Rachaad white or leonard fournette fantasy
Peace And Safety: Flash Fiction Mystery
2023.03.22 05:29 ZackGolden18 Peace And Safety: Flash Fiction Mystery
The news was out, and everyone gathered their forces to ask why, when, and who did it. Terror struck five Jewish teens on a night of vacant freedom. It was a force that everyone expected, a source that still came suddenly though. However, when articles and headlines showed up on many people's pages, it was clear then. Everyone suspected some form of sudden violence to occur on Saturday night, but as news passed on, the sheer horror was slowly coming within one of the students at the university, and no one knew who. All they knew is that many of them didn’t have anything important to say about it when many people posted about it on their accounts; not to make people aware of the matter but instead to be relieved that they were not violent as people who cause harm. Thus, as Nick made his way back to his dorm, holding his new parking permit in a yellow envelope, he remembered his friend Josh was back at this time. He took time to finish his homework at the library and when he was done thinking about it he was well pleased to enter his dorm room.
I opened the yellow envelope on my desk. My friend, Josh, was sitting on his bed reading off the messages that he’s been getting since this morning; his new friends have made him comfortable to stay in the dorm for today since they were speaking about the gathering last night. Of course, I was curious to see what they were planning since Josh and his friends don’t feel like going.
“What time do you plan to go to the gathering?”, Josh asks. His white skin, and blonde hair, match the glowing tangerine of this rising evening. And around 8, I plan to be at a little party happening down in the thick suburbs.
“I'm not sure”, I say, but cautiously ask, “Why? Do you need to be somewhere?”. Before Josh can answer I quickly say, “Because I could walk, it's no problem”. Josh then says strictly, “No way, I'm just making sure you get there in time”.
I glance at Josh and chuckle, “To be frank, I'm a little nervous to meet these guys”, I say.
“The guys will like you once you meet them, I promise”, Josh says.
I glanced around for a pen to mark my new parking permit that was in the envelope for this semester. “alright then”, I say and add, “You don’t think they’ll notice my nervousness?”.
“I'm sure they will like you. Trust me, I was feeling hesitant when I first joined but I got along before I knew them”.
I look back at my desk and start checking off the boxes on my permit. Feeling the thin sharpness of the paper grace against my fingertip, seeing it under my lamp.
“You just seem worried”, I say gently.
Josh looks at his phone when another message comes in. He reads it fast before saying, “It’s what happened to those boys that worries me”.
“The Jews?”, I say hesitantly.
“Yeah, It's just a bit unnerving right now. Like this is something I'm supposed to be feeling”, Josh says quietly, then adds, “I'm just worried we might end up exactly like them”.
“We're not Jews though”, I say.
“I know, but do you think they care?”, Josh says deeply.
“Sometimes”, he begins, “I get dreams where I'm them after hearing about it on my phone. And I can feel the bullet, or knife go in me, and I wake up sweating”.
Josh sits up a bit, reaching for his charger, and continues, “I get the feeling that one day we’ll be like them. In the nightmare, I was them: the same body, same teeth, same hair, and same fear of sensing danger breathing nearby in some dark street. All the students didn’t look when the darkness around me struck like a knife. Like a bullet breaking through my skull.
Dead, alone, and slowly dying in the dark streets without having no one take a peek at how much pain I was in. And I do wonder when that will be, if not now”.
I look out the window, seeing the sun go down over the horizon, and say without looking at Josh, “Sometimes that’s what dreams do. You probably have been reading too many articles about it”.
Josh then stands over his bed now and grabs his keys when he checks the time on his phone. As I add, “Have you?”.
Josh ignores my question and starts putting on his shoes.
“It's close to eight. We should get over before the police block up the roads in that area”.
“Sure thing”, I say, then check off my parking permit and leave it in my drawer until I return. Thus, I grab my sweatshirt, turn off the lights, and make sure to double-lock the dorm.
We walked out into the hall and I wondered if I should make anything on the stove since I haven’t used it when I moved in, and I highly doubt Josh knows how to cook.
By the time we made it to our truck, hesitantly glazing around the dark bounds of the light posts, surrounded by houses, and parks, we got in hearing the relief in our voices. He starts the truck and softly makes our way out of the dense parking lot towards the main street, seeing students walking back to their dorms as well. Some smiling, and some expressing no expression at all.
“Should we take a different path?”, he asks.
I look down the street and say softly, “If you want to”.
Josh looks at his watch. “Let's go right, I don’t feel comfortable going down that path where those boys were murdered”.
“Why not”, I ask.
Josh leans over to turn on the radio, but sums the volume to five, and says, “Sometimes it gives me the willies. But tonight is the only night, at least”.
While driving mid-way downtown, I get an odd thought and ask Josh, “Do you think they’re good people?”.
“Why do you say that?”, Josh asks.
I glance at a few other boys laughing on the sidewalk and see a baby boy being carried by their father in the corner of a store.
“I don’t know. Do you think evil will be gone one day? Like murdering someone will be a helpful thing rather than a deceiving one”, I say.
Josh takes a left turn and slows down to another stop light. “I don’t know. Maybe one day there will be peace. Maybe one day, we will all live good lives without evils coming in to hurt us”. Josh then pulls up to the house I'm going into. Seeing all kinds of boys and girls going in and out. Josh then says before I get out, “That's why we need more people like you. People who know the true enemy and not fantasy worlds like those other students”.
I giggle and hop out, and before I can even step on the porch, Josh says goodnight and leaves down the road. I march up to the front door, nodding my head to people walking out, and knock stubbornly on the door.
I enter the living room, everyone says good evening in their black bulletproof vests. “Hello, good evening”, I say.
I smile and feel the house fill with excitement, and in the first few minutes, I text Josh 'I'm safe, you have nothing to worry about’.
Josh then texts back saying, ‘I told you these guys are great. You're finally with your people.
By then, a man on the stairs raises a neo-nazi flag and we all gleefully cheer for his prideless, as the night then continues. I then put on my cap with my red symbol on top, and quickly say, “Good job, it's a good thing we got those boys. Soon we will have peace”, and the men cheer with their cups.
And before the clock strikes nine, I say in my head, over and over, ‘Peace’.
Then think, ‘Soon we’ll have peace’.
Smiling and giggling, I say again, ‘peace’. Then think, ‘Soon we’ll have peace and safety’. I raised my right hand, and when I felt everyone's pride, I was well pleased.
submitted by ZackGolden18 to u/ZackGolden18 [link] [comments]
I opened the yellow envelope on my desk. My friend, Josh, was sitting on his bed reading off the messages that he’s been getting since this morning; his new friends have made him comfortable to stay in the dorm for today since they were speaking about the gathering last night. Of course, I was curious to see what they were planning since Josh and his friends don’t feel like going.
“What time do you plan to go to the gathering?”, Josh asks. His white skin, and blonde hair, match the glowing tangerine of this rising evening. And around 8, I plan to be at a little party happening down in the thick suburbs.
“I'm not sure”, I say, but cautiously ask, “Why? Do you need to be somewhere?”. Before Josh can answer I quickly say, “Because I could walk, it's no problem”. Josh then says strictly, “No way, I'm just making sure you get there in time”.
I glance at Josh and chuckle, “To be frank, I'm a little nervous to meet these guys”, I say.
“The guys will like you once you meet them, I promise”, Josh says.
I glanced around for a pen to mark my new parking permit that was in the envelope for this semester. “alright then”, I say and add, “You don’t think they’ll notice my nervousness?”.
“I'm sure they will like you. Trust me, I was feeling hesitant when I first joined but I got along before I knew them”.
I look back at my desk and start checking off the boxes on my permit. Feeling the thin sharpness of the paper grace against my fingertip, seeing it under my lamp.
“You just seem worried”, I say gently.
Josh looks at his phone when another message comes in. He reads it fast before saying, “It’s what happened to those boys that worries me”.
“The Jews?”, I say hesitantly.
“Yeah, It's just a bit unnerving right now. Like this is something I'm supposed to be feeling”, Josh says quietly, then adds, “I'm just worried we might end up exactly like them”.
“We're not Jews though”, I say.
“I know, but do you think they care?”, Josh says deeply.
“Sometimes”, he begins, “I get dreams where I'm them after hearing about it on my phone. And I can feel the bullet, or knife go in me, and I wake up sweating”.
Josh sits up a bit, reaching for his charger, and continues, “I get the feeling that one day we’ll be like them. In the nightmare, I was them: the same body, same teeth, same hair, and same fear of sensing danger breathing nearby in some dark street. All the students didn’t look when the darkness around me struck like a knife. Like a bullet breaking through my skull.
Dead, alone, and slowly dying in the dark streets without having no one take a peek at how much pain I was in. And I do wonder when that will be, if not now”.
I look out the window, seeing the sun go down over the horizon, and say without looking at Josh, “Sometimes that’s what dreams do. You probably have been reading too many articles about it”.
Josh then stands over his bed now and grabs his keys when he checks the time on his phone. As I add, “Have you?”.
Josh ignores my question and starts putting on his shoes.
“It's close to eight. We should get over before the police block up the roads in that area”.
“Sure thing”, I say, then check off my parking permit and leave it in my drawer until I return. Thus, I grab my sweatshirt, turn off the lights, and make sure to double-lock the dorm.
We walked out into the hall and I wondered if I should make anything on the stove since I haven’t used it when I moved in, and I highly doubt Josh knows how to cook.
By the time we made it to our truck, hesitantly glazing around the dark bounds of the light posts, surrounded by houses, and parks, we got in hearing the relief in our voices. He starts the truck and softly makes our way out of the dense parking lot towards the main street, seeing students walking back to their dorms as well. Some smiling, and some expressing no expression at all.
“Should we take a different path?”, he asks.
I look down the street and say softly, “If you want to”.
Josh looks at his watch. “Let's go right, I don’t feel comfortable going down that path where those boys were murdered”.
“Why not”, I ask.
Josh leans over to turn on the radio, but sums the volume to five, and says, “Sometimes it gives me the willies. But tonight is the only night, at least”.
While driving mid-way downtown, I get an odd thought and ask Josh, “Do you think they’re good people?”.
“Why do you say that?”, Josh asks.
I glance at a few other boys laughing on the sidewalk and see a baby boy being carried by their father in the corner of a store.
“I don’t know. Do you think evil will be gone one day? Like murdering someone will be a helpful thing rather than a deceiving one”, I say.
Josh takes a left turn and slows down to another stop light. “I don’t know. Maybe one day there will be peace. Maybe one day, we will all live good lives without evils coming in to hurt us”. Josh then pulls up to the house I'm going into. Seeing all kinds of boys and girls going in and out. Josh then says before I get out, “That's why we need more people like you. People who know the true enemy and not fantasy worlds like those other students”.
I giggle and hop out, and before I can even step on the porch, Josh says goodnight and leaves down the road. I march up to the front door, nodding my head to people walking out, and knock stubbornly on the door.
I enter the living room, everyone says good evening in their black bulletproof vests. “Hello, good evening”, I say.
I smile and feel the house fill with excitement, and in the first few minutes, I text Josh 'I'm safe, you have nothing to worry about’.
Josh then texts back saying, ‘I told you these guys are great. You're finally with your people.
By then, a man on the stairs raises a neo-nazi flag and we all gleefully cheer for his prideless, as the night then continues. I then put on my cap with my red symbol on top, and quickly say, “Good job, it's a good thing we got those boys. Soon we will have peace”, and the men cheer with their cups.
And before the clock strikes nine, I say in my head, over and over, ‘Peace’.
Then think, ‘Soon we’ll have peace’.
Smiling and giggling, I say again, ‘peace’. Then think, ‘Soon we’ll have peace and safety’. I raised my right hand, and when I felt everyone's pride, I was well pleased.
2023.03.22 04:08 washabePlus [Complete] D100 Fantasy Moons
(Original Post)
Inspired by this worldbuilding post, let's make some fucked up moons. This obviously isn't the sort of list that would have a lot of reusability (unless you're in a campaign with a lot of traveling between planets or mortal planes), but it's something that was on my mind long ago and I figured now's as good a time as any. Many of these could be the basis of an entire setting, and I really really wanna do it :(
Also, as you read these, consider how the moon appears in Earth's symbols and designs. A world with funky moons will have them show up differently in heraldry, flags, etc. than in our world. Not to mention the religious significance many of these would have.
1 - The moon has a massive bite out of it.
2 - The moon is heavily damaged, with debris floating all around. Some legends say it was a giant egg that hatched the sun god (of the first dragon, or the tarasque, or the creator god). Other legends say it was destroyed in a war or by a god.
3 - The moon emits very bright light, while the sun projects darkness.
4 - The moon projects darkness.
5 - Many many lights are visible on the moon, as if it is covered in cities.
6 - The moon has a thick atmosphere of some color, with swirling clouds that are looked to by some cultures for omens.
7 - The moon is a planet; the world we live on is its moon.
8 - The moon is extremely close to the ground. Its gravity creates colossal waves, leaving most coastal regions too difficult to inhabit. Airships have managed to reach the moon at midnight, and it is explored instead of the sea.
9 - The moon is quite close to the planet and has a giant space elevator dangling off and into our atmosphere. People have reached it from the highest mountains.
10 - The moon is said to be an egg.
11 - The moon has a kind face.
12 - The moon has a terrifying face.
13 - Just as the sun blinds those who look at it too long, the moon drives them mad.
14 - The moon was completely destroyed long ago and now forms a ring. Meteorites from it have fallen ever since.
15 - There are a large number of moons arranged in a circle.
16 - The moon blinks as if it were an eye, causing brief moments of total darkness throughout the night like a reverse lightning strike.
17 - The moon is a world like ours, with oceans and continents full of life. The life there may be fundamentally different or very similar.
18 - The moon is the homeworld of some race on our world, but it met a catastrophe long ago, leading to them becoming refugees.
19 - The moon is a ringworld.
20 - The moon is a second sun that was extinguished long ago. The world was once much hotter and covered in desert and jungle. They say that one day the other sun will be extinguished too, beginning the final era of existence.
21 - The moon has an additional phase beyond full, new, crescent, gibbous, and half. When the moon is awoken, the dead rise for the night(s)
22 - When the moon falls, it lands in the ocean a very long distance away, then emerges from the ocean on the opposite side of the world. Many explorers have sought to find the land known as Moonrise to harvest the treasures that are said to be found on the moon before it reaches Moonfall.
23 - The moon has a hole through the center of it, with an exposed burning orange core.
24 - The moon is permanently eclipsing a second sun, which is associated with destruction and evil.
25 - The moon is a gigantic, shriveled creature curled up in a fetal position.
26 - The moon is a gigantic skull.
27 - The moons hates us. With every beam of light that bounces off its regolith it sends us nothing but malice. Its gravity well directs meteorites towards us more than should be expected.
28 - There are dozens upon dozens of small moons.
29 - There are a few moons connected together by some superstructure.
30 - The moon was deconstructed into thousands of huge glowing space habitats in orbit around the planet.
31 - The moon projects a massive aura.
32 - The moon is creeping towards us, ever do slowly.
33 - The moon's motion is controlled by a powerful individual or organization in our world.
34 - The moon is a superweapon aimed directly at us.
35 - The moon is shaped like Arrokoth or another contact binary.
36 - The moon is one of the others on this list, but is connected to our world by an ancient portal network. The moon is probably one of the options that are colonized or have life, but if not, it could be that activating this network to drain away the world's oxygen is a goal of some villain, and ancient dungeons could have been built to protect the moongates in their depths.
37 - The moon is a giant spaceborne creature that is entirely alive and active, unlike #35. It blinks at us and feasts on void-krill/dreams/souls/sin.
38 - The moon used to be a colossal tree on our world, a tree of life so big that it became uprooted and drifted into orbit. If it isn't fossilized, then when the moontree peaks out from over the horizon during the day its leaves get scorched, and when out only at night it is frozen.
39 - The moon is a palace where a god or the greatest god-emperor to ever live dwells.
40 - The moon is made out of trillions of bones.
41 - The moon is entirely colonized and utilized by modrons. The whole surface is visibly divided into a perfectly ordered grid, and each square serves a different purpose. Some are being deconstructed to build constructs in Mechanus.
42 - The moon shoots out lightning during "moonstorms".
43 - The moon is a different geometrical shape. A cube, a pyramid, a dodecahedron, etc. Possibly several moons, one for each shape of die used in D&D.
44 - A legendary figure carved a grand symbol into the moon. Or a smiley face, one of those.
45 - The moon is branded with a magical sigil, causing it to cast a zone of truth over everything touched by the moonlight.
46 - The moon is branded with a magical sigil, causing it to turn everything touched by the moonlight into a wild magic zone.
47 - The moon is branded with a magical sigil, putting everything in the moonlight inside an antimagic field.
48 - The moon is a colossal coin. Rather than full or new moon, the phases are heads or tails, and it's random every night.
49 - The moon is a vampire. Blood slowly flows upwards to it at night time, causing beacons of glistening red at night in places where things have been killed during the day. Battlefields become crimson waterfalls at night. Some blood stays in the air as sanguine clouds - they say those spirits haven't moved on to the afterlife, and during the blood-rain they haunt the world.
50 - The moon pulsates in many different colors, the patterns being used by diviners to tell the future.
51 - The moon makes the night nearly as bright as day, but less hot.
52 - The moon flashes like a strobe light, making seeing at night even harder.
53 - The moon is a magical illusion, and because this is common knowledge it appears transparent.
54 - The moon shoots concentrated beans of moonlight down at any humanoids it sees outside during night-time. Most likely live underground, in massive structures, or under forest canopies.
55 - The moon speaks to everyone at night through telepathy. It is nearly all-knowing because of this, but great at keeping secrets. This may be how the Common language spread.
56 - The moon is the slumbering form of Atropus, the World Born Dead. (next bunch is from u/quantumturnip)
57 - The moon is a dead eldritch abomination that periodically hijacks people for unknown long-term goals.
58 - The moon houses a portal to another dimension, used as a methods of escape by the gods during some long-forgotten war.
59 - Long ago, a wizard got tired of worldly politics and left for the moon. He is now a lich and has his own magical research facility on the moon, populated by sentient undead.
60 - Multiple rival countries have established their own bases on the moon. None of them are aware that their rivals also have moonbases. Or maybe they are, it's your setting - go wild.
61 - Literally just a giant ball of cheese in space. (also, u/World-of-Ideas thought of this too, but I'm keeping it as just the one entry)
62 - The moon has its' own moons orbiting it
63 - The moon is chained to the surface of the planet
64 - The moon changes color each month, and a year is measured by the color cycle.
65 - There is a giant fingerprint on the moon.
66 - That’s no moon. It’s a space station. (u/infinitum3d)
67 - The moon is the eye (artificial, real) of some giant planet sized being, that lost its eye. (u/World-of-Ideas for the next bunch)
68 - The moon is a giant space station built by some ancient race.
69 - The moon is actually a giant colony ship. It delivered the original colonist to this world so long ago, that no one remembers.
70 - The moon is the shed carapace of some giant space creature.
71 - The moon is a planetary shield generator. It is meant to keep something imprisoned on the planet.
72 - The moon is a planetary shield generator. It is meant to (block the frequent meteor storms, keep outsider out, reduce solar radiation because the planet is too close to the sun).
73 - The moon is a hole in this reality. If one travels through it they would end up in a solar system in another dimension.
74 - The moon is an illusion. For some reason only the natives of this world can see the moon and the light that is reflects. Travelers from other worlds can't see it.
75 - The moon can only be seen by those who will die tonight. (u/mil_a1)
76 - The moon disappears for months at a time. (u/mil_a1)
77 - The moon is hollow and strange things live on the inside. (u/mil_a1)
78 - The moon is suspended above the world by chains that affix to the sky. Many of the chains are rusted through, and broken chains hang down from the moon. The longest of these broken chains drag thick gashes into the planet below. (u/Paydirt49)
79 - The equator of the moon is inscribed with a sentence though only half can be seen from the ground. (u/CommonlyQuixotic)
80 - The moon is a prison, housing a dangerous entity. (u/Daloowee)
81 - The moon is actually a highly sophisticated satellite designed to monitor the biggest threats contained on the planet. Manned by 2 chill guys Mike and Dave and their gazer pet, Goober. They are able to project themselves down to the planet and project the gazer as a beholder. (u/DrBeefsome)
82 - One of the most powerful spellcasters to ever live cast a spell that put a permanent sigil on the moon. If you copy the sigil onto a piece of paper and then step onto it, your viewpoint changes to be from the moon. (u/AlephBaker)
83 - The moon is replaced with a rift in time and space. (u/UmbramonOrSomething)
84 - The moon is rigged with explosives in case a threat erupts on the planet. (u/UmbramonOrSomething)
85 - The moon is made of thousands of different types of crystals smashed together into a ball. (u/UmbramonOrSomething)
86 - The moon is a giant, floating, white pig. (u/UmbramonOrSomething)
87 - The moon is actually an interstellar beast (think space whales) (u/UmbramonOrSomething)
88 - The moon is an eyeball and its different phases are just how much its eyelid has blinked. (u/Aspiring-Mutant) + The eye-moon tells you if your enemies are aware of your presence/how aware they are. The greatest thieves and assassins and that one kid who hid so well in Hide-And-Seek you had to file a police report are said to be able to black out the moon entirely just by crouching… (u/BuddyWhoOnceToldYou)
89 - The moon is anti-predictable. If you try and predict where or when it appears that is the one time/place it cannot be. (u/Metal-Teacher)
90 - The moon's phases control the moral compass of the planet's residents. (u/Metal-Teacher)
91 - The moon is in a highly eccentric orbit, causing massively different tides and gravitational effects. (u/Metal-Teacher)
92 - The moon, when it appears at noon and reflects light into a room, can cause a boon to goons. The boon is a familiar cat in a hat. (u/Metal-Teacher)
93 - The moons are in chaotic orbits, one day they might crash into one another. (u/Metal-Teacher)
94 - The moon is always opposite the sun, like it's hiding from it. For this reason, it is always red. (u/MitigatedRisk)
95 - The moon changes in size rather than waxing and waning (u/MitigatedRisk)
96 - If you look at the moon through a telescope, you're actually seeing the world at some point in the future (u/MitigatedRisk)
97 - The moon used to be a planet before someone sent it rocketing around the solar system. Warforged, Constructs, and similar beings still wander its long dead surface. (u/Kingsdaughter613)
98 - The moon is known as Vagabond (vague-a-bond). The moon is a mirror ball of astronomical size that makes the material plane accessible to all other planes of existence simultaneously. Thinning the metamorphic veil, meaning that you can take a walk into another plane of existence by accident (u/Emotional_Guillotine)
99 - The 72 Demon Sigils as moons (together known as Hell's Courtroom) (u/Emotional_Guillotine)
100 - The 7 archangels as moons (together known as the Radiant Citadel) (u/Emotional_Guillotine)
101 - The 12 zodiac and or astrology moons (u/Emotional_Guillotine)
102 - One moon per school of magic or plane of existence (u/Emotional_Guillotine)
103 - The 22 Alchemy Symbols as moons (u/Emotional_Guillotine)
104 - The 78 cards of a tarot deck as moons (u/Emotional_Guillotine)
105 - The 22 major arcana as moons (u/WashabePlus)
submitted by washabePlus to d100 [link] [comments]
Inspired by this worldbuilding post, let's make some fucked up moons. This obviously isn't the sort of list that would have a lot of reusability (unless you're in a campaign with a lot of traveling between planets or mortal planes), but it's something that was on my mind long ago and I figured now's as good a time as any. Many of these could be the basis of an entire setting, and I really really wanna do it :(
Also, as you read these, consider how the moon appears in Earth's symbols and designs. A world with funky moons will have them show up differently in heraldry, flags, etc. than in our world. Not to mention the religious significance many of these would have.
1 - The moon has a massive bite out of it.
2 - The moon is heavily damaged, with debris floating all around. Some legends say it was a giant egg that hatched the sun god (of the first dragon, or the tarasque, or the creator god). Other legends say it was destroyed in a war or by a god.
3 - The moon emits very bright light, while the sun projects darkness.
4 - The moon projects darkness.
5 - Many many lights are visible on the moon, as if it is covered in cities.
6 - The moon has a thick atmosphere of some color, with swirling clouds that are looked to by some cultures for omens.
7 - The moon is a planet; the world we live on is its moon.
8 - The moon is extremely close to the ground. Its gravity creates colossal waves, leaving most coastal regions too difficult to inhabit. Airships have managed to reach the moon at midnight, and it is explored instead of the sea.
9 - The moon is quite close to the planet and has a giant space elevator dangling off and into our atmosphere. People have reached it from the highest mountains.
10 - The moon is said to be an egg.
11 - The moon has a kind face.
12 - The moon has a terrifying face.
13 - Just as the sun blinds those who look at it too long, the moon drives them mad.
14 - The moon was completely destroyed long ago and now forms a ring. Meteorites from it have fallen ever since.
15 - There are a large number of moons arranged in a circle.
16 - The moon blinks as if it were an eye, causing brief moments of total darkness throughout the night like a reverse lightning strike.
17 - The moon is a world like ours, with oceans and continents full of life. The life there may be fundamentally different or very similar.
18 - The moon is the homeworld of some race on our world, but it met a catastrophe long ago, leading to them becoming refugees.
19 - The moon is a ringworld.
20 - The moon is a second sun that was extinguished long ago. The world was once much hotter and covered in desert and jungle. They say that one day the other sun will be extinguished too, beginning the final era of existence.
21 - The moon has an additional phase beyond full, new, crescent, gibbous, and half. When the moon is awoken, the dead rise for the night(s)
22 - When the moon falls, it lands in the ocean a very long distance away, then emerges from the ocean on the opposite side of the world. Many explorers have sought to find the land known as Moonrise to harvest the treasures that are said to be found on the moon before it reaches Moonfall.
23 - The moon has a hole through the center of it, with an exposed burning orange core.
24 - The moon is permanently eclipsing a second sun, which is associated with destruction and evil.
25 - The moon is a gigantic, shriveled creature curled up in a fetal position.
26 - The moon is a gigantic skull.
27 - The moons hates us. With every beam of light that bounces off its regolith it sends us nothing but malice. Its gravity well directs meteorites towards us more than should be expected.
28 - There are dozens upon dozens of small moons.
29 - There are a few moons connected together by some superstructure.
30 - The moon was deconstructed into thousands of huge glowing space habitats in orbit around the planet.
31 - The moon projects a massive aura.
32 - The moon is creeping towards us, ever do slowly.
33 - The moon's motion is controlled by a powerful individual or organization in our world.
34 - The moon is a superweapon aimed directly at us.
35 - The moon is shaped like Arrokoth or another contact binary.
36 - The moon is one of the others on this list, but is connected to our world by an ancient portal network. The moon is probably one of the options that are colonized or have life, but if not, it could be that activating this network to drain away the world's oxygen is a goal of some villain, and ancient dungeons could have been built to protect the moongates in their depths.
37 - The moon is a giant spaceborne creature that is entirely alive and active, unlike #35. It blinks at us and feasts on void-krill/dreams/souls/sin.
38 - The moon used to be a colossal tree on our world, a tree of life so big that it became uprooted and drifted into orbit. If it isn't fossilized, then when the moontree peaks out from over the horizon during the day its leaves get scorched, and when out only at night it is frozen.
39 - The moon is a palace where a god or the greatest god-emperor to ever live dwells.
40 - The moon is made out of trillions of bones.
41 - The moon is entirely colonized and utilized by modrons. The whole surface is visibly divided into a perfectly ordered grid, and each square serves a different purpose. Some are being deconstructed to build constructs in Mechanus.
42 - The moon shoots out lightning during "moonstorms".
43 - The moon is a different geometrical shape. A cube, a pyramid, a dodecahedron, etc. Possibly several moons, one for each shape of die used in D&D.
44 - A legendary figure carved a grand symbol into the moon. Or a smiley face, one of those.
45 - The moon is branded with a magical sigil, causing it to cast a zone of truth over everything touched by the moonlight.
46 - The moon is branded with a magical sigil, causing it to turn everything touched by the moonlight into a wild magic zone.
47 - The moon is branded with a magical sigil, putting everything in the moonlight inside an antimagic field.
48 - The moon is a colossal coin. Rather than full or new moon, the phases are heads or tails, and it's random every night.
49 - The moon is a vampire. Blood slowly flows upwards to it at night time, causing beacons of glistening red at night in places where things have been killed during the day. Battlefields become crimson waterfalls at night. Some blood stays in the air as sanguine clouds - they say those spirits haven't moved on to the afterlife, and during the blood-rain they haunt the world.
50 - The moon pulsates in many different colors, the patterns being used by diviners to tell the future.
51 - The moon makes the night nearly as bright as day, but less hot.
52 - The moon flashes like a strobe light, making seeing at night even harder.
53 - The moon is a magical illusion, and because this is common knowledge it appears transparent.
54 - The moon shoots concentrated beans of moonlight down at any humanoids it sees outside during night-time. Most likely live underground, in massive structures, or under forest canopies.
55 - The moon speaks to everyone at night through telepathy. It is nearly all-knowing because of this, but great at keeping secrets. This may be how the Common language spread.
56 - The moon is the slumbering form of Atropus, the World Born Dead. (next bunch is from u/quantumturnip)
57 - The moon is a dead eldritch abomination that periodically hijacks people for unknown long-term goals.
58 - The moon houses a portal to another dimension, used as a methods of escape by the gods during some long-forgotten war.
59 - Long ago, a wizard got tired of worldly politics and left for the moon. He is now a lich and has his own magical research facility on the moon, populated by sentient undead.
60 - Multiple rival countries have established their own bases on the moon. None of them are aware that their rivals also have moonbases. Or maybe they are, it's your setting - go wild.
61 - Literally just a giant ball of cheese in space. (also, u/World-of-Ideas thought of this too, but I'm keeping it as just the one entry)
62 - The moon has its' own moons orbiting it
63 - The moon is chained to the surface of the planet
64 - The moon changes color each month, and a year is measured by the color cycle.
65 - There is a giant fingerprint on the moon.
66 - That’s no moon. It’s a space station. (u/infinitum3d)
67 - The moon is the eye (artificial, real) of some giant planet sized being, that lost its eye. (u/World-of-Ideas for the next bunch)
68 - The moon is a giant space station built by some ancient race.
69 - The moon is actually a giant colony ship. It delivered the original colonist to this world so long ago, that no one remembers.
70 - The moon is the shed carapace of some giant space creature.
71 - The moon is a planetary shield generator. It is meant to keep something imprisoned on the planet.
72 - The moon is a planetary shield generator. It is meant to (block the frequent meteor storms, keep outsider out, reduce solar radiation because the planet is too close to the sun).
73 - The moon is a hole in this reality. If one travels through it they would end up in a solar system in another dimension.
74 - The moon is an illusion. For some reason only the natives of this world can see the moon and the light that is reflects. Travelers from other worlds can't see it.
75 - The moon can only be seen by those who will die tonight. (u/mil_a1)
76 - The moon disappears for months at a time. (u/mil_a1)
77 - The moon is hollow and strange things live on the inside. (u/mil_a1)
78 - The moon is suspended above the world by chains that affix to the sky. Many of the chains are rusted through, and broken chains hang down from the moon. The longest of these broken chains drag thick gashes into the planet below. (u/Paydirt49)
79 - The equator of the moon is inscribed with a sentence though only half can be seen from the ground. (u/CommonlyQuixotic)
80 - The moon is a prison, housing a dangerous entity. (u/Daloowee)
81 - The moon is actually a highly sophisticated satellite designed to monitor the biggest threats contained on the planet. Manned by 2 chill guys Mike and Dave and their gazer pet, Goober. They are able to project themselves down to the planet and project the gazer as a beholder. (u/DrBeefsome)
82 - One of the most powerful spellcasters to ever live cast a spell that put a permanent sigil on the moon. If you copy the sigil onto a piece of paper and then step onto it, your viewpoint changes to be from the moon. (u/AlephBaker)
83 - The moon is replaced with a rift in time and space. (u/UmbramonOrSomething)
84 - The moon is rigged with explosives in case a threat erupts on the planet. (u/UmbramonOrSomething)
85 - The moon is made of thousands of different types of crystals smashed together into a ball. (u/UmbramonOrSomething)
86 - The moon is a giant, floating, white pig. (u/UmbramonOrSomething)
87 - The moon is actually an interstellar beast (think space whales) (u/UmbramonOrSomething)
88 - The moon is an eyeball and its different phases are just how much its eyelid has blinked. (u/Aspiring-Mutant) + The eye-moon tells you if your enemies are aware of your presence/how aware they are. The greatest thieves and assassins and that one kid who hid so well in Hide-And-Seek you had to file a police report are said to be able to black out the moon entirely just by crouching… (u/BuddyWhoOnceToldYou)
89 - The moon is anti-predictable. If you try and predict where or when it appears that is the one time/place it cannot be. (u/Metal-Teacher)
90 - The moon's phases control the moral compass of the planet's residents. (u/Metal-Teacher)
91 - The moon is in a highly eccentric orbit, causing massively different tides and gravitational effects. (u/Metal-Teacher)
92 - The moon, when it appears at noon and reflects light into a room, can cause a boon to goons. The boon is a familiar cat in a hat. (u/Metal-Teacher)
93 - The moons are in chaotic orbits, one day they might crash into one another. (u/Metal-Teacher)
94 - The moon is always opposite the sun, like it's hiding from it. For this reason, it is always red. (u/MitigatedRisk)
95 - The moon changes in size rather than waxing and waning (u/MitigatedRisk)
96 - If you look at the moon through a telescope, you're actually seeing the world at some point in the future (u/MitigatedRisk)
97 - The moon used to be a planet before someone sent it rocketing around the solar system. Warforged, Constructs, and similar beings still wander its long dead surface. (u/Kingsdaughter613)
98 - The moon is known as Vagabond (vague-a-bond). The moon is a mirror ball of astronomical size that makes the material plane accessible to all other planes of existence simultaneously. Thinning the metamorphic veil, meaning that you can take a walk into another plane of existence by accident (u/Emotional_Guillotine)
99 - The 72 Demon Sigils as moons (together known as Hell's Courtroom) (u/Emotional_Guillotine)
100 - The 7 archangels as moons (together known as the Radiant Citadel) (u/Emotional_Guillotine)
101 - The 12 zodiac and or astrology moons (u/Emotional_Guillotine)
102 - One moon per school of magic or plane of existence (u/Emotional_Guillotine)
103 - The 22 Alchemy Symbols as moons (u/Emotional_Guillotine)
104 - The 78 cards of a tarot deck as moons (u/Emotional_Guillotine)
105 - The 22 major arcana as moons (u/WashabePlus)
2023.03.22 03:35 Shibo99 [USA-IL] [H] Consoles/Handhelds, JP Imports, Games for Atari Jaguar, TurboGrafx, NES/SNES, N64, Gamecube, WiiU, Switch, PS1-4, Xbox OG/360/One [W] PS3-5/Vita/PSP/N64/GCN/Switch/3DS/DS Offers, PS5 Games listed, Ys Games, Pokemon games, others listed
Please note what items from my list you are interested in when commenting.
Please also pay attention to what system you are looking at as there are sections of Japanese (NTSC-J) games
Have
Working systems come with necessary cables and controller unless otherwise stated.
Systems/Handhelds
Atari Jaguar Games
CIB for TurboGrafx includes jewel case, not outer cardboard box unless noted
TurboGrafx Games
For carts with manuals, I am willing to sell manuals/carts independently. Not seperating boxes and manuals.
NES Games
SNES Games
N64 Games are cart only unless noted
N64
Gamecube Games
Wii Games
WiiU Games
Switch Games
PS1 Games
PS2 Games
PS3 Games
PS4 Games
Original Xbox
Xbox 360 - All collector's / limited editions are 100% complete. Many of the extras are still brand new or were kept in their box
Xbox 360 Games
Xbox One
Sega CD Games
PSP Games
Amiibo are loose unless noteed
Amiibo
32x Games
Super Famicom
Japanese N64 Games
Japanese Wii
Japanese Vita
Wonderswan
Wonderswan Color
Japanese PS1
Japanese PS2
Japanese PS3
Japanese PS4
Want
Pokemon game wants (NTSC/US)
GBC pokemon crystal cart
GBA pokemon fire red cart
DS pokemon pearl CIB or cart only
3DS Pokemon Ultra Moon CIB
Gamecube Pokemon Colosseum CIB (main game, not bonus disc)
PS5 Wants
Neptunia Reverse
Record of Lodoss Wonder Labyrinth
Returnal
Kena bridge of spirits
Star Ocean
Valkyrie Elysium
Potentially other PS5 Offers
Box/Case/Manual wants
2DS XL Pokeball Edition Box & Inserts only
Code of Princess EX - Switch Case
DS Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - case and manual
DS Chocobo Tales - case and manual
DS Final Fantasy Tactics A2 - case and manual
DS pokemon white 2 Case and manual
DS pokemon black - Case and manual
DS Shin Megami Tensai Devil Survivor 2 - Case and manual only
Harvest Moon DS - case + manual
New Nintendo 3DS XL Galaxy Edition Box & Inserts only
Mario & Luigi Dream League 3DS XL Box & Inserts only
Mario Power Tennis Gamecube - Case + Manual
Phantasy star 1 & 2 plus gamecube - manual only
Pikmin 2 gamecube - manual only
Pokemon Channel Gamecube - Case and Manual
3DS Pokemon Art Academy - Case and manual
Pokemon XY Red 3DS XL Box & Inserts only
Puppeteer PS3 - Manual only
Other wants
Capcom Fighting Collection - Switch
Chrono Trigger - DS complete with map or just the map
Dreamcast light gun - needs to be a US model that will work with house of the dead 2.
Enter the gungeon - Switch
F-Zero - Looks for Gamecube (cib for gcn) and N64 cart
Final Fantasy 1 - NES cart
Final Fantasy XI collectables - open to offers if you have any
Final Fantasy Theatrhythm Final Bar Line - Switch
Fire Emblem games for 3DS
Ikaruga - Gamecube
Katamari Games - Looking for the Vita, Xbox 360, and PS2.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land - Switch
Kirby Return to Dreamland Deluxe - Switch
Legend of Zelda offers - open to offers on non explicitly stated zelda games, merch/items, etc.
Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks - DS CIB
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom - Switch
Muramasa - PS Vita
Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol 1 - Switch
PS2 Light gun offers - looking for Light Gun games such as the time crisis series and a guncon for ps2.
Rabi-Ribi - PS4/Vita
Ratchet and Clank Quest for Booty PS3 (physical version, I think it's PAL exclusive)
Ratchet and Clank Vita Collection (physical version, I think it's PAL exclusive)
Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash All service edition - PS4
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - Switch
Tales Games for PS3 - Looking for Xilia 2 and Graces F
Tornado Outbreak - PS3
Virtual Boy - looking for a working system and some games (need system before game offers)
Wii U - Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE - special edition
Wii U - HD Windwaker Limited Edition (the one with the figure/statue)
Ys games CIB (mostly looking for PSP and older)
Zone of the Enders HD Collection - PS3
In the rare event anyone has a IIDX DJ DAO Phoenix Wan controller they want to swap I am looking for one.
Looking to work towards complete collection for Wii U - feel free to send offers for Wii U games you may be looking to trade off. Only interested in CIB items.
Potentially open to PS3-5/Vita/PSP/N64/GCN/Switch/3DS/DS offers. I am primarily interested in JRPGs (especially action RPGs), 2D platformers/action games, arcadey games, schmups, beat em ups, etc., but feel free to send me a list to look at!
Willing to consider Pokemon TCG trades as well (English or Japanese, singles/slabs/sealed)
I am not interested in digital codes for games (primarily seeking to add to physical collection).
submitted by Shibo99 to gameswap [link] [comments]
Please also pay attention to what system you are looking at as there are sections of Japanese (NTSC-J) games
Have
Working systems come with necessary cables and controller unless otherwise stated.
