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Universal Yums Spain Box~ Day 2~ Take 10028.5 No Thanks to Crappy Internet

Late in coming no thanks to crappy internet service that is Comcast. We've been having on and off issues all weekend with them. Sucks living in an area where there is NO OTHER OPTIONS besides them. I was not about to type something up using my phone either, I like having a full size keyboard to use. So really these have been sitting as word documents on my laptop while Crapcast plays hide and seek with our internet. Oh, it is never a problem on their end at all. They always blame it on us. No, you all have shitty ass service and only want to nickel and dime everyone.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Enough of that, on to Day 2 of the Spain box. Had some interesting snacks on the first go around. One major disappointing one. Hopefully, this next batch will be better.

All of these yums can be purchased at the Yum Shop: https://www.universalyums.com/shop/country/spain

Snack # 4 Spanish Chocolate Toffees

Right off the bat, we are starting the day off with something that sounds as if it will be sweet.

Observations: -Despite the book saying “soft” it felt quite hard in the packaging. -Looks like a chunk of chocolate fudge. -Dark brown in color- much like a piece of chocolate fudge. -Has absolutely no distinctive smell. Taste: -Despite being hard to the touch- it is very chewy! -Has the same consistency and taste of a Tootsie-Roll only with a slightly sweeter taste. -Leaves a slight chocolate after taste in your mouth. -Really likes to stick to your teeth. Overall: -The taste is good, chewy with a light chocolate flavor with a pinch of sweetness. -If you really like chewy chocolate (or if you really love Tootsie-Rolls) then you will really enjoy these. -Husband and I both rated this with smiley faces.

Snack # 5 Sour Pineapple Gummies

A little disappointed because I have tried these before since they offered them in the Yums Shop last year. I did not care for them last year, but maybe it was a bad bag cause they did not taste like this new bag.

Observations: -“Sugar” coated gummy rings that resemble pineapple rings. -A slightly harder to the touch then normal gummies. -Smells sugary, does not smell like pineapple. -Yellow in color (to resemble a pineapple) with white “sugar” cubes all over.

Taste: -Definitely NOT sugar coated- it is a sour coating that resembles Sour Patch Kids. -It is a very chewy gummy with a slight crunch with the sour cube coating. -Very light in pineapple flavor. -The sourness overpowers any other flavor. -Leaves a sour taste in your mouth. Overall: -Interesting taste for a gummy -Tastes like a Sour Patch Kid but not at the same time. -Enjoyable for those that like sour gummies. -If you prefer something with more sour then actual flavor- then this is right up your alley. -Both gave this a meh rating- it was good but it was not bad at the same time.

Snack #6 White Chocolate & Caramel Candies A small tube filled with candies. Reminds me of the tubes of Mini M&Ms that you could get a few years ago.

Observations: -Yellow-orange in color. -Looks like a flatter M&M (or maybe a Spree). -You can smell more of the caramel then anything else. -Has an off white color in the center- surrounded by a hard candy coating. Taste: -Very very light chocolate flavor. -Caramel flavor overpowers the chocolate. -Has a hard candy coating much like an M&M. -Slightly sweet taste with a big emphasis on caramel. Overall: -Not bad for something to have in small batches. -Light chocolate taste with a crunch of candy coating makes it an M&M lite. -If you absolutely love the taste of caramel, then you will definitely enjoy these. -Basically a candy coated caramel. -Enjoyable for a quick sweet snack. -Both rated a smiley face.

Snack #7 Pistachio Toffee First item from the Span box that I can not partake in due to my allergy.

My assumption is that it is similar to the chocolate toffee's that we started the day out with.

Observations: -Another hard to the touch toffee. -Light brown, almost tan in color. -Absolutely no green anywhere as the description in the book mentioned. -Has no distinctive smell. Taste: -Creamy in taste- not heavy in a pistachio flavor. -Has a more predominant toffee flavor then anything. -Very chewy in consistency. -Same consistency of the chocolate toffee or a Tootsie-Roll with the flavor of a Werther’s. Overall: -Not bad but definitely not the greatest either -Rated N/A from me since I can not have tree nuts. -Meh rating from husband as the flavor was not to his liking. -If you like an interesting take on toffee or if you just like pistachios, then give it a try.

[ladywhaiyvern]

Trying Something A Little Different ~ Universal Yums~ Spain Box Day 1

Instead of a video where myself and my husband unbox and gorge ourselves on close to 20-different treats in one sitting; we are doing something a little different this time around. Both of us want to avoid the sugar crashes that we have been experiencing with a one-and-done sitting. We are going to spread it out over multiple days and only try a couple treats at a time. Sadly, no video with this one as we are just testing the waters with this new method and just seeing how we like it. If we do, then we will work out the video aspect next!

Taking a trip to Spain, without leaving the comforts of our own home! Not going to bore you with statistics or interesting trivia in this one. Those will be saved for videos. Here we will just jump right into things and start with the snacks! Some of them sound amazing, some of them look amazing and then there’s the ones that I can not partake in due to my tree-nut allergy. This month was a grand total of 3-snacks that my husband will be partaking in by himself. The first day does not include any of those- so it will be a good day.

All these can be found on the Yum Shop- https://www.universalyums.com/shop/country/spain

Snack #1- Spicy Mango Gummies

Honestly, not something I expected right off the bat. Seriously, how does spicy and mangos go together? I normally do not think of anything spicy and immediately think of fruit. A spiced gummy on the other hand, I can see.

