#amazing plot and game overall

[fraternum-momentum]

ok just finished binging it i am holy fucking shit

!! spoilers for squid game season 2 !!!

im watching the season 2 of squid game with my cousins and holy shit the russian roulette scene with the recruiter guy,,,,,,,,,,, he is so deraged iam iibhhvhhgngth

[danmeidiaries]

Ranking Cdramas

I've seen 10 cdramas and I decided to rank them all. If the cdrama is based on a book, I will only be taking the drama into account and I will not be including donghuas in this particular ranking. These are all my personal opinions but I would love to hear some others! Let me know if you agree or disagree.

10. 'Love Game in Eastern Fantasy'

Plot: After a rough day at work and being disappointed by her favorite author's latest web novel, Ling Miaomiao finds herself transported into the story as the villainous Lin Yu destined to meet a miserable fate at the hands of the protagonist's brother Mu Sheng. Tasked with making Mu Sheng fall in love with her 100% in order to return home, Ling Miaomiao tries to change the novel's original tragic ending.

Episode Count: 32

As a Scum Villain fan, I love a good transmigration plotline. This show had all the potential and the first half is excellent. However, after they get to the Capital, it all starts to unravel and although there's still a few funny scenes and some great action, it's nowhere near as good as the first half of the show.

5/10

9. The Story of Yanxi Palace

Plot: Historical drama about the rise of Wei Yingluo (the Qianlong Emperor's Third Empress) in the imperial harem. Beginning as a palace maid investigating the murder of her elder sister, Wei Yingluo must learn to naviagte the machinations of Qianlong's consorts as they all vie for favor and power within the palace.

Episode Count: 90

The first cdrama I ever watched. Wei Yingluo is an excellent protagonist and the show has many intriguing mysteries and plot lines. The long episode count does mean that some of the middle has a lot of filler, but there is a lot to enjoy in this fun show. Although there is a love triangle element, I really enjoy Qianlong and Wei Yingluo's interactions as they have a very atypical love story.

7.5/10

8. A Familiar Stranger

Summary: Painter Shi Qi is forcibly face-swapped with the Prime Minister's daughter Shen Qin who doesn't want to go through with her arranged marriage.

Episode Count: 18 (10-12 minutes each)

This webdrama available on YouTube has an intriguing plotline and some great chemistry between the leads. However, in an exact opposite problem to Yanxi Palace, the short episode count and length leave some things unexplored that could have been interesting in a longer show.

7.8/10

7. Guardian

Summary: In Haixing, the SID led by Zhao Yunlan investigate mysterious deaths related to a subterranean alien species known as Dixingrens who possess powerful unique abilities. As cases become more frequent, Shen Wei, a professor at the university, seems to have some kind of connection to them.

Episode Count: 40

This might ruffle some feathers. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Guardian and Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei are one of the best cdrama couples out there. (Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng also have a cute side relationship), but i think the amount of censorship and having to rework parts of the novel ended up harming the cohesiveness of the show's over-arching narrative. Still a great show and the final stretch of episodes are some of my favorites in cdrama overall.

8/10

6. Till the End of the Moon

Summary: To save the world from the Devil God Tantai Jin, Li Susu travels back 500 years to when he was human with the task of killing him and preventing him from becoming a devil god. Unexpectedly awakening as Tantai Jin's abusive wife Ye Xiwu, the two begin to develop real feelings towards one another.

Episode Count: 40

Now we're getting into the home stretch of cdramas I genuinely don't have any issues with and it's just coming down to personal preference. The chemistry is amazing, the CGI is the best I've ever seen in a cdrama, the plotline is masterfully done. But by god these biches need to work on their communication issues and misunderstanding plotlines make me want to claw my face off (there's quite a few).

8.5/10

5. Love Between Fairy and Devil

Summary: Xiao Lanhua, a low-ranking flower fairy in Shuiyuntan accidentally and unknowingly frees Dongfang Qingcang, the Moon Supreme devil god imprisoned 10,000 years ago. After a bond is formed where Dongfang QIngcang can feel all of her physical and emotional pain, he is forced to keep her safe as he tries to work out how to break it.

Episode Count: 36

Another show with fantastic chemistry between the leads, a villain reveal I genuinely didn't see coming, and has some of the funniest and most tragic scenes I've ever seen. Did I cry watching this show - yes. Unashamedly. Dylan Wang is too good of an actor. And I'm a sucker for a good Hades x Persephone romance.

8.8/10

4. Fangs of Fortune

Summary: 8 years after attacking the Demon Hunting Bureau, the demon Zhu Yan shows up on the doorstep asking to work together with them.

Episode Count: 34 + Bonus Episode

This show has something for everyone. Great CGI, bisexual polycule (or GL and BL, or just het) vibes, a great story and some of the best stunt work and action choreography I've ever seen. I wish there were more episodes and that it had fully committed to the ZYC + ZYZ angle.

9/10

3. Justice in the Dark (ongoing - could jump in the rankings dramatically if the ending sticks the landing)

Summary: In the futuristic Xinzhou City, 1.3% of the population are affected by a radiation caused genetic defect that leaves them unable to empathise. These 'Apaths' are considered prone to criminal behaviour and their crimes are investigated by Luo Weizhao's Special Investigation Division (SID). Pei Su, a young millionaire at odds with Luo Weizhao due to events in their past becomes connected to a series of unusual crimes with thematic ties to classic literature read aloud by a mysterious broadcaster.

Episode Count: 30 (25 aired as of this post)

Thank you Japan for releasing the rest of the episodes. Excellent chemistry between the two lead, the cases are all fascinating and I'm a sucker for a good literary reference. If this show sticks the landing with the finale it could very well jump to number 1 on this list. I can't wait to see how this show concludes.

9.5/10

2. Word of Honor

Summary: Former assassin Zhou Zishu quits the Window of Heaven and goes into hiding. With only a few years left to live, he plans to live out the rest of his days alone until he meets Wen Kexing - a mysterious man who sees through his disguise and proceeds to follow him everywhere he goes.

Episode Count: 36 + Bonus episode

Insane chemistry, great stunt choreo and a great story. The show that made everyone say "hey, doesn't China have censorship???" This show was meant to have 45 episodes originally (cut down to 36) and it does show a bit in the second half, but Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu are my 2nd favorite cdrama couple for a reason.

9.5/10

The Untamed

Summary: 16 years after his widely celebrated death, demonic cultivator Wei Wuxian is suddenly resurrected in a new body. After reuniting with Lan Wangji, a man from his first life, the two work together to solve the mysteries of the present and the past.

