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Seto nodded, it was at least now confirmed they wouldn’t need a driver regardless of what Mokuba decided. Not daring to even look at his brother, who was stubbornly not looking at him, he finally asked, “Mokuba are you coming along or staying here?”

((Sorry for the delay in reply, other than this last bit about Madoka I wrote this response days ago but on campus and have been so exhausted when getting home this week I couldn't even bother to c/p. It's been very emotionally draining in a lot of ways but the upside is there is finally more hot desk study space for College of Arts and Law postgraduate researchers on campus and lockers are finally free (considering all other colleges on campus have assigned desks with locked cabinets it was really offensive that the lockers had a cost which is why I never got one). So I can store stuff and work on campus now, not too many people are using the space yet so I've no problem getting a computer. I don't mind a hot desk system. Assigned space would be nice but at least having somewhere where I know I will be able to find a place to work everyday has made this week a massive improvement over the past two years.

Yea sort of, I mean she’s on the ‘bad guy’ side, but I wouldn’t necessarily call her black and white evil. I mean for the entirety of her lifetime she’s grown up in a nation that’s been at war with and oppressing other nations and she’s been raised to view that as correct. Her challenged social skills I think both play into her vindictiveness and actions, and are part of a deeper psychology then I think any of the Korra villains seem to possess. The only character I’ve ever cosplayed is Dib (and I was the Pink Ranger for Halloween as a kid once…not that I wanted to be, I hated her, but apparently Yellow Ranger costumes weren’t a thing) so I’ve never played a villain, though if I did have the time and/or money for cosplay I’d probably be villains more often I think. Unsure though.

I had nothing about P’Lee to like, she didn’t even get that much dialogue. So I think at best I could like an idea of her I made up and I just couldn’t be bothered to impose my own personality onto an empty character. So I didn’t even like her, though did find her death gruesome more for the idea of it rather than for any sort of attachment to her. I got she was dead before we saw Zaheer and when we got to him I just didn’t care. He could have had the deepest of loves with her but I’ll never know and I won’t take his word for it. I can see plenty of potential in that arc and those characters but none of it was in the show so for me it just is the worst one. I don’t think Korra is necessarily good enough to have consciously decided to make and kill a girlfriend as a plot device. I think it was just an unfortunate side effect of bad characterization.

It is definitely more college people (though I find liberal and conservative) who appreciate Rocky Horror. But it is, content aside, a bit artsy and while I understand its cult appeal I also understand why it wouldn’t necessarily have wide appeal or register with most audiences. Many people I know who love it really only love it for the dress and dances, though I find I get more invested in the story each time I watch it. Binx is definitely my favourite character, he’s great and the witches are indeed the best parts. Tom really likes Billy (the zombie).

People at the top of companies are disgustingly rich. Unfortunately until a company is hurt enough to reach CEO pockets substantially changes won’t be put in place (and for some companies that might end them before they can rectify). When I have the option I prefer local, I prefer small business. Just some areas you don’t have the option near you or it is really much more expensive which is hard for some people. I think CEOs trust they’ll drive small businesses out before they see any real challenge, and that’s sad.

I have avoided Ghost Rider as while it looks like something genre-wise I might like I absolutely know Cage is the wrong choice for the role and I would not be able to take it seriously. I don’t mind too much how actors are to fans. I understand it can be obnoxious to be mobbed by strangers and have your personal space violated. I certainly wouldn’t want to have to put effort pretending to care about hordes of people I have no reason to care about who don’t like me for who I am but for roles I play. Maybe they should have to suck it up and play nice as they make so much money but I guess I don’t feel that way. So someone not being great to fans would not put me off them. Someone just being an a*****e of a person (misogynist, racists, homophobic, anti-education, kicks puppies, that kind of thing) would make me dislike them as a person. But otherwise I really don’t have or feel it’s right for me to have opinions on someone that I don’t know as a person. That all I know about them is what the media says or some fans who are pissed that a stranger didn’t want to hang out with them. I mean they are actors, not heroes (and while I get society hero worships celebrities I look down on society for that rather than feel celebrities need to live up to these ideals), not advocates for humanity. I dismiss plenty of people and don’t give them the time of day (I mean if I can ignore construction workers whistling at me only because they think I’m hot I think Reynolds is allowed to dismiss fans who only want his attention because he's famous/attractive). So unless what I’m hearing about Reynolds is he’s going on a puppy kicking spree I’ve got nothing against him but he hasn’t been in tons of films I like (though some). It probably is good that they didn’t do Deadpool then. I feel that while there definitely could have been a much better Green Lantern, Green Lantern might not be the best film character. Deadpool I think has better potential for an interesting film so they might as well do it with more resources and talent dedicated to doing it right.

On Afleck, again, no feels on actors as people that is not my call, but yea he doesn’t do a lot of things that I’ve liked. Gone Girl was the film I was thinking of and I am interested and it doesn’t seem his old usual. I mean he used to be the kind of heartthrob and/or comic roles and I guess while he most certainly has aged I still don’t take him seriously as a lead or as an adult. He is the sidekick, they are asking a Robin to play Batman and I’m not sure how that’ll work. He’s definitely at best wannabe dark rather than dark (e.g. Dogma) and you think of Bruce Wayne as a sophisticated handsome whereas Ben is more of a puppy dog attractive wavering between a gone to seed person that you can see roots of attractiveness in. No matter which look he manages to pull off neither are really Bruce. But thus far DC hasn’t done a great job with their expanded universe yet and it’s probably more down to script than acting (but that might be generous, I didn’t bother seeing the last Superman as it very much underwhelmed and I hate Superman) so we will see. Batman is probably the one DC character I like (more for his villains and sidekicks and everyone else besides him though) so while I don’t know if I can bring myself to watch the upcoming flick in cinemas I’ll see it eventually.

