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daantaat · 3 years ago

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twu s2 thoughts even though nobody asked <3 just a brain dump and it’s quite long so I tried to separate my commentary by categories but it’s still a mess unfortunately. Spoilers under the cut!

General

Overall, I enjoyed season 1 more than season 2. I’ve watched season 2 three times now, and I do think it had some good parts that I definitely overlooked during my first watch (probably because I was preoccupied with Charlotte x Shona 😶😅). My initial reaction to this season was like ‘hmm so that happened and I’m not sure what to think’ but then I rewatched it and tbh I think my complaints are mostly to do with the time jump between seasons and the pacing...

Like yeah there’s only so much to touch on in six 25-minute episodes but!!! I finished the season wanting a bit more, because I thought that some of the things that were introduced were either not explained fully/well or they just dropped off completely and didn’t really have an effect other than me asking questions after the season was over, like it felt as though there were missing scenes— more on that later (though maybe they will be addressed in season 3??? If there is one? How soon do shows get renewed? Idk). Though I guess the audience does have to do some interpretation of their own but still... Idk! Idk. And the assumption that certain events/plot points mentioned in a character’s dialogue would be enough for context had me kinda “:///” y’know? Like don’t tell me, show me?? I’d like the full course please!!

Charlotte x Shona (+ Vish I guess)

I think it was really jarring to see their relationship grow from colleague/business partners to friends and then finally to something more in season 1 only to see them awkwardly handle their unresolved feelings in the workplace with nothing to show for their actual relationship besides a mention of “a week-long gay safari” + the brief flashes of a sex scene that was intermingled with Shona and Vish’s cyber sex session, which in itself is 😐😐😐 like yes it shows that Shona still thinks about/fancies Charlotte in some capacity, but if I were to choose between that sex fantasy/flashback or a flashback of Charlotte and Shona together (like Charlotte telling Shona she was falling for her!!!!)... I think I’d choose the latter? I was just disappointed that we didn’t really get to see Charlotte and Shona being all cute and romantic with each other this season :(

ALSO I wished we got to see more of jealous!Shona; I was super hyped to see that since that scene was included in the trailer. It was nice to see her want the best for Charlotte because she’s “great” but the jealousy part of knowing Charlotte is dating someone great got settled pretty quickly and instead we got Shona evaluating her commitment to Vish and considering the idea of having kids after learning she has a womb of a 39-year-old (😐) and it felt.... like a lot!! It was definitely different from season 1 Shona (”I actually don’t want kids” “I genuinely, I genuinely don’t, you know, it’s not a big deal. Just never have” in 1x04) but if this was to show her dealing with comphet or internalized homophobia or just simply running away from her feelings then... idk what to think of it! I really don’t. I think this is where things could have been written differently because using an affair with Charlotte like that (an affair that we didn’t even get to see besides the stolen kisses at the finance event) was so... ugh, I’m suffering here

Anyway, I think their office scenes were definitely highlights of the season, like Indira and Sharon really gave those scenes their all!! Even though it hurts to see Charlotte so heartbroken and Shona running away from her feelings and hurting Charlotte in the process, I live for the angst lol. I will say though, the 180 that happened after their convo outside Charlotte’s office was a bit “🤔” considering Charlotte had talked to her therapist about Shona for 4 months. Like one hungover feeling dump from Shona and they can move on? Hmm communication is connection, huh. And I guess they were just excited that the article got good results? But how cute that they got each other gifts of their picture in the article??? Wtffff I love my “unfunny and obvious” gal pals even though I’m in pain

As for the voice note... omg, so many questions. Like did Charlotte try to reach out to Shona after she abruptly ended their call to check if she sent the voice note to Vish?? Was that gonna be the first time Charlotte heard Shona say “I love you” to her? What was the reason Shona said “I love you” anyway??? Is she, you know 👀 Also do y’all think Vish will listen to the entire voice note since it was clear it was meant for Charlotte? And who knows maybe Vish’s phone died and he can’t turn it back on or check his WhatsApp or whatever. I’m in denial lmao. But also I think he's a pretty good guy, like when he sent biscuits over to the house when Shona wanted some and him saying what’s the point of having fun in New York when she's not there with him... :/ but he was also a bit weird about her putting a nail in a wall or leaving out the egg duck or whatever as a display item in their house though I suppose that’s not a huge problem so like idk man idk!!! I'm just saying season 3 better not have a time jump I need to see what happens and not just in exposition

Shona and Aine

Love them :) I wish they had more scenes together (if that's possible??) but I liked the somewhat change in dynamic seeing Aine a bit worried about Shona (asking her if she’s okay when she mentions she’s thinking of getting a fringe lmao and again asking if she’s okay when they’re unpacking in Vish’s house). And of course Shona is still very protective and worrisome but seeing Aine just miserably lounging around her apartment over the weekend and getting in her bike accident after Shona wasn’t too supportive of her and James’s business idea made me so sad :( like Shona was so shitty about her not typing up everything in the notes for the meeting! And not even reading James's CV... big yikes. Anyway I thought it was odd that we didn’t get a follow up on the voice note Aine left Shona after getting into the bike accident... like she sounded soooo shaky and out of it :((( what luck Shona was sick and didn’t see Aine with a missing tooth before she got it fixed

Anyhow, Aine was right when she said Shona needs to talk to her and talk about her feelings more!! AND this is part of where my complaint about the pacing and the missing scenes comes into play! I think we should have seen Aine and Shona fighting about Shona’s affair and leaving Vish the voice note. The audience knows Aine cares about Vish and I’m not entirely sure where her relationship with Charlotte stands since Charlotte told Freddie about her being in rehab (on the assumption that he knew, as Aine’s ex-boyfriend) but!!! Just cutting to them on the floor waiting for Vish’s flight to land was not as hard hitting as it could have been

Aine x Bradley (+ Richard)

OKAYYY. Cute!!! I definitely overlooked the signs during my first watch here but yeah they were definitely there during my rewatch(es)!! I quite liked seeing Bradley try to get Aine to stop talking negatively about herself and just try to treat herself better in general like exercising and actually eating off of a plate :’) and the comparisons between Bradley and Richard have me like 👀📝 Bradley saying he likes how much Aine talks vs. Richard’s friend Mark saying she talks a lot and how he wasn’t expecting a whole show to which Richard replies he thought that at first too but she “calms down” like brooo... alright. Anyway Bradley going with her to Tom’s funeral/service made sense since he actually met Tom (though Aine did vaguely talk about him and his drinking problem to Richard in 1x05) and the fact that she told Bradley about PACT and her time there but she didn’t tell Richard (to be fair she was thinking about telling him) hmm 👀 Also Bradley saying “Sometimes it would just be nice to be with someone you could just relax with as yourself” yeah I’m on board with them

Loneliness, COVID, Communication is Connection

Initially I thought these themes could have come across a little stronger but after rewatching... hmm. Yes, Shona was lonely in the house by herself; she even asked Anil to stay for dinner, had her own “pile of shit” boyfriend on her bed (which she did clear off), and told Vish that nobody had time for her. Also after the business meeting she asked Aine what she was doing during the weekend (which Aine also spent alone anyway), but I dunno... oh yeah her hen/bachelorette party was a bit lonely since places were starting to go into lockdown and not everybody could attend, but I think the COVID element entered a bit too late into this season? I’m not sure it really added much in terms of the loneliness. Maybe it did add to the uncertainty of things though

“Communication is Connection” was there but I thought it kind of fell flat as well, but maybe that was the intention— to highlight the mess that a lack of communication can cause? Shona apparently writing off Charlotte’s feelings and them not necessarily talking about their relationship/feelings until their convo outside Charlotte’s office... Shona talking to Seema saying she’s never really asked what Vish wanted (regarding kids) and Seema saying that’s a convo for her and Vish to have... Aine not telling Richard she overheard him and Mark talking about her... Richard not consulting Aine about telling Etienne about them and just getting a new tutor for him... hmm. What does it mean. What does it all mean

Other stuff I’m still thinking about/have questions about

Shona mentioning it’s “annoying” how Aine talks like she’s the only person to ever get sad in episode 1 but still telling Aine she’s fine and then in episode 6 Shona saying she only has two emotions or whatever so she doesn’t need to talk to Aine about her feelings as much -____- istg we need to get Shona to talk to a therapist in season 3!!!

I also liked that Shona, Aine, and Eileen talked more. I’m still a little disappointed that the fact Eileen leaving Shona for three months when she was a baby was not mentioned at all. Yeah it was a secret but when Eileen said “well, you should never lie. You’ll always get caught out.” I— HELLO? If anything, that secret seeing daylight could have had something to do with Shona's sadness + loneliness this season. Also could you imagine that becoming a fear of Shona’s, like what if she doesn’t want kids because she’s afraid of doing the same thing to hers if she has any??

Jim asking Charlotte if she’s straight and Shona immediately going “what does that have to do with anything” or something like that and apologizing to Charlotte after Jim left— I’m not sure how I should have read that??? Did Shona mention to Jim that Charlotte is a lesbian?? When he started to ask, he was still looking at Shona (yeah I’m reading too much into this I know)

Marcia figuring out that Aine and Richard were seeing each other (after he touched her hand on his way out to get a taxi)— what was the purpose? Other than Marcia obviously feeling bad for Etienne, whom I assume she sees as a son of her own (based on the Mom Instinct™ snooping when she was doing housekeeping + her convo with Aine when he came back from France). She didn’t talk to either Aine or Richard about it, just told Aine to have a good time when they were leaving the house to go to their “separate” events. I guess it wasn't her place to say anything, but hm. Speaking of Etienne, it was obvious he had a schoolboy crush on Aine (or at least he was vying for her attention) in season 1 and it’s really too bad we didn’t get to see his reaction to suddenly getting a new tutor or dealing with Aine and Richard’s relationship other than him looking at them hugging while the new tutor was teaching him. He deserved some more screen time this season :(

Hmm so that was all very incoherent but if you made it this far thank youuu <3 here are some last silly comments:

Absolutely loved Julie!! I want to know what she knows about Charlotte and Shona 👀 girl give me the scoop on the last 4 months at the office

Super sad we didn’t get to see Charlotte’s cat (I’m always gonna be vocal about this 🗣🗣🗣) or know who her new girlfriend was but at the very least we were introduced to one of the most important side characters of all: Charlotte’s stompy boots <33333 she really wore those around the office with a blazer/blouse/leather skirt! We love that lesbian attire

#aka me: grasping for straws #also hulu changed the description for episode 6. interesting #this way up spoilers #this way up #spoilers #my post #k.txt #this is so long i'm sorry

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tuiyla · 4 years ago

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So I finally watched The Owl House

I wish I’d do this with every show I watch but it seems like only a lucky few get the She-Ra style rant of love treatment. Well, I finally watched The Owl House after my dash having been flooded for the past couple of weeks and I have some thoughts. Slight spoilers below.

First off, I love the whole vibe. I had a faint idea that this show would be about magic but I didn’t know much before watching - except for one thing, we’ll get back to that. The way it builds its world and deals with magic, though, is so refreshing. And I just have to mention here that I laughed out loud at all the Harry Potter jabs, they were hilarious. I expect we’ll learn much more about magic and its users as the show goes on but as far as the first season goes the introduction was really solid. It strikes the right balance between leaving things to the imagination but being more than “wave wand and magic happens”. It’s colourful, it’s creative, and I even like the ovens and school tracks, despite knowing that the story is about not conforming to those. It makes the Boiling Isles unique and make me want to learn more about the world even beyond the characters and the main plot.

TOH also presents a world that’s much more macabre than I was expecting from the Disney Channel, not that that’s a bad thing. I found myself thinking of Adventure Time at certain points and pondering, at scary moments, how kids would react. I think kids love this, though, and besides, nothing can be more scarring than Courage the Cowardly Dog was. It’s not that terrifying, of course, just daring enough to stand out. Overall the show has what I would classify as more of a Cartoon Network vibe than a Disney Channel one, but I admittedly haven’t really been following many Disney shows. In any case, I dig it. I dig the weird creatures and the beautiful backgrounds and I appreciate how alive the Boiling Isles feel. It doesn’t take long for TOH to immerse you in its world so I’m for one am hooked.

I make a big deal of loving the world itself because rarely does it happen that world-building stands out to me so soon in a series. I do love carefully constructed fantasy worlds but for the most part I’m more interested in the characters themselves. Here, I’d say it’s close to being a 50-50, which is something that even Avatar can’t say with its elemental masterclass in world-building (which is mostly because the character depth there is unrivaled but still). So yeah, kudos to The Owl House for achieving this. From Luz’s glyph magic to the covens and the titans, I’m excited to explore this world more.

Now, the characters. The real meat of any story. Starting with Luz, I have seen some criticism that she’s a generic hero so far, the “I’m a weirdo”, heart of gold, upbeat variety. I don’t think this makes her bland, though I do admit that being told over and over again that she’s weird makes me less engaged, even she’s also shown to be weird. I like the message of her arc and that the chosen one trope was deconstructed almost right away. I like that she’s relentlessly enthusiastic and kind to people and I like that she doesn’t have to get more bitter in order to get development. Instead, she learns from her mistakes but keeps being herself and brings her unique spirit to the Boiling Isles. We need protagonists like Luz, not just because she’s latina and bisexual but because her learning process doesn’t involve cynicism. Sure, there is a lot she needs to learn but her heart is presented as an asset and a sort of source of magic. I’m excited to see where her story goes, for sure.