Episode Count: 50

The one, the only. The TV show that changed my life. PERFECTION. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji remain my favorite cdrama couple ever. The directions this show took altered my brain chemistry and changed my outlook on so many things. The gold standard of cdramas.

10/10

Reminder: These are all my personal opinions but I'd love to hear other people's!

[penguwastaken]

The Danganronpa books are all really good and here's why you should read them.

Danganronpa Zero is a really good origin story that explores junko's character and the a lot of the shady stuff with Hope's Peak along with introducing a lot of things that would become staples of the series like Izuru Kamukura and the reserve course. It's also consistently referenced all throughout the series.

Danganronpa Zero revamped fan translation

Danganronpa Kirigiri is not only a great origin story for Kyoko, it also has plenty of great new characters, interesting mysteries, and amazing themes. The author would even go on to work on Danganronpa v3 and create all the crazy murder methods in that game. In my personal opinion this is probably the best written entry in the entire series.

Danganronpa Kirigiri fan translation

Danganronpa IF is not only a fun what if story but also a great character study of Mukuro who now finally understands her sister and recontextualizes a lot of things, it's also just really fun in general.

You can read Danganronpa IF after beating Danganronpa 2

Makoto Naegi Secret File is a short but entertaining story about the events that led Makoto to becoming a student at Hope's Peak. It adds some neat context and some interesting foreshadowing, plus it's just really weird lol.

Makoto Naegi Secret File fan translation

Not my favorite (least favorite actually) but Danganronpa Togami is an absolutely insane read with one of the most baffling plot twists in the series. Only the most curious of souls should read this.

Danganronpa Togami volume 1 fan translation Danganronpa Togami volume 2 extended summary Danganronpa Togami volume 3 extended summary Danganronpa Togami ongoing fan translation of all volumes

Ultra Despair Hagakure is just a generally really funny story about Yasuhiro in Towa City where he bumps into a lot of crazy people while trying to get money to pay his debts, it's silly and fun. Don't expect Shakespeare, it's just a fun time.

You can read Ultra Despair Hagakure after beating Danganronpa Another Episode

Danganronpa 1-2 Beautiful Days is a collection of non-canon stories similar to the anthology comics, overall it's just really neat but the story "Nanami the Adventurer" absolutely is a must read for perfectly explaining what makes Danganronpa 2's cast great.

Danganronpa 1-2 Beautiful Days fan translation

Not technically a novel but Danganronpa Gaiden is a fun thriller with cool characters and interesting world building, it has some issues but it's definitely worth checking out.

Danganronpa Gaiden Killer Killer scanslation

Also not technically a novel but Kirigiriso is a really weird but interesting crossover story with Danganronpa and Otogiriso about kyoko discovering a plant infested mansion. If you enjoyed Danganronpa Kirigiri or Kyoko as a character in general, you might get some enjoyment out of this

Kirigirisou fan translation

That's the end of the post, I hope I managed to convince you to check out at least one of these stories. All of them have been linked in this post so hopefully they should be very accessible.

[lilybug-02]

I think you would love the game Look outside (if your ok with body horror) It has a amazing story and though the overall story is very very dark the smaller arks are so sweet. The characters' also just have so much... character

Seriously though if you cant handle body horror do not play!!!!

You’re asking me if I can’t handle body horror? HA!

I’ve seen a synopsis of the plot on a YouTube short 😭 I think I got major spoiled. But it looks cool

[ozzgin]

wtf HOW WAS ROMULUS OZZIE Hello??????? I CANT WAIT TO WATCH ITRTR i miss david 8 tho 😓😓 “you finger and i blow” ok gorgeous whatever you say

Ok ok, I let it sit overnight so I could formulate a less feral opinion. I'll do my best to be objective, though you should keep in mind that I'm very biased when it comes to the Alien franchise.

Alien: Romulus First Impressions

Plot. The movie takes place between Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). If you've seen the old Alien movies, you will notice it follows the same formula: somewhat slow beginning, a grand reveal, a lot of high-stake escape attempts, shady android behavior, and the classic, speedy succession of plot twists where you think you're safe, only to be surprised the very next moment.

While this movie is meant to behave more like the pre-2000 releases, it does bring some novel elements, which, in my opinion, helped build its own authenticity. Additionally - and without spoiling you - it will involve its own Xenomorph variation. Fantastic idea, and I cannot believe it hasn't been done earlier.

The cast is a group of orphaned youngsters who want to escape their space mining colony. You're introduced to a dystopian, grimy world of overworked humans who've never seen the light of the sun. The main character, Rain, is accompanied by her "brother", Andy, an android programmed to take care of her after the death of her parents. Here's another aspect I enjoyed: an anxious, imperfect android who seems to display an emotional bond with his human.

Rain's friends discover a shipwreck which may contain enough sleeping pods to take them away from these unbearable conditions. Their plan is to sneak in, take the pods, and speed away to a more humane station while in cryosleep. The twist? It's not just any regular ship. They have stepped into the Romulus and Remus research station, operated by Weyland-Yutani, and haunted by yet another failed attempt to contain the Xenomorph horrors.

Characters. Let me tell you, this was a breath of fresh air. Prometheus and Covenant have left me rather skeptical when it comes to a competent cast, yet from the ashes of pathetic military personnel rose a bunch of kids who are built for survival. Rain reminded me so much of Ripley - extremely intelligent, efficient, and strong. Her friends are equally brave in the face of disaster. This was a 10/10 cast, and I'm so glad they finally found the balance between being terrified and still navigating the situation without catastrophic mistakes.

Visuals. The imagery was an absolute treat. They seamlessly combined modern special effects with throwback, retro detailing. The futuristic equipment and locations reminded me a lot of Alien: Isolation. Upon further research, it seems that the director was indeed inspired by the game! It made everything so nostalgic and immersive. The Xenomorph design was flawless as usual, involving a lot of body horror.

Audio. I am desperately waiting for the album to be released on Spotify, because the soundtracks were amazing. The music was composed by Benjamin Wallfisch, who seems to have rather big movie titles under his belt, such as It, and It: Chapter Two. Safe to say this man knows how to instil terror in you. They made sure to incorporate some of the classic pieces, then expanded on that. The alert beats reminded me of Covenant, while other tracks provided their own take on the story. The intro of the movie is aided by dissonant chanting in the background, hinting at the ancient, religious imagery used for the Xenomorphs.

