#awesome badass cyborg girl

[cyberpunkonline]

Cyberpunk Chronicles: Celebrating the Badass Women of the Neon Era

In the heart of the neon-lit cyberpunk landscape, where the future and the digital realm collide, there exists a legion of unforgettable heroines who've been blazing trails and rewriting the rules since the very inception of this thrilling genre. Cyberpunk, as a genre, is not just a collection of stories; it's a reflection of an era marked by the rapid advancement of technology, the rise of mega-corporations, and the ever-present tension between individuality and conformity. And at the heart of this tumultuous world are these extraordinary women who not only navigated the treacherous cybernetic jungles but thrived in them.

Part I: Pioneers of Cyberpunk Awesomeness

Our journey begins in the early '80s when cyberpunk was born as a rebellious response to corporate might and an embrace of all things high-tech and edgy. This was an era when society was witnessing the birth of personal computing, the spread of the internet, and the omnipresence of corporate power. Cyberpunk, at its core, has always been about questioning authority, exposing the dark underbelly of technological advancement, and embracing the counterculture spirit.

Molly Millions - The Razor Girl

In William Gibson's "Neuromancer" (1984), we meet Molly Millions, the epitome of cyberpunk badassery. With her mirrored shades and retractable razor nails, she wasn't just a force of nature; she was a trailblazer, proving that women could kick cyber-butt with the best of them. Molly set the standard for cool in this electrifying world.

Part II: Embracing the Cyborg Identity

Fast forward to the '90s, when the internet was revolutionizing our lives and questions about identity and humanity were in the air. Cyberpunk continued to evolve, delving deeper into the complexities of human-machine interaction.

Major Motoko Kusanagi - The Ghost in the Shell

Major Motoko Kusanagi from the anime "Ghost in the Shell" (1995) was a living testament to the ever-evolving world of cyber-enhancement. She wasn't there to dominate; she was there to thrive alongside her diverse team. Her journey into the depths of cyber-philosophy and identity was nothing short of mind-blowing. Motoko embodied the spirit of empowerment, showing that gender equality could coexist with a mind-bending plot.

Part III: Breaking Stereotypes and the Femme Fatale

The late '90s brought us the internet's full-blown takeover, but it didn't mean we were about to abandon action-packed stories.

Trinity - The Matrix's Rebel Leader

Trinity, from "The Matrix" (1999), was pure dynamite. Leather-clad and loaded with skills, she shattered stereotypes and delivered epic moments. She wasn't there to dominate, but she sure as heck wasn't taking a backseat. In an era of embracing different perspectives, Trinity was all about equality and a whole lot of awesomeness.

Part IV: The Expansive Cyberpunk Universe

What makes cyberpunk truly remarkable is its boundless nature, spanning a multitude of media. It's not just confined to books and films; it extends its reach into anime, TV series, video games, audio dramas, and more. This genre isn't content with merely exploring the near-future dystopian landscapes; it thrives on pushing boundaries and exploring the limitless potential of the human-machine interface.

Conclusion: The Ever-Incredible Cyberpunk Heroes

In a world driven by technology and corporate might, these characters prove that being a total badass knows no gender boundaries. They're the characters who make you pump your fist and cheer because they're just that awesome. Whether it's their empowering presence, their role in smashing gender norms, or just their sheer ability to kick cyber-butt, these women have left an indelible mark on the ever-evolving world of cyberpunk. As we navigate the neon-lit streets of this genre, let's raise a toast to these icons—they're the definition of awesomeness in a genre that refuses to be confined by any medium or narrative convention.

- Raz

[cyborg00-why]

So I watched the Pharaoh's curse episode, and can I just day cyborg 003 is a fucking badass in it I mean the 2002 anime may have not given her much but boy they at least made her a badass

But never mind me how you go gush ablut how she's awesome in this episode and tell everyone exactly why she's awesome in this episode

I am just now seeing this in my inbox- sorry!

Yeah totally the Pharaoh's Curse is a great one in the Cyber Solider canon. I think it does a really great job at highlighting Francoise as a multifaceted character without feeling forced. She is given many opportunities to highlight parts of her character that otherwise are left solely to episode 1 and recap episode exposition, while still feeling very sincere.

At her core I get the impression Francoise isn't exactly a pacifist but she tries to exhaust all other options before jumping into conflict. A lot of times in series where action is shown as the default or the only way to problem solve, lack thereof can come across as a sort of cop out? But I think this just speaks more to her emotional intelligence and level of empathy than to the naivety of her youth? Like, she is keenly aware that you cannot undo an act of violence even if it's in the name of "justice". But she also seems aware that having the option to abstain from action is a choice not afforded to everyone. Because she is in a position of having that choice, she exercises it at every opportunity. When able to we always see her trying to appeal to others humanity and extend good faith in their intent even when it is difficult. Largely in part because she as a cyborg can afford to handle the repercussions of a mistaken good faith intent, but one taken in bad faith? That could cost lives.

So in this episode, where there isn't room or time to think of alternative solutions, having Francoise be one of the first to a) accept there is no reasoning with people who already manufactured a weapon b) insist she was the best choice to send in alone in an attempt to save the most lives possible was a big moment for her character. It sort of really drives home (for me anyway) that her resolve as a cyborg isn't staunch opposition to fighting but doing everything in her power to protect as many people as she can. She isn't ignorant to the consequences, but is driven by them. Plus we get to see that she is just as much brains as she is beauty in a setting where it's more obvious. At the end we are given a great narrative bit by Fran as well that really exemplifies how she tries to lead by love. Which isn't easy to begin with under everyday circumstances but this is a girl who has been through and seen so much. Yet every day wakes up and makes the choice to try and choose love every chance she can, Fran does not get enough credit!

[theseventhoffrostfall]

The whole world seems like a wet dream for polyamorous they/thems with milquetoast liberal politics, but in every case immediately showcases these people as completely inept in dealing with real-world problems.

Like, the not-internet and its interface implants let you broadcast your pronouns and gender preferences and dating status to everyone around you, which is repeatedly used to pinpoint hostiles because they don't turn it off in tactical environments

the human protagonists are all from a UBI-included utopia where everyone's some kind of vague academic doing 'scientific research' involving cutesy rock-collecting expeditions and dolphin-watching with their five wives, two husbands and three nonbinary lifemates--whereupon they're so hopelessly inept in the face of any emergency that at one point the titular cyborg is wounded and his companions are panicking too much to operate the autodoc medkit.

two badass mercenary tough girl chicks show up with badass Mass Effect super-computerized power armor, which is so elite and advanced that its networking functions aren't isolated from its motive control software, allowing it to be hacked and completely immobilize them

the protagonist is always going off about how worthless humans are in combat (which, granted, makes sense considering the setting it's in) and fighting should be left to awesome cyborg things like itself. Every fight it gets into it gets completely trashed and shot to shit because it knows nothing about basic tactics to the point I don't recall-- in the stories I read, at least-- it ever taking cover once.

The whole thing is like a mass effect fanfic where the author's only experience with the use of violence is particular Kurasawa movies and has no idea that sometimes people are competent in the face of adversity, or at all.

I mean, it's still not worth my time and it's what broke me of the habit of preloading for long shifts away from internet access by getting several books in a series that looked interesting rather than sampling one, specifically because it was so goofy and frustrating on top of unironically having neopronoun users in it, but it's fascinating in retrospect

I maintain my theory that the Murderbot Diaries books are a subtle work of brilliant satire meant to take the absolute piss out of the people reading them

[autobots-and-their-crazy-kids]

Reviewing Autobot Humans:

⭐ = Full Star 

✨ = Half Star 

Spike Witwicky, Carly Spencer and Chip Chase from The Transformers;

Each of these humans may have simple personalities (which is fair, since this cartoon was made in the 1980s), but each of them are smart and talented in their own fields. 

Spike and his dad are great at building things, while Carly specializes in electronics as well as chemistry and Chip is a computer genius. 

The original Autobot human allies were awesome and yet they’re sadly underrated and sometimes even forgotten. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for all of them! 

*

T-AI and Koji Onishi from Robots In Disguise;

T-AI was basically the human-looking robotic girl of Transformers before Sari from TFA made it cool. 

She’s a helpful hologram with a heart full of hope.

But she does have her sassy and snarky moments too. 

*Meanwhile, Koji is a bright and brave boy who teams up with the Autobots to get his genius dad back from Megatron, but his personality isn’t as memorable compared to Autobot humans from other Transformers media. 

He’s also able to see the good in Skybyte before the Autobots did and asks Skybyte to give his dad a present for his birthday. 

His love for his kidnapped parent convinced Skybyte to free Koji’s father from Megatron’s grasp. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐ for T-AI 

⭐⭐⭐✨ for Koji 

*

The Children from Unicron Trilogy’s Armada; 

The personalities of the Armada kids are pretty generic and kinda boring, but it’s pretty badass that Alexis managed to help Starscream to change for the better. 

Alexis is the only human so far to convince a Decepticon to become an Autobot. 

And it makes sense that Starscream and Alexis get along considering that they both can be control freaks sometimes! XD 

⭐⭐ for Rad

⭐⭐⭐✨ for Alexis

⭐⭐ for Carlos 

⭐ for Billy

⭐ for Fred

*

Sari Sumdac from Transformers Animated;

Sari is a unique as well as interesting character with a quirky personality and plays a special role in the world of TFA. 

Sari spend most of her life isolated from the rest of the world in her dad’s building where he creates his inventions. Although her father loved her more then anything, he usually too busy to spend time with her, so he created non-sentient robots to educate, entertain and comfort her. Most kids around her age think she’s too weird and avoid her as well, so the Autobots basically became her first and only friends. 

Sari is also a cyborg. (However, TFA prefers to use the term ‘techno-organic’.) 

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨, I’d give her five, but her origins are never properly explained and I’m not a big fan of how her upgraded form looks... (Love her battle armor though...) 

*

Jack Darby, Raf Esquivel and Miko Nakadai from Transformers Prime; 

Jack is the one with the most common sense of the three and he is sometimes shown to act like a leader to them. But unfortunately most of it is wasted potential. His personality is pretty generic as well and all we know about his interests is that he likes motorcycles and girls. There was one episode where it’s implied that he likes camping and nature too, but it’s never brought up again. His single nurse mom has more personality then him. 

Raf is a genius yet a sweetheart. While Jack has little personality and Miko has way too much personality, Raf has the perfect amount of personality. He’s like a younger version of Chip from G1. I feel he should’ve been the one Optimus chose as an honorary Prime instead of Jack, cause Raf’s personality is quite similar to Orion’s. However, it does drive me crazy how he can understand Bumblebee and we never get a proper explanation... (It’s like Sari’s origins all over again!)

Miko is very different from Jack, but they share one thing in common: they both have wasted potential and lack proper character development. She keeps making reckless, irresponsible decisions that sometimes cause life-threatening problems and never gets properly scolded or punished by the Autobots for it. (Though to be fair, the Autobots should’ve made sure that she doesn’t keep sneaking through the groundbridge.) However, I will give her credit for her loyalty to her friends and taking responsibility for her actions. I honestly think she would’ve benefited more if she got Arcee for a partner instead of Bulkhead, cause Arcee is less of a pushover and might’ve helped Miko mature better. 

⭐⭐⭐ for Jack

⭐⭐⭐⭐ for Raf

⭐⭐✨ for Miko 

*

Russell Clay from Robots In Disguise (2015); 

He’s a nice kid, but unfortunately he suffers the same problem Jack Darby had: his single parent having a more interesting personality then him. 

⭐⭐

*

The Burns Family from Rescue Bots; 

Charlie is truly a legend with the patience of a saint, having to raise four kids. (Even though three of them are older, they still act like kids sometimes...) 

I don’t hate Kade, but he’s kind of a egotistic jerk sometimes and his appearance looks a bit off compared the character designs of the other main characters. 

Graham is a chill, mellow guy and a little less crazy then his siblings, but he doesn’t have a lot of personality compared to the rest of his family or his alien robot partner. 

Dani is pretty cool and is basically a more mature version of Miko, though she can also be hotheaded. 

Cody is basically the ‘Sari Sumdac’ of the Aligned Continuity. He’s a brave, kind and sometimes sassy kid that teaches giant alien robots about the human world and gets neglected by his busy family to do important things even though they love him. Without the cyborg plot twist. But Cody is also his own character. From the start of the show, he wished to be a hero just like the rest like his courageous family, so he could spend more time with them. 

⭐⭐⭐✨ for Charlie

⭐⭐ for Kade

⭐⭐ for Graham

⭐⭐✨ for Dani

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ for Cody

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

Humans are Space Orcs, “Reunited.”

Just tying up some loose ends, also see the post I made right before this about a stupid story that happened to me while writing this. It is kind of funny :) 

The day was hot, very hot, and the sun beat down on fort harmony with merciless intent. Over the tarmac, the sweltering heat caused little mirrages, as puddles of water to appear and then vanish down the runway. 

The heat was oppressive enough that no birds sang, and even the roaring of the engines had been dulled by a day that none of the en were willing to venture out of the air cooled airplane hangers.