I’m gonna write briefly about the other characters before I get to my favourite one. Eda is super cool and I quickly got over the fact that she’s not Beatrice Horseman, lol. She embodies such a youthful energy but the show also allows her to be a middle-aged woman comfortable in her own body - well, owl curse notwithstanding. Also, her relationship with Lilith is one of my favourite parts of the whole show. Eda subverts so many of the mentor’s traditional tropes and I’m here for it. I kinda thought she was the villain based on her design and when I didn’t know anything about the show but hey, happy she’s not.

I don’t think I’d even seen a picture of King before starting to watch the series and at first I thought I’d get tired of him real quick. He’s the type of character who can get really annoying instead of endearing really fast if he’s not given any depth or charm, both by way of writing and voice acting. Luckily, I ended up liking King and his antics. His design is indeed adorable and Alex Hirsch is a genius. The only time I felt like he went too far was, perhaps surprisingly, in the book writing episode, “Sense and Insensitivity”, but even there going too far was the point. So yeah, King’s also great, there’s much potential in his backstory and general character.

Alright so really quickly, other characters: Willow and Gus are generic best friend characters and though they already have other things going on, I expect more development as the series progresses. I like that Willow is actually super powerful, just not in the way people expected her to and Gus is clearly also talented despite being younger. I’d be happy to see more of the other kids, get more familiar with Hexside. Edric and Emira are fun characters but they were really shitty in their first episode so I was kind of surprised they weren’t more of a nuisance to Amity later on. I’m all for supportive siblings so I wouldn’t mind a good relationship between the three but I feel like it’s more complicated than that with the Blights.

Finally, I also have to mention that Hooty is... well, quite something, isn’t he. Much like with King, I thought he’d be much more annoying but somehow the show is self-aware enough that it makes Hooty tolerable. I’m almost always torn between feeling sorry for him and being thoroughly weirded out, and I think that’s the intention? It’s fitting that he’s the titular character as he embodies the tone of The Owl House well in my eyes. He’s there for the comedy but there’s just enough there to hint at something more. Very bizarre, strong CN vibes, here for it.

Now that I’ve written a paragraph more about Hooty than I expected to, let’s talk about Amity. Listen, no other character stood a chance to be my favourite as soon as I learned Mae Whitman voiced Amity. That woman gave me Katara so now I have a quasi Pavlovian response to her voice. I’d also say that I knew more about Amity going into the show than I did about any other aspect of TOH. I heard somewhere that she started out as an antagonist, I knew her parents were abusive, and the reason the show blew up on my dash and my general online bubble is the Grom episode. Lucikly I only saw stills of Lumity beneath the crescent moon but the pure Sapphic energy of that was enough to gay migrate me to this show. I’d like to note it here though that The Owl House is a good show in and of itself, the queer rep is just a nice extra. I’m gonna spend the next couple hundred words going on about Amity and her crush on Luz but I don’t value only that. The Gay Migration is great and rep is great but I’m also grateful to have a solid show behind it. That being said.

I’m a total dyke for Amity Blight. I was very biased before even being introduced to her character but I genuinely find her to be fascinating and she has great potential. She’s developing quite quickly, like much of The Owl House, but an arc not being stretched out for several seasons before getting a rushed conclusion is refreshing. The progress hits all the beats and the only note I have is that I want more. She starts out as a generic bully but the opportunity to be more is there from the beginning. We find out early on that she used to be friends with Willow, we see that she works hard and values honest work. When she becomes Luz’s rival, it doesn’t last long before Amity shows that she’s open to new perspectives. That’s not to defend or even justify her earlier and nastier moments, Amity was rude to both Luz and Willow. But through all that, she becomes a complex character who does bad things but isn’t a bad person and grows when she gets the space to. I think that’s neat.

Luz’s decision to befriend her might be cartoon logic but as someone who subscribes to the “kill them with kindness” ideology, I can totally relate. Amity’s softer side doesn’t take long to show and “Lost in Language” is such a great episode to show how complex people can be. Again, I was already biased when it came to Amity but she’s consistently shown to be capable of self-reflection and growth when others give her the chance. I think her past and potential future friendship with Willow is a great way to explore many different topics and I’m trusting the show to do it justice. I also can’t wait to meet the rest of the Blights, if only to get me some angst and further develop Amity. I half expected Grom to take the form of her parents. Too dark for Disney? Well, we don’t know Amity’s dynamic with her parents, exactly, but there’s so much subtext and potential. I love what we’ve already seen from her but I’d also say that she has one of the greatest potentials in the show.

Another way in which this potential manifests is Lumity, of course. Again, they’re developing quite quickly but that doesn’t mean it’s rushed. I’d love to explore Amity’s crush more and what Luz means to her. The Grom episode surpassed all expectations, still and gifs don’t do the stunning dance sequence justice. The animation is so smooth, the colours are amazing, the music is on point and the Sapphic vibes complete the picture. Poetic cinema, truly. Molly Ostertag and Noelle Stevenson are really out there giving wlw animation fans everything we ever wanted, huh. It also warms my heart that the crush is made very clear, not just by Luz’s name being on the note but by the delightful gay disaster that is Amity in “Wing It Like Witches”. I never thought I’d ever see such a relatable useless lesbian in animation so kudos to Dana Terrace and the whole crew. Wow, how far we’ve come.

So yeah, Amity is a funky little lesbian and I’m a 100% here for her gay disaster moments, but I also love where Lumity is going thematically. They’re great as foils and I’m hoping that they won’t get together at the very end. Look, I love me some Bubbline, Korrasami and Catradora, but it’s time a wlw relationship had the chance to exist onscreen and not only in the last episode. The Owl House has a great chance to do that. I know the creators don’t want romance to be the main focus and I respect that, I think the world they created deserves to showcased and explored to its full potential. Lumity could be a great subplot though, as representation on the one hand and as a thematically interesting dynamic on the other. Plus, Luz and Amity are just cute and sometimes, it’s as simple as that. Oh, and also the whole Little Miss Perfect thing? One of the best fandom discoveries I’ve made in a long while. Not only is the song truly perfect for Amity, I love that Joriah Kwamé went on to write Ordinary as well. This right here is why fandom is beautiful.

I think that’s about it for season 1 initial thoughts. The moral can be a bit on the nose at times, especially in the early episodes but the show is ultimately for kids and I appreciate its message. Interesting world and magic system, good characters, great potential for later seasons, just a well put together show that I’m really glad I started watching. I’m kind of sorry I didn’t keep up with season 1 as it was coming out but I would not have been able to wait between episodes. The pacing is good overall, deffo moves fast but I wouldn’t call it rushed, and the “filler” episodes still add something to the story. I’m not sure if I would still feel like the show moves at a fast pace if I hadn’t binged it but in any case it isn’t rushed, the necessary beats are all there and have time to sit. I’m going to watch as it comes out from now on so hopefully season 2 will arrive early next year.

Oh, and: I’m very new to the fandom, barely just found out about Little Miss Perfect, so any and all tidbits, fun facts, and fic recommendations are welcome. Also if you just want to chat my inbox is always open!

#the owl house #toh #amity blight #lumity #luz noceda #my thoughts #down another rabbit hole i go

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terramythos · 4 years ago

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TerraMythos’ 2020 Reading Challenge In Review - 9/10s!

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Here's the 9/10 books of this year -- books I really liked but not to the point of perfection.

1. This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (Full Review Here)

This is a beautifully-written novella about two women from enemy time travel societies. They start as rivals who pass taunting letters to one another and gradually fall in love with each other through their writing. There’s some really beautiful and interesting locations, and I love the longing and emotion in the letter sequences. I think using a science fiction setting for a love story is super cool; especially with time travel, there’s a sense of predestination not found in other genres. I also like the idea of each author writing one of the two leads, so the style is slightly different between them.

2. The City We Became (Great Cities #1) by N. K. Jemisin (Full Review Here)

Jemisin is a fantastic author and created my favorite series ever (The Broken Earth), so I was stoked to read book one of a new series by her. The concept here is that cities become sentient beings over time given enough people and cultural influence. New York City is about to be born into a human avatar, but something goes wrong. An eldritch foe known simply as The Enemy seeks to sabotage the nascent city and almost succeeds. Proto-avatars of the city’s boroughs have to find their inner power and band together to rescue him and save the city.

I really dig the ensemble cast, especially Manny (Manhattan), Bronca (The Bronx), and New York City himself. The book is also a great middle finger to Lovecraft, as the cosmic horror element is steeped in structural racism and oppression, with the Eldritch Aesthetic being a creepy pale white. Super excited for the next book.

3. Artificial Condition (The Murderbot Diaries #2) by Martha Wells (Full Review Here)

I’ve already said plenty about the Murderbot books on my 10/10 list. I really like this one in particular because it introduces ART, one of the best supporting characters in the series. It’s super interesting to see how Murderbot interacts with a non-human person (or... spaceship. But ART is also a person for sure) similar to itself and I really like the banter and friendship between the two. Like the rest of the novellas, it’s short, but it packs in a lot of story and heart.

4. Rogue Protocol (The Murderbot Diaries #3) by Martha Wells (Full Review Here)

My other 9/10 selection for this series! There is a heavy focus on Murderbot’s past and how far it’s come ever since it freed itself from the company’s mental slavery. This probably has the strongest character development in the series outside of Network Effect, with a genuinely sad and sobering ending.

5. Finch (Ambergris #3) by Jeff VanderMeer (Full Review Here)

I think this book is where I really “got” the Ambergris series; it’s a pseudo-trilogy with a lot of postmodern elements, but this one is the most straightforward. Finch is a fascinating mix of noir, dystopia, and cosmic horror. I even called this “nontraditional cyberpunk”; there’s elements of a surveillance state, underground resistance/revolution, artificial implants/bodily enhancements-- but all related to fungi and eldritch horror.

Anyway, this book stars Finch, a detective working in the city of Ambergris, who is tasked with solving an impossible double-murder case. In his investigations, he soon stumbles upon a web of conspiracy related to the downfall and takeover of the city by the gray caps, the humanoid mushrooms who enslave and oppress the human population. It’s just as weird as it sounds, but if you made it to book three, you'll be plenty familiar with how bizarre the series is. Technically, this book is a standalone, but I recommend reading the other two first as they are integral to understanding the plot.

6. The Last Sun (The Tarot Sequence #1) by K. D. Edwards (Full Review Here)

This is a really impressive debut novel with an interesting world concept and great characters. The idea is that Atlantis was a real thing and got destroyed. The surviving inhabitants decided to build a new city by magically stealing a bunch of buildings throughout the world and transporting them to Nantucket. The result is a cool patchwork urban fantasy setting. There’s a huge tarot motif, hence the series name. It’s also gay!

I fell in love with the excellent character banter, especially between Rune and his soul-bonded bodyguard Brand. While I had some criticisms on the plot structure and a reliance on same-y action scenes, everything else was so good I gave Edwards the benefit of the doubt. And it really paid off in the sequel, which improves on basically everything.

7. The Princess Bride by William Goldman (Full Review Here)

I mean, the movie’s a beloved classic. If you haven’t seen it... go do so? It’s a great adventure story with lots of memorable characters, lines, and moments. Honestly I’m more surprised I hadn’t read the book before, and I’m glad I did. It often felt like an extended cut of the movie, with a few key differences in the frame story and some locations. While I think I like the film just a little more, I appreciate the novel for giving me a broader perspective on the story and characters.

8. A Choir of Lies (A Conspiracy of Truths #2) by Alexandra Rowland (Full Review Here)

A Choir of Lies is a standalone sequel to the book A Conspiracy of Truths and can be read on its own if desired. It stars Ylfing, a fan-favorite character in the previous book. He’s processing grief and depression in the wake of his mentor (the last book’s protag) suddenly abandoning him. A (sort of--it’s complicated) professional storyteller called a Chant, Ylfing tries to make it in the Netherlands-inspired fantasy city Heyrland, and writes a diary about his experiences. However, another Chant has found his manuscript and writes scathing commentary on his decisions in the footnotes.

I had a difficult time getting into this one, as Ylfing is both relatable and infuriating, and a depressed protagonist can be hard to get behind. However, it's well worth sticking through, as the sheer catharsis of Ylfing realizing his horrible mistakes and doing everything he can to fix them is... well, pretty inspiring. Multiple characters own up to their failures, often at great personal cost, for the wellbeing of others. I think it’s a great message, especially reading it in 2020 when the future feels hopeless. A Choir of Lies also has two of the things I liked most about A Conspiracy of Truths-- lots of meta commentary on storytelling, and surprisingly interesting economics.

9. The Harbors of the Sun (The Books of the Raksura #5) by Martha Wells (Full Review Here)

I thought this was a nice finale to the series. It has some satisfying thematic bookends regarding the Fell and Moon’s character development. It’s also probably the most “epic” fantasy of the series, with super high stakes and a broad cast of perspective characters. I have to wonder if there are plans for further books or a different series in this universe, since the setting has a lot of depth and potential. Either way, I really enjoyed it!

10. A Killing Frost (October Daye #14) by Seanan McGuire (Full Review Here)

Another year, another October Daye book! Obviously I like this series if I’m fourteen books in and still reading it. A Killing Frost has some slow-ish pacing, but ramps up a lot in the second half of the story. It’s the conclusion to my favorite storyline in the series -- the redemption arc of Simon Torquill. He’s a really interesting morally gray character, and I think serves as the poster child on how the series plays with the idea of heroes and villains. Also, this book casually drops probably one of the craziest twists in the series at the end, and I am super interested to see the fallout of that.

11. The Edge of Worlds (The Books of the Raksura #4) by Martha Wells (Full Review Here)

This is basically part one of Harbors of the Sun and involves the main cast going on a long journey to an ancient ruin. The first half of the book is pretty slow and probably could have been pared down -- lots of travel sequences. However the second half is super tense and action packed. I found the ancient ruin itself really interesting and creepy, and the book sets up a lot of things that pay off in The Harbors of the Sun.