Conclusion. Overall, I'd say this is a must-watch for any Alien fan. It is a tribute to the classic movies, but it still offers a brand-new take to the Alien Universe. The movie had some moments of complete silence - staying true to the "In space, no one can hear you scream" quote - and everyone in the cinema held their breaths. It will keep you on your toes.

[little-one-eyed-monsters]

A hot take on Mame Orawan's lead casting choices

I have so many problems with Mame (of MeMindY)'s writing, screenplay and directing in general (and not even on the tropes, just on pacing and consistency)...

But as a Casting Director, she is AMAZING at making sure her couples have chemistry.

I'm not even on LITA levels yet. I'm talking about the OG Love By Chance.

This post was prompted after I went on socials recently and saw Saint Suppapong's new bl partner for his industry comeback. The new guy Poom is a cute, solid choice. Out of nostalgia, I also went back and rewatched a few episodes of Why R U, and I thought Zee and Saint were cool, too. I think Saint improved a lot. I remember thinking the same thing when I watched Perth and Chimon's bl series, then again after watching Perth and Santa's storyline in Perfect 10 Liners the series. They're cool.

But that's just it. They're all just cool. The series just didn't stand out to me. I could remember the plot well enough, but man, would I recommend it? Honestly, no.

And besides a good plot (which some series don't have the luxury of having), I really think it boils down to how believable the actors were in playing lovers who actually... loved each other. Felt genuine passion for each other. Their chemistry.

And I think this is what makes Mame special (and why her shows can go against big hitters from GMMTV and bigger Thai channels)

If someone gave me individual headshots of Saint and Perth (both gorgeous actors), or showed me videos of them acting in different films and told me they'd pair up, I'd say it wouldn't work. This was the first poster of LBC I saw:

And it was a NO for me. The body language, the setup, all screamed rookie (and they were at the time). I didn't like the trailer much either.

But damn once I gave the series a chance (ha), these two carried that script on their shoulders. I love rewatching LBC just to see Saint and Perth stare at each other and give everyone and their mom butterflies-- something that I think is missing in their later works.

(Seriously though, to this day I still don't know what the plot's supposed to be. There's a toxic ex-boyfriend somewhere?)

Anyway...

Of course, Tharntype's plot and pacing was problematic as all heck (and the fandom is even more bonkers. And I can say that, I was a loyal member of this fandom for years). But my gosh Mew and Gulf did genuinely look like they fell in love on that set. I mean WHAT WAS THIS?!

No offense to both Mew and Gulf, I'm sure they're both talented actors. But I honestly believe chemistry like this goes beyond any acting skill. You mean to tell me actors can do this??? Have this much chemistry then go home to their respective SOs like it's no big deal? How do you DO that?

(Double whammy since Mew and Gulf had the same level of chemistry on Tharntype 2, even though apparently they weren't on good terms during filming. Go figure.)

(I couldn't bring myself to put Don't Say No here. I tried, I really did. That one was just a miss for Mame overall)

And I know only two people and the cast watched Wedding Plan (I am KIDDING, please don't come after me SunnyPak fans), but once I gave it a chance, I also found that the leads played well off of each other.

Shame about the plot though. They REALLY needed stronger actors to save that premise.

FortPeat are just mythic level at the chemistry game though. I don't really like Peat's acting style in both LITA and Love Sea (again, no offense to Peat. I honestly think he just hasn't found the right role for him yet. He has a bite and nuance that doesn't really fit the characters Mame keeps giving him), but him and Fort play absolutely convincing lovers.

Y'all have no chill. Keep doing that.

But of course, Mame struck diamonds with Boss and Noeul.

These two are the very definition of chemistry and sexual tension. They play off of each other so well viewers are asking for MORE love scenes instead of the usual complaining about the oversexualization of bls. I think that's the highest compliment any bl actor can get at this point. And I honestly don't know what these two are to each other, and frankly, I don't need to know. I just need them to keep making shows.

And all this to say, I think what makes Mame an expert at this genre is because absent of a good plot, she makes sure that her actors are not afraid to just... touch each other. And not even from a sexual sense, I'm talking about casual touches here. These actors are given the freedom to move their hands and fiddle with their partner's hair and fingers and shirts. They randomly lay their heads on each other's shoulders and wrap their arms around each other without prompting. A more experienced filmmaker wouldn't allow any movement that may disrupt the overall vision and script (especially considering that most of these actors are rookies), but Mame lets her actors get free reign over their interactions on camera. In other words, she just tells them to do what lovers ought to do.

It adds a touch of realism, I think. Lovers don't think about when they have to hold hands. They don't think twice about bumping shoulders or teasing a person they already sleep with. They don't notice the small touches because everything is familiar. Her (lead) actors get the same stage direction: act like you actually WANT each other. And it works.

To be fair, I don't think this is unique to Mame. Mandee Channel (Domundi) also does the same thing with their couples. My only issue with Mandee is that aside from the shows of their two main couples ZeeNunew and MaxNat, the rest of their leads get ZERO PLOT in their shows (I'm looking at you, Battle of the Writers. You were especially difficult). At least Mame TRIES to have a good enough plot for her shows.

And if nothing else, I hope more casting directors follow in Mame's footsteps (but just for that one. Don't follow anything else)

(Also, I hope Mame can fix her second lead problems. Please don't bother adding side couples if you don't know what to do with them).

Anyway, this is in response to my anxiety over waiting for the TBNW finale. Thanks for coming to this long TED talk.

[lunarheir007]

My opinions on how to train your dragon: the hidden world (if you liked the 3rd movie, look away):

while there are definitely things I enjoyed about the 3rd film, there are also a lot of problems with it that make me view the 2nd film as the end of the canon content.

First I don’t hate the ending, in fact I like the emotional ending of the dragons leaving (I wish it didn’t end that way but thats a whole different thing). What I hate is why toothless left in the first place. He left for a female dragon he knew for like a day. I’m sorry you’re throwing away a SIX YEAR friendship for a girl you met in A DAY. (Also mind you he literally became the alpha in the last movie to protect Hiccup so…) I don’t buy it. The ending would be so much better if there was no light fury and toothless and hiccup realize the dragons need to leave to be safe. Toothless leaving for the safety of his species is a good ending. What makes it not work for me is the light fury. I would have preferred if the light fury didn’t exist (besides just hating the concept her design is also lazy). If she needs to be in the movie, they should have limited her impact. Too much time was spent on this light fury that overall didn’t add much to the story for me.