Observation:

Smelled sweet, not exactly the smell of a typical mango- just smelled sweet.

Orange in color just like when cutting into a mango. Except you could see little flakes of red throughout the gummy. This must be where it gets its “spicy” from.

It is even shaped like a mango. Or if you dabble in a lot of Japanese Anime, Japanese mythology and Japanese History like I do- they resemble little magatamas in shape.

Squishy like a gummy. On the softer end of the gummy scale and not hard at least to the touch.

Taste:

Very lite in the mango flavor department. Tongue is briefly graced with a splash of mango before the spice kicks in.

Intense heat

Spice hits very fast and gets more intense as you chew it.

Still a very soft and chewy gummy. Good texture for having more spiciness then sweetness.

Spiciness reminds me of the same flavoring used in Flamin’ Hot Cheetos- has that exact level of intensity.

No identification in the ingredients as to what the “spice” actually was. All it states is, “natural & artificial flavors.”

Overall:

Not bad if you like spicy food and lingering heat intensity in your mouth. Was not for me- one meh vote given.

Husband loved them- but he likes food on a spicier level then I do- one liked vote given.

If you like your gummies with a little bit of sweetness and A LOT of heat, you will enjoy!

Snack #2- Lemon & Black Pepper Chips

Moving on from something sweet and spicy to a Spanish crisp. I do love me some crisp/chips. We basically have a lemon-pepper flavoring. Nothing I haven’t seen before. Or haven’t tried before. Another countries' crate came with a similar crisp not too long ago. May have a similar flavor.

Observation:

No special smell. Smells like a bag of potato chips.

Looks like your typical thin-style potato chip.

Bright lemony color to the chip with small black pepper flakes

Little more on the oily side, then some of the other international chips we have gotten.

Taste:

Very lite in pepper flavor.

Has a lemon zest that lingers in your mouth afterward.

Hardly taste any of the pepper. Get more lemon mixed with a potato flavor then anything.

Has your typical thin-chip crunch.

Overall:

Good for a snacking chip.

I enjoyed the zing of the lemon and the faint pepper flavor- will gladly finish off the bag- given a like vote.

Husband said they were interesting but nothing something he would go out of his way to eat again- still given a like vote.

If you are someone who enjoys a different flavor of potato chip and want something that is not overpowering in flavor- this may be a good one for you.

Or if you are someone who just enjoys lemon flavoring, this is one for you.

Snack #3- Fried Bacon & Cheese Crisps

You had me at bacon and you had me at crisps. Just from looking at the bag, they look like the Spanish take on Bugles. These better not disappoint!

Observation:

Look exactly like Bugles. Same cone shape.

Still can’t fit this on my finger. Picture is a lie!

Has a heavy orange powder coating the cone. Almost looks like the same cheese powder that is used on the Cheesy Chex-Mix.

Smells exactly like a Bugle. Does not smell like your typical corn chip.

Taste:

WHERE’S THE BACON?!?!

Taste more of the cheese and the corn cone then anything else.

Tastes exactly like the cheese-flavored Bugles you can get here. Also tastes like the same cheese powder you get on the Cheesy Chex-Mix.

WHERE’S THE BACON FLAVOR?!?!?!?! Artificial bacon bits have more flavor than this (and those things are gross!).

Overall:

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO disappointed. I tasted absolutely NO bacon at all.

Cheese is overpowering, which still doesn’t make them bad. Still tastes pretty good.

Despite being a big disappointment- I will still finish off the bag- gave it a meh vote for lacking the bacon flavor department.

Husband no likely at all gave it a frown face vote.

If you like Bugles…...or if you LOVE Bugles then you will love these.

If you love bacon and are expecting bacon flavor….these are not the snacks you are looking for.

[ladywhaiyvern]

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Musings of An Otaku #9- On Thomas Oliver....

Being a fan of Power Rangers since the beginning back in 1993 and watching it religiously till Power Rangers: Wild Force. Then having an on-again and off-again to pretty much now. I pretty much watched a few episodes (out of every incarnation) of the Disney-era, got bored or disgusted by the looks of how they approached it and stopped watching. Had hopes when Saban purchased the rights back from the mouse but found myself once again, doing the same thing. Watch a few episodes out of the current series, get bored or disgusted by once again how they approached the series and stopped. Saban passes the torch to Hasbro and I have not picked up watching a single episode at all. Even going back and watching all the Disney seasons to see if my opinions have changed and tried not to compare them so-much to the original source material. However, this is not what this muse is about. It’s a season by season breakdown. Or an American comparison to the original Sentai. No. 

There’s one Ranger in particular that every single person seems to be fascinated with. Someone that everyone seems to worship the ground that he walks on. He’s somehow the most powerful Ranger that has ever walked upon planet Earth. Everything seems to revolve around him. And it’s not just the fanbase. Lately, it seems like Hasbro can’t get off of Tommy’s dick either. Every piece of nostalgia has to be Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy. There are a Shit ton of other Rangers out there that deserve the same treatment. He is not an omniscient God 

Now, okay….before I go any further, I am not in any way shape or form dissing Jason David Frank. I love the guy! No, no, no, this is about the character that he portrayed. Unlike some people, I see both JDF and Tommy as two different individuals. Two different people. Like both could reside besides each other in the real world. 

