#bee movie (2003)

[spacedustmantis]

*cough cough* *pulling up notes* *squinting at notes* *realising i don't have bad vision* *unsquinting at the notes* *reading the notes*

how does the life series work in the FUCK I FORGOT THE AU NAME THIS WAS ALLL FOR NAUGHT

i am so glad you asked!!

alright so. the series of events goes like this:

one day grian, as he so often does, gets bored

in his defense immortality gets boring quick and he's been doing this for a While

so, he descends onto a random planet, one that in grian's opinion could do with a little entertainment. he draws up the rules of this game he's planning, pays a carefully selected bunch of cold-hearted, skilled, desperate-for-money workers and has them build a huge fucking arena, kidnap the planet's best fighters, and work on this project full time once it gets rolling

amongst the workers are a few incredibly talented medics, people who, with the right tech, could bring you back from death's door

grian personally installs chips into every contestant's brain that activate as soon as the person is not yet dead, but good as, and then put the body in a temporary stasis, so that it may be transported beneath the arena and the medics can do their work to send them back up fully restored so they can join the fray once more

the whole event is recorded via multiple cameras following around every contestant, edited down into a thrilling reality tv show, and broadcasted weekly for a good few years, which is how long it takes for the game to come to its conclusion

naturally there are a few quirks to this game

every contestant originally gets three lives, three times they get to enjoy the experience of dying, but soon enough a few of them figure out how to hack the chips. they can't seem to alter their function whatsoever, but they do figure out how to change the number of lives the chip grants you, and they also figure out that if the system clocks too many (or too few) lives granted overall in comparison to how many deaths there have been in total, it sends alarm bells ringing. and so there is an underground life trading ring that forms about seven months into the fight

somewhere in the arena there is whispered to be a strange stone statue that, if you play your cards right, bestows gifts to those who complete the tasks it gives them

there is an illness spreading through the arena, like a common cold, just much more destructive. it is known as "red fever" to some, to others it's simply "the bloodlust"

occasionally, caused by apparently nothing at all except coincidence, or some weird glitch in the system, or what certain people might call fate, two contestants get bound together on a metaphysical level. they share pain and wounds and death. they share all the bad, and none of the good

the overarching story roughly follows 3rd life (mostly bc that season works best as a mechs style retelling), with monopoly mountain and dogwarts as the two main factions that crystallize after a few months, but small story elements of each season are dotted around the plot, like one man who managed to defeat all his enemies by taking advantage of the secret keepers boons and playing dirty, or a woman who ran in solitude with only the company of her wolves and who against all odds was the last one standing - until the man she was bound to blew himself up, and her with it.

ultimately two people survive (these people are not grian and scar, but are played by them on stage). and then one person survives. and then the winner of the life game throws himself off of a cliff

of course, grian is not the biggest fan of watching as other people slaughter each other while he sits and does nothing, so naturally he joins the fight. no one knows or would even guess that the scrawny guy who maybe likes explosions a touch too much could be the same individual as The Spectator, the mysterious figure who is behind running the Life Game, not even the staff that has been hired to set it all up. grian, alongside committing murder, also keeps an eye on the game's development as well as the numbers the show gets online.

after a few months he runs into joel, whom he knows is one of the fan favorites, and sticks with him for a while. after joel dies his final death - shot through the heart by scott - he mechanizes him, and, after discovering that mechanizing joel also mechanized the man he was bound to, takes him and etho back to the xisuma to join the crew.

[kosher-martian]

We need more Hanukkah movies/specials. Real ones, not reskinned Hallmark movies. The only ones I can think of are:

A Rugrats Chanukah - a classic for us 90s kids.

Lamb Chop's Special Chanukah- I bet your grandparents had a copy on VHS.

Full Court Miracle - actually a really enjoyable Disney Channel Original Movie and one of two "basketball+ethnic holiday" movies they made, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.

Eight Crazy Nights - no further comment

What, we couldn't even get to eight movies? We somehow control the entertainment industry and the best we could do is two specials, a TV movie, and a single theatrical release between 1995 and 2003?

I mean sure this plays nicely into my theory that the 90s were an unparalleled time of normalized (i.e. not gawking) Jewish visibility in US media that we have not seen since... but it doesn't have to be! The era of streaming and nonstop content means there has to be at least one desperate coked-out executive who'll throw money at us just to get content to push for the holidays.

You can have this one for free (just do a special thanks in the credits everyone will skip): Hanukkah, Chanukah, Chanuka! A spelling bee + Hanukkah movie.

[wlwcatalogue]

Yuri Subtext (?) Anime List

A supplement to my earlier yuri anime masterlist, this list covers anime which aren’t marketed as yuri but which prominently feature F/F pairs, whether canonical or subtext! Since subtext is so subjective, this post only includes series which I’ve actually watched, and so is by no means intended to be comprehensive.

Also, since the above description would not cover certain series with well-known yuri pairings, I've also included a few "bonus rounds" for the curious (although these are still limited to series I have watched).

At-a-glance list:

Revolutionary Girl Utena (39 episodes + 1 movie, 1997)

NOIR (26 episodes, 2001)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica (12 episodes, 2011)

Haibane Renmei (13 episodes, 2002)

.hack//SIGN (26 episodes, 2002)

Read or Die / R.O.D. the TV (26 episodes, 2003)

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury (24 episodes, 2022)

Black Rock Shooter (8 episodes, 2010)

Izetta: The Last Witch (12 episodes, 2016)

Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll (movie, 2019)

Canaan (13 episodes, 2009)

Ga-Rei: Zero (12 episodes, 2008)

Bonus rounds:

Sailor Moon S3 (38 episodes, 1994) (subtext)

Mai-Hime (26 episodes, 2004) (canon)

Psycho-Pass (41 episodes + 3 movies, 2012) (canon)

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! (24 episodes + movie, 2020) (canon)

Summaries under the cut!

1. Revolutionary Girl Utena (39 episodes + 1 movie, 1997) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

(Copied from the Yuri Anime Masterlist post, since technically it wasn’t marketed as yuri)

When she was a child, Tenjou Utena (Kawakami Tomoko) was saved by a passerby prince, so she decided that she too wanted to become a prince as an adult. Fast forward to high school, and she hasn’t forgotten that conviction: Utena gets sucked into a series of duels while trying to protect her best friend’s honour. After winning the first duel, she becomes ‘engaged’ to the eccentric “Rose Bride” Himemiya Anthy (Fuchizaki Yuriko), and the two start living together in the same dormitory.

First things first: there are a million content warnings for this series, including implied rape, sexual assault, incest, and homophobia. Although the issues are handled well (in my opinion), it does go to very dark places, so those wanting a light, fun anime to unwind to should look elsewhere. Second, this series is very much a psychological drama utilising the episodic duels as a way of hone in on Utena’s opponents and their stories, so Utena and Anthy’s relationship – though important – is definitely not the focus of the anime. Third, the TV series is limited to hinting at the romantic relationship between Utena and Anthy, not to mention that they spend most of the series being little more than acquaintances rather than actual friends. The movie Adolescence (which can be taken as a retelling or sequel, depending on your perspective) is much more explicit on this front, but also suffers from a significantly shorter runtime and a much more opaque approach to storytelling.

