Random Thoughts Thread

[pinetree]

I have 6 just for BL alone.

Subscribe to them and close the tabs lol

[TetsuoS2]

I think I'd be more concerned if I'd ever woken up somewhere unsafe, but places like gardens and elevators kind of take the sting out of it.

Honestly, I could describe the feeling of the first time as "like if an inexperienced/careless magus tried to wipe your memory of something, but failed to hide that your memory was missing". But I was five, so my parents thought I was lying when they found me confused in a garden with no memory of how I got there, or of doing something they were scolding me for. Which does sound like the kind of lie a five year would tell, to be fair.

some people would jump at possession and the likes.

[tsugumi]

>someone decides to finish scanslating tactics
>oh that's so nice, now EOPs will be able to enjoy the whole manga
>the scanslators already confirmed they'll be moving on to tactics shinsetsu afterwards, so no worries there
>anyway
>wait
>wait a second
>fuck
>oh no
>this means the chapter numbering vandalisation is locked in for good now on mangadex
>you've got to be fucking kidding me
>even after I wrote a nice detailed message reporting the vandalisation to the jannies (they did nothing)

this is so sad. RIP.

Well, it's here if you want to read it. Oh wait, that's right, we can't directly link to mangadex. Very well then: https : // mangadex. org/title/eb6306cb-a681-4c23-9f3f-31e3e3e4bfb2/tactics

Youkai. So many youkai. Onmyouji. Tengu. Foxgirls. Genuinely good comedy (not just "anime-style comedy") and comedic timing. A slowly building and then suddenly very loud and unmissable critique of imperial japan's fascism. At least one guy who wants to fuck another guy, but will he succeed? Or is his success reserved only for the r18 doujinshi Kinoshita and Higashiyama published? Wacky tokyopop translations that are shockingly 100% more accurate than the more Serious scanslations we got in ye old days. The best girl in the whole world. A love triangle, if you have eyes and the willingness to use them. So many background shots of the Ryounkaku. Evolving art styles. Higashiyama having to relearn how to draw with her non-dominant hand due to a chronic illness. Some incredibly boldly written mommy issues. A five year hiatus that YOU won't have to deal with. Untranslated drama CDs. Three untranslated light novels. I must repeat: the best, most marriageable waifu.

Neither Kinoshita nor Higashiyama ever created anything like this while flying solo, so while you certainly see individual influences here and there if you are particularly familiar with their oeuvre (my god does Kinoshita love blonde little girls, lolita fashion, and very youthful yet very adult men), it really is an intriguing product that makes you wonder "but how did they cook that?" Teamwork made the dream work.

In addition: if you love Kinoshita's work so much that you decide you simply must subscribe to her fanbox, I will make certain that all her hundreds of deleted entries make their way into your hands through the power of magic. It's not your fault you couldn't be there from day one. We all make mistakes. In fact, I can make a variety of things fall into your hands through, again, the power of magic, if you fall in love with this series and desire more.

Testimonial from Five, who has read up to volume 13:
"There are a lotta things you could say about Tactics. A remarkable psychological story with a variety of emotions. Side characters to fall madly in love with. We got that 1923 spectre haunting Tokyo. Gorgeous, truly gorgeous art. An almost unparalleled fanfiction engine for those who get roped into it. Some of the boldest takes on Oedipus yet put to paper. But which honestly really serve to make the characters so so good. Because they are realistically messy rather than caricatures. You first get a glimpse into this fucked-upness when one character forcibly kisses another, and then the rollercoaster only zooms on from there. A really masterfully crafted manga that ultimately has never received the appreciation it deserves. There's some saying about too many chefs in the kitchen, but here it's just enough."

The art in the beginning can be described as "nostalgic", but completes its first modernisation by volume four, which is, funnily enough, when the threat of fascism arrives. Much to think about!

[Five_X]

I knew the ad brigade would come along eventually...

It's a good enough story that it got me writing fiction again after years of absence. Take that as you will.

[Mattias]

Good for you Five, I always liked your stuff.

[Five_X]

Good for you Five, I always liked your stuff.

This means a lot, Mattias. Writing is one of the few things I do especially well, so I'm glad my art matters to people.

[tsugumi]

I should have mentioned it in the post itself, but isn't a historian liking a historical manga the highest accolade there is? Yes, it is. Everyone should listen to him and read it.

Something else I should have mentioned, given the Nasu connection, is that these two women are also turbo Kyougoku Natsuhiko fans, and you can see his influence all over this story. How do I know this for a fact? Because, once upon a time, they used the domain they purchased for tactics to also host their Kyougokudou fanart. Thanks to the wayback machine, this fact is preserved forever. They shipped Kiba and Enokizu.



