#the psychic damage i got from both that stream and that video

[fourdancingmoths]

they are siblings

[jacquirebriggs]

A Really Fair and Sincere and Proper Review of an 8-Bit Final Fantasy 4 port.

My Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf09CtI2VGXoyA4U0ot9QyIIylm4AvIiU

Alright. I know this place is not the best for Video Game reviews, but I want to get this out to advertise my stuff on my channel and before I ghost the place for good. I did a review on this game already, but it was short and the words move too fast. This time, I am going to make a proper review on this bootleg I decided to play out of boredom while I was wondering what will be my next discord stream.

I present you:

Zui Zhong Huan Xiang IV Guang Yu An Shui Jing Fen Zheng

Like I said, this game is an unlicensed Chinese NEs port of Final Fantasy IV. That’s already a language barrier here The playable characters are the same as the original. The portraits are the same, just mushed up to NES Pallete. The NPCs on the other hand are a different perspective. Mostly due to their portraits. I believe they are taken from other games. Some I believe are from Megaman (The “Baron Soliders”), a Dragon Ball Z bootleg (Female NPCs, Scarmiglione, Cagnazzo), and some unknown Dark Fantasy Game (Golbez is one of them.) Can’t the bootleggers easily just take the Head Portrait sprite and make it the dialogue portrait and call it that? I can do it in five seconds. Besides, Golbez is armored from head to toe. Not unmasked lol. Also, why are Dark Knight Cecil and Kain’s overworld sprites are mixed up? Kain’s Overworld sprite clearly has dragon horns. Can they not tell the difference? I can go on about Scramiglione having Zemus’s sprite, Barbariccia having Bomb’s but this nitpicking will eat up most of the review. Let’s move on.

Music is the next thing I wish to talk about. When you hear Chrono Trigger music when you start the game, you know it’s a bootleg. Any music taken from Final Fantasy IV is near to nonexistent. The Battle Music for enemies is played on when you fight Bosses. Makes the bosses more irritating considering how long the mid to endgame bosses take to kill them. Regular enemies get a squashed-up sample of Final Fantasy II’s generic enemy fight. The FF2 chiptune is only the first verse over and over… while the FF4 music oddly has the full song for some reason. Did I mention both tunes distorts into monotone when I used a certain magic? (Google Translates says it is Psychic which attacks with a flashy gear.) I rather have the NES-fied FF4 battle themes like the other FF4 bootleg has. Hence why in later parts, I slapped Fanmade NES-styled FF4 music mainly because I am tired of hearing that same old sampling. FF4’s wide variety of music is for enchanting the setting and mood of the game. Since this is the NES, of course none of this exists. Instead, we got the aforementioned Chrono Trigger music in the start (and possibly the map and other towns?) and a very questionable music choice:

The Chocobo Theme in castle-related areas. This makes the scene with Golbez very hilarious, that I cannot take it seriously.

The story may be mostly the same to the original, but it differentiates as I play through the end. Before I cover the story, I want to talk about the battle system first.

Gameplay:

The battle system is simplistic. It’s not a clone of earlier Final Fantasy Games. You still have 5 party members at a time, but you don’t get any magic spells from the canon games. You have to equip a magic stone to use magic; only of a single certain element. This sadly locks the mages out of various elemental damage…not that it matters because of reasons I will go over. AoE Magic is unlocked so late and by the time you unlocked it, you will be only fighting one enemy at a time. Healing Magic is scarce. Only thing besides Asura summon is unlocked at leveling the light stone to 3 or 4 and it is outclassed. Nice. Unlike the Final Fantasy VII NES port created by the same company. It has summons. You get summons as you progress and talking to some guy on a sidequest story that he’ll go with someone on a honeymoon. Depending on how you time them, they can be useful for dishing out extra damage and makes bosses easier. This is where go to the biggest flaw: Level progression and zero enemy variety. You deal so little damage even at the endgame. You can keep attacking with your weapon and spam magic, but you’ll get nowhere on leveling them up. (Even then you must visit a store to upgrade them.) Late game is such a slog because of this. I know Chinese companies are known for making their unlicensed ports really hard, but there’s a difference between difficult and GODDAMN near impossible. The basic enemies are always the EXACT SAME no matter where you encounter them. The only think different are they scale with how far you progress Also, most of them are taken from FF3 (even a few of the bosses) with the occasional Toad and Goblin Enemies actually stolen from the original games and devamped for the NES. Scripted battles are eliminated. Wanna know which boss fights.

Story:

If Google Translate properly tells the truth, then the story is the exact same as the original FF4, just having various key event removed. The Other FF4 bootleg only cuts Optional Areas, Tower of Babil and Giant of Babil. This NES ports cuts most of the endgame areas! I pay respects to the lack of Leviathan and Bahamut summons. I don’t care if they’ll take long to unleash, still extra damage. Some events have been repurposed in other areas in the Rom’s limited area selection. The events in the Underworld area for example has been relocated to Mysidia without the Calcabrina fight. (That’s okay. That fight is so annoying for me anyway.) Because of this, the story at the end is way different compared to canon. To spoil:

Yang and Cid sacrifice themselves after you get Edge. Edward joins the party at the end instead of Kain. (If you’re not gonna readd Kain at the end, at least pick a character that is endgame worthy like…*points at Yang.) The ending is really different. After Fusoya and Golbez kill Zemus with Meteor, Kain appears out of nowhere and defeat them. Kain��s Hatred causes him to transform into Zeromus and he absorbs FuSoYa and Golbez to become unstoppable. Of course, until we slowly kill him. And then what happens next? Kain dies. Fusoya and Golbez are dead. There is no implication that Cid, Yang, and the twins survive. All it gives is Golbez’s spirit telling to forgive him as his soul moves with light and dark shining the world and then it boots you back to the title screen. With little fanfare. I wanna get mad because I like Kain a lot, but is parts of the story taken from the FF7 bootleg of the same company? This may explain it.

Difficulty:

I think we’ve reached the boiling point that I will review. Amongst the greatest sin of bootlegs: The Diffcultly. Bootlegs games are notorious for them being extremely difficult. This is no exception. Not getting helped by the tedious grinding system, either. There are two difficult gauntlets. The one in Baron ( I have to unequip Palom and Porom and set myself up for a hard time.), no breaks on Yang, Baigan and Cagnazzo. And the grueling hard Zeromus gauntlet. Yes, endgame is brutal. I must slow down the summons to beat Zeromus. Not helped by how much HP he has despite trying my best.

