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Melo is My Nature Review

Well, as usual, I’m late to the party! I picked up 2019′s Melo is my Nature/ Be Melodramatic with some trepidation since I was (am!) still smarting a bit from the disappointment that’s Hospital Playlist S2, and I wasn’t quite ready for another. 

I’m so glad I gave it a chance! While it isn’t a “perfect” series- in the nature of the world *sigh*- its combination of quirky, clever, self-aware humour and heartfelt performances won me over from the first episode. 

More thoughts under the cut (along with some spoilers)

I’m very fond of ensemble dramas that love their characters, and “Melo is my Nature” does that very well. Perhaps a little too well, to the point that you feel the writers letting themselves be more than a little indulgent during the middle stretch of the episodes. But I can’t complain too much, because yes, I know the feeling!  “Side characters” that refuse to stay in the lane and take over the narrative are also my favourites, as a writer and a viewer. I loved, loved, loved Lee Joo-bin as the flighty-but-amazingly-smart Lee So-min; that felt like such a delightful  clap-back against the prevailing sentiment that often goes against young, successful women and the ridiculous levels of expectations of them, in how they need to perform gender and  femininity and smartness. I loved that (like Emma! There’s a lot of Jane in this series!) the writers managed to make her likeable even though they never disregard her flaws or its consequences.

 Another performance/ character that I totally adored was Baek Ji-won as Jeong Hye-jeong, the industry maven who may be (?) a nod to Kim Eun-sook, I suppose! I was afraid at some point that they’d just trash her character, by making her a little too ridiculous in an unkind way, but I found some of the loveliest scenes involved her- like the one where she tells Jin-joo to do the work, but not be too successful. In the end, there was a love and fondness for her, a genuine empathy, that really was core to what made this show so successful. 

Shout out also to two of the weirdest characters I’ve watched, but thoroughly loved- Heo Joon-seok as Director Dong-gi & Lee Ji-min as Nutritionist (?) Da-mi. I absolutely adored that the only wedding in this series is between these two, and they do it in a completely predictably-unusual way. 

Re: the “main” characters, I loved all of them without exception, though some more than the others :) One of the things I love about the show is how real and present the three female leads feel; they feel like whole, entire people rather than caricatures of them, even when the show reaches almost unusual levels of quirky. I love that a through-line of the narrative is how important women’s labour is- to themselves. The work they do, which is acknowledged as a part of their identity rather than just something they do to pay bills (though of course there’s acknowledgement of that aspect too!),  their hunger to do it well and for it to matter- all of that is portrayed in a way that’s charming  but still taken very seriously. And the way you know that its taken seriously is in the things they focus on- how Oh Jin-joo struggles to write alone, and how Han-joo’s learning to be someone’s mentor while struggling with her own insecurities, and how lost Eun-jung feels, when work which was supposed to give her purpose fails her in a time of crisis, and how unmoored she feels without it. 

Re: the romance- I’m someone predisposed to dislike heterosexual romance, especially at the present moment, so it’s always with a great deal of hesitation that I start watching shows that I know have a large romance component. It’s always a bit of a coin toss for me whether the show will end up making me hate the romance or just about tolerate it. I rarely expect to *like * it.  So “Melo is my Nature” was a pleasant surprise!  This is  one of the few series where I felt the writers put in the work to sell the “main romance” of the show. You get to know the Oh Jin-joo and Beom-soo in sharply etched sketches before they move into the romance part (with a lot of tongue-in-cheek meta humour about the formulaic nature of tv romances). I genuinely felt that thrill of  “oh this could go platonic or romantic and I would like either” slowly ease into “oh my god these two are MEANT TO BE”, because the Romance is clearly in the all the ways they are NOT meant to be, but also, very, very definitely are. DELICIOUS. Just my cup of Jane Austen in a different context/ time.