 This is just about Tommy. And NOT the Tommy from the Boom Studios comic series. Cause...oh my god...yes, he is one powerful son of a bitch. No. No. This is just about the television series, Tommy! No alternate universes being thrown in. 

Let’s step back in time for a minute. When Tommy was first introduced into the series and became the evil Green Ranger- I enjoyed the character. I loved the struggle he faced between being good or being evil. Yes, while under Rita’s spell he was pretty powerful but one has to wonder if he wasn’t her power that was enhancing his power and abilities. Any Ranger with the help of an evil witches power can become a pretty strong opponent. 

The entire evil Green Ranger saga ends and Tommy joins the side of good (obviously…). Tommy didn’t single handedly defeat Rita in the end because she was banished to the depths of space in another dumpster by Lord Zedd. Moving into season two, obviously we have Lord Zedd taking over and the entire Green Candle saga starting. When he loses the Green Ranger power, it’s understandable. Things do not last forever. Power can’t last forever. Sad to see him leave the Ranger team but I wasn’t devastated. Yes, it was a complete shocker to see the White Ranger power being created. Awesome, new Ranger, new Power. HOWEVER, I knew Tommy wasn’t up and done completely being a Ranger. I had a slight feeling he was going to come back for that. His story as the Green Ranger may have been finished, but this new chapter was just starting. 

What I did not like though, was when the Power Transfer took place and he just pushed his way into the leader position. He did not even give Rocky a chance. In Ranger-lore the Red Ranger is typically the leader (no matter what character type they possess). Yeah, Rocky may seem a little aloof (and he’s completely different from Jason), but he still should have been given a chance to prove himself in the position. Was it alright for Tommy to just push him aside without allowing that chance? Why was everyone else so chill with this decision? It was kinda a dick move there, Thomas. 

Zeo comes trotting along and almost all the storylines are still focused around Tommy. Granted, yes..he’s finally the Red Ranger. In my eyes, he finally has the mantle to be leader of the group. But still, why was he singled out. I thought the Rangers implored teamwork. I thought to fight evil, they had to fight together- all of them- together. Not this, “Oh! If we just attack Tommy- the others do not matter.” Poor Adam and Rocky were just kinda pushed towards the back burner in this season. And I won’t even get into the strange relationship that seemed to be going on between them. It’s not like Tommy single handedly beat Rita and Zedd. They hightailed it out of dodge when the Machine Empire showed up on their doorstep. Not like he single handedly defeated the Machine Empire either. Shit, the Zeo Rangers did not even destroy the Machine Empire. Zedd and Rita came back to give them their just deserts. 

Shifting into Turbo, we see Thomas once again being given the mantle of Red Ranger. Shocker. By now the Rangers are getting ready to graduate (except you, Justin…). This is obviously foreshadowing things to come and another power transfer. Also noted here is where Tommy mentions that when he graduates, he mentions something about becoming a racecar driver or something to that line. If that is the case, then why the hell did years later he show up with a fucking PHD in Paleontology. I would still LOVE to see the look on Billy’s face for that one! He was the science nerd. IMHO, he should have been the one in that role. But nooooo...his character had to be sent off to an all water planet to never be heard from again. In my eye’s the character of Tommy will never be related in any way shape or form to Science. I honestly saw him opening up a dojo of his own (whether it be on the other side of Angel Grove or some other town). When I think of “Tommy” my mind connects that to martial arts and fitness. In a way, he could have been a mentor to a young team of Rangers (a team that revolved around martial arts and not Dinosaurs). 

But seriously, I digress. Where within the television tropes did he become this all power being that all of fandom and marketdom has to worship?!  Many other Rangers have shown time and again that they have faced similar situations (that he had gone through) and prevailed. What makes him so special? I mean seriously, cut me some slack! ANDROS FUCKING SACRIFICED ZORDON’S LIFE TO SAVE THE UNIVERSE!!!!!!!!!!!! He did not want to swing that Drill Saber and end Zordon's life, but he still did. He may not have been the best leader. He was kind of a pissy asshole (but I loved him anyways and still do). But this isn’t about Andros. Why is all the attention drawn to this one single character though? Not everyone can relate to Tommy, so why is so much emphasis in Ranger history based around him? 

Tommy Oliver is an overrated individual and as the series went on, I became more and more distant away from him. As a character, I only enjoy him in the very early Green Ranger days. I tolerate him from then on. As a leader, yes, I liked Jason. I liked Rocky for his goofy side and he should have been given a chance to prove himself as a leader. In the alternate universe of the comic book series- I absolutely love Tommy. Lord Drakkon, Shattered Grid, pure evil, pure insanity, pure mayhem. Yes! Jason David Frank- is an amazing person, a great actor, he did a good job portraying a character that I love to hate.   

[ladywhaiyvern]

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Caught in the Act! Pinstripe Ball Python Shedding Old Skin! My boy Duranoc shed the other morning. Decided to play around with the video I got! Enjoy!

[ladywhaiyvern]

New year, New skin!!! Duranoc shed this morning! #snakemom #snakelove #snake #snakes #snek #snakesofig #snakesofinstagram #ballpython #ballpythonmorph #ballpythons #ballpythonsofig #ballpythonmorphs #python #pythonsofinstagram #pythonsofig #pinstripe #pinstripeballpython (at Willis, Michigan) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKrPmRGMlGy/?igshid=mqsqng85fs1t

[ladywhaiyvern]

Taking Trip to Netherlands w/Universal Yums Jan 2021!