I watched Madoka Magica (the 12 episode anime - Wiki mentions A LOT of spin off material that I don't even know where to begin with). I'm like 100% sure that you've watched this as you've told me too but as I've made the mistake of assuming you were further in Korra than you were and really don't want to make another spoiler mistake I will just in case:

[spoiler]I really hated the series in the first episode and if I had only had time to watch the one I would have not bothered. Found all the characters annoying, even the adults seemed to be the archetype a 10 year old would come up with. However, I was sitting back to marathon (I started yesterday) so I did watch 5 episodes and while it took about 7 for the series to grow on me nothing was as bad as the first episode. I do dislike Madoka throughout the entire series, she's probably my least favourite character (and realising she's only the most important character because of another, better character at least explains something). Most everyone else I get to like at some point. Except Hitomi, the only non-magical girl I will weigh in on. She's just awful. I hate her. 'Oh I'm so nice, you are my friend and I know you have a crush on this guy that I don't really know and I'm 13 so saying I'm love him is untrue but I don't value our friendship enough not to hurt you when clearly we've gone on and on about you like him. This is of course coincidentally after he's not a useless hospitalised wreck anymore of course (because you sold your soul for him though I don't know that although would I be less of a d**k if I did, I'm unsure). I'm so nice'. Hate her, I which Sayaka had let her die, really do. Sayaka is definitely my favourite character once I have one and her arc is definitely what I'm most emotionally invested and interested in. I dislike Kyoko at first but then as they develop her I liked her rather a lot. Homura is my second favourite character (I thought she'd be my favourite but the more we got of Sayaka the more she just clearly won that), but I think if there'd been more time with Kyoko she might have pulled ahead. Mami really only just beats Madoka, and probably only because she's mostly dead in the series so she obviously cannot do anything to annoy me more than Madoka does.

I don't like the end of the series. In part I think it over explains a few things while leaving more interesting things a bit confusing (why do wraiths now exist? Nothing about what they are - negative emotion - explains why they exist now when they didn't exist before. Are they just the default way to make Madoka's wish work as she wished to save magical girls rather than stopping them from existing so there still needs to be an evil to fight? The montage with her taking the gems away looked like she was turning them back to normal though so that was confusing itself). However, I think the real reason I dislike it is that while I get things like Kyubey aren't strictly evil in that they 'cannot' comprehend this concept I want more breakthrough here. Honestly because I can't buy that this clearly intelligent thing can only be justified on the basis that it lacks intelligence. It is clearly smart enough to understand that they are contracting with humans at their most vulnerable, at an age where their own (human) society would say they are not legally capable of creating a contract, and that misinformation/withholding information is not truth and fair dealing particularly when they are working with something that is at an age that is incapable of consent. Frankly, it can justify all it wants, but its bullshit that it at all tries to argue that it deals fairly (the animal comparison) because it doesn't. It tells them they get magical powers in exchange for a wish and that they will fight evil. It does not tell them the bad half of the deal (that they will become the witches, that they are being used as batteries - the soul being removed from the body isn't actually that bad). It fully knows what to offer to get the deal it wants and what to withhold. It absolutely has too much intelligence to not realise that if they did mention the other stuff almost nobody would ever deal with them, if anyone. Nobody in their right mind (and dealing with not right mind is another problem) would make a contract for the 100% guarantee that you will turn into a witch and die miserable OR you will be murdered by another girl who suffered that fate. Lack of feels is not enough to justify any of that and if he just stuck with the greater good logic then I would accept that that is his design. They over breed, why not use them as an energy source. But it tries to justify that its doing things for their benefit (you already see Kuybey at one end where Earth will be destroyed but they have enough energy so cool) and that it's dealing fairly and honestly. It tries to defend itself as 'good' in its constant arguments for how 'they' are fair (even if it doesn't use the word good) rather than right. More fair at that, which means it is quantifying an understanding of fair and ethics that could not possibly correspond with what it is doing. There are only two options for that. It's evil - in which case I want it punished. Or it's stupid - and its clearly not. So I just can't get any sort of resolution on Kuybey and the end is tragic (Mami and Kyoko are not directly aware of tragedy though their fate is presumably still bleak, it doesn't make it clear if they are as fated to disappear as they were to become witches, and does that make it better?). I guess if the end was happier then I wouldn't feel as much vindictive need for that stupid creepy beast thing to learn/accept responsibility/just come out as evil. But the end is tragic, and evil wins, and that's not the worst thing plot wise (its probably actually brilliant plot wise as its innovative and very few things - and nothing I can think of but leaving room for that this isn't the first/only - that don't just end in straight tragedy/horror/death walk the line of letting evil win while still leaving room for hope and change) but it upsets me and I don't like it. I don't like Madoka but I also really hate that that is her end. I don't care if she's okay with it, that is just the most tragic thing ever.

Sooooooo...there is a lot of spinoff stuff going on here (the wiki confuses me as I'm trying not to plot spoil anything so can't get a clear consensus of what there is) and I don't want to get invested in new characters. Is there anything else of this series I can watch that would make me feel better? Is there anything happier (or justice - but I doubt that as I get I feel Kuybey is immoral and evil but the creators think that's a perfectly justified, non-evil, rational and intelligent being that is not just a pile of contradiction one NEEDS to see brought down)? If not that's fine. I don't care about more stories, I just would like to feel better. It is good though, but it really pisses me off. Sorry I am such a basket case this week and this was probably a bad combo as I'm now even more of a basket case. Okay, end! [spoiler/]

Seto sighed, not really wanting to get into either an argument or a heartfelt conversation with his brother now, here, in front of a group of assorted people (including one priestess he barely even knew). 'I'm just driving, who I'm driving where is up to them,' Seto answered, trying to remain as neutral as possible. He was still probably offending his brother but as he was originally going to just tell him to take it up with Jounouchi this wasn't his party it was still probably the safer answer.

((I feel the same, I'm still interested in the roleplay I'm just kind of at a loss for where I want to go most days but I'm interested in the discussion so I just kind of plow through line by line until I can figure it out.

Glad to hear things are sounding positive for the dog. Will think positive thoughts for next month as well.