Through most of the show though, my heart was divided between two characters- Jeon Yeo-bin’s stellar Eun-jung and Han Ji-eun’s pitch perfect Han-joo. Jeon Yeo-bin brought edginess, dark humour and a deep, almost- inconsolable grief to Eun-jung. Some of the stand out scenes of the entire series are hers: the moment where she watches herself on video talking to an imaginary person, and the moment she breaks down in front of the psych after talking about her mother. Watching this show, it really felt like- oh, she’s a star. Consider me sold on her for life (though, no, I will not watch Vincenzo unless there’s a Hong Cha-young supercut out there, in which case, please put it in my eyeballs now)

Han Ji-eun, imho, actually pulled off the toughest performance, because I think Han-joo’s strength of character is so often concealed by her “silliness” (in a similar vein to So-min’s), and that often makes her someone you’d overlook or not take seriously.  But god, she broke my heart, from the scene in the first episode where she’s sitting alone at a table after a rough day and watching her horrible ex live his best life to the hilarious and excruciating  “Oppa” scene, to the one where her kid is quite unconsciously cruel to her in the way kids can be. I was disappointed in the way they dropped the “reveal” about whom she’s dating in the last episode- not that I wanted her to be in an romance with Jae-hoon, god, NO- but it felt quite clunky.  This is one of the two complaints I have with the show. 

The second one is that starting from the middle, episodes began to noticeably feel like scenes/ sketches spliced together. Each scene is, within itself, perfectly written and performed, but the seams between the stories began to show. I felt one of the main reasons was that Eun-jung’s trauma tonally felt like it belonged in another show, but instead it had to get stitched into the mostly happy/ frothy storylines of the other characters. Sure, we had Hae-joon and his girlfriend’s terrible relationship, but the show had an easier time integrating that by way of Han-joo.

That said, I love how clever this show is! I love that it loves its own cleverness and can’t resist the urge to show it off- from all the meta references, in-universe jokes, and oh, that entire episode devoted to farting, complete with a song about it,  which I think maybe my fave episode of the series. A great look at the place of performance in intimate relationships (and how the women bear the burden of it more than the men), but coming at it from a place of compassion and humour rather than anger. Love that choice, for the show and us! 

I think @rain-hat mentioned in a comment here or twitter that Melo feels like a part of a triangle of shows along with Run On and Search : WWW.  I’m inclined to swap out Run On for Rookie Historian, or huh, maybe change the triangle for a quadrangle? Rookie Historian dares to imagine a past where our protagonist is (mostly) unshackled by the patriarchy and in the “modern” ending to its main heterosexual romance, reminds us that people have always found ways to find joy and thrive outside the rigid bounds of society. Search: WWW goes about it in the opposite direction- placing us in a present/future where the patriarchy doesn’t  and hasn’t ever mattered. Melo, I think, doesn’t quite do that, but in common with both these shows, it refuses to focus on the trauma of living under such structural violence, and instead talks about how we all (irrespective of gender) can find a way to remain unbroken by it. And while both Search:WWW and Melo do well at queer-platonic relationships as an alternate to the heterosexual project, it’s Run On, I think, which goes furthest there- firstly because though ostensibly structured around a het romance, that romance turns out to be falling in love with yourself/ loving yourself;  secondly because it’s most explicitly queer in the choices that the characters make and the lives that they choose for themselves- Min-joo & May are each others darlings and will be for life, Yeong-hwa and Ki Seon-gyeom are allowed a tenderness in their friendship that feels like an explicit repudiation of toxic masculinity, and of course, you have May being asexual, but not aromantic, and Goh Ye-jun’s whole arc of accepting himself as a gay man, and finding acceptance of that identity from others. 

Anyway! tl;dr would recommend (and have recommended!) Melo is my Nature to anyone fond of women, clever story telling and also ridiculously happy songs.

[CR] Many Returns

Title: Many Returns Universe: Critical Role, Campaign One, Post-Canon Characters: Percy/Vex Rating: K+ Description: Grief is a process, and even years into the future, reminders of loss still rear their annual head.

Percy isn’t sure what wakes him. It’s been many years since there’s been a crisis that requires his attention, and while he’s attuned to the cries of his children, they are old enough now not to need Mummy or Daddy to rush to their bedside. He blinks into the dim, gropes for his glasses, and perches them on his nose. He rolls over and pats an empty mattress, bedding rumpled and tossed aside. Ah. That explains it.

