#also??? I wish they'd release more animated shorts???

[gotchibam]

Here's the smol fiery chibi Karlach I made as a sample for my chibi commissions~ ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥🔥

[dduane]

If you��re wondering why you’ve never seen a Totoro sequel within a streaming list or on the shelf at a video store, it’s because despite being made in 2002, Mei and the Baby Catbus (pictured directly above) has never been released for online viewing, physical commercial release, or regular theater runs. The only places where it can ever be seen are at the theaters inside Ghibli Park and the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo, but even at those venues it can’t be seen all the time, as Mei and the Baby Catbus (also sometimes known as “Mei and the Kittenbus”) is one of a number of Studio Ghibli anime short films that screen for limited periods of time. The screening rotation has no set pattern, but Ghibli Park has announced that Mei and the Baby Catbus will be coming to its theater on December 14, where it will be shown daily through January 31.

I really wish they'd release this more widely... :/

[offscreendeath]

thirsty suitors is one of those titles that the gamer gate ghouls would've made up to joke amongst themselves about how woke video games are getting nowadays, because they're pandering to xyz demographic.

but I haven't seen anybody with negative shit to say so far, which is surprising considering that everything about seems like it was engineered in a lab to piss them off...

queer, trans & nonbinary characters of color?

check

fat characters who are depicted as desireable and aren't made into comic relief?

check

a narrative that doesn't center white cis male experiences and gaze?

check

some food with seasoning???

check

a "battle" system that doesn't emphasize violent resolutions to conflicts?

check

femme & female characters who aren't sexualized to absurd degrees?

check

and theres probably more I'm missing because even the smallest departure from the formula these dorks are so accustomed to is enough to make them piss themselves in fury.

its kinda hard to put myself in the shoes of people like that because everything about this game was delightful and is exactly what i think has been missing in the industry for so long.

it would be one thing if the execution was more sloppy and not very thoughtfully made but it wasn't. nothing felt arbitrarily put in to accumulate woke points. if it were, i think it would've been pretty obvious and also not as well recieved.

and besides, in what dimension would it make sense that the creators of this game would choose to purposely make something that is so unlike all of the top selling titles if they just wanted to release a shitty cashgrab?

if all they wanted was to make money with a game that had guaranteed mainstream appeal, it doesn't make sense that they'd risk it with one where both of the main characters fail the paper bag test and they're both gay as hell. that doesnt exactly sound like a cash cow considering our political climate lately...or in the last 6000 years.

and don't get me wrong it isn't a perfect game and I'm confident the creators DID want it to be successful. i only wish certain animations were a bit more fluid and dynamic, specifically some of the facial expressions and model movements although i suspect this might have been a stylistic choice rather than an oversight.

it was also pretty short ,which isn't necessarily bad but significanly reduces the replay value from my perspective. i also wish the maps were sliiiightly bigger and that there was more to do in general. the minigames and such were fine mechanically, but after a while they got fairly repetative and not rewarding enough to keep doing after a certain point of play.

by and large though, everything else was pretty satisfying. though not quite open world, it definitely felt as though we have a great deal of autonomy in our exploration of the different areas of the map. i would've loved to see more interactable people and objects or even more special costumes and drip.

regardless i had a great time, even though some of the cooking challenges were so hard they'll haunt my nightmares.

8.5/10

[desultory-novice]

can you enlighten me on why people pair up marx and gryll so much? is there actually a reason for it or is it just a random fandom thing that stuck

So, side-stepping the issue of shipping for a moment, there's a lot of good reason to put Marx and Gryll together as characters...

They're both "magicians" (I've mentioned this before but Magolor and Taranza are explicitly "wizards" 魔術師 where as Marx and Gryll are "magicians" 魔法使い. It's hard to define the difference, as there's no set one definition, but most people consider the methodology of magic to be key in what separates a wizard from a magician.

What we can assume based on character animations is that wizards are more structured. Their spells seem more crafted. You can see Magolor and Taranza concentrating/focusing to perform spells. It's an effort for them. Whereas magicians seem to perform magic in a more natural fashion, almost without thought. Marx's attacks all happen as a matter of fact. He just does them. We've seen very little of Gryll, but flying through space without a care in the world looks like second nature to them. Interesting when even Kirby was starting to lose consciousness when left in the void of deep space!!)

