#I wish she had a real anime debut

[lavianim]

Anime Sapphire!

[bunnyrafe]

𓊆ྀིRULES OF ENGAGEMENT𓊇ྀི — rafe & reader make their official debut at midsummers, but things can never seem to go to plan.

♥︎ 𝓃otes: so excited to share this one with everyone— i adore playing around with AUs and dynamics. enjoy xoxo

content / warnings -> 18+, MDNI. 900. arranged marriage AU. f!reader, kook!reader, mean!rafe, drinking, violence.

from your understanding, it was more or less ward's last wish. it was something him and rafe had privately discussed with your parents while you were somewhere twiddling your thumbs, you suppose. you were to marry into the cameron family and there was very little you could do about it— even after ward's passing.

it’s the way things go. it’s what the island needs.

your mother and father were more than happy to send you off to tannyhill, helping you pack up your childhood bedroom into designer duffle bags. from your stuffed animals and comfort items, to your prettiest sundresses and most expensive heels.

that night while you unpacked everything you were inconsolable. shivering in your new room that seemed uncomfortably vacant despite the vintage furniture and floral wallpaper. you could feel rafe’s gaze on your back. it burned right through your blouse— it made your frame tremble and shake more than your sobs ever could, all while he silently stood in the doorway like a sociopath.

“things aren’t so bad here, y’know?” rafe almost sounded like he was lamenting— like he was trying to convince himself more so than you.. but his next words were like a dagger to your chest, “i can guarantee i’ll treat you better than your parents did— they couldn’t wait to get rid of you.”

he was gone before you could say anything in return. although it would have been tearful nonsense.

for the first time since you entered the house, you felt like you could breathe due to his sudden absence.

midsummers— you almost wonder if this was all coordinated. it can’t be a coincidence that your first sighting as an “engaged couple” is at midsummers. yet you try not to dwell on it, because it’s too late now anyway as rafe helps you out of his truck.

you land on your heeled feet with a squeak, quickly fixing the skirt of your dress while he scoffs at you, “could you have worn a shorter fuckin’ dress?”

“fuck off.”

you bite back with zero hesitation, snatching your hand away from his own and grabbing your clutch out of the passenger seat where you left it. you stomp away with a clicking sound every time your feet fall on the pavement, and rafe can’t help but grin before he slams the truck door shut and follows behind you.

it takes you all of two minutes to find a glass of champagne and your friends. you ignore rafe's fond gaze on you from the bar, assuming it's nothing but an act for all of the other kooks around the two of you to fall for and fawn over. you're trying to have a good night— you haven't had that luxury in months.

rafe is content at the bar. until he feels an unwanted presence. some guy he vaguely remembers from the private school you all went to. he has the nerve to eye rafe up and down, leaning over the bar right next to him and slurring on his words—

“you got a good one— huh, cameron?” rafe watches this bastard’s gaze travel to you. you, who’s giggling with your group of girls and lighting up the whole room… but you're still causing trouble in that dress— “hate to say it, but i can’t believe i didn’t get a chance with her before you got to her. bet she's real sweet... right?”

rafe cocks his head to the side, breathing in deeply before he brings his scotch glass to his lips, shooting the rest of his whiskey in a single second before he slams the crystal down on the wooden bartop. in an instant, he has this guy’s collar balled up in his fists. nearly choking him with the stiff cotton making up his dress shirt with not an ounce of remorse as he threatens him, meaning it with every fiber of his being— “y’ever even think about her again i’ll knock your fuckin’ teeth out— you hear me?”

when rafe lets go, he falls backwards.

a strong hand wraps around your bare arm, yanking you in whichever direction it wants you to go in while your eyebrows furrow and your face scrunches up.

rafe's voice meets your ears— "we gotta go."

at that your eyes meet his own. his irises are dark and his pupils are blown out with what you can only imagine is anger. his grip on your arm doesn't relent for a single second. especially now that he's dragging you out of the country club so fast that you're tripping over your feet. you feel dizzy with confusion, and the alcohol in your system only exacerbates the issue.

you throw your head over your shoulder, watching the fairy lights twinkle around the patio while both you and rafe get farther and farther away from them, "i haven't even talked to my parents yet..."

rafe only shoves you towards the car.

"why do you have to ruin everything?" you whisper as the waterworks start, just as rafe expected.

he grumbles in return, "shut the fuck up and get in the truck already."

the ride “home” is quiet. aside from your sniffles and tipsy babbles about how you want to go back. rafe grips the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles ache due to the tension, jaw locked even though there’s so much he would die to say to you.

if only you knew that he would kill for you.

[stall1iion]

champions love - four

liked by bsf1, bsf2, maxverstappen1, landonorris and others

y/n.jpg how i pull up to a function after drinking my weight in alcohol 🍷 🥃🍸

view all comments

username2 so we all just here after seeing the pictures huh?

⤷username1 right? Like everyone and their mama here 😭🤣

username7 omg she’s watching both Bridgerton and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, she is so real

username5 knowing how she was going last night she’s probably hungover as hell 😭🤣

⤷username6 shit from the few videos we got it looked like she was an infinity pool of just alcohol

⤷username4 I wanna know how max got her back home

username11 Hey y/n, a good remedy to hangovers is to drink ginger tea and eat chicken noodle soup like you're sick! I find that always works for me

⤷y/n.jpg oh my god, trying this now, thank you so much 🙏🏽

landonorris how are you functioning?

⤷y/n.jpg functioning? What’s that?

⤷charles_leclerc i’m surprised you can stand to look at any device

⤷y/n.jpg alright, not too much now

maxverstappen1 did you take the pills i put on the bedside?

⤷y/n.jpg yeah I did, thanks btw

⤷bsf1 wait…wait- pause- y/n answer the group chat

⤷bsf2 so your over at that man’s house again? 😟🤨

y/n.jpg we were discussing next weeks interview

bsf2 yeah girl…stand up, it looks like we netflix and chilling y/n.jpg oooh 😟 yeah no…never that

⤷username1 TEAM BLACK! WE HAVE MOTHER

⤷username3 does this mean we could potentially get black or green flags for Austria?

⤷bsf1 oh no…you done cuddled up with the man…yeah she’s cooked

y/n.jpg why is everyone saying that?? We’re literally like five feet apart? You can’t even see where we are in the picture 😭

⤷lilymhe I propose (demand) we wear our flags to support our queen on Sunday

y/n.jpg your wish is my command 🫡😋

-> Benedict Bridgeton is y/n's spirit animal

-> y/n's friend's are just teasing (hope they don't come off as bitchy) their just tired of her ass (lovingly)

-> y/n had to explain Targaryen's before watching hotd with max so he wouldn't freak out during the incest bits (90% of the show)

-> y/n got to meet sally and jimmy this trip so expect a lot of cat pictures now!

Author's note!

Hey guys! A bit of a short chapter but I do plan on having the next chapter as it will include our girl's debut on the grid and all the interviews, pictures, and ofc written parts! So bear with me until next Sunday! Hope you enjoy!

Taglist: @boiohboii @ale-522 @ietss @theseerbetweenus @jaxx-7 @sainzluvrr @the-untamed-soul @ashy-kit @hc-dutch @nichmeddar @delululeclerc @sweate-r-weathe-r @dhanihamidi @tellybearryyyy @luvsforme @samantha-chicago

༉‧₊˚  CHAMPIONS LOVE ༉‧₊˚

⤷ Following the messy breakup between Max Verstappen and Kelly Piquet, Max’s manager comes up with a solution to divert the attention – a fake relationship. His new girlfriend? Two time olympic gold medalist figure skater, y/n for the USA team. Easy? Well...

[mrsparrasblog]

Bridgerton x COD crossover

I had so much fun writing this, and TW there will be historical inacurence.

"So what makes you stand out, Miss Lacington?" he asked while he spun the red-haired woman around. She was indeed beautiful, but her dress made her look like a runaway circus animal. However, proper dress code was something he could teach a lady. He knew he couldn’t be too picky; he was a stained viscount, tarnished by the war he had seen and attended. Yet, he didn't regret a second of his life. Being a captain was more important to him than being Viscount Price, but now that his mama was sick, he knew he needed to find a proper lady to grant her the last wish of seeing him married. Perhaps she hoped for a marriage of love, but he already knew that wasn’t for him. Love is for fools. He would marry a woman who could provide him with an heir and fulfill the duty of being Viscountess Price without getting involved in any of Lady Whistledown's scandals.

"I'm skilled at stitching and the pianoforte," she replied. Another one of them, he sighed before walking away, seeking someone more exciting. He saw Miss Winston; at least she had better looks, looks worthy of a viscountess.

"So, Miss Winston, what do you think of children?"

"They’re cute to look at," the young woman smiled, and her eager mama smiled even more.

"Children are not cute to watch; they are to care for, Miss."

"But that’s what maids are for?"

That was enough for him. If it weren’t for his mother, he would have stormed out immediately, but he allowed himself the luxury of hiding on the sidelines. "How is it possible that one cannot find a fitting lady in a room full of them?" he cursed under his breath, not realizing he was being watched until he heard a soft chuckle. When he turned around, he was in denial that you were even real. You were the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Not the ladies in Paris, Milan, or Edinburgh could compare to such a beautiful woman like you, dressed in the finest blue fabric, with curves that were to die for, so unlikely for a woman in England. You held your mouth shut, trying to hide your laughter at his outburst. Another man might have been offended, but he was intrigued. You were bold and beautiful—a dangerous combination. "What is so amusing, Miss?"

