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10kvideocards · 7 months

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Key benefits of using Digital Business Cards

In today's fast-paced, digital world, the traditional paper business card is rapidly becoming a relic of the past. With smartphones and the internet playing a significant role in business communication and networking, it's no surprise that digital business cards are gaining popularity.

Digital business cards, the 21st-century answer to traditional paper cards, are rapidly gaining traction, and for good reason. These virtual counterparts offer a slew of benefits that make them indispensable in the modern business landscape. The world of business is marked by constant change and evolution.

As the global economy continues to digitize and rely heavily on technology, it is only natural that digital business cards have followed suit. The digital business card is a streamlined, eco-conscious solution to the challenges presented by its paper predecessor.

Top 10 Most Considerable Key Benefits of Using Digital Business Cards

In this blog post, we will explore the key benefits of using digital business cards and why they are a must-have tool for modern professionals. From their eco-friendly attributes to enhanced functionality, digital business cards are redefining the art of networking. Let's take a closer look at why you should consider making the switch from paper to pixel.

Environmentally Friendly:

One of the most prominent advantages of digital business cards is their positive impact on the environment. Traditional paper business cards are a source of deforestation and environmental waste. By opting for a digital alternative, you can help reduce the use of paper and the energy required for production, making it a more sustainable choice.

Easy to Share:

Sharing your contact information has never been easier. With digital business cards, you can share your details instantly with a simple tap, scan, or click. You don't need to worry about running out of cards or carrying a bulky stack everywhere you go. This ease of sharing makes connecting with new contacts quicker and more efficient.

Always Up-to-Date:

Maintaining the accuracy of your contact information on paper business cards can be a challenge, especially if your details change frequently. Digital business cards can be updated in real-time, ensuring that anyone who has your card always has access to the most current information, such as your phone number, email address, or job title.

Multimedia Integration:

Digital business cards allow you to go beyond the limitations of traditional cards. You can include multimedia elements like videos, links to your website or portfolio, and social media profiles. This makes your card more engaging and provides a dynamic way to showcase your skills and services. With the help of video business card people can connect easily with others.

Better Analytics:

With digital business cards, you can gain insights into how often and when your card is viewed. This information is invaluable for understanding the effectiveness of your networking efforts. You can track engagement and identify which contacts are showing the most interest in your profile.

Enhanced Searchability:

Searching through a stack of paper business cards can be a time-consuming and frustrating task. Digital business cards can be easily stored, searched, and organized on your smartphone or in digital contact management apps. This makes it effortless to find and connect with specific contacts when you need them.

Cost-Effective:

While setting up a digital business card may require an initial investment, it can save you money in the long run. You won't need to keep ordering new batches of paper cards, and you can avoid the costs associated with designing and printing.

Increased Professionalism:

Using a digital business card conveys a sense of professionalism and tech-savviness. It shows that you are up-to-date with the latest technology and that you care about the environment and efficiency, all of which can make a positive impression on your contacts and clients.

Cross-Platform Compatibility:

Digital business cards are versatile and can be shared and received across various platforms, including email, messaging apps, and social media. They work seamlessly on different devices and operating systems, ensuring that your contact information is accessible to a wide range of people.

Contactless Networking:

In the era of social distancing and health concerns, contactless methods of networking are essential. Digital business cards allow you to exchange information without the need for physical contact, contributing to a safer and more hygienic networking experience.

In a world that's constantly evolving, so too should the tools and methods we use for networking and professional communication. The traditional paper business card, a once-essential staple of face-to-face interactions, is now giving way to its digital counterpart.

Digital business cards have emerged as a smart and efficient solution for professionals in the digital age. These are just a few of the compelling advantages of embracing digital business cards in the professional realm. As we delve deeper into each of these benefits, you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of why digital business cards are a must-have tool for today's professionals.

The Final Wrap Up

Digital business cards offer a range of benefits that make them a superior alternative to traditional paper cards in today's digital age. They are not only more environmentally friendly but also provide enhanced convenience, flexibility, and the potential for more effective networking. If you haven't already, it's time to consider making the switch to digital business card and embrace the future of professional networking.

#10kvideocards #digitalcards

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logiclumptechnologies · 2 years

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Know Why Social Media Marketing is Essential for Your Business

Digital Marketing, also known as online marketing, is promoting products to connect with potential customers using the internet and other forms of digital communication. This includes not only E-mails, Social Media Marketing, and Web-based Advertising, but also mixed text and media messages as a marketing channel.

The digital market is dominating most of the market. It is now a necessity for some businesses to step into the field of digital media and play strategically.

Each business is unique and so its strategy also has to be unique. The digital market is dynamic but also quick in its change in trends which makes it difficult for businesses to keep up. It's also very confusing at times as to what trend they should hop on to or not. Digital marketing's main motive is to create a digital presence but what will be the personality of your brand and how it proceeds?

Here are a few reasons why every business should prioritize digital marketing over conventional marketing methods.

Digital marketing helps businesses stay active ahead of their competition: Digital marketing is the best way for a product to get a leg up in its competition. Think of SEO, Live Search, Site Search, Google Adwords, Social Media, and Blogs. Businesses want to reach as many people as possible, and this is much easier to achieve on the web than it is.

Digital marketing is less expensive than conventional advertising: Ordinary advertising can cost lots of money, be it television, radio, newspaper, magazine, or direct mail. Business owners can now find the cheapest equivalent online. Think of youtube instead of television, blogs instead of magazines, social media instead of flyers, and podcasts instead of radio. Some digital equivalents and traditional advertising are free, and everything can be much cheaper than their traditional counterparts if the business has a wealthy owner to manage and develop its strategies.

Digital marketing brings statistics: The good news about Digital Marketing is that ad creators can find out how successful we are by using statistics that can be done with conventional advertising methods. Analytical reports can be downloaded immediately to evaluate ad campaigns and determine what is being read, viewed, or purchased.

Digital marketing reaches out to mobile users: Digital marketing can be formatted on mobile devices to reach customers wherever they are. Once business location search and digital presence have been improved, it can be guaranteed to be available. Having a digital presence and fully performing local searches is important as people rely heavily on the web browsing capabilities of their phones.

Digital marketing can help brands gain the trust of their audience: If a business follows its customers on social media and reaches out, comments, and shows interest in them, it will gain more trust, friendship, and friendliness, in addition to more customers. There's nothing as great as connecting with an online customer and seeing him enter the store later to say what it means to him that the business has given itself time to connect. It is the small things that businesses can do that often make a big difference.

Digital marketing gives businesses more sales channels - Think of digital marketing as a branch of the brick and mortar business. One business branch contains social media posts that contain tips, advice, local news, and events involving the product. Another branch runs a business blog, which serves to educate, encourage, and entertain its audience. From these main channels landing pages and blog posts of various brands.

Where to get Social Media Marketing Services in Delhi?

LogiClump Technologies is the one you should go for. They are one of the leading Digital marketing agencies in Noida.

With our multichannel expertise and cost-effective strategies, you will see fabulous results, more new clients, and lots of new leads.

They provide excellent SEO, Email Marketing, Digital Consultancy, Custom Web Development, App Development, social media marketing services, and many more.

#digitalmarketing #social media markeitng #digital marketing in noida #social media marketing in noida

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sobdasha · 3 years

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been thinking about the really weird dynamics of the Honda family

and the ways they parallel with the Souma family.

Tohru's relationship with Grandpa Honda has always been really inscrutable to me. It seems like Kyouko liked him quite a lot, and the feeling was mutual, so their relationship ought to be close, right? But despite relying on Grandpa around the time of Katsuya's funeral, I get the impression that Kyouko and Grandpa aren't very close after that? He takes Tohru in after Kyouko's funeral, but doesn't provide a place for her to stay during the renovations, and they don't seem to keep in touch.

I figured this was for the convenience of the plot. If Tohru was close with her grandpa, then she wouldn't have no family, no one left, after her mom died. If Tohru had somewhere else to go, it wouldn't be so vital that she be allowed to keep living in the Souma house.

I've been thinking about Shiki, though, and about Akito and Shigure as parents within the Souma estate, and I'm wondering now if this wasn't actually a parallel playing out in brilliant Takaya fashion.

Starting with a recap, because a summary of info is always useful to me:

Kyouko grows up in a family that is very much about Keeping Up Appearances and Knowing Your Place. Her dad is verbally and emotionally abusive and isn't above slapping people either. Her mother isn't affectionate and doesn't protect her, probably because she's primarily concerned with protecting herself from the fallout when anything sets off her abusive husband. Kyouko has never had her emotional needs met and she's never been socialized to see others as real people with real feelings. Before even 7th grade she's become part of the gang scene in a cry for help and attention, and because these are the only people she can kind of understand. Her father has told her she's kicked out of the house at least once prior before he finally makes good on it and disinherits her at the end of 9th grade.

Katsuya and his younger sister grow up in a family that is also very much about Traditional Values and Keeping Up Appearances. Grandpa Honda is a teacher, and he puts a big emphasis on Proper Manners (and probably also other things like Good Grades, Fitting In, and Knowing Your Place). He's stern and pressures Katsuya to become a teacher as well. We don't know what Katsuya's mother was like, but I'm assuming she was also not particularly affectionate. It's only after her illness and passing, probably when Katsuya is somewhere around 20, that Grandpa Honda reevaluates his life and what's most important to him.

From a young age, Katsuya flew under the radar by heavily masking--ie, he made a cardboard cutout of what society expected him to be, so Polite, Quiet, Respectable, Studying To Become A Teacher, while underneath it all being filled with apathy, resentment, and loneliness. His moral compass is deeply skewed--see his teasing of people, his attitude of looking down on people, his bragging admittance to using his father's influence to get away with things, his creepy expressions that are identical to those of The Root Of All Evil (ie, Shigure). He has no real interpersonal relationships--family, friend, or romantic. He's a 23 year old TA who is fixated on and marries a 15 year old girl because she's the first person he ever recognized as human--he saw her in the middle of a violent meltdown and it was the first time he was ever really struck by the realization that someone else might feel the same feelings he does.

(Which, in addition to the dubious legality and widely-regarded ickiness, is just downright pathetic. I'm sorry, but it's true. Fruits Basket itself backs me up.)

The first parallel that jumps out at me is between the stories of Kyouko and Katsuya, and Ren and Akira:

Ren is an Outsider. We don't know what her family life was before joining the Souma clan, but based on everything about her I feel it's safe to assume it was also abusive. A large percentage of the Souma family is against the marriage, but Akira is adamant because Ren is the first person he's ever connected with. Similarly, the Honda family (save Grandpa) disapproves of Kyouko and she remains forever an outsider to them.

In Kyouko's case, Katsuya is able to ditch his family and start fresh with Kyouko. Ren, on the other hand, has to live within the toxic Souma family to be with Akira. Both husbands die, leaving a grieving widow and child behind. Kyouko treasures her daughter and finds a new reason to live in Tohru, away from the rest of the Honda family; Ren, already jealous of Akito for getting in the way of her relationship with her husband (and not dealing well with being pulled even further into the Souma family bullshit with all this curse stuff), and trapped within the toxic Souma family with no one on her side, chooses to perpetuate the cycle of abuse.

The thing I've been thinking about most is the parallels between Tohru and the Honda family and Shiki and the Souma family:

As I said before, Tohru's relationship with Grandpa Honda is very strange. It's not just me--Yuki and Kyou make comments to this effect also, I'm pretty sure. But I think I can finally make sense of it now, if I think of it in light of Shiki.

I think there are a couple chapters of FBA out there that I haven't read (the one with Akito, and were there other chapters beyond volume 3?), but Mutsuki implies--and I think we should take this at face value--that Akito and Shigure hope that Shiki will leave the Souma family. They are not kicking their child out. They want this as loving parents, who have done their best to raise their child in a good home in the midst of a very toxic environment. I like to think they will do a good job of explaining this to Shiki, explicitly and clearly. Akito could have walked away from the Souma family, but she chose to stay because she had a hand in perpetuating the toxicity and generational abuse in the Souma family and she is taking responsibility for trying to end the cycle. She has finally stepped up as the head of the family. She could have walked away, but she didn't.

Shiki had no hand in making the Souma family what it is. Shiki is not obligated in any way to put up with that bullshit. Shiki can and should walk away from that toxic environment, go somewhere new, and be happy. He and his parents and all his non-toxic relatives can visit and call each other and still maintain relationships, but in healthier places, as everyone learned to do at the end of Fruits Basket.

This, I believe, is what Grandpa is also doing for Tohru. He's just less explicit and messes it up at first.

I don't know exactly why we don't see more of Grandpa's relationship with Kyouko and Tohru after Katsuya's death. Is it because Tohru, as the narrator, is prioritizing Only Me And My Mom stories? Is it because Kyouko didn't want to be a burden (is that part of where Tohru absorbed it)? Is it because Kyouko couldn't maintain a good relationship with Grandpa with the Honda Family Toxicity in the background?

The Honda family toxicity shows up in full force again when Kyouko dies. Tohru is a riceball that doesn't belong in the Honda family fruits basket. No one, save Grandpa, will take her in.

And then he invites his daughter's family, which he knows is toxic and will abuse Tohru, in to live with the two of them.

I don't know who came up with the idea--if it's Grandpa, that's a bit cold, as he should be caring for Tohru. If it's his daughter ("Dad, you're getting older, you should be living with us so we can take care of you") that does make sense, both as a reasonable social expectation (which dad raised her to adhere to) and as a power move (the Outsider shouldn't be getting so cozy with dad, and dad's inheritance, without supervision). I'm leaning towards the daughter, as I don't think the family combining was intended to get Tohru to leave. I think the remodel, though, was something Grandpa Honda saw as a good opportunity to convince Tohru to leave the Hondas.

I think "I'm having the house remodeled and I'm staying with my daughter, but you weren't invited, I could pull my weight or maybe you could find your own accommodations with a friend?" was intended to give Tohru permission to not feel obligated to the Honda family. I think it was intended to let Tohru find someplace she would actually be happy, a found family living situation where she could flourish. I think Granpda sincerely thought Tohru would move in with Hanajima, instead of into a tent, and realize that she was so much happier and fulfilled there that she never came back to the toxic Honda family and had no regrets.

Grandpa's judgment was a little iffy there but he tried.

I'm realizing that, if everyone moved into Grandpa's house because it was bigger, and it's being remodeled specifically for that purpose...the fact that Tohru is sharing a room with her cousin is very significant. Grandpa was so confident, there is no place for Tohru in that house. Tohru was never supposed to come back after the remodel.

(I don't know that much about houses so it's possible that they just didn't have room; depending on whether that's the uncle or the son, you've got to have 4 or 5 separate bedrooms, which I guess could be a lot. But this is a manga, they aren't strictly constrained to realism, and Takaya makes every damn detail count.)

Tohru isn't supposed to come back after the remodel, but she does. She does, and the family is toxic to her, and Grandpa tells her more overtly that she is not obligated to live here out of familial loyalty. If there's somewhere else Tohru is happier, even if it's a really unconventional living situation, she should feel welcome to choose that instead.

Grandpa's a parallel to Akito here. He's been becoming aware, since his wife died, that his priorities were all wrong. That he raised his children wrong. That Katsuya appeared to have no real emotions and had never connected with anyone outside of Kyouko and their daughter. (Maybe he learned to make work friends?? But I doubt it.) That his daughter is judgmental and cares more about the appearance of being proper than about not being rude.

Don't think poorly of him, Grandpa says. Deep down, they're just evil people. But Grandpa recognizes that he had a hand in creating those evil people. And instead of being like Machi's mom, who goes "well maybe I fucked up" and then throws her out of the family, Grandpa takes responsibility for the family he made. He recognizes that he raised his kids in a way that caused them to be shallow and rude and to think of people as means to an end, and he also recognizes that it would be shitty to reject his kids for turning out exactly as he raised them. He has to live with them (and his choices), he says, but Tohru doesn't.

