#I just cannot shut up

[putschki1969]

December 25: Wakana Activities & 「Wakana Classics 2022 ～Christmas Special～」

Note: Okay, I know this is long overdue but I have simply not found the time and motivation to write up a detailed report ever since coming back from Japan. The trip itself was quite exhausting due to a busy schedule and being sick for almost the entire duration of my stay T_T. Then I made the huge mistake of going straight back to work on the 27th so I have just felt utterly drained for the past few weeks. It’s a huge shame because I really didn’t want to wait this long to write down my impressions. I mean, it’s hardly a “first impression” anymore if my thoughts have been marinating in my brain for nearly a month. But hey, better late than never, right? If anyone is interested, here’s a link to my December 17 report. I am definitely planning to write reports of some of my other activities but who knows how long that’s gonna take. Please don’t hold your breath. Without further ado, let’s get to it 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Before the Live

In the morning I went to visit Koishikawa Korakuen with a fellow Kalafina fan (Akuma from Taiwan in case some of you know her). I had already spent all of Saturday doing various Wakana activities with her so it only seemed fitting that we would dedicate the morning of the 25th to a lovely Wakana activity as well. Wakana visited this gorgeous landscape garden back in April 2022 (Source:Wakana Instagram). Koishikawa Korakuen (小石川後楽園) is actually one of Tokyo's oldest and best Japanese gardens so I was excited to check it out. While the late winter scenery is probably the least spectacular, I can still recommend going there if you are ever in Tokyo and want an escape from the hectic city life. It was a gorgeous, sunny day so I got to take some lovely pictures and thankfully, some of the autumn colours still remained. After spending a couple of hours there and basking in the winter sun, I got a little antsy so we decided to head to the venue. In the past, most fans would try to arrive as early as possible to line up for the merch sale. However, lots of things have changed since the pandemic so venues actually discourage people from lining up early in advance. Despite knowing that we wouldn’t be allowed to line up yet, I still wanted to know the venue’s exact location and check whether anyone had arrived yet. When we finally got there, no one was there except us and the door staff told us to come back in two hours XD It was super hard to find a café or restaurant near Kioi Hall so we had to walk all the way back to Yotsuya Station. I felt really sorry for Akuma because I dragged her back and forth, she must have been so exhausted. Guess I can’t help but be one of those annoying people who are low-key control freaks and who won’t leave anything to chance. I’d rather be 2 hours early than even 1 second too late. Anyways, at a tiny shopping mall, we found a small café and had some cake and coffee. We went back to the venue once we saw the first few tweets of other fans starting to line up. Most people got there around the same time so it quickly became quite crowded in front of the venue about 45 minutes before the live. I am glad we ended up being pretty far ahead in the line because I don’t think the people in the back had enough time left to buy anything. It took quite a while for staff members to check our tickets and temperature. Everyone was also taking their sweet time deciding on what merch to get so there were literally only a few minutes left till the live once I had bought everything (I got the shirt/pamphlet set with the postcard, the pink gloves, the little drawstring bag and the keyholder). All items are still available in Wakana’s Official Online Shop so be sure to get them.  

General Impressions

Venue: This was my first time at Kioi Hall. It’s located in a nice area near Yotsuya Station. Venue, You have to walk around 10 minutes on Sophia Dori which is a lovely thoroughfare. I hear it’s super pretty during cherry blossom season. After Opera City, this was only my second time in a classical hall in Japan. Not as big as Opera City Hall but equally impressive in terms of acoustics and grandeur. But oh boy, they really could have lowered the temperatures, it was boiling hot inside. I don’t know how people managed to sit there with their winter coats fom beginning to end. I was literally melting and I didn’t even wear a warm winter jacket. Kioi Hall is a rather intimate venue with a capacity of about 800 seats. None of the balcony seats were occupied iirc but we managed to fill out pretty much the entire central ground floor. So yeah, definitely not a sold-out concert but very well attended nonetheless (which obviously made me happy because I still recall her Voice tour where they had picked venues that were way too big for Wakana’s fanbase). Outfit: Her dress didn’t impress me all that much to be honest. The bold red looked lovely on her but the basic A-line was a little too plain for my taste. No lace, no embroidery, no frills, no layers, no sparkles... I am also not a big fan of straps when it comes to evening dresses. Wakana has the most beautiful shoulders, it’s a crime to not show them off. In my opinion, she should always wear something that is off-shoulder, preferably a majestic ball gown. The highlight of the dress was definitely the back (as seen on the image above). Whenever she turned around to have a little sip of her water we were blessed with the most gorgeous sight.*drools* Wakana truly has a beautiful back and it’s rare that we get to see so much of it XD. Ticket System: As you may know, I’ve had a few issues with SKIYAKI but at the end of the day I have to admit that it is an extremely convenient service. All steps were foreigner friendly and I didn’t run into any issues with the app. Still, I can’t recommend it with a clear conscience because of what happened with my credit card T_T As you know, I got a Christmas Special Fan Club ticket and I was pretty lucky with my assigned seat. Row 4, smack in the middle with a perfect view at Wakana. Thankfully no tall people in front of me.Fun fact, right in front of me there was a woman who wore one of Wakana’s dresses, the EXACT same one I had brought to Japan with the intention of wearing it at the concert. However, a few days earlier I had found Wakana’s red checkered pants and ended up buying them so of course I couldn’t help but wear them to the live. Still, I found it funny that someone had the same idea. She also wore Kalafina’s pinky ring so she was clearly a super obsessed fan.I am still wondering what her username is on Twitter. I guess she must be following me if she knows about all this fashion stuff. Arghhh, I wish I had approached her after the live but as always, I was way too socially inept... Cameras: I am pretty sure I mentioned it already but there were a lot of cameras all across the hall. Not just the tiny ones which are used for news reports and such. They had a whole-ass camera crew on-site. No idea what they are planning to do. Either we will be getting a broadcast sponsored by BS Fuji or they will use the footage for a home video release. They might also add the footage (or at least parts of it) as bonus content for Wakana’s 3rd album. Let’s keep our fingers crossed. There’s no way they hired all those cameramen and equipment for nothing. Vocals: For the most part, Wakana was in great shape. It’s such a pleasure to hear her in a classical hall accompanied by strings and piano. And honestly, a couple of these acoustic arrangements were out of this world. So freaking good! I feel like her microphone was maybe a bit too loud at times or the instruments were simply too quiet but it didn’t really take away from my enjoyment. Plus, they can always fix that with a bit of studio magic if they really end up releasing the concert. Nevertheless, I’d really like to have more strings in future concerts, just to add a little more oomph. Maybe I am the only one but I feel like I need at least a string quartet XD Setlist: Overall, I was quite happy with the setlist since it contained all three of her new songs and some of my faves but I probably would have made some changes if the choice had been up to me. Can’t lie but I was hoping and praying for “breathing” as intro. Instead we got “Yakusoku no Yoake” which is always nice, don’t get me wrong, but meh, we already have a performance of it on DVD/BD and let’s be real here, “breathing” is the superior song, at least in my opinion. Am I the only one who is kinda growing tired of “Ai ni Dekiru Koto wa mada aru kai“? I feel like the song doesn’t have a standard ballad structure so it’s quite hard for me to get into it, especially considering its crazy length. Personally, I would have much preferred her to sing “Inochi no Namae” or “Kimi wo Nosete” from her Cover Album. Also had my issues with “Nagareboshi”. I don’t outright dislike this song but it has always been a bit of a snoozer so naturally. I wasn’t overly excited when she announced she would be singing it as her final song. I mean, it kinda works as a wrap-up for the evening but I would have honestly killed to hear an acoustic version of “Ai no Hana”, it’s literally the perfect winter song!! Such a missed opportunity, I feel robbed.T_T Last but not least. let’s talk about her Kalafina song choice. Wakana often manages to pick my least favourite Kala-songs but I realise that I am pretty much alone with that opinion, especially regarding “Kimi no Gin no Niwa” which is obviously a fan-favourite. To her credit, she pulled it off well but ughhh, I cannot stand that song. I am still salivating when I think about her 2018 Symphony Orchestra Concert where she performed “Kimi ga Hikari ni Kaete Iku”. Who do I have to bribe to get something like this on DVD/BD??!! 