Instead of blushing or getting anxious, you just replied with a proper apology.

“No need to apologize, miss…?”

"Miss L/N, daughter of the Earl of Sussex," you replied confidently.

John’s eyebrow perked up at the mention of your father's title, but otherwise, he said nothing in reply, keeping his expression neutral. He was certainly not used to ladies with such confidence who held titles. “Miss L/N,” he repeated as if committing it to memory. “And what do you think of the suitors of the ton so far? Did you come to try your luck on the London marriage mart?”

"I made my debut last year, and indeed I seek a husband."

"Surely, you will be successful at such a task with your beauty; you are certainly not lacking in that area,” he complimented you genuinely. He knew he should leave already; you were unfitting for him. He tried hard not to seek someone like you, who had the chance of finding a devoted husband, someone who wasn’t scarred by war, too close to his cigars, and went to every brothel in London. Only Prince MacTavish was a bigger rake than him. You’d be better off with one of the Bridgerton brothers.

"Excuse me, my lord, may I speak freely?"

John’s eyebrow raised again, this time with mild concern. It was quite rare to be asked for permission to speak by someone in the ton. But he granted your request, intrigued by what you had to say. “Of course, you may speak freely, Miss L/N.”

“If a suitor only seeks me out for my looks, he isn’t a proper candidate for a husband,” this was singlehandedly the smartest thing he had ever heard from a lady of the ton.

John's expression shifted from one of concern to mild, amused confusion at your response, surprised that you said something he actually had to agree with. You were not wrong, after all. Any man would be a fool not to be drawn to your looks, but only a proper match would see past your beauty. He gave a short nod of agreement. “An astute observation, Miss L/N. Yes, only a proper suitor would see past the first impression and see you for everything you have to offer.” It was time to go, he thought, but he wasn’t able to move. He enjoyed an intelligent conversation. Of course, he had them at the club with Garrick, Riley, and MacTavish, but this was different.

"And you, Mister Price, why do the London debutantes not appeal to you?" He was good-looking, a bit too old perhaps, but not older than 32, which was still younger than some of the men who tried to court you. He could clearly have anyone here, maybe even the diamond of the season. Why was he complaining and even listening to your nonsense?

“I suppose...I am looking for a rather specific type in the woman I plan to have as my viscountess. She must be intelligent, capable of holding a proper conversation, and also willing to provide me with heirs. I have little interest in the simpering debutantes who cannot do much more than curtsy, smile prettily, and fawn over me.”

A small chuckle escaped your lips as you heard the crotchety man. "Don’t forget, my lord, they can also wave fans."

"Ah, how could I forget? How important would the ton be without fans," he commented with a sarcastic tone, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "However will I remember all of the intricate signals they flutter in my direction? Will this catch my attention?"

"That's a question you need to ask yourself, Mister Price."

"Perhaps it is a question I have been pondering for some time," he remarked with a shrug before tilting his head and observing you for a second. "And what of you, Miss L/N? What type of suitor are you looking for in a husband? Surely you have a list prepared as well.” He could curse himself for asking, but maybe you would say an unfitting description, and he could move away in the direction of the eager mothers and their dense debutantes.

"I seek a suitor who isn’t shallow, who is kind and isn’t a rake, who can provide for me and our future kids, and if I may dream, someone I would fall in love with,” you answered truthfully, as you always did, a bit too openly for your mother's liking. But she couldn’t really complain about that when you had suitors waiting in line to court you. You promised your mother that you would marry after this season. If you didn’t find love, it would be a political marriage.

Your list mirrored his own almost perfectly, and yet the mention of falling in love with your match was something out of reach for him. "An admirable list, indeed. If only more young ladies in the ton were this grounded," he said with a hint of melancholy before giving you another compliment. "Miss L/N, you surprise me each time you open your mouth."

"Most suitors are negatively surprised when I open my mouth."

"Oh really now? I find that rather unfortunate. A woman of your intellect should be celebrated, not shunned. How many ladies can hold their own during a conversation or even converse on a topic that isn’t a dress? I have had more than my fair share of mindless conversations with the debutantes and their mothers. It is quite…dull."

"Well, maybe you need to improve your search, Mr. Price, when all the ladies on your dance card are this simple-minded." You couldn’t be more direct. Didn't he notice how you hoped he would ask you for a dance? You would gladly throw your dance card away for the prospect of courtship with him.

"But pray tell me, what would your recommendations be for me to improve my search, since you seem to be more clever than the entire room," he said mockingly towards you. He didn’t get the hint. Maybe he was the simple-minded man you thought.

"I wouldn’t call myself clever, Mr. Price. Please, just call me observant. You need to look for a woman who isn’t eager to talk to you with her mama, who isn't aware of your title." You didn’t care that he was a viscount; your father was an earl. That title alone made you able to marry most men in the ton, maybe not Prince MacTavish, despite his efforts for several seasons to find a woman to love.

"I commend your observational and quite sound advice, miss. I suppose I will have to go with a different approach than the one I have used previously," he commented, somewhat amused. "I'm sure my mother would be quite happy to have me take it in a different direction. How you have managed to surprise me twice in the same conversation baffles me."

"Maybe your conversations are mostly blunt."

Oh, you had a way too big mouth for a lady of the ton, but it was refreshing. He already looked for different debutantes who seemed less sophisticated than the previous ones. When he noticed Lord Riley approaching you to ask you for a dance, of course, you agreed like a proper lady would. He couldn't help but feel just a teensy bit jealous of the man he shared many war stories with. He wasn't often jealous, but there was something about how quickly you accepted the offer and seemed willing to flutter your eyelashes and smile at him. "Lord Riley is quite the lucky man," he muttered to himself.

"Found any interesting lassie?" That accent he recognized out of a million people. He bowed in front of the younger prince whom he had taught how to use the archer and ride a horse.

"No, indeed...there are no ladies this season that have caught my eye," he added before he glanced back across the room to where you were dancing with Lord Riley, a hint of a frown on his face.

"I saw your conversation with Miss L/N."

"I did have a rather stimulating conversation with her, indeed." He then tilted his head slightly. "You were watching us, your highness? How unlike you to be paying attention to something like that," he added with a hint of humor in his voice, having to admit the prince caught him somewhat off guard.

"She would make a stunning viscountess."

John knew better than to argue with the prince on the matter, especially at such a public event, so he instead chose to reply with a short nod of agreement to indicate he would entertain the suggestion, even if it was something he had no genuine interest in doing. As he did so, he could not bring himself to look back across the room where you were, having caught sight of the way you batted your lashes at Lord Riley and laughed at something he said.

As the ball finally came to an end, John's relief was immediate. He could finally depart from the room full of debutantes and eager mamas. He couldn't have been more keen to leave, but he did find himself pausing for a moment upon exiting the room—glancing back in hopes of catching another glimpse of the elusive Miss L/N. He couldn't help but find his gaze lingering on you for a moment as you stood chatting with the other girls, your gaze shifting between the ones speaking as you tried to look as though you were interested in their conversation. He found himself watching you for a moment before his head shook slightly, breaking the momentary trance. "Get a hold of yourself, Price," he muttered under his breath, his fingers fiddling with the cufflinks of his suit before he finally departed the room.

[lunawings]

While I was in Japan during March 2024, I was able to visit the Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live 10th Anniversary Exhibit. This is my favorite anime of all time, so it was an incredible honor.

Unfortunately, you could not take pictures in many areas and I always try my best to be respectful and follow the rules. So, I will describe it.

The walls of the first room were covered in several tapestries depicting each individual episode of the anime, so you could reminisce about everything that happened as you slowly walked through the room. In the middle of the room, there were several exhibits perfectly recreating every single paper, notebook, sketch...

Hokkaido itinerary? Wakana and Bell's test scores? Momo's Happy Rain costume sketches? Naru and Bell's manager applications? The score to pride? Any piece of paper you can think of that appeared in PRRL, it was all HERE! Recreated with meticulous accuracy...

The next room was the photo room where you could take pictures in Prism Stone or in front of Rinne's feathers.

Something else they had here which was really neat, was all of these mini photo ops of various scenes from the anime that you could put your plushies or figures into! As I rarely have someone with me to take photos of myself at events like this, and I rarely post them even when I do, NGL I loved it. I wish I had brought something! I did have a PAF Naru on my bag I could have used, but it would have taken time to unpin her so unfortunetly I did not.

The next room contained an exhibit of various merch from throughout the years.

Unfortunately, there wasn't really much merch to look at in the classic section. Just the guitars, some stones, and the Smart Pod Shot. But I definitely think there was more than that back in the day! There has to have been because I own at least one thing that was not in here (a pool bag) haha!

They also had a REAL prism guitar on display, which apparently they are actually going to sell at some point!?

The last part of the exhibit before going to the gift shop, was a hallway with messages from all the voice actresses and the director. This was also a zone where photos were banned, but I remember in the director's he acknowledged Rainbow Live as being the only Pretty Rhythm season to achieve a 10th anniversary celebration and ended his commentary with "Glorious Pretty Rhythm" hahaha. Next was the gift shop...

Which was honestly super disappointing... I was prepared to spend a lot of money here, but in the end, I barely bought anything. Everything, EVERYTHING good was blind and the stuff that wasn't was just so expensive.

Like, they had this set of Hiro cards with his magazine covers and debut poster and I really wanted them but when I actually saw them it was like... 2,000 yen? FOR THREE CARDS!? Those tiny little cards you can see up there below the keychains?