Overall:

I believe Kain becoming Zeromus is better than most of the whatifs in Alter Destiny (besides Rydia being antagonist to Cecil for killing her mother, but even then: everything else went downhill.) I still can’t forgive the grueling difficultly or the questionable choice for Kain’s replacement. Since this port is like a sister of the NES FF7 port made by the same company, the problems will be the same as of course. I could give it a 1/10 but it’s a bootleg, so it wouldn’t be fair and I’m reviewing this rom in the Dawn of 2024 for some reason. Let’s give a fair review in bootleg standards. I’ll give this game a:

3/10. 5/10 disregarding the brutal difficultly.

My gameplay of this thing: Here

Alright. I know this place is not the best for Video Game reviews, but I want to get this out to advertise my stuff on my channel and before I ghost the place for good. I did a review on this game already, but it was short and the words move too fast. This time, I am going to make a proper review on this bootleg I decided to play out of boredom while I was wondering what will be my next discord stream.

I present you:

Zui Zhong Huan Xiang IV Guang Yu An Shui Jing Fen Zheng

Also known as Final Fantasy IV: Light and Dark Crystal Conflict

Overall Setting:

Like I said, this game is an unlicensed Chinese NEs port of Final Fantasy IV. That’s already the language

Barrier here The playable characters are the same as the original. The portraits are the same, just mushed up to NES Pallete. The NPCs on the other hand are a different perspective. Mostly due to their portraits. I believe they are taken from other games. Some I believe are from Megaman (The “Baron Soliders”), a Dragon Ball Z bootleg (Female NPCs, Scarmiglione, Cagnazzo), and some unknown Dark Fantasy Game (Golbez is one of them.) Can’t the bootleggers easily just take the Head Portrait sprite and make it the dialogue portrait and call it that? I can do it in five seconds. Besides, Golbez is armored from head to toe. Not unmasked lol. Also, why are Dark Knight Cecil and Kain’s overworld sprites are mixed up? Kain’s Overworld sprite clearly has dragon horns. Can they not tell the difference? I can go on about Scramiglione having Zemus’s sprite, Barbarricia having Bomb’s but this nitpicking will eat up most of the review. Let’s move on.

Music is the next thing I wish to talk about. When you hear Chrono Trigger music when you start the game, you know it’s a bootleg. Any music taken from Final Fantasy IV is near to nonexistent. The Battle Music for enemies is played on when you fight Bosses. Makes the bosses more irritating considering how long the mid to endgame bosses take to kill them. Regular enemies get a squashed up sample of Final Fantasy II’s generic enemy fight. The FF2 chiptunr is only the first verse over and over… while the FF4 music oddly has the full song for some reason. Did I mention it distorts into monotone when I used a certain magic? (Google Translates says it is Psychic which attacks with a flashy gear.) I rather have the NES-fied FF4 battle themes like the other FF4 bootleg has. Hence why in later parts, I slapped Fanmade NES-styled FF4 music mainly because I’m tired of hearing that same old sampling. FF4’s wide variety of music is for enchanting the setting and mood of the game. Since this is the NES, of course none of this exists. Instead, we got the aforementioned Chrono Trigger music in the start (and possibly the map and other towns?) and a very questionable music choice:

The Chocobo Theme in castle-related areas. This makes the scene with Golbez very hilarious, that I can’t take it seriously.

The story may be mostly the same to the original, but it differentiates as I play through the end. Before I cover the story , I want to talk about the battle system first.

Gameplay:

The battle system is simplistic. It’s not a clone of earlier Final Fantasy Games. You still have 5 party members at a time, but you don’t get any magic spells from the canon games. You have to equip a magic stone to use magic; only of a certain elements. This sadly locks the mages out of various elemental damage…not that it matters because of reasons I will go over. AoE Magic is unlocked so late and by the time you unlocked it, you’ll be only fighting one enemy at a time. Healing Magic is scarce. Only thing besides Asura summon is unlocked at leveling the light stone to 3 or 4 and it’s outclassed. Nice. Unlike the Final Fantasy VII NES port created by the same company. It has summons. You get summons as you progress and talking to some guy on a sidequest story that he’ll go with someone on a honeymoon. Depending on how you time them, they can be useful for dishing out extra damage and makes bosses more easier. This is where go to the biggest flaw: Level progression and zero enemy variety. You deal so little damage even at the endgame. You can keep attacking with your weapon and spam magic, but you’ll get nowhere on leveling them up. (Even then you must visit a store to upgrade them.) Late game is such a slog because of this. I know Chinese companies are known for making their unlicensed ports really hard, but there’s a difference between difficult and GODDAMN near impossible. The basic enemies are always the EXACT SAME no matter where you encounter them. The only think different are they scale with how far you progress Also, most of them are taken from FF3 (even a few of the bosses) with the occasional Toad and Goblin Enemies actually stolen from the original games and devamped for the NES. Scripted battles are eliminated. Wanna know which boss fights .

Story:

If Google Translate properly tells the truth, then the story is the exact same as the original FF4, just having various key event removed. The Other FF4 bootleg only cuts Optional Areas, Tower of Babil and Giant of Babil. This NES ports cuts most of the endgame areas! I pay respects to the lack of Leviathan and Bahamut summons. I don’t care if they’ll take long to unleash, still extra damage. Some events have been repurposed in other areas in the Rom’s limited area selection. The events in the Underworld area for example has been relocated to Mysidia without the CalcaBrina fight. (That’s okay. That fight is so annoying for me anyway.) Because of this, the story at the end is way different compared to canon. To spoil:

Yang and Cid sacrifice themselves after you get Edge. Edward joins the party at the end instead of Kain. (If you’re not gonna readd Kain at the end, at least pick a character that is endgame worthy like…*points at Yang.) The ending is really different. After Fusoya and Golbez kill Zemus with Meteor, Kain appears out of nowhere and defeat them. Kain’s Hatred causes him to transform into Zeromus and he absorbs FuSoYa and Golbez to become unstoppable. Of course until we slowly kill him. And then what happens next? Kain dies. Fusoya and Golbez are dead. There is no implication that Cid, Yang, and the twins survive. All it gives is Golbez’s spirit telling to forgive him as his soul moves with light and dark shining the world and then it boots you back to the title screen. With little fanfare. I wanna get mad because I like Kain a lot, but is parts of the story taken from the FF7 bootleg of the same company? This may explain it.

Difficulty:

I think we’ve reached the boiling point that I will review. Amongst the greatest sin of bootlegs: The Diffcultly. Bootlegs games are notorious for them being extremely difficult. This is no exception. Not getting helped by the tedious grinding system, either. There are two difficult gauntlets. The one in Baron ( I have to unequip Palom and Porom and set myself up for a hard time.), no breaks on Yang, Baigan and Cagnazzo. And the grueling hard Zeromus gauntlet. The Tower of Zot streak comes close to being one of them. Thankfully, you can lose to Golbez when only Tellah fights him, but if you unequipped Kain and Rosa beforehand prepare for a very hard Barbariccia battle. Yes, endgame is brutal. I must slow down the summons to beat Zeromus. Not helped by how much HP he has despite trying my best.