He fights off a yawn and rolls out of bed, pulling a robe over his shoulders, dragging fingers through hair in need of a trim. His limbs ache, his knees protest. He’s in his early forties but feels much older. It’s all that adventuring and battling, he believes. It’s aged him. It's early. Or late, depending on one's point of view. Percy doesn't have to check his pocketwatch to know he'll have to be up in a few hours for a meeting with the diplomats from Emon in Cassandra's absence. It's past time his little sister has taken a vacation and while Percy loathes the responsibilities her absence gives him, he's proud of her for taking some time for herself. Even if she's not alone. Though that's another matter entirely. Percy tightens the ties around his waist in deference to the chill of spring in Whitestone, and ventures to the balcony, starting his hunt for Vex there. He's lucky. He finds her on the first try. She stands at the railing, shoulders hunched, hands braced on the carved stone, her robe fluttering around her bare legs in the soft breeze. Her hair is loose around her shoulders, still a vibrant brown, no sign of age on her yet. Percy is thankful for his premature pale hair. It disguises the fact he'll be going gray much sooner than Vex'ahlia. He's a vain creature, and he knows it. Part of the onus of nobility, he supposes. It's quite dark, as Vex has no need for light, but there's enough illumination from the moon Percy can pick out her form easily enough. The woods are dark blotches, and the flicker of moving torchlight on the ramparts announce patrolling guards, meandering their route. Percy approaches on silent, bare feet, though he has little doubt his wife knows he's there. He slides his arms around her, and she doesn't stiffen or elbow him in the sternum, so he'd been correct in his assumptions. "Is there any use in asking you to come back to bed?" Percy asks as he tucks his chin over her shoulder, her body chilled compared to the warmth of his own. Vex sighs and leans back into his embrace. "You know what today is." "Yes." "Then you know the answer to the question." Percy presses a warm kiss to the curve of Vex's neck and shoulder, not to entice but to comfort. "Then I'll stay up with you." "We have that meeting in a few hours. You know how cranky you get if you don't get a full night's sleep," Vex says. Percy snorts a laugh and presses the tip of his chilled nose to the back of her shoulder, making her flinch away from him. "I remember a time I fought a dragon on only a few hour's rest." "That was a long time ago, Percival." "Oh, no. Have I offended?" Vex folds her arms over his, resting her weight into his, and it's a victory Percy counts for himself, smug to his core. "I love you," she says, and Percy's heart flutters. It's a truth they both know, but rarely say, because these words are fragile, and they are both accustomed to losing the things and the people they love. But today, of all days, they are words which must be spoken. "Whatever you need, ask and I'll get it for you," Percy says. "I know." Her head tilts back against his. "I thought it would be easier, the more time passes, but if anything, it's just getting harder." Percy keeps his silence, lets her speak, voice her grief, because he doesn't want to offer empty platitudes. They are no comfort. They hadn't been for him, and they won't be for her. Percy is lucky; he still has Cassandra, but all Vex has left is her chosen family, and the one she's made with Percy. He doesn't count Syldor though the times Velora comes to stay with them are some of the few moments Percy sees the light of siblinghood glow in Vex's eyes. Velora is so much like both twins it is eerie, and she's as mischievous as Vax, down to the core. Still. She's not around often enough. She is yet young to be allowed free rein, and Syldor keeps her close to his breast. If he ever grieved for Vax, Percy hasn't seen it, but then, perhaps it has shown itself in his over-protective behavior toward Velora especially knowing how close he came to losing her to Vecna. Vex shudders in his arms and lifts a hand, wiping at her eyes. "I should be out of tears by now," she says with a shaky laugh. "But I miss him so much." "It's all right to miss him," Percy murmurs, his own heart aching with the grief of his lost family. Living in Whitestone, surrounded by the echoing memories, that's been his own burden to bear, and Cassandra remains a painful reminder as much as he loves her dearly. "There's so much I want to tell him. He's never met his nieces and nephews or enjoyed a time of peace." Vex draws in a long, slow breath as if trying to get herself under control. "I'm pregnant, you know. He'll never meet this one either." Pregnant again? That's wonderful news. Percy frees a hand to stroke her belly, where indeed there is the smallest of rise. Vex has softened over the years, much like he has, though she's kept in shape much better than he. She still runs in the forest, spends hours shooting her bow, and hunting when the need arises. Dangers never stalk too close to Whitestone, for Vex is quick to put an end to them, often with Jarett's assistance. Percy sticks close to home. He doesn't have the yearn for adventuring as much as she does. Occasionally he joins her, when he feels the need to make sure he's not out of practice, but he's slower than he used to be, and the remnants of Orthax abandoned him years ago. "I love you," Percy says into the heavy silence. It's all he has to offer. "And I'm happy for another child. I know there is nothing that can replace Vax, but whatever you need of me, I'm here." "I know." Vex sighs and turns in his arms, drawing him into a chaste kiss before pressing their foreheads together, tears a drying damp at the corner of her eyes. "Let's go back to bed. It's fucking cold out here." "I don't know. My feet may be frozen to the stone," Percy says. Vex rolls her eyes, amusement dancing in them, chasing away the dark clouds of grief. "Then I guess I'll have to leave you out here, the great Lord de Rolo, a frozen monument to his people, too bad he's only wearing these silly robes." "You are ruthless," Percy says, and he sweeps some hair out of her eyes, tucking it back behind her ears. "It's one of your more charming qualities." Vex snorts and grabs his hand, tugging him back indoors and to the warmth of their bedroom, the flaps of her robe occasionally offering peeks at tanned, scarred skin. "Only you would think so." Percy lets himself be tugged, as bed is right where he wants to be, especially now that Vex is returning to it. Sappy as it might sound, he's not accustomed to sleeping without her at his side. Vex shucks her robe, leaving her wearing only an immodest shift which clings to her curves and is far too thin to offer any measure of warmth. She's quick to climb beneath the thick blankets, and Percy is even quicker to join her, remembering at the last moment to remove his glasses and place them on the bedside table. They curl together, bodies cold but the blankets having retained most of the warmth in their absence. Vex pillows her head on Percy's chest, and he cards his fingers through her hair, something which has never failed to soothe in the past. "I know it feels otherwise," Percy murmurs. "But happy birthday, Vex'ahlia. I, for one, am glad you are here, and I know our children feel the same way. You didn't hear it from me, but I have a sneaking suspicion there is a surprise in your future." Vex chuckles, though it is a strained sound, one choked by withheld tears. "I'll pretend to be shocked." She toys with the buttons on his nightshirt, recently mended. "Thank you, Percy. I promise to be better tomorrow." "It's okay if you're not." Vex hums wordless and settles against his chest, her breathing a bit stuttered, and Percy choosing not to comment on it. His nightshirt will be damp by the time they have to rise, but it'll be a sacrifice to a worthy cause. It is a gift, to be trusted with this vulnerability, and Percy would never waste such a show of trust. Besides, Vex is back in the bed with him, and though they only have a few precious hours before the council meeting, Percy is going to enjoy every minute of them.

