Sorry for posting twice within an hour! Renamed myself, but since my mom gave me my unique legal first name I feel bad for changing it and want to honor my parents in another way. My chosen first name is Amity!
My mom's name was Jessica and my father's name was Leon. I was thinking of maybe finding a way to combine them or find a name that is similar to the way both of them sound combined? I.e Jessica + Leon = Leona.
I don't know too much about them since my mom died when I was young and I only lived with my dad for a year in 2020, so I don't think they have any mutual interests.
I do know my dad wanted to name me Blue and my mom thought about giving me a name that started with D. My dad loved nature and my mom loved anything girly, pink, or cute. I was named after Jada Pinkett Smith and Jadakiss the rapper, so I was thinking about going with Willow (dads nature themes + moms intention). Just throwing some possible themes out there.
I'm open to any recommendations no matter how clearly they're related to my parents.
EDIT: decided on Janae!! Thanks so much :)

I think the Kanto starters are overexposed, especially Charizard, but not bad. They battle well and have great designs to boot. The Johto starters are more or less plain than their predecessors, but are still great. Battle-wise, Meganium truly is bad. Defensive battling seems to be the only viable option for it. Typhlosion is a surprisingly decent threat when combined with Choice Scarf and Eruption. Feraligatr kicks butt. Dragon Dance, Aqua Jet, and Ice Fang are a deadly combo.
The Hoenn starters are pretty cool. I like that the Treeko line is a leaf-tailed gecko that develops leaf blades and a club moss tail for attacking. Torchic is cute, and I like how it evolves into a fire and fighting type for both stages. I just wish Blaziken looked less like a guy in a suit. Mudkip‘s evolved forms get one of the best type combinations in the game and look great. I also like how mega Sceptile can fire its tail as a missile, and how mega Swampert is so muscular and bulky.
The Sinnoh starters are, in general, good. I like Torterra the most. The whole line is a turtle that develops what appear to be dinosaur features. The grass and ground typing is bad, but I think Torterra is still a fun and cool design. The Chimchar line is cool, even if a bit predictable. A monkey with a flaming butt, and a monkey with a hot head. Fitting for a monkey, but predictable. Infernape is still a great powerhouse in battle, though. I find Piplup and Prinplup to be the best looking out of the whole line. Empoleon has an awesome water and steel typing, as well as some good bulk, but the final design twist is too cluttered, especially with the dark blue pieces on the front and the tail.
The Unova starters are interesting. I like how Snivy starts off as a snake with arms and legs, but loses the legs entirely and keeps the nubby arms in the final stage. Gaining Contrary was a smart move and has made Serperior a desired choice in competitive play. Tepig is great the way it looks, but Pignite and Emboar could have looked better. Take away the yellow pieces, shape them into looking more like swine, and I think we would have much better pigs. The whole Oshawott line is great. I especially like Dewott. It and Wartortle are up there as my top two favorite water types.
The Kalos starters are up there as some of my favorites. The Chespin line has a great theme in being chestnuts, which become beige. I like the the spines being used for offense and defense. The only thing I wish would change is Quilladin. I don’t like the face. It looks ugly. It would be cool if it looked more like Chespin. I like Fenniken, but the evolutions are little bit girly. Yet, I can still see them being male or female, and they are still cool for being foxes. The Froakie line is definitely amazing, start to finish. I love the concept of a ninja frog with the power to throw frothy bubbles at its foes. Too bad Greninja dropped that.
The Alola starters are fun, but I like what Rowlet did more. I like the type combination and the archer theme. Litten and Torracat are great. Incineroar is not bad, but I think it would be better if it looked a little more like a tiger. It doesn’t have to be on all fours either. Just do what was done with Typhlosion. Give it a hunch and let it move on four legs if it wants. Popplio is not bad, but it’s evolutions stray more into being very feminine. Primarina is not bad, but she looks more like she could be a mythical Pokémon.
The Galar starters get pretty messy. Battle-wise, Rillaboom and Cinderace are great. Design-wise, the Grookey line is very plain, but I like Rillaboom’s plainness more. Scorbunny is cool. Raboot is ok, except for the weird clothing it has on it. Cinderace is a mess. A rabbit that kicks fire balls as if they were soccer balls is a cool concept, but it really should have been done better. Sobble is cute, but the evolutions are all over the place. Inteleon is just so skinny. I don’t like it looking like it wears gloves and a scuba suit. I get the concept for the whole line, but they should have done something else if they wanted a spy lizard.
The Paldea starters are my least favorites. The Fuecoco line is the only one that interests me at all. Sprigatito is just a green cat. Floragato is slightly more interesting because of the bladed yo-yo, but not enough to be called a top favorite. I really don’t like the final stage. It should have stuck with the yo-yo and used it as a weapon for fighting. The Quaxly line, in my opinion, is the worst starter line I have seen, especially the last stage. I like the water and fighting type combination, but the final twist could have been a peacock pirate that flashes its tail feathers in a graceful form of fighting, even using its own feathers as swords while it moves around gracefully.

i pretty much never feel satisfied with my hair due to it being too feminine, but the thing is, where the issue lies is not in the hairstyle itself but in how people perceive it on me. this might not make sense but i’ll try to explain…
basically, if there were no such thing as judgmental people, i would love my current hairstyle. it looks good with the shape of my face and everything. but my ONLY issue is that people often tell me that it’s “actually not their fault for misgendering me because i have feminine hair” (whatever that means)
but the thing is, it’s not actually that “feminine” to me? it hits my shoulders, and there’s these cute layers and kinda long bangs that i tend to part down the middle or side. i actually took direct inspiration from my favorite music artist, who imo basically has the coolest gender expression i’ve ever seen and is my #1 male role model. (i’ll link his hair: https://x.com/houriysuga/status/1791302622378664393?s=46&t=JvcUD8za01sTvSuQTSMX6A , https://x.com/pm5_twt/status/1617070019418165258?s=46&t=JvcUD8za01sTvSuQTSMX6A)
and it’s not just him, i’ve always liked guys with longer hair. my favorite actor, my favorite athlete, several other musicians i like and even my closest male friend all have hair my length or longer. but no one ever tells them they look too girly? it’s not fair!
this isn’t really an advice post because i’m not looking for a different cut, i literally like the one i have. i guess it’s a rant. like, why do i sometimes feel like i have to do things i don’t want to do regarding my hair or my fashion just so people MIGHT gender me correctly for once? why do people think they have the right to accuse me of not being trans enough just because i like having longer hair… it’s not fair

So I made this comment to another person's post recently about her feeling annoyed at the teachestudent relationship in Maxton Hall and that it wasn't being properly addressed as toxic. I agree. But that's hardly my only issue with the show. Because a lot of really young people are into these genres, I feel the need to address these points as someone who's actually lived the Ruby/James storyline, different ways and multiple times. A veteran, one might say. You can take my statements as a grain of salt, or whatever you like, but may those who have ears listen:
Spoilers throughout if someone hasn't finished the season:
This is the thing...I actually find the lead actors cute and super talented even despite this being a genre that I find deplorably predictable and drab. I actually only got invested to improve my German, sadly now I'm actually invested in the characters at this point despite me seeing everything that's going to happen a mile away, because a lot of these writers who may actually be creative but stifle it for the sake of hashing out another "proven to make money" storyline that has been recreated time and time again. Yes, the teachestudent situation is problematic not because they're both consenting individuals who or of age, but because apparently they knew each long before which hints that she would've most likely have been a minor when the relationship took form. Maybe people who have read the books can shed better light on the matter.
Beyond that, my biggest issue with these common bad boy meets good girl trope shows beyond how oversaturated the romance world is with these stories (damn, not even a reversal like good boy meets bad girl), is the very negative expectations they put on real girls out there. These stories fuel the idea that they "can fix him" and even those overly toxic traits he possesses should be downplayed in some way, and even the slightest redeemable qualities he shows should be made out as holy. This is one of the large reasons I hate this genre. For example, despite James's slight transition in S1 (and yes, I'm fully aware that he will most likely continue to change for the better in some ways), to say I think Ruby deserves better is an understatement. Women/girls keep fawning over the swimming pool scene where he saves Ruby, but I was honestly pissed at him for this whole catastrophic scenario and how it unfolded. Firstly, he invited her to this godforsaken hive of scum and villainy of a party despite him knowing full well this is not normally her scene, ignores Ruby's actualized fears of pupils teasing hedisliking her for being with James, and gives her an invitation into the lion's den thinking she'll come out unscathed? For someone who hints at himself having an impressive GPA, I'm not impressed by his lack of logical deduction. When viewed from this perspective, the blame of Ruby getting pushed into the pool and being triggered into a panic attack that nearly got her drowned largely rests on James's shoulders, especially as one of the sole people at that party claiming to "care" about her. Despite this, no open moment from James of reflection of responsibility for what took place there and nothing even remotely resembling an apology not even the following morning of the incident, but rather even gave off the impression that it wasn't even that big of a deal. He sent a text asking if she was doing better (not even the first text the following morning, mind you), and that was the end of that. Not a question or care more before a slew of flirting between the two. Of course, at that point Ruby is already infatuated with him, so it makes little difference. But to someone from the outside looking in, the selfishness and ambivalence is glaringly obvious.
It's an ongoing theme in S1 that apparently getting apologies out of James is like pulling teeth (another highly toxic masculinity trait that we need to stop treating with humor or something "enduring" when interest is involved). I believe I counted him saying it only twice in the last episodes and it was always backed by some sort of excuse "but I did it because I was embarrassed by my parents...sorry, but I can't...my father...etc." In reality he's been needing to give proper apologies since the show began, but the moment he finally formulates the words, it's always accompanied by some excuse? Immaturity. What was the topper on the cake for me and an ultimate red flag (yes, yes...it's fantasy, a show...but in real life, run for the hills), he continues to take decisions that should normally involve both of them, into his own hands and gravely gauging her whims wrongly in these situations. First with the poster of them, then again ending the relationship in order to "protect" her. He's very creative at finding solutions when it's getting back at Ruby for things in the beginning, but now he's just willing to throw in the towel anytime he has to fight for their relationship? Again questioning his logical capabilities and even his intentions at this point. Perhaps it's actually just rooted in him being afraid of commitment after a life of whoring himself out to hush people up or a slew of one night stands which has left him detached? If not, as I suspect it isn't, a form of self-sabotage due to his father's hold on him. I know it's most likely the latter, and as relatable and sad as that may be, this is catastrophic and needs therapy to get resolved. Rose-tinted romance isn't going to fix that (trust me, speaking from experience, girlies). And to make matters worse, I can read the handwriting on the wall from the last episode ending, that James is liable to take matters into his own hands again and hurt Ruby because he keeps trying to decide what HE thinks is best for HER life. I'm not a teen or in my early twenties watching this show, so I tend to view these from a mother hen type of perspective. If you see a guy like James Beaufort, it might be entertaining on TV or film, but in REAL life, run for the hills unless you have written proof he's attending therapy and counselling for his issues and start seeing a difference. My interest in the show is starting to wane after already guessing (like most things in this show and others of its genre) what's coming next season...such as James getting cold feet, taking executive control of their relationship again and bailing...very sure. I don't even need to read the books for that. I've lived this, girlies.
Hopefully, the writers exceed my expectations and do something unexpected. As I said in another post, it wouldn't be the most drastic of plot twists, but make the chauffeur the old flame James's mother was alluded to and have James secretly be his kid, which would give light on why he acts like a father figure (or at least the closest positive one James has) and his passionate defense of James. That would maybe keep me invested and one my toes knowing there are actually all these secrets being unraveled. Okay, anyway, that's my rant on this. That was waaay too long. Bye.
Update: Since this post got a lot of backlash, I'm happy to discover an interview with the lead actors where they summarize the same as what I stated here and in my responses to people below, haha:
https://youtu.be/IrSbe1ecqcc?si=ALOpVt2GM7hfigOF
Harriet & Damian: James is a big walking red flag. Ruby should run. James needs therapy and needs to work on himself. There you have it, folks. Straight from the horse's mouth. 😂

About Us

We are a North American couple in our late twenties - we love nature, food, and sightseeing. We are not a fan of partying or relaxing (haha), and we have limited vacation time so this trip was perfect for us. However we know that most people will find this trip too hectic/busy with too much travel time - different strokes for different folks! Hopefully this is still helpful.
We travelled for 14 days from late April to early May 2024.

Krabi

Day 0: Flight from Bangkok to Krabi at night, so just hit Ao Nang Landmark beach and the night market. Night market is nice but quite small. The Ao Nang Landmark beach was the most gorgeous 360 view of the sunset I’ve ever seen. Don’t be confused with the proper Ao Nang beach (10 min walk), which imo isn’t anywhere as nice for sunset views. But the proper Ao Nang Beach has free nighttime fire shows, which was fun to see.
Beware the multiple jellyfish at Ao Nang beach and in general while snorkelling in the Andaman coast. I wish I had brought a travel container filled with vinegar as a precaution.
Day 1: Day trip to Phi Phi Islands (highly recommend) with the One Asia corporation - they were excellent, well-organized with lots of free water bottles, juice and fruits. They also offered snorkels that had disposable personal mouthpieces (which I didn’t even consider). They said they were the only company that offered the disposable mouth pieces, which I can’t verify but I believe it.
In the evening, we did a hike up to Tiger Cave temple for the most gorgeous sunset. New rule is last entry is 5:30 pm so plan accordingly. It is 1260 steps and very hot/difficult but ACTUALLY WORTH IT, especially for sunset. You’ll also see monkeys! Take breaks and drink water. We took 40 minutes to go up, around 20 to go down. Modest clothes recommended but knee length is okay.
Day 2: Day trip to Hong Island, including kayaking through mangroves. Kayaking was definitely worth it but there are limited tours that offer this. Be careful swimming at Hong Island - we had small jellyfish stings that were very very mild, and we didn’t even see the small jellyfish although lots of big ones were visible while kayaking. Kayaking felt more safe. Snorkeling at Chewang Beach was pretty meh, quite cloudy.
In terms of longtail versus speedboat, I personally preferred speedboat because the journeys can be quite long otherwise. It’s just as scenic and also less noisy than the old motor of the longtail. Only benefit of longtail is nicer photos at the bow.
If we had more time, we would have gone to Railay Beach (but not interested in rock climbing so less cool). Other options are James Bond Island or Four Islands but to be honest, reviews weren’t as great.
We then took an InDrive to Khao Sok national park. Grab was not reliable as drivers could not see location first and then kept cancelling because far away. This was fine but kind of felt sketchy bc 2 hour drive. Maybe book with official company instead.
Food recommendations (best ones listed first) 1. Family Thaifood & Seafood (tied with Kodam Kitchen): try the fried crab with curry powder (best crab we have ever had at a restaurant), morning glory (excellent vegetable dish, necessary because limited vegetables in diet) and the coconut milkshake in a coconut. 2. Kodam Kitchen. Try the Massaman curry (with roti, which our waitress insisted we try and actually was an amazing combo) and the dried curry dish (Southern specialty) 3. Red Chilli Thai Cuisine - try the green curry (normally don’t like green curry bc less flavorful but this was delicious), blended mango drink, and steamed fish with lime/chilli.

Khao Sok

Day 0: Stayed legit just for sleep at the Khao Sok Green Valley Resort. Clean with no issues, very basic but just needed for sleeping
Day 1: Early morning pickup with Smiley Lakehouse Tour for a 2 day 1 night overnight tour at Chewong Lake on a lakehouse bungalow in the Khao Sok national park. The boat ride there is incredibly scenic and enjoyable.
We spent the afternoon kayaking and swimming in front of our lake house. It was really really ridiculously hot, just felt terrible because no AC anywhere. Thankfully cooled down at nighttime for sleeping - only fan-cooled room but still was okay once sun came down. The afternoon was absolutely brutal though. In evening, went on a boat safari that was fun.
Day 2: Early morning boat safari followed by a jungle trek + Nam Taloo cave tour, only available in dry season. The jungle trek was meh for views tbh, but the cave was spectacular with lots of bats and flowing water. Completely unique experience. You do have to swim around 5 m in flowing water that is over your head, so beware if you cannot swim.
Overall, Smiley was an excellent operation - just super super hot. Better food than other tours, clean rooms (we paid for upgrade). I’d still overall recommend it because overall the cave trek was great, but otherwise I think a day trip suffices if you’re in the middle of hot season. I also didn’t like how they don’t count off where you are/keep track of you, even in the cave portion, so you needed to be more aware and alert yourself.
We then took a van to Donsak Pier and headed to Koh Samui.

