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May. 16th, 2026 01:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kradeelavi am having an utter blast watching DMC S2, good lord, now this is a proper introduction into the franchise. :D about to watch e4 but procrastinating because i'm screenshotting the shit out of the last two eps currently.
this is going to sound weird but hear me out: in vibes it's almost like if voltron and hellsing ultimate had ababy hellspawn and it was actually really solid. lightly campy (not as much as hellsing; frankly i don't think anyone could make hellsing these days), but in a "modern western anime" vibe sense. no need to watch S1; there's easter eggs to be sure but i went in with no more knowledge than general osmosis from doujin and it's still solid plot wise.
also don't be surprised to see a nell icon here before too long lol
this is going to sound weird but hear me out: in vibes it's almost like if voltron and hellsing ultimate had a
also don't be surprised to see a nell icon here before too long lol
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May. 15th, 2026 05:40 pmkradeelavit's actually kind of gratifying to realize i've structured my online persona so impregnably well that the only indication i might have gotten a callout is the follower count drops by a whole one hundred lol (and that's only because i haven't figured out how to hide numbers on a certian site like i did with twitter, otherwise i truly would not know. ignorance is bliss sometimes.)
truly ok with that (to outright amused) other than feeling slightly weird for half a day. ultimately doesn't matter tho, i like what i draw ~
saw reyson fire emblem's redneck cousin twice during supper (yesterday, last night), hung out with & helped grandma get an apple watch (solely for fall alerts since she lives alone and is becoming more concerned with that), interviewed two international folks, and content with some starbucks and about to draw a shitload of zihark. honestly can't ask for more. :D
truly ok with that (to outright amused) other than feeling slightly weird for half a day. ultimately doesn't matter tho, i like what i draw ~
saw reyson fire emblem's redneck cousin twice during supper (yesterday, last night), hung out with & helped grandma get an apple watch (solely for fall alerts since she lives alone and is becoming more concerned with that), interviewed two international folks, and content with some starbucks and about to draw a shitload of zihark. honestly can't ask for more. :D
things be happenin' always
May. 14th, 2026 11:15 amkradeelavlife updates, May bullet-point edition ~
art projects, finished:
- Like Fine Wine (anthology, my contribution was a 6 page comic) is out and available to download here!
- NaZine II (anthology, my contribution was 3 companion illustrations for Idal Waves' story & a slight bit of printing help) is also out and available to buy!
both are an incredible selection of cool creatives & admins with all of us giving the middle finger to recent censorship ~
art projects, upcoming: settling down with 2 bigger long-term projects for the rest of the year; sort of pulling back a little on how much art related stuff I do this year since last year was just a bit Too Much all at once and this year's looking to be even nuttier with Life Changes.
- job: the less we talk about that the better, lol. starting to look around aggressively as per the personal deadline i mentioned a while back, there is A Specific Place i'm sniffing around in particular and am fairly certian i could jump ship to, the remote thing is the only real dealbreaker i'm possibly seeing might be an issue. we'll see. in the meantime it's not Fun (or sustainable long term ethically) but it's not as Genuinely Dire as it was in early April; i've pretty much recovered from that burnout stint.
- media: currently hooked on dragon's dogma: dark arisen! the story is a nothingburger, but for Brainless Blorbo Adventures, fantasy edition(tm) it is a perfect game. shockingly deep gameplay, the setting immersion is honestly annoyingly solid and fun between the greek mythology monsters and gigantic but complex world. i'm actually a little shocked the self-shippers haven't glommed onto this game as it's structured to be bait for that kind of duo-ish dynamic, though i have a sneaky suspicion one of the endgame plot twists Might throw a wrench into that (please don't spoil me, want 2 find out for myself and either scream happily or scream in dismay lol).
- tech: got my new S76 ubuntu laptop! loaded most of the programs there, just need some time to figure out how to transfer files and figure out the slightly new backup system. rsync/command-line programs like that terrifies me (lol) and i've spent the last ~20 years backing up via the same dumb 1TB faithful WD hard drive so i'd really prefer just to ... continue to use that.
- other, nendos: this is taking a little longer than i thought (but not really a big deal) since one of nendo!zihark's hairpieces didn't fit together, this second version is still not perfect but something I'd be Fine with. got all the parts as of this week, taking a break by shipping out the extra parts i don't need, and then whenever there's a solid day for Arts and Crafts headspace i'll get on painting those two <3
- other, msc: generally just in catchup/maintenance mode since in addition to the computer switcharoo there's a bunch of annoying minor medical stuff to follow up with (permanent retainer broke but fixed now, walker armrest broke, switching eyedrop Stuff, etc). nothing even particularly bad, and is not even badly-timed, just. paperwork stuff to Deal with that takes time & mental bandwidth and requires pacing out.
wishing y'all well ~
art projects, finished:
- Like Fine Wine (anthology, my contribution was a 6 page comic) is out and available to download here!
