#Awesome Review

[austismo-posting]

Bought psycholonials cause I vibed with the trailer and awesome so far tbh, I'm on chapter 4 still but I'm way more engaged than when I tried to read homestuck, my brain got bored so quickly I gave up after 2 or 3 pages but with psycholonials I'm down to clown

[bacchuschucklefuck]

❗❗Official Class Swap Sorcerer!Kristen Post Alert❗❗ you can: look at her

[noodle555]

I’m never gonna shut up about these guys

[cloxite]

OH do yall wanna hear a story relating to Gerard I found out from an editor from dark horse comics

[quintingell]

The snow-white ground was cracked like dried lips and crunched under my feet. I could smell the salt. I kept trying to think of what it looked like, but my brain could only find highly figurative similes. It looks like driving alone at night feels. It looks like everything you're scared to say out loud. It looks like the moment the water retreats from the shore just before a wave rolls in.

~John Green, The Anthropocene Reviewed

[yasmeensh]

Paleolithic Media Catalogue

Hello everyone :) Short story first: When I began brainstorming for my prehistoric story, I started wondering what other prehistoric fiction there is out there. I was not familiar with it and have not seen much. That's when I started my grand literature review and began a search for what fiction exist out there. I wanted to know what kinds of stories are being made with this time period. What are the common themes or recurring ideas (I found lots of humans and dinosaurs works. And time travel). Since I've had a growing collection on my computer, I decided I should keep on enlarging it and put it online. It's nowhere near complete. I'll slowly keep accumulating the collection as I find more. I only have fiction books and comics right now. I still need to work on the film section.

You can access the blog here!

***

As for where I am in my reading, the one's I've finished reading are Earth's Children series (book 1-4. Dropped it afterwards lol. I made a post on with fanart) Dance of the Tiger and it's sequel Singletusk (They were good! I'll upload my review on the blog), and Sisters of the Wolf (It was ok!). I got my hands on The Inheritors and excited to start reading it. I REALLY want to read the Shiva trilogy, but I found no PDF online... and it's out of print :( There is certainly old copies on ebay. And I want to read Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. There seem to be lots of good books out there.

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

Taking a break from my accomplishments, to celebrate the accomplishments of others. These were the most memorable fics I read that was updated in 2023! I am quite certain I've forgotten some REALLY awesome ones too, so feel free to reblog and add on!

Sunny's 2023 Fic Rec

BAGGINSHIELD

G Rated Fics:

Happy Accidents by Fantasyinallforms- This is one of my favorite modern universes! Just super sweet, complete with idiot in love and clumsy Thorin.

Of Hobbits and Dwarves by Wannano- This is just a really sweet story where Bilbo takes in a family of dwarves and they change his life completely.

Stoneborn by Porphyrios- In all the cabbage patch hobbit/stone born dwarf fics, this one just really stands out all on its own with Bilbo's utter bafflement of the situation at hand.

T Rated Fics:

The Antidote by Atisenia- This is such an interesting premise to a sort of Sleeping Beauty AU.

My Ego Dies by Conkers- This was the unrequited pining but not actually unrequited fic I absolutely 100% NEEDED.

Secret Angel by DomesticGoddess- This just such a fascinating AU with Thorin being an angel in a secret research facility and the twist ending was awesome!

There and Not Back Again (or, The Saving of Erebor) by femmebingley- The dwarven politics in this fic is astounding, and all the characters are so richly enhanced.

When Darkness Shines Brightest by LordOfTheRazzles- This unique take on a Persephone/Hades AU has some of the best character introspection in the fandom.

M Rated Fics:

All Ahead, Full Sail by durinsheir- This is the mermaid AU of mermaid AUs! Full of action and adventure and pirates!

Erebor Books&Cafe by thorinsbeard- Thorin is so cute in this modern soulmate fic that I can't wait to see more of!

The Kitchen Thief by mordelle- "Oh no, it's the nutty baker." BEST LINE EVER!

Makes the Whole World Blind by Chrononautical- This was such a good POV swap for a one-shot I absolutely ADORE!

Show Me My Silver Lining by BiSquared- I am still searching for a male cover of Jolene that would fit to this fic. ALL THE KUDOS!

Stranded by Ticklesivory- I really enjoyed the Sci-Fi/Fantasy clash of this fic and will be here for any and all additions to this fic!

E Rated Fics:

Bruises on the Heart by thehufflepuffhobbit- Of course Robyn never lets us down in smut, but this little soulmate AU was exactly what I was looking for with this kind of trope!

Everybody's After Love by Isclanel- I think I've reread this fic 3 times, the characterizations are just perfect in this modern best man meets the best man fic.

If You Lend a King a Hand by Cranbear- This just so well done with a PWP beginning that grows and adapts to the characters and the interactions and the relationships.

Intertwined by badskippy- I absolutely neeeeed to know the ending to this messed up Greek tragedy of a fic (affectionate).

Nothing Gained by Not Gathering Roses by rosasynstylae- Promiscuous hobbits are always a good idea, even better when they have tails.