????????????

Am I missing something!?

In the end I bought two Wakana boards and two clear files. And the one blind thing I couldn't resist was the Prism Stone badges... which turned out to be Otoha x2 and one Ann. Gah.

I also might have bought a Wakana plush doll, but she was sold out. Out of all the Rainbow Live girls she was the only one sold out both here and at Tokyo Station Prism Stone.

And here were the bonuses I got. Including, yes, the AiPri card. So for people who saw me posting it over on @pretty-idol-hell, this was where it came from.

I also got a very special letter, which I am saving to translate at a later date...

Outside the event was an up and running Pretty Rhythm machine, or so I thought. Wow, no line! I said to myself as I happily bounced up to it only to find the coin slot taped over and a sign reading it could not be used. Darn. (I know there's no prism stones left in the wild, but come on, there's no free play mode...? Well, I guess even if there was they wouldn't want people loitering around the exhibition.)

Anyway, as you read I did have a few complaints, but it still makes my heart happy that this event existed at all. I loved all the time and effort that went into making all the recreations of things!

[sunsolii]

Napoleon (2023) Review

I know many of you have posted your own reviews and what I'm going to talk about will cover most of what people have said but I wanna give my own perspective on the movie. As you know spoilers will be said, so if yall still haven't watch the movie go before reading.

Alright first, I would like to say the movie overall wasn't that bad nor it wasn't great. Some battle scenes were a bit confusing, Borodino was the one which I got the most confused because of how quick the scene was. One moment I was watching soldiers fight and then it was done, which I guess they wanted to get to the part of Napoleon arriving at Moscow but I digress.

During the Seige of Toulon, I was a bit confused with Napoleon's reaction throughout the whole battle. He was hyperventilating and panicking which seemed strange to me since he was always calm and collected during stressful situations, especially this battle since it was his 'debut' and was an important plan in getting Toulon back in French hands. I understand him being a little bit nervous, but he had to stay calm for the soldier's sake.

Now, lets talk about Napoleon and Josephine's relationship, oh boy, it was a mess. I did like how Naps acted a bit awkward during their first meeting since he was pretty shy and weird around the ladies in real life, but after that the whole relationship seemed too toxic than what it really was. Like the scene where Josephine returned to the chateau after Naps came back from Egypt and him yelling at her and basically telling her she was a slut, him threatening divorce because she couldn't get pregnant at the beginning of their marriage, or when Naps got angry at Josephine yet again and threw food at her, or him slapping Josephine during the divorce scene. I literally let out a gasp when that happened. That whole representation of their relationship was a freaking mess, and don't even get me started with the sex scenes! They were so weird and Naps making animals noises before doing it didn't make it better. I think the worst for me was when Naps called Josephine "little one" like don't start with that kinky shit smh. Also the part where Alexander went to visit Josephine at Malmaison was not necessary, they did develop a friendship but it was nothing more than that.

Besides all the negative things I did like a few things about the movie. For starters Napoleon's first interaction with Josephine, that was a nice touch. The lamb chop scene was hilarious and everyone including me laughed at the scene. Naps falling down the stairs after almost getting killed by the Directory and saying "oh fuck" under his breath while standing up was funny. Even the scene afterwards where Naps and Lucien were struggling to get out and keep everyone inside was funny. His facial expression he made while trying to regain himself had me dying.

What caught me by suprise was Junot being in the movie because correct me if I'm wrong but no other movie had Junot included in it, so when Naps first yelled "Junot" during the Seige of Toulon I was like 'huh? Junot? Like Jean Andoche Junot?? THE JUNOT?? I can't believe what I'm hearing!" and sure enough Junot was in the movie! Even though it was only for like 30 minutes but him being in the movie made me so happy because he is never mentioned in any form of media.

Overall it wasn't as bad as I expected. I still wished they would've added other marshals like Murat and Lannes, but I do appreciate them adding Davout since he is also someone who doesn't get mentioned in movies a lot, so props to you Scott (I guess). I did get over the historical inaccuracies pretty quick, but Wellington and Naps meeting did rub me the wrong way knowing that they never met each other in real life. Also, Ney with a moustache...why??

So that's all I wanted to say about the movie. Sorry if this was a longer post, but I wanted to write down everything before I forget. Thank you for reading!

[puella-1n-somn10]

☀️What your favorite parent from the Sun and Moon anime says about you🌙

CW: SUGGESTIVE JOKES AHEAD. THIS IS ALL MADE IN THE SPIRIT OF FUN AND IS IN NO WAY THERE TO MAKE JABS AT OTHERS.

Kukui: There is a 70% chance that you are a gay man, and I mean this not out of a place of judgement, but experience with the fans. The cause tends to differ between his game and anime incarnations, but, in the latter's case, not only are you happy about his character being developed there, but also are happy to see Ash having that father figure he craved so badly.

Burnet: You've probably popped the BIGGEST bottles when you've recognized her all the way back from Dream Radar, and have managed to get even bigger bottles when she and Kukui got married. Honestly, most of the Burnet fans I saw were real chill people. So long as you're not one of those Gen 5 fans, I have no mean words. The chillest group.

Guzma: Oh, hello, LGBTQ+ community. Either that, or you relate to him and Team Skull on levels that may be deemed as unhealthy. You're a bit on the feral side; chaotic gremlins who will not only listen to whatever combination between Breakcore and Metal there is, but would also make it your neighbors' problem. You understand the pressure of having to succeed in life and inevitably breaking under it, only to receive no compassion nor any form of apology from your elders. Also, def neurodivergent.

Plumeria: Two possibilities; either you're definitely a lesbian and/or trans gal, or are a hardcore Guzmeria shipper- though, it is more than likely that you're both. You love a good ol' girlboss who is not necessarily a villain; someone who was hardened up by experience, but is still, at the day's end, a human. Either you were the one who needed protecting back in the day, or were that protector; either way, you, too, deserved better in life.

Lusamine: Just like Professor Kukui, the reason as to why she's your favorite depends HEAVILY on which Lusamine from which canon we're talking about. Maybe you like the overzealous Lusamine who is presented as a person with actual flaws that hurt everyone around her - including herself - without her knowledge. Maybe you like the prospect of a morally ambiguous Lusamine who is ready to do everything for "the greater good" even at the cost of hurting others, including her own family. Orrrrrrr maybe you have had a parent like Lusamine in the Sun/Moon games, a classic narcissistic parent, and want to hold out to the hopes that, just like her, your own folks would see the error of their ways; that they would actually apologize to you and finally start improving on themselves rather than drag everyone else around them through the mud of their own misery.

Mohn: There is a high chance that you just want the family back together; you reminisce on the old days where they were complete, before they incident with the ultra wormhole, before Lusamine inevitably lost her marbles, but such is the way of life, right? The ultra games were your golden era, and his anime debut? Let's just say that your wishes FINALLY came true after so long. You love fix-fics and those surrounding the pain of amnesia a bit too much.

Abe/Mallow's dad: Him being a hunk - a himbo - aside, the trauma, the potential, the raw emotion; all there as garnishes for this fine steak of a man and you love each and every one of them. His incompetence and portrayal as a neglectful parent in Mallow and the Forest Teacher forever gives you the ick, but you either tend to ignore it or use that as another source of angst potential.

Mallow's mom: I just know your ass is either suffering from trauma, sudden loss, anxiety, fear of death, or a combination of the above. Yes, you wish she could have been developed a little more, but at least we got a huge chunk of her personality and even development in one episode, which is nothing short of impressive. Also, you like hurt/comfort fics.

Sima/Kiawe's mom: You're right.

Rango/Kiawe's dad: Autism rep? In MY Pokémon anime?! Sorry, but it is so frustrating to see that ya'll are few and far between - just as shy and anxious as your husbando -, but I know you guys exist! Please, let yourselves be known! I would kill just to see some more content regarding him! Also, I just know you love meganes, and, of course, there's nothing wrong with that.

Sophocles' dad: Traumatized. You probably crave the very affection he's giving his wife and kid, and seeing an honest, brash, funny man like him who isn't an abusive rat gave you whiplash initially, but eventually you wanted more. Crafting and/or gardening lover, and maybe a lore fanatic as well because how the FUCK do you know about all the things he's done for Sophocles' happiness from scattered dialogue alone? Also, like Kukui fans, there's a high chance you're neither straight nor cis.

Sophocles' mom: Also traumatized. Maybe a little bit on the autism spectrum, too. Back when the anime first aired, you were scared that maybe the dynamic between and her hubby was imbalanced, until later episodes began to showcase that she is more in charge than he is. You're probably a quiet person irl who is hiding nothing but the most chaotic of thoughts. You wanna try the malasadas she makes at least once.

Lana's mom: I'm saying this right now; if you are well over the age of 20, you are not seeing the pearly gates after the Day of Resurrection.

Lana's dad: Nothing but respect. A man with a design that irradiates potential having less dialogue than Sophocles' mother is infuriating, and the lack of content being made around him by both canon and the fans is even worse, but you don't let that bother you. Either you're the less degenerate version of the fans of his wife, or just like him because he looks way too much like Archie for it to be a coincidence.

[yurisorcerer]

I watch these episodes with a group of friends. All of us are Millennials, somewhere around 30ish give or take a few, and it takes a lot to get a crowd like that to go fully silent for any amount of time during an episode of a kids' anime. Pretty Cure managed it this week, with what is possibly the most affecting episode of any anime that aired in general this past week; given that we're only a few days out from the explosive eighth episode of Girls Band Cry, that's really saying something.