Only one figure remained outside staring up at the blue sky and the oppressive sun beaming down upon her.

Waffles limped over the hot pavement, the tarmac burning the delicate pads of her feet, but if she stopped walking it would only hurt even more.

Her tail drooped towards the ground,

It was so hot.

She made it across the tarmac and down to the little shaded area where someone had set up a discarded cardboard box and a bowl of water.

Her feet continued to ache, and she licked at them with her long, pink, tongue though that only brought momentary relief from the burns.

Across the tarmac two men watched her form the open hanger door. It wasn’t that they hadn’t tried to get her to come inside, they had, it was just that she wouldn't, and no amount of cajoling or bribing her had worked. THey felt bad of course, but there was nothing much else they could do.

One of the men felt bad enough to brave the heat and bring over a bag of ice which he pressed onto her paws for a time before having to return to his work.

Waffles laid her head down and closed her eyes ears drooping.

So hot 

Overhead an engine sounded. It was a familiar noise by now,and only one of her eyes cracked open to watch the shuttle descend from the sky and come to land on the scouring earth. She closed her eyes again, listening to the distant sounds as the shuttle doors open, and human voices swelled up around her.

It was then that she was hit with the smell.

IThe heat washed over her face and straight up into her nose with a smell she had been waiting for for months now. 

She shot to her feet ears up nose lifted.

Her tail began to wag 

And despite the heat of the burning tarmac, she raced across the open space yipping and barking and whining for all she was worth

***

Adam stepped out of the shuttle into a sheer wall of heat. It was like being punched in the face by the sun. The borrowed flight suit he now wore was immediately sweltering and he fanned himself with one hand already beginning to pant.

Behind him Sunny and the other stepped down onto the tarmac.

Sunny Immediately yelped and sprung back into the shuttle

Adam couldn’t help but laugh, but that was when a high pitched whining noise reached his ears. A whining barking, yipping noise that immediately had him turning towards the sound eyes wide.

It started out as a small shape barely distinguishable from the sand and grass to the side of the tarmac, and then, as it raced towards him it coalesced into a furry bullet.

“Watffles!” He shouted, taking a few steps down from the ramp as she raced up, and leaped into the air.

He caught her mid arc staggering back a few steps as she attacked his face was the kind of love that could only be bestowed by man's best friend. She whined and whimpered and her tail wagged and her body wriggled so hard he had a tough time holding onto her. 

“Hey pretty girl!”

Wavvles whimpered and barked some more licking his face and the side of his head repeatedly to the point where his hair was damp.

He laughed and held her to his chest, her tail thudding against his side and back.

She didn’t seem very inclined to get down, and the Tarmac was so hot he worried about her paws burning. So instead he held her like a large baby in his arms, and once she was finally done licking his face, she rested her head against his neck and chest nuzzling every now and against at his chin just to remind him she was there.

Not that he could forget an 80 lb German Shepherd.

Behind him the others were laughing and awing.

Ramirez had videoed the whole thing, and continued to video as they made their way across the tarmac and too one of the hangers. Waffles didn’t seem to have any intention of getting down.

Finally they stepped into the hanger, and reluctantly he set her back on the floor, though she insisted on sitting on his feet every time he came to a stop.

Across the room there was a clamouring of voices, and A group of at least five people came charging across the room.

His family hugged him so hard, he thought he was going to crack a rib, and he laughed right along with them as they stammered out nar incoherent sentences.

Eventually his mother pulled back wiping her eyes on hand resting on his cheek the other on his shoulder, “Boy, you need a shave.”

He smiled, “Yeah, can't say there are many razors in a wormhole.”

“I knew it, I knew it. Our baby brother is invincible.” David announced, slapping him on the back so hard he nearly stumbled forward.

Waffles looked up at him her tial thudding against the floor, her tongue lolling form her mouth

“Where were you!”

“Not sure if I am allowed to say just yet, but i'll tell you when I know what I am allowed to say. Let's just start by saying that it wasn’t pleasant, but it’s a great story, ad it involves  miraculous escape planned and executed by yours truly in a fantastic manor.”

HIs mother sighed, “At least you came back wit hall your body parts in tact this time.”

She turned her head to look down and smiled, “Dr. Krill we are so glad you made it back too. We were devastated to hear that you had gone missing as well.”

The doctors saved a polite hand, “No matter.”

She gave him a very light hug anyway, careful to avoid crushing him or something, which he seemed to enjoy despite himself.

Thomas crossed his arms, “Hey, is anyone gonna thank me for bringing him back in one piece?”

Martha sighed and grabbed him up in a hug, “Thank you for bringing yourself home in one piece.” She pulled back, “ How was the war.”

HE grinned, “It was awesome, we mounted a revolution.”

She shook her head, “I can’t take you anywhere because you're either discovering extraterrestrial life or overthrowing corrupt governments.”

Thomas grinned, “Plus I think this has finally made me realize what I want to do with my life.”

Adam smiled as he watched his brother, this was arguably the happiest he had ever seen thomas: who was known for his sullen nature and moodiness. Life hadn’t been easy on him, and he had jumped and bounced from one thing to another in between relapses.

“Oh, and what is that?”

He motioned back to where the rest of the group was standing, “Well I was talking to Ramirez and Maverick and I…. I think joining the marines would be good for me.” He got a slap on the back from their father, who seemed more than pleased with the idea.

Martha assigned, “Of course I should  have seen that coming.” She smile, “I am proud of you. Just try not to overthrown anymore empires while you’re at it.”

He grinned, “No promises.

Adam got hugged a few more times after that seeing as no one was really willing to believe that he was alive.

Even the men he didn’t know from around base stopped by to shake his hand and tell him how glad they were that he was back.

The UNSC sorely missed him.

At some point Krill insisted on doctoring him, and dragged him back into the medical bay where he did all he docterly things, blood pressure temperature pulse. Sunny stood in the corner with both sets of arms crossed over her chest.

He might have asked her to wait in the hall, but he had a feeling that that request wouldn’t go down so well, so he let it go.

Krill examined the three large gashes on his chest and where they had healed over into large, livid puckered red scars.

“Hmm, I could probably fix this. WIth a consultation from a plastic surgeon.” He muttered 

Adam waved him off, ‘It’s alright Krill, I think they look kind of badass, sort of a tarzan king of the jungle sort of vibe.”

Krill glowered at him, “Well one of these days you are just going to have to pick ONE vibe, because space cyborg pirate Tarzan is getting to be a bit of a mouthful.”

Adam laughed.

Sunny harumphed glowering angrily at the new scars.

Krill turned to look down at the ones on his upper forearms, which hadn’t scarred up yet, but where still in the process of being scabbed over, “And what are these.”

“Er…. I had to get the attention of the keepers, and that was the only way to do it without them heightening security on me.”

Sunny’s fists clenched even further.

Krill flipped over his hand, which was still raw and red, “Let me guess”

Adam shrugged sheepishly, “Well you know how it is.”

He turned his head to look at Sunny and quickly looked away as her stare bored a hole in his forehead.

At the end of the medical bay, the door slid open and a soldier stepped inside hurrying over to offer him a set of ACUs and a pair of boots, “These should fit sir, the brass will be here in half and hour, and will meet with you in the war room… I… mean the conference room !A.” He turned on his heels and walked out, big boots clomping on the tile as he went.

Adam changed quickly and managed to hunt down a razor in enough time to get a quick shave in before meeting with his superiors. He didn’t understand why other men wanted a beard so much, it was really nothing to be happy about, and it made his face itch. Felt so much better when the thing was finally gone and he was free.

Sunny was a little miffed when she had to wait out in the hall as he and waffles stepped into the conference room, which he could immediately see why they called the warm room. It was less like a conference room and more like mission control. The room was large, lined on all sides with massive monitors which cast pale blue light down onto the large, elongated table with its holographic touch screen.

As soon as he walked in an entire room of officers stood from their seats.

“Commander!”

“Its good to see you, son.”

“We thought you were dead.”

“Earth is going to be happy to hear you’re alive.” He smiled and greeted the others with a firm handshake despite how tired he was, “It takes more than a wormhole to take a human out.” He said taking the seat offered to him near the head of the table.

Admiral Kelly had broken from her usual serious demeanor into a smile, “We are glad to have you back, Commandr. A lot has happened since you left.”

“Can I get a quick summary?”

“Well we learned that the balck hole, or I suppose wormhole now that we know, was created in part by the burg working with the voiceless kree. The voiceless have long been in conflict with the voiced and allied with the burg to turn our ire against the voiced. However, they pose no significant threat without burg technology and so we focused mostly on the burg. Your ship was of course, in pieces, but nearly all you crew survived as they were picked up by other ships in the near vicinity. You were pronounced MIA as was Dr. Krill. ONly three on your ship didn’t make it, and one of our ships was permanently crippled with over 50 casualties and 100 additional injuries.”

HE grimaced, but held back on the guilt for a moment.

“After that battle, the GA came to council, and war was declared on the burg. We sent in the GA armada and over 1000 shock troopers on to the face of the planet. While there a small team comprised mostly of your old crew discovered that the burg king was being imprisoned in a cavern below the throne room and allied with him to replace the queen with a successor.”

He had heard that part of the story , but it didn’t cease to amaze him.”

“Beyond that it was actually quite simple.”

“And my ship?”

“We will get to that in a moment, commander, but now its your turn.”

He nodded and sighed hand to his head, “Where to begin. Of course you know I initiated the shatter protocol when it seemed there was no possible escape for my crew. I stayed behind to initiate assuming, like you, it was a black hole. However, when I didn’t die and was shot out to some unknown location, it appeared as if it was a wormhole instead. I managed to crashland the command deck on the planet below, which was habitable. It was an alien world, but seemed rather…. Jurassic…. In nature. I managed to salvage the emergency kits from under one of the crew seats and survived for a week or two on the beach well fed and warm, however,while I was out in an attempt to boost a radio signal, I ran into some sort of alien creature which attacked me. The wounds I received were pretty bad, but I managed to kill it. I was losing blood fast and probably wouldnt have survived if the Omnidroids-”

“Wait, I’m sorry, the WHAT!”

“Sorry, sir, The omnidroids are what I nicknamed them because they look like something form an old movie. Think large ball with five big stumpy legs and a tiny head on toop.”

They nodded and he continued.

“Anyway, I ran into a group of them, and they helped with my sounds. I couldn’t understand them, and I am pretty sure their speech is in a much lower register because it was like listening to whales talk. Anyway, they brought me aboard one of their ships, and kept me there for a day or two. When we landed I was let out into an enclosure of some sort, turned out to be some kind of alien zoo.”

They stared at him.

He stared back.

“Your kidding?”

“No time for joking, commander.”

He shook his head, “I am not joking. I am serious, the enclosure that I was in had perfect temperature plenty of water and lots of food, but I could see other alien creatures outside the window and above me, just looking at me. Drones came in every now and again to feed me or clean the pen.”

They staired in silent awe.

“Anyway, from there I concluded it was likely they didn’t know I was sentient, so I determined that escape was possible if I let them think that. I started trying to figure out if I was being watched, and their response time if i was. Once tht was done I picked an appropriate time to escape, and used the iron eye armor I still had one from meeting with the Kree and pried open the bars before setting all of the other creatures loose. I found Dr. Krill on my way out, and we hijacked a shuttle.”

“How did you know how to get back?”

He shook his head, “I didn’t. But that was when the space dragon showed up.”

They stared at him again.

He held up his hands, “ I swear I am not making any of this up. That is exactly what happened It created some sort of wormhole and I ended up in the middle of a burg battle in space.”

“So there is an entire alien society separate from the one we already have.”

“It seems so?”

“And the shuttle?”

“It was handed over to GA scientists for examination and potentially reverse engineering.”

They nodded.

He waited for them to say anything else before.

“So…. my crew is safe but my ship?”

They shook their heads, “Is gone,” THey held up a hand to cut him off, “However it was actually a  stroke of good fortune as we have been building new ships for the fleet over the past few years, and one of them was close to completion. So, using the scraps leftover from your ship we were able to finish the job.” They leaned forward, “Commander, despite any issues we have had with your commanding in the past, we have determined that to judge you by the standards of the old military was a faux pax on our part. Space is new, and requires something from men that it hasn’t required before.”

He waited to see where this was going.

“The new armada will be nearly five times the size of the old. The captains as they are now will be promoted to fleet commanders and will be over their own unit of ships. The ship that the harbinger was recycled to make, is twice as big as your old ship with room for over 1000 crew members. It has the latest in alien and human technology and is the most advanced space vessel humanity has ever seen.”

It was an important reminder at this point not to pee himself out of excitement, so he kept his face stony, though he wanted nothing more than to jump around like a little girl squealing.

“However, since the captains would be promoted to fleet commander, that means that you will have to be promoted against as well.”

He paused.

“I… but I haven't been commander for all that long.”

“The UNSC fleet is growing at a rapid rate, and to keep up with it, we are going to have to adapt rapidly as well.”

“So, commander, do you accept?”

He paused and looked down at his hands, “I’m not moving to a desk job, sir.”