- NaZine II (anthology, my contribution was 3 companion illustrations for Idal Waves' story & a slight bit of printing help) is also out and available to buy!
both are an incredible selection of cool creatives & admins with all of us giving the middle finger to recent censorship ~
art projects, upcoming: settling down with 2 bigger long-term projects for the rest of the year; sort of pulling back a little on how much art related stuff I do this year since last year was just a bit Too Much all at once and this year's looking to be even nuttier with Life Changes.
- job: the less we talk about that the better, lol. starting to look around aggressively as per the personal deadline i mentioned a while back, there is A Specific Place i'm sniffing around in particular and am fairly certian i could jump ship to, the remote thing is the only real dealbreaker i'm possibly seeing might be an issue. we'll see. in the meantime it's not Fun (or sustainable long term ethically) but it's not as Genuinely Dire as it was in early April; i've pretty much recovered from that burnout stint.
- media: currently hooked on dragon's dogma: dark arisen! the story is a nothingburger, but for Brainless Blorbo Adventures, fantasy edition(tm) it is a perfect game. shockingly deep gameplay, the setting immersion is honestly annoyingly solid and fun between the greek mythology monsters and gigantic but complex world. i'm actually a little shocked the self-shippers haven't glommed onto this game as it's structured to be bait for that kind of duo-ish dynamic, though i have a sneaky suspicion one of the endgame plot twists Might throw a wrench into that (please don't spoil me, want 2 find out for myself and either scream happily or scream in dismay lol).
- tech: got my new S76 ubuntu laptop! loaded most of the programs there, just need some time to figure out how to transfer files and figure out the slightly new backup system. rsync/command-line programs like that terrifies me (lol) and i've spent the last ~20 years backing up via the same dumb 1TB faithful WD hard drive so i'd really prefer just to ... continue to use that.
- other, nendos: this is taking a little longer than i thought (but not really a big deal) since one of nendo!zihark's hairpieces didn't fit together, this second version is still not perfect but something I'd be Fine with. got all the parts as of this week, taking a break by shipping out the extra parts i don't need, and then whenever there's a solid day for Arts and Crafts headspace i'll get on painting those two <3
- other, msc: generally just in catchup/maintenance mode since in addition to the computer switcharoo there's a bunch of annoying minor medical stuff to follow up with (permanent retainer broke but fixed now, walker armrest broke, switching eyedrop Stuff, etc). nothing even particularly bad, and is not even badly-timed, just. paperwork stuff to Deal with that takes time & mental bandwidth and requires pacing out.
wishing y'all well ~
AKC Courtneyyyyyy Culture Festival #221: Nagatomo Ayami
May. 13th, 2026 05:25 amsonofgodzillaFrom Kanagawa Prefecture to you! Nagatomo Ayami joined AKB as a kenkyuusei in 2016 and debuted alongside Taguchi Manaka, Suzuki Kurumi, Taya Misaki, and Yamauchi Mizuki, and it feels somewhat ridiculous that we have yet to talk about her! As of Colorcon Wink, Ayamin has been a familiar face in the senbatsu, appearing successor single Koi Tsun Jatta and due to return for the recently announced 68th single due in early August.
Ayamin is the dependable older sister type at age 25, always there, always supportive despite her concerns regarding her own capability when it comes to dancing. In 2017, she was moved over to Team K, then under the stewardship of Minegishi Minami before passing to fifteenth generation member, Komiyama Haruka, and, at the last, to Manaka in 2022. As Manaka was taking up the reins in Team K, however, Ayamin was heading towards the last ever iteration of Team 4, then under Kuranoo Narumi. Team 4 was the last team Ayamin was assigned to before the final big rearrangement in 2023 and where we are to-day.
Throughout her time in AKB, Ayamin has been keeping things ticking over, appearing regularly in the theatre and also in plays based on Majisuka Gakuen &c. Because we've just had two entries in a row about sixteenth generation members and their impending graduations, I have some small amount of trepidation in saying this, but when I mentioned above that it was ridiculous that we have not already spoken of Ayamin, it is because I genuinely think she is one of AKB's future stars, a member whom we will soon see as centre in an upcoming single. Having attended university in 2019 and then withdrawn a year later in order to focus more on AKB, there's no doubting Ayamin's commitment to the group, so this really gives me some hope. Last year, her first photobook debuted, this year I expect us to see a lot more of her!
Ayamin is super cute; she has the sort of charm and presence of older idols from previous eras. Her number of fans is definitely only going to increase as we see more of her in the senbatsu!