This episode marks Cure Nyammy's formal, confirmed, on-screen debut. Although given that she's still playing the loner card of not wanting Mayu to get hurt, and is thus not presently cooperating with the other two Precure, we can fudge the day by a few weeks depending on how future episodes go. Still, what's been obvious for weeks has now been explicitly confirmed on-screen; Mayu's mysterious protector is none other than her cat Yuki, who is also the coolest, coldest, cuntiest---with apologies to any actual kids reading this---Precure the show has had in years. In fact, I'll go ahead and say we haven't gotten one who serves this hard since at least Cure La Mer, and I might be willing to go several seasons farther back to Kira Kira A La Mode's Cure Macaron, depending. We've had some great Cures since then, but none of them have been this.

More than that, though, this episode is about regrets. Or rather about how Mayu shouldn't have them. At one point, during an otherwise very pleasant and cute day out with her friends, Mayu voices that she wishes she had met Yuki earlier---Mayu literally found Yuki outside in the snow, her namesake, recall---so that the white cat didn't have to spend so many cold nights alone. Yuki, when circumstances and a particularly nasty tiger garugaru force her hand into revealing herself as Cure Nyammy, is not having that. She doesn't want Mayu to apologize, not for anything she did in the past, and not for anything she's doing now. A relevant reassurance, given that Mayu nearly gets herself killed by trying to save a baby duckling in this episode.

Nyammy's henshin sequence deserves a mention, here. This is probably the most eye-popping we've had in a long, long time (to again compare to prior seasons, I think you have to go back to Cure Cosmo to find one this insanely dynamic). She deserves it; the kitty cat Cure subdues the tiger Garugaru easily, leaving cleanup for Wonderful and Friendy. She also tells Mayu to keep being kind, the same sort of kind that led to her taking Yuki in in the first place. There's a fantasy at play, here, the idea that, hopefully, if your pets could talk to you, this is the sort of thing they'd say. We'd all be lucky to be in Mayu's position. We'd be lucky to be in Yuki's, too.

Things end on a tense note, as Yuki tells the other two Precure to stop getting Mayu involved in so many dangerous situations. Things aren't resolved, and any followup on that has to wait for next week, but the lessons learned and emotions felt here are real. No regrets, not even for a second.

[mylifebeingautistic]

book review: Keedie by Elle McNicoll

Set five years before Elle McNicoll's debut A Kind of Spark, this book follows Keedie in her mission to confront the bullies in her school. The book addresses topics such as teenage popularity, standing up for what is right, and complicated relationships between siblings.

Before this book I had already read A Kind of Spark and watched its TV show adaptation, and Keedie was my favourite character of both. So I was very excited about this book from the second I first heard about it. And it didn't disappoint! This book gave me almost everything I could have wished for.

I loved getting to meet Keedie's friends, Bonnie and Angel, who are also autistic, but have different support needs to Keedie. I would have liked to have seen more of them!

Keedie's relationships with her sisters, Nina and Addie, change throughout this book. I thought their dynamics as siblings were written very well. Nina's role in the story was particularly interesting, painting a very realistic picture of what it might be like to be fourteen years old and trying to fit in.

From this point on, I will be discussing spoilers for Keedie. If you don't want to see those, stop reading here!

Firstly, I loved this scene with Keedie and Mr Allison in the library. Keedie tells Mr Allison how she didn't like the books he'd recommended to her, which were all about the main characters having an autistic sibling, rather than autistic people getting to be the heroes themselves.

"Well, I'll be on the hunt for better. The school wants more representation in the library." "Oh, there's some good stuff," I tell him. "Sherlock Holmes. Vincent Van Gogh. Mr Darcy. Jo and Beth March. Mr Dick from David Copperfield." His eyes dance with surprise. "I'm impressed. And they're all autistic?" "Sure," I say, heading for the exit. "They just don't have the paperwork."

I loved this part because it referenced some characters that I also think are autistic. Especially Beth March and Mr Darcy. I've always found them so relatable and thought they would be autistic if they were real and living in a time when they were able to express themselves and get a diagnosis. Maybe I could make another post about book characters I think are autistic. Would you find that interesting?

It crept up on us, this loss of how things used to be. People are now swept up in what other people think of them. From the choking taste of hairspray in the bathrooms to the group chats, something has shifted.

I really liked this description of the change that happens in school as you enter the teenage years. It's such a shame that it happens. Imagine how much nicer the world could be if we were all free to be ourselves, without worrying what others would think.

In the scene where Keedie speaks up for April when she is hit by the snooker ball, I liked how her differences that might be seen as a bad thing by some were useful in doing something good.

Other people have stops in their heads, like the barriers that come down to block a car from driving across train tracks. Other people keep certain words and behaviours inside, the barriers come down and they don't act. They wait. I don't have those barriers. Never have.

When Keedie confronts her sister after Nina's friends bullied Bonnie at the Founders' Day celebration, Nina says this:

"I did nothing!" Nina shouts, suddenly animated. "As usual, I did nothing wrong!"

Which I think is such an important point about how compliance and being a bystander to bullying is actually just as bad as doing the bullying itself.

"Exactly," I say coarsely. "You did nothing."

At the same time, I do feel for Nina, because I remember what it was like to be in her situation. You feel as if you have to go along with the bullies, because if you don't, they will turn on you too. And I'm glad she saw the error of her ways and apologised to Keedie at the end.

At the birthday party, this happens once again:

I silently challenge Nina with a glare. She can make all this go away. She can check her friends. She can take them somewhere else. She can stand up to them, stand up for us, for once. She can make a difference and choose not to be a bystander to her friends and their bullying tactics. But she says nothing.

I thought it was really accurate how in this scene, the type of bullying that Nina's friends use is one that might not seem like bullying to an outsider. Patronising tones, saying horrible things whilst smiling. It becomes worse later, but it is still the type of bullying that is difficult to report. Targets of bullying like this might not tell anyone because of how difficult it is to explain, or they might question whether to report at all, whether the problem is even real or if they're just overexaggerating it. I know this because it happened to me.

"Want to know the worst thing about being autistic? It's not the autism." I throw the napkin down and push back my chair. "It's people like you."

I really liked this ongoing metaphor of the North Star, as Keedie's reason to keep fighting.

If I'm a voyager of sorts, Bonnie is my North Star. I keep one eye on her at all times, no matter the state of the current, and I keep sailing towards it. She's my only North Star and that will never change.

When Keedie tries to give Angel's dad money so that Addie can go to his school, she doesn't have enough. But Angel's dad tells her:

"You be the person you needed at her age. Be her rock. Be the tree that doesn't move in the storm. You can do that, I know you can, you already are!"

I think this really influences Keedie to become the person we know in A Kind of Spark. She realises that she can't change her past, but she can change Addie's future, to make Addie's experience of growing up better than her own.

It's time to stop hunting sea monsters and start rescuing sharks. To keep gazing up at that North Star. Polaris never was just one star in the sky: it looks like a single bright light but it's made up of multiple stars.

Have you read Keedie? What did you think of it? Did you find it relatable in the same ways I did, or in different ones? Let me know in the comments!

[thatoneguy031]

Uhh...

Holy wow, that was fast.

But, uhm. Yeah, onto King Clawthorne, the Titan of Burger Queen!

Also, shoutout to @rainbowangel110 for giving me more info on the show and fandom as a whole:

This isn't gonna be a "Oh my god, this character has pizazz" kinda thing, mostly because King doesn't wear much besides his collar, so this is gonna be more of an analysis of his character, and my personal thoughts on him.

Spoilers for the end of the show, by the way. If you haven't finished the show, I suggest you finish reading here!

...You're still here? Cool, just don't sue me if you get hit with the sledgehammer that is the show's endgame.

So firstly, I have to bring up something I realized a long time ago, and talked about in one of my first ever posts up here.

King actually has a mouth. But, he never uses it to actually talk.

Something that someone mentioned to me, though, is fairly interesting about him. You know how some legendary Pokemon have a telepathy-like way of communicating with the humans in the anime/movies? That someone on Twitter(I can't remember the name for the life of me, but kudos to them) said that he might communicate that way, only really using his mouth to either eat or let out those hyper shouts of his.

This is actually a really interesting idea that I wish the animators actually played with more. As far as I'm aware, neither Luz or Eda do as much as acknowledge it, nevermind question him about it. Maybe it has something to do with him being a Titan since his pops does the same thing, but I dunno.

Which brings me to yet another topic about the fellow: He's a Titan. Now, I hear y'all saying, "Guy, no freaking crap he's a Titan! The entire fandom knows this, it's no longer just a theory! What's the point of stating the obvious?!"

Here's one thing that I thought about. In my post about Luz, I mentioned that I loved her Titan Form. Besides the very heartwarming references that are in her outfit, she gets improved magic, durability, and can create glyphs on the fly, along with the magic circles that everyone and their mother in the Boiling Isles have been doing already. I was really upset when I found out that she only got to use it once before Papa Titan's spirit faded away, making sure to steal Luz's cool new form from her as it did so.

Call me Alpharad with the way I'm theory-crafting, but hear me out. King is already tapping into his Titan powers(As he should. You go, little furball!), unlocking and even mastering his hyper shout. How long do you think it's gonna be until he taps into more of his abilities? From what we know, Titans are extremely powerful. A drop of their blood contain enough power to open holes between realms, even being able to make a sort of purgatory area, as shown in Vee's debut episode(Is there a specific name for that area? That was also really cool). At least, I'm sure it's Vee's debut episode it appears in.