Of Palaces and Ruins by livelongandgetiton- In the process of rereading this incredible slowburn modern AU.

Through the mist (I find you) by MiraHerondale- I can't get enough of the 'Thorin has amnesia' trope and when you add on a slice of angst and a dash of guilty smut you get this masterpiece!

Not Rated Fics:

Ambassador to Madness by SunnyRose- Because I might as well sneak a self-rec in there while I'm at it. XD

[ripplethepickle]

Silli lil One i impulsively painted last night because I am NOT immune to nefarious women!!!!

[teamcurtflake]

Cinderella's Castle Review

At long last, what everyone (no one) has been waiting for - my review of Cinderella's Castle! Fair warning, there may be spoilers ahead! Mkay you've been warned. 💚

First, my general thoughts. Overall, I thought this was a fantastic addition to the long list of excellent musicals from Team StarKid. The story was familiar yet innovative, the characters were immersive, and the combination of the music and choreo was incredible. I may have laughed more during this show than any other StarKid show, but there were also some absolutely devastating and emotional moments. Also, everyone is so hot in this show it's unfair.

The choreo? PERFECTION. Lauren really outdid herself with the dance choreo. It was so different from that of other StarKid shows, but it absolutely matched each song immaculately. In addition to this, every cast member executed the choreo excellently. Special shout-out to Curt for slaying the fight choreo.

Speaking of the songs though - Jeff Blim the man that you are. All of the songs are so cool and catchy and, again, different from what we've been used to with Hatchetfield. Shout-out to the band aka the Whippoorwills for CRUSHING it! Everyone's voices sounded fantastic, 10/10, and I don't think I'll ever be able to pick a favorite song.

Nick and Matt Lang are geniuses, and this just confirms that. They created a story around something that is well-known and potentially overdone BUT made it their own with some special StarKid magic. The story is dark, hilarious, and touching all at the same time. They've come up with these brilliant characters that you can't help but fall in love with (which is obviously a combination of the writing AND the brilliant portrayal by the cast).

Sidenote - the wardrobe is STUNNING.

Now I could keep rambling, but instead I'll leave y'all with my summary of each cast member's performance in five words or less:

Angela - regal yet evil

Bryce - haunting and powerful

Curt - dadius (but also MOOD)

James - side-splittingly hilarious

Jeff - the realest

Joey - I wanna squeeze him

Jon - so so noble

Kim - ETHEREAL

Lauren - sweetie pie

Mariah - gross in a good way

[hasarjunadoneanythingwrong]

I got a really important commission from @theneonflower that i need everyone to see ASAP

[stupid-fucking-storm]

Watched Cinderella’s Castle and had a very underwhelming experience. Review and LONGGG rant under the cut.

Minor spoilers.

First of all, I thought the pacing was really, really bad. I also thought the tone of the story was really weird??

Obviously it’s Starkid, they love putting things in odd tones, but there was not one song or moment that really made me feel anything for these characters. In fact, the most I felt for any of them was Lauren’s throwaway cousin character, who was killed pretty much immediately.

This was not at all the fault of the performers, who were doing The Most with the script they were given. Performance-wise, in fact, it was very good. Aside from Jeff Blim, who honestly made me completely dislike him due to this show. I’m sure he’s a fine guy, but he constantly writes music for his falsetto which he seems very proud of but is …never… on pitch. I’ve grown increasingly bored with his score and lyric writing through Nightmare Time and this show was the embodiment of that.

The absolute worst part of the show was the incessant background music—something they carried over from Nightmare Time as if we enjoyed that. I certainly didn’t, it made Nightmare Time a tough watch for me. Plunky little notes like synth improv, absolutely separate in tone from the dialogue, plague every scene. This is especially bad in the second act to the point that I actively stopped trying to understand or care about the scene because the background music was suggesting that I shouldn’t. Keep in mind this was during what I think was an important exchange between Bryce and Curt’s characters. Honestly, I could not tell you. I don’t watch musicals with subtitles on so I can be surprised by dialogue and make it more akin to watching the performance live. This was a mistake. This was a long stretch of dialogue, too, completely nullified by the dumb background music. I mean, think Nightmare Time improv synth but with none of the recognizable motifs. That’s what it was. For almost the entire show.

As I mentioned, the music was again by Jeff Blim. I was worried when this was announced because of how boring, same, and uninspired his stuff has become, but I wanted to give it a chance. When it was announced as a pop rock musical, I got more pessimistic. I was unfortunately correct.

There are about 2 songs that I enjoyed, and one that was very good for the first 15ish seconds. Almost every song’s tone was completely wrong for the scene/what they were conveying. And not in a fun, we’re-doing-something-unconventional way, which Starkid has done really well in the past.

Angela fucking killed as the stepmother, but her singing range is very limited. Everyone knows this and that’s fine!! I’m begging Jeff to stop writing music for her that’s outside of her range. It’s not like they didn’t know who they would cast. I think it’s been stated that Starkid still have to audition for their roles, but with such a small cast I’m sure Nick/Jeff/Matt have an idea when they’re writing.

