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charmandhex · 4 years

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A TOTALLY UNOFFICIAL AND VERY MUCH NOT SANCTIONED BY NBC OPENING SCENE FOR AN AS OF YET NONEXISTENT PILOT OF THE ADVENTURE ZONE: BALANCE ANIMATED SHOW THAT I AM 100% NOT GETTING PAID FOR

Credit to: the McElboys

No credit to: me, Charm H. Adventurezone, sleep deprived [job title redacted] and overly ambitious fic writer

[Our opening shot is of the world of Abeir-Toril (or whatever the fuck we’re going to call it to avoid copyright issues idk that redacted job title up there sure isn’t lawyer) as it drifts through the Prime Material Plane. From here, we can see little but clouds, water, and land masses. One regular-sized moon orbiting the world drifts into view. If you look closely, but you’re only looking closely because you’re a nerd who knows what to look for, you can see a much, much smaller moon -THAT’S NO MOON got there first Clint what now- drifts over a massive, still lake and a brightly colored spot that we might know to be Neverwinter, wait- Eversummer, hm, that was graphic novel, but can we use that there?- KINDASPRING there we go. The initial shot is quiet, for a moment, before seven notes -yes those ones folks- ring out.]

GRIFFIN [audio only]: I can guess what you’re probably all expecting. Some big, dramatic speech to match the big, dramatic intro we’ve got going on here. [As Griffin talks, we start to zoom in on a continent conveniently labeled NOT-FAERUN. We fly by our much smaller moon, but not close enough to see anything of interest – yet. We see Kindaspring, all busy and fantasy and so on. We catch a glimpse of a city buried in the shadow of a mountain range, with a bunch of dudes who all look the same. A city on a cliff, a shining gold monument in the center and trails of dust on a track around the city. Canyons, and a dash of pearlescent color just for a moment. Blink and you miss it, and a flash of a black and white tent in the woods near Kindaspring. You get the picture.] But, fact of the matter is, folks, we kinda blew all the budget on this one shot! Completely boned it in the first two seconds! So, let’s get right into it and roll some fuckin’ initiative- oh, can I say fuck? Are we allowed to do that, here on NBC Peacock? Shit, I’m going to completely bone our cussing budget too- anyway! Let’s roll some initiative and meet our heroes.

[Zoom in on wagon on road outside Kindaspring. It’s not a very impressive wagon. There are patches on the canvas. The wheels are all creaky and bouncy over the dirt road. The horses look like they could use a nap. There are stink lines, y’all. The road, meanwhile, is pretty well-used. There are ruts, and the sides of the road run clean and even. It’s surrounded by woods, and we’re far enough out of Kindaspring to not get any noise from the city, nor close enough to our destination to even get a hint of whatever the fuck I’m going to have to call Phandalin that isn’t Phandalin.

But back to our characters. Right now, only one is visible, a buff human man, like super buff, no you don’t understand animators, he must be a brick shithouse of a man, he’s very sensitive about this. He has massive muscles and massive sideburns, and he looks way too happy to be driving this wagon. You just know the vehicle proficiency jokes are coming. Cartoon GRIFFIN pops up in the corner of the screen, looking unimpressed.]

GRIFFIN: …Well, maybe not heroes. Three… boys. Three very messy, very murder hobo, very horny boys. [A beat.] Tres horny boys, if you will. So, uh, first up is-

MAGNUS [aware of Griffin and waving at everyone- listen, fourth wall breaks are kinda a thing for me, folks]: I’m Magnus Burnsides, human fighter! [Stat card for Magnus pops up on the side. There’s a not very flattering picture with it.] Also… [with the wagon reigns in hand, he starts counting off on his fingers, concentrating] Uh, master carpenter, man of action, rush into battle- oh, and I’m from Raven’s Roost, and-

[The canvas flaps blow open behind MAGNUS, and MAGNUS’S stat card disappears with a pop and a tiny bit of white smoke. TAAKO steps out, already exasperated and swinging a hand, colliding with MAGNUS’S head and pushing it to the side.]

TAAKO: Yeah, save the backstory for like… 40 more episodes, my dude. We don’t have time for that shit right now.

GRIFFIN: O-kay, guess we’re just gonna assume we can swear whenever we want.

[As GRIFFIN is talking, TAAKO stops pushing on MAGNUS’S head.]

TAAKO [triumphant, shouting]: FUCK!

[Flock of birds flies out of the trees.]

GRIFFIN: So this is Taako, the elf wizard [TAAKO’S stat card pops up. Much more flattering picture.] and-

TAAKO: That’s Taako, you know, from… podcast, elf wizard and baller chef, yes, thank you, very much. AND very, very beautiful. [TAAKO does a hair flip. There are sparkles and magical sounds.] And very, very bored. [TAAKO’S stat card disappears.] How far away is this fuckin’ town? What’s it called again?

MAGNUS [shrugging]: Beats me. [To GRIFFIN] Did we come up with a name that doesn’t violate copyright?

GRIFFIN [evading the question, because I still am]: Aaaaaaaaaaaaand last but not least, Merle Highchurch. [A beat. GRIFFIN sighs.] Merle, that’s your cue.

MERLE [inside the tent]: Wha? Somebody say my name? [Canvas flaps rustle rustle rustle. MERLE’S face pops out, looking around owlishly. He also steps out to the front of the wagon.]

MAGNUS [now very crowded and still trying to drive]: You missed your cue, old man.

MERLE [indignant]: I was busy studying my cantrips!

TAAKO and MAGNUS [in unison]: Gross!

MERLE: No, not like-

GRIFFIN [interrupting]: And Merle is a cleric! [MERLE’S stat card pops up. The picture was taken too high, so we can only see MERLE’S hair and forehead.]

MERLE: I’m a what now?

GRIFFIN [overly enthusiastic, it’s a bit now, folks]: Now, for those of you who aren’t familiar, clerics are kind of a support class magic user. They can cast things like buffs-

MERLE: Huh?

GRIFFIN [still overly enthusiastic]: and heal their party members-

MERLE: I can do that?

GRIFFIN: Clerics also serve gods, and Merle’s god is Mort-

MERLE [indignant again]: Hang on! That doesn’t sound right!

GRIFFIN [pushing out of his little bubble and leaning into the scene]: Then who is your god?

MERLE: Uh… Pan! [MERLE pulls out the Extreme Teen Bible.] See? Pan!

MAGNUS [whispering to TAAKO]: Okay, I guess this is how we’re resolving that whole thing. [TAAKO shrugs. MERLE is smiling. It’s adorable, like those little smiles Carey Pietsch does I love them so much, y’all.]

GRIFFIN: So, Magnus, Taako, Merle. Off on an adventure of epic proportions. [GRIFFIN is getting excited.] Full of action and danger and goofs and found family and-

MAGNUS: Now hold on! Epic proportions? Epic? [MAGNUS waves a hand around at the generally pretty chill woods, the boring road, and the stink lines wagon.]

TAAKO: Yeah, so far this is snoozeville, population, uh, me and these two chucklefucks.

MERLE [peering at GRIFFIN]: you sure you got the right dnd party, bud?

GRIFFIN [looking at audience]: We’re still negotiating contracts, so I’m filling in for, uh… someone. So for now, hey, I’m Griffin McElroy, your Dungeon Master, your best friend, and your announcer for this pilot episode. Ahem. [GRIFFIN clears his throat.] Grab your shields and ready your spell slots. Strap in your asses and… really, just strap in your asses. And, for the very first time, welcome to the animated version of… THE ADVENTURE ZONE!

[Title card and Mort Garson’s “Déjà Vu” plays. All my ideas went into dialogue, folks. Fan artists, this one’s all yours.]

[We pop back into the same scene as before.]

MAGNUS: Yeah, so, uh, like we were saying, before, uh, whatever that was, what we’re doing now is-

TAAKO [interrupting]: Hold on! We are not, I repeat, not doing some dumb recap where we explain this boring job... unless…

MAGNUS, MERLE, and GRIFFIN [all have gone laser eye meme]: UNLESS?

TAAKO [singing]: Flashback sequence!

[There’s a loud POP! as the scene shifts, and we’re now in your standard fantasy tavern. There’s a table with four chairs right in front of us, all of which are empty. The tavern acts as a backdrop behind that, illustrating just how fantasy this world is. We see humans and elves and dwarves yes, because we’ve already seen them, but also Gnomes and tieflings and haflings and orcs and Genasi and aarakocra (try spelling that one, folks ;) I’m sure that won’t come up later) and so on and so forth.