#2020 reading challenge #taylor reads

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wetalkinboutbooks · 5 years ago

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An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Summary: Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself. (Taken from Goodreads)

Our Ratings:

→ Geena: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

→ Kae: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall: We genuinely love this book series so much that our brains recircuit talking about it... all we can do is say if you’re looking for good fantasy with amazing characters and plot... this is it!

Check out the spoiler full review below~

The Good:

→ The Worldbuilding

Kae: Worldbuilding baybeeeeee. I LOVE IT. Reading this series was such an eye opener for me. It was so far from the usual European magic and broomsticks, that I NEEDED MORE. So I kept reading lol. The worldbuilding in this series is fantastic. There are Efrits, Jinn, magic, and more. This world is set in a Romanish Empire/Pakistani fusion of cultures. You have the Scholars are the lowest caste of people, the Tribes which is basically just a step up from ScholarS, but they are free. Then we have the Plebeians and the Martials. All of these cultures are so well written and developed that you have no trouble differentiating what culture certain characters might belong to just based on their name. Ex: Afyah, Ilyaas = Tribes; Darin, Laia, Izzy= Scholars; Markus=Pleb; Helene, Elias = Martials. All very easy to distinguish, I think.

We also have some magical beings who are more or less immortal. The Jinn and Efrits, the Nightbringer, Shaeva, the Augurs. They’re all linked to a literal higher power.

We also have The Waiting Place, which is basically purgatory. But it’s where the dead go to be escorted to the next life.

Geena: I deserve no rights because I've always loved the whole roman empire history shit, it was always the most interesting shit to learn about so when I read the synopsis like roman inspired… written by a SA woman… i LOST MY SHIT!!! AND LIKE KAE DESCRIBED Sabaa does an amazing job of weaving in magical elements too, and ugh….. Her mind… BUT ALSO WHAT I LOVED IS, something a lot of fantasy authors do is fall into a hole of introducing race politics (aka RACISM) based on skin colour, but Sabaa was like… Wait Ik how to format this

Tired: Fantasy world skin-colour based racism

Wired: Fantasy world-class system based beef

Sabaa tackles the issue of class systems and so on, and she did it all from scratch and I fucking loved it, it was gratifying to see an author who put so much effort into her worldbuilding. Also… this is v dumb… but the whole detail with sending messages using drums….. I was here for it

→ Laia and Elias

Kae: They’re wonderful and need a hug

Geena: Sabaa made an executive decision to write two whole cinnamon rolls and she did! COMPLEX cinnamon rolls that we love from the bottoms of our hearts. We start off with Laia’s perspective as she waits for her brother in her room, but shit hits the fan real quick and the Martial empire’s elite soldiers storm their small home searching for her brother. We learn that her brother, Darin, has got his hands on top secret info and if he doesn’t turn it over they’ll murder everyone. Darin and Laia try to make a run for it but are apprehended by a Mask (Essentially an elite soldier) and they’re forced to watch their grandparents die, Darin tells Laia to run and get out of there and our girl… our girl listens but she has mad ragrets. We follow Laia as she stumbles to the Resistance, an underground Scholar organization that has mad beef with the Martial empire. There she’s tasked with acting as a slave to hands down, the WORST person in the empire, Keris Veturia. All of this in the hopes that the Resistance will help save her brother who’s been imprisoned in the most brutal prison in the empire.

What I love about Laia is that she’s not perfect, she’s not an amazing fighter and strategist off the bat… she’s an 18/19 year old girl from an oppressed group that has no idea what’s going on and her only skill set is that of a healer. BUT!!! Throughout the book we get to watch Laia make mistakes and learn from them, all of which makes her stronger and smarter. She’s so determined 🥺 even when Keris is carving her initials into Laia’s chest, even when she’s brought to the brink of death, Laia sticks with her goal to find Darin no matter the cost. Anyways.. We stan…. THOUGH TO BE HONEST, when I had started reading it, her first few chapters were frustrating to read because I was like “why would you do that1!!!” but then I set the book down at one moment and thought about how I’d act in the same situation and I was like….. I would’ve fucked up and been killed like 10 pages ago so Laia is doing really well LMAO… and since then I’ve been ready to fight for Laia whenever I see people shit on her.

Kae: BOOM! So Geena summed up Laia’s character/situation perfectly. WE STAN LAIA OF SERRA. Now, we’re gonna talk about our brooding, handsome boy, Elias aka Ilyaas. Elias, is WILDLY the son of Keris. Keris had a lil boo thang back in the day and got preggers. She did everything she could to terminate the pregnancy, but nothing worked. So she was forced to give birth to him. She fucked off to the desert tribes for a while and learned how to deliver a baby, so she could deliver her own. When the time came, Keris gave birth to Elias. She cared for him for about five minutes before she was like “Yeah, I’m not with the shits. Fuck this kid.” And she left Elias in the desert near the tribes so he could be raised with them. Years later, Elias was chosen by the Martials to attend Blackcliff. Blackcliffe is a school where the Martials train to become the most elite soldiers in this world. Elias trains and trains and is ultimately the top of his class. At a certain age, the students are given silver mask that will eventually completely fuse to their face. Elias hates his mask. He takes it off every night, so it still hasn’t fused to his face like the rest of his class. Elias also hates Blackcliffe and was planning on being a deserter. He had a bag packed and was fully prepared to leave. He was sad to leave his best friend and confidant, Helene, but he was RET TA GO. That is, until he was selected to compete in the Trials that would change his world forever. These trials are to select who is to rule the Empire. He gets this news, when Laia, Keris’s slave is sent to retrieve him. When he meets Laia, he is instantly smitten. He forgets himself, is smiling, shooting the breeze, asking her names, etc. Then realizes, he could get her in trouble just for being nice to her. So they move along.

Elias is a very sweet boy who just got caught up in a lot of shit with the trails. Every day he spends at Blackcliffe is another day he hates himself. The kid (well he’s like 20), is just straight up MISERABLE. These trials are to rest his mind, power, and strength and all the usual. The last two winners in the end will be the ruler and the Blood Shrike, aka advisor. This is almost a good thing, because Elias is competing with Helene and if they both win, they can both rule. Things are going pretty well for them. They’re winning, it’s looking good. But then, Elias has to go against Helene and they both have to lead a small armada against one another. It’s either kill or be killed. In the end, he has to go against Helene . In the end, he and Helene reluctantly battle it TF OUT. Elias wins because Helene had to forfeit because she was wearing some magical armor that couldn’t be penetrated. Elias feels HORRIBLE. His friends are dead. He ALMOST killed his best friend. He feels ashamed and like a monster. If he hadn’t hated himself before (which he totally die), he SURELY hates himself now. Laia is then sent to his chambers/rooms as his prize. He’s meant to sleep with her, but he hates himself too much and he doesn’t want to take advantage of her. So they just talk and end up sharing a little smoochy smooch. But uh, ya boy is lowkey SPRUNG cause Laia is cute and she got them CHILD BIRTHING HIPS.

Geena: Kae got that *Chef’s kiss* Elias/Ilyaas summary I s2g. I loved Elias because he was honest to god such a refreshing character to read. Like he seems like the typical YA boy → Tall, dark, handsome, and brooding. BUT!!! He’s so different and in the best way possible. FIRST OFF!!! He actually has such a fulfilling childhood (no sad backstory other than learning his mom is an actual piece of shit rip…. More like sad present story). Secondly, he recognizes that what he’s doing is wrong and the way the Martials terrorize Scholar’s is garbage and he wants no part of it. THIRD, he doesn’t like to push his own trauma on those around him? IDK HOW TO EXPLAIN IT WELL, but like he’s such an upstanding guy that treats people well no matter what? Also… he’s lowkey a dumbass… like Kae mentioned when he first met Laia his brain hit a reset and he was essentially like “Me name potato.” We love a hot dumb jock that chugs that respecting women juice.

Kae: OMG HE’S A TALL, THINNER ALTAIR MINUS DICK JOKES. HE’S NASIR AND ALTAIR IN ONE. ASDFGHJKL

Geena: YEEEEAASSSSS (check out that review here). ALSO MY final thots on Laia and Elias that as a duo they’re amazing! Laia gives Elias advice when they’re stuck in his room together 🤪 and he finally chooses that he’ll do what HE wants and not what the empire wants. Elias, in turn, vows to help find and save Darin…. I love them sm they bring the best out of each other 😭

→ Izzy ft. Helene’s One Singular Good Person Moment

Kae: IZZY! Izzy is the epitome is sugar, spice, and everything nice. Well, minus the spice because she’s really just a sweet little sugar plum. Izzy is also Keris’ slave. She’s around the same age as Laia if not a year or two younger. She’s very quiet and tries to keep to herself. But she finds herself secretly being friends with Laia and helping her when things are the absolute worst. When Keris carved her initials into Laia’s chest, Laia got really sick. Our girl had a crazy fever and Izzy was there to help her through it. Well, she got Elias and he got some herbs and shit, BUT IZZY HELPED. Though Izzy has been a slave her entire life, she has always wanted to be free of Blackcliffe and all of its horrors. So she works with Laia, sneaking out, and sometimes stealing, to make sure that can happen for the both of them. I should also mention that Keris took Izzy’s eye as a child. So Izzy is a small, skinny, fragile, one eyed sweetie. But all of her hardship doesn’t stop her from being such a genuinely good person.

Geena: Izzy is such a sweet character who tries her best to not be friends with Laia, but people GRAVITATE to Laia (good and bad rip) so she didn’t hold out very long. My favourite scene with them was when they sneak out to participate in some yearly festival that is ~~illegal~~ such a sweet moment I lowkey died. Moving on to Helene though, the poster child of brainwashed, patriotic, eating-propaganda-for-breakfast, and the second best Mask after Elias. Helene is also shown to have feelings for Elias so when Laia shows up she’s not pleased at all! And Elias himself is confused about his feelings and rip when he was like “Let me try to kiss Helene and see if I like her too” LIKE BOY…. DON’T PLAY HER LIKE THAT PLS…. BUT he doesn’t bc Laia is ATTACKED thus interrupting their moment and Helene is annoyed like “OFC IT’D BE THAT BINCH!!!” like Helene the poor girl was attacked by another walking bag of shit o my god… BUT!!! Near the end of the book when Elias and Laia are escaping Helene is the first one to catch them, but she lets them go! A turning point for her character maybe? Though I know for a fact she didn’t care about Laia, but was doing it bc she still cared for Elias and didn’t want to see him slaughtered no matter how much she’s a ride-or-die for the Martials.

The Bad :

→ The Scholar Resistance

Kae: Is that what they were called? Because they HIGHKEY played tf out of Laia. Alright. The Resistance. They’re mean and I HATE THEM. The Resistance is a rebel movement by a few Scholars who are fighting for the freedom and equality or their people. Laia’s parents were like, the biggest, most badass leaders who have ever lead them. But after they died, things kind of fell apart for The Resistance. Laia, stumbles into their hideout after she runs away from home, after her brother was kidnapped and her grandparents were killed. She begs for them to help her and they’re basically like “Mmmm. No. But you look familiar tho… Who ya momma nem?” and she’s like “lol yeah actually my parents used to run this shit so help me.” And they help her… Kind of… They basically send her ona dummy mission. A SUICIDE MISSION to be the Commandant’s slave (Keris), to gather information about the Martials and their next plan. In return, they were to help free Darin. Laia was to gather info, then meet with Keenan (a boy in the Resistance) to give over said info every week. Well, they also chose not to tell Laia that she was basically on this mission for nothing. They had no real way to get Darin out of the prison he was being held at. They were really just sending her to die because they KNEW Keris was ruthless and that none of her slaves lasted more than a few months before they were killed or killed themselves. Long story short, FUCK The Resistance. They’re bitches and we HATE THEM.

Geena: Kae’s right… the Resistance is a bunch of wrinkly ass losers that can kiss our asses. When it was revealed that the Resistance didn’t know SHIT about Darin and were just fucking with Laia…. I was ready to to go down to this place and fight them mySELF. Laia risked EVERYTHING to get them information, she survived for god knows how long under Keris and when she couldn’t come up with something substantial they’d be like “Oh well you’re fucking useless” as if she’s not the daughter of the Lioness aka the most fierce Resistance leader that they ever had. Also, Keenan (....) comes through in the end and offers her a way to break her slave cuffs and escape, but Laia decides that Izzy deserves that more than she does and that Laia would find her own way out… But also imagine the betrayal that Laia felt, the people that were supposed to keep her safe and help her were just screwing her over the whole time. But… despite everything that happens Laia is still her sweet self? Just like Ilyaas… both manage to maintain their humanity no matter the shit thrown at them.

The Ugly:

→ Keris’ tiny little mean ass

Kae: Geena said that shit, baybeeee! Ugh, her MIIIIND. Alright. Now. Let’s talk about “The Bitch of Blackcliffe”. This woman. Evil, vile woman, is basically a 5’3, blonde hair demon. She has absolutely no patience. If you sneeze in the same room as her she’ll probs slit your throat and make a disgusted, disappointed face at you while doing it. She will tolerate NOTHING. You will not speak to her unless spoken to. I mean, this is a woman who wanted to look like so much of a badass that she thought being pregnant and delivering her own baby in a cave alone would make her look weak. I think that was actually pretty tough of her though because whew… I couldn’t do it.

