radio414

would you rather tap to attack or tap to force your opponent to choose and discard two cards from their hand?

Here are my results: Reminds me of this:

Does this mean the monsters can only meaningfully interact with who they're scheduled with? What happens if there isn't any chemistry between us, are we just stuck for the rest of the event? Also, I too am in favor of last-year's two week length. Definitely wouldn't have been able to keep up the pace I set for Larry for a full month, and a schedule would have meant there'd have been no pace at all.

Instrumental starts at fifteen seconds in and the song ends fifteen seconds before the video does so it fits within the time contraints

I feel like I'd forget which day is mine to post pretty quickly. I also thought the bigger problem was that a bunch of monsters simply lost motivation and reduced their posting habits, and I'm not sure how this fixes that particular problem. The monster discord is a good idea, though, and might help with that?

←Previous Post -- Next Post→ Duel 07 -- Unfulfilled Juri Or: Yes, I’m Spelling Juri With An “I” Come At Me It feels a little weird joining a fandom that’s about as old as you are, and make no mistake, that’s exactly what’s happening here. You don’t set out to write forty blog posts on a thing without immersing yourself in the fan culture at least a little bit. And now, coming back up for air, I think I can say that the Utena fandom… is fine? Like, I’m sure there’s a subset that lusts after these characters who are, at maximum, seventeen years old, but thankfully, I haven’t encountered any of those. At the same time, I have to wonder if this “fine-ness” stems from how old it is and how niche it is. This is a group of people that enjoys a particular show made in an already niche (to Americans, at least) style of animation, who found each other at the dawn of the internet age back when forums could be about one thing and that was enough. I don’t know how the Utena fandom was back in the day, nor do I care to trawl through old forum posts trying to find out. We can draw comparisons to other media, though. Star Trek is the most notable example, though its fandom predates even the internet. The most famous story of the Star Trek fandom, to me, is their letter-writing campaign getting them a third season of the original series. And that sort of appreciation, I’m sure, leads to the “toxicity” that people tend to scorn these days. But I also don’t see anyone calling the Star Trek fandom “toxic.” I wonder if “toxicity” (and yes, I am going to use scare quotes every time I use that word) is a symptom of a fandom’s adolescence. As a fanbase grows and expands, it’s inevitably going to receive pushback, and while yeah, it’s fun to laugh at people who jump on top of fast-food counters and demand their weird sauce, and it’s fun to roast people who seem to come to the exact opposite conclusions than the ones presented in the text, these things or similar happen in every group of fans. When things have died down, when the expansion has slowed, there might still be scorn for those early events, but at the same time, the people with the most scorn have likely moved on to something else. The fandom becomes a normalized part of the zeitgeist, and things move on. Anyway, just some thoughts I had. I don’t think I’ve gotten too deep in the Utena fandom yet. The most I’ve done besides trawl Twitter, Discord, and old forum feeds is take a personality test. I’m a Juri, by the way. This is one of those episodes with “a twist” that I’m totally going to spoil because that’s what you do when talking about an episode -- so if you don’t want to be spoiled, I suggest scrolling back up and clicking that episode link -- but also because it’s really interesting how the episode plays when you do know what’s revealed at the end. It really wants you to believe that Juri is in love with this random boy in her fencing club, and yet, every shot with Shiori Takatsuki hints at their connection. Juri loves her, and her feelings of betrayal stem from that unrequited love, not just because her best friend and her other best friend started kissing behind her back. This is the dichotomy that is at the heart of Juri’s character. Remember three episodes ago when I made a special note of how Juri reacted when Miki said he’d suddenly (some might say, “miraculously”) found happiness? How it troubled her? This is what I mean. Juri’s “miracle”, the thing she wishes for above all else, is to love Shiori, but she can’t for various reasons. Since Utena was created in the nineties, one popular interpretation is her internalized homophobia gets in the way, and similar events later in the anime potentially back that up. I’m not so sure it’s that; it’s entirely possible that Shiori simply isn’t attracted to girls. Interestingly, Juri treats Anthy the least like a person out of all the student council so far. Juri doesn’t even desire her engagement, just the power Anthy possesses, because that, somehow, will let her express her true feelings. Anthy, for her part, seems to realize this, mirroring Shiori’s movements whenever she’s around Juri, holding up a rose in the exact same way, mocking her, almost. But that’s not even why Juri challenges Utena in the first place. Like Miki, she initially seems disinterested in the idea of the duels. So it isn’t her desire to confess her feelings, it’s Utena’s belief that someday she’ll be able to. Really, challenging Utena is a win-win for Juri. If she wins, she can revolutionize the world, and if she loses, it only reinforces her self-loathing, that her miracle truly will never happen. Which is why, of course, neither happens. Juri disarms Utena, sending her sword flying into the sky, only for it to strike Juri’s rose on the way down. This is not the first time these duels have been a metaphorical answer to the questions the rest of the episode poses (nor will it be the last), but it is the first time it has done so in such a blatant manner. Juri’s problem isn’t that miraculous things can’t happen, Juri’s problem, put simply, is Juri. That she doesn’t seem to notice this by the end of the episode is the setup for her personal arc. One might also notice the occasional shot of Anthy throughout the duel as if the outcome was determined by her influence. Just something to keep in mind. The allegory doesn’t just stay in the duels, of course. The shadow play girls are getting more metaphorical as well, emphasizing in their skit that Juri does, in fact, secretly wish for a miraculous outcome in her relationship, while the Student Council meeting of the episode has Touga throwing knives around Miki, representing, in my view, Juri’s willingness to dance around and avoid the issue. That’s not to imply Miki is an issue, even if he does have issues of his own. -r Next time: Freaky Friday but it’s an anime ←Previous Post -- Link to Episode -- Next Post→