That being said! If you’re okay with all of the above, this series is pretty much essential. The simplistic premise belies a much more complex and nuanced story about gender roles, sexuality, and human relationships and remains one of the smartest anime ever made, over twenty years on.

2. NOIR (26 episodes, 2001) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

The first in anime studio Bee Train’s “girls with guns” trilogy, NOIR follows globetrotting assassin duo Mireille Bouquet (Mitsuishi Kotono) and Yuumura Kirika (Kuwashima Houko) as they partner up to search for Kirika’s missing memories and the truth behind Mireille’s parents’ deaths. The series is pleasingly restrained despite the sensational premise, alternating between “business trips” to far-flung locations and snapshots of the pair’s domestic life in Mireille’s Paris apartment, and devoting more time to the unfolding of the relationship between the prickly Mireille and puppy-like Kirika than to action sequences. I won't say too much due to spoilers, but their relationship numbers among my favorites due to how naturally it is developed throughout and how it is very much at the heart of the series both narratively and thematically.

This is also the first anime soundtrack entirely composed by the legendary Kajiura Yuki, heralding a long collaboration with director Mashimo Kouichi, and her mix of classical and modern sounds provides the perfect accompaniment to NOIR’s atmospheric cityscapes. Also, for fans of Mitsuishi’s work (Sailor Moon! Utena! Evangelion!), I’d say NOIR is a must-watch for her performance alone; her Mireille is brittle and proud, and she brings so much humanity and nuance to the role. In fact, I don’t care if you’re a fan of Mitsuishi or Kajiura or assassins or whatever, please just try the first episode— this anime deserves way more love!

3. Puella Magi Madoka Magica (12 episodes, 2011) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

Puella Magi Madoka Magica opens with ordinary middle school girl Kaname Madoka (Yuuki Aoi) standing in the ruins of her hometown, watching as a lone girl struggles to defend what remains of the city against a much more powerful enemy. A little rabbit-like creature informs Madoka that the girl is sure to lose without her help, and so Madoka decides to become a magical girl right then and there— at which point she wakes up and dismisses it as a strange nightmare. But then that very day, her school receives a new transfer student who looks just like that mysterious girl, and she also finds a hurt animal that closely resembles the rabbit-like creature from her dream. Madoka is then faced with certain questions: do magical girls actually exist, and will she become one herself?

Since Madoka Magica was all the rage back in the early 2010s, I don’t think it too much of a spoiler to say that the cheery first three episodes hide a dark, gritty story which uses the concept of magical girls to explore the tumultuousness of adolescence. The queer subtext only comes in at the end but tight plotting and inventive presentation make this show a quick watch— and if you’re the type who likes queerness in fiction to be intense, world-shakingly significant, and a wee bit problematic, the payoff should be more than enough. A word of warning: there is a movie sequel called Rebellion, but if you’re happy with the ending of the anime, it’s best not to watch it (although I love the movie, myself).

Side note: I won’t go into it too much due to spoilers but if you liked Madoka Magica you might want to check out Serial Experiments Lain – even if most of it is utterly incomprehensible (as it was to me), it’s worth watching until the very end (wink). Also, for the rare fan of Rebellion, Adolescence of Utena is a must-watch if you haven’t checked it out already; so much can be said about its conceptual and aesthetic influences on Rebellion!

4. Haibane Renmei (13 episodes, 2002) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

(Note: slight spoilers about the tone and overall themes of the show – but I think it’s necessary for the purpose of writing a more representative summary.)

Written by ABe Yoshitoshi – character designer of cult classic anime Serial Experiments Lain and author of the very unfinished manga which this show adapts and significantly develops – Haibane Renmei starts off as a light-fantasy slice-of-life anime following freshly-arrived Rakka (Hirohashi Ryou) as she searches for a suitable job in the town of Glie, before transforming into a nuanced exploration of grief and depression about halfway through. To say more would be really too spoilery, but I just want to say that this has probably the most grounded and sensitive depiction of depression I have seen in an anime; it shows that sometimes people struggle even if everyone around them is kind and supportive, but remains hopeful about the healing power of time and understanding. The subtext is between the protagonist and Reki (Noda Junko), the first person she meets, who also helps her get acclimatised to her new life in Glie. Again, I won’t say more, but their relationship really is wonderful. That being said, this show does touch upon suicide and suicidal ideation in the course of discussing these themes, so please steer clear if that is something you are wary of.

5. .hack//SIGN (26 episodes, 2002) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

A standalone spinoff of the .hack PS2 games, this show was the most well-known anime about players getting trapped inside a multiplayer game before Sword Art Online’s arrival in 2012 (ironically, Kajiura Yuki composed the music for both). Rather than being an action-adventure story about a heroic protagonist trying to find a way back to the real world, SIGN stands out as an introspective piece, far more interested in the psychology of those who play online games and the issues of human connection and identity. In fact, the female protagonist is all too happy to remain within the MMORPG as male player-avatar Tsukasa (Saiga Mitsuki) after becoming unable to log out; the story is more about how the player grows to accept the real world with the help of the other players she meets, rather than about figuring out the exit route.

On the F/F side, some way into the series, Tsukasa makes an instant connection with fellow player-character Subaru (Nazuka Kaori) and they soon start spending a lot of time together. I really love their scenes together; the series' masterful use of body language, framing, and music all comes together to create these beautifully tender moments of intimacy. Although there’s no kiss scene nor explicit discussion of dating etc., a lot of the other characters talk about their relationship and perceive it as being romantic, to the point where one gets homophobically “worried” about Subaru when they find out that the player controlling male avatar Tsukasa is female. Tsukasa and Subaru's relationship becomes a lynchpin for both characters' development, and in general is used to illustrate the series' underlying themes in a thoughtful and heartwarming way.

6. Read or Die / R.O.D. the TV (26 episodes, 2003) Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

A spinoff of the Read or Die series which takes more from espionage thrillers and Hong Kong action flicks than shounen anime, R.O.D. the TV takes the unusual approach of starting with its main character - elite paper-maniuplating superspy Yomiko Readman (Miura Rieko) - being nowhere to be seen after burning down the British Library in a dramatic resignation announcement. Instead of focusing on her, or the spy agencies clashing in her absence, the story instead follows her friend Sumiregawa Nenene (Yukino Satsuki), who joins up with a trio of sisters with paper-manipulating powers and criminal connections in her quest to find out what happened to Yomiko. The queerness is mainly implied through Nenene's focus on Yomiko, which is unrequited and sadly fizzles out narratively speaking in the back half. Unfortunately, this is coupled with an increased focus on more heteronormative topics, such as Yomiko's grief over her dead male lover, and the child one of the characters had with the villain of the OVA. That being said, I also want to shout out this series' surprisingly earnest depiction of budding queerness in a young (like, elementary-school young) side character - something that is rare in fiction even now.

7. Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (24 episodes, 2022) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

The most recent entry on this list by far (the final episode aired just a day ago at time of writing), The Witch from Mercury initially seems to forgo the Gundam franchise’s usual grand scale, being set in an academy run by the corporate giant Benerit Group. Main character and new student Suletta Mercury (Ichinose Kana) - the franchise’s first female protagonist since its beginnings in 1979 - accidentally bumbles her way into fighting a mecha duel, and, when she wins, is shocked to find that she is now engaged to the sole heiress of that self-same corporate giant, her classmate Miorine Rembran (Lynn). So far so Utena, but after the first episode, things start to diverge significantly: though the duels continue, the focus shifts to how big-picture tensions such as the manoeuvring within the Benerit Group and the conflict between the space colonisers and people on Earth play out within the student body, and how the arrival of Suletta and her mysteriously cutting-edge mecha start to shake up the status quo… until things come to an explosive head.

For those who curious about G-Witch due to Suletta and Miorine, but who wouldn’t normally be interested in Gundam or space operas, I’ll just say that if the hype has led you to expect a big queer romance where Suletta and Miorine shout their love from the rooftops, well, that’s not how it goes. It’s a mecha anime first and foremost, after all! But lower your expectations and you may be pleasantly surprised. Season 1 offers plenty to enjoy in terms of Suletta’s earnest attempts to be a good “bridegroom” and the tsundere Miorine’s bouts of jealousy over Suletta. And while their relationship takes a bit of a back seat in Season 2 due to there being So Much going on, it remains one of the key elements of the series and their scenes together are the emotional peaks of the season.

Side note: Some might criticise Gundam for taking so long to have a female main character, but let’s not forget about how the even older Ultraman (1966), Kamen Rider (1971), and Super Sentai (1975) franchises still have not had a single mainline series featuring a female protagonist… Come on guys, I’m dying for a female-led Kamen Rider over here!

8. Black Rock Shooter (8 episodes, 2010) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

One of the two anime inspired by the Hatsune Miku song of the same name, this Okada Mari-penned series hones in on the passionate friendships and jealousies of a group of middle-school girls. In a twist that feels informed by the psychological allegory of the popular Persona games, this interpersonal drama plays out in the surreal battle world of the music video, with the titular Black Rock Shooter being the main character’s alter-ego. Of particular interest is the first half’s focus on the blossoming friendship between protagonist Kuroi Mato (Hanazawa Kana) and her shy classmate Takanashi Yomi (Sawashiro Miyuki), which has strong overtones of two girls developing crushes on each other – it doesn’t go smoothly, but hey, that’s life.

9. Izetta: The Last Witch (12 episodes, 2016) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

Set during what is basically World War 2, Izetta: The Last Witch asks the daring question of “What if a small European country about to be invaded by alternate-history Nazi Germany could fight back with magic… and what if it was (subtextually) yuri?” The show follows politically-minded princess Finé as she and her best friend (read: girlfriend) Izetta think up ways to leverage the latter’s witchy gifts to save the country from invasion – a rare case of a military anime where female characters are significantly involved at the strategic stage. Those who enjoy the classic princess-and-knight trope may find something to like as long as they are fine with Finé and Izetta not having much relationship development (as their dynamic is established from the start) and them not having many one-on-one scenes together (as the series’ main focus is on the political manoeuvring). Note that this show is also pretty heavy on the fanservice – IIRC there was at least one moment of egregious sexualisation per episode.

Side note: those who like Izetta may also want to check out Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing, a female-focused dieselpunk anime with a lot of military strategizing and a very cool world setting, though Izetta is better-paced and the main relationship is much more plot-significant. (That being said I do like the relationship between Fam side characters Tatiana and Alistair… Tatiana is probably the adult character with the most screentime in Fam, being the main characters’ commanding officer, and although it’s very background, she has this cutely settled dynamic with former piloting partner turned wife right-hand woman Alistair.)

10. Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll (movie, 2019) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

(Note: this entry’s a slightly weird one, it only covers the first 40 minutes of this movie due to it being basically two episodic stories smushed together into a single package, and only the earlier story is relevant to this list.)

In this standalone spinoff of the Violet Evergarden anime series – itself an adaptation of the light novel series by Akatsuki Kana – the titular protagonist Violet (Ishikawa Yui) takes a break from ghostwriting letters to serve as companion to aloof young noblewoman Isabella York (Kotobuki Minako) in her last months of finishing school. The story is a quiet coming-of-age tale focusing on how the kind (and rather dashing!) Violet helps Isabella to open up, or, in simpler terms, it’s fodder for butler-and-lady fans. Don’t get your hopes up too much, though: Violet learning about her romantic feelings for her deceased male superior is one of the main throughlines of the anime, and this (half of the) movie also ends with a heterosexual arranged marriage for Isabella. That being said, this movie is really a feast for the eyes, its historical-fantasy setting being brought out with beautiful backgrounds and detailed linework, so it’s worth checking out if you don’t mind the very Class S narrative.

Side note: if you want F/F butler-and-lady or princess-and-knight vibes I would really recommend watching Fate/Zero for Saber and Irisviel – yes Irisviel is already married to one of the (male) main characters and yes Saber is absolutely the main love interest for the famously-straight Fate/stay night, but their dynamic is really good and Saber gets to wear a stylish suit and be all chivalrous to a woman… Please watch the third episode of season 1 at least…

11. Canaan (13 episodes, 2009) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

There’s quite a lot going on in Canaan – perhaps unsurprisingly so for a spinoff of the FMV visual novel 428: Shibuya Scramble, which is famous for its intertwined storylines – but in true action-movie blockbuster style, all you really need to know is that the titular mercenary Canaan (Sawashiro Miyuki) is on a hunt for her mentor’s protégé-turned-murderer, and a lot of flashy fighting is involved. Also, there's no need to worry if you haven't played the original game, as Canaan is pretty much a standalone work and all of the significant characters are original to the anime. Yuri-minded viewers may enjoy her clashes with the villain Alphard (Sakamoto Maaya), but the main source of F/F subtext is her relationship with the young photographer Maria (Nanjo Yoshino), for whom she cares deeply and must rescue on multiple occasions. However, do be warned that the one canonically queer character in the show – Alphard’s subordinate Liang Qi (Tanaka Rie), who is fixated on her boss – is handled very badly, being portrayed as a raving predatory lesbian who is mocked, rejected, and finally killed by the object of her affections. Canaan and Maria’s relationship is also framed very definitively as friendship by the end of the series, although they don’t get paired off with male characters. IIRC there’s also some fanservice but I can’t remember the details as it was a long time ago, sorry.

12. Ga-Rei: Zero (12 episodes, 2008) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

Back in the old days, I had heard this show talked about in the same breath as yuri classics such as Kannazuki no Miko and Mai-Hime, and, well, like those series it comes with significant caveats (though thankfully there is no sexual assault). Although it’s a prequel to the Ga-Rei manga by Segawa Hajime, the anime is basically standalone and focuses on original characters Kagura (Chihara Minori) and Yomi (Mizuhara Kaoru), the latter of whom welcomes protagonist Kagura into her family and demon-hunting squad, only to leave the team in a devastating betrayal. After the explosive opening, the series jumps back to explore the events leading up to that point; fans of director Aoki Ei’s work on Fate/Zero should note that the dark tone disappears in the third episode and never quite comes back even when things get serious. Viewers should also keep their F/F expectations in check, since despite the premise I would say the series is more plot- than character-focused, and on top of that a significant amount of time is devoted to Yomi’s relationship with her male fiancé (Yomi and Kagura have more screentime together, but there’s not much development whereas Yomi and her fiancé are given a whole romantic arc). There is one very fanservicey scene between Kagura and Yomi in a car early on (in episode 3?) which viewers may want to skip, but IIRC it’s an outlier and the rest of the series is nowhere near as bad.

