#Dragon Con 2013

[warpedwings]

Misha Collins - In Plaid

📷: [1] KitKat [4] Larissa [5] DTimes [6] Kreespa [8] JFer

[2010s-nostalgia]

[ladyjmontilyet]

this is the first time i agree with the "bioware is dead" comments

i don't care about anyone they've kept to work on mass effect really

Trick wrote the bulk of Lair of the Shadow Broker and Citadel DLCs and also wrote Mordin in ME3. Their first writer job was 20 years ago on ME1.

so, to me, not hiring them to work on the next Mass Effect makes absolutely no sense

they've also fired Trick's wife, Karin Weekes. they have children and I remember Trick complaining about the high cost of childcare in Canada before.

Trick has a "Dungeons & Dragons"-style trilogy of books that I recommend purchasing if you want to give back to a dev and author who has given us so many good memories.

The book series is called "Rogues of the Republic" and should be read in this order:

The Palace Job (2013)

The Prophecy Con (2014)

The Paladin Caper (2015)

buy from your local bookstore if possible. get them on loan from your local library if you want to read them without paying (that's how I first experienced them).

[captain-ghost]

Falling down the rabbit hole of Torchwood panels up on YouTube (as I so often find myself doing), here lies the highlights of Dragon Con in 2013 with James Marsters, Gareth David-Lloyd, and Eve Myles. A trio to behold. Truly.

(Captions by meeeee)

Full panel here, if you fancy watching it xoxo

[jakowskis]

torchwood resources

just some stuff i've accumulated during this fixation :) hope it proves handy :D

ianto's-desktop (livejournal) - archived most of the things found on the torchwood website during season 1 and season 2; the only thing missing is the videos. / note: click the headers of the posts to see the full thing, or some stuff with appear incomplete. took me a sec to figure out, lol

speaking of the website...

season 1 website (archive.org)

season 2 website (archive.org) - unlike the s1 website, the bulk of the s2 site's content is pretty inaccessible through the wayback machine (at least for me; maybe i'm doing something wrong), so thank g-d for ianto's desktop

there's also a good amount of rebloggable site content in this person's tumblr tag.

season 1 declassified (youtube)

season 2 declassified (youtube)

season 1 commentaries (mega.nz)

torchwood books (google drive) - gonna be honest, i haven't tried to download any of these myself

border princes audiobook (read by eve) + all of the radio plays (archive.org)

torchwood magazines (beta.reddit) - download links for all of them! p fuckin kewl

torchwood official yearbook (archive.org)

herecomesthedrums (youtube) - account that started posting before the show came out and is chock full of promos, trailers, interviews... some real fun goodies in there

torchwood: up close (youtube) - handful of bts videos with the cast + crew

season 1 unreleased tracks (soundcloud) - the end of days ones hrhghgh

out of time unreleased tracks (soundcloud) - i absolutely adore the music in this ep so i was so happy when i found these

the torchwood fanpop - this has sooooooo much content like i scrolled for a loooooong time and never reached the bottom. lotta stuff i hadn't seen before, too. there's fun hd promo pics, pics of the cast, and a lot of extremely early 2010s edits, graphics, and fanvids. / note: i also had this page bookmarked + it's got different content than the main page so i'll link it

aaand under the cut i'm gonna dump some silly stuff i've collected of the cast. but yeah, there ya go :-)

gally 2015: zip files of someone's pictures of eve, naoko, and burn (livejournal)

gally 2015: someone's account of the torchwood panels + meeting the cast (everyone was there but gareth!) - naoko & burn's solo panels / autograph table chats + barrowman photo-op + the naoko&burn&eve group panel / barrowman solo panel + burn&eve joint panel

dragon con 2013 (flickr) - i found two albums: this one, and this one, which has torchwood cast images on the first and second pages.

burn at chicago tardis 2012 (flickr) - ehehe 2012-2013 burn gorman w his classy little outfits my beloved. this is just hq pictures of that event. burn's in a bunch at the top and some at the end of the second page

the hub 2009 (flickr) - some kind of torchwood event. gareth, burn, eve, kai, and tom are all there. i dunno

hvff 2018: 'insights from the whole cast'

hvff 2018: video of everybody goofing off (twitter)

gareth endorsing owandy teehee (twitter) - this is getting dumped here bc im gay

sigh. (blogspot) - pics from that one fuckin 08 panel where gareth & john made out like 5 times + gareth took his jeans off for some reason. i don't even go here but i feel like this is unfortunately historically relevant. also the fujoshis in the comments are really funny

incomplete but sizable lists of cons gareth's been to and john's been to, in case anyone wants to dig around for photos/footage of any of these. the other cast members (excluding burn, for some reason) all have pages on this site as well, but theirs are super incomplete so i won't bother linking

[pkatesss]

HTTYD LA first thoughts

SPOILERS

It’s so weird to be here now, returning to this world as an adult when this blog was started in 2013 to blog about HTTYD. Crazy…

Anyway.

I actually liked it. No really, I had a blast and you could tell everyone involved loves the original and wants to do their best by it. Even if not every new idea worked it was great to see enthusiasm. So here’s a pro’s and cons list.

Pros:

Mason Thames as Hiccup.

Now this was a hard sell for me at first. How was this tall, conventionally attractive young man going to sell playing a small, lonely, outcast? But alas after his fist scene with Stoick I was like “okay… he’s sold me”. Hiccup in this one is more angsty more sad and beaten down by life. Every interaction he has with Stoick feels like a new knife in his chest. I love it. And when he’s with Toothless you see this sad kid come to life again, showing how much meaning Toothless brings.

Gerald Butler as Stoick.

We knew he was going to slay and slay he did.

Hiccup as the heir is bought up.

For some reason Hiccup as the heir is never bought up in the original but it is here!

Multiple Valka references

What happened to Valka is consequential to both Hiccup and Stoick in this film. Hiccup brings up the dragons taking his mother when Astrid tries to remind them of all the dragons have taken from them. And Valka being killed by dragons also comes up in Hiccup and Stoicks confrontation, Stoick also uses her memory to shame him. Great way to amp up the stakes.

Music

John Powell can do no wrong

Scope:

This was made for a big screen. Flying scenes, massive dragons

Cons:

Toothless and dragons:

I kept forgetting that Toothless was in this movie until he came up on screen. I couldn’t get as invested in the friendship or the stakes of the conflict, and I blame the cgi. It’s really hard for me to buy that the humans and the dragons are existing in the same world.

Costumes:

Sometimes the clothes looked less like clothes and more like costumes.

Astrid:

In the original Astrid is a gritty angry teenager with a MASSIVE chip on her shoulder, she’s the symbol of the damage the adults war is doing on the kids. You get the sense that she’s lonely and in the beginning she only meets Hiccup with disregard.

This Astrid is a polished girlboss who treats Hiccup with disgust for being a nepo baby and is given one of his key moments.

Original Astrid was extremely emotive, this Astrid was pretty monotone and had about 5 facial expressions.

I really don’t want to blame Nico Parker too much because that poor girls has had to suffer so much awful vitriol. And I really think that this might have been a case of Dean trying to fix a problem that wasn’t there. Some people incorrectly assume that Astrid in the original was only a romantic interest and perhaps he wanted to make her more obviously ambitious and badass but it falls flat and misses the point on what made Astrid relatable to girls in the first one.

No “Not so Fireproof” scene

For some reason this scene is taken out. Which is weird because it’s here where Hiccup is given the information to kill the Red Death.