Geena: She got back to her neanderthal roots

Kae: LMAOOO GIRL IM DEAD.But like, in her youth, Keris went to Blackcliffe. As we heard from her father at some point, Keris was miserable there. She was taunted, picked on, and beat up (mind you she was the only girl at that school so that’s fucked up). She had absolutely no friends and had to fend for herself. So, to make up for it, Keris became ruthless. She became a heartless woman because people made her that way. I hate to be that person, but like, I get it? I can see why someone would become so coldhearted. She did not have a good life. Her mother died when she was young, her father wasn’t there, and she had no friends. I’m not surprised at all that she turned out to be such a horrible person as an adult. No, I’m not giving he an excuse. She had the option to be a good person and she didn’t choose that. But, yeah. That’s my take on her evil ass. WHEW. OKAY DO YA THANG.

Geena: TRUE, Kae’s right, Keris had that sad :( childhood :( but at the same time, it’s like… you didn’t have to continue being a dick like people were to you but here we are. Also, she’s genuinely such a terrible person and orchestrates the genocide of the Scholars and is a BITCH about everything. What I realize now is that…. She’s essentially Elias’s foil? Like neither had a solid father figure, both had a tough time growing up (with Elias missing his tribal home and being forced to murder, and Keris being bullied), but Elias does his best to break out of that cycle but Keris is like… *slurps up the shitty Martial mudwater*... she is the bootlicker supreme who finds joy at having her son beheaded (Helene is Bootlicker Lite because at least she let Elias live whereas Keris tried her best to get him killed) BUT JOKES ON THAT BITCH BC ELIAS LIVES!!!! Elias would send Keris a crude drawing of himself like “I lived bitch!”

Anyways, she’s an extremely well-written villain else we wouldn’t hate her so much lmao…

Conclusion

Kae: In conclusion, we fuck with it. I loved this series so much, I read the first three books in one week and was heartbroken to find out that the fourth book wasn’t out yet. YA GIRL IS ATTACHED TO THESE CHARACTERS, OKAY!???? An Ember in the Ashes is a wonderful, extremely well written book. I think Sabaa is a literal genuis. This book made me fall in love with reading all over again. I think the characters are so individually different, it’s amazing. They are well distinguished and independent of each other. They are strong and sweet and funny and evil. Just all around AMAZING as well as the folklore, stories, and cultures that are presented to the audience.

Geena: yyyeeeaaaass the care that Sabaa Tahir put into this book, ranging from how each character is written to the intricate worldbuilding got a bitch tearing up, BECAUSE ONE DAY I WISH TO WRITE THIS WELL!! An Ember in the Ashes draws you in from the first page, and I litcherally say this for every book we’ve reviewed but there’s NEVER a dull moment (I need a new phrase lmao) you are constantly stressed reading this book (in a good way) and there’s like 2 more books after… and the last book in the series on the way. BLEASE READ Ember, because Kae and I have spent our whole time talking SCREECHING about this book. THINKING ABOUT IT, WITHOUT EMBER WE WOULDN’T HAVE THIS BLOG LMAOOO

Kae: OKAY BUT LIKE. LITERALLY. WE STARTED TALKING AND BECAME REAL GOOD FRIENDS BECAUSE OF THIS BOOK. LIKE, WITHOUT EMBER, THIS WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED. SO THANKS, SABAA.

Geena: WE LOVE YOU, SABAA!!

Kae: And I guess that concludes today’s book rant/review! I hope you all enjoy our ramblings and more!

#an ember in the ashes #sabaa tahir #aeita #book review #booklr #bookworms #book blog #book blogger #book blogging #bookblr #Laia of Serra #Elias Veturius #books #reading #wetalkinboutbooks

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disneytva · 5 years ago

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The Perfect Leap: Matt Braly’s ‘Amphibia’ Hops to Disney Channel

When Matt Braly was a young boy, he used to visit his mother’s family in Thailand during the summer holidays. His experiences of learning about Thai culture and feeling like a fish out of water have found their way in his new animated series Amphibia, which debuts this month on Disney Channel.

The much-anticipated show follows the adventures of a selfish 13-year-old Thai-American girl named Anne Boonchuy (voiced by Brenda Song), who finds herself transported to a world of amphibians. She soon befriends a feisty young frog named Sprig, who helps her become a better person.

Braly, a CalArts grad who was a storyboard artist and director on Disney Channel’s Gravity Falls, says working on that Emmy-winning series played a big role in the creation of his new show. “We had a character on that show called Pacifica Northwest, who was this superficial character, but by the end of the season, she went through a real transformation and became a real hero,” he recalls. “I thought, to have this character change so drastically was so rewarding, and that’s why I knew I wanted my own show to have some of the element as well.”

Another big influence was Braly’s own childhood experience. “I wanted to mine my own experiences, so I recalled my summer trips to Bangkok with my mother where I would spend time to learn more about my Thai heritage. I remember being transported to this amazing place … the humidity, the food, the lush landscape … I was always nervous when I first got there, but by the end of the trip, I didn’t want to leave. So Amphibia is inspired by that … I wanted to bottle that experience.”

Introducing a Thai Heroine

Braly admits that he’s very proud of the fact that the lead character Anne is Thai, and is loosely inspired by his own grandmother. “When I was young, there were not Thai characters on TV, so I really wanted to have Thai characters, and I couldn’t be more proud that Anne is Thai, and is an independent and strong young girl,” he notes “It was so much fun to create this colorful world from scratch, and I’m also very proud of the team, especially my art director Ian Worrel who rose to the challenge of creating this earthy world.”

According to Braly, he and his team were heavily inspired by ‘80s fantasy fiction such as Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal and the Rankin/Bass animated version of The Hobbit. He says, “These fantasies were our touchstones as we felt they successfully communicated the grimy, earthy, crunchy feel we were looking for, while they were incredibly magical.”

Amphibia employs a team of 40 staffers in Burbank, and is co-produced by three South Korean studios — Rough Draft Korea, SMIP and Saerom Animation. The team spends about three to four months on pre-production, and it takes about nine months to complete an episode, from inception to final delivery. Disney had such faith in the show that it greenlit the second season even before it premiered, and the team is jumping on production on Season Two in a few weeks.

Top Frogs

One of the lessons Braly has learned over the past two years is how to delegate more and oversee the work of his team. He explains, “The thing is that when this is your first baby, you work so hard and want to make sure everything is perfect. So it can be hard to delegate, but I’m so happy to be working with such an amazing team. I have complete trust in them and have learned to open up a little bit more.”

The script-driven half-hour show (two 11-minute episodes) is written by a team of four writers, three of whom are women. “It was very important for us to have a strong female voice because this is a show about a 13-year-old girl,” says Braly. “We wanted her experiences to be genuine. Of course, the storyboard artists have the flexibility to change, condense and alter details along the way. I started out as a board artist on Gravity Falls myself, and [series creator] Alex Hirsch always let board artists pitch moments as well.”

Braly says he has also been hugely influenced by the films of Hayao Miyazaki and the artists at Studio Ghibli, as well as Nick Park and Bristol-based Aardman Animations. “Wrong Trousers is one of my all-time favorites,” says Braly. “With Amphibia, we hope to balance comedy and adventure the way Aardman has done through the years. Just like Steven Universe and Gravity Falls, audiences can hop on board and watch an episode on its own, but it’s most rewarding when you see all the episodes and see the complete season of the series. What I learned from my previous experiences is that character always come first. You can have these high stakes and characters riding a minecart screaming, but the personal relationships between the characters is key to the success of a show.”

When asked about the current animation scene, Braly is ebullient. “There is so much being made that it can be overwhelming, both for the creators and the consumers,” he says. “But I think this is the most exciting time for creating content. The floodgates have been opened, and people are taking more risks. I think the most amazing stuff is still to come since there is so much demand for top animated content. It really feels like a gold rush.”

Of course, we couldn’t let Braly go without asking him for some sage advice. He says, “I would say that you have to know that rejection is part of the process. Don’t be hard on yourself. I was stressed out in school, and I wish I had taken it a little more easy on myself. I would have probably produced better work then. Also, you learn from your mistakes. Amphibia was the third idea that I pitched at Disney. The first two were swiftly rejected. Of course, you feel each rejection and you do a post-mortem and try and learn from it.”

For now, Braly can’t wait for audiences to get to know the amazing world of Amphibia. “I can’t wait for everyone to meet these characters — Anne and the four main characters on the show,” he says. “The show is really about finding the best version of yourself in a new environment. We all have this ability to change and grow — and it’s all baked in the premise of the show. That’s why I went with frogs, because they go through a lot of changes in their lives from tadpoles to fully grown frogs. It was all thematically appropriate!”

#Amphibia #Disney's Amphibia #Disney Channel #Matt Braly

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teamcalamity · 6 years ago

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Okay, newbie. Let's move!

A new competitive season has started, Opus VIII is about to launch and Team Calamity has a blog... BOOYA!!

If you want to see more variety than a dialogue with Squall, topics that hit harder than Sephiroth into the back of a flower girl and tips more useful than Vaan's point in the story, then this is the blog for you.

In this first article we thought it might be best to introduce you to some of the team who will be regular staples on here. Hopefully this brief insight will help put some of their upcoming content into perspective.

First up is our resident judge - Mitch.

How did you first get into FFTCG?

It was a dark time in my life; I had just finished one of my favourite TV series for the 15th time and worst of all I had a piece of apple skin stuck between my teeth. There was no light at the end of the tunnel.

I received a call from the UK Champion (but not world) Peter Sherratt, he spoke to me like a true champion with grace and honour “you alright dickhead?” he told me that he had just gone to a new comic book shop, the infamous Calamity Comics. Peter knew I always had a creepy girlfriend affection for Final Fantasy and our recent card game was now just an OTK shit show. So we thought let’s give it a go.

Pulled Bahamut legend, fire seems strong; I bet this card will be good for a long time, 10000 damage AND removed. Peter got Foil Light Cloud. This card is also future proof, if there’s one thing I know about card games, is that removal is key and this has it in spades…

From that day I was hooked, scratching at my arms for the next fix of spoilers, tapping the vein, breathing FFTCG and dealing with my new addiction.

What style of play do you favour?

I like to win, but more importantly I like to be a smug prick and to do this, I love my combat tricks. Nothing lifts the table up on my side more than doing something your opponent cannot see coming. I also love removal and drawing cards so if someone could explain to me how to play earth that would be great. Thank you.

Biggest hype of Opus 8?

While all the cards aren’t out yet, I am especially excited for Lunafreya, the stuff that she can enable; it means your opponent will not want to kill off some of your best forwards. That said this will all change depending on the new Garnet, if there is one.

Peter - the 2018 UK Champion (not world)

How did you first get into FFTCG?

I played yu gi oh at the time and I saw FF being sold at Calamity Comics in Hatfield.

Eric the store owner said they were doing a tournament on Friday night's (an attempt to remove the magic the gathering crowd) .

I had played FF7 and I've never liked mtg so sounded like a win win for me. All that was left was to convince mitchell to go with me to hold my hand through it all.

Didn't take long to convince him and off we went to go purchase some cardboard crack. First pack I opened....foil Cloud L!! Wooo

First deck I played was fire ice. We didn't have a clue what we were doing but got it after a couple of goes.

Mitch went home that night to learn the rulings. It became an obsession of his for a while. He would wake up in the middle of the night about illegal plays the night before.

What was even better was we convinced our mates Joseph and Azlan to join also. Fucking great game. Needs more cleavage though.

What style of play do you favour?

I really like all 3 of the main tropes. They all have a special place in my heart because of the decks ive played with.

Mono wind has generally been a control deck. Midrange ice is tempo. Discard ice is quite aggressive.

I'm gunna vote for tempo. After a short amount of set up I do love using dull freeze or discard mechanics for those cheap easy wins. It's like eating 20 mcnuggets. You know it's bad but it feels so good.

Biggest hype for Opus 8?

Sherlotta, Fina, Alexander, Lasswell & Time Mage.

The one I will talk about is Time Mage though because I honestly think it's perfect for what ice needs right now.

Wind earth is an awful matchup where we can't choose Zidane, get fucked by big daddy etc etc. So we're investing 5cp for a huge tempo swing. Huge. I'm a big big fan. It's a multicard too so extra copies may be played.

Mono ice will return with a vengeance!!!

Rich - Team Calamity's synergy specialist.

How did you first get into FFTCG?

I have zero history of playing card games, so my interest in FFTCG was purely as someone who had played nearly every game released under the title, who just fancied trying it out. I bought the starter decks on release date to gauge if it was something that I was going to stick with, and pretty soon I was part of the Opus I stock disaster, hunting the shelves of every Toys'r'Us in driving distance trying to find packs (I'm not proud to admit that). Two and a half years, and many £'s later, here I am writing my first blog post after years of being a lurker on the fan page.

What style of play do you favour?

I have always run decks that I find genuinely fun to build, play and tweak. Sometimes that means I run stuff closer to the meta, and sometimes I run more obscure decks. The vast majority of decks that I run revolve around combo cards such as Yuri/Chelinka/Alhanalem or Seifer/Raijin/Fujin. Nothing turns me on more than the text "If you control card name "X"".

Biggest hype for Opus 8?

Just give me 3 Lasswell in foil. I love that the card has been made with a specific purpose in mind (Fire/Ice deck), and all 3 abilities feed into what those elements want to achieve. I'm not quite sure how best to make Lasswell work, but I'm sure someone much smarter than I am will find a way to make him a beast!

Tom - Blog editor, specialist subject the 'Tombo Combo'

How did you first get into FFTCG?

I got into the game by chance around Opus 4. I'd never played a TCG before but out browsing for a cheap PS4 game in the January sales I spotted Cloud and Squall booster packs in the bargain bin at a local game shop. A Final Fantasy card game, what even is that?! Went home, googled it, rushed back the next day, bought the lot and ordered all the starter sets. I still remember opening my first packs and getting so excited by how many shinys I was getting, like one in each pack, I must be so lucky! Next step a venture to Calamity as the only local place to play. I didn't win a game for about 2 months but was having the best time!

