#Love this goofy little sci fi show with everything I have

[myiliterallyhavenolifegoals]

me knowing that bigots and terfs are Big Mad about doctor who saying trans/non-binary rights

[fategoflatass]

My Fall 2023 Watchlist & Opinions

Welcome to the comeback of my reviews that no one expected! But hey, I think this would be a nice practice for me to develop my writing skills and my critical thinking (?).

Take in consideration this post will be long because #unemployed, so everything will be under the cut.

Ready or not (I sure am not), here I go!

Atarashii Joushi wa Dotennen

Comedy, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆¾

After an atrocious experience with an abusive boss, Momose decides to switch workplaces. Used to such a toxic environment, he never expected his new superior to be so goofy!

The most wholesome show you'll find this season, and one of the most I've seen in general!

The work environment is pretty much paradise, each and every character being the living representation of the sweetest and most tender cotton candy you'll be able to find.

While the comedy mostly relies on Shirosaki's sillyness, it never gets old. Alongside the laughs, you'll find yourself aww-ing to many, many scenes.

Also, the series is conscious of the way people takes it (no, this is not a BL) and dedicates some scenes to it by giving different double meaning scenarios (they're all wholesome, no need to worry about that). Just a heads up, in case you're not into this kind of thing.

Want to know more? There's a canonical bisexual character in it! And here I was thinking that we didn't exist for Japan.

Totally recommend for those gloomy days, or even when you just need to shut off your brain.

Dr. STONE: NEW WORLD Part 2

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi // ☆☆☆☆

No summary due to spoilers.

I don't think there's much I can say about this one? I mean, unless I want to spoil someone, and I'm not a spoiler kind of person so...

For those curious about my experience, I'm enjoying myself very much! I decided to give it a try since my best friend loves it, and I liked it so much I quickly got up to date with it.

Now, do I understand every single thing they talk about? Hell nah, do you know how many times I failed chemistry and physics?!

But besides that, this show is a pretty wild and fun ride. And not only the previous parts, but also this one! Again, don't feel like making spoilers but the quality hasn't lacked not even a little bit. The characters are still as charismatic and funny as they've always been, and the plot keeps getting more and more interesting as it progresses.

Only thing I can say without explicitly spoiling anything: one of these days, Gen will end up messing with the wrong people. Can't tell you what tells me that, but he's messy enough for me to be unable to think otherwise.

Hametsu no Oukoku

Action, Drama, Fantasy // ☆☆

Once benerated due to their wisdom, witches are now being hunted down by humans who accuse them of impeding the progress of civilization. Adonis, a human raised by a witch, swears revenge against those who took his mentor from him.

CW: instances of extreme violence, forced non-sexual public partial nudity

Yes, I watched this one. Yes, it's an edgy one. No, it's not fun.

As someone who's always down to anything that has to do with fantasy, magic and supernatural beings, as well as being able to enjoy the trashiest things in life, I had some hope in the plot. Not in the way that it might be actually good, but in the way that it could be so bad I could get some laughs out of it. Sadly, this series takes itself quite seriously.

Which wouldn't be a problem if it weren't because it isn't even that good. The characters are plain, the episodes feel longer than they should, and there are times where you can see it go all over the top.

A pet peeve I have is when certain abilities/powers have ridiculous names, and this show does that to a tee by giving them some of the dumbest/edgiest (not exclusionary) names I've seen in a while.

"Do they even have to do with what each witch's magic is supposed to be?" I ask to the void in utter confusion.

"Absolutely not, but doesn't it sound rad?!" an easily impressed twelve-year-old exclaims from the grades.

Anyway, wouldn't recommend this show to anyone unless you're looking for an edgy power fantasy where characters die in gruesome ways not even five minutes after being introduced, magic type and all.

Also, can someone explain to me what does it mean to have "Natural Law" magic?

Hikikomari Kyuuketsuki no Monmon

Action, Comedy, Fantasy // ☆☆¼

After three years of becoming a total shut-in, Komari wakes up to find out she's the newest Commander in the Mulnite Imperial Army! Although she's descendant of a pretty powerful vampire family, she's rather inept when it comes to magic, even finding blood disgusting. Will her, alonside her maid, be able to make her path to success, or is failure awaiting for her around the corner?

Damn, this one took its sweet time to take off, only to crash and burn because the method was so cliché and overused.

The first three to four episodes are boring and not interesting at all, characters are bland as a wet piece of cardboard and the comedy excels at falling flat.

(Mild spoilers ahead, because I couldn't care less about this one)

And now you mean to tell me your seemlingly powerless main character is actually OP, only that under hypnosis? I didn't need to be a hound to be able to smell that crap from miles away, now did I?

But let's leave that aside to talk about Vil, A.K.A Male Gaze 101. I understand why she's attached to the protagonist, don't get me wrong, but did she need to sexually harass the protagonist or...? Also, how could I forget about the time where she almost forced Komari to pee herself in front of her!

Bro, if I were to know this was an omorashi hentai wannabe I wouldn't have given it a chance.

Anyways, if you're into any of the things I've mentioned previously, then enjoy yourself. This anime's definitely not for me.

Kamierabi

Action, Drama, Psychological, Supernatural // ☆½

A group of high schoolers see themselves forced to fight each other to death for the coveted title of God. Who will emerge victorious and claim their godly throne?

You have no right to ask that in the summary when you spoil the results in the first minutes of the first episode.

Let's be honest, if anyone is talking about this series is because Yoko Taro's name served as free promo. But did you know he's credited, not for the story, but for the concept of it? Big yikes, huh?

If you are a three-episode-rule kind of person, I assure you won't be needing that for this anime. One episode is enough torture, trust me.

The first minute is there to make sure you understand this story is different, is mature. There are no friendships, no love interests, only tons of suffering and betrayals. You know, what people back in 2011 probably went for when Mirai Nikki first aired.

Characters are not only boring as hell, but their designs are nothing to die for, heavely based on their assigned colors because you'll be forgetting their names the minute after they get introduced.

Fun fact: If you pay enough attention, you'll be able to see their phone cases' designs. Not only they look ugly, but they also spoil their so secretive abilities!

Speaking of character design, did you know the one in charge of it didn't even bother to create background character's templates? They all look like gray extraterrestrial things trying to pass as human beings, their never changing facial expressions being the cherry on top. This might be one edgy way of showing they don't matter to the main story, but it just feels super lazy. Also, this... artistic choice is just another spoiler, since everyone who has some sort of relevance has an established design. But oh well.

Fun fact: Every single one of these NPCs are gray, expect for a couple of them in episode six who are red and blue. One of them is the bad guy, can you guess who?

In summary, this show is utter trash. Wouldn't recommend unless you're as messed up as I am and like to watch crappy productions.

Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri

Drama, Mystery // ☆☆☆¾

When police office Totomaru is assigned to a serial killer case, he turns to Kamonohashi Ron for help—a once considered genius who, after a fatal mistake, got himself expelled from the top detective training academy and was forbidden to become one.

This is your classic detective show with the more normal character having to learn how to deal with the more eccentric one who's always really good at deducing. And I love it.

Yeah, it might be a copycat of other series with the same dynamics (like many other mystery anime), but they're all still dear to my heart. I just love them, man!

Every case they've introduced until now have been interesting and fun. It's been entertainting trying to think by myself what happened, who might be the culprit, how did they do it and why. As always, it's especially cool when you get close enough or, even better, when you were in the right. Serotonin kicks like those are always appreciated.

The dynamic between the protagonists is also really fun, Ron's shenanigans never getting old. Totomaru might not be having the time of his life, but I sure am!

If you're a fan of these kind of shows, then I totally recommend! If you're tired of the same scheme over and over again, maybe not so much. Would be nice if you'd give it a try, though!

Kanojo mo Kanojo Season 2

Comedy, Ecchi, Romance, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆¼

After their hot springs trip, Naoya continues his relationships with both Saki and Nagisa. Alongside Milika and Shino, they embark on a summer vacation full of romance with a fireworks festival, camping, and Okinawa. Chaos ensured.

There are not many series that touch upon polyamory which saddens me to a fault. The closest to this concept would be harem series, but a polyamorous relationship should never be a competition to see which whom does your "shared partner" choose to spend the rest of their life with.

While KanoKano isn't the best representation of this type of relationships (Saki often feeling like she's competing against Nagisa), it's not a bad series? Or, at least, not that bad. Rather decent, actually.

It's not boring, although it isn't the most entertaining series either. If I had to decide between KanoKano and any other series that touches upon polyamory (even if they do it with the tip of a stick, miles apart of the concept), I would probably go for Hamefura's canonical (albeit not in the way I would like it to be) Katarina fan club.

I just feel something's... wrong, you know. I get Naoya loves them both and that, in theory, both of them understand that, but I can't help feeling uncomfortable when Saki mentions this supposed competition the girls have (and the way they treat polyamory as "two timing" when that would imply it wasn't consensual?).

Besides that, it's a decent series to watch whenever you're bored. Not a masterpiece, but is not like it's trying to be one.

UPDATE: Rating has been lowered to ☆ as of 11/10/23. Visit the reblog section for more.