Secondly, grimmel. UGH I did not like him. He just was not a good villain by any means. He was set up to be this brilliant and calculated villain but he fell extremely flat. Most of his calculated “genius” moves only paid off because the gang made mistake after mistake. (Truthfully hiccup made so many unhiccup like decisions in this film). Also, I did not like the rehashed “dragons working for the bad guy” trope. Grimmel is supposed to be this masterclass dragon hunter, so why does he need dragons to help him? It makes no sense (and quite frankly having a villain who didn’t need dragons to take down other dragons would be way more scary than what we got).

My favorite villain is Viggo Grimborn because they set him up as the strategic game player and actually back it up. I stand by the fact that Viggo is what they wanted Grimmel to be. Viggo is actually the smart villain they wanted grimmel to be because his wins don’t come about because hiccup or the gang make a stupid mistake. He wins because he is out thinking hiccup. Like hiccup is playing an amazing game and is making good moves, Viggo just makes better ones. Viggo also benefits from being a tv show villain since they have more time to build up his character. In that same vein, I think Grimmel would have been a better tv show villain because for his type of character you need more build up.

Lastly, leaving Berk/the hidden world. First off you could just tell it was such a forced in plot point. Like how was grimmel so much more of threat than Drago and a colossal sized alpha dragon that they needed to leave berk (again in part to the lack of development of Grimmel). I just didn’t feel that there were enough stakes for them to leave Berk.

Don’t even get my started on the characters. Everyone was pushed aside except for hiccup, Astrid and toothless. Let’s not even get into snotlout’s weird obsession with Valka (why couldn’t they have just made her a mother figure for the gang idk). Toothless losing everything that made him a terrifying dragon that was called the offspring of lighting and death itself. Like I get he is supposed to be like tamed and all that but the 2nd movie was a good balance between the two. Why did they have to push it even farther?

Anyway, that’s my rant on the third movie.

[mysterialistic]

Review/Ramble on Yingdu and Overall Thoughts

Okay, first of all, I think the fandom needs to chill a bit, especially on Twitter/X, because some people are overdramatizing the criticism from others. Criticizing a piece of media doesn’t mean you hate it, nor does it mean it’s bad—it just means it didn’t fully meet your expectations, and you have a different opinion. It’s as simple as that. Of course, I believe criticism should always come from an objective standpoint, not just for the sake of complaining.

Having said, let’s start rambling!

Yingdu had an amazing start. Those first few minutes, transitioning from the basketball game straight into the scene of Cheng Xiaoshi’s death, were so well done. Overall, the first episode was fantastic—the perfect mix of drama and tension. It answered some of our lingering questions before bringing us back to the Season 1 format, where they tackled individual cases, only for it to all build up to the arc’s main conflict. I won’t go into every single episode since that would make this way too long, but I had to highlight episode 1 because it was my favorite.

There were several aspects of these episodes that I really enjoyed. Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang’s bond was portrayed so well—every little moment between them, every dialogue exchange—it perfectly showed why these two are so willing to risk their lives for each other. I looked forward to seeing their interactions every week, and I was never disappointed.

Xia Fei was also a great addition, and I’m glad they didn’t kill off his character like many people theorized, because he has so much potential. I really enjoyed his complexity—he’s a spy, but he has his own morals and values. He dislikes Liu Xiao, yet he has a close bond with Vein despite his odd personality. He’s clearly intelligent, and I think that will really shine in Season 3. He already seems to suspect something, and I have no doubt he’ll get to the bottom of it. Right now, he’s angry and confused about what happened to Vein, convinced that someone killed him. But how will he react if (or when) he finds out that Vein was the one who initially killed Cheng Xiaoshi—one of his other friends, and probably the only truly innocent one? And don’t even get me started on how he’ll react when he finds out that Lu Guang tried to kill Vein or that Vein is still alive. I’m excited to see where this goes.

That said, I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see much of Vein and Liu Xiao. We mostly just saw what we already knew—two shady guys with their own agenda, pretending to be friendly. As an introduction, it was fine, but considering how much attention the promotional material gave them, I really thought we’d see more. Still, I don’t have a huge issue with it since they’ll obviously play a bigger role in Season 3. Liu Xiao, Vein, Li Tianchen, and possibly Xia Fei—a group of unstable individuals as antagonists… well, good luck, Lu Guang!

Now, something that does bother me about Yingdu is the inconsistencies between its plot and what we’ve seen in Seasons 1 and 2. For me, this was the laziest part of the writing, because no, Link Click isn’t flawless. In fact, no piece of media is. But in Link Click’s case, some of the flaws were painfully obvious. With every episode that aired, I kept thinking, “okay, this has to be an alternate timeline”, because so many little details just didn’t fit with the main storyline. The most obvious one is how Cheng Xiaoshi awakened his powers—he did it on his own, yet in Season 1, it was shown that he didn’t know he could do this. That makes absolutely no sense unless he has selective amnesia, which is definitely not the case lol. As for the inconsistencies with his parents, that could at least be explained by the promise he made to his mother to “not get involved any further.” He clearly remembers that promise and is likely just keeping everything he learned a secret.

Speaking of parents… Damn, Cheng Xiaoshi’s parents are awful lmao. I hated how his father acted like he was the victim, justifying his actions with, “yes, I abandoned my child, but now I take care of other children to make up for my mistakes.” That’s just… bad parenting. I actually made a whole analysis about it in another post. And then there’s Cheng Xiaoshi’s mother. The way she dismissed her son’s feelings and abandonment issues with a casual “oh yeah, it was wrong of me not to say goodbye, but who cares? That’s in the past” felt so off. The entire scene with her was weird—the humor felt misplaced. I was expecting something more emotional, more dramatic—anything but this. But based on what I’ve seen, almost no one liked her, so if the creators were hoping we’d find her eccentricity endearing, this introduction definitely wasn’t the best. Since Season 1, we’ve been repeatedly shown how deeply this abandonment affected Cheng Xiaoshi, and this is the reunion we got? It was… underwhelming.

Now, something I really, really loved was how they handled Lu Guang in this arc. From start to finish, it was just so good—his reaction when he first saw Cheng Xiaoshi again, his nightmares and PTSD, the way he carefully planned everything to manipulate events and create change. But my absolute favorite part? How morally gray he is. He planned and actually succeeded in killing Vein, eliminating the threat (though he’s definitely going to freak out when he finds out Vein is still alive). That cold smile? The scene where his hands moved like he was pulling the strings of a puppet? The way he said, “I hope we’ll never see each other again”? PERFECT. I’ve always said I wanted Lu Guang’s motivations and actions to not be entirely good. He comes across as someone selfish, willing to sacrifice others if it means protecting the people he loves—because he has the power and the knowledge to do it, and he wants his happy ending. Such a good character, I swear.