What style of play do you favour?

I like to do things differently so for me I'm all about the meme life and unashamedly so. I like to shy away from the meta (to my own detriment) as I get much more enjoyment from doing things myself and if someone tells me something is shit, it just makes me want to play it more. That said I still believe you can meme and be successful and hope to go someway to proving that this competitive season (here's to 0-X at every major tournament this year)

Biggest hype for Opus 8?

Not seen the full list yet but I'm buzzing for the new FF7 starter deck. I'll probably look to take the Earth parts into an Earth/Fire setup maybe utilising the new 15 characters if space. For me a big part of enjoying the game is using characters I actually know of and love so this should fit nicely. I've also got some ideas for a Fire/Water rush style deck and a new Opus launch wouldn't be complete without me trying to make FF8 work (where are you Cid Kramer!).

I hope this is the set where things really open up and we don't see the same few decklists dominating the circuit.

Team Calamity's OP runs every Friday from 7pm at Calamity Comics in Hatfield (North of London). You can also follow us on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook (teamcalamityfftcg) or contact us on email ([email protected]). Alternatively just write anything on the FFTCG Fans Facebook page, Team Calamity's James Stevenson will no doubt comment on it.

#final fantasy #Final fantasy tcg #fftcg

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theinquisitivej · 6 years ago

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Review Variety Pack: Singers, Vampires, and Autopsies

When you write reviews, there are some weeks where there’s simply nothing on the schedule that grabs your interest or sparks any ideas that you feel compelled to write down. Then there are the times where you have the opposite problem, and you end up watching more than enough content to fill two or three articles, and you just don’t know what to pick. When this happens, I’m often torn between my desire to cover everything I see to produce more content and talk about as many different things with my readers as physically possible, and the practical limitation of only having so much time each week to properly go into extensive detail of what I’ve seen. Well, on this occasion, I thought I would try something a little different and take a quick look at a couple films and a TV series rather than dedicate an entire article to just one of them. Don’t worry, I’ll be back to the more in-depth format for my reviews soon enough. For now, this approach just allows me to catch up on some of the content I’ve been meaning to talk about, as well as point you all in the direction of a couple of items. There may even be one or two which have flown under the radar for you.

‘A Star is Born’

Okay, so maybe not ALL of these are smaller projects that haven’t received a lot of media attention. But whatever – the deal with this movie is that Bradley Cooper decided to direct the latest in what has apparently been a long line of remakes and adaptations of the 1937 movie A Star is Born. Cooper plays a popular male singer who discovers a young woman with a talent for singing, played by Lady Gaga, who he wants to introduce to the world and drama ensues as they start a relationship and her fame keeps growing. I have no familiarity with the original or any of the other three remakes listed on Wikipedia, so take that for whatever it’s worth when I say I’m glad I saw this film.

The 2018 A Star is Born seems to be made with the knowledge that the audience has likely heard this song before. Even if you’re like me and you haven’t seen any of the four previous versions of this film, the rise-to-stardom story is so well-established that it’s a safe bet that you’ll recognise many of the typical story beats of this kind of film. You see the future star’s humble origins, their soaring debut, their optimism for their bright future, them getting signed on for a record label and a soulless manager character entering the picture, their image having to be changed as they get pushed further into the public eye, someone close to them criticising them because they believe the star has lost their way, one of the characters taking a bad turn as it starts to feel like the star has lost all control of their life, and so on. It’s a story we know, but A Star is Born appears to be conscious of this fact. Towards the end of the film, there’s a conversation where a character reflects on how the same notes are repeated over and over between different songs. The character remarks that it’s in the different ways that people see those notes and interpret them through their music that new experiences are created.

And I think that’s what this film does. The story may be similar to half a dozen other examples, but the execution is what engages. There’s a naturalistic direction to the film that you can see through the way characters talk over each other as they conduct their conversations, or the slight documentary-style to the cinematography, or the minimal use of non-diegetic music which makes the soundtrack seem as if it’s coming from the characters themselves as they sing and play throughout the story. This increases the sense of impact to some of the events within the story because the film is selling you on the impression that what you’re seeing is really happening. On top of that, Lady Gaga’s experience as a professional singer not only enables her to sing well throughout the film, but it also helps her to convey the emotions and thought processes being experienced by her character as she sings. She’s able to deliver a dramatic performance alongside her musical performance, and that’s compelling to watch.

The 2018 version of A Star is Born is not telling a new story, but it manages to tell a familiar narrative in a way that manages to be distinctive and emotionally affecting. If any of the people involved make the film of interest to you, or if the mood takes you and you want to experience a decent version of this sort of rising-star story, then this version of A Star is Born is a decent pick. Now I just have to watch Bohemian Rhapsody and see if the other film about musical celebrities currently out in cinemas does as good a job at hitting its marks.

Final Score: Bronze / Silver

‘Castlevania’ Season 2

Castlevania is one of those franchises that, on first inspection, appears to have a complicated history with dozens of instalments all coming together to form this grand tapestry telling the story of the war between Dracula, destined to reincarnate every 100 years, and the Belmonts, a family of vampire hunters that have dedicated their entire lineage to keeping Dracula and his forces of darkness at bay. And for fans who want to read into it, that expansive timeline is absolutely there, but on a very simple level, every Castlevania game more or less tells the same story. Dracula shows up along with his huge labyrinthine castle, and someone with a whip and a bunch of vampire-hunting equipment rocks up to kick him back into his coffin. Sometimes there are other characters along for the ride to make it slightly more complicated, but that’s the general gist. Also, there’s always some excellent music accompanying the proceedings.

The first season of the Netflix animated series Castlevania adapted the story of the third game in the series. As it was only four 20-minute episodes, the first season is barely longer than a feature-length movie, and just as it finds its purpose and you feel like you’re getting into it, it ends. It wasn’t anything more than a semi-decent series, but I felt like there was potential when I watched it last year. The animation during the scenes where characters are simply talking to one another was stiff and you’d only see characters shift in place after a sentence or two, rather than exhibit more natural, flowing movement from moment-to-moment. But the action scenes were clearly where the animation budget went, as fights were creative and choreographed with a satisfying flair which showcased the animator’s passion for the source material. Performances were suitably brooding and at the right level between genuine human levels of emotion and melodramatic excessiveness, which is fitting for something Gothic and cheesy like this. At times the excessive gore and general revelling in shock-factor violence grated on me, and none of the characters really captured my interest or felt like I could get behind them until the second half of the last episode.

Now Season 2 of Castlevania doesn’t fix all of my issues with the previous season, but I am very happy with some of the progress I’ve seen so far. I haven’t finished the season yet, as I’m six episodes in and have two left before I’m done, but I’ve seen enough to say that the extra time has benefitted the writers, allowing them to take the time to further explore characters and focus on conversations and interactions between the different members of the cast. The result is a more satisfying and complete-feeling season.

Apart from that, my thoughts are more or less the same as the first season. I like their presentation of the series’ established Gothic aesthetic through the impressive backgrounds and character design. I enjoy seeing characters and references from the games and think the showrunners are doing a great job at translating the tone of the games to an ongoing TV series. The excessive gore is a little much at times, and not because I can’t handle it, but because it feels inelegant and unnecessary when they’re already doing such a good job at establishing a Gothic atmosphere. I am enjoying the characters more, even though the attempts at humour feel a little awkward (though I think that’s part of the intentional style of the series, so take that for what it’s worth). All in all, a solid series that has gotten better since last year, but still has several areas in which it could improve. If you enjoy the original games or are a fan of cheesy Gothic fantasy, then give it a watch.

Final Score: Copper / Bronze

‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’

Watching this 2016 horror movie from André Øvredal, the director of Trollhunter, was how I spent Halloween this year, and it was a night well spent. A father-son pair of coroners are given an unidentified body of a woman that was found on a crime scene and are tasked with finding a cause-of-death by morning so that the local sheriff can give a full statement on the matter. As they proceed with the autopsy, they find more and more things which don’t add up. There are signs of things happening to the body which don’t make scientific sense when you consider the body’s appearance, and to top it off, there’s an uneasy atmosphere around the office as things just don’t feel right. And from there, I’ll keep you in the dark, as one of the most enjoyable elements to watching this film for the first time is trying to work out what’s going on alongside the two main characters as they dig further into this mystery.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe got under my skin because it taps into the uneasiness you often feel when you’re stuck in an office or medical building late at night and you’re one of the only people remaining. It makes effective use of space to create a suffocating feeling to the autopsy room and the one or two other spaces our characters find themselves in as the film goes on. The use of the right-angled corridor to create suspense as you fear what might come around the corner is commendable. Both of the two main actors, Brian Cox as the father and Emile Hirsch as the son, work well in their roles, selling you on their close, familial relationship as well as the fact that they are professional coroners, so they know what to do and how to handle their nerves around a dead body, but they’re also human enough to get a little uneasy when things start looking weird.

As I touched on earlier, I was really drawn in by the set-up to The Autopsy of Jane Doe, fascinated to learn more as conflicting pieces of information are revealed to both the characters and the audience. It’s an exciting sensation that I think is unique to horror; it’s the human urge to find out more even when all signs are telling you that you should stop delving into this unsettling area. You have to know the truth and understand what’s going on, even when it takes you to deadly territory. It’s such a recurring feeling that I experience when watching horror, as well as see in the motivations of the characters within horror narratives, that I consider the horror and mystery genres to be close relatives. The Autopsy of Jane Doe is dripping with that sense of horrific mystery as it centres on an autopsy, a procedure that is done when you want to find out the truth behind something but is also inherently unsettling as you are staring face-to-face at death, in all its detail.

This horror movie has a great premise which is executed with impressive technical ability by its actors, cinematographer, and director (even if it leans on the jump-scare tactic a little too much). For those who like their horror with an air of mystery, then this is a hard recommend.

Final Score: Silver

#The Inquisitive J #Film Review #film #movies #film critic #movie critic #critic #reviews #television review #netflix castlevania #castlevania #a star is born #a star is born 2018 #the autopsy of jane doe #netflix castlevania review #a star is born review #the autopsy of jane doe review #the inquisitive j reviews

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mdwatchestv · 7 years ago

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Dirk Gently 2x01: Have You Noticed an Acceleration of Strangeness in Your Life?

It was over a year ago now that I started this blog project, and what better milestone to commemorate that achievement than season 2 of Dirk Gently! This is my first season two! To prepare for this momentous post, and to also attempt to remember what happened on season 1, I went back and read all my Dirk season one posts. What a journey we all went on together that first season, from letting Samuel Barnett into our hearts, to falling in with kitten only to lose it in the woods. If you want to relive any of that (and see some truly excellent gifs) click here. I also think my writing has come a long way since then, has it? Right? Hasn't it? You know what, maybe don't answer that.

But this post isn't a desperate plea for validation (well I mean it IS sort of) it's a post about DIRK GENTLY'S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY SEASON TWO! Season one of this show turned out to be genuinely clever and charming to boot. It managed to balance a tricky plot-line (involving murder, time-travel, and soul-swapping) with sincerely emotional storytelling, all while juggling a cast of endless colorful characters and without sacrificing its sense of fun. That was a lot, but this show is a lot. And it's sustained successful execution of all those elements is what made last season sing. But that was then, this is now. We have a new story, new characters, and possibly new dimensions to deal with. Whether this show will be able to continue its deft balancing act remains to be seen.

We open season two in the fantasy land of "Wendimoor" (had to look that up). Your classic forest-based magical realm that is host to warriors wielding scissor-swords, and handsome rogues. Regular. This land is home to Panto Trost (had to look that up) aka ole pink hair, and his paramour Silas Dengdamor (ditto) who seems to be some sort of authority figure, perhaps a king? A duke? A lord? If the show gave this information I was not paying close enough attention to discern it. Anyway the land is in trouble and Silas charges his boo Panto with finding Dirk Gently in order to save the day. Already there are questions. Is this a parallel universe? A dream? Another dimension? Just some really enthusiastic LARP-ers? Who knows.

Moving on we pick up with Dirk (and god help me, I missed him), who at the end of last season was captured by the Blackwing project guys, now headed by Friedkin after the death of his predecessor. Friedkin is convinced that Dirk's psychic ability is literal rather than holistic, and forces him to perform a series of tests which Dirk spends his days failing. Also at Blackwing is hapless Ken, who Friedkin is sure must possess some sort of powers due to his longtime survival at the side of Bart (apparently still on the loose). With Ken in his taxi cab prison, is RAPUNZEL THE CORGI! Safe and sound, as adorable as ever. Also of note at Blackwing is an old guy in a coma who was Dirk's assistant pre-coma. Feels like a lot of expositional foreshadowing here. Maybe for a flashback? I hope so, I am particularly keen on flashbacks. During these scenes Friedkin also lets drop that there are a number of other Blackwing subjects who remain on the lamb, including a shapeshifter. This is a foreshadowing.

Last season I always thought Dustin Milligan didn't have to enough to do as Friedkin, but now that the character seems to be taking center stage, I feel like they have given him too much. If Friedkin is going to be the Big Bad this scene, I'm already over it. Dirk Gently is filled with over-the-top characters, but they are all grounded with an emotional center. Yes Bart is a psychotic killer, but she is also a lifelong loner experiencing her first foray into friendship. I don't have to tell you why you love Bart, you know already in your heart. But Friedkin has yet to develop a sympathetic, or at least understandable, core and I'm finding the aggressive stupidity act boring. The show has set a high bar for character, and for a season already introducing a bevy of new ones, this one is falling short.