Kimi no Koto ga Dai Dai Dai Dai Daisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo

Comedy, Romance // ☆☆☆☆

Rentarou has been rejected a total of 100 times throught his entire life. Is when he visits a shrine and prays for better luck when he meets the God of Love. He reveals to Rentarou that he'll get to date 100 women in the foreseeable future. The catch is, once he meets them they must happily love each other. Otherwise, they'll die. What will be of Rentarou and his 100 girlfriends during high school?

He has arrived. The man, the legend. The harem protagonist of all harem protagonists.

Rentarou Aijou has arrived, and he's here to make you and your wife part of his loveable and excessively numerous family.

As I mentioned when talking about KanoKano, I've been looking for series that touch upon polyamory. And if you're like me, then you've just hit the jackpot!

While I'm conscious 100Kano is a parody of harem series and was never meant to be taken seriously, the way none of these girls are competing for the protagonist's exclusive love is refreshing. They're actually a pretty big family, always supportive of each other and down to give each other a hand or two (or twenty, if needed). They'll do anything they can to make their boyfriend the happiest man alive, and so will he with them.

There're no favoritisms whatsoever. Such concept as "the first one to arrive gets to win" does not exist in his agenda. In Rentarou (and every single one of his girlfriends)'s mind, everyone wins because everyone is his favorite.

An excellent series to watch by yourself or with your pals in case you're looking for something silly and easy to digest.

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto

Drama, Mystery // ☆☆☆☆¼

CW: infant death, classism, self-harm, kidnapping

Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she’s sold as a lowly servant to the emperor’s palace. When rumours about imperial heirs falling ill surfaces, she puts her knowledge in medicinal herbs and poison to good use and finds a cure. It's then when she catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. The series follows Maomao as she solves numerous mysteries.

I can't explain just how excited I was for this one. As I said before, I love mysteries, but I also really like historical series. So when you mix both genres, you get characters who try to solve various cases with only the means they had yesterday.

Besides the art being drop dead gorgeous (alongside every single lady who makes an appearance in the story), the story is engaging and so much fun. The episodes are already a bit shorter than usual (albeit not for much, it's just me being petty), but the way everything develops makes it feel like they last no more than five minutes.

And Maomao—God Maomao! She's one of the best female main characters I've seen as of recently. She's not lacking personality—she actually has way too much, and I love that. She's so clever and capable at what she does, I bet it'd be so much fun to just stare at her as she picks different herbs or just stays still for hours, trapped in her thoughts.

I'm a sucker for good relationship dynamics and the one between Maomao and Jinshi is just *chef's kiss* exquisit. The way he's constantly trying to seduce her and she just stares at him in apathy or disgust (bonus for when she brushes off the places where he'd placed his hand on) are golden. I also love how what started as teasing and doubt about the other's true intentions morphs into genuine interest and maybe, just maybe, a tiny itty crush.

A pretty strong contestant for anime of the year, in my opinion.

Megumi no Daigo: Kyuukoku no Orange

Action, Drama // ☆☆☆½

The series follows three young firefighters who share the same goal—becoming members of the special rescue corps known as "Orange". We'll follow them from their early training days to the day they face the crisis that'll push Japan at the brink of collapsing.

I don't know about you, but I've never seen a series focused on firefighters. Yes, I know about Promare and Fire Force, but those aren't "real" firefighters, if you know what I mean.

Where's their daily life at the station, their training—just everything that comes with being one of them? I don't want flashy fight scenes against angsty twinks, I want to see people getting rescued from collapsed buildings and cats getting saved from trees.

Along with interesting characters and tense situations, all these making it difficult for you to not empatize with, Megumi no Daigo is here to bring us a peek on how the real deal is—with both the good, the bad and the ugly.

This anime is confirmed to be the prequel to a movie released in the 90's, so there's even more content in case you're interested!

Migi to Dali

Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆

Twin brothers Migi and Dali pretend to be the Sonoyama's adoptive son, Hitori, in order to find out the truth behind their mother's death.

CW: (prepare your bingo cards) *inhales* forced non-sexual infantilization, forced partial nudity, forced non-sexual pet play, bullying, implied murder, classism, forced eating, non-sexual groping, surveillance, invasion of privacy, kidnapping and imprisonment. ~95% of these happen to a minor, so yeah.

While the main focus of the first two episodes was the comedy (it's still present in the rest of the series, just not as much), I didn't find it especially hilarious? It does give off Sakamoto vibes at times, but it never makes me laugh as much as the author's previous work did.

The mystery is still there, thought, and that's what keeps me coming back. The suspense surronding the twins' mother's passing is engaging, you genuinely want to find out what happened there and how the place where they've moved and its habitants are involved in the case.

Now, as I mentioned before this anime is disturbing and thus can be highly triggering for some. So please beware before giving it a chance.

Overtake!

Drama, Sports // ☆☆☆¾

Kouya is a professional photographer who, due to past circumstances, gave up his passion for taking pictures of people. But his fate changes the day he meets Komaki Motors, a family-run shop that regularly competes in F4 along with their only racer, Haruka.

CW: implied death (car accident)

Sports anime of the season, let's go! This time, about car racing. Never watched an anime like this one before, although I know Initial D is out there. I just haven't watched it... yet.

To be honest, I didn't expect to connect with the characters to this level. I got hooked to the story from day one and has been like that ever since.

The story is fun, the races will have you at the edge of your seat while cheering for your favorite team.

Because yes, I think the rival team can also be cheered on! Maybe their main face might not be the bestest guy, but Toshiki does deserve everything in this world and so much more.

And when it comes to the drama, it never comes out as over the top. Every single reason for them thinking, responding or acting the way they do makes total sense given their past ciscumstances.

Speaking of the characters, everyone here has enough personality to be separated from the rest: Haruka's overachieving and at times harsh demeanor makes a good contrast with Koutaro's more calm and playful behavior. And while Satsuki's charismatic, conceited and women-loving persona might be a pain for many, Toshiki serves as a good companion with his serious and ambitions being. And I could mention the adults, but I think you catch my vibe.

I so recommend this one!

Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou desu Season 2

Fantasy, Romance, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆½

We follow Sei, an office worker in her twenties who was suddenly summoned to another world as a "Saint". Taking advantage of her natural love of plants, she started working at a medicinal plant research institute. We also get to meet Albert Hawke, with whom she's more than friends but less than lovers.

Season two arrived and I have yet to rewatch the first one, although I think it might be a little too late for that.

Don't go into it expecting a wonderful series because it is not (or, at least, it isn't for me). It's a pretty neat feel good series, but definitely nothing out of the ordinary. Just nice people living their lives.

Sei and Albert's relationship is as wholesome as always, I appreciate them taking their time and not rushing into making things official. It feels, I don't know... adult.

There's literally not much I can say about this one other than I would recommend for those who are looking for a nice and relaxing shoujo.

Shangri-La Frontier

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi // ☆☆☆¾

Rakuro is a "crap-game hunter"—a strong aficionado to clearing buggy and just straight up bad titles that aren't even compatible with the now more frequently used VR technology. The game he's chosen to tackle next is the widely aclaimed "Shangri-La Frontier" that counts with thirty million players and counting. Little did he know this decision would change his fate alongside with many other players he meets along the way!

I can barely count the times I had this much fun while watching a series, and I can count even less the occasions where a gaming-inspired anime made me feel this great!

I've found myself dumbfounded so many times at just how detailed Shangri-La Frontier is. It's obvious there was research behind it, the author's a straight up legend for dedicating so much time and passion to something others would've easily disregarded as another basic, boring ass medieval-inspired MMORPG.

The level of character customization (you can even modify their origins like ‼), the many monsters you find along the way, and tons of easter eggs that players have yet to find in their entirety! It's my first time saying this when it comes to gaming-centered anime, but holy hell I wished this game existed IRL!

And honestly, I identify with Rakuro a bit too much when it comes to enjoying crap. In his case, are bad games. In mine, bad anime. I would love to have a chat with him and share our experiences and disgraces that come with this harsh hobby.

SHY

Action, Drama // ☆☆☆½

When we needed them the most, they appeared! As we were on the brink of World War Three, individuals with superpowers appeared all around the planet with the only mission to mantain peace. They would eventually become symbols of their nations, their presence being enough to lower the crime rates. Teru, most known as Shy, is Japan's heroine. When a mysterious and menacing association called Amalareiks surfaces, Shy must join forces with her fellow superheroes to stop their plans, all while dealing with her shyness and, overall, her teenage life.

CW: violence, death, self hatred, intrusive thoughts

Would it be cool to call it the more mature version of Boku no Hero Academia?

I had the manga for this series on my pending list for a while and when I saw an anime adaptation was coming out, not gonna lie, I got quite excited.

Now, I have to admit it's not one of my favorite series this season. It might be the pacing that sometimes gives me the feeling the episodes are, although just a little bit, longer than they actually are.

I love the concept and how it's executed, I really like the characters and the setting in which they're established. The drama they all have feels realistic and you can easily empathise with them. In my case, Teru's constant conflict with herself hit a little bit too close to home.

I would recommend it to those who're looking for a more mature series while also wanting to watch shounen-esque scenarios.