***

a/n: Still flexing my writing fingers for campaign one, but I really do love Percy and Vex together and will probably write more for them. 

Feedback is very welcome! 

Your Thoughts for OW’s Lore At Blizzcon

**Edit - would help to tag you hurr durr @freckledmccree

I like how you will indulge in detailed speculation and interpretation of OW lore and don’t center all ideas around one specific (noncanon) idea but will admit occasional personal bias. I also really appreciate that you steer relatively clear from fanon and when people respond to your writings you don’t have an attitude or seemingly disregard them. Sooo, that’s why I wrote this disgustingly long thing even tho I’m paranoid about being annoying.

 (Apology beforehand if you have answered any of these before, I have not properly stalked your blog yet. Also, excuse my rambling I did my best to be coherent. Lastly, I only have one friend who is kinda into OW and I feel bad to bother them 24/7 so I talk a lot in this.)

McCree Speculation

The following assumes that the new cinematic will be McCree’s.

If there is another known character in the short along with McCree, excluding flashbacks, who do you think it would be? 

I have 3-4 ideas even though I would not say they are likely. And with any of these I don't imagine a role any larger than Brig's in Honor and Glory or even Zarya in Infiltration.

A.) Genji. I don't think it's likely but I wouldn't be surprised. It also might be risky on Blizzard's part because many are salty about Genji's abundance of lore compared to others. (Which is dumb and I would gladly rant on it but it's not the point) Reasons:

Notable increase of McCree's interactions w/him.

McCree might've left OW in a less professional fashion than others. Which would mean he may not have anything to be alerted by for the recall. Especially since he went underground for a while.  Winston’s contact info? Long since changed.

From how I interpret “Dragons” it seems that Genji has received the call as well as offered Hanzo a choice to go w/him “The world is changing once again, Hanzo. And it's time to pick a side.” So why not others?