And let's talk about these new characters. The Blackwing plotline is but one thread of a very complex episode one tapestry. Elsewhere we are introduced to Suzie (Amanda Walsh), an unhappily married and mothered woman with a limp who works as a receptionist at a quarry (?) or construction (?) facility (?). Unclear. Her world is rocked, as so many of our worlds have been, when John Hannah rolls up into her life as a wizard/crook/hitman/lounge singer. Hannah murders her boss, and then leaves poor Suzie to be dealt with by his gang/compatriots/clean up crew. This classic bad-guy gang unsuccessfully attempt to cast a spell on Suz, with what is decidedly a magic wand and spell book. Things look bad for our new friend Amanda Walsh as the goons decide to eschew magic in favor of reliable guns and bullets. But luckily holistic assassin Bart roles in on a bicycle and wave of blood to kill everyone. Yay! Bart uncharacteristically spares Suzie, hoping to make a new friend to replace Ken, but then spirals out as she wars with her unfamiliar desire to be merciful and seek companionship. (How did Ken and Bart get separated? Why isn't she trying to save him? Questions). Frightened, Suzie casts the same spell the thugs tried to set on her, but to greater effect. Bart vanishes. Suzie is now a witch. I dream of this day of transformation and discovery in my own life. Where did Bart go? Perhaps to scissor-sword land? We'll see.

We also have MORE new characters including Tyler Labine's easy-going sheriff who seems like he wandered out of Fargo to be with us, and his high functioning alcoholic deputy. All the finest supporting cast Canada has to offer, and we haven't even been introduced to Alan Tudyk yet. This is a lot of new characters ya'll, and I haven't even finished my check-in with the ogs.

Hannah Marks now has a pretty punk rock undercut plus even heavier black eye make up. I'm into it. She's hanging with the only free member of the Rowdy 3, plotting to get the gang back together. Do your thing girl, and shut up math.

Finally I saved the adventures of Todd and Farah for last, because their story seems to be the emotional plot trunk of this mighty oak of an episode. After the events of last season Todd has essentially lost everything, his job, his health, his relationship with his sister, and now the purpose given to him through his relationship with Dirk. Now he and the ever-loyal Farah are on an increasingly desperate mission to try and rescue Dirk (as well as Todd's sense of self-worth). Whether on faith or by sheer necessity, Todd is convinced that everything really is connected and that the universe will provide. And hey he did find an abandoned mansion, a wet wall, and a car in a tree, so I'd venture to say he may be on to something.

I said finally too soon, there is one more major plot thing that happened this episode. Per Friedkins (and this blogs) earlier foreshadowing, the escaped Blackwing shapeshifter does in fact make herself known. Her journey through the secret base as a piece of paper, race car, and bubble was my favorite part of the episode. That kind of knowing whimsy, when the show is able to achieve it, is what makes it so uniquely enjoyable. Anyway this frighteningly-eyeballed lass charges Dirk to "Find the boy" before disappearing them both.

The first episode set up a lot, like a lot a lot. There are at least three distinct driving 'quests': pink-hair's search for Dirk, Todd and Farah's search for Dirk, and Dirk's search for "the boy". There are a number of intersecting secondary plots (including, you guessed it, more searching), as well as a healthy peppering of fresh faces. Dirk Gently proved in the past that it is more than capable of handling unwieldy plot while servicing multiple complex characters, but I can't help feeling wary after this first outing. At this point in the series I don't need to be impressed with bells and whistles, the first season generated enough interest in the core cast of characters an episode that simply serviced them would have been satisfying enough as an opener.

But there were episodes last season that seemed to throw out more ideas than seemed wise, only to carefully and thoroughly pick through them in later episodes. I remain cautiously optimistic, and look forward to corgis, witches, and (dare I dream?) for another kitten.

And of course:

CORGI WATCH:

Doing a-okay. All things considered.

XO MD

P.S. That teaser for the season gave kind of A LOT away, don't you think?

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howlinwolfwb · 7 years ago

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A NEW FAN’S 1ST REACTION TO BERSERK

I was introduced months ago to the Berserk series by a personal friend, who showed me the 2009 Egg Of The King movie. Like most modern movie adaptations of classic series, the movie rushed through the beats of the story. But I had a feeling that I was watching parts of a story that could be great. Maybe it was my friends reverence of the source material, or the inference of character development of the movie.

But nothing could prepare me for the experience of watching the 1997 series. And as a new fan, it was definitely an experience like no other animé I’ve seen yet.

The original series is hard to find Stateside, but I eventually did. I heard about it from the friend who showed me the movie, and another distant friend. I knew that if I was hearing rave reviews about it from 2 sides of the globe, it was at least worth a peek. After watching the series once, I think I’ve just become a diehard fan. These are my thoughts on the show; this does not extend to the manga, the Golden Arc movies, or to the new ongoing series; this about the 1997 tv adaptation. I’ll post reviews of the manga as soon as I’ve gotten far enough into it. (20 years and still not finished? I hope that his ending’s that good, if he gets to it…) I might post reviews of each volume of the Berserk manga. In the meanwhile my thoughts of the show:

Holy fuck. No other way to say it. Holy FUCK, this show is amazing. It’s a very well-written, dark fantasy/horror animé, but with a RICH depth and soul to it that is often overlooked in this genre of animé. It’s so good, with so many good elements to it, that I can’t analyze it as a whole. Every facet functioned so well, and added up perfectly to the shocking end.

The only other animé series that this show is comparable to, in terms of story quality, ending predictions, and the cumulative end result shaking me and getting deeply under my skin, is Neon Genesis Evangelion. The story didn’t go out of its way to force an emotional reaction from me; it told a much more human story than is common in horror fantasy manga. Although the ending is extreme, and a horrifying twist for the journey of the Hawk Knights, all of whom I’d come to invest in and care about through Guts’s eyes, I don’t regret seeing it. The story of Guts’s life and journey with the Hawk Knights stirred up a torrent of emotions in me as I progressed through the show, and the show dared me to not like it with THAT ending. It’s still tough to put into the right words how i feel about this article, so thank you, dear reader, for following me this far.

The story of Berserk is the story of Guts, the Black Swordsman, journeying a land based on the deceptively scenic Medieval Europe, and in times and experiences just as perilous and traumatizing.

Guts had an extreme childhood living with a band of mercenaries, under the charge of Gambino, a gruff, brutal, and unsympathetic father figure. When Gambino was crippled in battle, he tried to kill the terrified boy. Guts accidentally killed him during this, and was forced to run for his life from Gambino’s comrades. Narrowly escaping death by an arrow from Gambino’s comrades, he lives the rest of his life as an incredibly strong wandering mercenary, going from reward to reward. When he kills Bazuso, the giant Grey Knight, he attracts the attention of the perfectly bishie Griffith, leader of the rogue mercenary group Band of the Hawk. After challenging Guts to a duel, and proving the only knight that could defeat Guts and his immense person-size sword, Guts becomes inducted into the Hawk Knights after his recovery from the fight.

Guts then lives 3 years with the Hawks, living under the watchful and scolding eye of Casca, the lovely but harsh and jealous comrade, fighting alongside a man he now considers a dear friend. The Hawk Knights accompany Griffith as he starts to make a name for himself in royal courts, impressing and socializing with nobles and royalty, even though the nobles would rather see him and his band of plebs dead. They try multiple times to kill Griffith. Guts never wavers in his loyalty for Griffith, even attacking a noble, and killing the noble’s child by accident, for him. Until he overhears Griffith say to the princess:

It is my perception, that a true friend never relies on another's dream. A person with the potential to be my true friend, must be able to find his reason for life without my help. And, he would have to put his heart and soul into protecting his dream. He would never hesitate to fight for his dream, even against me. For me, a true friend is one who stands equal on those terms.

Guts was visibly shook by hearing this. He fell into a crisis of purpose, and of self. He had invested so much of his life and heart into being there for this man that it shakes his being when he hears that. He then resolved himself into leaving the Hawk Knights, to make something of himself, and to prove himself, to both Griffith, and to himself.

Something else bothered Guts, something that happened earlier than that friendship crisis. Guts and Griffith fought an immortal beast that nearly killed them both. The monster, known as Zodd the immortal, only stopped when he noticed the weird egg-shaped pendulum that Griffith always kept around his neck. The monster had stopped dead in its tracks when he saw that, just as he had been about to kill Griffith. He then warned Guts that Griffith would be his doom, should they ever become equals…

The story of Berserk is both aggressive, and heartfelt, at the same time. I was reminded of Game Of Thrones quite a few times in the show. I’m a big fan, as many of my followers already know. And THIS show is written about a time and place similar to Medieval Europe, it involves political intrigue, barbarity and brutality, no clean or pure heroes (anti-heroes at best), and a general feeling of bloodlust and anxiety. Sexuality is also a big factor in the show, but unlike GoT, it’s not for the sake of fanservice, which there’s very little of in Berserk. More often than not it isn’t consensual. Berserk is not just violent, or filled with blood porn; it is jarring and disturbing when you understand its ramifications. But it doesn’t revel in its viciousness; it’s simply a part of their life. Weary viewers and readers, you are officially warned. The real meat and heart of the story are in the bonds between the characters. This show, at its core, is about relationships between people, and the harshness of cutting them off or betraying them. Everyone in the Band of the Hawk has an important role for Guts, and means something different to each of them. Berserk knows its characters. Close attention is paid to nearly all of them. The show is so character-driven that the narrative comes second, to the point that the villains are almost universally pathetic, until the very end. I came to KNOW, and feel like I was best of friends with, the characters of Guts, Griffith, and even the gruff and spiteful Casca. This isn’t to say that the show is without edge; Berserk is edgy AS FUCK. Edgy enough for a circumcision. This show has blood porn for days; often times almost looking like rivers of blood every battle. But this show has an immensely emotional core, which is what I have come to realize is so incredibly important about the perspective of the story. This is the story of Guts, the broken medieval road warrior. In any standard fantasy story, Griffith would be the main character, and Guts would be a supporting or even background role. But this story is entirely through his eyes, and what the characters do with and to him. Griffith is seen almost entirely through Guts’s eyes, making him enigmatic, and always distant, even when standing right next to him and scolding Guts for doubting his trust. Also mold-breaking is the fact that nearly all of the characters are adults in their 20s. There’s plenty of angst and edge for and from everyone, but it’s well-deserved, and more importantly, not teenage emo angst. Which makes the end of Berserk THAT devastating, THAT heartbreaking, THAT painful to endure watching. I still remember being in shock from it when the credits rolled, and I realized that this was indeed the last episode, the end of the show. The show loops back to its beginning afterward; the first scene of the first episode was a cold opening that took place long after the events of the finale, and the very end of the last episode loops back to it. But what happened was an almost devastating watch the first time through. I had needed to simply go somewhere, and do something else; I even had to call a friend, and do other things for the rest of the night, because it was so unnerving. Not because it was a bad ending, or poorly written. It was a VERY well-written ending for the story, and I can see now how the events of the Hawk Knights had all led up to it. But the end was a SOUL-CRUSHING tragedy. I will not spoil it, but it was hard to sit through, with the implications, and with the end to the friendship of Guts, Griffith, and Casca. Does that change my opinion or my newfound love of the show? No; it doesn’t at all. Should a genuinely good story be shat on, because it ends as a no-holds-barred, and deeply unsettling tragedy? If so, why is the story of the Titanic still so popular? Why does that story bear repeating? And in consideration, this is a story of hard men (and a hard woman); a band of mercenaries who give no fucks about killing mercilessly, or climbing the social ladder in medieval days. Their destiny, their dream, could only end two ways: total glory, or absolute mayhem, and chaos, and death. And it should say something about western culture and entertainment that even now, with gritty and dark tv shows like Game Of Thrones and The Walking Dead, we still only have the appetite for optimistic and clean endings.

This show is brutal. Both viscerally, and emotionally brutal. And it’s incredibly rich in detail, and such a treat for the characters. I have just begun to read the manga, and I might later cover that. But I felt that I had to write about this, because this is the type of story worth going crazy over, and feeling genuinely for the characters, and NEEDING to express feelings over it when it’s over. It will likely affect the way that I write my own stories bc of it. I really, truly hope that you, the reader, will give this incredible animé a chance.

#berserk #guts berserk #griffith berserk #guts #griffith #casca #anime

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rallyanime-blog · 7 years ago

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The Spring 2017 Leftover List

Also known as my commitment issues regarding Taiwanese hieroglyphs.

Now that the spring anime season is well underway (more than halfway done) I would like to take the time to rationalize why I watched the shows I did and dropped the anime I did. This will be Part 1 of the list. This list will feature some of the spring anime I dropped over the course of the season and why I dropped it.

This post is not meant to make the fans of this show feel bad for liking this. On the contrary, this part will include the shows that I don’t consider to be particularly bad but rather the shows that I personally wasn’t invested into.

No time to waste. Let us get into it.

Tsukigakirei

My initial thoughts on the show are outlined in my post on the first three episodes. I still maintain everything I said about the show from where I stopped around episode 6 or so.

I think the reason that I stopped watching was that I felt I didn’t need to keep watching from where I stopped. Tsukigakirei wears its heart on its sleeve which is probably its greatest asset. The characters feel genuine and the scenarios are grounded in reality. Yet, this is probably what led to me dropping the show.

I feel that I’ve gotten the point already. Tsukigakirei is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Option one is that it continues like how I expect it will go and end the story tidily. It most certainly will be a pleasant experience. But pleasantness for pleasantness’s sake only works if the show is extraordinarily pleasant. Unfortunately for me, I can’t say that I have a strong enough affinity for the characters because they are too normal.

I know. It sounds stupid.