I think of black and white evil as evil for the sake of being evil. Most 'villains' are usually just evil to be evil, and there might be a great plan but evil is also part of their identity. Similarly, plenty of characters never do good who also aren't the bad guy or the villain so I don't see displays of goodness as something that would take someone out of the black and white category either. Azula might not be a very nice person but she is a person, rather than a villain. She leads and contributes to war but she also has an identity and personality outside of this. She's crazy, jealous of her brother (favourite with father but not with mother, people seem to genuinely like him) and doesn't really know how to have a normal functioning friendship. So I don't feel Azula is just evil for power but out of envy, deep psychological problems and loneliness. She usually reveals these things as sarcastic comments ('so mother loved you/Zuko more') but I don't think it makes her pain any less real. Or any less of a factor in some of the things she does. For me black and white are motivated and identified by their evil, I think Azula has personality and identity outside of this. Moreover, that this personality and identity is what ultimately contributes to her 'evil' and quest for power. For something in her life where she can be in control.

I agree on Rocky Horror, I really like the story but I'm not overly attached to any of the characters (usually being character based in preferences is probably part of why the movie has taken a few watches to grow on me).

Even universities are turning into big businesses, and secondary career plans are probably things like copywriting for a company. So unless I legitimately just become an author (though I don't have the resources to not have a day job for awhile) I'll probably in some way be part of one as well.

I get they have influence, but I just don't think it's fair to hold them accountable for something they only have because we as a species are beyond stupid. Ancient societies functioned a lot better because they elevated the educated and intelligent rather than the beautiful. I agree they shouldn't sit on a platform and spew evil things because they do have the opportunity for a large platform and a lot of power. They shouldn't tweet bigotry or whatever. And if they are awful people in their private lives and that's uncovered I'd think as little of them as I would finding out Joe Average has being similarly atrocious - as the age of social media has allowed Joe Average to be as reported on as A list celebrities (just not with the same replay value). But I don't know anything about Reynolds being an actor who goes around committing those types of crimes which is what I would hold against him. As for if they were paid to meet people and didn't, that's kind of a different matter, especially if Reynolds was being paid specifically to meet fans. In part I'd say don't sign up for that gig if you are uninterested, but I also know a lot of actors are pushed into things by agents and don't have a lot of say on what they get roped into. There can also be some pull by directors/producers to push different people out into different circles of attention. Particularly actors like Reynolds who I think waivers from established fame that guarantees A-list roles. He isn't loved, he is somewhat forgettable (for the life of me it took forever for me to tell him and Gosling apart in roles, and Gosling has a way more charming reputation though I think even lesser roles). I wouldn't ever pay to meet someone as obviously that's clearly not a person who wants to meet me if they need money to do it. I think he should have turned down the gig if he didn't want to meet people but I also am not going to judge him based on a lot of factors I can never know (like how he got roped into it in the first place). Without knowing that I'm not going to personally register an opinion on Reynolds and how he treats fans. Well, I'm not going to register an opinion on Reynolds as a person because of how he treats fans. Reynolds is not friendly to fans, but I wouldn't say that makes him a bad person and I won't have an opinion of him as an actor in relation to that.

I'll still probably watch it but I see few things in cinemas because movies are way to expensive to go see things just for fun usually. So I only see things I really want to see/Tom really wants to see for the most part. Especially now that Tom's not a student and his tickets will cost twice as much. Avoiding reviews and stuff for Gone Girl atm as there seems to be a lot of strong opinions colouring it, so will decide on my opinion when I do watch it and try to avoid the bias for now.

I did remember you told me to watch Madoka and its really all the spin off material that made me wander what you've seen of the series, though obviously it was quite likely that the main series was definitely not something not on the list. Just figured now that I know there is a spoiler bar I should take more advantage of it. As for details of our conversation, it was awhile ago we talked about it and I didn't store a lot. I remembered that you said it was suggestively girl/girl the way Yami no Matsuei was suggestively guy/guy (Madoka is a bit less suggestive but they are also 13/14). Honestly, part of trying not to think about it too much is the fact that I really have never liked magical girl series. I was determined to give it a shot but I also didn't store a lot of info about it as that would make it harder for me to watch. If I'm going into something I don't think I'll like then its best for me to go in with as little info as possible. Tom bugs me about not being open minded when I bug him about it but statistically he likes 90% of things he doesn't think he will. I like about 10% of things I don't think I will so its just hard for me to get up and try something I don't think I'll like when the odds are so low for me usually. But I did like it. Though I neither like Madoka as a character or her personality, though I never like sweet characters. Tom thought Mami had to be coming back as well because she's in the opening credits. I pointed out Kyoko (not knowing who she was at the time) is also in the credits and we still didn't know who she was a third of the way into the series, and that its only a 12 episode series. But yea, Mami and Madoka are the nice sweet (if strong) characters and that seems to be a strong type in magical girl series (part of why I don't like them) but big dislikes for me in terms of characters. Mami probably only beats Madoka as she wasn't around long enough to annoy me as well. I definitely always thought Homura had a reason (and she did) and I thought Kyubey was evil from the beginning b/c they kept making it have evil faces and the more you learned about it the more it seemed evil and the more sure I was about Homura. So the damage was never done because she was against Kyubey who sent up BIG red flags from the beginning.

It knew how to reason with them too well for me to buy that it's logic system is different though, which was my problem personally. I mean they walked a line between making it believable a different logic system and failing to do this because it was too clever in knowing how to manipulate something it 'couldn't' relate to. It coincidentally only told them things they'd want to hear and withheld the things that would (and did) upset them. It just played them too well, it didn't screw up enough. It hadn't recently arrived on the planet recently, they'd been there for millennia. They had time to learn about the species and an intelligent species no matter how different its value system would understand that it wasn't being 'fair'. So for me I got what Kyubey is going for I just felt it failed in delivery so I judge it on the basis of what I feel I got rather than what they were going for. The end is I think well done, most anime's don't end as well that go for a conclusive end. I guess I just put it on in the mood for 'light' and ended up with a very dark anime so I wanted to be happier. So I don't really want to change the end, even wanting Kyubey to suffer that wouldn't improve the end I just want it. I just would kind of like to have something happier for those girls because it was just nothing but tragedy for everyone. Especially if I have to assume they still run the risk of 'disappearing' with the same certainty that if they didn't die they'd become witches.