Song-specific thoughts

M01 約束の夜明け(Yakusoku no Yoake): As mentioned earlier, I was low-key hoping for “breathing” but I really like “Yakusoku no Yoake“ so it’s not like I was disappointed or anything. It might even be one of my favourite tracks from her 1st album. The beginning always blows me away, it’s by far the best part of the song and Wakana knocks it out of the park every single time. However, I think that some sections of the song aren’t particularly flattering to Wakana’s vocals. I know for a fact that she can handle much higher parts but I guess it’s the singing style she keeps using for this song hat makes it sound like she is out of her comfort zone. Oh well, she still does a decent job of powering through those sections. Overall, I quite enjoyed the performance and thought it was a fitting intro.

M02 442: Absolutely blown away by the acoustic arrangement and Wakana’s powerful performance. They better release the video footage soon because I am dying to hear this again. I am telling you, she SLAYED!  “442″ is undoubtedly one of her best songs that highlights all of her strengths as a singer so it’s always a joy to listen to it.

M03 オレンジ (Orange): Yet another lovely arrangement. Much better than the studio version if you ask me. I can’t remember any details but I definitely liked it.

M04  夕焼け (Yuuyake): Initially I did not care much for this song but every time I hear it live, I fall more and more in love with it. It’s just so precious.

M05 myself: Oh yes!! Jackpot! This was utterly beautiful. It’s the type of ballad Wakana excels in, when all that tragedy is laid on thick and you are being hit right in the feels. Hearing it in a classical setting makes it even more heart-wrenching.

M06 時には昔の話を（Toki ni ha Mukashi no Hanashi wo): This will never get old. There’s a reason they chose this song to promote Wakana’s cover album and it’s because it’s such a perfect fit for her.

M07 愛にできることはまだあるかい（Ai ni Dekiru Koto wa mada aru kai): I guess I already shared my thoughts about this. I think Wakana really likes the song so I feel kinda bad for not being into it. Maybe it’s because I never watched the film? The lyrics are lovely but the song just doesn’t resonate with me. Or rather, I have to be in the right mood for it to resonate with me. Isolated, I believe it can be quite powerful. Despite its understated nature there is a bit of a build-up after all. But it falls a little flat for me if you place the song right after a bunch of other ballads.

M08 君の銀の庭（Kimi no Gin no Niwa): Well, it was unfortunately the wrong Kalafina-“Kimi~” song for me but hey, what can you do about it? Whatever my thoughts might be about this particular song, I truly appreciate the fact that Wakana still makes a conscious effort to include Kalafina pieces in her setlists because on the one hand, she wants to honour that legacy and on the other hand, she knows that it will make her audience happy. During the MC leading up to the performance she actually explained how picking a Kalafina song is always the most difficult part of putting her setlists together. Overall, it was a solid performance. She did quite well covering the other parts.

M09 Winter Wonderland: I definitely did not think that Wakana would sing this. Maybe it’s because I didn’t grow up with them but I have a bit of an aversion to most Anglo-American Christmas songs (including this one) so when she announced the title of the upcoming song, I felt more than a little disappointed.  Especially since I had no idea how it would fit her singing style. However, I am happy to report that I was proven wrong. This far exceeded my expectations and it actually turned out to be a very enjoyable performance. I would say this was only the second song of the night (after “442″) where we got to hear a more fierce and daring approach by Wakana. Still not a fan of the song but damn, Wakana’s version sounds good!