Systems/Handhelds
| System | Notes |
|---|---|
| PS1 1001 fat | |
| PS1 7501 fat | |
| PS1 7501 fat | |
| PS2 fat | |
| PS2 fat | |
| Sega Model 2 | rf, power, oem 6 button controller |
| Sega Model 2 | rf, no power cable, oem 3 button controller. |
| Sega Model 2 | |
| Sega Model 3 | no av cable. 3rd party controller, 6 button |
| 32x | |
| Black gamecube | 3rd party controller |
| Wii U | screen light scratches. all cables, dock, sensor bar |
| Wii U | gamepad right joystick issues. all cables, dock, sensor bar |
| Xbox 360 S R2D2 | C3P0 controller, kinect, 320gb |
| Wii RVL-001 | Eject button doesn't click, but does work |
| TurboGrafx Express | Includes tv tuner, car charger |
| PSP Black 1001 | includes oem charger, soft case. battery holds charge |
| Original DS Blue NTR-001 | rough shape. screens are pretty scratched |
| 3DS XL Red | Overall good condition. Screens have no visible scratches. OEM charger, sd card, and carrying case |
| PS Vita Dev Kit PDEL-1000 | Great condition. On 3.570.011 FW currently. No charger included |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Raiden | sealed |
| Fever Pitch Soccer | sealed |
| Zool 2 | sealed |
| Theme Park Designer Series | sealed |
| Skiing and Snowboarding | sealed |
| Zoop | no manual |
| Cybermorph | sealed |
| Doom | manual cover seperated |
| Troy Aikmen Football | cib - box in below average condition |
| Pinball Fantasies | no manual |
| Rotary controller w/ Tempest cart | Tempest is setup, ready. Rotary installed in place of dpad |
| Super Burnout | cart only |
| Ultra Vortek | cart only |
| Alien vs Predator | cib |
| Ruiner pinball | cib |
| Cannon Fodder | cib |
| Wolfenstein 3D | cib |
| Towers II | cib |
| Flip Out | cib. box has some liquid damage |
| Bubsy | cib |
| Checkered Flag | cib |
| Worms | cib |
| I-War | cib |
| Attack of the Mutant Penguins | cib |
| Brutal Sports Football | cib |
| Hover Strike | cib |
| Rayman | cib |
| Zero 5 | cib |
| International Sensible Soccer | cib |
| Flashback | cib |
| Dino Dudes | cib |
| Dragon Bruce Lee Story | cib |
| Missile Command 3D | cib |
| White Ment Can't Jump | cib |
| Kasumi Ninja | cib w/ headband |
| Supercross 3D | cib |
| Club Drive | cib |
| Trevor McFur in the Crescent Galaxy | cib |
| Fight for Life | cib |
| Power Drive Rally | cib |
| Atari Karts | box only |
TurboGrafx Games
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Alien Crush | cart only |
| Keith Courage | cart only |
| Power Golf | cart only |
| Turrican | cart only |
| World Class baseball | CIB |
| Victory Run | CIB |
| Vigilante | CIB |
| TV Sports Hockey | CIB |
| Keith Courage | CIB (no comic) |
| Bonks Adventure | CIB |
NES Games
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| 720 | |
| 1942 | |
| 10 yard fight | 5 screw |
| A Boy and his Blob | |
| Adventure Island | |
| Adventures of Dino-Riki | |
| After Burner | tengen cart |
| Air Fortress | sticker on label |
| Airwolf | |
| Arch Rivals | |
| Astyanax | |
| Back to the Future | bad condition. appears to have spray paint on front of cart |
| Bad Dudes | |
| Bad News Baseball | |
| Bandai Golf: Challenge Pebble Beach | |
| Baseball | |
| Baseball Simulator 1000 | |
| Baseball Stars | sticker on label |
| Bases Loaded | |
| Bases Loaded II | |
| Bayou Billy | |
| Bigfoot | |
| Bill Elliott's Nascar Challenge | Box + game, no manual |
| Black Bass | |
| Blades of Steel | Box + game, no manual |
| Blades of Steel | |
| Break Time National Pool tour | Box, manual, no game |
| Burgertime | |
| California Games | |
| Championship Bowling | |
| Cobra Triangle | |
| Commando | 5 screw |
| Contra Force | comes with cart protector |
| Days of Thunder | |
| Days of Thunder | |
| Destination Earthstar | |
| Super Dodgeball | |
| Donkey Kong 3 | 5 screw |
| Donkey Kong Classics | |
| Double Dragon | cart + manual |
| Double Dragon II | |
| Double Dragon III | |
| Double Dribble | |
| Dr Mario | |
| Dragon Warrior | |
| Duck Hunt | 5 screw |
| Ducktales | top of label damage. includes reg card |
| Dynowarz | |
| Family Feud | |
| Fantasy Zone | tengen cart |
| Magic Johnson Fast Break | |
| Faxanadu | |
| Fester's Quest | |
| Freedom Force | |
| Friday the 13th | |
| Galaga: Demon's of Death | |
| Gauntlet | tengen cart |
| Gauntlet | |
| Golgo 13 | cart + manual |
| Gotcha | |
| Gradius | 5 screw |
| Gyromite | 5 screw |
| Heavy Barrel | |
| Hogan's Alley | |
| Hollywood Squares | sharpie on label (mostly cleaned, slightly visible) |
| Hoops | sharpie on label (mostly cleaned, but visible) |
| Hunt for Red October | |
| Hydlide | |
| Ikari Warriors II Victory Road | |
| Infiltrator | |
| Iron Sword | |
| Iron Tank | cart + manual |
| Jack Nicklaus' Championship Golf | cart + manual |
| Jeopardy | |
| Jeopardy 25th Anniversary | |
| John Elway's Quarterback | |
| Jordan vs Bird | |
| Joust | |
| Karate Kid | |
| Kickle Cubicle | |
| King of the Ring | cart + manual |
| Kings of the Beach | |
| Knight Rider | |
| Knight Rider | |
| Legacy of the Wizard | |
| Legendary Wings | |
| Major League Baseball | |
| Maniac Mansion | sharpie on label (mostly cleaned, but visible) |
| Marble Madness | |
| Mario Bros Arcade Classics Series | 5 screw |
| Mario Bros Duck Hunt | |
| Mario Duck Hunt Track Meet | |
| Mickey Mousecapade | |
| Mighty Bomb Jack | |
| Mike Tyson's Punch-Out | |
| Milon's Secret Castle | |
| Mission Impossible | |
| MTV Remote Control | |
| Narc | |
| NES Cleaning Kit | CIB w/ box protector |
| NES Cleaning Kit | CIB w/ box protector |
| NES Play Action Football | |
| Ninja Gaiden 2 | |
| Operation Wolf | |
| Pac-man | tengen cart |
| Platoon | |
| Pro Wrestling | |
| Pro Wrestling | 5 screw |
| Punch-out | |
| Qbert | |
| R.C. Pro-Am | |
| Racket Attack | |
| Rad Racer II | |
| Rampart | |
| RBI Baseball | tengen cart. includes reg card |
| Renegade | |
| Roadblasters | |
| Rollerball | |
| Rolling Thunder | tengen cart |
| Romance of the Three Kingdoms | cart + manual |
| Rush'n Attack | 5 screw. sharpie on label (mostly cleaned, but visible) |
| Section Z | |
| Seicross | |
| Sesame Street ABC | |
| Silent Service | |
| Silent Service | |
| Simpsons Bart Vs the World | |
| Skate or Die 2 | |
| Ski or Die | |
| Solstice | |
| Spy vs Spy | |
| Star Force | |
| Star Soldier | Box + game, no manual |
| Star Trek 25th Anniversary | |
| Star Tropics | Box + game, no manual |
| Star Voyager | 5 screw cart, manual, poster |
| Super C | |
| Super Glove Ball | |
| Super Mario Bros | cart + manual |
| Super Mario Bros 2 | |
| Super Mario Bros 3 | cart + manual |
| Super Off Road | |
| Super Pitfall | |
| Superspike V'ball | |
| Sword and Serpents | cart + manual + poster |
| T&C Surf Designs | |
| Talespin | top of label damaged |
| Target Renegade | |
| Techmo Bowl | Cart + manual |
| Tecmo Super Bowl | |
| Tennis | |
| Terminator 2 | Box + game, no manual |
| Terminator 2 | |
| Terminator 2 | |
| The Addams Family | |
| The Fantastic Adventrues of Dizzy | |
| Thundercade | |
| Tiger-Heli | |
| TMNT II Arcade Game | |
| TMNT Manhattan Project | cart + manual |
| Top Gun | |
| Top Gun Second Mission | |
| Total Recall | |
| Track & Field | |
| Track & Field | |
| Trick Shooting | CIB |
| Trojan | |
| Twin Eagle | sharpie on label (mostly cleaned, slightly visible) |
| Vice Project Doom | label damage |
| Code Name Viper | |
| Wheel of Fortune | sharpie on label (mostly cleaned, slightly visible) |
| Who Framed Roger Rabbit | |
| Willow | |
| Win Lose or Draw | writing on label |
| World Class Track Meet | |
| Nintendo World Cup | Box, no manual - writing on front of box |
| Wrestlemania | cart + manual |
| Wrestlemania | |
| Wrestlemania Challenge | |
| Xenophobe | |
| XEXYZ |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Aaahh Real Monsters | |
| Aladdin | |
| Arkanoid - Doh It Again! | |
| Bass Tournament of Champions | |
| Batman Forever | |
| Battle Clash | |
| Best of the Best Championship Karate | |
| Bubsy | |
| Bugs Bunny Rabbit Rampage | |
| Championship Pool | |
| Cleaning Kit | |
| Clue | |
| Cool Spot | |
| Daffy Duck The Marvin Missions | |
| Family Feud | |
| Fifa International Soccer | |
| Final Fight | |
| Home Alone 2 | |
| Inindo | Label damage |
| Jeopardy | |
| Judge Dredd | Some label damage |
| Jungle Strike | |
| Ken Griffey Jr. Winning Run | |
| King of the Monsters | |
| Kirby Avalanche | |
| Lethal Enforcers | |
| Lion King | |
| Looney Tunes Basketball | Label damage |
| Madden 94 | |
| Mega Man X | |
| Mortal Kombat | |
| Mortal Kombat 3 | |
| NBA Give N Go | |
| NBA Jam | |
| NBA Jam Tournament Edition | |
| NBA Live 95 | |
| NCAA Basketball | |
| NFL Quarterback Club | |
| NHL Stanley Cup | |
| Nigel Mansell's World Championship | |
| Operation Europe Path to Victory | |
| Paperboy 2 | |
| Power Moves | |
| Primal Rage | |
| Revolution X | Not working. Contacts look very stripped. |
| Road Runner's Death Vally Rally | |
| Scooby Doo Mystery | |
| Space Invaders | |
| Speedy Gonzales Los Gatos Bandidos | |
| Spider-man and the X-men in Arcade's Revenge | |
| Starfox | |
| Street Fighter II | Faded label |
| Street Fighter II | |
| Street Fighter II turbo | |
| Stunt Race FX | |
| Super Bases Loaded | |
| Super Battletank: War in the Gulf | |
| Super Black Bass | |
| Super Empire Strikes Back | |
| Super Mario Kart | |
| Super Pinball Behind the Mask | |
| Super Play Action Football | |
| Super Punch-Out | |
| Taz-Mania | |
| Tecmo Super Bowl | |
| Tecmo Super Bowl III | |
| Tetris 2 | |
| The Jungle Book | |
| The Pagemaster | |
| Tory Aikman Football | |
| Warlock | |
| We're Back A Dinosaurs Story | |
| Wing Commander The Secret Missions | |
| Word-Tris | Damaged Label |
| Zoop |
N64
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Battle Tanx | |
| F-1 Grand Prix | |
| Gex 64 | |
| Madden 64 | |
| NFL Blitz | |
| Star Wars Rogue Squadron | |
| Star Wars Rogue Squadron | |
| Star Wars Shadows of the Empire | |
| War Gods | |
| Wayne Gretzy 3D Hockey | |
| Wipeout 64 | |
| N64 HoriPad Mini Black | |
| N64 HoriPad Mini Yellow | |
| N64 HoriPad Mini Red | |
| N64 HoriPad Mini Blue | |
| N64 HoriPad Mini Clear Ocean Blue | |
| OEM Controller Gray | |
| OEM Controller Atomic Purple | |
| OEM Controller Ice Blue Clear | |
| OEM Controller Black | |
| OEM Controller Red | |
| OEM Controller Watermelon Red Clear | |
| OEM Controller Black & Gray | |
| OEM Controller Blue | |
| Hudson Turbo JoyCard Controller |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Bionicle | Disc only |
| Crash Bandicoot Wrath of Cortex | Disc only |
| Fantastic 4 | No manual |
| Fantastic 4 | Disc only |
| Godzilla | Disc only |
| Harry Potter Goblet of Fire | Disc only |
| Harry Potter Prizoner of Azkaban | Disc only |
| Harry Potter Sorcerer's Stone | Disc only |
| Kids Next Door Operation: V.I.D.E.O.G.A.M.E | Disc only |
| King Kong | CIB |
| Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events | Disc only |
| Lord of the Rings Return of the King | Disc only |
| Madagascar | CIB |
| Mario Kart Double Dash Bonus Disc | disc only |
| Mario Kart Double Dash | No Manual |
| Mario Power Tennis | Disc only |
| Mario Superstar Baseball | No manual |
| Mega man Network Transmission | Disc only |
| Metroid Prime | Disc only |
| Monsters Inc Scream Arena | Disc only |
| Nascar Chase for the Cup 2005 | Disc only |
| Nascar Thunder 2003 | Disc only |
| Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 | CIB, Players Choice |
| Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 | Disc only |
| NFL 2K3 | Disc only |
| One Piece Grand Adventure | Disc only |
| One Piece Treasure Battle | Disc only |
| Over the Hedge | CIB |
| Paper Mario Thousand Year Door | CIB, Players Choice |
| Rocket Power Beach Bandits | No manual |
| Scooby Doo Unmasked | CIB |
| Shrek 2 | CIB |
| Shrek 2 | Disc only |
| Sonic Heroes | Disc only |
| Spiderman 2 | Disc only |
| Spongebob Lights Camera Pants | CIB |
| Spongebob Squarepants Creature from the Krusty Krab | CIB |
| Star War Jedi Knight II Jedi Outcast | Disc only |
| Star Wars Rebel Strike Rogue Squadron III | Disc only |
| Taz Wanted | No manual |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Disc only |
| The Hobbit | Disc only |
| The Incredibles | Disc only |
| The Incredibles | Disc only |
| Wave Race Blue Storm | CIB |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| AC DC Rockband Track Pack | CIB |
| Balls of Fury | Disc only |
| Bass Pro Shops The Strike Tournament Edition | Small sleeve version (no plastic case) |
| Batallion Wars 2 | Disc only |
| Ben 10 | No manual |
| Boom Blox | No manual |
| Cabela African Adventures | CIB - game art faded |
| Cabela Dangerous Hunts 2013 | Disc only |
| Cooking Mama Cook Off | CIB |
| Cruis'n | Disc only |
| Dead Space Extraction | CIB |
| Disney Sing It Pop Hits | CIB |
| EA Active | CIB |
| Golden Compass | Disc only |
| Guitar Hero 3 | CIB |
| Guitar Hero World Tour | CIB |
| Heavenly Guardian | sealed |
| Hollywood Squares | Disc only |
| Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 | no manual |
| House of the Dead 2&3 | Disc + manual |
| House of the Dead 2&3 | CIB |
| House of the Dead Overkill | Disc only |
| Just Dance 2 | sealed |
| Lego Batman 2 | no manual |
| Mad World | CIB |
| Madden 11 | CIB |
| Mario Super Sluggers | Disc only |
| Marvel Ultimate Alliance | CIB |
| MLB 2K10 | CIB - game art slightly faded |
| Monster High Ghoul Spirit | Disc Only |
| Monster hunter 3 tri | No manual - art very faded |
| Netflix disc | Disc only |
| New Super Marios Bros | Case and manual only, no game |
| Ninja Reflex | No Manual |
| Pikmin | No manual |
| Prince of Persia Forgotten Sands | Disc only |
| Rapala Pro Bass Fishing | No manual |
| Rapala Pro Bass Fishing | Disc only |
| Redneck Jamboree | CIB |
| Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles | CIB |
| Sonic All Stars Racing | CIB |
| Sonic Secret Rings | CIB |
| Sonic Unleashed | CIB |
| Spiderman Edge of Time | No manual |
| Spongebob Squiggleplants | No manual |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Smash-Up | CIB |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 | CIB |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 | CIB |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 Masters | CIB - art on front slightly faded |
| Trivial Pursuit | CIB |
| UFC Trainer | No manual |
| Ultimate I Spy | CIB |
| Wii sports | Disc + manual |
| World of Zoo | No Manual |
| Victorious Boxers Revolution | CIB |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| 007 Legends | CIB |
| Disney Infinity 3.0 | Disc only |
| Giana Sisters Twisted Dreams | CIB |
| Lego Avengers | CIB |
| Lego Movie | CIB |
| Mario Kart Wii U System Box | System Box + both tray inserts |
| Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate | CIB |
| Pokken Tournament | CIB |
| Star Fox Zero + Guard | CIB w/ Outer box, actual games are sealed |
| Super Mario 3D World | CIB |
| Super Mario Maker | CIB w/ Outerbox + idea book |
| Tekken Tag Tournament 2 | disc only |
| Twilight Princess HD | CIB |
| Wii Party U | CIB |
| Wii Sports Club | CIB |
| Windwaker HD | disc only |
| Xenoblade Chronicles X | CIB |
| Yoshi's Wooly World | Sealed |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Atelier Lydie & Suelle | PAL version - CIB |
| Bravely Default 2 | CIB |
| Moonlighter | CIB |
| Sakuna Rice and Ruin Divine Edition | Sealed |
| Skylanders Imaginators Starter Pack | CIB |
| YS 8 Standard Edition | Sealed |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Air Combat | CIB GH |
| Asteroids | CIB |
| Breakout | CIB |
| Destruction Derby | CIB Longbox (cardboard) |
| Destruction Derby 2 | disc only |
| Destruction Derby Raw | CIB |
| Driver | Missing Manual / Front art of Jewel Case |
| Driver 2 | CIB |
| Frogger | Missing Manual / Front art of Jewel Case |
| Gran Turismo | CIB |
| Gran Turismo 2 | CIB GH some cracks in case |
| Gran Turismo 2 | CIB |
| IHRA Drag Racing | CIB |
| Interactive CD Sampler Pack Vol 3 | Disc Only |
| Interactive CD Sampler Pack Vol 3 | Disc Only |
| Invasion from Beyond | CIB |
| Iron & Blood | CIB |
| Jeremy McGrath Super Cross 98 | CIB |
| Math Gallery Collection 1 | disc only |
| Nascar 98 | CIB |
| Need for Speed III Hot Pursuit | CIB GH |
| Pac-man World | CIB GH |
| Pong | CIB - case hinge kinda broken |
| Street Sk8ter | CIB |
| Striker 1945 | Blockbuster sticker on disc |
| Syphon Filter 2 | disc only (has discs 1 and 2) |
| Tomb Raider 2 | CIB |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater | CIB |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | CIB |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 | CIB |
| True Pinball | CIB |
| Wheel of Fortune | disc only |
| Wipeout | CIB flat longbox americanized cover variant |
| World's Scariest Police Chases | CIB |
| You Don't Know Jack | CIB |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| 007 Agent Under Fire | CIB |
| Acme Arsenal | disc only |
| American Choppers 2 | CIB |
| ATV Offroad Fury 2 | CIB |
| Blitz The League | disc only |
| Blowout | CIB |
| Bully | CIB |
| Cars | No manual |
| Dance Dance Revolution Super Nova | CIB |
| Dukes of Hazard | CIB |
| ESPN 2K5 | CIB |
| Fight Night 2004 | CIB |
| Final Fantasy XII | Disc only |
| Frogger The Great Quest | CIB |
| Gran Turismo 3 | CIB |
| Gran Turismo 4 | CIB |
| GTA 3 | CIB w/ Map |
| GTA Liberty City Stories | no manual |
| GTA Vice City Stories | CIB w/ Map |
| GTA Vice City Ultimate Codes | CIB |
| Guitar Hero III | CIB |
| Jaws Unleashed | No manual - sharpie on front |
| Kengo | CIB |
| Lord of the Rings Two Towers | Disc only |
| Medal of Honor European Assault | Disc only |
| Nascar 06 | Disc only |
| Nascar Dirt to Daytona | CIB |
| NBA Live 2005 | Disc only |
| NCAA Football 07 | Disc only |
| NCAA Football 2004 | CIB |
| Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 | CIB |
| Need for Speed Most Wanted Black | CIB |
| Need for Speed Pro Street | CIB |
| Need for Speed Pro Street | Disc only |
| Need for Speed Underground | GH CIB |
| Need for Speed Underground 2 | CIB |
| NFL Street 2 | no manual |
| Pinball Hall of Fame | CIB |
| Pirates Legend of the Black Buccaneer | No manual |
| Rock Band | No manual |
| Sly 2 Band of Thieves | GH CIB |
| Sly 3 Honor Among Thieves | GH CIB |
| Sprint Cars 2 | CIB |
| Sprint Cars Road to Knoxville | CIB |
| SSX 3 | GH no manual |
| SSX On Tour | CIB |
| Test Drive Eve of Destruction | disc only |
| The Sims | Disc only |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 01 | CIB |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 02 | CIB |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 02 | CIB |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 03 | CIB |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 04 | CIB |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 04 | CIB |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 05 | CIB |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 | CIB |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 | CIB |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 | CIB |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 | CIB |
| Wave Rally | CIB |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed | CIB |
| Assassin's Creed | GH CIB |
| Assassin's Creed II | CIB |
| Assassin's Creed Revelations | Sealed |
| Batman Arkham City | CIB |
| Battlefield 3 Limited Edition | No manual |
| Battlefield 3 Limited Edition | No manual |
| Battlefield 4 | CIB |
| Battlefield 4 | CIB |
| Battlefield Bad Company 2 Limited Edition | No manual |
| Beijing 2008 | disc only |
| Borderlands 2 | disc only |
| Borderlands 2 | disc only |
| Borderlands 2 | CIB |
| Brutal Legend | CIB |
| Call of Duty Black Ops | CIB |
| Call of Duty Ghosts | CIB |
| Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 | CIB |
| Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 | CIB |
| Call of Duty World at War | GH CIB |
| Dark Souls | CIB |
| Dark Souls | CIB |
| Dark Souls | CIB - Disc is greatest hits, case is regular |
| Dark Souls II | Disc is greatest hits, case is regular |
| Dead Space 3 Limited Edition | CIB |
| Destiny | CIB |
| Destiny | CIB |
| Def Jam Icon | Case and game, no manual |
| Demon Souls | CIB |
| Devil May Cry | CIB (art is sunfaded a bit) |
| Diablo 3 | No Manual |
| Diablo 3 | Disc Only |
| Dragon Age Inquisition | No manual |
| Dragon's Crown | CIB |
| Dragon's Crown | CIB |
| Duke Nukem Forever | Disc only |
| Duke Nukem Forever | Disc only |
| EA Active 2 | CIB |
| Facebreaker | CIB |
| Family Game Night 4 | disc only |
| Far Cry 3 | CIB |
| Fifa 14 | Disc only |
| Fifa 14 | CIB |
| Fracture | disc only |
| God of War Ascension | CIB |
| God of War Collection | CIB |
| God of War III | CIB |
| God of War Origins Edition | CIB |
| God of War Saga | Sealed |
| Gran Turismo 5 XL Edition | CIB |
| Gran Turismo 5 | CIB |
| Gran Turismo 6 | no manual |
| Gran Turismo 6 | Disc only |
| Grid | Disc only |
| GTA 4 | GH CIB w/ map |
| GTA 4 | GH CIB w/ map |
| GTA 5 | no manual or map |
| GTA San Andreas | Disc only |
| Guitar Hero 3 | CIB |
| Guitar Hero Live | CIB w/ dongle |
| Heavy Rain | Disc only |
| John Daly's ProStroke Golf | CIB |
| Kane & Lynch Dead Men | No manual |
| Killzone 2 | CIB |
| Killzone 2 | no manual |
| L.A. Noire | CIB |
| Lego Movie | no manual |
| Little Big Planet | GH CIB |
| Madden 13 | Disc only |
| Madden 13 | CIB |
| Madden 25 | CIB |
| Madden 25 | CIB |
| Madden 09 | disc only |
| Madden 07 | CIB |
| Mass Effect 2 | CIB |
| Mass Effect 3 | CIB |
| Metal Gear Solid 4 | CIB |
| Metal Gear Solid 4 | CIB |
| Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor | No manual |
| MLB The Show 12 | Disc only |
| NCAA Football 09 | Disc only |
| Need For Speed Rivals | Disc only |
| NHL 11 | CIB |
| NHL 11 | No manual |
| NHL 13 | CIB |
| NHL 13 | disc only |
| NHL 15 | disc only |
| PlayStation Move | Disc only |
| Rapala Pro Bass Fishing | w/ Big Box, rod, game, and rod dongle/receiver |
| Ratchet & Clank Future A Crack in time | GH no manual |
| Ratchet & Clank Future A Crack in time | GH no manual |
| Ratchet & Clank Future A Crack in time | CIB |
| Ratchet & Clank Tools of Destruction | CIB |
| Resident Evil 5 | CIB |
| Rock Band 2 | CIB |
| Saints Row The Third | disc only |
| Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments | CIB |
| Skylanders Giants | CIB |
| Skyrim | CIB GH (no map, unsure if GH had map) |
| Sly Cooper Thieves in Time | No manual |
| Smackdown vs Raw 2009 | CIB |
| Socom 4 | disc only |
| Soul Calibur 4 | no manual |
| Sports Champions | CIB |
| Sports Champions | CIB |
| Start The Party | No manual |
| Tekken 6 | CIB |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 | CIB |
| Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 | no manual |
| Time Crisis 4 | No manual |
| Timeshift | disc only (2x available) |
| Uncharted | CIB |
| Uncharted | GH No manual |
| Uncharted 2 | no manual |
| Uncharted 2 | CIB |
| Uncharted 2 | CIB |
| Uncharted 2 | CIB |
| Uncharted 3 | CIB |
| Uncharted 3 | CIB |
| Uncharted 3 | CIB |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Agents of Mayhem | disc only |
| Anthem | cib |
| Battleborn | disc only |
| Battleborn | disc only |
| Bayonetta Vanquish | CIB |
| Binding of Isaac | CIB |
| Bloodborne | CIB |
| Brunswick Pro Bowling | CIB |
| Call of Duty WWII | CIB |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | CIB |
| Destiny 2 | CIB |
| Deus Ex | disc only |
| Fifa 14 | CIB |
| Fifa 15 | CIB |
| Minecraft Story Mode | CIB |
| NHL 15 | CIB |
| Nioh | CIB |
| Rock Band 4 | Disc only |
| Spider-man | sealed |
| Ys VIII | disc only |
| Zombieland Double Tap | CIB |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Outlaw Golf | CIB |
| LA Rush | No manual |
| Greg Hasting's Tournament Paintball | CIB |
| Madden 06 | Disc Only |
| Lego Star Wars Video Game | No Manual |
| NFL Street | CIB |
| Roadkill | No Manual |
| Midtown Madness 3 | No Manual |
| Flat Out 2 | CIB |
| Grabbed By The Ghoulies | CIB |
Xbox 360 Games
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Army of Two 40 Days | Disc only |
| Assassin's Creed Brotherhood | CIB |
| Assassin's Creed Brotherhood Collector's Edition | CIB |
| Assassin's Creed III Limited Edition | CIB |
| Battlefield 4 | CIB |
| Big Bumpin | Sealed |
| Boderlands 2 Limited Edition Ultimate Loot Chest | CIB |
| Call of Duty Ghosts | CIB |
| Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 | CIB |
| Dance Central 2 | CIB |
| Dance Central 2 | CIB |
| Dead Space 2 Collector's Edition | CIB |
| Disney Infinity 2.0 | CIB |
| Disneyland Adventures | CIB |
| Disneyland Adventures | No manual |
| DJ Hero 2 | CIB |
| DJ Hero 2 | CIB |
| Elder Scrolls Oblivion Collector's Edition | CIB |
| Elder Scrolls Skyrim Collector's Edition | CIB |
| Fallout 3 Collector's Edition | CIB |
| Fifa 12 | CIB |
| Fifa 12 | CIB |
| Fifa 13 | CIB |
| Fifa 14 | CIB |
| Forza 3 / Halo ODST Double Pack | CIB |
| GTA V | No manual - only 1 insert |
| GTA V Collector's Edition | CIB |
| Just Dance 3 | CIB |
| Just Dance 3 | CIB |
| LA Noire | Discs only |
| Madden 25 | CIB |
| Madden 25 | no manual |
| MLB 2K13 | CIB |
| MX Vs. ATV Alive | CIB |
| MX Vs. ATV Reflex | CIB |
| Naruto Rise of a Ninja | sealed |
| NBA Ballers Chosen One | No manual |
| NBA NK11 | no manual |
| NBA NK13 | CIB |
| NBA NK13 | CIB |
| NBA NK13 | no manual |
| NBA NK13 | no manual |
| NHL 13 | no manual |
| NHL 13 | no manual |
| NHL 14 | no manual |
| Pocket Bike Racer | Sealed |
| Rock Band 2 | CIB |
| Shadow of Mordor | Discs and manual. No game art |
| Skate | No manual |
| Skate 2 | Disc only |
| Skylanders Giants | No manual |
| Sneak King | Sealed |
| Soul Calibur IV | Disc only |
| Table Tennis | CIB |
| Tansformers War For Cybertron | No manual - art is sun faded |
| The Wolf Among Us | No manual |
| Tomb Raider Collector's Edition | CIB |
| Witcher 2 | disc 1 only |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Doug Flutie's Maximum Football 2019 | |
| Dragonball Xenoverse XV | |
| Fifa 14 | |
| Fifa 15 | |
| Fifa 15 | |
| Fifa 16 | |
| Madden 15 | |
| Madden 15 | |
| Madden 16 | |
| Madden 17 | |
| NBA 2k15 | |
| NBA 2k16 | |
| NHL 15 | |
| NHL 15 | |
| The Division | disc only |
| The Wolf Among Us | |
| This is the Police | |
| Wreckfest | |
| Spyro Reignited Trilogy | |
| Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 | |
| Tempest 4000 | |
| Rory McIlroy PGA Tour |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Slam City | Box w/ all 4 Discs, no manual |
| Fifa Soccer | Case and manual, no game |
| Corpse Killer | CIB |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Daxter Greatest Hits | CIB |
| Jeanne D'Arc demo disc NFR | Sealed |
| Game shield cover | small umd protector (3x avail) |
| Monster hunter freedom | umd only |
| Spiderman UMD Movie | CIB |
| Star Wars Battlefront Elite Squadron | CIB |
| Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Tag Force | CIB no cards |
Amiibo
| Amiibo | Notes |
|---|---|
| Wolf | SSMB |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Moto Cross | |
| Virtua Racing | Label damage |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Chrono Trigger | CIB |
| Derby Stallion 3 | cart only |
| Dragon Ball Z | CIB |
| Dragon Ball Z 2 | CIB |
| Dragon Quest I & II | CIB |
| Dragon Quest III | CIB |
| Excite Stage 94 | cart only |
| Excite Stage 96 | cart only |
| Exhaust Heat | CIB |
| F1 Grand Prix Part 3 | CIB |
| Family / Famista Stadium 4 Baseball | cart only |
| Fire Emblem Genealogy Of Holy War | CIB |
| Kirby Super Star | CIB |
| Motoko's Wonder Kitchen | cart only |
| Mountain Stream King Fishing | cart only |
| Pachi Slot Monogatari: Universal Special | cart only |
| Prime Goal 3 | cart only |
| Rockman X2 | cart only |
| Sim City 2000 | cart only |
| Space Bazooka | CIB |
| Space Invaders | cart only |
| Street Fighter II | CIB |
| Super bomberman 2 | cart only |
| Super Bomberman 3 | CIB |
| Super Donkey Kong | cart only |
| Super Goal! 2 (aka Takeda Nobuhiro no Super Cup Soccer) | CIB |
| Super Kyukyoku Harikiri Stadium | cart only |
| Super Zugan 2 | cart only |
| Yoshi's Safari | CIB |
| Yoshi's Safari | CIB |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| 1080 Snowboarding | CIB |
| 1080 Snowboarding | cart only |
| Animal Crossing / Doubutsu no Mori | cart only |
| Baku Bomberman | cart only |
| Banjo Kazooie | cart only |
| Banjo Kazooie 2 | CIB - excellent condition |
| Banjo Kazooie 2 | CIB - small writing on front of box |
| Bass Tsuri No. 1 Shigesato Ito Fishing | cart only |
| Blast Dozer | cart only |
| Bomberman 2 Baku | cart only |
| Bomberman Hero | CIB |
| Custom Robo V1 | cart only |
| Custom Robo V2 | cart only |
| Densha De Go | cart only |
| Derby stallion 64 | cart only |
| Derby stallion 64 | CIB |
| Diddy Kong Racing | cart only |
| Donkey Kong 64 | cart only |
| Donkey Kong 64 | CIB |
| Donkey Kong 64 | Big box - No expansion pak items (insert, pak, or box). Otherwise CIB |
| Doraemon 2 Temple of Light | cart only |
| Excitebike 64 | cart only |
| F-Zero X | cart only |
| Famista Family Stadium Baseball | cart only |
| Famista Family Stadium Baseball | CIB |
| Ganbare Nippon Olympic 2000 | cart only |
| Goemon Mystical Ninja | cart only |
| Goldeneye 007 | cart only |
| Harvest Moon 2 | cart only |
| Hey You Pikachu | Big box - CIB w/ VRU |
| Hey You Pikachu | Big box - missing inserts and smaller game box. Includes game + vru |
| Hey You Pikachu | cart only |
| Hiru No Ken Twin Flying Dragon | cart only |
| Human Grand Prix | cart only |
| Human Grand Prix | CIB |
| J League 1999 Perfect Striker 2 | cart only |
| J League Perfect Striker | cart only |
| Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2000 | cart only |
| Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 2001 | cart only |
| Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 4 | cart only |
| Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 5 | cart only |
| Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 6 | cart only |
| Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 6 | Boxed - no manual |
| Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 6 | CIB |
| Jikkyou World Soccer 3 | cart only |
| Kirby The Crystal Shards | CIB |
| Kirby The Crystal Shards | CIB w/ extra control guide "hyper copy technique" |
| Kirby The Crystal Shards | cart only |
| Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask | cart only |
| Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time | cart only |
| Magical Tetris Challenge Featuring Mickey | CIB |
| Mahjong Master | cart only |
| Mario Golf | cart only |
| Mario Golf | CIB |
| Mario Kart 64 | cart only |
| Mario Party 1 | cart only |
| Mario Party 2 | cart only |
| Mario Party 2 | Boxed - no manual |
| Mario Party 2 | CIB |
| Mario Party 3 | cart only |
| Mario Party 3 | CIB |
| Mario Party 3 | CIB |
| Mario Party 3 | CIB |
| Mario RPG / Paper Mario | cart only |
| Mario Tennis | cart only |
| Mario Tennis | CIB |
| MRC Mutli-Racing Championship | cart only |
| Nushi Tsuri | CIB |
| Nushi Tsuri | cart only |
| Ogre Battle 64 | cart only |
| Olympic Hockey 98 | cart only |
| Ozumo Sumo Wrestling | cart only |
| Pilotwings | cart only |
| Pokemon Snap | cart only |
| Pokemon Stadium | cart only |
| Pokemon Stadium 2 | Boxed - no manual |
| Pokemon Stadium 2 | cart only |
| Pokemon Stadium Gold & Silver | cart only |
| Pro League 64 Baseball | cart only |
| Pro Mahjong Kiwame | cart only |
| Pro Yakyu King of Pro Baseball | cart only |
| Puyo Puyo Sun | cart only |
| Robot Ponkottsu | cart only |
| Shin Nihon Pro-wrestling Toukon Road Brave Spirits | cart only |
| Snowboard Kids | cart only |
| Star Wars Episode 1 Racer | cart only |
| Star Wars Rogue Squadron | CIB - outer box has some wear |
| Star Wars Shadows of the Empire | cart only |
| Starfox 64 | cart only |
| Super B-Daman Battle Phoneix | cart only |
| Super Mario 64 | cart only |
| Super Mario 64 Shindou / Rumble version | cart only |
| Super Mario 64 Shindou / Rumble version | CIB |
| Super Mario 64 Strategy Guide | |
| Super Robot Taisen | cart only |
| Super Smash Bros | cart only |
| Super Smash Bros | CIB |
| Tamagotchi World | cart only |
| Tamagotchi World | Boxed - no manual |
| Transformers Beast Wars | cart only |
| Utchan Nanchan Flame Challenger | cart only |
| Wave Race 64 | cart only |
| Wonder Project J2 | cart only |
| Yoshi Story | cart only |
| Yoshi Story | CIB |
| Yoshi Story Strategy Guide |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Winning Eleven Play Maker 2013 | CIB |
| Mario Strikers Charged | CIB |
| Wii Simple 2000 Series Vol 2 The Party Game | CIB |
| Donkey Kong Returns | No manual |
| Your First Step to Wii | No manual |
| Super Mario Collection | No manual |
| Mario Super Sluggers | No manual |
| Game | Notes |
|---|---|
| Dynasty Warriors Next | CIB |
| Exist Archive the Other Side of the Sky | CIB |
| Fate Extella | CIB |
| Fate Extella Regalia Box | Missing extras - Just LE box and Vita case + game |
| Freedom Wars | CIB |
| God Eater 2 | CIB |
| God Eater 2 Rage Burst | CIB |
| Gravity Daze (Gravity Rush) | CIB - "The Best" version |
| Kaleido Eve | CIB |
| Legend of Heroes Blende of Locus II Limited Edition | CIB. CD still sealed |
| Monster Hunter Frontier G "Beginners Package" | CIB |
| Persona 4 Golden | CIB |
| Power Smash 4 | CIB - "The Best" version |
| Professional Baseball Spirits 2013 | CIB |
| Professional Baseball Spirits 2014 | CIB |
| Ragnarok Odyssey | CIB |
| Soul Sacrifice | CIB |
| Super Robot Wars OG Taisen Saga 3 Pride of Justice | CIB |
| Sword Art Online Hollow Fragment | CIB |
| Sword Art Online Hollow Realization | CIB |
| Sword Art Online Lost Song | CIB |
| Sword Art Online Lost Song Limited Edition | CIB - game itself sealed |
| Uta No Prince Sama Repeat Love Premium Princess Box | Sealed |
| Utawareumono Mask of Truth | CIB |
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Beatmania | cart only |
| Beatmania | cart only |
| Chocobo Mysterious Dungeon | cart only w/ protector |
| Chocobo Mysterious Dungeon | cart only w/ protector |
| Detective Conan Case Closed | cart only |
| Digimon Adventure Anode Tamer | cart only |
| Digimon Adventure Cathode Tamer | cart only |
| Hataraku Chocobo | CIB |
| Mahjong Touryuumon | cart only w/ protector |
| Nice On Golf | CIB - sticker residue on front of box |
| One Piece "From TV Animation" | cart only w/ protector |
| Rockman & Forte | cart only w/ protector |
| Super Robot Taisen Compact | cart only w/ protector |
| Super Robot Taisen Compact | cart only w/ protector |
| Tarepanda no Gunpey | cart only w/ protector |
| Trump Collection | cart only w/ protector |
| Vaitz Blade | cart only w/ protector |
| Vaitz Blade | cart only w/ protector |
| Wonder Stadium 99 | cart only w/ protector |
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Digimon Tamers Battle Spirit | cart only |
| Digimon Tamers Battle Spirit | cart only w/ protector |
| Digimon Tamers Digimon Medley | cart only |
| Final Fantasy | CIB |
| Final Fantasy | CIB |
| Final Fantasy | CIB |
| Final Fantasy | cart only w/ protector |
| Final Fantasy II | CIB |
| Final Fantasy II | CIB |
| Final Fantasy II | CIB |
| Final Fantasy II | CIB |
| Final Fantasy II | cart only w/ protector |
| Final Fantasy II | cart only w/ protector |
| Hunter x Hunter Determination | CIB |
| Hunter x Hunter Determination | cart only |
| Hunter x Hunter Determination | cart only |
| Inuyasha Kagome's Dream Diary | cart only |
| Kinnikuman Nisei Choujin Seisenshi | cart only |
| Mobile Suit Gundam Vol. 1 Side 7 | cart only |
| One Piece Grand Battle | cart only w/ protector |
| One Piece Treasure Niji no Shima Densetsu | cart only |
| SD Gundam G Generation Mono Eye Gundams | cart only w/ protector |
| Shaman King Asue no Ishi | cart only w/ protector |
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Arc the Lad I | CIB w/ Spine card |
| Arc the Lad I | CIB |
| Arc the Lad II | CIB w/ Stickers |
| Bakusou Dekotora Densetsu Art Truck Battle | CIB |
| Bastard Utsuronaru Kamigami no Utsuwa | CIB |
| Beatmania | CIB |
| Beatmania Append 4th Mix | CIB w/ Spine card |
| Beatmania Append Gotta Mix | CIB w/ Spine card |
| Bomberman Land | Manual + Disc + Blank jewel Case |
| Bomberman Wars | CIB |
| Breeding Stud | CIB w/ Spine card |
| Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon | CIB |
| Cyber Sled | CIB |
| Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) 2nd Remix Append Club Ver 1 | CIB |
| Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) 2nd Remix Append Club Ver 2 | CIB |
| Densha De Go | CIB |
| Derby Stallion 99 | CIB |
| Dragon Quest VII | CIB w/ Spine card |
| DX Jinsei Game II Game of Life | CIB |
| DX Monopoloy | No manual |
| DX Nippon Tokkyou Ryokou Game Let's Travel Japan | CIB |
| Fighting Illusion K-1 GP 2000 | CIB |
| Final Fantasy Tactics | CIB |
| Final Fantasy V | CIB |
| Final Fantasy VIII | CIB |
| Fist of the North Star | CIB |
| Gekitotsu Toma L'Arc: Tomarunner vs L'Arc-en-Ciel | CIB |
| GPM Gunparade March | CIB |
| Gucho de Park | CIB |
| Gundam the Battle Master | CIB |
| Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone | CIB |
| Honkaku Mahjong Tetsumen Special | CIB "Best" version |
| Hots Shots Golf 2 | CIB |
| I.Q Final | CIB |
| Itadaki Street Gorgeous King | CIB |
| Jikkyou Powerful Pro Yakyuu 95 | CIB |
| Kawa no Nushi Tsuri: Hikyou o Motomete | Disc only |
| Kileak the Blood | CIB |
| Kouryuu Sangoku Engi | CIB |
| Martial Beat | CIB |
| Mingo Country Club Golf | CIB w/ Spine card |
| Mobile Suit Gundam Char's Counter Attack | CIB |
| Monster Farm | CIB |
| Moon Remix | CIB |
| Pass Max 2 | CIB |
| Pocket Fighter | CIB + Pocket fighter stickered memory card |
| Pop'n Music 6 | CIB |
| Pop'n Music 6 | CIB |
| Puyo Puyo 2 | CIB w/ Stickers |
| Quest for Fame Aerosmith | Big Box Complete w/ Pick |
| Rockman X4 | CIB |
| Rockman X5 | CIB w/ Spine card |
| Rockman X6 | CIB |
| RPG Maker 3 | CIB |
| SaGa Frontier I | CIB |
| SD Gundam G Generation | CIB |
| Shin Super Robot Taisen | CIB |
| Simulation Zoo | CIB |
| Super Robot Wars F | CIB |
| Tales of Destiny | CIB w/ Spine card |
| Tales of Eternia | CIB |
| Tenchu Shinobi Hyakusen | CIB w/ Spine card |
| Tennis no Oji-Sama: Sweat and Tears | CIB |
| Tetsunoko Fight | CIB w/ Spine card |
| The Chess Simple 1500 Series Vol 9 | CIB |
| The Crown is For You Baseball | CIB w/ Spine card |
| The Fifth Element | CIB |
| The King of Fighters 95 | CIB |
| The Tetris SuperLite 1500 | CIB |
| Thirteen of Black / Kuro No Juusan | CIB |
| Tokyo Majin Gakuen Gehoujou High School Limited Edition | CIB |
| Trap Gunner | CIB w/ Spine card |
| Wedding Peach Doki Doki Oironaosi | CIB |
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Canvas 2 Rainbow Color Sktech | CIB |
| D.C. II P.S. Da Capo II Plus DX Box Set | CIB |
| Dragon Ball Z 3 | CIB |
| Everybody's Golf 3 | CIB |
| Final Fantasy XI Special Art Box | CIB |
| Gachinko Pro Yakyuu Professional Baseball | CIB |
| Gekikuukan Pro Yakyuu At the End of the Century 1999 | CIB |
| Gundam Musou Special | CIB |
| Kamen Rider Blade | CIB |
| Kanokon: Esuii | CIB |
| Kao no nai Tsuki Select Story DX Edition | CIB |
| Katekyoo Hitman Reborn! Let's Ansatsu!? | CIB |
| Mahjong Taikai III Millenium League | Disc only |
| Mobile Suit Gundam | CIB |
| Mobile Suit Gundam Climax U.C. | CIB |
| Mobile Suit Gundam Seed | CIB |
| Mobile Suit Gundam VS Z Gundam | CIB |
| Mobile Suit Gundam Z: AEUG vs. Titans | CIB |
| Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs. Zeon DX | CIB |
| Mystic Heroes - Chou Battle Housin | CIB |
| Naruto: Uzumaki Ninden Chronicles | CIB |
| Onimusha | CIB |
| Puyo Puyo 2 Perfect Set | CIB |
| Ratchet & Clank | CIB |
| Ratchet & Clank 2 Going Commando (GaGaGa!) | CIB "The Best" version |
| Ratchet & Clank 3 | CIB "The Best" version |
| SD Gundam G Generation Neo | CIB |
| SD Gundam G Generation Seed | CIB |
| SD Gundam G Generation Spirits | CIB |
| Shin Onimusha Dawn of Dreams | CIB |
| Soul Eater Battle Resonance | CIB |
| Sui Year Zun Sweet Season | CIB |
| Taiko Risshiden IV | CIB |
| The Prince of Tennis Smash Hit! 2 | CIB |
| To Heart | CIB |
| Viewtiful Joe A New Hope | CIB |
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Power Smash 3 Virtua Tennis | CIB |
| Tales of Vesperia | CIB - "The Best" version |
| Wining Eleven 2013 | CIB |
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online Limited Edition | CIB |
Pokemon game wants (NTSC/US)
GBC pokemon crystal cart
GBA pokemon fire red cart
DS pokemon pearl CIB or cart only
3DS Pokemon Ultra Moon CIB
Gamecube Pokemon Colosseum CIB (main game, not bonus disc)
PS5 Wants
Neptunia Reverse
Record of Lodoss Wonder Labyrinth
Returnal
Kena bridge of spirits
Star Ocean
Valkyrie Elysium
Potentially other PS5 Offers
Box/Case/Manual wants
2DS XL Pokeball Edition Box & Inserts only
Code of Princess EX - Switch Case
DS Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia - case and manual
DS Chocobo Tales - case and manual
DS Final Fantasy Tactics A2 - case and manual
DS pokemon white 2 Case and manual
DS pokemon black - Case and manual
DS Shin Megami Tensai Devil Survivor 2 - Case and manual only
Harvest Moon DS - case + manual
New Nintendo 3DS XL Galaxy Edition Box & Inserts only
Mario & Luigi Dream League 3DS XL Box & Inserts only
Mario Power Tennis Gamecube - Case + Manual
Phantasy star 1 & 2 plus gamecube - manual only
Pikmin 2 gamecube - manual only
Pokemon Channel Gamecube - Case and Manual
3DS Pokemon Art Academy - Case and manual
Pokemon XY Red 3DS XL Box & Inserts only
Puppeteer PS3 - Manual only
Other wants
Capcom Fighting Collection - Switch
Chrono Trigger - DS complete with map or just the map
Dreamcast light gun - needs to be a US model that will work with house of the dead 2.
