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historyhermann · 1 year ago

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Futurama Season 8 Part One Spoiler-Filled Review

Futurama is a mature animated sitcom with elements from the sci-fi and comedy drama genres. The original series aired from 1999 to 2003, then 2008 to 2013. Matt Groening created this series, like The Simpsons and Disenchantment. He developed it with David X. Cohen. Both were executive producers along with Ken Keeler and Claudia Katz.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the fifty-fifth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on November 9, 2023. By this article, I've surpassed how many reviews I wrote for The Geekiary (52 posts), meaning I have written more for PCM than The Geekiary!

Part One of Futurama's eighth production season (and eleventh broadcast season) is a Hulu revival. It focuses on a crew of six misfits who work for Planet Express, a package delivery company. Turanga Leela (voiced by Katey Segal) pilots the Planet Express Ship. In a continuation from the Season 7 finale, she is the girlfriend of Philip J. Fry (voiced by Billy West), a man cryogenically frozen for 1,000 years before arriving in January 2999. They are joined by a foul, impertinent, alcoholic, smoking, and egocentric robot named Bender Bending Rodriguez (voiced by John DiMaggio), or Bender for short, the staff physician and lobster-like extraterrestrial John A. Zoidberg (voiced by West), and long-term accident-prone and ditzy intern Amy Wong (voiced by Lauren Tom). Other protagonists include company founder Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth (voiced by West) and company accountant/bureaucrat Hermes Conrad (voiced by Phil LaMarr).

Some characters play supporting roles. This includes Amy's partner, Kif Kroker (voiced by Maurice LaMarche), a lieutenant and assistant of Captain Zapp Brannigan on the Nimbus, a Democratic Order of Planets (DOOP) starship. Brannigan, like Fry and the Professor, is voiced by Billy West. He is a general with 25 stars, part of DOOP, and has feelings for Leela. There's also a highly intelligent animal, who often acts cute and innocent, named Lord Nibbler (voiced by Frank Welker), the rough janitor Scruffy (voiced by David Herman), and an aggressive corporate CEO named Carol "Mom" Miller (voiced by Tress MacNeille). She heads a mega-conglomerate known as MomCorp, which monopolizes robot production. She has three sons (Walt, Larry and Igner), and previous romantic relationships with the Professor and his nemesis, Dr. Ogden Wernstrom (voiced by Herman).

The first episode begins by re-introducing viewers to Futurama's characters. Bender cheers return of Leela, Fry, and their friends. The series takes place in 3023. Fry believes he has "achieved nothing" for his 23 years in the future. After taking Leela's advice, he pledges to watch every show ever made. He does this even after Bender warns him about the terrible TV content out there. There are also jokes on actual show names in blink-and-you-miss-it moments. Fry subscribes to the fourth-biggest streaming service in the world, known as Fulu, a play off Hulu.

The episode has social commentary about the binge model: Fry wears goggles which drill directly into your brain. Such devices allow a user to watch all the episodes in one continuous stretch but you must sit perfectly still in an all-encompassing metal suit. In the real world, binging a series can lead to regret, depending on whether viewers plan binging ahead of time. It can contribute to people feeling like they are "bored" unless they binge shows. In the case of this episode, Fry stays in a chair, sitting perfectly still for months without any breaks. His mind is soon overpowered by binging. He loses touch with reality.

In a plot line which echoes the goals of the recently concluded WGA strike, and ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, Fry's friends convince the robot bosses of Fulu to reboot All My Circuits. They produce episodes as fast as they can, so that Fry doesn't die. To make matters worse, Fry watches the episodes at double-speed. The writers can't keep up with the fast script production. Bender declares that "any idiot can be a TV writer," beginning to write scripts himself. This episode makes clear how writers are so stressed/crunched in the current entertainment industry. The writers collapse from exhaustion during the episode.

The episode ends with the reality of the entertainment industry: executives give constructive notes, say the show isn't working, cancel it, and declare "you will always been an important part of the Fulu family." The episode undoubtedly comments on how TV shows work and ravenous corporate executives. I the past year, Ridley Jones, Inside Job, Dead End: Paranormal Park, and Human Resources were cancelled by Netflix, while The Owl House and Archer ended. For Fry, his friends attempt to shift his focus from the streaming world back to the real world. This plan is unsuccessful, as there is a huge explosion, and they believe he is dead. In reality, he had left the suit two days before, so he could catch up on reading.

Fry admits he stopped watching All My Circuits because the show quality decreased in the last couple of episodes (because Bender wrote them). In another timely moment, there is a mock presidential summit on the dangers of streaming television. Fry declares that shows should not be rebooted without quality. He states that viewers must binge responsibly, streaming no more than 10 episodes in a row. He adds that a TV show must be cancelled every few years if it cares about its audience. This episode is an effective way to begin the series. Even so, it is more dramatic than funny, with some comedic moments.

The next two episodes focus on entirely different subjects. One talks about definition of motherhood, noting that Amy is the smizmar of Kif Kroker and mother of their child even though she contributed no DNA, unlike Scruffy, Kiff, and Leela. Another is on the nose when it comes to social commentary about the cryptocurrency boom and Bitcoin. In that episode, Leela calls the latter a "pyramid scheme for rubes," after the Professor reveals that Planet Express went bankrupt because he invested in it. What follows is an episode spoofing the Gold Rush. The characters go out West, hoping to strike it rich, traveling to a town where all the electricity goes to Bitcoin mining computers, with everything else resembling the Old West.

If that isn't enough, everyone has a Wild West-flair. Roberto has a knife-shooter gun. Leela becomes a barmaid/sex worker. Fry meets a man made of borax (Borax Kid). Zoidberg becomes the town doctor. Dwight tries to team up with Roberto to rob a stagecoach (and take a USB stick). Bender kills a donkey by accident. In one of episode's, best jokes, they use Bender's "shiny metal ass" to sift through river stones. Amy complains there is very little Thalium and just "worthless gold."

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The episode ends with their confrontation at the Bitcoin mine. The saloonkeeper, Delilah (voiced by MacNeille), is using robot heads to calculate numbers. She defends her action, says that all the money earned is donated to an orphanage. In the end, she gets away with it, even putting three heads of the robot mafia into "the mine." Even so, the Borax Kid is punished for copying public domain stories almost word-for-word and changing a few words himself, so he could get the glory. This story ends with a classic so-called "Mexican standoff": everyone fired guns at each other, and the characters shown from multiple angles. The episode closes with everyone walking off into the sunset together, a good ending for the main cast.

The fourth episode is one of the best in this series revival. The beginning, which centers on worms attacking Nibbler's brain, seems to be on par with usual shenanigans in other episodes. This changes when the crew are transported in a toy tank, inside of Nibbler's litter box. They come across dung beetles and magic psychedelic dust. In a clear parody of Dune, the beetles lead them through the sand to find the worms, setting off a pounder (like a thumper) to attract the sandworm. In a callback to the original series, these worms are the same ones that once made Fry smarter. This goes even further: Nibbler claims to be "the messiah." He declares that everything is interconnected and should stay as it is, undisturbed.

As a result, Leela becomes despondent. She even surrounds herself in pure uncut magical sand. It helps her see how everything is interconnected. It is revealed that smaller parasites are weakening the worms. They put aside the whole "everything is connected" mantra to stomp out the smaller parasites, saying a line must be drawn somewhere. This is akin to characters discussing eating good "meat" in a 2000 Futurama episode, entitled "The Problem with Popplers." Later, Nibbler talks to his fellow intelligent beings about how Leela's bravery and loyalty allowed his previous consciousness to be restored.

More than other episodes, this is the most inventive, even featuring a character chewing on a Bart Simpson doll. As Jean wrote in a review on this very website, Dune, based on the well-known novel by Frank Herbert, can have a twisted timeline, dense plot, and have a wide scope and scale. It is, more than anything, a sci-fi epic, centering on the desert planet of Arrakis, with the resource of spice sought after by all. Even with its sweeping visuals, make-up, and CGI, there is exposition over the top. Characters are often referenced by their full names rather than abbreviations. The film is relatively long. Some of this energy comes through in this Futurama spoof, which is a sci-fi series quite different from Dune or Release the Spyce.

The fifth episode has extreme relevance when it comes to corporate conglomerates which dominate the economic landscape. Mom is the epitome of this, with her Momazon service, a play off Amazon, which runs a "fulfillment center" on the Moon. Some people resist these efforts, saying that her warehouse is polluting the Moon. She buys everyone off with speech recognition software known as Invasa, her version of Alexa. The way that the warehouse functions echoes criticism of Amazon for avoiding taxes, toxic work culture, and mass data collection from consumers. These workplaces take the conditions of the real-life equivalent a step further. They are fully automated by non-union robot workers who endure the conditions 24 hours, 7 days a week. When Mom is challenged by Leela, saying the robots are engaged in forced labor, she says the workers enjoy the work.