M10 Silent Night: Now we are talking. A Christmas song I actually like. And as expected, Wakana nailed it. I mean, she was literally born to sing songs like this. With everyone always comparing Wakana’s singing to an angel’s voice falling down from the heavens it’s only natural to think that she would do an amazing job with Christmas carols and hymns. A little nitpicking though, I wasn’t fully invested in the arrangement which may or may not have been a bit too pop-ish, I don’t know.

M11 標 (Shirushi): I was really hoping that we would get to hear this brand-new song and I am so glad that my wish came true. Knowing the entire backstory to this and having Wakana share a few bits and pieces again during the concert really made it very hard for me not to cry like a little baby. For those who don’t know yet, this is basically a daughter’s declaration of love to her father (Wakana’s father passed away not too long ago). This song was more or less custom-made for this occasion so it hits a little closer to home than others. While I cannot relate at all to a strong father-daughter relationship, this still hit me right in the feels. I did expect something woeful with heavy strings but it was actually quite understated. Filled with a lot of gratitude and pride. I wish I could say more about it but it’s so hard for me to recall details of a song that I have only listened to once. If I had to compare it, I would probably say it comes closest to “Ato Hitotsu” as far as the overall sound is concerned. It is longer though.

M12 明日を夢見て歌う (Asu wo Yume Mite Utau): I was of course super excited to also finally listen to Wakana’s other new song. This however was a bit of a letdown if I am being honest. It was written by Satoshi Takebe whose collabs with Wakana are always a bit of a hit-and-miss for me. It’s like “Kimi dake no Stage” 2.0. If you enjoy that song you will also like “Asu wo Yume Mite Utau“ I think. The emotion is all there in the lyrics and I can feel what kind of message Wakana is trying to convey to us but meh, the song doesn’t quite hit the mark for me.  Fun fact: For the longest time I thought it was “Ashita” in the title but it’s actually “Asu”.

M13 Flag: Another absolutely gorgeous acoustic arrangement that really blew me away. Right up there with “442″ and “Winter Wonderland” in terms of fierceness.

M14 Happy Hello Day: Can’t believe this was the first time hearing the song live at a venue. Experiencing it right there while breathing the same air is so much different than just watching it on a live stream. As much as I appreciate the influx of online broadcasts, nothing beats the euphoria of actually being there at the venue and enjoying a song that makes you feel so incredibly connected with your favourite artist. I truly had a blast during this performance.

EC01 記憶の人 (Kioku no Hito): What a pleasant surprise. I am very much in love with this song and it’s definitely among my favourite Wakana solo songs so I can never get enough of it. Beautiful performance.

EC02 magic moment: A bit on the fence about it. We all know that I am not the biggest fan of the song’s structure, it starts really melodious with its symphonic grandeur but then it somehow become quite messy to my ears. I can’t explain it very well but there is just a lack of flow. However, that doesn’t mean that I cannot appreciate Wakana’s vocal prowess in it. Just thinking back to her performance during the “magic moment” live tour gives me goosebumps (although I obviously only ever experienced it on blu-ray). I would say that performance still remains her best one yet. This one wasn’t quite as epic but maybe that’s just because of the added studio magic in the blu-ray.

Fan Club Exclusive Part

Very happy to see that almost everyone had bought a special Christmas ticket. At the end of the main part of the concert, audience members were asked to leave the hall if they didn’t have a fan club ticket and only a handful of people actually left. Still surprised that they just trusted us to be honest about this. Typical Japanese mindset I guess. I mean, people could have just remained at their seats, no one would have checked their tickets again. However, I think they had most people with regular tickets seated in the back area so it was easier for staff members to figure out who was required to leave. At this point none of us knew what to expect but I had a feeling we would get a special encore. When Wakana and her musicians returned to the stage in their cute Christmas getup I was pleasantly surprised to realise that we would be getting a little talk corner. Mind you, it wasn’t anything super special, just some random small talk among them, they all basically just shared some Christmas anecdotes but hey, it was fun. I vaguely remember Wakana talking about trying to find the perfect colour for a new winter coat but she ended up with a boring grey one XD I had almost given up hope that they would perform another song when their talk just kept going on and on. It was already way past the scheduled time for the live to end so I thought we would run out of time. But then Wakana surprised us all by announcing that they still had a short performance in store for us. Until the very last moment I had hoped that I would get to hear “Ai no Hana” but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. As mentioned earlier, I wasn’t too thrilled about “Nagareboshi”  but it was a fitting send-off. I believe everyone thought that this would be it but when we left the hall, we were all given a paper bag containing even more awesome goodies. Our Christmas present from Wakana was made up of a postcard with a handwritten message and signature as well as a pretty glass fitting perfectly into her series of previously released glasses. *weeee* All of this was definitely worth the extra money. If you ever wonder if it’s worth going for pricier tickets, here’s your answer: It absolutely is! You typically get a lot of bang for your buck so always go for the expensive option if you have the means. And I am actually so glad that the Christmas present didn’t turn out to be a fugly t-shirt, I am just not a t-shirt person.

After the Live

One of my Twitter followers had arranged a dinner/after-party with a bunch of fellow Kala-fans. While I am most definitely not very fond of large gatherings like this, it wasn’t too bad. We had some tables reserved at a Chinese restaurant nearby. In celebration of Wakana’s live, we wanted to eat a ton of gyoza and xiao long bao. It was delicious! Sadly I didn’t get to eat all that much because I left quite early (I mean, it felt late to me but who knows how long the others stayed). I was flying back to Vienna the following day so I wanted to get at least a few decent hours of sleep.

[soft-cryptids]

“Nice.”

[creakysocks]

Nick and Ellie hanging out

[birdsong-warriors]

Spoilery request here, but good gracious, I hope I made the foreshadowing in these pages clear enough, given I've been building up to it for ages now.