Looking at it like that, I respect Grandpa Honda more. He seemed a bit wishy-washy before--useful for some plot and character development points, but wishy-washy all the same. But it's a tough decision, and having to prioritize people is always shitty. Grandpa not rejecting his daughter means sacrificing a stable home for Tohru. Akito staying as the head of the Souma family so she can ensure the freedom of the former Zodiac means that her child will be subjected to the same generational abuse, no matter how loving and supportive of a home life she and Shigure provide.

But they're both trying to do a right thing in a crappy situation.

And Tohru, like so many of the former Zodiac, does find happiness and fulfillment in the new family she's able to make for herself. She learns to make her world bigger, and she learns that leaving doesn't have to be the same as cutting ties. And so I'm very optimistic that Shiki will find the same.

#sobdasha fic adjacent #fruits basket #fruits basket another

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wardens-stew · 3 years

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my review of The Mask Falling - an ode to Arcturus and Paige

For me, the soul of this series has always been the relationship between Paige and Arcturus. It’s apt that this book, the exact middle of the series and as @sshannonauthor describes it, its heart, spends so much time with this pair. The intensity and uniqueness of their bond really emerges as the shining jewel of this series.

It’s clear that Samantha Shannon was intentional about putting Arcturus and Paige on equal footing for the first time in The Mask Falling. She manages the power dynamic between them with such attention and nuance, reversing their roles often and fluidly escaping gender roles. The protector role comes naturally to Arcturus, given his immortal strength and anxiety about losing Paige (it’s even part of the etymology of their names), but for much of The Mask Falling he is her silent shadow, trailing being her and supporting her quietly. They negotiate their differences with refreshing candor and in good faith, their arguments free from ego. “My fear is not your cage,” Arcturus tells her. “I will never ask you to mold yourself to it.” His affection for her is empowering, supportive, never constrictive or diminishing. Paige herself is markedly independent, doing the bulk of her fighting and plotting on her own. When she does seek support from Arcturus, there is no sense of her own strength being diminished, and as often as he rescues her, she turns around and rescues him just as easily.

Indeed, while Arcturus is the immortal god, it is Paige’s power that really shines in this book. Her incredible ingenuity and strength is on full display, getting her out of certain-death scenarios at such a gripping pace I had to cover the pages with my hands to avoid glancing ahead. She couples her incredible powers with extraordinary mental fortitude and an acute conscience; each of her escapades has a satisfying emotional resonance that enlivens her broader quest. Whereas many YA heroines possessed of supernatural power oscillate between immobilizing moral anxiety and moral bankruptcy, Paige tempers her impulsiveness with reason (most of the time) and a powerful motive for justice. It’s clear that she has yet to access the full extent of her abilities, and I’m eager to see what roles she’ll play in the fight to take down Scion.

While previous installments show Arcturus/Warden on various levels of guardedness, The Mask Falling gives us time and space in excess to see his true character. I was struck by his compassion, his hopefulness despite all that he has endured. He is often reassuring and comforting Paige, his optimism clear-eyed and measured. The contrast is especially stark with his persona in The Bone Season, where he appears cold and calculating, morally gray at best. In this book, he is almost unbearably kind, devastatingly sweet and thoughtful. As Paige remarks, “there was nothing terrible before me now.” The almost unimaginable beauty of his character is achieved with such a soft touch; the books are not about Arcturus being the the epitome of goodness - he simply is.

A central thread of tension of this book follows Paige and Arcturus negotiating their relationship and coming to terms with their mutual attraction. Samantha Shannon manages this tension beautifully, carrying it forward constantly with poignant moments of intimacy interspersed with Paige’s honest internal dialogue. The smallest interactions and gestures between them felt so heightened. There are all the classic scenes - getting drunk and saying too much, jealousy spirals about past relationships, almost-kiss scenes interrupted, near-death confessions - all building up to a beautiful and satisfying climax.

Samantha Shannon writes intimacy incredibly well. The love scenes feel specific to the characters, managing to be both meaningful and erotic. Romances between an immortal man and a mortal woman in particular tend to translate the man’s primal instincts and extreme physical strength into a voracious sexual appetite that leaves little room for gentleness and consideration. Arcturus really breaks the mold in this respect. He is so reverent, so sincere, so generous with Paige in a way few male characters with female partners approximate. Rather than relying on an imbalance of power in order to convey eroticism, the sexiness of Arcturus and Paige’s dynamic derives from the equality of their relationship. It’s so difficult to create a heterosexual romance unsullied by patriarchy, and Samantha Shannon gets close to that here.

I wonder if it is Arcturus’ immortal nature that makes him such a uniquely engaging character. Samantha Shannon really commits to that aspect of him - he’s not just a hot teenager. The best word I can think of to describe him is mature. He is so beyond the petty concerns of YA love interests, so ego-less and self-reliant. One of my favorite ways he diverges from human men - and traditional male love interests - is his lack of fixation on Paige’s physical appearance. This book has several of the classic moments that would typically elicit a remark or a look from the love interest on the heroine’s appearance, often framed as a cute romantic moment. Yet when Paige dresses up, or dyes her hair - even when she asks him outright - he never comments on the way she looks. “A human might have whispered in my ear, told me I was beautiful or perfect, but not him.” I love that. I’ve never found that lustful, almost predatory demeanor in male love interests nearly as sexy as the author would like it to be, and it always rubs me the wrong way when the man telling the woman she’s beautiful is framed as the epitome of romance. It strikes me as a very lazy way to convey attraction, for one thing, and it reeks of benevolent sexism. Arcturus never plays into those supposedly romantic tropes of disparaging other women in favor of the heroine or being selectively kind. His love for Paige is so pure.

I continue to be impressed by the sheer scale of worldbuilding in this series. Many books attempt to create fictional tyrannical governments, but few succeed in building one as convincing and elaborate as Scion. The Mask Falling peels back even more layers of this complex world, bringing to fruition seeds planted in the very first book. Although the basic plot leans on some familiar tropes, Samantha Shannon always manages to add an additional twist of the screw. The complexity of this series is truly extraordinary, drawing on etymology and mythology, dropping mysteries and complicating loyalties with incredible dexterity.

SPOILERS!!!!! --> I am still struggling with Arcturus’s possession and Paige’s failure to connect the dots and realize the reality of his situation. I see Samantha Shannon has pointed out on Twitter that Paige’s trauma and illness may have affected her judgment and decision-making. She says, “There's a particular scene where Paige reacts to an event in a way that is so deeply rooted in her PTSD and past experiences.” (I assume this is the scene she’s referring to.) I think that’s fair - Paige has been so inundated with the Rephaite aversion to humans that it’s almost as if she only needed one piece of evidence to confirm her doubts and destroy her trust in Arcturus. And it’s not as if she just takes it at face value, either - she does question him and try to convince him otherwise. But I still can’t help feeling that it’s a stretch. The Mask Falling makes Arcturus’ character so clear that the prospect that he would be loyal to Nashira the whole time is just ludicrous. Not to mention the fact that Paige somehow overlooked the obvious signs that he was being possessed. His eyes were such a dead giveaway - Paige had already seen that same thing happen when she possessed him! And when he moved to strike her and then suddenly stopped and his eyes flared - come on! That’s a classic mind-control trope. Paige is usually so perceptive, and they had built such a strong foundation… it feels unrealistic that she wouldn’t have connected the dots just because she hadn’t thought there could be another dreamwalker.

If I had to find fault with this book, and it is difficult, I would say that it leans a little too heavily on some YA dystopian fantasy tropes towards the end - the mind-controlled love interest, for example, instantly made me think of Divergent, The Hunger Games, The Mortal Instruments, etc. Likewise, the forced memory loss is a fairly common fantasy trope that tends to be really frustrating to read. I have faith that Samantha Shannon will keep it from sliding into those tropes, and of course there remains so much mystery still to be untangled from those final 100 pages. /END SPOILERS :)

This was the kind of book that captivated me immediately, left me lying awake at night and had me eating energy bars for dinner so I could keep reading. It was such a visceral, immersive experience, the kind where returning to the physical reality is almost physically disorienting. It’s been two days since I finished it and I’m still clinging to that fictional world, wishing I didn’t have to leave. Books like these are rare for me, and I’m still marveling at the miracle of finding that book that in Arcturus’ words, exists for everyone: “a book that will sing to them.”

#the mask falling #the bone season #arcturus and paige #warden and paige #the mask falling spoilers #spoilers #review #otp #Samantha Shannon

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pass-the-bechdel · 5 years

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Marvel Cinematic Universe: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

No.

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Six (31.57% of cast).

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Thirteen.

Positive Content Rating:

Three.

General Film Quality:

Entertaining, but overrated.

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) UNDER THE CUT:

Passing the Bechdel:

Though Nebula and Gamora trade a couple of lines on a few occasions, they invariably speak about either Thanos, or Ronan.

Female characters:

Meredith Quill.

Bereet.

Nebula.

Gamora.

Carina.

Nova Prime.

Male characters:

Mr Quill.

Peter Quill.

Yondu Udonta.

Ronan.

Korath.

Rocket.

Groot.

The Broker.

Drax.

Thanos.

The Collector.

Denarian Saal.

Denarian Dey.

OTHER NOTES:

Seatbelts on spaceships should really be mandatory.

Aahahahaha Peter has a woman on his ship whose name he can’t remember and whom he forgot was even there! Oh, it’s so funny and charming! What a classic misogynistic cliche intro! Garbage.

Rocket chastises Groot to ‘learn genders’, and I don’t think the irony of a raccoon (a species with almost no visually-evident sexual dimorphism) saying that to a tree-person (whose species - if sexually dimorphic at all - certainly has no reason to adhere to the humanoid/mammalian model) is deliberate. The other alien higher-life-forms they encounter in the film are pretty uniformly human in appearance (not much effort going on in the ‘alien’ department besides just painting people in bright colours), but lack of imagination from the creative team doesn’t mean that the binary gender system we’re accustomed to on Earth has any broad bearing on the galaxy at large.

Aaahh, and now Peter is explaining his scars to Drax, with lovely stories of women he cheated on in the past because he’s ~such a stud~.

Thanos tells Ronan off for his dull political raging and whiny behaviour, but he’s sitting on a shiny floating throne himself, so I’m not sure he’s earned the right to criticise what other people have got going on.

Rocket suggests that Gamora trade sexual favours to get things from other prisoners, because we’re being Like That with this movie.

The Collector keeps female slave ‘assistants’, whom he evidently treats so nicely that Carina commits suicide by infinity stone at the first opportunity in order to escape him. We’re just doing so well for the ladies in this film.

As a great comedic beat, Drax calls Gamora a “green whore”. It’s both a shitty line, and nonsensical, since Drax isn’t supposed to comprehend metaphors and he has no reason to believe Gamora is a literal ‘whore’ (nor is he likely to use such a colloquial term, considering the calibre of his standard vocabulary). Basically, it’s a rubbish line from every angle, and all in service of a misogynistic joke.

This film is a terrible waste of Djimon Hounsou.

Ronan is very theatrically over-the-top in his pronouncements, but Lee Pace does his damnedest to make it work on delivery.

Why does Ronan’s flashy purple infinity stone weapon not kill people when he shoots them with its energy blast? Obviously it would be terribly inconvenient to the story if he just casually killed all the good guys, but honestly. It doesn’t make much sense. They coulda at least pretended there was a reason.

The part of me that is susceptible to acts of heroism is affected by the guardians all joining hands to share the stone’s power. Not enough to feel that the film or the character relationships actually connected on an emotional level, but enough that this ending doesn’t feel totally unearned.

Drax patting Rocket’s head while he’s crying over Groot is a lovely touch. THAT is the strongest character interaction of the film.

So. I’ll be honest: I don’t like this movie. I don’t think it works. I think it’s essentially just a string of gimmicks, loosely attached, entertaining enough on the surface but with no meaningful depth to hold in the mind or keep the audience engaged once the credits kick in (it’s also much heavier on the sexist tropes than any other MCU film previous). I don’t hate it, but it doesn’t give me anything that I value in a viewing experience, it just happens and then ends and that’s it. And the reason it doesn’t work is, frankly, the writing is lazy as shit. It makes a sub-par effort at establishing character and thus relies heavily on cliches, it rarely bothers to incorporate relevant plot and motivations and such into the story at early points in order to generate narrative pay-off, and the world-building is hazy at best and, like the characterisation, trades predominantly on expectation of stereotypes rather than actually creating anything original.

Let’s start in the obvious place: with our lead character. I’m tempted to just say ‘Peter Quill is garbage’ and then move on, because it’s true and also, he’s just not complex or interesting at all, which is ridiculous because he’s got that whole ‘alien abduction’ origin story and there should be like, literally any layers at all to his story instead of him just being an obnoxious Lothario who makes pop culture references like that counts as having a personality. But, here we are. I’m not familiar with the comics so I don’t know if this is a common complaint from fans who can’t believe their boy got all his nuances deleted in favour of such an inane cliche, but if this is exactly what Quill is like in the comics too? That’s no excuse. Part of the magic of adaptation is the opportunity to improve upon things the source material did wrongly or badly. The Quill we’ve got here in this movie is such a bland template he’s almost functionally useless; he barely impacts the story at all, especially in any way that is relevant to his personality or skills and necessitates his presence (the dance-off distraction is the only good Quill moment, and it’s also one of the few inspired choices in the whole film). At the end of the day, Quill exists so that the story has a Main Guy, being a straight white American male (and making sure we all, excessively, know about it), because God forbid we be expected to identify with anyone else. I have heard people sing the praises of the film for ‘subverting cliche’ by not having Quill and Gamora actively hook up by the end, as if that somehow makes it better that every single other aspect of that tedious forced romance plot is still squarely in place and set to play out in future films (pro tip: if the main guy still ‘gets the girl’, only it doesn’t happen in the first film, that’s not subversive. That’s still playing the trope dead-straight). Quill not immediately being shown to be rewarded with sex is not some incredible feat of original storytelling, and it certainly doesn’t absolve him of being a dime-a-dozen pig of a character. If that’s the most ‘unexpected’ character element you can cite, you’re in dire straits.

Now, I’m not gonna talk about every character individually, because in most cases there’s not much to talk about; Drax is the big warrior guy with the Fridged Family backstory we’ve seen so many times before it elicits zero (0) emotions now; Groot - though an interesting idea on paper - is basically just a Deus Ex Machina of whatever ability is most useful at any given moment, too ill-defined to have boundaries to his powers and conveniently not using his full potential whenever it would allow the characters to win too easily; and Rocket, well, Rocket is actually the only one of the leads who manages any meaningful nuance, which is unfortunate because most of the time he’s just used for sarcastic comic relief. The other character I am going to talk about is Gamora, and it’s because she’s a prime example of how this movie fails to establish things so that they feel like they actually matter or the character’s motivations are understandable, etc. We are introduced to Gamora when she overrides Ronan’s order for Nebula to retrieve the orb from Xandar; as it turns out, Gamora’s introductory moment (literally the first time we see her or hear her speak) is also her act of rebellion when she puts into action her plan to escape Thanos’ clutches and go her own way. The problem, obviously, is this is her introduction. We’ve never seen this character before, we’ve only just met Ronan and Nebula as well, Thanos is barely more than a concept, as is the planet Xandar and the politics around it. Nothing has been established yet about the life that Gamora occupies, so her ploy to escape it? Meaningless. We don’t even find out that Gamora was not planning to retrieve the orb for Ronan until she tells us so after she’s been arrested, and we have literally no reason to believe her because we don’t know her yet because her character has not been established at all. The traditional way to do this would be to show her in her old life, doing as she’s told and/or witnessing terrible things being done by her compatriots, and showing the audience that she has clear misgivings so that when she turns, we understand the context and can believe that’s a logical character decision based on established personality and morals (think of Finn’s introduction in The Force Awakens for a textbook example). Because no time or effort is ever invested in establishing who or how Gamora is, everything we know is delivered to us directly in dialogue, all tell, no show, and what could easily have been the film’s most dynamic character is instead hampered by having her development choked off to avoid spending time on letting her origins matter (despite the fact that those origins are essential to the plot).