[quasi-normalcy]

When it comes right down to it, the root of this constant argument is simple: people want the outlaw of Sherwood Forest to belong to them, to their own ideologies. Following Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood, there were arguments that this pseudo-historical Robin would have been a member of the Tea Party (Jared Keller, 2010), or that he was clearly a libertarian (Maura Pennington, 2012). During the era of McCarthyism, Robin Hood was banned from textbooks (Alison Kysia, 2013) in the United States for “promoting communism” with its rob-from-the-rich-give-to-the-poor schtick. If you were to ask me over friendly pints at a bar, I’d tell you without hesitation that Robin Hood and the Merry Men in Sherwood Forest are a gay socialist utopia that the world needs to embrace. But none of these interpretations can encompass the entirety of the legend. It is simply too vast and too long-lived. But this is the story we are most likely to recognize: The good king is away, and his little brother was left to rule in his place. The prince is an idiot and he surrounds himself with monstrous men, and he demands everything of his people. He taxes his citizenry bare and tells them that it is good for them. He sits on their gold like a great dragon and portends to virtue while they starve. He ignores their pleas for help and acts surprised when there is unrest in his country. Never fear! Everything will be all right, because a dispossessed nobleman is here to stop the prince and his lackeys! He even has friends to aid him in this national hour of need; they live secretly in Sherwood Forest and they rob from the rich and give to the poor. The tendency to portray Robin Hood as a nobleman who robs from people just like him—it smudges the image up, like grit on a lens. The very idea has a disingenuous sheen to it, or worse, a heavy aura of wishing thinking: Wouldn’t it be great if there was one super nice wealthy person who would make the rest of the wealthy people hand over their money and take care of the poor and needy around them? Wouldn’t it be even greater if he could alleviate them of said wealth in a comical fashion so that the concept of class warfare and potential revolution didn’t seem nearly so serious? Hollywood is failing us, and so are a multitude of current adaptations. It’s akin to making every female Disney lead a princess; every Robin Hood must come with a title and a patch of land that a mean sheriff or haughty prince can commandeer. It’s lazy storytelling, and worse for the fact that it has nothing to do with origin of the figure.

[frakyeahbattlestargalactica]

Dragon Con 2013

[alviskisser]

List of online people I rlly miss and it’s bc I cut ties bc I was (and am) maladjusted

Katarina league of legends roleplayer circa 2015, I was lux. I remember him being Irish irl and rping lux and kat smuggling each other into noxus/Demacia and showing each other childhood spots (I remember one of lux’s tour spots was a favorite ice cream shop).

J4 roleplayer from around the same time, we were married and I don’t remember if it got creepy or smth (I was 17 and kinda repulsed by smut rp but I did it to try to look grown-) but I associate j4 with positive emotions bc of you

Someone with astora (?) in their url around 2016 when I was into mtg and went by jace. Loved dark souls and the sun, helped me through a lot of shit and felt drawn to a poem about being the sun, blog header was a line from that poem

Someone I met on msparp named aster/sterling that rped meulin and I was nepeta. This had to have been in 2014/15. Tried to be polyam with him and felt too weird to stay in touch when I got cold feet.

Hawkeye rper on gaiaonline who rped with me as Loki in 2013(?) who I feel may have killed herself but I was genuinely in love with her and she introduced me to Lana del Rey (dark paradise was the most memorable song you sent me)

Person I met at a con in South Carolina in 2013 whose email and tumblr account were the same, disappeared off the face of the earth after being grounded or smth, had abiogenesis in their url and I think was from out of town, I was nepeta with blonde hair

Lots of people from a league kin server in 2021 including a pyke, a mordekaiser, and a Leona

Guy on tinierme forums in 2011 named pink Alex who talked to me a lot , had a hetalia themed account bc of course I did it was 2011

Homestuck rpers on gaiaonline, 2012, one was a kanaya I felt like was an older sister to me, a gamzee ? Two gamzees? That called me neppy. I’ve been in touch recently but not very recently, i don’t know I had a huge bad habit of cutting contact a lot and I wish I had you guys in my life still

2012 gaia shit again but a furry snow leopard who interacted with me as nepeta who helped me through a nasty situation and I had fanart of our avatars in my old deviantart. Made a nightvale theme for me (?)

A mutual on an old account when my url was xiiiroxas or xiii-roxas I had the phone number of that I called riku. I remember the url but don’t want to list it but it had stopbreakingmy in it. I remember texting you on the way home from a concert on southern backroads about seeing so many deer!

Kik messenger friend who rped Axel and rlly liked joshneku, had nekomata in their name? Bought me an arpacaso when I was scared of my parents knowing I gave out my address so you shipped it to my (at the time) bfs house. It was pink and had lace on it iirc!

Edea person who crocheted and loved Etrian Odyssey and also had me on kik I was lowkey in love with you but didn’t know how to communicate that. You made me a crochet dragon scale dice bag to give to my (at the time) bf for Christmas? Anniversary? Birthday? Idr exactly. 2016-ish

Probably others

[no6secretsanta]

The Siren

For: @dragons-of-ara From: @a-still-small-vox

Author's note: Happy holidays! Your request for a fantasy AU with Nezumi's singing immediately made me think of sirens for some reason (...the mythical creature, not, you know, loud warning noises), and I decided to go with my first instinct. The song lyrics at the end are from The Riversitter, which is Vienna Teng's newest single. A Vienna Teng AMV got me into No. 6 in the first place, way back in 2013 or 2014, so to me it was very fitting. I hope you enjoy!

General Audiences • No warnings • 2,500 words • Fluff • Alternate Universe • First meetings

(This story will be posted on my AO3 account by December 29th if you'd like to read it there.)

___

“Take the ship around to the cove. If I don’t come back in three days, assume I either drowned or I decided to stay here for a while,” Shion said, neatly folding his last shirt and tucking it on top of his pack, then closing the bag.

“Are you sure about this, Captain Shion?” asked Safu, the sailing ship’s navigator and first mate.

“I know it seems strange, but yes,” Shion said, putting the bag on his back. “Don’t worry about me, Safu. This is my choice.”

“Yes, Captain,” Safu said as they made their way through the ship to reach the deck. Once there, Shion prepared a rowboat and retrieved a ball of beeswax from his pockets. He divided it in two and carefully moulded each half over the outsides of his ears. Soon he could no longer hear the slap of the waves against the hull of the ship, or the creak of the wind in the rigging. Perfect.

“You have the con, First Mate Safu. Be well,” Shion said. She raised a hand to him in farewell and he hopped into the rowboat. She winched him down to the water below. Shion spared a backward glance for the ship as he rowed away. It had been his pride and joy, and the crew were all good people. But he had sort of mislead Safu a little — he had no intention of ever seeing it again.

Shion was less than half a mile from his destination, and he was a strong rower. He insisted on staying fit so he could lend a hand with any emergency situations on board the ship, such as a storm, a pirate encounter, or even a wreck. The coastline grew larger as he approached the rocky shore. And it was then that he saw him.

The siren.

The siren appeared to be a man around Shion’s age. He had moon-pale skin and long, glossy blue-black hair that hung down his back like an inky curtain. He wore a jagged skirt made of dark seaweed and a trailing necklace of pearls that reached almost to his waist. But from the waist down he was covered in silvery scales, with clawed feet similar to those of a bird, but with webbing between the toes. He had sheer silvery fins on the backs of his legs and arms. Shion had never gotten close enough to confirm it, but he imagined the siren had sharp teeth and maybe even claws on his fingers. Sirens were said to be incredibly dangerous creatures, who used their magical voices to lure sailors to their deaths and then eat them or rob their corpses. Or both.

But to Shion, the siren was a beautiful, fascinating creature, and he was determined to meet him.

As he got closer he saw that the siren was singing! Shion rowed harder, although he was mindful of the rocks as he manoeuvred into shallower water. Once he got close to the shore he hopped out of the boat, neatly arranged the oars inside, and dragged it up onto the sand. He turned and faced the siren, who was still singing at him. His teeth were pointy! From the looks of it, it was quite a performance. Shion was sad that he couldn’t hear a thing, but he also knew better than to remove the beeswax.

Instead he just sat down on the sand and waited until the siren’s face crumpled in confusion. He closed his mouth and tilted his head. Shion noticed that his eyes were the same beautiful silvery colour as his scaled legs. He had never seen a colour like that before in anyone else’s eyes.

Now the siren was saying something. His mouth was moving differently than it had when he was singing, less exaggerated to let pure, round sounds out.

“I can’t hear you,” Shion said, pointing at his ears.

The siren said one word. Shion guessed that it was “What?” but it could have been any number of other things. A special siren insult, or something.

“I can’t hear you,” Shion repeated. “Don’t sing at me anymore, and I’ll take this out.”

The siren looked incredibly offended. He scowled, folding his arms across his chest. Shion noted with a scientist’s glee that his fins were fluttering with agitation. But since his mouth wasn’t moving, Shion cautiously rolled the wax down from the outside of his ears.

The sounds of the waves crashing on the shore and a gull crying overhead reached his hearing. But the siren was silent.

“Thanks, that’s better. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Shion,” Shion said, putting the wax back in his pocket.

The siren scowled. “If you couldn’t hear me, why did you come here?” His voice, even when speaking, was beautiful and musical. It was a light, cool voice, with a certain androgyny to it. Shion imagined that his range was incredible.

“I wanted to meet you,” Shion explained, crossing his legs.

“Aren’t you afraid I’m going to eat you?” the siren said, leaning towards him menacingly.