There’s another POP! as GRIFFIN’S window reappears in the upper right corner. He looks slightly ruffled.]

GRIFFIN [straightening his hair and glasses]: Wow, that is going to take some getting used to. Anyway, the boys should be here in a second, and-

[Three more pops as MAGNUS, TAAKO, and MERLE appear in three of the four seats at the table. MERLE lands upside down. He immediately starts struggling to right himself]

MAGNUS [looking at the empty chair and frowning]: Wait, what was the name of the guy we were meeting again? Gumdrop?

TAAKO: Hm… Gurgle? Guava? Gumbo?

MERLE [having finally righted himself]: No! My cousin, uh… um… oh, that’s right, Gundren!

[As MERLE says GUNDREN, another pop as GUNDREN pops into existence in the chair. He looks like if you put MERLE through a grinder, not like we’re gonna run into one of those in an episode or two, right, fellas?

Nasty boy that he is, GUNDREN lets out a grunt and then spits on the floor. People have to clean that, GUNDREN! This is why you- (SPOILERS REDACTED)- anyway.]

GUNDREN: So, like I was saying, boys. You take my wagon from here in Kindaspring down the road to Mandolin-

TAAKO: Oh, that’s what we’re calling it?

MERLE: I thought that was another TV show?

[Up in the corner, GRIFFIN shrugs.]

GUNDREN: Uh… yes? That’s… what it’s called? [GUNDREN looks suspiciously at them. It seems like he’d give the job to someone else in an instant, if literally anyone else would take the job. But magically, he’s stuck with these boys.] But, uh, you get my wagon and my goods to Mandolin, and I’ll let you in on the next job. And that job, boys… [GUNDREN laughs. It sounds like if you threw rocks in a blender.] That’s the kinda job that will be the last job you ever need to take.

MAGNUS [cheerfully]: Well, that sounds murdery!

[There’s a loud POP! and we’re back on the wagon again, all of our boys already in place.]

GRIFFIN [shrugging, smiling]: Guess you’re going to find out! Oh, and boys… let’s roll initiative.

#taz #taz balance #the adventure zone #mcelroy family #mcelboys #charm works #this is basically a glorified overly long shitpost and the level of editing that went into this reflects that #PLEASE HIRE ME MCELROYS

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makeste · 4 years

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BnHA Chapter 255: "Hospital”

Previously on BnHA: Aizawa and Present Mic found out their dead best friend Shirakumo was necromanced by All for One and Ujiko and turned into everyone’s favorite villain mom bartender M.D., Kurogiri! Gran Torino and Naomasa were all “hey you guys should talk to him and see if you can restore his memories through the power of friendship” and so they all sat down together to do that. Kurogiri was all “so tell me how is my son Shigaraki Tomura, I love him so much, he is so emo and I must protect him” and Aizawa and Mic were all “THIS GUY HASN’T CHANGED ONE IOTA” and Aizawa started crying and was all “SHIRAKUMO LET’S GET MARRIED AGAIN AND BE HEROES TOGETHER LIKE WE ALWAYS WANTED.” Oh and also we found out Aizawa only fake expelled his previous students and it was just so that he could PREPARE THEM FOR LIFE!! and afterwards they got to go back to U.A. again and live happily ever after. And so basically I’ve lost track of how many hugs Aizawa needs here now but it’s a lot.

Today on BnHA: Shiraguri’s brainwaves start going all wonky and everyone is like “OH SHIT IT’S WORKING” and Aizawa and Mic decide it’s time to shift this drama into overdrive, so they get right up against the glass and start shouting “YOU’RE OUR FRIEND!!” and stuff over and over until IT FINALLY WORKS!! and Kurogiri’s face shifts into Shirakumo’s. Somehow the effect is incredibly sad and moving rather than terrifying as fuck, but unfortunately all Kumo can manage to get out is “hospital” before his mind overloads and he passes out. Fortunately for our heroes, “hospital” is actually an awesome clue which can totally lead them to Tomura and Ujiko’s location if they play their cards right, probably! Or at least Hawks seems really psyched about it, idk. Anyway so the chapter ends with Ujiko going FULL MAD SCIENTIST and wreaking havoc on Tomura’s body in order to -- I’m pretty sure, anyway -- turn him into some kind of fully sentient ultimate high end Noumu. Welllllll shit.

so that sure was a fun little wrinkle last week, huh. the two biggest scanlators deciding that in the spirit of the holidays, they were going to stop translating WSJ series and instead support the official releases out of the goodness of their hearts and definitely not at all because Shueisha was eyeing them threateningly and making little throat-slitting gestures. that was a ride. these are interesting times lol

but at any rate, if this is how it’s going to be for now then I’ll adjust! it is nice to have everyone support the official release, and obviously the image quality is way better, and Caleb’s translations are by and large pretty good. and obviously we’ll get used to reading the chapter on Sundays instead of Fridays (hell, I remember when the SJ leaks still came out on Wednesdays, so it’s not like we haven’t done this same old song and dance before lol). but Friday did happen to be a more convenient day for my schedule personally, so it might take a bit of adjusting for me to figure out what my posting schedule is going to be moving forward

anyways so I’m sorry this recap is so ridiculously late, but here we go at last!

so the Tartarus guard, who by the way is very clearly Seiji’s dad (WHEN ARE THE SHIKETSU KIDS COMING BACK), is tapping frantically at his touch screen even though it’s not doing anything, and he says he’s detecting unusual brainwaves. omg

WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK IT MEANS, OBVIOUSLY THEY UNLOCKED THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP, MAN! THEY DID IT

omfg. the guard just says “he’s agitated.” I’m going to need you to have more hype than that my good sir. please

holy shit Nao

attention everyone, HAS ANYONE SEEN NAOMASA’S FUCKING CHILL, BECAUSE HE SEEMS TO HAVE FUCKING MISPLACED THAT SHIT. someone please explain to this man that there is a time and a place to play good cop bad cop and this is not it. “oh, Shirakumo is starting to recover his memories? well then [busts into the prison cell and grabs him by the collar and slams him against the wall] WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR!?”

(ETA: so apparently Nao’s detective instincts are cleverer than mine. he saw that Kumo was potentially going to emerge, but probably not for long, so he gave him the most important question so he could focus on answering that. good job! still not a lot of chill but hey.)

meanwhile Aizawa is all “if what they said is true I’m looking at my friend’s corpse”, while still crying by the way, and yeah, so MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE. this year Santa decided to change it up and just make everyone real sad. happy holidays

lord he’s leaping to his feet and shouting “WHO DID THIS TO YOU”

meanwhile I can’t stop staring at Present Mic with his tongue sticking out. why are you sticking your tongue out. why are anime characters like this. you know, Stain also used to stick his tongue out. Present Mic U.A. traitor confirmed

also!! so many people have beef with Ujiko, though! pretty soon they will have to take a number and get in line

oh no Kumogiri is malfunctioning

Aizawa’s all “ANSWER ME SHIRAKUMO” and OH MY GOD LOOK AT THIS

I HAVE NEVER SEEN AIZAWA SHOUTA SO INTENSE AND I CAN’T TEAR MY EYES AWAY FROM THE SCREEN AHHHHH

so there’s some more of “WE WANTED TO BE HEROES TOGETHER” and “YOUR NAME IS SHIRAKUMO OBORO” and all of that other “SNAP OUT OF IT ALREADY” stuff, and you’re damn right I am eating ALL THAT SHIT right up, hell yes. IT’S A TROPE FOR A REASON PEOPLE

oh my god

bwo...hh...?

(ETA: I feel like I should explain that although I have a subscription to Viz, I really hate how their chapter viewer is set up, so I read the chapter on one of the vertical scroll-to-read sites instead. I prefer scroll-to-read for a lot of reasons, but the biggest one is so that I can read the chapter slowly (since I’m writing as I go) without spoiling what’s in the next panel. that being said, this next page is one of the few where Viz obviously got it right, so I’ll be posting the full image.)

SDFLSDLFKHSDLKJGOISDJFOSK

（┐° o ° ┐） ( ｣｡╹o╹｡)｣

feelingsfeelingsfeelingsFEELINGS

(ETA: on a reread I am fascinated by the fact that that bandage on his nose actually seems to be A PERMANENT PART OF HIS FACE APPARENTLY lol what.)

READ THE FUCKING ROOM, DUDE. also look how tiny Gran Torino is. he thought we wouldn’t notice through all of our tears. but we did. would you like me to fetch you a box

ha ha ha so now back to the drama

heh so anyway, the fact that this smoke Shirakumo face still looks like a child is straight up destroying me. how are you guys. how is everyone. feliz navidad

FKSLDJSLK HOLD UP

IS HE TRYING TO SAY “SHOUTA”, I CAN’T, I’M?!?!!!!

