#Jareth Reviews

[huntermanor]

'Labyrinth' and how trauma makes us search for escapism

Welcome to 'Mikaela please log off' where i talk and overanalyze movies because i'm unemployed. In today's hell of a post, i'm going to talk about probably my favourite movie and one that has shaped me for my entire life: 1986 'Labyrinth', with musical numbers written and performed by none other than Miss David Bowie himself! SPOILERS AHEAD.

Now i've seen this movie more times than i've seen my own face in the mirror. It's a movie i enjoyed in my childhood and certainly one that has shaped me, with how the puppets have a certain uncanny feel to them almost and how crazy and whimsical the whole movie is. It trully is an amazing movie that can be enjoyed by children, but also by adults as well, with many of the movie's themes and meanings being hidden or something you find with experience or relate to later in life. Because the movie is a very clear reference to fairytales like Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland, is no surprise to know there are many, many different readings that can be done to it. The firts reading i made of the movie when i rewatched it as an adult was that the movie was a very clear allegory for growing up and maturing, having to leave behind your childhood but also keeping in mind your inner child so that you don't lose yourself in the labyrinth that is life.

While the allegory reading is correct, and i think it's one of the meanings behind the movie and certainly the most obvious theme, it's definetly not the only one. One thing kept me wondering after watching the movie this time: Why is the phrase 'You have no power over me' so important? It's used in the beginning of the film, with Sarah forgetting this line in her book, and by the end, when she's facing Jareth, Sarah remembers the phrase by herself, clearly showing us as viewers the inner power Sarah has over her life. It's obvious this line is meant to represent Sarah's ambition and power, but why is it this phrase? Whi is it You have no power over me and not something else like 'My power lies within me' which could tie to the end of the film, with Bowie's Within you playing? Well, after rewatching it recently, i figured it out: Sarah isn't just talking to Jareth, she's talking to her stepmother.

At the beginning of the film Sarah seems to be, on the surface, a spoiled 15 year old girl who doesn't want to do her chores and just wants to play around, not even wanting to date, something her stepmom wants her to do. Her stepmother wants her to mature and grow, to find love, etc. And Sarah and her obviously do not get along a lot. Two important details appear when Sarah goes back to her room at the beginning after fighting with her stepmother over having to take care of her little brother: her stepmother talks to her dad, telling him 'She treats me like the wicked stepmother of a fairytale', and when Sarah goes to talk to her to her room, he doesn't even bother to open the door or make sure she's okay after the fight. To some people these details seem just normal parent behaviour, but it was very clear to me after the film that Sarah is being emotionally neglected by her father, and possibly made by her stepmother to grow up to fast. Sarah is fifteen and an older sister, and unfortunately is common for older sisters to act as parents for their siblings while also not being taken care of themselves. We see Sarah clinging to her childhood as an escapism from the fact she feels completely neglected, since her dad won't even open the door to talk to her.

When Sarah tells Toby her fairytale, it's a clear depiction of how she feels like: There once was a princess who was basically a slave to her stepmother and she was forced to take her of her baby brother. Sarah takes her rage out on her brother and sends him away with the goblins, and inmediatly regrets it. She's repeating patterns of abuse. She's realizing sending her brother away is the submitting him to the same neglectful behaviour she has struggled with. So she makes a deal with Jareth to get him back.

Jareth poses an interesting character in Sarah's healing journey from her trauma. He's in love with her, in very possessive, clingy way that makes him do anything she asks him too to try to manipulate her to love him, which doesn't work on her, because she's probably used to it. The fact Sarah has a lot of toys and costumes, which makes us feel like she's spoiled, while being simultaneously emotionally neglected, is a very common way a manipulator convinces the victim there's no reason to feel that way. So seeing as she's used to being gifted things, being given 'her dreams', instead of actual emotional support and availability, Sarah is basically inmune to Jareth's advances. This could be read as Sarah's first experience with love outside of her family life, which is also a common thing in the experiences of older sisters: they date men who aren't good for them, repeating the patterns they're used to and being once again emotionally hurt. By the end of the movie, after meeting new friends Sarah loves deeply and grows to appreciate, and by being shown there are people who do care about her and who do love her and respect her, Sarah is able to fight Jareth alone, because she might be phisically alone, but she knows her friends have her back always. The found family trope is used here even until the end when we think Sarah has grown and the people she met in the Labyrinth are gone, and Sarah tells Jareth he has no power over her because she finally has healed, and she knows she deserves better.

By the end, Sarah has matured and learned, not just about herself, but about love and relationships of all kinds. She gives Toby her plushie as a way of showing she doesn't need to desperately cling to her childhood anymore, because she now has people in her life who care about her for real, and also she tucks him in as a way to show she's going to break the cycle, and show him finally the emotional support she didn't get from her parents. She keeps many things in her room, but puts others away, and when her friends from the Labyrinth appear to tell her they'll be there if she needs them, they don't simply say this and go away, but she makes them stay. 'I need you', she tells them, because even if she's healed, her life might still be filled with the remnants of her trauma, and an escapism might be needed. But most importantly, 'I need you', because they're her friends, her found family, the people who have shown her what she deserves in her life.

The movie definetly shows us the many highs and lows in life, particularely in adolescence, and how the journey to being mature can be difficult. But these subtle themes of emotional neglect, trauma, and the struggles of a young girl forced to grow up a little too soon trully give the movie another layer of depth that maybe not everyone might see, but some of us, specially those of us who relate to these struggles, do see and aknowledge, reminding us that we're not alone and that we deserve better, for our trauma has no power over us.

[isanaakira]

I saw Labyrinth for the first time today and my brain chemistry has been forever infinitely changed.

I was trying to watch this god damn movie FOR FUCKING YEARS. YEARS!! School and other responsibilities always made it hard for me to watch because I knew I had to see it with no distractions, and no interruptions. And WOW. I honestly don't know how to properly continue living after seeing this masterpiece.