Not everything is happy: Bender, after quitting Planet Express, is forced to work at the plant. He even sends a package with a warning so his friends will save him. To make matters worse, the "wonderful" artificial intelligence (A.I)., turns against Mom, going rogue, and it ends up taking over the entire universe. As such, they can order what they want from Momazon with quick deliveries, which is supported by abysmal labor conditions. There are many Futurama callbacks, like the destruction of the Apollo lander, the man with a hat declaring "The Moon Will Rise Again," and the return of Al Gore's floating head. Bender ends up back in the same apartment with Fry and Leela, and is fine being the third wheel, rather than working in a warehouse.

This episode is not unique in criticizing A.I. Take Light Hope in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, who tries to activate a planet-destroying weapon to annihilate the universe, and attempts to exploit Adora (as She-Ra) to accomplish that end, or Lunella's A.I., Skipster, in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, which skips important parts of her life that she found "boring." Also consider Cyrano in Cleopatra in Space, an A.I. created by series villain Octavian who tries to control a protagonist, and a paranoid A.I. scared of ghosts, the godlike A.I. depicted in The Orbital Children, or malevolent A.I. in Star Trek: Lower Decks.

Moon Girl has a living/A.I. supercomputer named LOS-307. An A.I. named T.O.M.I. (Technical Operations Management Interface) is in Supa Team 4. A ship navigator named KRS is in My Dad the Bounty Hunter. The worst example of A.I. is in the first, and second (to a lesser extent) of idolish music series Kizuna no Allele. That series had a pro-NFT segment and almost encourages creation of anime by A.I. This Futurama episode leans toward criticism in Cleopatra in Space, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Moon Girl, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and The Orbital Children, and away from other depictions. The episode acknowledges prevalence of A.I., as Carole & Tuesday does, with a music producer named Tao using advanced A.I. to ensure performers are profitable. It hints at danger of relying on A.I., which relies upon models trained by extremely low-paid workers.

Other episodes are callbacks or more relevant now than they would be even five years from now. One is an X-Mas themed episode featuring efforts to stop murderous Robot Santa with a time travel machine. Another parodies the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This involves quarantines, masks worn on ears, people working remotely, and conspiracy theories on Facebag (the version of Facebook in this world). The latter is enhanced by competition between the Professor and his sworn nemesis, Wornstrom. The Professor gives people a flimsy paper card (a dig at COVID-19 paper cards) and 3D chips inside of a vaccine to track it. The episode ends when everyone gets a vaccine using voodoo practices, likely a reference to Louisiana Voodoo rather than Trinidadian Vodunu or similar syncretic religious practices in the African diaspora. The episode ends with the statement that any sufficiently advanced magic is distinguishable from science.

This Futurama episode was one of the more hilarious ones. It echoed a "missing" Cleopatra in Space episode about protagonist Cleo facing the consequences of avoiding quarantine, and the August 2011 Futurama episode "Cold Warriors." The former includes Cleo realizing, after she infects the entire campus (but is a carrier), the importance of quarantine. At the episode's end, she enters quarantine as she presumably has common cold, and declares “quarantine stinks!” The Futurama episode is different because it parodies the oft remote work and hints at delays from the virus.

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The eighth episode is just as strong. Zapp is brought before a DOOP disciplinary hearing after an egregious incident with Kiff. It is declared that he is "cancelled." DOOP strips him of his title and states that he must undergo mandatory sensitivity training. The episode centers on "cancel culture," known as consequence culture. It has been covered poorly in some media and better elsewhere. In this episode, Leela becomes captain of the Nimbus. Fry and Bender join her as first officers. The sensitive training class teacher, Dr. Kind (voiced by DiMaggio), is abusive, and DOOP's worse groper.

While Zapp apologizes to those he harmed and Leela gets a medal of valor, there's a lot more going on. There are sequences which resemble Star Trek films, part of an all-around parody of Star Trek itself, including about the Prime Directive. Leela, Fry, Bender, and others come down to the planet in a bucket, making the residents of Tacila believe they are not advanced. Their society has sophisticated machinery running on pneumatic technology. This aligns with the original Futurama series where DOOP engaged in intensive mining operations and worry of Beckett Mariner in Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 3 that Starfleet has become a fighting force involved in armed conflict. DOOP only wants a treaty with Tacila to acquire air rights.

This episode ends with Dr. Kind, almost ruining the air with a Durian. At the last second, Bender (likely) orders the Nimbus to fire upon Dr. Kind, killing him. Later, Leela gets the aforementioned medal. She is discharged for not wanting to fire on innocent civilians. Everything returns to the status quo. Leela, Fry, and Bender return to Planet Express. Zapp goes back to DOOP. He doesn't care about civilian casualties if it "gets the job done." At the episode's end, the idea of consent is emphasized. Zoidberg sucks on Leela because of the Durian smell, and she thanks him for asking first.

Futurama's penultimate episode is a mixed bag. It includes some good moments poking fun at toy commercials, but is also dark with death, dismemberment (of cars), horrors of war, and the like. There is a strange plotline about a Space Prince (voiced by LaMarr), who Leela only loves because of a spell. Even so, there are good points about absurdity of religion (to an extent) and respecting ability of women to voice their opinions (although Bender doesn't support that view).

The final episode, for now, goes further, touching on the meaning of "life." The Professor creates a simulated universe, with copies in three-bit form. He declares that the simulation's beings are "nothing more than ones and zeroes" and aren't real. After he promises to Bender that the simulation won't be terminated, he changes his mind. He even finds an alternate power source to keep the universe functioning. Bender goes into this simulated world, wanting to tell them the truth (that the Professor made the world). He decides to not do so after that world's Fry, declares that it doesn't matter.

The episode closes with Bender returning to the real world. A solution to preserving the simulated world is presented: underclocking the processor. Although these beings realize the world is simulated, they care little about it. In many ways, this episode echoes the computer programs, known as "programs" in Tron: Uprising, but those depicted here are more basic.

Moving on, a largely-circulated spreadsheet in which people anonymously described their conditions in animation studios, does not mention The ULULU Company, previously known as The Curiosity Company, an animation studio and production company, that produced this series and Disenchantment. The company previously worked on the five Futurama films. Sadly, it isn't listed on Glassdoor. So, the company's conditions cannot be determined. Hopefully, people are being treated fairly and the work environment is productive.

The same spreadsheet had eight entries for Rough Draft Studios offices in Glendale and Burbank. These reviews were overwhelmingly negative, with anonymous entries saying there was overwork, disorganization, harsh treatment, and inflexible hours. These revealed an anti-union environment with unionbusting in Burbank. The same studio previously reached an agreement with Local 839 of the Animation Guild, which covered animated TV series and features at their studio in Glendale.

It is hard to know where the series will go from here. This is only part one of the eighth season. It has ten more episodes of its Hulu run, as part of the revival. Watching this revival is nostalgic. It was one of the first animated series I ever watched. I fondly remember episodes parodying Napster and homophobes opposing same-sex marriage, and visual jokes. Some episodes coined terms such as robosexuality, meaning love/sexuality between a robot and humanoid. The strong sci-fi themes stuck with me: the series premiere had the protagonist (Fry) time travel from 1999 to 2999. More than that, there was dimensional travel, voice actors such as Dawnn Lewis and Frank Welker, commentary on worker exploitation, heartfelt moments, advertising parodies, and storylines focusing on family history, roots, and connections.

Overall, the Futurama revival is different feel than the original. Even so, it differs from Final Space, and others like Disenchantment, and Steven Universe. The series is not fundamentally different than the original show. It is improved without few changes. For instance, there are no episodes about queer identity of main cast members or anything along those lines. In this way, it is like The Proud Family revival. Hopefully, the series continues to improve as it moves forward into Season 8 Part 2, and beyond. Futurama is currently streaming on Hulu, Apple TV+, and Disney+ (in some jurisdictions).

#futurama #pop culture #reviews #animated sitcom #adult animation #the simpsons #disenchantment #comedy #social commentary #crypto #strikes #sag aftra #wga strike #scifi #bingeing #revivals #hulu #animation #Youtube

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rookie-critic · 1 year ago

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Rookie Critic's Film Review Weekend Wrap-Up - Weeks of 5/8-5/14/2023 & 5/15-5/21/2023

My apologies for the review interruption over the past couple of weeks. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom came out and that has taken up all of my free time. HOWEVER, I have still be watching movies like normal, so here's a slightly condensed Weekend Wrap-Up for ya.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023, dir. Kelly Fremon Craig) This was wonderful. I already wrote a full review on it, so I won't gush any more about it here, but I have literally 0 complaints. Just a beautiful, fun, and heartfelt look at pre-adolescence and motherhood. A good time for all ages.

Score: 10/10

Only in theaters. You can read my full review of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. here.

