#Like. The trope subversion in Little Nightmares where (spoilers)

[bongo-smash]

Someone help me I'm thinking about the 'kid in a yellow raincoat' horror trope in relation to Jason

[kyubey-the-incubator]

(question for elsie because I gen do not know what it is)

-mod kopi

Haiiii okay okay okay so

An explanation of…all of this. Logistics included.

Maho Shoujos!

The name “magical girl” or “Maho Shoujo” comes from a trope in anime. They’re typically girls (often but not always teenaged) who transform into (often but not always really pretty and feminine) powered-up forms (often but not always with a classic “magical girl transformation sequence”) to fight for…like, Justice and love and stuff!

Typical example: PRETTY CURE!! AAAAAA MY CHILDHOOD!!

but like I said, they’re not always girls!

Cure wing my beloved I have never watched your show nor do I know your personality but if anything happened to you I would cry

anyways even the guys tend to be effeminate but ehhhhhh I ignore that for this.

The magical girls are usually fighting sadness itself, which (despite the fact that the shows’ tones tend to be very lighthearted and all-ages-friendly) can be handled with surprising maturity. Pretty cure is known for this. Note that animation in Japan is not as associated with children’s media as in the west, so stuff like Sailor moon (which…what age is sailor moon even for?? Like…guys???) can exist lol.

Madoka magica

ANYWAYS, every canon has its own rules, and Taocc runs on the Madoka system of magical girls!

Create a contract with this little guy, make your wish, and BAM! MAGICAL GIRL!

What could go wrong? WELL I’LL TELL YOU.

You see, madoka is a subversion and a deconstruction of the genre!

(TW going forward for very dark themes concerning despair, depression, and suicide. As well as spoilers for the main series of madoka Magica and magireco, but not rebellion)

The “sadness beings” here are called witches, and they are HORRIFYING. And consistently brainwash and kill people en masse (one witch organizes the mass suicide of like 20 people it’s insane), or trap them in psychological nightmare fuel dimensions called “labyrinths”. It’s WACK /pos.

Magical girls fight witches to sustain their soul gems. The witches drop grief seeds, which “purify” the gem. It acts kind of like a power meter, magic well, and reflection of the girl’s sanity. What happens when the soul gem breaks? The girl dies. If it fully taints…well, where do you think the witches come from?

TL;DR, I’d you take the contract, you’re doomed to become an eldritch monster. The wish is fulfilled almost exactly as you wanted, but that often has consequences you didn’t expected. No monkey’s-paw shenanigans, just your own shortsightedness.

This seems like a good time to explain exactly what the madoka-Taocc lore/functionality is, because I play VERY fast and loose with it. Get ready for logistical MADNESS.

The Kyubey part functions as normal. Madoka’s epic sacrifice to “destroy all witches forever” DOES NOT FUNCTION IN TAOCC. I REPEAT, IF YOUR CHARACTER WITCHES OUT, THEY STAY A WITCH UNLESS THEIR SEED IS RECHARGED.

Rebellion is not canon/has not happened yet. If any of you have seen rebellion, you know the elephant in the room that would mess up everything.

The Doppel system from Magireco does function, but is powered down. You can summon a version of your witch form and use that to clear your soul gem, buuuut it’s not going to function as a replacement for grief seeds, and often goes very out of control. See: Kitsune during sun’s wedding.

A character can use a witch’s grief seed as a weapon. This is not canon at all to the madoka universe, and is Taocc exclusive. Possessing a grief seed allows you to use the witch’s weapon and some of their powers. Recharging the seed with grief enough allows the chance to summon the magical girl, but nobody else can see them or really interact with them.

The “familiars turning into witches” thing does not function here. No way am I getting into that.

Magireco is only somewhat canon, as an isolated timeline, and ONLY ARC 1 IS CANON AT ALL. The Doppel system works, but Infinite Iroha, like Madokami, basically does not exist for the sake of simplicity.