Some of the other material is different characters but some is them and I think there is one thing that'll maybe give me the happier tone I want but unsure. Might wait until I'm in the mood for more dark just in case, before I give it a shot. I'm instead working on finishing Yu Yu Hakusho which I never finished. I'm starting again from the beginning, as I was 13 when I watched this and have forgotten tons. Plus Tom is watching it with me. Got through season 1 this weekend. About 87 more episodes to go. Will mostly be watching weekends though. Behind again on Supernatural though - haven't watched it since the last time we talked about so haven't gotten to that ax episode yet. An episode behind on Korra and possibly Agents but trying to at least stay caught up on those for now. TV does feel like work sometimes though. xd ))

'Alright then,' Seto said while his brother, Jounouchi, the priestess and Yuugi all climbed into the vehicle. Mokuba was first and decided to sit in the back directly behind Seto, which would make it harder for him to see his brother and easier for his brother to glare at the back of his head. This would be a fun ride.

((On that, sorry. This is going to be a very busy couple of weeks for me so yes, while interested knowing how long it'll take me to reply to things keeps having me put it off. Working on campus is great but I don't really want to check Gaia there and I'm always really exhausted when I get home. Hoping to have at least two projects off my hands by the end of the week, and I didn't get the writing tutor position I applied for so should be a let less burned out when I go back to just working on my dissertation. At least until next term when I start teaching. Though honestly the big thing this past week was my heat has been busted so I've mostly just been hiding under the duvet. Boiler's finally fixed so can finally enjoy a hot shower and bump the flat temperature up from freezing.))

I agree its a debate over term so won't hash it out anymore. I wouldn't necessarily call the characters unlikable in Rocky Horror (and most have actually grown on me), but they are developed in a less traditional way which made it harder to attach during an initial viewing. But Riffraff was indeed my favourite from the first time I watched it and Magenta was a close follow.

I tend to take that view with politicians and such, but less so with actors. And again while I do judge them harshly because of their position for the evil they do, I don't hold their 'lack of good' against them. No more than I'd hold it against anyone.

I similarly don't mind watching things if I have friends to watch it with, but I'm less likely to try something on my own or put it off. Because it was a recommendation I wanted to watch it, but it wasn't until Tom actually said he'd watch it with me (giving me someone to watch it with) that I finally put it on. I guess I never felt I got enough on Mami to decide whether she was realistic or not. I mean she was kind of too perfect and idealised, even more so after she died, so she probably came off as too much of an archetype of an idea than as a character for me. Homura at one point did say nobody would believe her and I immediately thought, how do you know these people wouldn't just because others didn't (of course later it was oooooh, it WAS these people and that's why she knew). But I was too convinced that however much there seemed to be a better way to go about things that she was in the right and I trusted her. And it paid off in the end when not only did this turn out to be true but she also really did do everything she probably could have.

I wasn't expecting light and fluffy I just wasn't expecting it to be that said and depressing. I think other than Attack on Titan its the heaviest series I've ever liked. At least anime, I tend to read darker things more than watch them.

I am in the last season of Yu Yu Hakusho now (mostly that's what I've been doing these evenings while burnt out). I've greatly enjoyed it and am sad that I only have about 14 episodes left. But think there might be a film. Probably won't read it though, still in the middle of Ouran somewhere when I do feel like reading. I'm going to catch up on Supernatural (and SVU) from tomorrow as Tom's going away for a week. So will try to get current on all the shows he doesn't watch. Though that means I'm staying behind on Korra and Agents of Shield (but I am close to current) for a week longer.))

'Well do you know what you want to ask, what would be useful even if you can't trust his answers?' Seto queried. He originally had planned to stay in the car, but now that Mokuba was here he may as well go in with the rest.

((It is August, the 4th. I'm pretty good at remembering birthdays but I'm not great at remembering what day it is, everything is kind of a blur in PhD life. It was almost November before I realised it wasn't August. I'll get a notification that 'so and so' is having a birthday and my brain will be like 'oh Andrea, must be November 16th' rather than noticing the date and remembering the Birthday.

I am sorry as well, but it is less stress. Just part of me really wants to lean towards aiming towards teaching rather than research but that'll be a lot harder to do with only one teaching job on my resume. I've had it for two years now, it's technically going to be different this year as I'm teaching solo (though I'm still considered a TA even though I'm aiding nobody) and in theory it is two classes (but they are paired and you have the same students in each so it really just feels like one). I like teaching, but mainly I only wanted the position to feel a bit more secure about teaching in higher education being a viable career path if straight academia doesn't necessarily pan out. But we'll see if I even want that by the time I finish this PhD. Part of me wants to run from the institution and never look back. Though much of that is very much British aspects of the institution. Guess step 1 is survive PhD and step 2 will be figure out what comes after.

I really hated Brad and Janet the first time (and as far as the game goes they seem really aimed at that as Janet is 'slut' and Brad is 'a*****e'). But even they have been growing on me, especially Janet. I don't dislike Rocky but he has the least amount of substance (though does provide a few good laughs) so at this point its probably between him and Brad for 'last' place for me. Frankenfuter I similarly liked as a plot device though I am liking him more as a person too. Certain songs that I was never as big on I like a lot more now as well. Columbia's voice is very annoying which is probably all that's really annoyed me about her. She might be my second favourite character at this point as while Magenta is cool is design, she's very much just another half of Riffraff rather than a fully realised second character.

Kind of like how it was too late for you to like Homura, by the time we get to flashbacks about more about Mami I'm already bored of her and just have no longer invested in her as a person. The only depth we get before she dies is that her wish was she was in an accident and wished to not die. It was information but didn't really do anything for me either way. She expresses how greatly lonely she is right before she dies, but again, it was more information without making me feel for her. I got a lot of 'sad stuff' for Mami before I really got anything about Mami. So while it was sad it was also forgetable for me. There was plenty of sad/sadder stuff with characters who were better developed before they 'died' and/or the series focused on their tragedy. I guess that's my main problem with Mami, she was tragedy first and substance too much later. In contrast, I got to really like and then love Sayaka as a character first, which made her pain all the more emotionally investing for me. At best I could only get invested in Mami after the fact and by then its, as you say, damage done, I just can't care now.