Marx and Gryll are also both members of the funny hat club! They arrived on the Kirby series scene within about two years of each other; they both enjoy a dramatic entrance; Gryll is, at this point, either canonically non-binary or canonically without a gender (but given the fact that modern Kirby is finally okay with declaring characters non-binary, I think we can safely say Gryll would use they/them pronouns if their game was to ever get an official release and, just by looking at people's gijinka, Marx is maybe also not the most gender-conforming character ever. XD)

The biggest evidence in favor of them knowing each other is that they open up with the exact same "Hey, hey, hey!" in their respective games. That's distinctive enough that you almost KNOW they must know each other.

As for shipping them... Well... it's valid? Like most of Marx's implied relationships, canon gives us NOTHING so there is no real reason not to ship them...? Similar to how a lot of Marx and Magolor ships happen post-Milky Way Wishes, I see a lot of Marx and Gryll ships/shipping content happening pre-Milky Way Wishes. Marx and Gryll learning magic together, or knowing each other since they were younger and watching as the other changes (in this case, Marx getting more and more obsessed with his wish) as they grow up.

Dynamics-wise, there's something tempting about shipping Marx with someone who possibly knew him at his most fragile and innocent - when he was still "good" - and is still capable of seeing him that way. (And I did see one short MaruGuri piece that got me good - where Marx was in the process of growing his wings out/transforming between his two "states" and was having a rough time of it but Gryll was there to comfort him through the process.) Gryll is also someone that Marx, from his POV, doesn't have any reasons to be antagonistic with.

Despite that, I don't really ship them because 1) I just ended up liking them as having a familial/found-family relationship more - Marx doesn't have any close (...on-screen...) bonds with anyone outside of Kirby and so giving them Gryll (in a non-romantic way) helps flesh out Marx's character and give him someone to confide in and someone who can give him a good talking to when he gets out of hand and 2) they kind of neutralize each other?

It's the same reason I don't ship Magoranza, even though I think it's a fine pairing! They've got similar-ish (?) backstories and hobbies and interests, and I'm sure they'd make great, even close friends, but they don't have anything that, to me, gives them that strong spark.

Between he and Gryll, Marx is, obviously, the more troubled one. Also the more bombastic one. (Although Gryll has plenty of pep. Also just lots of big sibling energy. ...What ARE Salt, Sugar, and Pepper, by the way? Gryll's kid siblings? Gryll's familiars? ...Gryll's KIDS?!)

It just feels like, though they have a lot in common (loving a good fight/challenge) the generally good-natured Gryll would just be overwhelmed by Marx's force of personality? Again, same with MagoRanza. Nothing against the pairing but w/ my takes on the characters, I feel like Taranza would be lost in Magolor's depths.

I also worry that in a MaruGuri pairing, Gryll would spend more time wrangling Marx away from his more dangerous habits and it would eventually feel confining to Marx? Whereas that's a dynamic that feels pretty natural with two sibling-esque characters.

With two agents of chaos like Marx and Magolor, there's a fear they'll encourage each other to TRULY dangerous stunts (and if you believe Marx baited Magolor into the Master Crown, then they absolutely do) but at the same time, they're probably best suited to knowing their own limits? At the very least, there shouldn't be a power imbalance there, emotional or magical.

Of the four magic-users, only Magolor is a fully realized character. Taranza comes in second but still has a TON of gaps. Marx is mostly made of HC at this point, and Gryll is nearly 100% that.

So you can really see them as any way you want! And if you like coupling the magic-users, MaruGuri is a more natural way to "pair the spares" than trying to put Taranza and Gryll together. Or MagoGryll. Or MaruRanza for that matter! (Or you could skip the headache and just polycule them??)

EDIT: I FORGOT that Marx Soul also has pointed toe shoes that are a lot like Gryll's! Really weird connection, but there you go!