I loved it and was so into it and it honestly made me cry too. Like this movie affected me the same way The Neverending Story did when I watched it for the first time when I was like 7. Ive always loved reading and watching movies so seeing The Neverending Story for the first time I felt SEEN. Like I don't know how to explain how much books mean to me to other people that don't really read besides that movie. Like you just wish and want (sometimes desperately) to be a part of the worlds you watch, read, and dream and it FUCKING SUCKS that you can't. But seeing The Neverending Story and seeing him cry, laugh, and just enjoy the shit out of that book is how it feels a lot of the time for me. So seeing Labyrinth it literally gave me the same vibe. And the ending is what made me cry. Them saying goodbye to her and her saying she does need them HIT HARD. I was like ohhh yeah this shit hurts. I was like man I feel that and I've felt it several times for even things outside of reading that cause me to read sometimes.

So yeah, Labyrinth altered my brain chemistry apart from the fantastical story but for the feelings it made me feel and just... I honestly don't know. It just tickled my brain the right way.

Also side note, but like Jareth didn't really come out in the movie but when he gave her that dancing vision I was like hmmm idk how I feel bout this. I was like man, why do I low-key wanna be in that position. It reminded me of the ballroom dance scene from Van Helsing but different also (which altered my brain chemistry too. I seriously have a type, or several). Then the line I Can't live within you in his song, had me low-key kinda sad not about them but like the way he said it replicates like that feeling of longing and want for someone and even for being in a world you dream of. I know that's not what the song meant but that's what I felt in that moment. And him saying he'd give her anything she wants im like damn, biting my fist rn. Id have folded if he could promise to not hurt my brother 💀💀.

Anyways, sorry for my long ass rant. The movie was too good to not talk about. I just ahhhhh. I love it. Also if anyone hasn't seen Inkheart, I'd recommend it. It's definitely not the same style of movie, but it also has that book magic action type feel like Journey to the Center of the Earth. Saw Inkheart the other day too and I am OBSESSED.

[radwolf76]

WH40K Homebrew Space Marine Chapter: Stormwolves

I've posted about them before, but with the April 2024 Field Manual Points List v1.8 recently dropping, I'd gone back to make sure my army list for my Homebrew Chapter was still in compliance, or as close to it as I can get seeing as much of it is from Legends due to the nature of my Chapter's Backstory, and it felt like a good time to consolidate the Lore as well.

(Keep in mind I don't actually play this army, the last time I played 40k was when Clinton was in office, it's just an exercise in seeing how well I can apply the army building rules to my Homebrew's fluff.)

Stormwolves Lore

The story of my Homebrew Marine Chapter, the Stormwolves, starts with an Ordo Sicarius Inquisitor who had been embedded as a deep-cover operative in the Vanus Temple Assassin of the Officio Assassinorum -- Real name undisclosed, known only by her Inquisitorial Authorization Code for her Mission: 𝜮 — Niner . Septagraph \ Halley | ℚ [Rational] • Soul : Zed <𝑖> ∞ = Foxtrot ^ V̿ (This is often shortened to "Sigma Stroke Niner", and in rare cases to just Halley)

The combination of Inquisitorial zeal and the Data Gathering & Manipulation skills of an Unbound Infocyte is a potent mix, and Sigma Stroke Niner was able to deduce the existence of Cawl's Primaris project prior to it's official unveiling, including the initial reports (later proven wrong) that these new marines would be near-immune to the various chapters' gene-seed flaws.

She brought this finding back to her compartmentalized Inquisitorial Conclave, who decided that it warranted further investigation in the utmost secret. They also came to the verdict that if there were going to be a next generation of Marines, it was ill-advised to let them all be under the sole control of a lone member of the Mechanicus, no matter how intelligent and skilled. The Inquisitor Infocyte was authorized for a new assignment, to divert one of Cawl's secret remote caches of Primaris for study by an independent Mechanicus Arch-Genetor. This diverted batch of Primaris would also secretly serve as a fail-safe contingency for the eventuality of Cawl's project posing a threat to the Imperium, giving the Inquisition an independent stock of Primaris from which a counter-force could eventually be raised from.

A Vogelist Arch-Genetor, Kristiana Rozza, was chosen and allowed to review the collected research intercepted from Cawl. She hypothesized that the supposed flaw resistance may be possible to be backported to Firstborn Marines, especially if aspirants were screened for favorable genomes. A Rogue Trader, Jareth Keldon XXIV, was secretly commissioned to locate an obscure world to conduct experiments with this new "Marine Chapter", his payment being a full company's worth of these new marines being seconded to his flagship to assist with his explorations.

The planet that the Rogue Trader was able to locate for the project, Etherion IV, was a pre-Imperium Dark Age of Technology -Remnant human colony Industrial-Hive not on standard navigational charts due to surrounding warp-storms (these warp-storms would result in several temporal anomalies and the planetary system having an asteroid belt littered with Space Hulk wreckage from the past and even future).

Etherion IV's planetary culture consists of a Capitalist Corporate Oligarchy with proxy wars of genegineered Abhuman Hive-Gangs, called "Splicer Gangs". The wide variety of genegineering among segments of the native population gave Arch-Genetor Rozza a broad canvas of potential aspirants for her various experiments in Astartes creation.

In addition to the stasis Primaris extracted from Cawl's secret cache, a small amount of Astartes genetic tithings were diverted so that Firstborn Marines could also be made. The primary source was the Space Wolves, but some Blood Angels Progenoids were also in the mix of what could be illicitly redirected. While carrying the Geneseed mutations of these parent Chapters, the Marines created from this supply were entirely divorced from the homeworlds of Fenris and Baal, carrying no cultural context for any Chapter-specific flaws that develop.

The Stormwolves are not a full strength Chapter, and lack much of the heavier hardware. What vehicles and aircraft they do have are often archived museum pieces whose storage records were "misfiled" or unused prototype schematic designs pulled from mothballs at various Forge Worlds to then be manufactured locally on Etherion IV.

Due to their covert "founding", the Stormwolves are also at risk of being misidentified as a Renegade Chapter or even surviving Heresy-era Blackshields. Or they would be, if they hadn't been trapped by a severe time-distorting Warp Storm keeping them isolated while time ran at widely disparate rates inside and outside of the storm. This Storm lasted several centuries and did not fully dissipate until the middle of the Indomitus Crusade.

Due to the research-based charter that was their unofficial founding, the Stormwolves have a non-Codex structure.