Hypnotic (2023, dir. Robert Rodriguez) Robert Rodriguez sure knows how to write twists and turns in a plot. The directions that Hypnotic's story goes in were pleasantly unpredictable and exciting. Sadly, the film overall is very tonally uneven. It's got traces of Rodriguez's signature camp, but they're just that, traces. The movie as a whole tries to play itself a little more seriously than a plot this crazy requires, and it ends up overshooting the entertainment value into territory that feels a little disingenuous. Ben Affleck and William Fichtner, who really needs to be in more stuff, were both high points of the film, and the color correction on certain aspects of the movie felt really inspired. Rodriguez got the the look down to a T, I just don't think he quite stuck the landing.

Score: 6/10

Only in theaters.

BlackBerry (2023, dir. Matt Johnson) What an unexpected masterpiece of comedic historical dramatization, this was. The comedy was excellent, the acting was excellent, the stylizes cinematography was excellent. Everything about this film was engaging, fun, and satisfying. It's also, as a side-effect, incredibly informative. I haven't done the research into fact vs. fiction on this one, but if even half of the stuff that happened in this was true, what an absolute farce history of Research in Motion and the BlackBerry was, and I mean that in the most grateful, loving way possible. We wouldn't be where we are today without this little device, and as much of a clusterfuck as the history of it's existence seems to be, I'm glad we're here. This is easily one of the best things I've seen so far this year, and so far it seems to be flying severely under the radar. If you have a theater near you that's showing this, do yourself a favor and catch a screening of it and BUCKLE UP for a wild fun ride.

Score: 10/10

Only theaters. Plus, @prozdvoices was in it, which really makes it an 11/10.

Fool's Paradise (2023, dir. Charlie Day) I wanted this to be so great. I absolutely adore Charlie Day and when I heard he would be directing his first feature film with the cast that this movie has I got so excited. To its credit, the first half of the film is genuinely hilarious, an homage to Keaton/Chaplin-era physical comedy while exhibiting the beginnings of a biting satire on Hollywood, but somewhere in the middle of it all Day's script looses its footing and never really gets it back. The slapstick goes out the window, the comedy stops being funny and trades that in for bewildering, and the conclusion to it all ends up being wholly unsatisfying and, honestly, made the whole thing feel like a waste of time. If the second half had been anywhere near as good as the first, this would be a very different review, but it wasn't, so here we are. Better luck on the sophomore feature, Day.

Score: 4/10

Only in theaters.

Fast X (2023, dir. Louis Leterrier) I really don't understand the poor reviews this one is getting if other entries in this franchise have been well received. It's not without it's issues, as most of the FF films aren't, but it is still one helluva ride. I will say probably my biggest complaint with this one is that some of it just looks.... odd. Like the CG is whatever, I'm down with the shitty CG in these movies at this point, that's just part of the Fast & Furious charm, but there are shots that just look strange. I'm not really sure how to put it, like the foreground is at one FPS and the background is at another. Just very uncanny valley. It gives the film a look and feel to it that's unlike any of the other films, and in that way I wasn't a huge fan. That being said, the crazy car action is second-to-none and nearly non-stop, and the script handles the Family being split up for most of the film way better than past installments have with that same setup. This will most likely be my full-length come Wednesday, so I'll leave it there for now, but just know that, if you like this franchise, Fast X is going to give you everything you've come to love about it and expect from it.

Score: 7/10

Only in theaters.

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie - (2022, dir. Andy Suriano & Ant Ward) This was watched as part of my college friend group's movie nights at the request of a friend whose birthday was coming up. I've never seen the show and don't really know anything about it past what I've been told by said friend and just my general TMNT knowledge (although this iteration of the heroes in a half-shell is very different than what most people would be used to). It was genuinely wonderful. The animation was spectacularly breathtaking (seriously, I can't hype up how gorgeously animated this film is), and the story, as Days of Future Past-y as it was, felt very fresh. The personalities of the Turtles are different from the original, but it's all a very welcome change. Raphael and Leonardo are practically flipped, with Raph taking on the "big brother" role that's normally occupied by Leo and Leo taking on the "aloof and antagonistic" role that's normally occupied by Raph. Donatello is more or less the same, a genius idiosyncratic inventor, but in this version he canonically has autism, which is represented well and the laughs that come from his character are never at the expense of his disorder. Similarly, Michelangelo is basically the same as his original counterpart (even moreso than Donnie), but in this story he canonically has ADHD. All of their clashing personality types meld together so well, and the chemistry between them is even more infectious, I would say, than the original versions of the characters. They could not have nailed what makes the central four brothers work, while also giving audiences a entirely new central four at the same time, than they did. As far as the villain of the film goes, the way the Kraang (who are depicted here as an entire race of creatures) are represented here is truly unsettling and almost in a Cronenberg/Lynch vein that I absolutely loved. RotTMNT: The Movie drops in you into its world, doesn't mince words, and gets you out of there in a cool 86 minutes, and it was a stellar time. I will, without question, be checking out the show as a result. If you're the kind of TMNT fan that's receptive and open to different takes on this world and these characters, then you'll love this.

Score: 8/10

Currently streaming on Netflix.

STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie (2023, dir. Davis Guggenheim) This has got to be one of the most unique and intriguing documentaries I've ever seen. The way Fox's story is told here is stunning, using a mix of modern narration, dramatic re-enactment, and archival footage (acting as both legitimate archival footage and as a narrative device at separate times) to accent and highlight the actor's life in the most poignant, striking way possible. Fox himself has such an electric personality it's hard not to fall in love with him over the course of the film's 95 minutes (that is, of course, if you weren't already in love him before). I read somewhere that there's nothing particularly revelatory about STILL, but I beg to differ. I'll admit, showing the portrait of a man's life who had it all, had taken the world by storm and was running away with it, only to be knocked down in his prime by something wholly out of control isn't anything too new. However, what makes STILL work, and what sets it apart, is that the story doesn't stop there. Fox refuses to give up. He's not fooling himself at the reality of his situation with Parkinson's, but he remains hopeful, he remains vivid, and he remains electric. Fox refuses to quit, to back down from his life, and is actively maintaining any control he can still have over it. It's inspiring and heartbreaking all at the same time, one never replacing the other, both coexisting in every moment, and that's not a particularly easy thing to pull off. I was quite taken by this, and urge all with access to check it out.

Score: 10/10

Currently streaming on Apple TV+.

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monkeyjaw · 2 years ago

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The Year in Books and Graphic Novels 2022 and an analysis of 20 years of books and comics

January

1. Temple Alley Summer – Kashiwaba Sachiko, illustrated by Miho Satake, translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa

2. Dreams From My Father – Barack Obama, audiobook read by the author

3. X-Men Grand Design Vol. 1 – Ed Piskor

4. Vera Kelly Is Not a Mystery – Rosalie Knecht

5. All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team – Christina Soontornvat, illustrations by Karen Minot

6. X-Men Grand Design Volume 2: Second Genesis – Ed Piskor

7. Year of the Rabbit – Tian Veasna

February

1. Deadly Class Volume 1: 1987 Reagan Youth – Chris Remender, Wes Craig

2. The Eye of the World – Robert Jordan

3. Pattern Master – Octavia E. Butler

4. X-Men Grand Design Volume 3: X-Tinction – Ed Piskor

5. The Confidence Men: How Two Prisoners of War Engineered the Most Remarkable Escape in History – Margalit Fox

6. Deadly Class Volume 2: 1988 Kids of the Black Hole – Rick Remender, Wes Craig

March

1. Once and Future Volume 1: The King is Undead – Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora

2. Once and Future Volume 2: Old English – Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora

3. Dragon Hoops – Gene Luen Yang

4. Ringworld – Larry Niven

5. Once and Future Volume 3: A Parliament of Magpies – Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora

6. Princess Jellyfish Volume 8 – Akiko Higashimura

7. Princess Jellyfish Volume 9 – Akiko Higashimura

8. The Sheepfarmer’s Daughter – Elizabeth Moon

April

1. Planetes Volume 1 – Makoto Yurimura

2. The Library of the Unwritten – A.J. Hackwith

3. Doom Patrol Volume 1: Crawling From the Wreckage – Grant Morrison, Richard Case

4. ODY-C Volume 1: Off To Far Ithacaa – Matt Fraction, Christian Ward

5. Conan of Cimmeria – Robert E Howard, Sprague de Camp, Lin Carter

6. Doom Patrol Volume 2: The Painting That Ate Paris – Grant Morrison, Richard Case, John Nyberg

7. Doom Patrol Volume 3: Down Paradise Way – Grant Morrison, Richard Case

May

1. Doom Patrol Volume 4: Musclebound – Grant Morrison, Richard Case, Kelley Jones, Mark McKenna, John Nyberg

2. Eragon – Christopher Paolini

3. The Promised Neverland Vol 1 – Kaiu Shirai, Posaku Demizu

4. Deadly Class Volume 3: 1988 Snake Pit – Rick Remender, Wes Craig

5. Once and Future Volume 4: Monarchies in the U.K. – Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora

6. The Dark is Rising – Susan Cooper

7. The Forest – Thomas Ott

8. The Left Hand of Darkness – Ursula K LeGuin

June

1. Deadly Class Volume 4: 1988 Die For Me – Rick Remender, Wes Craig

2. Arthurian Legends – Wace and Layamon

3. Dune – Frank Herbert

4. The Left Hand of Darkness – Ursula K LeGuin

5. The Lost Years of Merlin – T.A. Barron

July

1. The Secret To Super-Human Strength – Alison Bechdel

2. The Promised Neverland Volume 2 – Kaiu Shirai, Posaku Demizu

3. The New World – Ales Kot, Tradd Moore

4. Super Sentai Himitsu Sentai Gorenger – Shotaro Ishinomori

5. Spider-Gwen Volume 0: Most Wanted? – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez

6. The Deed of Paksenarrion: Divided Allegiance – Elizabeth Moon

7. Ultimate Miles Morales Spider-Man Volume 1 – Brian Michael Bendis, Sara Pichelli, Chris Samnee

8. Giant Days Volume 1 – John Allison, Lisa Treimann

9. Giant Days Volume 2 – John Allison, Lisa Treimann, Max Sarin

August

1. Lockwood & Co. Volume 1: The Screaming Staircase – Jonathan Stroud

2. Ultimate Miles Morales Spider-Man Volume 2 – Brian Michael Bendis, David Marquez, et al

3. Ultimate Miles Morales Spider-Man Volume 3 – Brian Michael Bendis, David Marquez, et al

4. The Wheel of Time Book 2: The Great Hunt – Robert Jordan

5. Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones

6. A Study in Scarlet – Arthur Conan Doyle

7. French Medieval Romances from the Lais of Marie of France – Translated by Eugene Mason

September

1. Pyongyang – Guy Delisle

2. Destiny: A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold – Alisa Kwitney, Kent Williams, et al

3. The Dead of Paksenarrion: Oath of Gold – Elizabeth Moon

4. Brave Chef Brianna – Sam Sykes, Selina Espiritu

5. Fledgling – Octavia E. Butler

6. At Death’s Door – Jill Thompson

October

1. We – Yevgeny Zamyatin, read by Toby Jones

2. The Witch Boy – Molly Knox Ostertag

3. 20th Century Boys Vol. 7: The Truth – Naoki Urasawa

4. 20th Century Boys Vol. 8: – Naoki Urasawa

5. Isaac the Pirate Vol. 1: To Exotic Lands – Christophe Blaine

6. Dungeon Zenith: Volume 4: Outside the Ramparts – Joann Sfar, Lewis Trondheim, Boulet

7. The Wheel of Time Book 3: The Dragon Reborn – Robert Jordan

8. 20th Century Boys Volume 9: Rabbit Nabokov – Naoki Urasawa

9. The Haunting of Hill House – Shirley Jackson

10. Isaac the Pirate Volume 2: The Capital – Christophe Blaine

11. 20th Century Boys Volume 10: The Faceless Boy - Naoki Urasawa

November

1. Gotham Central Book 1: In the Line of Duty – Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka

2. Komi Can’t Communicate Vol. 1 – Tomohito Oda

3. The Promised Neverland Volume 3 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu

4. Sleepless Volume 1 – Sarah Vaughn, Leila Del Duch

5. R.U.R. – Karel Capek, translated by David Wyllie

6. 20th Century Boys Volume 11: List of Ingredients – Naoki Urasawa

7. 20th Century Boys Volume 12: Friend’s Face – Naoki Urasawa

8. 20th Century Boys Volume 13: Beginning of the End – Naoki Urasawa

9. 20th Century Boys Volume 14: The Boy and the Dream – Naoki Urasawa

10. The Sandman Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes – Neil Gaiman, Mike Dringenberg, Sam Ketih, Malcolm Jones III

11. Dodger – Terry Pratchett

12. The Promised Neverland Volume 4 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu

13. 20th Century Boys Volume 15: Expo Hurray – Naoki Urasawa

14. 20th Century Boys Volume 16: Beyond the Looking Glass – Naoki Urasawa

15. 20th Century Boys Volume 17: Cross-Counter – Naoki Urasawa

16. 20th Century Boys Volume 18: Everybody’s Song – Naoki Urasawa

17. 20th Century Boys Volume 19: The Man Who Came Back – Naoki Urasawa

18. 20th Century Boys Volume 20: Humanity in the Balance – Naoki Urasawa

19. Thursday Next book 2: Lost in a Good Book – Jasper Fforde

20. 20th Century Boys Volume 21: Arrival of the Space Aliens – Naoki Urasawa

21. 20th Century Boys Volume 22: The Beginning of Justice

22. The Promised Neverland Volume 5 – Kaiu Shira, Posuka Demizu

December

1. Thrawn Ascension: Book 1: Chaos Rising – Timothy Zahn

2. Crucial Conversations: Tools for talking when stakes are high - Kerry Patterson,

Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler

3. Sandman Volume 2: The Doll’s House – Neil Gaiman, Mike Dringenberg, Malcolm Jones III

4. My Favorite Thing Is Monsters – Emil Ferris

5. Please Don’t Step On My JNCO Jeans – Noah Van Sciver

6. The Sandman Volume 3: Dream Country – Neil Gaiman, Kelley Jones, Malcolm Jones III, Charles Vess

7. Winterfair Gifts – Lois McMaster Bujold

8. Sandman Book 4: Season of Mists – Neil Gaiman, Matt Wagner, George Pratt, Dick Giordano, Kelley Jones, P. Craig Russell

9. Sandman Book 5: A Game of You – Neil Gaiman, Sean McManus, Bryan Talbot, Colleen Doran

105 books and graphic novels in 2022! 34 novels (and 1 novella) and 70/71 graphic novels. I read one book twice for a book club. That’s 13 more than I read last year.

Now for totals from 2002 to 2022.

Totals:

2002 20

2003 86 – 7.16/month

2004 9

2005 84 – 7/month

2006 79 – 6.58/month

2007 58 – 4.83/month

2008 49 – 4.083/month

2009 51 – 4.25

2010 72 - 6

2011 60 - 5

2012 80 – 6.66

2013 50 – 4.16

2014 144 - 12

2015 92 – 7.66

2016 151 – 12.58

2017 138 – 11.5

2018 116 – 9.66

2019 96 - 8

2020 102 – 8.5

2021 92 – 7.66

2022 105 – 8.75

Including the years that I have incomplete data for (2002 and 2004 I only have 3 months of data), I read 1734 books and graphic novels from 2002 to 2022, 86.7 per year. If we leave off 2002, and 2004, I read 85.25 per year and an average of 7.89 books per month. I’ll post the graphic novels and regular books break down shortly.

#books #reading #year in review #graphic novels #comics

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tokyosgroeningverseblog · 2 months ago

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☆ ℑ𝔫𝔱𝔯𝔬 ☆

Hello, fellow dorks !! This is my blog specifically for content relating to Matt Groening’s series (The Simpsons, Futurama and Disenchantment), which I call the Groeningverse !

☆☆☆ 𝔅𝔞𝔰𝔦𝔠 𝔦𝔫𝔣𝔬 ☆☆☆

☆ Call me Tokyo or Angel !! (Tokyo is slightly preferred)

☆ She/her, cisgender female

☆ Birthday is September 27th, I am a Libra. I am also a minor

☆ Bisexual and omnicurious, preference for men

☆ OC x canon shipper !

☆ Has scoliosis and is being tested for autism

☆ Currently dating someone <3

☆☆☆ 𝔅𝔜𝔉, 𝔇𝔑ℑ, 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫 𝔦𝔠𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔭𝔩𝔢𝔞𝔰𝔢 𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔱 ☆☆☆

BYF

☆ I am pretty open about my opinions, especially when it comes to disliking something. I understand if you disagree, but I prefer not to argue over things as silly as me not liking a character you like or something of the like.

☆ Despite being a minor, I do make inappropriate jokes and even draw suggestive things sometimes. I understand that's not everyone's cup of tea.

☆ Some of the media I consume is made by controversial people. Please know that I don't support their actions whatsoever.

☆ I sometimes say things like "kms", but I'm not serious about it unless stated otherwise.

☆ I need tonetags sometimes, and it's hard for me to get jokes every now and then.

☆ I sometimes use Gen Alpha slang as a joke, like “skibidi”, “sigma”, etc.

☆ I am a massive simp for characters, lol

DNI

☆ Proshippers. I won’t go out of my way to harass a proshipper or darkshipper, because that’s wrong, but I don’t want them interacting with me because shipping problematic things makes me uncomfortable.

☆ Basic criteria (discrimination, problematic phillias, etc.)

☆ AI “art” and NFT users

☆ If you’re under 13. You shouldn’t even be on Tumblr, man.