[marciabrady]

You don’t have to answer this but you mentioned in a previous ask that you believe certain princesses should be removed for the line. I’m very curious about this as I know there’s a lot of debate around certain princesses and why they should/shouldn’t “qualify.” As well as why certain princesses should be retired (one in particular). And then, were there any princesses you wished had made the line? It’s sad that some lost out due to lack of financial success as they often seemed as deserving of it as others. Sorry if you answered these before. You have so much passion in how you speak on Disney and the princesses, I’m curious for your thoughts. Thank you! <3

Thank you so much for wanting to know what I think and for valuing my opinion! This is a sticky conversation because in certain instances, like with Moana for instance, I don't think she should be a princess at all but I'd rather have her in the line than someone like Rapunzel because, despite the fact that I don't like either of them, Moana adds more to the line in terms of representation whereas Rapunzel...in my opinion, adds nothing.

In terms of omission, I don't want Rapunzel in the line personally but that's just because I dislike her and I feel like she clashes with the other princesses, through her personality and appearance. I mentioned previously how I felt all the other princesses, even if I didn't like certain ones, had their own universes and unique perspectives and energies. Rapunzel doesn't offer that, in my opinion, and began the wave of the princesses becoming generic and cookie cutter in terms of having a very similar personality and the obligatory homogenization and infantilization that comes along with 3d animation. Plus, I think the others- despite having certain factors about their films or attitudes that might be indicative of the time they came out in- escape being too dated and age pretty well, whereas the 3d girls just have a short shelf life to me and remind me too much of the time they were released in. So, honestly, of the existing princesses, I think the line should've ended with Tiana because I think she was a really good addition? If we're including the 3d girls, I don't know why Merida is in there considering she was made by Pixar and, I'm not even going to front, I think her values stem from a misogyny masquerading as feminism place and I don't even think she'd want to be in the line. The fact that she's so reluctant about being a princess kinda bums me out considering how much heroines like Mulan and Tiana add by virtue of being in the lineup and how much harder they had to work to be considered. I also really don't think Moana should be in the line- I hate the music of her film, how immature she is and how a minor provided her voice, and she literally says within her movie, canonically, "I'm not a princess"- and says so with disgust. So...why is she included?

Pocahontas is a difficult situation because I personally like her being in the line as I love her design, the music of her film, and her morals. However, her descendants have spoken up and said they wish she would be omitted from the line, so it's not really my place to say whether she stays or leaves. I'd love if Esmeralda stayed in the line and if Meg was included, though I don't know if they'd quite fit. I'm happy with Giselle being excluded and though I wish Wendy and Alice were more prevalent in Disney merchandising, I do think they would be too young for the "Leading Ladies" vibe I want.

I replied to a similiar ask on a different blog and think that my reply is relevant here: my personal recommendation is to begin splitting the marketing up! I think Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty should be marketed together as “Walt’s Princesses.” Aimed for an older audience of art lovers that are collectors, the line would feature authentic items and continue the tradition of hand drawn animation. A lot of integration about Walt would be abundant here, as his hand was paramount to their creation. I want them to be marketed as the women they are, instead of the weird baby hybrids they sometimes become. I think this move would be able to retain Aurora’s operative quality, Cinderella’s soft jazz voice, and Snow White’s coloratura that is eradicated so often for a generic “pop” feel. They’d also just be able to feel like themselves and they, with the aim of this franchise being marketed to a 30-90+ age base, would help animation be seen as a category of film, as opposed to kids’ stuff, the way Walt intended. Another line- “ready to stand” would feature Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Esmeralda, Meg, Mulan, Tiana, and Pocahontas! So much great diversity, and keeping them with one another would really allow them to continue looking like products of the 90s, as opposed to whatever they’re currently turning into. They’re also all Broadway girls! It’d be aimed to a base that’s in the 20-40ish age range. It’s fancy, has sing along values, and the nostalgia, but also the adult factor with characters like Esmeralda, Pocahontas, and Meg bringing a more serious tone. Lastly, the 3D girls: Rapunzel, Frozen sisters, Moana, Merida, and Raya. They’re all 3D and should be aimed toward like a preK-early 20s audience because I feel like they mostly cater to that age range? Part of me almost wants to spilt them up into Rapunzel, Frozen sisters, Giselle, and Merida and then have Raya, Moana, Kida…maybe a grown up Eilowny and Nakoma too???