Enter the gungeon - Switch
F-Zero - Looks for Gamecube (cib for gcn) and N64 cart
Final Fantasy 1 - NES cart
Final Fantasy XI collectables - open to offers if you have any
Final Fantasy Theatrhythm Final Bar Line - Switch
Fire Emblem games for 3DS
Ikaruga - Gamecube
Katamari Games - Looking for the Vita, Xbox 360, and PS2.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land - Switch
Kirby Return to Dreamland Deluxe - Switch
Legend of Zelda offers - open to offers on non explicitly stated zelda games, merch/items, etc.
Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks - DS CIB
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom - Switch
Muramasa - PS Vita
Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol 1 - Switch
PS2 Light gun offers - looking for Light Gun games such as the time crisis series and a guncon for ps2.
Rabi-Ribi - PS4/Vita
Ratchet and Clank Quest for Booty PS3 (physical version, I think it's PAL exclusive)
Ratchet and Clank Vita Collection (physical version, I think it's PAL exclusive)
Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash All service edition - PS4
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - Switch
Tales Games for PS3 - Looking for Xilia 2 and Graces F
Tornado Outbreak - PS3
Virtual Boy - looking for a working system and some games (need system before game offers)
Wii U - Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE - special edition
Wii U - HD Windwaker Limited Edition (the one with the figure/statue)
Ys games CIB (mostly looking for PSP and older)
Zone of the Enders HD Collection - PS3
In the rare event anyone has a IIDX DJ DAO Phoenix Wan controller they want to swap I am looking for one.
Looking to work towards complete collection for Wii U - feel free to send offers for Wii U games you may be looking to trade off. Only interested in CIB items.
Potentially open to PS3-5/Vita/PSP/N64/GCN/Switch/3DS/DS offers. I am primarily interested in JRPGs (especially action RPGs), 2D platformers/action games, arcadey games, schmups, beat em ups, etc., but feel free to send me a list to look at!
Willing to consider Pokemon TCG trades as well (English or Japanese, singles/slabs/sealed)
I am not interested in digital codes for games (primarily seeking to add to physical collection).
2023.03.22 02:41 cupidity- Witchy Woods ♡ [Modded]{18+}{Java}{Fabric}{Whitelist}{SMP}
Hi all!
Witchy Woods just pushed their latest update! We're running a brand new world, & because of this, we're looking for new members to join us! We're a kind community, super laid back & helpful to each other. We're more on the "cozier" side of things, but we definitely have a few mods for everyone!
💜💜💜💜
We're LGBTQ+ friendly, 18+, welcoming // kind & we love hearing suggestions from our members! We have a great staff who will assist you asap. We're a white-list community, so we prioritize keeping our members + community // server safe! We do NOT operate on an economy-based server, so no need to worry about that.
Please add me if you'd like! disc: cupidity#1218
submitted by cupidity- to MinecraftBuddies [link] [comments]
Witchy Woods just pushed their latest update! We're running a brand new world, & because of this, we're looking for new members to join us! We're a kind community, super laid back & helpful to each other. We're more on the "cozier" side of things, but we definitely have a few mods for everyone!
💜💜💜💜
We're LGBTQ+ friendly, 18+, welcoming // kind & we love hearing suggestions from our members! We have a great staff who will assist you asap. We're a white-list community, so we prioritize keeping our members + community // server safe! We do NOT operate on an economy-based server, so no need to worry about that.
We are a fantasy-based pack with some mods that would be great for everyone! You want a friend to follow you around and heal you? We've got that. What about towers with a boss at the bottom? ✔. What about some items that give you cool buffs, but make you look funky while you wear them? Yeaaaah, we've got those too!Do not comment here, because I won't see it. Shoot me a message or add my disc!
We've got dungeon mods, dimension mods and my personal favorite, our mob mods! So check out all of our cute (and maybe a bit dangerous?) animals! You'll find some adorable things if you get out there and explore.
Please add me if you'd like! disc: cupidity#1218
2023.03.22 01:30 dirtythrowaway626 30 [M4F] - Sensual, raw, unprotected sex/breeding chat!
Hey lovely people! If you're like me then intimacy, sensuality, and passion are some of your favorite parts of sex. There's something magical about that raw connection and feeling our bodies connect the way nature intended with absolutely nothing between us. That's what I'm looking to talk about today. I'd love to hear what gets you turned on by the thought or experience of unprotected sex/breeding, what some of your fantasies are, and, if we hit it off, maybe get into some sexting or sharing pics. No pressure, though! We'll only go as far as you feel comfortable with, so if you don't want to share pictures I'm perfectly okay with just chatting. I'm only having fun if you're having fun, too 🙂
A little description of me in case you're curious: 30, white, 6'2", somewhat athletic/slender build, short brown hair that I style in the front, blue eyes, a trimmed beard, hairy chest, and what I like to think is a nice, squeezable butt, haha. Just over 6", circumcised, and trimmed pubic hair if that matters.
Some of my other kinks in case you're interested: cuddling that turns to sex, massages that turn to sex, shower sex, morning sex, oral sex (giving and receiving), masturbating together, cumplay/a general enthusiasm for cum, asking/begging me to cum inside you, wrapping your legs around me, eye contact, falling asleep with my cock and cum still inside you, and probably many more I'm not thinking of.
Limits include: any type of violence or abuse (physical, mental, emotional), rape/non-con/dub-con, BDSM, blood, scat, vomit, anything to do with animals, and stuff along those lines. If you're curious about something not mentioned here feel free to ask!
If you've made it this far and it all sounds good to you then great! Reddit chat works great for me, but I can also do kik. I look forward to hearing from you!
submitted by dirtythrowaway626 to ImpregPersonalsReal [link] [comments]
A little description of me in case you're curious: 30, white, 6'2", somewhat athletic/slender build, short brown hair that I style in the front, blue eyes, a trimmed beard, hairy chest, and what I like to think is a nice, squeezable butt, haha. Just over 6", circumcised, and trimmed pubic hair if that matters.
Some of my other kinks in case you're interested: cuddling that turns to sex, massages that turn to sex, shower sex, morning sex, oral sex (giving and receiving), masturbating together, cumplay/a general enthusiasm for cum, asking/begging me to cum inside you, wrapping your legs around me, eye contact, falling asleep with my cock and cum still inside you, and probably many more I'm not thinking of.
Limits include: any type of violence or abuse (physical, mental, emotional), rape/non-con/dub-con, BDSM, blood, scat, vomit, anything to do with animals, and stuff along those lines. If you're curious about something not mentioned here feel free to ask!
If you've made it this far and it all sounds good to you then great! Reddit chat works great for me, but I can also do kik. I look forward to hearing from you!
2023.03.21 23:49 Stormy8888 2022 Reddit Fantasy Hard Mode Hero Mode Bingo #3 - Theme: Authors of Asian Ancestry
 | Last year (2022) I read fewer graphic novels and fantasy deciding to focus on completed series and keeping up with continuing series that are currently being written to surpass the Goodreads goal of 365. Thanks to Reddit Fantasy Bingo, I did end up reading a lot of new authors! This is the Asian Authors theme card, the third of 3 Fantasy Bingo Cards (Hard mode, African Authors, Asian Authors), after a ton of research and reading. I have two more cards waiting on two last books from the library. Links are to full reviews on Goodreads. submitted by Stormy8888 to Fantasy [link] [comments] So Satisfied to Finally Finish! https://preview.redd.it/ponb5twew5pa1.png?width=467&format=png&auto=webp&s=b7e04bff50f0cf316fd335f99631949db9b6ef97 First Row Across LGBTQIA List Book - Bodard, Aliette de - In The Vanisher's Palace - 3⭐ The world building and magic system were interesting, as was the final plot twist. But yet, I couldn't bring myself to buy the love story between Vu Côn and Yên. Their relationship while being the crux of the story didn't feel very authentic, and I wanted it to be, so this book was very run of the mill average, from plot to language to execution. Weird Ecology - Stewart, Andrea - The Bone Shard Emperor - 5⭐ A rare instance where the second book of The Drowning Empire series surpasses the first book in every instance. Living necromancy, bone "tithes", revolution amidst a backdrop where floating islands start sinking due to little known ecological phenomena. Ends with a Sanderlanche! Yay! Two or More Authors - Chen, Yu and Others - The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories - 4½ ⭐ This anthology contains multiple Chinese science fiction and fantasy stories and essays written, edited, and translated by a female and nonbinary team, published in English for the first time. It is a very high quality collection, with numerous extremely though provoking stories. Historical SFF - Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee - The Palace of Illusions - 5⭐ Unlike Circe or Kaikeyi, this isn't a feminist retelling but a reimagining of the world-famous Indian epic, the Mahabharat, as narrated by legendary beauty Draupadi (Panchaali), the main female progatonist and wife of the legendary Pandavas. The story is by itself already famous and worthy of many adaptations, full of twists, turns, love, magic, morality, treachery, betrayal and battles - in other words, a page turner of a story with the scope and grandeur befitting the word Epic. Let's just say it made me want to watch the TV series adaptation. Set in Space - Lee, Yoon Ha - Ninefox Gambit - 3⭐ The concept and world building are so insanely complicated with the 6 factions and how they interweave, it actually helps to go to the author's page for this handy Hexarchate faction cheat sheet. There's also a ton of math, which I didn't mind too much, but this is a dense read that requires brain power, so not everyone is going to enjoy it. Second Row Stand Alone - Natsukawa, Sosuke - The Cat Who Saved Books - 5⭐ It's too bad this book where a talking cat persuades a shut in (hikkikomori) to go on a quest to save books is a stand alone, as it means no more sequels. This is one of those books that will resonate with bibliophiles because books are awesome, even the exotic ones, and deserve to be read. Anti Hero - Zhao, Xiran Jay - Iron Widow - 4⭐ The author, angry at white washing in The Great Wall as well as the ending of Darling in the Franxx anime wrote this angry feminist chick lit for revenge. If you happened to grow up in a patriarchical society and hate how women are treated, this book will resonate with you. The writing isn't particularly ground breaking, but reading this is a form of catharsis, plus much cheaper than therapy. Book Club - Divya, S.B. - Machinehood - 2⭐ Read this with Fantasy's New Voices Book Club. It's Hard Sci Fi but way too much jargon and way too many concepts introduced. The character work was actually decent, but the story was so bogged down in details and convoluted plots to the point it wasn't enjoyable especially when a bunch of plot lines were just left hanging/unresolved. It's pretty much like dumping a ton of ingredients into a soup hoping they will all work together, when a focused approach with a deeper dive into some (not all) of the concepts would have been richer and more balanced meal because the flavors would have had time to develop. A good editor could have fixed some of that. Cool Weapon - Kagawa, Julie - Shadow of The Fox - 5⭐ Tatsumi carries the uniquely named Kamigoroshi, a powerful sword possessed by the soul of the demon Hakaimono! There's a 9 tailed fox girl, a ronin and a sheltered prince who has done nothing but study swordmanship. The story, despite being full of Japanese tropes, is wildly entertaining and was an absolute joy to read. Loved it. I'll most likely finish the trilogy. Revolutions and Rebellion - Kuang, R.F. - Babel- 5⭐ This is a big idea book that ties the magic system to the nuances in translation, which is shown, not told, in exquisite detail in the first third of the book before it goes into the more exciting politics and revolution arc. The multilingual and academically minded will enjoy this more than others. Third Row Name in the Title - Lien, Henry - Peasprout Chen: Battle of Champions - 4½⭐ Now that we are used to Wu Liu Kung Fu Skating (🎶 those kids were fast as lightning 🎶) the author throws in a new catalyst. Yinmei, heir to the Shinian throne, has fled and is requesting asylum at the Pearl. Cue YA political intrigue and adolescent drama at the Pearl Famous Academy of Skate and Sword. Was a lot of fun and better than the first book, but I hated that one euphemism for swearing. Substitution for Author uses Initials = Set in Asia - Lee, Fonda - The Jade Setter of Janloon - 5⭐ Attempts to find an Asian Authors where the initials were a pseudonym failed spectacularly so defaulted to 2021 Set in Asia square. This is the prequel to the critically acclaimed fan favorite Green Bone Saga, and it's just as great. Would 100% read more books set in this world. Published in 2022 - Patel, Vaishnavi - Kaikeyi - 5⭐ This debut novel is a feminist re-telling of the story of Kaikeyi, the much maligned Queen from The Ramayana, one of Hinduism's two Itihasas (collections of written descriptions of important events in Hinduism). This book is powerful enough I was angry and wrote a passionate review to exorcise my sadness and frustration at the use of religion by men to oppress women in India. Urban Fantasy - Vo, Nghi - The Chosen And The Beautiful - 4⭐ “I had never seen a moon like that before. It was no Mercury dime New York moon, but a harvest moon brought all the way from the wheat fields of North Dakota to shine with sweet benevolence down on the chosen and the beautiful.” Retelling of The Great Gatsby. Nghi Vo's prose is beautiful, it's the only reason I finished the book because I honestly despised most of the characters. Set in Africa - Emezi, Akwaeke - Freshwater - 1½ ⭐ The author is of African and Asian Heritage, which plays into this globe trotting story as protagonist Ada is a child of parents from Africa and Asia. She grows up a citizen of the world having heritage in Africa, Asia and living in Europe and America. The content is graphic, this should come with multiple trigger warnings as by the time I finished this I thought the main character (and me) would require months or years of therapy to work through the trauma. Not for everyone. Fourth Row Non-Human Protagonist - Paull, Laline - The Bees - 4⭐ Fantasy book from the POV of Bees? Wait. Why is this so dark? And violent? And gory? Why does it have 1984 style totalitarianism and Animal Farm type indoctrination!?? Imaginative, violent, interesting. Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey - Kim, Bo-Young - I'm Waiting For You and Other Stories - 4⭐ It doesn't involve time travel, but instead utilizes time dilation caused by faster than light relativistic travel as a plot device for two of the 4 stories. The letters across time missed connections love story will both resonate with fans of romance, but the other 2 stories are just meh. Five Short Stories - Chiang, Ted - Exhalation and other stories - 4½⭐ An entire high quality anthology filled with Hugo, Nebula and other award winning or nominated stories. Mental Health - Ngan, Natasha - Girls of Paper and Fire - 3½⭐ The first book of the Girls of Paper and Fire Trilogy gives protagonist Lei, plenty of reasons to suffer mental anguish starting when her mother was snatched away by the Capital in a raid on their village, a fate that later befalls her. The World Building is satisfying with themes around the evils of that world's caste driven hierarchy. Self Published, Indie Publisher - Yan, Ge - Strange Beasts of China - 4⭐ Qualifies for hard mode as the indie publisher, Tilted Axis Press, has done an AMA with Fantasy. “My mother used to tell me, ‘You can’t be sure that beasts aren’t people, or that people aren’t just another type of beast” This mystery bestiary novel is a fantastical tale of the strange beasts inhabiting the mythical city of Yong’An as seen through the eyes of a former cryptozoologist turned novelist. It's like a very specific, specialized X-files, with each chapter exploring a different Strange Beast. Fifth Row Award Finalist - Cho, Zen - The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected In Water - 4⭐ The Novella's premise is plausible with the found family aspect being very wholesome. It is also very Malaysian, with proper use of traditional terms like Tokong (Temple), Mata (literally eyes, but it means Policeman) and Kris (traditional Malay dagger with a serpentine shaped blade) BIPOC Author - Lee, Lori M - Pahua and the Soul Stealer - 4⭐ Hmong author! This book is presented by Rick Riordan, and reading it one is immediately made aware that it is young adult, with a lot of Rick Riordan hallmarks - the young protagonist is a descendant of a deity/god, it is told in first person, there are some snarky remarks and tons of pop culture references. Not as good as Riordan but a fun read. The identity crisis Pahua experiences is relatable to any young Asian growing up in the USA as she has to navigate casual overt racism for being the only Asian in her school. It is her need to "fit in" after a new classmate stands up to her bully that is the catalyst for the events in this book. To the right reader, these themes will resonate strongly. Shape-Shifters - Cho, Kat - Vicious Spirits - 3½⭐ The second book in Kat Cho's Gumiho Series begins with Somin and frenemy Junu doing their best to help Miyoung and Jihoon who are reeling from the deaths of their mother and grandmother, respectively. I don't know how much influence hugely popular K-dramas like Goblin or Tale of the Nine Tailed had on this book, but the expanded roles of the "B" couple and more melodrama made this a much more enjoyable sequel. It even reads like a K-drama, so there has to have been some influence. No Ifs, Ands, or Buts - Mo Xiang Tong Xiu - Heaven Official's Blessing Vol 1 - 5⭐ Xie Lian has ascends to godhood for the third time, 800 years after his first ascendance. He has a hard luck story as he can't seem to keep his divinity (for various reasons) so is sent back to wander the earthly realm to take on tasks appointed by the heavens to pay back debts and maintain his divinity since Heaven's bureaucracy seems to value those who can play politics more than "good" people, reflecting real life. Still, it's impossible not to like Xie Lian as he is at the core, a good person that the reader immediately wants to root for. First of 8 volumes, LGBTQ content, lots of drama, MXTX knows how to tell a great story. Family Matters - Chang, K-Ming - Bestiary - 2½⭐ Loosely based on Taiwanese Tayal legends, three generations in a single family are tied together by their possession of the tiger spirit. The writing is inconsistent, at times prosaic, at others poetic. I'm not sure if it's translation issues or what. I would probably have rated this a lot higher if I had enjoyed it more, but nearly all the characters are unlikable AND the content is too grim dark for me. |
2023.03.21 23:43 ackza Just a reminder, a large number of people believe in the conspiracy theory of the "Secret SPavce Program/BreakAway Civilization" and that STargate SG-1 is 100% Wormhole Xtreme and that episode was the most meta thing ever when watched by someone who is actually in the military and has gone off world
If that is real of course. if its not then no one has gone off world. But lets say it is all real and the Art Bell Project Camelot Ancient Aliens people are right and hah, i mean, is that not what STargate SG1 is based on? A live action movie of basically an Eric Von Danikan or a Zacharaya Sitchin book?
I even met Andrew D Basiago the guy who has millions of views, he has doctorate degrees, hes a lawyer in Washoington and ran for President, he was on art bell, lots of viewers /listeners, i met yim at a UFO convention talka small local event called ExoSD in 2011 he claimed to have gone to Mars through an elevator like jump room he called it, from a military underground base around el segundo california, theers even some crazy articles about him and obama and mars colonies and time travel in wired magazine because Obama white house actually put ouyt a pres release denying it like right out of a stargate sg1 episode
when you read about Bob Dean and the spanish exopolitics talk he did I mean that shit was so epic he is liek a character in Stargate sg1, like the Peldieans are like the tokrah or ancient or something, the anunaki from ancient sumer and egypt are the gould, lol, the symbiote is more hyperdimensional theyc laim in real life like in your body final fantasy spirits within style :D
I mean when you realize theers a lot of peopel who believe in this and, ya know, whgen you research it all its an amazing live action role playing military extra terrestrial sci fi game pretty much teh way you can imagine how many underground bases theer are and if the military does have 8 secret military space stations (why not?) and a base on the moon mars etc, and how we even have gotten into wars off planet and enslaved local lesser advanced humanoids to do our mining operations for naquida in rea life or whatever they call it, element 115? Ever hear of bob lazatr?
Bob lazar is like one of the scientits characters in stargate atlantis pretty much
STargate universe really made teh whole deal feel realistic with teh acting and seriousness of the politics etc
Its incredible to realize also that Wormhole Extreme could be like the way they do plausible deniability and make an inside joke for themselves
The whole thing, if real, if we do just have a secret spave program and a stargate type device in real life, and it is based on ancient alien tech and we do have small outposts on mars and tthe moon and a secret space fleet like teh prometheus, i mean, it would look a lot liek stargate sg1, and i feel like theer are many people in the military who use that show to maybe not go crazy after seeing real alien technology at era 51 etc etc? It would be a useful tool
But yeah just imagine its all real and that wormhole extreme episode becomes a bold inside joke, very bold. If its real then that episode is telling us exactly what is going on. It makes sense that like in any military organization theer is a top group that has all the lore and stories about them, the ones that become local legends within their community. I think in real life however a lot of peopel dont make it back when dealing with advanced ET races and its not as fun its probably extremely scarey to deal with a more advanced intelligence, the way they describe the weaponizedtelepathy ist scarey and not much any human can do to train to defend against it without some sort of electro magnetic sheilding or something like smanatha carter would help design
I feel like there is a lot of technology liek element 115 from even the joe rogan show now, when ob lazar wason, eh explained it, i feel liek element 115 is liek Naquida, and ya know, the Asgard are just the "good" grey aliens. etc etc
What do you think/ Anyone here into Project Camelot? They had like Hundreds of millions of youtube views hours of just regular interviews, nothing dangerous or worthy of banning for and during teh 2020 election because kerry interviewd peopel to simply talk about the "conspiracies" about teh election at the time i wont mnention, they had all their videos about REAL LIFE stargate projects ytaken down lol just another NID sort of signature move
the whole NID thing in stargate is also kidna scarey because we all know that idea of dark shadow CIA type groups are allreal and have been revealed mroe recebntly with wikileaks etc
i mean the Israeli space cheif SAID live on twitter and mainstream news back in late 2020 during the pandemic that ALIENS are real and the us and trump talk to them and that theres a galactic federation israel and uSA is in contact with and thats a fact, eh said that, so, u can call the space forces cheif of Israel a liar but why would he lie about that? makes no sense unles he stelling teh truth
OH AND THEN theers the old frien dfrom stargate atlantis THE TIC TAC UFO, predicted in THAT show, and made REAL off the coas of where i live san diego, chasoing aircraft carriers, RIGHT out of stargate atlantis
So i mean teh tic tac ufo, oh yeah guys i forgto, you ant ignore this
stargate program PROBABLY SI real, LOOK AT THE TIC TAC UFO, thats PROOF that theer ARE SOME sortof ET groups hgere underthe ocean on earth..... so imagine how much of the stargate show is just real life too. We have the stargate atlantis pods, or someone does! the puddle jumpers. THATS what teh TIC TAC UFOS weer REPORTED to look liek from f18 pilots
so yeah ima just go ahead and say yeah sorry toteh skeptics but the recent UFO news has kinda CONFIRMED stargate sg1 is basically real life. tahst why they let them film insidew the real NORAD lol thaey wouldnt do that unless something was up. that doesnt just "happen"
submitted by ackza to Stargate [link] [comments]
I even met Andrew D Basiago the guy who has millions of views, he has doctorate degrees, hes a lawyer in Washoington and ran for President, he was on art bell, lots of viewers /listeners, i met yim at a UFO convention talka small local event called ExoSD in 2011 he claimed to have gone to Mars through an elevator like jump room he called it, from a military underground base around el segundo california, theers even some crazy articles about him and obama and mars colonies and time travel in wired magazine because Obama white house actually put ouyt a pres release denying it like right out of a stargate sg1 episode
when you read about Bob Dean and the spanish exopolitics talk he did I mean that shit was so epic he is liek a character in Stargate sg1, like the Peldieans are like the tokrah or ancient or something, the anunaki from ancient sumer and egypt are the gould, lol, the symbiote is more hyperdimensional theyc laim in real life like in your body final fantasy spirits within style :D
I mean when you realize theers a lot of peopel who believe in this and, ya know, whgen you research it all its an amazing live action role playing military extra terrestrial sci fi game pretty much teh way you can imagine how many underground bases theer are and if the military does have 8 secret military space stations (why not?) and a base on the moon mars etc, and how we even have gotten into wars off planet and enslaved local lesser advanced humanoids to do our mining operations for naquida in rea life or whatever they call it, element 115? Ever hear of bob lazatr?
Bob lazar is like one of the scientits characters in stargate atlantis pretty much
STargate universe really made teh whole deal feel realistic with teh acting and seriousness of the politics etc
Its incredible to realize also that Wormhole Extreme could be like the way they do plausible deniability and make an inside joke for themselves
The whole thing, if real, if we do just have a secret spave program and a stargate type device in real life, and it is based on ancient alien tech and we do have small outposts on mars and tthe moon and a secret space fleet like teh prometheus, i mean, it would look a lot liek stargate sg1, and i feel like theer are many people in the military who use that show to maybe not go crazy after seeing real alien technology at era 51 etc etc? It would be a useful tool
But yeah just imagine its all real and that wormhole extreme episode becomes a bold inside joke, very bold. If its real then that episode is telling us exactly what is going on. It makes sense that like in any military organization theer is a top group that has all the lore and stories about them, the ones that become local legends within their community. I think in real life however a lot of peopel dont make it back when dealing with advanced ET races and its not as fun its probably extremely scarey to deal with a more advanced intelligence, the way they describe the weaponizedtelepathy ist scarey and not much any human can do to train to defend against it without some sort of electro magnetic sheilding or something like smanatha carter would help design
I feel like there is a lot of technology liek element 115 from even the joe rogan show now, when ob lazar wason, eh explained it, i feel liek element 115 is liek Naquida, and ya know, the Asgard are just the "good" grey aliens. etc etc
What do you think/ Anyone here into Project Camelot? They had like Hundreds of millions of youtube views hours of just regular interviews, nothing dangerous or worthy of banning for and during teh 2020 election because kerry interviewd peopel to simply talk about the "conspiracies" about teh election at the time i wont mnention, they had all their videos about REAL LIFE stargate projects ytaken down lol just another NID sort of signature move
the whole NID thing in stargate is also kidna scarey because we all know that idea of dark shadow CIA type groups are allreal and have been revealed mroe recebntly with wikileaks etc
i mean the Israeli space cheif SAID live on twitter and mainstream news back in late 2020 during the pandemic that ALIENS are real and the us and trump talk to them and that theres a galactic federation israel and uSA is in contact with and thats a fact, eh said that, so, u can call the space forces cheif of Israel a liar but why would he lie about that? makes no sense unles he stelling teh truth
OH AND THEN theers the old frien dfrom stargate atlantis THE TIC TAC UFO, predicted in THAT show, and made REAL off the coas of where i live san diego, chasoing aircraft carriers, RIGHT out of stargate atlantis
So i mean teh tic tac ufo, oh yeah guys i forgto, you ant ignore this
stargate program PROBABLY SI real, LOOK AT THE TIC TAC UFO, thats PROOF that theer ARE SOME sortof ET groups hgere underthe ocean on earth..... so imagine how much of the stargate show is just real life too. We have the stargate atlantis pods, or someone does! the puddle jumpers. THATS what teh TIC TAC UFOS weer REPORTED to look liek from f18 pilots
so yeah ima just go ahead and say yeah sorry toteh skeptics but the recent UFO news has kinda CONFIRMED stargate sg1 is basically real life. tahst why they let them film insidew the real NORAD lol thaey wouldnt do that unless something was up. that doesnt just "happen"
2023.03.21 23:18 VashxShanks [JRPGs on Sale - Weekly Breakdown & Game Recommendations] For 22 March - 2023 - PSN/Switch/Xbox/Steam (+Steam Deck) - Great Sales on Nintendo Switch this week.
Important Notes:
- I do my best to include every sale, but at the same time I focus on sales that are worth a mention, meaning sales start with at least 20% and up. I usually skip anything below that unless it's a worth while title.
- Click on the price to visit the store page for that game.
- The end date of the sale isn't mentioned, you can check the store page to see it.
- All of these sales are based on the US store front, so some sales may not be available depending on your country.
~ PSN ~
- Most Yakuza games are on big sale (1/2/3/4/5)
(On Mobile please Swipe left/right to see the prices and tags)
| Game | Price/Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| Final Fantasy Type-0™ HD | $7.99 | Action/Sci-fi setting/Army Battles/Military academy/Dark Story |
| Final Fantasy VII | $7.99 | Active Time Battle/Sci-fi setting |
| FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered | $9.99 | Active Time Battle/Sci-fi setting |
| FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster | $12.49 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Expansive skill tree |
| Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age | $24.99 | Real-time strategy with pause/Fantasy setting/Expansive skill tree/Job (Class) system/Monster Hunting/Loot heavy |
| Disgaea 1 Complete | $19.99 | Turn-based Tactical/Fantasy setting/Deep character customization/Comedy |
| The Witch and the Hundred Knight: Revival Edition | $5.99 | Action/Dark Fantasy/Hack n Slash |
| SaGa Frontier Remastered | $14.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy + Sci-fi setting/Choice Matters/Open World/8 Characters to choose |
| Star Ocean® Till The End Of Time™ | $8.39 | Action/Sci-fi mixed with Fantasy setting/Space travel/Resource gathering & Crafting/Social link mechanic between party members |
| Star Ocean®: The Last Hope - 4K and Full HD Remaster | $8.39 | Action/Sci-fi mixed with Fantasy setting/Space travel/Resource gathering & Crafting/Social link mechanic between party members |
| STAR OCEAN : INTEGRITY AND FAITHLESSNESS | $11.99 | Action/Sci-fi mixed with Fantasy setting/Space travel/Resource gathering & Crafting/Social link mechanic between party members |
| Star Ocean : Divine Force | $35.99 | Action/Sci-fi mixed with Fantasy setting/Space travel/Resource gathering & Crafting/Social link mechanic between party members |
| Dark Cloud™ | $7.49 | Action/Fantasy setting/Village builder & management/NPC collectoResource gathering/Dungeon crawling |
| Dark Cloud™ 2 (Dark Chronicle) | $7.49 | Action/Fantasy setting/Village builder & management/NPC collectoResource gathering/Dungeon crawling |
| Rogue Galaxy | $7.49 | Action/Sci-fi setting/Space Pirate/Monster hunting/factory management |
| Wild Arms 3 | $7.49 | Turn-based/Wild West Fantasy/Female Protagonist/Puzzle heavy |
| Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits | $7.49 | Tactical turn-based/Fantasy setting/Playing through two different Main characters stories |
| I Am Setsuna | $15.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/World covered in Snow |
| Lost Sphere | $14.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting |
| Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen | $23.99 | Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Great World Building/Fan-serivce/Comedy/War & Politics/Lovable Characters/Mystery |
| Harvest Moon®: A Wonderful Life Special Edition | $4.49 | Action/Farming simulatoModern World setting/Social link system |
| Valkyrie Elysium PS4&PS5 | $29.99 | Action/Fantasy setting/Female Protagonist/Multiple Endings |
| Persona 3 Portable | $15.99 | Turn-based/Modern Japan setting/Highschool life simulatoMystery/Monster collectoSocial link system/Great soundtrack |
| Persona 4 Golden | $15.99 | Turn-based/Modern Japan setting/Highschool life simulatoMystery/Monster collectoSocial link system/Great soundtrack |
| Persona®5 Royal Ultimate Edition | $41.99 | Turn-based/Modern Japan setting/Highschool life simulatoMystery/Monster collectoSocial link system/Great soundtrack |
| KINGDOM HEARTS All-In-One Package | $49.99 | Action/Fantasy setting/Crossover of Disney and Square Enix characters |
| 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim | $23.99 | Tower Defense/Sci-fi Japan setting/School life/Multiple Main characters to follow/Visual Novel/Heavy on story & light on gameplay |
| Digimon Survive | $41.99 | Tactical turn-based/Modern Japan setting/Monster CollectoMostly VN/Multiple Routes & Endings/Anime style/Social Link system |
| Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition | $25.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Great soundtrack/Full Pixel graphics option/Character skill tree/Gathering resources and crafting |
| Yakuza: Like a Dragon PS4 & PS5 | $17.99 | Turn-based/Contemporary Japan setting/Yakuza life/Open World/Heavy on Drama and Comedy/Heavy on Mini-games/Class Changing Mechanics |
| Neptunia ReVerse | $22.49 | Turn-based/Sci-fi setting/Remake of Neptunia Re:Birth 1/Female Protagonist/Comedy/Parody/Fan-serivce |
| Trials of Mana | $24.99 | Action/Fantasy setting/Hack & Slash/Choose 3 out of 6 main characters/Class customization system/Expansive Skill Tree |
| Monster Sanctuary | $4.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Monster CollectoMetroidvania/Pixel Graphics/Expansive Skill Tree/Character customization |
| Dragon Quest Builders 2 | $23.99 | Action/Fantasy setting/Minecraft-like |
| Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force | $5.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Anime style/Comedy/Dark story/Good English dub/Power Ranger Transformation/Fan-service/Dating-sim |
| Dungeon Encounters | $14.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Dungeon CrawleCharacter Customization/Very light on Story |
| Ys Origin | $7.99 | Action/Fantasy setting/Great Soundtrack |
| Relayer | $11.99 | Tactical turn-based/Sci-fi setting/Space travel/Piloted Mecha/Female Protagonist/Anime art style |
| World of Final Fantasy | $9.99 | Turn-based/Crossover of Final Fantasy games/Monster CollectoChibi style |
| Secret of Mana | $19.99 | Action/Fantasy setting/3D Remake/Local Co-Op |
| SWORD ART ONLINE: Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition | $12.74 | Action/Living inside an MMO setting/Online Multiplayer support/Dating sim/Tiered Loot/Dungeon Crawlers/Boss Raids/Kill & Fetch Quests heavy |
| Valkyria Chronicles 4 Complete Edition | $12.49 | Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy Sci-fi World War setting/Tactical mixed with real-time elements/Sketch or "Canvas" art style/Build your Army with character customization/Mission based story progression/Army management |
| Shining Resonance Refrain | $5.99 | Action/Fantasy setting/Dragon transformation/Musical theme/Anime visual style/Social link mechanic |
| Fallen Legion: Flames of Rebellion | $2.99 | Active Timed Battle/Fantasy setting/Valkyrie Profile combat-like/Choices Matter |
| DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT | $14.99 | Action Fantasy/Semi-Open World (zones)/Anime story adaptation/Beautiful animations |
| ONE PIECE ODYSSEY PS4 & PS5 | $41.99 | Turn-based/Anime Adaptation |
~ Switch ~
| Game | Price/Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| Shadows of Adam | $7.49 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Retro Pixel Graphics |
| ŌKAMI HD | $9.99 | Action/Japanese Mythology Fantasy setting/Female Protagonist/Beautiful watercolor animations and art style |
| Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin | $19.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Monster CollectoOnline Co-op/Resource gathering & Crafting |
| Collection of Mana | $19.99 | Action/3 games in 1/Fantasy setting/Adventure |
| Trials of Mana | $24.99 | Action/Fantasy setting/Hack & Slash/Choose 3 out of 6 main characters/Class customization system/Expansive Skill Tree |
| Legend of Mana Remaster | $14.99 | Action/Fantasy setting/Beat'em up/World Building Mechanic/Open World/Beautifully Hand Drawn/Great Music/Resource gathering & Crafting |
| STAR OCEAN First Departure R | $8.39 | Action/Sci-fi mixed with Fantasy setting/Expansive crafting system/social link mechanic between the party members/multiple story routes |
| Final Fantasy VII | $7.99 | Active Time Battle/Sci-fi setting |
| CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION | $39.99 | Action/Sci-fi setting |
| Final Fantasy VII Remake | $29.99 | Action/Sci-fi setting |
| FINAL FANTASY VIII Remastered | $9.99 | Active Time Battle/Sci-fi setting |
| FINAL FANTASY IX | $10.49 | Active Time Battle/Medieval Fantasy setting |
| FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster | $24.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Expansive skill tree |
| Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age | $24.99 | Real-time strategy with pause/Fantasy setting/Expansive skill tree/Job (Class) system/Monster Hunting/Loot heavy |
| World of Final Fantasy MAXIMA | $15.99 | Turn-based/Crossover of Final Fantasy games/Monster CollectoChibi style |
| Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition | $11.99 | Action/High Fantasy setting/Heavily geared for Online MultiplayeCustom Character |
| I Am Setsuna | $15.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/World covered in Snow |
| Langrisser I & II | $17.49 | Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Remake of 2 games in 1 bundle/Fire Emblem-like/Multiple story routes and endings |
| ONINAKI | $19.99 | Action/Fantasy setting/Dungeon CrawleHack & Slash |
| CHRONO CROSS: THE RADICAL DREAMERS EDITION | $13.99 | Turn-based/Sci-fi Fantasy setting/Choices MatteMultiple Endings/2 Games in 1 bundle |
| NEO: The World Ends with You | $29.99 | Action/Modern Tokyo setting/Dark Fantasy/Death Game/Read people's minds/Psychic powers |
| The Alliance Alive HD Remastered | $17.49 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Expansive Skill Tree/Character customization |
| COLLECTION of SaGa FINAL FANTASY LEGEND | $11.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Character customization |
| Romancing SaGa 2 | $7.49 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Pixel Graphics/Choices MatteKingdom Building/Open World/Party changes with each new generation/Light on story Heavy on gameplay |
| Romancing SaGa 3 | $8.69 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Pixel Graphics/Choices MatteFantasy Adventure/Open World/8 Main Characters to choose 1 at the start/Light on story & Heavy on gameplay |
| SaGa Frontier Remastered | $14.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy + Sci-fi setting/Choice Matters/Open World/8 Characters to choose |
| SaGa SCARLET GRACE: AMBITIONS | $8.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Choice Matters/Open World/4 Characters to choose from/Complex and Challenging Combat system/Light on story Heavy on gameplay |
| DRAGON QUEST 1 | $3.24 | Turn-based/Medieval Fantasy setting/Great soundtrack/Pixel graphics |
| DRAGON QUEST II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line | $4.21 | Turn-based/Medieval Fantasy setting/Great soundtrack/Pixel graphics |
| DRAGON QUEST III: The Seeds of Salvation | $8.11 | Turn-based/Medieval Fantasy setting/Great soundtrack/Pixel graphics |
| DRAGON QUEST TREASURES | $35.99 | Action/Medieval fantasy setting/Monster collectotreasure hunting/Open-world |
| Ys IX: Monstrum Nox | $29.99 | Action/Medieval Fantasy setting/Hack & Slash/Fantastic Music/Smooth combat/Boss fight heavy/City Exploration |
| Earthlock | $5.98 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting |
| Poison Control | $4.99 | Action/Fantasy setting/Hell/Third-person shooteComedy/Dungeon crawleAnime visuals |
| The DioField Chronicle PS4 & PS5 | $29.99 | Real Time Strategy/Medieval fantasy setting/Military & WaClass mechanics |
| The Princess Guide | $4.99 | Action/Medieval Fantasy setting/Training a Princess/Tiered Loot/Anime Visuals |
| Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk | $19.99 | Turn-based/Dark Fantasy setting/Class customization system/Tiered loot/Dungeon Crawler |
| The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince | $9.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Hand Drawn Art/Stylistic |
| The Cruel King and the Great Heron | $16.49 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Hand Drawn Art/Stylistic |
| Tactics Ogre: Reborn | $34.99 | Tactical turn-based/Medieval fantasy/Choices MatteMultiple story routes/Class system/Dark/Politics/Remake of the SNES original |
| Dungeon Encounters | $14.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Dungeon CrawleCharacter Customization/Very light on Story |
| Lapis x Labyrinth | $9.99 | Action/Hack'n Slash/Class and Character creation & customization/Dungeon CrawleLooter |
| KINGDOM HEARTS INTEGRUM MASTERPIECE for Cloud | $44.99 | Action/Fantasy setting/Crossover of Disney and Square Enix characters |
| HARVESTELLA | $41.99 | Action/Fantasy setting/Farming SimulatoClass changing system/Resource gathering and Crafting |
| Jack Move | $13.99 | Turn-based/Cyberpunk setting/Female Protagonist/Pixel Graphics/Hacking |
| The Caligula Effect 2 | $29.99 | Turn-based unique combat/School Life setting/Persona-like/Great Soundtrack/Female and Male Protagonist choice |
| Saviors of Sapphire Wings / Stranger of Sword City Revisited | $29.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Anime Visuals/First-person Dungeon CrawleCharacter Customization/2 games in 1 pack |
| Coromon | $11.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Monster CollectoPixel Graphics/Pokemon-like |
| Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 1: [Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle Remastered] / [Soul Nomad & the World Eaters] | $29.99 | Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Demon World/Heavy Customization system/Expansive Class changing/2 games in 1 |
| Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 2: [Makai Kingdom: Reclaimed and Rebound] / [ZHP: Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman] | $29.99 | Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Demon World/Heavy Customization system/Expansive Class changing/2 games in 1 |
| Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 3: [La Pucelle: Ragnarok] / [Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure] | $29.99 | Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy setting/2 games in 1/Musical/Cute |
| Disgaea 1 Complete | $19.99 | Turn-based Tactical/Fantasy setting/Deep character customization/Comedy |
| Disgaea 4 Complete+ | $19.99 | Turn-based Tactical/Fantasy setting/Demon World/Heavy Customization system/Expansive Class changing |
| Disgaea 5: ALLIANCE OF VENGEANCE | $19.99 | Turn-based Tactical/Fantasy setting/Deep character customization/Comedy |
| The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero | $31.99 | Tactical turn-based/Fantasy setting/Great Soundtrack/Slow Start/Police Force/Story and World building heavy |
| The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III | $29.99 | Turn-based/Great Soundtrack/Fantasy High school life setting/Dating Sim/Story and Lore heavy/Military and War |
| The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV | $29.99 | Turn-based/Great Soundtrack/Fantasy High school life setting/Dating Sim/Story and Lore heavy/Military and War |
~ Xbox ~
| Game | Price/Link | Tags |
|---|---|---|
| South Park™: The Fractured but Whole™ | $14.99 | Tactical Turn-based/Modern Day setting/Comedy/Mature/Dark HumoNudity/Fart Jokes |
| Yakuza 0 | $4.99 | Action/Modern World setting/Organized Crime/Comedy heavy/Drama heavy/Mini-game Heavy/Beat'em up/Open World |
| Yakuza Kiwami (Remake of Yakuza 1) | $4.99 | Action/Modern World setting/Organized Crime/Comedy heavy/Drama heavy/Mini-game Heavy/Beat'em up/Open World |
| Yakuza Kiwami 2 (Remake of Yakuza 2) | $4.99 | Action/Modern World setting/Organized Crime/Comedy heavy/Drama heavy/Mini-game Heavy/Beat'em up/Open World |
| The Yakuza Remastered Collection (3/4/5) | $13.99 | Action/Modern World setting/Organized Crime/Comedy heavy/Drama heavy/Mini-game Heavy/Beat'em up/Open World |
| Yakuza 3 Remastered | $6.99 | Action/Modern World setting/Organized Crime/Comedy heavy/Drama heavy/Mini-game Heavy/Beat'em up/Open World |
| Yakuza 4 Remastered | $6.99 | Action/Modern World setting/Organized Crime/Comedy heavy/Drama heavy/Mini-game Heavy/Beat'em up/Open World |
| Yakuza 5 Remastered | $6.99 | Action/Modern World setting/Organized Crime/Comedy heavy/Drama heavy/Mini-game Heavy/Beat'em up/Open World |
| Yakuza 6: The Song of Life | $4.99 | Action/Modern World setting/Organized Crime/Comedy heavy/Drama heavy/Mini-game Heavy/Beat'em up/Open World |
| Yakuza: Like a Dragon Hero Edition | $20.99 | Turn-based/Contemporary Japan setting/Yakuza life/Open World/Heavy on Drama and Comedy/Heavy on Mini-games/Class Changing Mechanics |
| Valkyria Revolution | $5.99 | Action/Fantasy World WaMilitary setting/Mission based Gameplay |
| Valkyria Chronicles 4 | $5.99 | Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy Sci-fi World War setting/Tactical mixed with real-time elements/Sketch or "Canvas" art style/Build your Army with character customization/Mission based story progression/Army management |
| Persona 3 Portable & Persona 4 Golden Bundle | $29.61 | Turn-based/Modern Japan setting/Highschool life simulatoMystery/Monster collectoSocial link system/Great soundtrack |
| Persona 5 Royal | $41.99 | Turn-based/Modern Japan setting/Highschool life simulatoMystery/Monster collectoSocial link system/Great soundtrack |
| Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch™ Remastered | $29.99 | Action/Medieval Fantasy setting/Isekai/Monster CollectoBeautiful art style by Studio Ghibli/Beautiful soundtrack/Fairy tale story |
| Monster Sanctuary | $6.99 | Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Monster CollectoMetroidvania/Pixel Graphics/Expansive Skill Tree/Character customization |
| Ni no Kuni™ II: Revenant Kingdom - The Prince's Edition | $59.99 | Action/Fantasy setting/Isekai/Base BuildeArmy Battle/Character CollectoBeautiful art style |
| Soul Hackers 2 | $29.99 | Turn-based/Cyberpunk setting/Monster collectoFemale Protagonist |
| DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT Legendary Edition | $59.99 | Action Fantasy/Semi-Open World (zones)/Anime story adaptation/Beautiful animations |
| Scarlet Nexus Deluxe Edition | $19.99 | Action/Post-apocalyptic Sci-fi setting/Choose between 2 Main Characters/Psychic powers/Using environmental objects as weapons |
| Tales of Arise Deluxe Edition | $29.74 | Action/Fantasy setting/Anime style/Revolution Story/Fantasy setting/anime trope heavy/Social links mechanic between party members |
~ Steam ~
There is a spring Sale going on, so there is a separate thread to cover this sale, link here:
https://www.reddit.com/JRPG/comments/11t7fgw/steam_spring_big_sale_2023_breakdown_listguide_of/~ General Recommendations For Anyone Who Can't Decide ~
First off, I won't recommend big or famous games like Final Fantasy or Persona, this is more for lesser know, hidden gems, or just games where it's hard to find someone talking about them.