☆ If you ship real people together

☆ If you are against OC x canon or self shipping (I’m not a self shipper, but I support it as long as it isn’t problematic)

Thin Ice

☆ Fetish artists (I’ve met some that are actually very respectful, so it’s not an immediate DNI)

☆ People with specific fandoms in their DNI (I don’t think it makes sense imo ?? Blocking out an entire fandom just because you don’t like a piece of media or the creator of it just,,, rubs me the wrong way ? Idk, I’m a huge art vs. artist believer)

☆ People with “boring people” in their DNI (that is very unspecific. How am I supposed to not interact if I don’t know whether or not you’d see me as a boring person ???)

PLEASE INTERACT !!

☆ People who like Zapp Brannigan (he’s so hated, so I really enjoy seeing people who also really like him :D)

☆ Fellow OC x canon shippers and selfshippers !! (Y’all are so cool !!!)

☆ People who share the same fictional crushes or ship OCs/self inserts with the same characters (some people don’t like when others share the same f/o’s or fictional crushes, but I love it. It’s so cool to have someone who can agree with me 100% when I gush over a character they also like)

☆☆☆ 𝔖𝔱𝔲𝔣𝔣 𝔯𝔢𝔩𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔊𝔯𝔬𝔢𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔰𝔢 ☆☆☆

I am most active w/ Futurama rn, and least active with Disenchantment as I have not gotten to watch it yet.

Favorite characters

☆ The Simpsons: Moe Szyslak, Cecil Terwilliger, Sideshow Bob, Lionel Hutz, Reverend Lovejoy and Mr. Burns

☆ Futurama: Phillip J. Fry, Zapp Brannigan, Kif Kroker, Bender Rodriguez, Turanga Leela and Dr. John Zoidberg

☆ Disenchantment: Due to having not watched it yet, I don’t quite have a favorites list. But from the clips I’ve seen, probably Princess Bean and Luci so far ?? I’m not sure

OC x canon ships !!

The first name is the character, the second one is the OC

☆ Moe Szyslak x Rhonda Branston (status: dating or married, depending on the drawing)

☆ Cecil Terwilliger x Lawrence Terwilliger (status: married)

☆ Lionel Hutz x Loretta Kingston (status: dating)

☆ Phillip J. Fry x Stella Brannigan (status: this one’s a bit complicated. I would go with dating, but I’m not sure yet)

Planning on making a StrawPage dedicated entirely to listing my OCs for the Groeningverse, so you guys can get to know them better :)

Btw, here’s my StrawPage ! So you can find my other accounts that aren’t primarily for Groening’s shows and other coolio stuff like my Discord server

http://tokyosmaddhouse.straw.page/

#blog intro #blog info #i wanted to make a better intro compared to the post about me coming back from the dead lol #artists on deviantart #artists on tumblr #Will update this especially whenever I finally get to watch Disenchantment #Just waiting on my parents to unrestrict my Netflix account since they said they would

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ernestsinclairs · 6 years ago

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The Downfall of Viktor Montmartre

CRACK/SATIRE FIC BECAUSE I HATE THIS MOTHERF****ER

Viktor Montmartre sauntered through the doors of his LA office and plopped down into his Versace alligator skin chair. It had been exactly $62,345.90 including tax, and he’d printed the price out onto a sticker and stuck it onto the chair to remind him of how rich he was.

Leland St. James suddenly popped up on the 60-inch Plexiglass TV. Viktor smirked, then turned the volume up.

“Stunning new allegations against Viktor Montmartre!” the annoying, weasel faced man squealed. “More allegations of sexual harassment, reckless endangerment, negligence, and all around, just being a total douche!”

“WHAT?!?” Viktor screamed, throwing the remote down on a panda skin rug. “HOW, HOW-”

Suddenly the phone rang. Enraged, he yanked it up, nearly ripping it by the cord.

“This is Edgar, your lawyer,” came a voice on the other end.

“I know who you are, Edgar! I’m the one who hired you! Now what is it?! And go sue that Leland St. James! He snaked me!”

“About that, boss, sorry.”

Viktor shut up for a moment, his jaw hanging open. He suddenly looked very very stupid.

“Edgar, what do you-”

“You ain’t getting out of this one Viktor. Damn, boy, you are screwed. There’s nothing I can do. Bye.”

Viktor Montmartre screamed in fury and threw the entire telephone on the floor where it promptly shattered into a million pieces. He felt slightly better.

“And more news about Thomas Hunt’s sexy new piece, The Duchess!” Leland St. James quipped from the safety of the TV. “It’s on track to outpace Double Agent by Tommy Phelps! It’s expected to open at $652 million, and . . . well . . .”

Leland looked down at a piece of paper.

“Well, Double Agent’s expected to make . . . you know what, I’m not even going to say that number. yIKES.”

A laugh track played. Viktor Montmartre screamed some more.

“TIFFANY!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. Almost instantly, a timid looking assistant appeared, clutching a clipboard.

“FIX THIS!”

“Fix what?” she stammered, looking very frightened. “There’s a lot of problems to fix.”

“LIKE WHAT?!” Viktor roared, launching a Grammy award that was nearby at his Oscar award shelf. It missed and took of the head of the Chris Hemsworth cardboard cutout instead.

“There’s really no good way to say it, so . . .”

Tiffany paused and braced herself.

“Sir . . . your nudes leaked.”

“MY WHAT?!”

“Your nudes? Remember you sent them to that Playboy model? Yeah, well, she leaked.”

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN?!?” Viktor howled, launching another Grammy award. This one found its mark, and an entire shelf of Oscars tumbled.

“And the police might be here. I thought I’d let you know.”

“AND WHAT DID YOU DO ABOUT THAT?!”

“Oh, I brewed them some coffee. I told them I’d add some creamer if they backed off.”

“Did they?” Viktor Montmartre asked hopefully.

“No.”

An entire of squadron of police suddenly burst in, a siren blaring behind them. Somehow, they had managed to get a police car all the way up fifty floors.

“HOW THE FUCK DID THAT GET HERE?” Viktor shrieked, pointing at the police car.

“You had the elevators modified, sir,” Tiffany answered quickly. “Remember? When Priya Lacroix came to visit and she wanted the elevators bigger so she could have orgies in them?”

“Oh, right,” Viktor said, remembering. “She was hot. And scary.”

There was suddenly some commotion from the back, and the police parted like the Red Sea. Thomas Hunt rolled in a skateboard, sipping a glass of scotch, oozing sexiness like a beehive oozed honey.

“So nice to see you, Viktor,” he drawled. Tiffany looked at him and sighed lustfully.

“Just wanted to give you this.”

He took out a bundle of ‘The Duchess�� premiere tickets out of his pocket and proceeded to make it rain.

“I hope they’ll let you out of jail for this,” he drawled some more. “Only entertainment, now that you’re going to prison.”

Viktor burst into angry tears and Thomas Hunt rolled away without a care in the world.

“Viktor Montmartre, you are under arrest,” said a rather stupid looking brunette police officer. Viktor looked at him. His name tag was backwards and said “Yffud”.

“YFUDD? I’M GETTING ARRESTED BY A GUY NAMED YFUDD?!” Viktor wailed.

The policeman cowered, awkwardly handing the handcuffs to another officer.

“It’s Duffy, sir, Duffy.”

A slick looking man in an Armani suit and a lawyer’s briefcase than strode in, flashing a white business card with silver lettering at everyone.

“I’m the lawyer from Raines Corporation,” he stated flatly. “Viktor, we’re suing you for copying our lobby design.”

Viktor screamed in rage and proceeded to hurl a bonsai tree out the window. A policeman attempted to catch it, but happened to fall out with it.

The police marched the screaming man out the main lobby, with the Raines Corp. lawyer taking photos of every single lobby detail, every single chair, every single streak of window polish.

Outside, the media had gathered like a swarm.

“Mr. Montmartre, is it true you sexually harassed women?” Ana de Luca demanded, pressing a microphone to his mouth. Viktor just cried as he was hauled off to jail.

All around the country that night, the country rejoiced. Matt Rodriguez rejoiced right before the surgeon put him under. Rising director, Teja Desai, danced so excitedly she knocked coffee into the face of comedian, Seth Levine. Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer cursed and said, “Goddamn, there’s two of them.”

Leland St. James and Tiffany the assistant continued their torrid love affair, having threesomes with a local waiter named Daniel. Officer Yffud went looking for a new job. The lawyer from Raines Corporation went off for his meeting with Senator Vega. He didn’t return, but it was okay. Everyone hates lawyers. No one cares about lawyers.

All was good in the world that night.