[amaya-chwan]

Takeaways from Therapy Game: Restart Chapter 13 (and some Therapy Game news!)

Hello everyone! I hope you've all been well these past two months and taken care of yourselves! 💜

Before we get into our takeaways for chapter 13, I saw some news from Hinohara-sensei's Official Twitter that I would like to share with you all!

First piece of news: Therapy Game re:start volume 2 will be released on 1st June 2021! 🎉

Second: in conjunction with the release of the second volume, Sensei will have an in-person fan signing event at the Ikebukuro Animate store (animate honten) AND will have a special limited time shop featuring goods of our favourite dorks! This shop will be opened 6th-20th June! 🎉🎉

Image from Sensei's Official Twitter post! ❤️💛💜❤️

Now, what does the second piece of news mean for us not living in Japan (such as myself)? 🤔 Well, one of two things could happen:

We could see the merch on Sensei's Twitter and wish we could buy them one day 😭 OR

Animate could "potentially" release this merch for online order!

I'm not trying to get anyone's hopes up, but when I saw Animate open a special Yuri!!! on Ice shop last year, I didn't think they'd release merch online. But they did, for a very, very short period of time only! So my only hope is that they do that again for Hinohara-sensei! 🤞

Here's the special website from Sensei's twitter that has information about the fan signing event and limited time shop! It seems they'll show what merch will be available in the shop when it's all been finalised.

If I spot anymore updates about that, I'll try to post about it here! ❤️💛

Alright, down to business as usual! Let's get into our takeaways~ Thank you for being so patient with me! Life has been a little busy this year with juggling work and social life! So I really appreciate your patience! 💜

Here are our takeaways for this chapter:

Loving the brotherly love we see in this chapter! Warms my heart to no end! ❤️💛💜❤️

Minato, bb, you are growing up a lot! I am proud of you! 😭

Did I ever tell you guys that I really love Mito-san too? No? Well now I have ahah! He is just amazing and I love the energy he has--cool and lovable, yet smooth and sexy! Loving the domestic vibes I'm getting! 😍😍

AHHH SHIZUMA! Your smile is too pure, it's blinding! 🥰

Just couple goals from Shizuma and Minato, AND from Mito-san and Shouhei! (Why I don't call Mito-san Itsuki, I'll never know ahah I blame Shouhei! XDDD) ❤️💛💜❤️

The younger sibling moments in this chapter are so relatable! (I am that younger sibling ahahah!) 🤣🤣🤣

I honestly don't know what to think of Onodera at this point in time? 🤔

The (supposed) date time with Shizuma and Minato went from adorable anticipation to steamy relations in a split second, but not NSFW! 😲

And that’s it for this chapter’s takeaways! For a more detailed breakdown/summary of this chapter, please continue after the cut! Since it's been a while since the last chapter, I threw in some extra surprises in this summary, so keep reading if you want to see~  😉✨

Our chapter begins with an image of Mito-san and Minato, with Minato's cheek leaning on Mito-san's shoulder. The dialogue reads: When it seems like my overflowing emotions are about to burst from the seams, I really do yearn for this back (i.e. something familiar he can always lean on).

We see Minato spaced out on a sofa, being called by Itsuki. Itsuki tells Minato to go home if he's just going to sit there like that since he is very busy cleaning his entire home for when Shouhei moves in with him! Minato gets up, understands the situation, and helps Itsuki out.

Itsuki, knowing something has happened between Shizuma and Minato, asks Minato directly since he only goes to Itsuki's place when he is troubled, and he must be troubled by something related to Shizuma. He also says that Shizuma is worried about Minato, especially since Itsuki lied to him about Minato's whereabouts.

Minato brushes it off, saying that it's nothing big. He talks about the time when they had to drop by Shizuma's workplace, he saw a woman/Onodera (not knowing she's Shizuma's director) and that Shizuma made an very adorable face while talking to her.

Minato stops talking, so Itsuki asks if that is all to the story. Minato then says yes, so Itsuki deduces that Minato is ignoring Shizuma because he happily spoke with that woman (Onodera) and confirms with Minato, who then agrees. Itsuki blames himself for raising Minato like this and apologises to Shizuma in his inner monologue.