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NEW VIDEO DROP!!!!! Join us as we try this months goodies from Japan Crate featuring Shin-Chan!

[ladywhaiyvern]

Musings of An Otaku #8- On Pokemon Photographs & 25 years

The 25th Anniversary of Pokemon is upon us! 25 years! I remember watching the phenomenon unfold as it came state-side. I saw a simple advertisement in the late Disney Adventures magazine or it could have been a Nintendo Power. I had subscriptions to both back in the day and lord knows my memory is not as good as it used to be. It was for the release of the anime on American television. Or thinking back on it, it could have been for the games. It really did not decipher much. Plain white page with a giant Pokemon logo on top. The slogan “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” printed under the logo and images of various generation 1 Pokemon sprawled under that. That was the entire advertisement. Nothing else. No start date, no coming soon, no channel, no information, no synopsis, no console. I remember looking at it with a raised eyebrow and was like, “What is this?” With no other information, I flipped the page and moved on.

Then all the news reports started piling in and commercials started playing over the television. It became more predominant in Nintendo Power- with story revealed, games confirmed for English release and yada yada yada. The entire seizure issue went on and of course the American media jumped on that hype like white on rice. Because of course the anime was being released shortly after on American television. 

Watched the series and watched it pretty religiously. Hated that they edited out small things here and there because god forbid Team Rocket pulls out a gun or James cross-dresses in a bikini and has inflatable boobs! NOT INFLATABLE BOOBS! AND OMG YOU CAN NOT FORGET ABOUT THE JELLY FILLED DOUGHNUTS! *face palm* Being into Japanese anime, tokusatsu and manga- even I knew that those were rice balls. WHAT IS WRONG WITH RICE BALLS?!? Silly Americans. It’s as bad as saying that sake is medicine in Power Rangers Samurai but we shall not go into THAT one- even with a 10-foot pole. IMHO, Saban totally shat on Samurai Sentai Shinkenger and walked away laughing. 

Back to Pokemon. I ended up watching the anime till the Orange Islands. Basically when Brock left and Tracy came in- I stopped. The anime was repetitive. Every episode featured the same premises- Ash travels to a location, Ash finds a Pokemon, Ash tries to catch Pokemon and fails, Team Rocket has some crazy-ass scheme to try and catch Pikachu and fails, Ash tries to beat Gym Leader but Gym Leader feels sorry for Ash and just gives him said badge and repeat process over and over again for however many said episodes. I moved on to other anime series.

Game wise- yes, I started with Pokemon Red for the original Game Boy. I didn’t play it on the brick sized system- no, I had a Game Boy Color. However, the game was not in color. It was the same pea-green pixelated game as other Game Boy game releases at the time. It was not till the release of Pokemon Yellow- Pikachu edition that I was able to see the Pokemon game world in color. Since I started with Red I went with Charmander as my starter. I enjoyed the game. Loved being able to traverse all over the Kanto region, catch different Pokemon, evolve them, unlock the mysterious behind certain areas and try to collect all the gym badges. I had all 3 Legendary birds and Mewtwo as well. 

With the games and anime series out on American shores, of course the trading card game was next. I was not big into playing card games (and to this day- still not a big fan). Only card games I play are either Cards Against Humanity or UNO. I collected the Pokemon cards to just collect them. I still have them- somewhere. In a closet, in a box...somewhere. 

Promotions were also a big thing. In honor of the series in general- Pokemon teamed up with KFC here in the states. Oh yeah, Pokemon and fried chicken. Odd combination but whatever. Needless to say, I had an entire set of the KFC plushies. Still do, found them not too long ago! For the first movie release, Burger King had kids meals and 23K Gold plated Pokemon Cards in collectable Pokeballs. Still have all of those and the infamous Pokeballs that the toys came in. The same Pokeballs that were recalled because some stupid parent was not watching their toddler and the toddler ended up suffocating itself with it. WATCH YOUR DAMN KIDS PEOPLE! The damn toy wasn’t even for that age group. I sure as HELL was not surrendering all those hard earned Pokeballs just to have them thrown away. Nope. Nope. Nope. Plus, I wasn’t stupid enough to stick things in my mouth that shouldn’t have been in my mouth. Needless to say, all the Burger King kids meal toys are still inside those plastic Pokeballs. 

This was around the time of the first movie release- which I already went into quite a long musing about already. In fact that was the very first musing of an otaku that I posted. I will not go into it again. I am moving on.

In fact I am jumping forward to the N64 era and the release of the Pokemon Snap N64 game. My sister and I got the N64 bundle that game with an Atomic Purple controller and the Pokemon Snap game. Yes, we were a little late to the N64 party. I believe we spent an entire week playing that game and then never picked it up again. The concept was awesome. Take photographs of various Pokemon in different environments. Valleys, forests, rivers, caves, etc. Simple enough. Use food to lure Pokemon out of hiding and snap pictures. The best pictures were sent off to the Professor. Okay, sure. It sounded like it was going to be an awesome game. Not so much. It was a rail-shooter. I absolutely HATE rail-shooters. I HATE being stuck on a predetermined path. I like to explore! I like going into every single nook and cranny of an area. This is why the game only kept my attention for a week. 