Koh Samui

Day 1: Relaxing day, just explored the area and beaches. Choengmon Beach is quiet, clean and nice for swimming. Then we explored the mall/outdoor market area of Central Samui - nice respite for AC and walkable to the Chewang Beach, which is more party vibes but also fun (worse for swimming but still ok). In the evening, went to the Four Seasons restaurant Koh Thai for a sunset view and dinner (see below) and then Fisherman Village night market for exploring.
Day 2: Day trip to Angthong National Marine Park. We did the big boat which was cheaper but less time at the park, which we were fine with. Then CocoTam for one of their nightly fire shows on the beach, and explored Fisherman Village for dinner.
If we had more time, we might have considered Koh Phanghan or Koh Tao for snorkelling. We also debated Koh Matsum (pig island) but didn’t seem worth it for a full tour + hard to self-arrange affordable transport.
Food recommendations: 1. Ban Thai - cute place where a grandma makes all the food. Recommend the Tom Yum soup and chicken pad gra prow. Pad Thai was mid but shrimp quality was excellent 2. Coconut Beach Bowls - if you’re a smoothie bowl aficionado, otherwise pass 3. Vegan Khunnay: really cute AYCE vegan buffet for only 120 bhat ($3 USD), right next to Chaweng Beach. Very authentic Thai food cooked by one grandma, cute experience for a snack even. 4. CocoNam: moreso for the vibe for their nightly fire shows on the beach. Go early to avoid lines and make sure you get a seat. The pad Thai here was surprisingly the best pad Thai I had in the south, delicious and most flavorful. 5. Koh Thai - fancy fancy fancy, located in the Four Seasons resort. It’s featured by Michelin Bib and is a location for White Lotus S3. Book for sunset for gorgeous views, it’s a bit of an experience to get there because you take a buggy up the hillside. Very luxurious feeling. Food was ACTUALLY excellent and tasted like a chef made it, if that makes sense. Delicious ingredients. We recommend the laab tuna, paad kapi goong moo sub, and coconut duo. The boneless lime fish was also good but didn’t taste too different than a normal restaurant. Go to BOTH bathrooms, including the one that is “al fresco” haha for the full experience. Rooms at the Four Seasons go over $1200 USD a night - our meal with two bottles of fancy water (unavoidable), one starter, two mains and a dessert was $100 USD including tax and service charge.

Overnight Trip to Pai

Day 0.5: Flight to Chiang Mai then private taxi ($45 CAD) to Pai for 2.5 h because bus ran out of tickets. Pai Canyon for sunset (gorgeous) and explored Pai Walking Street and night market.
Day 1: Relaxing brunch then Nam Lod Cave - so freaking cool, huge cave that you float in a bamboo raft through. Then took back to Chiang Mai! We took the bus - it’s around 5 bucks PP, 4 hours.
If we had more time (and the weather was less hot), we would have done Sai Ngam Hotsprings. We weren’t too interested in the White Buddha, Bamboo bridge, or strawberry cafe etc - although we did see them from afar during our tour. Mostly just here for vibes, it’s cute.
There are NO GRABS or taxis here, it’s quite remote. But you don’t need to ride a motorbike - you just show up and do tours (don’t need to book in advance, does not show up online but easy to find).
Food recommendations: 1. Nam’s Kitchen 2. Charlie & Iek 3. Lemon Thyme Cafe for drinks 4. Nice Mangos - try the ice cream/mango sticky rice combo, legit best dessert

Chiang Mai

Day 0: Got rained out so ate dinner and slept!
Day 1: Group tour to Don Inthanon Park with a hike and visit to an indigenous Thai village - really recommend. Great way to beat the heat because the summit is 15 degrees cooler than the city, plus informative to learn about local culture.
At night, we did the 6ixcret drag show - THE BEST NIGHT ACTIVITY WE DID IN THAILAND. SOOOO fun creative, and professionally done, not sketchy at all. Insane SFX and choreography. It’s free but need to buy two drinks PP (normal prices), definitely worth. Don’t need to book in advance, just show up right before 9:30 pm. The drag show is also next to Chiang Mai Night Bazaar, so very convenient for exploring. Unfortunately the main night markets are only open Sat/Sunday but Chiang Mai Night Bazaar is open every night.
Day 2: Day trip to Elephant Nature Park! Sells out, so need to book weeks in advance. It’s the most legit and largest OG elephant sanctuary, highly ethical and professional. The Walking with Elephants tour was incredible. Then we visited Wat Chedi Luang (lovely temple in city centre but tbh can skip, only visited bc we had free time) before taking a Grab to Monk trail/Doi Suthep temple for nighttime temple and city views. It is absolutely gorgeous and unique to do at night. We ended the night by exploring more street food and night market.
Day 3: Half Day cooking class at Grandma’s Kitchen, included market and farm tour. Very interesting and enjoyable activity, we learned a lot. We tried durian at the market because it was in season, I was personally a huge fan. For the cooking class, you should request the air conditioned room in advance because there is only one. We then did a trip to Sticky Waterfalls - we negotiated a trip again on InDrive. This was one of the most unique nature experiences we have ever done and super fun. We ended our evening by exploring One Nimman shopping area/neighborhood, which was lovely and romantic. Then flew to BKK!
Food recommendations: 1. Roti Pa Day: delicious Michelin guide street food 2. Maadae Slow Fish Kitchen: SO GOOD. Also Michelin guide. Try Hor Mok, sardine jerky (trust me, it was the number one dish we tried + it’s deliciously warm), and pomelo fish salad plus their homemade sodas. 3. Chum North Kitchen: different Northern-style dishes 4. Khao Soi Masee: Michelin guide again, best Khao Soi ever in a very simple cute place. Very flavourful. 5. Jia Tong Heng: Dim sum located conveniently in One Nimman area, previously Michelin guide then demoted. Went for just snacks. Can skip but tbh the salted egg custard bun was celestial. Go just for that if you want.

Bangkok

Day 1: Temple hopping of Wat Arun, Wat Pho then Grand Palace. Your enjoyability of this depends on how much you like temples. Pro tip is to bring socks for when the sun scorches the titles and you can’t wear shoes. Initially we wanted to skip Wat Pho but I’m glad we went because the Reclining Buddha is excellent in person, surpassed our expectations and better than photographs. In the evening, we visited Jodds Fair (very cute vibe for a market) and closed our night with dinner at a Michelin star restaurant.
Day 2: Chatuchat Weekend Market then lunch at Kua Kling for delicious Sourhern food. ICONSiam afterwards - such a fancy yet chaotic “Disneyworld” of a mall, complete with huge market and street food scene. Then ended with exploring Yaowarat Road then Khao San Road for lots of street food and vibes. Ended our night at the Big C for souvenirs.
Day 3: Breakfast then flew out! Sad to leave :)
Food recommendations: 1. Kor Panich - best mango sticky rice hands down, deserving of its Michelin recommendation, and near temples 2. Natthapon Ice Cream (right next to Kor Panich) - cute cozy spot, recommend black sesame and coconut. The peanuts were very polarizing. 3. Nawa: newly awarded 1 Michelin star, very fun experience even for people who aren’t very highbrow like us. Interesting to learn about Thai ingredients and unique delicious dishes. <5k bhat per person. 4. Kua Kling Pad Sod - try the Kua kling and stink bean 5. Guay Jub Ouan Pochana in Yaowarat
Overrated/meh but glad we tried it: 1. Thipsamai pad thai 2. Yaowarat toasted buns 3. Pa Tong Go Savoey

General Tips:

Be careful of the carry-on luggage weights with domestic flights - they only allow 7 kg which is abnormally minuscule.
The weather played a massive role in picking our itinerary. Beware of burning season in Chiang Mai (we went for the tail end) and rainy seasons. Not every hotel has AC so make sure you prioritize that.
One downside of the tours is that the food is meh on them, just FYI. Even if a tour advertises “water bottles provided”, it can be just ONE for a whole day so bring your own emergency water.
Grab was surprisingly annoying to find in Bangkok, FYI.

Random things to pack:

• We brought mini personal fans that you wear around your neck and it was actually so clutch for the hikes.
• Coral-safe sunscreen
• Loperamide/gravol/ginger lozenges/tylenol
• Small container of vinegar for jellyfish stings
• Mini alcohol swabs to disinfect snorkel gear
• I brought an inflatable life “belt” and it was very nice as peace of mind, especially in the cave.
• For my high maintenance girlies, mini hair masks and oil samples because I was washing my hair legit every day
• Long pants and t shirt for temples
• Mini beach towels were NOT necessary because it was so hot, so we dried off instantly with the sun. Every tour said to bring them but did not use a single time.

Keys to a ridiculously packed trip:

• Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize. Many places can have overlapping themes like a night market, kayaking, temples, gorgeous hikes that lead to a temple, etc so pick and choose based on location. You can’t see every “highlight” of each city so instead think that you’re trying to see “overall highlights”. To avoid temple fatigue, pick your favourites + try to do them at different times like daytime, sunset, and nighttime for varied experiences.
• Whenever our accommodation was walkable from the night market, it made evenings more enjoyable and smooth. We did this in the south but not in CM/Bangkok and wish we did!
• Schedule a relaxing day - the tours can be exhausting so we scheduled a relaxing day after a string of island tours
• Try to book long transportation hours either: at night when you won’t be doing anything OR after a busy sweaty tour where you’re exhausted and want to relax during peak hotness (11 am to 2 pm) in somewhere air conditioned. Consider transportation as a relaxing break for phone time/reading with a great view.
• Something WILL go wrong - embrace it! Key is to stick and move :)

Feel free to ask any questions!

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TLDR: I won't talk about every choice as this is too long, already. You don’t have to read all this, for the love of god you don't. Just know I enjoyed every female character in this game as a partneromantic love interest. Hopefully, I’ll have enough time to do the guys. Sorry for this being fucking SIX PAGES (I have a problem don’t send help)
Scarlett: Oh Scarlett you poor sweet girl. I have never seen a main love interest out matched this badly since Dragon Quest 8; which is a similar situation funny enough. She is not a bad character, though I completely understand why people have issues with her. She's the purest vanilla out there to the point where it almost feels like she knows she is a blonde haired, blue eyed, big breasted, can’t cook well childhood friend princess in a Japanese game. And she has the issue of the character knowing more than the player. Scarlett is Alain's childhood friend. Not ours. He’s used to her antics and only sees her from his perspective. With her pushing herself so hard at Alain it can be frustrating when you don’t know her as well more so when all her rapports are her trying to get into Alain’s pants and the actual character stuff for her is one of the last area before the final boss.
But vanilla isn’t bad. It’s nostalgic. Comforting. Scarlett will never be a bad choice but is the normal choice.
Chole: Holy shit Chole. When I first saw her I thought nothing about her. And then I got spoiled on her ending and found it hilarious that she was one of the only girls to give Alain a kid and not her so called best friend so I went I through her rapport.
And uh, did Chole’s writer have it out for Scarlett? Like it’s utterly baffling how Chole is such a better romantic choice then so called main heroine that it's like that jojo stomping meme. every other girl beating the shit out of Scarlett’s chances and Chole, HER BEST FIREND WHO AGREES TO HELP HER, looks to be minding her own business. And then comes in with steel spiked chair that explodes on impact.
The theme of ‘you can be yourself around me’, the player getting to known Alain better by doing her rapport, dancing in the fucking moonlight. As someone who’s a hardcore romantic; hence why I like this game, I was god smacked at how sweet it all was. And she’s not a trope, well more like she doesn’t have a ‘dere’. The only thing like that about Chole is that she’s just everyone's mom. She has nearly the same mom energy as everyone’s favorite titty owl milf.
And I think that’s the point as the losing heroine trope, or second girl, is becoming more popular in Japan. Characters like Scarlett are actually becoming more rare and harder to come by in manga and light novels. You’re more likely to get a gyaru or a character like Chole as in love interest than your classic blonde, blue eyed, big titty, childhood friend princess tsundere. But that’s getting off topic. Basically, Chole is the main heroine. Sorry Scarlett.
Yunifi: I’ll come back to Yunifi’s fat ass later. (I know Alain is! bum dum tis) but as a character, for me I can sum her up as, Tifa but bottom heavy; she feels like that spunky childhood country bumpkin friend that was not too girly, but girly enough you wouldn’t call her a tomboy. And then you see her again after a few years and you’re already calculating how much a ring will cost. And I shouldn’t have to explain the bottom heavy part :v
She would fit right in with the childhood friend trio, and considering she’s a princess that might have actually happened in some alternative timeline. She’s fun, spunky, cute, not afraid to speak her mind with a sharp tongue, basically, a cat girl, a MONSTER with her bow, and her alter scene with Alain is my favorite.
Alain, poor sweet innocent lad, just thinks ‘Aww she’s talking about making more friends.’ And the girl comes up to him like basically saying ‘No I want you to breed me.’
The look on that poor boy’s face when he realized what he just got into. Like “Oh!....oooohhhh sshhiittt….”
I am reminded of that one meme of female lions biting the balls of their mates when they want sex when the mates are too tired.
Alain better hope he has the stamina of a Unicorn…..
Dinah: Furry memes aside, Dinah shocked me with how cute she is. Like while the Krystal comparison is accurate, it’s also not. Krystal has always been more sexy than cute. Bikini armor, rich accent, tight clothes. Nintendo’s messy handling of her aside, she’s always been mostly sex appeal. Dinah is too, but if you put her character on a normal human, the effects would be the same, but at the sometime it wouldn’t be her as her past makes it hard for her to trust humans. Making her a Berengaria lite; Berengaria has way more rough edges than Dinah who smooths them out rather fast.
It's really nice, if you’re a furry or not, to have an ACTUAL interspecies relationship and not just ‘human but with one extra step and nothing else’ (looking at you Witcher fuck off with that shit). Which is always baffling seeing as a lot of video games have their roots in DND and well you can fuck a dragon in that. And not just the ones on two legs.
But a lot of games just go ‘slightly different human’ when they do theses. Like the other reasons people were upset about the whole Tali face reval years ago was yeah she was a bit too human looking. But biowear isn’t the same company it was during ME3 and now a days…..
Though I wouldn’t mind them going into more detail about their racial differences, there’s some, but wouldn’t call it mass effect level with characters like Tali or Garius.
Still the fact that a furry character that has harsh edges nearly on the same level as Berengaria, is this cute; you can’t tell me you had a little chuckle or go aww when she told Alain she was turn him down, clearly lying with her face so red or asking him to recognize her feelings for him during their last rapport. It makes me wish that she came out around the same time as Krystal so we can get more art of her, because right up, Dinah’s way better than Krystal. (The old furry guard is going to gut me but I’ll die on that hill damn it)
Berengaria: This woman is a bitch (affectionately). Which makes her perfect for our idiot prince.
They both have the issue of taking the weight of the world on their shoulders for the people they care about. But Berengaria is dumber than Alain because he learned to accept help while she pushes others away to keep them safe. And you can’t blame her. She lost an eye. She’s been through some shit. She’s seen how bad and cruel the world can be. And Alain isn’t even her ‘cute little ball of sunshine to light up her life’ dude’s seen that shit too.
But instead of colder view of things, it’s more realistically optimistic. Yeah there is a possibility she’ll stab him in the back but he’ll know there’s a reason for it and try to help her then just let her stab him and be done with it. Aka Alain doesn’t always take her shit and trusts her a lot. Something she isn’t used to and way more than most people have, and even should. Her bitchy standoffish behavior rolls off of him most of the time. He doesn’t even hesitant to nearly drag her into his army. Like it’s only a slight exaggeration that he just picks her up and places her in his army and I don’t even think he’s heard of her save for what Travis has told him; that whole scene had me laughing for a good minute.
It shows the deep trust Alain has for her, even in her ending.
She had a skill called WARRIOR PRINCESS. That woman was not going to sit around with some stuffy ass, slow thinking, face lying, dancing old people taking half a generation just to cut some red tape to help people. Hell she probably scared everyone shit less when she walked in being Alain’s wife with that scar on her face and icy attitude. Of course she was going to fuck off back home to take care of things there. This is a woman who would willingly walk into a trap if it meant keeping people safe. And Alain is all for it. He right up says they’ll face whatever choice they made together and her going back to handle things like the fantasy batman she is while her husband handle the political shit he’s far better at doing than her is a good move. All Alain ask is that she visits the kids because lord knows they had a few :v.
Berengaria is that IRL goth girlfriend that scares people who have been online too long and don’t know how real emo and goth girls can be like.
Amalia: while it’s sad her romantic bits are short it’s understandable with what the team had and even then she’s meant to be picked up last as she’s ten levels away from the max. You aren’t meant to pick her up until late game or after. Lord knows everyone would pay more for just more rapports for everyone they did that good of a job with these characters. And even with Amalia’s short length, she makes good with what she has. She’s a simple woman wanting a strong guy by her side. She reminds of Barghest from fate grand order.
A massive woman who’s insanely strong and is based off a fantasy dog that eats people. But she has dreams of marriage, home cooking for her lover, and wears dresses. While being able to cut a whole mountain at the same time.
While Amalia isn’t on that level it’s clear she has a girly side being embarrassed to explain how much she eats. She’s a nice girl that can take on an army and that’s all she needs to be. And it’s nice to imagine the army being horrified of this wall of a woman training them but gets all soft and cute when her husband who’s nearly at the height of her crotch comes around bringing her a massive table of food for lunch.
Milsanadra: I saw a quote on Twitter that sums her up moderately well. ‘Rise Kujikawa walked so Milsanadra could run’
Everyone was caught off guard by her extreme forwardness and charmed by her thirst for everyone's favorite ‘blue haired fop’ but once you get to know her you know she has ‘perfect woman’ trope; someone who’s great at everything but doesn’t get that much attention. But she still tries hard anyway. Girl is a hard worker and Alain, the bastard, is going to shower her with so many deserved compliments that Baltro's wrinkly ass will die from embarrassment. They have that perfect couple feel. Like you see the two of them and don’t question if they are dating you just know. They bounce off each other well as even Alian is a walking flirt machine only unintentional…half of the time. Dude even mistakenly says ‘she belongs to him’ when they first met; for the love of god muzzle this man….
She reminds me of Metera from Granblue fantasy. A flirty, free spirted woman who is actually a genius in a lot of things. The only difference is that Metera is just too free spirited; good luck getting that woman to do anything if it isn’t fun for her. Under Milsandra’s flirty personality is a hard working, sweet girl that needs all the love she can get.
And I love how she dose a complete 180° at the end. She goes from ‘oh I am good with being the side chick’ to ‘I am not letting any other woman step up to my man.’
Yahna: Those hips did not lie, she really is a great waifu. Yahna having a sense able reason for de-aging herself is what made me like her. It’s very common for the reason to be comical. Like the witch is very vain or it was an mistake with some magic. But Yahna has a good point. The fuck can grandma do in a war? And the guys were looking for an old granny not a sexy young witch with hips to spare. It showed that she was more than just good looks and I love the fact that she is basically just a grandma in younger body; R.I.P Hodrick dude better blind himself because Yahna is young and sexy and she is not going hide that from anyone.
And then the arc with Elheim made me love her. Holy shit as if they needed another nail in Scarlett’s waifu ranking coffin. They really pulled the ‘simi reincarnated lovers not going to fall for the same thing our past selves did’ in front of my poor old heart. Like god damn one of the most romantic tropes in the books, how was I supposed to say no?
I don’t want to say she’s perfect for Alain, because let be real this whole cast nearly is, but fuck me is Yahna dragging me kicking and screaming to say that. That ‘bewitching bride’ of the prince’s has a powerful spell on me and a fair amount of fanbase.
Virginia: The incest is what is holding her back from completely up ending Scarlett’s throne of main heroine. Christ and I thought the chemist with the other girls was powerful this is something else. If they weren’t cousins I would have been so confused why they aren’t already a thing. Like god damn every conversation between was damn delight and a showcase of why they work so damn well together. Virginia’s fiery attitude is what Alain’s needs to sometimes stop thinking and start fucking shit up but Virginia needs to learn to hold back. Hell she even mentions it after getting revenge for the Roses. And there’s that one line in Darkengard that feels a tad sexually charged.
It's the end of a mission that focuses on Leah’s heritage as a Drakengard native. And after Alain wisely suggest she go spoke to the captives instead of Virginia who’s likely to start a war, the woman herself comes back with a ‘Ill show you a war.’
It's short moment, mainly joke, but it perfectly sums up why they are the perfect king and queen like bar none. I can’t even argue with the woman when she just asks for the ring. And knowing vanillaware’s thing for badass powerful sword women this was totally planned. Along with her Schrödinger’s panties.
And yeah this is just like the whole thing with Reha from FE3H but with less odd ‘if you think about too much she’s just fucking her own mother.’
Rosalinde/Eltolinde: Gape moe is a good way to sum up theses girls. Eltolinde is the playful flirty younger sister type at first blush. And then you get to know her. Yes Eltolinde is a flirty palyful girl, but she’s also extremely hardworking, intelligent, tactical and just the other opposite of what you see of her. While her sister Rosalinde, acts the serious wise leader of the elves, but you see her act goofy, get drunk, take the playful ‘he loves me he loves me not’ game very seriously. Like her sister she still is that wise leader, mature leader, but she also acts like a spoiled and spritely little sister.
While I won’t get into the long history of the term gap moe, basically it’s this; when characters have traits of tropes opposite of them. Aka getting lied to by the character. Games like blue archive dose this to an extreme degree, and if anyone has been on the internet and/or glimpse at Japanese pop culture you know that game has fanart up ass because of that. Its not a wonder why those two are the one of the most popular girls with Eltolinde taking the top spot. These girls make a really great argument for harem endings because it feels off just taking one and have having the other.
Liza/Ridiel: I am going to put these two together, because this is getting too long and it’s the same feeling as they both surprised me at how cute and serious they are with their stories. Liza is one of the I want to say two tomboy girls in here, but unlike Berenice who’s more like a bro, Liza is like that spunky little sister that doesn’t want to be called cute but actually enjoys it. And it’s nice seeing Alain pull the poor girl along with his usual charm as well as respecting her wish in taking care of her desert home.
Ridiel’s trouble with her race was treated rather well with Alain not trying to be a dreamer and say something silly like ‘he’ll rid people of those thoughts’ but more understanding as he’ll continue to fight for that equality and her determination to surpass her mom’s skill is insane as it is admirable; thank god for mommy Chole. Also, while it is a great way to end her character arc and embrace her bloodline, it is not funny imagining her mother laughing at her from heaven. Girl goes on for a good minute about not being like her mom and dating humans. And then she falls for the damn PRINCE of all humans. Her mother is cackling in her grave I am sure.
‘Ha! Not so easy when you met a hot guy who treats you great now is it!? I better get a lot damn grandchildren!’ Ridiel’s mother…. Probably.
Selvie: One of the funniest girls in my opinion. She knows her role; she’s nerdy bookworm mage that creeps in dungeons and that can barely throw a punch (but has some thick legs for some brutal kicks). She knows she’s the dweeb and doesn’t expect to be romanced in away way by anyone; even if she does have a body that’ll knock out an elephant.
So Alain needing to nearly beat her over the head at the altar and thinking him falling for her is a joke is so damn good. And she has a cute girly side to her too. Wanting to spend some alone time (at least that’s what I think. These girls do be freaky.) With Alain in some ruins, cherishing her ring. Their relationship really does remind me of the ‘my witch girlfriend and me doing whatever the fuck she wants’ meme. Dude is a good listener and really that’s all she needs. And cuddles.
Lighting round:
Berenice: Actual tomboy girlfriend. Feels more like a bro than a wife. But her shyly admitting that she has a crush on Alain to Mordon is cute.
Griffin girls: Fran is just cute bidding being her Griffin. And as for Celeste; who put a Disney princess with massive tits in my Japanese strategy game? Not mad just asking. I want to thank them.
Hammer girls: Smol hard working girl, Kitra and smol angry girl Nina. Both flavors of a badass small girl with a big fuck off hammer. With Kitra being the standout with being her hammer and taking a swing at Alain.
Who I really agree with because holy shit Alain you absolute asshole shut up. Like, holy crap I am saying this as a guy who enjoys and likes to write this flowery dialogue, you stupid flirting mother fucker. I am blushing over here. It’s not even a major character trait of yours like Sanji from One Piece and you put him to shame. Like my god man, just complement Baltro’s old ass a few times and the fucker will fucking just explode from all the damn complements. Like holy shit, man woman, it does not matter Alain is a fucking menace to society.
I blame Josef. That fucker over corrected and now Corina has the equivalent of Helen of fucking Tory as a king. Mother fucker is going to cause another war with his damn charm alone….love the fucking bastard but jeez I was blushing during some of these rapports and maiden scenes. Like fuck man tone it down will ya???
Certainly my favorite game of the year so far and it's nice seeing a game put romance and partnership at the front. Normally this stuff is secondary or short lived for various reasons. But the writers did a good job of making everyone a believable choice for the prince. No one really feels like a bad romantic partner and/or comrade. Damn good job Vanillaweare
​

