Category: Op-Eds

Otome Debates: Introduction

Published on by Blerdy19 Comments

Hey Hey Heroes, Travelers, and Wandering NPCs, welcome to the introductory post of the new Otome Debates series! *throws confetti* Technically, this series won’t start until next Tuesday, but before I spring it on you guys I wanted to go over what to expect from the series when it kicks off next week.

What The Series is About…

This is a brand spankin’ new bi-weekly (Tuesdays) post series where I talk about a few of the “controversial” topics floating around the online otome community. I’ll be covering a wide range of topics within the scope of otome games and their connected media. You don’t necessarily have to be familiar with otome games or the online otome games community to enjoy these posts, since they will mostly offer a general overview of the topic with points from both sides.

The Format…

The basic format will be as follows:

  • Introduction: Brief overview of the topic and an introduction to the various viewpoints people in the otome community have about said topic.
  • Viewpoint Breakdown: This will make up the bulk of the post (roughly 2-4 paragraphs) and focus on fleshing out the opposing viewpoints of the topic. I’ll highlight the main points of each opposing viewpoint, while offering examples to support or refute each argument. I will try to remain as impartial as possible in this section in order to give readers a better understanding of the subject matter without my ickle feelings getting in the way.
  • My Personal Opinion: Like it says, I’ll offer up my opinion on the topic and where I stand on the issues presented in the Viewpoint (name to be changed) section. I’ll try to keep this short, but if I feel strongly about the topic, it might be longer…
  • Conclusion/Wrap Up: A summary of the points presented in the post followed by a poll, so that you guys can weigh in on which side of the debate you stand on (anonymously). You can also share your opinions in the comments section and/or ask for clarification on a point brought up in the post.

Like I said, I won’t be unrolling this bad boy until next week Tuesday, so be on the lookout for that. As a show of good faith, I’ll reveal the topic for the inaugural post… *drumroll* Otome Game Localizations! Yeah, people have strong feelings about localization, so I figured it’d be the perfect way to kick off the new year!!

What do you think of the new post series? Think it’s a good idea? Do you have a topic suggestion? Wanna chat? Drop a line in the comments section (I promise, I don’t bite…much). As always THANK YOU FOR READING!! 

Melanin Monday: Why We Need Black Panther

Published on by Blerdy10 Comments

I recently saw Thor: Ragnarok, and while I think it is one of the better films to come out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date, though I will admit a lot of that had to do with the tone of the film, rather than the actual plot (but that’s a discussion best saved for another day). In fact, I absolutely love the MCU, the good, the bad, and the ugly (I’m looking at you Hulk and Incredible Hulk), but there is one film that I am looking forward to the most from the MCU… and no, it’s not Infinity Wars Pt 1…. I mean, I am, that shit looks like it’s going to be epic, but even more than that, the film I am most looking forward to is Black Panther!

I still remember the first time I saw the teaser trailer, it literally gave me chills, hell, I still get chills every single time I watch this trailer. Don’t get me wrong, T’Challa is not the first black superhero to grace the silver screen (and God willing, he won’t be the last), but Black Panther has something the Blade franchise, Spawn, and of course the comedies like Blankman and Meteor Man never quite seemed to capture with their Black super hero leads. Don’t get me wrong, each film mentioned above, has it’s merits, but each one is missing a bit of that inherent Blackness that makes Black Panther stand out as something truly revolutionary.

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Don’t Do It: Where I Stand on Piracy in the Otome Community

Published on by Blerdy11 Comments

This post has been a long time coming, and while I have been relatively silent on the whole thing, this is something that needed to be said. Now, there are two reasons I have been quiet about this and they are as follows: One, I know some of the purists out there will find my stance a bit “controversial” (mind you I legit made air quotes when I said that) and I didn’t want to deal with the backlash from that when I was just getting my start… believe it or not I am sensitive about that sort of thing. Two, I was a pirate myself and I had no desire to draw attention to myself by making any claims one way or the other, again in order to avoid backlash…

control your emotions

Before you guys start sharpening your axes and grabbing your pitchforks, I’ll have you know I am reformed and believe me, I have the bank statements to prove it! So, I more or less have a pretty strong opinion about people pirating games, however, you should note that I am not a purist in any sense of the word, so my stance is double sided. I am prepared for a bit of backlash with this one and honestly, you’d be pretty hard pressed to change my opinion on this topic since I have literally been on both sides of the debate. But, I do encourage you all to share your thoughts on this topic in the comments section, however, keep the personal attacks to yourself. I am not against telling someone to *clears throat* “Go fuck themselves”, and that’s literally all the warning I plan on giving, because I do not tolerate personal attacks. 

*Disclaimer: This post contains my thoughts and my opinions about piracy and such I tend to use rather colorful language when discussing things I am passionate about, be warned that there will be a bit of swearing involved in this post. I could have censored this post, but I didn’t! 

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Only Lonely Women Play Otome Games and Other Common Misconceptions

Published on by Blerdy20 Comments

This post has been a long time coming, and I mean a LONG time coming… I had the idea for this post around the time that post about the infamous Vogue article, but it wasn’t until a month or two ago when I saw an especially troubling search term that I actually started writing this post.

Otome miscon

Before I get into why this is so problematic, let me say that I am in no way shape or form the authority on otome games and the types of people that play them. I can only speak for myself and my experiences. However, despite that I can still say with some degree of certainty, that otome gamers get a bad rap sometimes. So I decided to write a post that addresses some of the misconceptions people have about otome gamers while still answering the above question.

*Disclaimer: The ideas presented in this post are my own, it’s fine if you disagree with me. All I ask is that you be respectful when commenting. 

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Mystic Messenger Bans and the Petition

Published on by Blerdy65 Comments

Edit (9/25): I have been receiving a large number of comments from players that are receiving bans for reasons other than turning back the time on their devices. If you feel that you have been wrongfully banned, contact Cheritz directly and submit an official report on the issue through: help@cheritz.com!

Edit 9/24: The petition was removed from Change.org due to negative backlash on twitter. The creator posted an explanation on Instagram, but it has since been removed. 

*Cheritz has lifted bans on all wrongfully banned accounts, read the full post, HERE!*

I really thought that I was done writing about Mystic Messenger, but the recent update has many in the fandom up in arms and I think it’s time I gave opinion on the matter.

I do not stand behind that silly Petition, in fact, I think the whole thing is utterly ridiculous! For those who don’t know, Cheritz just released an update that changed some things about the Mystic Messenger experience:

  1. Players that were/are resetting their device times to replay missed chats will now have their accounts PERMANENTLY BANNED!
  2. Max Speed in chats will now be reserved for VIP members only. VIP membership can be  purchased from Cheritz, HERE.
  3. Cheritz will also be restricting the number of save files players can use for free.
  4. Finally, 5 HOURGLASSES will be used every time players load a save file!

First, I see absolutely nothing wrong with these updates. Cheritz is still a relatively small developer and they spent a lot of time and money to make this game a reality. So, it only makes sense that they would try to recoup some of their investments. Developing a game, especially a voiced game requires a considerable amount of money and time. And the fact that Cheritz decided to make the game a free to play app is very generous on their part! So when I saw that some angry fan went out and created petitions against Cheritz on Change.org, I was a little pissed off and here’s why…

*This post is my opinion and it’s cool if you don’t agree with it, I am open to hearing what everyone has to say, but I WILL NOT TOLERATE any personal attacks. Do not use my comments section to attack anyone, be sure to keep all discussions tame.

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