Chris caught Sergei’s flask, cradling it in his palm and feeling its weight. It was certainly heavier than he’d expected, and when he shook it, it seemed like there was more liquid in there than there should have been after Sergei’s hearty swig. But the material was good -- it was almost worth palming if he wasn’t also afraid of losing Sergei’s respect (not that he thought Sergei wouldn’t notice anyway) -- and what did Chris know about how fluid worked anyway? “Good shot. Thanks,” Sergei said. It took Chris a second to parse what he meant, but Sergei helpfully gestured towards his daggers and that was all it took. “Welcome,” Chris said. “It’s not actually that hard once you get used to it. I mean, you need some well-balanced daggers, too, but after that…” He didn’t have anywhere to go with that sentence, so he compensated by bringing the flask to his lips for a drink, completely forgetting that Sergei had said it was “something stronger.” Chris had been expecting water, and it definitely wasn’t that. He managed to swallow but erupted in a coughing fit soon after. “Um, not for me, sorry. Maybe later. Estellise, could I have my waterskin back?” Chris didn’t wait for an answer, quickly swapping the two containers before Estellise even could. The water only helped wash out the aftertaste, but the memory was still there. Maybe if he tried it again, he thought, and if he was more prepared for it, but that was definitely something for later, not in the middle of the dungeon. “I suppose I have been meaning to ask, what convinced you all to agree to accompany me like this?” Estellise’s question caught Chris a little off-guard. Maybe it was because its phrasing was a little her-centric? The world wasn’t all about her, despite what the main families of Froura thought, and the reward the dungeon promised would entice anybody with a weapon and a reckless disregard for life, but he didn’t say anything like that out loud. It was probably better to answer the actual question anyway and worry about the weird implications of how she said it for later. “Short answer? I was already looking to get a group together when you asked. I dunno, I was already taking care of myself but I want something more, you know? “As for why I wanted to get myself involved in the first place...” Chris paused and tried to think of exactly what he meant to say. His thoughts drifted back to Ellwood manor again, especially of Myrtle, and Chris wondered how he was supposed to phrase “I nearly killed a woman, got disgraced from my noble house, and this is the only way home” in a way that was any close to palatable. He still barely knew these people, after all. He wasn’t even sure they knew what he did when he wasn’t dungeoneering. This was a question he couldn’t take a drink of water to get out of, though, so he defaulted to the vaguest possible answer. “I dunno, why does anyone come in here? Whatever’s at the bottom is something I want. The Spark, it’s called? Yeah, that. “Follow-up question, though:” Chris asked the question both as a way to keep the focus off of him and because he was a little curious, “why us?”