Chapter Leadership is referred to as "Control" and consists of Firstborn Marines that have not been experimented on. They assist the Arch-Genetor with her experiments, and also lean hard into the monastic side of being an Astartes. Their unique power armor color scheme is often not fully visible due to cloaks, robes, tabards, capes, and hoods in black, red, and royal purple. Control also almost exclusively carries high-powered relic combi-weapons.

Then come the Bloodstorm Squadrons which are batches of Firstborn who have had their Geneseed experimented on. Their armor scheme is a variation of Control's colors, with more red. Conscripts from the Abhuman Splicer Gangs are also assigned to Bloodstorm as they wait to see if they get chosen for Marine implants.

Both these Firstborn sections are outnumbered by the Primaris Marines of the Stygian Wolves Division. Sporting a much darker paint scheme, the Stygian Wolves are a mostly Phobos-armored Vanguard Force and are typically grouped into 5 Marine squads, one of which is always a Helix Adept. These squads are either designated as Obscuratus Pack if they are equipped with Omni-Scramblers and Comms Arrays, or as Phantom Pack if they eschew this extra equipment in favor of mobility. The Helix Adepts in both types of Pack are charged with monitoring the genetic health of the rest of their squad in addition to all their other normal Helix Adept duties. Both Obscuratus and Phantom Packs wield the locally produced Etherion-Pattern Marksman Bolt Carbine, a design that takes cues from both the Instigator Bolt Carbine and the Stalker Pattern Bolter. Occasionaly, smaller fire teams armed with either Bolt Sniper Rifles or Las-Fusils are also employed.

Uncommonly, the Stygian Wolves also use Tacticus Configuration of Mk. X Power Armor, frequently in combination with Plasma Incinerators in a Hellblaster-style loadout, in squad formations lead by an Apothecary and known as Sterilization Detail. Very rarely will the Intercessor-syle loadout with the Cawl Pattern Bolt Rifle be used; this equipment profile is typically reserved for in boarding actions. Rarest of all are the Gravis-armored Multi-Melta wielders of the Extermination Crew.

The devotion to monitoring their own genetics in the pursuit of constant improvement is not just limited to the Stygian Wolves Division, as Control is also very Apothecary heavy, with many Apothecaries assigned to a leadership role by the title of Helix Keeper. Helix Keepers also frequently assume the command position over Bloodstorm Squads. The Helix Keepers, Apothecaries, and Helix Adepts of the Chapter take the place of Chaplins, as the Stormwolves have no Chapter Cult of their own, their worship is directed solely towards genetic experimentation. The quest for purity also has weeded out most all forms of random mutation, including the Psyker genes, so the Chapter also lacks Librarians. (The deliberate genengineering of potential aspirants is an exception to the purity mandate.)

The Stormwolves often fight alongside Auxiliaries draw from the troops assigned to Rogue trader Keldon's fleet. Keldon's Elite Personal Guard, the 1st Selene Contingent, is the most powerful of these. They provide an additional avenue for Arch-Genetor Rozza to experiment on enhancements that fall outside of the Inquisitorial charter to research Space Marine genetics and the Primaris Project. The true nature of these side experiments by the Arch-Genetor are shrouded in secrecy for unknown reasons. While there is always the possibility that the sub-project could be something considered to be Heretical by either the Mechanicus or the Imperium, Sigma Stroke Niner is aware of the details, and permits the work to continue. It is of note that the 1st Selene Contingent is an all-female unit.

[mayasaura]

My ultimate review of Dead Boy Detectives is mixed. Mostly enjoyed it, can't reccomend it.

It's fun and nostalgic, the vibrant characters of Sandman merged with the aesthetic of Supernatural. The Black Parade trailer did not lie, this show was written for mall goths who carried BL horror manga in the cargo pockets of their tripp pants. I loved every second of the exaggerated drama of it all. Well, almost every second. We'll get to that.

The main problem is that its queer tropes are also.... uh, very 2006. Mostly it's nothing all that bad, just lots of gay boy pining tropes one could argue suit the genre. Then there are the lesbians. Holy shit. The overt cliche homophobia of the lesbian side plot just about ruined the show for me.

Specifics under the cut.

So, it's bad. Unexamined, unsubverted, straight-up psycho-killer lesbian stalker bad. It starts off seeming like a sweet romcom side plot, and ends with the woman who sent secret love letters snapping and chasing her date with a meat cleaver before dying graphically on-screen. It ticks every fucking box. Yes, she snapped the second her date rejected her, and yes, her date rejected her because she figured out she was a stalker, and yes the psycho stalker lesbian is also the one who initiated both their short-lived relationship and their first kiss. There weren't even any warning signs before the twist, just cute rom-com to lesbophobic slasher film in ten seconds flat. In the year 2024. And this was the only instance of a woman showing interest in another woman in the entire show. What the fuck.

For the more ymmv outdated tropes, there's the Cat King, who comes across a bit like if you'd dug the Goblin King Jareth out of a dumpster. Homophobic portrayal of a predatory gay man, or edgy but relateable agent of a sexual awakening? Take your pick, I could see it either way. Then there's the protagonist, whose character arc dealing with repressed homosexuality takes him to hell and back, until he ends the series comfortably settled into.... being in unrequited love with his best friend. Okay.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

It’s a brand new year, and that means it’s time to bring back Psycho Analysis! And what better way to kick the year off than with a review of a hugely iconic antagonist?

[crimson-ace-reviews]

Crimson Ace Reviews: Kamen Rider Gavv, Episode 1

Hey, it's been a while, hasn't it?

I'll admit, I've been busy with my other blog and a lot of real life stuff to put a lot of time into this one, but I managed to find a little compromise to still post without needing as much time as my other posts: weekly episode reviews. Starting today, I'll be taking a look at the new Kamen Rider series, and gradually include reviews of each episode of the next Super Sentai and Ultraman series as well.

With that being said, let's get into Kamen Rider Gavv's first episode: A Snack Kamen Rider?!

The series opens with our main character, Shoma, running away from some faceless goons. He tries to get out through a door, only to end up in what I can only assume is a rejected room from Labyrinth.

Let's hope none of the villains this season have massive codpieces like Jareth.

After a short scuffle, Shoma falls through one of the doors in the room and into the human world.