Of course, I wasn’t expecting every single question to be answered in Yingdu—that would be ridiculous lol. But I’m satisfied that the plot is finally moving forward. They gave us a piece of the puzzle—Cheng Xiaoshi’s parents, the origin of his powers, the antagonists’ apparent goal (some sort of notebook?), and hints at what we can expect in Season 3. That said, my biggest fear is that Link Click will lose its essence—the powerful message from Season 1 about how they shouldn’t intervene in the natural flow of time, no matter how painful it is, because the past and future should be left alone. Based on what Lu Guang said about the butterfly effect, we can argue that time itself is like another character—a force that, no matter how much they try to change things, always corrects itself somehow, some way. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure what kind of ending I want for Link Click, but right now, I just hope it makes sense, that it isn’t forced, and that it unfolds naturally.

And… that’s all I have to say for now.

[kwamiwayzz]

I've been sick in bed all week and decided to watch the pilot so my impressions so far. I'd say spoilers ahead, but who's actually watching out for those for this:

Animation is okay, don't expect KyoAni or Mappa obviously. I can't really say for sure if the "bad and sloppy" art style is completely intended but when you have shots like this

...it kinda screams low quality, low effort

Much of the pilot plot is dumb stuff like the actual games. Nicole is trying to find money to buy this Avril Lavigne belt from Emily and she goes from offering to wash Jecka's car, thinking about doing caricatures for money (Jecka says she can't draw), selling crushed up aspirin and pretend it's cocaine, and she even took the dough from a random pizza place to sell figures while passing it off as "genuine Italian crafts".

Jecka tells her to get a job like usual.

Ari works at Hot Topic and being tortured as usual, but she gets somewhat of a win towards the end of the episode.

We literally see Ari cutting herself out of frustration because of her shitty job.

The rest of the pilot is just going from here to there to what you'd expect if you've played the games. It's not amazing, and I do think the voice acting is still good, but I don't think it translated out super well in an anime-setting.

I did enjoy some parts like...Jeckole

Based on this shot where they're watching TV, it looks like Nicole might be spending time at Jecka's house, despite the second game having her try to keep her away from her pervy dad.

Oh damn, Nicole selling out Jecka for her own gain just so she could get the belt Emily was selling? Then telling Ari she'll get over it? Well, we'll see...

So, you gonna apologize or what?

Trying to fix it by letting Jecka wear the belt every other day? Also, she looks like a lost puppy here lmao.

But similar to that one part in Re-Up, Nicole can win Jecka's favor back again by throwing Jeffery under the bus.

Did Nicole fucking kill Jeffery?? ToT

I guess that's what it takes to win Jecka back bye asdfaklfgkjalskd

Anyway, my overall thoughts on this pilot. It's fine for what it is. Keep your expectations similar to the games, because it's not like there's going to be anything mind-blowing. I'm mostly here for the voice acting, Nicole and Jecka, the rest of the cast, and the dumb stuff.

Out of everything, I think I really enjoyed the dumb dialogue among all the characters. They're just acting like typical (possibly exaggerated) white teenagers in that setting by getting into goofy scenarios and if the rest of the anime is like this, I might actually consider staying for the rest of its run.

[writingquestionsanswered]

What's "Filler" vs What's Relevant

Anonymous asked: How do you know when something is “filler” that needs to be deleted, or if it can be kept? I often see advice saying "your characters should talk about nothing but the plot... no frivolous banter or silly arguments, because it's useless, self-indulgent, filler-fluff." But then I watch or see things and it's like, hm... there sure are a lot of things happening here that aren't plot relevant, yet the audience adores it. For example, in a popular episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender, called "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," nothing relevant to the main plot (stopping Fire Lord Ozai) happens. Instead, characters shop and go to a spa, rebuild a zoo, and go on a date. Part of the episode is even dedicated to one character's running off after having a nightmare. Nothing that we learn or that happens in the episode is ever relevant again as far as I recall, yet 19 years later, people still talk about how much they love that episode. So, I’m really confused as to what counts as useless filler/fluff vs what's important information. How do you tell the difference?

[Ask edited for length...]

First, it's important to note that a Nickelodeon cartoon from twenty years ago is not a great measuring stick for how to write fiction in 2024. ATLA, from what I've heard, is an amazing TV show, full of heart and top-notch character development. But it was also a cartoon created for and written to be enjoyed by children as young as age seven (the low end of Nickelodeon's demographic at the time), so it was following different guidelines from what you'd be following if you're trying to write a short story, novella, or book.

Case in point, the ATLA episode "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" is what's known in television as a "vignette," which uses short, self-contained stories unified by concept and theme to explore character relationships, growth, world-building, and to expand on themes that are important to the overall story. So, while the episode may not have contained plot-relevant elements, as get a glimpse into the minutiae of the characters' daily lives in Ba Sing Se, the characters and their relationships are still pushed forward, even if in only the tiniest ways.

And, again, this is a TV show with 61 episodes, not a short story, novel, or book, all of which are structured differently than a TV show.

On the Subject of "Fluff"

I want to be clear about the fact that if you're writing fan-fiction, fluff is just fine. And even if you're writing original fiction, you can get away with a little bit of fluff... you just need to be clever about it...

Filler, Fluff, or Relevant?

If something is absolutely necessary to move the story forward or understand it, it's plot relevant.

If something doesn't move the story forward and isn't critical to the reader's understanding of the story, but it helps them understand the characters or world in a way they didn't before, it's probably fluff that's been dressed up in a plot relevant costume. (That's the "you need to be clever about it" bit from above, which we'll get to in a second...)

If something isn't necessary to move the story forward or understand it, and it doesn't add anything to the reader's understanding of the characters or world, it's filler. It's just words on a page that serve no purpose, and it should be cut.

On the Subject of "Moving the Story Forward"

To clarify, in case anyone is wondering, "moving the story forward" means advancing the plot from one scene to the next scene. In other words, to use The Hunger Games as an example, Prim's name being drawn in the Reaping moves the story forward, because it forces Katniss to volunteer in her place. It moves the story from Katniss being a bystander at the Reaping to being a tribute. Another example, using Twilight, when Tyler's van skids into the parking lot and almost smashed into Bella, it forces Edward to use his otherworldly vampire strength to save her, which confirms in her mind that he's not human. It moves the story from Bella being curious about this weird boy at school to realizing he is something else and wanting to know more.