This might be the Pokemon fanboy in me, but what if King and Luz managed to sync up to bring that form back? Something more akin to Battle Bond, maybe? Heck, even King himself could get some kind of glow-up.

Speaking of glow-ups...

This... this is cool!

Don't get me wrong, I understand that King was in a state of distress as everything the show threw at him was finally too much to handle, and I do indeed feel bad for him. Very much so. But...

What.

The.

Heck?!

Lost Deity King, as I'm now dubbing him(Mostly because I don't know the form's real name), is what happens when you push a character too far. He's had enough, and wanted to snap Belos's neck for what he did to Luz, and Eda wanted to as well, but I'll get to her in the future. He wanted to kill him the same way Tsunami killed Gill(Wings of Fire reference, for those not aware).

...I really felt bad for him during this scene, though. Seriously. Excuse my language, but think about the absolute bullshit that King had to go through over the course of more-or-less eight years. He:

-Was basically abandoned at birth(I understand that Papa Titan had his own things going on, but he felt like he's been abandoned)

-Was convinced that he was the King of the Demons(Which isn't even a title, as far as I'm aware?) by the only thing he could even remotely call a parental figure

-Had to watch as his mother figure would turn into a dangerous owl monster basically on the weekly

-Was taken as a joke, a walking meme, for most if not all of his life(It sorta made sense for Eda and Luz, as they were family to him, and he knew it was just fun and games from them)

-Nearly died on several accounts, the most devastating of which(That I can remember) being nearly crushed in a magic cube because he did something as petty as refusing to write fanfiction due to burnout

-found out that his friend/sister TRAVELLED THROUGH TIME with his roommate/mother's sister(Who, might I add, TRIED TO KILL BOTH EDA AND LUZ on the SAME DAY, a few weeks ago) to look for the past version of someone that's actively hunting that same sister figure

-Was basically forced to team up with a potentially universe-ending being and be his plaything for about two or three days, watching those he loved being turned into puppets

-Was told that basically everything he believed about himself was an utter lie

Which, by the way, can I talk about that for a while? 'Cause this-

Just this. I can still hear his voice in this scene.

"...Y-You're all just messing with me, like usual, right?"

"Oh no... no no no no no no!"

"No! Keep that thing away from me, it's messing with my head!" Poor guy didn't even want the remnant of his horn back.

I'm not one to cry at movies or TV shows. I'm not trying to sound tough or anything, I just can't really bring myself to do that. But, when I heard King hyperventilate as he began having a existensial crisis, I bawled my eyes out for him. This scene legitimately broke my heart.

All of this, and the worst part?

...King is still a child.

That's right. According to the wiki(Which is where I pull a lot of these images from), King is around eight years old, and he's twelve during the epilogue. Point being, he still in need of caring parents. Yes, Eda was there, but continuing to tell the lie that he was the Demon King(Again, not even a real title) was a bit of a low move for her. I forgive her for that, especially since it was with good intentions, but jeez lady.

Back to the list of messed-up things that King went through:

-Was separated from Luz and his three other new friends for like, a week, as they traveled to the human realm by force(Yes, he caused it, but it was because he literally had to)

-Basically got involved in the second Great Ninja War but if the ninjas were replaced by witches, and was considered a large estate of power

...Oh, and how could I possibly forget? King also had to...*checks notes*...

-LITERALLY WATCH AS HIS BEST FRIEND WAS CRUSHED UNDER BELOS'S FOOT-CLAW-THING, POSSESSED BY STUPID DISNEY "KILL MC" PLOT BS AND DISINTEGRATE INTO BALLS OF LIGHT!!

Yeah, no wonder why he completely flipped his shit in this scene! Wouldn't you?!

It's just that... King really went through a lot. Can someone give him a hug?

Like...

How did we get from this, to... That thing?

I said that I loved the Lost Deity, but if it meant that his mental health could remain stable... I'm willing to live without it.

...Rant and tears aside, I really love King. He's just a lovable dog thing, while still being such a slippery little fella.

For example, someone made this piece of artwork of him, and it's been on my mind for quite some time.

I know this isn't official art, but y'all can still admit that King didn't even have drip anymore... He was a whole fountain. I couldn't trace the image back a specific person, but I found it somewhere here, if you guys want to use it as a wallpaper!

(Also, I don't know why, but he gives such early 2010s energy in this photo.)

Y'all want more of adorable pics of King? Here ya go!

Woo, work it! Yass, slay queen!

Real talk though, we can all agree that this guy is awesome, right? Just off of principle.

Overall, King is my favorite character in the show(Although, between you and me, it was sort of a close call when Titan Luz entered the field), and I just hope that life is nothing but uphill for him.

...He deserves it.

[anotherwvba]

Challenge Accepted pt. 10

The Omni Arena was dark and quiet, save for the dim security lighting that cast eerie shadows across the canvas. Skye sat alone in the center of the ring, her legs crossed and her eyes closed. It’s almost here. My first fight. Am I ready for this? Can I really go toe-to-toe with someone like Reina Adora? Her heart pounded in her chest, a tempest of conflicting emotions swirled in her mind.

Shaking her head as if to dispel the doubts, Skye rose to her feet and took a deep breath. She began to move around the ring, her steps slow and deliberate, her arms flowing gracefully.. She tried to envision the ring as a stage, a place where she had always felt at home. Just another dance, another performance, another stage, she repeated in her mind like a mantra. Except the stakes are real. The punches are real. The pain is real.

Just then, the door to the arena burst open, followed by a metallic crash. Light poured through the doorway as Skye's heart leapt into her throat. Security? Damn, I’m busted.

The figure stepped into the dim light, revealing Niki, who was picking up a ladder she had just dropped. "Hey, Skye. Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. What are you doing here so late?"

Skye let out a sigh of relief. "Just trying to shake some pre-show jitters, you know? What about you? What's with the ladder?"

Niki propped the ladder against the wall. "I need to check the wiring on the projector. Gotta make sure we have the right cables and connections for the anime party on Sunday."

"Oh, right, the anime party. I'll be there," Skye said, her voice subdued.

Niki climbed into the ring, her eyes narrowing with concern. "You alright? You've seemed so pumped in the gym, so full of energy."

Skye leaned on the ropes, her gaze distant. "I'm just so nervous, Niki. This might be my only shot, you know? I'm not even signed, but tomorrow night? I will be in this ring with a WVBA boxer and I’m scared. What if I’m in over my head?”

Niki nodded, her expression softening. "I get that. A couple of weeks ago, scared out of my mind. My first fight. Yeah, it was against my best friend, but I thought Cutie was gonna wipe the floor with me."

"How did you get over the nerves?" Skye asked, her eyes searching Niki's for an answer.

Niki sighed. "I didn’t. But, I focused on what I could control. My training, my mindset, my strategy. And I leaned on my support system. Let go of the outcome and just fight my fight."

Skye shook her head. "It's not that simple, Niki. You’ve trained for years, I’ve trained for months. I don’t know what ‘my fight’ is. This is the real deal, and I don't know if I can—"

“Sometimes,” Niki interrupted, resting a steady hand on Skye’s shoulder, “you’ve got to just dive in and find out what you’re made of.”

Skye looked Niki in the eyes, her own still uncertain, “I wish it was that easy for me.”

Niki, a sudden spark in her eyes. "I have an idea. Wanna play a game?"

Skye looked at her, puzzled and intrigued. "A game?"

Niki grinned. "Yeah. How about we go a round? Right here, right now. No crowd, no cameras, no pressure. Just you and me."

Skye hesitated, her eyes widening. "Are you serious?"

Niki nodded. "Absolutely! Sometimes, the best way to face your fears is to confront them head-on. So, what do you say?"

Skye looked at Niki, her eyes widening with confusion and concern. "I say you’re crazy! We don't even have gear, and my debut is tomorrow!"

Niki chuckled, shaking her head. "Whoa, whoa, I'm not suggesting we beat each other up. I'm talking about shadowboxing. We'll move, punch, and defend as if we're each other's shadow. No contact, just a way to work on our skills and shake off some nerves."

Shadowboxing? Skye thought. I've done that plenty of times, but never with a partner. Skye thought, then said, "Okay, I think I get it. Kind of like a dance, but with jabs and hooks?"

Niki grinned. "Exactly! Think of it as a competitive improv dance. We're going to mirror each other's moves, anticipate, and react. It's all about focus and rhythm. All the work and learning and none of the black eyes and bruises."

Skye's eyes lit up, her apprehension giving way to excitement. "Alright, I'm in. Let's do this."

Niki started to loosen up, rolling her shoulders and stretching her arms. "Good. But don't hold back, okay? I'm going all out, and I expect the same from you."

Skye moved to the opposite corner of the ring, bouncing lightly on her toes as she started to loosen up. "Don't worry, I won't go easy on you. Prepare to be amazed."

Niki pulled out her phone, setting a timer. "We'll go for three minutes. Come out swinging when you hear the bell." She placed her phone on the apron and stepped back into her corner.

Skye nodded, her eyes focused, her body taut with anticipation. The buzzer on Niki's phone blared, and they both sprang into action.

For the next few minutes, the ring was a whirlwind of motion. Skye moved gracefully, her feet gliding over the canvas as she threw a series of jabs and hooks into the air. Niki countered, her own movements sharp and precise, her imaginary punches aimed with intent.