call me doctor moreau and cross me an animal

In the Wake of Dia The interior of Dia’s temple was much like its exterior, though the way it intentionally closed itself off from all but the most necessary natural light meant the colors of the sea it presented to the world were much more muted now, closer to the seafloor than open ocean. Where light was necessary, torches had been set up, and the flickering light of the fire appeared similar to the refraction of light as it passed through water. In this environment, finally, Levanna breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe now, she thought, she could start thinking about what needed to be done. There weren’t all that many other people in Dia’s temple. There were some acolytes, but all of them seemed busy with the maintenance and upkeep and less time on visitors. What visitors they did have were silently attending to their own prayers. Maybe they did want an ocean, Levanna pondered. It would certainly increase attendance, ignoring all the practical matters of terraforming, first and foremost being where it would go in the first place. Well, you also had to ignore Adrian’s complaints, but that was an entirely different matter. She’d nearly forgotten that she had someone following her. Finn, of course, had come in right after her. Levanna turned her attention to him. “I think --” she kept her voice low “-- there’s a path behind that altar that leads to a little pool and the mother of pearl stone if you would like to commune there,” she said. “I will be right out here if you need me for anything.” In the Court of the Blacksmith King The occupants of Taros’ temple didn’t seem to notice the active hostility his watchdog had for them, or, if they did, they didn’t seem to care. In their defense, a few of the stronger -- or at least bigger -- of their company had moved to the front, but for the most part they still loudly beckoned anyone interested in coming in to do so. The calls never really seemed cacophonous, though, like a large group of people talking over each other normally would. Instead, each voice seemed harmonious with every other voice, a massive chord that never seemed to lose intensity. Nor did it gain it, though, even as Kitt approached. “Come in!” they called. “Come and listen.” The larger members of the crowd broke off and moved even more forward to meet Kitt. The guards behind him were significantly less ambitious. Without Levanna or a similar authority to encourage them, some even backed off, instead moving to the perimeter where they could at least keep things contained. The whole situation had built to a high-pressure crucible, perhaps fitting for those involved. Epitaph Emily was caught at the crossroads between two, no, three emotions. The first, and most obvious, was grief. Her mother had just succumbed to her illness right in front of her, and the watchdog she had enlisted to assist her wasn’t doing much comforting. The one she hadn’t did a little better, but it did little to quell how she felt. The second emotion was fury, and that one was a little harder to describe. The Nuumu watchdog had still pledged to fix everything, for example, and she seemed pretty firm on that promise, for example. But she still felt the need to lash out at someone, and there was only a certain subset of people that would do. The last feeling was a certain numbness. It wasn’t a “not feeling anything” feeling -- there certainly was something there -- it was a “world in slow-motion but not quite nauseous” sort of feeling. The weight of the world had yet to crash completely down on her, but it certainly seemed like it was about to. “If you would be so kind as to show us to the temple square,” the Nuumu dog had said. That, she could do. “Of course,” Emily said. “Just one moment.” She had to center herself, and the only way she could think to do that was through prayer. Emily made her way back down the stairs to the bakery and took a small bag -- no bigger than an apple -- over to the oven, placing it just inside while she knelt underneath to set it alight. “Oh Lar, God of Hearth and Home,” she prayed, “please help to repair mine.” It was a small gesture, probably barely noticeable to someone as important as a god, but she hoped it would help. What was next? The Temple Square? “Ah, yes, follow me.” The temples were only a few turns away anyways, and as long as you kept your back to the sun, it was actually difficult to get lost. Even besides that, Emily had taken the route so many times that she could have blindfolded herself and still made it. “That’s the Taros temple over there if that’s where you were headed,” Emily said, pointing towards the guards and the crowds. “I heard there was supposed to be a ceremony today, that must be what the bustle is about, but I’m sure you can find someone who can help you there. Nuumu’s temple is right next to it. “But as for you,” Emily turned her attention to the Myria watchdog, “if it’s no trouble, I’d like to ask you for a favor.” She seized him by the wrist, again, perhaps a bit more forcefully than she’d intended, and pulled him away from his companion. Turning around, she brought her voice low and said, “Is there a way for you to tell me my fate? Or what will happen if I perform a specific action? I’d like to request your guidance.” OOC