Sousou no Frieren

Adventure, Drama, Fantasy // ☆☆☆☆½

The adventure's over. The Demon King has successfully been defeated and thus Frieren and her fellow adventurers make their way back home. Now a highly regarded mage, she goes back to her slow-paced life only to realize years later, while attending Himmel's funeral, how short human's life expectancy is when compared with her own near inmortality. Frieren then makes the decision to begin a new adventure in the search of new absurd spells and friends alongside whom she expects to understand what life means to them and just how impactful can be what she perceives as nothing more than an instant.

CW: death, grief, mild violence

Oh Lord, this one's painful. I've no idea how they managed to do it, but they got me attached to the hero's party so quickly and so deeply this crap had already scarred me on episode one.

This story's gorgeous, I don't think I have to explain myself on that. Besides the more than stunning art, animation and music that acompannies us during the entirety of Frieren's self-discovery adventure, the slow pace and quiet moments are quite the delight.

The characters we meet along the way are also fantastic, written with such love, thought and care behind you'll fall for them in no time.

I truly don't want to talk much about it since I think this is an experience that one must live for themselves, but trust me when I tell you this is something you'll never forget.

SPY×FAMILY Season 2

Action, Comedy, Slice of Life, Supernatural // ☆☆☆☆

The same as season one, only that now the family's heading on a cruise ship expedition!

I don't think there's much I can say about this one? The second season's been giving the same vibes I got from the first one, so a wholesome, found family-centered comedic slice of life about three persons who don't know each other at all and do their best so that situation never changes.

Anya keeps on being the chaotic menace she has been from day one, Yor is still one of the best mothers ever alongside a woman I would never dare look for a fight against, and Loid keeps on repeating his more than iconic mantra as he unsuspectingly falls asleep while dreaming about certain woman surrounded by a zillion flowers.

But, you know, anything for the mission.

When it comes to the upcoming arc, I'm excited for seeing Yor at work! Been dying to get anything like this, and I'm so glad my prayers have been heard.

Undead Unluck

Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Supernatural // ☆☆☆¾

All Fuuko wants is a passionate romance like the one in her favorite shoujo manga. Sadly, her Unluck ability deems this dream impossible. But that anguish will have to wait because Andy, someone with the Undead ability, takes her as his test subject to see if, thanks to her misfortune, he can finally rest in peace. It seems peace has never been an option, though, because certain secret organization has begun chasing after them.

CW: not-quite-concenting groping

If I took my sweet time to start watching this series was mainly because, for some hell of a reason, it gave me big Mashle vibes. Don't ask, I just thought the comedy would be similar. And since my humble opinion on Harry Potter 2.0 is that it has its humour stuck up its ass, you might understand I gave an olympic jump over Undead Unluck.

But then I decided to give it a chance and man, Mashle would never!

Not the funniest series I've watched, but I appreciate the multiple laughs it gave me.

Now, what I do not appreciate are the various groping scenes. If Fuuko were to consent all of those, then cool. Who am I to judge whatever two consenting adults (Fuuko's 20+, right?) do with their lives and bodies? The thing is, not every groping is consented by her, especially at the beggining. So yeah, beware of that.

Putting that aside, the characters are pretty cool and so much fun to see fighting or just interacting with each other. The ability system the series has is rather interesting, would love to learn more about it.

Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou

Comedy, Fantasy, Romance // ☆☆☆½

We've heard this story before: girl reincarnates into her favorite otome game and, since she knows her way down every route, she gets to win over her favorite bachelor. Only that, this time, it might not be as predictable. After all, who knows what's truly inside Rae Taylor's mind? Claire François for sure doesn't, especially now that she's going after her—the game's villainess!

CW: discussions of homophobia, classism, rae can be creepy at times

In the words of @arataka-reigen, “This anime is like if Maria from Hamefura was the one who got isekai'd and then fell in love with OG Katarina”. Couldn't say it better, pal.

While this series is not one of my favorites this season, the characters not going right down my alley and the pacing not being the best, I truly appreciate the cafeteria scene. I've never seen such a discussion over diverse sexualities adn homophobia in an anime before, and I can only clap to that.

And not only that, but it seems like it's going down a rather... interesting path. I mean, the whole classism that's present during the series, the "commoner" students' complains, the game's title being "Revolution"... I smell something nice.

Yuzuki-san Chi no Yon Kyoudai

Comedy, Drama, Slice of life // ☆☆☆¾

From the day the Yuzuki brothers lost both their parents, Hayato never stopped taking care of his little siblings, making sure all their needs are met and nothing's lacking. They share tears, laughter, and a specially unbreakeable bond.

I've no idea what might be the reason, but all these stories about family (whether related by blood or not being quite irrelevant) alongside the others where they include and/or center around pets are my weakness.

The four brothers feel like actual humans beings, their dramatic and joyful moments in life will definitely take you for a ride althought, admitely, it might not be the most intense one.

Hayato would do literally anything for his family and, honestly, same. Both Mikoto, Minato, and Gakuto are downright adorable and would love to pinch every single one of those cheeks like there's no tomorrow.

If a cutsie family-center slice of life it's what you're looking for, look no further. But if what you want is a drama in general, then I would recommend Frieren first.

If you reached the end, thank you so much for reading! I literally stayed up til 2 AM to finish writing this (and I didn't even include the titles I dropped), so yeah. Highly appreciate!

[billiejean485]

Okay - a long rant ahead and some explanations.

I would also like to point out that what I'm about to talk about mostly concerns the Christian community and it may not be interesting to anyone else or would just lead to pointless arguments that I don't want to be a part of, so - read at your own discretion after the explanations.

EXPLANATION

Yes, you have probably all noticed that I haven't completely stopped indulging in Miraculous stuff, especially after this post, and the reason is - I am simply enjoying (or have been doing so up till now) the concepts, the fan art and the never used possibilities and lost potential of the show and its characters. Which leads me directly to the second part of this post.

TO THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY WITHIN MIRACULOUS LADYBUG FANDOM

Yesterday, I gave this vid a watch and discovered something I wished I knew from day one of this show.

Among all the good points, something really struck me, and it was this:

.... Look.

I know Thomas Astruc is an atheist (or however he defines himself) and that he's a very anti-religious person - but this is downright offensive.

So, what I wanted to bring to attention.... was that this show really isn't just some goofy fantasy x sci-fi mix that doesn't delve into religion or myths - but that that is far from the truth.

Miraculous goes directly into everything and reshapes it to the viewing pleasure of people who have no religious beliefs whatsoever and are, like it's creator, of a mindset that it's all just nonsense, thus disrespecting culture and faith of humongous groups of religious communities.

As an (Orthodox) Christian, I can't talk much about people of other faith, though I know there were also big problems with the Muslim communities. Because of that, I am just going to stick to what I'm capable of concluding.

... You know, we all have the right to believe whatever we want to believe in. If atheistic people don't want to believe in anything, that's their choice. But spitting in the face of absolutely everyone who is of different opinion, especially through a worldwide known show (and directed at kids, to make matters worse) is definitely not alright. We have the right to choose our faith as much as any other individual and absolutely no one should be allowed to say that we should keep to ourselves as some kind of 'minority' and let the 'majority' take over, because they're right since there's a bigger number of them.

Speaking up about something negative within a certain religious community that affects everyone is one thing - telling them to shut up altogether is another.

If you think I am blowing things out of proportion with this.... do a little research on Astruc's X (formerly Twitter). I kid you not when I tell you that I have practically quoted him in the last line of the paragraph above my previous one. Amanda does the same in her video as well.

But what am I really getting at here with this post?

I wanted to send out a warning to fellow Christians that are watching the show and to boost up the awareness to this problem.

Literally... all the problems I've been having with the show for the past two years come down to this. The way the characters are treated, the direction the show is taking... everything. If I had known about the creators' opinions on this topic I would have seen disappointment a mile away, and it never would have affected me as bad as it did.

I stopped drawing for a whole year for crying out loud! And I've seen during that period that many people are absolutely unaware of what is lurking behind the curtains. The show is meant to take you to a certain point of viewing the world the way its creators believe are right, and it's not going to stop doing that anytime soon. What's more, I believe (and I am talking from experience here, from other disappointments in my past) that things are only going to get worse.

The Love Square is bait. The prolonged plot is there to keep the viewers interested. Heck, Astruc confirmed that publicly - it's needed to exist in order to keep the show successful and running. He thinks he's doing a good job at it, and, to be fair - business-wise, he is. That doesn't speak about the quality of the story though. But that's another topic I'm not going to bring up here...

I just wanted to give a heads-up to peeps, who do have an incorporated belief system in their lives, to not get swindled. It's not innocent fun, and that's going to get more obvious as time passes and the creators get more freedom to express their opinions.

I'm sorry if you've invested yourselves in this show as much as I have. I truly believed there wasn't another system directed against religion somewhere in its shadows and that it was a safe watch - however, it isn't. If you do have a life dedicated to something this show is against, all I can tell you is - re-evaluate what you're watching here.

For all the rest of you.... I suppose I have nothing to say. If you read all the way up to here and still disagree with me... well, feel free to do it. But I have no discussion to be made with you.

[us-the-voices-and-more-voices-2]

us the voices recommends! shows, and movies! part 1

Larva 11/10

this show is genuinely amazing, I literally have cried multiple times it's genuinely the best show in the whole "potty humour, screaming" genre, literally if you can get past the kinda obnoxious screaming you will be treated with a wonderful show that has so much love put into it.