[Monster Sanctuary]
This is a solid game, everything in is polished and balanced to make sure you are having fun collecting new monsters and customizing your team through evolution/skill trees/gear and making the best in-sync party you can. Then you add the beautiful pixel art and animation, the challenging, yet not frustrating, platforming, and how the game makes sure you're getting a steady flow of new monsters, gear, and skills as you go through the game from start to finish, and you have a true gem.If that wasn't enough, they released a free DLC that adds a lot more content and and a whole new zone that is bigger than any zone the game had, and it updates old ones, and adds new mods like a true randomizer and and built-in nuzlocke mode. All of that for less than $7 ? It's a crime not to get it at this point
[Tales series]
You can't go wrong with any of these, I personally would say start with Symphonia for the classic epic fantasy adventure with all the usual classic JRPG tropes. Or go for Berseria for a dark revenge story with a ragtag scallywag group of misfits grouped by fate type of deal. You can start with Vesperia if you want a main character with a chill personality and his companion is pipe smoking dog with. There is also the newly released and critically acclaimed Tales of Arise that comes with a free demo you can try before buying.No matter which game you choose, this is a solid series if you want action combat, an anime shounen adventure story, with lots of party banter, side-quests, and post-game content.
[Ni no Kuni] Series
If you're looking for that great Isekai fantasy adventure feel, then these two games are where it's at. Fantastic visuals and great music, coupled with a great art style, a combo that is perfect for a chill and relaxed gaming experience. Especially when talking about the first game, with the help ofStudio Ghibli, they managed to make a truly whimsical world with that Studio Ghibli classic touch.- Important Note: The games aren't connected story-wise, so you can start with any of them -
[Wrath of the White Witch]
For a the best fantasy adventure feel, while the combat is a hit or miss depending on your taste, don't let that stop you from actually diving into a true fairy tale world, this is the one with the better story in my opinion, so if you want more story than game, this is for you. Still it has a good share of gameplay, from raising and collecting Pokemon-like monsters, to learning and using different spells, not just in combat but for the overworld too.[Ni no Kuni™ II: Revenant Kingdom]
This one focuses more on gameplay, with a Kingdom builder, Army battles, Heavy loot focus, and even character collector, this is the one to go with if you want more game than story. Still has the great music and he fantastical art style and setting. Add to that a lot of side activities like beating rare monsters, collecting cute creatures to help you in battle, and even going around the world to gather people to help you build your kingdom. You'll never be short on things to do.Finally, both of them have beautifully draw world that is just a pleasure to walkthrough, made even better with the amazing orchestral soundtrack.
[SaGa series]
Both amazing games for the SaGa series, but for newcomers, it's better to start with RS3, it's closer to how classic turn-based JRPG functions while still retaining what makes a SaGa game. If you found Scarlet Grace to be too challenging for an entry title, then go with RS3. RS2 isn't a bad entry point but it's way less forgiving which may turn some people off the series.[Romancing SaGa 2]
You played the part of an emperor, where make choices on what to build/upgrade and what weapons and armors to research. You expand your kingdom by freeing nearby cities and towns from the different evil oppressors (Evil Heroes). The more you expand your kingdom the more world you can explore, and the more classes, races, formations, gear, and quests that will be available to you.[Romancing SaGa 3]
You choose 1 out of 8 characters (4 male/4 female), and play through their own special scenario. After finishing the short prologue, the whole world is open to you to explore and adventure through. Choices drive everything in this game, as is the usual for the series, that even side-quests will have different endings depending on how you choose to tackle or finish them. Find and battle the 4 Sinistrals, join world tournaments, recruit many of the unique characters around the world to your party, from a Wandering Warrior, to A sentient Snowman. Fighting army battles, and play the market stock mini-game. Collect the legendary weapons, unlock power magic, and carve your own legend.Both games are remastered to have beautifully made pixel art, which is so good that they are alone worth the price of admission.
[SaGa Frontier Remastered]
Where to start with this one, while the 3D character models have aged badly, everything is remastered and looks great. with 8 characters to choose from and play through each of their stories, you'll always have something to do. Not to mention the long list of side-quests and dungeons to explore at your own will. Then you add one of the best soundtracks in the series by Kenji Ito and one of the best open-world universes you can have in a JRPG, where you can travel from world to world, from ancient Japan to a Fantastical world mystics and magic, to the inter-galactic port for spaceships from all around the universe. It's a game any JRPG fans should experience at least once.[SaGa Scarlet Grace: Ambitions]
You heard a lot about the series, but you never knew where to start ? well wonder no more. Scarlet Grace is one of the best entry titles to the SaGa series.Everything is tutorialized, a long list of tips and strategies that will be given to you from the start to even the very late parts of the game, to make sure you are prepared for everything the game throws on you. Then you add that it has one of the best and most challenging turn-based combat systems out there, if you ever thought turn-based combat in JRPGs is too easy, this will change your mind as it what can be done with it. Add to that a fantastic soundtrack, and open-world with tons of quests and events to take part, and 4 Main Characters to choose each with their own story and characters to recruit, and you'll find this is a great pick.
[Valkyria Chronicles]
[Valkyria Chronicles 4]
This one is really hard to explain through words alone, but just in case, the VC series is a World War 2 military setting story, where you act as the lead of a squad and take mission to drive back the enemy. The story is drama heavy and the gameplay is tactical turn-based, but it's mixed with real-time third person shooter.You can also make your own army by recruiting different types of solders, training them and upgrading their gear. From rifles to tanks, this is a game you have to experience to understand.
[Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin]
Wither you're a fan of the Monster Hunter series, monster collection games, or just someone who likes/loves a good and challenging turn-based combat game. Then this is a match made in heaven for you. A great game with lots of exploration, hunting, resource gathering, crafting new Cool looking weapons and armor from monster materials, capturing and fighting with monsters together, and then add being able to play with friends online and you have a really great game on your hand. The animations are great, the monsters are unique and each comes with different attacks and skills both in and outside of battle.A real gem if you are a fan of any of the above, and has content to keep you playing for days if not weeks.
[ Dark Cloud 1 & 2 / Rogue Galaxy / Wild Arms 3 / Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits ]
These are all great PS2 JRPG ports that are sold for less than $8, and all of them are a steal at that price:- Dark Cloud 1 & 2: Amazing series, with a focus on crafting and building your town. An easy pick and a classic.
- Rogue Galaxy: Another great game, where you play as a space pirate, and a monster hunter.
- Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits: A very fun game in the Arc the Lad series, and don't worry, it's not related to any of the previous games, so you don't need any previous knowledge. You play the game from two different perspectives of the humans and demons.
- Wild Arms 3: One of the best titles in an already amazing series. Famous for it's charming Wild west setting and interesting characters, and heavy with some of the most challenging puzzles you'll ever find in a JRPG.
As always, please do add your own recommendations, and let me know if there is mistake or if something was missing, and have a nice day.
2023.03.21 22:37 BeanOfficially My cousin just convinced me to watch the first episode, and I wanted to share my reaction. I'm so glad I was wrong about this show!
I am a huge urban-fantasy fan, but there's precious little of it out there that meets my standards. The combination of the mundanely familiar mixed with fantastical and impossible is my favorite genre, especially if it's in the monster of the week format. I've enjoyed classics of the genre, from Narnia to Dresden Files to Stranger Things to Goonies, and the list goes on (though not much longer. For example, I enjoyed but couldn't finish Lockwood and co.)
Oh, and I should probably note: SPOILER WARNING, and also SCROLL WARNING. This is long.
Ever since I heard of supernatural, I'd assumed it was bad. In my mind, it was a darkly lit, broody, shallow show about two highly attractive actors doing things the writers thought "sounded cool" to impress an audience of screaming fan-girls.
This was based on a couple of google searches, while I scoured the internet for intelligent and well written urban fantasy. I read part of a plot summary once, and it said basically "This brother died, then came back, but the other brother died, and then when he came back the first one died now," and I was like "this seems contrived, and kinda boring," Secondly, this show was produced by CW, which has developed a reputation for the kind of writing in their shows. Lastly, it was apparently "very gay" which, while admirable, isn't my taste.
This was an incomplete understanding. A friend of mine said I was good at dissecting media, so here goes. I'm going from memory, so there might be a few errors. It was 12 hours ago.
The first episode opens by establishing character motivations by showing us the inciting incident, and then cuts to the future so we can see how that has effected our characters. We are then treated to both eye and soul candy as one of the brothers is in a wholesome relationship with his girlfriend. This is not something I was expecting, since it will help to create contrast with the darker things happening in the show, making them appear even darker by comparison, and lures the audience into getting invested with these characters. The acting was amateur, but not bad. Kinda reminded me of Buffy, which is a show I adore (Especially the first 4 seasons).
After that, we are interrupted by Brother 2. I do not remember which is Dean and which is Sam, so for the sake of not annoying a lot of people brother 1 is the younger brother who looks like Luke Skywalker, loves the idea of living a normal life, and has resigned himself that there is nothing to be done about the supernatural. brother 2 is older, loves the idea of hunting monsters, and holds out hope. This contrast is layered on with brother 1, the resigned one, being overall more hopeful about the future, while brother 2 is more grim, and puts on a "tough guy" facade (or maybe that was just the acting).
The plot itself was tightly written, and it obeyed the laws of physics and magic it established. I know that might sound like a low bar, especially considering it was a pilot episode, but you'd be surprised how often Hollywood writers mess up obvious physics for no reason. " I mean, it's a supernatural show, so it already doesn't make any sense because magic, so who's gunna notice," BUT I DO, because without physics being consistent, you can't have an understanding of what's going to happen, and it makes it damn hard to have stakes. The physics of earth are right there, and easy to research. For example, I appreciate how the windows explode at the beginning due to a sudden burst of heat. That is both "logical physics" and a cool visual. Sometimes physics go out the window in favor of a cool scene, like shooting out the tires of a car, but doing that shouldn't cause the car to start flipping end over end, unless you don't want to be taken seriously.
This is a good sign moving forward, along with the depth of character that was established in the first scene the brothers meet. So far I've seen Efficient Writing, with scenes accomplishing multiple things at the the same time, and Good Writing, where we've been introduced to people we like, who want to do something, and don't want to do some other thing. I know that's vague, but it's my baseline.
Brother 2 asks Brother 1 to help save their dad, brother 1 is like "Oh, I'm sure he's fiiiiine," and brother 2 is like "there's a chance he isn't, Are you coming?" and brother 1 says "ok, but I have to be back by for an interview," which established a time limit. Brother 2 scoffs at the idea, but doesn't push back very hard because it's what his brother wants. Brother 2 couldn't imagine living like that, getting a job, trying to live a normal life after what happened to their mother, with the whole "being sucked into the ceiling by fire or maybe burned alive" thing. The best part is that the interview immediately creates a looming clock, which will cause conflict if it's not met. If the brothers get stuck out there, brother 1 will miss his interview, and that will be a conflict in their relationship. Neither of them want that.
They hit the road, but what the audience is shown isn't a road trip scene. It's the monster. And we aren't shown it. The first we "see" of the monster is the two bro's analyzing a voicemail from Dad, in which the message is "encoded," or something. I couldn't really hear, since I was whispering back and forth to my cousin the whole time these scene was taking place. I think they said it was on a different frequency or something. Regardless, we hear the words "will you take me home?" coming from an unnerving female voice.
THEN we see the monster. She glitches out of the woods, gets into a random young man's car, and has boobs. My first thought was "why isn't he running, she's acting really odd," but then boobs. But, as my cousin pointed out, he could just think she was a drunk woman on a walk home, who wanted a ride. The fact that they move the camera to show that "she isn't actually in the car" enforces the idea of her being a ghost, without anyone saying it. And we aren't given enough information to know why she's killing people, like it doesn't seem Malicious but it doesn't seem Innocent either. We don't even get to see how he dies, since the camera cuts away before a spray of blood splatters the windows. My cousin said this was for "budget reasons" but I think it's a good writing technique. As a rule of thumb, don't show your monsters abilities right away. Figure them out if you need to, but simply show the results of their actions. Then the audience knows what they saw happen, but they don't know exactly what they were looking at. Stranger Things does this a lot in Season 1. There is an explanation, but we don't get to have that right now, so our mind wanders into dark imaginings. How did she kill him? I guess we'll find out if it's relevant, otherwise it's unnecessary information that degrades of mystery factor of the monster.
Ok, so the two get to town, and I don't remember exactly what happened next. They visit the crime scene, posing as US Marshals with fake ID's. Brother 1 acts like he's not a US Marshal, brother 2 acts like he knows everything, and they get a little bit of information. The cops don't suspect anything supernatural could have caused this. They then go to their dad's apartment, which includes this shot where one of them is standing outside, and the other reaches out a hand and yanks him into the apartment. That kind of creative touch added to my enjoyment of the show, creating a little levity, showing their relationship, and stylizing the show. It's those little details that build up to create a mountain, and part of the reason I'm looking forward to watching episode 2.
Plotwise, the cops show up, arrest brother 2, ask him about all the weird stuff in their dad's apartment (I just realized it was actually a hotel room), and very importantly: The cop tells him him and his dad are a suspect in the case. Why? well, from a meta-writing perspective, you want to amp up the stakes and make the cops a human antagonist. Especially since from brother's 2's perspective, they are. The law is just another thing to get in the way of fighting and uncovering supernatural stuff. But in world, why would the cops suspect a random pair of shifty young men who had a hotel room full of strange occult stuff, and a bunch of pictures of women in a white dress. Well, because that is suspicious. It's not something that's easily understood or explained, and akum's razor indicates they are probably just psycho's going around and creating ghost stories for some arcane reason in their madness. Criminals be crazy. But also, brother 2 is acting antagonistic, was using a false name, fake credit cards, and refuses to elaborate or explain anything. He's already a criminal, so the jump to crazy criminal isn't far.
There is a thing that pulls the cops away, so he handcuff's brother 2 to the desk, and leaves after demanding an answer to a large cryptic note. It was clearly written recently. There are still cops around, and he's handcuffed to the desk. It's convincing, if not entirely realistic for the cop to be this relaxed, especially since he's not a proven "dangerous criminal" just a proven fraudster. But, this slightly unrealistic thing is used to enable something awesome. Brother 2 reaches over and opens the notebook. He grabs a paperclip, and we see him holding it. This is "subtle" writing, since we never actually see him picking the lock, but it's not subtle because everyone knows what he's about to do without being told or shown it. It's engaging, builds his list of skills, and his disdain/deference for the law. Efficient Storytelling baby!
I would like to note that there is a part earlier with Inefficient Storytelling, but it's excusable because it was both too subtle and too on the nose. When Dean and Sam first go outside to brother 2's car, he opens a compartment to reveal a bunch of weapons. The modern audience is aware of what the show is "vaguely about" and the presence of the weapons tells us he uses them. Brother 1 then says the line "we were trained to be warriors," which felt off because both people knew this information. It comes off as awkward, and inn inn-efficient. We already knew this! They already knew this! Why is it here?!?! WELL, it's because this is a pilot to a show with no future. Nobody knew it would take off. Nobody's knows if the general audience is going to pick that up from the way they've been speaking to eachother, or the oodles of weapons. A lot of people turn their brains off when they watch T.V, and they don't want to have to work to pick up essential information. "We were trained to be warriors" also fills in the time gap some, shows their relationship with their father by the way he says it, hardens the differences between the characters "one turned away to become normal, and the other accelerated to become a hunter, to the point where he's getting permission to go on solo missions,"
Interesting Trivia: At this point I took a pause to get a drink of water, and scrolled back up. I think I'm probably either 1/2 through or 1/4 of the way through the post.
So far, the plot has led from action to reaction to action smooth as silk, with nuggets of interest building up along the way. There are several questions hanging over the characters, pushing them forward. If I remember correctly, this is when brother 1 goes to the old man, and accuses him of infidelity. His reaction is an answer, and brother 1 runs into the ghost. I really don't remember the order of events after this, but basically what happened was: brother 1 is driven to the ghosts house, she starts to seduce him, he flat out refuses so she transforms, sticks her fingers into his chest, and does "the big suck" with her fingertips. Brother 2 shows up and shoots out the windows of the car to distract the ghost, which gives brother 1 enough time to hit the gas and ram the car through the side of the house. This allows the ghost to reunite with her children, and (after the only special effects I disliked. They were horrendous) she is at peace. There is a small sense of finality on one of the big questions: "what's going to happen with the ghost?" but we still have "what's going to happen with their dad, what did happen to him, etc" and "what's going to happen with the Interview?"
So brother 2 tries to tempt brother 1 into coming with him to find Dad, but brother 1 wants to go home. There's a bit of adorable banter, and then brother 1 is home. Here's where the show surprised me. I was expecting stuff and this point, trying to predict what would happen next. Logically, and heartbreakingly, brother 1 has to go with brother 2. I mean, that's the whole point of the show. But how to do it? As a writer, you have to break the character's underlying motivation for staying. You have to disprove brother 1's philosophy that "a normal life is possible" but how? Well, the episode was already about infidelity... well, not exactly. It featured infidelity of a husband, and brother 1 did the interviewing of that guy. AND there's are sounds in the apartment when brother 1 enters it. Something is going on upstairs. So, I assumed brother 1 would go upstairs, find his lover cheating on him (despite there being no foreshadowing for this, and in fact she shut down brother 2's advances), and realize that a normal life wasn't possible because he can't trust girls, or something. BUT IT'S SO MUCH WORSE... uh, I mean better.
Brother 1 goes upstairs to find the bedroom empty, despite the sound. He then finds his wife stuck to the ceiling, and the audience knows exactly what comes next because we saw it all in the beginning. Every step, from the fire to the stunned expression, to the pain, to brother 2 dragging brother 1 out of the burning apartment. This is so perfect!
For all he knows, She loved him to Last. Brother 1 has no hope for a normal life anymore because he is to become his father, a man who's wife was murdered by magnetic ceiling fire. Why? We'll find out at some point. But this is so good!!! The brother who is least like the father now has a massive parallel with him. He can no longer believe that it's possible to live a normal life and ignore the supernatural. He has a responsibility to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen to normal people. And!!! this puts him in contrast with his brother, who has already been shown to be a "heyyy girl," type of guy. Brother 1 will likely have trouble with another girl, as his lover loved him to the last. Perhaps he should have told her more, enough to be prepared. Perhaps there was something he could have done...
Those are my thoughts. I loved it, the characters are deep and developed while fitting into the familiar archetypes of Lumberjack and Homemaker, and I'd really like to talk about my cousins "New paper nitpick" but I don't have time. I'll be back to read comments. Ideally don't spoil anything too big for me, but I don't mind. This show looks awesome, and I look forward to watching it all throughout the rest of my life.
submitted by BeanOfficially to Supernatural [link] [comments]
Oh, and I should probably note: SPOILER WARNING, and also SCROLL WARNING. This is long.
Ever since I heard of supernatural, I'd assumed it was bad. In my mind, it was a darkly lit, broody, shallow show about two highly attractive actors doing things the writers thought "sounded cool" to impress an audience of screaming fan-girls.
This was based on a couple of google searches, while I scoured the internet for intelligent and well written urban fantasy. I read part of a plot summary once, and it said basically "This brother died, then came back, but the other brother died, and then when he came back the first one died now," and I was like "this seems contrived, and kinda boring," Secondly, this show was produced by CW, which has developed a reputation for the kind of writing in their shows. Lastly, it was apparently "very gay" which, while admirable, isn't my taste.
This was an incomplete understanding. A friend of mine said I was good at dissecting media, so here goes. I'm going from memory, so there might be a few errors. It was 12 hours ago.
The first episode opens by establishing character motivations by showing us the inciting incident, and then cuts to the future so we can see how that has effected our characters. We are then treated to both eye and soul candy as one of the brothers is in a wholesome relationship with his girlfriend. This is not something I was expecting, since it will help to create contrast with the darker things happening in the show, making them appear even darker by comparison, and lures the audience into getting invested with these characters. The acting was amateur, but not bad. Kinda reminded me of Buffy, which is a show I adore (Especially the first 4 seasons).
After that, we are interrupted by Brother 2. I do not remember which is Dean and which is Sam, so for the sake of not annoying a lot of people brother 1 is the younger brother who looks like Luke Skywalker, loves the idea of living a normal life, and has resigned himself that there is nothing to be done about the supernatural. brother 2 is older, loves the idea of hunting monsters, and holds out hope. This contrast is layered on with brother 1, the resigned one, being overall more hopeful about the future, while brother 2 is more grim, and puts on a "tough guy" facade (or maybe that was just the acting).
The plot itself was tightly written, and it obeyed the laws of physics and magic it established. I know that might sound like a low bar, especially considering it was a pilot episode, but you'd be surprised how often Hollywood writers mess up obvious physics for no reason. " I mean, it's a supernatural show, so it already doesn't make any sense because magic, so who's gunna notice," BUT I DO, because without physics being consistent, you can't have an understanding of what's going to happen, and it makes it damn hard to have stakes. The physics of earth are right there, and easy to research. For example, I appreciate how the windows explode at the beginning due to a sudden burst of heat. That is both "logical physics" and a cool visual. Sometimes physics go out the window in favor of a cool scene, like shooting out the tires of a car, but doing that shouldn't cause the car to start flipping end over end, unless you don't want to be taken seriously.
This is a good sign moving forward, along with the depth of character that was established in the first scene the brothers meet. So far I've seen Efficient Writing, with scenes accomplishing multiple things at the the same time, and Good Writing, where we've been introduced to people we like, who want to do something, and don't want to do some other thing. I know that's vague, but it's my baseline.
Brother 2 asks Brother 1 to help save their dad, brother 1 is like "Oh, I'm sure he's fiiiiine," and brother 2 is like "there's a chance he isn't, Are you coming?" and brother 1 says "ok, but I have to be back by for an interview," which established a time limit. Brother 2 scoffs at the idea, but doesn't push back very hard because it's what his brother wants. Brother 2 couldn't imagine living like that, getting a job, trying to live a normal life after what happened to their mother, with the whole "being sucked into the ceiling by fire or maybe burned alive" thing. The best part is that the interview immediately creates a looming clock, which will cause conflict if it's not met. If the brothers get stuck out there, brother 1 will miss his interview, and that will be a conflict in their relationship. Neither of them want that.
They hit the road, but what the audience is shown isn't a road trip scene. It's the monster. And we aren't shown it. The first we "see" of the monster is the two bro's analyzing a voicemail from Dad, in which the message is "encoded," or something. I couldn't really hear, since I was whispering back and forth to my cousin the whole time these scene was taking place. I think they said it was on a different frequency or something. Regardless, we hear the words "will you take me home?" coming from an unnerving female voice.
THEN we see the monster. She glitches out of the woods, gets into a random young man's car, and has boobs. My first thought was "why isn't he running, she's acting really odd," but then boobs. But, as my cousin pointed out, he could just think she was a drunk woman on a walk home, who wanted a ride. The fact that they move the camera to show that "she isn't actually in the car" enforces the idea of her being a ghost, without anyone saying it. And we aren't given enough information to know why she's killing people, like it doesn't seem Malicious but it doesn't seem Innocent either. We don't even get to see how he dies, since the camera cuts away before a spray of blood splatters the windows. My cousin said this was for "budget reasons" but I think it's a good writing technique. As a rule of thumb, don't show your monsters abilities right away. Figure them out if you need to, but simply show the results of their actions. Then the audience knows what they saw happen, but they don't know exactly what they were looking at. Stranger Things does this a lot in Season 1. There is an explanation, but we don't get to have that right now, so our mind wanders into dark imaginings. How did she kill him? I guess we'll find out if it's relevant, otherwise it's unnecessary information that degrades of mystery factor of the monster.
Ok, so the two get to town, and I don't remember exactly what happened next. They visit the crime scene, posing as US Marshals with fake ID's. Brother 1 acts like he's not a US Marshal, brother 2 acts like he knows everything, and they get a little bit of information. The cops don't suspect anything supernatural could have caused this. They then go to their dad's apartment, which includes this shot where one of them is standing outside, and the other reaches out a hand and yanks him into the apartment. That kind of creative touch added to my enjoyment of the show, creating a little levity, showing their relationship, and stylizing the show. It's those little details that build up to create a mountain, and part of the reason I'm looking forward to watching episode 2.
Plotwise, the cops show up, arrest brother 2, ask him about all the weird stuff in their dad's apartment (I just realized it was actually a hotel room), and very importantly: The cop tells him him and his dad are a suspect in the case. Why? well, from a meta-writing perspective, you want to amp up the stakes and make the cops a human antagonist. Especially since from brother's 2's perspective, they are. The law is just another thing to get in the way of fighting and uncovering supernatural stuff. But in world, why would the cops suspect a random pair of shifty young men who had a hotel room full of strange occult stuff, and a bunch of pictures of women in a white dress. Well, because that is suspicious. It's not something that's easily understood or explained, and akum's razor indicates they are probably just psycho's going around and creating ghost stories for some arcane reason in their madness. Criminals be crazy. But also, brother 2 is acting antagonistic, was using a false name, fake credit cards, and refuses to elaborate or explain anything. He's already a criminal, so the jump to crazy criminal isn't far.
There is a thing that pulls the cops away, so he handcuff's brother 2 to the desk, and leaves after demanding an answer to a large cryptic note. It was clearly written recently. There are still cops around, and he's handcuffed to the desk. It's convincing, if not entirely realistic for the cop to be this relaxed, especially since he's not a proven "dangerous criminal" just a proven fraudster. But, this slightly unrealistic thing is used to enable something awesome. Brother 2 reaches over and opens the notebook. He grabs a paperclip, and we see him holding it. This is "subtle" writing, since we never actually see him picking the lock, but it's not subtle because everyone knows what he's about to do without being told or shown it. It's engaging, builds his list of skills, and his disdain/deference for the law. Efficient Storytelling baby!
I would like to note that there is a part earlier with Inefficient Storytelling, but it's excusable because it was both too subtle and too on the nose. When Dean and Sam first go outside to brother 2's car, he opens a compartment to reveal a bunch of weapons. The modern audience is aware of what the show is "vaguely about" and the presence of the weapons tells us he uses them. Brother 1 then says the line "we were trained to be warriors," which felt off because both people knew this information. It comes off as awkward, and inn inn-efficient. We already knew this! They already knew this! Why is it here?!?! WELL, it's because this is a pilot to a show with no future. Nobody knew it would take off. Nobody's knows if the general audience is going to pick that up from the way they've been speaking to eachother, or the oodles of weapons. A lot of people turn their brains off when they watch T.V, and they don't want to have to work to pick up essential information. "We were trained to be warriors" also fills in the time gap some, shows their relationship with their father by the way he says it, hardens the differences between the characters "one turned away to become normal, and the other accelerated to become a hunter, to the point where he's getting permission to go on solo missions,"
Interesting Trivia: At this point I took a pause to get a drink of water, and scrolled back up. I think I'm probably either 1/2 through or 1/4 of the way through the post.
So far, the plot has led from action to reaction to action smooth as silk, with nuggets of interest building up along the way. There are several questions hanging over the characters, pushing them forward. If I remember correctly, this is when brother 1 goes to the old man, and accuses him of infidelity. His reaction is an answer, and brother 1 runs into the ghost. I really don't remember the order of events after this, but basically what happened was: brother 1 is driven to the ghosts house, she starts to seduce him, he flat out refuses so she transforms, sticks her fingers into his chest, and does "the big suck" with her fingertips. Brother 2 shows up and shoots out the windows of the car to distract the ghost, which gives brother 1 enough time to hit the gas and ram the car through the side of the house. This allows the ghost to reunite with her children, and (after the only special effects I disliked. They were horrendous) she is at peace. There is a small sense of finality on one of the big questions: "what's going to happen with the ghost?" but we still have "what's going to happen with their dad, what did happen to him, etc" and "what's going to happen with the Interview?"
So brother 2 tries to tempt brother 1 into coming with him to find Dad, but brother 1 wants to go home. There's a bit of adorable banter, and then brother 1 is home. Here's where the show surprised me. I was expecting stuff and this point, trying to predict what would happen next. Logically, and heartbreakingly, brother 1 has to go with brother 2. I mean, that's the whole point of the show. But how to do it? As a writer, you have to break the character's underlying motivation for staying. You have to disprove brother 1's philosophy that "a normal life is possible" but how? Well, the episode was already about infidelity... well, not exactly. It featured infidelity of a husband, and brother 1 did the interviewing of that guy. AND there's are sounds in the apartment when brother 1 enters it. Something is going on upstairs. So, I assumed brother 1 would go upstairs, find his lover cheating on him (despite there being no foreshadowing for this, and in fact she shut down brother 2's advances), and realize that a normal life wasn't possible because he can't trust girls, or something. BUT IT'S SO MUCH WORSE... uh, I mean better.
Brother 1 goes upstairs to find the bedroom empty, despite the sound. He then finds his wife stuck to the ceiling, and the audience knows exactly what comes next because we saw it all in the beginning. Every step, from the fire to the stunned expression, to the pain, to brother 2 dragging brother 1 out of the burning apartment. This is so perfect!
For all he knows, She loved him to Last. Brother 1 has no hope for a normal life anymore because he is to become his father, a man who's wife was murdered by magnetic ceiling fire. Why? We'll find out at some point. But this is so good!!! The brother who is least like the father now has a massive parallel with him. He can no longer believe that it's possible to live a normal life and ignore the supernatural. He has a responsibility to make sure this kind of thing doesn't happen to normal people. And!!! this puts him in contrast with his brother, who has already been shown to be a "heyyy girl," type of guy. Brother 1 will likely have trouble with another girl, as his lover loved him to the last. Perhaps he should have told her more, enough to be prepared. Perhaps there was something he could have done...
Those are my thoughts. I loved it, the characters are deep and developed while fitting into the familiar archetypes of Lumberjack and Homemaker, and I'd really like to talk about my cousins "New paper nitpick" but I don't have time. I'll be back to read comments. Ideally don't spoil anything too big for me, but I don't mind. This show looks awesome, and I look forward to watching it all throughout the rest of my life.
2023.03.21 21:27 niles_deerqueer LONER - Caroline Rose’s Beginning: Out of the Woods and Into the City by Niles Hollowthorn
Welcome to my review trilogy for Caroline Rose’s LONER, Superstar, and their new record, The Art of Forgetting. This is a really special write-up for me, though I’d like to assure you of something before I begin: Numbers don’t matter here. When it comes to commercial success by a reviewer, sure, the public will look at numbers before they decide to spend their ever-draining time on an album, but ahead of The Art of Forgetting’s release, this small review series is about feelings, as much of the new album is. I won’t rate any of these songs or albums on a scale.
To understand just how much of a surprise LONER is, we need to go back to the two albums before, 2012’s American Religious and 2014’s I Will Not Be Afraid. If you hopped onto the scarlet Caroline Rose train with LONER, you might be surprised to hear that their previous records were not Alternative Rock albums, but rather Country/Americana affairs that hold up in their own right. However, as Caroline has said, those two records feel like a completely different person, and LONER is where they truly began to find themself and their sound. One of pop rock fun that will get you up on your feet and maybe could even get your party grooving (Jeannie Becomes a Mom is always a great choice for getting partygoers spinning with their half-filled red solo cups which they’ll inevitably crush and throw on the floor during the chorus so they can jam out with their whole bodies).
My experience with LONER goes back to before Superstar was released, but that’s far as I can tell you. When you listen to a special album that inevitably becomes one of your favorites, your mind is supposed to take a snapshot of that span of time where you’re listening to something great and you have that moment where you stop, blink, and think to yourself, “Hold on a second, this rocks!”, then proceed to be astounded by every forthcoming track. No, I don’t remember the time or even the day when I first heard LONER, but I know it hasn’t left me. I will say one thing, though, our relationship isn’t complicated. There were no repeated listens required to know that I loved the album. That being said, instead of naming only a few songs, I’d like to take a plunge into this record fully and put you in a submarine in an ocean of sounds.
We start with the iconic album cover. Caroline stands in a red tracksuit and crimson sweatband, with an entire pack’s worth of cigarettes shoved into their mouth, blackened tips from the warm flame of the rose-colored lighter they are holding. They look like they have just come from the gym, a red sweat rag wrapped around their shoulders as if they had just finished running and stopped for an extreme smoke break (Don’t try this at home!). Our titular loner is cast against a white background which emphasizes the single person in the shot. Their eyes are far away and despondent, as if they are trying to escape their thoughts. The red colors against the white help everything to pop out at the listener and intrigue them to find out what music waits inside. How can you not want to hear an album with a cover this iconic?
Fun fact, LONER’s track order used to be something completely different, along with the art, but Caroline was forced to change it by suits and it’s still a choice they regret to this day. However, I’ll be looking at the tracklist as it is. Let’s dive into LONER and see what it has in store for us, shall we?
More Of The Same - The album opens with atmospheric notes before the iconic LONER synth comes in to create the backdrop of the song. By the time the percussion comes in, my body’s already moving along with the groove Caroline is carrying us along in. I’d like to note that this song has one of my favorite choruses from Caroline, and if this was your first album by them, you’d notice that they have a knack for writing incredible choruses. As for the meaning, I feel we really get introduced to our loner here, as they describe a rather dissociative state from the rest of society, realizing the cycle they are caught in while everything keeps moving around them. It’s a cynical but fantastic opener.
Cry! - The bassline of this song is incredible! As well as the very unusual drum pattern they use in the verses. During the chorus, the guitar strums beautifully, bringing a smile to my face every time. And what about that chorus? It has its own basic chorus structure, followed by multiple instances of “Cry!” from Caroline, but that’s where they use their vocals to great effect to keep you on your toes, not knowing what note comes next. In the middle of the song, when they give us that quiet moment of levity is maybe my favorite part of Cry!, as it’s so unexpected, and that’s why it’s so great. Caroline is a master of surprise. Interestingly enough, it seems this tackles similar themes to Superstar, as it’s about a staperson who experiences how tough being populafamous really is. What can I say except that this rocks?
Money - Damn, Caroline! Opening with another sick riff and showing off your skills! Question: Have you ever played someone this song before? I’ve played this for people many times and there are always two reactions I’m usually guaranteed to get. During the first chorus, people laugh at Caroline’s comedy, which is another thing they excel at, and then in the bridge, people are always weirded out by the…interesting noises coming from the singer. I like that Caroline doesn’t hold back though, for sure. Quirks like that are what separate LONER from other Alt-Rock albums out there. The song is a cunning remark on capitalism, saying it plain and simple: These days, it all comes down to money. Everything in our society circles back to it, and it’s really dumb.
Jeannie Becomes a Mom - Proof that a simple melody is all you need to make an effective song. The lifeblood of this song is that iconic synth, and without it, this track wouldn’t have skyrocketed to be their most popular. Of course, all the ingredients are what make the sonic soup truly incredible. My favorite moment in Jeannie Becomes a Mom has to be the second verse. It’s just so damn catchy! I like that the end of the song is kind of hypnotic and reaffirms the message, “Now you’re in real life”, though sometimes when I’m showing the song to people, I’m worried it might go on too long…Suburbian fantasy, put into music form. Move over, Arcade Fire (Just kidding, I love The Suburbs).
Getting To Me - The versatility! Caroline knows how to keep their records interesting all the way through. I think the diversity will always lead their albums to be infinitely replayable. They have never once come across as boring, and the other songs are incredible, but this song is the beginning of that realization. The plucked strings throughout the song, as well as the progression, make the song stick out of the eleven tracks, as no other song on the record has them. Good choice. Plus, the strings later! Gosh! This is the song for which LONER gets its name, even though Caroline never says the word “loner” in the song. Funny, the things we notice when we’re lonely. Guess we have time to think.
To Die Today - The guitars on this track make me think they are underwater, and that is an incredibly chilling sound to be added to them. The song starts off slowly but finds its groove later, creating one of the strongest progressions in LONER. I love that little moment with the synth in the third quarter of the song. This song is incredibly dark on what sounds like a mostly-happy record, but it's also meant to be comforting. Death is scary for some people, but comforting for others. For Caroline, death is the knowledge that all the pain we feel won’t last forever.
Soul No. 5 - The album flow gets flipped on its head, from the darkest song to the happiest song on the album, yet it doesn’t create a whiplash. It all works. And how can you deny this song with that opener? If you told me the character from Superstar was singing this song, I’d believe you. It radiates confidence. Despite the album’s cynical nature, it’s important to remember what you love about yourself and that you’re an awesome person. Caroline gives us an incredibly fun anthem for that. One of my favorite Caroline Rose tracks in general.
Smile! AKA Schizodrift Jam 1 AKA Bikini Intro - The longest title for the shortest track on the album. This is just a fun little interlude, but it does have relevance to the next track, as it documents the cycle of women in the industry being put in a glass box for everyone to see and being told to smile about it. We’ll get into it in the next track. Super weird track, but that’s why we love Caroline.
Bikini - Caroline Rose’s comedy reaches its peak here, even though that comedy derives from something shitty. The surf-rock song sounds happy and fun, and Caroline sounds happy as ever. However, the song is actually a bitter commentary on the sexualization of women in the industry. They are told all these promises and told that all they have to do is “put on this little bikini and dance”. However performing these actions open a floodgate for many women that causes them to discover how shitty the industry really is, and how even these days, they are still objectified and made to do things against their will just to be famous. This is what it takes to make it and it’s tragic. Superstar further explores the idea brought up in this song, and you can tell Caroline really feels strongly about the topic.
Talk - I can’t decide if this song or Animal is my favorite on this album. They both have similar soundscapes and have a dark edge to them. The fact that Caroline ended this album with a dark sound has always been super effective for me, as I tend to like music that sounds a bit darker (Guess what my favorite song on Superstar is?). The dark synth, the slick percussion, and the intense paranoid lyrics are all incredible. Bringing to mind the title of LONER again, this song explores the conversations in one’s mind, all the bad things you say and think about yourself, and how it affects you on the outside. It’s really about anxiety, and I feel that. Caroline’s music has a lot of mental health aspects to it, and that’s one of my favorite things about them as a musician, they put that side of the human experience into grooves we can enjoy, but when you dive in, it gives the song a whole new face. Truly a gem.