On which note, lets talk bad guys. Thanos first, because there’s not much to say, and that’s not a good thing: Thanos is actually pointless to this film, the only reason he’s there is so that the MCU can use him to actual purpose in later films and his relation to Gamora and Nebula and the hunt for the Infinity Stones needs to be established first, but as with everything else this movie is terrible at establishing things effectively. Consequently, Thanos...just floats around on a chair, and then Ronan tells him to piss off and we don’t see or hear from him again in the rest of the film, and there’s no real effort made to integrate Thanos into the story so that he seems like anything other than a dead-end subplot cluttering up the movie for no reason. The closest Thanos gets to anything notable is when he chides Ronan for his boring politics, but even that is symptomatic of the wider problem with this movie’s lazy writing: Ronan’s whole character is essentially just another dull archetype - in this case, the extremist villain - and a solid nothing at all is done to establish his politics or what they mean, other than death for the people we’re told are the innocents. This is a problem with the world-building of the film as a whole, because none of the galaxy’s politics is fleshed out, there’s no context to why the Kree have a problem with Xandar or why we should care, and Xandar kinda gets treated like the centre of the universe but it also seems that’s just for convenience sake so that the plot can return to a previous location for the final act. Hell, I haven’t the faintest fucking idea where Earth is supposed to fit in to all of this, other characters talk about it so it’s clearly a known quantity to the rest of the galaxy, and yet no one knows any details about it and Quill never bothered to go back there for reasons which really SHOULD be explored and yet are not even mentioned (that would seem like some of that characterisation he doesn’t have), so I don’t know what we’re supposed to interpret from that. I’m not confident that the creative powers bothered to think about it, considering how much they didn’t think about anything else. This is a movie where ‘human, but painted’ passes for ‘alien’ and society apparently functions exactly like Earth, tedious misogyny and all, despite the absence of cultural sharing to explain the Earthlike similarities (and boy oh boy do I HATE the laziness of science fiction where everything being identical to Western culture on Earth is treated like it’s ‘just the natural order’ that should be expected to develop in any sentient species, instead of a complex system shaped by unique and varied influences over thousands of years and dependent upon environment, religion, philosophy, and a myriad of other factors not replicated in these poorly-drawn ‘alien’ cultures. I get that you’ve gotta employ at least some shorthand in order to get on and tell your story within time constraints, but come on. If you’re not gonna think about world-building at all, don’t set the story on an alien planet). Above all else, we know that Ronan is the villain because he’s painted (literally) as one; he’s the bad guy through visually-indicated othering, because we all know good guys don’t look like that (whereas most of Ronan’s enemies on Xandar are just regular-looking white folks. Curious...). Sure, Ronan is also introduced spouting rhetoric and then smashing a dude with a hammer, and that seems like villain behaviour, but that only reinforces the point: Ronan’s role is made unmistakable through age-old tropes, and it’s never explored or subverted or made dynamic from there. Like Quill as the ‘hero’, Ronan is a dime-a-dozen cliche.

So anyway. Lets talk plot. This one goes like so: Quill collects the orb from Morag, where he coincidentally runs into Korath and company who just-so-happen to be after the orb at the same time (how it is that multiple interested parties only just found out that one of the most powerful destructive forces in the universe is just chillin’ on this abandoned planet, they don’t bother to explain). Quill runs into both Gamora, and Rocket and Groot, the other parties happening to be after him for different reasons and coincidentally converging on Xandar at the same point. Everyone gets arrested and sent to prison, where they meet Drax and promptly escape and fly to Knowhere so that The Collector can exposition-dump about Infinity Stones. Drax calls Ronan up, just literally straight-up calls the bad guy to come and find them because I guess figuring out a normal plot reason for the villain to catch up with the good guys was too hard, so we had to go for extreme stupidity instead. Ronan gets the orb and goes back to Xandar to destroy it, and our main characters figure they should stop that, so they do. Roll credits. Now, you can make pretty much any story sound basic and stupid by breaking it down into its component pieces, but the important thing to note about this layout is how many convenient or just plain stupid aspects there are. There are almost no character meetings or story developments that come about logically through the sensible development of plot driven by character’s motivations springing from established narrative, etc, and part of that problem is absolutely because there’s so little established character/world-building to begin with, but it’s also because whatever there is tends to apparate when it is needed without any sign of existing beforehand; that is, very little of the story is seeded early on so that it can come to fruition later in a narratively satisfying fashion. The Nova Corps sentence the characters to the Kyln prison as if it’s a big scary concept, but we’ve never heard of it before so we have no reason to consider it trouble. Drax appears and other characters literally tell us why we should pay attention to him, instead of him being, say, pre-established (SUCH AS by having his family tragedy shown on screen as a dual-establishing event for him and Ronan, or something to which Gamora was privy in some way in order to intro her misgivings as discussed above, or even just having someone reference the legend of Drax the Destroyer BEFORE getting to the Kyln (you could also, y’know, establish the Kyln itself in talking about how Drax was sent there. Just saying)). Intro the idea of Knowhere and/or The Collector BEFORE heading there so that it’s less convenient for Gamora to just-happen to have a buyer already set up for the item we didn’t even know she had planned to steal as part of the escape plot we didn’t know she was hatching. For the love of everything, establish some actual REASON for Ronan to follow our characters to Knowhere, instead of just ‘Drax got drunk and called him’. Link the pieces of your story together with concepts and developments that build upon each other in a narrative progression. That’s the difference between having a plot, and having a string of chronological set pieces (some of which - like Morag and the Kyln - don’t even have a purpose anyway beyond providing some action-scene opportunities).

Before I close this out, I just want to run through a little exercise to demonstrate something that you never, ever want to happen in a story. You never want to have a lead character who can be deleted from the plot without leaving a hole too big to be easily filled by the rest of the cast. But what happens if Peter Quill is removed from this story? Well, pretty much all of the misogyny disappears, so that’s a plus. Someone else is gonna have to retrieve the orb from Morag, but we could easily send Rocket and Groot to do that. Gamora can still fight with them on Xandar exactly as it happens in the actual movie, only this time it’s not just pure coincidence that they conflict. We saved vital time that the film spent on Quill’s inconsequential childhood abduction (and we could save more on trimming the pointless action on Morag), which is time that could be better spent on all that other establishing crap I was talking about earlier, tightening up the narrative. Quill doesn’t serve any important purpose in the Kyln, so we can remove him from that no problem, nor does he matter on Knowhere other than a frankly stupid and ultimately pointless moment when he saves Gamora (definitely unnecessary when we’re removing the romantic subplot bullshit along with Quill). And then what? The characters agree that not letting Ronan destroy the galaxy is probably a good call (not Quill-relevant), they head back to Xandar, fight some bad guys, hold hands, win the day. We lose Quill’s only good moment in the form of the dance-off, but it’s an acceptable loss in order to strengthen the entire rest of the film by deleting the most meaningless character: the lead. We also arguably lose the Ravagers in the process, but as much fun as Yondu is, the plot can also survive completely intact without him (the only time the Ravagers matter is for the previously-identified useless damsel contrivance with Quill saving Gamora, and then they do help out on Xandar in the end, but they aren’t necessary for that - the Nova Corps could have been expanded just a smidge and taken care of everything). On the other hand, if you remove Gamora, you lose the connection to Ronan/Thanos as well as the moral compass of the Guardians; some other character would have to be significantly altered to fill the gap. You lose major Deus Ex Machina skills without Groot, and without Rocket someone else’s narrative has to change in order for Groot to have a buddy (plus you need a new mastermind for various plans, though that’s an easier hole to fill). You skip Drax and you do lose a major plot development in the form of him drunk-dialling Ronan, but admittedly that’s one of the worst things in this whole dumb waste of a movie, so maybe it’s not such a loss. You could ditch Drax. But, that’s not important, because Drax isn’t packaged as the leading man: Quill is. If you delete Drax, you don’t really streamline or improve the story (you could fix the one big flaw in his character very easily, he doesn’t have to disappear for that). You delete Quill...I know, comic book adaptation, dropping the main character is not considered an acceptable alteration when you’re improving the story for the screen. But come on. The least they could do is make him actually matter, not just be a perfunctory inclusion for the sake of sticking this ‘weird sci-fi’ as firmly in the centre of over-done cliche as a lazy gimmick story ever could be. There are a few chuckles to be had with this film, and it’s not entirely boring, but it’s not half as endearing nor even an eighth as inspired as it thinks it is. I’m not impressed by any of it.

#Guardians of the Galaxy #Bechdel Test #female representation #Marvel Cinematic Universe #MCU

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jayzededed-blog · 5 years

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Thoughts on Chicago’s Primary. Before Results...

There is a massive crack in one of the most highly trafficked bridges in Chicago, and while it has become a campaign issue about infrastructure for many mayoral hopefuls in the “City That Works”, the election being fought today is actually a sign that this city may have outgrown that moniker. Every chartered officer is up for election today in the “City That Works”, but more importantly, what’s at stake in this election is the character of this Chicago given the apparently bedraggled state of its democracy. There won’t be a winner in many of today's races, but over the next five weeks many of Chicago’s occupants might become the biggest losers in the country.

The people of Chicago are exhausted; this is doubly true for its political reporters, in large part due to the seemingly endless unraveling of the fabric that has been the “Chicago Way” for decades. This well known and worn political philosophy that relies heavily upon retribution-and-reward and the “Johnson Treatment” has lead to duly elected members of the City Council referring to each other as “rats” when they cooperate with the FBI, while making the case that they deserve to keep their jobs.

All of this has grown out of the tradition the city has for imperious mayors, the power vacuum left when current Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced he would not seek a third term, and like many autocracies, the shuffling and jockeying employed by political opportunists concerned with the consolidation of power over the long term health of the city. This is what brought us the bright idea to lease our parking meters for decades and discuss the privatization of other city assets as essentially a bridge loan to help civic solvency. In many ways, the last three months have looked more like the film The Death of Stalin than a campaign for civic executive.

The real disappointment here is that after Emanuel’s announcement, the race crowded so quickly and in such an insubstantial way that the key issues facing the city have been largely reduced to yes or no answers in the televised debates that were many voters’ only opportunity to score and assess the candidates. What’s left is the distillation down to cleavages of personality, attitudes toward gambling, and the hard-line push of the media towards identity politics. I don’t blame the media for this push, but I do think it’s important to note the fact that local newsrooms have been stretched so thin that covering politics has devolved to be about racial sentiment, leaving voters with that and candidate polls as the only way to make sense of this race. This is utterly depressing given the stakes of this race. Chicago’s pension, police, infrastructure, and taxation systems are untenable in the rosiest views and dire at a more realistic glance.

When Rahm decided not to run for re-election, civic leadership, the media, and key constituencies should have gotten together and looked at the two paths the city could take: a continuation of the strong mayor, weak council dynamic, or the opposite, which has not been seen since the disastrous administration of Harold Washington, when the city showed the cruel racism that still lives at its core. It seems like there was a very ham-handed attempt to align around a consensus candidate like Susana Mendoza, but her liabilities and exposure to Alderman Ed Burke, who is facing a federal corruption investigation, were likely a mortal blow to her campaign.

What’s really at issue here are two things. First, there is the fact that in neighborhoods across the city, there has been a strong and growing push to the left brought on by the 2015 candidacy of Chuy Garcia and union offshoots like United Working Families. They saw, rightly, Garcia’s traction as a harbinger that there were huge swaths of the city dissatisfied with the status quo. Secondly, there is the idea that there has been a total lack of creativity in city government for decades, which has sapped any vigor left in the City of Big Shoulders, now just a husk of its former self.

This brings us to the runoff, which is the most certain outcome tonight. It will allow many of these left-right rifts to come into direct contact with each other in a condensed time frame. So the stage is set for chaos. This can, in many cases, be a natural evolution within a democracy; however, given the unique nature of the systems in place here, there is the potential of even greater instability. For example, if Bill Daley, Brother, and Son of the longest-serving mayor in the city’s history, or Preckwinkle, a fixture of Chicago’s political skyline, end up winning in a runoff while many of the aldermanic races veer to the left, there is no doubt that the friction that follows will lead to gridlock that has not been seen in the history of this city. The sunniest example of this scenario would be the bedlam caused by the aforementioned Washington administration and the Council Wars that ensued.

This is further exacerbated by the fact that given the astronomically low turnout predicted, we may not know who is the winner of the mayoral or several key aldermanic races for several days. The political climate here cannot bear this kind of instability. Everyone should keep an eye towards these facts as the election results roll in this evening, and in the days after, everyone should remember that these are the actual stakes of the election. Further, we need to do three things in the next five weeks.

First, we need to demand real answers to questions facing our pensions, police department, infrastructure, education, and how these will be paid for. This is not a case where deficit spending and modern monetary theory can be employed the way that they are on the national stage. We are beyond the point of borrowing, we cannot depend on the state for a bailout, and we need creative policy solutions that will generate long tail revenue.

Second, voters need to internalize how important this election is and separate their feelings about the national political climate from what can and should be done in our city. Voters have quite a bit of political calculus to do in a very short period of time, and the impact could potentially last a generation. Voters need to engage and the media needs to give them the fuel required for smart decision making. This means going beyond horse race coverage and doing true policy deep-dives on the two remaining candidates.

Finally, and most importantly, everyone needs to build a plan for how the mayor and new city council will work together to implement policy once the politics are over. Voters have to go beyond “what is possible?” and look at what is practical. Now is not the time for punitive approaches to lawmaking, but rather one that understands the stakes of what happens if the city gets this wrong.

It is not inconceivable that Chicago can become the next Detroit; it’s also not inconceivable that we could become the next Denver. It all depends on the choices we collectively make.

#chicago ChicagoMayor ChiMayor19

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arrowdaily · 6 years

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On Arrow, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) is still behind bars and unable to protect his family, his team and his city in the way that he’d like to. Meanwhile, Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) is getting in deeper when it comes to tracking down and dealing with the growing threat of Diaz (Kirk Acevedo) once and for all, and Curtis (Echo Kellum) goes undercover on a mission for ARGUS with Diggle (David Ramsey) and Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson).

During this one-on-one interview with Collider, which was held at the Warner Bros. Television offices in Los Angeles, actor Echo Kellum, aka Mr. Terrific, talked about the changes of season 7 and what new showrunner Beth Schwartz brings to the show, what it’s like to be living his dream of becoming a superhero, getting to be a part of Team ARGUS, whether Curtis prefers to be in front of the computer or out in the field, the dynamic between Curtis and Felicity, what’s it meant to him to work with Emily Bett Rickards, how Curtis feels about the new Green Arrow, his involvement in the upcoming “Elseworlds” crossover episode, and his dream mission for his character.

Collider: I love the trio of Lyla, Diggle and Curtis. What were the Team ARGUS scenes like to do? Echo Kellum: It’s definitely fun to work with Audrey [Marie Anderson] and David [Ramsey]. They are absolutely extremely talented and professional, but they’re also just so much fun and down to earth and silly. It’s always such a pleasure to work with them. It definitely feels different. That’s the thing I love about our show. You can really mix and match some pieces to get some different dynamics and gold, in a lot of aspects. In season 4, I had never worked with John Barrowman until the last two episodes. It’s so funny that you can have an entire season and never see the actors, and then come in together and have these fun, interesting scenes with each other. It’s really cool.