“I did consider that could be a possibility. But regardless, you’re an intelligent being. You probably have fascinating life experiences,” Shion said. “Also, don’t freak out, but I did bring a gun in case you attack me.”

He swung his pack around to the front of his body and patted the side pocket, where there was a loaded pistol.

The siren’s eyes narrowed. “Are you planning to hold me hostage until I entertain you?”

“No. If you don’t want to talk, I’ll just leave,” Shion said with a shrug. The siren hesitated for a moment and then said, “Talk about what, exactly?”

Shion felt a little thrill go through him. He might actually be able to convince the siren to have a conversation! “Well, for starters, what’s your name?”

“Nezumi.”

Shion smiled. “You know, in my language, that name means Rat.”

“In mine it means Silver One,” Nezumi retorted sharply. He gestured at his tail. “I think you can see why.”

“Yes, your eyes are the same colour,” Shion said.

Something about his tone was clearly displeasing, as those self-same silver eyes narrowed again. “Wait a minute. Do you think I’m attractive?”

“Yes. You’re beautiful,” Shion said, not seeing a reason to lie. Maybe it was because he was an aquatic creature, but Nezumi had a natural grace to the way that he moved. Then there was the long hair and the silvery eyes. No one else Shion had ever met had enchanted him in such a way.

“Oh, great. I got the one human who doesn’t see me as a weird, alien creature,” Nezumi said, rolling his eyes. “Well, I don’t think your nubby little teeth and your stubby fingers are all that appealing, so back off.”

At that, Shion laughed. “I wouldn’t expect you to. I’m sure you find the traits of your own subspecies much more attractive than those of humans.”

Nezumi tilted his head and just studied him for a long moment. “You’re really going to try and convince me that all you want is to talk to me?”

“Yup,” Shion said, nodding.

“And I’m supposed to believe this because?”

“Oh, well, I will pay you, if it helps?” Shion said, opening a different pocket on his bag and withdrawing a small cloth bag with a drawstring.

“What exactly do you think you have that might be of value to m— are those emeralds?” Nezumi said, as Shion poured the contents of the bag out on his palm. “Or are they just glass?” Nezumi tacked on, attempting to recover.

Shion took one, set it down on the rock of a nearby tidepool, took another rock, and bashed it down on the emerald. It didn’t break. “They’re real.”

“Who are you?” Nezumi said, looking somehow even more aghast than he had when Shion told him about the gun.

Shion looked him dead in the eyes and said, “I am a very bored captain formerly in the employ of the Moondrop Trading Company.”

“Formerly?”

“Yeah, I just resigned this morning,” Shion said, glancing up at the sky. The sun was only just getting high enough for it to be called noon. Maybe 11:30. “I used to think my job was part of a harmless mercantile endeavour, but I’ve come to realise that it’s a tool of global oppression. As you can see, I’ve been very successful at it, so I decided to just retire young. Maybe leave human society completely and dedicate myself to research.”

At that, Nezumi started laughing. “Oh, I get it now. You’re insane. I suppose I can work with that. Give me some of those stones. You can have one hour of my life for each.”

He held out his hand, and Shion passed him three emeralds, putting the rest back in the pouch and replacing it in his pack. Nezumi started putting the emeralds into a pouch of his own that Shion could now see he wore around his waist, camouflaged among the strands of the seaweed skirt.

“Thank you,” Shion said earnestly. “But you should know, I’m not insane. Just principled… and honestly pretty angry I was a part of something so detrimental. I only wish I could do more to stop them from hurting more people, even though I’m not a part of it anymore.” “If it makes you feel better,” Nezumi said, “sirens don’t eat people. I sing to get idiots to give me their valuables. And every last one of the men I’ve had swim out to me over the past few months has been from your precious Moondrop Trading Company.”

“You’re in a shipping lane,” Shion informed him with a shrug. “I would say sorry for the disturbance, but it sounds like it’s been pretty lucrative for you. Are you the only siren around here? Are sirens solitary?”

Nezumi snorted. “No, I have a family and a tribe. Most of them prefer not to interact with humans.”

“Do they live nearby?” Shion said, looking around. He didn’t see any signs that another siren could be lurking on the shore or in the water. He couldn’t imagine what kind of home a siren might live in. Did they live underwater, in deference to their aquatic abilities? Or did they live on land, since they could breathe air equally well?

“Yes, we live all over and under the peninsula.”

“And how many of you are there? Are there many old ones? Young ones?”

“Are you going to just ask me inane questions for the next three hours?” Nezumi said.

“I paid you, didn’t I?”

Nezumi sighed. He leaned forward until he was lying down on his stomach in the sand, with one elbow bent to prop his head up in his palm. “Fine. What’s the next one?”

That was the beginning of a long conversation, over the course of which Shion learnt that the sirens of Nezumi’s tribe lived in a labyrinth of underwater caves, some of which ran clear underneath the peninsula. There were other siren tribes living nearby, some of which came to the peninsula to trade or find a partner. Sirens had their own stories, religion, and art, even a limited degree of science. To Shion’s surprise, Nezumi loved human books ever since he’d taken a book of fairytales from a sailor he’d charmed with his singing. It was all so fascinating that the time flew by. Shion felt like he could sit there forever, just listening to Nezumi talk and tell stories of his culture and his home.

Eventually, Shion realised with alarm that it was well into the afternoon and the time he had paid for was almost up. Before he lost the chance forever Shion said, “I have one more question. Do sirens sing for each other?”

“Yes,” Nezumi said brusquely. Shion could tell he was ready for this conversation to be over.

“I wish I could hear you sing the way another siren would hear it,” Shion sighed.

“It’ll cost you,” Nezumi said, glancing at Shion’s pack.

“I’m not paying you to rob me,” Shion chuckled. “It would take more hours’ worth of emeralds than I have on me to bring us to a level of trust where I’d feel comfortable listening to you sing.”

Nezumi shrugged. “That’s a shame,” he said, not sounding like he meant it at all.

⁂

Most siren songs didn’t have words. They conveyed their meaning by the feelings and images they evoked in the mind of the listener. It was almost a form of thought transference. Ever since he first heard Nezumi sing like that, Shion had been unable to stop himself from thinking of it now and then as magic.

But every so often, Nezumi decided to sing a song with words for Shion.

“You don’t have to tell a tidy story, You don’t need a home for every hole, You can just sit in the river, let the river rush to you.

You don’t need to find and lose true love, You don’t need a twisting in your soul, You can just sit in the river, let the river run you through. You can just do the thing that you get the idea to do.”

Nezumi’s voice rang pure and clear as a silver bell, shaping and forming both the words and the sounds with perfect clarity and intonation. The song rose and swelled and filled the rooms of the small home they shared, built partly of pieces of wrecked ships and hidden in the woods just off the shore of a nearby secret cove. The magic of siren-song filled Shion’s mind with images of silver water, currents and streams light as air and cold and sweet as mountain melt-water.

Shion had done many things that he once had the idea to do. He had the idea to meet a siren, and he met one. He had the idea to get to know the siren that he found, and he became Nezumi’s friend. He had the idea to make a home for himself on the peninsula where Nezumi’s family lived, and he moved into a cave that connected through underwater tunnels to the sirens’ own home.

He had the idea he might be falling in love with Nezumi, and that idea turned out to be correct. Then they had the shared idea to build a life together, and so they made this little home. Now Nezumi wore a necklace made of pearls and emeralds, and their waterproof library was full of books from all over the world.

“So come on, let’s search among the strangers and the souvenirs; How gorgeous and grand you have grown! Sit with me among the branches of this chandelier While flesh and blood remain between our bones, And I will show you the most precious thing I own.”

And Nezumi looked right at Shion as he sang, and he held out to him a small silver and emerald ring.

[dropintomanga]

October 2024 - An Amazing Month for Manga

Hey everyone, I've been out and about this whole month because of manga-related events.

I got a chance to check out Kodansha House, the pop-up experience that was in my home of NYC. And it was everything I hoped for. There was a lot of display of art from series like Akira, Initial D, Attack on Titan, Vinland Saga, Witch Hat Atelier, The Flowers of Evil, and Blue Period.

Not only that, there were goodies on sale, a bubble tea pop-up, 2 Initial D: Arcade Stage cabinets, a manga library full of Kodansha titles to read, and a 2nd floor for events with free concessions.