Overall:

I believe Kain becoming Zeromus is better than most of the whatifs in Alter Destiny (besides Rydia being antagonist to Cecil for killing her mother, but even then everything else went downhill.) I still can’t forgive the grueling difficultly or the questionable choice for Kain’s replacement. Since this port is like a sister of the NES FF7 port made by the same company, the problems will be the same as of course. I could give it a 1/10 but it’s a bootleg, so it wouldn’t be fair and I’m reviewing this rom in the Dawn of 2024 for some reason. Let’s give a fair review in bootleg standards. I’ll give this game a:

3/10. 5/10 disregarding the brutal difficultly. It’s not the worst bootleg game. At least it can be finished without cheating if you’re determined. Unlike the other FF4, the three parter, where the game bugs out in the second part in Dark Elf Cave where you cannot move after entering. Someone I’ve watched have to do some hex editing on a save state to pull through. I’m pretty there’s something way worse that I won’t be aware of its existence.

Final Fantasy IV runs on the SNES system for a good reason.

[gear-project]

just wanted to leave some words of support i guess. i 'preciate you through this :( the change in management has me depressed as hell... since introduction of the 3D interfaces even. cut scenes that read like a dementia simulator regardless of the visual impact gave me a dreadful feeling. tmi but i reread the creator notes for strive and it made me teary eyed thinking about ishiwatari working so fucking hard, and just having to let that go.

anyway........ as impossible as it is to agree with someone 100% of the time, i like to come here to read when i need food for thought - for that reason. thanks for all the archiving and energy you put in.

xoxo,

20-years-of-taking-psychic-damage because i loved Venom's mysterious beauty the instant i saw him lmfao

Oh, I TOTALLY get you… I don't always agree with certain decisions made either.

I know plenty of people who disagree with my takes, or even just my shoddy presentation. I'm not a Wiki by any means.

I'm sure more would prefer a stream video or a detailed manga that recaps everything and encapsulates stuff in to precise accurate bites.

And don't forget about the LOST history either… there's a ton of scrapped GG content too, stuff that got erased in the shuffle between websites and staff.

One thing I will say though (to cheer both of us up)… Ishiwatari is the kind of person to keep his word. If he says he wants a huge roster with everybody in it (including Venom)… even if the story is slapped together like Legos… I won't mind so much so long as the game is fun and there's at least something there to savor.

You have to consider the idea that this is a work that is new and experimental for them as well… so they have to finish what they started for the long haul, even if some ideas don't end up very good on execution…

I mean go figure… this is a Post-GG2 Overture world… if you're still a fan of GG after Overture happened, you're made of tougher stuff than most people.

Also I am 22-years-worth-of-taking-psychic-damage… and not just from the story or games… primarily from the fanbase, forums, hardcores, "questionable fanart", etc… though it's all good… it's worth it if I can continue to enjoy this saga along with the rest of you all.

[fandomfindings]

Oblivious

Pairing: (Damien Haas x Reader)

Word Count: 2K

Warning(s): None 

Summary: (Requested by @fanficfanatic123) 

I was so sad when there’s weren’t any more Damien haas fics I could read here 😂😂 your inside joke one was amazing! Could I request a Damien one where the reader is oblivious to how in love Damien is with her? Like he does all these cute little things and she notices.

**

Damien Haas is in love with you. One of the problems was that he denied it every chance he got; another was that you were oblivious to it all.  

** "Are you insane? Damien does not like me." You huff, annoyed with your friend Courtney at this point.

To put some light onto the subject, Courtney had been trying convenience you of Damien's undying love for you for the past hour or so. And just like Damien, you were trying to deny the whole thing.

"How thick could you get?" Courtney questioned in her best attempt at a British accent. She was trying to impersonate Ron Weasley from Harry Potter.

"Do not use Harry Potter against me, woman," You said, pointing an accusatory finger at your friend. Courtney raised her arms in mock surrender but continued her argument none the less.

"I'm serious. Just look at everything Damien does for you."

"It's called being friendly," You countered to blonde.

"No, letting you pet his cats is friendly, he would do anything for you, that's called being in love."

"You're so dramatic," You voiced, rolling your eyes in the process.

"And you're so oblivious."

**

Ever since your conversation with Courtney, you had been a bit on edge around Damien. Her claims caused you to read into every little thing he was doing. Things that you initially thought were friendly gestures became something more, almost romantic.

"And a drink for my highness," Damien said, handing over a cup of your favorite drink.

"You are a godsend," You said gladly, taking the cup from his hands and into your own.

Damien giggled at your exaggeration before saying, "I do my best."

"How did you know I needed this?" You asked after taking a gracious sip of the beverage. It's moments like this where you felt it wasn't just a kind deed; it was hints to his feelings.

"Just a feeling, I guess," Damien said, playing it off with a shrug. In reality, he had been observing you for days. Damien knew you were getting swamped with work and stressing out a bit. Damien figured the least he could do was ease the stress by providing you a break with your favorite beverage.

"Damien is psychic confirmed," You said jokingly. Damien laughed, remembering the videos you two watched together about his supposed psychic abilities.

"Illuminati confirmed," Damien added, causing you to laugh more. Damien loved many things about you, things he wasn't confident enough to share with you. One of those things was when you laughed, especially when he was behind it.

"But seriously, thank you," You said genuinely.

"No prob Bob," Damien commented, pulling a classic Steven Universe quote.

"It's (Y/N)," You replied, deciding not to leave the poor man hanging, finishing the quote from the animated television show.

You and Damien giggled at the exchange and smiled at one another. It was nice to take a quick break from the insane that was your workload at the moment. It was especially lovely when it was with someone so close to you.

More exchanges like the previous one continued. Damien would do little things that on the surface were kind, but deep down, you started to believe they meant something more.

**

"Oh, my God. Oh, my God, I did it! I beat Damien Haas at his own game!" You cheered triumphantly. You were about to throw the controller down in joy, but you quickly realized it might damage it, so you laid it lightly on the coffee table in front of you.

After you placed it down, you started to do a bit of a happy dance. Damien did his infamous yet contagious laugh at your antics, causing you to laugh as well.

"That you did," Damien said, placing his controller down as well.

You looked over to Damien, and despite his smile, you couldn't help but feel bad. You began to feel like a sore winner and a bit obnoxious.

You took your seat back on the couch next to Damien, but this time a bit closer. "I'm sure it was just beginners luck," You commented, patting Damien's thigh lightly.

"No, no, I know when to admit defeat," Damien said, lifting his arms in mock submission. He then took it a step further by bowing to you as well.

"Dames stop, " You laughed, grabbing onto one of his arms to cease his bow.

"What you won."

