#but like Rose very much genocided them at the end of s1

[sage-nebula]

To be clear I love Tentoo and the Rose/Tentoo ending, but also it makes me laugh when Ten is like, "[Tentoo] destroyed the Daleks, he committed genocide, he's dangerous" because so did Rose as the Bad Wolf, and she knows she did it ("I took the Time Vortex and poured it into [the emperor's] head and turned him into dust") , and we all know she'd do it again too if it meant protecting those she loved, so how is leaving Tentoo with her meant to teach him this is wrong? You are grasping at straws here, my good bitch, and you know it. If Tentoo is dangerous, then so is Rose, and stranding them on Bad Wolf Bay with their baby TARDIS (which DoctorDonna tells them how to accelerate the growth of so they can use it in their human life time) isn't going to change that.

[sadcoms]

AU where Rose stayed with the Time Lord Doctor after Journey’s End and they start to argue more like they did in S1 because the Doctor is doing his “I never would” thing and Rose is now saying “but sometimes you HAVE to” which causes him to start down another Davros-inspired spiral about how he’s “turned her into a weapon” and she’s like...actually travelling across dimensions trying to fight eternal darkness brought about by a ton of genocidal aliens will do that to you regardless!

Because Rose was never for pacifism-above-all-else. The episode before Dalek Harriet Jones straight up says she’s a very violent young woman because Rose (not unreasonably) wants the Slitheen to be blown up after they murdered countless people. Same with the Nestene Consciousness - but the Doctor says he has to give it a chance, and that is what she mirrors back at him in Dalek. This is usually why the pair works, because if one doesn’t have mercy on or compassion for someone the other one usually will (eg Cassandra). That’s why Ten is even willing to give Davros a chance, though it’s exacerbated by a lot of guilt around the Time War, especially when it kicked off in-part because of what he did, and failed to do, in Genesis of the Daleks.

And that is what Davros never got - that Rose had already seen the Doctor’s soul and loved him anyway; that part of their souls are the same because they helped each other grow. And it’s the same for all of the companions this era, whether it’s Jack saying he never doubted the Doctor would kill him, or Donna seeing him murder the Racnoss and still regretting not travelling with him, or Martha (somehow) forgiving the Doctor for the year that never was and for everything he burdened her with.

Because I think what Davros and the Doctor came to see as him turning people into weapons was actually just people willingly taking on the burden he carried. Again, a lot of people sort of write Tentoo and Rose off as the dalek genocide couple, but what exactly was the alternative? Let them destroy the universe? The Doctor is a coward, any day, and that makes complete sense as a reaction to already bearing two genocides on his shoulders, but it’s also that cowardice that makes other people step up and be brave, which usually means sacrificing themselves, and the Doctor carries that too. That is why Martha gets the direct parallel to the Doctor with the Osterhagen key - both are willing to burn their planets to save the rest of the universe, and Martha already spent S3 being more like the Doctor than he was because he was so broken by grief. By Season 4, the Doctor is already so self-destructive and so self-loathing that only he, the "true" Time Lord, can be the arbiter of genocides and who can’t be. Even when it comes to Martha, or to another exact replica of himself.

(Never mind that he makes essentially the same decision the Metacrisis Doctor and Martha did again in End of Time when he sends Gallifrey back into hell, but hey, he got there in the end.)

And it’s one of the reasons why the Doctor’s so reliant on the Master. I’m not sure he would have gone to get his ‘reward’ had some of that weight of destroying Gallifrey again not been shared with another Time Lord. Ten does, ultimately, put humans on a pedestal and does his best to protect them even when they are willing to share his burden (note that Tentoo destroying the Daleks means Donna doesn't have to take on any of the burdens Rose or Martha did, so she stays the least militarised companion). He simultaneously wants that other Time Lord judgement while needing humans as another perspective.

All of this to say that, I think most people understand that Ten being with someone but especially with Rose would have stopped him going Time Lord Victorious, but they don't necessarily understand why. TLV comes from his desire to save everyone, because all the loss he's seen and has caused is too much. Not only does having Rose help soothe that, but she also specifically could have helped ground the Doctor back to where he was morally in the first two series, which is quite different from where he is by S4.

(Also The Next Doctor would have been an absolutely wild story for Rose and the Doctor to have gone on next. They arrive thinking they might have a fun Christmas and then they have to confront the fact that the Battle of Canary Wharf is still following them and how when they lost each other they lost everything. And how the villain in that is defeated by the Doctor showing her herself, which is what Davros tried to do the Doctor.)