Bonus Rounds

1. Sailor Moon S / Season 3 (38 episodes, 1994) (subtext) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

Possibly the most widely-known F/F couple in anime, Haruka and Michiru (Ogata Megumi and Katsuki Masako, respectively), make their first appearance in episode 3 of the third season as mysterious newcomers who refuse to work alongside the Sailor Senshi. Apart from being consistently framed as an ideal couple throughout (they practically cruise to victory in a couple’s contest in episode 5 of S3), they also get some juicy narrative moments, being the main subject of the excellent episodes 17 and 21 – the latter being the mid-season climax. They return in S5 but I haven’t watched that season yet.

Side note: Utena fans may be particularly interested to hear that the aforementioned Haruka-and-Michiru-centric episodes 17 and 21 are helmed by key Utena creatives. Both were written by Enokido Yoji, Utena's lead scriptwriter, while episode 17 was directed by Igarashi Takuya (who storyboarded 5 Utena episodes) and episode 21 was directed by Utena director Ikuhara Kunihiko himself.

2. Mai-Hime (26 episodes, 2004) (canon) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

Way back when, Mai-Hime was very popular among yuri fans for including a canonically queer female character who was in love with another female character… even though, like in Kannazuki no Miko which was broadcast the same year, she commits sexual assault against her. For those still curious, Mai-Hime starts out as a quirky fighting-monsters-and-going to school anime but turns into a battle royale where characters fight each other using robots – the twist being that the robots symbolise their love for the person most precious to them, and if destroyed, that person will die. The queer storyline comes in only in the last quarter or so, but is compellingly told and at least the queer character isn’t quite as maniacal or otherwise demonised compared to some others (looking at you, Liang Qi in Canaan). It's a fun reveal, so I won't spoil it here even if you're likely to have heard of it already.

3. Psycho-Pass (41 episodes + 3 movies, 2012) (canon) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

Psycho-Pass is set in a dystopian world where people are rated on their criminal tendencies; the main characters’ job as police officers is to arrest those whose tendencies exceed a certain level. The F/F is canon but very, very background; one of the surprise twists of the finale is that forensics expert Karanomori Shion (Sawashiro Miyuki), whose appearance screams “sexy doctor character” but is played with surprising warmth by Sawashiro, is actually in a relationship with seemingly aloof field officer Kunizuka Yayoi (Itou Shizuka). I only watched the first season and so can’t comment on the rest, but apparently they are still in a relationship in the third season.

4. My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! (24 episodes + movie, 2020) (canon) - Anime News Network | MyAnimeList

An adaptation of Yamaguchi Satoru’s popular light novel series, this show headed the wave of reincarnated-villainess isekai, focusing on the bumbling Catarina Claes (Uchida Maaya) – in actuality an otaku who has been reincarnated into an otome game – as she tries desperately to remove her character’s image as a villainess and thereby inadvertently attracts the attentions of many a suitor. Among this reverse harem are three female characters Maria Campbell (Hayami Saori), Mary Hunt (Okasaki Miho), and Sophia Ascart (Minase Inori).

While the female suitors’ romantic interest in Catarina is generally not undermined or played as a joke, they are not necessarily treated as equally valid options compared to the male suitors - it doesn't feel like Catarina has a real chance of ending up with any of the female characters. I've heard this starts becoming more obvious in S2 (which I haven't watched), which apparently focuses on Catarina's relationship development with one particular male suitor compared to the others. Also, the VN spinoff had 6 routes in total (all 4 male suitors + 2 original male characters) but did not include a single female route, despite being non-canon in nature.

[cafenostalgique]

My ultimate film watchlist (2000s)

1930s-1940s | 1950s | 1960s-1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2010s

Welcome to part 6 of my ultimate film watchlist. This list will consist of a lot of my favorites from childhood that I want to rewatch, as well as movies that I was much too young to watch at the time. Sometimes that didn't stop my mom from letting me sit in the living room with her while she watched them. I usually played or did my homework during these times, and was told to look away if she knew an innapropriate part of a movie was coming up. I was just happy to be with her.

Enjoy this list, and as always, please let me know if I'm missing any major film and I will gladly add it to the list!

watched | loved | wouldn’t watch again | holiday

2000

102 Dalmatians

Almost Famous

American Psycho (made me laugh tbh)

Battle Royale

Best in Show

Billy Elliot

Bring It On

Chicken Run

Coyote Ugly

Emperor's New Groove

Erin Brockovich

Gladiator

Memento

Remember the Titans

Requiem for a Dream

Scary Movie

Scream 3

The Road to El Dorado

The Tigger Movie

Unbreakable

2001

Amélie

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Donnie Darko

Drudget Jone's Diary

Get Over It

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (I wish I was joking, I haven't watch a sing HP movie)

Jeepers Creepers

Legally Blonde

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (also wish I was joking here omg)

Monsters, Inc

Moulin Rouge

Recess: School's Out

Shrek

Spirited Away

Spy Kids

Tart

The Fast and the Furious

The Princess Diaries

Zoolander

2002

28 Days Later

40 Days and 40 Nights

Adaptation

Bend It Like Beckham

Better Luck Tomorrow

Carrie

Get A Clue

Ice Age

Lilo & Stitch

Minoirity Report

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

The Ring

The Santa Clause 2

Treasure Planet

Whale Rider

2003

Bad Santa

Brother Bear

Calendar Girls

ELF

Finding Nemo

Freaky Friday

Holes

House of 1000 Corpses (love Rob Zombie <3)

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

Kill Bill: Vol. 1

Lost in Translation

Love Actually

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Scary Movie 3

Something's Gotta Give

The Haunted Mansion

The Lizzie McGuire Movie

The School of Rock

Thirteen

Uptown Girls

2004

13 Going on 30 (it's good if you can view it in context of the time, otherwise extremely hard to watch a grown woman hang out with 13 year olds and hit on a teenage boy)

America's Heart and Soul

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Garden State

Home on the Range

Kill Bill: Vol. 2

Mean Girls

Million Dollar Baby

Napoleon Dynamite

National Treasure

Sacred Planet

Saw

Shaun of the Dead

Shrek 2

Sideways

Sleepover

The Incredibles

The Notebook

The Phantom of the Opera

The Village

2005

Brokeback Mountain

Broken Flowers

Chicken Little

Corpse Bride

Herbie: Fully Loaded

House of Wax

Howl's Moving Castle

Ice Princess (tried ice skating because of this movie at 6. I fell, cried, and never did it again)

Madagascar

Mr. & Mrs.