I finally finished Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure! I’m so happy my brother made me watch this lol, I don’t really enjoy anime much except for like 2 of them, so I wanted to share my thoughts on each of the parts! (I might forget to mention some derails but these are the things that stood out to me the most)

 Part 1: (dub) 

• This was definitely my least favorite, so much happened at the beginning but, despite being the shortest part of the series, it felt like watching the rest took years off my life.
• I enjoyed Dio as a villain but if he wasn’t on screen, things were not that interesting for the most part
• As much as I love Speedwagon but his CONSTANT YAPPING was so damn annoying, he was just explaining every small detail for NO REASON! But I loved his introduction just because it was so bad and funny
• Johnathan was a pretty good protagonist but nothing too special, I feel like I saw characters like him before, yk?
• Didn’t feel too sad when he died lol
• I loveee Erina tho, she’s just so sweet
• William Zeppeli was a weird character… also forgettable
• This whole part I realized I forgot a lot of details from it and honestly? I don’t care to look it up..
  

   Part 2: (dub) 

• Introduction for Joseph was great, I had VERY low expectations from part 1 but he was just perfect, I loved his care for Speedwagon and Erina too
  
• Joseph is definitely my favorite Jojo
  
• I didn’t like Caesar at first but he grew on me
  
• The introduction to the Pillar Men was the best villain introduction in the whole series, their theme lives in my mind rent free
  
• Caesar death made me actually tear up to my surprise, I genuinely thought the episodes would show his backstory and then him winning a fight but I guess not…
  
• Every fight between Joseph and each of the Pillar Men was very interesting, I was always excited to see what else Joseph can do to get out of these problems, like how in the fight with Esidisi, both of them can predict the other’s actions and attacks but instead of giving up Joseph still outdoes Esidisi and works around that
  
• The last fight with Wamu and Joseph was sooo great, I admired Wamu’s determination when fighting especially when he decided to just get rid of both his eyes just to focus better, now that’s some dedication 💀 I again was surprised by how Joseph found his way out of near death experiences, wether by luck or his genius mind.
  
• And then there was the fight with Kars, this one is my favorite because seeing Kars turn into the ultimate life form was both horrifying and amazing, Araki didn’t have to draw him to look so damn fine 😩
  
• This last fight made me love Joseph like a 1000 times more because of course he can outsmart the ultimate life form and only lose a hand, I genuinely thought this was it for him and that he was going to die but I guess nothing can beat THE Joseph Joestar!
  
• I thought Lisa Lisa was gonna die but it was great to know Joseph would have time to spend with his mother
  
• I never thought I would ever sympathize with a nazi 💀
  

   Part 3: (dub) 

• The first episode’s shot of Jotaro calling his mother a bitch was so funny it was one of the main reasons I wanted to watch the show lol, but later when I realized that he is such a shitty son I hated Jotaro very early on and at that point he was the least interesting and worst Jojo in my opinion but later on seeing his care for his mother and grandma made me tear up, I still don’t like the harsh behavior he has but he’s also only 17 and facing all this bizarre shit in his life so I kind of understood by the end and definitely loved him and his one liners lol.
  
• I was just very happy to see Joseph again (racist moments aside-) and it was so cute to see him and Holy together!
  
• Even tho I was already used to seeing Hamon in the first two parts I was happy with the change, I just liked the concept of Stands the more they were explained, even tho one of the first Stands was Magician’s Red which is definitely not bad but the design was so… weird? Idk I just don’t see why the chicken head 💀
  
• Something I didn’t realize many people dislike about this series was the villain of the week style in the first part but for me that made me love it even more, I liked to see the main characters’ powers pushed to their limit to see all they’ve got come out in fight, I don’t think I dislike any of the minor villains in part 3 EXCEPT for Wheel of Fortune, Sethan, and High Priestess.
  
• I would like to add that my fav minor villains of this part are Death 13, Vanilla Ice, D’arby the Gambler and Anubis
  
• Kakyoin: I liked his introduction even tho I was confused later on how he can posses people and harm someone from far away like with the painting he did of Jotaro, but he has a cool stand. I don’t really have much to say about Kakyoin tbh because to me he didn’t stand out much to me until the end, I feel like his backstory should’ve been told when he was recovering in the Joestar’s house. Also his absence because of his injured eyes later on just made his character even more forgettable for me. Didn’t really cry when he died but it was still so damn sad and to know he used his last moments to guide his friends to defeat Dio is what made me almost tear up.
  
• Avdol: I loved his character since his introduction, since the beginning it was obvious he was the wise and most knowledgeable one of the group, when he “died” during the trip to Egypt it felt like it was stupid to kill such an important character and it felt like the group just wouldn’t survive for long without him and when he came back I was just as shocked as Polnareff lol, then there was his actual death later for once again protecting his friend and this one when I realized there was no coming back from this, this scene really ruined my week-
  
• Polnareff: saving THE BEST! For the last because Jean Pierre Polnareff is the best Jojo character and I take no other opinions on this, his introduction as a villain was so good and I lovedddd the fight with Avdol, them showing off their powers in this fight made it one of my favs of the first half of the part, then seeing his sweet and funny personality just made me love him even more, his motivation to go with the group to avenge his sister made me root for him most. I liked that he was still a flawed character with his arrogance, pride and wanting to take on fights on his own not being aware that the threat he’s facing can and will beat him in a fight alone. Even tho I don’t like plot points like that, but Avdol’s “death” definitely made him reflect more on his actions and choices and I think his reaction and Kakyoin’s was what made this scene make me cry so much, when a character dies I need to feel like there was an impact on the characters or I just wouldn’t be moved by it. Him almost dying during the Vanilla Ice fight was one of the most stressful moments of my life lol, this fight was definitely one of my favs of the whole series!
  
• I didn’t like that at the end defeating Dio only relied on Jotaro happening to have the same stand type as Dio?? But it was still cool to suddenly see Jotaro move during Dio’s time stop
  
• This part was by far my favorite at that point and I don’t think I’ll forget this amazing experience of watching it ✨
  
• (No, I am not mentioning Iggy, I couldn’t have cared less for him)
  

   Part 4: (dub) 

• This one was really… something 😟
  
• First shock: JOTARO’S FACE??? LOOK HOW THEY MASSACRED MY BOY!!!
  
• I knew the art style would change but wtf man why is Jotaro’s face so… smooth? 😭
  
• I did enjoy the new art style and it fit with the vibe too so it’s okay, I try to forget JOTARO’S change…
  
• Josuke’s introduction was really cool and showed his personality very well, if only this part was about Josuke it would’ve been more enjoyable 🙄
  
• I went into this part with very high expectations and was disappointed in almost every way :( I was soooo excited for this part because I already knew Josuke before even knowing the anime’s name or anything about it so I was kinda familiar with the character but he felt like anything but a protagonist, like yes he might come at the end and save his friends in a fight but… what else?
  
• Then there was 👹Koichi👹, I couldn’t have cared less about that child or his irritating voice that made me feel like my ears would bleed at any moment even tho I loved every character’s dub voice so far in the show and preferred it but him? Definitely not good.
  
• This whole part was mostly about Koichi which made me dislike it more, I wanted Josuke more and I kept anticipating him coming back soon BUT NO it was still fucking Koichi bruh, the whole romance plot of him and Yukako? It was stupid. I hated it. I hated him. I hated her. What does she see in Koichi that could make her this obsessed??
  
• Then there was Okuyasu, I liked him at first but this part has that weird thing where a villain would almost demolish the fuck out of the main characters and then they become besties an episode later?? I know Okuyasu is incredibly dumb but why befriend him anyway? He was so useless imo and I just found him so unnecessary.
  
• The only minor “villain” I enjoyed in this part was Rohan, I loveeee his character even tho it still bothered me that they befriended him so fast because this guy is fucking crazy bit I enjoyed his character a lot and one of the funniest moments in this part was him and Josuke playing cards together.
  
• And lastly Kira: this man is what saved this whole part, I was planning on just skipping to part 5 but I was told it was garbage so I just continued when showed up,m. Amazing villain that I was almost (ALMOST) rooting for lol, his theme fit him so well and gave this creepy vibe whenever he was around and the moment I felt genuine fear in was the fight with Shigechi, I hate children who act like Shigechi but his death is the one I cried for the most in Jojo, and it showed just how far Kira would go just to live his quiet life, like the guy really stole someone’s face and identity just to achieve what he wants 💀
  
• Hayato: this kid was surprisingly one of my favs of the part, despite his weird habit of spying on his parents with a camera, he was pretty damn smart and helpful because of it.
  
• I expected so much of this part and it did not match my expectations but I still enjoyed some moments, like literally anything with Josuke being an actual main charactebeing actually important in parts or also anything with Kira in it lol.
  

   Part 5: (dub) 

• BEST JOJO PART!! ALONG WITH 3 😫😫
  
• Seeing Koichi there first thing made me almost cry in pain but despite his bad voice acting, I didn’t mind him here, also like this art style for him more.
  
• Giorno is one of my fav Jojos, he didn’t have character development but I still liked him a lot! I liked that he already was determined to free Italy from drug dealers who harm children and ruin their lives. I saw a YouTube video by Oceaniz describe as “Johnathan who lives in an environment that forces him to be Dio” and this is the most accurate description of Giorno I ever saw.
  
• I will ignore the ages for this part because idk it’s so weird that the 15 year old boy becomes a mafioso-
  
• Passione: OH MY GODDDD I LOVE THEM ALLLL!!! From the first moment I saw Bruno and the rest of the group I was hooked already, their dynamic and personalities were a great mix together.
  
• Bucciarati: I liked that he was the leader of the group and not Giorno, I loved the more mature personality while not being boring at all, I was and still am kinda confused why he still made it out alive after the first fight with Diavolo but I ain’t complaining lol, I genuinely believed that was it for him but thank god he somehow was revived just for his mission. He was a great guidance for the group and really deserved to live and see what change his actions has caused 😭💔
  
• also Zipper Man is better than Sticky Fingers
  
• Abbacchio: from the first scene I could already tell each of they guys’ personalities but Abbacchio making Giorno drink his piss was not on my bingo card for that episode… anyways, I didn’t like his constant distrust of Giorno at first but giving it to seconds of thought made me realize he was much more realistic than the others to not go easy on Giorno, his death was something I expected the moment Diavolo said he can’t let Abbacchio return to that memory 💀 look, I may have not noticed the “Caesar’s Lonely Youth” but this one? I was ready (not really). His death was a bit unexpected in timing, I honesty expected a fight but how sudden it was made it hurt more, just seeing him smile after helping the children and immediately die afterwards? Cruelest thing I’ve ever seen and it doesn’t even end there because then there was the reaction of the group to what happened, Narancia specifically, made me sob 😭
  
• Fugo: coolest stand in the group, of course he had to leave, they’d literally win every fight without a second thought, it was a surprise to see one of the group back out of the mission in fear for his life but it was so realistic I couldn’t be upset about it.
  
• Narancia: what is there not to love about Narancia? He was such a pure innocent child, but seeing him finally make his own decision and go with the group instead of picking the safety of following Fugo’s decisions is what made me appreciate his character the most plus his determination to help Trish. His death wasn’t one I expected at all, but he started going on about going to school, eating pizza, meeting Fugo again and I just started crying because it was so very obvious what’s about to happen, all I can say is I’m glad it wasn’t his body that was hanged like that or I would’ve never recovered from this. With him being the last main character to die I’ll say I didn’t expect that many of the them to die, I knew to expect someone to die but damn- and they were all so emotional too 😭
  
• Trish: she was… there… 😃
  
• Mista: once again saving THE BEST for the last 😌 my favorite member of Passione and the whole part really (except Polnareff!), the humor? The stand? The personality? The looks? There’s no fault in this man whatsoever, he has the cutest stand ever and also one of my favs! I was genuinely losing it when Prosciutto (fav member of La Squadra!) “killed him” like I don’t think I would’ve handled this one well lmaooo
  
• And lastly, Diavolo (and Doppio): not my favorite villain of the series and I feel like there was a lot of potential for him in fights but he was too much of a coward, like I genuinely feared this guy in the fight with Bruno and Giorno, and his voice actor? Perfect! He gave him the right creepy energy, but then I watched Diavolo get fucked over by Metallica so easily that it just made him look even more weak (I know Metallica is just too powerful but then why make them fight? Knowing I could’ve seen a more brave and smart main villain than Diavolo was exciting and I almost wanted him killed and for Metallica to be the newer threat they main guys are even more unfamiliar with, instead of Narancia killing him by accident and Diavolo winning by pure luck) and I wish we didn’t spend that much time with him swapping souls with Bruno because that just took away so much of the intimidation I felt before, but that feeling came back when they realized that Diavolo’s soul was also inside one of their bodies. For Doppio, it was the same as Diavolo, wasted potential, he was cute and funny but idk I feel that Araki could’ve explored his character more. I wanted more backstory for the two, to see more motivation for hiding their identity but that never happened either :(
  
• Diavolo death: it felt like this was too much for him, like all he did was want his identity a secret and he killed people but infinite death was more fitting for Cioccolata, Dio or the Pillar Men.
  
• As much as I found flaws with the main villain, everything else made up for it, this part was everything I wanted and more after having to force myself through most of part 4, I finished this one in only two days so I’m surprised I remember so much of it, I can go on and on for longer (I still have a lot to say about Polnareff and La Squadra too!) but I already know this review is taking too long 😅
  Part 6: (changed between sub and dub) (mostly sub)
  
• I started this part with dub as usual but I changed my mind later :)
  
• I was a bit off put by the beginning scene of Jolyne in prison, I didn’t like that the first female character was already shown in a sexual way (with her also being naked later in the episode) but I guess that was just for a joke and nothing more.
  
• Maybe I’ve been watching the wrong shows or reading the wrong books but I sometimes worried that female characters would be done too strong and dramatic than normal just to show that there’s now more diversity and women can be as strong as men but making them exaggerated and this didn’t happen here, I love Jolyne so much, she’s my second favorite Jojo!
  
• Jolyne not having a stand since childhood was a but weird, didn’t Jotaro and Polnareff have them since they were young?
  
• Jolyne speaking in a cute voice is the best thing ever
  
• Something I noticed for Jotaro since the beginning in part 3, was how garbage he was at showing emotions, I thought it was teenage him that’s like that but NO he chose to ✨abandone his wife and daughter ✨, he could’ve so easily informed them of this, especially Jolyne who just has no choice but to face this reality someday, iirc Jotaro had no idea that Pucci was working with Dio so when he destroyed the heaven plan he was later met with another issue to resolve so he felt like not involving his daughter but what made him so confident with that? Because she gets thrown into those problems later anyways 🤦🏻‍♀️
  
• Jotaro “dying” so early was not something I expected and I was just sobbing when told her he always cared for her 😭
  
• After Jotaro was gone I felt bored with this part tbh, I like Gwess and her dub voice actress so much and her part was cool but then there started a focus on Ermes, and I didn’t like Ermes at first because she just sounded annoying and I couldn’t have cared less for her backstory or her stupid revenge plan.
  
• This part had the WORST English names of all the anime, it started with Kiss being Smack and Downtwon Transfer but I lost it when they started calling a male character Anastasia, idk if this is a common name for men but I couldn’t listen to that, I liked Anasui more anyway, but my biggest reason to change to sub was that I didn’t enjoy the voice acting, the only one I liked was Jolyne and Jotaro but that’s it.
  
• Anasui: one of the characters I didn’t expect so many people to hate lol but I loved this delusional man that’s in love with the main girl and how Jolyne didn’t even bother noticing him until the end, also him asking for Jotaro’s agreement to marry Jolyne was so fucking random I love it, Anasui is so bad at socializing that it’s funny and I was happy he got the girl at the end.
  
• Weather Report: my fav character of this part after Jolyne! I think most of the characters in this part I disliked at first but absolutely adored later. Aside from time controlling stands, I think his stand is the most powerful in the series, I would love to see something like Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe but for Weather (still plan on watching that one!), his backstory is tragic and kinda disgusting lol, I know he had no idea it was his sister but damn I didn’t want to see that-
  
• “The rainbows are gone, Jolyne” screaming crying throwing up
  
• Foo Fighters: the purest soul out there, the best friend to ever have, never have I ever thought I’d be crying over a colony of planktons-
  
• Emporio: why are children so smart in this series? I get that a traumatized child might mature faster than normal but that’s a little too smart lol, don’t really have much to say about Emporio but I did love his character and I was sooo happy seeing him reconnect with Jolyne (or Irene) again.
  
• Pucci: my second favorite Jojo villain! At first I really didn’t understand why I should see him as a threat other than the fact that he wants to get rid of Jotaro (not even Jolyne too, just him), it’s not explained why the heaven plan is a bad idea and you’re just expected to be the Jojo’s side which is always the right one, even when he killed those prisoners I kinda thought maybe for the greater good he did this and all those prisoners deserved death anyway because he mentioned that they were like the worst people there or something, I wish we knew early on what the plan was and why is was such a bad thing, the time I did see him as a villain was when he killed Weather, unforgivable behavior right here, for real, Weather was an innocent from the beginning caught up in this because he fell in love with someone and got severely punished for it for now reason at all, all because Pucci couldn’t handle things better, I know Pucci had good intentions but separating the two like that was a garbage idea even without the person he hired being a damn kkk member-
  
• Pucci’s was the one I liked the most or the one that felt the most fitting, seeing his plans fall apart after so much effort was the best.
  
• The ending: my face was just like 😟😟 seeing everyone die at the end and I was slightly confused by what happened later too but it made sense the more I watched Pucci explain his plan, I like this ending even tho I wish I saw Jotaro there too.
  

   Part Ranking: 

1- Part 5 2. Part 3 (the first two rankings might change lol I can’t pick between these two) 3. Part 6 4. Part 2 5. Part 4 6. Part 1

 Top 5 openings: 

1- Sono Chi No Sadame 2. End of the World (Dio version) 3. Traitor’s Requiem (literally any version is perfect) 4. Stand Proud 5. Great Days

 Villains Ranking: 

1- Kira 2. Pillar Men 3. Pucci 4. Dio 5. Diavolo

 Jojos Ranking: 

1- Joseph 2. Jolyne 3. Jotaro 4. Giorno 5. Josuke 6. Johnathan

Thank you to the following that sent me happy mail, some expected, some just happy mail, that indeed made me happy:
u/comingtogetyoubabs thank you for the awesome New Year postcard, yes it took that long to get to me!! Hope you are having an amazing year so far
u/DoraDoodle thank you for the thank you mini card, love the travel theme card. I always have travel plans for the summer, well from April to Nov really, my username checks out. This month I already went to GA, and will be going to VA and to a lake house too. Thanks for the cute cat stickers.
u/feellikebeingajerk thanks for postcard with your mindfulness answer. My daughter feels much like you, although more about me now that I have past 60.....thanks for sharing
u/grasshopper2231 thank you for the Oregano Gansta postcard. oooh Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival sounds amazing!! Glad you had a wonderful time!
u/Jdoodle7 you always find the coolest things to make cards out of, love the flower truck 3D sticker. Did you end up seeing the eclipse at all? I will send you pics of what we saw :) I found your thoughts on UFOs interesting, will send you mine soon.
u/latestartksmama thank you for the cute thank you card, glad you liked the Easter Card I sent you. Thanks too for the variety of stickers
u/ljsweenes thank you for the pyramid postcard, love exchanging postcards, Egypt is a place I would love to see but don't know if I will ever go
u/mumbagoespainting thank you for this collage card, so glad my empowerment challenge card finally got to you! I have put through change of address too many times to count and have never been told it would be delayed - I find that odd. Please can you PM me your new address? Your return address is smudged on the envelope and I don't want to guess.
u/ninajyang thanks so much for the Northern Eclipse Postcard, I went with my son and husband up to outside Dayton at the Air Force Museum. I was very surprised they weren't selling postcard there. But we did get Christmas ornaments to commemorate the occasion. We had a great showing of it!
u/tigerlady13 thank you for the pretty floral thank you card. I have to agree, Roswell is a "pretty goofy town" we had a lot of fun as we didn't take anything seriously. I was happy to make a special 6K for you, not many are able to reach such a lofty level and you most certainly deserved something to commemorate the occasion. You work too much, 70 hours is crazy. Hope you take some time for yourself.
u/tiredpanyhose thanks for your response to the mindfulness question, loved your answer to when you realize you are turning into your mother, I Definitely got a good chuckle. It happens too often the older I get...
u/zenshark thank you for the raspberrypaper Spring postcard. I will answer your questions in a card soon-ish :)

Howdy pals, first post here! Happy to share some deets and perspectives from my first ever solo trip. I am currently battling the post-Disneyland blues and scheming for a future visit LOL.
This is lengthy, so buckle up and thank you in advance for reading through!!!

• 4 day, 1 park per day ticket (1 DCA, 3 DL)
• Split stay between Eden Roc Inn & Suites and Best Western Plus Park Place Inn - Mini Suites. This was my first stay at both and I was super pleased with the cleanliness, value, and walkability of both locations! A bit more on them at the end of my report.
• Genie+ for 2 of the 3 days @ DL.
• My main goals this trip were to soak in the vibes, enjoy a super leisurely pace, and just going with the flow :-)
• Bonus point: this was also my very first Food & Wine Festival!

I’m currently based out of Texas and have visited annually with my SoCal-based cousins since 2022: after an awesome experience with them back in September 2023, along with keeping up with all the general park updates, I was really inspired and excited to plan and save up for a solo run!

4/8 AUS-LGB

A pleasantly sunny day which gradually got warmer in the afternoon and evened out to nice and cool in the evening: perfect arrival day weather!

• 12:30pm – Arrived @ LGB
• 1:00pm – Ubered to Eden Roc
• 1:26pm – Arrived @ Eden Roc and was able to check in early. Got a double queen room: secured/sanitized/settled room and ordered grocery delivery.
• 2:30pm – Lunch @ Earl of Sandwich/Downtown Disney. Their Italian always hits the spot! Followed up with dessert @ Salt & Straw, a scoop in a cup of Honey Lavender, one of my favs.
• Leisurely looked at new pins after lunch, visited the Home store, and browsed through World of Disney. Small list of souvenirs I got below!
• Took the GCH shortcut to return to Eden Roc.
• Checked out Pixar Place on the walk back: the re-theme is really cute! Also got a glimpse of Bing Bong walking around/finishing a meet and greet.
• 4:30pm - arrived back @ Eden Roc and napped (the lunch slump was real)
• Woke up to shower, prep for DCA the next day, and made dinner in my hotel room: relaxed and reviewed my DCA gameplan for the rest of the night.
• 9:00pm – Bedtime!

4/9 DCA (full day)

An amazingly crisp start to the morning with a warmer high in the late afternoon: yummy food, awesome live music, relaxing at the GCH, hydration, and a round of cold beers made this day fantastic!

• 6:00am – Woke up to prep and had a protein shake for breakfast.
• 7:10am – Arrived @ Downtown Disney security via the GCH courtyard. With my walk from Eden Roc, I lucked out with my timing and got to walk in behind a group of Cast Members and a large family to enter through the security gate for GCH/Pixar Pier only-guests. Many of y’all know this shortcut is never guaranteed and may/may not be manned with a security CM. Always be courteous to CM’s and take the scenic (longer-ish) way through Downtown Disney if they ask you :-)
• 7:15am – Arrived @ DCA gates, third person in my line: a first for me! The Esplanade music really got me grooving and subsequently got into/conceded a hilarious mini-dance battle to an adorable 11-year-old and her family who were in line behind me. Vibes had already started off great!
• 7:32am – Scanned in through DCA.
• 7:35am – Arrived @ Soarin’ and were instructed to wait just before the main queue for official 8:00am start.
• 8:11am – In line for Soarin’ pre-show.
• 8:25am – Exited Soarin’. That orange grove scent never gets old!
• Leisurely enjoyed breakfast outdoors @ Smokejumpers Grill: the breakfast burrito was fresh and fantastic.
• Bought my 4-tab Sip and Savor pass from Julius Katz & Sons.
• Leisurely explored Avenger’s Campus. Crowd levels at this time of day were still quite low and made the Campus ambiance really nice, I really enjoyed the soundscapes that can easily be drowned beneath crowd noise and all the epic music. The Dora Milaje show is always so awesome and it was great being in the mix, solo. I loved seeing everyone have fun and getting their energy levels up. Got to wave good morning to the Black Panther from his perch and had a quick chat with Captain America about hot vs. iced coffee (lol) as he walked to his meet and greet spot.
• 10:25am – Made my way to the Golden Dreams booth and saw they opened early. I ordered the Blueberry Pancake Cold Brew a la carte: so great! As with any cold brew, a good mix before sipping is in order, but the balance of smooth coffee and sweet definitely gave me a boost. I also redeemed my 4 tabs to collect at their respective booths as the day rolled along:
  • Grilled Top Sirloin from Garlic Kissed (no question why this returns annually: REALLY yummy! I was pleasantly surprised with the sirloin quality especially since it has to be made en masse.)
  • Chile Relleno Empanada from Peppers Cali-Ente (another annual favorite of so many, and I understood why! I had my fingers crossed that the empanada itself wasn’t gonna be too hard or borderline crispy from staying under heat in the staging area and it didn’t disappoint!)
  • BBQ Beef Brisket Slider from Cluck-A-Doodle-Moo (as a Texan, I’ll always take brisket from anywhere else with a grain of salt lol but I was happy with my choice: the brisket was tender, the brioche worked great for the slider, and the pickles were generous.)
  • Carbonara Garlic Mac & Cheese with Nueske’s Peppered Bacon from D-Lish (holy guacamole, this was a banger and again, I understood why this is an annual favorite. Given both the bacon and melted cheese can render this on the oilier side, the tasting/Sip & Savor portion was just the right amount for me)
• Took a relaxed stroll along Paradise Bay/facing the Fun Wheel while finishing my cold brew. I really like watching DCA from this “low” angle and seeing the park continue to slowly come to life as the morning unfolded, along with the fun sounds of the pier on the other side. Offered to take people’s/family’s photos as I continued to stroll, everyone was friendly/exchanged where we were all visiting from. One woman told me this was her Dad’s first visit back since DCA opened in ’01!
• Circled back up to Garlic Kissed, picked up the sirloin, then ordered a Frozen Mangonada Beer Slush from California Craft Brews from next door (a winning combo…plus, I can’t ever say no to a beer slush on a sunny day!)
• Leisurely explored Carsland. Going solo really allowed me all the time to appreciate the details that go into its theming. Daytime and night vibes here are so unique and I was happy to experience both!
• Leisurely explored San Fransokyo. Wow: for how compact the space has always been, the details and theming are so on point. The J-Pop playing overhead put a smile on my face; the love for Big Hero 6 is great and seeing everyone enjoy their time meeting Baymax and Hiro were great vibes.
• Debated between the Cervecería or Rita’s and opted for a Sun Blonde: no regrets, just a happy gal and her cold beer! Will definitely try a margarita from Rita’s next time.
• Strolled across the San Fransokyo bridge, picked up my BBQ Beef Brisket Slider, and went over to the Paradise Garden Bandstand for some live music. The early afternoon crowd was still really light on this side of DCA, making the Bandstand really relaxed. Jazz tunes were super fun!
• 3:00pm – Relaxed in the GCH lobby before walking back to Eden Roc.
• 3:30pm – Settled back at Eden Roc for a nap.
• 6:10pm – Arrived @ DCA “shortcut” via the GCH (Lucky again with my timing at the main security gate)
• 6:17pm – Scanned back into DCA gates
• 6:30pm – Enjoyed more live music @ Palisades Stage: this got me grooving and hungry again LOL.
• Naturally, the evening crowds had made their way in by this time. Picked up my Chile Relleno Empanada and found a chill spot near Redwood Creek Challenge Trail to enjoy it.
• Caved in and ordered another Chile Relleno Empanada a la carte LOL.
• Took the scenic route back over to Nuts About Cheese and ordered a PB&J Whiskey Milkshake: oh man, that hit the SPOT. Apart from the raspberry garnish, I couldn’t quite taste more of the raspberry liqueur, but the whiskey wasn’t overpowering at all.
• Little Mermaid (nostalgic ride for me) had been down most of that day and unfortunately didn’t come back up that evening.
• Enjoyed a sip and stroll over to Pixar Pier and enjoyed the vibes there. Incredicoaster had been closed for refurb, so no launch views, but the Midway energy was really fun.
• Found a quiet outdoor spot near Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta to finish my drink, call/check on my folks at home, including FaceTime with my doggo. I was also tempted to try a slice of the “new” BBQ Chicken Pizza, but thankfully listened to my head instead of my stomach lol.
• Strolled through Carsland for all the neon lights energy, I absolutely adore the design and details of this land.
• 8:40pm – Returned for World of Color ONE
• 9:00pm – World of Color ONE. Standing further back wasn’t bad at all and the viewing area didn’t feel as crowded as it was. My cousins and I would usually do standby for the second showtime, but the first showtime was more than doable, solo: crowd wasn’t overwhelming and everyone in my immediate area seemed to be in a great mood. The music, as always, was fabulous, and loved seeing the magic and wonder on children’s faces around me.
• 9:30pm – Shortcut/bathroom break/water bottle refill at the GCH before my walk back.
• 9:52pm – Arrived @ Eden Roc.
• 10:30pm – Bedtime!

DCA Food & Wine Festival was awesome. I was so happy to experience Soarin’ Over California again while it was around (and should stay year-round tbh!) Crowds were very manageable, everyone I interacted with exuded great vibes, and all the food service CM’s were helpful and so friendly. The musicians get all my love, genuinely! Live music at DCA is really something special to me; my appreciation for DCA grew a bunch after this visit! I would definitely be down for my future annual visits to coincide with Food & Wine/just “after” the main Spring Break rush.

4/10 DL (relaxed day)

A much warmer Spring day.

• 9:30am – Woke up, made breakfast in my hotel room, packed bag for the day.
• 11:30am – Arrived @ Downtown Disney security, DL Hotel side.
• 11:40am – Arrived @ DL gates.
• 11:47am – Scanned in.
• 11:50am – Disneyland Railroad Grand Circle tour, on the E.P. Ripley! I missed the railroad so much!
• 12:30pm – Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. Forever my underrated favorite. Before and after the show, I love taking my time going through the gallery and reveling in the art and history. Every visit to the gallery, that gentle piano music really stirs this feeling of gratitude in my heart for being there, being present. It’s an incredibly special corner of Disneyland and I pray that Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln will stick around for when I get to bring my children. Whew, cue the midday emotions!
• Snack break: popcorn on Main Street and the Disneyland Band playing at Main Street Station. Classic! I loved singing along to their medley.
• 1:08pm – Standby for small world.
• 1:18pm – In boat for small world.
• 1:35pm – Exited small world.
• 2:00pm – Standby Mickey & Minnie’s RR
• 2:12pm – Ride shut down, exited, temp close.
• Snack break in small world: ordered a frozen apple slush from Edelweiss, so perfect on a warm day. I relaxed on one of the elevated benches and enjoyed the jerky I packed (Tillamook zero sugar sausage sticks are my go-to!) Pinocchio, Merida, Aladdin, and Mary Poppins strolled through and were all so lovely to say hello to, with Aladdin telling me I gotta make sure to watch out for Abu while I was snacking LOL.
• 2:30pm – Decided to stay put in small world since Magic Happens was right around the corner!
• 3pm – Magic Happens parade from small world area, shared the bench with a super sweet baby girl and her awesome father. Being close enough for the first time to see the details of every parade float with my own eyes was amazing. The crowd energy at small world was really fun! I loved hearing people singing along and being in the moment. After the parade, I chilled around a bit more to let the crowd disperse.
• 3:40pm – Walked back to Toontown.
• 3:47pm – Standby for Roger Rabbit.
• 4:15pm – Finished Roger Rabbit, strolled Toontown, and ran into Pete! I was surprised with how many younger kids in the area knew who he was lol.
• 4:45pm – Mobile ordered/picked up a Pridelands Potato, still a must-get snack for me when I visit, after my cousin put me on last year.
• Walked over to look at Fantasyland Theatre: after Tale of the Lion King ended earlier this year (videos of the last performance were amazing and had me emotional, the cast is incredible and deserve a comeback) it was cool to see a little of the prep going into the upcoming Pixar Fest! I stayed a bit to watch crew testing out some screen visuals and lighting. I’m hopeful that whatever the theatre will be used for during Pixar Fest will breathe some life back in that corner of Fantasyland/small world!
• 5:30pm – Found a great bench spot to relax and people watch near the corner where Matterhorn/Autopia/Nemo corner (I love the fence detail at this intersection.)
• Decided to check out the Marine Observation Outpost @ Nemo (the viewing room for guests to have the submarine experience without stepping down into one) and it was neat: accessibility and sensory friendly, and definitely an air conditioned haven during the sweltering summer months.
• Enjoyed an awesome evening stroll back to Main Street. By now, the weather had cooled significantly and it felt fantastic.
• 7:00pm – Met Pluto & Minnie on Main Street.
• 7:18pm – Disneyland RR Grand Circle tour, this time on the C.K. Holliday. Night rides on the train are magnificent.
• Churro and chill at Main Street station/overlooking Town Square. Listening to the music loop and ambiance at Main Street station at night is something else. Sigh!
• “Goodnight” to Walt while walking past his apartment/lamp above the Fire Station. Bathroom break near the lockers/DL gates before my walk back. – Shortcut exit through the GCH for my walk back.
• 9:08pm – Returned Eden Roc. Showered, dinner, packed up ahead of checking out the next day, and caught up with family back home.
• 10:30pm – Bedtime!

This was my first time coming into the park nearly midday and it wasn’t as bad as I anticipated. Initially, I had debated with wanting to rope drop my first DL day, but opted to do a more relaxed pace after a food-filled adventure the day prior and save rope drop for the next. Having the flexibility to sleep in is SO helpful and will definitely plan the same way for future trips. Looking forward to rope drop the next day had me excited!

4/11 DL (full day and hotel change)

Significantly cooler day and that alone boosted my morning walk! This day was also my check out from Eden Roc and check in to Best Western Plus Park Place Inn - Mini Suites.

• 6:00am – Woke up, made coffee, and did some stretches (which I had conveniently forgot to do the last 2 days LOL)
• 7:10am – Arrived @ Downtown Disney security via the GCH courtyard.
• 7:21am – Grabbed locker and arrived @ DL gates.
  • Locker stash: change of shoes, change of socks, 2 cans of sparkling water and 2 Uncrustables from my grocery delivery, and extra snacks.
• 7:30am – Scanned in, purchased Genie+, made LL for Indy 8:15am-9:15am.
• 7:34am – Lined up @ Adventureland for rope drop, enjoyed my protein shake.
• 7:58am – Entry to Adventureland.
• 8:05am – Walked on Pirates and got front row for the first time. I missed this ride SO much!
• 8:30am – Arrived/entered LL @ Indy.
• Made LL for Big Thunder 9:30am-10:30am
• 8:49am – In car for Indy, back row. Post-refurb videos I’ve watched on Indy don’t do the ride justice, everything seemed more vibrant and cohesive. Holy guacamole, I forgot how ridiculously fun and jerky everything is lol. Got the “not bad for tourists” ending.
• Bathroom break and saw Big Thunder was down. Pivoted to breakfast!
• 9:15am – Brekkie chimichanga with salsa verde from Ship to Shore. I have yet to be disappointed with it! SO good.
• Back deck seating near Ship to Shore/overlooking the Rivers of America was open! One of the most peaceful, scenic breakfasts I’ve had.
• 10:00am – Relaxed on the Mark Twain. Waving to people never gets old.
• Made my way back to Main Street, exited, and took the GCH shortcut back to Eden Roc.
• 11:00am – Checked out of Eden Roc, Ubered, and transferred to BW Park Place Inn - Mini Suites. Luck had it again, room was ready! Got a 2-double room, secured/sanitized/settled.
• 11:30am – Midday break and nap.
• 3:30pm – Woke up and freshened up.
• 3:37pm – Arrived @ security, Harbor side. I never take the convenience of walking across Harbor for granted! Stopped by my locker, grabbed some snacks, and changed socks and shoes. Much needed!
• 3:45pm – Back in line @ DL gates.
• 3:53pm – Scanned back in.
• 4:15pm – Flag retreat. My very first! I’ve always known about the daily retreat and seen videos, but never found myself in the area during this time when doing group visits. I’m super glad to have made time for this.
• 4:35pm – Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln – Very fitting after flag retreat. I was SO HAPPY to return here before the refurb/gallery changeover. The soft music while exploring through the gallery and looking at Disneyland’s past, present, future concepts had my heart soft. I was finally able to admire the details of all the Spirits of America figures unrushed: beautiful. There was actually a good number of guests with me for Great Moments, deservedly, because I fully agree that it’s incredibly underrated. The artwork, narration, and the overall message took a deeper meaning for me, on this day. Lincoln rising from his chair still gives me goosebumps!
• 5:00pm – Stayed for Magic Happens on Main Street, just in front of Great Moments. Vibes were awesome. I took some time in the Magic Shop and enjoyed looking at the décodetails of the stores on that side of Main Street while post-parade crowds dispersed.
• Made my way to Adventureland Treehouse and explored. With the refurb happening during my last visit and watching walkthrough videos after its completion, I was eager to see it for myself. Each level was so fun and creative, and the views at the top made the churro calorie-burning worth it!
• 6:21pm – Over to Frontierland and redeemed MEP for Big Thunder.
• 6:38pm – In train for Big Thunder. Night rides are wild lol.
• 6:43pm – Exited Big Thunder.
• Mobile ordered and picked up a 3-pack of Mickey Beignets @ the Mint Julip. So bummed I wasn’t able to try the ube flavored beignets, but next time! Found a nice table around the corner at Tiana’s Palace next to the main walkway and enjoyed the ambiance. New Orleans Square at night has a special place in my heart and has definitely been my favorite land since I’ve started visiting the parks and learning more about park history.
• 7:00pm – Pirates standby was still a bit too long, so I decided to stroll to the GCH for a drink before returning for Wondrous Journeys.
• 7:15pm – Snagged a bar spot at Hearthstone Lounge and enjoyed a Meadow Punch (floral-y rum) The mix was decent and the pour was generous. Not a bad drink, but definitely planned on trying something different next time. I was also tempted to order a chorizo poutine, but alas! I still had 2 more beignets nestled in my bag. Self-restraint ;-)
• 7:53pm – Finished the rest of my beignets in the Grand Lobby, bathroom break before back to DL, checked up on/chatted with family back home. Also, at this point of the trip, I was definitely missing my dog a LOT, haha.
• 8:15pm – Scanned back in to DL. Went to Disneyana and looked through some new awesome art prints.
• 9:30pm – Wondrous Journeys, viewed the projections on the middle of Main Street in just before the Coke corner. No fireworks this night, but no biggie to me. It was really fun hearing everyone singing along and how beloved the song and its outro version have become to lots of people.
• 10:20pm - DL RR Grand Circle tour x 2, C.K. Holliday. Super relaxing ride, and at this point, I was definitely feeling sleepy (and the rum from earlier lol) Interestingly, most of the animatronic dinosaurs in Primeval World weren’t working during this night.
• 11:00pm – Ordered a churro for the road and left the park. I emptied my locker and made my way across Harbor.
• 11:08pm – Arrived back @ Best Western Plus Park Place Inn - Mini Suites.
• Midnight – Bedtime!

4/12 DL (final full day)

The coolest weather of the entire week, most of the day was overcast with some rain chances at night. I planned on having an “OG” Fantasyland morning and then soaking up as much ambiance as I could for my finale day. No regrets on my pace!

• 6:00am – Woke up, showered, prepped my bag, chugged a protein shake.
• 6:42am – Arrived @ security, Harbor side.
• 7:13am – Arrived @ DL gates, scanned in, purchased Genie+, made LL for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway 9:30am-10:30am.
• 7:26am – Arrived @ main rope drop.
• 8:01am – Arrived @ Alice via the Matterhorn path and ran into Captain Hook!
• 8:09 – Finished Alice.
• 8:10am – Arrived @ Mr. Toad’s
• 8:14am – Finished Toad’s.
• 8:15am – Arrived @ Pinocchio.
• 8:19am – Finished Pinocchio.
• 8:21am – Arrived @ Snow White.
• 8:27am – Finished Snow.
• Caught the Pearly Band finishing their Fantasyland set. So fun! Made my way back to NOS.
• 8:38am – Walked on Pirate’s.
• 8:52am – Finished Pirates.
• Stayed for an entire Bootstrappers set! They’ve been my favorite group in the park, by far.
• Beignets and coffee break @ Mint Julep. Called in/chatted with family back home and was reminded to bring home some churro toffee! Before leaving the park that, I made sure to do so and they were demolished about 48 hours after returning home lol. So good.
• 10:00am – Arrived/entered LL @ Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, purchased LL for Rise of the Resistance 10:30am-11:30am. Doing this ride solo is such a treat and finally got to spot more Hidden Mickeys that my cousins had mentioned to me prior to my trip! The underwater bossa nova theme variation is so fun and Daisy’s conga line always gets me smiling. Our train stayed a tad longer in front of Mick, Min, & Pluto’s ending picnic scene and the ukulele/fireworks ambiance was so nice.
• 10:19am – Finished MM RR, went to Galaxy’s Edge.
• 10:30am – Arrived/entered LL @ RotR. No Kylo Ren lightsaber through the ceiling effect this time (I’m curious how long that’s been out for) but everything else was smooth. That escape pod drop still surprises me lol. Also, manifesting for the laser cannons to return in the future (wishful thinking?)
• 10:54am – Finished RotR. Bathroom break/water bottle refill. Ordered a Blue Milk, as one does while on Batuu. I love taking time in Galaxy’s Edge: it’s right behind NOS in my favorite lands. Crowd levels still seemed very light at this time that I could still hear and enjoy all the soundscapes and immersion overhead. I saw some CM’s set up on mini tables with cards: I’m assuming Lorcana? I couldn’t get close enough as there were guests. It would be so cool if it was Sabacc cards and Sabacc mini games instead. Ran into the Stormtroopers on my way out and waved to Chewie up on the platform.
• 12:00pm – Arrived @ River Belle Terrace for brunch. Since it was a colder afternoon, I welcomed sitting inside. I was seated in a window nook with a view of the Pirate’s queue, a little of Adventureland Treehouse, and the Adventureland to NOS walkway. I ordered the Loaded House Fries with Egg and a Modelo, just as good as I remembered!
• 1:00pm – Boarded the Sailing Ship Columbia.
• 1:27pm – Bathroom break, then arrived @ Pirates.
• Mobile ordered early dinner for later: the 7 Greens Gumbo with Chicken and a cornbread from Tiana’s Palace.
• 1:35pm – In boat for Pirates.
• 1:55pm – Exited Pirates. I’d be so down to dedicate a future morning rope drop for doing Pirates like 3 times in a row LOL.
• Followed the sound of sea shanties…The Bootstrappers, again! This time, near Eudora’s shop. Enjoyed the whole set and had fun learning a new drinking song (“Spent All Me Tin” (?)) and of course, “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me)” NEVER gets old.
• Mobile ordered a Dole Whip and strolled to the Enchanted Tiki Room, because a trip to Disneyland is never complete without a visit where the birds sing words and the flowers croon. The afternoon gradually continued to be overcast with some rain chances in the evening made the thunderstorm sequence so fitting. Enjoying your Dole Whip during the show is top 10 vibes for me.
• Walked back to the hub and made my way to Main Street station and got to see some of the Main Street vehicles come out from backstage, a first for me! Found a nice spot and watched the Disneyland Band groove and move.
• Boarded the DL RR to relax, E.P. Ripley again!
• 3:00pm – Magic Happens from Main Street Station. The parade crowd energy on Main Street is so unique to small world/other viewing areas.
• 4:00pm – Back to Tiana’s Palace to pick up my mobile order and asked for a to-go box since I was leaving the park for a bit.
• 4:20 – Returned to BW Plus Park Place Inn for early dinner & nap (chances of rain between 5pm-8pm) I enjoyed the 7 Greens Gumbo over the House Gumbo that I had last visit. The cornbread was (thankfully) not dry, but tbh I could’ve done without it; earlier, temptation had struck once again and I thought on trying a house-filled beignet, but definitely next time. OG beignets, from both Mint Julep and Beignets Expressed in Downtown Disney, are still supreme!
• Woke up and ordered a small grocery delivery from 7-Eleven for my last night. Chance of rain was still around, so I packed my poncho and umbrella just in case.
• 8:30pm - Arrived back to DL.
• Saw the line at City Hall wasn’t a mile long like during the day and hopped in to pass along my Cast compliments in-person, in addition to having submitting them via app. I definitely encourage y’all to continue keeping track of the stellar Cast Members that you both interact with and observe doing a fantastic job, especially amidst everything they put up with on the daily. With the good also comes the bad (or, at the very least, aggravating annoyances) and Disneyland will never be exempted from that. Vacation time is understandably precious, but making the time to drop by City Hall and passing your compliments in-person is worth it, IMO. Always try your best to pass your compliments forward and don’t forget that a genuine, verbal “thank you”, “you’re awesome”, or “you really made my day” to Cast Members really goes a long way!
• 9:30pm – Wondrous Journeys, no fireworks. Admittedly, I was a little bummed as the last nights of this show were approaching (thankfully was able to watch some livestreams of the final Wondrous night, Sunday, Apr. 14, WITH the fireworks…happy tears all the way from Texas) but I was really filled with gratitude for an incredible week back in Anaheim and fulfilling my goal of my first solo trip.
• Decided to hang on Main Street after the Wondrous crowd dispersed and relaxed in Town Square. It’s usually around this time during any vacation that I’d start anticipating and brainstorming “the next trip”, but the nostalgia and peaceful feeling of being on Main Street at night, with all the lights, helped to be intentionally present in the moment. I was really happy in that moment.
• Finale churro on Main Street and a goodnight to Walt walking past his apartment.
• 10:45pm – Back to BW Plus Park Place Inn: swung by the front desk to pick up my grocery delivery, showered, and called it a night (after an Advil LOL) Bedtime!

4/13 SNA-AUS

A cloudier, colder morning that made way for little peeks of sun, then a little rain @ SNA.

• 8:37am – Woke up to pack, sigh!
• 9:30am – Arrived @ security, Harbor side.
• 9:48am – Arrived @ Earl of Sandwich for breakfast, ate outside on the patio for some finale Downtown Disney vibes.
• 10:30am – Picked up churro toffee @ Marceline’s Confectionery, as requested by the fam back home!
• 10:44am – Back to BW Plus Park Place Inn, secured the churro toffee, and cleaned up the last bits of my room.
• 11:00am – Checked out of BW Plus Park Place Inn, Ubered to SNA. Started fleshing out this report before/during my flights.
• 2:00pm – Departed SNA.
• 6:00pm CST – Arrived @ AUS after a layover in LAS.

Souvenirs bought:

• Disneyland license plate frame and a new pin for myself
• Food & Wine coasters for my parents

Quick takeaways!

• Hotels: First time stays at both locations and no regrets splitting my stays so I could end my solo trip just being across Harbor. My feet and back thanked me LOL.
  • Eden Roc Inn & Suites: Carlos and Janet at the front desk were so helpful. I requested/received a refurbished first floor room and it was more than spacious. Shortcuts in/out of GCH made the walks to/from here a piece of cake.
  • Best Western Plus Park Place Inn - Mini Suites: Dalia at the front desk was equally helpful; I also requested/received a first floor room. I usually stay at the Best Western Plus Anaheim Inn (2-minute walk between each of these BW’s) but the Mini Suites had the lower rate for the last half of my stay. While I’m partial to BW Plus Anaheim Inn, the Mini Suites’ location couldn’t be beat for my solo trip.
• Bag(s): My main bag over the last year has been the Hydroflask Slingback Bottle Pack. Here’s a review from Pack Hacker. I also bring Daiso foldable/packable lunch totes, similar to this.
• Shoes: Sketchers Slip-ins, New Balance Dynasoft Nergize V1, OOFOS OOriginal recovery sandals.
• Socks: Muk Luks graduated compression socks (knee length) and Dr. Scholl’s compression socks (crew length)
• Crowd: Coming after the “main” spring break rush made this one of the best visits I’ve had since I started coming annually. I avoided chokepoints as best as I could, guests had good vibes in the immediate areas I was in, and overall, a very tolerable crowd experience (especially compared to my August/September 2023 visit)
• Cast Members: Fantastic. I was so privileged this solo trip to experience and observe magic being made, even if I wasn’t the direct recipient. Magic is really in the little things: waving back to someone passing by on the train, complimenting someone's ears/outfit, enjoying the ragtime piano at the Coke corner. Each Cast Member I encountered was phenomenal in their roles/capacities.

Things I’m looking forward to next visit!

• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
• Trying more seasonal food
• Monorail rides/enjoy Tomorrowland night time vibes
• Making time for more music around both parks
• Starting the morning at Tom Sawyer Island
• Late nights/shutting down the park
• Taking my film camera to the parks

WHEW. To anyone making it to the end of this trip report: THANK YOU! :-)

Making this on a burner bc I’m currently too anxious/scared to post this on my main
Recently I made friends with 2 MTF trans girls, and have noticed I really enjoy their presence, like the same girly things they do and wanna try some of it myself My problem is I also don’t feel like I really am trans however, I don’t hate my male parts of my body (I however dislike my weight and face). This has caused me to have lots of episodes of depression and despair
I’ve made a private group of me and my trans friends, where they treat me as a girl fully (including pronouns) and I embrace it, with clothes opinions, saying cute things like “sis” and “girlie”, and I’ve been enjoying it all a lot, but I sometimes just feel that I don’t fit in, or that Im not sure if I really am trans. I really feel a lot more open and safe in the group, as well as generally enjoying using pink themes, a custom girl pfp, and sometimes discussing trans topics due to interest I honestly am not sure, but I think I prefer feeling this way.
I’ve honestly had trouble coping with this all, I found out I may be trans 4 days ago, and it has been tearing me up mentally.
I also seem to enjoy my old life, friends, etc. and don’t seem to dislike more boy things (eg: I game a lot) and just generally being treated as a boy, while irl I’m uncomfortable being treated as a girl.
The episodes have mainly consisted of not feeling like I belong, not feeling like a girl, just feeling down, and often end up with either my friends calming me down, and/or bad things being done to myself.
I do not know if it is worth mentioning, but I have diagnosed autism.

I’ve seen quite a few tops posted on the sub and I wanted to add my contribution no one asked for! But I did it in a different way: as per tradition since last year, I torture… I mean, convince three of my friends who are not Eurofans to listen with me to all 37 songs. Afterwards, we rank them and have a big reveal, from bottom to top.
Last year, our average winner was Austria with “Who the Hell is Edgar?”. A banger indeed, which won by a short margin against the runner up Czechia with “My Sister’s Crown”. Will the top two stay the same? Let’s find out.
To make it easier and not write a whole wall of text (challenge: impossible) for every entry, everything will be summarized with the two most divergent opinions (well, most of the time). Jurors (aka, me, and my victims friends) will be named A, B, C and D because as you can tell, I am hella inspired and creative. Right? Right. The talks are actually conversations we’ve had in the night, as faithfully transcribed as I could (don't blame me if some are short, my memory isn't the best). Alright, let’s proceed:
37. Germany (Isaak – Always on the Run)
(A: 34 – B: 33 – C: 29 – D: 37)
Juror C: “Meh. It’s not bad and this guy has a good voice, but I’d be shocked if it did well at Eurovision. There’s definitely worse than that but it’s just not very impressive”.
Juror D: “I really don’t like this. Why do you even send something so impersonal and unoriginal to a song contest? I literally forgot about it during the listening session. Hard pass Germany”.
36. Azerbaijan (Fahree feat. Ilkin Dovlatov - Özünlə Apar)
(A: 29 – B: 36 – C: 34 – D: 33)
Juror A: “I really thought I’d actually like this when listening to the first verse. I have three standout points: Fahree’s beautiful vocals, the string section, and the build up to the first chorus. But once we get there, nothing really progresses, and it just doesn’t stick at all. I get what they are trying to do. I can appreciate the atmosphere, but it really misses something. The beat feels out of place, and Ilkin’s addition rather forced and artificial. I think I put my finger on it: it lacks a sense of authenticity. There’s promise though. I’ll wait and see for the staging.”
Juror B: “If the song I ranked last wasn’t so boring, this would be last. It’s just so flat as a whole and feels really emotionless and artificial. That’s a skip guys!”
35. Israel (Eden Golan – Hurricane)
(A: 32 – B: 37 – C: 30 – D: 29)
Juror D: “Yeah, it’s fine, but nothing special. It’s like some of these ballads you hear every year at Eurovision but that you forget rather easily. I like the singer, she has an Ariana Grande vibe and a powerful voice, but there’s no emotion in what she sings. If it was all in Hebrew, maybe it would stand out more.”
Juror B: “Ballad.exe, do I need to say more? I’m not a fan of her voice, I find the lyrics really poorly written and the song super predictable. I didn’t like Estonia last year, but even Estonia felt much better than this.”
34. Sweden (Marcus & Martinus – Unforgettable)
(A: 25 – B: 32 – C: 35 – D: 35)
Juror A: “Honestly? The instrumental really slaps, and I love the staging. These guys are pros, there’s no denying that and their voices complement each other well. But as catchy as it is, the song has a hard time sticking with me. The most memorable part to me is how bad the lyrics actually are, and that’s not a good sign. I swear I wish I’d rank Sweden higher; I liked them a lot in 2022 and 2023 but this time, I’m not so convinced. It’s not really a skip, but it’s not a song I’d go out of my way to listen to. But it’s definitely not bad!”
Juror D: “It’s just ironic that a song called Unforgettable is actually so forgettable. I didn’t like the vocals and their boy’s band’s vibe, I didn’t care for the staging and I hated the lyrics too. It just feels manufactured for Eurovision and that’s about it. And ending it on a bridge? No thank you.”
33. Latvia (Dons – Hollow)
(A: 27 – B: 31 – C: 36 – D: 32)
Juror A: “I thought it’d go lower, but I actually quite like the verses. There’s a depth in Dons’s voice that doesn’t leave me indifferent, and this guy really carries this song on his shoulders. Seriously, give that man a song that would make his voice shine even more! I just wish he was a better performer. As it stands out, he is a fantastic singer, but the emotion doesn’t translate all too well on stage. But we’re rating studio cuts, so 27th feels high enough. I’m let down by the chorus, but I’m sure there’s an audience for it. Might not be so DOA.”
Juror C: “The only thing I remember about this is the dude being bald. Oh, and yeah, he sings well, but I really don’t care about this song, it’s really flat and boring. Doesn’t stand much of a chance tbh.”
32. Iceland (Hera Björk – Scared of Heights)
(A: 37 – B: 22 – C: 32 – D: 26)
Juror A: “There’s two songs I find unlistenable this year. This is one of them, and my actual dead last place. Hera seems very sweet, and I enjoyed “Je Ne Sais Quoi” quite a bit, but I just have a hard time sitting through the whole three minutes of this without feeling annoyed. I hate how dated the whole sound is, Hera’s voice enhances that feeling of annoyance for some reason I don’t quite get, I really can’t stand the chorus and I can’t stand these synths. Even in 2003, this would have been extremely outdated. Iceland, you had Blankiflúr and Bashar Murad right there.”
Juror B: “Don’t hate me but I quite like this. Hera gives fun wine mom vibes you’d go to the karaoke with and yes it’s dated but we need at least once song like that at Eurovision. It reminds me of the 2000s! It’s just a fun song that won’t do anything in the contest, but you enjoy it when it’s on!”
31. Albania (Besa Kokëdhima – Titan)
(A: 35 – B: 35 – C: 18 – D: 27)
Juror B: “I’m not feeling this, this is just really boring. I don’t get why it’s in English? I prefer Albania’s entries in their native language, it really doesn’t feel special or even Albanian. The production is super cheap too. Her voice is not bad but it’s not enough to be memorable. It’s a skip for me!”
Juror C: “To me all the pop girls feel a little bit the same, but this is one of the best ones, mostly because of the singing. I’m not sure I have much to say, it’s kinda enjoyable and I didn’t really care that it’s in English, I think this is better than the original version you sent me a few weeks ago actually. But it’s not something I’d listen to by myself.”
30. Finland (Windows95man – No Rules!)
(A: 36 – B: 21 – C: 26 – D: 31)
Juror B: “Look, I don’t care that the vocals are not great for this kind of performance. Yes that’s trashy but we need songs like these in the contest! It’s trash but it’s MY trashy moment. I like them, don’t be mad at me.”
Juror A: “I don’t know how to tell you how much I can’t stand this entry, sorry friends. Look, I know some of you three liked “Give that Wolf a Banana”, but I couldn’t stand this song and this one makes me cringe just as much. Seriously, I just can’t with songs that rely on the “haha funny” vibe and are just gimmicky without substance to it. I get it’s an okay song if you like that humour but that kind of peak hetero fratboy humour is not my cup of tea. If Iceland didn’t pick that song, this would be my dead last and one of my most disliked entry of the decade.”
29. Cyprus (Silia Kapsis – Liar)
(A: 33 – B: 34 – C: 23 – D: 23)
Juror D: “It’s cute and catchy, it’s giving summer, I like the dancing and I think this will be better with the performance but it’s not super memorable you know? And the “Liar Liar yeah yeah yeah” part is a bit annoying”.
Juror B: “I’m tired of these songs that try to go for the “SloMo” or “Fuego” vibe but that are just bad copycats. Nothing against the girl, she’s great, it’s just the song that’s boring to be honest.”
28. Australia (Electric Fields – One Milkali)
(A: 28 – B: 24 – C: 24 – D: 36)
Juror C: “It really feels like an embrace. It’s comfy and dreamy and I love the ethnic elements, even though I wish they used them a lot more. The message is great and it’s a well-written pop song but it’s somehow a little forgettable. I like listening to it, but it lacks replayability and memorability. But it’s still a good song, if it had more punch and drive, I’d rank it higher for sure. Maybe live?”
Juror D: “I’m not with you three, I just think it’s super boring and just feels like one of these bland and generic songs only made for ESC. I don’t think anything exciting with this one. I don’t tune in and watch Eurovision for songs like these. Skip.”
27. Poland (Luna – The Tower)
(A: 30 – B: 28 – C: 31 – D: 21)
Juror D: “I like this, it’s a fine track, and I love her looks. Honestly, she’s serving visuals (juror D was really adamant about the way she played chess in the video though) and I wish the song would match them more. It’s more appealing to watch than to listen to, but it’s still a good package and she has a cute voice. I don’t think I’ll add this to my playlist but I didn’t mind it. Is it better than Bejba though? (ETA; yes, they know about the whole drama, trust me, I traumatize these three with Eurovision more than I should).”
Juror C: “It’s… fine. Just fine. Not great. It’s not super catchy but it’s not completely unremarkable either. It’s just there. Not the worst, not the best. That’s how much I have to say about it.”
26. Georgia (Nutsa Buzaladze – Firefighter)
(A: 15 – B: 30 – C: 22 – D: 24)
Juror A: “This and Spain are by far my biggest growers this year honestly. I had her around you guys’ ranking at first but the more I listened to this song, the more I was into it. I honestly enjoy the song structure being more playful than the other pop songs we have this year, I’m glad it goes away from your usual verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus to take us somewhere else at every turn. And can we talk about these backing vocals that perfectly complement Nutsa? Can we talk about how amazing these strings are? Why the hell am I praising this song so much? And as we all agree, she is a fantastic singer. She just makes me believe anything she says, even though the lyrics are nothing to write home about let’s not kid ourselves. But here I am defending that one pop song and going on a rant.”
Juror B: “I wish I could share your enthusiasm because I love her voice and honestly, she does serve. I want to like it more because I love her, but I just find the song super impersonal and boring. I wish she had a song with more going on but it’s just a typical pop song in English. Sorryyyyy!”
25. Malta (Sarah Bonnici – Loop)
(A: 31 – B: 29 – C: 20 – D: 9)
Juror D: “I love this. It’s giving SloMo, not as iconic because SloMo was one of the best songs at Eurovision, but we need a song like this at Eurovision, and she is really good! I really enjoy the visuals, the choreo is going to stand out, she is charismatic and she’s giving everything that I wanted from a song like this. This is absolutely qualifying. The pop girly slaying the most!”
Juror A: “Yeah but it’s not SloMo, it’s SloNo (ETA; I had to just to see D gasp. It was worth it. Don’t hate me Malta fans!). No but I agree with you, Sarah is great and the choreo is on point. But where’s the song in this? It’s like a 3-minute-long dance routine that only serves to show off her moves. I’m not convinced but I can tell you, she is great live, she could qualify.”
24. Luxembourg (Tali – Fighter)
(A: 26 – B: 26 – C: 21 – D: 15)
Juror D: “It’s cute, I like that! It’s not groundbreaking but it’s a good pop song with a catchy chorus and she sings well. I like that it’s in French, it adds a little bit of personality. It’s a good return after being out of the contest for so long. She’ll probably qualify, right?” I then confirmed that this was closing the first semifinal
Juror B: “I don’t know, it’s just okay to me. At least it’s in French but when you are away for so long, I expect something better than this. It’s in French so that’s nice but it’s just there honestly.”
23. Denmark (Saba – Sand)
(A: 19 – B: 25 – C: 19 – D: 18)
Juror D: “I love her more than I like the song. She has one of my favourite voices so far. I just think the song is a little generic. But it’s catchy and at least you remember the “SAAAND” parts. But if you give this song to a worse performer, it wouldn’t hold its own at all. She makes it shine, not the opposite. You know… we could’ve had something better for her.”
Juror B: “I agree, I like her a lot but the song is very unremarkable. I just think the chorus is okay but I don’t see it qualifying unless she gives the best performance on the night.”
22. United Kingdom (Olly Alexander – Dizzy)
(A: 23 – B: 23 – C: 28 – D: 6)
Juror D: “I love Years & Years. You know, songs like “King”? This is in the same vein, and I couldn’t ask for more. It’s super catchy, I love the vibe the song has, I love his voice and Olly is gonna be even better live. This is the song that sounds the most like what I have in my playlist, and I’ll listen to it a lot. Thanks for that, it’s so good!”
Juror C: “I expected more, I guess. Right now it’s just an okay pop song without much going on, and it’s quite repetitive overall. There’s nothing baaaad with, obviously it’s very professional but it’s just kind of boring?”
21. San Marino (Megara – 11:11)
(A: 24 – B: 27 – C: 13 – D: 14)
Juror C: “Metal for Eurovision is usually kind of cringe, but I liked Germany last year and I like San Marino too. It’s nothing groundbreaking but the guitar work is fine, the bass is fine, the vocal delivery is good, the bridge is a good addition and it’s catchy. I’m okay with this.”
Juror B: “I find their vibe a little cringe and trying to hard to be funny to be honest. I don’t like the pink and black visuals and the vocals are not amaaaazing. It’s just okay but I expect more from metal songs. Meh.”
20. Moldova (Natalia Barbu – In the Middle)
(A: 22 – B: 20 – C: 16 – D: 20)
Juror C: “Look, it’s not a masterpiece but it’s really overhated (ETA; I told them it’s last in the overall scoreboard ranking). The chorus is nice, it’s a vibe and really pleasant, I really like the violins and she sing it well enough for what it is. It’s not a Eurovision winner but it’s a cool song. Just needs a little something more to be a great song, I guess. But I like this.”
Juror A: “I don’t have much else to add. It’s 22nd because it’s a strong year to me and there are a lot of songs I love, but this one is nice. I like the visuals in the live performance, I really think Natalia is a great singer and the violins and the drums are a great touch to the package. I agree it’s overhated amongst Eurofans, it’s just a little unimpressive and I fear it’s going to get lost.”
19. Lithuania (Silvester Belt – Luktelk)
(A: 18 – B: 6 – C: 34 – D: 12)
Juror C: “Yeah look, this is just bad in my opinion. I can’t stand these lifeless vocals, this guy has no conviction when he sings, it’s just so boring. Even the song is boring, it’s just a basic club song with an unremarkable hook. Next.”
Juror B: “I love it so much, it’s such a banger. I love that it’s in Lithuanian, I love how catchy it is, the verses go hard, the chorus is memorable, and his vocals are really good for the song. It’s such a vibe. I’m vibing hard! Goes right into my playlist” (she then proceeded to sing “Luktelk, Luktelk” a fair bit.)
18. Ireland (Bambie Thug – Doomsday Blue)
(A: 13 – B: 10 – C: 12 – D: 33)
Judge D: “It’s trying too hard to be edgy but it’s just common and frankly unimpressive. Like sure they try to be different, but they could do it well at least. It’s kinda boring and the chorus is very cliché.”
Judge C: “Look, I fully expected to cringe very hard at this because of the aesthetic, and I still don’t like their live aesthetic, but I really like this track. I love their play on dissonance, it’s something very bold for Eurovision. I’m a bit concerned about the heavy vocal effects on their voice. It works really well right there, but it could completely fall apart live and make it move down my rankings a lot if it’s not done the right way. I’m not 100% sold on the chorus either but I actually like this overall. It’s not your typical Eurovision song.”
17. Austria (Kaleen – We Will Rave)
(A: 21 – B: 17 – C: 15 – D: 11)
Judge A: “Look, I would enjoy it a lot more if the retro feel had more of an effect on me. But I never really cared about the type of music this song tries to make you feel nostalgic of, so I never fully get into it. Still, it’s a fun little song that is genuinely catchy and will work with great choreo. My main issue with the track is the length. The last third of the song feels like it’s almost forced to be there to fill up some space and drags it down, I’m not raving after 2 minutes and 15 seconds. If it was shorter, it would have been the perfect dose of fun and probably higher in my ranking. As it stands, 21st feels high enough.”
Judge D: “So, this is a serve. It’s giving Cascada, it’s giving 2000s techno, and I would have liked it even more in German. But this is probably the catchiest song this year, it’s super fun and it’s definitely gonna be giving on stage. I really like this.”
16. Norway (Gåte – Ulveham)
(A: 2 – B: 19 – C: 14 – D: 28)
Judge A: “To me, this is absolutely breath taking and would be an easy number 1 if it wasn’t for that one song I love even more. I was rooting so hard for this song to win MGP, you guys have no idea. I absolutely love the singing and the vocal technique, especially during the chorus where she hits HARD. The visuals are stunning, the guitar work is fantastic, and the Norwegian language is really beautiful to listen to. This is exactly the kind of song I want to see at Eurovision, and I wasn’t disappointed. I especially didn’t expect that from Norway since they’re usually not on top of my rankings. I love everything about this.”
Judge B: “So, I wish I could share your enthusiasm and like it as much as you do but the whole song is not really working for me. I like the chorus a lot and I like her a lot, but the verses are really flat and feel disconnected from the rest of the song. It builds up an atmosphere but then the verses put me out of it immediately. I’m frustrated because I should love it, it has rock, folk, native language, traditional singing but I’m not feeling it all too much because of the verses.”
15. France (Slimane – Mon Amour)
(A: 20 – B: 3 – C: 17 – D: 22)
Juror B: “I didn’t expect to like it. I really didn’t. But it’s so good and I actually cried listening to it. His voice is amazing and I just felt all the emotions he was singing about during the whole song. This is by far the best ballad and I hope it does really well with the juries. Why is France on a roll at Eurovision? La Zarra was iconic and this is amazing.”
Juror A: “I guess it’s my turn to be my country’s harshest critic as always. I really want to love this, and it did climb a little in my ranking, but it just feels like a vocal showcase to me. Like yes, great, Slimane is a solid singer, amazing, go us. But the instrumental is so stale and unimpressive and I’m not a fan of the lyrics either. I wish I could feel the song like you do, but right now I’m struggling to fully be on board. I just hope it does well because the interest in Eurovision in France is near 0.”
14. Netherlands (Joost Klein – Europapa)
(A: 17 – B: 8 – C: 25 – D: 10)
Juror C: “It’s trying too hard to be funny but it’s just not super interesting. Like it’s trying to be a meme or to be viral but it’s kinda cringe? It’s not the worst song, it’s kinda enjoyable at parts but I’m not buying it all too much, it’s just German hip hop at this point. Not sure why it’s so hyped but oh well.”
Juror D: “It’s just pure fun and it’s good musically. It could be anywhere between my 7th and 10th place but it’s 10th right now because for now, I vibe with the songs above a bit more. But I like that we have a native language, a throwback to the 90s and nice visuals. I really like the synth parts before the gabber a lot too. I guess if I wanted to nitpick, the chorus could go a bit harder but it’s really good!”
13. Czechia (Aiko – Pedestal)
(A: 16 – B: 16 – C: 7 – D: 19)
Juror C: “This is the catchiest chorus this year, I really like the teen rebellion energy. It’s not reinventing the wheel but it’s just a really solid rock track. Not sure I have much else to add but it’s well written and sung and hella catchy.”
Juror D: “I like the vibe, I like the lyrics and I like her energy but there’s just other songs I enjoy more than this one. But this is a good track, just not the best song this year.”
12. Spain (Nebulossa – Zorra)
(A: 14 – B: 18 – C: 6 – D: 17)
Juror C: “Look, they won me over with these synths. Seriously, I love the synths. Did I tell you about the synths? Oh yeah, the actual song is awesome and it’s just pure fun. Spain is doing great two years in a row.”
Juror A: “This and Georgia are the growers of the year. Is it an exceptional piece of music? Clearly not. Do I care about it? Clearly not either. This is just pure fun and I’ll just embrace it fully: yeah, my taste might be trashy with this one, but I’m very happy about it. I don’t care if it does well or not in the contest either, at least I’ve found a really great song for my playlist. Bonus point for the lyrics and the “I don’t give a damn” attitude.”
11. Portugal (Iolanda – Grito)
(A: 4 – B: 15 – C: 5 – D: 30)
Juror C: “I love this song. This is artistic without being pretentious and clearly not written just for Eurovision in mind. The acapella opening works perfectly, the addition of the guitar is subtly done and leads perfectly to the pre-chorus, and the chorus is really good with a pleasant minimalist tone. It’s really well written and composed and Iolanda’s voice is not doing too much or too little. Honestly, if this doesn’t qualify, this is a huge loss for Eurovision.”
Juror D: “It could be a grower but at this moment, I’m not feeling the song at all. It’s artsy, it’s a vibe but it’s also kind of boring and just… there. Like it’s probably well composed and all but I’m very indifferent to this song as a whole.”
10. Greece (Marina Satti – Zari)
(A: 3 – B: 9 – C: 37 – D: 3)
Juror C: “Seriously? This is just really bad Balkan music you can hear in any cheap club in Dalmatia. That’s like Greek turbofolk and no, it’s not a compliment. I have some recommendations of shitty Balkan music if you like this. I can’t stand this song, clear last place!”
Juror A: “I’ll go to any club in Split if I can hear this song being played anytime of the week! Seriously, I love everything about it. This is just true to Marina Satti’s sound (listen to her album guys) and vision, the tongue-in-cheek video has to be the absolute best this year, the sound is culturally rooted yet still feels extremely modern and dynamic, kinda like the music video, I just love the juxtaposition of the traditional imagery and the urban, fresh sounds Marina plays with. It’s giving “if Rosalía was from the Balkans” and that’s a huge compliment from me. I don’t care if this doesn’t qualify, I’ll keep vibing to this song every time it’s on. Would have been my winner in any other year.”
9. Belgium (Mustii – Before the Party’s Over)
(A: 12 – B: 5 – C: 9 – D: 25)
Juror D: “This is just cold and pretentious. Mustii is just overdoing it with his vocals. Good for you, you can sing but it doesn’t lead anywhere, and the song’s buildup is not the most interesting. I was a little bored for the whole song, I expected more from Belgium, but this is quite disappointed honestly. It’s a skip.”
Juror B: “This is such a mood; you really have to feel the song. I love the climax; everything is just perfectly done and gripping. Mustii’s voice is perfect for the track. I love the sad feeling, I love the dark atmosphere, the choir hits perfectly and the lyrics are a vibe. Belgium being in my top 5 for the second time in a row! Love it.”
8. Switzerland (Nemo – The Code)
(A: 10 – B: 7 – C: 27 – D: 5)
Juror C: “It’s like you go to science lab, add a bit of drum’n’bass, add a bit of rap, add a bit of symphonic and it’s just an incoherent messy track that does too much in 3 minutes and overworks itself. By far one of the most inconsistent songs this year that would need a good cleanup to be interesting without overdoing it. Not feeling the hype, nope.”
Juror B: “I really love the lyrics and I’m so glad we have another really good song with LGBTQ+ related themes. And the song is just an organized chaos, I love it very much. Their vocals are really impressive, and the chorus is really catchy. I’m not 100% into the rap part but that’s the only thing I’m not fully convinced by. I really enjoy the visuals and how they match the message of the song. It’s so good.”
7. Ukraine (Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil – Teresa & Maria)
(A: 1 – B: 12 – C: 10 – D: 16)
Juror A: “It’s one of these songs where it’s not words I need to describe this song. It just struck a chord and never left me ever since. And it’s funny because the first time I listened to it, I wasn’t in love but I kept humming it, thinking about it again and again and with time and listens, it moved all the way up to the top. Again, it just speaks right to the heart and I can completely overlook the little details I could nitpick. Ukraine once again delivers.”
Juror B: “I really like this song but would love it even more if it wasn’t for the rap verse that doesn’t work to me. It clashes with the ethnic elements and if the rap wasn’t there, the song would rank even higher. I really like Jerry’s voice, I really like the lyrics and the Ukrainian language and even though the song feels like a long chorus or a build up to a chorus, it works very well here and I’m vibing with this song.”
6. Serbia (Teya Dora – Ramonda)
(A: 8 – B: 14 – C: 3 – D: 13)
Juror C: “Omg the synths… no I’m just kidding. It’s a really beautiful composition with a meaning and it has a touching and soothing quality. I’m not the usual fan of these Billie Eilish-like vocals as she mumbles a little, but the song is just that good it’s my third place.”
Juror D: “It’s a good song, very pretty and ethereal but it’s also a little bit flat. I followed PZE so I preferred Zorja or Breskvica as you know, but it’s still good and she sings it well. But I have songs I prefer over this one.”
5. Armenia (Ladaniva – Jako)
(A: 9 – B: 11 – C: 11 – D: 4)
Juror D: “This is what I watch Eurovision for. It’s fun, it’s cultural, it’s in native language and you can tell what country it is from! Also the singer is super charismatic and gorgeous and completely sells the song. I love this so much and this is going right into my playlist!”
Juror A: “Not much to add to that really, it’s only 9th for me because this year is so damn strong. I love everything about it, and it’s also close to my favourite music video as well, if it wasn’t for Greece and Estonia.”
4. Italy (Angelina Mango – La Noia)
(A: 7 – B: 13 – C: 8 – D: 2)
Juror D: “I’m obsessed with everything about this. I love the Italian language, it sounds so good. I love her so much, she’s a star and her voice is absolutely amazing. I also get young Ariana Grande vibes from her somehow. The music video is amazing, maybe my favourite one and the song is a pure banger. Like I’ll go on Spotify and put this on repeat all the time, it’s really iconic. I wouldn’t be mad if it won, that’d be deserved. Not surprised it won Sanremo.”
Juror B: “Yeah it’s a great song! I don’t like having it only 13th because I like it very much but this year is so strong. This is fun and makes you want to dance, and she is stunning honestly. It’s a really nice song, I like it!”
3. Slovenia (Raiven – Veronika)
(A: 11 – B: 4 – C: 4 – D: 8)
Juror B: “I love it so much and I love her so much. I like everything about it. It’s complex, it’s visually stunning, I love the lyrics, I love that she uses folklore and the message is great, and I love her vibe and her voice. I wish I could understand Slovenian better and not have to read the lyrics. It’s not catchy but it’s just a song you vibe with, you either get it or don’t. I want her to do so well at the contest. (ETA; I mentioned to her that Bojan from Joker Out was involved in the composition) My boys Joker Out are involved? That’s even better!”
Juror A: “This is switching between my 10th and my 11th constantly, but you said it all. It’s very committed in its artistry and Raiven clearly has a vision and will be very much faithful to her vision in Sweden. She never goes down the easy route and I love that about Veronika. I’m a bit scared the audience isn’t going to get it when they’ll first see it on stage and it might get lost. I really hope not.”
2. Estonia (5miinust & Puuluup - (nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi)
(A: 5 – B: 2 – C: 1 – D: 7)
Juror C: “It's a frickin banger! The beat is awesome, the traditional instruments well incorporated, and that fucking dance.... I just love it. The best part is that the dudes clearly DON'T GIVE A FUCK and are having fun... from the hairstyles to the overlong title which nobody will remember - zero fucks given! It manages to be eclectic while being cohesive. And just damn fun.”
Juror A: “So in the ESC fandom, people dismiss songs with fun undertones sometimes with the term “joke entry” and I’ve seen it being applied to Estonia as well. Screw it, if it’s a joke entry, I’m fully on board with it. The production quality is excellent, the song packs a punch and serves a chorus that brings both modern and traditional, the talharpa perfectly complements the song and these dudes are just having fun and doing it in an impressively professional way. I want this in the finals.”
1. Croatia (Baby Lasagna – Rim Tim Tagi Dim)
(A: 6 – B: 1 – C: 2 – D: 1)
Juror C: “It's a high-octane industrial-rock song that's just brimming with energy through and through, and that' exactly what makes it catchy - from the beat to the chorus, everything's an earworm. Marko also doesn't run from his influences like Käärijä or Rammstein - he embraces them, so mad respect for honesty. All that is topped by some genuine and serious lyrics dealing with social issues - the experiences and fears of a boy leaving his home in search for a better life, which I believe is a very relatable topic for much of the audience. All around great song for me.”
Juror B: “This is so much the type of song I love, and I can’t believe we’re sending this to Eurovision. I love the lyrics so much, I love the energy, I love the hook, I love the vibe and I hope we have a great result with this song at Eurovision.”
So that’s it, that was the thoughts of my friend group about the Eurovision songs this year. Thanks for making it to the end! You might have had a lot of time to waste. I hope you had fun reading through THAT MASSIVE WALL OF TEXT, and congrats to Croatia for being the new “overall ranking winner of the people I harass way too much with Eurovision anyway”.