What I mean is that I don’t find anything particularly remarkable or deeply empathetic within the characters that occupy a seemingly character-driven show. Their pursuit of romance is simply not ambitious enough for me to care. Pleasantness for pleasantness’s sake.

The second option is that they introduce some twists and surprises into the story. Except that the romance is the only plot line that matters. And introducing surprises into the romance is just frustrating and grating.

Either way, I can’t see myself getting excited for Tsukigakirei. Its shown all its cards.

It doesn’t help that I feel the art and animation is mediocre. Specifically, I feel that the facial expressions aren’t very expressive and kind of seem a bit boring.

For now, I can’t see myself picking Tsukigakirei back up.

Sakura Quest

Sakura Quest is a very charming show. In the vein of many P.A Works shows, Sakura Quest is one of this somewhat niche genre of pastoral, country stories that may or may not serve as tourism advertisements for their respective locations. Think Hanasaku Iroha.

As expected, the main cast is a group of slightly cynical yet optimistic young women who are joined in their shared ambition to bring life to the land of the Chupacabra.

Each episode presents the characters facing a new challenge in attracting tourism and maintaining their quiet town. In the vein of Shirobako, the characters are working towards a tangible goal that discounts this show from the iyashikei or general slice of life aspects that normally occupy these stories set in the country.

The characters have acceptable chemistry and they are all unique entities that have decipherable personalities and motivations; joined together in their efforts to save the town.

The only complaint I can leverage against Sakura Quest is that I was never personally invested with the girls’ desire to save the town. Maybe it was the complete apathy amongst the rest of the town aside from grumpy oji-san. Maybe it was because none of the characters were very interesting or expressive.

However, in all likelihood, these types of shows just don’t necessarily appeal to me. I wish the best for Sakura Quest.

Alice and Zouroku

This is another unfair one.

Alice and Zouroku is a show extraordinarily reminiscent of an early to mid 2000s anime. The urban-supernatural setting along with the atypical protagonist help create what seems to be a show lost in time.

However, most other parts of the show seem to be mediocre at best. Animation is passable. Voice Acting is passable. Directing and Cinematography is passable. Alice and Zouroku is not a stand out show in any regard.

It is not as if I dislike this show to any particular degree. Moreover, for what it is, its quality is more than enough to stand on its own.

I guess the time I invest into watching the show is ultimately not justified in what the show gives me. It does not help that the story is not particularly engaging, interesting, or mysterious in any meaningful way.

It is what it is.

Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii desu ka?

I actually have very little to say about this particular show. It is a fantasy show with the audacity to incorporate an original fantasy world not based solely on abject RPG mechanics and inside otaku references to other anime. At the very least I must give it credit for this.

The mysterious Willem is employed at a faux orphanage that trains child soldiers to become warriors capable of wielding the only weapons able to slay the monsters that wiped out the entire human race.

The show begins with the immediate declaration that this show will be a tragedy. That things will not go smoothly. I am unsure of what to make of this.

On one hand, its a great way to get the audience immediately invested into the story. In addition, it sets the stage for the overall tonality of the show of that of a dark and somber world that threatens to crush all hope and happiness. Yet, the characters still fight on in the pursuit of a better future. Its a good idea.

On the other hand, it arguably spoils the events of the story and undercuts the optimistic elements of the show as it implies a traagic ending. Of course, this action may be deliberate as to lull the audience into a false sense of danger and nihilism only to hit the viewers with an ultimately happy ending.

Either way, it is a bold move that is yet to be put into context..

The only reason I think I dropped this show was just the lack of investment of the story. The characters are certainly likable. Just not likable enough to justify watching the rest of the show. As an aside, some of the little jokes and such are charming but not particularly funny.

However, I will applaud its efforts and I will wish it the best of luck.

And that includes Part 1 of all the anime I dropped. Part 2 coming soon.

#tsuki ga kirei #sakura quest #alice and zouroku #shuumatsu #anime #spring 2017 anime

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afoolsingenuity · 8 years ago

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Looking Forward // March 2017

Looking Forward is a feature where I get to take a look at the books I am most excited to be released each month. The books I cannot wait to start reading and want to remind you all about being released. It’s really a kind of torture because I am meant to be employing a spending ban and I can’t quite help but sneak a book into my basket when I do this post because I forger how many good books get released each month! This month’s collection is very YA heavy (when is it not?) and features a couple of my most anticipated reads.

The Song Rising (The Bone Season #3) – Samantha Shannon

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Release Date: 7th March 2017

You’re Welcome, Universe – Whitney Gardner

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult

Release Date: 7th March 2017

Following a bloody battle against foes on every side, Paige Mahoney has risen to the dangerous position of Underqueen, ruling over London's criminal population.

But, having turned her back on Jaxon Hall and with vengeful enemies still at large, the task of stabilizing the fractured underworld has never seemed so challenging.

Little does Paige know that her reign may be cut short by the introduction of Senshield, a deadly technology that spells doom for the clairvoyant community and the world as they know it . . .

A vibrant, edgy, fresh new YA voice for fans of More Happy Than Not and Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, packed with interior graffiti.

When Julia finds a slur about her best friend scrawled across the back of the Kingston School for the Deaf, she covers it up with a beautiful (albeit illegal) graffiti mural.

Her supposed best friend snitches, the principal expels her, and her two mothers set Julia up with a one-way ticket to a “mainstream” school in the suburbs, where she’s treated like an outcast as the only deaf student. The last thing she has left is her art, and not even Banksy himself could convince her to give that up.

Out in the ’burbs, Julia paints anywhere she can, eager to claim some turf of her own. But Julia soon learns that she might not be the only vandal in town. Someone is adding to her tags, making them better, showing off—and showing Julia up in the process. She expected her art might get painted over by cops. But she never imagined getting dragged into a full-blown graffiti war.

Told with wit and grit by debut author Whitney Gardner, who also provides gorgeous interior illustrations of Julia’s graffiti tags, You’re Welcome, Universe introduces audiences to a one-of-a-kind protagonist who is unabashedly herself no matter what life throws in her way.

Why Am I Excited?

I have been excited about this book since finishing The Mime Order when that was released. I mean, I have been excited about reading this series ever since I read The Bone Season. It’s just a really interesting fantasy series and one which I can see getting better and better with each book. I remember rolling my eyes at the 7 book series when it first was released but was intrigued like all the rest and I have to say I don’t regret buying that first book in the slightest, even if I am being forced to buy the special edition covers so my book collection will match.

Why Am I Excited?

I had never heard of this author or this book until there was a post at New Year on Pop Goes The Reader by Whitney Gardner and the artwork and the story was just perfect and I knew I wanted to read whatever she had written so hearing that she had this book coming out I knew I needed to get my hands on it. It was nothing to do with the fact it ticks all the diversity boxes (it does and I love that) but it was simply the fact that the author had such a unique voice and I wanted more so the fact she also writes books which are diverse and interesting is just a plus for me.

The Bone Witch – Rin Chupeco

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult

Release Date: 7th March 2017

Queen of the Geeks – Jen Wilde

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: 14th March 2017

The beast raged; it punctured the air with its spite. But the girl was fiercer.

Tea is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy makes her a bone witch, who are feared and ostracized in the kingdom. For theirs is a powerful, elemental magic that can reach beyond the boundaries of the living—and of the human.

Great power comes at a price, forcing Tea to leave her homeland to train under the guidance of an older, wiser bone witch. There, Tea puts all of her energy into becoming an asha, learning to control her elemental magic and those beasts who will submit by no other force. And Tea must be strong—stronger than she even believes possible. Because war is brewing in the eight kingdoms, war that will threaten the sovereignty of her homeland…and threaten the very survival of those she loves.

When BFFs Charlie, Taylor and Jamie go to SupaCon, they know it’s going to be a blast. What they don’t expect is for it to change their lives forever.

Charlie likes to stand out. SupaCon is her chance to show fans she’s over her public breakup with co-star, Jason Ryan. When Alyssa Huntington arrives as a surprise guest, it seems Charlie’s long-time crush on her isn’t as one-sided as she thought.

While Charlie dodges questions about her personal life, Taylor starts asking questions about her own.

Taylor likes to blend in. Her brain is wired differently, making her fear change. And there’s one thing in her life she knows will never change: her friendship with Jamie—no matter how much she may secretly want it to. But when she hears about the Queen Firestone SupaFan Contest, she starts to rethink her rules on playing it safe.

Why Am I Excited?

I’m pretty sure I saw the cover and then the word witches in the summary and decided it was a must read for me. Thankfully, when I went back and read the summary in full I knew it sounded like a good book, but the cover was mostly to blame.

Why Am I Excited?

It’s another case of the cover getting me first, I mean pink hair! It’s little things like that which get me. The book itself totally feeds into the fangirl in me though, it’s another book set at a convention (I need to read Unconventional!) and it just makes me want to read. I’ve not heard much about it yet but I hope to read it at some point this year.

Madly (New York #2) – Ruthie Knox

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Release Date: 14th March 2017

Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) – Laini Taylor

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult

Release Date: 28th March 2017

An impulsive trip to New York City, a heartthrob from London, and a scandalous to-do list turn a small-town girl’s life upside down in this sultry romance from the New York Times bestselling author of Truly and About Last Night.

Allie Fredericks isn’t supposed to be in Manhattan, hiding in the darkest corner of a hip bar, spying on her own mother—who’s flirting with a man who’s definitely not Allie’s father. Allie’s supposed to be in Wisconsin, planning her parents’ milestone anniversary party. Then Winston Chamberlain walks through the door, with his tailored suit, British accent, and gorgeous eyes, and Allie’s strange mission goes truly sideways.

Winston doesn’t do messy. But after a pretty stranger ropes him into her ridiculous family drama with a fake kiss that gets a little too real, he finds out that messy can be fun. Maybe even a little addicting. And as the night grows longer, Allie and Winston make a list of other wild things they could do together—and what seems like a mismatch leads to a genuine connection. But can their relationship survive as their real lives implode just outside the bedroom door?

A new epic fantasy by National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Laini Taylor of the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy.

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around— and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he's been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance to lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo's dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? and if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

In this sweeping and breathtaking new novel by National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor, author of the New York Times bestselling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, the shadow of the past is as real as the ghosts who haunt the citadel of murdered gods. Fall into a mythical world of dread and wonder, moths and nightmares, love and carnage. Welcome to Weep.

Why Am I Excited?

I wanted to read this because of Nick (like so many of my books) but I wanted to read even more after I bought Truly after realising this wasn’t out yet! Truly was a fantastic romance read. It was perfect for me at the moment of reading and is a book I could see myself reading again. I really liked the characters and the story and the setting and so I’m thrilled to read about another of the characters in this book. I have pre-ordered and I will hopefully read not long after it’s release.

Why Am I Excited?

I was a massive fan of Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series (why have I not reread that lately?) and have been waiting something new from her for so long. It may be one of my most anticipated reads of the year and so I cannot wait for it to be out at the end of the month. I have my copy pre-ordered I will happily take the day off of work to read this. I need it in my life ASAP.

We all have books we look forward to, what are your most anticipated reads of March? Are there any I’m missing or have you been lucky enough to read any of these already and want to convince me to buy?

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Freaky Trailer Breakdown With Director Christopher Landon

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It’s such a brilliant premise it’s almost impossible to believe we haven’t seen it before. Slightly dorky teenage girl is attacked by a serial killer but in the crucial moments a mystical intervention sees the two swap bodies. “It’s like Freaky Friday the 13th” director Christopher Landon explains, recalling the initial pitch from his co-writer Michael Kennedy. There seems like no one better to helm a high concept horror like this than Landon who made Groundhog Day-style slasher Happy Death Day – now the first trailer is with us.

While there were rights issues over that as a title, the shorter, cleaner Freaky works just as well. The first trailer is here and it sees Millie (Detective Pikachu’s Kathyrn Newton) body-swap with Vince Vaughn’s psychopath. The trailer promises laughs, a rather delicious revenge narrative and a whole lot of gore.

“I’m excited for people to experience the movie as a whole, because I think that it’s a really fun, thrilling ride,” says Landon. “I think they’re going to be surprised by a lot of stuff in this movie that’s not in the trailer. Both some of the violence and the kills, but also, there’s a surprising amount of heart. There’s this really special relationship between Millie and her two best friends that really shines in this movie. That’s one of the elements of the film that I really loved is that it’s really about the power of friendship as well.”

Landon talks us through the key moments of the brand new Freaky trailer.

00.01 – Blumhouse Productions

“I think this is my ninth movie with Jason (Blum) and working with Blumhouse. We’ve got a long history and they are a very filmmaker focused company and filmmaker friendly. You get a lot of creative control, which is rare. The movie that ends up on the screen is the movie that I really wanted to make. That’s the real joy and the pleasure of working with them is that there’s a lot of support there. As long as you can make your movie for a certain price. I think that’s the challenge.”

00.05 – “That’s me, Millie“

“I would describe Millie as a very shy, introverted girl. She’s lost her father recently, she’s really struggling to figure out how she fits into the world, she’s a caretaker and she often sacrifices her own joy in life at the expense of others. I felt like that was something that I really related to, and I think a lot of people can relate to that. That people give up on their dreams or give up on their hopes because they’re just constantly trying to please other people. I wanted Millie to really go on a very specific and a very articulated journey in this movie. When she inhabits a serial killer’s body she begins to learn things about herself that she never really saw clearly before. That was really the fun and the joy of making this movie. It was really going on this adventure with this young character that I related to.”

00.07 – “I think I saw it at Discount Bonanza…”

“We really wanted to show that often the most terrifying things in life are the most real and the things that we all encounter daily. Bullying is one of them. I can speak again from personal experience growing up as a gay kid in high school. Sometimes just that walk down the hallway to your first class is like a gauntlet. That was something that we really wanted to explore in the movie, because so much of this movie ends up being about how Millie has to become a stronger person. Real world horrors are always, I think, a key element in my films. Teenagers can suck in a major way.”