ADSLFKJALSKDJW

(ETA: I think you can see Shirakumo’s eye rolling back here as he fights against the brainwashing omg. this chapter’s fucking art, though.)

YESSSSSS you keep on ticking off that checklist of clichés, Horikoshi!! I’m so weak for this shit it’s not even funny. actually that’s not true, this plotline is usually hit or miss with me, but I’ll tell you what though, if there’s one guaranteed way to have me freaking the fuck out rather than sighing and rolling my eyes, it’s to have AIZAWA FUCKING SHOUTA be the one pounding on the wall of glass and screaming at his former lover to fight the layers of conditioning waging war on his mind. ohhhhhh god

lol the brainwave detecting screen is losing its fucking shit also and beeping like crazy. this tension is so thick you could plant a flag in it yeesh

is this Kumo remembering stuff??!

(ETA: thank you to the anon who pointed out I posted the wrong image earlier lol.)

why do shounen characters always recall events from a third-person camera view. curse this ambiguous flashback

AHHHHH

HOSPITALLLL ahh what??? “SHOUTA, HOSPITAL.” oh my god. Shirakumo I commend you for not having your first words after dying and being brought back to life and brainwashed for 15 years and then waking up in a straitjacket in a prison cell be, “FUCK ME OH FUCKING SHIT WHAT THE FUCK.” you and I are very different people but I respect that

HOLY SHIT HIS HEAD EXPLODED

so now everyone’s freaking out and we’re zooming in on Kumo’s eye again. by the way this is going to kill me when it’s animated oh god

OH NO THE PANEL WENT BLACK AND IT GOT ALL SILENT

(ETA: hmm I don’t think Caleb Cook knows what “whump” means nowadays. whump is what I wish we had here. instead it’s just lots of hurt but very little comfort. JUST LOTS OF PAIN AND SADNESS.)

Horikoshi please have mercy oh lord. also I see their hands touching, you. they honestly should be gripping each other fucking white-knuckled, this is all very traumatic. I think that if Shouta was holding Mic’s hand while his other hand was pressed against the glass I would probably start sobbing for real

what the fuck

did they knock him back out?? they seem really calm and optimistic about all this lol

oh godddddd

HE’S NOT CRYING YOU’RE CRYING SHUT UP. GOD, MIC, WOULD YOU PLEASE JUST GIVE HIM A HUG ALREADY??

so now they’re bidding farewell to Nao and Gran -- and HOLY SHIT --

okay hold up -- I just realized -- Kumo was trying to give them a hint about Ujiko’s location. holy shiiiiit. PLEASE START INVESTIGATING HOSPITALS, NAO AND GRAN. holy shit the Noumu arc is heating uppppp

Aizawa’s asking what’s happening with Kurogiri now, and I feel like he maybe should have asked that immediately after the fact rather than as an afterthought while they were getting ready to leave but okay

Nao says he kind of “short-circuited or something” and yeah that tracks with what we saw. though it sure does make that “THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY FOLKS, GOOD JOB BOYS, YOU GET A GOLD STAR” business just SUPER WEIRD though, but let’s be real, Nao has been swinging and missing with striking the right tone all day today

and now Gran is apologizing to Mic and Aizawa for the exquisite emotional torture he just put them through, but he says something is bound to come from it. WELL YEAH NO SHIT IT HAD GODDAMN BETTER

Aizawa apparently hasn’t run out of sad/tired/haunted expressions yet, if you can believe it

pretty soon everyone is going to be sad, tired, and traumatized! heh. it’s going to be so fucked up hahaha crying smiling emojiiiii

oh hey and we’re cutting to another flashback of AFO doing what he does best, being callously dismissive of human lives!

this guy. right here. is a rat bastard. for real. also Horikoshi sure picked a hell of a chapter to go all out on the art again, jesus. this is probably the first time I’ve looked at AFO’s fucked up face and actually thought “yep, that’s a mutilated human man” rather than “shouldn’t you be out floating in space with your asteroid friends trying to smash the Millennium Falcon?” so anyways yeah this panel is a big NOPE from me, thank you

but on the other hand, when Horikoshi uses those art powers for good, such as carefully penciling in every last individual hair of Aizawa’s perpetual five o’clock shadow, that I don’t mind so much!

yes. yes good

so now they’re vrooming off, and we’re hanging back with Gran and Nao for a minute

YESSSSS GOOD JOB NAO!!

looooool it’s ringing up the head of the HPSC and her phone’s buzzing and she’s giving it this hella dramatic look. like this is some patented Todoroki-level dramatic whooshing right here

that’s just how dramatic this entire arc is going to be, hopefully

WAIT WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW

IS THAT A CODED MESSAGE FOR HIM TO GO CHECK OUT THE HOSPITAL. AND HOW BUSY ARE YOU, HAWKS. ARE YOU THE “I AM IN SOME DEEP, DEEP TROUBLE” KIND OF BUSY, OR JUST THE STAYING-IN-CHARACTER KIND OF BUSY. YOU CASUAL BASTARD, WHO CAN EVEN TELL WITH YOU, I’LL JUST HAVE TO SCROLL DOWN TO SEE

oh hh my go

“LITTLE LATE TO ASK ABOUT THIS STUFF” so he comes from the Bakugou Katsuki school of tutoring, eh

I love that he actually followed through on explaining the PLF’s philosophy to Twice. and Twice is such a good boy. he’s studying so diligently. look, he didn’t ask to join a doomsday cult, it just kind of happened so now he’s just doing his best to figure it all out

and it definitely was a coded message, then. smoooooth, HPSC lady, smooth. so I wonder if the fact that she gave him a specific hospital implies a time jump. because I don’t think she’d have him investigate just any old hospital until they had a better lead and/or a more solid idea of what they were looking for

lol what the fuck

well I sure do not have any idea what this man is talking about

-- HOSDFLKJDLY SHIT WE’RE CUTTING TO UJIKO WE ARE CUTTING TO FUCKING UJIKO RED FUCKING ALERT!!!

HE’S TALKING ABOUT TOMURA I’M NOT CALMMMMMMMM AHHHHHH

FUCCKLKL FUCK THE WHAT HOLY SHIT WHAT DID HE DO

oh my god oh my god oh m

he made Tomura a Noumu. holy fucking shit that’s what he did. of course. so he’ll be able to possess multiple quirks, but because he benefits from Ujiko’s years of high end Noumu research, his sense of self will remain intact

AND DOESN’T THIS PROCESS JUST LOOK EVER SO PLEASANT. jesus christ. he’s not even allowed to lie down, for some reason this procedure can only be done while he’s hovering over the bed Exorcist-style with his mouth locked open in a silent scream (ETA: or is that actually his laughter we’re seeing?? because this panel wasn’t raw enough already I guess??) while random spurts of blood come chucking out all over the place. well that’s just

and Tomura fucking volunteered for this. how many scores of others didn’t?? holy fucking shit Ujiko. it’s not easy to be the most evil man in a chapter where a foil-wrapped potato with eye holes started waxing poetic about all the children he harvested and killed like some kind of bloodthirsty sommelier, but YOU FOUND A WAY. dancing a fucking jig while your so-called masterpiece is being gruesomely tortured in the foreground. man if there’s any justice in the world, we’ll find out in this arc that Ujiko used science to make himself immortal so that once he’s finally captured they can just keep killing him over and over again. I do not like him!!

so that’s it! we really are doing this thing, holy shit. Noumu arc here we come. see you guys next decade har dee har

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dlamp-dictator · 3 years

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Quick Thoughts of Strive Beta

Messed around on the beta for about 3 hours between last night and this morning and just wanted to give my thoughts on it so far.

General Things

For those wanting to download the Beta I believe you have to go onto the PSN website itself and search it up. It took all of yesterday to realize this and I’m still mad no instructions actually said this... I pre-order this game dammit.

From what I’ve played the netcode is very good. I think there were only 2 moments the game wouldn’t let me connect with someone. All of my games have been smooth so far with little if any lag.

The look, aesthetics, and animations all look very nice and are done very well. The action feels very fast-paced and bombastic. The explosion and fire effects are stellar and give some very nice feedback to your stronger attacks. Heavier counters have a nice zoom and slow down effect for maximum impact. This game wants to really sell you on that hype dear Lord am I buying it.