The newest trailer for the New Pokemon Snap for the Nintendo Switch was just revealed. I had so much hope and hype for this new version. I wanted it to be an open-world environment. I wanted to be able to walk around, maybe sneak up on Pokemon and snap pictures of them in the wild. Kinda like, how you would have to take pictures of animals and birds in the wild in real life. Being able to hide in grass or behind a tree or even in a tree to snap some pictures. You could crawl around in the environment and try hard not to make any noise at all to scare off the Pokemon. Weather patterns could play a role and could change with each play through. Different weather could trigger different Pokemon. What about seasons? I’m sure you would see different Pokemon during the fall then you would the spring. You could still use food to lure Pokemon out. Maybe have a town or village to go back to and have side-quests where people ask you to collect photographs of a certain Pokemon they are looking for or sell photographs to newspapers or whatever. Well, after watching the trailer- that dream and hope got shot in the ass. I saw the vehicle and got disappointed. Once again it will be a rail-shooter. Same concept as the original N64 version. Not an open world. *sighs* I understand having an open world environment can be a resource hog, but I think it would make the game even better. Kinda put a new spin on things. Make people want to stay interested in the game and play it longer then say...a week. 

Granted, I am just basing this judgement on what can be seen throughout the trailer. I was not impressed with this trailer at all. The game isn’t even out yet. It will not be out until March of this year. In a couple months. Will my thoughts and opinions stay the same after it is released? Will it change? Who knows. I enjoyed the Resident Evil Village Showcase preview trailer 100x more than I did this Pokemon Snap trailer. In fact, it is also the 25th Anniversary for this series as well. Possible muse coming later (maybe after the RE8 showcase on the 21st). 

With Pokemon still going strong, it will be safe to say that it will be around for another 25 years! Stay strong Pokemon fans and trainers!

[ladywhaiyvern]

Musings of An Otaku #7- Of Machine Animals and Relics of Old Ones

Ever since life took its course a few years ago, I stepped away from the video game scene to spend time with family. Back and forth hospital trips and long days of surgery among the other stressors of just being in a busy hospital environment would have been a great excuse to lose myself in a game. But for some reason, I just could not for the life of me sit down long enough to get into any games. Mobile games hardly counted in my book. If that was the case then the only “game” I played during that time frame was “Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.” Hell, that’s the only mobile game I still play now. Religiously. Every day. Do dailies on Pocket Camp and then switch over to New Horizons and do my dailies there. Shit, I wish some of the items they offer in PC were available in NH! I digress. At this point, I had not sat down with say one of the next generation consoles at the time and played a newly released game. 

I guess I am trying to make up for lost playing time now as we are in the middle of pandemic. Limiting the time out in public to essential trips only. No eating out as much as I used to. What better way to pass the time, then catch up on games that I wanted to play but never got around to. Lord knows I have all of them purchased. Just haven’t played a single one yet. Then again, this goes for anything. I still have a very large pile of Anime blu-rays and dvds sitting around that I haven’t touched. Manga on shelves yet to be cracked into. I am working on getting through my Dragonlance books though! Just started book 2 of the Elven Exiles. Things are not looking good for the elves at all. ANYWHO!

Horizon: Zero Dawn. A game I remember seeing trailers and game footage for when it was in development back in the day. I was interested in it then, but then things had happened in life (as I have said). Started picking my way through it early last year. It was different, interesting. Your typical open-world action RPG. Beautiful graphics and landscapes. Didn’t think too much about it as I set it aside for a little while and then came back to it full force. Aloy did not draw me into the world, as much as the lore did. I wanted to find out what the hell happened to the world and why these animal shaped machines were so hell bent on killing everyone. I liked the look of these animal machines. Come on, I absolutely love Power Rangers and the seasons that used animal motifs (or mystical creatures). So, mechanical beasts were nothing new to me. They just were not sentient and hellbent on destruction. I mean, one can argue for a few seasons about it but I’m not here to discuss and argue Power Rangers. This is about Horizon: Zero Dawn. 

I do not recall how many hours I spent going through the main scenario of the game (as I did spend A LOT of that time hiding and planning ambushes on machines). And, well I am the type to go through the entire friggen map and get every single item and complete every quest. Okay, maybe not EVERY quest. I still have the hunting ground trials to do but I’m not really concerned with those as I am getting all the metal flowers, and ancient vessels. What can I say?! I laughed at the recommended level you had to be for the final showdown. I was way over that….and I mean…..wwwwwwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaayyyyy over that. I had the nice ancient amour as well. The one where you had to go around and get the power cells to open up the bunker. The one that has the nice shield factor. Yeah, I liked that. I liked many of the outfits with the added bits and bobs of machines and wiring. It was different and yet still very tribal looking. I also enjoyed the tribal aesthetic. We, as humans went back to the typical hunter/gathering tribal lifestyle after Zero Dawn. Nice to see the different kinships emerge. All the old memories of my cultural anthropology and archeology classes came flooding back which was not bad at all! 

I completed the main scenario the other day and WOW! Overall, that was a damn good game. While I did not connect with Aloy at the start of the game, I did become interested in her side of the story. I mean, seriously she was one of the only people that could unlock things with her genetic connection. The basis of how the world came to be destroyed and basically overthrown by these animal machines is a little on the scary side. We are becoming more and more reliant on technology. And that technology is slowly becoming more and more self aware and sentient. Everything is going that way. Look at our security systems, look at the smart houses, our cars, our smartphones, our smart watches. Machines that help us with cleaning and cooking are completely different then what I grew up with. Machines implanted into the body to help extend someone's life! I saw this first hand with my father and his LVAD (left ventricle assist device). Technology is both amazing and scary at the same time. It can be used for both the good and the bad. Dark and light. Shadow and sun. 