[besidesitstoowarm]

Davies era recap?

sorry i've been procrastinating on this one so bad. i spent three weeks in costa rica thinking about jurassic park. tbh i don't know what to say about the specials or the era overall that i haven't said already

nine feels so beautiful post-time war, traumatized and snappish but also light and warm and kind. he was once a father and grandfather and now he is neither but he is still a doctor!! s1 feels so much richer after having seen "day of the doctor" tbh i know how we got here! it was hard, agonizing, impossible choices. yet he's still here, and he chooses love every time. a coward. he would rather doom the entire universe as long as it kills him too; he cannot survive another genocide. he can't see it happen again. if he can't prevent it, he just wants to not see it. i love nine so much

and then ten. ten is more built from nine than ANY other regeneration i can think of. ten is rose, he's bad wolf, he's nine. he's the echo of donna, of tentoo. ten is someone struggling to find his place between "where he's already been, as remembered by rose" and "where he is destined to go, via donna" like he is so dragged along by fate. mf is a full on greek tragedy, he does NOT know what is going on

that's what makes the specials such a wreck (good/bad). when he was with rose, they were a painful but understandable match. with martha, kinda middle ground. with donna, it was fate. after them? after tentoo, after the most important woman in all creation? he's adrift. he clings to randos, he tries to be the hero so hard. and he fails. he trips and cries and sobs like a huge loser, over and over again. i do love him (and tennant is fully failed by 2/4 specials) but he's unraveling! little baby duck imprinted on their mommy who is gone. what's left, after that? martyr/savior complex and dubiously gay shit, i guess

tennant is a marvel, i have to say this. eccleston too, in different ways. davies has such a wonderfully human touch with these characters, iirc moffat draws a lot from fairy tales while davies pulled a lot from modern social commentary. jack is... something, but it was a different time. ten/master is sooooooo much. this era ended more than a decade ago

all in all, davies era is beautiful, it's decadent. it's complete nonsense bullshit a good chunk of time, but i don't think that's a negative; doctor who is like star wars to me, where i truly genuinely believe it's at its best when it's kind of bad. i mean, late 60s is MY era of who. base under siege nonsense galore. farting aliens. doctor who should be bad, in order to be good. i mean this, genuinely. attack of the clones is great. you get it

i feel more comfortable leaning into this ending knowing what comes later; knowing that davies comes back, knowing that ten becomes fourteen eventually and cleans up his shit, knowing that donna gets a better, more complete ending. it's honestly hard to say what i would think about this era without knowing about the 60th; i do think "journey's end" is a nonsense bullshit episode that is nonetheless very fun to watch, however cruel an ending it is for donna. very grateful we got a redux. moffat is writing for this new davies era too i'm so excited i want to throw up

anyway! excited to re-enter the moffat era but davies had so much sway over the new tone of the show, so much feels so dated but there's no denying the impact his episodes had at the time. there were cat people. it was thematically consistent. god i love it all so much. quel domage!

[stacks-reviews]

New Releases 11/7/17

Happy New Release Day!

In Books --Descending Stories: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju Volume 4 by Haruko Kumota “After Sukeroku’s expulsion, Kikuhiko’s path to stardom seems clear, but the idea of inheriting the Yakumo name is a cold comfort. Sukeroku, disgraced, makes the heartbreaking decision to put his art aside and take responsibility for his new relationship with Miyokichi. As years pass and distance grows, Kikuhiko decides it’s up to him to bring his friend back to the theater. His determination takes him to the country, where Sukeroku now lives with his spirited young daughter. Kikuhiko is ready to stay as long as he needs to convince Sukeroku, but old wounds may come back to haunt them both.”

I haven’t had a chance to pick up volume 3 yet because we did not get a copy in where I work. And I haven’t had a chance to order it yet either. 

--Fantastic Beasts Illustrated Edition When I first head about this illustrated edition I thought it was going to be of the movie Fantastic Beasts so I wasn’t very interested in this one. But it turns out it is for all of the creatures mentioned throughout the HP universe. Now I really want this one. Just not sure when I’ll be able to.

--My Hero Academia Volume 10 by Kohei Horikoshi “The League of Villains has kidnapped Bakugo, and the resulting negative publicity has thrown U.A. into a huge uproar. With the public’s trust in heroes threatened, the faculty convenes to figure out what to do. But Midoriya and the students of Class 1-A have plans of their own - an operation to rescue Bakugo that could get them thrown out of school.”

Picking up right where volume 9 ended. Midoriya and his crew try to take back Bakugo but fail. And a few pro heroes are lost in the conflict. After their recovery in the hospital some of Class 1-A devise a plan to legally (meaning without using their powers) to try and save Bakugo. Which sounds like a bad idea all around. 