I know I was negative on the music of Strive in my last essay, but hearing it within the game itself has me warming up to it. On its own the songs feel a little out of place, but now that I’ve got the game’s beta in my hand and started playing it the music works. It kind of like moving and fighting along to a rock album. I’ve got a particular fondness for Giovanna’s theme now. The chill vibes I get from her theme combined with her personality sell me on her character a bit more now.

General Gameplay Things

I know the devs were saying that they wanted to make this game simpler, or at least more approached, but boy is this game a little more bare compared to Rev2. Just to give a quick rundown, you can only cancel Slash into Heavy Slash, Punch and Kick are more poking tools that can’t cancel into much aside from Specials, but you can also mash out 3 Punches in a row. Punch cannot be canceled into Kick, Slash, or Heavy Slash, nor can Kick cancel into Punch, Slash, or Heavy Slash unless in a Dust combo, not with the characters I was using at least (Ram, Zato, Chip, and Gio).

However, this is offset by the HUGE damage Slash and Heavy Slash can do, especially if you combo it properly with specials. Ram in particular has some evil stuff she can do with her Dauro loops. It’s a bit more like a more combo-based SamSho where you can be dead in just three or four short combos... just... without the teeth-grinding slowness of Samsho.

I’m a bit torn on this. While I think this kind of gameplay actually works pretty well for what it is, it’s such a different approach to Rev2 and even Accent Core Plus that I wouldn’t blame folks for being dismissive of it. There could be an honest argument for this being flash over substance given the lack of complexity on the surface. Not one I would make given my mixed opinion of Guilty Gear as a whole, but I could see that argument being made.

I think having Throw be 4/6D was probably the smartest move in this game. Now we don’t have to worry about having our 4/6HS command normals accidentally turn into throws and ruin a potential combo.

“Allen, why would you use 4/6HS up close raw? It’s typically very unsafe and can make you eat tons of damage.”

Hey... shut up.

Speaking of Dust, if it wasn’t a universal overhead before, making it one now gives it a lot more utility.

Ramlethal Things

I played mostly with Ram in my three hours with the game, so I’ve got the best grasp on how she plays out of the other three characters I messed with.

Ram’s very different from her Rev2 days. She no long has her Tekken-esque combos and a lot of her gameplay is now even more focused around her swords. She’d best at midrange, but can do a few things from close up and far away.

I don’t really like how you can’t call your swords back, but given the damage output when she has them equipped I think it’s a fair enough trade off.

Her Dauro loops are still a thing and boy can you do some mean things with them.

I don’t really like how a lot of her combos feels like they need a sweep or 2HS to do real damage, this is apparently the case for a lot of characters, but with Ram... I dunno’, I haven’t play around with her enough to be sure but it just feels kinda’ weird.

Mortobato is actually a pretty nice super in terms of utility, but I really miss having Explode. It was the coolest looking super in Ram’s kit back in Xrd.

Her new rekka special is pretty sweet, makes for a nice combo ender after a sweep.

Giovanna Things

I think this is the character I’m going to main in earnest. Ram is fun, but I can actually win matches with Giovanna with some competency since her damage is constant unlike Ram who needs her swords.

Like Chipp, she’s a rushdown character, but with less tools for mobility and is more about nailing people hard and fast with her kicks and staying close with her surprisingly far-reaching specials that can close the gap, at least that’s what I got from her after a few runs in training mode.

Her 6HS rekka looks really cool and I wish I could combo into better.

Apparently she turns all green and gets possessed by her ghost dog when she’s a max Tension, but the game doesn’t explain anything about this.I’m curious, but also annoyed that what looks like a gameplay function is hidden for the beta players. I understand wanting to keep things a surprise, but I’d rather that part of her be removed if it isn’t going to be discussed.

I heard a lot of talk about Giovanna being un-Guilty Gear and boring as a character. I’ve got a lot of negative opinions about these people, but I’ll at least say that after playing her I don’t believe this to be the case. She admitted has few tools, but her playstyle, animations, and character do feel like a Guilty Gear character. Her simplicity is what makes her stand out among all the nuttiness of Guilty Gear.

Think of it this way, a snarky, deadpanned, straightforward government worker being forced to deal with half-dragon bounty hunters and kings, assassins, sky pirates, ninja presidents, and Faust with only basic martial arts and a ghost dog to keep her on equal footing with the monsters of the cast stands out a lot more if she was quirky. She seems to be the straight man to all the craziness and I think she’ll have a lot of comedic moments with the cast if down well.

Zato Things

THE TRAILERS FUCKING LIED TO ME THIS IS STILL ZATO -FUCKING- 1

To keep this simple and to keep me from raging, Zato and Eddie still attack in tandem outside of the player’s influence. 5K with Zato will still make Eddie do ”That’s A Lot!”. Doing 5S will still have Eddie do Leap. This is gonna’ need an actual essay to explain in detail, but basically, Eddie is unwieldy in his movement speed and positioning, so properly doing combos with him is very difficult due to how hard it is to position him in your favor.

To be fair, Eddie can only do about two attacks when he’s summoned, and his animations are much clearer to read and react off of for both you and your opponent, but... it feels like all the playing Relius Clover if Ignis moved without your full input. Again, more detail in a proper essay.

Outside of that, you can actually do some really dirty stuff with Zato with you time things right. They did try to simplify Eddie but... it’s stil Zato-1 man.

Lobby Things

Yeah... this lobby kind of sucks. The aesthetic just looks very cheap compared to how nice the game looks. The blocky avatars don’t have the charming cuteness of Xrd’s avatar designs, and while I do think the method of getting matches is pretty simple, the overall way you do it feels sluggish and unneeded. I really wish Japanese fighting game developers didn’t try to make the lobbies as... immersive as they try to. This stuff peaked with Continuum Shift lobbies and have honestly gone downhill since then.

Overall, I’ve been liking what I’ve played of the beta, but I’m gonna’ need another day or two with it before having a full opinion. But so far so good, I’ve been either liking or appreciating most of the changes and things made, barring a few nitpicks and actual problems.

#guilty gear #your dictator is speaking

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bubblytarts · 4 years

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Bendy and the Inky Musical - Part 3/5

Chapter Four content, which takes us to the end of Act One! Including the obligatory dance number, lots of lost ones, and depression!

Set Us Free - Grant, Shawn, Wally, Ensemble

(Think how haunting this would be if it sounded like Stay, I Pray You; Anastasia)

Henry wakes up on a cot, and asks Wally what happened. Wally explains that his friends helped get Henry out of the elevator. Before Henry can ask who he means, two lost ones enter.

The lost ones introduce themselves as Grant and Shawn, and explain that they both tried to stop Joey but were unable to before being transformed. The group reveals that they are surrounded by lost ones, with “He Will Set Us Free” written on the wall. Henry mentions that Sammy believed that, but the Ink Demon killed him. Wally stops Henry, and tells him that the rest of them don’t meant the Ink Demon. When Henry is still confused, Shawn blurts out that Henry is the one to set them free.

Grant then begins the song, with a slow, depressing beginning about how the situation looked hopeless. Shawn joins in as the song shifts to believing that someone will return and stop Joey, and the lost ones and Wally provide a haunting harmony of voices in the back. The song ends with a final chilling duet between Grant and Shawn, completely a cappella.

Henry isn’t sure if he really can save everyone, but he’s willing to try to at least talk to Joey. But first he has to save Buddy. Unfortunately, none of the lost ones want to travel through the next area. But they know someone who can lead Henry.

Bendyland - Wally, Bertrum, Lacie, Henry, Ensemble

(Think the call and response dance break from King of New York; Newsies)

Enter Lacie. She is also a lost one, but knows the next area well, so Henry and Wally bid farewell to Grant, Shawn, and the others, and continue on.

Wally takes over as narrator again, introducing Bendyland while Henry and Lacie continue on offstage. The lost ones here were practicing to perform in live stage shows before everything went bad, so they’re thrilled to have an audience, and want to perform the song and dance number they’ve been working so hard on!

Lacie is amused at the fact that the chorus keeps trying to drag Henry into their performance, but he’s less than thrilled. Even Bertrum shows up to sing about how great Bendyland is! (Or, well, his head does.)

Henry recovers an axe, and promptly gets it stolen by a lost one. Communicating through dance, the lost one makes the situation clear: Henry leads the dance, and if his performance is good enough, he can have the axe back.

Henry reluctantly does a small tap and spin, but the lost ones choose to mock his moves instead of copying them.