“No, no you won't. But you will be commanding a larger ship and thousands more people. Do you think you can handle that? He paused again looking down at his hands thoughtfully.

“Yes, I think I can.” 

[jokerfan99]

My Top 10 Favorite Anime Heroines by DarkChild316

Being a hero isn’t easy, but someone’s gotta do it! And these ladies have shown to be just as capable as their male counterparts. Now I’ve already done a list showing everyone “My Top 10 Anime Villainesses”, but I figured: “Hey the good girls deserve some love too,” so I decided to give you guys my list of my Favorite Anime Heroines as well. So, with that in mind, here’s my list:

#10. Saeko Busujima (Highschool of the Dead): This is an anime that will give you plenty of two things in abundance…boobs and zombies! While it may seem like your run-of-the-mill apocalyptic fanservice anime, among the well-proportioned ladies is this kendo warrior who’s more than capable of holding her own against any foe and would fit right in with even the most old-school samurai-themed anime. When the dead start to walking most of the cast usually reach for a form of firearms, not this lady who prefers to slice apart the undead with the greatest of discipline and precision, whether it be with her signature bokken or her deadly Murata-tou sword. There’s no denying that Saeko’s the ideal companion we’d want on our side for a zombie apocalypse.

#9. Touka Kirishima (Tokyo Ghoul): Living as a ghoul isn’t easy, especially when you’re trying your damnest to retain what little remains of your humanity. Starting off as a cold, yet collected individual, Touka found shelter in both the horrors of her dark past and her constant hunger for flesh in her day job at a café as a waitress which serves other ghouls and as a hangout stop for ghouls. While she grew warmer as her relationship with one Ken Kaneki grew, she’s not without her bestial side, possessing an abject hatred for the CCG after they killed her parents. In a series where everyone seems to be on the edge of insanity and turning into a rampaging, bloodthirsty monster, Touka is one of the few characters genuinely fighting for a chance at a peaceful life.

#8. Riza Hawkeye (Fullmetal Alchemist): Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye is undoubtedly one of the best female anime characters of all time and for good reason, she is truly the perfect soldier. As both an Amestrian State Military’s officer as well as Colonel Roy Mustang’s bodyguard, Riza Hawkeye is a dangerous sharpshooter and firearms specialist. From the outside she can seem strict and even a little cold, but those close to her know that there’s much more to her than her strict no-nonsense attitude, including a courteous nature in the presence of her allies and a desire to protect those she holds dear. Beneath the strict persona is a kind soul who understands the difficulty of carrying a heavy burden and let’s not forget…she’s a true badass in every sense o the word!

#7. Erza Scarlett (Fairy Tail): She went from child slave to arguably one of the strongest mages in all of Fiore. All while battling against S-Class mages, terrifying demons, and even her own psychotic mother, now that’s dedication folks! Forced by her possessed childhood friend to build the Tower of Heaven, she manages to escape her captivity and make her way to Fairy Tail, where she would soon rise to become one of Fairy Tail’s youngest S-Class mages and one of the most truly badass fighters in Fairy Tail’s ranks. With her magical ability known as Re-Quip, she has an unlimited number of weapons and armors at her disposal, each possessing their own devastating abilities. She’s a stoic warrior with a soft heat and a dark past, and you can bet your ass that she’ll fight to defend her Nakama to the bitter end.

#6. Ryuko Matoi (Kill la Kill): Her choice of armor may be a bit on the revealing side but going against this rebel isn’t the smartest idea if you value your life. You’re not likely to find a more stubborn soul in this absolutely whacky series and trust me…NONE of these characters are on the subtle side of things. In search of her father’s killer, Ryuko takes up the sentient life-fiber uniform Senketsu, and openly battles the dictatorship that is the Student Council. Stubborn as hell, Ryuko will always stand up to anyone who gets in her way, no matter how badly the odds are stacked against her. How can you not love someone with that kind of drive!

#5. Saber (Fate/stay night): Before she became a hero in the endless Holy Grail Wars, Saber was actually Artoria Pendragon, known throughout history as King Arthur, the mythical King who united Britain. As the Saber-class servant, Artoria generally tries to hide her identity in battle by using an invisible sword. When pushed, she can brandish Excalibur instead though, a sword she wields with unmatched skill and can do long-range attacks as easily as close-range. With her holy sword, and her “Mana Burst” ability, she is one of the most powerful Servants. Saber is loved by fans worldwide for good reason: she is kind, valiant, and fierce, all traits that make for one divine heroine. None would mind putting the fate of the world in this blonde beauty's hands.

#4. Mikasa Ackerman (Attack on Titan): Attack on Titan's Mikasa is one of those reserved, stoic characters who doesn't speak very often and seems to be stuck in her own head. After all the trauma she’s experienced living under the looming terror of Titans and the carnage she witnessed while part of the Survey Corps, not to mention the brutal murder of her biological parents by criminals, it would be difficult to come out unscathed. Perhaps it’s endurance that is one of Mikasa’s most relatable traits. Despite her often-cynical comments about the world around her, she manages to retain her humanity. Mikasa herself said, “This world is cruel. And yet... so beautiful.” The stereotypical boy-saves-girl gender roles that play out in media are also very much reversed when it comes to her relationship with Eren, which is a refreshing and welcome change of pace to see, though her protectiveness of him seems a little unhealthy at times. On top of everything mentioned, she’s also totally ripped.

#3. Asuka Langley Soryu (Neon Genesis Evangelion): I just couldn’t leave out Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Asuka Langey Soryu from this list of awesome female protagonists. Asuka is a classic anime heroine and remains beloved by fans of the show to this day. Asuka is an American teenage girl who serves as an Eva pilot for the Evangelion Project and pilots the Evangelion Unit-02. Asuka was raised in Germany and often swears in German. She was a child prodigy with a college degree at only fourteen years old, but definitely has her human flaws. She has a temper and is obsessed with being the best at everything she does. Despite these flaws, Asuka is hilarious in her own way and has the kind of confidence and pride you rarely see in a young girl. She knows she can do her job well and isn't afraid to tell you about it. Asuka is relatable in that she is stubborn and often has a hard time properly expressing her feelings and vulnerability to others. Her eventual nervous breakdown shines a light on her humanity-- she is not a perfect person and she is still a child forced to do a job that no child should be forced to do.

#2. Motoko Kusanagi (Ghost in the Shell): Major Motoko Kusanagi is one of the primary protagonists of the popular Ghost in the Shell franchise of manga, films, and animated series. Motoko is a cyborg who works as a field commander for Public Security Section 9 on the Japanese National Public Safety Commission. Motoko is a very physically strong and incredibly intellectual who that is quick-witted and an excellent hacker. But put a firearm in her hand, and she’s especially deadly. As a child, Motoko was comatose following an airplane accident. After her health began to steadily decline, her consciousness was put into a  "full-body prosthesis,” an augmented-cybernetic human body. Motoko causes us to question exactly what makes us human. She is an emotional, stoic, strong woman who fights for the citizens she protects, yet she lives inside an artificial body. But her greatest use is as a platform to speak on the nature of humanity in a technological age. She's a human mind that has been stuck in an artificial body since childhood, and her life and trials bring up the age-old question, "What does it mean to be human?"

#1. Usagi Tsukino (Sailor Moon): You really can’t have a list of awesome female protagonists without including everyone’s favorite schoolgirl superhero: Usagi Tsukino from Sailor Moon. Usagi is the embodiment of an empowering female in anime in her fearless display of conventional femininity without any implied weakness. Usagi is your typical teenage girl who is all about her friends, food, and cute things, while simultaneously being a badass heroine who cleanses the streets of evil. In the original manga and anime, Usagi was portrayed as reluctant to be a superhero and would often run away from fights and be a crybaby. However, through her careful character development, Usagi becomes a brave, reliable, and confident person who cares deeply for her friends. She becomes a better version of herself without stereotypically “shedding” her girliness. Instead, her femininity becomes a defining feature of hers, deconstructing the idea that being girly makes you weak. On the contrary, Usagi’s girliness makes her funny, relatable, and a good role model for young girls. Usagi set the template for a generation of female heroines for generations to come, and it’s for that reason why she’s well-deserving of my #1 ranking on my list.

So that's my updated list, what did you guys think about it? Love it, hated it? Go on and tell me what you think and let me know who your favorite anime heroines are. See you soon!

Deviantart: https://www.deviantart.com/darkchild316

[thealmightyemprex]

Top 10 favorite Cartoon heroes

Done the movie heroes,now for TV .....And this list was really hard.

1.Jack from Samurai Jack

A samurai who has been flung into the future by the evil being known as Aku ,and now Jack travels the world ,protecting the innocent while also seeking a way to  go back to the past and slay Aku .Also I know many fans HATE how this show ended but I liked the ending .

Prince Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender 

Now Zuko started as a villain but as the show went on he eventually became a hero,and his arc is an engaging one .Zuko is my favorite character in Avatar so I had to include him

Gohan from Dragon Ball Z

Gohans journey is from child with powers he can barely understand to the savior of the world.Goku may be the face of the franchise,but I feel Gohan is the true hero of DBZ......At least until the Buu Saga.Also tip if you want to watch DBZ STOP  after the Cell Saga 

Batman from the DCAU 

My favorite version of Batman.When I read a Batman comic its Kevin Conroys voice I hear.He’s the most complete Batman:We see him starting out,we see himpatroling Gotham both on his own and with the Batfamily, we see his adventures with the Justice League (As a part timer),we see the toll the Batman persona has ,we see him forced to give it up and eventually helping a new Batman carry on the legacy .He could be harsh,he could be funny,he could be grim,and he could be kind 

Goliath from Gargoyles

I think when most people think of the noble warrior  leader they think of Optimus Prime,but for me I think of Goliath.Goliath not only must come to terms with being in a new time ,but what is his purpose and his relationship with Elisa.And to top it off he is just a badass hero  

Raven,Beast Boy,Robin,Starfire and Cyborg from the Teen Titans

I had to include the whole team,cause each just bounces off eachother so well.Now this show came out ,other then Robin,I had no idea who any of these people were and I was ready to dismiss them.....But their dynamic and personalties won me over ,to the point I consider the Teen Titans from this show as some of my absolute favorite super heroes ,and my absolute favorite super hero team.All of them could be goofy but you felt their struggles as well,and throughout the series you get to know each one as an individual.Heck each season would focus on a specific member (With the exception of Starfire sadly,instead getting a movie that focused on her and Robins relationship).If I had to pick a favorite it would be either Beast Boy or Raven but honestly I love the whole team

Darkwing Duck from Darkwing Duck

Darkwing is interesting cause while he is a hero.....He’s a hero for the glory .He has a massive ego and is self absorbed .But while he may be doing hero work for the wrong reasons,there is a good heart to him,especially when it concerns his daughter Gosalyn .Overall Darking is a very funny hero

The Flash from Justice LEague and Justice League Unlimited

I considered putting the Question on here as he is my favorite JLU character but he is in so little of the show to count for me,so I went with my favorite member of the 7 founding league members.Flash is the teams heart .He’s not the smartest,he’s not the toughest but  he is the most good hearted .I think one of my favorite moment is when he ,Batman and Orion find the Trickster in a bar,while the other two want to threaten and interrogate him,Flash instead calmly talks to him and not only gets the information he needs but convinces him to turn himself in 

Courage from Courage The Cowardly Dog

Despite being terrified ,Courage always did his best to save Muriel from whatever monster or villain  was attacking that episode.Good dog

Blossom,Bubbles and Buttercup from the Powerpuff Girls 

Powerpuff Girls are awesome I dont need an explination 

@filmcityworld1​ @cinefantastiquemitho​

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Rewatching Snyderverse Part 2 - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Before this movie came out, I was unimaginably excited. I am a 90′s kid, so I grew up watching BTAS and STAS and then Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. So watching Batman and Superman interact on screen for the first time was something I was so ready for. Plus, on top of that we had Wonder Woman in the movie as well. There was no way this movie could be less than awesome. I hadn’t loved Man of Steel, but I thought it was decent enough that Snyder could build on it if he kept his worst impulses a bit more restrained. Unfortunately what happened was that he just doubled down on a lot of things that I had a problem with in MoS and introduced a host of new issues as well. When I had initially walked out of the theatrical edition, I was desperately trying to convince myself that I liked the movie. It took a couple of more rewatched to get over my denial that I really didn’t like it much at all. I watched the UE much later and while its an improvement, it doesn’t convert it into a good movie.