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Part 1: Friend and Family

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[mamawasatesttube]

i just think lois lane should put tim drake in her purse like a little dog. a scrunkly little companion who's even better at picking locks than she is, which is saying something. a nosy little freak after her own heart. the rubber duck she uses when talking her thoughts out loud to put clues together. her coffee gofer. her purse ferret.

[arnault]

there are just so many ways to say "i love you"

[otaku553]

I have an agenda.

Long hair teenage sabo.

[andithil]

Our Flag Means Death s2 trailer October 5, 2023

[little-pondhead]

[inspired roughly by this post. My brain snails started going nuts so I thought it'd be easier to post this separately :)]

…

It was a lovely day in Gotham. Well, as lovely as it could be. The sun was up, peeking through the overhead cloud cover and making the buildings gleam in the rare sunlight. The air was fresher than usual, and faucets ran clear of strange and unusual toxins.

Somewhere in the Upper East Side, in a little neighborhood tucked away from the rest of the city, marched around the new boss of the area. She was a young girl, just barely in high school. But despite it being the middle of a work day, she wandered around her chosen streets, content to do whatever she wanted. Above her, a pair of siblings watched on and discussed the unique situation.

"So let me get this straight: that fourteen-year-old goth girl is a crime boss?"

Mia smiled at Leon, her older brother, and his dumbfounded expression as they rested on her balcony. "She's fifteen, actually. Her birthday just passed. We all got together and threw a block party for her!"

"You know how insane that sounds, right?" Leon turned to her, a bit miffed that she dared to say those words to his face. "She's a kid. Why do you all listen to her?"

Mia shrugged and sipped her beer. "She does good work. Holds her own pretty well, and the kid has connections. Good ones, too. That can be the difference between life and death in Gotham."

Leon rubbed his forehead in frustration. "I just don't get it. How did she end up in this line of work? Do child labor laws even apply here?? Why aren't the Bats doing anything?"

"Don't think about it too much, dipshit." Mia crushed her now-empty beer can in her hand and tucked it into a paper garbage bag hanging off of a hook on the balcony rail. A familiar set of green arrows was printed on the side.

"And now you're recycling?!" Leon realized. "When did you start doing that, Mia??"

The woman shrugged and got up, stretching. "Probably around the time Brambles absolutely reamed out Mrs. Zalinski for littering at the park."

"Wait, who's Brambles?" Leon scrambled upright and followed his sister inside.

Mia laughed. "Brambles is our fifteen-year-old crime boss!"

...

"I can't believe you got a cool name right off the bat," Danny grumbled, flopping onto Sam's bed face-first. Sam smirked and shoved him off with her foot. Danny just squawked and let himself ragdoll to the ground.

"It's your fault for not having a better gimmick." She said to his prone body. "Besides, it could've been worse."

"I think Inviso-Bill is the worst possible nickname for anyone." Danny groaned. "But you got something cool immediately. Who even thought up 'Brambles'? That's such a unique name!"

"Well the kids call you Grim; that's pretty cool."

Danny flopped over, twisting himself much farther than any human was supposed to just so he could glare at her face. "They only call me that cause one of the is obsessed with Harry Potter." He grumbled, pouting.

Sam just rolled her eyes and went back to sorting through piles of papers scattered all across her duvet. Since moving to Gotham several months ago, Sam had taken it upon herself to turn the experience into something useful rather than just moping all the time, as she originally wanted to. That 'something useful' had landed her as the newest crime boss in Gotham, with about a third of the Upper East Side as her current territory.

So many problems had popped up in the last year, and the group had decided that taking it on alone would never work. The GIW had been trying to close Amity's borders, Danny's parents had a scientific breakthrough, tensions in the Realms were high, etc. There was a lot on their plate! Sam's solution was to create a foothold in Gotham City. She would lay the foundations for Jazz to work in Arkham and forge a safer environment for the residents of Amity Park to sneak off to if the GIW went too far. She was essentially weaving a cushion for everyone to fall back on.

Danny, using the power of duplication, was splitting his focus between foiling his parent's plans and resolving issues with his rouges to create a united front. He was the main distraction, and Sam's own heavy hitter when she needed help establishing dominance.

Tucker planned to gather intel with the help of Technus and Jazz. They were trying to gather as much evidence as possible so they'd be in the clear when the whistle blew. The GIW would crash and burn, legally speaking. They were the bugs of the operation, spreading themselves thin and hoarding information like it was candy.

Dani was their wild card, their jester. She was keeping the JLD's attention focused solely on her and all the supernatural hijinks she was stirring up. When the time was right, she'd point them in the direction needed and let them loose. After winding them up so much, the hope was that the Justice League Dark would descend upon the GIW like hellfire.

But those were their future plans. Right now, Sam was in possession of specific files from Arkham Asylum and the GCPD. She was looking for anything to give her an edge in the upcoming meeting with a few other crime bosses. Some annual thing they host to renew Goonion contracts, see who's still alive, and examine how much the territory lines have changed. Stuff like that. Red Hood was supposed to be there, and she knew she needed an ironclad defense against him and his nosy colony of Bats.

Danny untwisted himself all of a sudden, making a weird face. "Sorry, got to go." He apologized. "Vlad just showed up to my house."

Sam waved him off. "Go, I'll be fine for today. Just be on time for the meeting on Friday. And I want you, not a double."

"You got it!" Danny did finger guns at her and promptly melted into a pile of green goo. Right on her bedroom floor!

Sam sighed and got up to throw a towel over the puddle. The ectoplasm would evaporate eventually, returning to the original Danny little by little. But for now, this would keep anyone from asking about it until it was all gone.

Sometimes she really hated living in student dorms. People always felt the need to burst into her room for no reason.

Who even made dorm rooms for high schoolers in the first place??

...

Jason couldn't help but stare at the new recruit.