Minato defensively says he's told Shizuma not to do that, yet he still does. Minato's monologue says that this Shizuma--who is talking to someone unknown to him, about a story he doesn't know, in a place he doesn't know about--seems like a distant person to him.

He realises that even though he and Shizuma are together, he cannot monopolise him, and that it annoys him. So rather than tell him not to speak with others, he has chosen not to see Shizuma until he calms down. Suddenly, a handyman appears at Itsuki's home to beginning furniture installations.

Image translated from Sensei’s Twitter post here!

Minato is surprised Itsuki replaced a lot of his furniture, to which Itsuki replies: "I wonder if Shouhei-kun prefers the new ones too."  Minato says Shouhei would freeze from this "surprise" and imagines Shouhei asking how much it cost!

Itsuki, still in his happy bubble, says he wants Shouhei to also select some household furniture and accessories, so they'll go shopping together next time. Minato is happy for them since their house-moving plans are going well. Itsuki goes back to their previous topic of conversation, and says how Shizuma and Shouhei both are very charming. He recounts how Shouhei would handle different kinds of customers, from the difficult to the sad ones, how his charms and personable skills would change their mood completely, and calls him a genius who has a knack for calming customers.

Minato asks if Itsuki dislikes that, since he himself doesn't know what to think of Shizuma showing his charm and friendliness to others and that some misunderstandings would arise eventually.

Itsuki then reminds Minato that out of all the people in the world, Shizuma asked Minato to live with him, and that thought alone must've made him happy.

Minato does agree, yet it doesn't change the fact that he is unaware of what Shizuma does outside of the home. Itsuki is then suspicious that Minato and Shizuma are going to move in together too.

Minato panics, and says he just meant that from Itsuki's point of view since he's moving in with Shouhei. Just as Minato thinks he's almost let the secret slip, he gets a phone call. Itsuki tells Minato that it's Shizuma, but Minato refuses to pick it up as he is "still cleaning"--the real reason is that Minato told Shizuma he wouldn't forgive him if they speak before Minato gave the OK to talk again.

Itsuki, being the older brother, answers the phone and slides it on the desk near Minato and leaves him to talk with Shizuma, even putting it on loud speaker since Minato is preoccupied.

Shizuma is frantically trying to get a response from Minato, to which Minato responds with a simple: “What... I can hear you.” The first thing Shizuma asks is where Minato is at this present moment, fearing that he might be at a suspicious place. Minato says he isn't and is in fact in the neighbourhood doing some errands. Shizuma breathes a sigh of relief and is thankful his call finally reached Minato as no one he asked knew where Minato was, and because Shizuma was overthinking things, he was just about to go searching for him.

Minato tells him that he doesn't need to go to such lengths and make such a big fuss about it, but Shizuma tells him that he will always make a big fuss about it since it's about Minato. To avoid such a thing happening again, Shizuma tells Minato not to make him worry. Then these pages happen:

Just as their talk of their brothers' moving into together comes to an end, Shizuma gets all excited to go apartment hunting with Minato again and reminds him, not knowing that Itsuki is also listening. The Mito brothers freeze in surprise, with Itsuki soon confirming his earlier suspicions with Minato--his eyes and aura going all kira kira (i.e. sparkly). Minato tries to reprimand him for bringing it up now, but Shizuma continues on, saying he's found a few places he likes and they should start inspecting prospective apartments soon before they're overwhelmed by it all.

Minato hastily agrees to it all, and Shizuma smirks on the other end of the phone, asking Minato when they can see each other. Shizuma suggests Friday if he is too busy at the present moment, and just as Minato gives work as an excuse not to see him on that day, Itsuki jumps in and says he can go see Shizuma.

Shizuma, very surprised by the fact Itsuki overheard their conversation, says his name aloud, and Shouhei overhears him. Itsuki thanks Shizuma for letting him overhear such an adorable story featuring Shouhei. And then this happens:

Still very flustered, Minato quickly agrees to seeing Shizuma on Friday and promptly ends the call before Shizuma can even finish saying "Wait!" Itsuki happily approaches Minato and asks to hear more of their apartment hunting adventures, to which Minato replies that nothing is final yet!