Firstly the good parts, Ben Affleck essentially carries the film. When he was cast, I was indifferent because I hadn’t seen enough of him to have an opinion either way. But he was really good. He’s not quite Christian Bale, but Bale had the benefit of better writing. But he really delivers as the bitter and hardened Bruce Wayne/Batman. He carries off the charismatic womenizing business man side as well as the brutal Batman side of the character with equal ease. Jeremy Irons is also an excellent Alfred. I quite enjoyed how Snyder made the Bruce/Alfred dynamic more of two colleagues working together compared to the more father/son relationship of the Nolan movies, Irons really delivers the only bits of humor in the movie. Gal Gadot as WW was a surprise bit of casting. I didn’t think much of her as an actress from the F&F movies and sometimes her dialogue delivery is still a little suspect but she was quite a badass as Diana/WW. And her appearances and scenes, especially alongside Affleck, are pretty good. The visual aspect of this scene is impeccable. There are some glorious shots accompanied perfectly by the score. The shot of Superman saving the girl from a burning building and the people treating him like a god, the Superman memorial sequence, its all very well shot and composed. The entire opening sequence is glorious and you truly get the weight of the horror that regular people would have experienced when the battle of Metropolis happened. You can never make complaints of Zack Snyder as a visual director. The action is superb. The Batman warehouse scene might be the most badass superhero fight sequence I have ever seen, rivalled only by the Spider-man 2 train sequence and TWS highway fight. The Batman and Superman titular fight is also well done as is the final fight sequence. There are interesting ideas planted in this movie. The idea of a world grappling with the existence of Superman and how he fits within our society is genuinely fascinating.

But unfortunately, Snyder does a lot more wrong in this movie than he does right. Firstly, I just felt embarrassed for Henry Cavill in this movie. Any charisma and warmth he showed in MoS is just sucked dry by the layers of misery the film just piles on. Cavill spends the entire movie just scowling and grimacing and I don’t even feel I can blame him because that’s what Snyder has him do. Its just a royal waste of an actor who looks like he is the perfect casting for the role. Amy Adams has a reasonably substantial role and Lois and she’s fine, but it feels throughout that the film is trying to find a way to keep her relevant because they have committed to the idea of her being the key. There is an entire sequence where she throws away the Kryptonite spear, then has to retrieve it, and then almost drowns in the process. That’s where the film feels like its trying way too hard to give Lois Lane something to do. Like with MoS, I just don’t buy the Cavill and Adams chemistry and therefore its all the more difficult to accept the idea that she’s the key to Superman. Jesse Eisenberg is pretty terrible as Lex Luthor. I don’t know what Snyder was thinking. Again, I kind of have difficulty laying blame on Eisenberg because he gives a very Eisenberg performance, which is what Snyder must have been going for. It just doesn’t work at all. He just comes off as an unstable person right from the beginning. There are one or two scenes where he hits the right note, but otherwise its a very cringey performances and it really affects the film negatively. There is a whole host of talented actors who are wasted like Holly Hunter, Laurence Fishburne, and Diane Lane. 

The film is just so over plotted. Its like 3 movies fighting for space in one movie and it works against each movie. There is a compelling Batman movie in here, along with a pretty dull Superman movie, along with a Justice League setup film. The theatrical edition had some terrible editing and there were subplots that just didn’t make sense. The UE is definitely a more coherent movie as it makes the africa plot make more sense and gives some of the scenes more room to breathe, but the truth is that I was bored for about 2 hours of the UE. So much of it is just dull conversation and posturing between characters. The only parts where the film comes to life is when Affleck and Irons are on screen. I have no problem with an action lite superhero movie, but then the dialogue and the situations need to be compelling and not so monotonous. The film also just does not have enough time to suitably come up with a reason why Batman and Superman would want to fight. I mean, I really liked Affleck but the justifications he comes up with to want to straight up murder Superman make no sense. He’s a bit of an idiot and gets manipulated by Lex way too easily. If you really pick apart the Lex Luthor plot, it would unravel so easily because it relied on some many things that were beyond his control. Superman’s reason to be against Batman has a bit more in the UE, but its still not enough. Then there is the completely ham handed Justice League setup. I mean, someone who has no idea of Injustice or deep DC mythology would have no clue what the Knightmare sequence was and what the Flash cameo meant. I now have more context having read what Snyder planned to do, but at the time it didn’t make any sense. We still have no clue why Bruce is having these future memory flashes/dreams. Not to mention the ridiculous JL setup videos, set with logos for all the heroes. The idea that someone at Lexcorp spent the time to come up with the superhero logos for WW, Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg was just too funny. Its just the most lazy way to do a JL setup. Of course there is the infamous Martha scene which is a ridiculous scene no matter how you choose to explain it. I know what the point was. Doesn’t make the execution an less silly. Then on top of that we get thrown into a Doomsday/death of Superman story in the last half hour. Doomsday basically looks like a big mutated turtle. I recognize that Doomsday is not the most nuanced character, even in the comics, but surely he deserves better than this. There have been animated films and cartoons that have adapted Doomsday much better. Like with MoS, this film also ends with an three back to back action sequences with no room to breathe, though I admit that I enjoyed the action sequences here more than in MoS.

Anyways, the film ended up a big disappointment for me and a lot of my issues stem with decisions that Snyder clearly made with the characters and with the story. The UE was definitely better but not by a huge amount. The theatrical edition was a 3/10, and the UE was about a 4-4.5/10 for me. I have heard that ZSJL is the best of his DC movies. Hopefully that turns out to be the case.

[mr-bottle-28-3-96]

3rd session of Masks: Apocalypse Sonata

So... Dominus is on Earth...

The above image describes the entire team at the end of the session.

Characters

Harbinger: an alien cyborg girl from the future who wants the Sonata to reshape said future because that future is not nice Legacy: (me) the latest inheritor of a heroic legacy, stretching back to the Philippine Revolution, that defines itself through community building and resistance against conquest and tyranny Protege: a Robin-type figure, with an eccentric billionaire (a la Batman) with lots and lots of gadgets as a mentor and adoptive father Reformed: a “hot space boy” who used to be a thief that grew up in a megacorp planet and is responsible for the Harbinger’s backstory

So, what happened?

We learned each piece of the Sonata we attain apparently has a unique effect. 

The first one we were exposed gave the “universal translator” effect which was super useful. (This is also the one the Protege’s mentor memorized)

The second one (which I (the Legacy) bought last session by trading in a piece of my soul my love for my grandfather) is more dangerous, wiping memories.

According to the Harbinger, Dominus used this particular piece as a powerful counter-intelligence asset in his conquest of the universe.

That same Harbinger, unfortunately, triggered the Sonata which made her lose memory of ever having been human (she’s a cyborg) and made the rest of us take a powerful blow.

In this game, losing control of your powers is always an interesting result from taking powerful blows, but it’s not always clear what that means.

I decided to go for it this session with a fascinating result.

My Legacy uses the “Batman” suite of powers: athletic perfection, Holmesian deduction, gadgetry, intimidation, and a fearsome reputation. For those not familiar, the crossed out abilities are yet to be unlocked.

When I got hit by a ray that sent my mind and emotions into overdrive, the GM targeted my deduction and made me come to seemingly rational but actually terrible conclusions.

Long story short, I grabbed our piece of the Sonata and split off from the team without consulting anyone.

Our cyborg Harbinger proved herself a badass by taking on four opponents at once without breaking a sweat. I may be wrong but I think these were the same people who blasted me earlier. So yeah, she’s generally awesome.

Previous session, we came across a street urchin girl who was trying to break into the auction to steal a crystal of teleportation, which she explained she would use to teleport back home.

That same session, I offered to buy it for her in exchange for her services, using (some of) my emotions as payment (my hatred for my grandfather, in this case).

This session, during our escape, she apparently stowed away because she likes us now and also there was fighting outside.

Unfortunately, she got caught in the Sonata’s energy surge, and she’s lost the memory of her parents, meaning she can’t use her crystal to teleport to them.

Naturally, all our parental instincts kick in. The Reformed gives her a gun. And then starts a race to bribe her (which the Harbigner won because as a future cyborg she has too many things to bribe small children with compared to us lowly present-day earthlings).

According to the GM, I apparently am the most consistent player he’s had when it comes to taking powerful blows. Like, over the course of this campaign, all my rolls for that one move have been 10+.

For those not familiar, that’s a bad thing.

Like, I took two in quick succession - first the emotion ray and then the burst from the Sonata’s crystal, the latter of which ended up knocking me out.

I wonder if this trend will keep going during our finale.

Anyway, we try warp back to earth. We don’t end up at earth.

Dominus had brought his fleet to the Solar System and had raised a blockade around Earth. Our ship has a failsafe against teleporting us to Dominus, so we ended up around Saturn instead, which gave us two days to travel.

We argue about returning to Earth, as we are currently holding both a piece of the Sonata and an artifact which allows us to locate the pieces and teleport us between their general location and a designated home base (Earth in this case). A solution comes to us through the Reformed, as one of his criminal contacts suggests hiding the singing crystal containing the Sonata piece in Saturn’s rings.

Over the two days, the Reformed tries some comforting and supporting. Unfortunately, the rest of us are a bit too preoccupied with the blockade of Earth and the fact that none of our contacts - our patrons for this mission, the Protege’s mentor, or my family - are responding to us.

We arrive at Earth. Things look bleak and terrible. Protege’s mentor is missing and my grandfather is dying.

Next week’s session will be our finale and it looks like all four of us have unlocked our Moments of Truth just in time for it (due to this game being a four-shot campaign, the GM was very generous with granting us potential). Either we beat back Dominus, for now or for good, or we lose the Earth.

[ruoyeming]

My Top Ten Anime, a chaotic list

This was so hecking difficult, I’m gonna have to do some ‘honourable mentions’ for ones I can’t bring myself to leave out. This list is based entirely on my personal feelings, not an objective assessment of what are logically the best anime. There also may be mild spoilers at points because I can’t control myself. Doing this in quarantine cause I looove ranting about things I like.

10) Attack On Titan

This was the first anime I ever watched, and it blew my mind a bit tbh. The music is iconic, and the animation is great as well. It might have been a bit harrowing for my first experience with anime, but I absolutely loved the story. It’s set in a world where titans (man eating giants) have driven the dregs of humanity to live within giant stone walls. There’s a group of humans trying to research titans, kill them, and protect humanity, and the main character decides to join them after a titan breaks through one of the walls and his mother is eaten. It’s one of those where you think you know everything and suddenly the world gets turned upside down by a new discovery. All the puzzle pieces start fitting together the longer you watch, and you find out that everything going on is much bigger than what it originally seemed (government conspiracy time lads). The plot twists are unpredictable (for me at least) and devastating, and the emotion this series evokes is awesome - you can FEEL the sheer desperation of the characters, their rage and despair as they fight again and again against a seemingly unending enemy. Despite almost every battle being a suicide mission and despite too many losses, the characters keep going out of the human need to survive and protect. 

10/10 for brutality and gore, but also theme of hope.

9) Naruto

A founding father of anime. Surprisingly not one of the first I watched, in fact it took me a few years to start. It’s set in a feudal Japan where ninjas are the defenders and servers of the people, and different villages have different ninja styles. Naruto is a young boy with a dangerous spirit sealed inside him which has caused him to be shunned by society (even though it’s not his fault??), and he wants to become a ninja. First off I’m a sucker for the Naruto archetype: dumbass, cocky, obnoxious, but kind and loyal too. Years of solitude and ostracisation as a child mean that Naruto desperately wants people to acknowledge him, and he intends to become the Hokage to prove himself. There’s a huge range of characters and villains, all with cool ninjutsus and different philosophies. Friendship, power, and determination are some of the main themes and it makes me so proud to see my son *COUGH* Naruto progressing and learning from his mistakes. It IS a long boi though and I haven’t even finished Shippuden yet, but I think Naruto captures the essence of shounen anime and is a great underdog story. Manga is lit too. 

10/10 for cool battles and great characters.

8) Psycho Pass

One of the earlier anime I watched, and it became an instant favourite for the way it makes you question morality. It’s set in a kinda dystopian future Japan, where a technology called the Sibyl System checks people’s mental state and determines their ‘crime coefficient’ - how likely they are to commit a crime. The main character is a young woman who joins the police and begins to realise that blindly following this system is perhaps not the best way to go about things. For example, they have special guns that automatically kill people whose crime coefficients are over a certain level, but she soon proves that you can easily lower someone’s coefficient by talking them down and negotiating instead of killing them off immediately. It’s got great drama, great government conspiracy, compelling villains, and some really badass characters. It pushes the question of what is right or wrong, and how far technology should go when it comes to justice. 

10/10 for sociological debate and horror elements.

7) One Punch Man

OPM is an anime that stands out for me, partially for mocking the tropes of battle anime, and partially for the uniqueness of the main character’s predicament. It’s set in Japan where heroes and villains exist, and the protagonist is a man called Saitama who gained superstrength after doing 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10K run every day. However he’s become so strong that he can defeat every enemy with a single punch. Nothing is a challenge for him anymore so he becomes depressed and unfulfilled; he’s still a good man who helps people, but he feels he’s missing something from his life. A cyborg called Genos makes Saitama his master, determined to learn his ways and they become friends. It’s one of the first anime that made me laugh out loud; it’s funny and entertaining, but also shows us that power is not equal to happiness. 

10/10 for moral lessons and good jokes.