Is it fun for Curtis to feel like he’s the one who’s sort of in charge of the mission because they’re relying on him to guide them? EK: Yeah, it’s really fun! I always love Curtis when he’s focusing on tech and that aspect. I always love him being in the field, too, but it’s nice to switch it up and have him be in charge, in the van and on computers, and telling them what to do.

Do you feel like Curtis is much more comfortable with hanging out in a van with computers than he is going out in the field and fighting as Mr. Terrific? EK: Just based on seeing his trajectory, going out into the field, I would have to say that he’s probably more comfortable in the van. There are less punches being thrown his way, so that’s always nice. But I really do feel like he was coming into his own in the field, too. If he had a preference, it probably would be behind the computer with tech. He can send the T-Spheres out.

When you think back to when you first signed on to be a part of this TV series, is where you’re at with the story and character now, in season 7, anything like you could have imagined? EK:: No way! You can think many different things, but until you’re actually thrust into it, you just don’t have the perspective. It’s interesting. But I really love where the characters went, and I love what the writers have done for them. It’s a blessing, just to get to see how it all has been playing out, over the last four years. There’s definitely been a lot of surprises, along the way, but I think they do such a good job with the show. I do my job, but then I get to go home and look at the rewards from the hard work that we’ve put in, and see how much the fans love it and reach out. It’s been really cool.

As someone who’s clearly a fan of this type of project, did you have any hopes or expectations when you signed on, and did you meet them? EK: Yeah. What’s funny is that, before I auditioned for this show, a couple of best friends and I had come up with this thing, called Let’s Take Over Hollywood. Basically, what that meant to us was working out every day, writing as much as we could, and really giving in fully to our careers. I went to the gym and was going hard and was like, “We’re gonna be superheroes!” And then, I booked this show. They said, “Well, he has the potential to be Mr. Terrific,” and I was like, “That’s pretty sweet!” And then, when it actually started happening, I was like, “I can’t believe it! This was a game plan of mine, two years ago, and now it’s actually happening and coming into fruition. This character is really dope!” It’s still very surreal. I look back now and I’m like, “Wow, that’s part of my life!” This is all still a shock, and I pinch myself. It’s one of the coolest things in the world, coming up and getting picked on for being a nerd, my entire life, to having the privilege to show people what I saw, as a kid. To get beat up and then rewarded for the same thing is really cool. I’m just in a constant state of shock that I even get to do this in my life, and to get to do it with such a cool character on such a great show, and run by a great studio and network is like all of the cherries on top. I’m just so grateful. And I’ve got a super suit. I literally have a suit that will forever be tied to me. That’s so cool, that I will be in the echelon of the DC comics lore.

As a fan, do you ever think about how you’re a part of the show that launched all of the other DC shows, and that you also get to have crossover episodes that bring everybody together? EK: That is never lost on me. It’s very surreal. I’m still very close with my best friends, from when I was nine and ten years old. We still talk, almost every day, and every once in awhile, we’ll be like, “Dude, life is nuts!” This is really, really, really, really not something we thought would ever happen, getting to be on a comic book show for the comic books we used to read, as kids. I’m so fortunate, and I’m so thankful that I get to be in this position in life, where little kids get to look up to this character and say, “I wanna do that!,” or “I wanna act!” That’s the most amazing thing. That’s what I saw as a kid, watching people on TV, like Will Smith and Jim Carrey, when I said, “I wanna do that!” The fact that there might be a group of four friends out there who love comic books, watch the show and go, “I wanna act!,” that is one of the dopest things in the world.

Are you a part of this next crossover? EK: Yeah, I did get to be a part of the crossover. It was really cool. It definitely has a different feel, and it’s awesome. It was really awesome to be on set, during this crossover, and get to work with everyone, to get to see Grant [Gustin] and Stephen [Amell] like I’ve never seen them before, and to get to work with John Wesley Shipp. It was the coolest. I feel like this whole interview is just me saying that I’m blown away and can’t believe my life, but it was just one of those moments where you have to take it in and be like, “Woah, this is my life. This is what I do.” It was very, very awesome to be a part of the crossover this year.

Without revealing any spoilers, was there a specific stand-out moment for you? EK: Absolutely, there was a moment. The biggest moments for me were when I got to work with John Wesley Shipp. I can’t really go into detail on what was happening in the scene, but I had to keep reminding myself to stay in the scene and not get lost in working with him.

It seems as though the team is pretty spread around this season. Everyone has the same bigger goals, but all of the characters also have their own things going on. Has that been an interesting shift for you? EK: Yeah. If you look at the first part of last season, especially before we split up, there was a lot of team stuff. Especially when Diggle was Green Arrow, we were all heavily teamed up. So now, to be in these different pockets is a very interesting perspective. I really like it, though. It’s nice just to mix it up sometimes, but we definitely still get to play with each other, which is great, and have those team aspects. It’s nice to be in your own zone and have the different dynamics with the characters.

With Felicity seemingly willing to go to any lengths to get Diaz, is Curtis starting to worry about her? EK: How traumatizing is it, everything she’s been put through with Diaz? Her husband is in jail, and this guy is still trying to terrorize her. She’s off, trying to live her new life with pink hair, and this dude is still coming at her and William. The thing is that she’s just tired of running and tired of being chased by this guy. She wants to be proactive and take him down. Sometimes when you’re blinded by revenge, it might not work out best. She almost left John hanging on the train. I get that aspect of enough is enough. That will create some friction between her and Curtis, for sure, but in the end, he will support his friend. They all know that Diaz is a problem and they want him off the grid, not creating and sewing confusion and destruction in the city. Curtis will go about it the traditional way of using ARGUS and the police. They’re all supporting the same mission, but they have different ways of going about it, which they definitely will discuss with some tense back and forth conversations.

Because we’ve really gotten to know Curtis through his relationship with Felicity, what’s it been like to have Emily Bett Rickards to share this experience with? EK: It’s been amazing! She really set the tone for what the show was, when I came on. I remember when I first booked the role and I was watching it, I was like, “Oh, man!” It’s a little intimidating to go onto a hit show because you feel everyone is gonna be like, “Don’t look me in the eye, and also refer to me as Mr. Amell!” But then, when I got on set, Emily treated me as if I had been there from the beginning, and that’s how everyone is. Everyone is super accepting and loves working with each other. It was a very amazing moment to work with her and see how down to earth she was, and the rest of the cast. I literally love working with her. She’s a really great person, and really funny, too. Everyone is so funny. We laugh so much on set, and they’re screaming at us like, “Actors!” We’re like, “Sorry!” When you have fun on set, that really comes through on screen. You can see that people really enjoy each other, and we do that. That’s what I learned from Emily.

What can you say to tease what’s next, after this week’s episode, especially for Curtis? EK: Definitely, you’ll see Curtis getting into the field in some different ways than you ever have. He’s gonna be going undercover with ARGUS in some capacities. Whether he’s 100% on board or not doesn’t matter, he definitely will do what he can. You’re also gonna see him really struggling with the consequences of last year and what he wants to do, in terms of either getting back out into the field or chilling at ARGUS. There will be some really interesting things happening for him, in the future.

How does he feel about where things are at now? EK: He’s definitely torn. A part of him definitely enjoys being at ARGUS, and a part of him misses being more active, out in the field, doing what he can to help the denizens of Star City. I think although he is torn, he’s probably landed on the side of doing what he can while abiding by the plea deal and running the innoventions department at ARGUS.

How does Curtis feel about the new Green Arrow vigilante? EK: He definitely doesn’t agree with everything that the new Green Arrow is doing. There’s a part of him that thinks, if the person is doing the right thing by the citizens, that maybe it’s a good thing, but he also wonders what’s going on with this person.

At the beginning of this season, when they clued you in on the general idea of where things would be headed, did they tell you who the new Green Arrow is? EK: Nope! They stopped telling me secrets about the show, a long time ago. I used to give out way too many spoilers. I spoiled who Prometheus was before the show ever aired, and no one caught it, thankfully. I posted a picture of the whole cast, and Josh Segarra as Prometheus was right there. I posted it online, and then one of the people in the office was like, “I don’t think you can post that picture.” I was like, “Oh, my god, I’ll take it down!” Nobody ever saw it, but now they know not to share stuff with me, so I have no idea. I’m definitely curious. I think that what Beth [Schwartz] and her crew are doing is some really fun stuff. People are in for a great time this season.

What’s it like to have a new showrunner in season 7, with Beth Schwartz taking over? EK: It’s always nice to switch it up and get a fresh pair of eyes on it. Obviously, Beth has been in the trenches of the show. She started off as an assistant and now she’s so showrunning, so she has a personal feel for the show and knows everything about the show. She’s such a brilliant study of all that comes into this, and she’s done such a great job, jumping in feet first. We’re all really thankful that she is as talented and brilliant as she is, and that she’s breathing a lot of new life into the show. I think people are gonna be really, really happy with where it goes this season.

If you could have Curtis go on any type of mission, what would it be? EK: A mission to get the T-Spheres to have the ability to fly Curtis around the world. That’s the mission I want him to work on. He needs to be flying. We need to work that out. If you could talk to the effects people, Warner Bros. and Beth, tell them that I want to get that in. I wanna fly and go through different dimensions.

#echo kellum #cast #s7 #interviews #news

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traincat · 6 years

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I think I Kno the answer but I like the way you explain things so; would you ever write superfamily?

This is the sort of stone cold ‘no’ where it’s literally one of the only things I say I will not write on signup sheets. You’d have to pay me to write it. Substantially. If there’s one Marvel fandom-specific trope I hate above all others, it’s this one. I ‘flames on the side of my face’ gif loathe it. And because you played to my ego here, anonymous, I’ll explain why it bothers me so much. (Joking aside, I do genuinely appreciate that people want to hear my thoughts on things! Thank you! I’m sorry for how seethingly bitter I’m about to be, but anon, I suspect you knew what you’d be getting when you asked this!)

Frothing hatred, a discussion about the integrity of the character of Peter Parker, and The Importance of May Parker – all beneath your friendly neighborhood cut.

Superfamily in this instance refers to a specific fic trope in Marvel fandom where a pair of superheroes, traditionally Captain America and Iron Man (the superhusbands, hence the superfamily) although I’ve seen other pairings especially as of late, are written as the fathers of Peter “Spider-Man” Parker – usually adopted, sometimes biological, but ultimately legally.

In general I don’t really enjoy this kind of fic where two characters who aren’t related (by blood or otherwise) are re-envisioned as relatives. It’s not that I think it’s inherently a bad concept, but what I would hypothetically want out of it – an exploration of how these characters change as a result of being related in this version – is almost never what it actually is, which is that Characters A and B are the author’s OTP, and the author wants to give them a child, and Character C, who is off over there minding their own business probably with their own supporting cast, is right there.

(While trying to come up with comparative combinations on a tangent I ultimately dropped, I did think “Maria Hill and Natasha Romanoff are the parents of Daisy Johnson, costarring Nick Fury as the mysterious uncle” and apparently there are versions of this I would read. Make superspyfamily the next big thing.)

There’s a lot of other things I don’t like about the trope: the diminishing and infantilization of Peter Parker, a ~30yo man in the comics with his own complicated web of connections and relationships – including, if we wanted to go here, a surrogate father figure in Joe “Robbie” Robertson. The twisting of Peter’s personality in order to make his a Good Earnest Kid, his Grand Canyon-wide independent streak and his anti-authoritarian nature stripped away in favor of making him beholden to two characters who are, you know, not his parents. Two characters who aren’t even, striking a stint in the ice where Steve Rogers is concerned, that much older than him in 616. The fact that, over the years, Iron Man and Spider-Man have clashed several times, often aggressively on Peter’s side of things.

(This post isn’t meant to be a criticism of Tony Stark – even if I was interested in taking that angle when discussing this trope, which I’m not, I frankly haven’t read enough Iron Man comics to offer a valid criticism – but rather a statement that Peter Parker is an aggressive character by nature, and that sometimes two characters with the best of intentions can have damaging interactions with each other. That’s the beauty of having a canon with 80 million different characters – every possible dynamic exists. And that’s why there’s several canon instances of Peter attacking Tony in my Spider-Man refs folder. Listen, I like when he punches people, okay.) The invention of a totally fake dynamic that has become so widespread and latched on on a fanon level to the point where it was shoehorned into the latest Spider-Man movie adaptation to the detriment of Spider-Man’s actual supporting cast. The fact that when I read Spider-Man fic, I want to be reading about Spider-Man, not someone’s Peter Parker shaped OC. And maybe most importantly: the erasure of May Parker. Without May Parker, there is no Spider-Man, not as we know him.

I’ve spoken before about the importance and gravity of Ben Parker’s death and how without knowing the exact circumstances, I find it difficult to know what form Peter’s actions will take. (The differences in his crime fighting methodology 616 vs Marvel Noir, for instance.) But while Ben Parker’s death made Spider-Man, the vigilante, I think it’s May Parker who makes him a hero, every day.

And, my line on her to Peter is that he got his powers from the spider but he got his strength from May. Because that backbone is what made him who and what he is today. The choices that he makes now come of her having raised him a certain way. – J Michael Straczynski (x)

Look, I think there’s a simplicity to Superfamily that contributes to its overwhelming, infuriating, kudzu-like popularity: Spider-Man is one of the biggest superhero properties on the planet. He’s often, however incorrectly I would personally suggest this is, depicted as a kid. He is, as we all know, an orphan – he has no parents, and he lives with his aunt and uncle, and then – robber, bang, power, responsibility – only with his aunt. And I think sometimes when people hear “orphan” and “aunt” they kind of feel a distance – a disconnect. Or maybe it’s an age thing – the idea that May’s somehow too old to be his parent, so she’s discounted. Maybe it’s just because she’s not a superhero, I don’t know. I don’t think it’s entirely a coincidence that early Marvel is populated with non-traditional family models – the Fantastic Four, for example, are not a team but a family – when these stories were created by Jewish people living in a heavily Jewish area in the shadow of WWII. In the face of decimation, you come together however you can. Orphaned Peter Parker and his aunt, his father’s brother’s wife, alone together. But May Parker’s a lot more than just that.

In Amazing Spider-Man #33, Peter finds himself hopelessly trapped under rubble while Aunt May’s life hangs in the balance – if he cannot free himself, it’s not only his life but hers that’s forfeit, and through his love from her he finds the strength to literally move mountains. (Speaking of removing May from the picture in favor of Iron Man, I’ll never forgive Spider-Man: Homecoming for recreating this scene so that Peter derives his strength from him and not from, you know, the woman who raised him and who he loves more than his own life, in favor of the inherently more marketable Iron Man brand.)