Yes, the world of madomagi is connected to the circus, but not in the same way as, say, the kingdom. To them, the circus is inside a computer. No, you cannot go there.

TBH, quick retcon: Kitsune’s old team’s names and personalities are not what they were up until now, they’re unnamed. She was the one who crashed sun’s wedding. Canon characters, for the sake of our sanity, do not functionally exist and will not be doing anything. Only the system exists in the circus.

Trust me, almost none of the mechanical/canon messes really exist to do anything but make things easier on me. The supplementary material makes things a logistical MESS, so almost none of it is canon except the doppels from magireco. I all but boiled the system down to its basic components for everyone’s sakes.

I am. This close. To decanonizing Madoka’s crossover and trying to just make an expy instead. For my own sanity.

[schibi12]

A very Cartoony Christmas: Animaniacs Wakko's Wish

Hello and Welcome to the first Christmas review of the season a bit late i know but its because i've had a ton of homework but it's my last week so i should be having more christmas reviews to come.

So this was my first time watching this movie and honestly im kind of sad i hadn't watch it sooner it was so good and wholesome. So let's do this!!

Spoilers! Read at your own Risk!

The animation was amazing it really has that perfect blend of cinematic and keeping the style of the TV show.

Musical and the songs were great i do think there where too many reprises of the songs at one point but it didn't ruined the experience. Personal Favorite is Never Give Up Hope.

The story was really smart, creative and funny i like how they subverse some classic tropes like the wishing star, the wish and others ones.

I really like how they reminded us that the Warner siblings are orphans and that there the only family they have, i think it's a detail we tend to forget when we were children and how it's sort of the main focus you see Yakko taking care of Dot and Wakko leaving for a year trying to make some money for Dot's operation it's weird at first seeing these that are insaney and comedic character in a dark and depressing setting but you get used to it and honestly is an interesting setting to explore these characters.

The rest of the cast of Animaniacs were great they had their moments and scenes they were good.

I love the references they have to the series like the mime, Pip and the knock-off Maria Von Trapp and all the characters that appeared in the nightmare rollercoaster scene nice little details that relate it to the show.

The villain King Salazar or Saladbar he was okay just another foil for the Warners to annoy but he truly is evil like why kill these poor orphaned children he is messed up.

And speaking of King Saladbar that scene you know that scene the scene where Dot dies holy cow! Wasn't expecting that but this scene the voice acting was amazing during this scene, Tress MacNeille and Rob Paulsen i tip my hat to both of you best voice acting i've ever heard and yes dear reader/tumblr user i cried during this scene and for the rest of the movie...

And i love the ending everbody gets their happy ending Hello Nurse is a CEO, Rita and Runt have a good life, Pinky is happy with a mate who doesn't abuse him and Brain has a position of power and Dot is cured, the Warners they finally find out their parentage which although sad and tragic they're royalty and have a nice life in the palace all is good...well except for the mime.

A new christmas classic definitely it's wholesome, funny and overall great it was so nice and i know it was planned as the final episode of the series and honestly its a nice conclusion to the series. And i highly recommend if you haven't watched it.

Well see you real soon!

[gizkasparadise]

kdrama rec/review: into the ring

KDRAMA AND CDRAMA MASTER LIST OF REVIEWS

Series: into the ring Episodes: 16 Genres: politics, comedy, romance, slice of life, some drama (not a ton) Spoilers in the Rec: minor ones/for the set-up If You Like, You’ll Like: parks and rec but if it was about 15% hornier and had inhaled a bunch of helium, women who top, and underdogs fighting for good causes or whatever 

Rank: 9/10

PREMISE

seo gong myung is a civil servant, punches in and out of work directly on time, and has the vibe of the kid in class who reminds the teacher that they forgot to collect the homework. initially part of the planning and finance division, he ruffled one too many feathers by holding the higher ups accountable and got demoted. now, he sits at a desk and answers civil complaints from an anonymous, online nemesis--who goes by the alias of The Tiger Moth.