I got a chance to watch the Blue Lock: Episode Nagi movie to celebrate the launch of the manga spinoff in the U.S.. It's a nice change of perspective and it definitely pleased fans of Reo Mikage x Seishiro Nagi. The English voice for Yoichi Isagi, Ricco Fajardo, was also in attendance and did a Q&A about what he loves about Blue Lock and voice acting in general.

Before New York Comic-Con happened, I went to the Anitomo Manga Matsuri at the 53rd Street New York Public library and attended a manga publishers panel. Representatives from Viz Media, Yen Press, Square Enix and Kodansha all recommended titles worth reading in shonen, shojo, LGBT+, horror, series with anime tie-ins, and Spring 2025 picks. There's a lot of titles worth reading and I can't name all of them here. But popular titles like The Summer Hikaru Died, The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't Really a Guy at All, Kagurabachi, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Blue Lock: Episode Nagi, The Apothecary Diaries, The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity, and Dragon and Chameleon were featured.

There was some online commentary about The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity being listed as a shojo (it's published in a shonen magazine) and someone at the panel did raise a point about a neglected manga genre that still hasn't received its great moment yet (I might get to this in a future post). All in all, I enjoyed the intimacy of this panel as there wasn't a large crowd and everyone immediately felt the energy of talking about manga with experts that know it well.

And while I didn't go to New York Comic-Con, I did hear that anime and manga was front and center still despite major comic publishers not being at the event. A lot of the buzz came from Japanese-related businesses, so it's nice to hear.

Finally, I got a chance to see Makoto Yukimura of Vinland Saga fame. What a guy. I remember when Vinland Saga was first licensed here in 2013, not many people gave it a chance. Kodansha USA representatives at the time said the manga was struggling sales-wise and were relying on buzz to get new volumes published. Then an anime adaptation finally came 14 years after the Japanese manga debut and fans finally saw how great the series was. Yukimura was very chill and hilarious. He said he strives to be like Thorfinn as best he can. I got a chance to tell him that my favorite character is Hild an I'm looking forward to seeing how Yukimura ends the manga because the endgame is not too far.

Anyway, October was fun. I hope there's more Kodansha House events in the future in other places. Other North American metropolitan areas deserve a pop-up experience like Kodansha provided. It's an intimate setting for a community of fans that continue to demand the best from manga publishing folks. Everyone looked to have a great time, whether it was riding Kaneda's famous bike to dressing up as a Titan lording over a town to playing Initial D to reading manga.

I'll say this - despite manga sales not as high as they once were during COVID, manga is here to stay. We're still in a golden age of manga here. Enjoy it while we still can!

[phieral]

﹙ 𝐷𝐼𝐴𝑅𝐼𝑂: 𝐽𝐴𝑁𝐸 𝐵𝑂𝑂𝐿𝐼𝑇𝑇𝐿𝐸 ﹚𝄒ㅤ ㅤⓘㅤ 🪽

Diario de Jane Boolittle [BJF62] signature lanzada en 2013. Hasta abajo podrás encontrar la versión gráfica.

TAGS: Diario, Jane Boolittle, Monster High.

CR: Mattel.

La traducción fue hecha por mí, NO ES OFICIAL. ♱⎯⎯ 𝑀𝐴𝑆𝑇𝐸𝑅𝐼𝐿𝑆𝑇𝑆 𝑀𝐻: 𝐺𝐸𝑁𝐸𝑅𝐴𝐿 | 𝐷𝐼𝐴𝑅𝐼𝑂𝑆 | 𝐶𝑂́𝑀𝐼𝐶𝑆

07.10 Papá quiere enviarme a una escuela llamada Monster High. Para ello tendría que salir de la selva. No me hace ninguna gracia. Papá cree que necesito socializar con otros monstruos de mi edad. Dice que pasar el rato en la estación de investigación con un montón de viejos científicos locos y monstruos no me enseña a vivir en el mundo real y que debería tener la oportunidad de relacionarme con monstruos de mi edad. Pffffttttt ... socializar es para los pájaros. Se los he preguntado.

07.15 A pesar de mis argumentos en contra, aún no me he librado de tener que ir a Monster High. Sé que no debería oponerme tanto a ir, es sólo que llevo viviendo en esa estación desde que papá y el Dr. Moreau me encontraron corriendo salvaje por la selva hace diez años y me adoptaron. Es mi hogar y sé que lo echaría mucho de menos, así como a mi padre. Él fue el primer fantasma, en realidad, el primer monstruo no cuadrúpedo de cualquier tipo que recuerdo haber visto, y entendía el lenguaje de los animales tan bien como yo. Bueno, casi, se le va un poco el acento cuando habla Jaguar pero son demasiado educados para decírselo. En cualquier caso, alegué que si abandonaba la estación perderían a una traductor de criaturas, que los científicos locos necesitan para sus expediciones de investigación. Papá es sólo un fantasma y no puede estar en todas partes a la vez. Me pareció un argumento bastante bueno hasta que papá y el doctor Moreau me recordaron que las expediciones siempre se programan para la estación seca, que coincide con las vacaciones de verano. También dijeron que a la larga sería más beneficioso para la estación de investigación que yo aprendiera a interactuar mejor con otros monstruos, sobre todo porque querían poner en marcha excursiones ecológicas para ayudar a la investigación de la estación y querían que yo fuera el guía principal. El Dr. M. dijo: —No nos servirá de nada que corras a esconderte cada vez que te encuentres con un monstruo nuevo—. Les dije que me lo pensaría.

07.25 Esta mañana he vuelto de una carrera/escalada por la selva y me he encontrado con un visitante en la casa del árbol, o mejor dicho, dos visitantes. La primera era una nightmare pastando en nuestro jardín. Nunca había visto una, al menos despierta, y levantó la cabeza y resopló: —¿Quién está ahí?— antes de que yo saliera de la selva. Debió de olerme, porque casi no hago ruido al andar. Le contesté: —Me llamo Jane y soy una amiga—. La nightmare dio un paso atrás por un momento y giró sus orejas en mi dirección. Relinchó suavemente: —Casi parece que entiendes lo que he dicho... qué raro—. Le aseguré que sí entendía lo que decía y ella caminó hacia mí, bajó la cabeza y sacudió su melena. —Pues bien, tengo un picor detrás de la oreja izquierda que me encantaría rascar y como mi jinete está ocupado en otro sitio ¿serías tan amable de rascármelo?—. Lo hice con mucho gusto para su alivio y disfrute. —Dime, jovencita—, me preguntó, —¿cómo es que entiendes lo que digo?—. Le dije que no lo sabía, pero que siempre recordaba haber sido capaz de entender y hablar con criaturas y animales. —Ahh—, respondió, —entonces eres tú a quien mi jinete ha venido a ver. Creo que te está esperando en tu establo, err... casa—. Lo primero que pensé al oír eso fue volver a la selva. Prefiero trepar al árbol más alto, con el viento más fuerte, en la noche más oscura, durante el mayor aguacero que encontrarme con un nuevo monstruo. Me he topado con dragones que no me asustaban tanto, pero me armé de valor y subí lentamente las escaleras. Podía oír a mi padre contándole a nuestro visitante cómo un ocelote les había hablado a él y al Dr. M de una joven ghoul que vivía sola en la selva. A mi padre le dio la curiosidad, así que se dispusieron a buscarme. Tardaron mucho porque yo no quería que me encontraran. Al final me encontraron a mí y a mi perezoso vudú Needles, que vivíamos en una cueva lejos de la civilización. Les costó mucha paciencia y amabilidad, pero al final nos convencieron para que volviéramos con ellos. Cuando llegué a lo alto de las escaleras pude ver que papá y el Dr. M. estaban tomando el té con una monstruo muy bien vestida que mantenía una conversación a pesar de que su cabeza estaba sola en el asiento de al lado. Cuando me vio, sus manos se acercaron, le levantaron la cabeza, se la volvieron a colocar sobre los hombros y se levantó. —Jane, quiero presentarte a la directora Decapitada Buenasangre. Se quedará con nosotros unos días y tiene una proposición para ti—. Me sonrió y dijo: —Hola, Jane, he oído que estás interesada en ser alumna de Monster High—. Sabía que debería haber huido cuando tuve la oportunidad.