Genji has also been canonically in touch w/at least one other ex OW member. So why not try to get in touch with another member that we know he directly worked with?

My logic - Why would their interactions matter?

McCree's asking about how Genji dealt with the loss of his body emotionally/physically as well as Genji's response leaves room for the implication that Genji knows how he lost his arm.

Why would Genji go in person?

Well, I mean you probably don't wanna broadcast that your getting the highly illegal band back together. In which said band also is also hated by the UN and every other terrorist organization on the planet.

How will Genji know how to find him?

Cause he's a ninja, duh. But seriously McCree most likely said something before he quit OW and if not Genji would just have to look at the news and he'd be there.

B.) Sombra. If anything I wouldn't be surprised by a small reference to her rather than actually seeing her.

Reflections comic (duh)

My logic - I expect Sombra to get involved with a little bit of everything. She likes making people question their beliefs on who is “right” or “wrong”. 

She would most likely know about the recall so if she wants to manipulate that at all she could be the one to tell McCree about it. Idk, she’s a wildcard with anything.

C.) Fio. The Blackwatch Pilot in Retribution. (I used “known” characters loosely) I'm not sure on my certainty with her, tbh. But I do find it rather intriguing. (I said no flashbacks but maybe with this one)

Fio's only lines that are not directly related towards the mission are all directed towards McCree.

The tone of them is clearly on the teasing/banter side of things.

My logic - Why have this side character show any interest in conversation outside of the task at hand? 

If she was just being used for the game mode and as lore filler it would make more sense to have only lines relating to the mission. Or have generalized ones for the team. But she has multiple focusing on the one and only Jesse McCree.

Reasons for that could be that they ran out of time to add other interactions. Which would explain why McCree does not acknowledge her comments. (The only time he was quiet during the mission is when she talked to him, rip you got denied girl) Or it could be that they knew each other previously or trained together in some of the early days of Blackwatch.

D.) Mercy. This one I would be surprised to see but it would have some logic to it.

Losing his arm, depending on the how/when/where.

She is not one of the characters who speak to him about his arm.

My logic - Who fixed his arm up for him?

Depending on how/when/where he lost his arm he may have shyed away from public hospitals. Especially with Talon  seemingly controlling so much of the press. So he may of wanted someone he personally trusted as well as doctor patient confidentiality.

Why does Mercy of all people not ask about the prosthetic? 

Out of the people who question McCree Mercy isn't one of them. Which may seem odd since she has known him for so long and her being a doctor. However, she does call out his smoking. So this proves she does pay attention to his over all health. (Which I am aware is a much older interaction) But it would have been a good opportunity to have her inquire about the arm there if she doesn't already know.

 Do you think McCree will directly receive the recall or from some other source?

What do you think of the fact that McCree lost his left arm specifically?

If the loss of McCree's arm is related to the Deadlock Gang do you speculate that it was intentionally the arm that had his tattoo on it? With how far McCree got in his career/life with OW and potentially spilling info on the gang when caught some people might want him to hurt. Not just die. To me forcefully sawing off the branding of the gang he betrayed would fit the bill. As well as be a good warning for others. (Not that blizzard would show that)

How do you imagine the camaraderie within Deadlock to be?

I ask this since in “Hero” right before the Los Muertos member throws the grenade it shows him actively choosing to help the other gang members (very broken gang members thanks to Soldier 76)onto the back of the truck instead of getting out ASAP. 

I just found that to be notable in how their social structure works. It makes more sense for Los Muertos specifically since they originally wanted to stand up against the politics and speak out for the people still suffering from the Omnic Crisis. They are not formed from the shady work they do.

Deadlock, however, doesn't seem to represent a core ideology. So I wouldn't be surprised if when OW caught some of them the others ran. Especially since McCree would probably still be pretty low in the pecking order at the time.

Can you imagine a shoot out in the warehouse tho, that'd be so risky people could be anywhere and there's no good line of sight except for where the truck drives through. Sneaky teen McCree climbing around and ish

Do you expect/hope for the origin on any mementos to be revealed?

My only idea is his iconic BAMF belt buckle. We know he's had it for quite a while since he wears it here: 

Just  thought Blizzard could do something cute with it if they wanted.

Do you have any thoughts on the Deadlock Torb skin?