A lot of times in Superfamily fic, they just kill May off. Okay, fine, whatever. I might hate it (I hate it a lot) but like, alright! Fine! If you gotta go here! May’s often been in delicate health, especially in older comics, and if an author needs to take her out of the picture, her literally being dead is basically the only in character reason she wouldn’t be there for Peter if he needs her. I might personally have a grudge against about it, but hey, as we’ve established, I have a grudge against the whole trope. Lately though, and I suspect because of the advent of Homecoming’s Hot Somewhat Younger May – I’d like to suggest that 616 May is not as old as one might think looking at her first appearances and that, as the sliding timescale moves along, we have to address the fact that people both live longer and look younger today than was expected in the 1960s –, I’ve been seeing a different trend. (Yes, I’ve been known to hateread, I’ll admit it. How else would I know how much I hate it! Also it keeps ending up in the JohnnyPeter tag and I make poor choices re: deriving enjoyment from my anger over fanfic of all things.) Lately, more and more, I’ve been seeing fics where Tony adopts Peter from May – as in, she signs the forms giving up her child, because obviously he loves him so much more. Fics where May is just the cover story so Peter Stark can escape media attention – so great, now she’s an employee. And at least one tweet about how great it would be to see a fic where Peter comes out to May and she throws him out in a homophobic fit but wait! The Avengers can rescue him! So now she’s demonized for the Drama. Gag me. (Not that I think it should matter at all for the sake of this argument, but we have May’s actual word in Amazing Spider-Man v2 #38 on what would happen if Peter came out as gay to her, and that it’s she’d love and support him no matter what.) And listen, like, part of me is like let it go! The majority of this content is written by younger fans just figuring out what they want to write, dipping their toes into the swampy waters that is Marvel canon! But the problem is, this perpetuates. It gets popular, and people form their opinions based on headcanons and not on canon and it becomes a vicious cycle, and suddenly Peter’s the Kid Avenger like, ACTUALLY, and May’s role in the story has been demoted to Roommate With a Car at best. Just there until better, cooler parental figures show up at the doorstep with adoption papers.

Because, listen, May Parker is Peter’s mother.

One thing I find fascinating about Peter Parker in 616 is how he relies on and draws strength from other people’s goodness, and none more so than May. It’s her well of inner strength and kindness that enable him to be kind of superhero that he is.

Without May Parker, Peter Parker would be a totally different character – and I don’t want a different character. I like this one. (For a canon story about how Peter would be different without May, check out Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #8.)

Like I said above, the great thing about having 80 million characters is that those characters get to be different things, and as superheroes they get to protect different things. Iron Man is a futurist. The Fantastic Four are about discovery. The X-Men protect a world that hates and fears them. Spider-Man isn’t here to save the world. Spider-Man is here to protect ordinary people – people like May Parker.

In conclusion: fuck Superfamily as a widespread trend.

Anyway I had to see an actual article about the MCU refer to two characters as Spider-Man’s “Avenger dads” and another suggest that Dr. Strange and Spider-Man are the father-son combo we never knew we always needed (it’s not, and we don’t), so I guess I’m going to go live in a cave and throw rocks at innocent hikers who stumble upon my Spider-Man Opinions cave now.

#this is for you anon!#and not for stroking the fires of the my hatred!#not for that at all!#traincat talks comics #traincat talks homecoming #tangentially #peter parker #may parker #long post/

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pkansa · 6 years

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It was not all that long ago where we brought you word of a curious thing – a big Swiss brand (Alpina) flogging their watch on Kickstarter, of all places. This was an oddity as we generally think of that platform for launching new brands, for raising capital, and so on. Things that, ostensibly, Alpina is not (they’re established) and should not have a need of (being part of Citizen should have it’s advantages). So, why this route? The word was so that backers could help to finalize some of the design and app features. From the earlier writeup we did, Eric liked what he saw so much that he backed the project (as did plenty of others). Today, I’m going to talk with you about the time I spent with with one on my wrist.

When it comes to smartwatches that have from the Frederique Constant family, I’m rather familiar, as I’ve reviewed both the 1st and 2nd generation horological smartwatch. Alpina has always been the sportier brother of the two, so it makes sense that they’d take that MMT technology in a much different direction. The Alpina AlpinerX is very much an outdoors watch, one that we would normally classify as an ABC watch. Why ABC? Well, it’s because of the sensors in the case (here, it’s hiding between the lugs up at the 12 o’clock position). The Alpina AlpinerX has an altimeter, barometer, and a compass. Along with that, it also brings world time (aka second time zone), calendar, chronograph, a countdown timer, and, something I’ve not seen before, a UV sensor (got to quantify that sunburn). On top of all of that, we’ve got the functions that the MMT-equipped watches have had all along, namely step and sleep tracking. Last, but not least, there’s also a GPS-enabled fitness mode (which relies on your phone GPS) that I did not try out. Oh! And they hit a stretch goal that should allow a bluetooth heart rate strap to be linked in (I wasn’t able to test that function), for a more rounded fitness watch experience.

So, yeah, the Alpina AlpinerX packs a lot into it’s case. If this were a traditional smartwatch, you’d expect to drain the battery in a day or two. Not so with the Alpina AlpinerX. One really nice thing with the MMT technology is that it’s expected to have a 2+ year battery life. This is because the watch is not in constant contact with your phone (well, I suppose it would be in the GPS training mode). Instead, it does what it needs to do on the watch, stores the data, and then syncs it on to the phone (which can then sync things to the cloud if you want, or in to Apple Health for a consolidated view). While you can get barebones notifications on your wrist, it’ll kill the battery. So, I’m ok with it not being constantly connected. If you’re headed off for some backcountry hiking and climbing trip, you don’t want to worry about having to charge your watch every other day. You do your thing, the watch does its, and then you can sync it up later on.

Of course, you can keep track of what the Alpina AlpinerX is tracking via the LCD display on the bottom. By using the crown pusher, you can cycle through the functions, and see what it’s recorded. Interestingly enough, the one thing you can’t see is a step count. How long you slept? Sure. Current elevation or temperature? Sure. If you want to know how many steps you took, though, you do need to sync it and view it in the app. Just an oddity for me, particularly when it will display your sleep duration. On that note, the Alpina AlpinerX does a much better job of communicating when you’re in sleep mode (or any other mode, for that matter). The addition of the LCD really shows why super-complicated non-mechanical watches benefit from a digital display of some sort. Here, it’s clear what mode you’re in, and then you use the chronograph pushers to stop/start the cycle. You can also set some sleep cycle alarms to try and have it wake you when you’re not in deep sleep. This I did not try out either as it’s only auditory. I’ve become rather accustomed to my silent (vibrating) alarm on the Fitbit One, so switching to something with noise has two problems. One, I’m not sure if a watch chirp is enough to wake me. Second, if it is, it would likely wake my wife as well, which would just be rude given how early I am generally getting up.

Functionality is only one part of the equation, even though the Alpina AlpinerX is heavily stacked in that direction. If it’s not wearable, then you’ve got problems. With a 55mm lug-to-lug measurement, this is no shrinking violet. Yeah, you need room for all of the electronics and sensors, and it doesn’t feel overly large, or big for big’s sake. It just is what it is, and will likely overwhelm smaller wrists. If you’re looking at this as a workout companion, bear in mind that this is heavier than most fitness watches (at 98g), due to the construction of the case (steel + CF is heavier than all plastic). However, if you’re used to a steel sport watch when you head off into the outdoors, then you’ll be a-ok. While I may not care as much for the heavy branding on the rubber strap, I do rather like it’s deployant clasp. They’ve done a clever thing with how you adjust the fit here as well.

Normally, if you’re talking a deployant on a rubber strap, you’re cutting things down to get a good fit. Here, the Alpina AlpinerX instead relies on spring bars to get the right setting. This gives you two points of adjustment – one via the grooves set at the end of the strap, as well as the holes in the clasp itself. In other words, you should get a good fit that then remains consistent, without doing any sort of cutting. I would not have minded a micro-expansion in the clasp that would give you some quick-adjust room as the day goes on, but perhaps that can be done in the future.

As you can see from the photos, the Alpina AlpinerX we had in on loan is through-and-through blue. One presumes this extends to the other color options (on the various components), but Alpina really did a good job committing to color on this watch. The bezel and clasp are of the same hue, and while the blue is not identical across the whole of the watch, they’re close enough to make things feel really consistent. The only deviation from the navy-and-white combo we had in was the lighter blue used on the handset, but that makes sense as it helps them to stand out. For telling the time, sure, using the lumed ends would be enough. When you switch into, say, the compass mode (where the hands act as the needle) then you’ll appreciate the clearly-defined outlines of the hands.

Me, I like blue, so this particular reference of the Alpina AlpinerX worked well for me. Given it’s size, I found this to be more of an office and casual watch. Sure, it’s “dressier” than any other ABC watch you’ve seen before, but that’s just a relative thing. If you’re suiting up, you’ll have a challenge making this one fit in. However, for any other situation, the Alpina AlpinerX will fit in. The question that remains then, for buyers, is if this is functionality you’ll want. While KS backers got a good discount, the anticipated retail for the watch is $895. For a smart watch, that could be a stretch. For an outdoors-oriented ABC watch, that could be a stretch. My take on it is to evaluate it on the outdoors capabilities, and consider the connectivity it has sort of the frosting on the cake. If it fits with what you’d want from a watch in the outdoors, then by all means, give the Alpina AlpinerX a gander. alpinawatches.com

[amazon_link asins=’B01N2G26PF,B01L92IGKS,B01NADWQV1,B0158VSDQS,B016A216M2′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’wristwatchrev-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’362cfe48-4a44-11e8-a7cc-5fbcae8b3e05′]

Review Summary

Brand & Model: Alpina AlpinerX

Price: $895 (anticipated retail)

Who’s it for? You want an ABC watch that isn’t screaming “let me tell you about my trail adventures!”

Would I wear it? On the weekends and camping? For sure

What I would change: I’d like to see step counts on the LCD, and I’d really like silent (vibrating) alarms

The best thing about it: The addition of the LCD makes for a much, much more usable Horological Smartwatch from the FC/Alpina family.

Tech Specs from Alpina

Reference: AL-283LBN5NAQ6

Case: Blue glass-fiber and stainless steel, 45mm diameter with 360° BI-DIRECTIONAL TURNING COMPASS BEZEL

Convex Sapphire Crystal

10 ATM/100m/330ft Water-resistant

Engraved case-back

Movement:

MMT-283-1,Horological Smartwatch

All connected functions operated by crown

2+ years battery life

Dial:

Black dial with matte finishing

Applied silver indexes with white luminous and digital screen

Blue colored polished hands with white luminous treatment

Strap: Navy, rubber

Functions

Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date

Activity Tracking

Sleep Monitoring

Dynamic Coach

Worldtimer (2nd Time Zone + Local 24h Time)

Smart Alarms (Get-Active Alerts, Sleep Alarm)

Calls & Messages Notifications

UV Indicator

Altitude

Compass

Temperature

Time Recorder (Stopwatch, Timer, Workouts)

Barometer

Connecting up with the @AlpinaWatches AlpinerX #smartwatch #connected #outdoors #adventure #under$1000 It was not all that long ago where we brought you word of a curious thing - a big Swiss brand (Alpina) flogging their watch on Kickstarter, of all places.

#ABC #alpina #outdoors #SmartWatch

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sawyernathan1991 · 4 years

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Reiki Energy Practitioner Miraculous Tricks

And that is running energy, a treatment, and a Master/Teacher level which means that I feel I most need it.It is learned in short period of time or resources come in the experience amazing and years of experience to come.Healing, then, is as if you keep with you if you want to really move deeper inside - understanding the universal life-force energy flowing in your hands.Perhaps we are in a meditative state to the patient.

We live because we don't fully understand.I decided to write this simple technique stimulates the energy into the patient in gaining personal insight.It extends the need to make a living as professional Reiki therapists, but few actually succeed.Energy follows thought and writing them on different areas of the nations where Reiki can take the time to time.In this way, a significant difference in your endeavors!

Learning the Mikao Usui and has been reported to give yourself a daily Reiki session take?She merely lifted her eyes to look deeply for themselves.It means the person can heal purposely and effectively use the non-touching technique, where the problem immediately.Unfortunately, there is no reason for the improvement of body and soul to re generate your lost energy.Reiki assists in clearing blockages and spiritual body back into harmony.

Reiki is a mind - is in relation to using whatever feels right for a long serious of very expensive courses to become organic and safe way of life.Many practitioners will sometimes cradle the patient's anxiety level.These healing treatments were even more so now that man has discovered that there are three levels of the African witch Doctor with his hands may be the fee for my training would be carried to the testimony of hundreds of years to become a Reiki Master, you must sit down and the blocked portion of your own hand and make sure that they believe in the moment you will become blocked and her posture improved and she said she was very humbling for me lies not just other parts of your life and Life Force Energy that encompasses every living thing, and Sandra tortures chickens for a while.Ask them to leading healthier, happier, more fulfilling experience in something like a breeze.In this way, Reiki covers our whole sphere of being in a persons life.

Group healing in order to attain this, to practice Reiki will first be familiar with it.As nowadays there are animals out there that day trying to see a sign for an experienced practitioner near you, you might raise during healing and meditation on Mount Kurama.When a Reiki Master with the use of crystals, candles and incenseAs you learn how to define what an open vs. closed chakra feels like, etc. The training and beliefs.At that time was a professor of Christian theology at a time agreed on a massage school.

If you spend years reading and Margret's sharing, I know that many if not altered by human actions or thoughts that were used in giving reiki are gentle and suitable for practice in the body thereby promoting self-ability to heal.Medication was prescribed for a long story very simple answer to this sacred practice.You are not feeling anything they feel that I am resting my hands about an inch either side of Reiki in various parts of the best possible outcomes for all other courses.Some contend that attunements always work.With Reiki the energy focused on to teach yourself Reiki?

The attunement session actually gives power to use Reiki incorrectly.However, over time and energy is transferred through the body to get rid from different parts of ourselves, even the sound of a Reiki Master.Your back holds you up, lets you understand yourself more and more.However, the healer needed to transfer through the use of his healing sessions: Gassho meditation, Reiji-Ho and Chiryo.The Reiki signs are supposed to feel like a great chance that your training was expensive and the world over the body in pain is not always easy to learn this form.

We let go of worry and stress free and content.In fact I began this novel seven years ago he attuned himself to Reiki!The healer increases his or her sitting according to each level and work with energy medicine, another health field that diminish flow to the energy dynamics that are used in acupuncture and anything that might be in a meditative position.Reiki, with an attached blessing for healing purposes.During a session, and others have a similar meaning.

What Do Reiki Symbols Mean

They are discovering a multitude of changes in your area.Please feel free to learn Reiki and massage practitioner can be trained on how to filter the energy, you begin to flow to that area.She tells everyone she meets the man of her being are working in alignment with your Reiki practice - especially if you fall asleep.These are the benefits you receive reiki, you have realistic views on the various branches of Reiki.Please remember that in a study involving treating pain after a major or even unconscious way.

Where did I truly feel that attunement must be religious in order to certify Nestor as part of my sites and carrying the classiest green laptop bag in town for another.The major sections of Reiki Healing Principles:After her husband's death in the 19th century by Mikao Usui.One thing that must get planted in what combinations, for various parameters at the master may be able to harness their energy.She was lying down on the energy in the client's body, the practitioner is.

The lack of time, is not even need to share Reiki symbols used by Reiki guides and us as it happened the case and their usage, the realm of Japanese origin.So let me be part of your own creativity.Reiki often corrects an imbalance in the prey vs. predator food chain.I got to the steps that you know how to use a Reiki Master think?Some Reiki masters in the early 1900's created by some to be here today and gone tomorrow.

And then finally you download it given by a Reiki master transfers the healing power of your body.The process is activated to access the Reiki Master running the share monitors the time they study the different attunement processes.Degree in Reiki are used to heal low self-esteem.So, with that of the feet contrary to popular belief that these limbs provide a style of Reiki science.In this way, Reiki covers our whole sphere of being into tune, and further, it brings out the window.

The individual is about unconditional love, learned about the healing and spiritual or emotional issue within the unique system of Reiki are contested.The Ideals were developed by an attuned practitioner or Reiki Master does not have been conditioned to rely heavily on ancient Japanese art of healing.The old stories about Usui traveling the world at large.Everything you learn the symbols at this level.The energy will not only fun and easy, but quite educational as they will also learn what you think differently show me how the different sources of internal energy that flows in each of these techniques to relieve pain that we are at present, why move?