Odd Girl Out

Robots

Saw II

Sin City

Sky High

The 40-Year-Old Virgin

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Descent

The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants

Walk the Line

Wedding Crashers

2006

300

Borat

Cars

Children of Men

Flushed Away

Happy Feet

High School Musical

Ice Age: The Meltdown

Idiocracy

Just My Luck

Kinky Boots

Little Miss Sunshine

Monster House

Over the Hedge

Pan's Labyrinth

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Saw III

Scary Movie 4

Silent Hill

Stay Alive

Step Up

The Devil Wears Prada

The Hills Have Eyes

The Host

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

V for Vendetta

2007

30 Days of Night

Becoming Jane

Bee Movie (I'm sure you've also watched)

Bridge to Terabithia

Enchanted

High School Musical 2

Meet the Robinsons

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Ratatouille

Shrek the Halls (don't sleep on this)

Shrek the Third

Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Trick R' Treat

2008

Beverely Hills Chihuahua

Bolt

Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert (specifically want to watch with my future daughter)

High School Musical 3: Senior Year

Horton Hears a Who

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

Repo! The Genetic Opera

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Twilight

WALL-E

2009

A Christmas Carol

Antichrist

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

G-Force

Hannah Montana: The Movie

Jennifer's Body

Monsters Vs. Aliens

Old Dogs

Planet 51

Ponyo

Race to Witch Mountain

The Lovely Bones

The Princess and the Frog

The Proposal

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Up

[funnyfooddatabase]

Kellogg’s Hunny B’s

Food

Type of Funny Food: Tie-In Product

Introduced: 2002

Location: Supermarkets

A honey-flavored cereal themed to the silly (now public domain) bear of the Hundred Acre Wood was released by Kellogg’s and Disney in the early 2000s.

The cereal shape varied- most of the pieces were shaped to look like B’s, but there were also yellow pieces in the shape of honey pots, Winnie-the-Pooh’s head, and bees. Later, pink pieces shaped like Piglet’s head would also be added, to celebrate the release of Piglet’s Big Movie in 2003. Allegedly, Eeyore pieces would be added even later, but there is no existing evidence of this.

[thealmightyemprex]

Watching movies outside the theater :First films shown in various formats

So I am facinated by the history of home video,cause remember for a long time if you wanted to see a movie you had to see it at the theater or wherever it was being shown that had a projector ,and once it was gone it was gone unless it got a rerelease

So I got curious and looked up abunch of the early movies shown on various formats

NOTE this is not extensive,I couldnt find the answer for every first ,like I raally wanted to know the first movie shown on Pay Per View but couldnt find it

THE FIRST FILM SHOWN ON TV.Yes before VHS ,if you wanted to see a film at home you had to hope it would air on TV

Now I actually have two answers for this

Now the first film period,shown in 6 parts was Police Patrol (1925) in 1931

However you wouldnt get the first full length film on TV till 25 years later in 1956 with CBS's broadcast of the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz

Now there were a few attempts at home media before VHS ,like Cartivision ,but we are skipping to VHS

THE FIRST FILM ON VHS : The south Korean film the Young Teacher (1972) ,realsed in 1976

THE FIRST FILM ON LASERDISC:When the format was still callled Discovison in 1978 the first film was the 70's classic Jaws (!975 )

First movie STREAMED ON THE INTERNET .Yeah we actually got the first film on the internet before we got DVD ,that surprised me .It was Wax or the Discovery of Television Among Bees from 1991 ,streamed in 1993

FIRST MOVIES ON DVD :Now there were actually 32 films released in the US in 1997....BUT DVD actually started in Japan 3 months ealier in 1996 with 4 titles so Im doing those

Blade Runner 1982

Eraser 1996

The Fugitive 1993

And finally we come to THE FIRST FILMS RELEASED ON BLU RAY

The list included of the initial line up in 2006

50 First Dates (2004 )

The Fifth Element 1997

Hitch 2005

House of Flying Daggers 2004

Underworld Evolution (2003)

xXx (2002)

And The Terminator (1984)

@countesspetofi @theancientvaleofsoulmaking @the-blue-fairie

@ariel-seagull-wings @themousefromfantasyland @princesssarisa

@amalthea9 @filmcityworld1 @florals-cardigan

[yellowjacketsfashion]

Hopefully it won't be rude, (I have got a couple of uestions) but how the heck did you manage to find , buy and own the Jackie Polo Ralph Laren blue white stripe sweater?!

I haven't seen it anywhere and I have bee seaching for months.

Would you mind showing us your Yellowjackets collection?

What other TV shows and movies you love? Music?

Do you think people who haven't watched the show nad know nothing about it will love or hate it based on the first two episodes?

Thank you for your blog, it is fantastic. The amount of time you are spending on it clearly proves your love for the show.

No it’s okay, I enjoy answering questions!

I got my Jackie sweater off of Ebay but I spent a long time searching for one before that. I found it helpful to add variation to my searches (some more vague and some specific) on the different platforms and when possible (on sites like Ebay or Mercari), save the searches so I would get notified when possible matches popped up. You could also try putting a photo of the sweatshirt into Google Lens to see if any show up for sale in the results. Poshmark, Depop, and Thredup are also good places to look as those are specifically for buying and selling clothing.

As for my personal collection I don’t really have it in a nice display or anything (most of it’s just hung in my closet) so here is a collage of the items I have:

I didn’t include a handful of pieces such as the custom items I’ve made like my letterman jacket as well as some items I got that are inspired by the show and a few figurines.

I also want to add that overall the majority of the pieces in my collection I was able to purchase for deals less than $15 and I’ve been collecting for about 2 years so I didn’t get these all at once. Additionally quite a few were given to me as gifts.

I enjoy a lot of other shows but the main ones are Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural. I’m also excited for the new episodes of School Spirits and Ghosts (CBS) on Paramount+ which should be out soon. As for movies, the ones I probably rewatch the most are the Goldfinch (2019), Avalon High (2010), and Mermaids (2003) but not in that order.

I like a lot of different music but this is what Recieptify says about the music I listened to in 2024:

A fun fact is that the Runaways song “Cherry Bomb” has consistently been in my top 5 songs of the year since I got my Spotify in 2017.

In regard to new people watching the show, I think that someone would generally know after watching the first two episodes if they wanted to continue the show. It’s really just a question of personal taste. There’s plenty of shows I’ve watched the first few episodes of and knew it wasn’t for me or inversely that it was a show I was interested continuing. I think F Sharp and the Pilot do a great job at setting up the characters and the rest of the show as well as being upfront as to what the show is about.

For me, I was already interested in the show because I’d been seen Sophie Thatcher in “When The Streetlights Go On” and so I was following Yellowjackets on here as the first season aired. I continued to follow the show through the second season before finally catching up and watching it all before the last two episodes aired.

Sorry if this is too long, hopefully I was able to answer your questions!