I felt Madoka was much darker than Yami no Matsuei. The latter had more comedic elements and kind of a rotating pace between dark/tragedy and light/funny. When Madoka started to get dark it just never went back. The moments that I guess were meant to be light/humour peaking through weren't enough to break the kind of dark/heavy that the series was spinning. Nothing ever distracted from how ultimately tragic everything was. I mean part of why I hate Hitomi is she's just this icing on a cake of magical girl tragedy. I mean the truth of the magic girl thing was depressing enough, did we really need to pile on more conflict and tragedy? (Ans: for the series yes, it was very emotionally fulfilling in a very upsetting way. It just also kind of cements how the series just really doesn't let up anywhere)

Yea at first I didn't like the art style and was kinda like 'hmm is this going to be something that I liked at 13 that isn't going to work for me still', but I did get into and also got to like the art style in a different way. But yea got very invested back in and if Tom hadn't indulge me basically marathon watching it over the weekends and in the evening I probably wouldn't have waited for him. I have 6 episodes left now which I'm going to force myself to wait until the weekend to watch as Tom has gone to Liverpool to see his grandma. I think it's been over a year since we last really talked about the series so I can't quite say what we've specifially said. I do definitely agree that I did not like Kuwabara when I was younger but really like him now. Also, Kurama was my favourite character when I was younger but now it's Hiei (though Kurama is a very close second).

Haven't gotten far enough in Korra to say whether the poision thing has worked out alright. I mean I was very much worried it'd be an easy out/back to status quo. While it didn't seem to be going there I think I'm only about 1-2 episodes past that? I do really like Zhu Li and Varrick and atm I'm probably most invested in them as far as characters go this season. Korra doesn't piss me off anymore (or, at the moment) but I still can't say I care for her. Asami I don't dislike but again, can't say I love her. I definitely don't ship anyone in this series (closest would be maybe Zhu Li and Varrick but even then not really) and in contrast I didn't ship too many people in Avatar either. But many of the main characters in that were also a bit younger. I think my only ship was KataraxZuko (not that I don't mind that the series didn't go that way). I think in part I like to ship characters on 'opposite sides' and Korra doesn't really develop the bad guys, the kind of evil/selfish but not necessarily the main antagonists (like the Earth kingdom royalty, Republic City president, etc) aren't very good either. I don't care about any of the main characters enough to care about their romantic lives. With this being the final season I know that's not going to change with this series, and I've had enough plot interest in the series to still say its a decent one. Though it's probably one that when it's over I won't really think about it again nor greatly want to go back and watch. I'll know the story and I won't care about the people.

I did know about and look for the Avatar comics when I finished the series originally, though I haven't had time to read them so that's been back burnered. I do really want to as I am aware they cover more things that I care about in the previous Avatar period than I care about in the current one. Although while I said I wasn't going to read YYH I'm slightly tempted to when I finish the anime. After Host Club I guess. I don't know why I keep getting stuck in the middle of that. This time it was more about being too busy but still. If I don't go into academia the uspide is I will get to do so much more fun reading.))

'Well those types of questions wouldn't necessarily need to presented from an interrogation approach. Merely the interest of a, well, for lack of a better term, specialists. Assuming he's very cooperative, and he knows what you want him to, just how far can you go with this interrogation? Beyond knowing if he could call the shikigami off, what other information would be useful?' Seto asked.

((When I had my characters voluntarily drop their car space I didn't think about the fact that now I have one character surrounded by all of yours. Seto is getting tired. xd

I'm great with dates, bad with awareness of the world around me. Probably because it depresses me so much these days (days = last several years) that I don't want to attend to it. Thinking back to my high school US history days, a lot of it was focused on things that fit into world history, like WWI and WWII. I have to stretch my memory back to middle school for things like the Civil and Revolutionary wars, slavery, constitution, US presidents (though to this date I can still name the 4 who were assassinated after having to write essays about each of them in the 8th grade), etc. So its honestly not too surprising. I have a pretty good memory and there's probably areas I'd struggle (though none of those questions) just because of our approach to history.

Both sound appealing but both are part of systems I'm not found of, particularly academia. Its the system more than the job that I don't know if I can handle.

The chilling with Columbia scene was the only Magenta thing I could think of that stood out when I was thinking about my list. But then that still made me have to go with Columbia has a solid and interesting role in that scene as well. I think Magenta is a good character but I don't get enough of her on her own to really keep her in second now that I've kinda gotten past Columbia's voice.

I was shocked by her death, but more because I was so not expecting that. It was just like bam, dead. Very horror movie. Obviously with where the series went it was very in place, but it was the first instance of the tone I wasn't expecting. If I pull Madoka and Yami no Matsuei into individual themes there are definitely darker things in the latter (such as rape). But if I go with how each series handled their themes (can't weigh in on manga so obviously that might be different) Madoka was much darker about it. Tone and presentation are as much part of what I think would make something 'dark' as the actual plot/theme are.

Shuuichi is definitely my preferred Kurama. Also I think Hiei has the most interesting back story to me but that's only fully divulged in the final season so won't weigh in on that. I don't think I dislike anyone, even Keiko. And while Keiko is low down for me its just more about liking other characters better. Koenma I like more and more as the series progresses. Yukina is probably the character I like the least. Botan is my favourite female character though I do really like Shizuru as well.

I haven't watched more of Korra since I mentioned the Zhu Li + Varrick thing. So the Halloween episode (#5) is the last one I've seen. So there are two I haven't. Seems longer but I guess its been that long. Anyhow close but not current. I kinda liked the idea of Zuko/Katara from the beginning, but yea the necklace thing was kinda what sealed it for me too. However, haven't gotten into the fandom for it at all (and would be coming in years later anyhow), so I didn't have to deal with obnoxious. Part of watching series after the fact is that I must avoid fandoms until I'm done as I risk spoilers. However, while I like the idea of Z/K there is nothing I really want to read/see of it in fan creations. I don't doubt a lot of them will be very bad. But while I do kind of ship it I also really like them as a friendship and I think the relationship between them (non-romantic) is one of my favourite things about Avatar. It was better developed, better handled and more real than any of the romantic relationships in Korra thus far. I did start watching Korra in a binge mood post-Avatar (where I really wanted more). I think if I hadn't I honestly probably wouldn't have gotten very far. I want to finish it and see where it goes but its definitely far from a favourite series for me. The more we pulled apart season 2, which still hasn't dropped it below the other two seasons for me, the more I realised the show didn't work for me on so many levels and is not to my interests.))