Yes, unlike other Kamen Rider protagonists, Shoma is an alien who has just arrived on Earth. This is something that has never happened before in the show's history.

Like I said, NEVER. HAPPENED.

After a boy finds Shoma unconscious at a beach (insert your own Agito joke here), Shoma wakes up and has one thing on his mind.

The boy, named Hajime, helps Shoma get up and takes him to his secret hideout, but not before Shoma has to save him from getting hit by a car. Unfortunately, he can't save the car from getting hit by him.

Look, just say you had an adrenaline rush, and everyone will believe you. Worked for the guy from Twilight.

Meanwhile, a freelance writer named Hanto interviews a woman about her missing husband, claiming the source is a monster.

Now I'm not a reporter, but I'm pretty sure you shouldn't smile while talking to a grieving widow about her possibly dead husband.

Hanto's mentor chides him for his behavior and believes it to be her covering up a murder. After all, this is Kamen Rider. We all know monsters don't exist. So anyway, we cut to someone delivering shrunken humans tied up in Fruit by the Foot to another masked goon like the ones who chased Shoma, receiving a cube of some kind as payment.

Like I said, no such thing as monsters.

Shoma is taken to Hajime's hangout spot and is given some candy to eat. As soon as he tries a few gummies, he gives birth to something through a strange red thing on his stomach.

Shockingly, this isn't how Shoma's kind reproduces, and Shoma himself doesn't know what the hell this thing is (while it's not mentioned in the episode, these things will be called Gochizos). After telling Hajime that he's an alien, Shoma explains that the red thing is something his kind has called a “Gavv”.

Hajime goes home for dinner, so he tells Shoma to stay at the hideout and not break any more cars. Meanwhile, the shady man from earlier takes out his “payment” of a strange gummy cube as a large tongue shoots out of his stomach, revealing he's like Shoma.

What the hell, dude?! If you're going to play with your Gavv, at least do it in private!

We get a brief flashback with a young Shoma and his mother, the latter tells Shoma how he absolutely cannot eat human snacks. She doesn't say why because we still need to justify the show's gimmick and because it makes for better drama later on. Afterwards, Hajime is making his way home, only to be stalked by the same creepy dude, who says he wants to steal his happiness for something called a “Dark Treat”, the same cube thing he got earlier. Shoma saves him just as the man transforms into a hound-themed monster.

Shoma calls the monster out, revealing that like him, he's a Granute, the name of the alien race Shoma is a part of.

So after the two compare Gavv sizes, they fight. Shoma has super strength, but the Hound Granute isn't a car, so Shoma gets his ass kicked. This reminds Shoma of how it was impossible for him to save his mom, who was turned into the same Fruit by the Foot thing as the Hound Granute's victims. Right when Shoma gains the resolve to protect Hajime, the Gochizos come to save him, telling Shoma to put one of them, labeled “Poppin Gummy” in his Gavv. This allows him to transform into a Kamen Rider.

Base form's got a pretty decent design. Nice blend of colors here and there, but the bottom half is rather underdesigned.

As Shoma fights in his new form, we see how much his armor kind of sucks. Because it's made of gummies, it's easy for the Hound Granute to punch them off, so Shoma is forced to use more of those snack creatures to recreate his armor. As the two keep fighting, Hajime's mother appears out of nowhere to scream about the two “monsters”.

I'm guessing she went to call her American cousin Jonah afterwards.

After Hajime's mother takes him away to safety, the Granute Hound tries to get under Shoma's skin by calling him a monster. Shoma's response?

Yeah, Shoma may be a monster, but he's the monster who's going to kick your ass.

Shoma tries to break out his new weapon, the Gavvgablade, only for its finisher which shoots a Gochizo at the enemy to fail miserably. And I don't mean like it's not strong enough to kill him right then and there. It harmlessly bounces off the Granute Hound.

Maybe don't portray your new hero's armor and equipment as weak and fragile if you want kids to buy your toys.

Granute Hound escapes in a quadrupedal form, so Shoma gives chase on his new, ATV, created by another Gochizo and clearly CGI.

The next part of the fight is a very obvious CGI fest that's meant to get around Japan's dumb anti-customized vehicle laws and justify calling this show Kamen Rider Gavv. After that, Shoma unleashes the power of a different Gochizo, Kickin Gummy. This gives him a giant foot to use for his Rider Kick, ending the Granute Hound.

The next morning, Shoma leaves Hajime's hideout, eats all his snacks, and leaves a letter explaining why he'll keep his alien identity a secret going forward. Shoma uses the same Gochizo as last time to create a less goofy bike and rides off... only for the episode to end with him unconscious again only someone else finds him like this. I'm guessing the term “food coma” means something different for the Granutes.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts:

Much like SF Debris, I'll be giving awards to certain cliches and recurring themes I've noticed are prevalent in tokusatsu.

Shiny New Toy: For Shoma's Gavv and the Gochizo he created.

No Parents Allowed: For Shoma's mother, who was captured before the series began.

Kenny of the Week: For Hajime, being a small child character who becomes important to the plot. If you watch Brandon's Cult Movie Reviews, you'll get it.

Death by Rider Kick: For the Granute Hound, obviously.

This was a pretty solid first episode, all things considered. It sets up the main conflict, establishes Shoma's character and has good action. Shoma is a very likable protagonist, and he's a fine middle ground from a Rider getting the hang of his powers and a Rider who knows about the conflict of the series. Unlike other seasons where the main character is a rookie who has to figure out how his powers work, Shoma doesn't have a mentor or confidant to help him like Aruto, Touma, Ikki and Houtaro did. He's pretty much winging it as he goes along, but he's still going to fight as a Kamen Rider.

The only real gripe I have is that Hajime is shoved aside at the end despite being set up as a major character. Maybe he'll appear later on, but it's really strange that we spent so much time with him in the pilot only for the episode to end with someone else taking him in, especially since the second episode preview shows this woman serving a similar role as Shoma's confidant.

But putting aside, this was a pretty sweet way to start Kamen Rider Gavv.

Next time on Kamen Rider Gavv: Shoma discovers Pringles. That might not sound interesting, but when you're one of the only superheroes in existence who gets his powers from junk food, it's a big deal.