Dressing Up Fluff to Make it Relevant

Let's say you're writing a story about a young woman who stayed in her small town and went to community college while her high school besties went off to a college she couldn't afford, and now they've returned and she's trying to maintain these important friendships while struggling with feelings of resentment, jealousy, and feeling left behind.

Now, let's also say you have an idea for a really cute scene where your protagonist and one of these friends goes to a museum together for an afternoon. And as it stands, nothing plot relevant happens in this scene and it doesn't add anything to the reader's understanding of the characters or world. It's just something silly and fun you think would be cute in your story. How can you turn it from fluff to relevant?

To start with, look at your character's internal conflict... wanting to maintain the friendship while struggling with jealousy and feeling left behind. What could happen in the museum that could play on that? Maybe they stop in front of a reproduction of the Venus de Milo and the friend starts talking about the semester abroad she and the other friends did in Paris. This is a perfect place to explore the protagonist's feelings of jealousy and being left behind. If the character talks about her thoughts and feelings in that moment, either inside her head or with the friend, it gives you a chance to expand upon these feelings, explore why they're happening, and even to add further conflict. Maybe she confronts the friend and it doesn't go over well. Or, maybe she lies about something to feel better about herself, and that creates problems later.

Another option would be to look at the next plot point that needs to happen. Is there some way this scene can be used as a stepping stone between two existing scenes? Could something be added to this scene that raises the stakes or or makes the next scene more interesting?

While I'm sure there are some scenes you just can't make relevant no matter how hard you try, usually you can find a way if you just take the time to brainstorm and try out different ideas.

One Last Note...

On the rare occasion you end up with a fluff scene that has no relevance and can't be made to have relevance no matter how hard you try, write it anyway. Then, take it out, save it someplace safe, and hang onto it. These kinds of stories make GREAT incentives for things like newsletter sign-ups, subscription perks, web site bonuses, etc.

I hope that helps! ♥

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

[ralexsol]

JRWI FAN! Yes, you!

Do you absolutely love Riptide #114: Still Not Ferin Well? Do you wish someone would make a 90s-style choose-your-own-adventure horror visual novel about E114?

Most importantly, do you have:

A) Expertise in pixel art

B) Experience coding in Ren'Py

C) Skill at writing

D) Lots of free time

If yes to any of those, would you like to MAKE PREVIOUSLY STATED VIDEO GAME WITH ME?

I have been conceptualizing a JRWI video game called Moonlight, Storm, and Blackened Sea for a few months now. Unfortunately, with no motivation to make it beyond thinking "it would be a cool finished product," I have not made much progress. But if I have people working with me, my brain will kick into action because people will be depending on me!

I am a writer first and foremost. While I could theoretically make the entire game myself (as I have experience in writing, art, coding, and music), I would never actually finish the game for previously stated reasons. If I had an artist, coder(s), and perhaps even story consultants (although probably not necessary), MSABS might actually become a reality.

The MSABS project would make no profits, and it would be entirely created from volunteer work. I am a broke ass bitch. But if you don't care and simply want to create something amazing with me, then please, DM me!

So far, I have 2 branches plotted storywise out of - oh, I'm not sure, maybe 25? 30? I have drawn 9 sketches out of around 30 main backgrounds (excluding bg variations). I've recreated 6/9 music tracks from the official Riptide soundtracks into 8bit tunes. If people actually sign onto the project, I'll be moving forward as Creative Director, Head Writer, Storyboard Artist, and Music Producer. Still leaves a LOT of room on the project, especially on the coding side.

I genuinely think MSABS would be insanely cool. Please, if you have any questions about my overall game vision, please send me an ask and I'll try my best to give thorough answers! This game has been living rent free in my brain since March, and it needs to get out!

[danmeidiaries]

"How could you miss?! He was 3ft in Front of You!" - When the Queer Option was right there the whole time.

I've touched on writers and execs not allowing queer relationships in media and forcing a heterosexual pairing before. Unlike my previous essay, this will be a short list of shows that sidelined a perfect queer relationship for straight washing.

The title is inspired by the immortal words of Mushu, because dear god how could these characters miss so badly with their love interests.

This list will include any bromance or BL dramas that fall into this category.

BBC's Merlin

Canon Pairing: Arwen (Arthur x Gwen)

Queer Pairing: Merthur (Arthur x Merlin)

Hell, I'm not even a big merthur shipper and I know that this would have made the show better. Angel Coulby and Santiago Cabrera have insane chemistry and can make an equally great side pairing.

2. 'Fangs of Fortune'

Canon: Wen Xiao x Zhao Yuanzhou

Queer Pairings:

Yuanyi (Zhuo Yichen x Zhao Yuanzhou)

Wen Xiao x Pei Sijing

Similar to Merlin, the main arc of the show is about Zhuo Yichen and Zhao Yuanzhou and the tragic promise they've made. Meanwhile, the show gives us these two gorgeous lesbians as well as a bonus. The tragedy of the show hinges on Zhuo Yichen and Zhao Yuanzhou's evolving relationship and a canon confirmation of their love for each other would have sealed the deal.

Thank god most bromance dramas don't have a female romance option.

3. The Devil Judge

Canon Pairing: Kim Gaon x Yoon Soohyun

Queer Pairing: Gahan (Kang Yohan x Kim Gaon)

Again, the entire show revolves around the evolving relationship of Kang Yohan and Kim Gaon. They make the show. Whilst Yoon Soohyun is an excellent friend to Gaon, their brief romance is the weakest part of the show.

(Been informed by @clawbehavior that the gif was not made by them and was made by either yohankang, yilinglaozu, baek1nho or another creator. To whoever made it, thank you!)

4. Supernatural

Canon Pairing: Dean with various female flings but I guess Lisa was his longest relationship. Pretty sure he doesn't have a solid female love interest from S7 onwards compared to Sam who has several long term relationships.

Queer Pairing: Destiel (Dean x Castiel)

Oh sure, have Castiel confess his love and then get sent to super-hell. Wow. Amazing. The show avoided giving Dean a long term love interest for entire seasons while Castiel was RIGHT THERE. Pretty sure most people were only still watching to see if they would kiss.