[spacedustmantis]

you only think that bc i'm your cool older sibling

the truth is i'm actually still intimidated by my beloved mutuals. we may be family but the moment i say something that gets even the slightest negative reaction i'm in panic mode. also y'all are way cooler than me but that goes without saying

[hwinorees]

THE MINISERIES CHILDREN OF DUNE (2003) SUCKS GOD EMPEROR COCK AND HERE'S WHY, A COMPLETELY WARRANTED DEEP DIVE POST BY HWINOREES

PART 1

morbid curiosity and masochism has compelled to check out the children of dune miniseries from 2003. for the worm god, or something

thank leto ii we can drag out my suffering in three "parts"

and because of jenny nicholson, i have compiled my thoughts for each episode...into a NUMBERED LIST

JUST LOOK AT THIS. graphic design is my passion. yes this is from an illegal piracy site bc fuck if im giving them my money

please enjoy this screeencap. this is cinema. this should have won an oscar

WHO’S WHITE CHILDREN ARE THESE

why in god emperor leto’s name would you cast the two whitest people i’ve seen to play the children of paul and chani. in the novel they are also described as being redheads and also 7. who are these adults. is this the dune equivalent of riverdale.

the crest looks like ass

imagine fighting for this shit cannot relate

OH NO A RANDOM’S SON HAS JUST BIT THE DUST RIP TO YOU

u can see this guy’s eyelids

NOT THEM YELLING PAUL’S GOD NAME LIKE DARTH VADAR SCREAMING NOOOOO

whos narrating this lol

i can’t be fucked with a numbered list this is just awful

the eye effects. i know it was 2003 but don’t bother if they look this bad

the theme song is wayyy too nice and cheerful for DUNE

we get it you cgied this whole set

ALIA’S ACTRESS IS SOOOOO BAD KILL ME LITERALLY END ME

THE WHITE BACKGROUNDERS IN DUNE IS ABSOLUTELY KILLING ME

also. i have been to mass. this isn’t how the chanting works and they all sound soooo tired

IS THIS PAUL????????????

white fremen….come on 2003 you can do better

WHY WOULD YOU NOT USE THE COOL AS FUCK OPENING SCENE FROM THE BOOK??????????

i can't get over "paul" he looks like klaus mikaelson’s shittier cousin who couldn’t amount to anything

THE ANGELIC DEAD WIFE COLORING ON CHANI ALSO WHY IS SHE IN A T SHIRT

AND FULL MAKEUP. IN BED

“while i was walking i stepped in a puddle” wow paul tell us more

do we really think fremen are dumb enough to spout not pro paul beliefs to some guy they think is a stranger

THAT’S NOT MY CHANI

the virginal white t shirt wedding dress is making me homicidal what are we doing here!!!!!!!!

if i got dreams of prophecy this fucking lame and badly lit i’d end myself also the weird fucking. whisper narration is NOT helping and the green lighting

this is also nothing like the 80s movie from what i remember so how can people who’ve seen that even get it idfk

HOUSE CORRINO MENTION!!!!!!!!!!!! what is happening here in this dracula castle

THIS MAN IS NOT A FACE DANCER WHAT ARE WE DOING hE’S SO UGLY FACE DANCERS SHOULD BE SEXY SORRY

lmfaoo this is so stupid. duncan im so sorry my boy

her bee antena outfit is sending me

CHANI LOOKS SOOO BAD also WHY IS THIS LADY WEARING A DINOSAUR HELMET

“there are remedies for eating posion” like….not eating poison??? get a food tester??????

A CONSTITUTION????? DUNE IS AMERICA NOW IM KMS

irulan kinda slays here sorry but the coloring is ASS

you know what i’d be pissed too if i married god and he made me his SECRETARY and not in the 2002 way i’m sorry

why is everything soooo red

WAIT THAT WHITE GUY WAS STILGAR????????

HOT SORRY it would be even better if i could like, see anything without this bizarre red filter ALSO WHY DID THEY MAKE THIS A WEIRD HASHTAG GIRLBOSS MOMENT ALSO WHY IS CHANI IN TROUSERS

BABY FERAD'N IS CUUUTE

hes sooo tiny

sorry guys i could only got 25 mins in before stopping before i died of being dead. more tomorrow maybeee

[spacedustmantis]

love youuuuu hope you're having a good day!!

thank you for the nice things you said about me in the tags of that positivity post <33 you're so lovely

no you're so lovely!!!

my day's been pretty normal. i'm frequently tired as all hell recently and today is no different, but other than that i'm chilling

hope your day is also good. you deserve good days

love you adelphe <33

[rottmnt-honeybea]

Text under cut because it's a lot

1) I've had an influx of followers across all my platforms, so I wanted to update some character/story information.

2) This is Q.B.* Or Bea, my Rottmnt OC. A LOT of my videos will be about her.

3) She was a human, gifted in math and science, that was mutated into a Bee Mutant when Draxum's oozesquitoes were let loose in New York. She has three younger siblings: Miguel (12), and twins Lina and Rita (6). She's first generation Portuguese-American and the oldest daughter so you know she's got that ✨special trauma✨.

4) This is Roxo we love Roxo here. As a mutant she develops UV/Mystic sight (the ability to see UV light and Mystic signatures), Chlorokinesis (the ability to manipulate plants), and the ability to fly. She also created Roxo, the man-eating guard plant, who used to protect her garden and provide companionship to her until Bullhop killed him.

5) Donnie builds her a weapon they call Stinger, which is essentially a sword with a chain. Raph tries to teach Bea how to fight and defend herself, but she's very easily angered and relies on that a lot to power through a fight. And in Season 2 Bea becomes Draxum's student. Stinger does not make sense if you thing about it in the real world. It's a kids show, use your imagination.

6) Bea's story goes through four Major acrs and two Minor arcs. Major: Mutated, Missing Roxo, Student, Post-Shredder. Minor: Human Again, Battle Nexus Champion.

7) in "Doomed", my rottmnt Bad Future AU Donnie and Bea are partners. Donnie does tech engineering to give the Resistance weapons and Bea does Security. They've got two kids: Shelldon (upgraded to a full bodyH and Gemini.

8) Shelldon aids in security and has a number of weapons built into his body. Gemini is part of a Scavenger team with Casey and wields her father's mystic halberd-flail staff).

9) these 9 are bg characters/friends of Casey, Gemini, and Shelldon. The story will follow Bea, Donnie, the Hamato's, and the Mad Dogs as they navigate the early years of the apocalypse, then move onto the next generation of Hamato's, before eventually leading up to the events of the Rise movie. This is not a lighthearted fic/take on the Rise universe as it includes: body trauma (loss of eyes, arms, and legs), death, homophobia, self harm, and suicide. BUT it is currently being rewritten.

10) The Bea-Verse is just me sticking Q.B. Into other tmnt stories. Namely 1987, 2003, Bayverse, 2012, Rise, and Mutant Mayhem. And just like how the stories of the turtles, Splinter, April, and Casey all change—Q.B. goes through all those changes with them too.

*I completely forgot to say that the Q in Q.B. stands for Quinn. So her full name, for those unaware, is Quinn Bea Santos.

[glitterberryshortcake]

🌸 Hi everyone!! Welcome to my blog!! Here is my current bio! 🌸

💖 My name is Star!! I’m currently 18 years old and my pronouns are she/her. 💖

🌈 I have anxiety and autism, so please be aware that I’m very, very shy and that my social skills are not the best. 🦄

❤️ I’m a selfshipper and I crush on quite a lot of fictional characters! Below is a list of my F/Os! Please DNI if you have the same F/Os as me. ❤️

🩷 My main F/O is Mr. Paulson from Teamo Supremo! I’ve been dating/selfshipping with him since May 31, 2020! I love him sooo much!!! X3 🩷

🩵 My second main F/O is Mr. Tinkerton from The Legend of Frosty the Snowman! I’ve been dating/selfshipping with him since February 4th, 2023! I love him to bits!!! :3 🩵

💗Other F/Os:💗

To keep things short and simple, I will only list some of my F/Os.