07.26 La directora Buenasangre es una monstruo muy interesante. Es amable, educada y, como he descubierto hoy, más dura de lo que parece. Me pidió que la llevara a recorrer la selva y parecía muy interesada en el lugar donde el Dr. M y papá me encontraron. Dudaba de que pudiera seguirme el ritmo, porque había que caminar mucho para llegar hasta allí y los senderos eran demasiado estrechos y cubiertos de maleza para su Nightmare. Tendría que ir a pie. Ella pareció percibir mis dudas y me aseguró que no nos retrasaría. Dejé atrás a Needles y le dije que no nos siguiera, a lo que abrió un ojo, me sacó la lengua y volvió a dormirse. La directora Buenasangre fue fiel a su palabra y siguió conmigo, incluso cuando el camino se volvió fangoso y empinado. Nunca se quejó ni preguntó: "¿Cuánto falta?". Me preguntó por mi capacidad para hablar con los animales y le dije que sí, que podía hablar y entender su lenguaje, pero que eso no significaba que pudiera controlarlos. Los animales tienen mentes y agendas propias y no siempre harán lo que les pidas sólo porque hables su idioma. —No es muy distinto a dirigir un instituto lleno de monstruos adolescentes—, respondió riendo la directora. Por fin llegamos a mi "antiguo hogar" y, aunque la selva casi lo había reclamado, la vieja cabaña seguía allí. Paseamos y hablamos un poco más sobre mi pasado, que no recuerdo, y mi futuro, al que tengo que enfrentarme. Me agradó mucho, así que quizá le dé una oportunidad a Monster High.

08.02 No sé cuánto tiempo viví sola en la selva antes de que papá y el Dr. M. me encontraran. Las criaturas de la selva no registran el tiempo del mismo modo que los monstruos que viven en la civilización. Nosotros... Quiero decir ellos, marcan el tiempo por las estaciones secas y lluviosas, o por eventos que están fuera de lo ordinario como terremotos y volcanes o años donde hay mucho de un tipo de comida y no mucho de otra. Así que no estoy segura de cuántos años tengo en realidad. Ni siquiera sé exactamente qué clase de monstruo soy. Como científico loco, papá tiene libros sobre todo tipo de criaturas y monstruos, pero yo no parezco estar en ninguno de ellos. No yo específicamente, por supuesto, eso sería extraño, sino cualquier monstruo como yo. Papá dice que la selva es tan vasta que es posible que haya tipos de monstruos que aún no han sido descubiertos. Las únicas pistas que tengo son Needles y mi bastón; nunca salgo de excursión sin él, siento que me conecta con mi misterioso pasado. Le he preguntado a Needles, pero me dice lo mismo que el bastón. Creo que sabe algo, pero no me lo dice. Oh, bueno, tal vez lo descubra y tal vez no. Ahora mismo tengo una vida estupenda, así que no me voy a quejar.

08.15 Me he decidido a asistir a Monster High aunque creo que será una transición estresante y aterradora. No es que piense ser el alma de la fiesta o algo así; la sola idea de estar en una habitación con más de tres monstruos a la vez me hace querer encontrar un árbol al que trepar o un agujero en el que esconderme; pero sé que no puedo hacerlo para siempre, así que lo aprovecharé al máximo y espero poder hacerlo; si no logro domar mi lado tímido, al menos quiero llevarme bien con otros monstruos.

SOBRE MÍ Nombre: Jane Boolittle Edad: 15 o 16 Padres Monstruos: Doctor Boolittle Estilo Matador: Supongo que podría decirse que mi estilo es de jungla: adoro la piel sintética, los estampados de animales y las plumas. También tengo un bastón que me encanta y sin el que no puedo estar. Monstruosa Imperfección: Enfrentar mis miedos en una isla selvática con la única compañía de animales no me preparó para interactuar con otros monstruos en grupo. Cuando me encuentro en esa situación se me acelera el pulso, respiro muy rápido y empiezo a buscar lugares donde esconderme. Mascota: Needles es mi perezoso vudú. Lo amo mucho, pero siempre se queda atascado, así que tengo que decirle constantemente que tenga cuidado. Actividad Favorita: Una buena caminata. No hay nada tan tranquilo y estimulante como explorar la naturaleza y conocer a las criaturas que la habitan. Espantoso Fastidio: Cuando los monstruos quieren que escuche a escondidas las conversaciones entre sus criaturas de compañía y otros animales. Sinceramente, es igual de grosero a que yo estuviera escuchando la conversación de un monstruo con uno de sus amigos. Clase Favorita: ¡Muerdología es colmitástica! Todavía no he ido a clase, pero tengo los libros y estoy aprendiendo mucho. Clase Menos Favorita: Recetas Caseras. Soy buena consiguiendo los ingredientes pero si tengo que ponerlas en una receta... Color Favorito: Azul y Negro Comida Favorita: Mangos. Cuando no puedo conseguirlas frescas, como las secas, deliciosas. BFF's: Soy amiga de todos los animales en necesidad.

ㅤ 𔘓 ﹙ 𝔓HI⎯⎯ 𝐸𝑅𝐴𝐿 ﹚ 🪦 ̸̷ׅ ׄ ㅤ “𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑖” 9 de julio de 2024

[anaykaymewtwo]

La Vampiresa Derrotada. Blood Rayne derrocada.

Paldea Panamá Arco 5 Parte 2. Al Unisono:misión ataque Contra Blood Rayne!

Blood Rayne fue encontrada y espiada por Nobunaga y Varios Guerreros. El Ataque Sorpresa funcionó por lo que Rayne fue atacada por Chien pao.

Chien Pao:*Grito de Chien pao y luego Habló:Blood Rayne. Esta vez ya no podras escapar!

Nobunaga Oda:No podras Escapar!

Bayonetta:No puedes huir!

Blood Rayne:Los escoltas de Anayka y sus leales guerreros? Los pokémon? Uds. Fueron culpables de que le quitaran el saludo estilo N ..... fac.... a Reggisteel!

Bayonetta:Nosotros no tuvimos nada que Ver!

Darkrai:Brecha Negra!

Blood Rayne:Maldita Bruja! No puedo Moverme!

Kung Lao:Es tu oportunidad Anayka!

Anayka:Claro.

Saltando al estilo Ryu Hayabusa...

Anayka:Ciclon hojas de Mewtwo!

Rayne y Yo peleamos hasta que fue Derrotada...

Anayka:Villana Blood Rayne! Aqui No permito dicha Cultura ! Rindete!

Rayne:esta bien. Me Rindo.

De pronto Blood Rayne Fue atada por Mewtwo Lunar. Y confesó todo lo que hizo. Como ella regeso a mi madre a Salvo junto a Kyurem blanco. Pidió perdón por lo que ha hecho.

Pero Fue desterrada del mundo pokémon para Siempre.

A la Mañana Sig.

Despues de una Ardua lucha...

Momiji estuvo dandose una ducha por las calores pero su amor por Ryu quedó en secreto por unos Años hasta el año 2012. Su Secreto intimo fue descubierto hasta inicios de 2013 Desde los Acontecimientos de Ninja Gaiden 3 RE.

Ella Recordó que tuvo relaciones intimas con Su Mentor Ryu pero lo que Recuerda. En medio de la Oscura Tormenta nocturna donde se entregó ante Ryu. Confesando que fue su primera vez. Y alega que estuvo bien. Debido a esta relacion intima.

Flashback...

(*escena Intima censurada debido a temas explicitos y por los desnudos)

Ryu:Escucha. Momiji. Lo que pasó Intimamente entre nosotros debe quedar en secreto.

Momiji:Dime por que...

Ryu:No quiero deshonrar a mi clan Ninja dsspues de lo sucedido. Te prometo que nuestra imtimidad pronto saldra a la luz pero por temor a una deshonra. Debido de la maneara de como he penetrado mi intimidad hacia ti. Pero acaso...no es tu primera vez?

Momiji:Es mi primera vez a tu lado. Jamas. Me fijaria en nadie mas que no seas tu. Aunque no fue dolorsa. Pero se siente mejor. Te amo sin importar lo que pase

De un beso Ryu Besó los labios De Momiji. Hasta estar encima de la Señorita Momiji. Acostado junto a la Alumna

Pero como no trajo ninguna Consecuencia...

Flashback...2.

Anayka:Señor Joe Hayabusa. Como Te enteraste?

Joe Hayabusa:Escuche princesa Anayka. Nunca lo consideré una Deshonra. Mi hijo siempre decia la verdad. Su amor hacia momiji no fue una deshonra. Lo que nunca es tarde para Amar

Anayka:Tu Joe Hayabusa...eres el guerrero Ninja Dragón del Singular de Kalos?