Oh yeah, they're also really great environmental storytellers/use scenery expertly to shape mood. No panel is wasted.

[Ideofago]

my day got worse
so after missing like 3 non-existent buses, the rain got so bad my university campus flooded

at least now i can play mario 64 as much as I want

[Leftovers]

I challenge your claim.

15-spread of albums, right here and now

- - - Updated - - -



Your move, I'm guessing 70% death metal

[Dark Squirrel]

We've now reached week 3 of no internet due to repeated internet provider fuckups. Yay. At least Hades 2's early access isn't out yet, the frustration of not being able to instantly get it and download it would have pushed me over the edge and gotten me yelling at people who don't deserve it.

[tsugumi]

15-spread of albums, right here and now

How are we looking



It should be Seal (1994) and not Seal (1991), but that was the only album that came up for some reason. Anyway. I picked albums with the highest numbers of songs I enjoy listening to, whether or not they have my favourite-ever songs from the artist. Most do. I had a self-imposed limit of one album per artist. In the name of profilicty, one band was withheld.

[SpoonyViking]

15-spread of albums, right here and now

> Draconian Times

OK, credit where it's due, that *is* good taste!

- - - Updated - - -

Well, it's here if you want to read it. Oh wait, that's right, we can't directly link to mangadex. Very well then: https : // mangadex. org/title/eb6306cb-a681-4c23-9f3f-31e3e3e4bfb2/tactics

Halfway through the second volume, and my glib evaluation is that this is a much gayer "Ushio and Tora".
Jokes aside, it's very fun! Funny, too. Still feels a bit too light, even shallow, for my usual tastes, but I'll be looking forward to seeing it become deeper and meatier.
Thanks for talking about it!

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, yeah, what was the vandalisation issue you mentioned, please?

[Ideofago]

I'm not paying for last.fm pro so you're all getting two cellphone screen's worth of lists

[Five_X]

15-spread of albums, right here and now

- - - Updated - - -



Your move, I'm guessing 70% death metal

Wishbone Ash - superb taste, sir.

How are we looking



It should be Seal (1994) and not Seal (1991), but that was the only album that came up for some reason. Anyway. I picked albums with the highest numbers of songs I enjoy listening to, whether or not they have my favourite-ever songs from the artist. Most do. I had a self-imposed limit of one album per artist. In the name of profilicty, one band was withheld.

I never took you for a RHCP head... interesting stuff. Stadium Arcadium was the first album I ever bought, and RHCP my first band t-shirt (to match my childhood best friend).

[Leftovers]

How are we looking

We would have never interacted in high school. While obviously disposed against post-Hackett Genesis I will admit Home by the Sea is good and That's All is a bop. For some reason I listened to Disc 1 of Stadium Arcadium a couple dozen times and Disc 2 probably once, so I like all of the former's songs in the way getting used to listening to the same song again and again tricks you into liking it, kinda. I remember very proudly bringing the CD to English class to play Especially in Michigan because ha ha Michigan exams it's the same place geddit. Also funny how you can reliably estimate one's parent's age from some of the picks.

Genuinely no idea about the rest so I can't rate for drivetime blastability, which was the basis of my picks. Some favourites aren't really made for that.

[Five_X]

Also funny how you can reliably guess one's parent's age from some of the picks.

In a negative or positive way? I couldn't listen to a lot of my parents' music specifically because it reminds me of long road trips where they were blasting. RIP to the Eagles, take it eeeasy...

[Leftovers]

Positive, something usually gets to stick. I have an unreasonably maudlin fondness for Rory Gallagher as if I personally skipped school to go to his concert when I was fifteen.

[Five_X]

Maybe I'm the odd weirdo out. The only thing that sticks from my childhood I think would be Barenaked Ladies, but that may be the last vestiges of my Canadian nationalism. For whatever reason I had the avowed anti-music sentiments of a hardcore Mennonite until the year of our lord 2007.

[Deathhappens]

15-spread of albums, right here and now

- - - Updated - - -



Your move, I'm guessing 70% death metal

Nowhere near that much, I'm (apparently) more into thrash. Unfortunately the extent of my physical collection is a bunch of bootleg CDs me and a mate burned over a decade ago with our own mishmash collections, so I have no proper clue as to what album half my favorite songs are from. Hope this will do.

[Leftovers]

>Spanish Train
>Sultans of Swing
>Philby
>Mr. Crowley

Ah what the hell, you're alright

Best Scorpions do be When the Smoke Is Going Down tho