We change locations, and Minato is now on the balcony scrubbing the floor. Minato recalls how he wanted to tell Itsuki about his and Shizuma's plans to move in together further down the track. He then is overjoyed at the thought that Shizuma missed him and wanted to see him. While he awaits Friday, he remembers and is embarrassed by how furious he was the last time they saw each other. He plans to start a skin routine to care for his face and to get his hair done.

Just as he thinks this, he is called out by none other than Shizuma, who is on the ground floor outside. Minato, visibly surprised, asks Shizuma why he’s here. Shizuma tells him that the shop is close to his home. Minato knows this, but is more curious as to why he is here since they just agreed to see each other on Friday. Shizuma is taken aback for a moment, before saying: 

While Minato hides away from Shizuma and quickly tries to style his hair, Itsuki overhears a ruckus on his balcony and goes to investigate. We then find out that Shouhei accompanied Shizuma. Shouhei calls out to Itsuki and asks why he didn't tell him that he was cleaning the whole house. The Ikushima brothers offer to help out with the cleaning, with Shizuma joining in because his younger brother will be under Itsuki's care soon. Itsuki happily agrees, saying that he wouldn't be able to fully clean the place if only Minato were there.

As the Ikushima brothers are getting ready to go upstairs to help, Itsuki says the brothers are indeed good, endearing people, and their charming personalities would probably make Minato and Itsuki anxious at times. Minato agrees. Itsuki then continues to say that while Shizuma and Shouhei charm those around them, the only ones who can make them smile the way they do are themselves. Minato is concerned about a possible intruder in their relationship, and Itsuki provides some brotherly advice.

We change scenes to Onodera, smoking on the clinic rooftop and thinking about Shizuma's smiling face.

We change scenes again to Minato, waiting for Shizuma at a predetermined location since it is now Friday. Happy with his new hairdo, Minato reminds himself not to get angry, to sort out the current situation they're in (i.e. Minato's one-sided anger at Shizuma), and to be calm and collected.

Shizuma then gets out of a car across the road, and looks around for Minato. Minato, who can see him very clearly, smiles happily and decides to let Shizuma look for him a little longer. A few more moments pass by, and Shizuma spots Minato and then waves happily to him. However, there is a slight problem.

Minato sees “the woman from last time” (Onodera) driving the car who then passes Shizuma his phone, with him smiling awkwardly at her. He recalls Itsuki's brotherly advice. Minato had actually asked Itsuki a follow-up question: "You say ‘just don't lose,’ but what should I actually do?" Itsuki tells him that it's something he has to figure out for himself.

Shizuma runs to Minato, apologising for making Minato wait. He explains that he was running late due to various issues, and he seemed to have dropped his phone in the car of the person who dropped him off. Before he could even tell Minato that it's his director who dropped him off, Minato says he doesn't need to say anything else and to just go out with him.

We see that Shizuma and Minato are now at a hotel, with Minato quickly pushing Shizuma onto the bed. Shizuma is annoyed at himself for letting Minato see such a scene that would cause a misunderstanding. Before heading over to the bed, Minato closes the door, turns to face Shizuma, and grins. He crawls onto the bed and immediately kisses Shizuma. He calls out Shizuma's name before asking him:

He softly pleads with Shizuma, asking for a quick response. Shizuma wonders if Minato's jealously is making him want to be held right now. He thinks Minato is really, really adorable, but also realises this isn't the right time to be thinking this. So Shizuma does tell Minato he loves him, that it's obvious he loves him very much. He apologises for causing him to worry and that he never once intended to do so. Minato cuts him off, saying that he understands and that it's okay.

Despite saying so, Shizuma notices the atmosphere is a little different than usual. Minato then tells Shizuma that he's been thinking of a way to ensure he doesn't lose Shizuma to anyone or lets anyone take him. The final page shows us this:

Again, THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR! 💜 📢  As always, please support Hinohara-sensei by purchasing her books and CDs! 📢

And that’s it for this chapter! 😲 Another cliffhanger here, and ngl that was a little (SFW-ish) steamy? I honestly do not know what to expect in the next chapter!! Dominant Minato?????  But I hope you enjoyed the few extra panels in this summary! 💜 My laptop struggled to keep up, so I will go back to only showing a handful of panels in future summaries. Please also refrain from resharing these translations and images outside of this post! Thank you for understanding! ❤️💛

The next chapter will be in next month's Dear+, so the wait isn't too much longer! So I shall see you all next month for our next set of takeaways to find out what happens next!