Seto stopped to think about what Futata had just said before saying, 'Hirutani lives alone, and he's in the hospital. We could search his house before we talked to him? I mean if everything he's got is in his head obviously we need him, but if he does have any written records, well they could quite likely be unguarded in his home. Searching the house first would potentially give us the necessary resources to guide an interrogation, or at the very least give us something to go on if he does prove to be completely uncooperative.'

Now Seto just had to wait and see how the others felt about a slightly unethical break and entry approach. Considering Hirutani had summoned a murderous spirit after Jounouchi he was hardly an innocent, model citizen who didn't deserve to have a few locks picked. Even if he had anything valuable, and that seemed unlikely, they weren't looking to steal anything. Just to find a way to banish the shikigami.

((I think especially in the South a lot about the Civil War is glossed in education. A lot about education period is glossed in the South though, like science. Politics is something few people follow going into university. And pop culture/the media can often have such an ambiguous presentation that a lot of people probably blur facts or confuse them with fiction/as possible fiction. There is also the possibility that when someone is asked that question they feel that obviously the answer must be more difficult then it seems. Nobody would be asking for Union/North, they must be referring to something more specific, a movement, a group of individuals, even one person that was maybe responsible for the 'win'. So when they have the answer many people might have 'known' that but the seeming ease of the question made them overthink it. I had a Chemistry teacher during undergrad who went around and interviewed people about this dihydrogen monoxide pandemic that was infecting our waters. These interviews really show more about how to present information (and mislead) then about what people statistically know. Plenty of people talk about Biden, but again only if you follow politics. Pop culture and the media don't really. The few slurs they tried to throw his way during presidential elections didn't really land, so most sources let up on that until he was pretty much forgotten. Also 'England' might not be the best answer for who colonised America, as Great Britain (especially given some of the monarchial shifts in that related period) would be a better answer. Plenty of Americans are very confused about Great Britain/United Kingdom vs England/Scotland/Ireland (and what's Wales? *sarcasm*). Many people don't even know there are now 'two' Irelands, one which is still part of the UK and one that isn't. I mean I find these questions obvious, but having lived abroad I'm asked questions by so many smart American people that it really kind of underlines that global knowledge is not something we have a great awareness of. I mean while I know the Revolutionary War was fought against the British (and yes that would primarily be English, but not exclusively so) I can't say anything in my formative education covered pre-Revolution and thus colonisation. The majority of the British empire, even down to the 7 years war and how it basically enabled the Revolution was something I studied in graduate school. We study things like Pilgrims - usually incorrectly as Pilgrims are only those who travelled on that first trip on the Mayflower (the rest were just Puritans) - in abstraction rather than within the whole of their context. The focus is on what settlers did rather than where they came from or what ties they still had. The unclear way in which history is presented in the States, split up into segmented units rather than as a cohesive whole, I definitely can fathom the confusion.

True, and I don't think I have the personality type to want to be self-employed. Even if I wanted to just write I don't know if I have the discipline to maintain myself, and I do want security in which to write.

Mkay, I never finished the anime so even for me the last 6 episodes I don't know how the series concludes. So will probably wait until I finish to say anything more as I don't want to end up spoiling things for myself. I kind of honestly don't think of Genkai as a female character I realise when you list her, I rather like her but didn't think to rank her in that way. I like her even more the second around as sadly to avoid watching the last 6 episodes without Tom I started rewatching the whole series (but this time just the episodes I really like/that feature moments of characters I really like - so YYH in the Kurama + Hiei perspecitves. xp ) Yukina doesn't have much to her beyond nice so while I don't dislike her I am also not particularly interested in her.

I was pretty sure you were an episode ahead but then couldn't remember. Will maybe catch up this weekend when Tom gets back, after finishing YYH. I haven't been watching the series I said I'd catch up on while he's been away. Just haven't been in the mood. So will probably stay behind on Supernatural for awhile I'm afraid. I think I've gotten past comparing Korra to Avatar and viewing it as a series in its own right. Which is probably part of why my interest is waning. While it fails in comparison to Avatar, when I link them I can be interested in Korra as part of my greater interst in Avatar. Having separated the two I find on its own Korra doesn't do much for me. I think that's how I am with most series I like for plot rather than character based reasons. As there are no characters I absolutely love in Korra, its a series of plot for me. An interesting plot but I rarely return to a series for plot. I return to a series to restablish relationships with characters I love and miss for lack of their being more - even if I prefer a series to end conclusively and before it gets stale rather than going on forever (like the Simpsons, which I never liked anyhow but my does that drag on). So while I like the Korra series I don't like the characters. If I'm ever with friends and they pop it on I won't just bail. But I also can't imagine putting it on for just me again. I mean the few exceptions to re-watching plot based things rule is things where the plot just blows me away and I love watching the story unfold again. That happens more often in movies rather than with TV though. Atm I can't even think of an exception to the rule with TV.

EDIT: Okay caught back up to where I was in YYH and couldn't figure out what to do with my evening, can't think of a good horror movie and not in a TV mood or Host Club mood so have caved, jumped Host Club, and just started reading the YYH manga. Which...I now am not sure if I've read before. I know that I never came close to finishing it, but I'm thinking I might have started it b/c cases that aren't in the anime I remember. Hmm...its not like me to not remember, this is very perplexing. Okay just felt like mumbling on about that. Back to manga. blaugh ))

'Great,' Seto said once everyone had agreed, changing course to head for Hirutani's home.

When they got to the house the poor condition of the lock made entry a fairly easy task. 'There were definitely several books in the living room,' Seto instructed, pointing out the room to the priestess, 'Futata you and perhaps Yuugi may want to start there, the rest of us can comb the house and see if we can find anything else useful hidden away.'