Joe Hayabusa:Que Duros son los Siniestros y los Dragones🎶 que ante un hada se nos Cae los Pantalones🎶 (Al puro Estilo Nerio Pokémon Espada y Escudo Directo del Ninja Gaiden 3 Razors Edge). Exacto por eso Represento a Diancie. No por color Rosa. Sino por esto. La Diancita (Mega evolución de Diancie).

Anayka:Mamá Romelia tenia Razón. Donde hay dragones hay Hadas y por todos los pokémon hay un equilibrio si aca en la Aldea Hayabusa hay equilibrio del bien y el Mal. Tambien los pokémon. Al fin la paz vuelve en este mundo...

Momiji:Donde hay dragones tambien hadas.

Justo en medio de una platica con Hayabusa. En el arbol del area cero...

Ryu Hayabusa se sostuvo entre un brazo en el arbol y Momiji en frente de el.

Ryu Hayabusa:Asi que Tipos Hada. Y no es por que Mi padre tenga preferencias por eso.

Momiji:Es por lo que mencionó. Donde hay Dragón pokémon hay pokémon hada y ese es el equilibrio. Tu mirada penetrante es como si estuvieses molesto.

Ryu Hayabusa:*Poniendo un dedo en los labios de momiji:Te entiendo. Jamas estaria molesto contigo.

Ryu Hayabusa Besó los labios de Momiji. Por lo que de una manera sensual momiji lo besó al hacer contacto sus labios Ryu Hayabusa dijo lo Sig.:Me alegro que estemos juntos.

Momiji:Juntos hasta el final.

Fin del Arco 5 Parte 2.

Pero la Historia continua.

Arco Paldea Panamá Arco 6 Prox.

Por otro lado:

????:Maldita Sea. Blood Rayne fue desterrada. Esa estupida de Anayka me las pagará.

Continuará...

Prologo. Wattpad.

[jakowskis]

Day 17 - Favorite kiss in the show? What was so special about it? If kisses don’t do it for you, were there any other scenes that stood out as particularly sexy and/or romantic?

ok ok listen… for as horny of a show as torchwood is, i think it does sexy pretty damn poorly. actually it’s the same way it does dark, like they just could Not do adult themes sufficiently lmao - the shit they did intentionally is not satisfactory at all, and they shit they didn’t mean to do is like 10x better. half of torchwood’s best dark moments are in the subtext, and literally all of its ‘sexier’ moments are in the non-explicit scenes. to me, a lot of the ‘sex appeal’ of this show is just the fact that everyone looks hot and everyone’s always eye-fucking each other. the moment people start sucking face i’m less impressed. but tbh i hate how sexuality is done in a lot of media, it’s always gaudy. then again, would it be torchwood if it weren’t excessive and camp? no. so ultimately i’m glad it is the way it is - but i’ll bitch anyway, because i must or i will die. obviously.

all that being said! there’s still some kisses i enjoy. i like most of the gwen and rhys kisses, eve and kai feel super authentic to me and there’s just such an easy chemistry and believability, and that translates to their kisses, too. they feel natural, they don’t go overboard with it, and they look nice. i have a tendency to make a face at kisses in shows dhfkjds and i never did with them. sharp contrast to jack’s kisses which tend to gross me out DFHDJK. yes jack and ianto swapping spit is iconic. no i dont want to see it. anyway i think my fav gwen and rhys kiss is, mm, between their wedding kiss and the one in meat where gwen’s staring at jack HFSDKF

my other fav kiss would probably be mary and tosh in the cafe in gbg, the way tosh smiles into it, it made me blush n go 🥺 in a ‘bi enby that still rmrs being a wlw’ way yknow. it’s just really sweet and lovely. equally sweet is the way diane kisses owen after he gives her the dress, i love that little moment. 

it’s not so much the kisses themselves but my favorite kissing scene is definitely the one in cyberwoman where it cuts between owen kissing gwen and jack kissing ianto. that was just so batshit to see for the first time ill never get over that fhsddfsk. like that was the first time it rlly hit me what i was in for. insane show. insane and iconic bastard show.

also love the moment where john kisses jack at the end of kkbb and it cuts to the whole team watching. oh i love you torchwood’s insane dynamics and their constant voyeurism of each other hrhghg. 

(and then bonus shout out to kisses that aren’t on the mouth, i love how torchwood does more platonic kisses. jack’s various forehead kisses are crucial to me. the sweet chasteness of owen kissing martha on the cheek in aditd. gwen kissing the team goodbye in something borrowed. ohh i love.)

most of those are more romantic… i didn’t find any of the kisses titilating, lol. torchwood’s sexiest moment to me will forever be owen tending to gwen’s wounds in countrycide. i’ll never get over the quiet intimacy of that scene. it’s sexier than everything else combined to me fdhkfj.

yknow what. can i say my fav torchwood kiss was john and burn kissing at dragon con 2013 FHDSJKFHDHFKSDJSK. that did smth for my sexuality ngl like that was like the precise moment i consciously realized i was attracted to burn. NOT IN A FUJOSHI WAY FSHDKJF I JUST. oh dont ask >_> hfdskjf IF U SEE THIS NO U DIDNTTT 🫵🫵🫵

[redraven393]

Catching Up with Phil's QSMP VOD

3rd July

LETS GOOO

Oh Chat makin Cookies?- HI PHIL!-E-eppy Phil

Oh maybe to Vidcon,- I mean French is in fire rn.

Ok QSMP TIME

YEAH-yo wtf??? The qusest today?

Ah Super Hero theme today eh?-ah it cant fly now eh?

A GIANT SQUID??- nah fam they are not doin that- a leo Themed?-stream o plaine

OH shit Hi Chayanne- YEAH FUQ THE MISSION

YEAH DÉCOR TIME- concrete?- OH YEAH YELLOW AND ORANGE THEME

Safety first- oh wait its broken?-oh it did?-ugh got bad felling about it

DON’T JINX IT CHAYANNE

?

Yeah its fixed-hopefully

LET HIM COOK-omg god look at that bag

Rare food?- oh shit the end fruit!!-Bone Soup

YEH ADVENTURE-wait why is fit with Dapper?

Hi Dapper- KIDS PLS-KIDS WHY??

Lol the poison Spider- Phil pls- I mean BBH is expensive- OMG BBH DON’T HAVE THAT

Lol dragon magic- OMG THAT’S HOW THE GOT EM???-that’s bs Phil

Oh hi Tubbo

RIGBY 2.0 LETS GOO- a whale?- oh its Dapper

Kitties! :D- oh? The Cat that survived the Big blow ystrday r8??- OH???

Oh shit fit omg- DIAMOND NOT FAKE THIS TIME LETS GOOO

Oh yeah 4th of Jully-YAH FUQ THE MONARCHY

Omg the Island is Fukin with them

Shinny!-Lol fake- SPIDERSS-omg the fancy Twins –

PHIL DON’T MOCK US THAT WAY

Yeah mission are BS rn-oh tempting the gods are we?- lol summoning Cucurucho phil ur son right there

Lol dapper-Lol Chayanne

  OH LOOP HOLE- BECAUSE ITS LEO’S THEMED TODAY FIT.

RAMON NO

Ah yes the Parents Gossip time- Yeah VID CON!-

PFft- FIT PLS- o mg

KIDS OMG PLS NO

Welp they done I guess-Rare fruit time!- 1 done and many bs along the way to go

Ohh cool sword- HOLY SHIT –

Yeah that would be Crazy~-I MEAN-

 OH THAT WAY

WHAT??!!OMG- Phil and Fit  have so many Illegal shit omg

Wat Shulqur?- OMG THEY USE NETHERATE

Lol- YEAH NEW MISSIONS- lol it crashed- Black Mail POG

Omg its still there- break the ruleee

Of course u did phil

Opp there goes Ramon and Chayanne-  boys wil be boys- they all lost it- RAMON NO

YEAHH  CHURCH VANDALATIONS

Phil is so Scared to be left with others egg

Hi Dapper- WTH? Where do you get that thing??- holly shit?- yeah 2009-2013 Vidio game rumours are crazy

Lol Chayanne is clearly alt tabbing

KIDS PLS

Guys pls it’s a place of holly matrimony – what is that?

NO more Marriges- lol

Time to pay I guess- oh god they did miss a few

Lol Chayanne- Yeah Dapper join in!