Animal - The tails to Talk’s heads, Animal is the epic closer of this album. The concept is simple: Rose is jealous, and that jealousy is like a wild animal, filling them with anger and fury at the thought of their ex they are not over being with someone else. We don’t know if the ex is the man or the woman, just that Rose is jealous of one of them, and that increases the track’s lure. The instrumentation is dark and intense, and Caroline is as passionate as ever, but it’s really the final cries of the album that stick with you when all is said and done, leaving us with only an echo, then it’s gone. Have you ever heard this song live? If you haven’t, go do that.
When all is said and done, this is the rebirth of Caroline Rose from folk singer to city-slicker, bringing infectious synth and groovy guitars to the table, showing listeners that they aren’t here to mess around and that they are a force to be reckoned with in the world of indie music. It’s not a surprise this is their most popular album, as its quirkiness, down-to-earth lyrics, and pop-rock fun make it a good time during any listen. However, this is my least favorite of the trilogy, because I believe that Caroline has only grown as an artist, but I won’t spoil my future reviews here.
For now, Caroline’s LONER is an album that will stand the test of time, never to be dated by its topics or sound. The replayability and longevity of this work add to just how much of a breakout record this is, and it’s a shame more people aren’t paying attention to Rose these days. Do yourself a favor and LONER whenever you can. Really take some time to listen and soak up all of the sounds. Let it wash over you and truly hone in on the lyrics this time. Something this special deserves to be savored. Hello, Caroline Rose.
Until next time,
Niles Hollowthorn.
submitted by niles_deerqueer to CarolineRoseMusic [link] [comments]
To understand just how much of a surprise LONER is, we need to go back to the two albums before, 2012’s American Religious and 2014’s I Will Not Be Afraid. If you hopped onto the scarlet Caroline Rose train with LONER, you might be surprised to hear that their previous records were not Alternative Rock albums, but rather Country/Americana affairs that hold up in their own right. However, as Caroline has said, those two records feel like a completely different person, and LONER is where they truly began to find themself and their sound. One of pop rock fun that will get you up on your feet and maybe could even get your party grooving (Jeannie Becomes a Mom is always a great choice for getting partygoers spinning with their half-filled red solo cups which they’ll inevitably crush and throw on the floor during the chorus so they can jam out with their whole bodies).
My experience with LONER goes back to before Superstar was released, but that’s far as I can tell you. When you listen to a special album that inevitably becomes one of your favorites, your mind is supposed to take a snapshot of that span of time where you’re listening to something great and you have that moment where you stop, blink, and think to yourself, “Hold on a second, this rocks!”, then proceed to be astounded by every forthcoming track. No, I don’t remember the time or even the day when I first heard LONER, but I know it hasn’t left me. I will say one thing, though, our relationship isn’t complicated. There were no repeated listens required to know that I loved the album. That being said, instead of naming only a few songs, I’d like to take a plunge into this record fully and put you in a submarine in an ocean of sounds.
We start with the iconic album cover. Caroline stands in a red tracksuit and crimson sweatband, with an entire pack’s worth of cigarettes shoved into their mouth, blackened tips from the warm flame of the rose-colored lighter they are holding. They look like they have just come from the gym, a red sweat rag wrapped around their shoulders as if they had just finished running and stopped for an extreme smoke break (Don’t try this at home!). Our titular loner is cast against a white background which emphasizes the single person in the shot. Their eyes are far away and despondent, as if they are trying to escape their thoughts. The red colors against the white help everything to pop out at the listener and intrigue them to find out what music waits inside. How can you not want to hear an album with a cover this iconic?
Fun fact, LONER’s track order used to be something completely different, along with the art, but Caroline was forced to change it by suits and it’s still a choice they regret to this day. However, I’ll be looking at the tracklist as it is. Let’s dive into LONER and see what it has in store for us, shall we?
More Of The Same - The album opens with atmospheric notes before the iconic LONER synth comes in to create the backdrop of the song. By the time the percussion comes in, my body’s already moving along with the groove Caroline is carrying us along in. I’d like to note that this song has one of my favorite choruses from Caroline, and if this was your first album by them, you’d notice that they have a knack for writing incredible choruses. As for the meaning, I feel we really get introduced to our loner here, as they describe a rather dissociative state from the rest of society, realizing the cycle they are caught in while everything keeps moving around them. It’s a cynical but fantastic opener.
Cry! - The bassline of this song is incredible! As well as the very unusual drum pattern they use in the verses. During the chorus, the guitar strums beautifully, bringing a smile to my face every time. And what about that chorus? It has its own basic chorus structure, followed by multiple instances of “Cry!” from Caroline, but that’s where they use their vocals to great effect to keep you on your toes, not knowing what note comes next. In the middle of the song, when they give us that quiet moment of levity is maybe my favorite part of Cry!, as it’s so unexpected, and that’s why it’s so great. Caroline is a master of surprise. Interestingly enough, it seems this tackles similar themes to Superstar, as it’s about a staperson who experiences how tough being populafamous really is. What can I say except that this rocks?
Money - Damn, Caroline! Opening with another sick riff and showing off your skills! Question: Have you ever played someone this song before? I’ve played this for people many times and there are always two reactions I’m usually guaranteed to get. During the first chorus, people laugh at Caroline’s comedy, which is another thing they excel at, and then in the bridge, people are always weirded out by the…interesting noises coming from the singer. I like that Caroline doesn’t hold back though, for sure. Quirks like that are what separate LONER from other Alt-Rock albums out there. The song is a cunning remark on capitalism, saying it plain and simple: These days, it all comes down to money. Everything in our society circles back to it, and it’s really dumb.
Jeannie Becomes a Mom - Proof that a simple melody is all you need to make an effective song. The lifeblood of this song is that iconic synth, and without it, this track wouldn’t have skyrocketed to be their most popular. Of course, all the ingredients are what make the sonic soup truly incredible. My favorite moment in Jeannie Becomes a Mom has to be the second verse. It’s just so damn catchy! I like that the end of the song is kind of hypnotic and reaffirms the message, “Now you’re in real life”, though sometimes when I’m showing the song to people, I’m worried it might go on too long…Suburbian fantasy, put into music form. Move over, Arcade Fire (Just kidding, I love The Suburbs).
Getting To Me - The versatility! Caroline knows how to keep their records interesting all the way through. I think the diversity will always lead their albums to be infinitely replayable. They have never once come across as boring, and the other songs are incredible, but this song is the beginning of that realization. The plucked strings throughout the song, as well as the progression, make the song stick out of the eleven tracks, as no other song on the record has them. Good choice. Plus, the strings later! Gosh! This is the song for which LONER gets its name, even though Caroline never says the word “loner” in the song. Funny, the things we notice when we’re lonely. Guess we have time to think.
To Die Today - The guitars on this track make me think they are underwater, and that is an incredibly chilling sound to be added to them. The song starts off slowly but finds its groove later, creating one of the strongest progressions in LONER. I love that little moment with the synth in the third quarter of the song. This song is incredibly dark on what sounds like a mostly-happy record, but it's also meant to be comforting. Death is scary for some people, but comforting for others. For Caroline, death is the knowledge that all the pain we feel won’t last forever.
Soul No. 5 - The album flow gets flipped on its head, from the darkest song to the happiest song on the album, yet it doesn’t create a whiplash. It all works. And how can you deny this song with that opener? If you told me the character from Superstar was singing this song, I’d believe you. It radiates confidence. Despite the album’s cynical nature, it’s important to remember what you love about yourself and that you’re an awesome person. Caroline gives us an incredibly fun anthem for that. One of my favorite Caroline Rose tracks in general.
Smile! AKA Schizodrift Jam 1 AKA Bikini Intro - The longest title for the shortest track on the album. This is just a fun little interlude, but it does have relevance to the next track, as it documents the cycle of women in the industry being put in a glass box for everyone to see and being told to smile about it. We’ll get into it in the next track. Super weird track, but that’s why we love Caroline.
Bikini - Caroline Rose’s comedy reaches its peak here, even though that comedy derives from something shitty. The surf-rock song sounds happy and fun, and Caroline sounds happy as ever. However, the song is actually a bitter commentary on the sexualization of women in the industry. They are told all these promises and told that all they have to do is “put on this little bikini and dance”. However performing these actions open a floodgate for many women that causes them to discover how shitty the industry really is, and how even these days, they are still objectified and made to do things against their will just to be famous. This is what it takes to make it and it’s tragic. Superstar further explores the idea brought up in this song, and you can tell Caroline really feels strongly about the topic.
Talk - I can’t decide if this song or Animal is my favorite on this album. They both have similar soundscapes and have a dark edge to them. The fact that Caroline ended this album with a dark sound has always been super effective for me, as I tend to like music that sounds a bit darker (Guess what my favorite song on Superstar is?). The dark synth, the slick percussion, and the intense paranoid lyrics are all incredible. Bringing to mind the title of LONER again, this song explores the conversations in one’s mind, all the bad things you say and think about yourself, and how it affects you on the outside. It’s really about anxiety, and I feel that. Caroline’s music has a lot of mental health aspects to it, and that’s one of my favorite things about them as a musician, they put that side of the human experience into grooves we can enjoy, but when you dive in, it gives the song a whole new face. Truly a gem.
Animal - The tails to Talk’s heads, Animal is the epic closer of this album. The concept is simple: Rose is jealous, and that jealousy is like a wild animal, filling them with anger and fury at the thought of their ex they are not over being with someone else. We don’t know if the ex is the man or the woman, just that Rose is jealous of one of them, and that increases the track’s lure. The instrumentation is dark and intense, and Caroline is as passionate as ever, but it’s really the final cries of the album that stick with you when all is said and done, leaving us with only an echo, then it’s gone. Have you ever heard this song live? If you haven’t, go do that.
When all is said and done, this is the rebirth of Caroline Rose from folk singer to city-slicker, bringing infectious synth and groovy guitars to the table, showing listeners that they aren’t here to mess around and that they are a force to be reckoned with in the world of indie music. It’s not a surprise this is their most popular album, as its quirkiness, down-to-earth lyrics, and pop-rock fun make it a good time during any listen. However, this is my least favorite of the trilogy, because I believe that Caroline has only grown as an artist, but I won’t spoil my future reviews here.
For now, Caroline’s LONER is an album that will stand the test of time, never to be dated by its topics or sound. The replayability and longevity of this work add to just how much of a breakout record this is, and it’s a shame more people aren’t paying attention to Rose these days. Do yourself a favor and LONER whenever you can. Really take some time to listen and soak up all of the sounds. Let it wash over you and truly hone in on the lyrics this time. Something this special deserves to be savored. Hello, Caroline Rose.
Until next time,
Niles Hollowthorn.
2023.03.21 20:38 BrodiePiex [F4A] Fantasy Foundation, Highly Adaptable Scene where the sky is the limit!~
[F4A] Fantasy Foundation, Highly Adaptable Scene where the sky is the limit!~
{Hiya! This is an older scene I used to do, so it's not the best prompt but I can promise you it's highly adaptable! I love taking this scene in as many directions as possible so if you have an idea or a character you'd like to fit in please just add it in your message! I'm extremely open minded, and love talking things out, so please, feel free to message me even if all you have is a theme or concept you'd like to chase after!~}
The sun had finally set on the town stained red with the putrid, stagnant blood of the hours before, an atmosphere that should have lead to an painfully uncomfortable tension and sense of dread hanging over the town. The small town located fae from any major city, located all the way out in the boonies, the people of the town had enjoyed an almost perfect existence away from the bustle and the politics of the kingdoms powerhouse cities, with the closest the town ever getting to weighing in on global events was the ever frequent platoon of troops appearing to scout and draft new recruits for the kings army, yet the town knew that if this was the price to pay for their simple way of life, it'd be one they'd gladly take. This was not to say the town was free of problems, with it's own sub culture and a plethora of races calling the town home, it wasn't a perfect society but it was theirs nonetheless.
However, peace in times like these never trully lasted long, as ambushes on traders and muggings became a part of their everyday life, it was only long before the culprits became dissatisfied with the scraps they could manage to snatch from the various merchants, and set their sights on sieging the town itself. Even though a bandit with a conscience made it into the town square to give the people warning, their was only so much a town with not enough true soldiers and barely enough men to put every weapon they had to use. Even though this thought would be clear to any outsider or even any onlooker with any sense of logic, the town bowed their heads and banded together for the oncoming slaughter. Barricades were set up in the town square and every person who either couldn't hold a weapon or couldn't afford to be lost in battle held up in the middle of the town offering whatever aid they could as the bandits finally descended on the town.
The young women dressed in white and adorned with intricate and almost hypnotic golden lining was to no surprise to anyone, not from the small town. Ophelia herself had been raised by the church, with not a single memory left of anything that came before her time as part of the doctrine, with the church and the faith being all she had ever known since such a young age. The girl had been raised as a part of a programme, belonging to a very specific sect of the church to raise a new generation of exemplary figures to lead and carry out the will of their lord throughout the land, being not only well versed in every religious text and passage their was, but also being trained in a passable level of combat along with the church's own ever elusive branch of holy magic.
Even though she had never had much choice in the matter, Ophelia's fairh was pure and unwavering, never having had it brought into question, and it was this sole fact that allowed her to rise through the church swiftly as an example of what true faith and commitment could lead too. Her faith led her to becoming a strong willed, fiery member of the cloth who's use of holy miracles and incantations could scarcely be rivalled by only the bishops themselves of the church, allowing her to join a sub-section of the church known as the inner-choir, a rank similar to that of a cardinal priest in status yet without the title itself, allowing the general public to acknowledge them as pillars of the order but not all in the church could say the same.
Ophelia had only spent the lesser part of a week with the town, with it being one of the few stops on her journey that she was specifically told to take note of and assess the town on a more personal and real level than any real census could. It was the kindof task that she found herself being given on top of any other work that her brothers and sisters of the clergy were tasked with. Not that she ever complained, having lived a sheltered life being raised by the church in to the shining beacon of light that the world could see her as.
The town had welcomed her with open arms, allowing her to take refuge in their chapel with everyone offering a warm welcome to the young girl. It was never part of her job, but she always made a point to talk and introduce herself to as many of the town's people as she could, hearing their struggles and doing everything in her power to aid them and pass on whatever blessings she had at her disposal. She was the talk of the town, and she loved to hear the stories and fables of the towns culture, becoming absorbed and obsessed with learning and hearing as much about their own little secluded world as she could.
It would be hard to say that the young girl being there on that day, lending her aid in both combat and healing of the wounded, didn't have a drastic effect on the outcome of the day. Her prowess allowed the fatalities to stay low and for the towns rag-tag militia to keep fighting until the ruthless bandits retreated for now, leaving there casualties in the streets to the roars of celebration from the town. Now, even on a day that should be treated solemnly and respectfully, the entire town was in celebration over their survival and the grit they had shown today. People took to the streets, the fields and most importantly the taverns to let the world know that they would not be crushed that easily.
Now Ophelia sat, at a table with her travel companion and bodyguard, a man who was there more for company than anything else as the table top was cluttered with a plethora of drinks and plates of food that had been bought for her, thanks from the town as she hungrily wolves down bowl after bowl to bring her energy back so she can return to tending the wounded before she collapses for the day. She barely got a minute to enjoy herself, between bites groups of people at a time would come up to thank her and offer her tokens and praise, as she gladly accepted their kind words, giving her work that feeling of purpose that she had always strived for.
The only thing that bothered the girl was a new face in the tavern, someone that she couldn't place from her walks of the town, congregation or even the battle that happened prior, which confused the girl greatly as she felt the eyes on her every now and then. The face dissapeared eventually as she shook her head, returning to her food as her bodyguard gets up to speak to a few of the men that he had met earlier, as the girl is now left alone to her devices as she continues with her food, her mind still trying to place the face she had just seen.
submitted by BrodiePiex to roleplaying [link] [comments]
{Hiya! This is an older scene I used to do, so it's not the best prompt but I can promise you it's highly adaptable! I love taking this scene in as many directions as possible so if you have an idea or a character you'd like to fit in please just add it in your message! I'm extremely open minded, and love talking things out, so please, feel free to message me even if all you have is a theme or concept you'd like to chase after!~}
The sun had finally set on the town stained red with the putrid, stagnant blood of the hours before, an atmosphere that should have lead to an painfully uncomfortable tension and sense of dread hanging over the town. The small town located fae from any major city, located all the way out in the boonies, the people of the town had enjoyed an almost perfect existence away from the bustle and the politics of the kingdoms powerhouse cities, with the closest the town ever getting to weighing in on global events was the ever frequent platoon of troops appearing to scout and draft new recruits for the kings army, yet the town knew that if this was the price to pay for their simple way of life, it'd be one they'd gladly take. This was not to say the town was free of problems, with it's own sub culture and a plethora of races calling the town home, it wasn't a perfect society but it was theirs nonetheless.
However, peace in times like these never trully lasted long, as ambushes on traders and muggings became a part of their everyday life, it was only long before the culprits became dissatisfied with the scraps they could manage to snatch from the various merchants, and set their sights on sieging the town itself. Even though a bandit with a conscience made it into the town square to give the people warning, their was only so much a town with not enough true soldiers and barely enough men to put every weapon they had to use. Even though this thought would be clear to any outsider or even any onlooker with any sense of logic, the town bowed their heads and banded together for the oncoming slaughter. Barricades were set up in the town square and every person who either couldn't hold a weapon or couldn't afford to be lost in battle held up in the middle of the town offering whatever aid they could as the bandits finally descended on the town.
The young women dressed in white and adorned with intricate and almost hypnotic golden lining was to no surprise to anyone, not from the small town. Ophelia herself had been raised by the church, with not a single memory left of anything that came before her time as part of the doctrine, with the church and the faith being all she had ever known since such a young age. The girl had been raised as a part of a programme, belonging to a very specific sect of the church to raise a new generation of exemplary figures to lead and carry out the will of their lord throughout the land, being not only well versed in every religious text and passage their was, but also being trained in a passable level of combat along with the church's own ever elusive branch of holy magic.
Even though she had never had much choice in the matter, Ophelia's fairh was pure and unwavering, never having had it brought into question, and it was this sole fact that allowed her to rise through the church swiftly as an example of what true faith and commitment could lead too. Her faith led her to becoming a strong willed, fiery member of the cloth who's use of holy miracles and incantations could scarcely be rivalled by only the bishops themselves of the church, allowing her to join a sub-section of the church known as the inner-choir, a rank similar to that of a cardinal priest in status yet without the title itself, allowing the general public to acknowledge them as pillars of the order but not all in the church could say the same.
Ophelia had only spent the lesser part of a week with the town, with it being one of the few stops on her journey that she was specifically told to take note of and assess the town on a more personal and real level than any real census could. It was the kindof task that she found herself being given on top of any other work that her brothers and sisters of the clergy were tasked with. Not that she ever complained, having lived a sheltered life being raised by the church in to the shining beacon of light that the world could see her as.
The town had welcomed her with open arms, allowing her to take refuge in their chapel with everyone offering a warm welcome to the young girl. It was never part of her job, but she always made a point to talk and introduce herself to as many of the town's people as she could, hearing their struggles and doing everything in her power to aid them and pass on whatever blessings she had at her disposal. She was the talk of the town, and she loved to hear the stories and fables of the towns culture, becoming absorbed and obsessed with learning and hearing as much about their own little secluded world as she could.
It would be hard to say that the young girl being there on that day, lending her aid in both combat and healing of the wounded, didn't have a drastic effect on the outcome of the day. Her prowess allowed the fatalities to stay low and for the towns rag-tag militia to keep fighting until the ruthless bandits retreated for now, leaving there casualties in the streets to the roars of celebration from the town. Now, even on a day that should be treated solemnly and respectfully, the entire town was in celebration over their survival and the grit they had shown today. People took to the streets, the fields and most importantly the taverns to let the world know that they would not be crushed that easily.
Now Ophelia sat, at a table with her travel companion and bodyguard, a man who was there more for company than anything else as the table top was cluttered with a plethora of drinks and plates of food that had been bought for her, thanks from the town as she hungrily wolves down bowl after bowl to bring her energy back so she can return to tending the wounded before she collapses for the day. She barely got a minute to enjoy herself, between bites groups of people at a time would come up to thank her and offer her tokens and praise, as she gladly accepted their kind words, giving her work that feeling of purpose that she had always strived for.
The only thing that bothered the girl was a new face in the tavern, someone that she couldn't place from her walks of the town, congregation or even the battle that happened prior, which confused the girl greatly as she felt the eyes on her every now and then. The face dissapeared eventually as she shook her head, returning to her food as her bodyguard gets up to speak to a few of the men that he had met earlier, as the girl is now left alone to her devices as she continues with her food, her mind still trying to place the face she had just seen.
2023.03.21 20:20 Strength-InThe-Loins 20 Years Later: Green Zone
Twenty years ago this week, the United States began its blatantly criminal invasion of an unthreatening sovereign state that inevitably turned into a hideous quagmire.
I had joined the United States Marine Corps in the summer of 2001. I was still in boot camp on 9/11, which made for an interesting couple of days. In early 2002 I obtained a two-year leave of absence to ‘serve’ a Mormon mission, and by March of 2003 I was more than a year into being a full-time religious propagandist in Mexico.
The war was big news in Mexico, with public opinion generally running pretty strong against it. Given my history of relentless indoctrination, and my current assignment of telling everyone I saw that they were immorally wrong about everything that mattered, and the fact that I wasn’t allowed to consume any kind of non-religious media material of any kind, I of course took the opposite position.
But I improved with time. I came home in early 2004, and quickly discovered that the war was, at best, very badly managed. But I was back into military service (as a reservist), so I fully expected to end up being deployed to Iraq at some point.
The miserable shitshow that played out across Iraq throughout 2005 and especially 2006 convinced me that the war wasn’t just badly executed but a hopelessly terrible idea from its very beginning, supported by blatant lies and unconscionable manipulation.
When my turn to deploy finally came, in 2009, I was rather conflicted. On the one hand, I clearly understood that the war was immoral and dangerous and I should avoid it at all cost. On the other hand, I was four years into attending college and making no discernible progress towards any of the goals I had set for myself: graduating, choosing a career, getting married, existing as a functional adult. So the choice (and it was a choice: contrary to the contract I thought I’d signed, I was set to be released from service in mid-2008, and so this deployment was entirely optional for me) was fraught. I didn’t want to kill or die for a mistake; but I also didn’t want to dodge what I was sure would be the challenge of a lifetime for a second time; and I also could not say with a straight face that I had anything better to do.
So I went. It didn’t go well , but it went at least as well as I had any right to expect. I never saw anything like combat (shooting flares at a few civilian vehicles was as close as I ever got), was never in danger, and so on. But it was no picnic, either: severe and extended boredom can be just as damaging as actual trauma, and the psychological abuse inherent in military life was constant. And things weren’t entirely safe: my unit had two suicides during the work-up, and given the state of my mental health, I was never all that unlikely to have joined them.
The whole experience did me no immediate good, but as an experience with disillusionment with and escaping from an all-consuming self-admiring institution, it was a pretty decent dry run for my exit from Mormonism a few years later. And, as I had expected, it got me a year’s salary (which was probably the majority of the money I’d made in my life up to that point), and a lifetime of monthly disability payments and free health insurance. So I really can’t say I completely regret it.
The movie I’ve chosen to commemorate this anniversary is Green Zone, because it came out shortly after I came back, and I’d always wanted to see it, and I’d heard that it took an interesting angle on the whole mess, and I’d heard that it was pretty good (which is a rare quality among Iraq War movies, which have, shall we say, a mixed record ). And it’s pretty good, though of course it has some issues.
The best thing about it is how it nails the look and feel of the military occupation. The movie abounds with details large and small that just look exactly right, from US troops driving green Humvees with no doors and unprotected gun turrets* to piles of Pizza-Hut-labeled shipping containers at the airport to one of them carrying around a bottle of chewing-tobacco spit to the use of the then-new Blue Force Tracker technology. Greg Kinnear as the villain of the piece looks exactly like he should, a completely nondescript bureaucrat that would never get a second look at any white-collar office in America, incongruously transplanted into a blood-soaked conflict in an environment where only fools and the extraordinarily pampered (he is both, of course) dress like that. And I didn’t know I needed to see exactly what the Google homepage looked like in 2003, but I did, and the movie delivered.
It’s also a very good look at the culture of the US military; the briefing with Colonel Bethel is pretty spot-on (except for the one guy interrupting to speak the truth; that pretty much never happens). It’s a bit optimistic to assume that a random US military unit would have even one Arabic speaker in it, but the movie makes up for it by having him only know a dialect that’s completely useless in Iraq. The soldier who argues with Damon and tells him that the reasons for going to war don’t matter to him struck me as a perfect distillation of the me-first attitude that the US military explicitly teaches its members: the “My only job is to get home safe” dogma was basically a part of the official training materials, very much to the detriment of accomplishing any particular mission beyond that (and of course no one ever wants to talk about how obviously cowardly and selfish such an attitude is).
The movie also does well with points of view from outside of the US military, namely the absolute terror of being an Iraqi unfortunate enough to fall into US hands during the occupation, and the possibly greater terror of being on the ground when the Americans started bombing or disbanded the Iraqi army and purged the civil service, which this movie treats as an irrefutable sign of the apocalypse. Not that any of that took any great insight to determine in 2010, years after it became clear what US detention was like and how foolish it was to send thousands of unhappy armed men out into the streets with nothing to do, but it’s still good to see it stated so plainly.
One aspect that does not look so good is the trademark Paul Greengrass shaky-cam technique; it’s tolerable in the actual action scenes, which are supposed to be stressful and chaotic, but in the opening scene, in which the ‘action’ mostly involves men walking quickly down crowded hallways,** it really doesn’t work. I do wonder how Greengrass does it; does he plan and rehearse the camera movements, or just have the actors do their thing while someone waves the camera around randomly? One analysis of one of Greengrass’s Bourne movies pointed out that it seems that the camera can’t predict the characters’ movements, which adds to the sense of uncertainty and danger; I wonder how closely Greengrass controls the camera’s ‘random’ movements, and what he thinks he’s saying with them.
There are other moments that fall short of the movie’s best moments of authenticity: Damon’s first scene, in which he explains (over the radio, no less!) where his team is going and what they’ll be doing there is pure Hollywood bullshit; any such explanation would be given (likely multiple times) well before the mission actually started, and the team will try to minimize radio use while out in the field. And that’s not the only moment of clumsy exposition; once that mission fails to find anything of use, Damon laments “That’s the third one in a row,” to a roomful of guys who’ve been on all the same missions and all presumably know exactly how many of them there have been. On that same mission, someone, for some reason, uses a Geiger counter to analyze a suspected chemical weapons site, which…what?
The movie’s second-strongest sympathetic character is a CIA ‘Middle-East expert’ that knows everything he needs to know and that no one listens to. While I don’t doubt that no one important listened to anyone who knew what was going on, the thing-knower being a CIA agent that the CIA chose to send to Baghdad seems unlikely; were there any such thing-knowers left in the CIA in 2003? If so, why would leadership (which was fully behind the WMD hoax) send such an ‘unreliable’ person to such a sensitive post? Surely they knew there was a risk of him doing exactly what he ended up doing, and would have kept him as far from the action as possible.***
And how and why does he have such detailed information at his fingertips about the movements of people that don’t officially concern him? That information would be a closely guarded secret that he has no plausible official need to know. And why the hell does he dare take a very important phone call, which concerns a blatantly illegal operation he’s running off the books, on speaker in a room that’s crowded with god knows who that he very obviously can’t necessarily trust?
Once he makes contact with Damon, he sets up a meeting in the most secure part of the infamous Green Zone, which Damon is somehow able to access with minimal trouble. That strikes me as outrageously implausible; the highest security I ever experienced in Iraq was about 37 levels lower than the Green Zone (where American civilians could expect to live and work in pretty much complete safety), and even there I had to show my dog tags and scan my ID to enter the gym or the chow hall. Green Zone security would emphatically not just wave through any random US military vehicle or personnel that showed up at the gate. Damon would have to show some kind of proof that he belongs there, and since he’s going to an unauthorized meeting with a civilian far outside his chain of command, he just wouldn’t have that, and the gate guards would turn him away.
At that meeting, the CIA guy instructs Damon to get out of uniform, which is wise, but we never find out where Damon gets the civilian clothes and the civilian body armor we see him wearing right after. (I doubt he would have brought civvies with him for his invasion deployment, and even military body armor was pretty hard to come by in Iraq in 2003.) But also I understand why the movie felt it didn’t have time for a deep dive into this question. What it leads to is egregious, though; in the movie’s climactic scene, Damon, dressed in civilian clothes and carrying a clearly non-American weapon he stole from a local, runs through a combat situation involving US troops who spot him from a helicopter…and they somehow assume that he’s an American who’s on their side. What makes them think that? Did all US troops in Iraq in 2003 have implanted RFID chips that all US night-vision scopes could pick out from a distance? (No. No they did not.) Nothing at all that they can see indicates that Damon is American, but even if they knew he was American, he’s actually working against those particular US troops (who are very explicitly there to kill the man that Damon is trying to contact and rescue), and so there’s still no reason to identify him as a ‘friendly.’ This is a most unfortunate misstep, because doing it more realistically (having the US troops not know who Damon is, assume he’s their enemy, and act accordingly) would actually better serve the movie’s general theme of disunity and confusion.
Those same US troops are first seen arriving in a helicopter that suddenly arrives from below the not-very-high high ground that Damon is standing on, which means they must have been flying very low indeed (like, below rooftop level) over a very urban area, which is ridiculous; and without anyone hearing them approach from miles away, which is even more ridiculous.**** But those same US troops also drive around in Humvees at night with their headlights blazing, which is just dumb enough to be real. But what’s way too smart to be real is the timing of that helicopter arrival; Damon apprehends an important individual, and those troops (who are also looking for that person for unrelated reasons) somehow know about that and are able to arrive instantly, which…rather stretches the bounds of plausibility.
There are also some timeline issues, which are bad to have in a movie that is so closely tied to historical events on very specific dates. The invasion began on March 19, as seen in the first scene. Then we skip forward to ‘four weeks later,’ around April 16. The rest of the movie seems to take place over only a few days, and yet prominent plot points include George W. Bush’s (spit) Mission Accomplished speech (which happened on May 1), and the CPA’s dissolution of the Iraqi state apparatus (which happened on May 23). In the movie, those 22 days seem to pass in a matter of hours.
Also, and this is unbelievably petty of me, somewhere in the Green Zone, sometime at least as late as April 16, we catch a glimpse of someone watching a college basketball game (UCLA vs. Oregon, if I’m not mistaken) on TV. The final game of the 2003 NCAA tournament was played on April 7, and didn’t involve either team: Oregon lost to Utah in the first round, and UCLA didn’t even make the tournament, so that game is misplaced in time by at least a month.
Around the time it came out, I heard that this movie was a kind of Inglourious Basterds treatment of the Iraq War. While it’s certainly not NOT that (in that it’s an optimistic fantasy that revises well-known historical events about which there is little cause for optimism), it’s also different in that it doesn’t depart from the historical events nearly as much. There really was a ‘Magellan’ figure in real life, but he was called ‘Curveball,’ and, despite being pretty different from the version in the movie, he had precisely the same effect of being cited in favor of the invasion. In the movie, Magellan is an Iraqi Army officer who secretly meets with Americans to tell them that Iraq has no WMD programs. The Americans then falsely report that he’s told them Iraq has WMDs, and the war machine’s gears start to turn and the Americans plot to kill Magellan so he won’t reveal what he actually told them. In reality, Curveball was an Iraqi exile who actually told the Germans (not the Americans) what the Americans wanted to hear, because he figured it would make his asylum application (he’d fled Iraq after embezzling money from his government employer) easier. I’m not sure why the movie felt the need to change these details; an Iraqi who lies for his own gain is at least as interesting a character as an Iraqi who tells a truth that certain people are determined to disbelieve, and what US intelligence did with Curveball’s obviously flawed reports was hardly any more honest than blatantly telling the world he’d said something he never said.
The movie isn’t really clear what it thinks Damon’s heroism amounts to. He leaks his final report to every news outlet he can think of. Perhaps one of them will publish, but perhaps not. News outlets strive to scoop each other, but sometimes, as the real-life Iraq War amply shows, they collude to cover things up, especially when it’s something as explosive and ‘unpatriotic’ as “The whole reason for this very popular war was a complete lie.” Furthermore, how credible is Damon’s information? It’s based entirely on conversations he says he had with an enemy general who is now dead. No one has any reason to believe these conversations took place, or if they did that the general said what Damon says he said, or if he did that he wasn’t mistaken or lying.
But even if someone does publish, it will make no difference. US troops are already in Baghdad, and the CPA has already taken the plunge that made civil war inevitable. A report (even one whose credibility is bulletproof, which this one very much is not) that the whole war was based on a lie will not change anything, any more than it did in real life when the lack of WMDs and the falsity of the pre-war intelligence became similarly clear on a similar timeline.
In any case, Damon’s Army career is over. He leaked a very sensitive internal document, using an email account under his own name. He might not be guaranteed to go to prison, but he has to be in a shitload of trouble. The Army quietly booting him out and never speaking of this again is the absolute best-case scenario for him.
The movie’s two main sympathetic characters take turns reminding each other to not be naïve, but the movie itself is pretty naïve if it thinks that what we see is a happy ending. Or maybe it’s not meant to be a happy ending, and I’m the one being naïve.
In any case, I was expecting the SF team led by Jason Isaacs to kill Damon and then, upon realizing who he was, hype him up as a hero who gave his life for his country, thus completely obscuring the very unpatriotic truth about what he died doing and why. You know, a slightly worse version of exactly what the real-life Army actually did with the actual case of Pat Tillman.
The movie also runs into trouble upon consideration of its moral perspective; movies love the idea of someone going rogue, breaking whatever rules get in the way of ‘doing the right thing,’ as Damon does throughout the movie. But that’s the whole problem with the Iraq War, isn’t it? Government officials decided that brutalizing Iraq was ‘the right thing,’ and they broke any number of rules of humanity and decency (not to mention actual laws) to make it happen. They went rogue exactly as Damon does, so who can really say that he’s right and they’re wrong?
His confrontation with Amy Ryan’s reporter character also struck me as backwards; the movie wants us to see it as Damon, the heroic teller of inconvenient truths, heroically confronting the corrupt and decadent and much more powerful peddler of lies. But it’s really not that at all; she got lied to just as hard as he did, and he’s a heavily armed agent of the state security apparatus upon which her life and safety directly depend. It’s pretty ridiculous to see him as any kind of underdog in that situation.
Some stray observations:
It’s pretty funny that the early scene at the airport shows the blown-up remains of a large cargo plane, given the famous fate of the An-225 in that other, more recent, blatantly criminal invasion of an unthreatening sovereign state that inevitably turns into a hideous quagmire.
I was surprised by how much of the spoken Arabic I understood; I ‘studied’ Arabic for two years in college, and didn’t really get anywhere with it, but there were multiple instances where seeing the English word in the subtitles brought to mind a particular Arabic word that the characters promptly said. (These include ‘ichwan’ for ‘brothers,’ ‘kul il balad’ for ‘the entire country,’ ‘bernamaj’ for ‘program,’ and some others.)
Ben Sliney is in the cast as a random bureaucrat in the background of one of the Green Zone scenes. This is the air-traffic-control official who gave the ground-all-flights order on 9/11, and then legendarily played himself in the movie United 93. This is his only other non-documentary film credit, so I hope he kept his day job.
*By the time I got to Iraq, the Humvees had all been painted desert-tan and heavily armored, but my understanding is that this change did not take hold until like 2007.
**In a manner unfortunately reminiscent of George Bluth Senior ‘running with great intensity.’ Yes, this is foreshadowing. It is inevitable, because despite its ambitions, this movie proves that the definitive Hollywood treatment of the Iraq War is still selected episodes of Arrested Development. (And Generation Kill, which I considered revisiting for this anniversary post.)
***I do enjoy how Kinnear frames the idea of people who know things: they’re ‘dinosaurs’ with heads full of ‘old ideas,’ which sounds like he’s being boldly innovative and courageously resisting hidebound bureaucracies that have outlived their usefulness. But of course the ‘old ideas’ are things like ‘Know what the hell is going on’ and ‘Don’t assume you can simply kill anyone you don’t like,’ and Kinnear’s ‘bold innovations’ are just clueless wishful thinking.
****Movies very often miss this detail, but helicopters are really loud. Almost as loud as gunfire, though of course movies also very often fail to convey how loud gunfire is. It is impossible for a low-flying helicopter to sneak up like that on anyone with functional ears. They’d be drowning out any attempt at conversation before they got within hundreds of yards.
submitted by Strength-InThe-Loins to LookBackInAnger [link] [comments]
I had joined the United States Marine Corps in the summer of 2001. I was still in boot camp on 9/11, which made for an interesting couple of days. In early 2002 I obtained a two-year leave of absence to ‘serve’ a Mormon mission, and by March of 2003 I was more than a year into being a full-time religious propagandist in Mexico.
The war was big news in Mexico, with public opinion generally running pretty strong against it. Given my history of relentless indoctrination, and my current assignment of telling everyone I saw that they were immorally wrong about everything that mattered, and the fact that I wasn’t allowed to consume any kind of non-religious media material of any kind, I of course took the opposite position.
But I improved with time. I came home in early 2004, and quickly discovered that the war was, at best, very badly managed. But I was back into military service (as a reservist), so I fully expected to end up being deployed to Iraq at some point.
The miserable shitshow that played out across Iraq throughout 2005 and especially 2006 convinced me that the war wasn’t just badly executed but a hopelessly terrible idea from its very beginning, supported by blatant lies and unconscionable manipulation.
When my turn to deploy finally came, in 2009, I was rather conflicted. On the one hand, I clearly understood that the war was immoral and dangerous and I should avoid it at all cost. On the other hand, I was four years into attending college and making no discernible progress towards any of the goals I had set for myself: graduating, choosing a career, getting married, existing as a functional adult. So the choice (and it was a choice: contrary to the contract I thought I’d signed, I was set to be released from service in mid-2008, and so this deployment was entirely optional for me) was fraught. I didn’t want to kill or die for a mistake; but I also didn’t want to dodge what I was sure would be the challenge of a lifetime for a second time; and I also could not say with a straight face that I had anything better to do.
So I went. It didn’t go well , but it went at least as well as I had any right to expect. I never saw anything like combat (shooting flares at a few civilian vehicles was as close as I ever got), was never in danger, and so on. But it was no picnic, either: severe and extended boredom can be just as damaging as actual trauma, and the psychological abuse inherent in military life was constant. And things weren’t entirely safe: my unit had two suicides during the work-up, and given the state of my mental health, I was never all that unlikely to have joined them.
The whole experience did me no immediate good, but as an experience with disillusionment with and escaping from an all-consuming self-admiring institution, it was a pretty decent dry run for my exit from Mormonism a few years later. And, as I had expected, it got me a year’s salary (which was probably the majority of the money I’d made in my life up to that point), and a lifetime of monthly disability payments and free health insurance. So I really can’t say I completely regret it.
The movie I’ve chosen to commemorate this anniversary is Green Zone, because it came out shortly after I came back, and I’d always wanted to see it, and I’d heard that it took an interesting angle on the whole mess, and I’d heard that it was pretty good (which is a rare quality among Iraq War movies, which have, shall we say, a mixed record ). And it’s pretty good, though of course it has some issues.
The best thing about it is how it nails the look and feel of the military occupation. The movie abounds with details large and small that just look exactly right, from US troops driving green Humvees with no doors and unprotected gun turrets* to piles of Pizza-Hut-labeled shipping containers at the airport to one of them carrying around a bottle of chewing-tobacco spit to the use of the then-new Blue Force Tracker technology. Greg Kinnear as the villain of the piece looks exactly like he should, a completely nondescript bureaucrat that would never get a second look at any white-collar office in America, incongruously transplanted into a blood-soaked conflict in an environment where only fools and the extraordinarily pampered (he is both, of course) dress like that. And I didn’t know I needed to see exactly what the Google homepage looked like in 2003, but I did, and the movie delivered.
It’s also a very good look at the culture of the US military; the briefing with Colonel Bethel is pretty spot-on (except for the one guy interrupting to speak the truth; that pretty much never happens). It’s a bit optimistic to assume that a random US military unit would have even one Arabic speaker in it, but the movie makes up for it by having him only know a dialect that’s completely useless in Iraq. The soldier who argues with Damon and tells him that the reasons for going to war don’t matter to him struck me as a perfect distillation of the me-first attitude that the US military explicitly teaches its members: the “My only job is to get home safe” dogma was basically a part of the official training materials, very much to the detriment of accomplishing any particular mission beyond that (and of course no one ever wants to talk about how obviously cowardly and selfish such an attitude is).
The movie also does well with points of view from outside of the US military, namely the absolute terror of being an Iraqi unfortunate enough to fall into US hands during the occupation, and the possibly greater terror of being on the ground when the Americans started bombing or disbanded the Iraqi army and purged the civil service, which this movie treats as an irrefutable sign of the apocalypse. Not that any of that took any great insight to determine in 2010, years after it became clear what US detention was like and how foolish it was to send thousands of unhappy armed men out into the streets with nothing to do, but it’s still good to see it stated so plainly.
One aspect that does not look so good is the trademark Paul Greengrass shaky-cam technique; it’s tolerable in the actual action scenes, which are supposed to be stressful and chaotic, but in the opening scene, in which the ‘action’ mostly involves men walking quickly down crowded hallways,** it really doesn’t work. I do wonder how Greengrass does it; does he plan and rehearse the camera movements, or just have the actors do their thing while someone waves the camera around randomly? One analysis of one of Greengrass’s Bourne movies pointed out that it seems that the camera can’t predict the characters’ movements, which adds to the sense of uncertainty and danger; I wonder how closely Greengrass controls the camera’s ‘random’ movements, and what he thinks he’s saying with them.
There are other moments that fall short of the movie’s best moments of authenticity: Damon’s first scene, in which he explains (over the radio, no less!) where his team is going and what they’ll be doing there is pure Hollywood bullshit; any such explanation would be given (likely multiple times) well before the mission actually started, and the team will try to minimize radio use while out in the field. And that’s not the only moment of clumsy exposition; once that mission fails to find anything of use, Damon laments “That’s the third one in a row,” to a roomful of guys who’ve been on all the same missions and all presumably know exactly how many of them there have been. On that same mission, someone, for some reason, uses a Geiger counter to analyze a suspected chemical weapons site, which…what?