"Come on, Skye, is that all you've got?" Niki taunted, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

Skye chuckled, her competitive spirit ignited. "You wish! You ain't seen nothin’ yet!"

Both women moved in a fluid dance of feints, jabs, and dodges, their playful taunts filling the air. "You're good, but you’ve got nothin’ on me," Skye shot back, ducking under Niki's imaginary uppercut.

"Oh, you think so?" Niki retorted, sidestepping and throwing a pretend jab at Skye's head.

As they continued to shadowbox, their movements became more synchronized, their playful taunts turning into words of encouragement. "Nice footwork!" Skye called out as Niki slipped an imaginary straight right.

"Right back at you!" Niki replied, mimicking Skye's bob and weave.

They continued to dance around the ring, their movements fluid and precise, each woman pushing the other to react faster, move smarter. It was a ballet of feints, jabs, and dodges.

The buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the round. Both girls were panting, their faces flushed, their clothes damp with sweat, foreheads glistening from their effort. They met in the center of the ring and hugged, their earlier tension dissipated in the heat of friendly competition.

"Skye, you're good. Really good," Niki said, her eyes sincere. "You've sparred with Joe, and now you have been in this ring with a WVBA boxer. You’re not just ready for tomorrow, you belong here."

Skye smiled, her eyes shining with gratitude. "Thanks, Niki. I really needed this. It helped, more than you know."

Niki looked at her friend, her eyes searching. "Still nervous?"

Skye burst into laughter. "Hell yeah, I'm still nervous!"

Niki joined in the laughter. "Good. Nerves keep you sharp. They make you respect your opponent and the sport. Use them to fuel you, not to hold you back."

Skye nodded, her eyes meeting Niki's. "I will. Thanks, Niki."

Niki picked up her phone, turning off the timer. "This isn't the last time we'll be in this ring together, Skye. Next time, it'll be a real match."

Skye's eyes sparkled at the thought. "I hope so. Because dancing with you for real would be awesome."

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 2/5

Book Blurb: After the Forest is a dark and enchanting fantasy debut from Kell Woods that explores the repercussions of a childhood filled with magic and a young woman contending with the truth of “happily ever after.”

Ginger. Honey. Cinnamon. Flour.

Twenty years after the witch in the gingerbread house, Greta and Hans are struggling to get by. Their mother and stepmother are long dead, Hans is deeply in debt from gambling, and the countryside lies in ruin, its people starving in the aftermath of a brutal war.

Greta has a secret, though: the witch's grimoire, hidden away and whispering in Greta's ear for the past two decades, and the recipe inside that makes the best gingerbread you've ever tasted. As long as she can bake, Greta can keep her small family afloat.

But in a village full of superstition, Greta and her mysteriously addictive gingerbread, not to mention the rumors about her childhood misadventures, is a source of gossip and suspicion.

And now, dark magic is returning to the woods and Greta's magic—magic she is still trying to understand—may be the only thing that can save her. If it doesn't kill her first.

Review:

A Hansel and Gretel mixed in with other classical fairytales such as Snow White, animal shifters, snow white/rose read, cinderella story about a girl who is thought to be a witch who must deal with a mysterious bear shifter who has come into her life and an evil magic that might be after her. Twenty years after the witch and the gingerbread house, Greta and Hans are struggling to get by, Hans constantly just gambling and going into debt and Greta struggling to avoid being accused as a witch and being burned at the stake while trying to make a money by baking magical gingerbread cookies to get her brother out of debt. Greta has kept the witch's grimoire and uses it to bake the best gingerbread anyone has ever tasted, yet when her brother's latest gambling debt grows too large, there is not enough cookies in the world that would be able to save her before the time is out. It doesn't help that dark magic resides in the woods and the towns people suspect Greta of being a witch, and when a new dark magic appears, along with a handsome stranger, Greta will have to figure out a way to save herself and her brother before its too late. This felt like a very young adult novel, and honestly I found myself so irritated by both Hans and Gretal, Han's has no real character except being selfish, a gambler, and really a useless person while Gretal acts naive and doesn't seem to realize there are easy solutions to her problems, like come on now. Honestly the story felt kind of messy and at the same time boring. I never found myself all that invested, it start out rough and does pick up by the end a bit but still, it really was a bit hard to get through. This is a mixture of a bunch of fairytales and yet I just felt like it was so cluttered. I wish I did like it more, I adore fairytale retellings and this being a "what happens after" mixed in with a bit of darker elements and witch trials and such, it had all the makings to be something really unique and fun, but in the end just didn't meet up to the expectations. While this wasn't for me, if you enjoy fairytale retellings/what happens afters, then give this a go!

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group, Tor Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

SPIRITBOX ON BROADENING METAL, NEW MUSIC, HARSH FINANCIAL REALITY OF BEING A BAND

Courtney LaPlante: "I've been gambling my whole life in hopes this pays off"

Courtney Laplante's nightmare would be screaming one of Spiritbox's alt-metal songs in front of judge Simon Cowell and the crowd of normies at America's Got Talent. And yet last summer, Cowell, along with millions of viewers across America, was dramatically introduced to the intense sounds of Spiritbox — as LaPlante tuned in and cheered.

So how — in the infancy of their career, and after only one album — did this Canadian band from a small island in Victoria, British Columbia, manage to enter the small pantheon of metal acts who have had their mainstream crossover moment? And why was LaPlante so happy about it? It all began with a young girl's scream.

It was a Saturday in June 2022, the day America's Got Talent was due to air, and the day the world would witness the young screamer in question — 10-year-old Harper Jerret from Somerset, England — assault Cowell and the judges with her performance of Spiritbox's breakout hit "Holy Roller."

Everything appeared to align, like it was fated. LaPlante had previously befriended Jerret after discovering her on Instagram, and — on the exact night of the broadcast — Jerret found herself joining Spiritbox at their sold-out show in London to perform the very same banger from her AGT audition. As Jerret walked onstage, LaPlante imagined herself at that age: a timid child, years from realizing her identity as an artist, almost a decade out from finding her scream. "At her age I was just like, 'I love horses so much, they're so sick' and 'I wish Space Jam was real'," says the singer in her typically self-deprecating manner. (LaPlante is also prone to laughing at herself, which she does frequently, and infectiously, throughout our Zoom call.) "But I think she's a kid who's a bit ahead of the other kids, emotionally, because she's able to ask herself: Who am I? I am an artist."

LaPlante was immediately protective of that nascent determination. "Don't go near the front of the stage," she recalls telling Jerret, desperate to keep her safe — to make sure she wouldn't stray, to make sure she wouldn't fall. The duet came off without a hitch, but LaPlante was still a little apprehensive that night. She knew that within hours Jerret's America's Got Talent audition would air — to an audience that she suspected numbered in the metal-hating millions. LaPlante, quite sensibly, didn't trust Simon Cowell. She didn't trust the normies. She was expecting the worst.

Alongside her husband and bandmate Mike Stringer, LaPlante headed to her hotel room. They braced themselves for the audition and were pre-pared to talk shit about the judges. "We were ready to defend … like, 'Fuck you, Simon Cowell!'" she says. "Because we only have our own experience with normal culture and how they interact with what we do." Instead, as Jerret's performance unfolded, LaPlante watched with amazement as the judges' initial, terrified awe relaxed into total admiration.

"Holy roller sits in the garden we fled/Blood into wine, take my body instead," Jerret enunciated like a tiny Shakespearean thespian, before launching into a LaPlante-worthy scream that was all animal, that obliterated all boundaries of primetime decorum. A standing ovation. A thumbs up from Simon Cowell. Three yeses. LaPlante cheered for Jerret — and then sat up and took note. This is what happens when you don't take away a little girl's freedom to scream. This is what happens when you imagine the world as a stage from which to shout unashamed.

"It was amazing to see that girls can make this kind of music," Jerret recently told Revolver of first discovering LaPlante's performance on "Holy Roller," which her stepfather had introduced her to around the time Spiritbox released their 2021 full-length debut, Eternal Blue. "I was really inspired by Courtney to start screaming and making my own music." The song was Jerret's introduction to metal, her gateway into the genre. "Holy Roller" has now become, for an increasing number of kids across the world, their gateway, too.

It was a surreal moment that garlanded one of the most rapid ascensions in recent metal history. Watchful eyes have been placed on Spiritbox ever since their inception in 2017. But it wasn't until July 2020 — when they released "Holy Roller," the first single from Eternal Blue — that they turned from a niche one-to-watch act to one of metal's most exciting new prospects. They soon secured a No. 1 spot on SiriusXM's Liquid Metal radio station as well as a significant, devoted fanbase — and for good reasons. Spiritbox were expanding the genre in both sound and scope, incorporating djent blasts and industrial breakbeats into hypnagogic dreamscapes while broadening metal's emotional range beyond brazen anguish and rage.

On this point, LaPlante is especially passionate. "I feel like we're one of the only remaining genres that has to be so binary in what the music is about and how the music makes you feel," she says. "Other music has a wide scope: songs about partying, songs about heartbreak, songs about being angry, songs about feeling depressed, songs about feeling happy. [Metal] is a broad genre, but a lot of it feels like it's on autopilot."

