[Unrelated, anyone playing the current season of Diablo 4? I can't quite hit Pit 55 or take down Belial in Torment 3, either of which will complete the achievements for me so I can get the new cat pet]

[Update: suddenly realized I didn't need to beat Pit 55 before the clock ran out, just eventually; my problem was single-target DPS, not survival, so I just nibbled on the boss until it went down.]

The Apothecary Diaries 2, episode 21

It is often the case that Maomao solves a problem in a unique way. This may be the most Maomao-ish solution yet. It’s a small moment in an episode packed with dramatic revelations, which makes it all the more precious.

Slime-Killing Witch 2, episode 10

Idol concerts are the Demon Lord’s workshop, and those who do not have fluffy foxgirls are doomed to invent them by slipping some special shrooms into dinner. The chase scene was way too long and shouty, but the episode had enough Best Girl Beelzebub to pacify me.

(Pecora is best consumed in small doses, however)

Bumpkin & Harem, episode 10

Good news, bad news.

Good: a flashback reveals that there were a lot more cute gals in his dojo than we’ve met yet. Busty Blue-Haired Foreign Gal was apparently a much more recent student than the others, so there’s still a few in the pipeline. Not that Beryl’s laying pipe…

Also good: Our Father-Figure Hero is finally developing a danger sense about Thirsty McWhiteHair’s obsession with him.

Still good: more daddy/daughter bonding over dinner, dashing the hopes of certain fan-artists who want to see Mewi as a proper haremette (just saw a set of pics where the entire female cast was about six months pregnant, sigh).

Bad: the big fight scene was entirely CGI, with poor character art. Disappointing, since they’d been doing a good job handling the sword work with mostly 2D.

(nice touch having Mewi reluctantly ask for help reading; it’s a realistic problem for a girl raised on the streets, and it makes sense that she’s afraid her classmates will look down on her if she reveals it)

Getting a piece

…of dinnerware, that is. Years ago, after a visit to my house in Salinas, my sister ordered my mother to go in with her on replacing my dishes. “Oh my god, mom, he’s got Corelle!!!”

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So I found myself with eight place settings of Royal Doulton’s Gordon Ramsay Maze in denim blue and white. They’re thick, heavy, and quite easy to chip, so I soon found myself picking up some extra pieces. Then they discontinued the denim color about 10-12 years ago (it’s back now). Then they stopped selling individual pieces.

Recently I got tired of having a few missing pieces, and bought a pair of white salad plates on eBay. The day before they arrived, the seller abruptly realized he’d sent bowls instead of plates, and told me he’d refund the money and relist the plates. I sent the box of bowls back, he processed the refund, and promptly relisted the bowls. A quick ping, and he correctly relisted the plates. All’s well, and in a few days I should finally have them.

One thing I never liked about the Maze sets is that there’s no proper bread/dessert plate, just large salad plates and huge dinner plates, so some years back I tried to find something that was a reasonably close match, and bought a set of 6 Noritake “Suimon” plates. Then I moved back to Ohio and became the designated host for family holidays, and needed at least two more.

They don’t exist. No online dealer has heard of them, including Noritake. And most bread/dessert plates are a slightly different size. Sigh.

(I still use some of the Corelle, because it was made before the brand was sold off and produced overseas, which resulted in quality control issues (“exploding plates”); one time when the whole family was over, I needed a few oval platters and brought those out, and my sister ground her teeth as my mom praised the pattern I’d chosen…)

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