The movie’s second-strongest sympathetic character is a CIA ‘Middle-East expert’ that knows everything he needs to know and that no one listens to. While I don’t doubt that no one important listened to anyone who knew what was going on, the thing-knower being a CIA agent that the CIA chose to send to Baghdad seems unlikely; were there any such thing-knowers left in the CIA in 2003? If so, why would leadership (which was fully behind the WMD hoax) send such an ‘unreliable’ person to such a sensitive post? Surely they knew there was a risk of him doing exactly what he ended up doing, and would have kept him as far from the action as possible.***
And how and why does he have such detailed information at his fingertips about the movements of people that don’t officially concern him? That information would be a closely guarded secret that he has no plausible official need to know. And why the hell does he dare take a very important phone call, which concerns a blatantly illegal operation he’s running off the books, on speaker in a room that’s crowded with god knows who that he very obviously can’t necessarily trust?
Once he makes contact with Damon, he sets up a meeting in the most secure part of the infamous Green Zone, which Damon is somehow able to access with minimal trouble. That strikes me as outrageously implausible; the highest security I ever experienced in Iraq was about 37 levels lower than the Green Zone (where American civilians could expect to live and work in pretty much complete safety), and even there I had to show my dog tags and scan my ID to enter the gym or the chow hall. Green Zone security would emphatically not just wave through any random US military vehicle or personnel that showed up at the gate. Damon would have to show some kind of proof that he belongs there, and since he’s going to an unauthorized meeting with a civilian far outside his chain of command, he just wouldn’t have that, and the gate guards would turn him away.
At that meeting, the CIA guy instructs Damon to get out of uniform, which is wise, but we never find out where Damon gets the civilian clothes and the civilian body armor we see him wearing right after. (I doubt he would have brought civvies with him for his invasion deployment, and even military body armor was pretty hard to come by in Iraq in 2003.) But also I understand why the movie felt it didn’t have time for a deep dive into this question. What it leads to is egregious, though; in the movie’s climactic scene, Damon, dressed in civilian clothes and carrying a clearly non-American weapon he stole from a local, runs through a combat situation involving US troops who spot him from a helicopter…and they somehow assume that he’s an American who’s on their side. What makes them think that? Did all US troops in Iraq in 2003 have implanted RFID chips that all US night-vision scopes could pick out from a distance? (No. No they did not.) Nothing at all that they can see indicates that Damon is American, but even if they knew he was American, he’s actually working against those particular US troops (who are very explicitly there to kill the man that Damon is trying to contact and rescue), and so there’s still no reason to identify him as a ‘friendly.’ This is a most unfortunate misstep, because doing it more realistically (having the US troops not know who Damon is, assume he’s their enemy, and act accordingly) would actually better serve the movie’s general theme of disunity and confusion.
Those same US troops are first seen arriving in a helicopter that suddenly arrives from below the not-very-high high ground that Damon is standing on, which means they must have been flying very low indeed (like, below rooftop level) over a very urban area, which is ridiculous; and without anyone hearing them approach from miles away, which is even more ridiculous.**** But those same US troops also drive around in Humvees at night with their headlights blazing, which is just dumb enough to be real. But what’s way too smart to be real is the timing of that helicopter arrival; Damon apprehends an important individual, and those troops (who are also looking for that person for unrelated reasons) somehow know about that and are able to arrive instantly, which…rather stretches the bounds of plausibility.
There are also some timeline issues, which are bad to have in a movie that is so closely tied to historical events on very specific dates. The invasion began on March 19, as seen in the first scene. Then we skip forward to ‘four weeks later,’ around April 16. The rest of the movie seems to take place over only a few days, and yet prominent plot points include George W. Bush’s (spit) Mission Accomplished speech (which happened on May 1), and the CPA’s dissolution of the Iraqi state apparatus (which happened on May 23). In the movie, those 22 days seem to pass in a matter of hours.
Also, and this is unbelievably petty of me, somewhere in the Green Zone, sometime at least as late as April 16, we catch a glimpse of someone watching a college basketball game (UCLA vs. Oregon, if I’m not mistaken) on TV. The final game of the 2003 NCAA tournament was played on April 7, and didn’t involve either team: Oregon lost to Utah in the first round, and UCLA didn’t even make the tournament, so that game is misplaced in time by at least a month.
Around the time it came out, I heard that this movie was a kind of Inglourious Basterds treatment of the Iraq War. While it’s certainly not NOT that (in that it’s an optimistic fantasy that revises well-known historical events about which there is little cause for optimism), it’s also different in that it doesn’t depart from the historical events nearly as much. There really was a ‘Magellan’ figure in real life, but he was called ‘Curveball,’ and, despite being pretty different from the version in the movie, he had precisely the same effect of being cited in favor of the invasion. In the movie, Magellan is an Iraqi Army officer who secretly meets with Americans to tell them that Iraq has no WMD programs. The Americans then falsely report that he’s told them Iraq has WMDs, and the war machine’s gears start to turn and the Americans plot to kill Magellan so he won’t reveal what he actually told them. In reality, Curveball was an Iraqi exile who actually told the Germans (not the Americans) what the Americans wanted to hear, because he figured it would make his asylum application (he’d fled Iraq after embezzling money from his government employer) easier. I’m not sure why the movie felt the need to change these details; an Iraqi who lies for his own gain is at least as interesting a character as an Iraqi who tells a truth that certain people are determined to disbelieve, and what US intelligence did with Curveball’s obviously flawed reports was hardly any more honest than blatantly telling the world he’d said something he never said.
The movie isn’t really clear what it thinks Damon’s heroism amounts to. He leaks his final report to every news outlet he can think of. Perhaps one of them will publish, but perhaps not. News outlets strive to scoop each other, but sometimes, as the real-life Iraq War amply shows, they collude to cover things up, especially when it’s something as explosive and ‘unpatriotic’ as “The whole reason for this very popular war was a complete lie.” Furthermore, how credible is Damon’s information? It’s based entirely on conversations he says he had with an enemy general who is now dead. No one has any reason to believe these conversations took place, or if they did that the general said what Damon says he said, or if he did that he wasn’t mistaken or lying.
But even if someone does publish, it will make no difference. US troops are already in Baghdad, and the CPA has already taken the plunge that made civil war inevitable. A report (even one whose credibility is bulletproof, which this one very much is not) that the whole war was based on a lie will not change anything, any more than it did in real life when the lack of WMDs and the falsity of the pre-war intelligence became similarly clear on a similar timeline.
In any case, Damon’s Army career is over. He leaked a very sensitive internal document, using an email account under his own name. He might not be guaranteed to go to prison, but he has to be in a shitload of trouble. The Army quietly booting him out and never speaking of this again is the absolute best-case scenario for him.
The movie’s two main sympathetic characters take turns reminding each other to not be naïve, but the movie itself is pretty naïve if it thinks that what we see is a happy ending. Or maybe it’s not meant to be a happy ending, and I’m the one being naïve.
In any case, I was expecting the SF team led by Jason Isaacs to kill Damon and then, upon realizing who he was, hype him up as a hero who gave his life for his country, thus completely obscuring the very unpatriotic truth about what he died doing and why. You know, a slightly worse version of exactly what the real-life Army actually did with the actual case of Pat Tillman.
The movie also runs into trouble upon consideration of its moral perspective; movies love the idea of someone going rogue, breaking whatever rules get in the way of ‘doing the right thing,’ as Damon does throughout the movie. But that’s the whole problem with the Iraq War, isn’t it? Government officials decided that brutalizing Iraq was ‘the right thing,’ and they broke any number of rules of humanity and decency (not to mention actual laws) to make it happen. They went rogue exactly as Damon does, so who can really say that he’s right and they’re wrong?
His confrontation with Amy Ryan’s reporter character also struck me as backwards; the movie wants us to see it as Damon, the heroic teller of inconvenient truths, heroically confronting the corrupt and decadent and much more powerful peddler of lies. But it’s really not that at all; she got lied to just as hard as he did, and he’s a heavily armed agent of the state security apparatus upon which her life and safety directly depend. It’s pretty ridiculous to see him as any kind of underdog in that situation.
Some stray observations:
It’s pretty funny that the early scene at the airport shows the blown-up remains of a large cargo plane, given the famous fate of the An-225 in that other, more recent, blatantly criminal invasion of an unthreatening sovereign state that inevitably turns into a hideous quagmire.
I was surprised by how much of the spoken Arabic I understood; I ‘studied’ Arabic for two years in college, and didn’t really get anywhere with it, but there were multiple instances where seeing the English word in the subtitles brought to mind a particular Arabic word that the characters promptly said. (These include ‘ichwan’ for ‘brothers,’ ‘kul il balad’ for ‘the entire country,’ ‘bernamaj’ for ‘program,’ and some others.)
Ben Sliney is in the cast as a random bureaucrat in the background of one of the Green Zone scenes. This is the air-traffic-control official who gave the ground-all-flights order on 9/11, and then legendarily played himself in the movie United 93. This is his only other non-documentary film credit, so I hope he kept his day job.
*By the time I got to Iraq, the Humvees had all been painted desert-tan and heavily armored, but my understanding is that this change did not take hold until like 2007.
**In a manner unfortunately reminiscent of George Bluth Senior ‘running with great intensity.’ Yes, this is foreshadowing. It is inevitable, because despite its ambitions, this movie proves that the definitive Hollywood treatment of the Iraq War is still selected episodes of Arrested Development. (And Generation Kill, which I considered revisiting for this anniversary post.)
***I do enjoy how Kinnear frames the idea of people who know things: they’re ‘dinosaurs’ with heads full of ‘old ideas,’ which sounds like he’s being boldly innovative and courageously resisting hidebound bureaucracies that have outlived their usefulness. But of course the ‘old ideas’ are things like ‘Know what the hell is going on’ and ‘Don’t assume you can simply kill anyone you don’t like,’ and Kinnear’s ‘bold innovations’ are just clueless wishful thinking.
****Movies very often miss this detail, but helicopters are really loud. Almost as loud as gunfire, though of course movies also very often fail to convey how loud gunfire is. It is impossible for a low-flying helicopter to sneak up like that on anyone with functional ears. They’d be drowning out any attempt at conversation before they got within hundreds of yards.
2023.03.21 19:46 cornbread36 This is why I didn't want to pay or franchise Barkley...
📷Dov Kleiman@NFL_DovKleiman·3mRBs currently available in FA: * Leonard Fournette * Ezekiel Elliott * Kareem Hunt * Jerick McKinnon * Kenyan Drake * Mark Ingram * Latavius Murray * D’Ernest Johnson * JD McKissic * Giovanni Bernard * David Johnson * Dontrell Hilliard * Marlon Mack * Justin Jackson📷
Give me Kareem Hunt or Kenyan Drake plus a rookie and I would have been good at RB this year. Whether the paying Barkley supporters want to admit it, we are still overpaying him on the Franchise tag.
submitted by cornbread36 to G101SafeHaven [link] [comments]
Give me Kareem Hunt or Kenyan Drake plus a rookie and I would have been good at RB this year. Whether the paying Barkley supporters want to admit it, we are still overpaying him on the Franchise tag.
2023.03.21 19:29 psychicmachinery How can I get through the Sci Fi "Classics"?
So, inspired by some reddit posts and comments, I've started digging into some older sci-fi as a change of pace from my usual fantasy fare. I started with Zelazny's Lord of Light which was pretty good and moved on to The Stars My Destination and now I am struggling. By way of a preface, I'm a 44 year old cis-het white dude, consider myself an ally and whatnot, but I also have a healthy respect for engaging with literature with reference to historical context and an understanding of social and cultural mores of the time.
Lord of Light wasn't too bad, a couple of lesbian jokes towards the beginning but they moved past it pretty quickly and male/female body swaps were taken as a matter of course which I found pretty cool all things considered. Anyway, interesting story and concepts more than make up for a few poorly aged segments.
But Stars My Destination, oh man, this book. This one is rough. I'm at the part where they're trying to escape from the ultra-dark prison (wild how long that concept has been around!) And there has yet to be a single woman in this book who's treated as anything other than helpless breeding material, whether she wants to be or not. The author has even sort of called it out with how jaunting has brought about this return to pseudo Victorian morals and mores, but that is not making it any easier.
I've read some other sci-fi as well, and this seems to be a common issue (Forever War, Heinlein, Herbert to a degree)
I guess my question is whether this book is worth it or not. And whether I'm going to have to put up with more of this stuff as I move through the other works (Niven, Azimov, etc.)
Are there some sci-fi classics that I'd be better off with here? Should I focus on newer stuff?
Thanks for your thoughts and comments and hell, even if you just read this post all the way through.
submitted by psychicmachinery to printSF [link] [comments]
Lord of Light wasn't too bad, a couple of lesbian jokes towards the beginning but they moved past it pretty quickly and male/female body swaps were taken as a matter of course which I found pretty cool all things considered. Anyway, interesting story and concepts more than make up for a few poorly aged segments.
But Stars My Destination, oh man, this book. This one is rough. I'm at the part where they're trying to escape from the ultra-dark prison (wild how long that concept has been around!) And there has yet to be a single woman in this book who's treated as anything other than helpless breeding material, whether she wants to be or not. The author has even sort of called it out with how jaunting has brought about this return to pseudo Victorian morals and mores, but that is not making it any easier.
I've read some other sci-fi as well, and this seems to be a common issue (Forever War, Heinlein, Herbert to a degree)
I guess my question is whether this book is worth it or not. And whether I'm going to have to put up with more of this stuff as I move through the other works (Niven, Azimov, etc.)
Are there some sci-fi classics that I'd be better off with here? Should I focus on newer stuff?
Thanks for your thoughts and comments and hell, even if you just read this post all the way through.
2023.03.21 19:29 MirkWorks City & Soul by James Hillman
5
From Mirror to Window: Curing Psychoanalysis of its Narcissism
The apparently individual conflict of the patient is revealed as a universal conflict of his environment and epoch. Neurosis is thus nothing less than an individual attempt, however unsuccessful, to solve a universal problem. - C.G. Jung (1912)
Narcissism is now the rage, the universal diagnosis. In Freud's world, the new attention was on conversion hysteria; in Bleuler's, on dementia praecox. Earlier we find all ills attributed to the English malady, to the spleen, to hypochondriasis, to melancholia, to chlorosis; in Paris, a myriad of phobies and délires. Different time and places, different syndromes.
Narcissism has its theoreticians - Kohut, Kernberg, Lacan - and modern Jungians are following the rage. The collective consciousness of psychology makes us collectively unconscious, much as Jung said when writing about the collective ideas in his day. Being "with it" also means being in it. The epidemic diagnosis Narcissism states that the condition is already endemic to the psychology that makes the diagnosis. It sees narcissism because it sees narcissistically. So let us not take this diagnosis so literally, but place it within the historical parade of Western diagnoses.
Eminent cultural critics - Karl Krauss, Thomas Szasz, Philip Rieff, Christopher Lasch, Paul Zweig, and the notorious Dr. Jeffrey Masson - have each seen that psychoanalysis breeds a narcissistic subjectivism inflicting on the culture an iatrogenic disorder, that is, a disease brought by the methods of the doctors who would cure it.
I shall continue their line of thought, but I shall use a method that Wolfgang Giegerich has so brilliantly exposed in many of his papers. If depth psychology itself suffers from a narcissistic disorder, then what we analysts need first to probe is the unconscious narcissism in analysis itself. Our first patient is neither the patient nor ourselves, but the phenomenon called "analysis" that has brought us both to the consulting room.
The term "Narcissism" is probably British. Havelock Ellis is credited with its invention, though Freud gave us its psychoanalytic meaning. What did Freud say? As I go through some of his descriptions, let us hear them narcissistically, as self-referents, descriptive of psychology and of ourselves in psychology.
1917: "We employ the term narcissism in relation to little children and it is to excessive narcissism of primitive man that we ascribe his belief in the omnipotence of his thoughts and consequent attempts to influence the course of events in the other world by magical practices." Does not analysis have this primitive omnipotence fantasy of influencing events in the outer world by its magical practices? The omnipotence of subjective reflection is attested to by many classic Jungians like Harding, Bernard, Meier, von Franz, Baumann, etc. As Jung himself says, we are each "the makeweight that tips the scales" that determine the outcome of world history." The rituals of self-engagement remove projections from the world so that, supposedly, the world itself is transformed by psychoanalysis.
1922: "... narcissistic disorders are characterized by a withdrawal of the libido from objects." The withdrawal of the libido from from objects - I ask you to remember this statement. We shall come back to it.
1925: Freud describes three historic blows to humankind's narcissism. These, he says, are the cosmological blow of Copernicus, the blow of Darwinian evolutionary theory, and the psychoanalytic blow (of Freud) which wounded the omnipotence fantasy, or narcissism, of the ego as sole self-willed ruler. Here, psychoanalysis becomes itself a giant omnipotence fantasy, a creation myth of our culture equivalent with astronomy and biology, promulgating itself with narcissistic grandeur.
This pronouncement appears in Freud's discussion on resistance to psychoanalysis. By means of this idea resistance, analysis brilliantly maintains its invulnerability to criticism. Questioning the validity of analysis is impugned as resistance to it. Even more: the very attacks demonstrate resistance and therefore help to validate analytical theory. As Freud says, "The triumph of narcissism, the ego's victorious assertion of its own invulnerability. It refuses to be hurt by the arrows of reality ... It insists that it is impervious to wounds dealt by the outside world."
Later Freud considered narcissism not to be rooted in love at all, i.e., as self-love, but to be rather a defense against aggressive impulses. Let us consider for a moment the value of "aggressive impulses," at least and at best they take the object, the world out there, into account: I feel enraged about societal injustice, nuclear danger, media crap, industrial callousness, the corporate mind, political ideologues, hideous architecture, etc. But, owing to my narcissistic defenses against the involving call of aggression, I go to the spa, work out, meditate, jog, diet, reduce stress, relax my body armor, improve my orgasms, get a new hairstyle, and take a vacation. And see my therapist: very expensive, very good for me, because he or she devotes complete attention to my problems, especially our transferential frame. Instead of the world and my outrage, I work on my analysis, myself, the Self. This Self, too, fits a narcissistic definition: "the incorporation of grandiose object images as defense against anxiety and guilt" or, as Fenichel puts it, one feels oneself in "reunion with an omnipotent force, be that force an archetype, a god or goddess, the unus mundus, or the numinosity of analysis itself.
Freud's paper "On Narcissism" states that both introspection and conscience or "being watched" derive from and serve narcissism. Yet, psychotherapy practices self-scrutiny as the principal method in its treatment and "being watched" or supervision as the principal component of its training. A candidate goes to hour after hour of institutionalized narcissism of watching and being watched.
The institutionalization of narcissism in our profession - the idea of resistance, the idealization of the Self, the practices of introspection and supervision, the omnipotence fantasies about its own importance in world history, its technique of referring all events back to itself as the vessel, the mirror, the temenos, the frame - bears immediately upon that central obsession of analysis today, transference.
*
By transference, here, I mean that self-gratifying analytical habit which refers the emotions of life to the analysis. Transference habitually deflects object libido, that is, love for anything outside analysis, into a narcissistic reflection upon analysis. We feed analysis with life. The mirror that walks down the road of life (Flaubert) replaces the actual road, and the mirror no longer reflects the world, only the walking companions. They may as well have stayed indoors, less distracted by the trees and the traffic.
The principal content of analytical reflection as transference is the child we once were, a fact which accords with Freud's observation that the object choice of the narcissist is "someone he once was.” This helps account for the faddish popularity of Alice Miller’s writings. Her idealized children exhibit what Freud said: the narcissist is “not willing to forego his narcissistic perfection in his childhood” and “seeks to recover the early perfection.” The focus on childhood traps the libido only further into subjectivity, and therefore we must recognize that erotic compulsions in analysis are produced primarily by the analysis, rather than by the persons. Analysis acts itself out through them quite impersonally so that they often feel betrayed and ashamed by the impersonality of the emotions they undergo and are unable to recognize that what they are suffering is the object libido trying to find a way out of analysis. Instead, the narcissistic viciousness of our theory says that transference emotions are compelling the persons to go deeper into analysis.
Let us recognize that the other person - patient or analyst - embodies the only possibility within an analysis to whom object libido can flow. The person in the other chair represents cure of analytical narcissism simply by being there as an Other. Moreover, the patient for the analyst and the analyst for the patient become such numinous objects because they have also been tabooed as libidinal possibilities. Analyst and patient may not act their desire for each other. The narcissism of the situation makes them absolutely necessary to each other, while the taboo sets them absolutely outside of each other. This outside object however, is also inside the analysis. So, patient for doctor and doctor for patient become the symbolic mode of ending analysis by means of love.
Of course, the persons are often torn by what Freud calls the love dilemma of the narcissistic patient: “the cure by love,” which he generally refers to as cure by analysis. We must ask whether this neurotic choice, as Freud calls it, arises from the narcissisms of the patient or from the narcissism of the analytical system in which the patient is situated. After all, the fantasy of an opposition between love and analysis occurs within the prior fantasy of cure which has brought the persons together in the first place.
By elaborating ethical codes, malpractice insurance, investigations, and expulsions that blame the participants, analysis protects itself from wounding insights about its own narcissism. The vulnerability of analysis - that its effectiveness is always in question, that it is neither science nor medicine, that it is aging into professional mediocrity and may have lost its soul to power years ago despite its idealized language by growth and creativity (a language by the way, never used by its founders) - this vulnerability is overcome by idealizing the transference.
As well as transference love, there is also hatred. Perhaps the client’s hatred of the analyst and the hatred of the analyst for the client are also not personal. Perhaps, these intense oppressive feelings against each other arise in both to present both with the fact that they are in a hateful situation: the object libido hates the attachment of transference. Analysis hates itself in order to break the narcissistic vessel imprisoning the libido that would go out into the soul in the world.
The horned dilemmas of transference, including the analyst’s stare into the mirror of his own counter-transference, the feelings of love and hatred, this agony and ecstasy and romantic torture convince the participants that what is going on is of intense importance: first, because these phenomena are expected by the theory and provide proof of it, and second, because these phenomena re-enact what analysis once was in its own childhood in Vienna and Zurich, analysis in primary fusion with its origins in Breuer and Freud and Jung, in Dora and Anna and Sabina. The feelings are cast in therapeutic guise because this is the healing fiction of the analytic situation. In other words, transference is less necessary to the doctor and the patient than it is to analysis by means of which it intensifies its narcissistic idealization, staying in love with itself. We therapists do not sit in our chambers so many hours a day only for the money, or the power, but because we are addicted to analytical narcissism. Our individual narcissism is both obscured and reinforced by the approved narcissism of the analytical profession.
When one partner imagines a tryst or the other imagines resisting a seduction, or when either imagines that love is a solution to misery, then they are framed in the romantic conflicts of Madame Bovary, Wuthering Heights, and Anna Karenina, reconstituting the Romanticisms of the nineteenth century and the origins of psychoanalysis, not in your or my personal childhoods, but in its own cultural childhood. This means we have to locate the narcissism of contemporary analysis within a much wider narcissism: the Romantic movement.
*
Literary tradition differentiates at least four principal traits of this genre. We have already spoken of one, “idealization of the love object.” And indeed analysis idealizes the patient as an “interesting case,” “difficult patient,” “good patient,” “borderline personality.” Or consider all the literary fabulations that have made patients into eternal literary figures - Dora, Ellen West, Babette, Miss Miller, Wolfman, Ratman, Little Hands, all the way to Freud and Jung themselves in the novels The White Hotel and The House of Glass. Think of the Romanticism of our theoretical constructs: Love and Death, Empathy, Transformation, Growth, The Child, The Great Mother, The Mirror, Desire and Jouissance, and the Transitional Object. In the patient there takes place such idealized events as a hieros gamos, a quest for self-discovery and a journey into wholeness. Synchronicities outside of causal laws, transcendent functions, integration of the shadow and the realization of the Self on whom the future of civilization depends. We record our idealization of the love object, i.e., analysis, in taped and filmed analytic sessions, paying meticulous and expensive attention to trivial conversations and gestures. Analysis is in love with its idealized image.
A second essential trait of Romanticism is said to be the opposition between bourgeois society and the inner self that, with its dreams, desires and inspirations, tends to oppose, even contradict, the outer world of usual things. Psychoanalysis from its beginnings imagines itself fundamentally opposed to the civilization and its institutions of religion, family, medicine, and the political community disdained as “the collective.” Freud’s emphasis on himself as Jew and hence marginal, as well as Jung’s favorite position as heretical old hermit (despite the bourgeois lives they led and values they held) still shapes the imagination of the profession and distorts its relation to the ordinary world.
Third, imprisonment another basic theme in Romanticism, especially French and Russian. In Dostoevsky’s The Possessed, Maria’s song says: “This tiny cell suffices me, there I will dwell my soul to save.” The consulting room provides the confining physical place for the psychic imprisonment of analysis as such its devotion to the secret nooks and crannies of the private world, decorating with reconstructive rococo (i.e., psycho-dynamic intricacies) the narcissistic cell of personality.
Fourth, the Romantic genre has been defined as one that simultaneously seeks and postpones a particular end. This fits therapy. Its entire procedure seeks to restore the person to the world, yet postpones this return indefinitely. (Meanwhile, do not make major changes in your actual life. Don’t act out. The cure of analysis becomes more analysis-another analyst, another school - and the improvement of training becomes ever more hours.) The simultaneity of seeking and postponing an end occurs in the basic conundrum of every analysis, its contradictory two commandments: encourage the desires of the unconscious (Thou Shall Not Repress) and forbid gratification (Thou Shall Not Act Out). Our work is with the libidinous and our method is by way of abstention. The end is unforeseeable; there is no completion. Analysis interminable, as Freud said. This is the Romanticism of eternal longing.
There is no way out of Romanticism’s consulting room and the subjectivism of its eros, unless we turn to what is beyond its purview, turn to what narcissism and romanticism leave out: the objects, the unidealized, immediately given, actual world of dull and urban things. By turning psychological attention from the mirror of self-reflection to the world through the window, we release “object libido” to seek its goal beyond narcissistic confinement in analysis. For “object libido” is but a psychoanalytic name for the drive which loves the world, the erotic desire for Anima Mundi, for Soul in the World.
Perhaps it becomes clearer why I have been emphasizing John Keats’s remarkable phrase; “Call the world … The vale of Soul-making. Then you will find out the use of the world.” Also, you will understand why I have held myself back from that side of Jung which expounds upon meaning, Self, individuation, unus mundus, wholeness, mandalas, etc. . These large and introverted ideas envelop me and usually my patients with a grandiose, invulnerable aura. As well, I keep a distance from the current Kohut craze and Lacanian mystique. Although recognizing narcissism as the syndrome of the times (even if the groundwork for this was prepared long ago in the metaphysical catastrophe of Augustinian and Cartesian subjectivism); yet, Kohut attempts its cure by the same means of narcissistic obsession: an ever more detailed observation of subjectivity. And a subjectivity within the oppressive confines of a negatively reconstructed childhood. The child archetype dominates contemporary therapy, keeping patients (and analysts) safe from the world. For this archetype feels always endangered by the actual world, lives not in the present but in futurity, and is addicted to its own powerless infantilism. By so focusing on the child, analysis disenfranchises itself from wider realm of soul-making in the adult community of polis.
Nevertheless I must confess to a serious long-standing error on my part regarding Keats’s phrase. I always considered the world out there to be useful for making one’s own soul. Narcissism again. My soul, your soul - not its soul. For the Romantics, however, ensouling the world was a crucial part of their program. They recognized the traps of narcissistic subjectivity in their vision. Hence, they sought the spirit in physical nature, the brotherhood of all mankind or Gemeinschaftsgefühl, political revolution, and a return to the classic gods and goddesses, attempting to revivify the soul of the world with pantheism.
We must therefore read Keats as saying we go through the world for the sake of its soul-making, thereby our own. This reading suggests a true object libido, beyond narcissism, in keeping with Otto Fenichel’s definition of love. Love can only be called such when “one’s own satisfaction is impossible without satisfying the object too. If the world is not satisfied by our going through it, no matter how much beauty and pleasure our souls may receive from it, then we live in its vale without love.
There is a way out, or I wouldn’t be standing here. For my specific style of narcissism, my pose before the mirror, today is heroic. My style insists on resolution of the issues raised. The method I shall be using here follows the method which I usually empty for resolving issues. First, we look back into the history of psychoanalysis for a model; second, we turn to some peculiar bit of pathologizing for a clue; and third, we resolve problems by dissolving them into images and metaphors.
So, let us turn back to the first psychoanalytic case, Anna O., and her doctor, Josef Breuer, who, with Freud, wrote Studies in Hysteria. As you recall, after a year of almost daily sessions often of several hours, he suddenly terminated. You recall also the intensity of her transference, that she developed a hysterical pregnancy and childbirth, after Breuer tried to end the treatment. He, according to Jones, after a final visit to her “fled the house in a cold sweat. The next day he and his wife left for Venice to spend a second honeymoon which resulted in the conception of a daughter.” Whether fact or not, and Ellenberger says not, the fantasy shows a founding patron of our work escaping both cure by analysis and cure by love for the beauty of Venice and the conception of a daughter. His object libido returns from the oppressive narcissism of psychoanalysis to the Romanticism of the wider world.
This wide world remains merely that, merely a place of escape or acting out, so long as the world “out the window” is imagined only in the Cartesian model as sheer res extensa, only dead matter. To show more vividly how that world is, as Keats said, a place of soul, let us go straight through the window into the world. Let us take a walk in a Japanese garden, in particular the strolling garden, the one with water, hills, trees, and stones. While we walk, let us imagine the garden as an emblem for the peripatetic teacher or the therapeutic guide (psychopompos), the world itself as psychoanalyst showing us soul, showing us how to be in it soulfully.
I turn to the garden and to Japan because of insights given while in Kyoto gardens several years ago, and also because the garden as metaphor expresses some of the deepest longings - from Hesperides, to Eden’s paradise, and Maria’s hortus inclusus - for the world as home of the soul. So by entering into the Japanese garden now we shall be stepping through the window into the anima mundi.
First we notice that the garden has no central place to stand and view it all. We can but scrutinize a part at a time. Instead of overview and wholeness, there is perspective and eachness. The world changes as we move. Here a clump of iris, there a mossy rock. Instead of a center (with its etymological roots in the Greek kentron, “goad” or “prick,” and being compelled toward a goal by means of abstract geometric distancing), there are shifts of focus relative to the body’s location and attitude.
Second: as one strolls, each vista is seen again from a different perspective. The maple branching down to the pond edge, the floating leaves appear less melancholic after the path bends. These shifts of seeing again are precisely what the word “respect” means. To look again is to “respect.” Each time we look at the same thing again, we gain respect for it and add respect to it, curiously discovering the innate relation of “looks” - of regarding and being regarded, words in English that refer to dignity.
Third: when the garden, rather than the dream or the symptom or the unconscious, becomes the via regia of psyche, then we are forced to think anew about the word “in.” “In” is the dominant preposition of all psychoanalysis - not with, not from, not for, but “in.” We look in our souls, we look in a mirror. "In” has been utterly literally, as an invisible, spacelesss psychic stuff inside our skins, or meanings inside our dreams and symptoms, or the memories locked in the past. Interiority of the garden, however, is wholly present and wholly displayed. “In” holds the meanings of included, engaged, involved, embraced. Or, as Jung said, the psyche is not in us; we are in the psyche. This feeling of being in the psyche becomes most palpable when inside the ruins of a Greek temple, in an Egyptian tomb of a king, in a dance or a ritual, and in a Japanese garden. Jung’s phrase “esse in anima” takes on concreteness then, as it does in a clear-cut forest, a bombed city, a cancer ward, a cemetery. Ecology, architecture, interior design are other modes of feeling the anima mundi. Instead of the usual notion of psyche in body, the body strolling through the garden is in the psyche. The world itself is a psychic body; and our bodies as we move, stand, look, pause, turn, and sit are performing an activity of psychic reflection, an activity we formerly considered only mentally possible in the mirror of introspection.
Fourth: the idea of individuality also changes, for in the Japanese garden trees are trimmed at the top and encouraged to grow sideways. Rather than an individuality of the lone tree, towering (and Jung said the single tree is a major symbol of the individuating Self), these trees stretch their branches toward others. Individuality is within community and, takes its definition from community. Furthermore, each tuft in the soft branches of the pine trees is plucked by gardeners. They pull out needles, allowing emptiness to individualize the shape of each twig. It is as if nothing can be individualized unless it is surrounded by emptiness and yet also very, very close to what it is most like. Individuality is therefore more visible within the estrange separateness and close similarity, for instance, of family than in trying to be “different” from family.
Fifth: not only are aged trees supported with crutches and encouraged to flower - blossoming belonging therefore not only to youth - but also the garden includes dead trees. What more wounds our narcissism than these images of old age, these crutched, dependent, twisted and dead trees? < “At least Aurora didn’t reject Tithonus, old, didn’t allow him to lie there lonely in the House of Dawn. She often fondled him, descending into her waters, before she bathed her yoked horses with care. She, when she rested in his arms, by neighbouring India, lamented that day returned too soon.”>
Sixth: the Karesanui gardens, or Zen-inspired gardens, present mainly white sand and found stones, rarely trees. In this bare place the mind watches itself making interpretations. The nine rocks in the raked sand are a tiger family swimming through the sea; the nine rocks are mountain tops peaking through white mist and clouds; the nine rocks are simply rocks, aesthetically placed with genius. One legend after another, one philosophy, theory or literary criticism, or psychological interpretation rises to the mind and falls back into the white sand. The garden becomes wholly metaphor, both what it is and what it is not, presence and absence at once. The concrete koan of the rock garden transforms the mind itself into metaphor, its thought transient while image endures, so that the mind cannot identify with its own subjectivism - narcissism overcome.
‘“Hegel introduces this notion of ‘oppositional determination” in his logic of essence, when he discusses the relationship between identity and difference; his point there is not only that identity is always the identity of identity and difference, but that difference itself is also always the difference between itself and identity; in the same way, it is not only necessity that encompasses both itself and contingency, but also - and more fundamentally - it is contingency itself which encompasses both itself and necessity. Or, with regard to the tension between essence and appearance, the fact that essence has to appear within the domain of appearances, as a hint that “appearances are not all” but are “merely appearances.”’ - Zizek, Less than Nothing>
*
Finally, I shall insist that the garden is not natural; nor is psyche natural. The garden was designed and is tended to maintain an artificiality that imitates nature. In Fort Worth, Texas, a large and marvelous Japanese garden was constructed years ago. But since adequate funds were not set aside for gardeners from Japan, nature slowly destroys that garden. Without the pruners’ perverted twist to each inch of nature, the garden declines into merely another part of the forest. A garden’s elaborate display of soul-in-the-world is an opus contra naturam, like alchemy. Like alchemy, the garden is a work of intense culture. Unlike alchemy, its matter, its body, is out there, rather than inside the glass vessel.
Because the garden is artificial, as the alchemist was called artifex, all conceptions of soul must be plucked of naturalistic fallacies. The soul as opus contra naturam will not be served adequately by fallacious comparisons with organic growth, cyclical process, and myths of nature goddesses. Nor does the garden shelter the child from which grows the creative person as psychotherapy is found to believe. By insisting upon the artificiality of our work with soul, I am trying to keep us from the Romantic error of confusing the ideal (Eden and the Elysian fields; Horaiko, in Japanese) with the natural. The garden as metaphor offers a romantic vision that saves us from Naturalistic Romanticism by twisting and sophisticating nature through art.
This twist to nature that wounds idealizations of garden is presented in our culture, as in Roman culture, by our ancient god of gardens and gardeners, Priapus. Priapus is neither young nor beautiful. Unlike lovely Narcissus, unlike the semi-divine figures of Adam and Eve, Priapus is mature, bald and paunchy, and so distorted that his mother, Venus, deserted him at birth. His very presence repels romantic idealizations and the gaze into the mirror of Venusian vanity as well as Narcissus’s rapt reflection. Priapic reflection starts the other way around; his preposterous swollen condition reflects the vitality of the world. The same force displays in him as in the buds and germinating pods. By means of distortion which deceptively seems “only natural,” Priapus invites the grotesque pathologized disproportions of imagination - and imagination, says Bachelard, works by deformation.
So, when I invoke Priapus, I am not speaking of priapismus; I am not speaking of machismo; and I am not anti-feminine. Let me be quite clear. I am speaking of the generative artificiality that is the essence of the garden and of the psyche. Each dream, each fantasy, and each symptomatic complication of natural health and normative humanity bears witness to the psyche’s libidinal pleasure in exaggeration, its fertile genius for imaginative distortion. If this god of gardens is also a god of psychoanalysis - and from Charcot through Lacan the priapic has been invoked - he brings to its work an archaic reflex beyond the romantic or baroque, a rousing urgency forward and outward. (Priapus was not permitted indoors in Hestia’s closed rooms where his presence becomes only violent and obscene.)
Moreover, this god needs no mirror to know himself, for his self is wholly displayed. His nature cannot be concealed within, so he is quite free of hidden meanings and subtle innuendos that keep psychoanalysis hopefully addicted to one more revelation, one more transformation, interminable. Priapus knows no metamorphosis, no transfigurations. Priapus is without ambiguity; metaphor is forbidden to him; he displays all, reveals nothing. Like the garden, all there. The rocks are the rocks.
<"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." - Matthew 16:18>
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From Mirror to Window: Curing Psychoanalysis of its Narcissism
The apparently individual conflict of the patient is revealed as a universal conflict of his environment and epoch. Neurosis is thus nothing less than an individual attempt, however unsuccessful, to solve a universal problem. - C.G. Jung (1912)
Narcissism is now the rage, the universal diagnosis. In Freud's world, the new attention was on conversion hysteria; in Bleuler's, on dementia praecox. Earlier we find all ills attributed to the English malady, to the spleen, to hypochondriasis, to melancholia, to chlorosis; in Paris, a myriad of phobies and délires. Different time and places, different syndromes.
Narcissism has its theoreticians - Kohut, Kernberg, Lacan - and modern Jungians are following the rage. The collective consciousness of psychology makes us collectively unconscious, much as Jung said when writing about the collective ideas in his day. Being "with it" also means being in it. The epidemic diagnosis Narcissism states that the condition is already endemic to the psychology that makes the diagnosis. It sees narcissism because it sees narcissistically. So let us not take this diagnosis so literally, but place it within the historical parade of Western diagnoses.
Eminent cultural critics - Karl Krauss, Thomas Szasz, Philip Rieff, Christopher Lasch, Paul Zweig, and the notorious Dr. Jeffrey Masson - have each seen that psychoanalysis breeds a narcissistic subjectivism inflicting on the culture an iatrogenic disorder, that is, a disease brought by the methods of the doctors who would cure it.
I shall continue their line of thought, but I shall use a method that Wolfgang Giegerich has so brilliantly exposed in many of his papers. If depth psychology itself suffers from a narcissistic disorder, then what we analysts need first to probe is the unconscious narcissism in analysis itself. Our first patient is neither the patient nor ourselves, but the phenomenon called "analysis" that has brought us both to the consulting room.
The term "Narcissism" is probably British
1917: "We employ the term narcissism in relation to little children and it is to excessive narcissism of primitive man that we ascribe his belief in the omnipotence of his thoughts and consequent attempts to influence the course of events in the other world by magical practices." Does not analysis have this primitive omnipotence fantasy of influencing events in the outer world by its magical practices? The omnipotence of subjective reflection is attested to by many classic Jungians like Harding, Bernard, Meier, von Franz, Baumann, etc. As Jung himself says, we are each "the makeweight that tips the scales" that determine the outcome of world history." The rituals of self-engagement remove projections from the world so that, supposedly, the world itself is transformed by psychoanalysis.
1922: "... narcissistic disorders are characterized by a withdrawal of the libido from objects." The withdrawal of the libido from from objects - I ask you to remember this statement. We shall come back to it.
1925: Freud describes three historic blows to humankind's narcissism. These, he says, are the cosmological blow of Copernicus, the blow of Darwinian evolutionary theory, and the psychoanalytic blow (of Freud) which wounded the omnipotence fantasy, or narcissism, of the ego as sole self-willed ruler. Here, psychoanalysis becomes itself a giant omnipotence fantasy, a creation myth of our culture equivalent with astronomy and biology, promulgating itself with narcissistic grandeur.
This pronouncement appears in Freud's discussion on resistance to psychoanalysis. By means of this idea resistance, analysis brilliantly maintains its invulnerability to criticism. Questioning the validity of analysis is impugned as resistance to it. Even more: the very attacks demonstrate resistance and therefore help to validate analytical theory. As Freud says, "The triumph of narcissism, the ego's victorious assertion of its own invulnerability. It refuses to be hurt by the arrows of reality ... It insists that it is impervious to wounds dealt by the outside world."
Later Freud considered narcissism not to be rooted in love at all, i.e., as self-love, but to be rather a defense against aggressive impulses. Let us consider for a moment the value of "aggressive impulses," at least and at best they take the object, the world out there, into account: I feel enraged about societal injustice, nuclear danger, media crap, industrial callousness, the corporate mind, political ideologues, hideous architecture, etc. But, owing to my narcissistic defenses against the involving call of aggression, I go to the spa, work out, meditate, jog, diet, reduce stress, relax my body armor, improve my orgasms, get a new hairstyle, and take a vacation. And see my therapist: very expensive, very good for me, because he or she devotes complete attention to my problems, especially our transferential frame. Instead of the world and my outrage, I work on my analysis, myself, the Self. This Self, too, fits a narcissistic definition: "the incorporation of grandiose object images as defense against anxiety and guilt" or, as Fenichel puts it, one feels oneself in "reunion with an omnipotent force, be that force an archetype, a god or goddess, the unus mundus, or the numinosity of analysis itself.
Freud's paper "On Narcissism" states that both introspection and conscience or "being watched" derive from and serve narcissism. Yet, psychotherapy practices self-scrutiny as the principal method in its treatment and "being watched" or supervision as the principal component of its training. A candidate goes to hour after hour of institutionalized narcissism of watching and being watched.
The institutionalization of narcissism in our profession - the idea of resistance, the idealization of the Self, the practices of introspection and supervision, the omnipotence fantasies about its own importance in world history, its technique of referring all events back to itself as the vessel, the mirror, the temenos, the frame - bears immediately upon that central obsession of analysis today, transference.
*
By transference, here, I mean that self-gratifying analytical habit which refers the emotions of life to the analysis. Transference habitually deflects object libido, that is, love for anything outside analysis, into a narcissistic reflection upon analysis. We feed analysis with life. The mirror that walks down the road of life (Flaubert) replaces the actual road, and the mirror no longer reflects the world, only the walking companions. They may as well have stayed indoors, less distracted by the trees and the traffic.