(most media critics are snobs, this show is awesome. embrace the silly and the cringe.)

Upload (2020) 10/10

black mirror if it was funny and wasn't anti-technology, best take on cyberpunk I've seen in a long time. if you liked black mirror but hated the doomer parts and the trash writing of some of the later seasons and episodes you will adore upload!

(I actually hate black mirror, like it's all short stories at the end of the day and I like some of them so much and others can go in a hole and die genuinely. it's the most mixed bag of a show I've ever seen, because it just kinda is such a doomer show like make up your mind on what it is!!! 4.7/10 overall and 11/10 for select short stories.)

dinosaur king (dubbed) 10/10

if you like "Pokemon" and "Digimon" you will fucking love dinosaur king, it has (for the time) accurate dinosaur facts. the VA's for jessie and James! and I think ash? appear, and it's a all round fun show! lots of dinosaurs and crying to be had!

squid girl (dubbed/subbed) 10/10

if you like anime girl, fish out of water, slice of life, funny shows you will love squid girl! many many squid puns, and general tomfoolery.

Siren: Survive the Island 11/10

a south Korean reality game show, where a bunch of women from different jobs and backgrounds compete to be the last one standing.

it's genuinely the coolest, edge of your seat show I've watched in a long time!

Physical 100 10/10

a reality game show where the top 100 south Korean sports people? compete against each other to win, it's fucking crazy and awesome and I can't believe it's a show.

Star Trek: lower decks 11/10

if you in any shape or form liked Star Trek you will fucking love lower decks! it's a love letter to Star Trek in all ways, it's extremely funny and a fresh take on the Star Trek formula!

(if you think the first ep is a bit meh, stick through it! it gets so much better)

sword art online: abridged 12/10

I have only ever watched, "sword art online: alicization" and so that was my intro to the sword art online series. but after watching the "something witty's" sword art online: abridged I can never go back. it is extremely well written, the characterisation is impeccable, it has the most realistic feel of if a whole bunch of people actually got trapped in a VR game, and is such an amazing version of the show you will wonder why you hadn't heard of it before!

the Red turtle 11/10

if you like beautiful animation, sadness, and to get your brain chemistry changed. you should check out the red turtle! it's a joint production with studio gibbli, and is so visually stunning and mesmerising you will just sob.

this movie is so amazing, and you will adore the hell out of it.

Megamind 11/10

Dreamworks cult classic film, a family movie that breaks down the superhero genre and reinvents it into a tale of redemption, grief, and rejecting what people think of you. one of the best family movies of the 2010s.

bolt 11/10

if Disney wasn't cowards we would have more of these cult classic early to late 2000s 3D movies, but they hate fun.

if you took everything anti-hollywood and a solid critic on the state of cinema and tv and threw in some animals, chucked it in a pot.

you would have this amazing film! genuinely one of the best Disney movies ever, and the fact people don't talk about it more is saddening.

treasure planet 11/10

one of the last 2D Disney movies, it bombed bad in the cinemas but it is an amazing film that deserves love.

the score is amazing, the characters are so weird and wonderful, and it evokes insane feelings.

chicken little 10/10

if you like kinda campy goofy movies about autism coded characters and sci-fi, and also animals you will adore chicken little, it's one of the weirder 2010s Disney movies. lots of fun and a good family movie.

that's all! see you next instalment!

[smash-64]

2022 Game of the Year 1. Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition Square Enix Nintendo Switch, 2022 (orig. 1999, 1996)

The rumors were circulating for a while, and I honestly didn’t believe that there would ever be a remaster of Chrono Cross. So it was a huge shock to me when it finally, truly came to fruition. I got it on day one, and even ordered the physical version from Play-Asia for the collection. The cover for the Switch version beats the socks off the original PS1 release, imho. Not that the PS1 version is bad, I just think they really outdid themselves with the new art.

Chrono Cross is a masterpiece, and the remaster is giving tons of new people the chance to play it, while keeping true to the original. Character art has been updated, with everyone getting a glow up that stays true to their original design.

3D models also got an upgrade, while still keeping all the original animations and movements. They look clean, bright, and vivid. I was thrilled to see that they kept the original PS1 feel, but made everything clearer. It’s a hard thing to do and many developers feel the need to make something that breaks too far from the original, but Chrono Cross stayed true.

One thing I was most worried about was the background art. Chrono Cross went with an impressionist style when drawing many of the backgrounds, which gave each location a timeless feel. I never cared for impressionist art before playing this game, and I have come to really like it because it is meant to be imprecise and left up to interpretation. As such, it has a sort of timelessness that isn’t tied to the inevitable aging of graphics. However, simple upscaling can give harsh lines where perhaps none existed. There are a few backgrounds in the remaster that suffer this fate, but I find them so few and far-between that it did not affect me in the slightest. Probably the only example I can find of one that stood out was how the railings of the exterior of Fort Dragonia look a little jagged in the remaster. Everything else was very satisfying.

Other backgrounds go full-on sci-fi pulp novel and it’s honestly breathtaking. I showed this one to a coworker and he actually gasped. It sounds a bit goofy, and he’s not a video game fan, but he loves old pulp novels and he thought it was perfect.

I can’t say too much about the combat that hasn’t already been said. I like the element system with its levels and single-use spells. I like the customization. I like the tiers of attack strengths. And I love the animations. It’s a great battle system, with really the only downside being that maybe it’s a bit easy, especially in New Game+.

The cast of characters is unwieldy and some suffer because of it, with very little development for them. However, you can mostly overlook adding characters to your party, should you choose to do so. There are a few tied directly to the storyline, and you’ll have to use them, so you’ll never be short on characters. Additionally, you can seek out lots of characters just for fun. My personal favorites are Starky, Razzly, Kid, and Harle. 

The soundtrack is possibly the best in video game history. From the heart-racing punch of Time’s Scar in the opening sequence (the one single thing that originally interested me in the game), to the smooth, comforting tunes of Arni Village and the sunny, relaxing bounce of Home World, Chrono Cross sets the tone of the early game very well. Your carefree existence will inevitably change as you begin the story, and each new area has a perfectly matched song to go with it. Ghost Ship. Hydra Marshes. Chronopolis. The songs alone will clue you in to what each world looks like and feels like. Finally, the credits song, sometimes called Radical Dreamers and sometimes called Unstolen Jewel, can still bring a tear to my eye even after years of listening to it on repeat. This is a perfect soundtrack. Only one game even comes close in my mind, and composer Yasunori Mitsuda also worked on that one.

Finally, this special edition of Chrono Cross comes with the Japan only game that eventually became Chrono Cross: Radical Dreamers. It’s a text-based adventure game that shares a few characters with its eventual final version, as well as a few locations and songs. I think I prefer the final versions of all of the songs, but it’s great to hear them in their Super Famicom, proto-versions. It’s hard to really rate this game because it was essentially just a DLC game available exclusively on the Satellaview, an Internet-enabled Super Famicom add-on (yes, in the mid-90s), but for what it is, it is filled with charm. Kid is at her snarky, thieving best in this game and it’s definitely a must play if you enjoy Chrono Cross. 

Chrono Cross was the game that won me over to JRPGs as a genre; I still remember @boner-taunt​ in disbelief when I told him I was playing it. Replaying it in glorious HD was the highlight of my video game experience in 2022.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Titans Academy

Fandom: DC Comics, Titans, Arrowfam

Summary: Grant struggles to accept his new reality when Roy takes him in and enrolls him in Titans Academy. He must adjust to life at a boarding school and life with his new foster family (Roy and Lian). Can he learn to trust the people who claim to care about him? Or will he shut himself off from love altogether?

Chapters: 2/?

Characters: Grant Emerson, Roy Harper, Bart Allen, Toni Monetti, Cody Driscoll, Lian Harper, Jade Nguyen, Audrey Spears, Tommy Blake Jr.

Additional Tags: Father-Son Relationship, Boarding School AU, No Powers AU, Found Family, Second Chances, Roy Harper is a Legal Guardian, Roy Harper is a Father, POV First Person, Grant Emerson POV, Autistic Bart Allen

Chapter Two: Disorientation Day

It took a day longer than expected, but we pulled into this gigantic school. It looked like a castle. He parked in the lot and got my bag from the trunk. "Looks like I'll have you enrolled and settled in time for dinner. Come on," Roy explained. He gave me my bag, and I followed him to the school's entrance. Roy had all sorts of paperwork on me and handed it to the woman at the front desk. He was flirting with her right in front of me.

"Is he new?" a little voice asked. I turned around and looked at this goofy freckled kid who leaned over the counter like he was looking for something. "Sorry, are you new?" He reached out to shake my hand, and I smiled.

"Yeah, I'm new... I'm Grant," I replied.

"Bart Allen, nice to meet you. RoycanIshowhimaround? Doeshehaveanassignedroom? Canhestayinmyroom? Istillneedanewroommate," Bart barely breathed in between sentences.

"Sure you can. Kind of. No, he cannot. I'll look into that," Roy answered without breaking a sweat. Bart grinned. He whispered something to Bart, and he nodded. "Don't worry. Bart's a nice kid."