"You didn't let me win, did you?" You challenged, making sure he didn't let you win to be kind. Your short-lived enthusiasm got cut short when Damien took his sweet time trying to answer.

"Damien," You whined, dragging out the syllables in his name.

"I'm sorry you just looked so happy when you were beating me."

"Yeah, but now I'm sad that I didn't win fair and square, "You replied, crossing your arms in slight annoyance with a pout.

"I'm sorry," Damien said, pulling you into a side hug that you resisted.

Damien chuckled before saying, " Will cuddles help you forgive me?"

You nodded your head, still pouting. Damien shook his head but smiled none the less. He laid down against the sofa, bringing you with him. He then grabbed the blanket that covered the back of the couch and placed it over the two of you.

You snuggled deeper into Damien's embrace as he pulled up a movie for you two to watch. Just as the movie started to play, you mumbled," You owe me a fair rematch."

Damien laughed, the vibrations from his chest, making their way to you back.

"Yes, darling."

**

"What is up, my clever core family. Happy Sunday. I hope you guys are having a fantastic weekend. I know I am. Y/N and I have been watching films and playing games all weekend and being lazy butts. Speaking of Y/N," Damien introduced his Twitch live stream in its typical upbeat fashion.

"Hi, friends!" You said, waving your hands happily for the viewers at home. This was not your first time on one of Damien's streams, but it has been a while.

"Today, we're going to play a few Jackbox games, and in between answer a few of you all's questions."

Damien gave the typical rules of how his Jackbox sessions went, and the game proceeded. You all first played Quiplash, and it was downright hilarious. Neither you nor Damien won but rather a comic fan.

Now it was time for the questions. You and Damien would take turns reading any questions that caught your eye.

"Psychomantic51 asks, What is your favorite thing about me?" Damien asked you, pointing to the comment on the screen.

"Oh, that's pretty hard."

"Wow, okay," Damien said as if you hurt his feelings.

"No, I'm saying in the sense that there are a lot of things to like about you."

"Okay, well, name something you like. It doesn't have to be your favorite," Damien compromised.

"Well, for starters, you are one of the funniest persons I have ever met. If I don't laugh once in an encounter with you, something has to be wrong with one of us that day," You began, and Damien laughed at how accurate your statement was, which caused you to smile.

"And you're like freakishly smart like I feel dumb around you sometimes," You continued.

" Wait seriously?" Damien questioned, searching your face to be sure you weren't joking.

"I mean, yeah. Don't get me wrong I can be smart, but I swear you're like Einstein's second cousin."

"Thank you?" Damien thanked questioningly. Hopefully, he took that as a compliment as you intended.

"Anyway, you're also very kind. I've never seen you treat someone rudely, and you're also so friendly to even strangers. You have mad respect for literally everyone. Unless they throw away your most prized item from a video game." You said, referencing a video he shot with Shayne a while back.  Damien visibly grimaced, mostly for theatrics.

"And," You went to continue with your compliments, but Damien cut you off.

"Y/N, as much as I would love to hear how much you love me, we should probably answer some more questions," Damien mentioned before you could finish your statement.

You quickly grew embarrassed by his comment. You hadn't realized how much you began to talk about his finer qualities. All the qualities you apparently loved about him. Did you love Damien?

Of course not! Just because you like so many things about a person doesn't mean you love them. Right?

** Ever since the day of the live stream, your mind began to race even more. Before, it was just wondering if Damien liked you more than a friend, and now you were wondering the same thing about yourself.

After a few weeks of deliberation, you realized you did have feelings for your friend, and that was the problem. He was your friend. For years now, you have grown closer to one another. Did you truly want to mess that up? The answer was no, but stress began to eat away at you.

You were finding it hard to sleep, and when you did, it was always dreaming about Damien. Whether it be you guys were hanging out, you both kissing passionately or him downright laughing in your face as he rejected your feelings for him. You knew Damien wasn't the type to do such a thing, but you couldn't help but wonder.

What would happen if you told him about your feelings? Heck, you even made a pros and cons list. By the end of it all, you knew what you had to do for the pros outweighed the cons. You had to tell Damien how you felt.

You walked into the Smosh office the next day with your head held high, that was until you saw Damien and began to panic.

Once you walked in, he smiled and waved at you as he usually would before walking over. Your heart began to beat rapidly, and your stomach began to churn with anxiety. You felt as if you were sweating a waterfall as he hugged you like usual. What was wrong with you?

"How are you today, sweetness?" He asked, slinging his arm around your shoulder and walking you over to the group of your friends.

"I'm o-okay," You sturred out. You mentally face-palmed at your shaky voice.

"Hey, you okay?" Damien questioned, now noticing how flushed you looked and, no doubt, the shakiness in your voice.

Your eyes widened in panic. Your fight or flight began to kick in. You could stay and talk to Damien or run away like a coward. And right now, you really wanted to be a coward, but you went against it. It was now or never.

"Actually, can I talk to you for a bit?"

"Yeah, of course. Come on," Damien said, grabbing you by your clammy hand and escorting you out of the room and to somewhere more private.

Once there, he asked," What's wrong?"

You stood there for a moment. Come on, Y/N; it's like ripping a band-aid off.

"I like you."

Damien chuckled, "I like you too."

"No, like, like like you," You said shyly, looking everywhere you could but at Damien.

"Oh," Damien's eyes widened. " I like like you too," he said, smiling at you.

"Really?" You questioned, mostly surprised at how well things were turning out.

To answer your question, Damien kissed your cheek. It wasn't something he hadn't done before, but this one was different. This simple kiss was him letting you know that he did have feelings for you.

Damien pulled his lips from your cheek, smiling the whole time. "Really." He reassured.

You smiled happily and pulled him into an actual kiss this time. It was everything you had dreamed about, literally.

"I told you."

You quickly pulled away from Damien only to see Courtney with a triumphant smile upon her face.

You said nothing and pointed her back the way she came, and she listened, returning to the room with your friends.

You look back to Damien with an embarrassed smile. He pulled you in for another kiss, turning your embarrassed smile into one of pure happiness.

**

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you @fanficfanatic123 for requesting this. I am so sorry it to me so long to write. I started University this year and it has been insane. Feel free to let me know what you guys think!

Lots of Love <3

[pops-and-kids]

Hi

((Sorry I haven’t been very active as a lot. Some shit happened and got yeeted way off my groove. Between a health scare as well as a death in the family I really haven’t been in a good place. I’m doing better now, so please don’t worry. I’m working on things now, so hopefully I’ll have some content for you to enjoy very soon!

HAPPY PRIDE!!! I didn’t get a post out earlier but I want all my LGBTQ+ followers to know you’re valid and I love all of you! Don’t stop being you!