goo se ra goes by the alias of the Tiger Moth and files constant civil complaints. unable to hold a job and lacking in Credentials, she spends a lot of her time getting riled up about lost causes, chasing down people who litter, and barking at civil servants because she’s an underdog, god damn it. finally, one job opportunity that lines directly with her interests appears: running for office to represent her district

inevitably gong myung and se ra’s paths cross. and they fight motherfucking crime

mostly through documents

but still

fighting motherfucking crime 

MAIN CHARACTERS

goo se ra

the main heroine of the story, se ra is the perfect candidate for public office: she’s passionate about civil affairs, stand her ground, and she really cant hold down any other job. motivated by the high yearly income (which amounts to about 50k in USD, the world is a nightmare), se ra sets out to secure her spot representing the district she’s lived in her entire life. 

justice first, think later. living embodiment of do no harm but take no shit. tops. big time.

gong myung

a mid-ranking civil servant, gong myung is seemingly content to live a straightforward, dry life while wearing a satchel until ser ra essentially bulldozes her way into it. very much a letter of the law type of guy, he gets caught up in se ra’s campaign and the chaos that follows it and finds his life changing because of it.

you think he’s going to be an asshole but he’s actually a precious little nerd man. will cradle se ra’s closed fist as gently as a baby bird because he is s o f t. overestimates his ability to seduce away someone’s financial records.

SOME SUPPORT CHARACTERS

jo maeng deok

a long-established politician and a classmate of se ra’s father. he’s got some backstory with other characters but i dont want to spoil. major asshole. 

kim min jae

se ra’s boyfriend of 9 years who works as a secretary for jo maeng deok. puts work over love and willingly walked away from se ra’s sexy anniversary party so something’s clearly wrong with him, morally. his actor played the sweet, tragically dead boyfriend from be melodramatic which caused a lot of cognitive dissonance 

yoon hee soo

fabulous councilwoman who is also an attorney who also has amazing hair. a little ambivalent about her own moral code, but i mentioned the hair, right? great hair.

goo young tae and kim sam sook

 se ra’s parents. i feel like anything i say will ruin some pleasant surprises, so just know that they are awesome and i love them and it’s clear chaos is an inherited trait. 

kwon woo young, jang han bi, and  kim ja ryong

se ra’s #squad who become her campaign team and motivational support, consists of a young mother trying to get back into her finance career, a former judo champion with a tragic past sports match, and a literal child who just kind of hangs out with them after se ra stops being his babysitter 

Drawbacks

this might just be a translation/cultural exchange issue, but there were points where i was completely lost as to what was happening with the #Politics side of things--mainly in the back half. sometimes the politics plot wasn’t as interesting to me because of that

Reasons to Watch.

it’s just so goddamn weird? the filming style is something i haven’t seen in a kdrama before, and it fits the tone and characters so well. there’s such a consistent style of humor throughout that i loved, and the reaction shots alone can be so A+++

the characters fail sometimes. but it’s not a desolate thing. it shows that they’re scrappy and they come back after every defeat. the tone/message of the show is consistent from start to finish in a way most shows don’t do

but really it’s about the otp. it’s all about the otp. here’s so many subversions of typical kdrama tropes. i will attempt to demonstrate with some examples, some spoilers ahead:

se ra sees gong myung with another woman late at night. sounds like it’s time for MISCOMMUNICATION. but no, he comes up to her and literally says “I don’t want to be misunderstood” at the end of his explanation (keep in mind they weren’t even dating yet)

despite being like 4 feet shorter, se ra pushes gong myung against the wall with sexual tension multiple times. lmao and his knees legit buckle. i love them

the couple gets together about halfway through, stays together, and are a gd team throughout

gong myun is willing to be her secretary, and there’s no drama about him feeling emasculated over it

also there’s just so many adorable things about their body language? se ra often stands in front of/physically shields gong myung from things or people and he does the same (although less often, because se ra #protects), and the aforementioned cradling of her fist like a baby bird. they’re just. real cute. real real cute. and it feels like an original dynamic. 