Idk, this is kinda silly but people have talked about it. People do have a good point that it’s odd for him to have that skin.

Lastly, do you have any little head canons that you hope to see confirmed? 

Nothing serious just simple personal hopes from the cinematic which may or may not set you up for disappointment cause fun

(When I first started writing this I had two questions, rip. I'm pretty sure I forgot one of the original questions too)

Other Blizzcon Lore Speculation

Do you have any ideas for the new hero?

Personally, I do not have any super strong theories but I do have a few loose ideas. Tbh, I can’t especially convince myself of any these besides the likelihood of said character being a tank.

A.) Talon Tank

Reasons:

Moira’s origin story contains two possible indicators towards this, or another Talon member in general.

We need another main tank added to the roster (opinion)

Talon has a character for every role except tanking (weak)

Popular request (weak)

My Logic lacking- Majority of this idea comes from Moira’s origin story which shows this relatively well known photo with a person or armored suit of some kind on the back panel here: 

I used to think of this to be much harder evidence than I do now since it looks like it could be a uncolored design used for the Talon members in Retribution. However, there’s another detail in the photo (including the version with the different back panel that I believe could point to another member. Each character, excluding Moira, has their line of sight going to the same spot. My doodles for emphasis:

(Reaper is kind of hard to tell but that’s basically his entire role in Talon at this point, lol) Who are they all looking at? This could just be an artistic choice for viewer immersion but it also could be rather purposeful. To me, it looks like a proposition to someone, with the panel in the back for emphasis. If not a proposition, perhaps the workings of a plan or setting clear expectations for said person. (either version works for this context) This someone must be rather important to have them all there. Moira is looking back at the rest of them, seemingly reading their expressions/body language. She seems pleased but then again she’s a tad bit odd.

B.) Mystery Characters

Idek, I added this cause I could. This is not likely at all but will remain on the list of possibilities as long as Overwatch shall live.

Have been shown or spoken of very early on but nothing since

Recently mentioned names but no physical hints of who/what they are

Tying up some long held questions (weak)

Popular demand (weak)

My logic (or lack there of) - I have exactly one tiny speck of logic for this. Mystery characters shown and/or spoken of before the cancellation of the First Strike comic are still occasionally brought up to the OW team. Yet they have conveniently  not retconned them.  Why not say they are no longer a significant part of the story when there has been no updates on them for 2ish years? Maybe they are just keeping the possibility open. Liao and the two from Ana’s origin story are the best (only?) examples:

There is also more recently mentioned characters such as Ray and Fio. Ray was discussed mostly early this year and all we know about them is the following:

We do not know anything else about who or what Ray is. I do not 100% believe Ray is an actual person but you never know. The comment on the beard and his response to has Ray’s combat experience could be some teasing on Michael Chu’s part. To me, Ray is either a person, an omnic, or some sort of computer system used in the Orca.  I should note that another AI other than Athena would seem odd especially with the whole reason OW formed and all.

(Fio I have already discussed but at least we know she’s an actual person, hopefully...OW is weird man)

What do you think of the common theory of Sanjay Korpal being the next hero?

Personally, I think he lacks the look of an OW character. He looks rather plain to me, almost like a background character used to fill up comic space. I do believe his role is going to grow substantially in the lore but as an in game hero? Eh, I don’t know. Another thing I struggle with imagining is him being a tank like a lot of people presume. It would be interesting with what Vishkar can do with hard light technology to have a tank based on that, I will admit. Just don’t see him filling the role of that, he doesn’t strike me as someone who wants to get his hands dirty. I will admit, that this is very strictly my opinion and read of his character and by no means is anything to go off of speculation wise.

 But, if I’m wrong, then next years first cinematic should definitely be a Symmetra/Lucio one and it should definitely have Symmetra kiCKING HIS ASS FOR MANIPUlATING HER foR GOD KNOWs hOW LONG..ahem.

Do you think a comic will be released soon?

They usually put out comics on Wednesdays but they have been odd this year when it comes to them. Idk, if they’ll announce one at Blizzcon. I kinda doubt it. Personally, I’m hoping for a really kick ass Christmas comic since in Reflections it ended with Winston saying he has a good feeling for “next year” (OW’s next year cause timeline) plus last year’s was cute but underwhelming.