Offended, Henry goes all out, rocking that tap dance! The lost ones, and even Wally and Lacie, join in on Henry’s call and response, ending with a final chorus of Bendyland’s greatness, and one final epic tap dance spin as Henry strikes a pose!

Stop This Madness - Norman, Joey

As the dancers exit stage, (and Henry gets out of his tap shoes,) Norman enters.

Norman has clearly just seen something horrible, and looks terrified. Joey appears from the shadows, and asks him what’s wrong. Norman demands that Joey gets away from him, especially after seeing that thing in his office.

When Joey tells Norman to calm down, Norman gets his very angry song, increasing in intensity as he backs Joey up. Joey has had enough, and counters Norman, backing him up now.

Eventually, Joey seems to have calmed down, and stops singing when he admits to creating the Ink Demon and keeping it in his office. Norman tells Joey he’s going to the police about what he did to Susie, and turns around, only to be whacked upside the head by Sammy. Joey thanks Sammy, and plans to make sure that Norman can’t tell anyone about what he saw.

Back in the present, Lacie informs Henry that just past this room is the haunted house, where he can access more of the studio, and hopefully find Buddy. But this is where her expertise ends, so she bids Henry farewell.

Henry makes his way through the ink, listening to Joey’s propaganda tape. (The one where he reveals his true thoughts about “dreaming”.)

The Projectionist appears before Henry can properly react to the tape, and chases him. Henry trips, and yells “Norman, please, it’s me, Henry!” The Projectionist pauses, and reaches towards Henry, only to be attacked and killed by the Ink Demon. Henry runs away before the demon can finish him off as well.

Dear Susie (Reprise) - Susie

Henry enters the haunted house as Susie sings about her troubles again. The reprise is much sadder, and she seems to finally have acknowledged that she won’t ever be perfect, and she was too naive at the studio. She admits that she shouldn’t have trusted Joey, but she just wanted what was best for her.

The song ends as Susie adds that while she knows she won’t be perfect, she still can’t accept herself, and so she definitely can’t accept anyone being more perfect than her.

Cue the Brute Boris reveal, and subsequent fight.

Make You Proud (Reprise) - Buddy, Henry

(Think the depression level of Stay Alive Reprise; Hamilton)

Get ready for tears, folks. The Brute Boris fight is over relatively quick, and Susie demands to know why Henry can’t ever just die, before going radio silent.

Henry collapses next to Buddy, who quietly apologizes for fighting him. The Brute Boris costume is removed to some extent during the fight, so that Henry can scoop Buddy into his arms for maximum sob. Buddy hopes that Henry can get out, even if he wasn’t much help.

Henry, in tears, tells Buddy that he was so much help. (It isn’t clear if Henry can hear Buddy, or it he’s just talking aloud.)

As Buddy is fading, he tells Henry that he forgives him, and then flips his script, and shakily sings that he’s proud of Henry, before going limp.

There is not a dry eye in the audience as Henry sets Buddy down.

Creators and Traitors - Henry

(Think a much angrier Santa Fe; Newsies)

This is Henry’s turning point. At the first note of this song, even before he starts singing, his expression of despair immediately is replaced by a look of fury.

Henry finally accepts that this is Joey’s fault. All of it. Henry is practically yelling through the whole song, and hitting super high notes while he’s at it.

It’s clear that from now on, Henry isn’t trying to figure out how to find Joey and talk to him. He’s trying to find the fastest way to Joey himself in order to make him pay for what has happened to Sammy, Norman, and now Buddy.

Henry is ready to set them all free.

As Henry holds his final note, the lights on stage zoom in, until only Henry in a spotlight is lit up. The song ends, and holds for applause.

As the applause dies down, Susie reveals herself at the back of the spotlight, behind Henry. Once the applause ends, an ominous chord plays, and Susie screams. Henry whips around and falls as he tries to back away, holding up his hands to try and stop Susie from killing him.

In a direct parallel to the blocking in Dear Susie, a blade shoots out from just out of spotlight behind Susie, slitting her throat yet again. Susie gasps and collapses.

With the music ripped directly from the end of Chapter Four, Henry stands up as Allison walks into spotlight at his side. Tom joins on the other side of Henry, and another blackout, as Act One ends.

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daynaksmith · 6 years

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WisCon 2018!

So, this is only my second year attending WisCon, but I think it’s gonna be a habit because it’s such a good spot for mini reunions. Clarion 2015 represent!

More under the cut!

The folks in this pic, briefly:

If you haven’t read Jess and Sara’s AMAZING joint-written story, what the hell are you waiting for? Hopeful near-future concept-AND-character-driven SF awaits you!

http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/barber-saab_09_17/

Evan Mallon’s stuff is so good, we had to give it it’s own genre: Malloncholy. So be ready for that shit to hit your eyeballs and blow your lovely brains.

(Tiffany Wilson didn’t make it until later, but you can find a story of hers in this awesome anthology coming out soon!)

A con highlight was Shelley Streeby and Co’s awesome panel on the Octavia Butler archives. Seriously, I thought I already knew what was up with that material, but I actually got choked up seeing handwritten notes of self-doubt, righteous anger, and silly/familial love in Octavia’s own handwriting.

Octavia mused that we (anyone reading her stories) were all her children, and even No Thank You On The Children Dayner clutched her heart.

Shelley runs Clarion UCSD, and frequently participates in critiquing the stories written there-- she’s a sharp and generous soul. Her partner, Curtis, is a great conversationalist-- as are the Clarion 2014ers we met that day, Ellie and Manish.

I’m also super lucky to have shared a suite with a bunch of my novel camp buddies, the Happy Little Comets: Brooke Wonders, Alisa Alering, and James Brady.

All of their work in all places is The Best. (Brooke edits the painfully cool magazine Grimoire with Annah Browning, who is also my new bro.)

Other con highlights:

“Justice Demands Good Sex” panel moderated by Meg Elison, where she described people’s illusions regarding written sex as defaulting to “a simultaneous, orgasmic high five.” The call to arms (and legs, and sundry genitals) involved considering sex scenes (of all flavors and levels of success) as a vital component of both Character and Worldbuilding. (And honestly, where the hell is the Story if you don’t focus on both those things??) I have MANY thoughts on the subjects discussed, and will probably ramble endlessly once I get going.

So you all have that to look forward to.

The contributions of S. Qiouyi Lu and Alberto Yañez to the “Alternate Universes: The Anticolonial Version” (my version of the title, honestly can’t recall what it started out as). They and he, respectively, had many thought-provoking things to say about how to avoid cultural erasure while portraying a more engaged, egalitarian, interrogative social system from the get-go in secondary worlds. One of them (possibly accidentally) used the term “wokebuilding” as opposed to just worldbuilding, and I kind of love it.

WOKEBUILDING. TELL YOUR FRIENDS.

Getting to chill with Saladin Ahmed (our Clarion 2015 instructor from week two!) was awesome, as was chatting with various folks in the hotel bar, including but not limited to: Nino Cipri, Charlie Jane Anders, Annah Browning, Annalee Newitz, Maria Romasco-Moore, and Meg Elison again!

You guys, I cannot emphasize enough how nice and interesting people are at this con. I’m not usually one to strike up conversations with new people, but it’s yet to be anything but fantastic at WisCon.

Also, everybody had such incredible style game. I mean, Maria’s eyeliner, Meg’s SERIES of crowns, Nino’s tattoos, Annah’s earrings, Charlie’s hair, Annalee’s BESPOKE suit... I could go on.

It’s possible I was more aware of those little details this time around because I made such an effort with the blue lipstick in 90F heat...

Anyway, I’m so PUMPED to read everybody’s stuff if I haven’t already, and so down for next year!

See you in Madison next summer, and until then:

WOKEBUILD and WRITE SEX and talk to new people!

(Or at least read their stuff! Talking can be hard!)

Zoom your focus in and out, and make neat stuff!

#wiscon42 #writing #GPOY #Clarion 2015 #clarion #octavia butler #PULP PRIDE

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davidwilliampsychicmedium · 3 years

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Psychic Readings Near Me

Just Googled “Psychic Readings Near Me?”

Then You’re In The Right Place

Maybe someone you trust mentioned my name. Maybe you came across one of my 5 star reviews on Google, Yell or Yelp or perhaps your intuition guided you here. However you got here I’m thrilled to meet you and look forward to helping you on your journey of clarity, insight and self discovery.

Hi, my name is David William and for over 25 years I’ve been giving Psychic Readings for clients all over the world via the Phone, WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom or FaceTime. Im honoured to read for celebrities, politicians, Fortune 500 CEO’s, rock stars and for everyday folk like you and me and it’s them who’ve named me The Best Psychic Reader in the UK and Beyond.