Ayamin is the dependable older sister type at age 25, always there, always supportive despite her concerns regarding her own capability when it comes to dancing. In 2017, she was moved over to Team K, then under the stewardship of Minegishi Minami before passing to fifteenth generation member, Komiyama Haruka, and, at the last, to Manaka in 2022. As Manaka was taking up the reins in Team K, however, Ayamin was heading towards the last ever iteration of Team 4, then under Kuranoo Narumi. Team 4 was the last team Ayamin was assigned to before the final big rearrangement in 2023 and where we are to-day.
Throughout her time in AKB, Ayamin has been keeping things ticking over, appearing regularly in the theatre and also in plays based on Majisuka Gakuen &c. Because we've just had two entries in a row about sixteenth generation members and their impending graduations, I have some small amount of trepidation in saying this, but when I mentioned above that it was ridiculous that we have not already spoken of Ayamin, it is because I genuinely think she is one of AKB's future stars, a member whom we will soon see as centre in an upcoming single. Having attended university in 2019 and then withdrawn a year later in order to focus more on AKB, there's no doubting Ayamin's commitment to the group, so this really gives me some hope. Last year, her first photobook debuted, this year I expect us to see a lot more of her!
Ayamin is super cute; she has the sort of charm and presence of older idols from previous eras. Her number of fans is definitely only going to increase as we see more of her in the senbatsu!
Things
May. 8th, 2026 06:46 pmvassFinished reading Tuyo. Liked it very much. Unfortunately, my options for reading book two (whose title is not, in fact, Twoyo) are limited to Amazon, Audible (which is also Amazon), and seeing if my local library is willing/able to buy ebooks and/or audiobooks from Amazon. I hate when writers go Kindle-exclusive. I hate it for me, since I'm boycotting Amazon and have managed (for name change/moved house/moved email addresses years ago reasons) to raise the barrier to getting over myself and just buying Kindle-exclusive books there high enough that I always end up just reading some other book that I could buy another way. (I bought the audiobook of book one on libro.fm, but it doesn't look like the others are available there.)
Read Sax Brightwell's Low Dawn, book one of a trilogy. I know the author from fandom, so I am not an unbiased reader. It was fun. Here is a summary of the first few chapters, in emoji form: 🪐🛸🪷☄️💥🎒📨🐎🤴🎊🦀🦐👸🥂🏕
The above summary also presents three of the four main party, and one of the two main ships (🎒📨 doesn't meet 🧬⚓ until a little later. As you can see, 🐎🤴 and 🦀🦐👸 are already celebrating their engagement.)
I would be starting on Cameron Reed's What We Are Seeking next, but my library hold just arrived for the audiobook of T. Kingfisher's Paladin's Hope, and I have a long drive coming up, so I'm going to try to race through Paladin's Strength before then.
Fandom
Haven't posted anything on AO3 since last time, but on Discord I did post a few hundred words of a 9 Worlds/Ratatouille fusion fic starring Enya. If I finish it, I'll post that.
Crafts
The Sekrit Project I alluded to last post has reached its destination, so I can now reveal that I made fridge magnets forbookgirlwa by printing out A8 sized book cover art and glueing it to plywood and adding a coat of varnish and (obviously) a magnet. I'm really pleased with how it worked out.
Food
Banana bread, when the bananas were just this side of unusable. \o/
Cats
I'm not at all good at identifying jumps, but I think what Ash did today while attacking the Birdie might have been a salchow.
Read Sax Brightwell's Low Dawn, book one of a trilogy. I know the author from fandom, so I am not an unbiased reader. It was fun. Here is a summary of the first few chapters, in emoji form: 🪐🛸🪷☄️💥🎒📨🐎🤴🎊🦀🦐👸🥂🏕
The above summary also presents three of the four main party, and one of the two main ships (🎒📨 doesn't meet 🧬⚓ until a little later. As you can see, 🐎🤴 and 🦀🦐👸 are already celebrating their engagement.)
I would be starting on Cameron Reed's What We Are Seeking next, but my library hold just arrived for the audiobook of T. Kingfisher's Paladin's Hope, and I have a long drive coming up, so I'm going to try to race through Paladin's Strength before then.
Fandom
Haven't posted anything on AO3 since last time, but on Discord I did post a few hundred words of a 9 Worlds/Ratatouille fusion fic starring Enya. If I finish it, I'll post that.
Crafts
The Sekrit Project I alluded to last post has reached its destination, so I can now reveal that I made fridge magnets for
bookgirlwa by printing out A8 sized book cover art and glueing it to plywood and adding a coat of varnish and (obviously) a magnet. I'm really pleased with how it worked out.Food
Banana bread, when the bananas were just this side of unusable. \o/
Cats
I'm not at all good at identifying jumps, but I think what Ash did today while attacking the Birdie might have been a salchow.