 Shit, I read an article the other day that both China and France are looking to create their own mobile military with biologically engineered supersoldiers. Taken from the New York Post’s article: “The French seek to improve “physical, cognitive, perceptive and psychological capacities,” and could allow for location tracking or connectivity with weapons systems and other soldiers.” https://nypost.com/2020/12/19/france-china-developing-biologically-engineered-super-soldiers/

 And that, my friends, is how the basis of Horizon: Zero Dawn started. No joke, machines built for warfare that went rogue and self-replicated by the use of absorbing plantlife, animal life and human life. Drained the Earth of its resources and caused “Zero Dawn” to be implemented. The basis for these “super soldiers” and “machine warfare” is nothing new to the Sci-fi genre. I mean, it’s been used in many many movie plots, video games, television, anime, manga, comic books and novels. It’s just scary to think that something like this could actually happen. It is not as far fetched as we think. Yes, many of these forms of entertainment have one more aspect going for them that we currently do not. Space travel. Another living planet humans live on. But the overall thought of some rogue machines being capable of self-replication and eradicating human life is still scary. And with any technological form- you know there will be some people who will be dead set on hacking these machines. I mean, even Aloy is hacking the machines to get them onto her side. Which, if you have not overridden one of the bigger machines in the game- it is so worth it! Love just sitting back and watching the machines fight each other! We are not that far from a Cyberpunk dystopian future. Hack the planet! 

I am moving into the DLC of the Frozen Wilds and am pretty close to being done with that as well. As I am enjoying it as I get to play more in this world and explore areas that are new, I am also a little on the disappointed side. I was hoping to learn more about the previous world and it’s demise. Granted, I am not done with the Frozen Wilds. I am in the process of traveling to the Thunderdrum- so I am hoping that will shed some light on these “demonic” machines and maybe expand the lore some more. I am done with the majority of the side quests and gathering the pigments, animal figures, and blue gleam. 

I am really glad that I finally decided to sit down and give this game a try since it’s been on my “to play” list for a few years now. I enjoyed the overall story and despite me not being one to enjoy a whole lot of stealth play- I did enjoy this one. I can definitely see how they set the series up for a sequel. I’m excited to learn exactly where we shall be going in the second game.

[ladywhaiyvern]

Musings of An Otaku #6- Worldly Potato Chips

This won’t be a typical musing from a form of entertainment. Not a video game, not an anime, not a manga, etc. Nope. Deals with food! My favorite type of snack food! Potato chips or crisps. Doesn’t matter what you call them- they can be delicious. 

Now here in the States (especially the midwest and the actual mitten-shaped state) we seem to have the same consensus on what a potato chip is. Thin, deep fried potato usually seasoned with salt or some sort of other flavoring. BBQ flavors- sure! Ranch flavor- why not! Salt and vinegar- yum! Cheddar and sour cream- oh yeah! Sour Cream and Onion- Yuppers! Even bizarre flavors have popped up- dill pickle, chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy. Not my cup of tea for chip flavors but to each his own. Some are wavy, others are not. Some have ruffles….which is just a fancy way of saying wavy. All of which are typically pretty darn grease-laden and leave your hands with the slippy feeling, glossy sheen of whatever oil they fried them in, topped with a layer of powdered flavoring. 

This is the one thing that I absolutely hate about American potato chips. Why so greasy? I shouldn’t set down a single chip on a napkin or paper towel- walk away for less than a minute, come back and see said napkin or towel with a large greasy spot forming under the chip. Shit, I’m pretty sure if I set up a time lapse video- one could prolly watch it slowly extend its way outward. This would be like watching paint dry or grass grow. Pointless and a time-waster. 

Sure, we have the different cooked styles like the baked chips and the kettle cooked chips that do not leave your hands feeling this disgusting after consuming and come in some of the same said flavors as regular chips. But a damn baked chip tastes more like a baked corn chip then a potato chip. Yeah, they are healthier but it sometimes feels like I’m biting into a small piece of cardboard enhanced with flavoring. I don’t think the kettle chips are healthier by any means but what do I know. I’m no potato chip scientist. Just an enthusiast. They are on the more crunchier side and tend to have a shit ton more “fold-over” chips in the midst. IMHO, those are the best chips! Still a little on the oily side but definitely NOT as grease-laden as regular potato chips. 

It all depends on the brand as well. Big name brands like Lay’s are notorious for being greasy as all get out. Store brands like Kroger, Meijer, etc. are just as bad. Better Made and other local Michigan chip makers (as there are quite a few of them now) vary in between being mildly oil covered to not even having a single drop on them. How do they make that even possible and why can't big name chip makers go that route?

For the past 6 months, I have been receiving the snack-food subscription box from Universal Yums. OMFG! Both the best and worst decision ever! Monthly subscription box sent to your door filled with snack goodies from different countries from around the world. Now you damn well know the Cultural Anthropologist in me is jumping up and down like a giddy child on Christmas morning. It’s like playing “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?”, only instead of following Carmen around the world to catch her, you're following a trail of snack foods to the country they are from. “Where in the World is Universal Yum?” Hmm…...I’ve got connections to Rockapella….maybe they can give a new jingle! LOL!