[ajokeformur-ray]

I have to find a minimum of two peer reviewed psychology articles to complement the uni material I have to use or there’s a grade penalty but trying to find the papers is a looooong long process and hhhhhhh for goodness sake😭 I’m getting so frustrated with the process but the longer I take to find them, the less time I have to actually do the assignment so I’m trying to channel the frustration into productivity.

it’s not like I can ask Jareth to turn the clocks back if I accidentally take too long finding papers 🤣💀

[here-have-some-stories]

Massacre Masquerade: Chap 2

Jareth-Suit quickly pulled away, placing their hands on F.M chest to push them back slightly. ‘Wait, wait. Hang on a second.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Frog-Mask asked, generally sounding apologetic, ‘I shouldn’t have done that. I should’ve asked. I fully understand if you want to le-’

They were silenced as Jareth-Suit put their finger to F.M lips. F.M noticed them looking around slightly. They moved their finger away.

‘Okay no one’s watching, you may continue.’ And with that they grabbed Frog-Mask by their dress and pulled them in to kiss them back.

They were passionate, but it was a gentle passion. A passion that showed they cared about each other despite barely knowing each other. They both slowly sank down to their knees, their lips continuing to gently touch each other. They were taking things slow. There was a silent agreement between the two of them that that was the right thing to do. Eventually they gently pulled apart, looking at each other. Jareth-Suit had Frog-Masks face cupped in their hand.

‘My name’s Deacon,’ Frog-Mask said all of a sudden.

‘What?’ Jareth-Suit asked, a little confused. Their mind had been so caught up with staring at the beautiful person opposite them and the kiss that they had completely missed what had been said.

‘I said my name’s Deacon,’ Frog-Mask repeated.

‘Oh. That’s a really nice name.’

‘Thanks,’ Deacon replied, smiling one of the prettiest smiles J.S had ever seen. ‘What 's yours?’

‘Leon.’

This one is quite short. There is a reason for that. Where I ended the first chapter I thought was good, but I also thought it was too long. This part if think is also a good way to end it off, especially since the next part of the story is supposed to be a different scene, not continued on from directly after.

Please review if you liked it and if you have any feedback, suggestins or questions I am still, and always will be open to them. They are actually very much appreciated.

[kalira]

Fandom Year in Review (2023)

It's the very last day of 2023, which means it's time for my annual look back and some number-crunching with my AO3 stats and writing over the year!

(Before I get to setting next year's goals and back to writing before midnight, of course! ;))

I posted 142 new stories to AO3 this year!

Fewer than last year but still quite a respectable number (especially given I dropped off posting every single day after October this year - I kept it up for 1,675 days straight, or 55 complete months!).

Those stories were in 33 fandoms, 14 of them new, and featured 43 ships (not counting gen relationships), 18 of them new!

I posted a total of 319,688 words to AO3 this year!

By way of events, I participated in:

the Three Sentence Ficathon

my own Valentine's Spectacular

@domaystic

Small Fandoms Fest

@kakashiweek

@whumptober (completionist again!)

NejiHina Week hosted by @nejihinata

~

I started 3 new minific collections, those being:

Dog-sensei & Sparklepuppy (Naruto; Kakashi & Sakura)

Tales from the Fishbowl (Kingyou-hime)

Sailing in Stars and Shadow (Captain Harlock)

All three of which are mainly to corral my 3SFs for those various themes/ships.

I posted 190 minifics in total!

Minific breakdown:

Captain Harlock~ ❧14 minifics

Castlevania~ ❧5 minifics

Chronicles of Narnia~ ❧8 minifics

Greek mythology~ ❧8 minifics

Kamisama Kiss~ ❧9 minifics

Kingyou-hime~ ❧17 minifics

Labyrinth~ ❧gen - 8 minifics ❧Jareth/Sarah - 3 minifics

Naruto~ ❧Dog-sensei & Sparklepuppy - 26 minifics ❧HashiIzu - 1 minific ❧HashiMito - 3 minifics ❧KakaSaku - 4 minifics ❧KakaShisui - 10 minifics ❧MadaTobi - 35 minifics ❧SakuOro - 19 minifics ❧SakuOro (angst) - 6 minifics

SK8 ❧MatchaBlossom - 6 minifics

Tiger & Bunny~ ❧Keith/Agnes - 8 minifics

~

Fandom & Ship Breakdown

(look for the ✧ denoting the new ones)

Alexander (2004) ✧ ~ 1 story ❧Alexander/Hephaistion ✧ ~ 1 story

Aristocats ✧ ~ 1 story ❧Thomas/Duchess ✧ ~ 1 story

Avatar: the Last Airbender ~ 1 story ❧Zuko/Sokka ~ 1 story

Avatar ~ 1 story ❧Jake/Tsu'tey ~ 1 story

Boys Over Flowers ~ 3 stories ❧Ji Hoo/Jun Pyo ✧ ~ 1 story ❧Yi Jung/Woo Bin/Ga Eul ✧ ~ 2 stories

Bread, Love, and Dreams ✧ ~ 2 stories ❧Majun/Takgu ✧ ~ 2 stories

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ✧ ~ 1 story ❧Spike/Drusilla ✧ ~ 1 story

Captain Harlock ~ 6 stories ❧Harlock/Yama ~ 6 stories ❧Kei/Yattaran ~ 1 story

Carmilla ✧ ~ 1 story ❧Laura/Carmilla ✧ ~ 1 story

Castlevania ~ 2 stories ❧Alucard/Trevor ~ 2 stories

CATS ~ 1 story ❧Tugger/Misto ~ 1 story

Choco Milk Shake ✧ ~ 1 story ❧Jung Woo/Choco/Milk ✧ ~ 1 story

Epic ✧ ~ 1 story ❧Tara/Ronin ✧ ~ 1 story

Hellboy II ✧ ~ 1 story ❧Nuada/Nuala ✧ ~ 1 story

Kagen no Tsuki ~ 7 stories ❧Adam/Mizuki ~ 7 stories ❧Masaki/Hotaru ✧ ~ 1 story

Kamisama Kiss ~ 1 story ❧Tomoe/Akura Ou ~ 1 story

Kingyou Hime ✧ ~ 2 stories ❧Keisuke/Kingyou-kun ✧ ~ 2 stories

Marginal Prince ~ 2 stories ❧Red/Henri ~ 2 stories

Mary Stayed Out All Night ~ 1 story ❧Jung In/Mu Gyul/Mary ~ 1 story

Moon Child ~ 68 stories ❧gen ~ 47 stories ---specifically Kei & Sho ~ 42 stories ❧Kei/Sho ~ 18 stories ❧Sho/Yi-Che ~ 3 stories