The principal content of analytical reflection as transference is the child we once were, a fact which accords with Freud's observation that the object choice of the narcissist is "someone he once was.” This helps account for the faddish popularity of Alice Miller’s writings. Her idealized children exhibit what Freud said: the narcissist is “not willing to forego his narcissistic perfection in his childhood” and “seeks to recover the early perfection.” The focus on childhood traps the libido only further into subjectivity, and therefore we must recognize that erotic compulsions in analysis are produced primarily by the analysis, rather than by the persons. Analysis acts itself out through them quite impersonally so that they often feel betrayed and ashamed by the impersonality of the emotions they undergo and are unable to recognize that what they are suffering is the object libido trying to find a way out of analysis. Instead, the narcissistic viciousness of our theory says that transference emotions are compelling the persons to go deeper into analysis.
Let us recognize that the other person - patient or analyst - embodies the only possibility within an analysis to whom object libido can flow. The person in the other chair represents cure of analytical narcissism simply by being there as an Other. Moreover, the patient for the analyst and the analyst for the patient become such numinous objects because they have also been tabooed as libidinal possibilities. Analyst and patient may not act their desire for each other. The narcissism of the situation makes them absolutely necessary to each other, while the taboo sets them absolutely outside of each other. This outside object however, is also inside the analysis. So, patient for doctor and doctor for patient become the symbolic mode of ending analysis by means of love.
Of course, the persons are often torn by what Freud calls the love dilemma of the narcissistic patient: “the cure by love,” which he generally refers to as cure by analysis. We must ask whether this neurotic choice, as Freud calls it, arises from the narcissisms of the patient or from the narcissism of the analytical system in which the patient is situated. After all, the fantasy of an opposition between love and analysis occurs within the prior fantasy of cure which has brought the persons together in the first place.
By elaborating ethical codes, malpractice insurance, investigations, and expulsions that blame the participants, analysis protects itself from wounding insights about its own narcissism. The vulnerability of analysis - that its effectiveness is always in question, that it is neither science nor medicine, that it is aging into professional mediocrity and may have lost its soul to power years ago despite its idealized language by growth and creativity (a language by the way, never used by its founders) - this vulnerability is overcome by idealizing the transference.
As well as transference love, there is also hatred. Perhaps the client’s hatred of the analyst and the hatred of the analyst for the client are also not personal. Perhaps, these intense oppressive feelings against each other arise in both to present both with the fact that they are in a hateful situation: the object libido hates the attachment of transference. Analysis hates itself in order to break the narcissistic vessel imprisoning the libido that would go out into the soul in the world.
The horned dilemmas of transference, including the analyst’s stare into the mirror of his own counter-transference, the feelings of love and hatred, this agony and ecstasy and romantic torture convince the participants that what is going on is of intense importance: first, because these phenomena are expected by the theory and provide proof of it, and second, because these phenomena re-enact what analysis once was in its own childhood in Vienna and Zurich, analysis in primary fusion with its origins in Breuer and Freud and Jung, in Dora and Anna and Sabina. The feelings are cast in therapeutic guise because this is the healing fiction of the analytic situation. In other words, transference is less necessary to the doctor and the patient than it is to analysis by means of which it intensifies its narcissistic idealization, staying in love with itself. We therapists do not sit in our chambers so many hours a day only for the money, or the power, but because we are addicted to analytical narcissism. Our individual narcissism is both obscured and reinforced by the approved narcissism of the analytical profession.
When one partner imagines a tryst or the other imagines resisting a seduction, or when either imagines that love is a solution to misery, then they are framed in the romantic conflicts of Madame Bovary, Wuthering Heights, and Anna Karenina, reconstituting the Romanticisms of the nineteenth century and the origins of psychoanalysis, not in your or my personal childhoods, but in its own cultural childhood. This means we have to locate the narcissism of contemporary analysis within a much wider narcissism: the Romantic movement.
*
Literary tradition differentiates at least four principal traits of this genre. We have already spoken of one, “idealization of the love object.” And indeed analysis idealizes the patient as an “interesting case,” “difficult patient,” “good patient,” “borderline personality.” Or consider all the literary fabulations that have made patients into eternal literary figures - Dora, Ellen West, Babette, Miss Miller, Wolfman, Ratman, Little Hands, all the way to Freud and Jung themselves in the novels The White Hotel and The House of Glass. Think of the Romanticism of our theoretical constructs: Love and Death, Empathy, Transformation, Growth, The Child, The Great Mother, The Mirror, Desire and Jouissance, and the Transitional Object. In the patient there takes place such idealized events as a hieros gamos, a quest for self-discovery and a journey into wholeness. Synchronicities outside of causal laws, transcendent functions, integration of the shadow and the realization of the Self on whom the future of civilization depends. We record our idealization of the love object, i.e., analysis, in taped and filmed analytic sessions, paying meticulous and expensive attention to trivial conversations and gestures. Analysis is in love with its idealized image.
A second essential trait of Romanticism is said to be the opposition between bourgeois society and the inner self that, with its dreams, desires and inspirations, tends to oppose, even contradict, the outer world of usual things. Psychoanalysis from its beginnings imagines itself fundamentally opposed to the civilization and its institutions of religion, family, medicine, and the political community disdained as “the collective.”
Third, imprisonment another basic theme in Romanticism, especially French and Russian. In Dostoevsky’s The Possessed, Maria’s song says: “This tiny cell suffices me, there I will dwell my soul to save.” The consulting room provides the confining physical place for the psychic imprisonment of analysis as such its devotion to the secret nooks and crannies of the private world, decorating with reconstructive rococo (i.e., psycho-dynamic intricacies) the narcissistic cell of personality.
Fourth, the Romantic genre has been defined as one that simultaneously seeks and postpones a particular end. This fits therapy. Its entire procedure seeks to restore the person to the world, yet postpones this return indefinitely. (Meanwhile, do not make major changes in your actual life. Don’t act out. The cure of analysis becomes more analysis-another analyst, another school - and the improvement of training becomes ever more hours.) The simultaneity of seeking and postponing an end occurs in the basic conundrum of every analysis, its contradictory two commandments: encourage the desires of the unconscious (Thou Shall Not Repress) and forbid gratification (Thou Shall Not Act Out). Our work is with the libidinous and our method is by way of abstention. The end is unforeseeable; there is no completion. Analysis interminable, as Freud said. This is the Romanticism of eternal longing.
There is no way out of Romanticism’s consulting room and the subjectivism of its eros, unless we turn to what is beyond its purview, turn to what narcissism and romanticism leave out: the objects, the unidealized, immediately given, actual world of dull and urban things
Perhaps it becomes clearer why I have been emphasizing John Keats’s remarkable phrase; “Call the world … The vale of Soul-making. Then you will find out the use of the world.” Also, you will understand why I have held myself back from that side of Jung which expounds upon meaning, Self, individuation, unus mundus, wholeness, mandalas, etc. . These large and introverted ideas envelop me and usually my patients with a grandiose, invulnerable aura. As well, I keep a distance from the current Kohut craze and Lacanian mystique. Although recognizing narcissism as the syndrome of the times (even if the groundwork for this was prepared long ago in the metaphysical catastrophe of Augustinian and Cartesian subjectivism); yet, Kohut attempts its cure by the same means of narcissistic obsession: an ever more detailed observation of subjectivity. And a subjectivity within the oppressive confines of a negatively reconstructed childhood. The child archetype dominates contemporary therapy, keeping patients (and analysts) safe from the world. For this archetype feels always endangered by the actual world, lives not in the present but in futurity, and is addicted to its own powerless infantilism. By so focusing on the child, analysis disenfranchises itself from wider realm of soul-making in the adult community of polis.
Nevertheless I must confess to a serious long-standing error on my part regarding Keats’s phrase. I always considered the world out there to be useful for making one’s own soul. Narcissism again. My soul, your soul - not its soul. For the Romantics, however, ensouling the world was a crucial part of their program. They recognized the traps of narcissistic subjectivity in their vision. Hence, they sought the spirit in physical nature, the brotherhood of all mankind or Gemeinschaftsgefühl, political revolution, and a return to the classic gods and goddesses, attempting to revivify the soul of the world with pantheism.
We must therefore read Keats as saying we go through the world for the sake of its soul-making, thereby our own. This reading suggests a true object libido, beyond narcissism, in keeping with Otto Fenichel’s definition of love. Love can only be called such when “one’s own satisfaction is impossible without satisfying the object too. If the world is not satisfied by our going through it, no matter how much beauty and pleasure our souls may receive from it, then we live in its vale without love.
There is a way out, or I wouldn’t be standing here. For my specific style of narcissism, my pose before the mirror, today is heroic. My style insists on resolution of the issues raised. The method I shall be using here follows the method which I usually empty for resolving issues. First, we look back into the history of psychoanalysis for a model; second, we turn to some peculiar bit of pathologizing for a clue; and third, we resolve problems by dissolving them into images and metaphors.
So, let us turn back to the first psychoanalytic case, Anna O., and her doctor, Josef Breuer, who, with Freud, wrote Studies in Hysteria. As you recall, after a year of almost daily sessions often of several hours, he suddenly terminated. You recall also the intensity of her transference, that she developed a hysterical pregnancy and childbirth, after Breuer tried to end the treatment. He, according to Jones, after a final visit to her “fled the house in a cold sweat. The next day he and his wife left for Venice to spend a second honeymoon which resulted in the conception of a daughter.” Whether fact or not, and Ellenberger says not, the fantasy shows a founding patron of our work escaping both cure by analysis and cure by love for the beauty of Venice and the conception of a daughter. His object libido returns from the oppressive narcissism of psychoanalysis to the Romanticism of the wider world.
This wide world remains merely that, merely a place of escape or acting out, so long as the world “out the window” is imagined only in the Cartesian model as sheer res extensa, only dead matter. To show more vividly how that world is, as Keats said, a place of soul, let us go straight through the window into the world. Let us take a walk in a Japanese garden, in particular the strolling garden, the one with water, hills, trees, and stones. While we walk, let us imagine the garden as an emblem for the peripatetic teacher or the therapeutic guide (psychopompos), the world itself as psychoanalyst showing us soul, showing us how to be in it soulfully.
I turn to the garden and to Japan because of insights given while in Kyoto gardens several years ago, and also because the garden as metaphor expresses some of the deepest longings - from Hesperides, to Eden’s paradise, and Maria’s hortus inclusus - for the world as home of the soul. So by entering into the Japanese garden now we shall be stepping through the window into the anima mundi.
First we notice that the garden has no central place to stand and view it all. We can but scrutinize a part at a time. Instead of overview and wholeness, there is perspective and eachness. The world changes as we move. Here a clump of iris, there a mossy rock. Instead of a center (with its etymological roots in the Greek kentron, “goad” or “prick,” and being compelled toward a goal by means of abstract geometric distancing), there are shifts of focus relative to the body’s location and attitude.
Second: as one strolls, each vista is seen again from a different perspective. The maple branching down to the pond edge, the floating leaves appear less melancholic after the path bends. These shifts of seeing again are precisely what the word “respect” means. To look again is to “respect.” Each time we look at the same thing again, we gain respect for it and add respect to it, curiously discovering the innate relation of “looks” - of regarding and being regarded, words in English that refer to dignity.
Third: when the garden, rather than the dream or the symptom or the unconscious, becomes the via regia of psyche, then we are forced to think anew about the word “in.” “In” is the dominant preposition of all psychoanalysis - not with, not from, not for, but “in.” We look in our souls, we look in a mirror. "In” has been utterly literally, as an invisible, spacelesss psychic stuff inside our skins, or meanings inside our dreams and symptoms, or the memories locked in the past. Interiority of the garden, however, is wholly present and wholly displayed. “In” holds the meanings of included, engaged, involved, embraced. Or, as Jung said, the psyche is not in us; we are in the psyche. This feeling of being in the psyche becomes most palpable when inside the ruins of a Greek temple, in an Egyptian tomb of a king, in a dance or a ritual, and in a Japanese garden. Jung’s phrase “esse in anima” takes on concreteness then, as it does in a clear-cut forest, a bombed city, a cancer ward, a cemetery. Ecology, architecture, interior design are other modes of feeling the anima mundi. Instead of the usual notion of psyche in body, the body strolling through the garden is in the psyche. The world itself is a psychic body; and our bodies as we move, stand, look, pause, turn, and sit are performing an activity of psychic reflection, an activity we formerly considered only mentally possible in the mirror of introspection.
Fourth: the idea of individuality also changes, for in the Japanese garden trees are trimmed at the top and encouraged to grow sideways. Rather than an individuality of the lone tree, towering (and Jung said the single tree is a major symbol of the individuating Self), these trees stretch their branches toward others. Individuality is within community and, takes its definition from community. Furthermore, each tuft in the soft branches of the pine trees is plucked by gardeners. They pull out needles, allowing emptiness to individualize the shape of each twig. It is as if nothing can be individualized unless it is surrounded by emptiness and yet also very, very close to what it is most like. Individuality is therefore more visible within the estrange separateness and close similarity, for instance, of family than in trying to be “different” from family.
Fifth: not only are aged trees supported with crutches and encouraged to flower - blossoming belonging therefore not only to youth - but also the garden includes dead trees. What more wounds our narcissism than these images of old age, these crutched, dependent, twisted and dead trees? < “At least Aurora didn’t reject Tithonus, old, didn’t allow him to lie there lonely in the House of Dawn. She often fondled him, descending into her waters, before she bathed her yoked horses with care. She, when she rested in his arms, by neighbouring India, lamented that day returned too soon.”>
Sixth: the Karesanui gardens, or Zen-inspired gardens, present mainly white sand and found stones, rarely trees. In this bare place the mind watches itself making interpretations. The nine rocks in the raked sand are a tiger family swimming through the sea; the nine rocks are mountain tops peaking through white mist and clouds; the nine rocks are simply rocks, aesthetically placed with genius. One legend after another, one philosophy, theory or literary criticism, or psychological interpretation rises to the mind and falls back into the white sand. The garden becomes wholly metaphor, both what it is and what it is not, presence and absence at once. The concrete koan of the rock garden transforms the mind itself into metaphor, its thought transient while image endures, so that the mind cannot identify with its own subjectivism - narcissism overcome.
‘“Hegel introduces this notion of ‘oppositional determination” in his logic of essence, when he discusses the relationship between identity and difference; his point there is not only that identity is always the identity of identity and difference, but that difference itself is also always the difference between itself and identity; in the same way, it is not only necessity that encompasses both itself and contingency, but also - and more fundamentally - it is contingency itself which encompasses both itself and necessity. Or, with regard to the tension between essence and appearance, the fact that essence has to appear within the domain of appearances, as a hint that “appearances are not all” but are “merely appearances.”’ - Zizek, Less than Nothing>
*
Finally, I shall insist that the garden is not natural; nor is psyche natural. The garden was designed and is tended to maintain an artificiality that imitates nature
Because the garden is artificial, as the alchemist was called artifex, all conceptions of soul must be plucked of naturalistic fallacies. The soul as opus contra naturam will not be served adequately by fallacious comparisons with organic growth, cyclical process, and myths of nature goddesses. Nor does the garden shelter the child from which grows the creative person as psychotherapy is found to believe. By insisting upon the artificiality of our work with soul, I am trying to keep us from the Romantic error of confusing the ideal (Eden and the Elysian fields; Horaiko, in Japanese) with the natural. The garden as metaphor offers a romantic vision that saves us from Naturalistic Romanticism by twisting and sophisticating nature through art.
This twist to nature that wounds idealizations of garden is presented in our culture, as in Roman culture, by our ancient god of gardens and gardeners, Priapus. Priapus is neither young nor beautiful. Unlike lovely Narcissus, unlike the semi-divine figures of Adam and Eve, Priapus is mature, bald and paunchy, and so distorted that his mother, Venus, deserted him at birth. His very presence repels romantic idealizations and the gaze into the mirror of Venusian vanity as well as Narcissus’s rapt reflection. Priapic reflection starts the other way around; his preposterous swollen condition reflects the vitality of the world. The same force displays in him as in the buds and germinating pods. By means of distortion which deceptively seems “only natural,” Priapus invites the grotesque pathologized disproportions of imagination - and imagination, says Bachelard, works by deformation.
So, when I invoke Priapus, I am not speaking of priapismus; I am not speaking of machismo; and I am not anti-feminine. Let me be quite clear. I am speaking of the generative artificiality that is the essence of the garden and of the psyche. Each dream, each fantasy, and each symptomatic complication of natural health and normative humanity bears witness to the psyche’s libidinal pleasure in exaggeration, its fertile genius for imaginative distortion. If this god of gardens is also a god of psychoanalysis - and from Charcot through Lacan the priapic has been invoked - he brings to its work an archaic reflex beyond the romantic or baroque, a rousing urgency forward and outward. (Priapus was not permitted indoors in Hestia’s closed rooms where his presence becomes only violent and obscene.)
Moreover, this god needs no mirror to know himself, for his self is wholly displayed. His nature cannot be concealed within, so he is quite free of hidden meanings and subtle innuendos that keep psychoanalysis hopefully addicted to one more revelation, one more transformation, interminable. Priapus knows no metamorphosis, no transfigurations. Priapus is without ambiguity; metaphor is forbidden to him; he displays all, reveals nothing. Like the garden, all there. The rocks are the rocks.
<"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." - Matthew 16:18>
2023.03.21 18:47 oh_shit_thats_my_bus The final note
November 15th, 2020; reddit.Only one thing was ever found after Lucy went missing.She had disappeared the day she went on a hike in white lake forest. I remember that day so clearly, and yet no matter how many times I reread this journal I can’t figure out what happened to her. The state has stopped looking for her and left the case without an answer, just another unanswered missing person’s case I guess, but maybe you guys can figure it out. “Morning mom! I cant wait til I get on the paths. Its supposed to be a really nice day out too! You sure you dont want to come with me?” Lucy texted early in the morning on June 20, 2017. “I am sure I dont want to come with you. Unfortunately Im still sick. Make sure to take pictures for me tho! Anyways Im sure you need to get ready, so I wont keep you. Enjoy your hike today tho, we both know you need this break!” I responded shortly after as I was just waking up. “Awe, still? Hopefully you get better soon! Your immune system has been getting weaker, you should really go to the hospital to get it checked out! I’ll make sure to send plenty of photos thouh, I promise!” Lucy replied as I got up to go to the bathroom. She had sent me ten photos from 10:30am to 1pm. The first one was of a fox peering out of a hole underneath a dead tree, the second one helped the rescue team identify the trail she had taken, the fifth was one of her with a doe and its fawn in the background. The photo of her had her wearing a cyan tee-shirt with a black backpack on her back and her brown hair up in a ponytail as her green eyes reflected the forest. Those photos were the only ones that were found useful in finding her. It was a year later that the police had given me the journal after recording everything written in it. She started writing in it the night before she went on that hike. Her first entry was titled June 19, 2017; I can’t wait! After weeks on end of working every day of the week I finally was able to catch a break, so I have made plans to drive out to white lake forest and go for a hike. I’ll be stoping by panera for breakfast on my way. I just have to remember to pack a lunch, some snacks, water, a portable charger, a pen, and this jornal. I have checked the weather and it’s looking like it will be a perfect day for a hike. Hopefully my mom has gotten better so that way she can join me! Honestly after everything with my ex I could really use a day to relax and just enjoy myself. She had recently broken up with her abusive (ex) boyfriend, and he hadn’t stopped bothering her until she got a restraining order. That had been just a few days before she went on that hike. After all that overworking herself as well as the stress of dealing with an abusive ex who wouldn’t leave her alone she really needed a day to relax. If only she had returned home that day. I really miss my baby girl. The next entry in her journal is labled June 21, 2017; Something is wrong. I should have been home by now, but I think I took a wrong turn at some point. I just began to get this feeling of being watched, so I stopped taking pictures and started looking around a lot more without really paying attention to my surroundings. As the sun set over the horizon I was out of food and my water was almost out. Once the sun was down and it grew dark I pulled out my phone for the flashlight. I ended up having to call it a night when my phone died. I slept at the base of a tree last night and when I woke up I drank the last of my water. It tasted a bit funny though, but that might just be me. Anyways I better start moving before I spend the whole day here. I think I see an area I recognize, so that will be the direction I head. It’s the old cabin that is overrun by foliage with a caved in roof. The next page is the last entry, and it is the most worrying one. June 21, 2017; I needhelp if only my phone weren’t dead. I didn’t realize the portable charger was dead. If I hadI would have charged it the night before I’m getting dizzy, so Ihad to stop and take a break.Im currently siting on the porch on theold cabin. I think I hear some The entry cuts off there. The jornal had apparently been found in an overgrown bush in front of an old cabin, though none of her other belongings were ever found. I still wonder what ever happened to her that day, and hope that maybe she is doing well today. I am not sure if you came to this hoping to read a story with a happy ending, but unfortunately this isn’t a fantasy and in real life not all stories have a true ending.
December 20, 2020; reddit
Edit: Wow, I didn’t realize this post would blow up this much. Anyways, many of you have asked some questions regarding more information on the case. To start with, “Who all knew where she was going to be that day?” Well, to my knowledge she only told me, her siblings, and her close friends because she was inviting us to go with her, though I couldn’t tell you if anyone else knew because I’m not sure if anyone else was told by her siblings or friends. Another question that was asked often was “Does any of her friends or family have a close connection to her ex-boyfriend?” While I wouldn’t call this a close connection I do know one of her friends has a brother who is dating the ex-boyfriend’s brother. I have met his family and they are all good people especially his parents, so not only am I not sure where he got the way he treats his partners but I am sure his family wouldn’t let him do anything to Lucy. The last question I will answer is “Is there any way someone could have drugged the water she had left in the water bottle?” I wouldn’t think so due to her being a light sleeper, but that doesn’t mean it is impossible for someone to have drugged her water. Thinking about it though if that were the case then they would have been close enough to her to take her then, so the fact that they didn’t does strike me as odd. Thank you all for your kindness by the way, I really appreciate it.
2023.03.21 18:06 Ltmusashi 39 [M4F] Arizona / Anywhere. Looking for a connection.
Hello there! My name is Kyle, and I'm searching for a close friend who might just become something more. I'm a 39-year-old, 5'8" white male living in Phoenix, Arizona. While I may be overweight, I've been actively losing weight through diet and exercise. I'm also disabled, which can be challenging at times, but I'm fiercely independent and work hard to minimize my limitations.
When it comes to politics, I lean left, and I believe in treating everyone fairly. I don't have any kids, but I enjoy working with teens whenever I get the chance. I'm a straight-edge kind of guy - I don't smoke, drink, or do drugs, but I don't mind if others do.
In my free time, I enjoy reading audiobooks, with a particular love for sci-fi and fantasy genres. I'm also a fan of Marvel and Star Wars movies and television shows, but I'm happy to watch anything that catches my interest. I always have music playing, and my preferred genres are rock, punk, alternative, and electronic.
Recently, I've been rediscovering my passion for music and have been relearning how to play the bass. I hope to pick up the guitar next once I've improved my skills. I'm also an avid gamer and enjoy playing Minecraft on the PC.
Before the pandemic, I enjoyed volunteering and advocating for those with disabilities. Once things calm down, I plan to get back to it. I enjoy finding resources for people with disabilities and teaching them how to use technology. I also love answering questions and speaking to medical facilities, businesses, and schools about my disability.
If you share any of my interests and are looking for a close friend, I'd love to chat with you. I'm open to a variety of relationships and activities, including voice and video calls, just hanging out on Discord, and working towards a healthy weight together. Let's get to know each other and see where this could lead.
submitted by Ltmusashi to R4R30Plus [link] [comments]
When it comes to politics, I lean left, and I believe in treating everyone fairly. I don't have any kids, but I enjoy working with teens whenever I get the chance. I'm a straight-edge kind of guy - I don't smoke, drink, or do drugs, but I don't mind if others do.
In my free time, I enjoy reading audiobooks, with a particular love for sci-fi and fantasy genres. I'm also a fan of Marvel and Star Wars movies and television shows, but I'm happy to watch anything that catches my interest. I always have music playing, and my preferred genres are rock, punk, alternative, and electronic.
Recently, I've been rediscovering my passion for music and have been relearning how to play the bass. I hope to pick up the guitar next once I've improved my skills. I'm also an avid gamer and enjoy playing Minecraft on the PC.
Before the pandemic, I enjoyed volunteering and advocating for those with disabilities. Once things calm down, I plan to get back to it. I enjoy finding resources for people with disabilities and teaching them how to use technology. I also love answering questions and speaking to medical facilities, businesses, and schools about my disability.
If you share any of my interests and are looking for a close friend, I'd love to chat with you. I'm open to a variety of relationships and activities, including voice and video calls, just hanging out on Discord, and working towards a healthy weight together. Let's get to know each other and see where this could lead.
2023.03.21 18:04 Ltmusashi 39 [M4F] Arizona / Anywhere. Looking for a connection.
Hello there! My name is Kyle, and I'm searching for a close friend who might just become something more. I'm a 39-year-old, 5'8" white male living in Phoenix, Arizona. While I may be overweight, I've been actively losing weight through diet and exercise. I'm also disabled, which can be challenging at times, but I'm fiercely independent and work hard to minimize my limitations.
When it comes to politics, I lean left, and I believe in treating everyone fairly. I don't have any kids, but I enjoy working with teens whenever I get the chance. I'm a straight-edge kind of guy - I don't smoke, drink, or do drugs, but I don't mind if others do.
In my free time, I enjoy reading audiobooks, with a particular love for sci-fi and fantasy genres. I'm also a fan of Marvel and Star Wars movies and television shows, but I'm happy to watch anything that catches my interest. I always have music playing, and my preferred genres are rock, punk, alternative, and electronic.
Recently, I've been rediscovering my passion for music and have been relearning how to play the bass. I hope to pick up the guitar next once I've improved my skills. I'm also an avid gamer and enjoy playing Minecraft on the PC.
Before the pandemic, I enjoyed volunteering and advocating for those with disabilities. Once things calm down, I plan to get back to it. I enjoy finding resources for people with disabilities and teaching them how to use technology. I also love answering questions and speaking to medical facilities, businesses, and schools about my disability.
If you share any of my interests and are looking for a close friend, I'd love to chat with you. I'm open to a variety of relationships and activities, including voice and video calls, just hanging out on Discord, and working towards a healthy weight together. Let's get to know each other and see where this could lead.
submitted by Ltmusashi to ForeverAloneDating [link] [comments]
When it comes to politics, I lean left, and I believe in treating everyone fairly. I don't have any kids, but I enjoy working with teens whenever I get the chance. I'm a straight-edge kind of guy - I don't smoke, drink, or do drugs, but I don't mind if others do.
In my free time, I enjoy reading audiobooks, with a particular love for sci-fi and fantasy genres. I'm also a fan of Marvel and Star Wars movies and television shows, but I'm happy to watch anything that catches my interest. I always have music playing, and my preferred genres are rock, punk, alternative, and electronic.
Recently, I've been rediscovering my passion for music and have been relearning how to play the bass. I hope to pick up the guitar next once I've improved my skills. I'm also an avid gamer and enjoy playing Minecraft on the PC.
Before the pandemic, I enjoyed volunteering and advocating for those with disabilities. Once things calm down, I plan to get back to it. I enjoy finding resources for people with disabilities and teaching them how to use technology. I also love answering questions and speaking to medical facilities, businesses, and schools about my disability.
If you share any of my interests and are looking for a close friend, I'd love to chat with you. I'm open to a variety of relationships and activities, including voice and video calls, just hanging out on Discord, and working towards a healthy weight together. Let's get to know each other and see where this could lead.
2023.03.21 18:03 Ltmusashi 39 [M4F] Arizona / Anywhere. Looking for a connection.
Hello there! My name is Kyle, and I'm searching for a close friend who might just become something more. I'm a 39-year-old, 5'8" white male living in Phoenix, Arizona. While I may be overweight, I've been actively losing weight through diet and exercise. I'm also disabled, which can be challenging at times, but I'm fiercely independent and work hard to minimize my limitations.
When it comes to politics, I lean left, and I believe in treating everyone fairly. I don't have any kids, but I enjoy working with teens whenever I get the chance. I'm a straight-edge kind of guy - I don't smoke, drink, or do drugs, but I don't mind if others do.
In my free time, I enjoy reading audiobooks, with a particular love for sci-fi and fantasy genres. I'm also a fan of Marvel and Star Wars movies and television shows, but I'm happy to watch anything that catches my interest. I always have music playing, and my preferred genres are rock, punk, alternative, and electronic.
Recently, I've been rediscovering my passion for music and have been relearning how to play the bass. I hope to pick up the guitar next once I've improved my skills. I'm also an avid gamer and enjoy playing Minecraft on the PC.
Before the pandemic, I enjoyed volunteering and advocating for those with disabilities. Once things calm down, I plan to get back to it. I enjoy finding resources for people with disabilities and teaching them how to use technology. I also love answering questions and speaking to medical facilities, businesses, and schools about my disability.
If you share any of my interests and are looking for a close friend, I'd love to chat with you. I'm open to a variety of relationships and activities, including voice and video calls, just hanging out on Discord, and working towards a healthy weight together. Let's get to know each other and see where this could lead.
submitted by Ltmusashi to r4r [link] [comments]
When it comes to politics, I lean left, and I believe in treating everyone fairly. I don't have any kids, but I enjoy working with teens whenever I get the chance. I'm a straight-edge kind of guy - I don't smoke, drink, or do drugs, but I don't mind if others do.
In my free time, I enjoy reading audiobooks, with a particular love for sci-fi and fantasy genres. I'm also a fan of Marvel and Star Wars movies and television shows, but I'm happy to watch anything that catches my interest. I always have music playing, and my preferred genres are rock, punk, alternative, and electronic.
Recently, I've been rediscovering my passion for music and have been relearning how to play the bass. I hope to pick up the guitar next once I've improved my skills. I'm also an avid gamer and enjoy playing Minecraft on the PC.
Before the pandemic, I enjoyed volunteering and advocating for those with disabilities. Once things calm down, I plan to get back to it. I enjoy finding resources for people with disabilities and teaching them how to use technology. I also love answering questions and speaking to medical facilities, businesses, and schools about my disability.
If you share any of my interests and are looking for a close friend, I'd love to chat with you. I'm open to a variety of relationships and activities, including voice and video calls, just hanging out on Discord, and working towards a healthy weight together. Let's get to know each other and see where this could lead.
2023.03.21 17:43 vvoweezowee [For Sale] Collection of JPN/OG/early reissue pressings of Jazz/Soul/Pop classics (Coltrane, Nina Simone, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Kate Bush, etc.) + several markdowns from previous post
Selling lots of classics, many Japanese pressings in pristine shape. Info regarding pressing version, inserts, OBIs, and sound quality (if I had the chance to listen to it) are noted in the spreadsheet below:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q56B6gEH28roEyLT400zTw2Q9XXbwMta4nwHM8fQDrA/edit?usp=sharing
Shipping is from Honolulu, Hawaii via media mail for an added $5 on the listed price. Shipping only to US. All opened records are packaged outside of their covers inside poly outer sleeves. LPs are placed in either antistatic rice-paper inner sleeves or plain white inner sleeves as opposed to their custom printed sleeves. This doesn't apply to sealed records.
Note: Shipping via media mail from Hawaii can take up to 4-8 weeks according to USPS. If you'd like to switch to Priority Shipping, I can come up with an accurate shipping quote depending on the records you purchase. Priority generally comes out to an average of $15, but again, it all depends on the titles you purchase. However, I so far haven't had any issues with media mail; Previous sales have taken a maximum of 3 weeks to arrive.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions and requests for pictures if you're considering purchasing. I want to make sure we're all on the same page about the grading and hope that whichever record you're interested in meets your expectations.
submitted by vvoweezowee to VinylCollectors [link] [comments]
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q56B6gEH28roEyLT400zTw2Q9XXbwMta4nwHM8fQDrA/edit?usp=sharing
Shipping is from Honolulu, Hawaii via media mail for an added $5 on the listed price. Shipping only to US. All opened records are packaged outside of their covers inside poly outer sleeves. LPs are placed in either antistatic rice-paper inner sleeves or plain white inner sleeves as opposed to their custom printed sleeves. This doesn't apply to sealed records.
Note: Shipping via media mail from Hawaii can take up to 4-8 weeks according to USPS. If you'd like to switch to Priority Shipping, I can come up with an accurate shipping quote depending on the records you purchase. Priority generally comes out to an average of $15, but again, it all depends on the titles you purchase. However, I so far haven't had any issues with media mail; Previous sales have taken a maximum of 3 weeks to arrive.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions and requests for pictures if you're considering purchasing. I want to make sure we're all on the same page about the grading and hope that whichever record you're interested in meets your expectations.