As always, stay safe during these turbulent times and look out for each other and for your loved ones! 💜❤️💛

[jadelotusflower]

June 2021 Roundup

It's been a month of highs and lows. Every year my city holds a cabaret festival, and I've seen some truly amazing acts over the years - including Lea Salonga, Kristin Chenoweth, and Indina Menzel. This year's Artistic Director was the great Alan Cumming, and although due to covid he didn't quite get to curate the program he wanted to, the opening night Gala was still a highlight, as was Alan's DJ set at the pop-up Club Cumming afterwards, where there was much singing at the top of my lungs and dancing to pop anthems and theatre tunes. At one point Alan, dressed in a onesie and perched on the shoulders of a man wearing only sparkly short shorts, was carried around the dance floor while Circle of Life blared. Reader, I was delighted.

I was also able to see his solo show Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age, which was hilarious and damn, he can sing!

As for the low, I was meant to fly to Sydney for the weekend to see Hamilton, a trip I have been looking forward to for almost a year, but had to be cancelled because of a covid outbreak and border closures. The tickets have been rescheduled, but I'm still kind of bummed about it (while completely appreciating the need for covid safety, especially when our vaccine rollout has been completely botched by our incompetent, corrupt federal government)

Anyway.

Reading

The Hundred and One Dalmations (Dodie Smith) - With all the bewilderment over Disney's Cruella, I decided to revisit the original novel which I first read as a kid. It's funny, I had very vivid memories of this book, or rather thought I did, particularly the scene where Roger and Anita have dinner at Cruella's house that fixed in my young mind as utterly disturbing with all this devil imagery and the implication Cruella was literally some kind of demon, which must have been either a) my overactive imagination or b) an illustration, because it's not as clear as I thought it was. The strangeness is there (food with too much pepper, Cruella's inability to keep warm, the walls painted blood red) but not the explicit demon imagery I had remembered. There is a part later in the book recounting the history of Hell Hall and the rumors of Cruella's ancestor streaking out of the place conjuring blue lightening, but clearly child me was reading far more into the book than was on the page.

But I still wish they'd gone with this version of Cruella's backstory, because to me an aristocratic, ink-drinking, heat-obsessed, possibly-demon spawn, high camp villain is more interesting and rings far more true than plucky punk against the establishment.

Smith clearly had Facts About Dalmations to share, and she does really craft a wonderful animal-based story that the Disney animated film is largely faithful to. Key differences include: Roger's occupation (he doesn't have to pay tax because he wiped out government debt somehow?!?), Pongo's mate and the puppy's mother is called Missis, Perdita is another dalmation who acts as a kind of doggie wet nurse, Roger and Anita both have Nannies who come to live with them (Nanny Butler and Nanny Cook), Cruella is married to a furrier (who changed his last name to de Vil). Also odd, on her first description Cruella is described as having "dark skin" but later in the novel her "white face" is mentioned, so I'm chalking it up to 50's descriptors not having the same meanings they do today.

The Duke and I (Julia Quinn) - After being just whelmed by the tv series, I wasn't really planning on reading the books, but I saw this on the top picks shelf at the library and damn, the top picks shelf is irresistible. This is very much Daphne's book (and I had known each in the series dealt with the different sibling) so many of the characters and much of the plot of the show is absent, as are some of the more baffling elements of the show like the Diamond of the First Water nonsense, which I always thought was a strange character choice in that it stacks the deck for Daphne when her character arc is better served as somewhat of an underdog (in her third season, the kind of girl who is liked but not adored), and the Prince subplot which was always far too OTT even for soapy regency romance.

It's a breezy, fun read (that scene excepted), even if the misunderstandings are contrived and I'm never going to take "I'll never have kids because I hate my dad" as a credible romantic obstacle deserving of so much angst.