When an adult says someone's a nice kid, they're usually a narc or a loser. Not Bart, though. He was the coolest. Bart showed me around the school and showed me some of his hiding places. That part seemed like it was against the rules, though. "This is my favorite place in the whole school," Bart whispered, "We have to be quiet in here, though." He opened the door, and the room was dimly lit with color-changing lights. There were hanging beads and bean bag chairs, and the floor and walls were padded. I squinted at him, but he didn't seem to notice. "See, lookit." Bart lay on a swing in the center of the floor, his limbs limply hanging as he hung upside down. I have to admit, it was kind of cool.

"What class is this?" I asked.

"It's not a classroom. It's the sensory room," Bart whispered, "You can come in here any time as long as you have permission."

"Mm... I don't know. It's not me," I replied. Bart sat up.

"Come on, try it," Bart whispered. I hesitated, but I joined him on the swinging platform. It was alright. I got the appeal of it, but it wasn't my thing. He started talking about a sci-fi show I liked, and I lit up. We must've talked for twenty minutes non-stop because Roy came to get us for dinner. I stood up, and Bart followed.

"Yeah, but do you like the comics?" I asked. He nodded, recommended some horror comic I'd never heard of, and then described the plot. "Oh, that sounds sick." I recoiled playfully. We followed Roy to the dining hall and continued to talk. It was nice meeting somebody that liked the same stuff as me, especially the second I got there. That was pure luck.

We got dinner, school lunch, single-file style, and we sat at a dinner table in the back corner of the room. The food was actually pretty good. Bart ate like a giant. It was the quietest he'd been since I met him.

"This is your class schedule and day-to-day schedule. I'm gonna be on you about being on time for everything after I give you a week to adjust to it all. Bart knows what I'm talking about," Roy explained. Bart nodded. He refused to come up for air to answer a yes or no question, but I get it. The food was that tasty.

"Why do I have like ten classes?" I asked.

"Mm, no," Roy replied as he swallowed his food, "See Pre-Cal, Physics, English 11, History, Phys Ed? Stuff like that? Those are your classes. Then you have group therapy on Monday and Wednesday, a study group in Room 15 on Thursday, and private therapy on Tuesday... Then the weekends are marked for any activities that might come up. Bart's in my group sometimes for weekends, depending on what we do. I'll usually take one of you, but I'll take up to five of you to do something if you don't have detention or family visits," Roy explained in great detail.

"So you take kids on trips?" I asked.

"Sometimes other people do it. Like you might go with Garth or Donna or somebody like that," Roy answered, "Most of the kids here enjoy the trips. Hopefully, you will too."

"I liked laser tag," Bart announced once he finished eating. I grinned.

"I don't happen to have any classes with Bart, do I?" I asked. I really hoped we would.

"Bart's a freshman. You might see him during P.E. if you can catch him," Roy answered, "Oh, and maybe English."

"You're not a freshman?" Bart asked. I shook my head. I guess it made sense that he was younger than me, but it definitely sucked that I'd probably never see him during school hours.

"I'm a junior," I replied. Bart slumped back in his seat. "Why are you in English 11 if you're a freshman?"

"I got bored, and they don't offer advanced placement classes," Bart answered.

"Yet," Roy replied as he waved his fork at Bart.

"Cool," I grinned.

After dinner, Bart ran off somewhere, and Roy took me back to his house, which was a five-minute walk from the boy's dorms. He unlocked his door and showed me to my room, and he showed me where the bathrooms were. "You'll have a heavier load than some of the other kids... But I promise if you do everything you're supposed to, I'll make it worth your while during the weekend activities. I make the same promise to the other kids, and I keep my word on that," Roy replied. I nodded. "That being said... Lights out at nine-thirty, and we're on laundry duty at four tomorrow morning."

I blinked hard. "Four in the—. Four in the morning?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's when I get up," Roy replied, "Sounds like you and Bart hit it off. I'm glad. He's usually off by himself a lot."

"Don't know why. He seems cool," I replied as I unpacked my bag. Roy stood in the doorway. "So, are you a teacher or counselor or something?"

"Dorm parent," Roy answered, "I'll get you some sheets from the hall closet."

He left me alone, and I started feeling homesick. I don't know why. It wasn't like I could've stayed there after everything that happened. So, I lay on the floor and stared up at the ceiling. I don't know what I was homesick for. I hated everything about my life before it all went up in flames, but I think I missed the familiarity of it all. This was all so new and weird and sudden. I just wanted things to feel stable for once... But what do I know about stability, right?

[pussyhoundspock]

i go in the snw tag sometimes to see if anyone else sees the same weird shit i do but most of the negativity is like straight spock complaints. i feel like you've talked about weird conservative messaging in star trek shows before: am i imagining it or is there a weird, sinister conservative reactionary undercurrent to strange new worlds they try to hide under goofy fanservice stuff? like it feels so pro-tradition and pro-war to me and not even in the typical star trek way

oh interesting! i haven't seen any of season 2 yet because work has been so busy but i think my answer for season 1 at least would be pretty mixed to agreeing. though my biggest issue with season 1 was that it was a. marvel-ified (which goes in line with really simplified narratives that yeah tend to be pro institution and tradition and also really quippy) and b. that all the episodes were like worse versions of other sci-fi stories / star trek stories that seemed to be coming to the most basic milquetoast opinions so like yeah in that sense its very seemingly interested in just affirming the status quo. and i haven't seen what they do with it but with la'an and una and eugentics there is a lot of questions from me on how those tangle of issues will be handled. i also think it's inherently yeah very ummm looking towards the past and not that original / innovative and like didn't seem to have much to say in part because it was so focused on the SERIES itselves past really tying themselves in and also focused on an outdated model of television because they haven't figured out how to do serialized trek that isn't DS9 apparently. one of my favorite star trek critics/reviews has a blog here and writes snw reviews on the escapist like this one dealing with criticisms more of the shows underlying ideology.

also i tag everything pretty regularly so im sure i have some derranged rants on here about specific snw episodes that drove me up the wall the details of which i can't remember anymore! but yeah i think star trek as a franchise has always had an interested relationship and mixed milege with conservative versus "liberal" versus any other ideological lens that has historically been very fun for me to discuss and pick apart. anyway i hope this answered your question a little bit!! if you have any specific thoughts on episodes i'd love to hear them!!

[romanadvora]

The Chase

season 002 : story 016 : episodes 072-077

22 MAY - 26 JUN 1965 || 03 - 04 JUN 2023

I really love the opening to this story; we've got a nice slice of life inside the TARDIS with the Doctor tinkering away at the TSV, Ian chilling out reading a [rather far-fetched] story, Barbara making a dress for Vicki… once again some lovely comfort Who. Everyone getting excited for the Visualiser is really fun.

I find Ian & Barbara's familiarity with the Beatles (especially Ticket to Ride) pretty funny since their second album came out on the 22nd of November 1963, when Ian & Barbara presumably left London earlier that week (23rd November wasn't a school day).

Vicki and Ian getting a lot of time together is easily one of my favourite parts of the serial; the two of them running off up the dune becoming silhouettes is one of my favourite shots of the show so far, and the pair just wandering around and Vicki telling stories of her childhood is so personal and a really intimate scene, you really feel the bond the two have.

The same can be said for the Doctor and Barbara sunbathing when Barbara starts complaining about not the Doctor's singing, but the *other* awful noise. 

The Dalek rising out of the sand has absolutely got to be a callback to the Dalek rising out the Thames right?

Gosh this whole tangent with the Aridians just… isn't it. "We have been told by the Dalek's we have ½ a day to hand you over to the Daleks- our elders are now discussing whether they will do this"... 10 minutes later… "our elders have decided to hand you over to the Daleks".

The Mire Beasts attacking allows the Doctor, Barbara & Vicki to reasonably escape, and it's nice to see Ian already up and planning an attack on the Daleks- Ian asking for Barbara's cardigan again and the continuity of her complaining, "not again" was a nice little touch.

Ian jumping up yelling "yoo-hoo, Dalek!" is yet another iconic Chesterton moment.

First appearance of the Time Vortex in Flight Through Eternity?

Vicki mentioning NYC as an ancient historical city, destroyed in the Dalek invasion, is a really nice seasonal continuity.

Episode three is quite minimal, but the connection to real-life history and explaining real mysteries with sci-fi excuses is a creative choice I really like; the abandonment of the Mary Celeste here, or the disappearance of Agatha Christie in Unicorn and the Wasp.

And it's fun to see Peter Purves being an Alabaman country boy ahead of his debut as 25th century astronaut, Steven Taylor.

Really not a fan of the whole haunted house episode because of how goofy the Daleks get as opposed to their typical sinister and manipulative selves- and the Doctor's theory of the mansion being some a physical manifestation of human nightmare would fix the plot holes of Frankenstein's Monster & Dracula surviving extermination. That being said, the Doctor figuring out they're in an artificial environment because everything is so typically scary is a creative element.

While the cliffhanger of the Daleks making a robot Doctor clone is cool and threatening, it's defeated like halfway through the next episode so you don't really feel a continuous anxiety that the Doctor could be an imposter. Showing the Doctor double next to Vicki and Barbara while Ian is unintentionally fighting the real Doctor was a good use of dramatic irony though. And the reveal being done with the robot calling Vicki "Susan" continues with the established continuity of having met the Daleks earlier; perhaps the memory scan where "the young girl" is Susan was done during the invasion of Earth…

The last episode is where this really picks up, as you’ve got this wonderful futuristic Mechanoid city above the trees, and some great world-building via newly introduced astronaut Steven Taylor. Him explaining how the Mechanoids were initially Human inventions to aid in the colonisation of Mechanus, and why he’s marooned on this planet due to an all-out war between Earth and an.. unnamed[?] enemy makes the world feel quite grounded. 