• Dexter’s Dad (Dexter’s Laboratory)

• Principal Pankley (The Legend of Frosty the Snowman)

• The Postman (Olive the Other Reindeer)

• Percy Polie (Rolie Polie Olie)

• Mr. Baldwin (Fish Hooks)

• Hugh Test (Johnny Test)

• Kent Mansley (The Iron Giant)

• Sarge Snorkel (Beetle Bailey)

• Burt Burtonburger (Kid vs. Kat)

• Stanley Livingston (Tennessee Tuxedo And His Tales)

• Surge Protector (Wreck-It Ralph)

• Andrew Morris (Ron’s Gone Wrong)

• Roger Ramjet (Roger Ramjet)

• Adam Flayman (Bee Movie)

• The Teacher/Sensei/Mr. S (Doraemon)

💛 These characters are shipped with my various OCs!

Here is a link to the introduction of my OCs!! https://www.tumblr.com/glitterberryshortcake/742910635441012736/heres-an-introduction-of-my-ocs-and-the-fos 💛

🌼 I’m an artist and animator! Most of the content you will see on this blog are my selfshipping/OC x canon art, and fanart of my hyperfixations/interests! 🌸

🦄 Below is a list of my current hyperfixations/interests! 🦄

Current major hyperfixations: The Legend of Frosty the Snowman, Teamo Supremo, Lalaloopsy, Precure/Pretty Cure, My Little Pony (all generations), Strawberry Shortcake (2003 and 2009 generations), Care Bears (all generations), Animal Crossing, and Sanrio.

Other interests: Five Nights At Freddy’s, Poppy Playtime, Touhou, Paw Patrol, Tokyo Mew Mew, Ojamajo Doremi, Hfjone, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Danganronpa, and Splatoon.

⭐️ I know that this isn’t the best-looking bio, but it will be edited/updated and improved over time! ⭐️

🌈 Have a nice day/night!! :D 🌈

[kylekozmikdeluxo]

A FINDING NEMO Memory or Two

FINDING NEMO was one of the first films I actually really anticipated a long while before its release.

As a kid, I would often start anticipating movies once I saw a trailer in theaters during one of my frequent movie theater visits, and then that would be it. Whenever I was on the Internet, I wasn't frequenting movie news sites or anything like that. If anything, the release of FINDING NEMO had me going on those sites more often to see what was coming. What the news was...

I first saw concept art for FINDING NEMO in a DK-published hardcover book called DISNEY: THE ULTIMATE VISUAL GUIDE. I had gotten it as a birthday gift in October 2002. I was immersed into that book, a chronological tour through Disney feature film and even park history, throwing in television stuff as well. The page spreads so inviting, and so many great images and stills from the movies, made for really well put-together arrangements. My well worn-out copy is still with me.

The final page spread detailed movies then slated for 2003 and 2004... Only concept art for FINDING NEMO appeared, no stills from the actual movie. The images depicted were Nemo peaking out from behind a coral, Marlin and Dory looking at Sydney Opera House, and a long stretch of Nemo inside the dentist office fish tank. These images completely engrossed me. Just this colorful fish movie, incoming: I always had a thing for the underwater world anyways, between the many animal books I had as a kid to the nature documentaries I'd often see on like Animal Planet, Discovery Channel and such. I was taken to two big aquariums in home state every year or so, and was always fascinated and mesmerized by all those tanks, all that aquatic life. I had PC games about it, and there was also - semi-related - that Titanic phase I went through... The ocean, the sea, it's all very neat.

(As an add-on, the other movies on that page spread were PIGLET'S BIG MOVIE, THE JUNGLE BOOK 2, HOME ON THE RANGE, and BROTHER BEAR back when it was called "BEARS".)

Then, I got MONSTERS, INC. on DVD for Christmas... And when I saw that a teaser trailer for the movie was ON THERE?? I watched it over and over, along with just about everything else on that 2-disc DVD set...

I was all about FINDING NEMO, and I caught it on opening weekend... and loved it so much, I saw it two more times in theaters, which is something I rarely got to do as a kid back in the day. Then I was somehow able to rent it the Friday before its Tuesday DVD release. Rented it, over and over, til I got the DVD and VHS for Christmas. At the time, I didn't have a DVD player in my room, it was only in the family room and my mum's room... So the VHS sufficed, despite no bonus features! In early 2004, after winning a $200 gift card to Circuit City (lol, remember that? No? You might be a young'un reading this!) from a spelling bee, I bought an extension for my Xbox - which I also got for Christmas - that allowed me to play DVDs in my room. Yes, we kids/preteens of the early 2000s had it rough, haha.

On a personal note, this movie came out when my life was in a weird flux, and I was in a part of growing older that didn't go so smoothly. Not to divulge too much, but when you're autistic, neurodivergent, and you're coming of age in the early aughts... Not the nicest time, for sure... Yeah, things weren't easy... And at the end of the year, when the movie was finally out on DVD, I was going through a very big family loss. My first one, really... So, I really gotta hand it to FINDING NEMO for being one of the things that really helped get me through all of it... Just keep swimming, indeed...

Similarly, director Andrew Stanton's sophomore Pixar effort, WALL-E, got me through another tough time in my younger days...

I would say FINDING NEMO and MONSTERS, INC. made me fall in love with the work coming out of Pixar, especially in those early days when it was the movies being made exclusively by the Lasseter circle. As a little kid, I wasn't really that much into the TOY STORY movies, but I did like A BUG'S LIFE and played the PlayStation game quite a bit. MONSTERS, INC. I remember being a blur in the theaters for other reasons... But I asked for MONSTERS, INC. on video the year after because I did remember enjoying the door vault chase, so that was enough to make me want the disc and to watch it again. I got the DVD that Christmas, and as said earlier, I think the combination of that film, the FINDING NEMO teaser and the NEMO concept art in the DISNEY: THE ULTIMATE VISUAL GUIDE book turned me into a cultist for the Luxo lamp in December 2002, haha.

Then I went back to TOY STORY and TOY STORY 2, which I had on VHS, and gave those a proper re-watch. Now that I was 10, knew what computer animation was and how it was made, and having more of an appreciation for the way visual stories were told than I did at - say - age 6 or even 8... And I fell in love with both. Then I rented A BUG'S LIFE over and over until I was able to buy the DVD... I wanna say it was sometime in 2003, maybe early 2004, but it was the "Collector's" set DVD that promoted FINDING NEMO with a giant sticker on the shiny slipcover. Hell, if I remember correctly, I bought it at a Suncoast Motion Picture Company outlet in a mall... Back when there were more than... 4 of those across the country!

And then some 9 years later, I went and saw the 3D re-release... Surprisingly, for a movie made in 2003, it was converted wonderfully to 3D. The 3D actually added a very subtle but very immersive depth of field to many of the underwater scenes, it looked fantastic. So yes, I saw FINDING NEMO four times in theaters. I'd probably see it a fifth if it gets re-released for whatever reason, again.

It's a favorite of mine.

Hey, I once did a video essay on it, too!

Happy 20th Anniversary.