((There is no core federal curriculum, so what is learn varies from district to district, school to school, and even from teacher to teacher. Civil War, Revolutionary War was pretty much entirely middle school for me. History was one year of World History, one year of American and one year divided between Political Systems and Economics in high school. The American year I had a Native American teacher who spent much of the course going over the world wars (again, as this was part of World History) and blaming the white man for all that was wrong in the world (even though he was part Italian). So of course slavery got mentioned but as we weren't really covering that it was in abstraction. Also, both thesis papers written in HS were in History courses at my school (one in junior year American History and the other in either Political Systems or Economics - depending on which you had first term in senior year). This meant a lot of the course was focused on the writing of a thesis. Which perhaps would have been a better as a course in and of itself (with more topics to choose from than History, and less of History being taken away to work on writing) - more useful than Lifeskills certainly was. Even in middle school, what I remember best is having to memorise parts of the declaration of independence and constitution. There was more focus on memorising the words than understanding what they meant. I wrote papers on all 4 presidents who were assassaniated, so while I can still name the 4 to this day (something most people don't seem to be able to do), it seems to be not the most useful thing to study. And of course there is SO much of global history we just don't even touch. In high school I studied the Russian and French revolutions which when I got to university found I was in a minority for having covered. However, what is the most useful thing to get out of formative History? I honestly couldn't even say. Covering the tip of the iceberg isn't even possible. Should their be more priority on American history? I feel America is a bit too full of itself these days (well probably always but it becomes abundantly more clear in a conservative climate, particularly while living abroad). Perhaps it would be better for us to have a better understanding of the rest of the world, than in depth covering of our own history. Maybe we would be contextually in a better place to be smarter about our own history if we weren't in such a bubble. A big part of history is context. We don't really have that, so really I don't doubt that nothing else makes sense. Canada never wanted to separate out from Britain the way we did, they still very much identify as Commonwealth, the queen is on their currency. Canada isn't the most far-fetched answer if you want to argue it from an ideological standpoint. I mean yea totally wrong, but grasping for straws it's an answer that has some interesting merit. I am more baffled by people who think Canada is part of America than anyone who would blur England and Canada into one.

That is entirely why I don't think of her as female character. Because they do have a strong gender divide. Botan and Yukina had healing powers rather than battle powers (though Genkai's technique was aimed to be able to heal as well). The dark tournament is pretty much a sausage fest (which I guess avoids the problem of Kuwabara not fighting girls). I don't dislike it, there are more gendered roles but I feel the female characters are very good. There are series that go for more 'equal' in role and end up making the female characters less of people in characterisation. In fact there are so few series where I like most if any of the female characters so in someways while - dated as it may be - this is a 'problem', I still feel it is also pretty progressive for me in other ways on how it handles women. Not a Shizuka fan so obviously that won't win me points on Yukina. I did finish the anime and while the final season is way too rushed for me I do like how it ends for the most part. I watched the films and omg, I like the English voices in the anime but the films! The voices in the second one tolerable, the first not so much. The films were pretty bad which wasn't suprising but diappointing. I haven't found the ova things yet - well I found them in Spanish on youtube and my Spanish is no bueno. Going to be crazy busy these next couple of weeks though as I am literally calling it quits over my time in CA. So another time. Started watching Sword Art Online on netflix, haven't decided what I think of it yet. Thus far a series where the female characters thus far are straight up evil or annoy the hell out of me (or are to vaguely developed to have an opinion on), despite their 'equal' roles.

I never read Shounen Jump. I think I flipped through some of Sara's issues a couple of times but never read anything in them. My magazine subscriptions have been Highlights for Kids and then Seventeen and that's about it. I don't really like subscription style things. It's why I don't know if I could get back into console gaming again.

I am Storm! I did hope that would come across. A friend was getting rid of stuff and gave me the wig and 'clothing thing' (I don't even know what it is) I'm wearing and I decided to give it a go. I never cosplay my avi as I'm terrible at putting 'original' cosplays together. Part of why irl I've only ever cosplayed Dib (and that was a lot of work for me). Anyhow glad you like it. smile ))

Seto was about to go upstairs but stopped when Mokuba mentioned mail. They wouldn't have an easy time hiding they were here if they went through his mail, particularly if they didn't take the time to carefully open each letter, time they didn't have. Seto didn't care, he really didn't feel the need to respect the privacy of someone who had almost gotten him killed, even if he wasn't the intended target.

'Open the mail, let's see what it is. If it's his mother she's deceased, can't invade the privacy of the dead,' Seto said, walking over to the desk to open some of the letters himself.

((It's also hard when students switch school districts that aren't compatible in terms of curriculum. Science and maths education is much more standardised than history. Like the things you learned about in high school were junior high curriculum for me (some of it even primary). So if I had switched from where I studied up until 8th grade to your high school I would have re-done some things and missed others, though some things I would have done for the first and only time. Even within the same district some teacher's do not follow where they should off of others, or get too into their own tangents. There is not really any required curriculum where the teacher is faulted for not covering certain units or texts. My history courses also had tons of art projects so most units were expanded based on lessons, reports and then projects (either individual or group). In middle school we had 3 class sessions that made up 'core' which was English/History (but probably more broadly spilling into arts/social sciences generally) combined. I cannot say I remember what the priority balance on the subjects was. I remember a lot more about what we did with English/Literature type things than I do about the history side. But that might be more about preference. I've also always had less of an interest in American things (in History and Literature - my university experience reflects this accordingly and explains why I am where I am now).

Other than in relation to world wars we covered nothing about Asia. I think the only African things we really covered were actually done in literature courses (texts either by or about African cultures) rather than in history. So there is of course probably some confusion for many on where the fact/fiction line is (as they were fiction texts) when its literature covering cultural studies. Having met people from a lot of states (and based on the CA university entry requirements), 3 years of history is standard rather than the 4 you've had (in CA specifically it's 1 year world, 1 year American and 1 semester each of political systems and economics - despite the fact that at university level econ is not generally considered a history course but a business/finance one, or at times a maths one). The only subject that has a required 4 years at my school was English. Maths and Sciences you could basically stop after a certain level (I continued through Calculus but could have stopped after sophomore year when I finished trig; with science biology and chemistry satisfied the HS requirements but I took physics and advanced biology as well). So most of what I've learned about Africa, Asia, the ancient world and Islamic countries was all completed at undergraduate. A lot of British history was actually master's level for me (mostly on my own to contextually fit into what I was doing in literature).