Well, 'new recruit' wasn't exactly accurate. 'Potential to be the most headache-inducing supervillain' was more like it. Standing at a solid 5'10" with platform boots, Brambles, the newest crime lord who had taken over half of the Upper East Side in under four months, was almost tall enough to look him in the eye straight on. Which she tried to do anyways, tilting her chin up oh-so-slightly (in that stupid way aristocrats do when they want to look down at you) and glaring at him with open hostility.

Brambles was young, way too young to be in this line of business. At the start of the annual underground crime meeting (yes, they couldn't come up with a better name), she had announced that she was fifteen, went by she/her, and would snap the dick off of anyone who looked at her funny. Most everyone laughed at her, thinking it was an empty threat. Brambles proved it wasn't by sucker-punching a younger lieutenant who tried to get handsy with her five minutes into the meeting.

When the lieutenant's boss protested and threatened a gang war, Brambles had snapped her fingers and summoned what could only be a fucking pit demon from the depths of hell to threaten the man back. The creature looked like a teenager, just like Brambles, at first. But it was...off. The longer you looked, the worse it got.

It wore a draping black cloak that covered most of its body, with the ends turning to mist when it reached the floor. It had a pale, young face and white hair. Its eyes glowed just like Brambles', except they were a toxic green that made Jason's heart skip a beat in fear. The creature was snarling, with a fucking muzzle on it to keep its sharp teeth away from wandering fingers.

With a nod from Brambles, the creature bounded forward and knocked the guy to the floor, its arm elbow-deep into the guy's chest. The dude looked terrified, and a little sick "Would you rather lose a lieutenant or your life?" She had snarled, sounding almost a bit demonic herself. The other boss had backed down without another word, writing off his subordinate as dead and gone.

Instead of killing the guy, however, Brambles simply banished her little guard dog to a corner of the warehouse to play with its new toy in peace.

"Is she allowed to do that?" Someone whispered.

"They weren't unionized, so the Goonion won't say anything." Another answered.

It was the most awkward meeting in the history of the criminal underworld. No one even died since they were all focused on the newcomer.

Jason could feel a headache forming as the meeting came to an end. Brambles was still sitting in her chair. The creature had grown bored of its toy and was leaning against her, sprawled out lazily and barely flicking an ear at the onlookers in acknowledgment. A few people were idling around her, mostly women, trying to talk some big game and get on the kid's good side. Brambles was humoring them, taking tight control of the conversation when they got too prying.

Jason sighed. He knew he'd have to go over and have a talk with the kid, even if it was just for Bruce's files. He hauled himself upwards and stalked over. "Pardon me, ladies and gents, but I'm going to borrow the kiddo here for a moment."

The creature hissed at him, tensed at his approach. Brambles kept a tight grip on the back of its muzzle, keeping it grounded. The other criminals scattered like flies. They were the only two (three?) left in the warehouse within minutes.

Bramble rose to glare at him. "What." She spat. "If you're here to convince me not to get involved with anything, I will set Grim on your ass after lighting it on fire."

The creature, Grim, growled in agreement. The sound echoed strangely like he was hearing it from underwater.

"Relax, I'm not here to do any of that." Jason raised his hands in surrender, immediately abandoning that possible line of thought. "I'm just here to talk business. You're young, and while you don't want to admit it, inexperienced."

"Stop the fancy words, Red Hood." Brambles' eyes glowed again, and she released her hold on Grim's muzzle. "If you want to make a deal, say it to my face. If you're here to dig for information, either ask me or hit the road. I prefer honesty over flower talk, so tell me what you want before I take over your area, too."

Jason bristled. His vision was tinted green as he snapped, "What the fuck is your problem, kid?! I just wanted to make sure you were safe and not being forced to do this. I was even going to offer my support and protection if it was too much! I know you aren't going to stop, but that doesn't mean I want a kid to die just because they got into something they shouldn't and they think their fancy guard dog will always be there to protect them!"

Brambles' eyes stopped glowing, and her stare softened a bit. Grim went deadly still, just floating there, staring at Jason. His heart beat like crazy in his chest. What was he saying? It was all true, but he could've been nicer about it. Dick would've found a way to be nicer.

-krrrk- "Ibis, reporting in. I think you can trust him, guys. Even if he's a Bat, his connections and experience would be useful in our plans. Ibis out." -krrrk-

Jason flinched from the sudden noise, looking around to find the source. It sounded like it had come from everywhere, even inside his own helmet. Brambles immediately switched out her hostile look for an annoyed one, tapping an earpiece he hadn't noticed before.

"Ibis, you really have to stop opening up our comm lines to the public." She snapped, but there was no real heat to it. "And I thought I told you to stop eavesdropping!"

-krrrk- "Sorry, can't help it. I'm everywhere now! You shouldn't have given me this power." -krrrk-

Grim hissed.

-krrrk- "Don't hiss at me, young man! You were the one who suggested this!" -krrrk-

"I'm sorry, time out!" Jason made a T with his hands. The green from his vision had completely disappeared now. "What the FUCK is going on now?"

Brambles sighed, rubbing her temples. "You know what? Fine. We'll trust you. My name is Sam. Nice to meet you, Jason Todd."

Jason stepped back, immediately reaching for his gun. Grim darted forward and promptly flew through him, stealing all his weapons in one go. "I'm Danny!" Grim-Danny?-chirped in a human voice, giving him a shit-eating smile. "Sorry for the act, Mr. Hood. And sorry about the name drop, I'm the one that told them."

-krrrk- "I'm Tucker! There are more of us, but they're busy. I have literally so many questions for you, Mr. Hood." -krrrk-

"Now that introductions are over-Danny don't eat his smoke bombs, you're not gonna look like Dorathea-we'd like your help."

Jason squinted at them. "You understand this is all suspicious as fuck, right? And how did a pit demon find out who I am?"