Lol yeah cmone chayanne why so stiff?- good lord Chayanne is living that admin life rn

Oh kitty- CAT CAT- catcucurucho- holy the cat is immortal

Kil the cat Chayanne- CIA CAT

Oh god Philza and Fit is just a menace

Oh? Chayanne u invited someone?- Dapper pls

OPP WE GOT EM BOIS!- Walter Bob??-Come on dude we just wanna talk

Omg fit pls- YEAH if BBH cant do it then no one can do it

Bad hair btw- oh yeah that ankle thingy-opp rainbow

Best bob

Omg Chayanne is Alt tab- he’s in emergency meeting

Ah! They’ve gone to Ramon’s Barber shop nice

Still waiting- Okk at least we get reconsiderations- Waltuh

Thank yu for yur service WALTUH

It wont break the emergences- break the holly mellon

YEAH CREATIVE

Yeah they all alt tabbing- “in my scientific reason-

Wat if he Forgo-opp wher did they go?

Do you get paid bob?- is it good pay

Lol Hot tub stream- YEAH NEW MISSION

Thanks Bob!- thanks KIDS- ah yes a loop hole

WAT??- new moshrom island

BOAT TIMEEEE-WTF?? A Lost TENTICALE???? IN THE RIGHT AMOUNTS???

Omg the kids was fightin for their life for that thing

Omg- Yey island- ahh brings back memories

Lol Sussy baka Phil- Oh they found one- oh not that one

BOAT TIME- OMG CHARLIE’S Corpse

Oh? An Illegal Villager Farm- BY AYEPIERR?!

Where are the going?

HOLLY SHIT????

Omg dapper pls- HOT NEWBLACK MAIL LETS GOOO- good god this place is confusing

 Oh the found it YEY

Oh no-FIT PLS-Trauma in coming

Fit is a charmer-oh Hey Baghera

Omg that thing is ugly

FIT PLS

Opp Bye Fit bye Ramon

Im really dozing off finishing this Drawings

Hi BBH- oh wait Crimson Forest?

CAT- THE CIA CAT

Yeah give Bad the scoop

Yeah its weird-welp time to chill I guess- oh shiny Fish- NOO it died rip

Still waiting

Weird bunny is so hard to find ugh

Wat is happening with Baghera rn?

Rescue mission?- Yeah get the kids to safety first- opp crashing

Server Close??- are we chill today?- oh hey Tommy

Yeah we back- opp cant see Dapper- uhh not sure coming with them is a good idea kids

Oh noo-welp guess we alone now-shit trauma~-

Yeah Rabbit sound fine-opp BBH? Ah so he did needs help-oh shit where is Dapper?

Dapper pls buddy don’t just jump where is danger kid- wait? Dapper isn’t there?-

oh there is Pomme too?- we cant see her-okk bye

ok following you king- yeah the train is soo awesome

opp guess we still searching

Cucurucho??-yey bunny- is the bunny normal?

YEAH FLIP THE OFF THE TARANTULA- ohno you lost it?

Yeah safety first kiddo

Etoiles???- u okay sir???

Yeah Do your Magic King- oh shit it attacks!- oh no king

Thanks, Dapper-oh shit that wikked

Oh shit- fuq off!- yu won’t fight today?

OH FUCK OFFF YOU BINARY BASTARD

No- Don’t go ANYWHERE near Tallulah you Bastard

Oh they are fuking with us at this point- Fuk

Oh hey baghera

Yeah Those binary bastards are so cruel- they cant attack while election?- opp bye Baghera

Oh hey Dapper wat are yu doing bud?- Omg lol

That’s not how fair trades work Phil

Yeah  the cats are clearly sus like random animals cant just appeared tamed out of no where

And only admins can killem

Opp Red Vine???- of course YOU would find them nice Bad-LOL

OHHH- prteey- okay chayanne stay safe

   Yay it work- BIG LAD-cant put him in a cage- YEAH LET EM ROAM AROUND!

YEAHHHH The Wither Skeleton Head is Cooler

Hah~ it remind us of him

Opp? Oh Yeah no u right Pomme is in way to many danger rn

YEAHHH BED TIME

Aww- yeah you go Rest King-

PHIL no Spoilers for the Spider kid movie

NOOOO

Yeah HOBBIE ANARCHIT SPIDERMAN LETS GOOOO

?? he breaks the rule of frame break?-  omg ANIMATION POG

Hobbie is so cool- yes Brtish Anarchist Spider

Wait who’s Signs is that? OH LEO’S

Kay get some rest Kiddo

Big stress- Lol Chayanne is gone FAST-

YEAH HAPPY 4th of JULY

Go eat yur cake Phil

BYE PHIL

[dxxxath]

Unkillable by Faker

Bản dịch dựa trên bản Tiếng Anh, dịch bởi: dxath

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Tên tôi là Lee Sang-hyeok. Fans Mỹ gọi tôi là “God”. Fans Hàn lại biết tôi với cái tên “the Unkillable Demon King.” Tôi thì thích cách gọi “God” hơn, vì cảm giác khi nghe sẽ ngầu hơn một chút.

Trong game, tôi chỉ đơn giản là Faker, một người bình thường 20 tuổi, đồng thời cũng là player mạnh nhất Thế Giới của trò chơi “Liên Minh Huyền Thoại”    

Năm 8 tuổi, bố mẹ mua cho tôi chiếc PC đầu tiên trong đời, nhưng trước đó tôi đã bắt đầu hành trình gaming của mình giống như bao đứa trẻ khác. Tôi chơi PlayStation và các trò consoles. Thời đó, để máy game chạy mượt, không biện pháp nào hiệu quả hơn thổi phù phù vào mấy cái băng game. Và những ký ức tuổi thơ sống động nhất của tôi chính là chơi Dragon Ball Z: Budokai, đánh nhau chí chóe với đám bạn mình.

Hồi còn nhỏ, tôi không hứng thú với những trò chơi mang tính cạnh tranh. Cái suy nghĩ chơi game giữa hàng ngàn người tại một hội trường đông nghẹt, còn có hàng triệu người theo dõi online chưa từng xuất hiện trong đầu tôi. Vào năm 2011, khi tôi còn đang học trung học, đó là lần đầu tiên tôi biết đến League of Legends. Tôi đoán có lẽ các bạn sẽ bảo tôi nhuần nhuyễn trò này khá nhanh. Tôi từng coi thi đấu StarCraft hồi còn bé, nhưng chưa từng hâm mộ bất kì một tuyển thủ Esports nào. Nhưng thời gian đầu mới tiếp xúc với LoL, tôi biết tới “HooN”, cựu đường giữa của EDG (T/N: Một đội tuyển LoL đời đầu của Hàn Quốc tên Extreme Dive Gaming, không phải EDG của Trung Quốc), tôi đọc hướng dẫn của anh ấy về Ryze - một vị tướng đôi khi tôi vẫn chơi ở thời điểm hiện tại - và đây cũng cũng là bước đệm để tôi bước vào con đường thi đấu chuyên nghiệp. Tôi chơi ngày càng giỏi và khi đạt cấp 30, tôi được xếp đấu trận với những tài năng hàng đầu Hàn Quốc lúc bấy giờ. Lúc ấy tôi là gà tơ, nhưng vẫn thắng nhé, thậm chí còn đạt top 1 ở máy chủ xếp hạng.

Tôi không thực sự bàn bạc với gia đình trước khi đặt bút ký hợp đồng với SK Telecom vào năm 2013. Thật ra tôi chưa từng có cuộc trò chuyện nào với họ về việc sẽ trở thành một tuyển thủ chuyên nghiệp. Thay vào đó, tôi chỉ nói đại khái với họ là nếu làm nghề với thái độ nghiêm túc thì sự nghiệp tuyển thủ cũng OK. Đúng như tôi nghĩ, phuj huynh không quá tán thành hay ủng hộ tôi, nhưng họ cho phép tôi tự do theo đuổi ước mơ của mình. Esports có thể là một môi trường nhiều biến động nên tôi hiểu sự lo lắng của họ. Nhưng tôi nghĩ tới giờ này thì mọi chuyện vẫn đang khá ổn.

Tôi thừa nhận.

Thứ sáu tuần trước, khi ROX Tiger hủy diệt ván đấu thứ ba tại vòng bán kết LoL Worlds 2016 và đưa chúng tôi đến tỷ số 2-1, có một khoảnh khắc tôi đã nghĩ chúng tôi có thể sẽ thua series này.