00.40 – The Transformation

“In the movie we introduce a mystical Aztec dagger. There’s a character in the film who’s an art collector and the knife is this ancient evil artefact that draws evil to it. When Millie is stabbed with it, this is the catalyst, this is what causes the body-swap to happen. This knife plays a big role in the film because once you’ve been stabbed and you’ve swapped, the only way to swap back is if you can stab the other person again. It becomes the catalyst and the story engine and the ticking clock of the movie. It was a lot of fun getting to create and design this particular weapon.”

00.49 – Welcome to the Murder Lair

“I wanted it to be the ultimate killer’s lair, in a way that’s a bit over the top, because there are points in the movie where we’re winking at the audience. In some ways it’s almost a parody of what the killer’s abode would look like. There’re severed heads and mutilated animals and mannequins that have been defiled. There’s a lot of stuff in there that I think are nods to old movies from my past that I watched growing up like Maniac, which is a really brutal horror film. That killer is surrounded by mannequins. For some reason mannequins terrify everybody. It was really just having some fun with those tropes.”

00.52 – “I woke up in the killer’s body!”

“Genuinely, I had two people on my list that I wanted for this movie and it was Vince and it was Kathryn. It was honestly one of the first times in my career where I got both. Vince is a really big guy. He’s tall, he’s very intimidating, and he’s an incredibly versatile actor. He’s obviously known for his comedies, he’s incredibly sharp and funny, but he’s also someone who can play intense and scary and do that convincingly. I needed somebody like Vince who could really pull off both roles. He does it with such authenticity. I think that’s what works so well about the movie and why his performance is so good in the film, because he’s not playing cute or playing to the comedy of the film, he’s genuine all the way through.

“In terms of preparation and getting into this stuff, both actors made video diaries. I worked with them to make these videos in character, so that they could share it with each other and begin to understand who they were as characters, their physicality, their mannerisms, the way they walk, et cetera. Then once we actually got into pre-production and I had the actors with me, we just started to sit and do a lot of rehearsals together so that they could really understand their characters physically and mentally.”

1.00 – “You’re black, I’m gay, we are so dead!”

“Michael and I tried to really employ the meta stuff very sparingly because we didn’t want it to overtake the movie, but we certainly thought there were appropriate moments to wink at the audience and remind them that we’re all in on this joke together.”

1.27 – Ice Cold Killer

“That was a cryo-chamber. We had been struggling for some time in trying to add a kill to this particular character in the setting that she had to be in. This was an idea that I came up with quite last minute. I initially thought, “Oh my God, this is, A, ridiculous, and B, really hard to pull off,” but I had to do it. I think it speaks to all of the deaths in the movie, which are really big, wild, gory, over the top deaths. I think each one is really unique. That was something that I really wanted to go for in this film, is just kill people in horrible ways that we really haven’t seen before.”

1.45 – “I’ll make you wish your stupid face was never born”

“I’ve always loved blending comedy and horror, and I’ve grown up with that stuff, all the way back from Evil Dead and so on. I’ve always thought that comedy and horror make interesting bedfellows and work really well together. In this movie, sometimes the horror is just horror and sometimes the comedy is just comedy, but then there’s so many moments where they are happening simultaneously, which are really my favorite moments. I feel like it’s one of those things where you get to go on this wild ride when you are making the audience scream and laugh. For me, it’s just the perfect combination of a good time.

“There’s a definite revenge element to this movie that plays out very organically, because Millie, as a character, is bullied a lot and put upon by people at school. When the killer inhabits your body, these same people are still coming for her. They’re still trying to pick on her or bully her, but now they’re messing with the wrong person. I think there is a certain revenge fantasy that’s unfolding in this movie. I have to say, it’s weirdly satisfying because I think often the audience will be rooting for the killer.”

2.18 – Wood Work Class

“I think everyone has had a teacher at some point in their lives that was particularly cruel. This character, Mr. Bernardi, who’s played by Alan Ruck, who is fantastic, he’s so good in the movie, but he’s the teacher that is quite abusive and he found a pretty unpleasant demise.”

2.37 – Chainsaw Massacre!

“It’s funny, Kathryn, she’s laser focused and such a professional, but I think this was new for her, having to really embrace this incredibly dark and violent character. Initially, in our rehearsals, I could feel her hesitation, but once we got going, she really moved past that and embraced it. Then I think she really finally started to enjoy it. She really got into it. By the time we got to that scene where she was using that chainsaw, she had come full circle. She was a killing machine. “

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Freaky is coming soon to UK cinemas

The post Freaky Trailer Breakdown With Director Christopher Landon appeared first on Den of Geek.

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anotherenglishstudent · 6 years ago

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Book Review - Changeling

They said you were a changeling, didn’t they?

Rating: 1.5/5

Trigger Warnings: violence, murder, descriptions of gore

Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t read the book, this review will contain spoilers so it’s up to you if you continue…

I had high hopes for Philippa Gregory’s YA writing since her historical novels are so good, but the only word I can use to describe Changeling is weak. I wanted to like it, I’ve waited almost a week to write this review in the hopes that I could find more I enjoyed about the book and process the ending a bit better. I’m still disappointed though.

I was distinctly unimpressed with the introduction; Luca gets invited to train in this secret organisation at the start of the book and then we hear nothing more of it until suddenly (literally a couple of months later, I think) he’s a qualified Inquirer and we’re off on your first journey with him. Why not just introduce him ready qualified? Why not show us the process and get the reader involved? And why mention all this about his intelligence and possibly being a changeling child if it’s not going to really come up again? Also that intelligence? Really not proven by the following events.

The mystery of the nunnery just kind of sucked. What was more frustrating than the transparency of the “mystery” though, was Luca’s sudden turn around at the last second. It was bound to happen since the intensity of everything increased so rapidly, but he went from having zero suspicions - or at least having zero expressed in the text - to figuring the whole thing out just in time. I appreciate that in a mystery the reader shouldn’t know exactly what was going on, but Isolde and Ishraq had worked out what was happening whilst Luca didn’t have a clue. If they had spoken, I might be able to understand how Luca worked things out so quickly, but they didn’t. Luca went from understanding nothing to understanding everything, and as a reader I felt no kinship or enjoyment in working it out with him. I worked it out by myself, whilst Luca - instead of understanding from his investigation - very suddenly knew what was happening. Changeling was the worst writing I’ve seen from Gregory, there was no subtlety to it, the whole thing just felt clunky, maybe even like a first draft.

Sometimes things were mentioned that went nowhere, other times conversations were so circular it was like Gregory feared we wouldn’t understand what happened unless things were repeated a hundred times. Take, for example, the below extracts about Isolde going to see her godfather (or his son - I can’t really remember) in order to get revenge on her brother:

“I will turn on [my brother]. I will meet him and I will know what was my father’s will...I might declare war on him”

“I have been puzzled as to what I should do...I will go to the son of my father’s friend, my godfather’s son….I will ask him to clear my name, and to ride with me against my brother”

“It is not his own land. It is mine. I will hold him to account. I will return and take back my lands...I will go to my godfather’s son and get help.”

“I will have my revenge on my brother, I will regain my inheritance”

Isolde repeats her desire for vengeance four times - at least - within three pages of text. I get that she’s passionate about it, but I’m not going to forget what he plan is just because somebody else started talking. It just really frustrated me to read the same conversation happening on repeat, it was unrealistic and clumsy.

Do I really need to talk about the werewolf incident? Surely not. Surely I don’t need to talk about how a whole village of people mistook a young boy who had grown up in the woods to be a werewolf. I was really intrigued by the introduction of a mythical creature because I wanted a fantasy element in the series, it was the perfect set up; Luca’s mission is to fight the devil so I thought it made perfect sense to have some magic included. I was genuinely intrigued by the idea of a werewolf, and with Frieze making friends with it - and when it spoke? Oh my gosh, that was the most involved and puzzled I became throughout the whole book! Instead, Frieze made friends with a young child who had grown up in the wild. I don’t care how many years he had lived there, how dirty, covered in hair or how feral this child was, I do not believe it possible for everyone to continue to believe it was a werewolf after they had captured it.

And now we come to the ending. The ending which didn’t really make me want to continue reading the series. If you have a mystery series, surely you end it on a cliffhanger? Instead, they sorted out the second mystery of the book and then started on their next adventure. I shan’t deny that some sort of set up for the next book has been included, but I don’t think it was a very good one. There was no urgency, nothing to induce me to read the next book as soon as possible, no feeling of needing desperately to know what happens to the characters. I was left totally underwhelmed by the writing of this book...the plot could have been something, but what a let down.

#book #books #book review #book review blog #book blog #book reviews #book recommendations #booklove #bookish #booklr #book tumblr #bookworm #Philippa Gregory #ya #changeling #order of darkness #series #series review #luca vero

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afoolsingenuity · 7 years ago

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Five Reasons To… Read The City of Brass

The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) – S.A. Chakraborty

Published: 8th March 2018 (UK) Source: Book box/Edelweiss Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Young Adult My Rating:

Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty—an imaginative alchemy of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and One Thousand and One Nights, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.

But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass?a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for . . .

I can probably think of more than five reasons to read The City of Brass but I will attempt to be concise and give you the best reasons for reading this utterly amazing book, even if it does involve convincing you folks to read the first book in yet another series. Actually, I’ll probably just try not flail too much and actually write coherent sentences because this was me after finishing:

Complex and Interesting Characters

The characters in this book were the best. Nahri was this amazing con artist. She could sense illness in people and she also conned the rich out of their money to fuel her pursuit of moving to be able to pursue being a doctor. Despite her abilities and their unknown origin, she didn’t believe in magic until a djinn (daeva) arrives in her life and she discovers there is an entire city of djinn called Daevabad. I loved how Nahri may have discovered a world of magic, demons and djinn but she never loses who she is and wants to be. Sure, she takes moments to question what she wants but she is still her own person and tries to avoid being swept away.

Then there is Dara, the mysterious djinn Nahri summons who has a dark past he mostly can’t remember and the bits which he does don’t always shine himself in the best light. He remembers a different world to the one he arrives in and although he wasn’t always a good person I did love him and the connection he built with Nahri. He was the man who introduced her to this other world and the two built a bond from that and helped one another grow.

There was also Prince Ali, one of the sons of the current ruler of Daevabad. I didn’t always love his actions or agree with his opinions but he did add a whole other element to the story. I won’t reveal the reasons why but Dara and Ali didn’t get along or agree on all things. They were on opposite sides of things and I sided much more with Dara on this but Ali wasn’t all bad. He was blunt and interesting and he was a good friend to Nahri even if he was far too blind to the faults of those closest to him.

Amazing World Building

The world Nahri and all of the characters inhabit is such an interesting one. Seeing how the world of the djinn overlapped with the human world was so cool. And then there was the city of Daevabad, that entire city was so interesting. It genuinely felt like a real place. I could visualise that city and the people living in it. It was fully fleshed and so interesting. You can tell that research went into studying the historical period the book is set and also in learning about the cultures which influenced those of the djinn. It wasn’t just one culture but multiple ones which influenced the different types of djinn. I thought it was a highlight of the book how real the world the characters inhabited was.

Family Mystery

Nahri had no knowledge of her own family. She didn’t question her origins too much on the streets of Cairo as she had to spend far more time concentrating on surviving and passing under the radar of the authorities as not all she did was strictly legal. It meant that as time went on and she learnt more about her possible past (and Dara’s past) the more intrigued I was and I just know that this will get explored in the next book (which I totally want in my hands now… I cannot be wishing away the year though). I think the mystery of both her origins and those of Dara led me to get sucked in as you see small hints of the past but there is so much more to be explored as the series progresses.

Djinn! (Or Daeva if You’re That Kind Of Guy)

This was such an original take on djinn. I haven’t read a lot of books featuring djinn anyway, but this one was so unique. The djinn and their society were so interesting. It was so similar to human society anyway which is logical but it was also unique. Each type of djinn had their own culture and each was so individually defined by both appearance but also their beliefs. Their abilities weren’t just chalked up as being magic but instead, there were abilities which folks tended to and then the half djinn, shafits, who were treated as lesser beings. Some of the mixed blood people also possessed abilities and I would be very interested to see why some did and some didn’t. There was the daeva (who took on the original name of the djinn) who were fire-based djinn and there were a large variety of others. The different djinn tribes actually lead on to the next point.

An Interesting Take On Racism and Religion And Class Which We Can All Relate To

One of the elements I liked most about this book is that it showed the mirroring of certain elements of the human world in that of the djinn. As soon as we were introduced to the world of the djinn through the eyes of Ali and then later Nahri it was obvious to me that there was discrimination against the shafts with the view that full-blooded djinn as being superior to those of the half blood shafit. It was similar to the pureblood superiority seen in Harry Potter but in City of Brass it goes beyond that with those in the different djinn tribes having their own rivalries.

The corruption seen in the ruling class of the djinn also meant viewing full blooded djinn as superior to those of the half blood shafits. They also had the view that the Daeva tribe were backward as they had their own religion whilst the rest of the djinn had a new different religion which was adopted and these divisions split the focus of the djinn and weakened them allowing corruption to spread.

I have to say, whilst the divisions in djinn society weren’t always comfortable to read because it made me so angry but it is one thing I love about fantasy reads. Even with its historical setting it was brilliant at highlighting the ingrained biases which occur in society and fantasy is an excellent way of achieving this. It was brilliant!

Have you read this and if so what are your reasons for others to read (if you loved it as much as I did)? And what’s your favourite fantasy read of late?

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