5. The Painted Skin: The Resurrection

Canon Pairing: Princess Jing x Huo Xin

Queer Pairing: Princess Jing x Xiao Wei

If anyone's seen that video of a dance performed by the two Chinese women wearing red and blue, it's based off of this movie. Now, obviously everything that comes out of China is heavily censored but the chemistry between these two is insane. Can we ditch the man? I understand he's plot relevant but can we ditch him at the end after we realise we love one another?

6. BBC Sherlock

Canon Pairing: John Watson x Mary Watson

Queer Pairing: Johnlock (John x Sherlock)

Again, I'm not a big Johnlock shipper and I was actually pretty okay with John x Mary. But the last season was bad overall and what they did with Mary was annoying. This was a popular 2010's ship for a reason.

7. The Witcher

Canon Pairing: Geralt x Yennefer

Queer Pairing: Geraskier (Geralt x Jaskier)

Did I watch season 2 just because of Geraskier? Yes. Did I know that Geralt x Yennefer would always be the endgame because of the books and games? Yes. Still think these two were a better option. But I heard they made Jaskier bisexual in season 3 just not with Geralt so yay?

Anyway, thank god for Thai BL and danmei. If anyone has anymore let me know, these are just the ones I could think of off the top of my head

[vigilskeep]

hi harker :) your post about the M!American VA for the Inquisitor being underrated & F!British VA being your least favorite had me wondering:

what are your opinions about the deliveries of all 4 VAs? as in, do you think there's some specific areas where each shines and/or falls flat in? or specific character archetypes they play well? (no worries if you don't really have an opinion on this tho ^^)

small disclaimer that i haven’t played the whole game with the majority of these so i am totally open to discussion from those who have

female british VA is my least favourite. like i say she does better in plot moments and i quite like the venom she puts into it when she’s angry but i can’t get over how really gratingly bland she sounds in casual conversation/when asking questions. she did not bring the effort for that and it’s so much of the game that i can’t let it slide. good for upper class characters who are a bit stiff and maybe a little socially inept. though actually, fun to play with f!cadash and probably also f!adaar (haven’t tried it) just because the voice itself by nature puts a different spin on those less traditional backgrounds for it

male british VA is okay! another posh one. he always sounds a little wry and amused, which comes off kind of emotionally disengaged. which is good in light scenes and for a certain type of character, but when the feelings should actually hit and he should get angry or upset, a lot of the time i don’t think it quite connects

american female VA is... also okay. i really like the basic sound of the voice and i think it’s very versatile in terms of character type. i also don’t think it had any super amazing moments that stuck in my memory to come to mind. kind of the opposite of the british female VA’s strengths and weaknesses i guess? but can i say i really dislike the assumption in some fan spaces that this voice is only usable for dwarves and qunari as if the actress isn’t literally a human woman like 😭 so weird. i loved her as my lavellan. to me, generally suits a more cool and experienced character

american male VA is easily the best experience i’ve had so far. listening to him do casual conversations is like... wow he is truly the only one of these four who showed up to work every day and actually performed rather than simply reading the lines off the script lmao. he comes off a little more gruff/aggressive overall imo. i do find his deep voice weird coming out of a tiny elven frame if you’re going for a lavellan but it’s not that strange. i still can’t fucking believe he’s zevran

overall i do not think the voice acting is that good in inquisition and i don’t think it’s the fault of the voice actors. from the way lines are often slightly misread compared to what it feels like the line’s intent must have been, or are sometimes just tonally bizarre for the scene, i get the impression the cast had very little direction and were left to do a lot of guesswork on their own

[lilgarbitch]

Will Thots🥰

Pairing: Will Ramos x Reader

CW: he just loves to talk…even to talk you through it

Author’s Note: My adoration for this man is never-ending and it’s becoming harder to shut me up about it so I’m just gonna yap here❤️

Tags: @theanarchymuse95 @badomensgoodomens @xmads-omensx @alwaysfightforwhoyouare @thatchickwiththecamera @follow-me-down-to-wonderland

Everyone who knows Will knows that he loves to talk. And everyone who knows him could never hate it. He’s insanely hyper and just overall adorable. He’s the most sociable person you’ve ever met. That person who starts up conversations with people in the same aisle as him in convenience stores, even if you’re on a 3 AM 7/11 trip for munchies. Despite his tattoos and frat boy-like style, the second he opens his mouth, strangers lose any former judgement and begin to adore him just as much as you do.

He’s the kind of guy to start conversations back up like they never ended, even after not seeing someone for months. When you go out with him to events pertaining to his band or even just gatherings of friends with friends of friends you’ve never even known existed, everyone has and will speak to him at least once, if not spend the whole night in the conversation he is oh so willing to let drift from topic to topic, as long as it means he can connect with people and make new friends.

Even when you two are alone, the conversation never dies. It occasionally gets to a point where you’re about to tape his mouth shut when you have to keep rewinding scenes of tv shows, whether you’re missing out on important parts, or you’ve been trying to get him to catch onto the plot twist of a show you love, yet he keeps asking questions that will literally be answered if he just paid attention.

But you also love that about him. Even watching the scariest movies together, he’s cracking jokes and saying whatever comes to mind, always leading to the two of you having to either pause or rewind because you were laughing so hard. It even gave you the freedom to start speaking your own thoughts on things, no longer holding back questions or jokes in fear it’ll never land. If he was confident enough to speak without worry, who says you can’t?

Another thing he never held back from was his compliments. Even if the two of you were bumming out in bed, mid aggressive battle of a video game or just working on a Minecraft world together, him working towards building up his inventory to fight the ender dragon and you decorating the block mansion you created for the two of you, he’d take every chance he got to give you that cheesy gorgeous smile and tell you that you were the most beautiful person he’s ever met. To tell you that, even though your hair was a rats nest from not brushing it yet that day, the color you just had done was looking out of this world amazing. He’d compare you to whatever came to his mind in that moment. Describing your eyes like nature sights you two visited or how he wished you could just wear his t shirts and boxers out to dinner with him because they just looked so hot on you.

Reader discretion is advised. MDNI

There wasn’t a situation in which he stopped talking. You were never one that thought you enjoyed dirty talk that much, but once you started dating Will, you didn’t think you could ever live without it.

He would be blunt about it. You two would just be relaxing on the couch when he’d turn to you and, saying with his whole chest, admit how badly he needed to taste you. It caught you off guard the first time, but the more he was open with how desperately he was for you, you were worried you’d start getting off with just his words.

And you couldn’t let him know that. Because if he found out, you already knew he’d start whispering things in your ear in public. Because he took every chance he had to talk, especially to prove to you just how much he loved, adored, and needed you. It never ended. Out of the bedroom, and in.