@katurrade

#red carpet diaries #rcd #viktor montmartre #matt rodriguez #Matt rodriguez x my #matt rodriguez x mc #matt rodriguez x reader #teja desai #teja desai x mc #teja x mc #thomas hunt #thomas hunt x mc #thomas hunt x reader #seth levine #seth levine x reader #seth levine x mc #victoria fontaine #Victoria Fontaine x mc

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fyeahsmokinhot · 3 years ago

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Matt just LOVES LOVE ♥♥♥

#criminal minds #garvez #penelope garcia #penelope x luke #luke alvez #kirsten vangsness #adam rodriguez #matt simmons #daniel henney #aj cook #jennifer jareau #jj jareau #bbelcher #userstream #criminal minds edit #cm edit #criminal minds mine #cm mine #my shit

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easthighseblos · 3 years ago

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*lil giggle*

2x06

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homeformyheart · 4 years ago

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hopeless - m!raleigh carrera x mc (plat)

author’s note: i’m not sure if this fits into the same universe my other platinum fics take place in but i had fun with it. i hope you enjoy!

copyright: all characters owned by pixelberry studios. songs and lyrics owned by their respective creators. series/pairing: platinum – m!raleigh carrera x mc (cadence dorian); red carpet diaries cross-over – matt rodriguez x cadence dorian rating/warnings: 14+; swearing, descriptions of drinking, minor angst word count: 2.6k based on/prompt: “all you had to do was stay” by taylor swift / “secret love song pt ii” by little mix summary: news of cadence’s engagement makes raleigh and cadence revisit the way they left things.

hopeless

when cadence flew out to los angeles to secretly film music videos for her entire album, the last thing she expected was that she would get engaged. but here she was, in as private of a spot as one could find in the city of stars, with the matt rodriguez in front of her on one knee with a beautiful vintage-inspired octagonal diamond ring. no one was around except for a private photographer he hired so that they could control what made it to the press.

“cadence dorian, will you marry me?”

she knew what her answer should be. after all, her and raleigh had officially called it quits eight months ago. operative word being “officially.” it didn’t take long before she was introduced to matt when he was cast in her music video and raleigh’s label paired him off with some up-and-coming actress.

cadence fought to stay present and hoped that matt would think the tears forming in her eyes was because she was overwhelmed, when in reality, she was thinking back on the last time she spoke to raleigh.

6 months ago

“i don’t know if i can do this anymore,” cadence whispered. they had publicly broken up two months ago but were still carrying on in private whenever they could. “everytime i see you, a part of me dies a little more. all we have are these stolen moments, which won’t last once one of us has to go on tour again.”

those stolen moments included spending a few hours late at night in his bedroom a few nights a week, but whenever cadence struggled with feeling like she was a shameful secret, raleigh would cave and take her out as long as they both wore disguises. tonight was one such night and leave it to raleigh to find the one club in new york city that wouldn’t be packed with celebrities on a saturday night.

cadence saw raleigh’s grip on the steering wheel tighten as he drove them back to her apartment. her eyes welled up with tears and she let them fall down her face, ruining her makeup, as she sat silently in the passenger seat.

“don’t do this now, please. we had a nice time tonight, didn’t we?”

cadence pulled the long, curly-haired wig off her head and threw it onto the dash. “i want to hold you in the street, and kiss you on the dance floor. i should be able to shout it from the rooftops. why can’t it be like that?”

“cadence, you know it’s to protect you. you’re just starting out and i’m not going to ruin that for you… we— we can’t,” raleigh said, his throat tight and voice shaky as if he was afraid of where the conversation was going.

“i don’t want to live love like this. i don’t want to hide us away, constantly wondering if it will ever change,” cadence said sadly, drying her eyes with the back of her hands, ignoring the streaks of makeup now staining her skin.

raleigh pulled into the underground garage of her building and parked the car. he reached over to hold her hand in both of his and cadence felt a sob escape her.

“you mean the world to me, cadence. i want more than anything to show you off as my girlfriend, but we have to be careful for a while longer.” he gave her a dazzling smile, but she knew his heart wasn’t in it.

“i wish we could be like that, raleigh. but it’s obvious that it won’t happen and i can’t keep going on like this. i’m sorry,” cadence sobbed, pulling her hand from his and trying to take deep breaths to calm herself down.

cadence stepped out of the car and toward the elevators as raleigh looked on in stunned silence. she didn’t look back because she knew if she did, she’d want to run right back to him.

“cadence?”

she was brought back to the moment by the sound of matt’s voice and all she could do was nod and smile and let the rest of her tears “of joy” stream down her face as matt wrapped his arms around her and spun her around.

* * * * * raleigh looked out the window of his penthouse apartment with a glass of mezcal in his hand. against his better judgment, he scanned tabloid headlines earlier that day when a photo of cadence caught his eye. the photos made it look like she was cozying up to matt rodriguez in los angeles. raleigh prided himself on being around long enough in the industry that he could spot a tabloid relationship in two seconds, but there was something about how cadence looked in those photos that made him pause.

it was clear she was having fun and enjoying herself in the photos. he recognized the look on her face when she was mid-laugh and the cheek-hurting smile she had on reminded him of the beginning of their tabloid relationship over a year and a half ago now. but even back then, raleigh knew there was something special about cadence, something that he wanted to be real, something that made him blur the lines that defined his fake relationships in the past.

he looked at his watch and knew he needed to head out if he was going to make it to the event at a reasonable time. he knew cadence would be there and while he was fine with their recent game of avoiding each other at public events, he needed to run into her tonight. he gulped down the rest of his drink and walked out of his apartment. time to get some answers.

* * * * * his eyes zeroed in on cadence the second she walked into the room. she was wearing a gorgeous gold dress that no doubt was made for her given how it fit her every curve perfectly and showed off her shoulders and collarbone. raleigh felt his body temperature rise as he pictured ripping her hair out of its pinned updo and sucking at the sensitive spots on her neck and collarbone that he knew so well.

either he had been staring for too long or cadence sensed his presence because she looked over in his direction. they locked eyes and it was as if the entire room faded away; raleigh held her gaze, almost daring her to break eye contact first. which, she did, but not before she flashed him a look that he couldn’t quite place – apologetic? regret? embarrassment? whatever it was, it fled her features faster than he could blink. he wasn’t given any time to think about it as the tinkling sound of utensil against glass somehow seemed to drown out the conversations around him.

he looked around quickly and didn’t see any food so where the fuck did people get utensils? and more importantly, why didn’t he have a drink in his hand yet? not that he was eager to join in what was inevitably a toast to the couple of the hour.

“if i could have everyone’s attention,” the host of the party spoke over the din, smiling warmly. raleigh didn’t miss the way matt held out his arm toward cadence or the way she tucked hers into the crook of his elbow seamlessly while looking up at him with that beautiful smile radiating off her face.

“cadence and i want to thank all of you for coming out to celebrate our engagement.”

raleigh tuned matt out for the rest of the toast and looked at cadence incredulously. he glanced down at her hand that was wrapped around matt’s arm and could make out a glittering diamond ring on her finger. how had he not noticed that? and more importantly, how could cadence not have given him a heads up? he had assumed the relationship was for publicity and that somehow, when her career was more established, they would find their way back together.

he watched as cadence waved to the crowd before walking up the steps to the makeshift stage and seating herself behind the sleek black baby grand piano. raleigh was mostly sure that his jaw hadn’t dropped and his eyes hadn’t widened, but he was still too stunned to check.

“people like you always want back the love they gave away,” cadence started singing, her soulful voice ringing clearly through the speakers, “and people like me wanna believe you, when you say you’ve changed.”

raleigh had heard this song several times already, it was cadence’s number one single off her upcoming album, which he presumed had plenty of references to their relationship. but he didn’t care. the only thing he had ever truly wanted in his life besides his freedom from sunset skatepark was sitting up on that stage singing her heart out.

the room broke out into loud applause and cadence bowed before stepping off the stage. raleigh felt his feet propel him toward her and barely registered that he was standing in front of her until she looked up and said his name.

“raleigh?”

“can we talk?” he asked. she nodded and he followed her to a dressing room just outside the ballroom and locked the door behind him.

cadence crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly. “what did you want to talk about?”

raleigh gave her a long, scrutinizing look. “i guess congratulations are in order. i would’ve appreciated a heads up.”

“we’re not in a relationship anymore, raleigh, you made sure of that. i didn’t realize we still owed things to each other,” cadence snapped, eyes blazing.

“cadence, you know that’s not fair. you know i care about you and was trying to protect you,” raleigh hated that he was pleading.

“i didn’t ask you to protect me, i asked you to be with me. you had me in the palm of your hand, raleigh.”

raleigh’s fingers itched to reach out and hold her close to him, to have his body envelop hers in that way where she fit so naturally, it made you wonder if his body was made to hold hers. “i figured we’d end up together again, once your career was more established.”

cadence blinked in surprise and her eyes softened. raleigh had never given her any indication that he had thought that far ahead regarding their future, at least not seriously anyway. “oh, raleigh. i think it’s hopeless. we just weren’t meant to work out,” she sighed and walked past him to open the door.