The Dalek / Mechanoid battle is also really well done, not just with great tracking shots and use of lighting, but how the rapid cuts, angles, and superimposed flames on the picture make the whole sequence really fast paced and somewhat hard to keep track of; generally good for a chaotic and bloody fight. 

Vicki being deathly afraid of heights add to the danger of their rooftop escape from the burning city, and Maureen really sells the performance in my opinion.

Now. The end is here. The Daleks and Mechanoids have destroyed themselves, leaving the travellers free not just to leave in the TARDIS, but see the Dalek’s timeship too. Ian’s imitation of a Dalek is a fun calmer after a rather hectic finale, and their departure is really well done. It can be frustrating that the Doctor is so mad at them, and it does *kind of* feel unexpected on Ian and Barbara’s front. Although with moments like Ian being knighted, the downtime scenes of everyone dancing to the Beatles in the TARDIS, and the slower more intimate moments like Ian and Vicki running up the dunes… you can really feel that their time is at an end. I love Ian’s passion for wanting the simple things in life; a drink at the pub, walking in the park, wanting to belong somewhere (other than the rather nebulous and fluctuating address of the TARDIS, 76 Totters Lane*). It’s the time of exit that could only work back in the 60s because of how random all their adventures were; not like now when you can deliberately go to any point in time or space, down to the specifics of “in time for tea”. I do also like how it’s then Vicki who convinces the Doctor to get over his anger-veiled sadness and let them do this thing; you see the connection between the pair, how Vicki really has taken the role of the granddaughter in the Doctor’s life, and how she can appeal to him when no one else is able to get through. 

The montage of Ian and Barbara back in London 1965! is just really heartwarming, and them bursting with laughter when a ticketer asks if they’ve been on the Moon because they’re so out of touch feels so personal and close. Vicki and the Doctor watching them on the TSV is not only a good narrative choice by tying it back to the serial’s beginning, but it also allows for both parties to have their goodbyes of sorts. The Doctor staring off into the middle distance saying “I will miss them” seems really simple, but that’s not a bad thing, because it is that simple. They’ve been together for two years and the Doctor has grown considerably since meeting them, and he got so upset with the prospect of them leaving that he started shouting at them about how stupid their idea was. Not exactly a… healthy… response. But powerful? Absolutely. 

Because of those great first and finale episodes, even though the story got a bit too meandering in the middle, and lost sight of the Daleks’ menace for a bit too long, it’s still a great send off for two of my favourite companions.

I will miss them. 

★★★★☆

[the-ultimate-chaos-bringer]

The masterlist of all of my stories I'm writing (or planning on writing)

🦠The Apashonia Chronicles (a fantasy novel currently in the first draft)

The united kingdom of Apashonia provences's waking up from a longtime terror of the so-called caesar who was just mysteriously murdered in his sleep. But meanwhile people are celebrating, a new, much bigger evil is arising just nearby. Who will protect the innocent? And will the provences find a common ground to resist the evil?

Or, alternatively; a young guy named Torkin travels the provences with his older brother as an illegal messenger to spread the shocking news of a cruel ruler dying. Unfortunately (or not?) for him his path crosses a stubborn, weird girl named Lassika who's about to accidently pull him into fullfiling an old and nearly forgotten prophecy.

🦠Lily (this one's a work-name, cause I still haven't figured out a better one :/) (a sci-fi novel currently in the second draft)

Lily was always living a pretty rough life. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. No friends, no family, no love, no fun. Just not to let the thoughts come to her, take her revenge and that's it. That was her job and it was easy, right? Well... just until everything fell apart.

Or, alternatively; Karl has a mission - to destroy a South Army Central to prove his girlfriend he's worthy of her love. For someone like him, this should be easy, right? Well... just until everything fell apart.

🦠Yet unnamed (but maybe something forest related? idk) (a sci-fi story)

Axel every morning rides a bike, takes a laundry off of his neighbors, gives it to his mom to wash it and then goes to school. He's got pretty lame life in his opinion. He lives in the poorest part of the city, his family has little to no money and he himself is objectively a pretty uninteresting guy. So when one day he nearly gets killed by a gigantic floater just infront of his school he takes it as the biggest adventure of his life. That's just before he gets to know the adventures are just about to begin!

Or, alternatively; the Paladis city is a biggest aglomeration on the planet earth. In the middle of the city is a gigantic forest where a few years ago happened something terrible, but no one really knows what. Veronika is one of the people who're making sure it stays this way - and Axel is a bit too nosy to her own liking.

🦠Bedtime stories spin-off (unfinished, sadly) (a fanfiction based on a bunch of tv shows for kids. technically a cross-over.)

Bedtime stories characters study in a fictive university city, going together at some parties and having a great time... until there starts happening a suspiciously big amount of a weird things. What's going on?

___________

I'd just like to clarify I'm not a native english speaking person and I'm definitely not writing in english. So if my writing here sounds a bit goofy and not so very suited for writing stories, don't worry - I would never torture someone by forcing them to read my stories in my (pretty much icoherent) english lol.

[libratxt]

hiiii <3 big ask big answer is what i'm expecting would LOVE to know your top 5/faves across various media that are new(in release or just new to you) this year! so: shows, movies, games, books, songs/albums, new artists you've discovered etc

hi!!! you don't know how excited i got to see this pop up in my inbox, i love talking about things i love so thank you <333 i hope you don't mind that this will be super long lol 😭

shows severance - okay so i have to start off with severance because it is THE BEST show i saw this year, i've begged everyone i know to watch it. i encourage you to watch it if you haven't! it has such an exciting premise (what if you have no recollection of who you are at work, and the work version of yourself has no idea who you are outside of work, and you had to reconcile those two people?) it's such a juicy concept that explores the way jobs take advantage of workers, in an amazing sci-fi setting. also from a totally nerdy perspective, the retro-futurist aesthetic of it is amazing like the set designers really created an immaculate setting. it's a great story of found family, it has mystery, it has twists. i watched it twice all the way through! when i finished it the first time i was in despair at the thought of having to wait for its second season.

andor - euuugh i hesitate to put a star wars show here because as much as i love star wars, the shows for the most part suck so bad. but i loved andor so so much. i was genuinely surprised week to week at how every single episode was crafted beautifully and kept me engaged. i was pleased at how unapologetically it holds a mirror to the evils of fascism and white supremacy and colonization. it's definitely not without its flaws but as a star wars fans it's everything that star wars should be. it's so clear that the people involved in its creation are passionate about the story they're telling.

and in an attempt to not make you read an essay about every show i liked, some other faves were: interview with the vampire and ted lasso, and technically not new to me this year but i have to say succession my forever love <3

movies nope - i love horror, i love movies, i am so scared of aliens lol. this movie was so amazing for so many reasons. but among one of my biggest reasons for loving nope is that it feels like the kind of movie only someone who loves movies can make. it's so clear jordan peele loves movies, and so much about nope feels like a love letter to the making of movies, which i'm sure is a weird takeaway but it was one of my takeaways regardless. the story, acting, sound design were fantastic. i had so much fun watching it.

everything, everywhere, all at once - there's so much to say about this one. i love when the whole point is that yes, we are just stupid little humans trying to connect. i love reckless optimism. as someone with immigrant parents, a lot resonated with me. and the visuals were incredible. i love that it's goofy and over the top and poignant and that it balances all those things so beautifully.

meet me in the bathroom - i love documentaries!!! and music so much! this was such a fun look at the explosion of rock music in new york city during the early aughts. it's the kind of movie that makes you want to convince your friends to start a terrible punk band with you immediately after watching.

other faves: thoroughbreds, street gang: how we got to sesame street, and lake mungo (a slow-burn documentary style horror movie that genuinely freaked me out, and i don't scare easy!)

games i didn't really play many new games this year, mostly just revisited some old ones. but i have to insist that disco elysium is the best game i've played in recent memory. i played it for the first time last year. it's brilliant. the writing is incredible, the characters are incredible, the voice acting is incredible. i would try to explain what makes it so great, but it really is the kind of thing you have to experience for yourself. and i highly encourage you do!

books i feel like i read so many great books this year among them: the only good indians by stephen graham jones - a group of friends are haunted by a mistake they made in their youth. it's great psychological horror and commentary on the native american experience

crying in h-mart by michelle zauner - michelle zauner's memoir on reconnecting with her culture after her mother's death. it also gives really great insight on japanese breakfast's discography. it made me cry a ton!

the final revival of opal and nev by dawnie walton - a fictional oral history of a black punk rock musician. it's fun, it's emotional, the writing is great and the characters really suck you in. i think it's also a great read if you're someone who's into music

lost boy by christina henry - this one shocked me with how much i ended up liking it. it's an imagining of captain hook's origin story, which didn't sound initially appealing to me, but it was so beautifully written, devastating, and even horrific at times. the affection that jamie (who becomes captain hook) has for the other lost boys is just really tender and sweet. this is one of the most recent books i read this year and it quickly became one of my favorites!

music

you've been reading for so long now, i'll try to keep this concise:

songs: mujeres by y la bamba (i only heard this song for the first time a few months ago and it got to my 8th spot on my spotify wrapped!! the drums are incredible, the lyrics are fun, i just love listening to it) la combi versace by rosalia, pattern doubt by young jesus, hertz by amyl and the sniffers, good times by genesis owusu, back to oz by sufjan stevens, should've been me by mitski, and so so so many more

albums: in the aeroplane over the sea by neutral milk hotel, fever to tell by yeah yeah yeahs, laurel hell by mitski, jubilee by japanese breakfast, sable by japanese breakfast (i don't think i ever listened to this album all the way through but the first couple of songs are perfect to listen to while i'm working on writing)

[tastylemonbread]

Chelltastic here! 4, 13, and 16 for the Portal ask!

haiii ^_^ thanks for sending an ask! :3

4: Favorite scene from any of the games?