-krrrk- "Yeah, we know. But lives are on the line here, and I think you'd really be a help!" -krrrk-

Brambles-Sam-sighed and pulled out a flash drive. "I was going to use this as leverage, but I guess it'll have to be useful in other ways." She tossed it to Jason, who numbly caught it. "Look over it if you want. If you don't, then just burn it. Do not try to plug it into the Batcomputer. Don't try to send it to the Batcomputer, either. A virus will target that specific IP address as soon as it makes contact. Any other computer is fine."

"Look it over, and we can go from there," Danny added, spinning in midair while chomping on one of Jason's knives. (His good one, too!) "And I'm not a pit demon, but I am dead. That's how I knew about you. Whatever brought you back to life gave the Realms a real headache for a while. It wasn't hard to look you up in the records."

"This is so much information. Lives are on the line? And two, three kids are dealing with it? By becoming crime bosses?"

-krrrk- "Technically, Sam's the only crime boss here. And that was kind of an accident. She was supposed to create a safe foothold in Gotham in case we needed to evacuate our town. But we all got cool nicknames out of it! And you're the only adult we've told this stuff to!" -krrrk-

"I'm what?"

"The only adult." Sam's unwavering gaze seemed to pierce his soul. "There are quite literally no other adults that can help, Red Hood. None that we trust, not really. Any adult intervention needs to be planned carefully so it doesn't backfire on us. We're trusting you here, Jason. Not only are you like us, which technically puts you in danger too, but you have power and connections to support a whole town of people the government wants to eradicate."

Jason looked at the little green flash drive in his hand. He didn't want to ask. "And this...?"

"A fruit basket," Sam said simply. "Originally, it was supposed to be blackmail. But instead, this is a present to show our goodwill and faith. To show you our skills. That drive contains information on other gangs, upcoming rogue attacks, chemical breakdowns of Joker Venom and Fear Gas, unfinished antidote formulas, etc. Tucker and his team scoured the underbelly of Gotham and gathered dirt on every single prominent figurehead. Including Bruce Wayne, should you choose to use it."

"I would never-"

"But you've thought about it." Danny cut in and scratched his neck. Jason's hands shook. "It's not a bad thing. It's just the nature of the dead. Wanting to right the wrongs left over from their time with the living. Even if you walk and breathe now, that doesn't mean desire disappears."

"The point is, we need help. Even if I'm loathe to admit it." Sam rolled her eyes, and suddenly, Jason didn't see a potential supervillain in the making. He saw a teenager trying her best, shouldering the responsibility of hundreds of people, both in Gotham and her hometown. Danny looked the same, no matter how other-worldly he was. What battles were they facing? Why weren't there any adults to turn to? What kind of lives were they leading if they immediately trusted a known crime lord with their lives upon the first meeting?

"I'll think about it." Jason finally said. Danny trilled in excitement, and some tension bled out of Sam's shoulders. "If the situation is bad enough, however, I'm calling in someone else for help."

Danny shrugged. "As long as it ain't Batman! I don't think he'll appreciate us smuggling a town of liminals into his city."

Sam poked Danny's shoulder, prompting him to look at her. "Let's go, before you break his brain with more info-dumping. Bye Red Hood!"

"Uh, yeah. Goodbye!" Jason stuttered. He watched the two kids walk towards the exit door, before shimmering out of sight before they even touched the handle.

What the fuck.

[mourn-and-watch]

no but essek's abnormal behaviours in the last arc and especially in episode 140 are my roman empire. which is ironic because aeor is something of a roman empire itself. but in all seriousness, it was the episode that made me realise i love essek and his development so much and it kinda summarised it even before caleb's epilogue.

and i mean the "it's not fair" scene specifically. it's like, an epitome of his whole character progression from a person who put An Objectively Important Goal above all else without hesitation to someone who can't help but care for people around even more than his goal, no matter how big and relevant it is.

the mighty nein - and he alongside them - pretty much saved the world and freed an ancient city from thousand-year-long suffering. they defeated nine extremely powerful menacing entities who managed to stay out of everyone's sight for years and were so close to achieving their goal and dooming exandria in the process. they did the impossible and became heroes and somehow, they survived, even though they had bidden farewells a couple of hours ago because they had already understood what they had been facing. and nevertheless. they made it.

and none of them was celebrating.

mighty nein are basically essek's only friends. he knew them to be very unusual people, to put it lightly, loud and stubborn and completely inescapable once they consider you to be one of their own. and they showed him so much kindness and put so much faith in him, they were here playing the most atrocious music ever and digging clay in his backyard for a spell they invented just to help one of theirs and asking him if he could bring them pastries the day after they found out he was lying to them and had started a war. they were chaotic and weird and sometimes unbearable but most importantly they were carrying so much hope with them all this time - a hope they could end the war, a hope they could stop the angel of irons cult, a hope they could get better, a hope he could get better, and now, finally, that they could save their lost friend.

and that hope shattered, just like that, the moments after they'd already made the impossible. they saved so many souls - and then could not get back just that one.

for essek "my intentions were never good they were important" thelyss it just. shouldn't have mattered. they won. it could have been worse. people die and when they die they rarely come back. they should've been happy everyone else barely made it alive.

but for some reason, mighty nein being so defeated after they saved the world exposed him to that overwhelming feeling of injustice and unfairness. and i mean, there were many things essek considered to be unfair, but when i watched his first appearance and his interactions with mighty nein later on til their reunion in aeor arc, i wouldn't dare to guess that one of the things on that list would be something that personal. and personal not even to him.

the thing is, essek didn't even know who that guy was. why mighty nein cared about him so much. he had an idea, i guess, that he was their friend once, or someone in that body was. it was also a person who wanted to unleash a terrifying horrific aberration onto the material plane. it was a person very dedicated to killing essek and his friends - and they still didn't take any pleasure in fighting him. essek didn't feel strongly about lucien or molly, because he never knew them.

i don't think he mourned his death and failed resurrection. he mourned mighty nein's hope, the one they put in him when they had no reason to, the one they offered yasha in the cathedral and the one they kept after the spell for veth failed and the one they carried til the very end because they wanted it to reach molly. they had saved people with this hope. they had saved nations. they had saved the world. but they ended up feeling like it hadn't even been worth anything.