With everything going on I want to make it clear that I support both BLM the LGBTQ+ community wholeheartedly, this blog is not for the hateful and this is not the time for bullshit. Below I have put some links to petitions and donations that still need your help. If you can’t donate PLEASE sign the petitions, it’s the best way you can help. There is also a YouTube video full of music from black artists that will take all the money it makes from ads and give it to charity, so if you cannot give money please take a look at that. Instructions will be in the comments.

Please look after yourself, each other, and first and foremost your own health (both mental and psychical) and safety. Thank you so much for being here!))

The following list is of what I have seen and could find. PLEASE inform me of more I could add or any I should delete. Also please keep in mind some of these (maybe a lot of these) links will have overlapping information and the same links. Thank you.

https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#resources

A VERY USEFUL directory of ways to help. The best one to look at right off the bat.

https://twitter.com/PANKOWFILMS/status/1269047230016688129

https://twitter.com/solaceil/status/1268034886385799168

May only be two links but these two threads had plenty of petitions for you to sign

https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd

Goes to the family. If anything, donate to this link above all the others if you can.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPC0J9z92-0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKo8OrBdLz8

A video and a stream both dedicated to black artists

https://officialblackwallstreet.com/directory/

A directory of black owned businesses you can support instead of going to Amazon or some big company

https://www.gq.com/gallery/ways-to-support-black-lives-matter

A list of ways to support to movement, mainly donation based but I think it’s worth your time

https://www.phillymag.com/news/2020/06/09/black-owned-businesses-damaged-looted/

List of black owned businesses damaged during looting and effected by the pandemic economic strain. This is only in Philadelphia, please look into your own areas to see if you can help

https://fee.org/articles/here-are-just-10-of-the-many-minority-owned-businesses-destroyed-in-the-riots/

Another list of looting effected businesses

[curiocrab]

I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS

I have seen plenty of hot takes and crummy opinions about this situation and I wanna talk about it.

HOW THEY ARE NOW: WHAT IS THIS?

These are some new “hip” “hello-fellow-kids” teen superheroes by Marvel. ““Safespace”” (who i’ll call “Pink” for now) is a “big, burly, sort of stereotypical jock” as described by their official bio and can create force fields for anyone but himself. ““Snowflake”” (who i’ll call “Blue” for now) is non-binary and can create ice shuriken. From the bio, we know that their story will be them dealing with the social issues surrounding the non binary community.

This would be good IF that wasn’t the only characterization they had. Instead, Blue and Pink are described in their bio as being obnoxious social geniuses, “hyper aware of modern culture and optics”, and just for extra “rEliaBiLITy”, as quoted from their official bio, “They’re probably streaming this.” They feel like what older people think is cool with the kids, like a PSA mascot who punches drug addiction in the face and flies away with his catchphrase “Don’t do drugs, Fam!” or “Drugs are NOT LIT, ok boomer?”

Correct me if i’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure nobody would want the only major representatives of their community in an otherwise oppressive and excessively masculine field to be unlikable douche bags. Why can’t they just be normal, maybe even (heavens forbid) LIKABLE characters with real human emotions and experiences?

We don’t have much more than their bio’s to draw from but we do have a picture and you know what they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

THIS is OFFICIAL ART from the OFFICIAL WEBSITE!

WTH!?

Correct me if i’m wrong, but THIS looks like a weak, frail, surprisingly feminine non-binary person turning to their strong, confident, masculine partner for comfort and protection because they’re too weak to face their own problems. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the nature of safe spaces is not to patronize and baby people but to support and encourage.

This is ENTIRELY CONTRARY to the message Marvel is trying to put forth! If they’re trying to support and display the community as strong and worthy of recognition, THIS is not doing that AT ALL! What’s gonna happen is comic readers uneducated in this field will see this character, hate them because they’re unlikable, and see non-binary people as weak and in need of a masculine pillar of protection.

This is HORRIBLE representation.

I would like to propose what they COULD have done and maybe, still can be done to save these characters.

FIXING THEM: PHYSICALLY

I have seen many videos critiquing and bashing these characters and I found them to be … misguided (I won’t name names). People have expressed dissatisfaction with their powers and designs, comparing them to other marvel heroes.

This is unfair. these characters are just kids. they don’t have to have Hulk or even spider man level power. They are crime fighting teens, working the small time, not universe-devouring god-killers. I think these limited powers are cool and interesting. They necessitate creative and interesting combat and problem solving.

In action it could be like this, Blue is agile and mainly on offense, dealing tons of damage and applying pressure, hardly worrying about defense. This is because Pink runs alongside them, keeping up and fending for himself as he casts barriers for Blue when necessary based off their psychic synchronization.

Alternatively, Pink could be on the offense while Blue darts around, getting in the enemies way so that Pink could cast a barrier over Blue. It would effectively be an agile shield orbiting and protecting Pink who deals massive damage without much concern in regards to defense. Blue could keep up some pressure and add chip damage from behind the barrier with their shuriken.

Their design on the other hand, is honestly dumb

They’ve got soft, boring silhouettes that are far too similar. The skin tight clothes are classic marvel style but are super outdated and honestly the worst. The matching hair is dumb and stupid.

I have seen some alternate designs by other more talented artists. Unfortunately, some of them are horrible and betray the characters and their overall message.

It’s very well made and the artist is super talented, but it plays into the hyper sexual old Marvel comics and makes Blue ultra feminine, something i’m sure the original artist and writer where desperate not to do, instead making Blue into an amorphous lump.

I have made my own redesign that I hope is closer to the writer and artist’s vision.

I gave them stark contrast and distinguished silhouettes. I tried hard to give the two of them more personality. Hopefully, you can all agree that it’s better than the original.

That was pretty simple, but now, I’ve got to do something about their douchbagieness

FIXING THEM: CHARACTER-WISE

To begin, let’s get better names. I saw some awesome new names from SpyV on youtube in their video “Redesigning “Snowflake” and “Safespace” | Marvel’s New Warriors Blunder”. The names they used were “Hail” for “Snowflake” and “Haven” for “Safespace”.

Now for their story. I don’t want them to feel like hokey PSA mascots, spouting slogans to the youth like “Be nice” or “Don’t be homophobic”. I want them to be actual people and characters.

These two are students at highschool. (grade 11/12) Haven is a crowd pleasing jock, valued for his physical ability and his participation on the football team. Though not exceptional, his stature and teamwork skills make him an invaluable asset that everyone loves out of necessity more than anything else.

Hail is as witty, snappy, confident person who stands up for their immediate friend group and the LGBT+ community in their school. They are still subject to the social conflicts and abuse that arise due to being non-binary in the socially harsh highschool environment. Due to the constant micro-aggression, Hail has grown abrasive and unapproachable as a self defense mechanism. The only person they can be genuine with is their brother, Haven.