6) Tanaka-kun is Always Listless

The only slice of life anime on this list and not very well known, however it has a special place in my heart. The main character Tanaka is a boy who dozes off constantly and acts exhausted when awake; he loves expending as little energy as possible. His best friend Ohta looks out for him and essentially makes sure he doesn’t get lost/ be late/die on a daily basis, including carrying him when he just falls asleep sometimes. Although Tanaka seems uncaring, it’s shown that friendship isn’t a bother to him, and he realises that he actually relies on his friends despite saying he likes being left in peace. His friends all have great personalities, my personal faves are a tough gangster girl who’s rude to everyone EXCEPT her adorable loli girlfriend, and a popular girl who’s trying too hard to fit in and starts to become more herself after befriending Tanaka. All the characters share one brain cell, and it’s genuinely a funny anime - I’ve burst out laughing watching it a few times. Also Tanaka and Ohta are extremely shippable if you want to go down that route; it’s said several times in the series that they’re like an old married couple. 

10/10 for wholesomeness and comedy.

5) Ouran High School Host Club

Another lighthearted show, probably the anime that’s made me laugh the most out of any. It’s set at an academy for rich-as-heck kids, and there’s a ‘Host Club’ where all the girls go to drink tea with a group of handsome boys. There’s the cunning Kyouka, prankster identical twins Hikaru and Kaoru, stoic Mori, adorable Honey, and princely but obnoxious Tamaki. Haruhi, a working-class scholarship student who is mistaken for a boy, accidentally breaks a precious vase and is forced by the host club to join them to pay off her debt. The group of boys realise fairly quickly that haruhi is a girl, but she becomes a popular host amongst the girls (LOVE the secret lesbian vibes) so they keep up the charade. I think I have a weakness for groups that share one brain cell because aside from Kyouka, they’re all idiots. I also love how flexible the show is with ideas of gender and sexuality despite being a slightly older anime. The daily antics of the host club combined with their personalities is a recipe for comedy, and they’re all lovable in their own ways. 

10/10 for characters, drama, and comedy; it’s well-paced too.

4) Bungou Stray Dogs

Set in an alternate modern Japan where some people have secret abilities that can be activated, this anime became an obsession when I first watched it. The cast of characters is amazing and the villains are awesome too. Atsushi is an orphan who discovers he can turn into a powerful tiger, and is hired by the Armed Detective Agency, a small organisation of powerful individuals who fight crime. NEED I SAY ANY MORE?? Many of the main characters share names with famous Japanese authors such as Osamu Dazai and Ryūnosuke Akutagawa which is really cool and something that might add to the story more if I had an understanding of Japanese literature. Anyways the main character Atsushi is kind of a wimp at first (understandably because the world of ability-users is actually terrifying), but he learns to stand up for himself and use his ability to save people. The show’s mixing of dark and comedic tones is perfect to me; one moment a character is off his head on mushrooms and the next Atsushi’s leg is brutally sliced off in a back alley fight (it regenerates later no worries). The plot is really cool and full of intrigue, and eventually you get the whole ‘Usually we’re sworn enemies but we’re forced to become allies in the face of a greater evil’ thing and it’s great! Turns out our main guy and our main bad guy are actually a pretty powerful and efficient team, hoho?? 

10/10 for supernatural detectives being super cool.

3) Yuri!!! on Ice

Y’all already know what’s going on. Ice skating, emotional breakthroughs, gay shit, HIT ME WITH IT. The story follows Yuri Katsuki, an insecure figure skater trying to regain his confidence, and his self-appointed coach Viktor Nikiforov. Viktor is enthusiastic in helping Yuri train, and Yuri has been a big fan of Viktor since his childhood *throws pillow across the room*. Yuri becomes determined to, quote, “surpass Viktor’s wildest imagination”, and they end up agreeing - through a series of convoluted events - to get married if Yuri wins gold at the olympics (I think it’s the olympics??). Either fuckin way this series has angst, humour, cuteness, and god DAMN did I get invested. When Yuri was doing his free skate my own heart was beating harder than it did when I finished a 10K. Love the vibes and also it’s the closest to full healthy gay representation that I’ve seen in anime for a while. Not much more I can say, but do I really need to say more???

10/10 for GAY and MY HEART

2) Kimetsu No Yaiba (Demon Slayer)

Ok this one’s kind of a cheat cause I’ve read the manga as well which is way ahead of the anime, but FUCC. It takes place in the Taisho Era in Japan (begins 1912), where Demons exist who eat people. Tanjiro Kamado’s family is killed by a demon one night and his sister Nezuko is turned into a demon - but it is soon discovered she’s different to other demons, and can restrain herself. Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps to try and track down a cure for his sister, while proving that demons are not inherently evil. I LOVE Tanjiro as a main character because he values kindness over everything else, not forgiving demons for their sins but recognising they are tormented creatures, trying to give them peace before they die. All demons were once human - a fact that only Tanjiro seems to remember when fighting them. He’s patient, gentle, and determined - hotheaded and brash sometimes, but he has this vibe that just makes people become his friend/respect him even if they don’t intend to. He befriends two other slayers - Inosuke, an absolutely feral Best Boy who was raised by wild boars, and Zenitsu, a cowardly but ultimately loyal guy. This trio works really well together and Tanjiro is a great protagonist. Don’t even get me STARTED on the music and animation. Impeccable. Kamado Tanjiro No Uta makes me cry every time I hear it, and the water/fire effects used to show the metaphorical way the swords move like the elements takes my breath away.

10/10 for morals, music and animation.

1) Mob Psycho 100

Where the fuck do I start here. This anime is so unique in its style, story, and characters that I think it will always be my favourite. It follows Shigeo Kageyama (nicknamed Mob cause that’s what they call extras and background characters in Japan), a plain boy with incredible psychic powers that explode when his emotions are too high. Over time he’s learned to suppress his emotions, causing him to become socially inept and emotionally withdrawn. His (fake) psychic ‘master’, Reigen, uses him to make money exorcising spirits, making Mob believe that it’s for ‘training’. Mob appears naive at times, but he is so simply kind to people that it makes my heart hurt. Unlike many of the egomaniac psychics that Mob comes across, he recognises that without powers, he is just an ordinary boy. Mob’s greatest power isn’t his OP psychic abilities, but his power to show people they can change, that he can change. He forgives (and eventually befriends) people who have tried to kill him. Redemption and empathy are big themes here and they’re done really well.

The other characters are so well rounded and are also given time to grow, including Reigen - at first he’s a seemingly manipulative sleazebag, but later you see that he is a genuinely good man who has taught Mob many lessons and helped him grow up. This is a core message - Mob’s ability to change is due to support from his friends, not purely his own desire - people need other people!

This is also one of the true rarities in anime where the second season is absolutely just as good (if not better!) than the first one. The music is unique to the show, the ops for both seasons get me litty, the animation is incredible, the jokes are great and although it’s not all about big-ass fights, when we do get a big-ass fight it’s so fucking cool. The fight sequences are beautifully animated and visually stunning. MP100 makes me laugh, cry like an actual baby, and want to become a better person. Idk I could literally write pages on it like the big nerd I am but that’s all I’ll do for now.

10/10 for literally everything.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Given : about a boy who joins a band which helps him work through his trauma. Lovely healthy gay representation and themes of healing.

Samurai Champloo : ragtag trio consisting of two samurai - one lowkey feral and does breakdancing, the other lofty and withdrawn - and a bold young girl. Themes of friendship and journeys. I simp for the lofty samurai.

Cowboy Bebop: jazzy music, bounty hunters in space, 90s anime WHAT MORE COULD U WANT. Yet another group of characters that share a single brain cell. Love it.

[valkerymillenia]

Now that I've finished season 3 of Young Justice, I'm adding on to my previous thoughts/review.

Anyway...

There's a criminal lack of Spoiler and Orphan, for starters but it's understandable why, this isn't a BatFam show after all (but I'd sooooooo watch a BatFam spin-off of this universe).

Got to see a hint of Suicide Squad! That was a surprise (not really but it's awesome).

Vandal Savage's backstory and development? Literal gold if you like villains (I never liked Savage and yet this interpretation of him just has so much potential!). I do wonder if they will ever approach the "Roy Harper is Savage's descendant" detail...

Thank you, Lord, for all the Klarion! Boy needs to show up more in DC media.

So Halo is bisexual and non-binary? That's pretty awesome but it sucks that nobody in the show seems to get the NB part and everyone codes her as female throughout the whole season, kinda defeats the purpose of having a NB character.

Still annoyed that they used the hijab for hype but removed her actual faith from the character (she literally says "I'm not Muslim", they could have at least left it undefined), you can't bank on a character's traits for "representation" and ignore the meaning behind them, otherwise it's pointless and insulting.

Also, making the Muslim girl the immortal? Badass (and works well with the character). Making it so you can repeatedly kill her to very graphically highlight the seriousness of the situation? A little fucked up, dude.

Still, she's powerful as hell and saved everyone in an amazing display of power.

So yeah, I totally love Halo and her concept is awesome but she was a bit disrespected by the writer and deserves better on some aspects. Oh, and I like the whole "Halo and Cyborg are now related" thing more than I anticipated.

Really happy to get bi Harper Row in the story! Bluebird is such an underappreciated character of the BatFam. The abuse subplot was also very good because it's a topic that needs to be approached in media, victims need to see positive representation.

The Bumblebee baby subplot was... Tricky. It really messes with an important ethical conundrum (yikes, eugenics) that is definitely too complex for younger audiences but I think the goal was to create another future super-kid for the next seasons (still a little icky though but at least they tried to frame it as controversial even to Karen's own feelings). I guess we'll find out.

Granny Goodness has always been a brutal villain and I hope we see more of her. Also, MORE BIG BARDA, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!

Wyynde and Kaldur are SO CUTE! GAH! I need more of them! I just love their relationship so much.

"Who is Dick's family anyway? Is Grayson's father Bruce Wayne-...?" *cue someone immediately redirecting the conversation*

I'm sorry but that what AWESOME and kinda hilarious too. (Yes, Brion, Dick is one of Bruce Wayne's several children, get with the BatFam).

The Anti-Life Equation thing was very well done, I didn't expect it to go so well but every player involved played a great role and the idea of a world with no free will? Shivers, man. Now, it just needs to be readressed in the future because no way would any villain give that up so easily with Halo still alive.

The Geranium City subplot was quite sweet, it brought back some intriguing questions and finally touched a piece of Conner's story that has been hanging since season 1.

Will x Artemis is NOT a thing, thank God! They made such a big deal about it that I was scared and I get the appeal but they are in-laws, it would be so messed up.

I mean, I want Artemis to heal in a healthy way and move on as much as any fan (that limbo sequence made me cry my eyes out, so heartbreaking) but there's no need to force a thing with Will, so I'm glad for the way things got resolved.

Luthor's Infinity Inc reminds me waaaay too much of the Seven in "The Boys"... Still, a smart move. Kinda wondering where it's gonna lead in the future now that they basically belong to Brion.

Terra actually choosing redemption and the Outsiders before trying to kill them was surprising (as was everyone knowing she was a mole), I expected a big fight against her and Deathstroke because that's always been the Terra schtick but instead we got a power crazed Brion, which was a beautifully executed plot twist and as much as it hurts me to see Brion fall (and break Violet's heart) I have to give kudos to the writers, that was well played to wrench our hearts to pieces.

And that new psychic asshole manipulating Brion and making Markocvia into the Light's puppet? Interesting addition.

I really hope Brion gets his own redemption in the next season (orrr maybe he degenerates further into full blown villain? I don't think he has it in him and by the very end he seems to be depressed, lonely and disgruntled with his position already so there might be hope for him yet, but it would be interesting to see him fall further and further beyond redemption and I don't see him infiltrating the Light for the good guys because that would just be a rehash of Kaldur in season 2).

Loved how Lex Luthor got taken down from that bullshit UN position. He's a brilliant villain but he was soooo getting on my nerves in that particular position and it was such a relief to see him fall (which is a sign of how well written it was).

Black Lighting as boss!!!!! Ahhh, that was such a goddamn good choice in this particular universe, especially after he spent the whole season being a voice of reason while going through some growth himself. Still, feels a bit odd merely because he was barely in the bg in previous seasons.

Funny how Conner and M'gann never speak out loud even at home, damn I love this ship (miss my classic timkon though).

That little Robin laugh at the end of the season was such a nice touch, really nostalgic.

What's with the Legion Flight ring on the waitress?

What's with Lobo's finger? So messed up.

Oh boy, now I need Jason and Damian in future seasons (hell, Jon too, give us the Super Sons!!!).

All in all, the third season seems to bring a lot of things full circle at last but also feels like the beginning of something completely new, opening doors and raising questions for a lot of possibilities. It was a very intriguing subversion of a lot of DC plotlines and mythology.

Still... Can we just call the Outsiders the alternate Teen Titans? because that's basically what they are.

CAN'T WAIT FOR SEASON 4!!!!!!

[moviegroovies]

y’all i saw terminator: dark fate!!!!!!!!!