how desperate would it feel, witnessing people who for some reason always saw good in you when they absolutely shouldn't, who made literal miracles out of nothing, who ended wars and fought gods and tricked the hags and freed cities from horrors beyond anyone's comprehension purely because they thought it was the right thing to do and also loved their friends this much, silently crying over a dead body they couldn't bring back to life? how desperate would it feel to realise that with all your knowledge about time you dedicated your life to and threw away any principles for, you can't undo this? no one can. some things are left to fate alone and this time it wasn't kind to them. no matter how much good they did, they still got slapped in the face.

and it was, i think, such a genuine moment of empathy. like, essek is the character who prefers to put up a facade and act distant and self-composed but this time he just. walked away unable to watch this. the could only say to fjord that it wasn't fair. even when he was caught off guard in nicodranas he was able to explain himself and his motives to an extent even though he was a nervous wreck whose extra important plan went to hell the second the only people he cared about appeared. this time he had nothing to elaborate on. it just wasn't fair. it wasn't fair his friends didn't get what they wanted the most. it wasn't fair he couldn't do anything to make it right.

it is such a sad and beautiful and even cathartic scene because it is about person who started a war that destroyed so many lives - and then met this ragtag group of weirdos who saw a lonely stand-offish guy and said "hey, let's be friends!" and didn't even wait for him to answer. he saw them being serious and calculated and he saw them being ridiculous and extremely stupid, he saw their mistrust to outsiders and their loyalty to each other, he made spells with them and paid a visit to their hot tub, he ate their stale pastries and drank their hot chocolate mixed with whiskey, he was welcomed amongst them and in their wonderful home, both in xhorhas before they even found out what he had done and in the tower when they already knew - and then, he saw them mourning their loss, defeated and helpless, and he, a person who believed there were things more important than whole nations, let alone just one life, couldn't help but share the pain they felt. a pure display of compassion from someone who detached himself from it, who didn't believe he could grow into a better person capable of it again, but became one nonetheless without even realising it

[i-dreamed-i-had-a-son]

jon val jon or something

[hellolulu]

[Damian in the Minecraft server excitedly showing Jon his extensive (and ethical) farms that he made while Jon was banned from Minecraft to focus on studying for tests at school]

Jon: ... yeah, you're so shit at Minecraft. Looks nice though!

Damian: ?! what do you mean? I worked hard on these????

Jon: *sigh* I'll show you what a real Minecraft farm looks like!

[Jon brings him to his "farm" and proudly shows off the fact you cannot tell the pixels apart as there are so many animals in one spot]

Damian: I....... have no words for this. Our friendship is about to end over this. Think of their feelings.

Jon: but this is how you play Minecraft 😭😭 next you're going to tell me you don't even eat the animals at your farm and they're just decorative 😭

Damian: I'M A VEGETARIAN. 😡😡😡😡 I MAKE BREAD. 😡😡😡😡😡😡 LOG BACK OUT. 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡

[bixels]

What did/do you like about Pharah?

Uh, gameplay-wise, I really love characters in shooters who rely on three-dimensional movement techs. Chaining together hover and jump to stay in the air for as long as possible and keep momentum is so satisfying, and picking enemies off from the sky made me feel like a bird of prey. I was a good Pharah main.

Story-wise, there unfortunately isn't much to canonically go off because Pharah is so underutilized and neglected. Her personality's pretty boilerplate "heroic hero" (she's literally inspired by Captain America).

But it's the crumbs/bits and pieces that I really latched onto. Pharah's a confirmed lesbian; her short story with Baptiste implies she harbors a crush on Mercy (fucking thank you.). She's biracial Egyptian/First Nations. She has major mommy issues, having grown up both admiring and resenting Ana. She's the bridge between Old Overwatch, inspired by the idealized heroes who surrounded her childhood, and New Overwatch. She's one of the only inter-generational characters in the cast; someone whose experiences span the gap, which is why I seriously believe Pharah would make a great main character.

There isn't much to go off of, though; she's a very uncomplicated character (she's a soldier for a private military corporation, lol.). But that just means she's a blank slate character, so I've seen fanfic writers run wild and create some really interesting takes on her. My favorite interpretation of her's a dense, herbo gym-bro type (a lot of her liens are about work outs, exercising, and playing sports) who's easily excitable under her seemingly self-serious, armored visage. We see how she tends to gloat and hype herself up when she's on a streak too, so Pharah definitely has a competitive and boastful side under her more professional and militant performance.

Now Mercy? Mercy is a real complex character.

[eegasleega-will-change-this-l8r]

WELL I WAS PLANNING ON PLAYING CELESTE THIS EVENING BUT INSTEAD I WILL NOW DEVOTE IT ENTIRELY TO INDULGING MY HYPERFIXATION

IT'S FINALLY TIME FOR A PORKY POST

Are Ness and Porky Friends...?

Let's talk about that 😏

First things first, I think this single moment from the beginning of the game is by FAR the most important thing to consider when thinking about how Ness and Porky's relationship is presented to us

Right at the start, when you make your way up to the meteorite, you will encounter the cops and their blockade This also serves as our first introduction to our wonderful neighbor, Porky Minch, who is currently making a nuisance of himself trying to get up to the meteorite, much to the cops' chagrin

One of the cops asks if we could help deal with Porky, and asks this vital question:

What's Ness's answer? Yes!

...or no.

I cannot understate how obsessed with this I am. Ness can't say whether or not Porky is really his friend. This is something he's unable to answer on his own. I really think this is a fantastic way to introduce Porky to the player. If he is Ness's friend... it doesn't seem like he's a very good one.