There’s a Common Misconception With Psychic Readings That You’ve Got To Be In The Same Room As The Psychic Medium In Order For Your Reading To Be More Accurate - It’s Absolute Baloney - You Don’t - Well At least Not With Me.

How Psychic Readings Work With Me

As a Psychic Medium I literally ‘Tune Into’ the sound of your voice and that means you could be sitting ANYWHERE in the world and it’ll be just like we’re sitting in the same room together.

Plus if you’ve already read some of reviews in Google, Yell or Yelp, you’lI know I read for clients all over the world who have been left astounded by the accuracy of their psychic readings.

Ways We Can Connect Together For Your Psychic Reading

With your Psychic Phone Reading we could get together day or night, when you need me most, without ever having to get off your settee, change out of your PJ’s or leave the comfort of your favourite cafe. (We could even get together whilst you’re at work - If you fancy brightening up your day?)

That’s why my most popular psychic readings are via Phone, WhatsApp, Skype, Face Time or Zoom.

You could be sitting on the moon, chilling out in your house or having your lunch break at work and as long as I can hear your voice I can help give you clarity about your life.

You’ve just got to decide whether you’re a “wanna reading on my sofa with a cup of coffee” or “I fancy a sneaky peek into my future during my lunch break” type of person?

Whichever way you’d like to connect I’m really excited about meeting you.

What Psychic Readings Right For Me?

I get that booking a psychic reading can be very confusing and that’s why I offer 3 different types of readings -

ALL my readings are Power Hours and ALL 60 minutes long - That’s right we get a whole hour together.

OPTION 1

CLARITY & GUIDANCE READING - A Psychic - Intuitive - Tarot Reading Via The Phone, Skype, FaceTime, Zoom Or At Lavender Cottage Bollington Cheshire.

Gives you clarity and insight on love, career and life using my Psychic Ability, Intuition, Tarot Cards coupled with my Spirit Guides.

OPTION 2

MEMORIES FROM HEAVEN READING - Mediumship / Clairvoyant / Spirit Reading Via Phone, Skype, FaceTime, Zoom Or At Lavender Cottage, Bollington Cheshire.

Reconnects you with your loved ones in Spirit. Gives evidence of life after death and memories of times shared together NOT Future Predictions. Available as a VIP Power Hour only.

And My Most Popular Reading

OPTION 3

CLARITY & CONNECTION READING - Psychic Mediumship Reading Via Phone, Skype, FaceTime, Zoom Or At Lavender Cottage Bollington Cheshire.

Offers the best of both worlds. Gives MAINLY insight and clarity using the Tarot, my Intuition and Spirit Guides plus a chance to say ‘Hi’ to your loved ones in spirit.

How To Book Your Psychic Reading

I bet your life is super hectic - Right? And when you want a reading you want it “NOW”.

My V.I.P Power Hour Readings let you jump the queue and gives you instant access to me.

Or if you’d prefer you can choose a date and time that suits you.

With my online diary booking your psychic reading has never been easier. In fact it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3

Pick Your Reading Of Choice

Choose How You’d Like Us To Connect

Choose A Date & Time That Suits

Viola You’re Ready To Go - It’s As Simple As That

I look forward to connecting with you soon

David William x

#psychic #psychic readings #psychic readings online #psychic near me

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steamishot · 4 years

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Some type of normalcy

today, my SIL’s bro came to hang out with us. he’s visiting from SF and it’s his first time being down here since my SIL and bro bought their house. along with my mom and grandma, we tried going to kenneth hahn park, which was closed (or at least the only main road leading into the park was closed off). we then tried going to baldwin hills scenic overlook- again, it was closed. since we were already on the westside, i decided to then take them to UCLA. we parked at ralphs and walked over to the botanical gardens. it was my SIL and her brother’s first time on campus.

my grandma has been so bored/restless being at home, and at the same time she is quite frightened of COVID. i was kinda disappointed by how easily she gave up today, because she barely made it into the garden to sit down, and ended up not seeing the rest of it. i felt confused because pre-COVID, she used to take like 30 min walks around our neighborhood/hiking trail daily. my grandma isn’t super old and is quite healthy physically, but she does hold herself back mentally. i compared her (late 70s) to matt’s grandma (late 80s), and i see how fear/anxiety doesn’t hold matt’s grandma back. as they say in running, your mentality is half the game. i imagine it to be similar with older folks and walking (but could be wrong). last time i hung out with matt’s family at venice canals, his grandma was able to keep up walking with us for like 30+ min.

one thing my family (mom’s side) does differently is that we tend to coddle. we are scared to overwork or overexert. we give in to emotions and not push harder. i’m conditioned to coddle old people, like my grandma. i always slow down for her, never let her carry anything. my mom now takes care of her like a child. in contrast, when i first saw how matt’s family treated his grandma, i thought it was disrespectful. like, when we went to go pick her up for the first time from her senior apartment, he stayed in the driver’s seat as she was coming towards the car. he let her open the door herself and get in the car herself, and lets her carry her bags herself. he said that old people have to maintain their independence or else they’ll just let themselves go. and i’m impressed by how independent/strong and calm his grandma is. when i saw her last in april, she said she would be content if she has 1-2 more years to live in such a tranquil manner. it takes a certain personality to not hand hold, and to sometimes give tough love. and i see there can be positive results because of that.

work: i can officially clock in overtime as of two weeks ago, an extra 5 hours/week. i’m not really working more than 8 hours a day, i just have to be more efficient with my time, and i don’t take my entire lunch break anymore. june/july are the main two months that my job stresses me (and my entire team) out. i have a 15 minute presentation over zoom on wednesday to discuss HR policies to incoming residents. in theory, doing it over zoom should be less intimidating, but i’m still nervous about public speaking. i probably have to do another presentation for the fellows, but i’m not as concerned for that as fellows are much more chilled out. my supervisor announced in our last meeting that even faculty will experience a salary freeze this year.

normalcy: as nice and restful this quarantine has been, i think i’m ready to return to some type of normalcy (being more social). though, i do really appreciate i can WFH until september lol. these 3 months have been good for me to really build the habits i find important but always found excuses for. i’m tweaking my routine as i go- til now, i’ve been running on the schedule of 4 days on, 1 day off. i’m thinking it may be better to not run as often so i can recover more. because of the heat, i’ve transitioned to running at night instead of before noon. this led me to start doing yoga in the day time, following yoga with adrienne. i forgot how good yoga makes me feel. it’s such a nice way to wake up the body mid work day. since it’s gotten hotter, i’ve also had less issues with sleeping. my body’s just more exhausted from the heat.

running: after resting two whole days from running, i was able to run almost completely at 6mph+ for the entire 30 min today. this would translate to being at around 10 min per mile (or faster). sadly, my apple watch wasn’t accurate in tracking this and made it appeared that i ran slower than i did. damnit, now i have the opposite problem of accuracy. that’s bullshit lol. i might have to start running outdoors again, but don’t prefer to because i don’t want to run with a mask on/be around people. we’ll see though.

relationship: i’m starting to feel really needy in my relationship. in the beginning of quarantine until like two months in, i was like “meh, don’t really need to see you. i’m good and enjoying myself in quarantine”, but now at three months, it’s like “i want youuuu”. this could be that because i haven’t had much social interaction at all these three months, and i’m seeking more companionship from the person who is ‘easily’ available and who i love the most. but i do remember with all our last LDR stretches, it starts to get really hard without seeing each other at about the 2 month mark, where we’re almost at now. and we don’t have concrete plans of seeing each other again yet. so as of now, there is no countdown. hopefully i’ll know soon once he has his schedule for his next academic year.

priorities: today was my first time dining in at a restaurant since quarantine happened - paper pot. this was also the last restaurant i ate at before restaurants shut down. i thought the experience would be more ‘novel’? but it was ordinary. even though i didn’t dine out for 3 months, it felt like i was just there a few weeks ago. the food was pretty bomb though. having the experience of now staying mostly at home for 3 months, helps me place my priorities in check. like, did i NEED to be spending all the time/money/energy i did in the past on eating out? i may have been better sitting my ass at home and working on myself/saving money LOL.

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jomatto · 6 years

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Daily Reflections: 1/19

First Thing in the Morning?

I woke up and killed time. When I was talking about bending my schedule to prevent a complete break, this was pretty much what I was talking about. It’s Friday, man. I don’t want to work! But I have to. I’ve been spending too much money lately and I want to break my earnings record for a single month.

Write Anything?