Also, during these same said months I have also been part of another snack-food subscription box. Japan Crate. This one- only hailing from Japan…...obviously. This one is typically filled with Japanese snack goodies ranging from salty to sweet. Usually more of the sweeter items then salty. Which disappoints me to no end because I absolutely love salty snacks more than I do sweet. And being an otaku since the late-90’s, I have already tasted and tried a good majority of these sweets. Thank you, local Asain markets and the long gone Anime store here in Michigan- Wizzywigs. Shit now you can walk into brick and mortar stores and pick up a box of Pocky and bottle of ramune. Now….do not even get me started on this American ramune that you can purchase from Meijer or even GameStop. It’s obviously bottled and manufactured here and not imported. It sure as hell does not taste the same and have that same satisfying fizz and flavor as ones I have drank years upon years ago. BUT! This is about potato chips and not Japanese sweets and drinks. These boxes will sometimes feature a bag of flavored chips. One said box contained a bag of sour cream and onion chips.

In all seriousness- well about as serious as a musing on a snack food can get; almost every single month I have gotten said potato crisps/chips from said different countries. England, Scotland, Egypt, Russia, Columbia, Italy, Taiwan. And each one, no matter what country or what flavor- all have the same consistency. They sure as hell are not thin ass pieces of paper like what you get here. It’s got some bulk to it! It’s crunchy. It’s crispy. IT”S NOT FULL OF GREASE!! It gives you that satisfying crunch when you bite into it. Like how a chip is supposed to taste and feel as you bite into it. 

Your lips lightly graze the surface of the chip and do not become painted in oily dissatisfaction. Your lips thank you as you start to taste the seasoning mixed with an actual hint of potato. Your fingers are surprisingly dry after you eat the rest of the chip. Yes, you still notice flavoring powder left over on said fingertips but you sure as hell don’t feel guilty licking that off. As you reach your hand into the bag to grab another handful, you can actually grasp chips and hold onto them. You're not fishing your hand around inside the bag trying to pick up a handful of what feels like wet moving chips. Another thing that is worth mentioning, is that you do not feel an oily, greasy feeling on the tops of your fingers or hand after it scrapes across the sides of the bag when entering and exiting. 

How are all these chip/crisp manufacturing places around the world able to accomplish this task? And yet, here in the good ol’ United States- we are still stuck on selling this crap. This super greasy, super oil laden thin ass fake tasting snack food. Why do we have to pay more for said snack food to not be this way? Why the hell do we have to import them from other countries to have them taste better (in most cases) then what is purchased here? Yes, I have tried some not too flavorful crisps. Haggis and Black Pepper?! Black Truffle Flavor? Not my cup of tea at all. But you know what it did have regardless. That thick ass crisp with a satisfying crunch. 

I honestly think after trying crisps from all over the world, I have become a bonafide chip snob. The more chips that I encounter from different regions of the world, the more and more I am disliking the chips here in America. But this is AMERICA!! They have to be good! Whatever- as someone who was born and raised here and grew up eating the chips sold here I can honestly say that America- your chips suck ass! Sorry, not sorry at all! 

[ladywhaiyvern]

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! December 2020 Universal Yums Holiday Edition!

My gift to everyone- the Holiday Universal Yums unboxing! Enjoy, stay safe and have fun!

[ladywhaiyvern]

Musings of An Otaku #5- SUPER SENTAI WTF RANGER?!?!?

WHAT IN THE FUCKERY IS THIS NEW SENTAI!?!?! I can understand that it’s an anniversary series and wanting to pay homage to the previous anniversary series- but they can do that in other ways. Kinda like what they did in Gokaiger, that was epic as hell! Is this going to be a serious series? Action packed series? Or is this going to be a comical series? Cause if they are going for a parody series (like they tried with CarRanger) then I’m very very very worried for the future of Sentai. 

Sentai metals?!?! Are the Ranger Keys now obsolete? Obviously they need a gimmick for the toys and that will be metals. So, does this mean Kamen Rider OOO’s can use these metals to make even more combos?!?!? I mean even the little belt buckle looks kinda like the metal holder from OOO’s.

 The suits are basically mini-mechas!!! If those even are the suits. The head of each Ranger is literally an updated looking mecha head from a previous anniversary series! OMFG! It’s creepy. NO! Are these actual suits or power up’s? If it’s a power up- I can deal with it. If done right- it would not be bad and kinda interesting. But if it’s the actual suit- what…...the…….actual FUCK are they thinking? 

I know the one front and center is supposed to be a mixture of Big One and AkaRed. It almost looks like all the Kamen Riders had a drunken orgy with Super Sentai and this was the end result!!! Is the only human character going to be the White Ranger and the rest of the team be sort of sentient A.I. mechas?!

Here’s my breakdown of each color and interpretation for each!

For Red, it very obviously has a DaiZyuJin head. However, ZyuRanger was not an anniversary series. It was the 16th installment. Is this just representing the anniversary of having the first dinosaur motif?  Looks to have a dinosaur head on the chest- very obviously a T-Rex. I am thinking this just a general representation of all the series that used dinosaurs as a theme.