This is kind of specific, but I really like that bit in 2 where you get to see the turrets being assembled, There's just something about it. Seeing the inner workings of Aperature, such a delightfully complex process, being treated with such disregard by Wheatley because of course he's seen all this before. IIRC, this is the bit where the lights are out and Wheatley's guiding you with his light. I love the aesthetics of that part in general...

13: Do you have any Portal OC’s?

i don't! Which doesn't make this a very interesting answer, but I can make one up on the spot probably. Maybe a weird little core with a goofy tie clipped on that's meant to be an "inspector" to make sure everything is up to standard. Of course, this core is highly biased towards Aperture, ignoring any and safety violations and constantly giving you fun facts about how cool and safe the facility is. Maybe has a single arm to hold a clipboard? Idk. This guy would be fun to develop maybe :3 I think their name is Phil.

16: Do you cross over Portal with anything else?

This is an interesting one, and also not one I've really given any thought to! I would say Half Life, but that's basically canon and a boring answer (Gordon n Chell besties 4ever tho)... First thing that comes to mind is Gravity Falls! Given the somewhat conspiratorial tone of the show, as well as the wonderful eldritch sci-fi nonsense, I think a potential crossover would be a nice fit for both of them. Since I'm just now thinking of this, I don't really have a backlog of thoughts to write out, but there could be something with the portals? Idk. I briefly considered TF2, but I figured that the tone of the universe would be too silly and cartoony for Aperture. Actually, now that I type this out, what the fuck am I saying? How can anything be too goofy for Dumping OSHA Inspectors Into Vats Of Acid Laboratories? TF2 x Portal would be a great crossover... I'll definitely have to ruminate on this further, but for now I think I've typed enough. I'm in a discord call with some buddies and they're waiting for me to hop on Amogus...

BYYEEEE!!!! ^_^

[ale10ander]

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur episode tier list

Episodes within a rank ordered by release date

S

Episode 7: Goodnight, Moon Girl

This is everything I wanted from Moon Girl. There's no villain, just ordinary problems caused by being a teenage superhero. Lunella gets invited to a sleepover by the popular girls and is worried about not fitting in. We get some hilarious scenes as she switches bodies with her dino (something she can do much easier in the comics), and her legitimate fears of never fitting in, or of Devil being more popular than her are crushing.

I'm a sucker for any time when a group of people come together to help the hero, and the volleyball team bump, set, and spiking the remote to Moon Girl had me sobbing. We also get jocks who aren't just caricatures. 10/10 episode!

A

Episode 1: Moon Girl Landing

This double-length pilot does a lot of worldbuilding AND introduces a strong villain while showcasing the struggles between being a hero AND being a kid. I wouldn't have been upset if Aftershock was the villain for the whole season!

When Devil Dinosaur comes back at the end, I couldn't help but tear up a bit.

Episode 3: Run the Rink

Lunella gets herself into trouble and has to run the ice rink while her parents are away. Naturally, villains show up and ruin the day. We also get the best fight scene of the series, to Childish Gambino's Sweatpants (I'm winning, yeah yeah, I'm winning)

Episode 8: Teacher's Pet

In a classic premise, Lunella is tasked with taking care of the class hamster. She doesn't tell Devil that it's only for the weekend, and he gets extremely jealous. But, he's a Very Good Boy and tries to take care of Angel anyway. The hamster escapes and Devil tries to cover up the accident, resulting in hijinx. We also get introduced to the Rat King, who was my favorite villain of this show. More of him!

Episode 13: Devil on Her Shoulder

It's the Clifford episode! Devil can't go to the movies because he's simply too big! So Lunella makes a device to shrink him down, but things get out of hand when he shrinks too far! There's a Godzilla fight at the end, and Devil accepts that being big is okay. The ending is a little cheesy, but Devil's so cute at his various sizes that it makes up for the rest.

Episodes 15 and 16: OMG Issues #1 and #2

Woah! So much revealed in these last two episodes! The only part of this I don't love is "Moon Girl" being a name that Lunella assigns to the scientist in episode 1, only to learn now that she called herself that all along.

I really loved the history here, as well as the family dynamics. My favorite part of any superhero story is how it interacts with "real life" and this show has to deal with that from now on. The base raid is extremely cool, and we end the season with a neat cliffhanger.

B

Episode 4: Check Yourself

Lunella gets extremely competitive and challenges a computer to a game of chess. She acts selfishly, ignoring its boundaries until the computer turns hostile. Eventually she saves the day and the computer becomes the guidance counselor. I'd love to see the computer return for more episodes. This is a pretty run of the mill episode that's either a low B or a high C.

Episode 10: Moon Girl's Day Off

Lunella fakes a broken ankle because it's easier than communicating her needs to her friend. This episode has great lessons about lying, communication familial expectations, and setting boundaries. Plus we get to see Casey trying out the superhero gig for a day.

Episode 9: Skip This Ad...olescence

A solid episode that's really just Moon Girl's take on Click. The lesson here is to enjoy the now, even the mundane stuff. We get some goofy AI / Time travel sci fi stuff, but the show starts with a portal to dinosaurland, what do you want?

C

Episode 2: The Borough Bully

This is the first of the PSA episodes, this one about bullying. It's got a good message, and I do like the interplay between real life and superheroing, but something about the giant literal troll, and ignoring it didn't land for me.

Episode 6: The Beyonder

Probably my most contentious entry. This episode wasn't bad, though it did show Lunella being a huge jerk to Eduardo. I could tell that Laurence Fishburne was having a blast as the Beyonder (one of my favorite Marvel villains), but the stakes felt too high for the show. The science fair would have been enough, but the fate of the world? In episode 6? Nah.

Episode 11: Like Mother, Like Moon Girl

A creepy couple comes in and tries to make the lower east side into an Apple commercial. Moon Girl becomes an honorary mayoral figure and gives them all the power they need... until she realizes that gentrification is bad. As Lunella, she starts a protest, and as Moon Girl she beats up the couple and their fancy devices.

Episode 14: Coney Island, Baby

My favorite part of this episode (which had me tearing up again) was Devil Dinosuar being afraid to swim to Coney Island because of the jellyfish... and then doing it anyway and having his whole butt covered in them. What a good dino!

Lunella has to overcome fear at Coney Island, but this is done by facing memories of her past and, for some reason, the Beyonder is here again. It feels like a little too much going on, but it's fun nonetheless.

D

Episode 5: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

This episode has some important messages about loving your body (and specifically your hair). I'm sure it's good for Black kids to hear, and I don't think many other shows talk about this at all. That said, I didn't enjoy Mane as a villain, nor the school picture sub plot and deus ex machina resolution. This episode was rather underwhelming, the worst of the series for me.

Episode 12: Today I am a Woman

Most of the time, Lunella is the one who turns selfish for an episode, but here it's Casey's desire for fame that stirs the conflict. It's her bat mitzvah, and she wants Moon Girl to be there in order to attract a Twitter influencer. Unfortunately, this means Lunella can't also be there, which causes a lot of confusion from Casey's family. I don't think I've ever seen a bat mitzvah on TV, so that was neat, but the episode overall was forgettable.