If the success of "Holy Roller" wasn't enough of a tell, by the time Eternal Blue dropped in September 2021 it was crystal clear: Spiritbox were on the rise — and steering their own plane. The record debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard 200, marking that year's highest-charting release for the genre at that point. Incessant, relentless touring followed, as they supported many of hard rock's legacy acts and gained swathes of new fans from devotees of Ghost, Underoath, Bring Me the Horizon, even Limp Bizkit. Every metric and data point suggest it: Spiritbox are big. Their influence has both pushed the genre forward and opened it up to a new generation. All at once, everything has changed — and yet everything still remains the same. This is Spiritbox's strange new reality.

When LaPlante logs into our video call, the singer is once again sitting in front of the exact same setup from which I interviewed her for a Revolver "Uprising" profile just over two years ago. A weak-tea-colored wall is behind her, precariously nailed to which is a black-and-purple Spiritbox poster that she and Stringer designed together over five years ago. But some things are different: A few empty moving boxes can be seen in the background — as soon, the band will be splitting their time between Victoria and Los Angeles. It's purely a business decision; the cost of an apartment is cheaper than all the hotel stays they've splurged on while travelling down to California to record. "When I go away from my island, go to L.A., Michael and I get very shocked," she says. "It's absolutely bizarre for us. I think being here has kind of protected us, sheltered us. It's a literal and figurative island for us."

Again: everything is changing and yet everything remains the same. LaPlante and Stringer still work the same data-entry job they were at before Spiritbox took off. Well, sort of. "Work" is putting it generously. Although they are still, technically, employees of the company, LaPlante's forgotten her log-in password, which means she can't make a formal resignation even if she wanted to — and neither of them have worked a shift there in over two years. "It's kind of sick and twisted that I haven't quit. I think it's a weird motivating thing," says LaPlante. "I keep it because I wanna remind myself that I might very easily have to go back to doing something I don't like, and that it's a huge privilege I get to do something I do like."

LaPlante also reveals that she continues to feel further and further away from the person she was before she was "Courtney LaPlante," leader of Spiritbox and full-time professional musician. This, in her mind, is a dangerous state to be in. She is financially secure for the first time in her adult life, but she considers that security a misnomer. She constantly must remind herself of the professional musician's precarious state. "To other artists who have been around longer: Does that secure feeling ever come to you, or does it feel like this forever?" she wonders. "Because I still feel much closer to my office job than to, like, being in Slipknot."

LaPlante speaks at length about the financial reality of being in a band, a reality that has been romanticized, and that she wishes to demystify. She's long been curious about the ways in which audiences fetishize artists and view them as a pure commodity and not as workers like the rest of us. She considers it one of metal's last remaining taboos.

"I'm 33 and I've been gambling my whole life in hopes that this pays off," says the singer, who prior to forming Spiritbox was, along with Stringer, a member of metalcore outfit Iwrestledabearonce. "But I know the reality ... If people knew how non-lucrative this world is and how little money most bands make, they'd probably be more likely to buy an extra shirt. One time I saw a Reddit thread saying, 'Oh my god these people have jobs?! … They have 700,000 monthly listeners.' And I was like, that's not paying anyone's bills."

For the sake of her fans, her dreams, her bank account — LaPlante is focused on making sure that Spiritbox are continually scaling up, thinking bigger. She owes it to herself. For the entirety of her adult life, up until now, LaPlante has been looked at as though she's been in a perpetual state of delusion. "For over 10 years, I've been pursuing this crazy dream," she says. "And whether people supported it or not, they didn't really understand — because it's such a strange thing to want to do. Like, 'Why are you spending all your money recording songs that no one wants to hear?' It's hard to explain to people because it is extremely irrational. When you say it out loud, you're like, Yeah, why am I doing this? Am I insane?"

Turns out the dream wasn't so crazy after all. Courtney LaPlante, certified not insane. The sold-out shows for Spiritbox's upcoming headlining tour, alone, prove that. For the first half of this year — and for the first time ever — Spiritbox won't be playing within the parameters of another band. This is their live show, their production. "We really wanna ramp it up, invest in it, blow everyone's minds. I want everyone to walk away saying, 'I wanna see that band again — and in a bigger place.' That's my dream. Now I'm like, OK, how am I gonna impress these people?"

Performing is LaPlante's stimulant, though it's not without its occasional comedowns. Having played only a little over a hundred shows, she's yet to get into her groove. Every night is a test. "I still have a lot to learn about performing. The whole time I'm thinking, How's Michael doing? Is his guitar sounding good? OK, that light worked. This part worked," she says. "It's weird; it's like that combined with an out-of-body experience. Meanwhile, I'm singing about being depressed. Most of my songs are about me having dark feelings and my struggle with depression and just feeling all the strong feelings I've had throughout my life. It's both extremely emotionally therapeutic and also literally performative at the same time."

If 2022 whipped them into becoming a good band, 2023 will be the year that ensures Spiritbox's enduring greatness. "I'm really excited, but it is gonna be really hard," says LaPlante. "We love to sabotage ourselves. So we're like, Hey, let's throw in writing new music, too — and hopefully we'll get some new music out in the first half of the year. After that we're gonna hibernate and hopefully write an album. That's the goal. Crazy first half of the year, pretty chill second half."

Spiritbox began writing new material in November of last year. "Now we have to figure out when do we show you the songs? Do we show you in March? Do we show you in September? Or do we wait until 2024? I don't know." Sooner sounds more likely than later. LaPlante hates sitting on new music. "We wrote this music because we really wanna share it with you," she says. "It made us feel a certain way and we wanna see if it makes you feel a certain way, too."

Still, the songs keep piling up. LaPlante doesn't reveal much about the new music, not out of preciousness, but simply because she's yet to find the right words to describe it. She mentions repeated phrases and themes throughout the songs: mental prisons, body horror, visual illusions, disillusionment — all material she believes she could fit into a concept album or EP. "To me, all these songs are one big song lyrically and thematically," she says. "If everything aligns and we feel really strongly that everything hits exactly how we want — the art and the music and the whole thing around it — we'll want to put this out as soon as possible. If we do our job right, then we will."

Carrying that young girl's yell of fearlessness with her, LaPlante is pushing both herself and an entire genre forward.

[remimibanana]

I posted 92 times in 2022

That's 92 more posts than 2021!

56 posts created (61%)

36 posts reblogged (39%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@gomigomipomi

@altorav

@puddingyaoi

@piedivide

@spear-gsun

I tagged 54 of my posts in 2022

Only 41% of my posts had no tags

#youtube - 13 posts

#pokemon - 10 posts

#hololive - 9 posts

#doodle - 8 posts

#splatoon - 7 posts

#pokemon scarlet and violet - 5 posts

#hololive en - 5 posts

#splatoon2 - 5 posts

#korone - 5 posts

#goldenglow - 4 posts

Longest Tag: 99 characters

#aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

VShojo Japan is here!

We have two new members joining the brand new VShojo Japan branch! This was announced at Anime Expo at the VShojo Next Panel with an video featuring:

Kson the tough Yakuza and new angel in town, Amemiya Nazuna!!!

Welcome to VShojo you two! They will be debuting on July 17th, so please look forward to it! (why do I sound like I'm the one who's VShojo promoting them XD)

I actually woke up and saw that Kson had VShojo in her name and I was like....wait. She's a part of Vshojo?!!!! WHEN?!

And then I went through her tweets and understood what happened lol

I also saw a video of when she walked onto the panel in person saying her iconic catchphrase: GOOD MORNING MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!

See the full post

27 notes - Posted July 3, 2022

#4

Yeah can you tell I like Bridget a lot lol

30 notes - Posted September 20, 2022

#3

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Pack Wave 2!

That's right everyone, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Wave 2 is FINALLY here! I'm so happy with the courses!

Some of my favorites are:

Waluigi's Pinball (Absolutely love this stage to bits, played it a lot in Mario Kart DS and 7 and just AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)

Mushroom Gorge (Wii, played this mostly in 7 who doesn't love this stage! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)

Kalimari Desert (My brother loves this stage, I had a strong dislike as a kid lol but AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)

Sky-High Sundae (The totally brand new track! It looks amazing! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA)

44 notes - Posted July 28, 2022

#2

Sana is graduating......

At the end of the month, July 31st, Sana will be graduating from Hololive. I woke up seeing people wishing her well and I had no idea why people were doing that...until I read she was graduating. It really hurt since I really loved Sana.

She was also the first person I drew in my sketchbook so I'm so happy I did. I'll really miss her, and I wish all the best for her in her future endeavors!

48 notes - Posted July 12, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Look at Korone!!! She's a SEGA Ambassador now!

I was watching the Sonic Station live with my limited Japanese while not doing my work to see this surprise! I always watch the Sonic Stations when Korone is there (*´▽`*)

She has a new Sonic outfit with green eyes and blue hair! She is also holding a cute Knuckles plush. I was so surprised to see it you know, I didn't think she would have a whole new outfit! It looks so good on her, would wear it 100% in real life.

She's truly going places~

See the full post

105 notes - Posted June 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[goddamnwebcomics]

Biggest Idiots of the Month for 2015

Jesus christ, I started Dominic Deegan riff 9 years ago??? That's insane to think about.

Anyways, I wish I had come up with Biggest Idiot of the Month way earlier. So let's go all the way back when this blog REALLY started doing proper dual riffs.