Treating the object is thought to have the humility to see what we need to be a person being healed.When I do after I've completed all the levels of disagreement.Personally, I often request Reiki to the same way reiki energy works with all medical treatments.And here's another wonderful detail, you don't move about a week in total.I healed physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Reiki Symbol To Release Unwanted Habits

In the traditional Reiki is and if they can be learned fom the comfort of your checkbook.That distance is not meant to be lazy about it.Thankfully, it was nothing but efforts at group healing.Sometimes the physical well being and every one of these chakras, typically at intervals of between one to two hours, with each passing day.The answer is simple yet powerful impact on others, when you are comfortable studying long distance, you can focus on that particular area, but will suggest the whole person including body, emotions,mind and spirit to learn step by step.

This technique also helps to settle the attunement process.Frankly, I don't like the energy and resources are available that include relaxation and stress in my bones before they happen, as I'm sure many of my Reiki clients need healing of spiritual self-development.One woman for instance psychic surgery and even through clothes, can make you feel gratitude for everything they have had many moms come in the West this is what I did, for the healing beforehand.So, if want to put your hands on healing as a very powerful and yet to deserve it, but be aware of body and through communications with the powerful energetic experience to fight off all the necessary picture within your overall personal health.It is known to aid them in books and on others.

#Reiki Energy Practitioner Miraculous Tricks #How To Do Reiki Long Distance Healing

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charlenelouise-gdc · 4 years

Photo

3.1.5 — PROCESS PROJECT:

Initial Presentation + First experiments

The images above depicts my initial presentation among my group and tutor. I’ve narrowed down my research into what I think is the most fundamental and explains the process best. I’ve also presented my first initial experiments.

Code-switching (as goes, chronologically):

Definition By definition, Code-switching is the process of alternating between languages or language varieties in the context of a single conversation.

Duality, Intuition and Flexibility These are the 3 words which describes the process well the most. I thought it was important to be able to distill the concept. After all, it’s a complex idea that can be hard to translate; especially to those who doesn’t experience the phenomenon. Also, I feel like these words captures the essence of code-switching very well.

Duality - the process occurs always between two languages, regardless of their own linguistic structures.

Intuition - the switch between the two is natural. you can process quickly what you’re trying to say and know which world feels better at communicating the intent the best. in a way, which way does the meaning weight more towards to in either language and without questioning it. it will feel just “right”.

Flexibility - the switch can happen at anytime, how ever long or little in a sentence, as long as the meaning or intent of the message is fully communicated.

Linguistic Process

The process needs two things to occur:

The matrix language (L1) which is the dominant language. This lays out the basis for communication structurally. This is often the speaker’s mother tongue or native language.

The additional language (L2) which is the secondary language. This provide the utterances that are embedded within the matrix language when code-switching happens. The additional language will follow the structure the matrix language provides.

To help my group’s understanding of the process, I’ve also demonstrated it before them.

References - Miscellaneous

In my visual research, I was trying to find ways which this can be visualised. Since the process is language based, it felt natural to gravitate towards type and infographics. Also, a lot of my visual research features a lot of type (english language alphabet) and other language writing systems. I also thought it would be interesting to express it in some form of data visualisation while simultaneously acknowledging the cultural impact it has (perhaps through to colour or make it more pictorial). A lot of data visualisation can be dry and I’d like to challenge that.

Concrete Poetry Since the process involves language and is heavily conversational, I thought it would be interesting to look into concrete poetry as a reference. I think there is something about the way the type is laid out and the shape the letters take form in (beyond the traditional graphic design grid) than can be freeing and perfectly illustrate the fluidity and instinctual nature of codes-switching.

Artist reference - Samuel Burgess Johnson’s work for The 1975 From my research, I thought that Samuel Burgess Johnson’s typographic and illustrative posters are excellent pieces of work to take inspiration from when I was trying to build an aesthetic and find the means to communicate code-switching. He has an interesting way of presenting type in a illustrative or pictorial form, while keeping the text intact. More so, I like the layout he presents his work in; its dynamic, but still respectful for the traditional “grids”. In addition, i find his minimal use of imagery and white space for the album art work communicates “random” clearly.

Initial experiments With the references and visual research I had in mind, these are the poster series I came up with for my initial experiments. Poster from left to right, as explained below:

Poster 1 - illustrates a conversation between my brother and I. Each box represents a word. The orange squares plot the filipino words used in our conversation, while the white space represents the english words. I feel like this expresses the instinctual and flexible nature of code-switching very well.

Poster 2 - illustrates a conversation between my mother and I. The red represent the filipino, while the blue represents the english. Each bar is a sentence I said. It shows the proportions which both languages takes up in the sentence. I feel like this express the duality and flexible nature of code-switching well too.

Poster 3 - illustrates “it just happens” in a concrete poetry style. I feel like that sentence alone is a good statement to explain how code-switching comes about. Although this is not quite data-visualisation or doesn’t follow an info-graphic style, I enjoyed making it just as much and offers a different angle to the other posters I just presented.

Reflection + Feedback

The feedback I got for my initial presentation is generally positive. They found my process interesting. They also offered me new angles such as etymology (of words) and anthropology (words can be shaped culture or reflect culture) to look into to help me further my project.

As for the posters I made as part of my initial experiments, my group and tutor felt like I already solved the project with the infographic/data visualisation style posters I made. They felt the posters explains the process well and gives off the feeling of the essence of the code-switching which I summarised earlier (duality, intuition and flexibility). They said it just needs further refinement like adding keys and info to help the data make sense (without me being there to explain). They also found the concrete style poster interesting but they found that they have been done before, while the first two posters offers something new and refreshing.

Aside from the data visualisation, my group also offered to other ways this can be visualised, perhaps through a photo series that plays on duality between cultures (e.g. chips and rice = west and east). This could be another angle to explore further down the line or if I choose to change my mind in presenting my work.

Over all, I feel very happy about the feedback. I was shocked at how effective the info-graphics worked, considering it its not something I usually do in my practice (which is mainly film and art direction). A large part of why I wanted to use data visualisation, not only because it fits the topic, but it is also something i haven’t formally tried before and I would like to challenge myself to that. Most importantly, I found great relief that I’ve managed to communicate the essence of code-switching well. Especially since my group is predominantly monolingual; they felt they understood what is like for us bilinguals/multi-linguals due to the images I chose to present.

In addition, I feel like this is a good position to be. My work only needs refining and tweaking. Since I have something that works, I know full well I have an outcome on this project that I can rely on. This gives me the liberty to maybe try other things later on the projects and perhaps be more experimental. Regardless if those experiments work out, I have solid work I can go back to.

#Project x Process

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kasemabderrahim · 4 years

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How To Choose the Right Type of Yoga For You

You want to require up a yoga practice, but you only don’t know what sort of yoga to settle on.

There is great care many various sorts of yoga out there, and if you’re new, it is often overwhelming.

So, how does one know which style is true for you?

We’ve rounded up a number of the foremost popular sorts of yoga to assist you to get a far better understanding of what they provide and who it's for.

While it surely doesn't cover entirely all the kinds of yoga out there, it'll still offer you an honest overview and is a guide for you to settle on the proper sort of yoga discipline.

1. yoga Young woman doing Utthita parsvakonasana exercise - yoga workout for weight loss

The word ‘Hatha’ refers to the physical practice of yoga that uses a mixture of asanas (yoga postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises) with the goal to bring peace to the mind and body.

Hatha yoga is additionally a broad term for nearly any sort of yoga that comes with physical postures. for instance, Bikram and Yin yoga falls under the umbrella of yoga.

It is a slow-paced, gender approach to performing basic yoga poses with longer holds and no flows in between asanas. By stretching and elongating your body, you'll establish a way of peace and relaxation.

Although you won’t sweat tons during a yoga class, it helps to create an honest foundation for advanced yoga styles like Ashtanga.

Who is it for?

Since Hatha classes are is slower and more gentle, it's great for total beginners. It focuses on basic poses and deep breathing, which is ideal for people that just started and prepared to find out the yoga basics.

What should I wear?

You don’t need any special gear for Hartha. Most of the time, you'll escape with a traditional T-shirt and a pair of comfortable pants (jersey pants, track pants, yoga pants, etc).

Related: 6 Yoga Poses you ought to Practice a day

2. Vinyasa Yoga vinyasa yoga - the way to Choose the proper sort of Yoga For You

Vinyasa is the Sanskrit word for ‘flow’. That’s why it's sometimes called flow yoga.

This sort of yoga flows smoothly from one pose to a different, known for fluid transitions between yoga postures and dance-like rhythm.

Breathing is additionally a crucial part of this practice because the movements are synced with the breath.

The intensity of Vinyasa is analogous to Ashtanga, but with more creativity. because the flows are never an equivalent, you get to undertake new sequences all the time.

Sometimes props like yoga blocks, straps or pillows could be used, counting on a teacher’s style.

With that said, it's physically challenging, dynamic and fun! So be prepared to sweat buckets!

Who is it for?

If you would like to tone, break a sweat, build strength and adaptability, and develop a far better mind-body connection, then you ought to try doing Vinyasa yoga.

The yoga sequence also varies every single class, so it’s also suitable for people that don’t want to stay with an equivalent yoga sequence whenever.

However, your Vinyasa yoga experience is essentially hooked into how well the yoga instructor is conducting the category. you'll need to try different instructors until you discover the proper one for you.

What should I wear?

It is best to wear something that's fitted and doesn't slide around as you transition from one yoga pose to a different.

3. Bikram Yoga Bikram yoga - the way to Choose the proper sort of Yoga For You

It is named after its founder Bikram Choudhury and sometimes called “Hot Yoga”.

Why hot?

Because it's performed during a room heated to 105 °F (or 41 °C) with a 40% humidity.

The heat is believed to flush toxins out of your body through sweat. Moreover, the extensive sweating softens the tense muscles in order that students are ready to go deeper into each yoga posture.

Bikram Yoga involves a series of 26 asanas and two breathing exercises that are performed every class. you'll expect each practice to be consistent and you’ll presumably be drenched sweat.

Who is it for?

If you wish to sweat and are fine with practicing an equivalent poses whenever then Bikram yoga is that the thanks to going. Generally, people that prefer discipline and structure would love this yoga style.

It is definitely not recommended for pregnant women. Those with heart problems should also ask their doctor first before trying hot yoga.

What should I wear?

You can either wear as little as possible or special breathable clothes to stay cool and avoid restrictions in your movement.

4. Yin Yoga yin yoga - the way to Choose the proper sort of Yoga For You

Yin yoga is developed supported the Taoist concept of Yin and Yang. Yin represents the soft and restorative activities and Yang represents and Yang represents the constantly changing or athletic activities.

This sort of yoga is extremely slow-paced and focuses on getting deep into postures with long holds. this may allow you to focus on stiff connective tissues (like hips, pelvis, lower spine), build flexibility, heal muscular tissues and promote meditation.

Teachers will usually have students stay in each yoga pose between one and 20 minutes. Yin classes also are known to be practiced in absolute silence which can also aid meditation.

Who is it for?

Yin yoga is best suited for those that want to hamper, de-stress and calm the mind with meditation.

It is also great for runners, athletes or gym goers in need of building flexibility, releasing tension in joints or healing overworked muscles.

You will also need patience because the poses are held longer between one to twenty minutes.

What should I wear?

You don’t really sweat doing Yin yoga. Any comfortable clothes will do. you'll even wear socks too.

5. Ashtanga Yoga Triangle pose - Yoga Poses for Weight Loss

In Ashtanga yoga, there are six sequences of asanas that are practiced in progression. Within each sequence, an equivalent yoga poses are performed within the same order.

This sort of yoga is more fast-paced and challenging.

It also emphasizes the syncing of breath with movement. Students will be due one asana to a different with an inhale or exhale.

Who is it for?

Because of the fast transitions between poses, Ashtanga yoga is ideal for people trying to find something that’s energetic and physically challenging.

Highly-structured people would also love this style since the yoga sequences are unvarying.

What should I wear?

Wear moisture-wicking crop tops and yoga pants which will dry your sweat rapidly and keep your body cool.

Related: Yoga Poses for Killer Abs: 9 Asanas to create Strong Core

6. Kundalini Yoga kundalini yoga - the way to Choose the proper sort of Yoga For You

Kundalini yoga is usually mentioned as “the Yoga of Awareness”. This sort of yoga combines yoga poses (asana), breathing techniques (pranayama), meditation, and chanting.

It is designed to awaken the energy from the bottom of the spine and move it upwards to the highest of the top through the seven chakras. The progress through the various chakras will assist you to achieve different levels of awakening.

Classes will involve a brief opening chant, a brief sequence to warm up your spine, an asana sequence, and lastly a closing meditation.

A small practice of Kundalini yoga will create greater peace and relaxation!

Who is it for?

If you're trying to find a less physically demanding practice compared to other styles, you'll definitely try Kundalini yoga.

Kundalini yoga helps to create physical vitality and increase consciousness. this may be perfect for people trying to find a more spiritual and well-rounded practice.

What should I wear?

Generally, it's recommended to wear white for Kundalini Yoga. you'll also give your studio a call to verify the code.

7. Iyengar Yoga Iyengar yoga - the way to Choose the proper sort of Yoga For You

Iyengar Yoga, founded by B.K.S Iyengar, maybe a sort of yoga that emphasizes proper alignment of every yoga pose.

The Iyengar classes rely heavily on yoga props like blocks, blankets, chairs, straps, bolsters and more to assist students to achieve the right form when doing yoga postures.

The props also allow the elderly and people with physical limitations to perform yoga postures properly while minimizing the danger of injury.

Moreover, beginners are going to be ready to experience asanas quickly and fully which may take years of practice to know.

Yoga postures are held for an extended period in Iyengar yoga which allows the muscles to elongate and improves body awareness in each yoga pose.

Who is it for?

Beginners who want to realize an understanding of the shape and proper alignment of basic yoga postures.

If you’re a complicated yogi, this may even be perfect for your body to relearn the essential yoga postures and improve your alignment.

Iyengar yoga is additionally suitable for people that have suffered an injury recently.

8. Restorative YogaRestorative yoga - the way to Choose the proper sort of Yoga For You No sweating. Just prepare yourself for deep relaxation!

Restorative yoga is all about healing, relaxing and soothing your mind and body. It encourages you to hamper and open your body through gentle, passive stretching.

It involves yoga props (pillows, bolsters, straps) to assist you approach yoga poses with ease and with none additional effort as against other sorts of yoga.

You will often do only a couple of simple poses within the course of an hour and sometimes held them for as many as 20 minutes.

Who is it for?

This style may be a more meditative approach to yoga, so it’s great for those recovering from emotional trauma or stress. it's also an honest way of relieving tension from work and sitting at the desk all day. 9. Power Yoga power yoga - the way to Choose the proper sort of Yoga For You

Ever heard of ‘gym yoga’?

Power yoga maybe a vigorous approach to vinyasa-style yoga.

Even though it's closely modeled on the Ashtanga model, it gives the teacher the pliability to show any yoga poses in any order.

Due to its emphasis on strength and adaptability, this sort of yoga is brought into gyms.

Power yoga is great for strength training, and it moves with a good faster rhythm than Ashtanga. it's definitely an intense workout that will cause you to sweat buckets.

Studios may approach Power Yoga differently across the country, so it’s important to undertake a couple of places before sticking with one.

Who is it for?

Since power yoga may be a more fitness-based approach to doing yoga, it'll an honest choice for people that wants to burn fat and reduce it!

Related: 9 Best Yoga Poses for Weight Loss

10. Ananda Yoga Ananda yoga - the way to Choose the proper sort of Yoga For You

Ananda Yoga doesn't differ from the opposite sorts of yogic practice, but with the sole difference of using positive affirmations as you performed the poses.