“do you love him?” raleigh asked quietly. he glanced away once before looking at her, an almost imperceptible sign that gave away the fact that he was nervous. cadence knew this sign well and a sharp pain and sense of longing tugged at her heart.

“of course, i’m marrying him,” she replied, dropping her gaze. he was looking at her so intensely, she felt like he would see right through her. she turned around and walked out the door.

raleigh followed her and turned her back around to face him. “no, look me in the eye and tell me that you love him,” raleigh demanded firmly, grabbing her chin gently and lilting her face up so she was looking up at him.

“raleigh, i—”

“cadence, babe? there’s someone i want you to meet,” matt called out from behind her, cutting her off.

she gave her best apologetic look to raleigh and said, “i better go.”

as she turned around, he grabbed her hand gently and whispered in her ear, “you haven’t answered my question yet.”

cadence chose to ignore him as she followed matt to the other side of the room, toward his hollywood friends, all of whom she had met before. they ducked behind the group inconspicuously.

“are you okay? things looked a bit tense,” matt asked softly once he was sure that his friends were effectively blocking cadence from raleigh’s view.

5 months ago

“are you okay? you look a bit tense,” matt said, his tone friendly and free of judgment, which cadence appreciated.

“my publicist wants us to be in a fake relationship. i’m just tired of that sort of thing and thought she’d be a little more understanding since it hasn’t been that long since my last relationship ended.”

matt looked at her thoughtfully. “i gathered that most of the songs we filmed these music videos for were about at least one past relationship, but they were all about the same guy, weren’t they?”

cadence nodded, somewhat grateful that she was feeling too down to feel embarrassed that matt figured out she was still pining for raleigh.

“well, why don’t we try dating for real? it might help you move on and we’d still give our publicists the public relationship they want,” matt suggested. “and who knows? if everything goes well, we can even get engaged.”

cadence was surprised at the sincerity in matt’s voice. she tilted her head as she considered what he was really suggesting. “that would definitely catch everyone’s attention. okay, let’s do it.”

“i’m fine. mission accomplished,” she said, giving him a half-hearted smile.

“it’s not over until it’s over,” matt said, caressing his thumb over the diamond on her finger. “but maybe it’s time to make it official.”

cadence wrapped her arms around him and let herself be comforted by matt’s strong, warm body. “thanks matt. i’ll see you later.”

raleigh watched cadence make her way to the exit before following as quickly as he could. he meant it when he said he was going to get answers. by the time he made it outside, she was nowhere in sight. but he wasn’t going to give up. he flagged down the nearest cab and gave them instructions to her apartment.

when he arrived, he made his way to her unit and hesitated for a beat in front of her door. did he really want to do this? hear that she was in love with another man and was planning on marrying someone that was not him? did he no longer have a chance; was it really hopeless? raleigh lowered his hand briefly as he thought through a scenario where she was lost to him forever.

he let himself wallow for barely a minute before shaking his head angrily. cadence owed him a clear answer. and he at least owed her the truth about his feelings. he knocked twice and pressed his ear to the door. her apartment had a fairly thin door and he could only hear dead air. she probably hadn’t gotten home yet. raleigh took off his jacket and made himself comfortable on the floor. he would wait for however long it took.

cadence looked out the window of the cab as it approached raleigh’s brooklyn neighborhood. she felt a wave of nostalgia come over her at the familiar street lamps and buildings they passed. once they arrived, she quickly ducked inside the building and made her way to the elevator. there were two penthouse units on the top floor and cadence stood outside raleigh’s, suddenly wishing she had changed out of the ridiculous glittery gold dress and heels into something more casual. she steeled herself and held her chin up as she knocked on the door. after a beat, she knocked again, louder, just in case he left and went home after their brief interaction earlier than night. she hadn’t seen him leave the event and figured she might have to wait. she bunched up the skirt of her dress so she could sit on the fabric and took off her heels, sighing with relief. now all she had to do was wait.

* * * * * mentions: @raleigh-edward; @dulceghernandez; @thegreentwin; @kat-tia801; @otherworldlypresents; @brycesgirl; @robintora;

#reposting for new blog #choices platinum #choices #pb choices #playchoices #choices fanfic #choices fanfics #playchoices fanfictin #raleigh carrera #cadence dorian #matt rodriguez #raleigh carrera x mc #raleigh x mc #raleigh carrera x cadence dorian #raleigh x cadence #not twc #my writing #my choices fics

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alj4890 · 2 years ago

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Day 3 Treat

For Choices RCD Appreciation Week 2022

(Matt Rodriguez x Addison Sinclaire) I know in RCD these two are only friends, but I always want them together, LOL.

Prompt: "What is that smell?" "It was supposed to be gingerbread cookies, now it's just a pile of coal."

@choicesrcd2022 @hopelessromantic1352 @promptnonny @tessa-liam @twinkleallnight @trappedinfanfiction @flyawayboo @krsnlove

Masterlist

Baking Woes

"Addison!" Matt coughed as he rushed through the smoked filled house. "Where are you?!"

A tearful wail drew him to the kitchen.

He coughed some more as he made his way towards her. His worry grew when he saw her slumped across the kitchen counter.

"Addison?" Matt tried to pick her up.

Tear filled blue eyes lifted toward him.

"Are you hurt?" He held her tight as he quickly scanned her for any visible injuries.

"No." She yelled to be heard over the smoke alarms screeching their warnings.

"There's a fire somewhere!" He yelled back. "We have to get out of here!"

"I put it out!" She struggled out of his arms to open up the kitchen windows.

Matt watched her in disbelief as she fanned the smoke with a badly singed cooking magazine.

It wasn't long before the smoke alarms shut off.

"Is that what was burning?" Matt asked, pointing at what was left of the magazine.

"What?" She looked down at the item she swore would help make their first Christmas as a couple special. "It wasn't the only thing on fire."

Matt's eyes widened as he took in the disaster that had struck his once pristine kitchen. Mixing bowls were littered all over the table and bar. Egg shells were scattered along the counters, dripping egg whites down the cabinets. Flour was strewn about the floor and sink. Measuring cups held the residues of mysterious liquids.

Addison herself appeared to have taken part in a battle. Her shiny blonde hair was nearly white with flour dustings. Strands had escaped her messy bun to hang lopsided along the tips of her ears and the back of her neck. Smudges of egg and brown goo were dotted all over her red apron and green leggings. He knew she'd donned a white t-shirt earlier. He wasn't certain what color it would be after it was thoroughly washed.

Whatever she'd fought in here had beaten her.

And that aroma...

"What is that smell?" He asked.

Addison slumped once more upon a clean spot on the kitchen counter.

"It was supposed to be gingerbread cookies, now it's just a pile of coal."

"Gingerbread cookies?" Matt couldn't believe a cookie could do this much damage in so little time.

He looked about and saw a tray with blackened, oddly shaped objects.

"I ruined them." She sniffed as tears began to fall. "I ruined everything!"

The one thing Matt couldn't take in life was seeing Addison's tears.

He pulled her in his arms, ignoring the squish of whatever she'd spilled on herself and the feel of cold liquid seeping through his clean dress shirt.

Matt pressed a kiss to the top of her head as she cried against his chest. He left his head bent too long in her flour coated hair and ended up sneezing multiple times.

"Oh no!" Addison wailed louder than before. "Now I've made you sick!" She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. "Christmas is ruined!"

"No, it isn't!" Matt tilted her face up, gently wiping the stray tears that continued to fall. "You're here, right?"

He kissed her forehead.

She nodded while reaching for a paper towel to wipe her nose.

"And I'm here." He pressed another soft kiss to her cheek.

She mumbled an agreement.

"Then it sounds like the perfect Christmas to me." He gave her a tender kiss.

Addison slipped her arms around his neck, sighing when he ended the sweet exchange.

"This is why I love you, Matt." She snuggled within his arms. "You always point out the good things when bad things happen."

He smiled while holding her close.

"It's easy whenever you're around."

She looked up at him. Her typical bright smile appeared once more.

"There's my sunshine girl." He mumbled against her lips. "I was worried she disappeared in the smoke."

She giggled, shaking her head over such a nickname. Her attention was then drawn to the man-made disaster she'd created.

She'd been so sure she would end up being a wonderful baker.

Boy was I wrong, she thought to herself.

"I'm sorry I destroyed your kitchen." Her bottom lip began to quiver as new tears filled her eyes.

"It's no big deal." Matt tugged her back in his arms.

He leaned his head down until he was eye level with her when she began to sniff.

"Addison, I don't care if this kitchen has to be demolished and I have to start all over again with contractors."

"I don't think it's that bad." She mumbled.

He grinned. "I know that and now you do too."

"Okay." She looked up at him. "Now what do we do?"

"I say we leave this room and pretend it doesn't exist for a while."

"Matt!" She giggled even harder as he took her hand and made a dramatic show of sneaking out of the kitchen.