Now shortly after this, Porky begs for Ness's help in finding Picky. We get a pretty good look at Porky's character here. He's obnoxious, rude, doesn't take responsibility for his actions, and above all is pretty meek and cowardly. Now, I think some people go a little far in interpreting him as "bad" here. Porky's undeniably a jerk even now, but he's still just a kid, and a pretty pathetic one at that. If you look on the Earthbound wiki, you'll see that his age is listed as 14. As far as I'm aware, this only has one source, being Saori Kumi's Earthbound novelization. If you know even the slightest thing about this book, you will understand how ludicrous it is to use this as a source. Porky's age is never specified ingame, but I think his overall presentation implies that he should be the same age as Ness. It's fairly well-known that Ness's age is given as 13 in the American guide, but 12 in Japanese. 12 is also the age given in, again, Saori Kumi's novelization, unfortunately I don't know if this is stated elsewhere. It can also be noted that Shigesato Itoi has actually said he never thought of a specific age for Ness, just that he had his daughter in mind who at this time was in grade 4 or 5. So this gives us a range that could be as old as 13 or as young as 9. Personally, I skew toward 11-12 for how I envision the characters. In any case, Porky's clearly very young, so you really have to keep that in mind when considering... kinda everything about him, actually. But in this instance, it really contextualizes the stuff he says. For example, if you say no to him when he asks for your help, he threatens to "say something that'll cut you like a knife." I think it's silly to take this seriously (i've even heard someone describe it as Porky blackmailing Ness). He's clearly just gonna call Ness some mean name or something. ...Except he doesn't. Say no to him again, and he'll immediately deflate.

Porky is in no way a bully. He's annoying, but he's pretty lousy at being intimidating. Instead, his favorite way of getting what he wants is to appeal to others' sympathy. He's relying on Ness to help him by virtue of being "his bestest friend." Or think of his actions in battle: smiling insincerely, apologizing profusely, pretending to cry. He plays up being a sweet innocent kid whenever he's in trouble.

So, I think the picture we've painted is of a kid who's sort of a jerk, and tricks others to get what he wants. It becomes pretty clear why Ness isn't sure if he can really call Porky his friend.

...But what about Porky's side? Is he really only pretending to like Ness for his own gain, or are his own feelings much more complicated?

First off, just some minor things. While Porky leaves a pretty bad, if not altogether inaccurate first impression, there's a few things in his dialogue that speak to him thinking of Ness as more than just 'that loser who thinks we're friends.'

He promises that he'll tell Ness all about the meteorite in the morning. Probably this'd be in his typically boastful Porky-fashion, but even so, this shows that he wants to share things with Ness.

It's easy to miss because most people playing Earthbound have played A Video Game's before, and also tend not to ignore directions the game is clearly telegraphing, but Porky will actually give you advice if you're not properly prepared.

If you don't grab the Cracked Bat:

You're not taking anything on our big adventure? Why don't you look around for your Cracked bat or something?

Taking the bat but not equipping it:

Sorry about giving you this game-type advice, but you should equip your weapon! Do you know what "equip" means?

Yes:

Okay, that's good. Be sure to pay attention to details like that.

No:

It means "use" or "wear." You must equip items in order to use or wear them. "Equip" is used a lot in games like this, but you already knew that...

Finally, not answering your dad:

The phone is ringing! Answer it! At my house, my dad gets bent if I don't get the phone... within the first three rings!

These aren't anything groundbreaking, but they do show how Porky acts with Ness in casual contexts, plus how the game presents Porky surprisingly neutrally in the beginning, rather than just immediately telegraphing him as the villain. Also, nobody's seen these so hey, some obscure trivia for you.

Finally, Porky's reaction to hearing the prophecy is pretty telling of the kind of character Porky is pre-Giygas. He just talks about how much trouble Ness is in now, how he hopes he doesn't have to come, and how freaked out he is. I think this sums him up pretty well. He's the meek comic-relief friend character. Sniff from Moomin, for example. Or go watch Monster House, because Chowder is literally exactly Porky.

But none of that is super juicy. Let's dive into something juicy. This little bit murdered my brother when we got to it in our playthrough.

A quick detour to Magicant...

Ness... I envy you. You have all the luck. I have no luck. Ness... well, okay... Let's be friends forever, alright?

still hurts

Yeah so first off, I think this totally clears up Ness's feelings towards Porky. He can't say if they're really friends... But he WANTS them to be.

This is Ness's vision of Porky, the Porky he used to know before Giygas corrupted him, and the one he wishes was still around.

But even if this is just a manifestation of Ness's consciousness, I think it also gives us a look into Porky's inner self. This is what Ness sees in Porky, the confession that Porky is too insecure to say out loud. He hides it behind all his boasting and rudeness, but he really, really wants to keep his friendship with Ness.

Well.

If only.

Let's get to MOTHER 3.

This game gives us SO much more of Porky's character, and it's all sooooo deep. I cannot understate how much I hate seeing Porky reduced to 'that Eric Cartman kid who is an absolutely irredeemable suchnsuch.' King P is the culmination of a lot of aspects of Porky's character arc (you think this post is long, it's only the first of many more...), but one of the most prominent aspects is his unbelievably, painful, PATHETIC loneliness. This kid... man... is so desperate for a friend after he left the only person who ever wanted to connect with him that he literally brainwashes a whole city's worth of people into loving him.

And of course that's not enough, because all he wants is his next-door neighbor, his good buddy, his bestest friend Ness.

In closing, are Ness and Porky friends? It's complicated. Both clearly, desperately want to be. They have a history, they know each other intimately, by Itoi's own words they literally grew up playing together. But, for a number of reasons (that I've thought all too much about...), Porky just can't help but make it difficult. I'd sum it up by listening to the song that plays during Earthbound's cast credits. In the end, there are good friends, and...

[art-is-kayos]

Wailing Coffin Hong Lu and Gregor

[louieshalo]

demiromantic asexual riz gukgak save me… save me demi/ace riz who can’t distinguish his romantic feelings for fabian from his platonic ones