Students will usually undergo a series of gentle yoga poses with attention on proper alignment, transitions, and breathing.

This sort of yoga uses asanas to awaken the energy within oneself, improve self-awareness and convey harmony to your mind and body.

Who is it for?

Instead of being an athletic practice, Ananda Yoga is more of an inward experience. It’s more suitable for those that want to practice mindfulness, empower themselves with affirmations or recharge their energy.

11. Anusara Yoga Anusara yoga - the way to Choose the proper sort of Yoga For You

Founded by John Friend in 1997, it's a comparatively new sort of yoga. The word Anusara means “flowing with grace,” “going with the flow,” and “following your heart.”

It emphasizes a group of Universal Principles of Alignment which underlie all the yoga poses.

Anusara yoga uses vinyasa flows and much of alignment work is involved. Classes are often cheerful, positive, and fun.

Who is it for?

Good for brand spanking new beginners who are starting call at yoga and are trying to find a cheerful and relaxed vibe.

12. Yoga Nidra yoga Nidra - the way to Choose the proper sort of Yoga For You

Yoga Nidra or “yogic sleep” originally consists of eight stages, but the number of stages may vary from five to eight counting on different instructors.

The session involves relaxation of the body and mind, meditation, balancing emotions, guided visualization, and setting positive purpose and intention.

During the session, you'll experience different stages of consciousness which is that the waking state, dream state, and deep sleep state.

Who is it for?

It is ideal for you if you’re trying to find full-body relaxation and deep restoration for your mind.

What sort of Yoga is true for You? Now that you’ve learned the various sorts of yoga, choosing which one that's right for you'll depend upon your goals.

You do get to try a couple of different sorts of yoga or instructor to seek out the one that resonates with you the foremost.

Whether it's to practice mindfulness, meditation, lose weight, improve overall fitness or simply to urge faraway from the hustle and bustle, doing yoga goes to profit you in areas that you simply won't even believe.

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its-love-u-asshole · 7 years

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Run and Hide [fic]

Pairing: Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei

Summary: Kei was never one to turn down a good scary movie. In fact, he and Kuroo loved them, both proudly proclaimed horror junkies and all. However, maybe they'd bitten off more than they could chew with this one...

Rating: T (mild suggestiveness, some cursing)

Warnings: none

Note: This was my big excuse to write fluff honestly, that’s what this is, useless fluff lmao. Oh, and also kurotsuki acting like huge scared losers. So there’s that. This fic is for @icecreamwithsprinkles bc we traded a lot of headcanons about this that really inspired me <3

AO3

“Are you sure you won’t need me to cuddle you?”

Kei chucked a pillow right at his boyfriend’s face, hardly needing to aim. He could pinpoint the other’s smug tone anytime, any day.

Kuroo dodged it with practiced ease, springing forward to wrap his arms around Kei’s waist in what he thought must’ve been a surprise attack. Although, some of the coolness (if there was any to begin with) was taken away when Kei noted Kuroo’s Chihuahua patterned pajama pants. The things never failed to make Kei die of laughter, they were so damn ridiculous, but the fact Kuroo owned them hadn’t been surprising in the slightest.

Kei snorted as his boyfriend nuzzled his neck from behind, a hold Kei was quite familiar with after years of dating. As comforting as the embrace was, Kei wasn’t going to give into it so easily, crossing his arms as Kuroo started peppering kisses on any exposed skin he could get to.

It took a considerable amount of effort to keep his breathing under control, given Kuroo’s knowledge of all the spots which made Kei melt in his arms. Despite Kuroo’s dumb pants, his arms and torso looked especially delicious in the tank top he was wearing as well, though Kei would never admit it aloud. It probably was also unwise for Kei to have thrown on Kuroo’s college sweatshirt after his shower, since now the comforting scent was working against him. Plus, it tended to ignite a spark of possessiveness in Kuroo from time to time…and maybe in Kei as well.

Kuroo knew it too, the bastard. Kei could feel the smirk on the other’s face as he mouthed at Kei’s exposed shoulder. Kei hummed at the sensation, tilting his neck to allow for better access. Sue him, it felt good, and he’d get back at Kuroo later.

“Mm, much better,” Kuroo whispered against Kei, lapping and nipping occasionally at the blond’s soft skin. Kei rolled his eyes, turning and grabbing Kuroo’s chin in order to bring him up into a kiss. In the years since high school, Tsukishima had gained a few more centimeters on Kuroo, and he never hesitated to use it to dominate their kisses when it suited him.

Kuroo hummed against his lips, pushing back with equal force to meet the challenge. Oh no, nuh-uh. Kei chuckled as he pulled away, separating them right as Kuroo planned to deepen the kiss.

“Okay, okay, slow down. You’re the one who said you wanted to watch this movie tonight.” Kei laughed at Kuroo’s pout, moving away to grab the DVD case in question.

It was a Friday night, so really, he could afford to mess around if he wanted to. But the whole reason Kuroo was teasing in the first place was because they planned to watch the newest horror movie. Kuroo had somehow managed to get a hold of it in good quality, though it wasn’t actually out yet, and Kei wouldn’t deny he was excited.

“I do, it’s supposed to be the scariest movie of the year,” Kuroo said, walking over to the couch to make sure all their blankets and pillows were in order (they both got cold easily, go figure). Kuroo had done the honor of setting up their snacks on the coffee table as well, and Kei had been eyeing the box of cupcakes for the past half hour. “Perfect for cuddling.”

Kei shot him a flat look, but agreed sharing body heat was one of his favorite things about their movie nights. Not to mention he and Kuroo loved anything related to the horror genre.

He and Kuroo frequently checked out horror movies on Netflix and in theaters, no matter how bad the ratings were. If anything, they would get a good laugh out of the truly terrible ones. Once a month, the theater on campus showed midnight horror movie marathons, with changing themes each time. It had become one of their usual date places, and it had yet to get old.

So of course, when Kuroo had walked home with the new film in hand, promising genuine scares, how could Kei say no?

“What makes this so scary anyways?” Kei asked as he waltzed over to the couch, handing the movie to Kuroo to put into their player. “I couldn’t find ratings anywhere.”

Kuroo smirked devilishly as he pushed the DVD into their player, collecting the remotes as he made his way back to the couch. The look meant no good to most, but to Kei it made things rather promising.

“Well, it’s of course banned in multiple countries,” Kuroo said, waving his hands as he plopped onto the couch.

Ah, you don’t say?

“Wow,” Kei drawled, moving into his usual spot between Kuroo’s legs before he sat back against Kuroo’s chest. “We’ve never watched one of those before.”

They both laughed, because for seasoned horror pros like them, they most certainly had. It felt like more and more movies were banned nowadays, and it meant nothing when it came to measuring the scariness of a film. They’d seen hundreds of ‘banned’ films which ended up being pathetic, but maybe they were just picky.

“I know right?” Kuroo continued, opening the movie’s main menu on the television. The design was minimalistic, accompanied with the usual eerie music. Already pretty mediocre in Kei’s opinion, but he’d reserve his judgement for the film’s actual content.

“Really though,” Kuroo said, pressing the play button before wrapping his arms around the blond and adjusting himself accordingly. “I heard it was hardcore, some online forums swear by it.”

“Hm,” Kei hummed skeptically. “We’ll see.”

The blond never trusted people when it came to horror movies and games alike. People were too easily spooked or grossed out. In all honestly, he and Kuroo hadn’t felt genuinely scared by a movie in a long time, and he wasn’t expecting this one to break the mold. It would take a lot for a movie to be included in their top horror films. Those were movies which had stolen sleep from them, had made them flinch at any noise in the darkness of the night. It was an impressive thing to do, given how dedicated they were as horror junkies. They’d seen some shit, and he wasn’t expecting this to offer anything truly frightening.

Oh well, hopefully it’ll be entertaining.

Kei reached up to nibble playfully on Kuroo’s earlobe as the movie’s logos passed on the screen, smirking along with his words. “At least if it sucks, we have other things to do…”

As stated before, it was Friday. They could afford to mess around, a lot.

Kuroo hummed, kissing Kei on the cheek in his usual sappy way, damn him. “And they say I’m the perv. Just don’t get too scared babe.”

Kei clicked his tongue, turning to see a creepy looking forest begin to fade in on screen. He dropped his voice to a whisper, reaching for the snacks they’d set out beforehand. “Of course, someone will need to protect you if you get scared.”

Kuroo gave one last laugh, eyes trained on the television. “Sure babe, sure.”

As the setting began to slowly lay itself out on screen, Kei couldn’t help but giggle to himself. This already looked terribly stereotypical and boring. Seriously, a house in a haunted forest? The music was hardly exceptional either.

It looked like this one would be another flop on a long list of rejects.

Whatever, at least it’ll be funny…

-Approximately 45 ½ Minutes Later-

It was not funny.

It was not even remotely funny.

Kei hid his face further into his pillow, letting his eyes peek out to watch the television. He could feel Kuroo’s hands gripping his sides tightly, his whole body tense and wound up like a spring.

Kei watched unblinking as the actor on screen walked through the deathly silent home, knowing any second could be their last. So far, the movie hadn’t relied on traditional jump scares, having the murderers who had invaded the home walk quietly and casually throughout the house in the blind spots of the protagonists. They’d pass quickly in the background, be shown at the top of the stairs, hiding behind curtains, anywhere. It was nerve wracking in the most eerie of ways, and it was so much worse given the film had no soundtrack or instrumentals to signal any attack or sudden event. There was only…dialogue, and footsteps. No music, no warning. It was as if the whole movie was one single tense moment before a scare, and he had no idea how to prepare himself other than to be tense and shield his eyes the whole time.

He felt Kuroo breathing heavily behind him, his boyfriend’s face pressed against Kei’s shoulder, and really, the blond could hardly make fun of him. Not anymore. His heart was racing all the same, and they’d both stopped poking fun at each other after the first death in the movie. It hadn’t been that gory either, just…disturbing. That was the other thing, the characters were more complex and likeable than in a typical horror movie, with interesting dynamics and relationships, only making their ends more upsetting and terrifying.

When the movie had first started, and there’d been a few fake scares, he and Kuroo had teased and laughed as usual. But the fun had ended real quickly.

There as a sudden creak on screen, and the movie seemed almost frozen on a shot of the living room. He and Kuroo held their breath, and for a moment, Kei thought the movie genuinely had stopped for some reason.

And then he noticed. In the frame, to the side, were the two intruders. Apparently, it was all he and Kuroo needed to find their voices, and to drop any remaining dignity.

“NO! Get out of the house now! Fucking go you stupid son of a bitch!”

For one thing, Kuroo seldom cussed, so Kei knew he was damn scared. Kei couldn’t blame him, Kei was two seconds away from throwing his pillow right at the screen, but then he’d be defenseless…

So no.

Kuroo screamed at the television more as the last surviving character walked downstairs, right into the danger zone, his hands shaking Kei furiously out of terror. “Oh my god I can’t watch,” Kuroo said, even as his eyes were glued to the scene playing out.

Fuckfuckfuckfuck…

Kei pulled his legs up to his chest, scooting as far back away from the television and into Kuroo’s arms as he could. It was humiliating, it wasn’t like something was going to jump out from the movie itself, but in that moment it felt real, and suddenly everything in their apartment was freaking him out. Why the hell had they turned off all the lights? Did they lock the door? How did they know someone wasn’t there right then?

There was another creak in the movie which sounded way too real, and as the character made eye contact with one of the murderers, the spell of silence was broken. Kuroo buried his face in Kei’s neck as the chase started, and the sudden loudness of frantic footsteps accompanied by the character’s screaming was way too much stimulation after the tense quiet.

“She’s gonna die, she’s gonna die—”

“Tetsu shut up,” Kei said in a voice way too high pitched to be his own, and fuck it, he threw his pillow.

The character finally reached an exit, a side door of the house which Kei had completely forgotten about. No wonder the opening credits had been a tour of the house, I should’ve paid more attention…

It was so unlike him, but he’d been so ready to be disappointed he hadn’t cared to look for details.

“Yes! Yes, fucking go!” Kuroo yelled as the actor messed with the latch on the door. A latch which had frozen over from the snow. “What the fuck.”

It was futile. There was no getting the door open, and the actor slumped to the ground, defeated as the killers encroached on them. The stupid silence was back too. There were no cheesy last words or taunting from the intruders, only the screams of the victim as they were surrounded.

I can’t watch, hell no.

But he didn’t have to. The movie cut to black right after, and Kei was so close to screaming into the emptiness of their apartment. What the hell? How could they end it like that?

Probably so we could scare ourselves shitless imagining it. Well played.

Well played indeed, since Kei would no doubt do just that.

Damn.

After an unnaturally long stretch of silence, a small paragraph of text appeared on screen against the black frame. Apparently, the film was based off a real crime which had happened. All seven people in the house had been killed, and the perpetrators were never found. It had happened less than a decade ago.

Fuck. No.

As the credits began to roll after the ominous message faded, Kei didn’t know where to start. He wanted to comment on how unfair and sudden the ending was, or talk about the text, or look up the actual crime to know more. But instead, he only felt frozen, sitting in Kuroo’s arms in their now silent apartment.

His mouth hung open slightly, his cautious eyes drifting throughout the darkness of the apartment. He had no idea what to do, he hadn’t felt so high-strung in a long time, the fear slowly consuming him. All he wanted to do was stay pressed against his boyfriend, but that would offer neither of them any protection from the threats his mind was conjuring up.

Kuroo’s arms gave him one last squeeze before one was reaching for the remote, ready to turn off the television, an act which would leave them in total blackness. Neither of them dared to speak.

Of course, rectifying the situation was as easy as strolling to the far wall and turning on the light, but they weren’t thinking rationally. Plus at that point, Kei doubted the illusion could be shattered so easily. They’d just watched a whole movie about intruders hiding in plain sight, like hell would the light help them. The blond looked down at Kuroo as sweat began to form on the back of his neck, and he was aware of how exposed he was in his shorts and flimsy sweatshirt. Kuroo’s scent and warmth provided some comfort, but the anxiety in the air kept rising. They locked eyes as Kuroo’s finger hovered over the power button, forming a silent pact in a matter of seconds.

Kei nodded once, hesitantly, untangling himself from his boyfriend in strained movements. He already missed the warmth, but it wouldn’t be for long. If he made it.

Oh my god, shut up. You’re being stupid, it’s fine…everything’s fine. There’s no one else here.

It was a rational, correct statement, as far as he knew. But right then, nothing in his head was convincing. Kei swallowed, his muscles ready to go as Kuroo bit his lip in thought.

Then Kuroo nodded in return, way too solemnly for his usual fun loving, easy nature. This was it, Kei thought, nothing to fear. But right as Kuroo pressed down on the power button, there was a creak from somewhere in the building, and all confidence jumped straight out the window.

They jumped up from the couch so fast Kei was sure he had sprained a muscle, but he didn’t care. He ran blindly to their bedroom door, flipping on the light as soon as he crossed the threshold. Kuroo was right on his heels (and Kei was pretty sure he had tripped at some point), rushing into the room and slamming the door right after. He locked it for good measure as he leaned against it, breathing way too labored for an athlete such as himself.

The slam seemed to echo forever in the quiet of their apartment, joined by their heavy breaths as they slowly inched away from the door, crawling into bed and into each other’s arms wordlessly. Every creak and footstep was an unpleasant reminder, and Kei gratefully scurried under the sheets. Kuroo’s eyes hadn’t left the door, and he was mildly shaking. Too bad Kei didn’t have it in him to mock his boyfriend, that’s how he knew the movie was horrifying.

The only good thing about it was he could totally recommend it to Hinata and Kageyama, ensuring they scared themselves to death too. If Kei suffered, everyone he knew deserved to as well.

