I cough up money, I'll only be able to store up to 13 pokemon in the future.

As confirmed by data miners months ago, lots of pokemon moves have been erased, and you lose them if you transport said Pokemon to SwSh. Machoke, for example, has Karate Chop in LGPE. Karate Chop is not in SwSh, so Machoke has now forgotten it.

Bank has a free period where you can transfer pokemon to Bank, but you still have to pay for Bank during this period.

It's very bare bones. At this point, Home Free for Switch is just a glorified extra box with a national dex. You can't trade from it at all, and it kinda just feels hollow. The dex is... okay. But it feels somewhat insulting to have after the cut and have them acknowledge all of these Mega Evolutions that they cut from SwSh. It feels very shallow.

This is a nitpick, but I seem to remember Masuda saying a pokemon might have a reason for not being available in Galar. Nope. The only thing that pops up is pointless "this pokemon cannot transfer!" Bullshit.

There really should be a convenient and FREE method of storing those Pokemon you can't transfer anyway without permanently taking up valuable storage space in your ONE free box, or at least make it clearer before even moving it to Home that HEY! MAROWAK AND DRAGONITE ARE NOT IN SWSH! DON'T MOVE EM! but alas, they're now in jail.

Speaking of pokemon you can't transfer: I can't transfer my special Eevee from LGE, and I assume this means the special Pikachu from LGP as well. I understand mechanically speaking, and I predicted this way back when they first did it, but it's still kind of... wrong? I think. No way to copy it, no way to just transfer it anyway and lose battling privileges with it in LGE, it's just stuck in its home game forever. That just REALLY rubs me the wrong way because I don't like giving up any of the Pokemon I've used for a playthrough because I've gotten attached to it. I guess the only remedy is the Gmax Eevee I received, which I can just sort of pretend is the same Eevee, but I'll know deep down it's not.

Overall there's just not a lot to it right now and the good things are once again muddied by bad things. About the only good thing is that now that I have my copy of LGE cleaned out, I can just sell it for some much needed cash. It's not like I'll miss it much. Even as controversial as SwSh is to me, LGPE is by far the worst pokemon game I've ever played and other than my Eevee, there's not really a lot that would make me come back to it when I could just play the far superior FRLG, or even Yellow.

I'll just pretend Gmax Eevee is my old Eevee and sell the game for some pocket change I can use for a look into Home Premium and maybe a little bit towards KH3 DLC.

What's really weird is that I can't seem to download Home to my android. It did not appear in search in the play store, so I had to google for it. Even then, it's not downloading for some reason. There's no possible way in hell that this app is that big to where it would warrant wifi. I mean there's no actual models being used, just flat 2d images of the 3d models. But I'll check it out anyway when I go to town tomorrow.

Overall, some fears were confirmed hardcore. Pokemon transferred to Home that aren't in Galar are stuck there. I wasn't really dying to pick up LGE again because again, I hate the game, but it does feel sad my Alolan Marowak and Dragonite can't join my Venusaur, Alolan Ninetales, Gyarados, and my totally the same not at all different Eevee. It also feels really sad my Gyarados can't mega evolve anymore. She was baller af. Now I can only hope they other two are added in the expansion updates.

Like I said, I'll check out the other stuff on mobile when I can. Maybe mobile Home won't be as bad as Switch, but I doubt it.

#pokemon #pokemon home #don't send anons i already know you have opinions