- Abbey Lincoln - That's Him (E- / VG+) = $30.00
- Al Green - Livin' For You (VG+ / VG+) = $10.00
- Al Kooper Introduces Shuggie Otis - Kooper Session (VG+ / VG) = $10.00
- Albert Ayler Trio - Spiritual Unity (E / E-) = $35.00
- Archie Shepp - Four For Trane (E / E-) = $40.00
- Archie Shepp - Fire Music (VG / VG) = $40.00
- Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You (VG++ / VG++) = $30.00
- Aretha Franklin - Aretha Now (G+ / G+) = $10.00
- Aretha Franklin - Spirit In The Dark (VG / VG) = $20.00
- Arthur Lyman - Island Vibes (VG / VG+) = $50.00
- Bill Evans - Conversations With Myself (E- / E-) = $40.00
- Bill Evans - At The Montreux Jazz Festival (E / E-) = $40.00
- Blue Mitchell - Boss Horn (VG+ / VG+) = $45.00
- Bob Dylan - Self Portrait (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
- Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan (G+ / G+) = $10.00
- Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited (VG+ / VG) = $15.00
- Bobbi Humphrey - Blacks And Blues (VG+ / VG+) = $35.00
- Bobby Caldwell - Cat In The Hat (E- / E) = $40.00
- Bobby Caldwell - Cat In The Hat (NM - Sealed / NM - Sealed) = $50.00 (Unsure which exact pressing)
- Bobby Lyle - The Genie (VG+ / G+) = $20.00
- Buckingham Nicks - Buckingham Nicks (VG / VG) = $40.00
- Cannonball Adderley - Somethin' Else (E / E-) = $65.00
- Change - Miracles (E / VG++) = $35.00
- Change - The Glow Of Love (VG / VG) = $15.00
- Charles Mingus - Oh Yeah (E / E-) = $35.00
- Charles Mingus - Blues & Roots (E / E-) = $40.00
- Charles Mingus - Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (VG+ / VG+) = $70.00
- Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings (E / E) = $70.00
- Curtis Mayfield - Curtis (E / E-) = $75.00
- David Bowie - "Heroes" = 英雄夢語り（ヒーローズ） (E / E-) = $60.00
- David Bowie - Low (E / VG++) = $60.00
- David Bowie - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (VG / VG) = $25.00
- David Bowie = David Bowie - Hunky Dory = ハンキー·ドリー (E / E-) = $70.00
- Deerhunter - Fading Frontier (M / M) = $20.00
- Duke Ellington & John Coltrane - Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (E / E) = $45.00
- Duke Ellington • Charles Mingus • Max Roach - Money Jungle (VG / F) = $40.00
- Duke Ellington And His Orchestra - Anatomy Of A Murder (VG / G+) = $15.00
- Eddie Kamae And The The Sons Of Hawaii - This Is Eddie Kamae (VG / VG+) = $20.00
- Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Duke Ellington Song Book, Vol. 1 (VG+ / VG) = $20.00
- Ella Fitzgerald - Sings The Rodgers And Hart Song Book (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
- Emitt Rhodes - Emitt Rhodes (VG / VG) = $20.00
- Evelyn King - I'm In Love (VG / VG+) = $15.00
- Fela Kuti And Africa 70 - Zombie (VG+ / VG+) = $40.00
- Fela Kuti And Africa 70 With Ginger Baker - Live! (VG / G) = $40.00
- Frank Ocean - Endless (SEALED (Presumably M) / SEALED / VG++) = $380.00
- Frank Zappa - Waka / Jawaka - Hot Rats (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
- Freddie Hubbard / Stanley Turrentine With Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, Eric Gale - In Concert Volume One (VG+ / VG+) = $15.00
- Gene Harris - Astralsignal (VG / VG) = $45.00
- Graham Nash - Songs For Beginners (VG+ / VG) = $5.00
- Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel (VG / VG) = $20.00
- Hank Mobley - Workout (E / E) = $60.00
- Hank Mobley - A Caddy For Daddy (VG+ / VG+) = $50.00
- Happy End - 風街ろまん (E / E) = $80.00
- Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off (E / E) = $50.00
- Herbie Hancock - Fat Albert Rotunda (VG / VG) = $45.00
- Herbie Hancock = Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage = 処女航海 (E / VG+) = $50.00
- Horace Silver - Horace Silver Trio (VG+ / VG+) = $35.00
- Howlin' Wolf - Howling Wolf Sings The Blues (VG / G) = $40.00
- Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius (E- / VG++) = $35.00
- João Gilberto - The Boss of the Bossa Nova (VG / VG) = $30.00
- John Coltrane - Transition (E- / E-) = $40.00
- John Coltrane - Coltrane's Sound (E- / E-) = $40.00
- John Coltrane - Coltrane Jazz (E / E) = $40.00
- John Coltrane - Blue Train (E / E-) = $70.00
- John Coltrane - Kulu Sé Mama (Juno Sé Mama) (G+ / G+) = $15.00
- John Coltrane - Blue Train (VG+ / NM) = $25.00
- John Coltrane - Meditations (VG / VG) = $40.00
- John Coltrane - Ascension (Edition I) (VG / VG) = $75.00
- John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (VG / VG) = $40.00
- John Coltrane - Expression (VG / VG) = $40.00
- John Fahey - Volume 1 / Blind Joe Death (VG+ / VG) = $25.00
- John Fahey - The Best Of John Fahey 1959 - 1977 (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
- John Tropea - Short Trip To Space (VG+ / VG) = $15.00
- Johnny Cash - Johnny Cash At San Quentin (VG / VG) = $15.00
- Joni Mitchell - Blue (VG / G+) = $20.00
- Kalapana - Kalapana II (E / E-) = $30.00
- Kamasi Washington - The Epic (NM / NM) = $100.00
- Kate Bush - The Kick Inside = 天使と小悪魔 (E / E-) = $45.00
- Kate Bush - The Dreaming (E / E-) = $40.00
- Kate Bush - The Whole Story (E / E-) = $50.00
- Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love (VG+ / VG+) = $85.00
- Kate Bush - Never For Ever = 魔物語 (E / E-) = $40.00
- Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly (NM / NM) = $25.00
- Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered. (M / M) = $90.00
- Kevin I. - Kevin I. (VG / VG+) = $40.00
- King Crimson - Red (VG / VG) = $20.00
- King Crimson - Starless And Bible Black (VG+ / VG) = $20.00
- Leonard Cohen - Ten New Songs (VG+ / VG+) = $45.00
- Leonard Kwan And Raymond Kane - Slack Key Guitar In Stereo (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
- LeRoy Hutson - Hutson (VG / VG+) = $30.00
- LeRoy Hutson Featuring The Free Spirit Symphony - Feel The Spirit (VG / VG) = $30.00
- Lonnie Liston Smith And The Cosmic Echoes - Expansions (VG+ / VG+) = $40.00
- Lonnie Liston Smith And The Cosmic Echoes - Visions Of A New World (VG / VG+) = $35.00
- Lonnie Liston Smith And The Cosmic Echoes - Renaissance (VG / VG) = $35.00
- Lou Reed - Transformer (VG / G+) = $20.00
- Louis Prima Featuring Keely Smith With Sam Butera And The Witnesses - The Wildest! (VG / VG) = $25.00
- Mac Demarco - Another (Demo) One (NM / NM) = $30.00
- Marc Benno - Minnows (VG / VG) = $20.00
- Martha Reeves & The Vandellas - Watchout! (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
- Marvin Gaye - How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You (E / E-) = $40.00
- Marvin Gaye - I Want You (E- / E-) = $45.00
- Marvin Gaye - Marvin Gaye Live! (E / E-) = $40.00
- Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (E / E-) = $65.00
- Marvin Gaye = Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On = レッツ·ゲット·イット·オン (E / E-) = $40.00
- Max Romeo & The Upsetters - War Ina Babylon (VG / VG) = $25.00
- McCoy Tyner - Live At Newport (VG / VG) = $40.00
- Merry Clayton - Merry Clayton (VG / G+) = $15.00
- Michael Jackson - Thriller (VG / VG+) = $10.00
- Miles Davis - Miles Davis (E- / VG+) = $45.00
- Miles Davis - Agharta = アガルタの凱歌 (E- / E-) = $50.00
- Miles Davis - On The Corner (E / E) = $50.00
- Miles Davis - Sketches Of Spain (VG / VG+) = $25.00
- Miles Davis - A Tribute To Jack Johnson (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
- Miles Davis - In A Silent Way (VG+ / VG) = $25.00
- Miles Davis + 19, Gil Evans - Miles Ahead (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
- Milt Jackson - Sunflower (VG+ / VG) = $20.00
- Mtume - Juicy Fruit (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
- Ned Doheny - Hard Candy (E- / E-) = $40.00
- Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue (E- / E-) = $60.00
- Nina Simone - Forbidden Fruit - Nina Simone Collections Vol. 1 (E / E-) = $45.00
- Nina Simone - Here Comes The Sun (E / E-) = $45.00
- Nina Simone - Baltimore (VG / VG+) = $45.00
- Nina Simone - Pastel Blues (E- / E-) = $65.00
- Nina Simone - I Put A Spell On You (VG / VG) = $65.00
- Nina Simone - Silk & Soul (G+ / G+) = $30.00
- Oliver Nelson - More Blues And The Abstract Truth (VG- / VG+) = $20.00
- Ornette Coleman - The Shape Of Jazz To Come (E- / VG++) = $40.00
- Otis Redding - Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul (E / E-) = $45.00
- Otis Redding - The Dock Of The Bay (E / E-) = $45.00
- Patrice Rushen - Posh (VG / VG) = $20.00
- Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi (Life Out Of Balance) (Original Soundtrack Album From The Motion Picture) (VG++ / VG+) = $30.00
- Philip Glass - Glassworks (VG+ / VG+) = $30.00
- Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon (VG+ / P) = $40.00
- Prince - Sign "O" The Times (E / E-) = $70.00
- Prince - 1999 (VG- / VG+) = $15.00
- R.E.M. - Reckoning (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
- Ramsey Lewis - Mother Nature's Son (VG / VG+) = $35.00
- Ray Charles - Yes Indeed! (VG / VG) = $10.00
- Ray Charles - The Genius Of Ray Charles (VG / VG+) = $15.00
- Robert Wyatt - Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard (VG++ / E-) = $30.00
- Roland Kirk - The Inflated Tear (E- / E-) = $35.00
- Roland Kirk - I Talk With The Spirits (E / E-) = $45.00
- Ronnie Laws - Pressure Sensitive (VG+ / VG) = $10.00
- Rotary Connection - Aladdin (VG+ / VG) = $10.00
- Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
- Roy Ayers Ubiquity - Everybody Loves The Sunshine (VG+ / VG+) = $60.00
- Ryuichi Sakamoto - Neo Geo (VG+ / VG+) = $15.00
- Ryuichi Sakamoto Featuring Robin Scott - Left Handed Dream (VG+ / VG+) = $15.00
- Sandy Bull - Inventions (VG+ / VG) = $15.00
- Sonny Rollins - Way Out West (E / E-) = $40.00
- Sonny Rollins - The Bridge (E / E-) = $40.00
- Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus (VG / VG) = $50.00
- St. Vincent - Strange Mercy (NM / NM) = $20.00
- St. Vincent - St. Vincent (NM / NM) = $90.00
- Stan Getz / João Gilberto Featuring Antonio Carlos Jobim - Getz / Gilberto (VG / VG) = $10.00
- Steely Dan - Aja (G+ / VG) = $15.00
- Steve Reich - Music For 18 Musicians (VG+ / VG+) = $50.00
- Steve Reich - The Desert Music (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
- Steve Reich / Richard Maxfield / Pauline Oliveros - New Sounds In Electronic Music (Come Out / Night Music / I Of IV) (VG / VG) = $45.00
- Stevie Wonder - Hotter Than July (VG / VG) = $10.00
- Stevie Wonder - Signed Sealed & Delivered (NM - Sealed / NM - Sealed) = $40.00
- Stevie Wonder - Talking Book (VG / VG) = $10.00
- Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (G+ / VG+) = $10.00
- Stevie Wonder - My Cherie Amour (VG+ / VG) = $20.00
- Suburban Lawns - Baby (VG+ / VG+) = $20.00
- Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell (NM / NM) = $20.00
- Sufjan Stevens - Chicago (Demo) (NM / Generic) = $25.00
- Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs (M / M) = $25.00
- T. Rex - Electric Warrior (E / E-) = $45.00
- Talking Heads - Remain In Light (E / E-) = $45.00
- Tame Impala - Currents (NM / NM) = $65.00
- Tame Impala - Tame Impala (NM / NM) = $100.00
- Tenement - Bruised Music, Vol.2 (NM / NM) = $5.00
- Terry Riley - Shri Camel (VG+ / VG+) = $30.00
- Terry Riley - In C (VG / VG) = $30.00
- Terry Riley - A Rainbow In Curved Air (VG / No Cover) = $5.00
- The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds / Carl And The Passions – So Tough (VG+ / G+) = $15.00
- The Beach Boys - Sunflower (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
- The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys Today! (VG / VG) = $10.00
- The Beatles - The Beatles (VG+ / VG) = $20.00
- The Beatles - Please Please Me (VG+ / VG+) = $30.00
- The Beatles - The Beatles (VG+ / G++) = $60.00
- The Bill Evans Trio - Portrait In Jazz (E / E-) = $55.00
- The Bill Evans Trio - Waltz For Debby (E / VG++) = $60.00
- The Bill Evans Trio = The Bill Evans Trio - Explorations = エクスプロレイションズ (E / E-) = $40.00
- The Bill Evans Trio Featuring Scott LaFaro - Sunday At The Village Vanguard (E / E) = $65.00
- The Brothers & Sisters (2) - Dylan's Gospel (VG / VG) = $20.00
- The Clash - Sandinista! (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
- The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out (VG / VG+) = $15.00
- The Fall - Cruiser's Creek (VG+ / VG+) = $10.00
- The Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band - The Gabby Pahinui Hawaiian Band (VG / VG) = $15.00
- The Horace Silver Quintet - Song For My Father (Cantiga Para Meu Pai) (E- / E-) = $50.00
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced (G+ / VG) = $10.00
- The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland (VG+ / VG+) = $30.00
- The John Coltrane Quartet - Africa / Brass (E- / E-) = $40.00
- The John Coltrane Quartet With McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison & Elvin Jones - Ballads (E- / VG+) = $40.00
- The Kinks - The Kink Kronikles (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
- The Kinks - Arthur Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire (VG / VG) = $25.00
- The Makaha Sons Of Ni'ihau - No Kristo (VG+ / VG+) = $30.00
- The Miles Davis Quintet - Cookin' With The Miles Davis Quintet (E / E-) = $40.00
- The Miles Davis Sextet / The Miles Davis Quintet - Miles At Newport (VG+ / VG) = $10.00
- The Mothers - Uncle Meat (VG+ / VG) = $25.00
- The Mothers - We're Only In It For The Money (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
- The Ornette Coleman Trio - At The "Golden Circle" Stockholm - Volume One (VG / VG) = $45.00
- The Pop Group - Y (E / E-) = $40.00
- The Pretty Things - Parachute (NM / NM) = $20.00
- The Rolling Stones - Aftermath (VG / VG) = $15.00
- The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet (VG / VG+) = $15.00
- The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main St. (VG+ / VG+) = $35.00
- The Sons Of Hawaii - The Folk Music Of Hawaii (E / E) = $20.00
- The Thelonious Monk Quartet - Monk's Dream (VG+ / VG+) = $30.00
- The Turtles - Present The Battle Of The Bands (VG / VG) = $15.00
- The Velvet Underground - Live At Max's Kansas City (VG+ / VG+) = $15.00
- The Velvet Underground - White Light/White Heat (E / E) = $50.00
- The Velvet Underground - VU (VG+ / VG) = $30.00
- The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - Part One (VG- / VG) = $45.00
- The Who - Live At Leeds (VG+ / VG+) = $15.00
- The Who - A Quick One (E / VG++) = $20.00
- The Witch Trials - The Witch Trials (VG / VG) = $10.00
- Thelma Houston - Summer Nights (M / M) = $15.00
- Thelonious Monk - Monk. (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
- Thelonious Monk Septet - Monk's Music (VG+ / VG+) = $40.00
- Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (VG++ / VG++) = $80.00
- Various - Even A Tree Can Shed Tears: Japanese Folk & Rock 1969-1973 (M / M) = $55.00
- Various - A Christmas Gift For You From Philles Records (G+ / G+) = $30.00
- Various - The Harder They Come (Original Soundtrack Recording) (VG / VG) = $20.00
- Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes (VG+ / VG) = $40.00
- William Onyeabor - Atomic Bomb (NM / NM) = $25.00
- Wilson Pickett - The Exciting Wilson Pickett (VG / VG+) = $10.00
- XTC - Oranges & Lemons (VG+ / VG+) = $25.00
- Yellow Magic Orchestra - BGM (E- / E-) = $35.00
- Yellow Magic Orchestra = Yellow Magic Orchestra - Solid State Survivor = ソリッド·ステイト·サヴァイヴァー (E / E) = $35.00
- Yumi Arai = Yumi Arai - Misslim = ミスリム (E / VG+) = $45.00
2023.03.21 15:38 Andrew78956 the funni
Once upon a time there was a lovely princess. But she had an enchantment upon her of a fearful sort, which could only be broken by Love's first kiss. She was locked away in a castle guarded by a terrible fire breathing dragon. Many brave knights had attempted to free her from this dreadful prison, but none prevailed. She waited in the dragon's keep in the highest room of the tallest tower for her true love and true love's first kiss. Like that's ever going to happen. What a loony. Shrek Beware Stay out I think he's in here. All right. Lets get it! Hold on. Do you know what that thing can do to you? Yeah. He'll groan into your bones for his brains. Well actually that would be a giant. Now Ogres, huh, they are much worse. They'll make a soup from your freshly peeled skin. They'll chew your livers, squeeze the jelly from your eyes. Actually, it's quite good on toast. Back, back beast, back! I warned you! Right. This is the part, where you run away. Yeah! And stay out. Wanted. Fairytale creatures. Right, this one is full. Take it away. Give me that. Your fine days are over. -25 pieces of silver for the witch. Next. -Come on. Sit down there! And be quiet! This cage is so small. You wouldn't turn me in. I'll never be stubborn again. I can change. Please, give me another chance. Oh, shut up! Next. What do we got? This little wooden puppet. I'm not a puppet, I'm a real boy. Five shillings for the possessed toy. Take it away. No! Please, don't let them do it! Next. What do you got? Well, I've got a talking donkey! Right. Well that's good for ten schillings, if you can prove it. Oh, go ahead fella. Well? He's just a li..., just a little nervous. He's really quite a chatterbox. You boneheaded donkey! That's it. I have heard enough. Guards! No, no, he talks, he does! I can talk. I love to talk. I've talked to... Get her out of my sight! -No, no, I swear! Hey, I can fly. -He can fly! -He can fly! He can talk! -That's right, fool! Now I'm a flying, talking donkey! You might have seen house fly, maybe even a superfly. But I bet you ain't never seen a donkey fly! Seize him! Get him! This way! Hurry! You there. Ogre. -I. By the order of lord Farquaad. I am authorized to place you both under arrest. And transport you to designated resettlement facility. Oh really? You and what army? Can I say something to you? Listen, you were really, really something, back there. Incredible. Are you talking to... ...me? Yes, I was talking to you. Can I just tell you that you were really great back there with those guards. They thought that was all over there. And then you showed up and BAM. There was tripping on over themselves like babes in the woods. That really made me feel good to see that. Oh, that's great. Really. Man, it's good to be free. Now, why don't you go celebrate your freedom with your own friends? But I... I don't have any friends. And I'm not going out there by myself. Hey wait a minute. I have a great idea... I'll stick with you. You and me in green fighting machine. Together we'll scare the spin if anybody crosses us. Oh, a, that was really scary. Maybe you don't mine me saying. If that don't work, your breath will certainly do the job done, 'cause... you definitively need some tic-tac or something, 'cause your breath stinks! Man you've ??? my note! Just like the time... ...and then I ate some rotten berries. Man I had some strong gases leaking out of my but that day. Why are you following me? I'll tell you why. 'Cause I'm all alone, there is no one here, beside me. My problems have all gone. There's no one to derive me. But you got to have free ... -Stop singing! Well, it's no wonder, you don't have any friends. Wow! Only a true friend would be that truly honest. Listen! Little donkey. Take a look at me! What am I? A... ...really tall? No! I'm an Ogre. You know, grab your torch and pitchforks. Doesn't that bother you? Nope. Really? -Really really. Oh? Man, I like you. What's your name? A..., Shrek. Shrek?! But do you know, what I like about you, Shrek? You've got that kind of: "I don't care what nobody thinks of me" thing. I like that, I respect that, Shrek. You're all right. Uh, look at that. Who would wanna live in a place like that? That would be my home. Oh, it is lovely. Just beautiful. You know you're quite a decorator. It's amazing what you did with such a modest budget. I like that boulder. That is a nice boulder. I guess, you don't entertain much, do you? I like my privacy. You know I do to. That's another thing, we have in common. Like I hate it when you got somebody in your face. You try to give them a hint and they won't leave. And then there's that big occurred silence, you know? Can I stay with you? -What? Can I stay with you, please. Of course! -Really? No. -Please! I don't want to go back there. You don't how is like to be concerned like a freak. Well..., maybe you do. But that's why we have to stick together! You got to let me stay! Please! Please! OK, OK. -But one night only. -Huh, thank you! A, what are you do... No! This is going to be fun. We can stay up late, swap the manly stories. And in the morning... I'm making waffles. Where do I sleep? Outside! Oh, a, I guess that's cool. You know, I don't know you and you don't know me... ... so I guess, outside is best for me. Here I go. Good night. I do like that half door. I'm a donkey all alone outside. Sit by myself outside, I guess. I'm all alone, there's no one here beside me. -I thought, I told you to stay outside. -I am outside. Well James. This is far from the farm, but what choice do we have? It's not... What a lovely bed. -Got you! I found some cheese. Awful stuff. -Is that you Gordon? -How did you know? Enough! What are you doing in my house? Oh, no, no, no... Death prods off the table! Where would we supposed to put her. The bed's taken. What? I live in a swamp. I've put up signs. I'm a terrifying Ogre! What do I have to do, to get a little privacy? Oh, no! No, no! What are you doing in my swamp? All right, get out of here. All of you. Move it! Come on, let's go. And hurry up, hurry up. No, no, not there. Not there! Hey don't look at me. I didn't invite them. Oh gosh, no one invited us. -What? We were forced to come here. -By who? Lord Farquaad. He ??? All right. Who knows where this Farquaad guy is? Oh I do. I know where he is. Does anyone else know where to find him? -Anyone at all? -Me. -Anyone? Oh pick me, I know! Me, me. Ok, fine. Attention all fairy tale things! Do not get comfortable. Your welcome is officially warned up. In fact. I'm gonna see this guy Farquaad right now and get all off my land and back where you came from. You. You're coming with me. All right. That's what I like to hear, man. Shrek and Donkey, two stubborn friends off on a world and big city adventure. I love it. I'm on road again. Sing with me Shrek! I'm on road again... What did I say about singing? -Can I whistle? -No. -Well, can I hummer? -All right. That's enough. He's ready to talk. Run, run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man. You monster. I'm not a monster here. You are. You and the rest of that fairytale trash, poisoning my perfect world. -Now tell me! Where are the others? -Eat me. I've tried to be fair to you, creatures. Now my patience has reached its end! -Tell me! Or I'll... -No, no, not the buttons. Not gumdrop buttons. All right! Who's hiding them? Ok, I'll tell you. -Do you know the muffin-man? -The muffin-man? -The muffin-man. -Yes, I know the muffin-man. Who lives on Proully lane? -Well, she's married to the muffin-man. -The muffin-man! -The muffin-man! -She's married to the muffin-man. My lord! We found it. Well then, what are you waiting for? Bring it in. Magic mirror. Don't tell him anything! Evening. Mirror, mirror on the wall. Is this not the most perfect kingdom of them all? Well, technically, you're not a king. A..., felonious. -You were saying. -What I mean is a... ...you're not a king, yet. But you can become one. All you have to do, is marry a princess. Go on. So, just sit back and relax my lord, because it's time for you to meet today's eligible bachelorettes. And here they are. Bachelorette number one is a mentally abused shading from a kingdom far, far away. She likes sushi and hottubbing anytime. Her hobbies include cooking and cleaning for two evil sisters. Please welcome... Cinderella. Bachelorette number two is a kemp wearing girl from a land of fantasy. Although she lives with seven other man, she is not easy. Just kiss hers dead frozen lips and find out what a live wife she is. Come on. Give it up for... Show-white. And last but certainly not least. Bachelorette number three is a fire-breathing ????, dragon guarded castle, surrounded by a hot boiling lava. But don't let that cool you off. She's a loaded pistol who likes Pina Coladas and getting cut in the rain. Yours for the rescuing, Princess Fiona. So will it be, bachelorette number one? Bachelorette number two? Or bachelorette number three? -Two... -Three! -Two! One. No, no, no. Three. Pick number three my lord. Ok, ok. Number three. Lord Farquaad. You've chosen... princess Fiona. She's nice. Fiona. She's perfect. All I have to do is just find someone... But I probably should mention little thing that happens at night... -I'll do it! -Yes, but after sunset... Silence! I will make this princess Fiona my queen. And Duloc will finally have the perfect king! Captain! Assemble your finest man. We're going to have a tournament! That's it, that's, right there, that's Duloc. I've told you I'll find it. So. That must be lord Farquaad's castle. Aha, that's the place. Do you think maybe he's compensating for something. Hey, hey wait up Shrek! -Hey, you! -No, no! Wait a second. Look, I'm not gonna eat you. I just... It's quiet. Too quiet. Where is everybody? Hey look at this. Wow! -Let's do that again. -No. no. All right. You're going the right way for smack bottom. Sorry about that. That champion should have the honor, no, no... ...the privilege to go forth and rescue the lovely princess Fiona from the fireing keep of the dragon. If for any reason the winner is unsuccessful, the first runner up will take his place. And so on, and so forth. Some of you may die, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Applause. Let the tournament begin. What is that? Ugh, it's hideous. Oh, that's not very nice. It's just a donkey. Indeed. Knights! New plan. The one, who kills the Ogre, will be named champion. How about him. Oh, hey. Now, come on. Can't we just settle this over a pint? No? All right then. Come on. Hey Shrek! Let me, let me! The chair! Give him the chair! Thank you. Thank you, very much. I'm here until Thursday. Try the wheel! Shall I give the order sir? No. I have a better idea. People of Duloc. I give you our champion! What? Congratulation, Ogre. You've won the honor of embarking on a great and noble quest. Quest? I'm already on a quest. A quest to get my swamp back! -Your swamp? -Yeah, my swamp! Where you dumped those fairytale creatures. Indeed. All right Ogre, I'll make you a deal. Go on this quest for me and I'll give you your swamp back. Exactly the way it was? Down to the last slime covered toast tool. -And the squatters? -As good as gone. What kind of quest? Ok, let me get this straight! We gonna go find the dragon and rescue a princess just so Farquaad will give you back the swamp, which you only don't have, 'cause he filled it with full of freaks on the first place. -Is that about right? -You know what? Maybe there is a good reason, donkeys shouldn't talk. I don't get it Shrek. Why didn't you just pull some old Ogre stuff on them? You know, ??? . Grab his bones to make you brave. You know the whole Ogre trick. Oh, you know what. Maybe I could have decapitated entire village and put their heads on plate. Got a knife, cut open their spleens and drink their fluids. Does that sound good to you? A, no, not really, no. For your information, there is a lot more to Ogres than people think. -Example. -Example? OK, A-a-m, Ogres are like onions. -They stink? -Yes, no. -O, they make you cry. -No. Oh, you leave them out on the sun and they get all brown and start ??? little wild hairs? No! Layers! Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers. O, you both have layers. You know not everybody likes onions. Cake! Everybody loves cakes. Cakes have layers. I don't care what everyone likes. Ogres are not like cakes. You know what else everyone likes? Paffe. Have you ever met a person and you say: "Hey, let's get some paffe" and they say I don't like paffe. Paffe is delicious. No! You tensed, irritating, miniature peace of barden. Ogres are like onions. End of story. Bye, bye. See you lather. Paffe is maybe the most delicious thing on the whole damn planet. You know I think I've preferred your humming. Do you have a tissue or something, 'cause I'm making a mess. Just the word paffe has made me start slimying Why, Shrek, did you do that? Man you got to warn somebody before you just crack one off. My mouth was opened and everything. Believe me donkey, if it was me, you'd be dead. It's brimstone. We must be getting close. Yeah, right, brimstone. Don't be talking ??? brimstone. I know what I smell and ??? no brimstone. And they don't come of stone neither. Sure it's big enough, but look at the location. Oh, Shrek, remember when you said that Ogres have layers? Oh, yeah. Well, I have a confession to make. Donkeys don't have layers. We wear ??? sleeves. Wait a second. Donkeys don't have sleeves. -You know what I mean. -Oh, you can't tell me you're afraid of highs. No, I'm just a little uncomfortable of being on a rickety bridge over boiling lake of lava! Come on donkey, I'm right here beside you. Ok? For emotional support. We'll just hackle this thing together one little baby step after time. -Really? -Really really. Ok. That makes me feel so much better. Just keep moving and don't look down. Don't look down, don't look down. Shrek! I'm looking down! I can't do this. Just let me off right now, please. -But you're already half way. -Yeah, but I know that half is safe. Ok, fine. I don't have time for this. You go back. Shrek, no, wait. Don't do that! Oh, I'm sorry. Do what? -Oh. This? -Yes, that! Yes, yes. Do it. OK. -No, Shrek! -I'm doing it. I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die. Shrek, I'm gonna die. That will do Donkey, that will do. Cool. So where is this fire breathing pain in the neck anyway? Inside. Waiting for us to rescue her. I was talking about the dragon Shrek. -Are you afraid? -No, but shhhhh. Oh, good. Me neither. Because there's nothing wrong with being afraid. Here's a..., something responsible of the situation. Not to mention dangerous situation. And there's dragon that breathes fire. I'm sure he's meaner than a cow or anything, but they're scare. You know what I mean. I'm sure he's heavier than a cow... Donkey. Two things. Ok? Shut, up. Now go over there and see if you can find any stairs. Stairs? I thought we were looking for the princess. The princess will be up the stairs in the highest room in the tallest tower. What makes you think she'll be there? I read it in a book once. Cool. You handle the dragon, I'll handle the stairs. Oh, I'll find those stairs. I'll ???. That's right. Those stairs won't know which way they go. The drafting stairs, ??? Don't mess with me. I'm the stair master. I'm master of the stairs. I wish I had a stair right here right here now, I'd step all over it. Well, at least we know where the princess is. -But where is the... -Dragon! Donkey, look out! Got you. Oh, what large teeth you have. I mean, white sparkling teeth. You probably hear this all the time from your food, but you must bleach yourself, because that is one dashing smile you got there. And do I detect the hint of minty freshness? And you know what else? You're a girl dragon. Oh, sure. I mean 'course you're a girl dragon, 'cause you're just ricking the feminine beauty out. What's the matter with you? Do you have something in your eye? Man, I'd really love to stay, but you know I'm a asthmatic and I don't know if we would worked out. You'd be blowing smoke and stuff. Shrek! No, Shrek! Shrek! -Wake up! -What? Are you princess Fiona? I am. Awaiting a knight so bold as to rescue me. Oh, that's nice. Now let's go. But wait, sir knight. This be our first meeting. Should not be wonderful, romantic moment? Yeah. Sorry lady there's no time. Hey, what are you doing? You know, you should sweep me out of my feet. Out through the window and down the rope by to your valued steed. You've had a lot of time to plan this, haven't you? Uh-um. But we have to sing through this moment. You can residing of a poem to me. A ballad, a sonnet, a libretti. Or something. I don't think so. Well, can I at least know a name of my champion? Shrek. So, Shrek. I pray that you take this favor as a token of my gratitude. Thanks. -You didn't slay the dragon? -It's not my job to do this. Now, come on! But this isn't right. ??? That's what all the other knights did. Yeah. Right before they burst in the flame. That's not the point. Wait. Where are you going? Exit is over there. Well, I have to save my ass. What kind of knight are you? One of a kind. ...rush into a physical relationship. I'm not that emotionally ready for commitment of a this magnitude. That was the word I was looking for. Magnitude. Hey, that is unwanted physical contact. Hey, what are you doing? Ok, ok, let's just back up a little and take this one step at the time. I mean, we really should get to know each other first, you know what am I saying. As friends, maybe even as ??? Hey don't do that. That's my tail. That's ma personal tail. And you're going to tear it off.... Oh, no. No! -It talks?! -Yeah. It's getting to shut up, that's a trick. Ok, you two. Head for the exit. I'll take care of the dragon. Ruuuuun! You did it. You rescued me. Amizing, you're wonderful. You're a ... ...a little unorthodox I admit, but by deed is great and by heart is pure. I'm entirely in your debt. And where would a brave knight be without his noble steed. I hope you heard that. She called me a noble steed. She thinks I'm a steed. The battle is won. You may remove your helmet good sir knight. -Aah, no. -Why not? I have helmet hair. Please. I wouldst look upon the face of my rescuer. Oh, no, you wouldn't, dust. But, how will you kiss me? What? That wasn't in a job description. -Maybe it's a perk? -No. It's destiny. You must know how it goes. A princess locked in a tower and besieged by a dragon is rescued by a brave knight. And then they share true love's first kiss. With Shrek? You think, wait... ...you think Shrek is your true love? Well, yes. You think that Shrek is your true love. What is so funny? Let's just say, I'm not your type, ok? Of course you are. You're my rescuer. Now, now remove your helmet. Look. I really don't think this is a good idea. -Just take off the helmet. -I'm not going to. -Take it off! -No! -Now! -Ok, easy. As you command your highness. You're an Ogre. Oh, you were expecting Prince Charming. Well, yes, actually. Oh no. This is all wrong. You're not supposed to be an Ogre. Princess, I was sent to rescue you by lord Farquaad, ok? He's the one, who wants to marry you. Well, then why didn't he come to rescue me? Good question. You should ask him that, when we get there. But I have to be rescued by my true love. Not by some Ogre and his pet. Well so much for noble steed. Look princess. You're not making my job any easier. Well I'm sorry, but your job is not my problem. You can tell lord Farquaad that if he wants to rescue me properly, I'll be waiting for him right here. Hey, I'm no ones messenger boy, all right? -I'm a delivery boy. -You wouldn't dare. -You coming donkey? -Put me down! Yeah, I'm right behind you. Put me down or you will suffer the consequences. This is not dignified. Put me down. Ok, here's another question. Let's say that a woman 'digged' you, but you don't really like her, that way. Now, how you let her down real easy, so her feelings aren't hurt? But you don't get burned to a crisp neither. How do you do this? Just tell her, she's not your true love. Everyone knows it what happens when you find... Hey! The sooner we get to Duloc, the better. Oh, yeah. You gonna love it there princess. It's beautiful. And what of my groom to be, lord Farquaad. What's he like? Well, let me put it this way, princess. Men of Farquaad's stature are in short supply. Oh no, Shrek. There are those who think little of him. Stop it. Stop it, both of you. You know, you're just jealous that you can never measure up to a great ruler like lord Farquaad. Yeah. Well maybe you're right princess. But I'd like you do that measuring when you see him tomorrow Tomorrow? It will take that long? -Shouldn't we stop to make camp? -No. That would take longer. We can keep going. But there are robbers in the woods. Whoa, time out Shrek. Camp is definitely something that sounds good. Hey. Come on. I'm scarier than anything we're gonna see in this forest. I need to find somewhere to camp, now! Hey, over here. Shrek, we can do better than that. Now, I don't think this is decent for princess. No, no, it's perfect. It just needs a few homey touches. Homey touches? Like what? A door. Well, gentleman I'll be d..., good night. Do you want me to come in and read you a bedtime story, 'cause I will... I said good night! Shrek! What are you doing? I just..., you know... Oh, come on, I was just kidding. And that one, that's Throwback. The only Ogre to ever spit over three wheat fields. Right. Yeah. Hey, can you tell my future form these stars? Well, the stars don't tell the future, Donkey. They tell stories. Look. There's Blodna, the "Flatulent" You can guess what he is famous for. All right. Now I know you're making this up. No. Look. There he is and there's the group of hunters running away from his stag. Man, there ain't nothing, but a bunch of little dots. You know donkey, sometimes things are more than they appear. Forget it. Hey Shrek. What are you gonna do when we get our swamp back, anyway? -Our swamp? -You know. When we're through rescuing the princess and all that stuff. We? Donkey, there is no we. There's no our. There's just me and my swamp. And the first thing I'm gonna do, is build a ten foot wall around my land. You cut me deep Shrek, you cut me real deep just now. You know, what I think? I think this whole wall thing is just a way to keep somebody out. No, do you think? -Are you hiding something? -Never mind Donkey. Oh, this is another one of those onion things, isn't it? No. This is one of those drop it and leave it alone things. -Why don't you want to talk about it? -Why do you want to talk about it? -Oh, Why you block? -I'm not blocking. -Oh yes you are. -Donkey, I'm warning you. -Who are you trying to keep out? Just tell me that Shrek. Who? Everyone, ok? -Oh, now we're getting somewhere. -Oh, for 'the love of pit'. Hey, what's your problem Shrek? What do you got against the whole world anyway? Look. I'm not the one with the problem, ok? It's the world that seems to have a problem with me. People take one look at me and go: AAA... Help! Run! A big stupid ugly Ogre. They judge me, before they even know me. That's why I'm better off alone. You know what? When we met, I didn't think you're just a big stupid, ugly Ogre. Yeah, I know. So, a... Are there any donkeys up there? Well, there's a Cabby. The small and annoying. Ok, ok. I see him, now. Big shining one, right there. That one, over there? That's the moon. Again. Show me again. Mirror, mirror, show her to me. Show me the princess. Perfect. Yeah. You know I like like that. Oh come on baby... -Donkey. Wake up. -What? -Wake up. Morning. How do you like your eggs? -Good morning princess. -What's all this about? You know, we kind of got of to a bad start yesterday and I wanted to make it up to you. I mean, after all, you did rescue me. Thanks. Well, eat up. We've got a big day ahead of us. -Shrek! -What? It's a compliment. Better out than in I always say. But that's no way to behave in front of a princess. -Thanks. -She's as nasty as you are. You know. You're not exactly what I've expected. Well, maybe you shouldn't judge people before you get to know them. Princess! What are you doing? ???mon shery, for I am your saviour. And I am rescuing you from this green...beast. Hey! That's my princess. Go find your own. Please, monster. Can't you see I'm a little busy here? Look, pal. I don't know who you think you are. Oh, of course. How rude that was. Please, let me introduce myself. Oh marry men! Man, that was annoying. Oh, you little... Shall we? ???all the forin??? Whoa, hold on, now. Where did that come from? -What? -That. Back there. That was amazing. Where did you learn that? Well, when one lives alone one has to learn these things in case there's a... There is an arrow in your butt. What? Oh, would you look at that. Oh, no... This is all my fault. I'm so sorry. -What's wrong? -Shrek's hurt. -Shrek's hurt? Shrek's hurt! -Oh, no. Shrek's going to die. -Donkey, I'm ok. You can't do this to me Shrek. I'm too young for you to die. Keep your legs elevated. Turn your head ???. -Does anyone know how to handle... -Donkey! Calm down. If you want to help Shrek, run into woods and find me a blue flower with red thorns. Blue flower, red thorns. Ok, I'm on it. Blue flower, red thorns. Blue flower, red thorns. Don't die Shrek. And if you see a long tunnel, stay away from the light! -Donkey! -Oh, yeah. Right. Blue flower, red thorns. Blue flower, red thorns. -What are the flowers for? -For getting rid of the Donkey. Now, you hold still and I'll yank this thing out. -Hey! Easy with the yanking. -I'm sorry, but it has to come out. No, no. It's tender. What you're doing here is the opposite... -Don't move. -Ok, look. Time out. -Would you... Ok. What do you propose we do? Blue flower, red thorns. Blue flower, red thorns. Blue flower, red thorns. This would be so much easier if I wasn't colorblind. Blue flower, red thorns. Blue flower, red thorns. Hold on, Shrek. I'm coming! Not good. Ok, ok, I can lose it. It's just about it. Nothing happened. We were just a... Look if you want to be alone, all you had to do is ask, ok? Oh, come on. That's the last thing on my mind. The princess here was just... Au! Hey, what's that? Is that... There it is, princess. -Your future awaits you. -That's Duloc? Yeah. I know. You'll shrink things lord Farquaad is compensating for something, which I think needs, he has a I guess we better move on. Sure, but Shrek... -I'm worried about Donkey. -What? I mean. Look at him. He doesn't look so good. -What are you talking about? I'm fine. -Well, that's what they always say. And the next thing you know you're on your back. -Dead! -You know she's right. You look awful. -Do you want to sit down? -You know, I'll make you up some tea. Well, I won't say nothing, but I've got this twinge in my neck. And if I turn my neck like this, look. Au, see? -He's hungry. I'll find us some dinner. -I'll get the firewood. Hey, where are you going? Oh man, I can't feel my thumbs. I don't have any thumbs!!! I think I need a hug. This is good. This is really good. -What is this? -Wheat rat. -Rotisserie style. -No kidding. -Oh, this is delicious. -Well, they also great in stews. Now, I don't mean to brag, but I make a mean wheat rat stew. I guess I'll be dining a little different late tomorrow night. Maybe you can come visit me in the swamp sometime. I'll cook all kinds of stuff for you. Swamp toast, soup fish, eye tartar. You name it. I'd like that. -Ah... , princess? -Yes, Shrek? I'm a.... I was wondering. Are you... a... Are you gonna eat that? Man, isn't this romantic. Just look at that sunset. Sunset?! Oh, no. It's late. It's very late. -What? -Wait a minute. I see what's going on here. You're afraid of the dark. Aren't you? Yes, yes. That's it. That's, I'm terrified. You know I'll better go inside. But don't feel bad, princess. I used to be afraid of the dark too. Until... Hey, no, wait. I'm still afraid of the dark. -Good night. -Good night. Ahh. Now I really see what's going on here. Oh, what are you talking about. Hey I don't wanna even hear. Look, I'm an animal and I got instincts. And I know that you two are digging on each other. I can feel it. Oh, you're crazy. I'm just bringing her back to Farquaad. Oh, come on, Shrek. Wake up and smell the fairemones. Just go in there and tell her how you feel. There's nothing to tell. Besides, even if I did tell her that... well you know. I'm not saying that I do, 'cause I don't. She's a princess and I'm... ...an Ogre. Yeah, an Ogre. -Hey, where are you going? -To get more firewood. Princess. Princess Fiona? Princess, where are you? Princess? It's very spooky in here and are we playing little games. -No, no. -Help! Shrek! Shrek! -No. -Shrek! -It's ok. It's ok. -What did you do with the princess? -Donkey, shhh. I'm the princess. -It's me, in this body. -Oh my god. You ate the princess. -Can you hear me? -Donkey! Listen, keep breathing. I'll get you out of there! Shrek! Shrek! Shrek! This is me. Princess? What happened to you? You're a... different. -I'm ugly, ok? -Yeah. Was it something that you ate? 'Cause I told Shrek those rats were a bad idea. -You are what you eat, I say. -No. I've been this way as long as I can remember. What do you mean? Look, I've never seen you like this before. It only happens when the sun goes down. By night one way, by day another. This shall be the norm until you find true love's first kiss. Then, take love's true form... -Oh, that's beautiful. I didn't know you wrote poetry. -It's the spell. When I was a little girl, a witch cast a spell on me. Every night I become this. This horrible ugly beast. I was placed in a tower to await the day when my true love would rescue me. That's why I have to marry lord Farquaad tomorrow, before the sun sets and he sees me, like this? All right, all right. Calm down. Look, it's not that bad. You're not that ugly. Wait, wait, I'll not lie, you are ugly. But you only look like this at night. Shrek's ugly 24/7. But Donkey, I'm a princess. And this is not how a princess is meant to look. Princess. How about if you don't marry Farquaad? I have to. Only my true love's kiss can brake the spell. But you know, you're kind of an Ogre. And Shrek... Well you've got a lot in common. Shrek? Princess, I... How is it going first of all? Good? Good for me to. I'm ok. I saw this flower and thought of you because it's pretty. And, well, I don't really like it, but I thought you may like it, because you're pretty. But I like you anyway. A.... I'm in trouble. Ok, here we go. Who could ever love a piece so hideous and ugly? Princess and ugly don't go together. That's why I can't stay here with Shrek, but only chance to live happily ever after is to marry my true love. Don't you see, Donkey? That's just how it has to be. It's the only way to break the spell. Well, at least you've got tell Shrek the truth. No, no. You can't breathe the word. No one must ever know. What's the point of being unable to talk? You got to keep secrets. Promise you won't tell. Promise! You know, before this is over, I'm going to need whole lot of serious therapies. All right, all right. I won't tell him. But you should. Look at my eye twitching. I tell him, I tell him not. I tell him. I tell him not. I tell him! Shrek! Shrek! There's something I want ... Shrek. Are you all right? Perfect. Never been better. I... There's something I have to tell you. You don't have to tell me anything, princess. I heard enough last night. -You've heard what I said? -Every word. I thought you'd understand? Oh, I understand! Like you said, who could love a hideous, ugly beast! -I thought that wouldn't matter to you. -Yeah, well, it does. Ah, right on time. Princess. I brought you a little something. What I missed? What I missed? -Princess Fiona. -As promised. Now hand it over. Very well, Ogre. The deed to your swamp. Cleared out as agreed. Take it and go. Before I change my mind. Forgive me princess for startling you, but you startled me. For I've never seen such a radiant beauty before. -I am lord Farquaad. -Lord Farquaad? Oh, no, no... forgive me my lord for I was just saying short... farewell. Oh. That is so sweet. You don't have to raise good manners on the Ogre. -It's not like it has feelings. -No. You're right. It doesn't. Princess Fiona, beautiful fair flawless Fiona, I ask your hand in marriage. Will you be the perfect bride for the perfect groom? Lord Farquaad, I accept. Nothing would make... Excellent! I'll start the plans for tomorrow we wedd... No! I mean I... Why wait? Let's get married today. Before sunset. Oh, anxious are we? You're right. The sooner, the better. There's so much to do. There is the camera, the cake, the band, the guests... Captain! Round up some guests. Farewell Ogre. Shrek, what are you doing? You let her get away. -Yeah, so what. -Shrek. There's something about her that you don't know. -I talked to her last night. She's... -Yeah I know you talked to her last night. You're great pal, aren't you? Now, if you two are such good friend, why didn't you follow her home? -Shrek. I want to go with you. -I told you, didn't I? You're not coming home with me. I live alone. My swamp, me and nobody else! Understand? Nobody! Especially useless, pathetic, annoying, talking donkeys! -But. I thought... -Yeah. You know what? You thought wrong. Shrek. Donkey? What are you doing? I was thinking of all the people, you would recognize a wall when you see one. Well, yeah. But the wall supposed to go around my swamp. Not through it. It is around your half. See? That's your half and this is my half. Oh, your half? Yes, my half. I helped rescue the princess. I did half the work. I get half the booty. Now hand me that big old rock, the one that looks like your head -Back off! -No. You back off! -This is my swamp. -Our swamp. -Let go, Donkey! -You let go! -Stubborn jackass. -Smelly Ogre. Fine! Hey, hey, come back here. I'm not through with you, yet. -Well, I'm through with you! -Well, you know. You were always me, me, me. Well, guess what? Now it's my turn! So you just shut up and pay attention! You are mean to me, you insult me, you don't appreciate anything that I do! You're always pushing me around or pushing me away. Oh, yeah? Well, if I treated you so bad, how come you came back? Because that's what friend do. They forgive each other! Oh, yeah. You're right Donkey. I forgive you for stabbing me in the back! You're so wrapped up in layers, onion boy. You're afraid of your own feelings. -Go away. -See? There you are, doing it again. Just like you did it to Fiona. And all she ever do, was like you. Maybe even love you. Love me? She said I was ugly! A hideous creature. -I heard that you two were talking. -She wasn't talking about you. She was talking about... ...somebody else. She wasn't talking about me? Well then, who was she talking about? No way, I'm not saying anything. You won't listen to me, right? Right? -Donkey. -No! Ok, look. I'm sorry, all right? I'm sorry. I guess I am just a big stupid, ugly Ogre. Can you forgive me? -Hey, that's the friends are for, right? -Right. -Friends? -Friends. So? What did Fiona said about me? Why are you asking me for? Why don't you just go ask her. The wedding! We'll never make it in time! Never fear! For where there is a will, there is a way. And I have I way. Donkey? -I guess this is just my act of magnetism. -Oh, come here, you. All right. All right. Don't get all started. No one likes kissass. All right, hop on. Hold on tight. I hadn't have a chance to install seat belts, yet. People of Duloc. We gather here today to bear witness to reunion of our new king... Excuse me. Could you just skip ahead to "I do's"? Go on. Go ahead and have some fun, if we need you, I'll whistle. How about that? Shrek, wait, wait a minute. You want to do this right, don't you? -What are you talking about? -It's the line, it's the line you got to wait for. The priest is going to say: "Speak now or forever hold your peace". And that's where you say: "I object". -I don't have time for this. -Wait, wait. What are you doing? Listen to me! Look, you love this woman, don't you? -Yes. -You want to hold her! -Yes. -Please her! -Yes! Then you got to, got to try a little tender love. -The chicks love that romantic crap. -All right. Cut it out. When does this guy say the line? We got to check it out. And as so by the power of these two... What do you see? -I now pronounce you... -There they go! -...he all ready said it. -Oh, for 'the love of pit'. I object! Shrek? Oh, now what does he want? Hi, everyone. Having a good time, aren't you? I love Duloc, first of all. Very clean. -What are you doing here? -Really, it's rude enough being alive, when no one wants you. But showing up uninvited to a wedding... -Fiona! I need to talk to you. -Oh, now you wanna talk? Well it's a little late for that. So if you'll excuse me. -But you can't marry him! -And why not? Because, because he's just marrying you so he can be king. -Outrageous! Fiona, don't listen to him. -He's not your true love. -What do you know about true love? -Well, I ...I'm in... Oh, this is precious. The Ogre has fallen in love with the princess. Laugh. Shrek. Is this true? Who cares. It's preposterious. Fiona, my love, we gonna kiss away for our happily ever after. Now kiss me! By night one way, by day another. I wanted to show you before. Well. That explains a lot. Oh. It's disgusting. Guards, guards. I order you to get them out of my sight. -Now! Get them! Get them, both! -No! This marriage is minding, and that makes me king. See? See? -Shrek! -No. -Don't just stand there, you dogs. -Get out of my way. No! Shrek! -And as for you my wife. -Fiona! I'll have you locked back in that tower for the rest of your days! I will have order. I will have potential. I will have... All right, nobody move! I got a dragon here and I'm not afraid to use it. I'm a donkey on the edge! Celebrity marriages. They never last, do they? Go ahead Shrek. -Fiona? -Yes, Shrek? I love you. Really? Really, really. I love you too. A time for true love's first kiss... Fiona? Fiona? Are you all right? Yes. But I don't understand. I'm supposed to be beautiful. But you are beautiful. I was hoping this would be a happy ending. God bless us, everyone.
submitted by Andrew78956 to u/Andrew78956 [link] [comments]
2023.03.21 13:07 Practical_Plant Just found Zombicide… Help!
I just recently (a year ago) got into board games and loved cooperative games. It took long enough, but I finally found out about zombicide and it’s many many versions, expansions and KS exclusives.
I need help deciding what to do to enter the universe. I’ve done a lot of research and theme wise fantasy would be my favorite, but mechanics, ease of play, difficulty, duration etc. undead or alive seems like the way to go, a theme which I’m okay with. White plague coming out sounds like what I should be looking for, but waiting 1-2 years to actually have it seems unfortunate without another version in the meantime.
Should I get some of the fantasy version even though so much apparently is unavailable or crazy expensive? What content is actually worth it and you guys actually use (doesn’t stay in the box)? Are they ever on sale in places like Amazon and is it for a good amount (like UoA right now).
Is there a way to integrate new mechanics into the fantasy themed versions?
Just looking for advice and information, I’ll probably wait to see this new KS anyway since it’s so soon. Thanks!
submitted by Practical_Plant to zombicide [link] [comments]
I need help deciding what to do to enter the universe. I’ve done a lot of research and theme wise fantasy would be my favorite, but mechanics, ease of play, difficulty, duration etc. undead or alive seems like the way to go, a theme which I’m okay with. White plague coming out sounds like what I should be looking for, but waiting 1-2 years to actually have it seems unfortunate without another version in the meantime.
Should I get some of the fantasy version even though so much apparently is unavailable or crazy expensive? What content is actually worth it and you guys actually use (doesn’t stay in the box)? Are they ever on sale in places like Amazon and is it for a good amount (like UoA right now).
Is there a way to integrate new mechanics into the fantasy themed versions?
Just looking for advice and information, I’ll probably wait to see this new KS anyway since it’s so soon. Thanks!