Yellow is obviously the head from GaoKing of GaoRanger. Which is an anniversary series. The 25th. This isn’t the first series to use Animals as a motif as that went to SunVulcan. It’s obviously not based on the mecha from SunVulcan. Liveman, or Jetmen as those have more of a robotic looking head then an animal one. It’s obviously not from KakuRanger cause both those heads were in the shape of the crane and easily defined. It has a giant cat head on the chest. It could be a lion as in GaoLion but to me it doesn’t scream lion. It “could” be a panther, as the panther was the first big cat used in an animal theme. It was the animal motif for VulPanther in SunVulcan. I could be thinking about this one a little too much. I am thinking that this is also a general representation for all the series that have used any animal in them as a theme.

Pink is very obviously the head from MagiKing from MagiRanger. But once again, MagiRanger is not an anniversary series. Are those fairy wings on her side or is it supposed to be some form of a cape? It’s not bird related cause those would fall under the animal category. The stylized “M” on the chest also screams MagiRanger. If you think about it, only one series has revolved around a magical theme. There have been magical legendary beasts from mythology as seen in Changeman, DaiRanger and Gingamen. Even though one can argue that Gingamen could be an animal theme as well. It features both animals and mystical creatures. OhRanger can fall into this category as it features motifs from ancient civilizations. I am thinking that it has to be representing all the series that use some sort of mystical, magical, mythological aspect as a theme. 

Blue has the vehicle look to it. The head looks like a mash up of RV Robo from CarRanger (which is an anniversary series) and TurboRobo from TurboRanger (as that was the first ever Sentai to feature the car theme). It is obviously representing all the vehicle based series- Boukenger, GoGoV (to name a few). Go-onger is clearly a vehicle based series but in the same breath could also be lumped into the animal series as each Engine Partner is based on an animal.

But that leaves one large lump of series that have a mish-mash of different motifs. Is this what the White Ranger represents? Are they even supposed to be the 5th Ranger? One can plainly see that from the bug eyes, it represents GoRanger (the very first Super Sentai). However, in the same breath the colored stripes going down the chest armor and suit- are reminiscent of Big One from J.A.Q.K (the second Sentai Series). 45 is plastered in the center of the helmet- between the Kamen Rider looking antennae. I know it’s supposed to look like the roman numeral 5, as in a “V” but to me it looks very Kamen Rider-esq. Does this mean all the Ninja, Samurai, Alien, Angels, Androids, Technological Based, Police, Thief, etc. fall into this and this Ranger represents these types of series. 

Are we not going to have actual mecha’s this upcoming season? Or are they going to be hack-jobs of various pieces from older series? Are these robo-rangers going to just grow giant size and fight the bad guys that way?

I have so many questions about this series. We will have to wait for more information to be released though for any of them to be answered.

[ladywhaiyvern]

Musings of An Otaku #4- Of Dumplings and Mushrooms! DOROHEDORO

“What did the guy in my mouth say?”

Stumbled upon this title back when Borders was still around. My husband showed it to me. It was different to say the least. The artwork and the story. At that point, I had only read the first volume and kinda forgot about it as the years went on. It was one of those, I will check the rest out but never got around to it. Fast forward to hearing about Netflix acquiring the license to release the anime. It was one of those moments you have where you are like, OH HOLY CRAP! I totally forgot about that series! DUDE!! They're finally making an anime for it! Sweet!!!! Finally! But at that same moment, it was also….oh shit how the hell are they going to accomplish the animation style. The manga had such an interesting and different look that may not translate over well to an animation style.

Needless to say, we binged watched the entire first season and both enjoyed it. I really enjoyed that they kept the similar bizarre look from the manga. It was edgy. It wasn’t clean, it wasn’t crisp. As someone who loves watching the classic older anime titles, this was a welcome difference then what you see from new titles today. I hate to say it, but all modern looking anime almost looks the same to me. Give me something that looks different! Give me the strange, the bizarre, the odd! I don’t like cookie-cutter things! No copy and paste! This was a breath of fresh air to me! It was nice and gory as well. So, it’s not really for the faint of heart. But if you enjoy some nice gruesome bloody bits with some humor thrown in- check it out.

Seriously though, the series was fun to watch. The visuals did get trippy, especially the opening and some of the endings. Speaking of those opening and endings- those we pretty darn enjoyable as well. A couple of them are on the line of- I can listen to them over and over and not get tired of them. Definitely not the typical idol pop that some series go with. Give them a listen! I’m sure they are out there on the interwebs somewhere. Everything is! Or just watch the series. It’s on Netflix.

I don’t want to get into the storyline too much as I have only seen the anime and read the first volume of the manga.  I’m not sure if it is one of those that follow the manga to a “T” or if it deviates. Plus, I don’t want to spoil anything. I am really hoping that this will get a 2nd season and won’t be dropped like many Netflix titles. 

I did find myself wanting gyoza while watching. Lots and lots of gyoza! Cause...well yeah Caiman’s gyoza obsession. So….if you are someone who likes gyoza and get cravings for specific food while watching something; you may want to have some handy. Also, mushrooms. So be prepared for lots and lots and LOTS of phallic fungi! So if you have some kinda strange phobia of mushrooms and/or phallic looking things in general- this is not for you. At all. Then again, if you have no sense of enjoying something different, then this is not for you either. Highly recommended for those that enjoy something different, something dark, something gritty, something odd, something bizarre, something out of the ordinary, something just plain strange.

Definitely want to pick up the manga volumes and compare them both. Now go enjoy some dumplings or mushrooms if that is your thing. Sit your butt down and binge-watch season one!