Naruto ~ 14 stories ❧gen ~ 7 stories ❧KakaSaku ~ 3 stories ❧KakaTenzou ~ 1 story ❧NejiHina ~ 1 story ❧SakuOro ~ 2 stories

Sea Shanties/Drunken Sailor ✧ ~ 1 story ❧Drunken Sailor/Captain's Daughter ✧ ~ 1 story

Sex Pistols ~ 3 stories ❧Yonekuni/Shiro ~ 3 stories

SK8 ~ 8 stories ❧MatchaLoveBlossom (Adam/Joe/Cherry) ~ 1 story ❧Eden (Adam/Langa) ~ 1 story ❧Adam/Tadashi ✧ ~ 2 stories ❧MatchaBlossom ~ 4 stories

Suzume no Tojimari ✧ ~ 1 story ❧Souta/Suzume ✧ ~ 1 story

The Moon Embracing the Sun ~ 1 story ❧Lee Hwon/Woon ~ 1 story

Tiger & Bunny ~ 3 stories ❧Keith/Agnes ~ 3 stories

Tight-Rope ~ 1 story ❧Ryuu/Nao ~ 1 story

Underworld ~ 1 story ❧Lucian/Sonja ~ 1 story

Valdemar ~ 1 story ❧Lavan/Kalira ~ 1 story

Van Helsing ✧ ~ 1 story ❧Dracula/Velkan ✧ ~ 1 story

Xena ✧ ~ 1 story ❧Xena/Gabrielle ✧ ~ 1 story

Yuri on Ice ✧ ~ 1 story ❧Otabek/Yuri ✧ ~ 1 story

~

. . .and there's my look back on 2023! I explored new things and fell (unexpectedly deeply, perhaps) into some beloved old ones, tried to curtail my impulses on driving too hard on events while still participating and having fun. . .

Of course as always I have many things in the works (a moon-cycle-related project for all of 2024, my upcoming 7th year of doing my Valentine's Spectacular, a dark and twisty longfic. . .) and I'll be back soon! Maybe even with a new story tomorrow? We'll see!

Regardless, I'll always be around on AO3 and I'm sure not going anywhere!

Happy New Year!

~Kalira

[purplesigebert]

Happy Birthday Kiry!!!

It's that time of year again, @kirythestitchwitch! Sarah and Jareth (and me!) are wishing you the happiest of happy birthdays!

I said I would review this fic ages ago, but I am a procrastinator in all aspects of my life. I'm glad I did, because this story is so heart-warming and funny!

Everyone, if you haven't read Timing, go check it out now!

Love,

Gabby

[fae-fucker]

Review: Of Goblins and Gold by Emma Hamm

Oops forgor to post this review here lmao :')

So ... I read the prequel to this book and hated it with a passion of a thousand suns. You might be asking, "Ok you hater, why go back to read the actual book it's based on?"

Mutliple reasons. 1) I am a hater. 2) I wanted to see if the author would put more effort into her solo projects/proper books. 3) A friend of mine tried to read it and failed, and I am nothing if not a martyr. 4) Yeah?? Maybe I want to read a story with a hot Goblin King in it? I didn't grow up watching The Labyrinth, I'm a little younger than most who did (and also not American), but just the words "Goblin King" are enough to perk my cat ear headphones.

Basically, I was curious, and I wanted to give this book a chance. Against my better judgment, clearly.

I'll cut to the chase: the writing is very poor. Like, to the point where I wasn't sure about the target demographic of this book, that's how juvenile and simplistic it was. Slightly better than the prose in the prequel short story, but only marginally. It reads like something for lower middle grade kids, it has this fairytale quality that's less dreamy and more "Oh, this could be a picture book." To illustrate my point, I literally, physically recoiled when I read the word "fuck" being uttered by a character, because it was so sudden and jarring amidst what had been, up to that point, Freya sees ball, see Freya run.

The writing isn't helped by quite poor and derivative characterization, the nonsense worldbuilding, and the shaky and confusing plot.

Freya is a fae-hating, determined young woman who totally isn't an off-brand Feyre (and I say this as an SJM hater, so being an off-brand copy of a shitty character is not great), and the Gerblin Shmerblin is a ... star-themed hot guy in a billowing shirt. Cool. Great. They don't have chemistry as much as they have scenes together and interact with each other. I understand Jareth and his magic bulge was the sexual awakening for many, and you will not get that here.

My biggest problem with this here book is the plot, and the ... themes? Morals? Where do I even begin?

Freya is understandably distrustful of goblins because her parents taught her to be. Esther is ... not. So Esther runs away with a goblin boy, and Freya thinks that she's been kidnapped because she finds a threatening note saying so (that I don't remember if it's ever explained who wrote it), and sets out to save her. She encounters the Gorblin Shmorblin, who challenges her to a game to fetch mystical artefacts from each of the four courts. Which she does, very easily. It apparently takes her weeks, though some of that time she spends brainwashed, I suppose. We then find out that it was easy on purpose, because the Gablin Mamblin wanted her to win for some reason?

Spoiler warning because I have to go into some very confusing things that honestly won't really spoil anything because it's hard to make sense of what's exactly being spoiled.