I think that’s all I have to ask/discuss for now? I had ideas keep popping up but I kept going back over what I already wrote and my attention span is all or nothing soooo there goes my ideas into the void.

***Random ass question cause you like RDR2. I keep getting a gamestop ad for it and it’s bugging me cause I can’t make out what this guy is saying. It sounds like “I don’t want to kill all you smooth dutch. Just you.” Idk where the exact video is rip, but I feel like I’m really mishearing the guy, lmao.

Non Sequiturs and Stupid Fangirl Squealing

(possibly completely incoherent warning idk how to wenglish when im excited pls ignore mw)

I saw a comic aart thing once and it had young jesse punch Jack in the face and Reyes thought it was the funniest thing and I feel like that’s in character

What if Reyes had a few choices on who to recruit and he was like I want the cowboy chose the instead of the trained older guys. Ana would be like Reyes no and Reyes would be like I want the damn cowboy

I never realised how much I appreciate McCree’s character until the hints of him having a short started popping up. Before I liked him sure, I just never thought too deep into how they could expand on his character. Originally I was just like, “so Reyes picked this kid out of a big ass gang and had him trained among the world’s most renowned soldiers and he still is perfectly content being a cowboy?” Good for you my dudely man, good for you,

wanna see skinny (lean)  young McCree but everyone will want the skin but it wont look the same with his in game model so blegh

I agree with you on how you think reyes recruited him, so many people think he just yeeted jesse at a bunch of angry omnics and was like lol have a cowboy

Imagine McCree being so confused by the weird ass original OW team like y there captain america, my new found father, a dwarf (swede) and an 8 ft german happy meal

He’d be so intimidated by Ana I bench lift Reinhardt for fun Amari being his coach like asdfsdf

But I think with her training it’d be the first real time he let his guard down without him realizing it because he was so in awe of her sniping skills and being able to get taught by her, bonding over shooting people half a continent away yAY

What if we see lil pharah??? I’ll die???

Okay I’ve said this to another  blog but even tho McCree is not my “type” I’m still gonna need to strap my ovaries in place for this short, cause booooooooyyyyyyyyy (I dont even have a type but I guess I mean a lil scruffy?)

Bookshelf Briefs 12/31/18

After Hours, Vol. 3 | By Yuhta Nishio | VIZ Media – Well, After Hours is over already. Ultimately, it just doesn’t feel like three volumes was enough. I suppose if you look at this more as the story of Emi finding something to be passionate about, then it was the right length, but in terms of really understanding the two leads and their relationship, I don’t feel I ever really got there. I should’ve felt something when Kei mysteriously disappeared, suddenly deciding to be a dutiful daughter and help her parents recover from a business loss, but I didn’t. Possibly because it seemed like one page she was ready to call it off with Emi, and by a couple of pages later, the crisis was averted and they were trembling thinking about their future together. It was an enjoyable series, but sadly not a favorite. – Michelle Smith

Ao-chan Can’t Study!, Vol. 3 | By Ren Kawahara | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The series continues to toe the line but not actually cross it, which is good as crossing it would make this an entirely different sort of series. So even though our hero is inadvertently slipped an aphrodisiac, and really want to bang our heroine, he is a good boy and tells her to get away from him for the time being. Ao, meanwhile, is still very unclear as to what she wants—and it is genuinely affecting her studies. This means the climax of the book is Kijima thinking that it’s for he best if he stays away from her, even though he’s clearly fallen for her. How is Ao going to balance having a good education with her boiling hormones? We’ll see next book, and I think an anime is coming as well. – Sean Gaffney

CITY, Vol. 4 | By Keiichi Arawi | Vertical Comics – A stronger volume of Nichijou than the previous one. The “main” plot, such as it is, involves Nagumo being locked in a tower and forced to have a massive award ceremony telling her she’s amazing. Since this is clearly not to be trusted, she resolves to escape. Sadly, escape turns out to be… ridiculously easy, so much so that there’s a lot of desperate tsukkomi going on. Meanwhile, Niikura races all over the city trying to retrieve a pendant with an embarrassing photo that has gotten tangled with a cat. Even the stories that aren’t about the trio are pretty good this time around, with my favorite being the school playing a “mock detective” game. CITY is built on weird humor, and this volume gives you that in spades. – Sean Gaffney