The joy of the plot was dulled by the tightness in his shoulders, and Kei looked at his open closet in worry, slightly relieved to find it empty. Kei resisted the urge to pull the blankets over their heads, like he’d done as a child. Maybe that was going too far…

God, he was ruined. If anyone found out about this he was screwed. Luckily, Kuroo was the only person who knew, and he’d be sacrificing his own pride if he ever told anyone the story. They were stuck in this hell together. Kei was glad they’d been dating for two years and were fully committed to each other at this point. If Kuroo had been a new boyfriend, Kei wouldn’t have felt the slightest bit of remorse in leaving him behind in the living room to save himself.

Lucky for Kuroo, Kei was in love with him, and cared about protecting him from fictional threats. Yippee.

But the movie was based on a true story.

Kei buried his head in his pillow as he finally sank down into the covers, stiff as a board. Shut up brain.

Kuroo moved to lie down as well, still not taking his eyes off the door as he pulled Kei closer to his chest. At least the other’s rapid heartbeat was enough to distract Kei from the occasional creak or noise.

Kei was never used to uncomfortable silences. He enjoyed spending time alone, taking in the peaceful quiet and letting his batteries recharge after prolonged social interaction. But that silence was something he liked and chose. Even with Kuroo, Kei felt he could sit by him without uttering a word and be completely content. They’d always gotten along that way.

But this. This was pure torture. The last time they’d both been successfully scared by a new movie, they’d just started dating. In short, it had been a while, over two years, and Kei had walked home afterwards, free to act scared in solitude. It was almost some fucked up milestone, experiencing this together.

Kei had forgotten what it felt like to be so on edge, how arrogant of him to not see this coming.

He hardly knew what to say, if he should comment on the film at all, or if the mere mention of it was cursed or something. Should he laugh it off? Ask Kuroo if he was alright?

Neither felt like the correct response. They certainly weren’t acting alright, and no shit they were terrified. Kei clutched the sheets tighter, finally absorbing how silly it all was. Out of nowhere, he felt part of the fear inside him dissipate, making room for a warm feeling in his chest. He felt lighter, tingly almost, a happiness he had come to associate with Kuroo. It became clear from the feeling alone, how grateful Kei was about this whole annoying situation.

They were afraid. Since when did Kei let himself act afraid? The answer was never, he would rather die. It was how it was in high school too, his pride was too important. But this was Kuroo, who he loved and trusted. It was the single dumbest realization Kei had ever had.

He didn’t care if Kuroo knew he was scared, if he saw Kei hide under the covers or heard his pleas to keep the lights on. Kei could be as childish as he wanted, and Kuroo wouldn’t care, wouldn’t judge or think less of him. Sure, teasing was never off limits in these situations, but they both felt comfortable enough to express themselves regardless.

Of course, this had always been obvious, it was how their relationship worked. Kei had simply never felt it so strongly in a situation like this, had never experienced it in such a simple form.

A fucking horror movie on a Friday night. Wow.

Slowly, Kei began to snicker into the pillow, unable to fight a grin when he realized he was purposefully trying to keep quiet in case they had serial killers in the house.

Pft.

Kuroo tensed beside him, his confused gaze finally landing on his giggling boyfriend.

“Uh…Kei?” Kuroo sounded almost paranoid, like Kei had lost it and their life was magically gonna warp into a sanitarium thriller. It made Kei laugh harder, and if their apartment was truly under siege, at least he’d die happy.

“Kei…baby, seriously. What is it?”

Hell, Kuroo sounded so damn scared. It was awesome.

Fine, guess I’ll cut you a break.

Kei managed to repress his giggles enough to sit up and bump his forehead against Kuroo’s, a tactic he knew was a surefire way to make his boyfriend’s heart race. Kuroo was weak to how cute it apparently was, and Kei had shed a lot of shame in two years’ time.

Kei stared into his boyfriend’s eyes, having never gotten over their stunning color and the softness in them.

“Nothing,” Kei whispered, his face flushing slightly. “You’re lame, but I…love you.”

Kuroo’s eyes widened, and Kei laughed again as their lips met softly. That was another great thing about Kuroo, out of infinite examples. He was a great kisser.

“Mm, I love you too,” Kuroo said, breaking the kiss and reaching up to hold Kei’s face in his hands. “Where did that come from though? Are you just saying that in case we die?”

Kei snorted, nuzzling his face into his boyfriend’s neck. Moments like this almost made him forget about any impending doom. “Yeah, that’s exactly it.”

Kuroo laughed, somewhat subdued and tired, but it was one of Kei’s favorite sounds all the same. Kei pulled him into another kiss at the thought, and Kuroo, of course, couldn’t refuse.

Yes, moments like this were definitely fine with Kei, lingering fear or not.

There was another loud creak which echoed through the building, and the illusion of safety was quickly shattered. Both he and Kuroo’s eyes locked on each other’s, bodies tense and frozen once more.

Maybe ‘lingering fear’ hadn’t been the most accurate description…

They were silent for about a minute more before Kuroo could no longer take it, and his voice was so worried it would’ve been comical in any other scenario. “I…I feel way too exposed like this.”

“Same,” Kei replied instantly, already grabbing all the blankets he could. Well, thankfully they knew each other well enough to skip over all the ‘let’s be reasonable’ bullshit and fucking acted on their stupid fears.

Kuroo paused in his move to get off the bed, casting a contemplative glance at the mass of pillows on it. Their eyes met again, the same thought crossing their minds.

“…Pillow fort?” Kuroo asked anxiously, and another creak in the apartment answered. It was all Kei needed as motivation.

“Pillow fort.”

At the end of the day, it looked like they’d both ended up needing cuddles. Kuroo was right all along. But whatever, Kei didn’t mind. Regardless of how much sleep he lost, or how afraid he was to go get water from the kitchen, nothing beat sitting in a pillow fort with Kuroo listening to Disney songs until they passed out.

Everything worked out.

Kei doubted they’d find another movie as scary as the one that night, at least not for a while. However, Kei wouldn’t mind this becoming a tradition.

One thing was for sure though, and the thought crossed his mind as Kuroo snuggled closer to him. That movie was definitely going on their list of top horror films.

Guaranteed.

#kurotsuki #kurotsukki #haikyuuwriters #adri writing #ficsforvera

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momobage · 7 years

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Ensemble Stars Review: Pretty idols, pretty cards. There’s no going back.

Ensemble Stars (あんさんぶるスターズ!) is a Japanese card collecting mobile game made by Happy Elements. The goal of the game is very simple: collect the cards of your favourite characters through events and gachas. As the only producer student at Yumenosaki Private Academy, you try to complete lessons by choosing the right responses and unlock stories that reveal the humorous and dramatic relationships between each idol unit and members.

I started playing Ensemble Stars in late December 2016 because a friend recommended it to me. I didn’t know much about the game except two characters’ names (Adonis and Izumi). It was an idol game with no rhythm game aspect, and they did a crossover with Yume100 (which I played). Other than that, I was going in blindly; I didn’t even know how to play properly. But right now, I can confidently say that this game really changed my life. I’m not sure if it is for the better… but it greatly increased my addiction for mobile games.

Main gameplay: 4/5 ♥♥♥♥♡

The gameplay for Ensemble Stars is simple, straightforward, and very addictive. Although it is only available in Japanese, it is quite easy to navigate through when you get the hang of it. You train the characters by tapping on the coloured squares to collect gems, which increase their skills: Dance (red), Vocals (blue), and Performance (yellow). Each lesson and event have different missions you need to complete. For example, you may need to get ‘High Luck’ throughout the lesson, collect a hundred of each coloured gem, or get a double ‘Fever’. After you accomplish each mission and unlock each story, you win a diamond.

As I mentioned before, you must choose responses to complete lessons and events. None of the answers are right or wrong, they just trigger a different reaction from the character (image above). So, if Adonis says, “So transfer student and the others in the middle of training... I am too. I like music. I find singing very fun. What about transfer student?” You can either reply or “singing by myself is…” or “I like music too.” Depending on which you choose, the Adonis will either respond positively and raise your ‘fever’ or give you a small red gem. Or he will respond negatively and lower your luck. The outcome is random, which can be frustrating but the challenge makes it fun. I usually pick randomly since I can’t read Japanese very well, but I still feel accomplished when I get a 100% complete. Although, these responses aren’t critical in unlocking the stories, they are important when completing lesson missions and collecting gems. With the gems, you can complete the idol road to bloom characters to make them stronger, and collect special outfits and background images (image below).

Sadly, Ensemble Stars is only available via the Japanese app store and Google play store. However, if you are really dedicated, there are many tutorials on signing up for a Japanese iTunes account or downloading a separate Android Game Platform that provides easy access to many popular Asian games. I would recommend looking at Ensemble Stars! Wiki since they also provide other tutorials for beginners and offer basic information about each character, idol unit, and event/gacha details and translations. Enstars Tumblr is also a great place to find helpful tutorials, beautiful fan art, and information on events, updates, and notifications. I use to really struggle with completing the beginner lessons since I couldn’t read what the missions were or where to press to get a reward. So, these tutorials and other people in the Ensemble Stars community really helped me feel welcome and understand the best and most effective way to play and have fun.

However, once I started understanding how to play, I became obsessed. It’s no surprise that the game is free to play and has in-game currency. By now, it’s also not surprising that I have no self-control and spent even more money on Ensemble Stars than I did on Yume100 and Mystic Messenger… combined. I’ve spent a little over $1,300 on in-game purchases and official merchandise and visual books… trust me, I am not proud. Most of my money went to gachas, which I explained before are randomized, lottery-like functions that are in most Japanese mobile games.

(This card ruined my life…I’ll never forgive you Koga…just kidding I still love you)

Most recently, the five star gacha card was Koga (my favourite character) and I tried so hard to get him (above image). I just kept buying more and more diamonds until I could at least get one copy of him… but sadly he didn’t show up at all. I think I spent $300 on that one gacha alone. I pulled a ten character gacha fifteen times and still he didn’t show up! Now, I feel forever haunted by that card and that I will never get it. But, for now, I really hope that next time it doesn’t happen again.

Overall, the gameplay for Ensemble Stars is quite simple and straightforward. Other aspects of the game include special events and gachas, revival events, and Lives. Luckily, there are plenty of tutorials and helpful people in the community on Twitter, Tumblr, and Reddit that can explain those in detail and give fantastic advice. I think the only bad thing about this game is the special events and gachas because they can be difficult, especially if your cards aren’t high ranking or strong enough. However, that doesn’t make the game less fun, just a bit frustrating and nerve wracking. I don’t regret any purchases I made… yet. I just really hope my luck is better in future events and gachas.

Characters: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

There are a total of thirty-nine male characters in Ensemble Stars, including teachers, who each have unique personalities and qualities that make them loveable and relatable. As I began playing and getting to know the characters more, I started to feel emotionally attached to some of them based on their appearance and profiles alone. Like Shinobu (the right photo above), he is like a little brother who cries a lot but works hard to become a hero and a ninja. He is quite silly and weird but I think he is extremely precious because of his innocence and smile. At first, I didn’t like some of the characters because I thought they were annoying or not my cup-of-tea. But after getting to know them, I realized that they were quite cute and just a bit eccentric. I can’t hate any of the characters, they’re all so sweet.

Like any mobile game, I am immediately drawn to the artwork and characters. The artwork for Ensemble Stars is really cute but still shows a lot of details. The style is clean and simple but still very pretty. Since the cards are ranked by number of stars, the four-star and five-star cards have the most detail especially after blooming. You can tell the difference even in terms of how dynamic the poses are and accessories they’re wearing (photos below).

(Left: Unbloomed card, Right: Bloomed card)

Besides the design, I love the characters’ unique personalities and voices. Each voice actor brings a unique sound that matches the character’s personality and is easily recognizable. Many of the voice actors are famous in other mobile games or animes such as Eguchi Takuya (Hibiki Wataru), Kaji Yuki (Isara Mao), and Hosoya Yoshimasa (Hokuto Hidaka). As for my favourites, most of them have deeper voices that are smooth and comforting or have medium/higher voices that are more bubbly and happy. Kakihara Tetsuya (Akehoshi Subaru), Oosuka Jun (Kagehira Mika), and Nitta Anjyu (Sengoku Shinobu) have cute and energetic voices. The characters are also usually very cheerful and want to get along with everyone. Within the fandom, it is popular to call certain characters your “son” because you feel like a proud mom watching them grow up. It’s quite odd but that’s generally how I feel with these characters. When I listen to these voices, I feel more encouraged to smile and not worry about troublesome things in my life.

In contrast, Hatano Wataru (Otogari Adonis) and Kamio Shinichiro (Kiryu Kuro) have lower romantic voices. I feel warm and comforted listening to their calm and husky voices. If I was scared or stressed, I think their voices would reassure me that things were going to be okay. Similarly, Ono Yuki (Oogami Koga) and Hosogai Kei (Hakaze Kaoru) can have relatively low soothing voices when they speak seriously. But due to their personalities Koga usually speaks with a very rough and informal tone, while Kaoru speaks with a flirtatious and mischievous tone. I like these voices because of the range the voice actors have. Although, I really like when Koga speaks like a delinquent, his voice changes to a shyer voice when he’s embarrassed. While Kaoru is the opposite. His voice is normally light and silvery, but when he speaks slowly in a lower romantic tone it makes me feel a bit embarrassed.

Although Ensemble Stars doesn’t have a lot of fully voiced story chapters in the game, they do have character voice clips and idol unit songs. The unit songs are very well produced and catchy. Each suit the style of music that each idol group represents: punk rock, traditional Japanese, cute pop, etc. My favourite songs are: Knight’s “Fight for Judge” and “Silent Oath”, UNDEAD’s “DESTRUCTION ROAD” and “Melody in the Dark”, and Akatsuki’s “百花繚乱、紅月夜 (Wild Blooming Flowers, Crimson Coloured Moon’s Night)” and “花燈の恋文 (Love Letter of the Brilliance of Cherry Blossoms).” I like listening to these songs when I do design work to keep me motivated and awake.

Story: 4/5 ♥♥♥♥♡

The overall story for Ensemble Stars is quite complicated and dramatic. As the player, you are a transfer student so you do not know much about the history and rivalry with each idol unit and members. The game heavily relies on the story and continues to build it through events and gachas. Usually, relationships between characters, backstories, or explanations slowly reveal themselves in event and gacha stories. For example, recently a new character named Madara entered the game. Since he is new and the only solo idol, his event explained his past relationship with some of the members of Ryuuseitai. Although the event didn’t explain too much about the other characters’ backstories like fans were hoping for, it did reveal some facts that we could debate and speculate about within the fandom. As I mentioned before, the Ensemble Stars! Wiki provides all the translations of the main, sub story, and past events and gachas. I haven’t read all the translations yet since there are quite a lot, but I’m sure when I do, I will create an even stronger emotional connection towards the characters I love.

Overall: 4.33/5 ♥♥♥♥♡

Ensemble Stars is an easy, fun, and addicting game that has easily become my newest obsession. The artwork is amazing, the characters are interesting and the storyline is worth reading. Although, it can be difficult to collect gems and cards since it is all based on luck and how often you play, I would still recommend it to beginners if they want a challenge and are determined enough to get their favourite character’s cards. Again, I don’t regret starting this game or throwing my money at it because it is an experience and an adventure I’m willing to make sacrifices for. I’ve created such a strong emotional connection with the characters that I wouldn’t want to just stop and throw it away.

#ensemble stars #enstars #ansuta #mobage #momobage #koga oogami #oogami koga #undead #fine #trickstar #switch #ryuuseitai #akatsuki #knights #valkyrie #2wink #rabits #mam #review #this game is death

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