[Spoiler start]

Basically, the Gobbo Bobbo knew Esther came willingly, but also wanted Freya to think she didn't so she would fight to get her back, but also he wanted her to succeed along the way, but also he tried to trick her into getting frozen for eternity, but also he wanted to get her to join him in his court, but also he didn't care about Esther at all and was just doing this to amuse Freya because he saw that she was too special for her mundane life and wanted more from it and he was there to provide that excitement by being the villain in her story? I honestly could not tell you his motivations at all. I don't understand why he didn't just show Esther to Freya right away, cleared up the misunderstanding, and then try to seduce/lure Freya in the way he attempts it at the end of the book, while Freya still believes he stole Esther? Of course he'd fail then! It's made clear that Freya staying with him is very important, so why did he waste all that time toying with her for shits and giggles? It makes no sense. And at the end, when it shows that Freya winning was a huge mistake, him toying around with Freya like this made no sense at all. If so much was at stake, why did he fuck around? What was his actual motivation? What did he want? Yeah, read the sequels etc, but the reader still needs to have some idea of a character's motivations in order to connect with them and, important in a romance novel, root for the romance to happen! The narrative attempts to paint him as this manipulative mastermind, and yeah, he's one of those things, but we have no idea what goal he's manipulating Freya towards at all. In the end, it just looks like he fucked up real bad. Tried to swing his dick around and got it stuck in a blender type shit.

[Spoiler end]

The way this book handles Freya's prejudice leaves a weird taste in my mouth. As per my review of Stolen Goblin Bride, Esther is an insufferable brat who is always right and who never gets punished for hurting those around her, particularly Freya. The narrative and other characters encourage Esther to act like an asshole, because Esther is Good and Pure and Righteous and anything she does is automatically correct, even when she knows it'll hurt her sister. And even in Freya's own story, Esther is vindicated in the end. This book confirms what was hinted at in Stolen Goblin Bride: Esther is always right, and Freya is always wrong. It's honestly kind of gross and uncomfortable to read, like the author had a grudge against Freya and thus didn't want to afford her any sort of depth or complexity.

We're led to believe that Freya, who was raised to believe goblins were dangerous and had no reason to believe otherwise, is actually a close-minded bigot who is in denial about how great the fae are and how much she longs for the adventure the fae world provides.

I get what the author was going for, but it falls really flat for many interconnected reasons. Freya spends the entire book warring against the idea of goblins/fae being good people and the fae world being wonderful, believing they stole her sister, and denying her (supposed) attraction to the Gabby Babby, up until the last pages of the book. But when she finally meets Esther and sees that she wants to be there, Freya's like "Oh ok. Nevermind then. I was wrong and you were right." Like, she kept denying it for so long, to the point it became unrealistic, but all it actually took was Esther, the paragon of righteousness, to tell her to calm down?

It's not even a bad idea, it's fine to have Freya's sister be the final nail in the bigot coffin, but the way Freya folds and doesn't even doubt or give up or feel bitter or anything? She spends the majority of the book being in denial, then flips on a dime and goes "Ok! This is fine actually! Whatever my little sister wants, uwu!" It's the author showing her hand very blatantly. Like, ok, the book is over, time for the finale and for tying a nice bow on the character development. Freya is done with her arc, which was less an arc and more of a 90 degree angle, so now her anger and denial are just gone despite being her main characterization throughout. Freya's entire character gives way for Esther's wants and needs, and it's framed like Esther is doing Freya a favor by opening her eyes to the wonders of the goblins.

And the thing is, Freya being in denial isn't even that convincing, either? Obviously, she needs to be in denial for this particular plot, I get it, and the part that doesn't work for me is the idea that there is something to deny at all. Pretty much every fae creature she encounters wants to hurt her, except for the one side character she forces into servitude who doesn't, at any point, show that he wants to help her out of the kindness of his heart and nothing else, and one character who Freya admits herself seems nice but harbors some threatening edge deep down (not even that deep down, tbh).

So all the things Freya sees that she needs to deny are ... pretty landscapes. The mere existence of magic. The supposed kindness of the fae? The promise of adventure, the type she's on right now trying to save her sister from a creep who, as far as she knows, kidnapped said sister?

Freya's in very unconvincing denial about things that nobody in their right mind would actually be in denial about. Are we supposed to believe she doesn't care about her sister and just wants adventure? That she's convincing herself the goblins are evil to have a righteous thing to war against, to make herself a hero in her own story, and Esther's kidnapping is just an excuse to go on a quest? I think that angle would've worked, and there's hints of that in the book, but it's clearly not the point. Mostly it's Freya's bigotry we're supposed to dislike about her, and her wanting to be a hero is painted as a good thing she's repressing.

Now, I'm not saying that bigotry is somehow justified if the people you're bigoted against "prove" that they're as bad as you think they are. Nor am I saying that it's on them to prove you wrong. But this is a book, and Freya unlearning these things needs to be shown convincingly to the reader. Here, the fae are in obvious positions of power over Freya throughout and several of them attempt to kill her, yet her reacting negatively to this is painted as irrational? Why purposefully write cruel and threatening fae and then punish your character for thinking they're cruel and threatening? It doesn't make any sense.

The fae: We stole your sister and you need to do a bunch of dangerous shit to get her back. Also, a bunch of us will drug you, dehumanize you, insult and belittle you, and generally treat you like disposable garbage. The one guy who doesn't hate your guts is in charge of all of us.

Freya: Hmm ... Yeah that matches what I know about you. Kinda shitty tbh.

The fae: Omg how racist! Open your heart to how great we are!

In the end, Freya wins, but we're meant to dislike that. Because Freya winning means the Gabba Babba loses, and he's correct about everything always, just like Esther. The narrative tells us Freya is wrong, Esther tells Freya she's wrong, the Gorblo Borblo tells Freya she's wrong. You just end up reading about this poor woman who's gaslit into being the villain by everyone around her, and she ends up blaming herself when shit goes to hell, and then Esther is the one who's like "it wasn't your fault uwu" and I'm not sure if we're meant to agree?

Freya somehow ends up being the butt monkey of the entire book despite also being the most interesting human ever (according to the Gebble Pebble) and having the easiest epic quest of all time. She's a bigot but we never see her get any reason to unlearn said bigotry, but she's still punished for her beliefs, ones she got from her dead parents and never had reason to question. Her love interest tells us she's the most fascinating human he's ever met (and he's met millions, despite being a thousand years old? That's a lot of humans for a guy who mostly seems to live on non-human soil) despite her never doing anything extraordinary.

This is a very confusing read. I'm leaving two stars because it baffled me more than it infuriated me, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're really desperate for lukewarm goblin content. On that note, let's talk about Stolen Goblin Bride and the way these two books together open up a well of wack-ass worldbuilding.