These two share a psychic bond that allows a deep level of emotional sympathy between the two. Hail vents to Haven and relies on his emotional support. Haven tries his best to help but Hail’s circumstance is so different from his own that he can’t do much more than listen and accept Hail for who they are. Haven provides a safe space where Hail can be genuine, recuperate, and process their emotions during the tumultuous time that is highschool.

Hail is supported by Haven’s acceptance rather than his confidence and masculinity. Haven never white-knights for Hail and tries to solves their problems for them but, rather, provides support, acceptance, and encouragement, allowing Hail to fight their own battles.

Maybe, later on in their arc -  hear me out here - Haven discovers that he is gay and is thus ostracized by his peers at school and their roles are reversed. Hail must be a supportive and encouraging figure for Haven as his world changes around him.

In regards to their super hero team, perhaps someone in the team could act as a foil to Hail, being maybe not so subtly anti-LGBT+.(*cough*cough-screentime-cough*cough*) Maybe Haven is gay for one of the other members (B negative maybe?) and the feeling arn’t mutual and it’s kinda awkward but that’s the whole point. Sometimes, a crush is just a crush and it’s not meant to be and that’s part of growing up.

In the end, they both graduate and realize that all the drama from their school days is gone. They realize how big the world is and move forward, forging a better world.

CONCLUSION

I really hope that those comics arn’t absolute garbage and the LGBT+ community can get some decent representation. Correct me for anything weird or inaccurate I said. Please don’t obliterate the writers or the artists. Thanks for reading.

[recentanimenews]

Anime for the Romantically Awkward and the Awkwardly Romantic

  Valentine's Day is fast approaching, love is in the air, and the stores are filled with heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and crimson greeting cards expressing all levels of romantic passion. But even though anime is a medium that is filled to bursting with romance, some of us fans realize that falling in love isn't always bouquets of roses and dancing beneath the stars.

  Sometimes love is toothpaste stains on the bathroom mirror and cold, bony feet poking you from the other end of the blanket, and frankly, that sentiment deserves some recognition, too. Below you can find a curated list of awkwardly romantic and romantically awkward anime titles, the perfect sort of thing to throw a kink into your typical Valentine's Day viewing.

  Whether you've got a yen for mismatched couples, a hankering for romantic miscommunications and similar shenanigans, or a burning desire to pluck Cupid's wings and cut his bowstring in half, we've got a series or two that might be right for you.

  Odd Couples

    MY love STORY!! (2015)

  Kicking things off with a cuter, cuddlier entry, MY love STORY!! features a primary romantic pairing between Takeo Goda, a big and burly high school student with a penchant for judo, and Rinko Yamato, a petite girl who likes to bake. Their romance is initially complicated by Takeo assuming Rinko is attracted to his best friend, the traditionally handsome Makoto Sunakawa, but once this misconception is ironed out, My love STORY!! is an excellent if unconventional look at romance.

  MY love STORY!! does a great job dealing with issues of communication and consent while also skillfully navigating the conflicts caused by friendships and romantic rivalries. The series gets bonus points for Takeo being one of the sweetest, most pure-hearted protagonists in the genre, and for the positive qualities expressed through the relationships of other characters, such as Takeo's parents.

  MY love STORY!! is available via streaming on Crunchyroll and on U.S. home video via Sentai Filmworks.

    Mysterious Girlfriend X (2012)

  On the other end of the spectrum we've got Mysterious Girlfriend X, a story about the unusual high school romance between Akira Tsubaki and Mikoto Urabe, a boy and a girl who share an almost psychic connection brought about by Akira consuming Mikoto's saliva on a regular basis. The central idea sounds kinda revolting at first, but if you give Mysterious Girlfriend X a chance, you'll discover that the show is way brainier and more sophisticated than the premise would appear at first blush.

  Mysterious Girlfriend X is available via streaming on Crunchyroll and on U.S. home video via Sentai Filmworks.

  Other "Odd Couples" options for the discerning viewer: Sakura Trick, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

  Missed Communications

    Princess Jellyfish (2010)

  If you like a little romance mixed with a gigantic portion of self-pity and Impostor Syndrome, then Princess Jellyfish is the show for you. Centered on a group of geeky ladies living in a rundown boarding house, Princess Jellyfish focuses on the unlikely love triangle that forms between Tsukimi Kurashita, an aspiring illustrator with severe self-confidence issues, Kuranosuke Koibuchi, a young man whose love of fashion and cross-dressing annoys his rich and powerful politician father, and Shu Koibuchi, Kuranosuke's strait-laced elder half-brother.

  Of course, no one is able to express their true feelings without coming across like a complete goober, but that's the charm of Princess Jellyfish. The original manga by Akiko Higashimura (available from Kodansha Comics) is also outstanding.

  Princess Jellyfish is available via streaming and on U.S. home video from Funimation.

    Toradora! (2008 - 2009)

  The classic pattern in romance is often paraphrased as “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back again”, but Toradora! is more along the lines of “boy meets girl, girl attempts to pummel boy to death with a baseball bat, hijinx ensue”.

  In Toradora!, Ryuji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka team up in an effort to pursue their mutual crushes, but the sharp-eyed boy with the gentle-demeanor and the pint-sized dynamo girl eventually fall in love despite initially aiming for relationships with other people. Along the way it plumbs the depths of adolescent romance with a surprising degree of pathos and nuance, so if you like your relationships feisty and complicated, give Toradora! a try.

  Toradora! is available via streaming on Crunchyroll and on U.S. home video from NIS America.

  Other "Missed Communications" options for the savvy viewer: Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun, KAGUYA-SAMA: LOVE IS WAR

  General Misanthropy

    WATAMOTE ~No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys' Fault I’m Not Popular!~ (2013)

  Even people who are currently involved in happy, well-adjusted romantic relationships can probably remember what it's like to look for love in all the wrong places, and that describes Tomoko Kuroki, the extremely anti-social heroine of WATAMOTE, to a 'T'.

  While Tomoko suffers from crippling social anxiety, she's also kind of a terrible person, and her conceptions of love and friendship have been terminally poisoned by a non-stop diet of otaku pop culture and online discourse. Despite everything, Tomoko just wants to be loved, but she's also her own worst enemy, and who among us can't identify with that?

  WATAMOTE ~No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys Fault I’m Not Popular!~ is available via streaming on Crunchyroll and on U.S. home video via Sentai Filmworks.

    The Tatami Galaxy (2010)

  Sometimes it takes a Groundhog Day-like scenario for the so-called “nice guys” to realize that often they're not really the heroes of their own romantic epics, but rather they're the villains. The unnamed protagonist of The Tatami Galaxy loops through numerous college-level curricula, joining different clubs each time in an effort to find his ideal “raven-haired beauty” and to live the “rosy college life” of his dreams.