[dolphs-world]

August 7th ~ "I feel like a Yellow Pikmin"

Good evening and welcome to Dolph's World, my online diary. I think it's a little weird when people's diaries get published after their death so I have decided to create a public one. Many times in the past have I started writing one but have always given up after a week. Maybe this time I will continue. I do not expect this to be looked at, it's more for me. I have always preferred forums over blogs; I really like structure. But I have seen people writing weekly blogs in the "early" days of the internet so I wanted to try one. Apologies if these two ideas seem to clash a little. Where to start? You can call me Dolph or you can me Phin. I will not reveal too many specifics about my life but I am happy to say some, even if they seem personal. I am Australian and currently attending a Tertiary education. I was born the day the Gamecube was released and have 2 younger siblings, 2 mums, and 4 dogs. I am living with my mum and helping pay off the house. Not everything I say will be the truth. This is how a young child introduces themselves. Let's try to act a few years older. What am I like? What do I like? Goofy, funny, charming (according to my mum), fearful, motherly, pseudo-confident, prepared, optimistic, and relaxed. I'm sure if you read through this you'll understand me and my thought process, even if you never see it practically. I love riding my bike, playing music (currently out of commission), talking with my friends and family, and working. I do love reading for leisure, just find it tough when I have to read like 100 pages of textbooks. But I am not one of those people who wish they could read like an 8-year-old. I love animation, comedy, and sci-fi. I know those aren't exactly genres, besides sci-fi but that's sometimes tricky to put a finger on. I love the Simpsons, Mario, Donkey Kong, Batman, Sonic kind of, and Pikmin. Those are things I'll probably discuss consistently. I am currently rewatching the Sopranos with my mum and Twin Peaks by myself. It's such a dense show Twin Peaks. Just saw Citizen Kane for the first time. I give it two thumbs up! Anyways, I'm a little bit tired now. I'll do another entry before the weekend. I think Yellow Pikmin are my go-to Pikmin in terms of design. Like how Polywhirl is just such a Pokemon, Yellow Pikmin is such a Pikmin. ♪ ~ Forest of Hope 🎬 ~ Twin Peaks 📖 ~ Apt. Pupil

[etherealspacejelly]

as someone who is also obsessed with it perhaps i can help

for me i think its a number of things that come together to essentially produce the Perfect show for my brain

the characters. they are all well developed and have interesting personalities and dynamics with each other. each individual is compelling in their own way

monster of the week format. each story is pretty much unconnected to the rest. you dont need to remember everything that happened this season to understand the current episodes plot. monster of the week also allows for episodes with varying levels of seriousness in terms of plot ideas, and a lot of focus on characterisation of the main cast, which contributes to point 1

its fun! i think with a lot of modern shows they can take themselves too seriously and forget to have fun with it. of course this depends on the genre and im not saying Every show has to be a little silly, but in my opinion sci fi should always be a little campy. but maybe thats just because i grew up on doctor who

a good balance of computer generated and practical special effects. tos knows when to use a costume or a puppet for something, and when to generate a lazer beam using computers. are all of the special effects a little goofy looking? well yeah, it was the 60s. but they did what they could with what they had at the time to make Everything feel as real as possible

the ship. i think my problem with most sci fi these days is that the spaceships feel too sanitised. they're all shiny and empty and covered in LED strips. i like that the aesthetic of tos is primary colours and big chunky buttons and carpeted floors, it feels like a real place where people live and work. its practical, not built for aesthetics. the enterprise feels lived in.

the lack of serious conflict between characters. idk if you've noticed, but very rarely do the characters have actual genuine conflict with each other. they might disagree on things or antagonise each other sometimes, but generally they all really do love and care about each other and they express that not only in life or death situations. these guys are Friends and you can tell! its not like some shows where they tell you the characters are friends but they never seem to actually. get along. spock and jim hang out all the time to play chess. they take shore leave together. they take the time at the end of each episode to banter a little about everything that happened and cheer each other up. they give each other advice and encouragement. and yeah they make fun of each other too, but in the same ways that my friends poke fun at each other.

anyways uh. sorry this is really long i kinda got carried away. i love waxing lyrical about my special interests. i love this show so so much

please someone tell me why i’m so obsessed with star trek tos. it’s all that consumes my thoughts at almost all times. i must own everything to do with it. these characters are my blorbos

[aceofwands]

I posted 9,706 times in 2022

That's 5,221 more posts than 2021!

12 posts created (0%)

9,694 posts reblogged (100%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@mandaloriandy

@snoozingcat

@sunriseseance

@tinsnip

I tagged 1,766 of my posts in 2022

#stranger things - 358 posts

#the orville - 205 posts

#steddie - 196 posts

#cackles - 157 posts

#spoilers - 127 posts

#ds9 - 112 posts

#goncharov - 101 posts

#unreality - 88 posts

#wheeze - 47 posts

#leverage - 46 posts

Longest Tag: 134 characters

#also the authors notes where the characters would 'talk' to the author and complain about what they were being made to do in the story

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I unironically love that in the span of a few weeks we've gone from a cringe revival designed to ward off Twitter refugees, to genuine welcoming posts teaching them the ins and outs of reblogging/tagging/the etiquette, to creating a batshit faux film complete with poster and a goddamn musical theme for a meme (Goncharov) that's spreading across our dashes like a fucking virus. If that doesn't just sum this place up 😂

14 notes - Posted November 21, 2022

#4

I started this after I 'finished' Don't Give Up On Me (the McShep vid that I shared last week) and didn't get super far with it back then, but was inspired to go back to it and have basically spent the whole week working on it. No one's more surprised than me that it's done :'D

Anyway, I've described this as Rodney according to Rodney - so everyone who enjoys his manic little bastard energy is gonna have a blast with this :'D

Feel free to give it a kudos on AO3 here.

22 notes - Posted January 11, 2022

#3

The Orville season 3 is now on Disney+

If any of you have thought, hmmm, what on earth is that wacky Seth McFarlane sci-fi show everyone's been raving about for the past 10 weeks? (the first two seasons were already on there)

First of all, it's not Family Guy in space, I promise. It's like contemporary 90s era Star Trek with a sprinkle of workplace dramedy (though it was originally billed as a comedy by Fox). The cast of characters are all delightful and lovable. The SFX for both makeup and the CG is fucking spectacular. But most importantly, the writing is clever and the stories are well told - the characters and their dialogue are relatable and believable, and the stories deal with so many contemporary issues - everything from religious fanaticism to social media, slavery to suicide, populist leaders to trans rights.

This is a world in which humans still enjoy getting hammered and know pop culture - but also one which is completely committed to the idea of a world without capitalism, where Earth came together with other alien worlds to form a planetary Union for shared advancement and protection and cultural exchange. (And unlike Trek which is often handwavey about it, they actually go into this lore properly!)

It's optimistic, goofy, funny, but also not afraid to pull any punches and made us all cry at least once an episode in season 3.

Season 3 was the best season yet, but each of those episodes was built onto the foundation established in the first two seasons. So please, give it a chance - go in knowing you're getting goofy Star Trek that starts a bit too comedic and needs a bit of time to find its space legs. But I promise, if you stick with it, you're in for a hell of a ride and some absolutely incredible sci-fi.

In conclusion: do you love found family? Do you love optimistic space explorers? Do you love wacky adventures?

Watch The Orville!

24 notes - Posted August 11, 2022

#2

seen some folks suggesting Goncharov is the latest escalation to ward the Twitter refugees away, but I gotta respectfully disagree

Goncharov is the equivalent of you and your cousins putting on a 'play' for all your parents when you were 8

we're just trying to show off for our new audience

could your old social media site do this??? I don't think so! [pulls a fully formed fake 1973 Scorsese film out of someone's knock off boots like a magician wielding a bouquet of fake flowers]

26 notes - Posted November 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Finally finished the McShep vid I started back in June during my SGA rewatch. Can't believe it's taken this long for me to make a vid about my two favourite idiots in love <3

Feel free to give it a kudos on AO3 here.

93 notes - Posted January 6, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[watchmakermori]

I fully believe that stranger things season 1 is the perfect example of something being so well-crafted that people don’t realise just how good it is.

obviously this isn’t a groundbreaking show. there’s very little in stranger things that’s new or original, and there’s nothing in the themes that’s going to change your life. we’re dealing with standard sci-fi and horror tropes, a bit of coming of age, a bit of teeny romance. and I think because of those things, people don’t actually talk about the craft of stranger things nearly enough.

I’m not saying people don’t know this show is good. it’s stupidly popular and absolutely blew up on release, but in all the mass appeal and the merch and the shilling for the characters, I don’t think the skill of the writing in that first season gets the discussion it deserves. I really think stranger things has possibly the best pacing of anything I’ve ever watched. the way it navigates different subplots and characters, developing them seamlessly before drawing them into a whole at the end - this is not an easy thing to do, but they manage it so effortlessly that the skill is invisible.

no moment in the first season is wasted. it’s carefully set up so that each pocket of characters - the kids, the teens, the adults - are all discovering slightly different things, so that no one character has all the information. everybody is united around the same goal (finding will), but they’re geared towards different parts of it, which makes it unbelievably satisfying when different sets of characters finally start sharing information. the show has a great deal that it needs to convey to us; on top of making the characters loveable and interesting (and there are a lot of characters), they also have to set up will’s disappearance, the monster and its rules, and the existence of the hawkins lab and the psychic children. the series is jam packed yet never feels overloaded with exposition - we learn exactly what we need to know exactly when we need to know it. the writers know when to hold back and leave us as ignorant as the characters, and when to create suspense out of the fact that we know more than the characters. 

like I say, I don’t think stranger things is a mindblowing bit of media in the grand scheme of things. but I would still give it a 10/10, because it’s absolutely perfect at what it’s trying to be. every time I rewatch it I’m struck by how merticulous it feels. as somebody who writes fiction and has seen behind the drafting process, how you come back to a story again and again to trim the fat and streamline the subplots and make everything as smooth as possible, i can feel that work when I watch stranger things. and it’s invisible work - as consumers, we’re never privy to that part of the writing process. we don’t see any sign of the countless drafts that came before the final story, and if it’s written well, we never should. a story told well feels like it never could’ve been told any other way

stranger things season one just comes across like a show that has been polished and polished until it was the very best that it could be. it’s a bit goofy and campy and not especially original, but the dedication to the craft is just incredible and I love to see it