/v/'s top 100 games of all time
May. 7th, 2026 02:47 pmkradeelavthere's a few of '/v/'s top 100 games of all time' lists floating around, this one being a screenshot of one of the slightly more credible ones. I've actually been using it as a springboard to diversify my gaming tastes in the past year; most recently with dragon's dogma: dark arisen.
List below with my current thoughts & completion status. :)
( Read more... )
List below with my current thoughts & completion status. :)
( Read more... )
AKC Courtneyyyyyy Culture Festival #220: Taguchi Manaka
May. 6th, 2026 05:35 amsonofgodzillaTrying to keep up with posting every member featured in Team AKB Oshi as the sixteenth generation graduates is a thankless task. This version of the song has a shelf-life of a couple of months, a couple of weeks considering Kururun's impending graduation. Similarly, her fellow sixteenth generation member and actual school classmate, Taguchi Manaka will depart on 22nd June.
Manaka made her debut alongside Kururun, Taya Misaki, Yamauchi Mizuki, and the rest of her generation at that same December concert. In the first shuffle event a year later, she was moved to Team A, also alongside Kururun—sorry if this entry is giving you déjà vu!—which was the same year we first saw her begin to appear on B sides, starting with Maebure, a Watanabe Mayu fronted song also featuring NGT's Takakura Moeka, from Negaigoto no Mochigusare. It was in 2022, however, that things really took off for her with a transfer to Team K and her appointment as captain—Team K's last captain, nonetheless. In the same year, she made it to the senbatsu for the Honda Hitomi fronted Moto Kare desu as AKB struggled to find its place post-IZ*ONE, incorporating a stronger focus on dance and the kind of parred back focus on movement found in contemporary K-pop of the time. To hammer this point home, each of their members got their own dance solo spotlight videos, not least of all Manaka. I'm not a huge fan of this one, a house cannot have two masters, as they say.
A year later, on the B side of Doushitemo Kimi ga Suki da, Manaka appeared as one of the three centres for the "Universe Girls" alongside Asai Nanami and Nagatomo Ayami for the song Da Re Da. The Universe Girls unit was later used for Lion wo Nerae!, the B side of Colorcon Wink, the next single that Manaka featured in the senbatsu for, Koi Tsun Jatta and recent single, Nagori Zakura following after.
Manaka is one of us, her official profile outing her as a fan of tokusatsu, although unfortunately it doesn't specify which shows are her favourites! She brought with her a unique sense of humour, as you can tell above from her impersonation of comedian and television host, Tamori, above, and losing that humour is to AKB's detriment. I really hope that she remains close with Kururun once they both graduate and the two of them are able to look back on these years and smile.
I'm looking forward to what Manaka does next!
Manaka made her debut alongside Kururun, Taya Misaki, Yamauchi Mizuki, and the rest of her generation at that same December concert. In the first shuffle event a year later, she was moved to Team A, also alongside Kururun—sorry if this entry is giving you déjà vu!—which was the same year we first saw her begin to appear on B sides, starting with Maebure, a Watanabe Mayu fronted song also featuring NGT's Takakura Moeka, from Negaigoto no Mochigusare. It was in 2022, however, that things really took off for her with a transfer to Team K and her appointment as captain—Team K's last captain, nonetheless. In the same year, she made it to the senbatsu for the Honda Hitomi fronted Moto Kare desu as AKB struggled to find its place post-IZ*ONE, incorporating a stronger focus on dance and the kind of parred back focus on movement found in contemporary K-pop of the time. To hammer this point home, each of their members got their own dance solo spotlight videos, not least of all Manaka. I'm not a huge fan of this one, a house cannot have two masters, as they say.
A year later, on the B side of Doushitemo Kimi ga Suki da, Manaka appeared as one of the three centres for the "Universe Girls" alongside Asai Nanami and Nagatomo Ayami for the song Da Re Da. The Universe Girls unit was later used for Lion wo Nerae!, the B side of Colorcon Wink, the next single that Manaka featured in the senbatsu for, Koi Tsun Jatta and recent single, Nagori Zakura following after.
Manaka is one of us, her official profile outing her as a fan of tokusatsu, although unfortunately it doesn't specify which shows are her favourites! She brought with her a unique sense of humour, as you can tell above from her impersonation of comedian and television host, Tamori, above, and losing that humour is to AKB's detriment. I really hope that she remains close with Kururun once they both graduate and the two of them are able to look back on these years and smile.
I'm looking forward to what Manaka does next!