"There!" He playfully wiped his brow. "We made it."

"What am I going to do with you?" Addison asked.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning close to kiss his lips.

"I definitely love where your head is at right now." He said between kisses.

He lifted her up, smiling against her lips when she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"I have to make it up to you somehow." She kissed down his neck. "Not only did I destroy your kitchen--"

"The room that shall not be named." He corrected.

She laughed in the midst of his kiss.

"Not only did I destroy the room that shall not be named, I also ruined our treats for tonight."

"Hmm. That is a problem." Matt pretended to ponder this. "There's only one way to fix this."

"And what's that?" Addison asked.

He placed her on the couch then covered her body with his.

"You'll have to be my treat tonight." Matt replied.

#rcd appreciation week #choicesrcd2022 #matt rodriguez x addision sinclaire #rcd matt rodriguez #rcd addison #choices red carpet diaries

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the-not-so-silent-back-up · 4 years ago

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I need to say something... I don't even know of people actually care... But my blogs URL isn't only "The-not-so-silent-back-up" because i love jaskier no because i won't be silent either.

So lately I've been reblogging some futurama posts (maybe you have noticed, and if not that's also okay) so i kinda feel like i should explain myself.

So when before i had a tumblr blog which also means before the hunger games (my first fandom ever) i watched futurama a lot, and when i say a lot i mean A LOT, i told my parents i got so much homework only that i can watch futurama in peace. I was 14 y/o i didn't understood half of the jokes but I loved it, I loved the characters, I loved that there is an actual storyline and in loved fry and leelas relationship. Looking back i know that i shipped them, a lot, but in that time i didn't knew that word or what it meant. But i guess the show wasn't that popular in Germany and it wasn't on tv as much as the Simpsons... so "cough" i watched it on the Internet. But at some point there weren't new episodes available for me. So after rewatching my favorites over and over again i stopped watching futurama.

But last Christmas (😅) my mom got us disney + as a gift and now that futurama is on there i immediately rewatched it because now i can actually finish the whole show. And now i only have three episodes left and i feels kinda sad because it's over soon but i am also happy because i can rewatch it whenever i want and this will be totally one of my comfort shows because these stupid little cartoon characters never fail to make me laugh.

And now that i am older i understand the jokes and love the characters even more because even though its a adult cartoon they are all have a good heart and just try their best to save their friends and families and sometimes the whole universe.

#personal #My before tumblr life #The-not-so-silent-back-up #Kinda my first fandom #Futurama #matt groening #phillip j fry #turanga leela #bender bending rodriguez #professor farnsworth #amy wong #hermes conrad #zoidberg #Scruffy #Fry x leela #Not witcher or marvel #Sorry for being annoying

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choicesmlm · 5 years ago

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I regret nothing

Matt’s pose kept reminding me of something... I finally figured it out :)

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ties--that--bind · 5 years ago

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Avery x Matt - First Date Drabble

Title: Our First Date

By: @valtorian-duchess

Pairing: f!Avery Whilshere x Matt Rodriguez

Fandom: Choices - Platinum and Red Carpet Diaries

Summary: So this a little drabble I wrote for an upcoming fic that @riseandshinelittleblossom and I (@valtorian-duchess) are working on. This takes place before our actual story but explains what takes place on Avery and Matt’s first official date. I hope you enjoy!

Warning: n/a

———–

Author’s Note

As I said this takes place before the canon story but is part of the timeline. I hope you guys enjoy!

———–

Tag List

@37blog @desiree-0816 @ furiouscloddonutpeanut @leelee10898 @fullbeaumonty @blackcoffee85 @emichelle @zaffrenotes @lovedrakewalker

———–

Matt stood nervously at Avery Whilshere’s hotel room door shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His skin was beginning to moisten lightly with sweat as he thought about how he had never quite felt this nervous about a date before. Despite the fact that he was the Matt Rodriguez, he couldn’t pick out one moment in all his years where he felt this nervous about a girl much less a date.

He adjusted the collar of his button up cream shirt, remembering that the two top buttons weren’t even fastened. But still, he felt like his throat was closing in on him slightly. He swallowed, still chucking it all up to nerves. Having done his research, and by research he meant having his people find out, Matt knew exactly what Avery’s favorite flower was and stood before her door holding a dozen sunflowers. He heard a buzzing noise around him as he knocked on the British pop star’s door. Just before she opened the door, he felt a burning sensation sweep over the left side of his neck. He tried to swat whatever it was away hoping it was just a mosquito. But based on Avery’s reaction thirty seconds later when she answered, he knew that wasn’t the case.

“Hey Matt, I’m just-” Avery’s sentence paused the moment she laid her sapphire eyes on him. He couldn’t imagine what he looked like but Matt knew his left side must have been swelling as he felt the heat of the sting take over the entire left side of his neck all the way up to his face. He dropped the bouquet of flowers he had been holding, immediately reaching for the sting. “Matt, are you ok,” Avery asked concerned as she ushered him inside.

He tried to speak but the words barely came out. “I think I’m having an allergic reaction,” he whispered as Avery sat him in a nearby chair.

“Ana,” she called out to her make up artist. “Anastasia! Can you come out here?” Avery wasn’t quite sure what to do but she had hoped that Ana possible would. Hearing the panic in her voice, Anastasia came out from hotel bedroom practically running. She was Asian with olive skin, short dark hair and beautiful almond eyes. “Avery, is everything ok,” she asked as she entered the room.

“I don’t know, I think he is having some sort of reaction,” Avery explained looking Matt over. She spotted the spot on his neck almost instantly. “ I think it’s a bee sting.”

“And he can’t breathe? Do you have a spare EpiPen,” Ana asked. Avery was notoriously allergic to shellfish so it wasn’t uncommon for her to carry one.

“Yeah in my purse,” she pointed across the room in the direction of her small gold clutch that was laying on the dining room table. The make up artist ran across the room as fast as her pumps would take her, immediately dumping out the purse.

“You are going to be ok,” Avery assured Matt as she took his hand. His breaths were getting more shallow and he was already breaking out in hives but she could see in his eyes that he was trying to keep from panicking.

“Try this,” Anastasia said handing Avery the EpiPen. “My nephew had this same reaction to getting stung by a bee last summer. EpiPen did the trick.”

Avery took the pen, immediately uncapping and stabbing it into his thigh. It clicked as she held it in place for several seconds, “Ana, could you call 911?”

“Already on it,” Anastasia said with her phone to her ear. “Hi, yes I need an ambulance,” she said as she walked off to complete her call.

“You are going to be just fine,” Avery reassured Matt. Her eyes met his and a comforting smile formed on her face.

“The ambulance is on its way,” Anastasia called for across the room as she hung up the phone. No sooner than she did, did they hear sirens in the distance.

“This is so embarrassing,” Matt choked out between breaths has his throat began to open up. He gasped for a few breaths before his breathing regulated out.

A small laugh left Avery’s lips as the paramedics rushed to the room. “Don’t worry about it. It’s happened to me more times than I’m willing to admit.”

After the medics gave Matt a look over, they had determined that the cause of his allergic reaction was indeed a bee sting. The action star had never been stung by a bee, hence his lack of knowledge about his allergy to their sting. Despite suggesting that he go to a hospital, the paramedics left him in Avery’s hands after she assured them that she had dealt with a similar reaction and promised to have a doctor on stand by.

“I’m so sorry Avery,” Matt said after she had ushered everyone, including her make up artist out. “I had a whole romantic evening planned out.”

“It’s fine. I’m totally ok with room service and a good conversation.” Avery sat down next to him on the couch and took his hand. She looked over at the beautiful bouquet of her favorite flowers that now sat on her coffee table thanks to Anastasia. She still had no idea how she had time to put the sunflowers in a vase with water in the middle of all the chaos. “I honestly don’t mind a night in but you can tell me about the date you had planned.”

Matt gave her a half smile as he adjusted himself to face her, their hands still intertwined. “Well, an old family friend, Ryan Summers, rented his whole vineyard out to me for the night. It has a really nice restaurant that serves your favorite.”

“Steak and kidney pie,” they both said in unison. Avery beamed. “How did you know? That has been my favorite dish since I was a child.”

“I have my ways,” he smirked. “I planned to end dinner with a sunset walk in the sunflower field he also has on site.” Avery bit her bottom lip before looking up and smiling at him.

“Assuming you also already knew that sunflowers were my favorite,” she motioned to the bouquet he had been holding earlier.

“Of course. I want to make sure it was a date we would both enjoy.” Matt returned her smile. He was upset she wouldn’t get to experience the actual date he had planned but he was happy just to be with her.

“Well, I suppose we will have to have that date some day,” Avery said before kissing him on the cheek.

#choices #playchoices #fanfic #my fic #drabble #rcd #platinum #avery x matt #ties that bind #ttb #au #valtorian-duchess #avery wilshire #matt rodriguez

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