GOD i loved it. i think i’ve admitted before that the only way i really rank exciting plot points in movies is by how much i anticipated them/wanted them to happen, and terminator: dark fate did NOT disappoint. fuck every writer or director who makes weird shit happen in their stories just to give the audience a story they couldn’t possibly have anticipated. (cough avengers endgame cough.) sometimes the best ending is one you can see from ten miles away, because that means it’s been set up EFFICIENTLY. 

obviously, i think the new terminator did that. there were a few things i wanted to happen that didn’t (mostly regarding the life of one or two key characters), and a few things i legitimately didn’t see coming that i really liked, but ultimately the story was solid, awesome to watch, and very faithful to the original. i haven’t seen any of the sequels past judgement day, and i have no plans to change that anytime soon (lmao), but i’ve heard that it discounts all continuity past the second one, and that’s completely fine by me. the actors were great. LINDA HAMILTON was great. and i am sexually attracted to old soft arnold schwarzenneger. 😔

i was debating on whether or not i should make a separate post to talk about the time travel in the terminator franchise or if i should just go crazy go stupid and lump it in with my review and ultimately i think it can just go here, because i have some things to say re: the way it ties back to the originals. 

personally i think the neatest example of time shenanigans in the franchise comes from the very first movie. that one sets up time travel in their universe as very “you already changed the past,” insofar as, without the time travel elements, there is the very real sense that the future the terminator came from would never have existed. kyle reese, from the future, becomes the father of his superior officer john connor. without the time travel, there would be no human resistance for skynet to fear. not only that, when the terminator’s arm is left behind intact, even after sarah destroys the machine, they set out the idea that skynet itself was DEVELOPED FROM THE TERMINATOR’S TECHNOLOGY, so if there was no time travel, there was no skynet, and no apocalypse... etc. at the end of the movie, the picture of sarah that kyle comes back with is taken by a child at a gas station, and it seems like a clue that everything is happening on track. sarah will give birth to john connor, the machines will rise up, the resistance will rally, time travel will ensue. the events of the first movie are a closed time loop, and ultimately, i find that really satisfying. 

However. 

from a narrative perspective, i think the changes in those time travel mechanics are super interesting. 

basically, in judgement day, there’s still some implications that the timeline is a closed loop--the terminator’s hand is actually shown to be the basis of what will become the skynet computer, which is being built right then and there. the apocalypse could indeed be on, and everything seems fixed. then, though, they find the creator of the computer, and miles bennett helps them to destroy his work in horror at what he will create. skynet never happens. they change the future. 

by dark fate, that ability to change what is “written” becomes not only a plot point, but a sort of rallying cry. the skynet apocalypse is officially off--now the dark future is controlled by a very similar breed of computer known as legion. sarah’s efforts changed the future, permanently. there’s the feeling perhaps that the future can only be changed to an extent (the skynet apocalypse being canceled, but replaced by a very similar robo-hell, for example--almost like the timeline is trying to set itself right), but that feeling is tested and challenged as the movie progresses. in that sense, dark fate is the full culmination of the trendline that their “trilogy” represents: sarah’s fate was sealed in dark fate, but with john’s influence in judgement day, things were officially set off course. dark fate represented dani’s turn, and she took everything into her own hands--she personally stood up and refused to run, refused to let the bad future win out, refused to take things lying down. sarah felt a kinship to her, based on the position that she found her in, but it’s like she realizes--dani is not sarah. sarah’s realization is that “she’s john,” which is closer--she’s the leader of the resistance, humanity’s only hope, but i think the message is pretty clearly telling us that she’s not john connor either--she’s dani ramos. 

and she fucking OWNS.

one thing that i was a little iffy about at the start of the movie was the “white savior” thing. i don’t think that was an unfounded reservation to have--based on the formula from the first movie, a terminator is sent back to kill, and a hero is sent back to protect. this time, the “hero” is a white girl cyborg named grace, while the character in danger, who the movie clearly wants you to think is in the same boat as sarah connor, ie the mother mary role, literally important not for her own self but for her womb, is a mexican woman. that could have reached unfortunate implication levels like hella fast, but honestly (and i will disclaim this by adding that i’m white, so if you felt differently about it i would appreciate hearing why), i think the rest of the movie subverted that pretty beautifully. for one thing, grace being fundamentally human underneath her augmentation meant that she wasn’t an unstoppable machine ready to continue on until her metal frame was torn to shreds. she was a BADASS, obviously, and in the first fight, grace did prove herself a worthy successor to the “uncle bob” terminator in t2 with her kickass skillz (sorry kyle reese you’re just not that cool), but soon after that we got to see grace’s limits. if it hadn’t been for sarah connor, grace’s plan on the bridge finally boiled down to “when the terminator starts to kill me, run.” soon after that, grace’s power is shown to be fallible even more thoroughly when she hits her limit and starts to convulse, a byproduct of her augmentation. grace can do more than what a human can do, but she can’t do it forever like a machine could. very quickly in the movie, the tables were flipped, and even though grace came back through time to protect dani, dani was the one who had to take over the driver’s seat (despite never having driven before), and the one responsible for getting grace to medicine so that she could be resuscitated. and all that was BEFORE the big reveal.

a note: there were two scenes in pretty quick succession in this sequence that made me sob. the first of these was the death of dani’s brother diego, because in his last act, he was reassuring his sister that he was okay, despite being impaled by a metal pole. that line gave his character some depths that i hadn’t expected, and it really made dani’s pain after the car went up feel palpable. diego didn’t get a lot of screentime, but we saw him flirt lamely with a neighbor, we saw him dream of internet fame, we saw him joke at the factory even as his job was being replaced. we saw how much dani cared about him when she told him to take her job while she sorted out his replacement by machine parts. their relationship was a solid brick in the movie’s foundation, and his loss felt a lot more real than many comparable losses in movies. you know that whole “show, don’t tell” adage? they didn’t have to tell me that losing diego (and her father) was like a knife in dani. i saw that for myself. the second scene was at the pharmacy, when the employees and the other customers reached out to help grace even after she and dani had both lashed out and threatened them with the gun in fear of what was happening. y’all ever get emotional over the way that people are essentially good and will help each other when they can? god i fucking love that.

anyway, the reveal. the reveal was awesome. 

i started suspecting that dani wasn’t the mother of humanity’s last hope, but rather, humanity’s last hope herself, during the conversation on the train telling us exactly the opposite. sarah makes some assumptions and projects her experience onto dani, telling her flat out that she’s pretty much a walking incubator for humanity’s last hope. there’s a sense that sarah might be bitter about having that role handed to her, and perhaps even more so because it was then taken away--she lost the son that she risked everything for, fought two terminators for, and for nothing: for some machines in a future that no longer existed. in that scene though, crucially, grace never says anything to confirm sarah’s assumptions. the one character with knowledge of the future doesn’t impart it, and it shows. sarah knows things that dani doesn’t simply because it’s not her first rodeo, but she’s also wrong sometimes, too. again in the kitchen later, the “carl” terminator asks about grace’s mission, but she doesn’t share it or give any information on who dani is going to turn out to be. the absence of information can often be an answer all in itself, and the reveal had some EXCELLENT groundwork throughout the movie--both in grace’s actions and in the brave and heroic actions of dani herself.

dani’s nature and grace’s past being revealed in the plane was one of the best scenes in perhaps the entire franchise. i said i sobbed at those scenes i outlines before, right? yeah, that was nothing to how hard i was crying and also cringey stimming during the reveal. we got to see a peek of dani ramos some twenty years in the future, and she’s incredible. she’s fearless, she’s tough, but crucially, she’s still kind. she takes no shit, but she not only saves a child’s life, but she offers a new one to the thugs who were chasing her. in just one scene, the way that dani bands a resistance together is obvious: she’s the best of us, and she uses that for good.

god, i love dani ramos. 

the way that ultimately, dani takes the “hero” role over for herself (much like sarah did, honestly) and the way that we get to see grace’s weaknesses make them a very balanced pair. they’re both badass women in their own right (hell, sarah is, too), and they counter each other excellently. grace is augmented, and has physical capabilities that dani can’t match. at the same time, though, dani is willing to make risks that grace isn’t, because while grace’s concern rests on the fate of one woman, dani wants to find the best outcome for everyone--including herself, but not ending there. grace is willing to drop dani at the bottom of a mineshaft, if that’s what it takes to keep her safe. dani is willing to sacrifice her safety to face the confrontation that’s looming, because that’s what it takes to move forward. 

i think one of the coolest things about the movie is that both grace and sarah come into the action with more experience in combat than dani, and more knowledge about the situation than dani, but ultimately the movie shows that they aren’t infallible, and there’s never a moment when dani is punished for naivety or made to feel stupid because she wasn’t as informed as them. both grace and sarah, in fact, are openly shown to be wrong about dani in different ways--grace knows who she’s going to become, intimately, but that closeness makes her too reluctant to put dani near the front lines, choosing to run indefinitely from the terminator rather than face it head on and use every advantage they can get to beat it. sarah, meanwhile, respects dani’s agency more, but in a way she sees past her at the start of the movie, dismissing her importance in a way that reads as sarah dismissing her own--she’s attacking herself and using dani as a proxy, but sarah’s wrong, because dani isn’t her. i love how both grace and sarah are good characters, and they’re both doing what they think is necessary and right, but they’re allowed to be wrong and misguided. ultimately, if it wasn’t for dani’s own agency and choices, the terminator would not have been defeated, and there would be no hope for subverting the bad future everyone is waiting for.

fate, believe it or not, is a very present theme in dark fate. obviously, i talked earlier about how this movie is the culmination of the “you can’t change the future” ->  “you can change the future?” -> “you can change the future.” chain of events represented in the good terminator movies that i will acknowledge, but it’s more than just that. through the character of the “carl” terminator, we also get to see the blatant subversion of one’s nature for the better, and that was just. really epic. ngl.

in terminator 2, i enjoyed how john connor was protected by the reprogrammed terminator “uncle bob,” but i was a little disappointed by the execution. having uncle bob be a protector to john was exactly what i wanted, but the explanation that he had been programmed to do so rubbed me a little the wrong way. what i didn’t realize until i watched dark fate was that this pinged as wrong because dark fate gave me what i wanted: a terminator that didn’t change sides because he was taken down and forced to change, but rather, a terminator that actually made a conscious decision to be better because of what he observed in humanity. carl saw a familial dynamic and realized that he had taken that from sarah, and reached out to her, giving her a purpose like his family had given him a purpose, because he chose to. and that was the sexiest thing he could have done.

can you tell i LOVE what they did with the terminator. his arc and sarah’s were such awesome continuations for sarah’s general history and the progression of terminators played by arnold schwarzenneger. part of me was hoping for an ending where we saw sarah and carl drive off together, waving to dani and preparing to live out the rest of their years saving the future. yeah, well, we didn’t get that, but there were several scenes that hinted at forgiveness from sarah (an almost impossible feat given how she felt and what she lost) and trust between the two of them, and i loved that too.

dark fate was a good movie, y’all. it was so good. 

there’s probably a million other things that i could talk about going down this vein, but this post is already a monster. i’ll just sign out by saying: one last thing i thought was epic and cool was how the protagonists cross the border from mexico into the us and at no point is such an action demonized; in fact, it’s necessary for them to reach essential aid in the form of carl, and the man who facilitates the action, dani’s uncle, is never treated amorally or like a criminal. i know, i know, the bar is on the fucking floor, but in the political climate we’ve got, for a blockbuster to take that stance felt like a pretty solid statement to me. 

also, i liked the terminator’s line about texas. watching that in a theater in texas, i must report that it got the biggest audience reaction out of any line in the whole movie. folks, there were wolf whistles. ciao.

[mandyizzym]

After Darkness

J.F. Johns

I would like to thank J.F. Johns & Amazon Publishing for my copy of the ARC. Due to this kind gesture, I have decided to leave an honest review.

God damn you, Amanda! When will you research a book before you apply for the ARC? This book is a sequel series to a series called Eternal Darkness Trilogy. Luckily, you don't have to have read the first series to get to grips with it but I think it would help.

In a world where humans and cyborgs coexist, it is forbidden for them to interact. Terra has never grasped this law, but when your dad is an extremely important part of the government, she knows she is meant to be a good girl. In her posh neighbourhood, at her posh school, with her posh friends, but what happens if that never satisfies? Especially after the loss of her mother. Terra decides the only way to deal with her anger is the pits. Where humans & cyborgs alike come to fight, illegally of course. That is where Terra sees him, the silver-eyed boy who has plagued her dreams while he dies.. each and every time. Can Terra fight the urge to get involved in a revolution, or will she be the one to kick start it?

I actually really enjoyed this book, yeah the writing was a bit lost on me at times but it kept me gripped. I couldn't tell if he was going for a younger YA audience or not, but then some sexy time made me realise probably not but it did tend to fall that way.

The world-building had some real Hunger Games vs Divergent going on. There were 7 Capitals, each having a real futuristic theme which really gave it HG feels. Each Capital (district) served a purpose, had watchers (peacekeepers) plus had curfews. No man's land kinda reminded me of Divergent, and the walls/fences around the Capitals reminded me of both books but it certainly had its own spin on it which was good.