Faeries (Brian Froud and Alan Lee) - A lovingly detailed and illustrated compendium of Faerie and its inhabitants, drawing from a range of European (but primarily Celtic) folklore and mythology. Froud was a conceptual designer on The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, and the link is clear in the art as well as the focus on faeries as mysterious but oftimes sinister beings, where human encounters with them rarely end well. Lee has illustrated several publications of Tolkien's novels, and was a lead concept artists for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, and there is a touch of Middle Earth here as well, or rather the common inspiration of the old world. A useful resource for my novel!

Watching

The Handmaid's Tale (season 4, episodes 4-8) SPOILERS - So when I last wrote about this show in the Roundup, I was complaining it wasn't going anywhere. Well, I'm happy to be wrong because they finally changed things up with June finally escaping to Canada. That part of the plot following the survivors and their trauma has always been far more compelling than Gilead, and so it was a welcome development even if I side-eye some of the choices (none of these characters is seeing an actual licensed therapist why?).

This show has always been difficult to watch given the subject matter, and that has not changed after the shift in power dynamics. I will give the show credit for showing a broad range of trauma responses, from Moira wanting to move on and not let it consume her, to June, a ball of rage and revenge on a downward spiral, to Emily, trying to follow Moira's path but being drawn to June's, to Luke, trying his best but utterly unequipped to deal with what is happening.

But it is very hard to watch June go down this path - raping her husband (I concede the show perhaps didn't intend for it to be rape, but that's what is on screen and framing it as just "taking away Luke's agency" doesn't change that), wishing death on Serena's unborn child, and orchestrating Fred's brutal murder by particulation, then holding her own daughter still covered in his blood and it getting smeared on Nicole's face (an unsubtle metaphor in a series full of unsubtle metaphors).

There are interesting questions being asked of the viewer, and the show (perhaps rightly) not giving any answers. I can certainly appreciate the catharsis of Fred getting what he deserves even if I personally find the manner of it horrifying, but where is the line between justice and revenge, is revenge the only option when justice is denied, when does a trauma release become cyclical violence/abuse - the show is, for now, letting the viewer decide.

Soul (dir. Pete Docter and Kemp Powers) - In a world full of remakes/reboots/sequels, Pixar is perhaps the lone segment under the Disney umbrella committed to original content. However, there does seem to be a Pixar formula at work directed to precision tugging the heart strings, and some of the film feels like well-trod ground. On the other hand, it's hard to criticise the risk of centering a kids film around the existential crisis of a middle aged man, even with the requisite cutesy elements (and of course, the uncomfortable pattern of yet another film where the black lead character spends a great deal of the runtime in non-human form - herein, an amorphous blob or a cat). But the animation is stunning, it successfully did tug my heart strings, and the design of the Great Before and the Jerrys is original and fun.

RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under - Drag Race is somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me, since I generally don't watch reality shows, and this is something I really enjoy even if I'm not invested in the fandom (which like many fandoms can be very yikes). This year it was time for the Australian/New Zealand (Aotearoa) queens to show their stuff, although it's been met with mixed reactions. Covid restrictions didn't allow for guest judges, relegating them to mere cameos via video calls, and its clear that Ru and Michelle really don't quite get all the cultural nuances - Aussie judge Rhys Nicholson was however always delightful. But it wouldn't be Australia without a racism scandal, with the great disappointment of the two queens of colour eliminated first, and one queen having done blackface in the recent past yet making it all the way to the top four.

In the end, the only viable and deserving winner was last Kiwi standing Kita Mean, and it was pure joy to see her get crowned. I do hope they fix the bugs and indeed do another season to better showcase AU/NZ talent.

Writing

A far more productive month - to try and get out of my writing funk I had a goal to try and write every day, even if it was only 100 words. While I didn't quite achieve a consecutive month, I did get a pretty good average, at least got something posted and two others nearly there.

The Lady of the Lake - 2441 words, Chapter 4 posted.

Against the Dying of the Light - 2745 words

Turn Your Face to the Sun - 1752 words.

Here I Go Again - 1144 words

Total words this month: 8082

Total words this year: 35,551