A sentence a day keeps the laziness at bay. I've made more progress now than from any previous declarations of Mister Cinderella’s active status. Those statements were more about not pulling the plug than trying to wake up from my life-induced coma.

Because I set the bar so low for myself there's no reason not to write something. There's no pressure to create pages upon pages for the next update. If it happens, cool; if not, I'll just stick to the schedule-- because the only thing worse than no ambition is an ambition so heavy that you can't even get off the ground.

My plan is to write out the rest of the story and put everything into one document. I'll comb through the whole thing to make sure it fits together nicely.

It's going to involve a pretty huge rewrite since many of the things I set up will no longer be paid in full. The idea is to do everything in one shot and never think about this story again. The sooner I can flush this from my mind the better.

What Kind of Music Do You Listen To?

I don't go out of my way to find new music. I'm perfectly content with listening to the same thing over and over and that's pretty much exactly what I've been doing. My method of insanity? J-Jams Radio on TunedIn.

It fulfills my criteria for background noise. First, it can't be in English or I'll be tempted to sing along and lose focus on work. Second, 90% of the songs I love, and the other 10% are alright. It's pretty rare to find a radio station with no weak spots in the lineup. Third, I can't skip forward or rewind which means I press play and that's all I have to do for the whole day.

These are a couple of my favorites:

畑中ikki - I've been waiting for you

Even though I stipulated no English, I always, without exception, sing along with the chorus on this one because it’s so damn catchy.

Yup'in - Take Me Away

This song reminds me of Cagnet. If you don’t know who they are, it just means you haven’t watched enough Asian dramas. Even though they’re an American group, they made their big break on Long Vacation. Anyways, I love the lazy afternoon vibe of this one.

三浦大知 (Daichi Miura) - U

I really dig this guy. I feel like he would be such a cool dude to hang out with and his moves are sweet as hell. Just makes me wanna get up and dance.

FAKY - SUGA SWEET

This is the best of sugar bubble gum pop. It’s so light, fluffy, and fun. I never saw the MV for the longest time and when I finally did, my eyes sorta popped. Definitely got a favorite; can you guess who? I don’t know if it’s just me, but the song reminds me of the 5th One Piece OP, Kokoro no Chizu.

Nerdhead - No Matter What feat. DOUBLE

The more I tried to explain why I liked this, the harder it became. I love how balanced it is. It’s got this super chill flavor but it’s upbeat at the same time.

Solve Any Problems?

While I was using Photoshop, I thought I had the Clone Stamp equipped so I held down Alt to clone but the screen zoomed out instead -- I was actually holding the magnifying tool. Consider my mind blown. I had no idea that Alt let you switch between zoom modes. All this time I've been manually switching using the buttons at the top left corner. I feel...profoundly dumb.

How Ya Feelin'?

I've graduated from "don't do anything" to "light stretching." I'm searching for the most effective stretches for my shoulder and hamstring. I'd say I'm about 80% from a full recovery but I expect the last 5% to be the hardest.

I’ll stick to the light stuff until my muscles are completely pain-free. I want to increase my flexibility to prevent any injuries in the future. I also need to reexamine my form.

I'm taking it slow because being too hasty might roll back all the progress I've made. I feel a lot better these days. I've also put in an order for elbow pillows to strap on to my armrests and a specialized back pillow for support. I've been aching all over lately. It's about time I do something about it.

Remember Your Elementary School Field Trip to the Old Folks’ Home?

Yeah, and it's been at least 20 years since then. I wonder how many of them are still alive? Now that’s a morbid thought.

#daily reflections #Mister Cinderella

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ryanellisphoto · 5 years

Photo

#151 — Saturday, February 23rd, 2019 — Ryan Ellis Photography - Detroit Street Photography Session #151 — Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 (ca. 1971) - Nikkor 55mm f/1.2 (ca. 1971) - Tokina SZ-X 60-300mm f/4-5.6 (ca. 19??) - Hart Plaza tattered flags - Street portraits

Arrived @ 6:15 AM

Departed @ 9:45 AM

476 photos (and also 3 videos) taken over an unfinished and fleeting-feeling 3½ hours with a lightweight 27 “keepers” among the numerous snaps from the day, rendering a translucently-thin 6% “success” rate at a stubbornly-rigorous 136 shots per hour (I aim to achieve at least a 10% “success” rate at a minimum pace of 100 shots per hour).

——————————

PATH TAKEN:

Greektown - I planned to shoot with my vintage Tokina 28mm f/2.8 (ca. 19??) (which I used in my most recent Jam Session [support me on Patreon for access to that video before it is publicly-published {as well as many videos and other posts that are Patreon-supporter-exclusives}]), but it caused an issue with my camera body’s shutter mechanism, so I switched it out for my Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 (ca. 1971), which I never used the whole day anyways! Instead, I embraced the challenge of the Tokina SZ-X 60-300mm f/4-5.6 (ca. 19??) and the alternating ease and aggravation of the Nikkor 55mm f/1.2 (ca. 1971) (the f/1.2 maximum aperture, which I nearly always leave wide open, is a pain and pleasure to use). The Tokina 60-300mm lens forced me to adjust my mind to working with a zoom, which was difficult for me. I kept using it only at the 300mm telephoto limit, but I found time and again that panning out “wider” gave me stronger compositions.

Campus Martius Park

The Esplanade on Woodward Avenue - There seems to be the beginnings of the transfer, decorations-wise, on the esplanade from Winter wares to Spring things, as the Christmas light and evergreen-bedecked tunnel was removed (with pine needles all over the ground as its final vestige).

Spirit of Detroit Plaza - This plaza is a new public space in the city. Dan Gilbert evidently bought (or maybe “adopted”) this space, shutting down through-traffic on the final stretch of Woodward that would have spilled into Jefferson Avenue. Photographically (and this may be a sorry excuse), I am still having trouble figuring out how to show its good angles through my camera. Every time I walk through this plaza, I am underwhelmed by how cookie-cutter it looks. I want to take pictures that are alive and vibrant and impactful. I also want my shots to look unique and particular, and those two final aspirations are where I find the most difficulty, visually, with this space. Some say that there are no bad students—only bad teachers. Maybe my eye for beauty needs to expand enough to let me learn how to see that spot in a better way.

Hart Plaza - Alas, I found that the ripped and shredded American flags that encircle this plaza were further along in their ruinous regression into separate sections compared to last week. So bad was the damage at times, the stripes on one of the flags were split, and the rectangle with the fifty stars in the field of blue were even disunited from the red and white on one of the flags (pictured in today’s “top ten” shots). Crestfallen over this worsening state (made all the more worse when I noticed the Canadian flag across the Detroit River was immaculate still), I posted two stories to my Instagram page showing some examples of the abused national standard and tagging, first, the mayor of Detroit (mayor Mike Duggan [our 75th mayor]), and then, a local news station (Fox 2 Detroit). I did not want to assume a merely complaining tone, so I asked what I or others might be able to do to help properly retire and replace these American flags. To assume a realist’s headspace, I expect nothing to happen.

Campus Martius Park - I was wearing lots of layers, as it was “bone-chilling” cold outside, and I noticed a young woman sitting at the park on a bench in jeans and a quality winter coat (and no hat!). I asked her if she was freezing, and she said she was fine. With her permission, I took a few shots of her, trying to see how I could play with the reflection of her sunglasses. In our back and forth, as I snapped shots, I asked why she was sitting still instead of getting some warmth from increased bloodflow by maintaining some sort of motion, and she wittily replied that she had been waiting there all that time until I would come and photograph her! Hahaha. I had no clever response, and I was tickled by her diligent mind. I only thought of a clever comeback long after when I had finally reached the entrance to Greektown on foot. Folks like her happily make me have to stay sharp.

Greektown - My phone was nearly dead from my Instagram efforts at Hart Plaza, and the cold was creeping past my many layers of clothes, so I retreated to my car to enjoy my heated seats as my phone regained a more respectable battery percentage (25% as opposed to 5%). I would have left my phone charging in my vehicle, but I have no wristwatch at present, and I needed to leave precisely at 9:40 to give myself margin-enough to make it to Highland Park to visit with my photographic-better, Mr. E.P., as he was set to do some photography work there at 10:00 AM (at what used to be a stamping factory [presumably once used for Ford Motor Company back in the day, though I could not find that out]). I left Greektown at 9:20 AM, setting a timer on my phone for ten-minutes. I figured that I would walk and take pictures until the timer went off, at which point, I would turn around and walk and take pictures until I got back to Greektown right on time to leave for my next appointment in Highland Park.