There was a lot of characters (not too many that would blow your mind) but a good few. I think this is where it would have helped to have read the first books that the story originated from as these cyborgs seem pretty badass. I even found myself rooting for them pretty early on in the book which was awesome!

Our leading lady Terra Underwood was rather good, she started to get a bit annoying nearer the end of the book but she started off pretty strong. I have a lot of love for our cyborgs. The twins Ten & Rife were so creepy but I absolutely loved their characters! They reminded me of something from the shinning and I could imagine them rolling around on their plastic tricycles whispering "oil rummmmm, OIL RUMMM".  

There were major strong females in here, Camille was obviously extremely cool, but Scarlette is going to be KICK ASS! or so I hope. Scarlet has the potential to knock it out of the park and I love the whole world destroyer thing. Morgana, we haven't heard much of yet so I am dying to see what happens with her character, I hope she's a super badass like Scarlet. Petra is a real devil, a proper Mike Tyson *wink wink* and she is ready to go to town! I always love a good villain, they make the story. There was a few characters who just went completely MIA like Hooky? He was a huge part then boom 0. Also, Terra's friend Damien?! Sasha & Damien both went MIA but Sasha still returns, Damien is just never heard from!

That brings me to our swoon-worthy cyborg males, and they certainly are hot hot. Eric Thorn has that cheeky cocky confidence around him that I absolutely love! He always seems up to something while not being up to actually anything. Malcolm Broddory we haven't heard much from him yet, but I can feel myself getting behind him. Then we have Kalem Akuma, oh how the Lord has answered our prayers! I never realised how much I wanted a cyborg boyfriend with serious KJ Apa feels (with KJ's natural colour of his hair of course). He comes across as mysterious, brooding, heart swooning male. He and Eric have done a number on me and I need another hit!

All in all the book was pretty good and I will certainly be reading on, I actually can't wait to see what unfolds.

"'Shoe's take time, your ginormous feet need time to adjust.' 'My feet are not big.' ' You know what they say about big feet...' Malcolm arched an eyebrow, then realising what she had meant glanced down at the shoes and said, You are right. My feet are big, aren't they?' Men, Camille thought.

[zinecuntroll]

3 decades of Queer Women making Herstory through Music

Written for Pink Washed Zine issue #3

by Raquel Silva aka Raquel Smith-Cave

             I turned 30 this year, more precisely last August and it’s also been 12 years since I had my first girlfriend. When I started thinking about my queerness more seriously back in 2005/2006 I quickly realized how it wasn’t that usual for girls to be fascinated by Linda Perry in boxer shorts and combat boots like I was at 5 years old. My mom says 4 Non Blondes “What’s up” was my favorite song back then and she even bought the CD so I could listen to it on repeat and not just wait for the video to magically appear on the TV. Thanks Ma!

              Through my teenage years I had “Baby Can I Hold You” by Tracy Chapman constantly playing in my head. Mind you, I always have a song in my mind and I burst into singing at the most unexpected times, it’s mostly an unconscious act which can be embarrassing in front of people who don’t know me well. Honestly I  don’t care much, it’s just a part of my nature and if I’m not murmuring or humming some melody it usually means there’s something wrong. So at around 15/16 I remember starting to sing the chorus for “But you can say baby…” out of nowhere in school breaks or while walking home. This happened constantly and exactly why my brain was stuck with this melody was a complete mystery to me. Maybe I heard it in passing or on the radio…? I could never find the answer but I did buy Tracy’s self-titled vinyl this year during Record Store Day and discovered it was released exactly 30 years ago. It’s a precious record, her voice is warm and familiar and her guitar is so soothing to the soul. I think I finally answered my teenage self on all that musical haunting.

             Cássia Eller is a Brazilian artist who made the 90s a really wholesome, magical, golden time for every lesbian in love with husky voices. Her hit song “Malandragem” was part of this series called Malhação but I only found out she was the mystical singer behind that iconic childhood tune years after listening to it on the show. She tragically died in 2001 and even after that she still created major impact in society, when her longtime girlfriend won custody of their son, after battling against Cássia’s father who had never cared about his daughter until money was involved. Cássia was a shy person who became a complete lion on stage. Humble and almost too pure to handle the hype. She just wanted to sing to people and exorcise her demons while making others happy. Which she did and so much more. Her legacy is tremendous, as it still resonates with so many of us today and the world hasn’t really witnessed anyone quite as ingenious as her ever since.

               It’s 2007 and I’m watching a live concert in a Portuguese music festival on TV featuring a wild ass singer with the screaming voice of my wildest grrrl dreams. It’s The Gossip! And Beth Ditto is rolling around the stage, singing her lungs out in front of a pretty chill crowd. I wanted to BE THERE. I probably discovered Gossip’s music through CSS who I was obsessed with at the time or probably from watching The L Word. The truth is: the more intrigued I was by the words of this fat, dyke, goddess the more comfortable I felt about my own identity. I was fat for most of my childhood and got bullied for it on a regular basis, just part of being in an all-girls catholic school life I guess. At 13 someone called me “Fufa” which is basically “Dyke” in Portuguese and it was the most traumatic experience ever. Years later I wish I could have thanked the girl who bullied me out of a closet I wasn’t even aware I was in. I don’t believe I was ever in the closet though. Honestly, falling in love with a girl was just as natural as having crushes on boys. It was just another question I had finally found an answer for. Beth Ditto’s pride in her queerness and blatant attraction to butch people while being a proud femme, fat, dyke made me feel represented in a way I hadn’t seen myself before and ok with my own desires. Ditto!

                The first glance of The L Word I watched I didn’t really enjoyed. The image was dark and the plot seemed so tragic. It was Jenny somewhere in the first season. After one year I finally watched the whole 2 or 3 seasons that were out by then. Tegan and Sara play in one episode and are featured in the soundtrack, which I still go back to sometimes to remember really great tunes. What a blessing to have Tegan and Sara guide you through your first acid trip and “coming out of that closet” am I right Dana? (RIP) My love affair with Canadian people started right there with Tegan’s goofiness and Sara’s witty remarks. By 2007 “The Con” came out and became a staple to the LBGTQ+ community. So much so that the band released a special covers album last year, with many queer artists recreating those magnificent songs. In the records that followed their sound was purposefully re directed to more pop melodies which I couldn’t relate to anymore. They did make good use of their huge platform by launching the Tegan and Sara foundation, which fights for LGBTQ girls and women all over the world with the help of some amazing queer people.

                 The other tiny Canadian who owns my heart is Ellen Page. Ever since Juno, my gaydar was just screaming out loud in every direction possible and I’m so happy that she is now able to be herself freely. Just like Juno, my musical top 3 included Patti Smith and Iggy Pop… but not The Runaways. For me it’s actually Nick Cave. I never gave too much attention to The Runaways, though I knew about Joan Jett and her extremely queer badass persona from being a teenager obsessed with punk rock and riot grrrl herstory. Until Kristen Stewart got cast to play Joan for The Runaways movie and I finally listened to their 70s records. I fell in love with Kristen and Dakota’s version of “Dead End Justice” as well as the original. Gaystew was born to play that part. Just last week I saw Bad Reputation, a documentary about Joan’s life with lots of awesome people speaking about how incredible she is, as both a pioneer for women in rock’n roll and an advocate for human and animal rights. At 60 she’s still rocking the fuck out of leather pants, inspiring kids to start bands, making everyone smitten by her confidence and flipping the finger to the all the hypocritical social definitions of gender, sex and music.

                It’s really difficult to write about Janelle Monáe. Not because I don’t have words but mostly because I have too many. Janelle caught my eye and ears with “Tightrope” where she’s prancing around wearing her uniform, as she proudly used to talk about her suit, an homage to her working class parents and Kansas City upbringing. I saw her live at the end of 2010, at a winter festival, where all my other friends went on to watch Sting’s daughter I Blame Coco and I stood front row waiting for Janelle. It was life changing. She danced, jumped, screamed and even painted something into a blank canvas throughout the whole set. Her band was impeccably orchestrated and the show was extremely cinematic, since many of Janelle’s inspirations are from sci-fi movies. Her music is layered and complex just like her personality. Over the years she has been extremely mysterious, one of the things I appreciated the most about her. This year that changed. After much speculation in the media, she said in an interview she’s pansexual, as someone who has had relationships with men and women, that’s how she identifies more comfortably. Above all she’s an artist with a very specific vision and talent, carving the path for Afrofuturism; to create space for black people but especially queer POC to conquer over the systematic racism, lack of opportunities and prejudice in our society. Her new record “Dirty Computer” is the materialization of that evolution, the most “Janelle” album ever. Covering everything from sexual freedom to political issues while using a pop funky beat. Reminiscing one of her heroes, Prince, who became a friend and mentor before passing away in 2016. And all I want for 2019 is to be in the same room as Janelle and take on another voyage dans la lune with all the other androids.

                 Annie Clark has also played around with the idea of being an alien or a cyborg, especially on her self-titled album from 2014. That’s when I saw her live for the time and I had to give into my friend’s obsession with her music. Last year St. Vincent released “Masseduction”, an almost perfect record, in my opinion. The song with the same title is most definitely an anthem for our generation “I can’t turn off what turns me on…” and after a long relationship with model/actress Cara Delevingne or that summer fling with Kristen Stewart, it was clear, Annie is queer. (Pun so intended) While songs like “New York” or “Los Ageless” can be associated to both of those relationships, Annie’s talent as an exquisite guitar player, fearless innovative sounds and unique live shows, have made her the intergalactic rock Goddess of our queer dreams.

                 Widely inspired by Annie Clark is my next musical Queeroe. Mackenzie Scott aka Torres. There’s something about debut albums that I really love and Torres self-titled LP from 2013 is definitely in my top favorites list. It’s really fucking sad music with raw emotion, as you can hear in “Honey”, “Jealousy and I” or “When Winter’s over”. Her second album “Sprinter” showed a very exciting evolution in her sound but it’s “Three Futures” from 2017 that encapsulates Mackenzie’s desire towards experimenting with her sexuality in a more explicit way. As seen in the video for the first single where she takes on gender roles as both feminine and masculine characters who are living the dreadful “American Dream”. Plus the cover picture for that record is her staring at a semi naked woman on a pole, marking 2017 as very gay year for music.      

                Laura Jane Grace’s voice first made waves through my ears because of the collab Against Me! did with Tegan Quin back in 2007 for the single “Borne On The FM Waves Of The Heart”. The song didn’t stick to me that long and although I had heard Against Me! was my kind of band I never took the time to really listen to them. Until 2014, when “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” was released and it rapidly became one of the most important records of my life. I started watching many interviews with Laura Jane about the struggles of coming out as a trans woman in this fucked up world, specifically while being part of the punk scene, where there’s not much space for anything other than toxic masculinity. I related to Laura’s journey and with every single lyrics on “True trans soul rebel” since it felt like the most authentic punk anthem I had heard in a while. I went to their first ever gig in Portugal in 2015 and screamed as much as I could surrounded by my family of misfits, all wearing black and their heart tattoos on their sleeves. I dug into Against Me! discography but other than the single “I was a teenage anarchist” which I already knew, nothing got me hooked as much as “Transgender Dysphoria Blues” did. Laura Jane’s name is very much appropriate, for her Grace is felt through her screams as much as her written words, something I found fascinating while reading her auto biography: “Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout”. I loved every page of it, with original diary pieces, she takes us on a wild precious ride from her childhood and family issues to all the drama in the music industry or the tribulations of managing a band in this time and age. There’s really nothing more punk rock than being yourself and Laura Jane does it with so much effortless coolness and Grace.

            I tried not to listen to Courtney Barnett for months. I had seen the hype around her but didn’t feel quite ready to embark in that journey and my queers did I regret it… She played at Primavera Sound Porto in 2015 and I started listening to her on loop only weeks after that. The heartbreaking part is that I was also at that festival. The good part is that she came back in 2016 to another festival in Lisbon and I was there just for her (and Father John Misty). Which felt like the stars had aligned with my musical desires. She’s unapologetically herself but not in the way that you would say so about Cardi B for example. She’s wickedly smart with her words and unexpectedly brutal with her chords, right before she opens her mouth she looks like the sweetest person you will ever meet and after you are transported to her own island, full of genius puns, sarcastic inputs about daily life or the state of the world. My favorite verse is from “Pedestrian at best” and I almost got it tattooed… “Give me all your money and I’ll make some origami honey”. Which to me roughly translates to: Fuck Capitalism! She’s also very open about her long term relationship with her wife and fellow musician Jen Cloher, making them the ultimate indie rock’s queer power couple.

                 2016 was the darkest year of my life. I stopped listening to music for months, stopped sleeping and my panic attacks would strike me even if I was in the middle of a busy street. It was scary to lose myself in such dark thoughts but then one day I listened to Shura’s song “Too shy” and felt like a little bit of me was alive again. Her debut album “Nothing’s real” came out around that time and her lyrics for the title song were exactly what I felt through my depression. In this song she is writing about her own experience with a panic attack that makes you feel like dying. And they do. “Too Shy” is a beautiful tune about unrequited love because you are simply too fucking shy to ever go for it and ask your crush on a date. Being shy and anxious almost always go hand in hand, as an awkward, quiet, weird introvert myself, discovering Shura’s songs and story gave me hope and made me gather the lost pieces of my own identity, leaving all the pain, shame and constant anxiety behind. Music really is medicine for the soul.