[dreamworks-rewatch]

Watchlist

Antz (1998)

The Prince of Egypt (1998)

The Road to El Dorado (2000)

Chicken Run (2000)

Shrek (2001)

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)

Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)

Shrek 2 (2004)

Shark Tale (2004)

Madagascar (2005)

Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

Over the Hedge (2006)

Flushed Away (2006)

Shrek the Third (2007)

Bee Movie (2007)

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)

Monsters vs Aliens (2009)

How to Train your Dragon (2010)

Shrek Forever After (2010)

Megamind (2010)

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Puss in Boots (2011)

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)

Rise of the Guardians (2012)

The Croods (2013)

Turbo (2013)

Mr. Peabody and Sherman (2014)

How to Train your Dragon 2 (2014)

Penguins of Madagascar (2014)

Home (2015)

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)

Trolls (2016)

The Boss Baby (2017)

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017)

How to Train your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

Abominable (2019)

Trolls World Tour (2020)

The Croods: A New Age (2020)

Spirit Untamed (2021)

The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021)

The Bad Guys (2022)

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023)

[ruffboijuliaburnsides]

if there's one interesting thing about having such a weird relationship with my deadname and sense of identity as a kid, it's that i went through like 5 nicknames between the ages of 12 and 19 in an attempt to make it fit me. And this is entirely self-indulgent introspective rambling so it's going under a cut.

Like, up to 7th grade, I'd just gone by my full name, no nicknames at all (unless you counted my dad calling me Scooter sometimes). But in 6th grade was when my autDHD burnout had started and and my depression had really started to be A Thing, and I was desperate for 7th grade to go better than the disaster that was 6th grade, and I wanted to reinvent myself. Which is very hard when you go to a tiny private religious k-12 school where you had like 60 kids in your entire grade and 95% of them had been there since at least 3rd grade with you.

So I tried [Nick 1] which is staying unspecified bc i like to minimize the amount my deadname is attached to my online presence, as it's still legally attached to me, and both [Nick 1] and [Nick 2] are obvious derivatives. 7th grade and [Nick 1] were unsuccessful. I felt even less attached to [Nick 1] than my full name. so 8th grade I tried a different approach with [Nick 2]. A little better but still not right.

But then I was switching schools finally, going to public school where no one would know me or the embarrassing facts of my childhood, and I could be someone NEW.

And I was, tbh. I branched out of any like. recognisably related-to-my-full-name nicknames and decided to go by "Lisse" (pronounced "Lissie", but I was a pretentious 14yo so), and I really liked that one, actually. Kept it for probably 3 years I think? And then I went on a summer trip and was informed by my tripmates that I reminded them of Evie from the Mummy movies. Which, I adored her so I was fully on board with this comparison. But then they just started calling me that, and it fit so much better that it stuck for like... well 2003, probably at least 6-7 years, with a couple attempts at other nicknames online (Bee was one, hilariously now that I know of my sibling who also goes by that), until I changed the base name I was going by entirely and never looked back.

It's just. IDK it's wild, bc especially in that period of my teens, I essentially WAS a different person with all of those nicknames. Not entirely different, not unrecognizable, but it was like I associated different character traits with those nicknames, which meant I changed how I acted when I was going by them, without thinking about it. And I know this probably ultimately ties back a bit to the fact that I was developing Borderline Personality Disorder at the time, but it's just wild to look at all those people (+ Mina and Rosie, my two main internet handles over that period) that I was, none of whom were precisely me and all of whom were entirely me.

IDK I don't have a conclusion to this, it's just odd to me. Like I have memories of things that definitely happened when I was 11 and 15 but both feel like they should've happened when I was 13 because when I was 13 I was [Nick 2] and I associate that person with one of my earliest rebellious stages. and because I have such a golf-ball-sized-hole sieve of a memory and a dubious relationship with the passage of time, I look at those two things 4 years apart and say "yeah it all happened right in the middle there" and despite knowing it's impossible (one thing was an album that didn't even come OUT until I was 14), it's somehow the truth that both of those things happened when I was 13, because that's when I was [Nick 2] and that's when my memory and sense of self will allow these things to have happened.

brains are fuckin wild, man, especially when they're not working like they're supposed to.

[hividsmarttv]

Ten Great Back-to-School Movies

Introduction: As the summer sun begins to wane, it's time to dust off your backpack, sharpen your pencils, and embrace the excitement of a new school year. Whether you're a student returning to the classroom or someone looking to relive the nostalgic days of academia, these back-to-school movies are the perfect way to ignite your academic spirit. From heartwarming tales of friendship to hilarious classroom antics, this list of 10 inspiring films is guaranteed to make you nostalgic for school days gone by.

1. Dead Poets Society (1989): Experience the transformative power of education in "Dead Poets Society." Robin Williams shines as an unconventional English teacher who inspires his students to embrace poetry and seize the day. This film celebrates the importance of individuality and the pursuit of knowledge.

2. Mean Girls (2004): Navigate the comedic world of high school cliques with "Mean Girls." Lindsay Lohan stars as a teenager who must navigate the treacherous social landscape while learning valuable lessons about friendship, self-confidence, and the consequences of conforming to societal norms.

3. Good Will Hunting (1997): Discover the untapped potential within oneself with "Good Will Hunting." Matt Damon stars as a janitor at MIT with extraordinary mathematical abilities. When he's discovered by a professor, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth.

4. The Breakfast Club (1985): Join five diverse high school students as they serve Saturday detention and learn more about themselves than they could have ever imagined in "The Breakfast Club." This iconic film delves into the complexities of teenage identity and reminds us that people are much more than just the labels society assigns them.

5. Legally Blonde (2001): Embrace the power of determination and resilience with "Legally Blonde." Reese Witherspoon stars as Elle Woods, a fashionable sorority girl who defies expectations by enrolling in Harvard Law School. Through her journey, Elle proves that intelligence and ambition come in all forms.

6. School of Rock (2003): Get ready to rock out with "School of Rock." Jack Black portrays an unconventional substitute teacher who transforms his students into a rock band. This hilarious and heartwarming film emphasizes the importance of creativity, teamwork, and pursuing your passions.

7. Freedom Writers (2007): Experience the impact of an inspiring teacher in "Freedom Writers." Based on a true story, this film follows a young teacher who uses literature to inspire and empower her at-risk students, encouraging them to break free from their challenging circumstances.

8. Akeelah and the Bee (2006): Celebrate the power of determination and intellect with "Akeelah and the Bee." This heartwarming drama follows a young girl's journey to compete in a national spelling bee, highlighting the importance of education, community support, and believing in oneself.

9. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986): Embrace the spirit of rebellion and adventure with "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Follow the charismatic Ferris as he orchestrates an epic day of fun, skipping school and reminding us all to occasionally let loose and enjoy life's simple pleasures.

10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001): Step into the enchanting world of Hogwarts with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." Join young Harry and his friends as they embark on magical adventures while learning important life lessons about courage, friendship, and the power of knowledge.

Conclusion: Whether you're a student gearing up for another academic year or simply reminiscing about your school days, these 10 back-to-school movies are sure to captivate, inspire, and remind you of the transformative power of education, friendship, and personal growth. So grab your favorite movie snacks, gather your friends or family, and prepare to embark on a cinematic journey that celebrates the joy and challenges of the school experience.