Dragon Half, Omnibus 3 | By Ryusuke Mita | Seven Seas – Much to my surprise, the plot does gain more importance as we reach the end of Dragon Half, though it will never quite be as important as sheer dumb humor. And I do mean the dumbest humor—some of these jokes are so amazingly lowbrow you laugh from sheer shock that the author bothered. This is, of course, the point—who wants Dragon Half with subtle intelligent humor? That said, Mink clears her name, defeats the demon lord, does not transform into a hideous monster, and marries her beloved Dick Saucer, whose backstory actually manages to be tragic. There’s even an epilogue showing off the next generation. Dragon Half was a terrific series for fans of old-school manga, and I’m very happy it was licensed. – Sean Gaffney

Giant Killing, Vol. 15 | By Masaya Tsunamoto and Tsujitomo | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The flashback to ten years ago continues! Tatsumi has emerged as the ace of ETU and his performance in the derby against Tokyo Victory draws a lot of attention. For his part, Tatsumi is (even then) seeing chances others can’t and coordinating his teammates to take advantage of them and never once plays like he’s the star. Once he’s injured and ETU falters, it hurts him to hear angry fans lambasting his teammates. Meanwhile, the president of the club wants to show as many people as possible Tatsumi’s entracing soccer, which seems like a good thing, but we end the volume with this guy ordering the coach to put a not-fully-recovered Tatsumi in the next game so as not to disappoint the fans. I have a feeling the next volume is going to be hellaciously frustrating. What a great series, though. – Michelle Smith

Missions of Love, Vol. 16 | By Ema Toyama | Kodansha Comics – Kodansha may not cancel series for low sales, but series that aren’t performing do tend to come out veeeeeeery far apart. That seems to be the fate of Missions of Love, which now seems to be down to twice a year. Fortunately, it’s almost done. Everyone has confessed, but that’s hardly the be-all and end-all, even in shoujo manga. Yukina has to meet the parents. Hisame is back to behaving like an absolute ass. And Yukina’s literary career… and her use of her own life as a template for it… is finally coming out into the open. Is this something that can be forgiven? Oh, probably, but I imagine there will be even more drama next time around. Which is good, as overblown drama is why this series exists. – Sean Gaffney

Outdoors | By Yuichi Yokoyama | Breakdown Press – The three nature-themed stories collected in Outdoors were originally published online in 2009, the first and so far only time that Yokoyama created manga for a website. Interestingly, according to the short interview by Ryan Holmberg also included in the volume, Yokoyama doesn’t own a computer and strictly works using traditional media—he’s never even seen the site on which his manga was released. In general Yokoyama’s work tends to be something that I appreciate more than enjoy. While the short manga in Outdoors are visually striking—especially important as they contain no dialogue and almost no story—they also have a sense of cold detachment. In the interview Yokoyama notes that he has no interest in portraying human emotions or drama, so I think the effect is a deliberate one. I can recognize Yokoyama as an accomplished artist, but when experiencing his work I personally miss having that emotional core. – Ash Brown

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 4 | By Kagiji Kumanomata | Viz Media – If this series were even one small molecule less silly than it is, Syalis would be a hateful monster. The things she does to the demons in this book absolutely boggle the mind. Fortunately, this is absolutely a silly, silly manga and therefore Syalis’ sociopathic attempts for the perfect sleep are absolutely hilarious. She tries to hibernate, carves up even more ghosts, and gets kidnapped by Hades, which as you can imagine does not go very well for him, because Syalis is a law unto herself. Even when she shows a smidgen of humanity, such as when trying to get chocolates on Valentine’s Day, it’s still funny. I want to see this get even more over the top and sadistic. Fun, fun manga. – Sean Gaffney

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 10 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – If there’s anyone that can make Midosouji somewhat more redeemable, it’s Onoda, and he manages to achieve it here. Day Three may be a little more difficult, though. Not only do we meet a new rival who’s an absolute creep, hitting on Kanzaki and reminding us briefly that women do exist in this manga. (And then she goes away again.) But even more importantly, the third day is not about teamwork and working together, it’s ‘the fastest one wins.’ So Onoda finds himself overwhelmed by a whole new experience. Fortunately, he’s reminded how much he loves this and recovers. Still, this final day looks to be the most mentally exhausting. Will it end in the next omnibus? I doubt it somehow. Great sports manga. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown