Chemslayer's recent activity

  1. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Chemslayer
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    Working on Book 5 of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I've really enjoyed the series so far, and I appreciate the serious tone that he keeps in his very serious epic fantasy western. Don't know...

    Working on Book 5 of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I've really enjoyed the series so far, and I appreciate the serious tone that he keeps in his very serious epic fantasy western. Don't know if I'm sad or relieved that this is the first book in the series that he didn't reprint his "On Being Nineteen" intro (which I read dutifully every time, I figured it was part of the experience ha).

    Spoilers for the first 150 pages of book 5

    Holy shit, I just made the connection between that intro and the fact that the number "19" keeps being foreshadowed heavily as important. Was that a setup this whole time?? I guess I'll find out

    Also read the third Murderbot book, as a short and more fun interlude between serious epic novels.

    mild Murderbot spoilers

    Enjoying seeing Murderbot have to deal more and more with its identity, and having to contend with the fact that you can't just opt out of having agency in your decisions and feelings

    Currently shower-listening, recently wrapped Frankenstein and am now on Paradise Lost (inspired by Frankenstein's description of it ha). The only other time I read Franky was in high school, and I must've had an abridged version, as I didn't remember nearly this many details being included, so I was glad to have the full story. Paradise lost has been fun, and the audiobook I got has short chapter summaries before each chapter, so you can quickly understand what the plot is, and just enjoy the following flowery verse without worrying too much about parsing details

  2. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    I don't know exactly what your humor is, but a short silly recommendation I don't see very often is Starter Villain by John Scalzi. Basically some normal dude inherits his formerly-unknown-uncle's...

    I don't know exactly what your humor is, but a short silly recommendation I don't see very often is Starter Villain by John Scalzi. Basically some normal dude inherits his formerly-unknown-uncle's super-villain organization, and figures out how to manage that. It's not very long (kinda wish it was a little longer tbh) but it's got fun goofs and some actual tension too

  3. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    Sorry if slightly off topic for the thread, but congrats on the switch to ebooks! While regular books still have several advantages, I think e-books are one of the places where the digitization of...

    Sorry if slightly off topic for the thread, but congrats on the switch to ebooks! While regular books still have several advantages, I think e-books are one of the places where the digitization of a thing made it way better in almost every way, especially with an e-reader.

    More on task, how did you get Dungeon Crawler Carl working on your non-kindle device? I've been wanting to read the series, but I don't get my books from Amazon anymore since they keep tightening the noose on DRM. Did you find another digital storefront to get them from, or did you perform some sorcery on Amazon files?

  4. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    Chemslayer
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    Started Mob Psycho 100 manga, since I've enjoyed one punch man. The humor is very similar so far, and even trades in some similar themes (including a kinda nonchalant overpowered MC), and I'm...

    Started Mob Psycho 100 manga, since I've enjoyed one punch man. The humor is very similar so far, and even trades in some similar themes (including a kinda nonchalant overpowered MC), and I'm enjoying it very much so far (partway through Vol 3). The art, being by One himself rather than Murata, is still good and serviceable, and I tend to be art/graphics blind to a large extent anyway.

    I picked up all the available volumes as Kobo was having a sale for whatever reason, and I look forward to finishing them. Slightly annoying there's only one more english-translated volume left to come out in May, as it'll be weird to leave it nearly but not quite done, but alas

    2 votes

  5. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    Chemslayer
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    Just wrapped up the Kaguya Sama: Love is War manga! It was a great rom-com, with a good emphasis on the comedy. It went a little off the rails towards the end, but still tied up nicely. Highly...

    Just wrapped up the Kaguya Sama: Love is War manga! It was a great rom-com, with a good emphasis on the comedy. It went a little off the rails towards the end, but still tied up nicely. Highly recommend, and a great example of a romance story that I don't have to give any warnings about.

    2 votes

  6. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    Yeah, I was curious how Sanderson would handle taking over the project. I'm a big fan of his Stormlight Archive, and I plan on reading some of his other stuff eventually, but as I mentioned in my...

    Yeah, I was curious how Sanderson would handle taking over the project. I'm a big fan of his Stormlight Archive, and I plan on reading some of his other stuff eventually, but as I mentioned in my post about WoT I really appreciate how straight and serious the fantasy is played, and Sanderson is not that. (Not to say that Stormlight doesn't have serious parts, but the overall adventure etc is much more "modern people" style of interactions and reasoning, as opposed to WoT's almost LotR-like tone of epic yesteryear prophecies and magic).

    I'm at least happy to know that the major plot points are Jordan originals, and ofc I'll make my own judgements when I get there

  7. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    Oh yeah I always have at least 2 books going (one of the many reasons I love ebooks!). Right now it's a novel, a manga, and a comic. Usually I'll also have a non-fiction or edutainment-style book...

    Oh yeah I always have at least 2 books going (one of the many reasons I love ebooks!). Right now it's a novel, a manga, and a comic. Usually I'll also have a non-fiction or edutainment-style book too. I tend to read books chapter by chapter and swap between them constantly, it lets my brain really settle into the drama of each chapter ending

    1 vote

  8. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    Interesting take on Monster Train 2, having put about 130 hours into it (and some amount into the first, on GoG so I don't have a count but I beat all the stuff) I feel like MT2 is just the first...

    Interesting take on Monster Train 2, having put about 130 hours into it (and some amount into the first, on GoG so I don't have a count but I beat all the stuff) I feel like MT2 is just the first game but better in every way. I really like how the new deployment phase takes what was previously a hidden mechanic (banner units) and makes it non-hidden and thus much easier to play with and plan for.

    Mild story/mechanical spoilers

    I really enjoy the Titans as final bosses too, I think their boss fight is much more interesting than the last divinity was, and I like the aesthetics of each titan

    MAJOR MECHANICAL SPOILERS

    Also lost my head when all the clans from the first game came back! Literally just makes MT2 everything the first game was and more, can confidently suggest to new players to just get MT2 and you're not really missing anything

    Do agree the partitioning of mechanics into new named abilities is confusing at first, but once you get used to them they do make a lot more satisfying sense wrt synergies and such. I hope you keep up with the game and would love to hear more of your thoughts!

    5 votes

  9. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Chemslayer
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    Been playing Rogue Trader lately, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm a big fan of Warhammer 40k in general, and all the over the top absurdity being played straight is wonderful (and I appreciate...

    Been playing Rogue Trader lately, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm a big fan of Warhammer 40k in general, and all the over the top absurdity being played straight is wonderful (and I appreciate that dialog choices give you a choice between being normal or playing into the same dogma). The combat system feels much more fun and fluid for me than BG3 did, while I imagine playing it on the tabletop is probably a nightmare this system lends itself to much more engaging video game gameplay than D&D does IMO.

    Only just wrapped chapter 1, so don't have a lot of insight on the story yet, but so far it's been fun and seems to have a good amount of choice involved. I've been playing a pompous, mostly dogmatic but not entirely aloof rogue trader (I love the recurring gag of making Abelard introduce me in all sorts of tense scenarios).

    The game is dense, and the number of choices you have to make constantly wrt gear and level ups is heavy, but I'm just taking it as part of the process. You do have the option to respec characters, so if you do make mistakes or want changes you're not locked in.

    Overall excited to play more of it, and unusually for me for these types of games I kind of want to play a second time, the large space in build variety intrigues me. I'm loving my current highly-lethal sniper, but just from peeks at the other characters I can see so many more options for so many other fun builds

    2 votes

  10. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    Chemslayer
    (edited )
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    Still working through Kaguya-Sama: Love is War manga! Nearly done with Vol 18. There's edit: 28 total, so I'm still got a good amount to go with the Manga in general, and while I'll be sad to see...

    Still working through Kaguya-Sama: Love is War manga! Nearly done with Vol 18. There's 22 edit: 28 total, so I'm nearly done still got a good amount to go with the Manga in general, and while I'll be sad to see it go I'll be excited to see the end!

    I've really enjoyed this rom-com immensely, the romance parts are cute and well developed, and the comedy is my exact humor taste, after learning the mangaka is apparently a notorious shit poster I realized why I enjoyed it so much as that's my ideal jokes. I feel like the manga also does a great job of handling mature topics (eg sex and sexuality) wrt it's high-school cast, in ways that are realistic to how high schoolers actually act and think about it without being weird or fan-service-y.

    2 votes

  11. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    Oh yes that seems insane to me too! I'd never skip. What I mean is I don't read series' all at once, eg I'll read Wheel of time 1, go read some other books, come back and read Wheel of time 2, go...

    Oh yes that seems insane to me too! I'd never skip. What I mean is I don't read series' all at once, eg I'll read Wheel of time 1, go read some other books, come back and read Wheel of time 2, go read other things, etc. So with this non-consecutive reading pattern, and the length of the series, it'll probably be years and years before I finish ha

    2 votes

  12. Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books

    Chemslayer
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    Nearly done with The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time book 3). It's taken me longer than usual to finish since I've been more sucked into Manga, but I'm really enjoying the series and can see how...

    Nearly done with The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time book 3). It's taken me longer than usual to finish since I've been more sucked into Manga, but I'm really enjoying the series and can see how it is so acclaimed. I'm at the part

    major spoilers

    where everyone is just starting to break into The Stone. I really appreciate how each of the main cast has their own "thing" going on.

    I really enjoy how straight the fantasy is played, everything is really important and serious and epic. I jump around between series when reading so it'll be a long time before I finish the series, but I'm really looking forward to it

    2 votes

  13. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Chemslayer
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    Put the bow on Hades 2, after 2 months and 140 hours of gameplay. Absolutely phenomenal game, second only to Binding of Isaac in my rogue like rankings. Liked it so much I got 100% of the...

    Put the bow on Hades 2, after 2 months and 140 hours of gameplay. Absolutely phenomenal game, second only to Binding of Isaac in my rogue like rankings. Liked it so much I got 100% of the achievements (only the second game on steam after BoI), and even ground out the last annoyingly-long bond

    Who the Bond is with

    Icarus, my man...

    Tips for how to actually get above bond

    apparently you need to encounter him with his keepsake equipped, to get a unique dialogue tree, that finally allows him to unlock the rest of his nonsense. Besides that it's just a lot of topside runs and hoping to encounter him there and/or the crossroads. Got real good at clearing runs fast ha

    It's a shame that the beautiful characterizations and dialogue that make the game so great have to run out at some point. While mechanically the game is still solid, without the character interactions I'm moving on. Hoping to start up Hollow Knight soon, but in a classic "hard to start a new thing" rut.

    5 votes

  14. Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime

    Chemslayer
    Link
    Started the Kaguya-sama: Love is War manga at the recommendation of @Trobador since I liked Death Note, and it's been really fun so far! Nearly through volume 2 and it's very cute, each of the...

    Started the Kaguya-sama: Love is War manga at the recommendation of @Trobador since I liked Death Note, and it's been really fun so far! Nearly through volume 2 and it's very cute, each of the protagonists + their third-wheel feel very fun and believable as (dramatized) naive teens.

    3 votes

  15. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    To give you lightly spoiler-y answers, the keepsakes are post-ending content, so don't worry about it until then The weapon aspects you can get whenever, you just have to keep running and run into...

    To give you lightly spoiler-y answers, the keepsakes are

    post-ending content, so don't worry about it until then

    The weapon aspects you can get whenever, you just have to keep running and run into the particular NPC who gives it to you for each one. The secret twin flames is one of my favorites!

    1 vote

  16. Comment on Request for info: Is "Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro" respectful of it's child characters? in ~anime

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    Thank you for the recs! I read these back when you posted them, and I'm nearing the end of the (currently available) Chainsaw Man so I'll try these for my next series. Probably Witch Hat Atelier...

    Thank you for the recs! I read these back when you posted them, and I'm nearing the end of the (currently available) Chainsaw Man so I'll try these for my next series. Probably Witch Hat Atelier or Kaguya-Sama, I would enjoy a maybe more lighthearted story (as opposed to the very compelling and good but not lighthearted at all Chainsaw ha).

    As far as what I enjoyed about what I've read: (Spoilers ahead):

    Discussion on my manga enjoyment
    Death Note Spoilers Death Note - I highly enjoyed the absurd "I'm smarter than you" back-and-forth that is the crux of the series. I also enjoyed the descent into madness (even if it's a rather quick one) that Light goes through, starting with pure "intentions" but very quickly getting full of himself and his power. The arc was great, and I know in general the L death and post is controversial but I do think the Near and Mello arc was great.

    I have some criticisms that you've probably heard before, but they were all minor to me and didn't impact my enjoyment of the story. Overall was a great start to manga for me.

    One-Punch Man Manga Spoilers Just silly good fun. I am amused that the series started as a parody of manga/anime tropes, but very quickly just became a manga itself. (Kind of like how you can only say "Bro" as an ironic joke for so long before you actually just start saying it naturally). I like the over-top and goofy character designs, and the commitment to the central bit that Saitama is just overpowered, but still a pathetic and kinda desperate guy despite it. Highly enjoyed what's available, and look forward to the next volume.

    As far as criticisms, the pacing is slow as heck, which isn't necessarily a bad thing as we've gotten lots of cool side-adventures and developments for lots of characters, but the current monster association arc has been going for like 15 volumes now and still might go on for a while yet. And issues/volumes that are nearly all fight scene are a bummer, the fight scenes are well-choreographed and beautiful to look at but don't advance plot or have much development at all. And of course the handling of some characters is questionable, such as Superalloy Blackluster (who we learn is actually just a pale guy who's tanned too much, rather than black, why?) and blizzard/tornado (who feature many, many issue covers in sexy wear, even when they're not included in that issue at all), not to mention tornado being the "is actually an adult but has the appearance of a child" trope which is an awkward combo with the above. None of these criticisms have kept me from enjoying the series, or sharing it, but they are there.

    Dandadan Spoilers Gonna start with the criticism on this one: the first issue (with the abduction scene with Momo) almost put me off the series entirely: a minor, stripped to her underwear and restrained, and put in a very rape-y situation with explicitly sexually-motivated aliens, was a real wtf moment. After googling the phrase "Does Dandadan stay horny" and reading responses (that no, after that first issue it tames down greatly), I decided I would at least finish the first volume I already had and decide from there.

    With the ability to retrospect and the rest of the series under my belt, I understand how that scene plays into the themes, esp tying to Turbo Granny, as well as showcasing Momo and inverting some tropes (the "knight in shining armor" who comes in to save her ends up useless, and she saves herself, which is badass). That being said, I still disagree with the presentation: she did not need to be clothed so little, or drawn from such angles, to hit the same narrative tones. To make a comparison, Okarun was also almost subject to sexual assault by Turbo Granny in that same issue(who wants to gobble his weiner), but he is not illustrated or shown as the sex object in the same way. If that scene has showcased him in his underpants with a focus on his bulge and put in precarious positions I feel most people would have instantly recognized it as inappropriate, but since Momo is a girl her being abused is much more socially-normed.

    Okay! That aside, I love this series, it is incredibly cute and fun, and a great "romance" story tightly wrapped in fun occult adventure wrapper. The romance between the two MCs feels very natural and awkward, and thankfully isn't dragged down by classic miscommunication tropes that are just frustrating (there is still some, but it's resolved easily and not just harbored forever). The spirits vs aliens angle is really fun, and each character in the main cast so far has had their own fun personality. The alien arc that just wrapped was crazy and dealt with more heavy themes and imagery (the women being eaten by that giant alien thing? Mortifying). I do also really enjoy all the juvenile jokes, the central quest being a search for Okarun's missing testicles is just very absurd and silly and really helps keep the tone.

    Delicious in Dungeon Spoilers Solid fantasy adventure, I like the pseudo-scientific nature of most of the story, and the way we get to learn more about this as we go. I also feel like the author did a good job of telling the story he wanted to tell, and then ending it; I can see how the temptation to have more expanded stories or spinoffs galore could exist, but I appreciate that he didn't try to stretch beyond what the arc required.

    No real criticisms.

    SpyxFamily Spoilers This is just the equivalent of a sitcom for me: I know there's no real stakes (the Forger family isn't ever going to suffer real loss, it's just not the vibe), so I can just relax and enjoy the hijinks of the world's most secretly talented family. The psuedo-WWI background is great, and the commentary on war and it's hell is poignant and digestable. The art is super fun and expressive too, and the action scenes are well paced. The main enjoyment is of course every one of the main 3 navigating clumsily through their own secrets: Lloyd being too competent for his own good, Yor being nervous and wanting to please while actually being crazy capable, and Anya being literally 5 years old. Even getting the family dog in on the having special powers was a cute touch.
    Destroy All Humans: They Can't Be Regenerated Picked this one as I heard it was good, and I do enjoy Magic the Gathering. I was not expecting it to be a grounded romance manga! I've really enjoyed it so far (there's only 5 volumes in English atm), the romance plot and the classic tropes of children not knowing how to admit feelings for one another has been fun so far. Adding additional competing romances for both characters has textured it well too, and I appreciate how those competing characters are still friends and treated with respect, instead of being "enemies" trying to "steal" anyone. The magic references are fun too, although if you aren't familiar with Magic (esp turn of the century magic) you probably get lost quite a bit. (Although they go above-and-beyond with annotations to explain magic jargon).

    As far as criticisms, it's mostly similar child-sexualization ones: the girl MC Emi is shown multiple times in outfits like bikinis, short-shorts, etc. Which to be fair isn't necessarily bad or unrealistic, middle-schoolers can and do wear those kinds of outfits in real life, but the illustrations have the feel to me as being made for the reader's gaze, rather than a fashion choice for the character. There is also one of the regular side characters (an adult man of the card shop group) who makes several groomer-style "jokes", like asking her to promise to date him when she turns 18, and inviting her to a group blind date, and such, and these jokes are played off in the novel as "haha silly" where it would be deeply uncomfortable (she's literally in middle school dude! You're a whole-ass grown man!) Thankfully none of these happen very often, so don't impact my enjoyment greatly, but they are already such minor parts of the story that I wonder why they needed to be in there at all.

    Chainsawman Spoilers Kino, I love this so much. It's such a stupid premise (guy with chainsaws for hands!) that is actually a really poignant and well-told story of abuse, loss, and growth. Denji really grows throughout the series, and just like real growth it involves lots of ups and well as downs. The betrayal, the loss, the many many cool characters, the sense of dread never knowing when someone will die, this may be my favorite manga so far. I initially thought the series maybe should've ended at the first arc, but I'm really enjoying Asa's arc, and the Denji parts, seeing how he's grown and learned but still being a confused and scared kid.

    As a reverse-criticism, I actually really enjoy how Fujimoto handled the sexualization of his woman characters. To start, they're all adults (hooray!). But the three main ones (Power, Makima, and to a lesser extent Reze) all have narrative reasons for being "Hot": for Power, it was important for their arc, where he comes to realize that he can have a platonic and loving relationship with her that doesn't feel "naughty", his first experience with love from a woman that isn't led by sexuality. Makima is commentary on abuse, in the ways she intentionally and specifically uses her attractiveness to manipulate and abuse Denji. Reze shows up for not very long, but serves as Denji's first "true love" who actually treats him kindly and like someone who actually would love him, before sadly betraying him (but then trying to reverse-betray him maybe? Before Makima ruins it). Having hot women characters, who act sexy, but actually using that as a part of the story and characterization instead of just a alluring piece of art for the reader, was great.

    And that's my wall of text! One other thing I've really enjoyed is the ability to engage with the pop-culture. One of the benefits of Anime and Manga tending to stay real close to each other narratively is that I can have discussion with people who watch TV, which isn't really possible with my usual books.

    (I was worried about bumping this thread so much later, but by coincidence today's the last day to get the Nagotoro sale, so it's relevant! Not for me, but maybe for someone else)

    1 vote

  17. Comment on Request for info: Is "Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro" respectful of it's child characters? in ~anime

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    Responding over here to, to say I would be down to have the conversation if you want to. I'll admit my thoughts will be less-formed, as I'm newer as a whole, but I do have some to share if you'd...

    Responding over here to, to say I would be down to have the conversation if you want to. I'll admit my thoughts will be less-formed, as I'm newer as a whole, but I do have some to share if you'd enjoy that

  18. Comment on Request for info: Is "Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro" respectful of it's child characters? in ~anime

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    Ah I wasn't familiar with the existence of Josei (still learning the different subgenres as a whole), I'll check that out. Thanks for the recs on the subscription services too, but I sadly have a...

    Ah I wasn't familiar with the existence of Josei (still learning the different subgenres as a whole), I'll check that out. Thanks for the recs on the subscription services too, but I sadly have a mental need to own/keep the books I enjoy, so digital purchases are the way for me. Thankfully I'm in a privileged enough position that spending money on a Vol 1 I don't end up enjoying isnt a big deal, but I do try to do my diligence still

    2 votes

  19. Comment on Request for info: Is "Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro" respectful of it's child characters? in ~anime

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    Thank you for the lengthy write-up, I think this is the one that's convinced me not to pick it up. I want to be clear this isn't some kind of protest against the content existing, but it just...

    Thank you for the lengthy write-up, I think this is the one that's convinced me not to pick it up. I want to be clear this isn't some kind of protest against the content existing, but it just seems like I wouldn't enjoy it. We're blessed to live in a world where there's so much great art you couldn't possibly enjoy it all in your life, so I can read what I enjoy without having to worry about missing out.

    3 votes

  20. Comment on Request for info: Is "Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro" respectful of it's child characters? in ~anime

    Chemslayer
    Link Parent
    Hi! Sorry for dropping off this chat, and thanks for the pull back. Ive very much enjoyed my journeys into Manga so far, and am definitely not shy on the genre as a whole. Comprehensive List of...

    Hi! Sorry for dropping off this chat, and thanks for the pull back. Ive very much enjoyed my journeys into Manga so far, and am definitely not shy on the genre as a whole.

    Comprehensive List of Mangas I've read & Enjoyed for those interested.

    Death Note
    One Punch Man
    Dandadan
    Delicious in Dungeon
    SpyxFamily
    Chainsaw Man (on vol 14, so nearly caught up)
    Destroy All Humans: They Can't Be Regenerated

    I also dipped my toe into Shojo with Humble Bundles recent Shojo bundle at the $1 tier, and really enjoyed A Condition Called Love vol 1, it is very cheesy but I enjoyed the innocence and tropes of it all. As a 30-something cis "straight" man it "makes sense" that I tended more towards shonen, but I'm enjoying pushing my boundaries towards "girly" genres like romance, hence my interest in the above. My discovery method has generally been "I've heard this anime is well received" and that has worked so far, but I know there's whole oceans out there (not to mention western-style comics which I'm also simultaneously exploring).

    I don't know if you were wanting to give recs for Manga in general, or for romance specifically, but I'm happy to hear either! Also down to share more what I enjoyed (and what I didn't) about those I've read, if you want to hear it

    3 votes