Mariah and Lauren did great performances as the stepsisters. I wasn’t expecting Lauren’s elf voice and thought that was a little off the mark. She still slayed, it’s Lauren.

The problem is, these characters had so little depth that none of them really had an arc at all. There was not much for the actors to do or build on to make me care about them. Let me be crystal clear: I LOVE STARKID. Fucking love it. Even I couldn’t give a fuck about anyone’s character in this show but Lauren’s throwaway character and Angela’s villain—and probably mostly because I’ve grown very fond of Angela’s acting and performance recently on Smosh.

I’m not saying anyone did a bad job. They did their best with what they had. My issue is entirely with the writing, the music writing particularly, and the pacing, which was god-awful.

Now, the puppets.

This was the part of the show I was most excited for. Starkid hasn’t done puppets for a while! And I loved the Starship puppets! Horror/weird looking puppets?? Sign me up!

Unfortunately, this also left a lot to be desired. I enjoyed the puppet for Crumb and the frog, and Joey is an especially EXCELLENT puppet actor. But the troll puppets were really lack-luster. Seeing the actresses so clearly beneath them, still in their elegant dresses when they were supposed to be fully these ugly monsters, was very immersion-breaking. Even attaching a dark cloth to them to hide their bodies and a screen over their faces would have done A LOT. This was really disappointing. So was the weird voice effect on Angela’s troll. Only because she was already doing a voice, and it was delayed just long enough for it to be jarring and disrupt my ability to follow what she was saying. (Fyi, I do not have any sort of processing disability or disorder.) Still, her performance was really great and I’m happy to see her in a main role.

I didn’t find James’ character charming or funny, which may be an acting thing or may be a writing thing, I’m not sure. I’ve never been a huge fan of his, and I found his interpretation of the character to be pretty bland and literal. I would have liked to see some hints of a real person under all the crude jokes the prince makes—but this is likely due to writing issues/tone issues.

Curt was great, there was not a lot for him to do. Kim SLAYYYYYYYED her song and it was the only one I really liked. But she did not act in this show and was really underutilized, as probably the most vocally talented person in the cast. JLB was not in this show, which I didn’t realize and was saddened by. I think she would have brought a great energy to it. Jon’s performance was sweet and he was obviously having a good time. Let the man sing more often. Bryce slayyyed the vocals but the acting was ehhh. Again, not a lot of depth. Her whole thing felt really rushed due to writing and pacing. The fact that I can’t remember if anyone else was even in this, without looking, is a little sad.

Overall I’m very disappointed. The tone, pacing, and background score were quite bad. The set design, music, and characterization was bland. The costume design was good—I found myself commenting on the outfits frequently. Some of the puppets were good, others confusing. After watching it, I’m really, really not excited about “The Lands That Are” and am terrified for another Hatchetfield wearing out its welcome.

In conclusion: To watch this for $15 is fine but I’m certainly glad I did not fly to see this in person, which I had considered doing. I will always support Starkid, but if they keep hiring Jeff for the music, I am going to continue the decline in passion I have for it, which started when Nightmare Time did. I’m hoping that they’re able to mix the background music to non-existent or extremely quiet in the YouTube version after enough feedback, and that the next musical is more inspired and—GOD—not fucking pop rock again.

[aperture-of-bullshit]

jentry chau vs the underworld was quite fun. Very stylish. It is unfortunately not the best paced. Episode ten reads like a season finale, and if it were the finale most of my issues would instantaneously disappear.

And so this may just be me tin hatting a bit, but I think the show may have been pitched with two seasons, but they were only given one. And the creative team had some reason to believe that they’d be extremely unlikely to get a season two (I simply couldn’t imagine why, what with the general state of the American animation industry)(this is the most sarcastic I’ve ever been in my life). And the result is they condensed their plans for season two into three episodes and tacked it onto the backend of season one.

The condensing not only removes some pretty pivotal character development scenes (Micheal learning and developing his visions, Micheal and Jentry’s relationship and breakup) but it also severely fucks with the pacing, because once again: Episode ten is a perfect season finale.

TL;DR go watch jentry chau, but be forewarned that the general state of the tv animation industry is looming and ever present.

[socialistexan]

@quinton-reviews mom is so fucking real for this.

[i-am-trans-gwender]

I decided to watch some new Nostalgia Critic videos after not watching him for years. The videos don't have as many skits as they use to and the ones they do have are not as elaborate.

Which is a real shame. Today's kids will never be able to walk into the public park and see someone filming Mario and Luigi whipping Santa.

[andreai04]

It was starting to sink in that for the rest of my life, the people I met, the people I became close to—there would always be a chance that they saw me as a payout.

[santapau]

My comic Lydia Ray is the deal of the day on Drivethru Comics.

This is a 40 pages PDF comic book, that includes 3 wacky adventures of store windows' decorator Lydia Ray, in various surreal mysteries. It also includes additional texts about the inspiration for these stories, reference pics and process sketches. I put a lot of love into it. I hope you like it!

It’s on sale today, for just $1 here.