Geography has virtually been removed from most schools in the US, save for maybe naming states. However, while I had to memorise states and capitals, I didn't have to know where they were on a map. I guess with tech the way it is, as long as you can avoid saying something really ignorant and offensive about how 'oh you people are all the same/it's all the same country/etc' one does not need a personal knowledge of geography to get around. Britain has a much heavier emphasis on geography, but it's still treated as a pretty soft science. Most of my friends who did geography here have gone on to do graduate programmes in subjects like meteorology with more 'practical' applications.

And yes, it is Garfield. smile

I prefer that they aren't being put into active/fighting roles just for the sake of putting women in those roles. I guess it's kind of refreshing b/c a lot of stuff today is in the modern push including more women (and/or diversity) but they aren't actually making these characters people and/or good. Like I don't feel Shizuru was just comic relief tough but there really wasn't a situation where she would logically be in a fight (at least in the anime, only in volume 6 of the magna atm). Yes her being tough did have a comic element but it also didn't seem to suit her personality or interests to be in the ring. They were well developed, they weren't weak, but no they weren't fighters. Traditionally there are larger numbers of men interested in combative sports, and while I think more of the minor characters (such as in the dark tournament, or even any of the psychics in season 3) could have been women I don't think the main females are lacking b/c they weren't fighting. I didn't feel like they were just sitting there. I think if the dark tournament had erupted into a fight to the death Shizuru, Botan and even Keiko would definitely be swinging fists. But invading the tournament and jumping in the ring (and getting their team disqualified) or? I don't know, there just wasn't a situation that I really thought oh the girls could be fighting here but they are just waiting for the guys to do it. Yukina needs to be rescued at one point, but then so does Kuwabara. And Yukina was in a much more you have no chance of getting yourself out of here between demon traps and hoards of security (including pretty advanced demons) than Kuwabara was. You do have Botan and Keiko running around with bats and fighting in the first season against the zombie-like hoard. So I don't feel they are being held back. Also, thinking about it, I think I don't think of Genkai as female b/c she's old and I tend to not think of the elderly as gendered. I do remember definitely thinking of young Genkai as female, and a pretty interesting one.

The trans woman was offensive though. Progressive in that they had one, but very badly handled. Though the demon Yusuke thing doesn't bother me, I did actually like that and find it interesting and didn't feel like it was a cop-out. I mean there were plenty of strong displays of 'human' abilities and humans being very on-par with demons throughout the series that it didn't even occur to me to think of it as 'oh he's only been strong b/c he's a demon' until you put it that way. Plus I just kinda loved the whole him coming back, him and Koenma running off the way they did, the team's surprise and just the whole amusement of the reveal that even if I can see where you are coming from it doesn't bother me and I don't think it undoes the development. Mostly as I don't think of Yusuke's development as 'unnatural' human strength that is undervalued when you realise it's not human. He still never ends up OP, series still ends with him capable of losing fights/tournaments, so yea, it didn't bother me.

They only call Kuwabara Kuwahara in the films, not in the series. So even after watching 112 anime episodes in English I found that irritating too and didn't know why the movies made a switch that the anime didn't. I mean the change in voice actors was irritating enough. I do like the English voices in the anime, the annoying things about the film is they seemed to lose all character and were just reading lines. The biggest complaint I've found about Sword Art online is that it has pacing issues and I would definitely say that's the biggest issue I have. It is clearly going through what could be quite an expansive story way too fast. There are slow moments where you think 'why is this even in the series, you just skipped probably 3 months of time with interesting things to put this in?' - and as that kinda also identifies, there are massive skips of what's going on in the virtual world. I'm about 7 episodes in now and they are really only just now starting to develop a character beyond the main one guy, who isn't overly developed himself. Conceptually I like it, I do like the main character and it's by no means a bad series. The pacing is, however, very frustrating.

I didn't generally buy issues of anything in stores, and I never collected cards or anything else that would have come with the magazine. I know console subscriptions are for online only, I'm just noticing games are tending more and more towards needing online features to push people towards having to subscribe. I've never been a Nintendo fan and there are just really no Nintendo games I like or want to get into so going over to Wii isn't likely to happen unless they start making exclusives that aren't just the 100th version of a series they've been making for two decades (and that looks interesting). I can use an Xbox controller on a computer so basically atm its only the screen size (particularly in multiplayer - I hate the screen rotation in Lego Marvel playing co-op!). If I get a desktop (when in a more settled life place) with a fairly large flat screen that probably clears up that problem too. Basically until PC gaming tries to gouge the consumer the way console gaming does/is aiming to do more of I would only go back to console gaming if I had a lot of disposable income. My preferred games are usually single player so the heavy push with some games to go for always online/required co-op is a big turn off with console gaming. Every Yahtzee review makes me realise I probably can't go back. Although, while EA is the root of all evil and Sims 4 wasn't enough to tempt me, I'm debating trying Origin just for Inquisition. Eventually, when it is cheaper and I am not in the final year of my PhD. But Dragon Age Origins is to date my favourite game ever (such love) and I haven't played the second as it was removed from Steam b/c EA and Steam can't play nice. Though that one didn't review well, Inquisition seems to be reviewing very well. I've asked for Dragon Age II for Christmas, if I get it that probably makes the dare I Origin decision for me. Although on the off chance my series love is too great (one of the main characters is from an Origins expansion and I luff him already) I probably shouldn't play II either. At least until post-teaching. But ugh, EA! Why does EA have to make so many of the games I love and try to push us onto their terrible server? At least they offer comic gold.

I think I remember that storm cosplay. When you say current look, is comic Storm sporting a mohawk? That'd be kinda nifty. I do like the coat on yours, works nicely with the gold lightning.))