First of all, the events in this book do not match up with the events in Goblin Bride. Lux "kidnaps" Esther in that one, but here, she says she went willingly. The Gobbo Shobbo also distinctly helps Lux kidnap Esther, all while claiming he didn't, and that goblins don't do that. Here, it's also established that only children go out to the human world to sell their wares (???), but in Goblin Bride, there were named characters who were clearly adults. Lux himself can't be a child, either. Assuming he's not much older than Esther's 16, and also that he lives and travels alone and owns a home, he's probably around that same age. That does not make him a child. It seems like the author just retroactively made those goblins kids in order to make Freya look even worse. We also find out that the King Gob is well-loved by his people, despite there being a bunch of starving people that Lux has to personally feed on the king's orders? Man must have one hell of a propaganda team. We also don't really know, generally, what sort of world Esther and Freya come from? They talk about being peasants and living in a small village, but at some point Freya mentions a zoo? Huh??? And again, why are the goblins sending their kids to trade with humans that hate and fear them? What kind of sense does that make? Goblin Bride establishes that they trade mainly with nobles, but this book outright says that human nobles left Freya's village centuries ago. Why are the goblins still sending their kids to remote human villages?

All in all, it's a shambles of a book. Nothing really works, and the protagonist seems to be punished for existing, a pawn in a heavy-handed moral that doesn't really work at all. The characters are bland amalgamations of tropes, the worldbuilding is wacky and nonsensical in a bad way, and the plot has the integrity of string cheese. There are tiny glimpses of a vision, of a goal in there somewhere, that might be enough to please some, but I don't know if I'm masochistic or mean enough to pick up the rest of the series.

[antediluvianapocalypse]

People making letterboxd reviews freaking out about David Bowie's bulge in Labyrinth are weak & will not survive the winter. I'm not saying this bc I'm attracted to Jareth/Bowie in this movie. So you can see the outline of his dick sometimes. Who cares!!! Why are people freaking out about it!!! I'd rather have visible bulge than pretend he doesn't have a dick!!! Half the population has one & it's not like the movie ever draws your attention to it. We live in a culture of denial of the body for real....

[kgm0809]

Hi! I feel like I’m totally going to screw this up! I’ve never used Tumblr before, I got it because I was hoping to connect with you. At least I hope I’m messaging the right person.

I cannot put into words how thankful I am that you posted your fanfics online! I discovered your stories around my birthday (August 9th). Of my god, my birthday ever! I just kept reading and reading! The Ties That Bind! Oh my word, I can’t tell you how much I LOVE it! I have read it three times now!

Your writing isn’t just amazing because it’s so professional, but something I lack and I wish o could do, I have no ability to write a plot. You’re absolutely AMAZING at writing! I didn’t comment or review, but I sure as hell will next time I read it!

Your talent is INSANE! I WISH I had that ability. Reading your fanfics, oh my god, I absolutely LOVE your version of characters, but I especially love dark Jareth and everything he’s about! Lol I just had to reach out and thank you for having the courage to post your work (I hope I can be as brave in my work someday) reading labyrinth fanfics got me still going when my mental health was so much worse. I hope you and your loved ones are doing well! ❤️

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Alright, so, I think I bit off more than I can chew with the M. Bison Psycho Analysis. I did not realize just how much I would have to look into for a fighting game villain; I’ve not played Street Fighter extensively so I do t think I’ll be able to do him justice.

To make up for it, I’ll let you vote on villains I astoundingly haven’t done a review of yet. The Delgo and Street Fighter IIRTB are still coming, I just needed to accept this is outside my ballpark.

[littlewalken]

aug 22

The song Sally Simpson from Tommy by The Who hits differently if you're a woman.

It also hits differently when Pete sings it for the movie soundtrack and you find you put the original album version that Roger sings on your music player and not the Pete version.

And anyone who only has one version of Tommy should also hear the other to hear the other guy's take on I'm a Sensation. Pete's version is 'I'm here, dealt with it' where Roger's is more 'I'm on my way, prepare yourself'.

Now explain to Roger Daltrey why your live concert has lip synced vocals in a way that won't make him want to kick your ass. Not looking at someone with a serious health condition Celine Dione, but there are old and new artists alike with no good reason.

Coming from Roger Daltrey it would sound more like "Eew want yur fooking arse kicked er sumpin?"

Wholigans know what I mean. The Who went insane is the unintentionally best review of a set/show ever. It comes from whomever on Cracked reviewed the hurricane Sandy relief concert and had quite possibly never seen The Who preform before.

Went insane could also describe a David Bowie performance but a totally different level of insanity.

I do believe why David Bowie was the perfect Jareth in Labyrinth elsewhere, Robert Plant could have done it if he were a bettor actor, Roger Daltrey could have done it but he's more of a gremlin and I sort of suspect he wasn't tall enough because Jareth really needed a height advantage over Sarah. Or Roger's just too raw sexuality where Bowie could be more subtle about it.

***

On the writing side of things I'm glad the older version of the writing notes was still on this hard drive, and a few other places because there was one variant on a comfort fic idea that got lost among all the others that does deserve to be written out again. It was obviously drafted then scaled back to notes for whatever reason.

The typing of the notes is still a few days away with 1 1/2 long (at least 20 pages) stories to go along with a couple other things. Then there's no less than 3 different fan projects with varying degrees of work that I want to type up too.

I got one of those baby surprise balls too. If the ball has a high pitched rattle it probably has a baby buggy in it. I don't see a want to purposefully buy any more of those, if I do I'll shake it and go for one that doesn't sound like a buggy, but I think I want some more Harry Potter potion balls.

The tube with the cork, which I had the cork in the wrong end, goes in the top of the ball so it looks like a potions container with the minis inside. At least they're finally doing something about the packaging.

[bookreviewdirectory]

The Betrayer - Editorial Review

  Title: The Betrayer: Baltin Trilogy Book 2 Author: Melissa Riddell Genre: Science Fiction Romance / Post Apocalyptic / Alien Invasion   The Betrayer continues the story of Tilly Morgan and Jareth Averon, the leader of the aliens who unleashed a deadly virus on Earth to prepare it for their occupation. Now that Tilly knows who Jareth is, she’s returning to Earth to find her sister and sort out…