The way his voice would rasp as he told you how good you felt around him. He’d use every sultry adjective in the book to describe what he felt, always saying the most perfect thing, even if his mind wasn’t fully there. He’d use the most sensually words when you made love, and the most lewd descriptions when he needed it rough and dirty.

Even when you were pleasing him and his mind was a jumbled mess of pleasure, he still kept trying. A whiny ‘fuck’ here and a groaned ‘holy shit’ there. He never stopped talking. And you think you may have enjoyed that more. The way he’d slur his words as he tried so hard to tell you how good you were making him feel. The way his eyes would squeeze shut and his head would be thrown back and you finally thought you’ve reduced him to nothing but squirms and whimpers, he’d manage to throw in a ‘you’re fucking perfect’ with what little voice he had left.

And, boy, was this man an absolute king at aftercare. Even if you two were completely winded, he’d hold you close and whisper how perfect you were in every way. As the two of you slowly dozed off, he’d tell you how much he loved you and how you changed his life for the better from the moment you joined it, even if he was mumbling and slurring his half-asleep words.

And he was always had to be the last one to say ‘I love you,’ even if it meant a 10 minute long, back and forth battle.

[frownyalfred]

Hey there! I’m a big fan of your work (coral room my love! Saving the sequel to read when it’s finished), and I absolutely adore your writing style! I’ve recently been having bouts of an overwhelming need to write fanfiction, but I feel like my writing is on the level of essentially Wattpad fanfiction ( nothing wrong with that, it’s just not the standard I want to achieve ) so if possible, do you have any in depth advice on writing fanfiction? Feel free to get real specific on sentence structure and/or character building and plot building if you would like but anything will do! I feel myself having the trouble of ‘showing not telling’, especially when the source material has so many characters that writing it is like just methodically describing instead of actually writing something that resonates. And I’ve never really formally written a fanfic before so I’m not too sure if I should be pre-planning my character arcs or just let the story take the flow. How long do you take to plan and write a full chapter? Do you decide when to end the chapter beforehand or is it by feeling? Do you start your stories with an end in mind? Any advice for action scenes? How much of myself should I sink into the mind of the character when writing, because that sounds like a slippery mental slope there haha! Where did you learn to write this good?

Sorry if this is too big or too inconvenient of an ask, I just really want to know how you do it because it’s so amazing and inspiring to read your work!

Thank you so much! No worries, I will try my best to break it down into your questions and hopefully get you some quick answers:

How long do you take to plan and write a full chapter? I usually top out at 4-7k for most chapters, depending on the fic. It takes me about 15-20 minutes for a bullet point outline I like, and then about 3-4 hours to fully write it out. But longer chapters or trickier plots usually have me spending more time in the bullet point outline phase.

Do you decide when to end the chapter beforehand or is it by feeling? Usually I end where I think is a good spot for now, once a POV ends but before something big happens. That's why I'm not married to a final wordcount, just because a final section could run long or short. I always think of the advice -- if you can't think of your next line, either your last line needs to be rewritten, or that's the end of the entire chapter/section.

Do you start your stories with an end in mind? Usually! At least, an end result. But not an exact ending down to the specific actions/dialogue, since otherwise I'd go insane trying to make it happen. I give myself a "goalpost" and everything in between me and the goalpost is fair game as long as we end up approximately where I planned.

Any advice for action scenes? Watch the John Wick movies. Seriously! There's some great hand to hand and gun scenes in those movies, with blocking that helps you slow it down and think it through. Keep the tension high, or ramping up, if possible. Action is exhausting! I always ask myself to imagine doing [action scene] and break it down from there.

How much of myself should I sink into the mind of the character when writing? As far as you can, comfortably. If it helps the story. Sometimes sinking too deep doesn't get you anywhere. I think the bigger thing for me is not writing one character when I'm in the mindset of another. That just ends up with weird dialogue and descriptions.

Where did you learn to write this good? It's very kind of you to say so. I've been writing fic for a while now. I would say it's just a ton of practice. My early fic was not great, and I can see marked improvements in my writing even in the last year.

I think my best advice overall is to write what makes you so excited, you can barely wait to get it on paper. Talk the idea out with some friends or a discord channel. Think about all the fun ways you could play with the plot or characters. Ask yourself all those delicious "what if" questions!

I am a big fan of loose/barely-there outlines and kind of just letting the writing take the lead, but that's not how everyone works. So a lot of my advice is about feeling things out, and if that doesn't work for you that's okay! Some people need every single arc planned out before they start. The only way you'll know is if you start writing and do some trial and error.

[notwhatyoucameherefor]

So far the new tomodachi life content feels very underwhelming to me.

My main gripe so far is that the town layout looks? Really small?

The entire livable area is just a grid with houses and stores layed out in neat rows. Everything they took from the previous games feels like it had to be shrunken down to fit--I mean look at that tiny strip of beach.

The previous islands did a lot for the "grandious yet cozy" vibe the games had. Unreasonably huge buildings taking up space on an island with lots of layers and places to hang out, and most importantly, they're not all squished together. They look like they were built around the island, while the new layout feels like they built some cement grids in the middle of the ocean.

Even the venues that are strictly for miis to mess around in are empty, perfectly shaped plots of lawn with nothing but a few pieces of furniture for entertainment. Obviously the beach and tower in tomodachi life were kind of the same thing, but they were at least visually interesting.

I'm sure there will be more to the map, off to the sides at least, but that doesn't make the layout less fundamentally boring. I'm also worried about living space and the amount of miis you'll be able to have on one island, since they seem to have forgone apartment buildings in favor of individual houses

I'm also REALLY not fond of the new artstyle as a whole

They went for a more detailed, stylistically consistent, and warm look--which is nice for a nintendo switch lifesim game!--but not for tomodachi life. Miis have a particular, simplistic style that they're best suited to, and this is very far removed from it. It's amazing that the overall layout is so empty, but the closeup shots are so busy and with such poorly defined lines that it's genuinely hard to tell what's happening onscreen.

The miis themselves look weird as well. On one hand, I'm super excited about the new variety of hair styles and features they're adding, but on the other hand they're all way too finely detailed to look good on the simplistic mii heads.

Actually that's a pretty good example of the main thing that bugs me about the whole game: very fine, cluttered details placed onto very basic shapes.

I feel like it's harder to mess up the pre-existing formula than it is to perfect it, but this game looks like an identity crisis. I'm cautiously optimistic that the gameplay will make up for it and turn it into something charming.