  Needless to say, nothing goes according to plan, and one of the highlights of The Tatami Galaxy is when “Watashi” and his partner-in-crime, Ozu, declare themselves to be “black Cupids” and subsequently dedicate their free-time to monkey-wrenching the dates of happy couples. It's perfect Valentine's Day viewing for the romantically disinclined.

  The Tatami Galaxy is available via streaming and on U.S. home video from Funimation.

  BONUS ROUND!

    Baki (2018)

  The 2018 Baki anime on Netflix is less interested in romance and more interested in taking big beefy dudes and smacking them together like a toddler playing with a handful of G.I. Joe action figures. When the baby-faced protagonist Baki and his girlfriend Kozue finally consummate their relationship, what results is both mind-blowing hilarity and head-scratching peculiarity as the audience is subjected to a galaxy brain-level X-ray vision vignette, Baki's new-found sex-blessed martial arts prowess, and a lecture from Yujiro Hanma about the birds and the bees. 11/10 stars, would “apply damage” again.

  Baki is available via streaming on Netflix.

    Well, there you have it: a selection of anime titles that look at the concepts of love and romance from a slightly askew angle. Some are life-affirming, some are off-beat but uplifting, and some of them aren't nearly so optimistic, but all in all it's a heaping helping of atypical romance, just in time for Valentine's Day.

  The above list is not meant to be exhaustive. Anime is a vast and varied medium, so there are sure to be other series that make for ideal Valentine's Day programming for those of us that want a little more cringe in our festivities. What are your favorite anime with weird angles or awkward romances? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below!

    ---------

Paul Chapman is the host of The Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast and GME! Anime Fun Time.

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[sweetfatale]

timeline events and shenanigans

This is more for my reference (since I got a few dates wrong sorry) but here’s a sort of timeline of relevant events and details in the No More Heroes/Sudaverse that Bad Girl may reference. I’ll be adding to it as time goes on and my girlfriend and I find more details and info. Note that I’ve played NMH1 and 2, but for everything else I’m baby and watched videos or read about them so I might be missing stuff. I’m also always up to discuss this or plot with these in mind! (ask and IMs are always open)

No More Heroes 1

Takes place in 2007.

Santa Destroy is an anarchy in southern California with its own currency (LB$), military (L.B. Army), and flag.

The UAA is founded by Sylvia Christel, started as a con job.

K-Entertainment is an assassination agency with an advertising agency as its front, where only high ranking assassins can get high paying assassination gigs. 

In Badman Strikes Back, Badman gets Greco to reveal to him that he kidnapped and tortured Bad Girl to near death with an electric chair sometime before the events of NMH1, attempting to mold her into a powerful killer, which Badman had a similar experience with, without “messing up her pretty face.” She came out of it traumatized (obviously), but with a need to kill and hurt others with her newfound power. According to him, it was her idea to join the UAA.

Sylvia and Bad Girl are implied to have a sexual relationship (at the very least) with official art where they are hugging, near kissing and lounging around in their underwear together. If not that, they’ve at least met before.

Bad Girl has a “secret base” in the Santa Destroy baseball stadium’s basement, complete with a chiller7 brand mini-fridge, an old TV, sitting area and a liquor cabinet. There’s also a conveyor belt that leads cloned men (likely criminals) strapped in leather from a cloning machine for her batting practice, and a pit of bodies right underneath it.

Makes sense she has her base there, her father having been on their baseball team way back when.

Travis had to pay 500,000 LB$ to fight her as part of the stipulation fee, but she picked the stadium. Members of the Santa Destroy Warriors baseball team (or clones who are dressed in their uniforms) fight him on the upper level, before he is allowed to enter the basement.

She fights Travis, who ultimately forfeits their fight. Travis wins by default, Bad Girl bleeding out and dying due to being impaled by his beam katana.

Bad Girl has had her manager, Greco, record all her fights and assassinations and send them to her father, seeking his approval. Badman watches the videos and is aware she’s involved in the assassination world, but never attempts to contact or find her.

Later in TSA, it’s revealed that Greco recorded her death and sent it to her father (apparently at her request) which sparks his want of revenge.

No More Heroes 2

Takes place in 2010, 3 years after NMH1.

The UAA evolves into a legit agency, taking over K-Entertainment basically, and the assassin ranks go public.

Assassins are all regarded as celebrities and their deaths are entertainment. They even have branding deals and sponsorships, and their contracts are now similar to modeling and acting agencies’.

Akashic Points are explained as portals/intradimensional gates/supernatural gateways leading to “isolated regions”, such as a Prison Island, Graveyard (a forest/graveyard area that’s basically a horror film setting), Housing Complex (a city in eternal sunset/twilight), and the Forest of Bewilderment.

Travis Strikes Again/TSA

Takes place in 2017.

With TSA’s Japan being so damaged in some areas, it’s implied the k7 ending where World War 3 happens is a reality. It would have happened in 2013.

Confirmed that assassinations and assassin battles were streamed via pay per view and dark web red rooms even after the UAA is dismantled in NMH2.

Aliens, superheroes, demons, psychic vampires, and Dracula are all confirmed to be real.

Superheroes apparently have their own rankings and are able to find crime to fight via an app(?), the Villain Autosearch System.

Found by Dan Smith (part of the Smith syndicate in killer7) after selling him out, Badman is given a chance to avenge his daughter with Travis’ location and a Death Ball to start him out with, after which he’ll likely be killed.

Badman finds Travis in a trailer in the Texan wilderness, intent on carrying out his 10 year long revenge plot (thanks dad). He’s come to kill Travis and to resurrect his daughter with the Death Drive MK-II video game console, which is said to grant any wish if you beat all its games. While fighting, they’re both sucked into the console and forced to start playing.

The US government has repurposed cloning technology to create a sort of 3D printer with the Death Drive MK-II and a “mother” machine (Death Drive AAA) to create copies of soldiers, weapons and anything else. Dr Juvenile planted bugs in its programming, preventing it from working. Her lover, Klark, warns Travis of clearing the games on the Death Drive MK-II, since it will reset the mother machine and clear it of bugs. 

As said by Klark, “The controllers for the DDMKII are loaded with a horrible gimmick. They read the player’s personal data at the DNA level, and create clones with increased abilities and power, for the purpose of creating powerful clone soldiers. These clone soldiers are installed with a special AI, turning them into murderous weapons. If the hardware could be sold all over the world, then data can also be gathered from around the globe.” So far, Travis, Shinobu, Badman and Bad Girl have all played the Death Drive and have contributed their DNA unknowingly. 