sup, I recently played some fangames and I want to talk about them. This post I will be looking at Undertale Yellow, a game I had very high expectations for due to all the talk around it but sadly it left me somewhat disappointed. I'll be dissecting the game piece by piece here, TL;DR I think the game is fine overall but the story and the characters failed to deliver, especially when you compare it to Undertale standards, 7.5/10. get ready for a ginormous blob of text if you still care, and spoilers ahead
Do note all of this is my opinion and my experience with the game of course, as with every piece of media opinions can differ and that's fine. if you enjoyed this game far more than me i'm happy for you, if you disliked it far more than me i hope you find something else that you find fun
The Gameplay: I think people are a bit too harsh on the game in this front. I thought the difficulty was mostly fine, it was definitely harder than Undertale but there are so many healing items and there are enough enemies with heal attacks to make it sting a lot less. However, something I disliked about the gameplay is how a lot of your acts felt pointless especially against bosses but it was like that in Undertale too (to a lesser extent) so it's not the worst thing in the world. Only other thing that kinda pissed me off was the Axis chase segments, just wasn't fun.
Loved some of the bosses like Decibat, Darv, Martlet, Starlo and Guardener, their patterns and gimmicks were a lot of fun. As for some of the infamous bosses like El Bailador, Axis and Ceroba, I thought they were mostly fine too. El Bailador's rhythm system was a bit wonky, 1 timed input for middle notes and 1 held input + 1 timed input for right/left notes was weird and threw me off a lot. If I was in the left lane, I would constantly press right to go to the middle and end up getting hit (and vice versa). But if you keep up on armor throughout the game he does very little damage for each hit (like 2 or 3) and I beat him first try. I loved his gimmick, but I did find it annoying how his theme reset after every attack and I'm not a programmer but could they really have not made it so you pressed left arrow/up arrow/right arrow to deal with the notes rather than the absolute mess you have currently? Axis felt a bit more bs due to his colored beam attacks overlapping with his normal attacks sometimes but by the power of stacking all of my inventory with healing items I beat him first try as well. As for Ceroba, well her fight was probably my least favorite of the pacifist fights but the heal/defense acts you get + stocking up on healing items beforehand makes the fight very manageable imo. Her attacks are fine but the fight itself is too long (4 phases? come on now)
As for the genocide bosses, Martlet's first fight was fun. Not too challenging considering it's the first serious boss fight, but not easy either. Unlike her pacifist counterpart, Ceroba's fight was amazing. It has an attack or two that I found to be a bit bs, but overall it's a really good fight, and trying to balance max hp damage and regular damage especially in the 2nd phase is really fun. Punishing wall hugging by making it decrease your max hp is so evil but at the same time so genius, they really thinked outside the box (heh). Definitely a "have a save file before this boss to fight her 50 gorbillion times" kind of boss. Axis was extremely annoying, much worse than his pacifist counterpart, but thankfully you can just healing item through his geno fight as well, so it didn't really matter, and it's much shorter. And as for Martlet's final fight... well it's a braindead spam dash fest with auto-fire open. This boss is more about preparing the best healing items for it rather than actual skill. I mean I'm sure no-hits of it has been done but there is so much shit on the screen happening all at once, I don't know how they thought this was fun. Still relatively easy if you prepare for it like I said and just spam x like a mad man.
Art and music: The game definitely looks gorgeous, there is no denying that. I think a lot of us were in awe when we saw Ceroba's estate, or how beautiful the greenhouse was with it's dead and dull aura and white plants everywhere. Steamworks is a little painful on the eyes but extremely charming with it's mechanical aesthetic contrasted by the pink goop and lights everywhere, and new home is just fabulous. The game's rendition of the ruins was a bit dull but alright, Snowdin's beauty makes up for it. The dunes and wild east were ok, and the mines were nice too but it did feel like a downgraded waterfall. The character designs are good as well but I have a bit more nitpicks, I loved how the Guardener and Martlet looked. Starlo isn't my cup of tea but I respect the general aesthetic they were going for, it's a job well done, same for the feisty four. Dalv and Ceroba however... look quite out of place. they look like weird oc's and not like monsters from Undertale. The fox girl shrine maiden thing is too anime for me and Dalv looks like a character from a 2000s cartoon. As for the ost I sadly didn't find it anywhere near as good, it wasn't bad by any means but it just wasn't noticeable most of the time. Only song I can remember as a bop was the enemy retreating song, and that's because I heard it god knows how many times while doing geno. But I couldn't remember a single melody until I pulled up the ost to listen to it while writing this review. The most striking thing about Undertale to me was the beautiful ost, and the art was just kinda there. In Yellow I found it to be the opposite, even though after listening to the ost again on Youtube it's clearly good, I don't know why it didn't really leave an impact on me.
Characters: oh boy. I'm definitely going to piss some people off now. My biggest gripe with the game was the characters, and how they influenced the story.
Dalv: ignored for 90% of the game, felt like a napstablook knock off with much more hamfisted character development. Sorry not sorry
Martlet: a more oblivious and stupid Papyrus. Charming at first, but her airheaded nature brings genuine misfortune to Clover many times and it becomes annoying quite fast, I don't like the "kind but airheaded so causes trouble for everyone" archetype. I kind of lost it when after finding out about Ceroba's plans, she figured that the best way to protect Clover... was to go straight to Ceroba. sure the royal guard is scary and all but this is like jumping out of a hippo's swamp straight into a lion's lap... and the others agreed for some reason... but after playing through genocide, I grew to like her again, at least a bit. weird gal
El Bailador: I like him. he might be a very surface level character, but he is charming, and I grew to appreciate him a lot more after genocide, poor boy
Feisty Four: I thought these guys would be like the TS!Underswap Harry and Larry but they have none of the charm that iconic duo has. All of them just do their own thing, rebel against Starlo for a bit, then go back to being nobodies. Their personalities are not just surface level, but also not endearing at all imo
Starlo: I liked him. I wish he was more genuine to Clover (and to people in general really) and stopped acting like a cowboy all the time, but he's fine. He clearly cares about the people around him and tries to make them happier. I wish he asked out Ceroba before Chujin, even though that would destroy the plot. He also deserved an undyne the undying send off in geno. The fact that I liked him so much even though I personally dislike his general aesthetic and personality in other media is a testament to the dev's ability to write good characters. see you space cowboy
Ceroba: I really do not like Ceroba. When I first saw her I thought she would be a lot more reasonable and mature, but not only is she needlessly pissy in the Axis segments, she is also really fucking stupid. What kind of dumbass experiments on their own daughter with weird soul shit?? after their late husband's dying wish was to make her happy and look after her too????? I get that desperate people do stupid things but holy shit, this isn't just stupid or ignorant it is irresponsible and shameful. Beyond that, Ceroba is kind of devoid of a solid personality and the only things that strongly define her are a dead husband and a basically dead daughter. Even worse, like a third of the story focuses on her and her story. I guess they were going for a character like Alyphs, but her story is devoid of all the subtle nuances that made Alyphs such a great and tragic character
Axis: it's a more robot-like Mettaton... because it's actually a robot and not a ghost possessing one this time. found him to be less charming than Mettaton
Guardener: okay i know she is not an important character at all but i really love her. from her design to her attacks, the minions she summons and her cute relationship with them. there is something melancholically beautiful about how her and those small robots live in that abandoned, hauntingly beautiful facility, living a life of peace... reminds me of handplates for some reason but a lot more wholesome
Making so many new characters is a hard task, and honestly Yellow's cast is so disconnected from Undertale that I questioned why Yellow didn't just create it's own game a few times. Regardless, I just don't think a lot of the characters were that good, especially when you compare it to Undertale's characters, so it felt like a huge dip in quality compared to the main game. TS!Underswap handled this better imo, but that game has the benefit of still retaining the main cast and just sprinkling in some Koffin-K here or a Harry and Larry there and calling it a day, although I'd pick Koffin-K over any character in Yellow any day of the week.
Story: in Undertale, I divide the story in 3 categories. The smaller arcs of the monsters you find, the overarching plot of the human's goal, and the metanarrative around the player. As mentioned above, I found the small character arcs to be... not great. Starlo's arc felt kind of weak to me, in big part because the Feisty Four are weak characters and Starlo kinda had to carry all of his own development. But I'll give it a pass since I like Starlo and he had a lot of screen time, but Dalv really felt abandoned by the game. And I've talked enough about Ceroba. I don't want this review to be a Ceroba hate post. As for Martlet, she only really goes through an arc in genocide, and I liked it quite a bit, but in a cheesy Undertale fanon kind of way. Her witnessing the death of dozens of people and growing more and more cynical and proceeding to inject the tita- i mean the determination serum might not be everybody's thing but I unironically grew up with such fanon battles so I liked it. Makes me want to play the Storyshift fangame again.
As for the overarching plot, the human's goal, it's weird the genocide route feels more rewarding than the pacifist route. In the pacifist route, Clover fights tooth and nail against Ceroba for his soul... just to kill himself anyways? So couldn't Ceroba just use this soul for her own purposes and then give it to Asgore like what was done with the integrity soul? Why didn't Clover surrender in the first place then, or why did Ceroba not use his soul to save her daughter (if she even can)? Just felt weird, wouldn't it have been so much cooler and climactic to have an Asgore fight? The Asgore fight is the coolest moment in the original game for a lot of people, and for good reason. This just feels like your journey was cut off short for no reason. Let me die to Asgore damn it. I guess this is what happens when you kill Ceroba, but it feels weird to do 100% pacifist just to kill a major character at the end. And I was expecting Flowey to actually do something the entire game, yet he doesn't do shit. All that build up, all those moments of Flowey acting all nice making the player wonder when he would snap... and it goes nowhere. Boo. But then you look at the genocide route and it's so much more interesting in every way. Martlet goes through a good character arc, the horrible arc of Ceroba is left out, and Dalv becomes a much more interesting character, whether you kill or spare him. Clover actively works towards his goal every step of the way, with no Starlo or Ceroba to steal the spotlight for their antics. You get to see Clover's sense of justice get warped into something truly disgusting yet so captivating. Axis's brutal death upon the reveal that he killed a human is so... raw. So is Flowey's gruesome death. And in the end, Clover achieves his goal, with all 5 human souls freed and able to exit the underground. Yes this makes geno route 100% not canon, but come on, pacifist wasn't really canon either. Just because pacifist doesn't conflict with canon doesn't make it canon, and I'm sure if you dig deep enough you could find many details that conflict.
From a meta perspective, it's really weird how the game almost encourages you to play the genocide route instead. Sure it's disgusting and ethically wrong and whatever, but it's so much more interesting and fun, with the worst parts of the game skipped and it's much more psychologically nuanced for everyone involved. But Yellow, like many fangames, doesn't really do meta like Undertale. Unlike the original game which is so adamant about the player's role in the game, most fan content tuck their heads in the ground and try to explain the player's actions with some other thing like determination, Chara or game mechanics (even though many of those mechanics like resets are also supposed to be meta commentary...), and Yellow kind of does the same, but it's more excusable. There is no player in Yellow, as Flowey controls the save points and timelines (except for the very end of geno). But Clover becomes a much more interesting character this way imo, especially in geno, so it didn't bother me that much, although while doing pacifist it was definitely kind of unnerving.
Overall, Yellow is a fine game. I think the geno route does a lot of the carrying here, but pacifist (before Ceroba becomes the main focus) isn't bad either. Tons of people hyped it up as literally Undertale 2: The Prequel though, so I went in with those expectations, and I probably shouldn't have. I saw a lot of people saying Yellow made them feel the same things Undertale did all these years later, and I'm happy for them, but sadly I can't say the same.

My happy mail as once again piled up and it's time to make my happy mail thank you post! I'm truly grateful for all the cards!
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u/melhen16 : Thank you for the cute rainbow card. Congratulation again on your new flair!
u/wabisabi_sf : Thank you for the cool fantasy postcard! It's really beautiful : )
u/Keqani : Thank you for the really cute Pusheen postcard, meow! I love it, meow!
u/inhalemybees43 : Thank you for the Porko Rosso (Studio Ghibli) card. I saw that movie once with my SO and it's not a bad movie. Studio Ghibli as some really good movies, some interesting movies and some really bad movies (I really hated Death of the fireflies).
u/stillsheryl : Thank you for the lovely cat card! I happy you got great weather and can do fun activities : ) Your cats really seems adorable even Kali :p I'm amazed that you got stamps made to the likeness of your cats! It's got to be one of the coolest thing I saw in a while :D
u/ThisIsTheBookAcct : Thank you for the lovely Cactus card! I might have received the same card in the past :p but I really don't mind as the message inside is different ; ) I love the butterfly tea stickers! I hope you had a great time during the warm days you got :D
u/kittycatcon: Thank you for the really cute card informing me of your new address! I love the funny cat address sticker you made! It made me laugh :D
u/Zznightzzz : Thank you for the beautiful handmade easter card!
u/LaCuntessa : Thank you for the lovely dog postcard. I love the stickers you used on it : ) especially the big green landscape one!
u/ninajyang : Thank you for the party invitation :D I have my own couscous salad recipe and it's got diced dry apricots, diced cheese and chick peas in it and it's really good during the summer season. You can add chicken and you got a whole meal in a bowl. : P
u/grasshopper2231: Merci pour la carte amusante de vache. Merci de m'avoir fait sourire : )
u/Lethbridge-Totty : Thank you for the cute handmade Easter card! Spring is indeed such a lovely time. My daughter liked one of your bunny stickers, the one with the glasses, it made her laugh :D
u/cassius1213 :Thank you for the cute Cherry Blossom festival postcard! I wish you a wonderful spring too!
u/princecowboy : Thank you for the purple theme postcard. Taylor Swift as indeed some good songs, unfortunately I don't follow popular trends closely so I'm not aware of all the details of her tour.

Hey everyone!
I went to Japan for 2 weeks to see Osaka and Kyoto. It was my partner and I, 32M and 28F. I spent MONTHS planning, but quickly tossed everything out the window when we landed. And it was amazing.
1 - The train systems are way easier than they appear. If you don't want to worry about a card, honestly we spent less than 2 minutes getting physical train tickets each time. Google Maps tells you what ticket and what line to use and all machines have an English option. You can buy multiple tickets at a time if needed as well. The first couple times you ride may be a bit disorganized, but you'll get the hang of it rather quickly.
2 - Download the taxi GO app. In Kyoto, their public transit options weren't as great. The trains didn't go everywhere and the busses were way overcrowded. The GO app makes ordering a taxi simple and so easy, it's just like an Uber or Lyft. You can go pretty far for $8 or so. BUT if you have a party of more than 4,, order two taxis. Most taxis have 3 seats and the passenger side seat.
3 - There are MANY "hidden" gems in Japan that aren't tourist spots. As an example, we had Fushimi Inari on our list, but we (both being tired of people at that point) visited Shimogamo Shrine instead. A beautiful shrine with red torii gates nestled in the forest. We saw a wedding and it was SUCH a peaceful walk. So if you don't hit the "hotspots", you can still see a TON of cool stuff and not deal with as many people.
4 - Ghibli Park. We were fortunate we got tickets to Ghibli Park. Everything that could go wrong went wrong that day for us. First, we miscalculated train times and ended up being there a few hours later than our "entry" time. The entry time is JUST for the Grand Warehouse, and they were kind enough to let us in outside of our entry time. Not saying they will let you in outside of that time, but they have those times because the warehouse can only hold so many people. Second, our "group" leader forgot his passport in our room. I know we SHOULD never travel without a passport but things happen. They never once asked for our passports for verification. Not saying they won't check yours, but we never had a problem. Third, even if you don't get tickets still go to the ExpoPark! Ghibli park is nested inside the park and you can still SEE all the buildings and structures (which was the coolest part to me). The tickets let you go inside things - I would have rather explored the parks hiking trails than go inside everything, but we had the tickets so we were going to use them. Going inside was cool, don't get me wrong, but if I was a kid it would have been way cooler. My partner (who is a huge studio ghibli fan) also agreed with my sentiments. So if you are in the Nagoya area and want to go see the park, I highly recommend you go!! They have local food truck vendors there so you can experience Japan food trucks :)
5 - I had way overplanned for this trip. We ended up planning 1 thing each day and then spent the rest of the day exploring that area. Literally just walking around. In Osaka we stumbled across cute little art cafes or cute themed streets. In Kyoto, we stumbled across hidden (local) shrines and got to peek over some fences to see cool gardens (they were private). So if you are a planner, Japan is so much fun to just enjoy. I wouldn't worry about not finding something to do.
6 - I did not pick up any mobile wifi devices or local Sim cards. I got lost a lot, but would eventually be able to connect to free wifi somewhere to get me straightened out. I would definitely recommend at least 1 person in your group have access to the internet for navigation. My partner had data through his carrier so I just let him navigate. My phone sat in the room for 90% of the trip, so it was super relaxing for me haha.
Super happy to answer any questions :)
Edit 1 - I'm 100% not saying you shouldn't get a train card or a mobile hotspot/eSIM thing. I'm just saying it's POSSIBLE to survive without it. My trip was fine without either so just letting folks know that if they want to go without one, it's definitely do-able. I know it's 'easy' to get either, but it was going to be a NEW experience for me and I didn't want to deal with that anxiety on my vacation (I already have enough anxiety). In both points 1 and 6, if you read, I never say don't get them. I just say I survived without it and nothing majorly bad happened. Also note that this trip was with 2 adults - if you have kids, these notes aren't for you. Some of yall sound like you'd rather die than not have mobile data or a train card - cool. That isn't me and I wanted to pitch the other side of the story to folks so they can be informed. Everyone should always make the decision that's best for them, but at least to me, I like to hear both sides to every piece of "advice".

Any 2000’s girly movies where the main girl graduates ? my sister is having her graduation party in may and i’m looking for some cute pics and inspo because she wants a y2k theme