Tôi cố không thể hiện cảm xúc trong khi thi đấu. Tôi cũng bảo những người đồng đ��i của mình hãy làm như thế. Chúng tôi giữ bình tĩnh, duy trì sự điềm đạm và gắng hết sức đi bước nào chắc bước đó. Tôi cố nhớ lại bản thân cũng đã gặp phải tình huống như vậy rồi. Năm 2014 chúng tôi để thua KTR Bullet tại chung kết hè OGN, rồi sau đó lật ngược tình thế quét sạch 3 ván tiếp theo và thắng series một cách ngoạn mục. Trong League of Legends chỉ khi có những pha xử lý xuất sắc mới có thể xoá đi sự lo lắng. Thế nên, khi ROX thắng chúng tôi dễ dàng tại ván thứ 3 hồi thứ sáu tuần trước, tôi đã có hơi nghi ngờ, nhưng tôi cũng biết chỉ cần giữ tập trung chúng tôi có thể lật ngược thế cờ một cách nhanh chóng.

Cũng có một số các cuộc thi đấu nhỏ hơn diễn ra suốt năm nay, nhưng Worlds là tất cả những gì mà chúng tôi hướng đến. Trên sàn đấu rực rỡ, chiếc cúp vô địch lấp lánh và hàng triệu đô la đang chờ đón người chiến thắng, không giải đấu nào trong bộ môn Esports mang lại nhiều tiền thưởng và danh tiếng như bộ môn của chúng ta. Đội của tôi đã thắng Worlds hai lần, một ở 2013 và một ở 2015. Nếu chúng tôi tiếp tục thắng giải năm nay, chúng tôi sẽ mang về danh hiệu quán quân ba lần trong suốt bốn năm sự nghiệp tuyển thủ của tôi.

Thắng càng nhiều càng tốt là một chuyện rất quan trọng vì bạn sẽ không bao giờ biết khi nào sự nghiệp của bạn sẽ kết thúc. Tôi đã từng chứng kiến rất nhiều người chơi tài năng đạt đỉnh vinh quang và rồi nhanh chóng đuối sức. Luôn luôn có người nhăm nhe muốn vượt qua bạn. Khi chúng tôi thua ROX, tôi để ý đám đông bắt đầu hò reo to hơn cho Smeb và Peanut. Họ là những người chơi tuyệt vời, họ xứng đáng được công nhận, nhưng sẽ là nói dối nếu tôi bảo rằng việc reo hò đó không khiến tôi tức giận. Nghe thì có vẻ kiêu căng đấy, nhưng tôi thật sự tự tin rằng tôi rất giỏi. Nếu tôi thua những người mà tôi biết rằng họ không cùng một đẳng cấp với tôi, tôi sẽ rất bực. Hai trận cuối của series đó, bạn có thể thấy được khi tôi cọc tôi chơi cỡ nào.

Sau thất bại, chúng tôi nhanh chóng lấy lại phong độ và áp đảo đối thủ trong ván 4. Ngay khi tôi bẫy Kuro để Bengi backdoor gank là tôi biết chúng tôi sẽ chiến thắng. Tôi chơi với Bengi từ lúc gia nhập SKT, và đó là một trong những trận đấu hay nhất trong suốt sự nghiệp của cậu ấy. Tất cả đã kết thúc ngay sau khi chúng tôi ăn Baron và quét sạch đội của họ ở trên top. Trước ván 5, bầu không khí trong phòng thay đồ của chúng tôi đã dễ thở hơn nhiều. Chúng tôi rà lại chiến lược và tôi ăn một thanh chocolate. Một tiếng sau, chúng tôi ăn mừng lần thứ ba lọt vào chung kết tổng.

Giờ nghĩ lại, thật hài hước khi chỉ vài tháng sau khi gia nhập SKT, tôi đã có mặt tại Trung tâm Staples Center ở L.A., thi đấu trong Giải vô địch thế giới Liên Minh Huyền Thoại đầu tiên của mình. Nâng cao chiếc cúp trước sự cổ vũ của hàng nghìn người hâm mộ sẽ mãi mãi là thời khắc huy hoàng trong sự nghiệp của tôi. Đó là lần đầu tiên tôi nhận ra rằng có nhiều người nước ngoài biết đến tôi. Khi tôi ngồi trước PC, tôi rất cảm động trước tình cảm mãnh liệt của những fan không phải người Hàn Quốc - cái cách mà họ cuồng nhiệt và cổ vũ. Một trong những lần mà tôi thích nhất đó là giải đấu All Star 2014 tại Paris, khi cả một hội trường hát “Happy Birthday” dành tặng tôi. Tôi hơi choáng ngợp bởi không khí cuồng nhiệt của khán giả trực tiếp, nhưng giờ thì tôi tận hưởng nó. Điều đó khiến cho nền công nghiệp này trở nên tuyệt vời. Nếu bạn muốn trở thành một pro gamer, bạn cần phải thích nghi được với môi trường náo nhiệt, tôi không còn là mình của vài năm trước, giờ đây, tôi thoải mái khi đứng dưới ánh đèn sân khấu.

Lúc mới bắt đầu với LoL, tôi đã mường tượng sẽ như thế nào khi trở nên nổi tiếng. Hiện tại, sau khi có quá nhiều trải nghiệm bị “dí” ở nơi công cộng, tôi không thể nói rằng tôi hoàn toàn tận hưởng sự nổi tiếng này. Nhưng mỗi lần tôi tạo dáng để chụp ảnh với fan hay được hỏi xin chữ kí, tôi luôn nhớ rõ việc tốt bụng là chuyện quan trọng đến nhường nào. Đó là điều mà tôi sẽ mang theo suốt quãng đời còn lại của mình, cả trong và ngoài esport.

Liệu điều đó có nghĩa là tôi muốn gắn bó với LoL cả đời này không nhỉ? Tôi không biết nữa. Có quá nhiều điều tôi muốn làm. Tôi thường hay nghĩ khi mà sự nghiệp esport kết thúc tôi sẽ trở lại trường và nghiên cứu khoa học. Tôi luôn cảm thấy vật lý và hoá học vô cùng hấp dẫn, nhưng giờ tôi lại càng đam mê thần kinh học hơn.

Thêm hai mươi năm nữa, tôi chắc rằng esports sẽ phát triển ở mức độ mà chúng ta không thể tưởng tượng nổi, với nhiều người chơi hơn, nhiều người xem hơn, và những sân khấu lớn hơn khắp toàn thế giới. Ai mà biết được, lúc đó có một đội Mỹ lại thắng được Worlds á chứ? Tôi không biết lúc ấy tôi đang ở đâu - có khi là vẫn còn đang gắn bó với LoL, hoặc là làm một cái gì đó khác hẳn. Đồng đội và tôi đều sẽ thành người bình thường. Tôi thích Taylor Swift, và đôi khi chúng tôi sẽ chơi Warcraft III vào những ngày nghỉ (Bật mí: Tôi là người chơi Warcraft giỏi nhất team, và cả thế giới nữa). Nói thật, điều duy nhất tôi thực sự quan tâm là mọi người sẽ nhìn lại quãng thời gian đỉnh cao của tôi với sự yêu mến. Nếu những thế hệ tương lai lớn lên và muốn trở thành người như Faker, vậy thì tôi sẽ làm hết sức để là một hình mẫu tuyệt vời.

Tuần này, chúng tôi sẽ trở lại Trung tâm Staples để chiến đấu với Samsung Galaxy trong trận chung kết Thế Giới. Như mọi lần, chúng tôi kì vọng về một chiến thắng.

Quãng thời gian với SKT đã là một cuộc hành trình kỳ diệu, và tôi biết ơn về điều đó mỗi ngày. Đầu năm nay, tôi cảm thấy mình đang dần kém đi. Giống như là kỹ năng của tôi đang dần mai một đi trong khi những người khác lại đang tiến bộ lên. Tôi thường tự hỏi điều gì khiến tôi trở nên xuất sắc tại LoL, và cách hay nhất để tôi có thể miêu tả đó chính là phong cách chơi game dựa trên tính toán và trực giác. Tôi luôn học những điều mới. Tôi có thể dự đoán được một sự việc trước khi nó diễn ra, và điều đó giúp tôi luôn ở đúng vị trí và tạo ra những pha game sớm hơn người khác.

Có một khoảng thời gian, tôi thấy trực giác của mình không còn nhạy, và tôi ko biết mình có thể vực lại được không. Nhưng giờ đây, tôi cảm giác mình có thể chơi suốt đời. Đầu năm, tôi lo rằng mình đang trượt dốc và có lẽ người ta đã đúng khi nói những người chơi khác đang vượt mặt tôi.

Nhưng giờ thì không còn như vậy nữa.

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Nguồn:

Unkillable by Faker | The Players' Tribune (theplayerstribune.com)