Travis and Badman clear all the games and the Death Drive AAA is reawakened and ready to be used. While Travis has the chance to destroy the mother machine at CIA headquarters when he travels there with an experimental Death Ball, he instead takes a detour and is able to talk to Jacket (Hotline Miami) and his mask personas, as well as Beard. Nothing really comes of this besides a connection with Jacket, and the Death Drive AAA is still operational post TSA and ready to create murderous clones. 

After beating the six games, the Death Balls are all gathered and summon a tiger god. Travis (being the protag) gets to make the wish, and wishes for Bad Girl to be resurrected. One of the Death Balls are found out to be a fake during the wish and she comes back as a dog.

Badman is determined to bring her back as a human, though admits he likes having her alive at least and her being a dog reminds him of when she was a baby. In the Bubblegum Fatale DLC the real Death Ball is found, fulfilling the wish and turning Bad Girl into a human. 

Bad Girl fights all the Death Drive game bosses (besides Juvenile), being able to talk to some one on one. Silver Face, a pro football star who killed all his girlfriends and went on the lamb, is unfortunately who she talks to the most and tries to relate to her before being killed. Ultimately, she rejects his attempts at “bonding.”

Between games, Travis, Shinobu, Badman and Bad Girl all hang around the campsite and trailer. Bad Girl drinks Travis’ beer and sits in his chair and calls him a fuckface. 

Misc (other games in the same universe that are canon in NMH)

Shadows of the Damned, Lollipop Chainsaw, killer7, Killer is Dead, Let it Die, The Silver Case, Flower, Sun and Rain, etc. happen around the same timeline. Hotline Miami is also in the same universe, but it’s unclear on the exact timeline.

San Romero (Lollipop Chainsaw) is upstate of Santa Destroy.

In Killer is Dead, the moon is inhabited (with royalty even), and in TSA mars is starting to be inhabited by clones. With two pretty major celestial bodies being inhabited (so far), space travel and exploration is possible as well as colonization. Also there are aliens already, so. 

“In killer7’s alternate take on the 21st century, all the nations of the world have signed a peace treaty disarming all nuclear weapons, banning international flight and perhaps worst of all, shutting down the internet. While much of the world is at peace, a violent terrorist group appears between the fracturing relationship between the United States and Japan, pulling the strings of some of Japan’s world leaders.” It’s reasonable to deduce that Santa Destroy became an anarchy as a result of the treaty and the encroaching WWIII.

[doomonfilm]

Favorites : The Last Broadcast (1998)

Back in the late 1990s, when I was truly discovering how deep my love of film ran, a groundbreaking movie dropped : The Blair Witch Project.  Not only did this movie embrace the impending shift that reality television was leading the rest of the industry towards, it also opened many people up to the power and mystery of the internet.  Like many others, I found myself diving headlong into the internet to investigate the validity and truth of what was presented in the film.  It was not until many years later that I discovered a relatively unknown gem that covered much of the same ground as The Blair Witch Project, but a couple of years prior to its production.  This film is the modern day underground cult classic that is The Last Broadcast. 

Documentarian David Leigh (David Beard) is tasked with examining the case of the Fact or Fiction crews’ mysterious disappearance during their search for the Jersey Devil in the Pine Barrens region of New Jersey.  The crew, hosts Steven Avkast (Stefan Avalos) and Locus Wheeler (Lance Weller), are local celebrities due to the freak popularity of their paranormal access television show, but after a year and declining popularity, a last ditch attempt is made to regain their high ground in the form of a live television/internet stream simulcast from deep in the Pine Barrens.  Soundman Rein Clabbers (Rein Clackin) and psychic Jim Suerd (James Seward) are hired to assist, but as Jim leads the group deeper into the woods, tension rise between them.  Jim eventually emerges from the woods and calls 911, reporting that Steven, Locus and Rein never reported back to camp and have gone missing.  Police discover the bodies of Locus and Rein, and although a large portion of Steven’s blood is found, his body is never recovered.  As David presents information on the events and the subsequent case (and mysterious in-prison death) of Jim, he is presented with a box full of damaged video tape.  He hires data retrieval expert Shelly Monarch (Michele Pulaski) to recover the images from the film, leading to shocking revelations about what happened the Fact or Fiction crew disappeared.

The similarities to The Blair Witch Project are hard to ignore, which makes it interesting that this film was forgotten while Blair Witch broke box office records.  Found footage films weren’t necessarily a new genre, though they were in their popularity infancy at the time, so the presentation of the information as a true story is an instant point of comparison between the two.  Both productions did visit and feature real locations : Burkittsville, Maryland and the Pine Barrens of New Jersy, respectively.  Actual footage from the supposed true events serves as the fuel for viewer tension in both films.

Those commonalities end there, however, and it is in the differences that The Last Broadcast truly shines.  The usage of a real local legend (the Jersey Devil) immediately brings an obscure sense of validity to the claim that the events of the film are true, with decades of tales about the Jersey Devil circulating popular lore.  This film also takes a much more direct approach in the way it presents the power of the internet, with IRC chat playing a key factor in the advancement of the story.  This stands in stark contrast to the subversive promotional campaign from the Blair Witch camp, with the creation and falsification of the Blair Witch legend pre-planted on the internet to throw the curious off in their search for truth.  With trials like the O.J. Simpson murder case fresh on the minds of everyone, the inclusion of a media circus and troubled trial ring extremely true.  The personality profiles of Jim Suerd and others involved feels like a precursor to the public fascination with true crime that has rapidly grown in popularity.  The film even subverts our expectations in its presentation of the events as true by giving us a beautiful narrative swerve that lands like a punch out of nowhere the first time its experienced.  The film also serves as one of the first, if not the first, commercially released films shot and edited entirely on consumer-level equipment.

David Beard gives an incredible dual-level performance as narrator, coming off as impartial and observational initially, with sinister levels revealing themselves with repeat viewings.  Stefan Avalos nails the uptight creative with delusions of grandeur, while his foil Lance Weller has such a laid-back, unbothered attitude that he would have appealed to the fans of counter-culture, stoner entertainment immediately.  James Seward embraces his role as the misunderstood loner and social misfit, leaning heavily into hobbies that are now considered trope-level red flags for disturbed individuals.  Michele Pulaski displays an unchecked, uninfluenced search for the truth that mirrors the viewer experience, which makes her final moments hit incredibly hard as they unfold.  Other standout appearances and performances include Rein Clabbers, Dale Worstall, A.D. Roso, Tom Burnt, Mark Rublee and Sam Wells.

If you’re unfamiliar with the film or have yet to see it, do yourself a favor and seek it out on YouTube or Amazon Prime.  The next time you get into a discussion about modern-day horror films and people began espousing on the groundbreaking nature of films like the Paranormal Activity series, The Blair Witch Project and countless others, know you’ve got an ace in your pocket.  Side note, if you do enjoy this film, then seek out Man Bites Dog sooner than later.