Final Thoughts.

justice first, think later!!

[noccalula-writes]

What are your favorite games and franchises? Top 5?

OH BOY have I got feelings on this subject. 

Please keep in mind - I’m a storyteller and a writer. I fucking /love/ a good story. I DM a DnD game and my biggest weakness is that I don’t often include enough combat because I am so much more interested in telling a story. So for me, there’s got to be an emotional investment for a game to really land. I also hyperfixate like a motherfucker so I often refuse to pick up new things purely because there’s not enough space in my head for them at the time, so I’m slow getting to things as they come out. 

So, I’m first and foremost a survival horror bitch. I cut my teeth on Parasite Eve before I played any others - my mother scrimped and saved and fought her way through Wal-mart back in like 1998 to get me the original Playstation gaming console and Tekken 2 (which was my first PS game, I played it in an arcade near her barber shop as a child - Tomb Raider 2 was my second). The old Playstation discs at that time came with demos for different games, including Metal Gear Solid, which I replayed until I could have done it in my sleep because poverty meant I wasn’t likely to get another game anytime soon. I mention this because the Parasite Eve trailer used to give me nightmares but I was super, super hooked. 

I am a huge Silent Hill fan. Huge. That is a tragedy I could write a whole ‘nother post about, because as excited as I am to finally get my hands on Death Stranding (again, poverty, so it’ll be another minute before we can get a PS4), we’ll never get another SH game again unless some major reconciliation happens with Kojima and Konami, which is unlikely (and also hard to hope for - I’m happy Kojima now has the creative freedom to go as balls to the wall as he wants). 

I am an equally huge Resident Evil fan. I’ve always maintained that my first fandom was The X Files, but my wife pointed out a few nights ago that my RE love started around the same time in the late 90′s, so now it’s a chicken and egg kind of thing. Point being, it’s either The or One Of my longest lasting fandoms/interests. RE and Silent Hill get compared to one another a lot - RE7 did nothing to help that - but they really are apples and oranges to me. Fruit, sure, but two totally different tones and experiences. 

I’ve been a huge Tomb Raider fan for forever - my first high school boyfriend was loaded and bought me Angel of Darkness to come play at his house and while it was def critically panned, I do recall enjoying it - so that’s been fun to get those games remade with updated graphics. I’ve only played the one but the others are def on The List. 

So now that I’ve talked for an hour, my Top 5 fave games ever - 

#1 - Resident Evil 3 I am beyond jazzed for this remake, and a lot of people in the 90′s complained about RE3′s lack of clear cut boss battles, but I don’t know what they’re talking about. The entire fucking game is a boss battle - Jill vs. Raccoon City, and of course, Nemesis, who used to give my mother nightmares and caused me to sleep with a leaf-stabber by my bed for years. Jill is far and away my favorite protagonist in RE; she’s got a resilience of the spirit that somehow isn’t conflated with naivety, which is uncommon in ‘nice’ female protags. She’s savvy but she’s still kind, and she’s committed as fuck to survival - not to mention, as zealotous a Chris and Jill shipper as I am, she and Carlos had hella chemistry and I’m excited to see where that goes (JD Pardo would have made a fuck of a Carlos Oliviera, btw). It was An Experience and it’s forever at my #1. 

#2 - The Last of Us 

There is no comparison for emotional weight in video games, as far as I’m concerned. SPOILERS if you don’t already know the ending (this game came out in what, 2014?) but to me one of the biggest thing in the game’s favor is that the protagonist made the wrong choice. He had an option to potentially eradicate the cordyceps fungus and maybe save the world, turn the tides back for humanity, and with the weight of the world in the balance, he chose to save Ellie instead. It was, on a global scale, the wrong choice - but it was the human choice. It was the thing that a dad who never properly grieved his dead daughter would do for the surrogate daughter he inherited by accident. As for Ellie, there is no other character quite like her in games, and she’s fucking quality LGBT representation, especially considering how little we see queer children in media. I still cry every time, we play this game twice a year like clockwork and every single time, I still cry. 