                 Julien Baker also has one of the best debut albums I’ve ever heard. Personally, it’s very special because it marks the beginning of my current relationship, as my girlfriend surprised me with Julien’s “Sprained Ankle” vinyl just weeks after we started dating. That vinyl did not leave my record player for the last months of 2016 and whenever I listen to it now, I am instantly transported to that moment in time. I was finally getting back on my feet and everything was falling into place, Julien’s gigantic voice echoed my natural melancholy, embracing my demons with a new found strength.  I’ve seen her twice, both times a very out of body experience and had the pleasure to let her know how much her music has helped me. We hugged, talked and she even has the zine I make (CuntRoll) in her living room table because she likes it so much. She is someone I could definitely see myself hanging out in my group of friends and that’s what I love the most about this new generation of artists, who aren’t trying to be something they’re not for the sake of money or exposure. They embrace who they are and let the world decide if they wanna take it or leave it. And that’s exactly what we need right now, to accept and embrace people for who they are and the art they make. So we can all to the same in our own lives.

                 “Yeah I’ve got it I’m a man now…” are the verses that got stuck with me for weeks after listening to Christine and The Queens single “iT”. Yes, the capital T is on purpose as it represents testosterone, the hormone used by many Trans AFAB people to start the process of becoming more themselves. This androgynous handsome French creature original name is Heloise and since her worldwide success with her first record “Chaleur Humaine” she has shredded so many stereotypes through her music, her dancing and her style. I hate comparing artists but some people call her “ the French Michael Jackson” for a reason. My chin dropped while watching her cover for Beyonce’s “Sorry” which she transformed into her own song like it’s nobody’s business (please go watch it asap). This year she blessed as with her second LP just called “Chris” inviting the world to be a little bit closer to her. Chris is her nickname and presents us with a new image for Heloise, embracing her masculine vibe more than ever before, with short hair, loose clothing and talking proudly about queer issues in many interviews. The video for the single “5 dollars” is the epitome of gender fucking and the reason why I am even gayer now tbh.  (You should watch that also!) The future is genderqueer.

                 I stayed away from the hype of “Girls like Girls” back in 2015 because I’m mostly suspicious of pop artists using gay stories to go with the trend of pink washing, ie Katy Perry “I kissed a girl” is a fucking jam but also really fucking problematic, coming from a cis het white female who has no idea the struggles of being queer. Hayley Kiyoko is most definitely not one of those artists though, as she has slowly but certainly become the Lesbian Jesus we’ve all been praying for. With “Curious” she let us know there’s a new fucking boss in town and she’s so fucking gay. What a time to be alive, 20gayteen is real and we are here to witness it all. Hayley’s not the greatest singer in the world, but she uses the best of her skills to give voice to all the kids who struggled with feeling alienated because they couldn’t fit in anywhere. She creates videos which are more like short stories, where she not only acts, but also writes and directs with her own team, never compromising her vision to tell the stories she wants to tell. Stories that resonate with so many queer people and we all know how important representation is, especially coming from an authentic source. To have such a person in the mainstream is what Tegan and Sara were thriving for a few years ago but the result wasn’t very genuine, something that doesn’t happen with Hayley’s songs. Her album “Expectations” doesn’t have big hits, other than “Feelings and “Curious” but it’s the debut album of someone with a huge potential and vision to take up the space for ourselves to tell our own stories and no one else.

                Linn Da Quebrada is the musical Goddess of the moment. Eloquent, inspiring, caustic, no one is left indifferent after listening to her. And that's exactly what she wants, to leave us on our tiptoes waiting to be carried away by words of pleasure, empowerment, trans feminism and especially so much self-love. Each verse is a lyrical genius clapback in the face of this transphobic, sexist and racist society. Prejudices that kill so many queer people of color in Brazil every year. Her existence is transforming, rewriting the HERSTORY of the world and of her country, through the re-appropriation of funk, where SHE finally gets to be the protagonist of her own story and that courage surpasses linguistic or cultural barriers. In 2017 she released her first album “Pajubá” after a very successful crowdfunding campaign and also has her own documentary called “Bixa Travesty” which has gathered accolades through many film festivals around the world. The song “Bixa Preta” is a fucking iconic anthem for 20gayteen and for all of my maricones family out in the world fighting everyday for our existence to be respected.

We will NEVER be erased.

[princessnamora]

hi! if you don't mind me asking, what's your template for the female awesome meme?

It's no problem! 😊 Basically I just took a basic one and modified it. Be warned, my goal was essentially to make something so long that I would never finish and always have something to do, so I'm always adding and sometimes removing categories. Also, I don't know how to format asks, especially on mobile, so you're unfortunately going to get a big paragraph of text instead of a nice bulleted list. Anyway, as it stands now, these are the categories: [10] females in a movie post-1990 [10] females in a movie pre-1990 [10] females in foreign-language movies [10] females in a period movie [10] femslash ships [10] female dynamics [10] sister relationships [10] mother/daughter relationships [10] abuse survivors [10] actors [10] addicts [10] adulterers and cheaters [10] animated characters [10] antagonists [10] africans [10] archers [10] artists [10] asians [10] athletes [10] australians [10] badasses [10] blondes [10] bookworms and writers [10] brunettes [10] businesswomen [10] characters in a period show [10] characters in male-dominated careers [10] characters of colour [10] characters who deserve better [10] characters who have had an abortion [10] characters who need their own show [10] characters with a fringe/bangs [10] characters with blue eyes [10] characters with brown eyes [10] characters with glasses [10] characters with green eyes [10] characters with hazel eyes [10] characters with the best character growth [10] characters with the best hair [10] characters with the best smile [10] cheerleaders [10] cinephiles [10] city girls [10] comedy characters [10] comic book characters [10] cops and agents [10] criminals [10] current and former sex workers [10] dancers [10] deceased characters [10] disabled/handicapped characters [10] divorcées [10] doctors [10] drama characters [10] educators [10] europeans [10] extroverts [10] fantasy characters [10] fashionistas [10] foodies and cooks [10] foreign-language characters [10] geniuses [10] hot messes [10] immigrants [10] inmates [10] introverts [10] investigators [10] it girls [10] killers [10] lawyers [10] lead characters [10] leaders/bosses [10] lgbt+ characters [10] literary characters [10] long-haired characters [10] magicians [10] miniseries characters [10] minor/guest characters [10] mothers [10] multilingual characters [10] musicians [10] neurodivergent characters [10] news workers [10] non-human characters [10] north americans [10] nurses [10] older characters [10] orphans and foster kids [10] pet owners [10] plus-sized characters [10] politicians [10] psychics [10] real-life characters [10] redheads [10] religious characters [10] retail workers [10] robots, androids, and cyborgs [10] romance characters [10] royals [10] runaways and fugitives [10] sci fi characters [10] scientists [10] scream queens [10] sharpshooters [10] short-haired characters [10] shutterbugs [10] small-town girls [10] south americans [10] students [10] superheroes [10] supporting characters [10] sword fighters [10] tattooed characters [10] techies [10] teen drama characters [10] teenagers [10] time travellers [10] total babes [10] unfairly hated characters [10] waitresses [10] wives [10] female driven shows

[artsy-alice]

How about comics/graphic novel recs?

Off the top of my head, the ones I’ve read and loved are–

Saga (Fiona Staples, Brian K. Vaughan) - an adult sci-fi fantasy space opera with a set of diverse lovable characters and an exciting arc. Saga’s storytelling is amazing, combining galactic war hijinks with domestic and heartwarming family moments on top of great art. Seriously - THE ART IS GOALS. Trigger warning though, it’s rated M and can get quite graphic in terms of language, sex and violence..

Lumberjanes (Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis and co.) - Five super cute and rad and awesome girls have summer camp adventures. Also addresses issues like sexuality and gender identity in a positive way, never feeling too heavy. It’s wholesome fun and just an over-all feel-good story. I LOVE LUMBERJANES SO MUCH..

The Wicked + The Divine (Gillen and McKelvie) - problematic teens awaken as reincarnations of various gods and become even more problematic celebrities. But also they’re all destined to die in 2 years. Of course everything goes smoothly. This has a good ensemble of characters that you’d either love or hate, and an interesting story that takes its own pace, and of course delicious spins on mythology. Good commentary on fame, relationships and mortality..

Princeless & Raven: The Pirate Princess (Jeremy Whitley) - Princeless follows a princess who gets tired of waiting in her tower, befriends her dragon and goes on an adventure of her own, rescuing other princesses on the way. Raven The Pirate Princess is a spin-off which follows Raven, princess of pirates, supreme badass, and her all-female crew. Both stories are A+..

Monstress (Marjorie Lu and Sana Takeda) - i picked this up because the art was breath-taking??? But the story also turned out to be amazing. It’s steampunk and fantasy, in an Asian-inspired setting, with priestesses and cats and half-humans and gods and demigods and cthulhu… The world is just so rich in detail, like the art! And the MC is a badass disabled asian woman. READ MONSTRESS..

Sandman (Neil Gaiman) - I faithfully collected all volumes of this series as soon as I started on my first job. This one’s kinda old, and a hella long read but it’s also hella good. It’s by my dude Neil Gaiman, and it’s about Dream of the Endless and his siblings Death, Destiny, Desire, Despair, Destruction and Delirium. Who are… metaphysical entities. It’s a story about stories. And about uhhh… existence and dreaming and death and… stories? Y’know, Neil Gaiman stuff..

The Umbrella Academy (Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba) - This one’s getting a Netflix adaptation real soon and I’m excited~ :D Anyways it’s a fun two-volume romp about a dysfunctional family of superheroes. First volume is great family action-drama. Second volume reads like a swag-filled Doctor Who episode. The narrative voice is very… Gerard Way-ish. Has some lines you’ll swear you’ve heard on an MCR song..

Space Battle Lunchtime (Natalie Riess) - A COOKING SHOW! IN SPACE! WITH ALIENS! A CUTE GIRL! WITH A CYBORG GIRLFRIEND! AND ALIEN FRIENDS! IT’S SO CUTE! AND FUN! READ SPACE BATTLE LUNCHTIME!.

Legend of Korra: Turf Wars (Michael Dante DiMartino & Irene Koh) - C’MON IT’S AVATAR KORRA AND HER GIRLFRIEND ASAMI AND THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ON ANOTHER GREAT STORY.

Marvel titles that are my faves:

Angela: Queen of Hel

Ms. Marvel

Runaways

Young Avengers 

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

Patsy Walker AKA Hellcat

Loki: Agent of Asgard.

Backstagers (James Tynion IV & Rian Sygh) - queer theater nerds, where you at? I’ve seen this described as the male equivalent of Lumberjanes, and I have to agree. It’s wholesome fun adventures of a bunch of nerdy theater kids who discover weird supernatural stuff in the basement. With many theater and anime references! There’s a character basically described by the authors as their “Momiji” and of course he was the best character. Fun!.

Hopeless Savages (Jen Van Meter) - two 70′s punk rock icons got together, settled down and had four children. Plot twist: THEY WERE GOOD AT IT. This is a family drama-comedy with quirky lovable characters getting thrown (and sometimes running headfirst) into ridiculous plots. The message of family resilience and defying expectations is great. I loved everything about this series..

Nimona (Noelle Stevenson) - shapeshifting girl employs herself to be an evil villain’s sidekick so they can take down a great hero. My copy of this at home is now worn out because it’s been borrowed by countless younger siblings, cousins and siblings’ friends..

The Prince and the Dressmaker (Jen Wang) - strong ambitious dressmaker gets hired by a crossdressing prince to make him dresses. Prince’s dress-wearing alter-ego becomes a fashion icon. Cue drama and coming of age. THIS IS SUCH A SWEET AND GREAT READ GUYS I’M IN LOVE WITH IT..

Daytripper (Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba) - this one is a profound story about an obituary writer, who reflects on his life’s possibilities - how things could have gone differently had he made different choices, and how it might change how he’s remembered (or not) after his own death. It’s hard to describe exactly, but it’s a very cathartic read..

Sunstone (Stjepan Sejic) - whenever someone asks me what I think of 50 Shades of Grey, I always go “50 what? I’ve read Sunstone. Nothing can come close to that.” So. Yeah. Sunstone is a funny, sexy and sweeet romance story between two women done superbly. Plus, seriously, the bdsm community rep here is great. Thanks Mr. Sejic, it’s what they deserve.

Special Mention:

Mythspace ( Studio Salimbal ) - because HELLS YEAH, Space Opera, Filipino Style! I supported this series back when it came as individually self-published issues in the local comic cons, and I was so proud when they got picked out by a publisher and I saw a bound volume on bookstore shelves. - Anyways, it’s a kid and a bunch of Filipino mythological creatures in space battles and other standalone adventures set in the same universe. It’s published in English, and you can check it out in Tapas or buy issues in gumroad!