Biggest Idiot for January/February 2015:

Since January wasn't a full month, two months have been combined into one, and biggest idiot for that period was Mora Linda from Las Lindas

Mora was pretty much unlikeable from Day 1 and her treatment of Miles doesn't make you question why Miles eventually became an asshole as well. This month and a half was filled with last pages of Roommates and some scattered Carnivores arcs (though this month the infamous Lothan arc did also happen)

Biggest Idiot of March 2015:

Yup, Mora nabbed this one again, mainly because of her crybaby reaction to Sarah and Rachel moving into her house and Minos later ends up going away, leaving her to get bent by Alejandra. I wish Minos stayed away. The only runner-up for this month was that creepy asshole dad from that one disgusting comic I showcased for the Fetish One-Off Weekends. Remember that? Speaking of notable Carnivores arcs, this is also when "The Run" happened.

Biggest Idiot of April 2015:

Who else would it be but Digit??? Hard to believe there was a time Digit was the second worst character in the comic, Digit was fucking useless for so much of her debut, outside of causing harm and peeping on Mora in the shower. The closest thing to a runner-up was that yellow guy from the Carnivores Macro Weed Smoker arc with his stupid fart jokes and horniness. But, I can assure you the winner of the next month's Biggest Idiot is not gonna be from Las Lindas because...

Biggest Idiot of May 2015:

Biggest Idiot of the Month is This Whitehaired Guy from Chugworth Academy. This was a shockingly stacked month in terms of runner-ups, we had the debut of Tsuki, who was the worst character in this blog for a long time until Riley came along, we had Miles groping Taffy, but this white-haired guy was still the worst part of this month. In a comic full of unlikeable characters, this fucker was the worst due to his inappropriate relationship with a girl I presume to be a minor, his obsession with sex, and his wacky yet stupid family life. This guy is basically Heaven from Four Girls as a guy, just without the dildo obsession. Thankfully, you'll never see Chugworth Academy again.

Biggest Idiot of June 2015:

I mean, who else would it be??? Tsuki from Warmage was both a ridiculous character but also a fucking idiot. She said Llew's real name in public which led to the infamous spanking scene, her lesbian relationship with Kriti is incredibly disturbing and she apparently has lewdness detecting skills??? Like, her entire screen time is a testament to her idiocy. Runnerups for this month were Llew himself for not only spanking Tsuki but also cumming in his mother's mouth (by accident but still), Mora when she on purpose assumed Minos was cheating on her with Rachel and beat up Rachel and Digit for being Digit, even if she did die.

Biggest Idiot of July 2015:

This one hurts. But I'm afraid Alejandra deserves it for destroying her cool sexy character forever with this moment. What did Alej "forgive" Mora for anyway? It was crystal clear it was Mora who fucked things up for Alej, and Alej became more successful than Mora and the only reason she ruined her reputation was because the Harvest Festival was rigged in Mora's favor, because Lady Ambar was running it!

Only runner-ups for this month were Tsuki for being Tsuki, Mora for just being unlikeable little whore in general and Llew for getting over himself being raped really really quickly.

Biggest Idiot of August 2015:

Biggest Idiot of the Month is...wait a fucking minute, who the fuck is Ernie????? What happened to Ernie? Why is there just a talking squirrel in Dominic Deegan??? Why did Ernie never come back? Was he a magical talking animal? Did Spark ever feel sad he had to leave Ernie in Lynn's Brook? I presume Ernie was like, Spark's only friend? Did Ernie survive the rain of books? Did Ernie survive Infernomancer's attack? This comic has referenced so many past things yet Ernie has been effectively buried? I don't think this is fair!

Anyways uh, Spark from Dominic Deegan is the biggest idiot of the month for being an annoying asshole comic relief who never contributes anything. This month was surprisingly idiot-free, even with Deegan and Kit and Kay Boodle making their infamous debuts.

Biggest Idiot of September 2015:

Biggest Idiot of September is Dave Hopkins from Kit n Kay Boodle for being Dave Hopkins. Look, I am not going to run a list of all his morally wrong acts. And yes, I said "No real people", but his appearance alone makes me cringe. Only runner-ups were the Boodles for making all those terrible puns.

Biggest Idiot of October 2015:

At this point, you can pass Richard Katellis as being a fictional character, as much of a fictional character as Kit and Kay Boodle's main cast. And the KnKB real life sections don't make him out to be a good person at all. Accusing people who don't feel comfortable with their nymphomanic lifestyle of being "full of shit", and effectively harass guilttripping Myrna Chessler-Wakefield to be part of their weird sex cult. The real life sections of Kit n Kay Boodle are like a badly written fictionalized journal, where the most morally corrupt characters are heroes. I really can't point out any notable idiocy moment from our main foxes, because as far as protagonists go, I am neutral on them, more than anything it's every other character around them that is much worse. But as for runner-ups, I can really only name the creepy ass horror that is Aunt Matilda and Deegan himself for throwing such a shift over Gregory telling Luna about Jacob.

Biggest Idiot of November 2015:

I forgot how early Deegans were badly written, but they were surprisingly free of any kind of idiots, but one character I genuinely hate to this day is Dejah. Dejah is a stupid quirky slime, and above shot shows just how creepy his relationship with Spark is. Something tells me this won't be last time he shows up in a BIOM. Only runner-up was Katellis again, but that wasn't his most shocking appearance. Worst is yet to come.

Biggest Idiot of December 2015:

Olly from Roommates Addendum earned this, I still can't believe this comic went the "all homophobes are secretly in the closet" route which is proven to be HARMFUL to actual homosexuals. Their closeted homosexuality isn't even well explained. It just ends with Olly raping Mondo and Monda casually accepting it. Why was there so much rape in this blog in 2015? Sadly, next year wouldn't be much of an improvement, but we'll get there when we get there.

Biggest Idiot of 2015

Biggest Idiot of Goddamn Webcomics's first full year would have to be Mora Linda herself

It started with Mora and ends with Mora, and she was definitely the worst protagonist of the year by far. Don't get me wrong, Tsuki was more hateable than her, but Mora was negative influence to everyone around her. She turned many previously likable characters hateable just by her influence alone, and while she only won twice (well thrice if you wanna count January), the other Las Lindas winners were still strongly connected to her. And she hasn't improved one bit since she first appeared.

But, there would be another brown-haired idiot who would debut in the blog next year to give Mora a run for her money. Not to mention all the rape bullshit this year were only a teaser to arguably the most infamous rape scene in the history of this blog and probably in webcomics as a whole, oh yeah, and fellow seer and certain real fictional orange cat get much worse, but that's a post for another time.

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Trap

What a year the horror and thriller film genre is having so far am I right? I don't think I have seen this many major horror or thriller releases this far into the year since maybe the early 2000's when the supernatural and found footage wave was at its highest. Its always good to see a good edge of your seat thriller sprinkled into the summer season to counter act the other blockbusters. The filmmaker behind this new thriller is no stranger to the genre and maybe not all of his films have been that great, but he has been on a up swing lately and this film was another example of it. We usually see the perspective of the detectives on the chase of the psycho killer and occasionally check in with the killer as we get closer to the end of the story. This film does away with that and you are firmly planted in the killer's perspective and it was thrilling and nerve-wracking to see him constantly trying to find a way to escape. I loved that the main trap that is set for him isn't the only one he has to worry about. Its a father and daughter experience like no other and the amount of stress was well balanced and kept me curiously engaged with every effort taken to get out.

Josh Hartnett has never stopped being amazing and I love the resurgence he's having. As Cooper "The Butcher" Adams, he was fantastic as he balanced the loveable and kind father figure exterior with the stressed caged animal within him. I really appreciated that the details to the characters' many ticks and personality traits was wisely shown and not explained out right. It was amazing to see him try to keep the act up while not only watching every move of the police and not tip them off or his wonderful daughter. Ariel Donoghue was outstanding as his daughter Riley and her genuine wonder and fangirling was pure and fun to watch. The chemistry between Ariel and Josh was immediate from the first 30 seconds they were on screen together. The emotional rollercoaster she goes through as the film progresses was excellent and sometimes its not on screen and yet you feel it. Jonathan Langdon was fun as the merchandise seller, Jaimie. I liked his bright outlook on life and there was a fear that he would become one of Cooper's victims because I liked him so much. Alison Pill is always amazing and as Cooper's wife, Rachel, you get a taste of the life they built together and you see why Cooper wants to keep his secret life separate. I always find it fascinating to meet the detective or analysts searching for the murderer and Hayley Mills did a fantastic job as the psychologist, Dr. Josephine Grant. You get to hear her decipher Cooper in many triggering ways and how she conducted the hunt was great. I do wish there was a moment between her and Cooper, but her dialogue did the work for the audience. Saleka Shyamalan makes her on screen debut as Lady Raven and she did an excellent job. Not only is she an excellent singer and performer, but she stood toe to toe with Josh Hartnett in a number of superbly acted scenes.

The score by Herdís Stefánsdóttir was good as the amount of tension is maintained in some of the more subtle moments. The rest of the film is scored by Lady Raven and kind of kept the tempo of the story moving. The lighting and color scheme is a hallmark of M. Night Shyamalan and it informs you of the mood switches and tension building. Like I said before, I loved that the many layers of Cooper were mainly explored visually instead of verbally. It made me wonder if the many things he said were true and added that extra layer of intrigue. The problems I had were mainly in the last quarter of the film as we seem to rush past alot of things and there is some real lapse of logic and judgement that lead to a predictable and avoidable outcome. In the end, this was a fun psychological thriller that wisely keeps you in the head of a killer as you feel the rope around him become taut and the tension unrelenting. Do stay for a fun mid credit scene that ties a funny bow on a character's arc. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!