#3 - Silent Hill 3 

All of SH’s games will have a special place in my heart - and if you wanna talk shit about Downpour, I’ll meet you in the Denny’s parking lot at 11, you better square the fuck up because I will defend Murphy with fists - but 3 is the best, hands down. I felt like it did the best job of streamlining the series’ ... uhm... somewhat complicated lore into something more understandable. SPOILERS: The villains are horrific - the Missionaries strike fear into my heart every time I play, and Claudia eating a miscarried god fetus to become god herself? Fucked up on a level you rarely see. I suppose if you didn’t catch it in the last sentence - your protag Heather vomits up a fetal god late in the game. Yes, you read that right. The best thing about this game though? Heather. I could climb up my feminist soapbox and talk about Heather as a subversion to video game tropes all fucking day - she’s a nonsexualized teenage girl whose father is killed for her character development. She’s self-sufficient, tough but still vulnerable, and hard as nails in a fight. As I might have mentioned a time or six, she also voluntarily aborts a god because Fuck Your Plans, She’s Got Her Own. 

#4 - Final Fantasy X 

Listen. I don’t know how much of this is because of actually enjoying playing the game and how much of it is emotional attachment. As most of you who follow me know, my mother died when I was sixteen. When I was about fourteen, I dated a rich kid who used to bring his PS2 to our very not-rich house and play games for us to watch - the sort of neophyte version of Watching Guys Play Videogames, if you will, which is another rant for another time. He got a Gamecube specifically so I could play RE Zero and Hunter The Reckoning. He was a neckbeard but he was also desperate to keep me from ditching so he did the smart thing and plied my very poor ass with money and food. The #1 game in the watching roster, though, was FFX - and if you know anything about the game, you know how heavily spirituality features into the story. My mother, very caught up in a very Eastern Philosphy Meets Quantum Physics internal seeking about the nature of things, was hooked from the word Go. She used to sit and watch Trey play for hours - we all did, but having her join us and love it that much? Wonderful. Half my memories of this game are both of us crying - crying when Yuna dances to send the souls, crying when Yuna reveals she’s on a suicide mission, crying when she and Tidus fall in love anyway, crying when she sends her Aeons to die in the final fight, crying over ‘the fayts are waking up’, crying when the big reveal about Auron comes up, crying crying crying. My wife bought it in 2011 and I watched her play through it again and while it suffers from the same issue as all FF games - too much filler and weird battle scenarios - it was cathartic. I miss my mom. 

#5 - Resident Evil 6 

Eat my entire ass. You already knew this was coming. I will defend this game to my grave for the fact that we have complex, interesting narratives surrounding female characters who have actual personalities. Was it perfect? No. Did it take RE out of horror territory and move it more into action? Woefully, yes. Is this series deeply problematic for where it chooses to set down your mostly-white protags and have them kill their way through? Big time. Don’t gloss those facts. But it’s got emotional punch in spades and a few weird character breaks that ended up being kind of brilliant - Chris has been so resiliently relentless in his fight against bioterrorism that a major PTSD break was inevitable. Leon would of course risk life and limb to help Helena, even though she implicated herself in something terrible. The icing on the cake to me was a grown up Sherry Birkin, wide eyed and believing like hell in the fight she thought she was on the right side of and getting knocked down only to get back up. Ada’s entire side campaign was brilliant. I hate some of the control choices they made in this game - the running from the Haos scenes near the end of Chris and Piers’ campaign makes me want to eat my own fist - but so it goes with most RE games (until RE4, moving your protag was like driving a tank). Jake and Sherry are My Unsinkable Ship. There are at least six scenes across this game that never get easier to watch - when the bomb hits the city and the cut scene of the mass infections begin, I still get sick to my stomach - and that, to me, is the mark that this game struck a hell of a chord in terms of storytelling. 

This was long.