The Broadway (and Shoes)

The Belt

The Hudson Site

The David Whitney Building - My ten minute alarm went off at this point in my journey. I had not taken any neat shots on this last leg of my 151st Detroit street photography session, so I stubbornly pushed forward in spite of my ten-minute time crunch.

The Rosa Parks Transit Center - I ran into a gentleman I talked with at great length this past summer (of 2018). The man and I first met at the Spirit of Detroit Plaza. He was sitting at a table all bedecked in dress clothes from a more civilized era in the history of Detroit. He was waiting for a blind date that was evidently extremely late by the time I left (or perhaps she never showed up after all). I photographed this man at the transit center (SMART bus super station). While he did allow my photographing him again, he continually insisted that I should be quick with my work, since he had a bus to catch. I tried to be quick, but I heavily underexposed him in the first few shots before moderately overexposing him in the final shots. I always say, “when all else fails, make the image monochromatic.” That is how I covered the greatly-underexposed (and shoddily-corrected in post-processing) picture.

Lafayette Street

Campus Martius Park

Monroe Street

Greektown - I made it back to my car by 9:45 AM, and I drove like Jehu to my final stop of the day and arrived at 10:01 AM. Not bad timing (all things considered)!

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WHAT WENT ON ON THIS DAY OUT IN DETROIT?

I arrived before dawn began and left before mid-morning ended. I hoped to make something good out of such a short time to shoot up and around the beauty of and on the streets of Detroit (a city I do not love but am hoping to thoroughly appreciate more and more as the weeks [and years] carry on). The most memorable moment of the day out shooting street photography was when I took time-lapses of the tattered American flags in Hart Plaza and tagged the seventy-fifth mayor of Detroit and also some of the mavens of the fourth estate (in an effort to encourage the proper care of our national standard [the American flag]).

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#Greektown #Detroit #Looking Glass Sphere #Homeless Sign #Construction Site #Fort Gratiot #1701 #Founder of Detroit #Tattered Flag #Ripped Flags #Street Portraits #Retro Ford #Ford #FoMoCo #Mayor Mike Duggan #Mike Duggan #Dan Gilbert #Fox 2 Detroit #Mayor of Detroit

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smallchou · 7 years

Text

36 Months as Dad

E turned 36 months old yesterday, Thanksgiving Day. We celebrated by hosting a dinner of 15 family members and going full-out on the menu. Turkey, brisket, green beans, carrots, wok-fried rice noodles, my mom’s sticky rice, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and, of course, birthday cake from our local bakery.

We’ve somehow managed to turn E’s birthday into a multi-day extravaganza, with three separate birthday parties: her classroom at school, family, and then her “friends” tomorrow. I use the term ‘friends' loosely because it continues to make me laugh how they interact with each other at this age. E will spend an entire evening spouting off her classroom friends’ names in imaginative play at home, but then when we run into them in-person they just peer at each other sheepishly and walk in the general vicinity of each other not saying a word. I know it’s totally normal at this age (Parallel Play, it’s called), but even as an introvert I find it hilarious.

The one person who she has no problem talking about, around, or to directly is Gabba. The best way to describe their relationship is Hero and Fanboy. If E is doing *anything*, that’s what Gabba suddenly wants to do. Like, now. Right now. And because he’s 11 months old, he usually crawls over at high-speed and attempts to do it, often while E is still engaging in said activity, which turns into loud protestations of, “No Gabba!”. Generally Gabba is undeterred.

I struggle a bit with how to handle these situations. On the one hand we often tell her to be patient and share. On the other, isn’t this the start of a lifetime of less effective men interrupting her in professional environments repeatedly and without awareness? In fact, this one is more than just less effective, dude is less than a third of her age and can’t even walk. Lately I’ve taken to just letting her stand her ground until they get to some point of physical pushing and shoving, but I honestly don’t know whether to step in sooner or later.

What helps is that Gabba is generally incredibly emotionally resilient. Take a toy away from him? Oh well. Box him out from a container of blocks? He’ll grunt and then move on to the next thing. Move an item to the next room? 50-50 on whether he’ll race after it in determination or just emit a mild exasperation and forget in seconds. I used to catch myself when remarking how similar E’s personality was to mine because it felt like too tenuous of a connection - what if all babies act this way? Now, seeing Gabba’s reactions to everyday occurrences, I can see how different he is from both E and me. He just has so much more chill than either of us.

He sure does look like me though. Actually, I can’t really tell, but everyone remarks how he looks like me, so it must be true. My aunt last night went so far as to say he looks like a carbon copy of me at the same age. As a dad, you sort of do a double-take when someone says this. “This super cute baby? Looks like me? Oh no, does that mean I just think he looks cute because of some evolutionary defense mechanism and/or vanity?”

Parents joke about their own differences with first and second kids. How much less neurotic they are about every little thing AND how much less celebratory they are about every development. And… it’s true. Or at least our natural reactions to moments are much more tempered. Gabba just started walking with the help of a push cart in the past few weeks and has shifted more and more towards solid food. And in just a few weeks, he’ll be walking by himself. I can honestly remember the feeling I had with each of these milestones when E hit them. I can remember waiting for weeks in anticipation for the next milestone, excited encouraging her with each half-step. The events themselves were the celebration. With Gabba, the anticipation is much more about him getting to there other side of those achievements and celebrating the progress.

I think much of that is because the first kid doesn’t just stop. And in E’s case, she just keeps going and growing with rapid surprises at each turn. I’m amazed by how complete and connected the narratives in her head now are. She stitches together entire days and weeks, remembering backwards with high fidelity and planning forwards with anticipation. And she learns so, so quickly. A few weeks ago, she heard the word ‘complicated’ and thought it was funny. For the next few days, she pointed at random items and asked me, “This is complicated?” I replied and explained in each case. And a few days later, she looked at a book with lengthy passages and sighed in exasperation/resignation, “This is COM-pli-cated” before putting it down like a college student done studying for the night.

More than factual learning though, I’ve been most in awe of her imagination, which has exploded over the past couple of months. Whether she’s stacking blocks and explaining to me how she’s building “a rocketship” to take Mommy and her to the moon, or pointing in exclamation at a tree, telling me, “There is the penguin,” it is inspiring to see the extent of the three-year old imagination. One imagines entire dream worlds, in full splendor, overlaid on top of the real world in her eyes. She really does SEE these things, with such authenticity, excitement, and honesty that it often wets my own eyes.

I try not to push her too hard in any direction. Of course there may be a time and place for that, but right now I just try to play companion when I can in her world. If she tells me, as she often does, that she doesn’t like Ice Cream, candy, or many other things that I know she eventually will, I try my best not to correct her. And when she talks non-stop for hours on end, ordering her dad around and often saying the words, “No. Daddy. You cannot do that. Sit HERE. We are going to the pizza place [note: a made up one in her head]. We get in the trolley.” I just reply excitedly, do as she asks, and *never* interrupt her. The last thing this strong-willed asian-american woman needs is a dude, even or especially her father, interrupting and correcting her.

Every now and then she knows to give me something though. She’s just three, but I get the feeling she knows how to really play her hand with her dad. The other week, she was up a bit past her bedtime as I watched a Warriors game, and she sat right next to me fidgeting with a few legos and “watching” the game too. After literally ten minutes of silence, she remarked very assuredly, “I like the blue team.” It is those moments, all of a sudden and without any warning, that bizarrely take your breath away. They zoom you forward and show you what the future might feel like in its most fun, unexpected times. When I started writing regularly three years ago to process my own experience and feelings of being a parent, I definitely did not expect my own identity to be expanded in such a way. No one ever really tells you that, or at least no one told me that. Folks will always describe the tactical and literal ways that your life will change. But no one really expressed that I would quickly come to identify myself as E’s Dad (and now Gabba’s Dad) so quickly and unequivocally. Strangely, older parents whose children are moving to college and beyond do express this to me though. They often speak in resigned and/or relieved terms about almost returning to being their own individual and couple selves. As a young parent, the most dominant feeling that I have is disbelief that this short stretch of my life is three years gone, with not that many more left.

At times I worry I’m too self-aware about how quickly this will pass. Is there a level of awareness in which you actually over-compress the time by lamenting about when it will all be over? A few Sundays ago I was solo dadding and thinking about this exact question as I drove both of them home from the playground. "How many more playground trips will we have in our lives? When will E decide she’d rather hang out with her friends than me? Six or seven years?” In that moment, as if she could hear me thinking, E said the perfect thing into the gentle cabin hum of the car…

“Daddy? We had a great day today."

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