It’s a really good volume that ends on an evil cliffhanger. I need volume 11 but that won’t be out till 2/6/18.

--Perfect Shadow by Brent Weeks “Gaelan Starfire is a careful, quiet, simple farmer. He’s also an immortal, peerless in the arts of war. Over the centuries, he’s worn many faces to hide his gift, but he is a man ill-fit for obscurity.

When Gaelan must take a job hunting down the world’s finest assassins for the beautiful courtesan and crime lord Gwinvere Kirena what he finds may destroy everything he’s ever believed in.”

I HAVE BEEN WAITING YEARS FOR THIS MOMENT. I love Brent Week’s Night Angel Trilogy so when I heard there was a prequel novella I was pretty excited. Until I noticed it was ebook only; after a brief limited printing run that I found out much later on. But after waiting and waiting, it is back in print. Right when I was about to break down and buy it digitally. I am ecstatic to finally have it to go with the others. Now I just wish I had the trilogy in hardcover. I just have them in the mass market paperback box set. 

It includes the novella Perfect Shadow and a Night Angel short called I, Night Angel. 

--Renegades by Marissa Meyer “The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies - humans with extraordinary abilities - who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once overthrew.Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice - and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.“

From the author of the Lunar Chronicles series comes a new series. I really like the Lunar Chronicles. I recommend it a lot at work. Though I still need to finish it. Cress (book 3) has been sitting on my shelf for a little while but I’ve been trying to focus on the arcs I have. And have been failing. Anyway, I really like her other series and am excited to try out a new series by her.

--Twinkle Star Volume 4 by Natsuki Takaya “The second semester of school is starting, and Chihiro's kinder attitude toward Sakuya is making her heart race! When he recommends her a book to read, she's positively overjoyed. But on the way home from a night of stargazing with the Star Appreciation Club, Chihiro suddenly approaches her! What does he want to talk about...?”

After this just one more volume of this series should remain. I still haven’t had time to go past volume 1 of this series. I’ve had to put a lot of series on hold while I tried to cut back during the second half of this year. I will pick it back up again someday. Hopefully by next year.

In Movies/TV Shows --Cheer Boys “Catch an exciting new take on the high-flying team sport, inspired by a real all-male squad in Japan. When Haruki Bando and his friend Kazuma leave judo martial arts, no one would have guessed they would turn to cheerleading! Rocking the college campus with a killer routine, these amateurs manage to draw in a crowd and enough new members to compete in regionals.”

I started streaming this on Funimation during its season. I watched about half before I got into another gaming kick and haven’t picked it up again yet. I did like what I saw of it but it probably isn’t my favorite sports series. But I think it is still worth checking out. 

--Project Ito: Genocidal Organ “In Genocidal Organ, while developed countries rely on advanced surveillance to free them from the threat of terrorism, other nations are plagued by genocide within their own borders. Strangely, these massacres all link back to one American by the name of John Paul. Special agent Clavis Shepherd is sent to capture the target, but nothing can prepare this soldier—or the world—for the truth behind humanity’s darkness.”

The third and final Project Ito film. At least for now. I have been waiting on this one ever since the films were announced. I did watch Empire of Corpses and enjoyed it. Though I need to rewatch it soon because when I first watched it I was exhausted from work and kept having to rewind cause I kept nodding off for a few minutes at a time. I finally picked up Harmony a few months back but haven’t had time to start it yet.

--Revolutionary Girl Utena Set 2 “Utena and Anthy have become close during their time as roommates. So when Anthy casually mentions she has a brother, Utena can’t help but feel shocked. She thought she knew Anthy, but the longer she and Anthy are friends, the more she discovers she doesn’t know. What other secrets could Anthy be keeping? However, Utena won’t have time to dwell upon such matters. A new group of duelists has emerged from the shadows. These new challengers wear black rose signets and also seek revolution, but their methods are different than those of Ohtori’s Student Council. They don’t wish to possess Rose Bride. They are want kill her.”

Set 2 of the 20th Anniversary is now out. Contains episodes 13-24 of this great series. I have only seen it once all the way through. It is one of those series that you’ll have to watch over and over to get all the references and to catch all the imagery it contains. 

--Westworld S1 “Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, explore a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged without consequence.”

Season 1 of this series is out today. I don’t have the channel that it is on so I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet. I’ve heard nothing but great things about so I can’t wait to try it out sometime. Though I would like to watch the movie it is based on before I try out the show. I have heard the soundtrack before because we used to have it as an in-store-play where I work. It is an awesome soundtrack. It was a staff favorite and we played it a lot.

--Your Name “Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives until they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This occurrence happens randomly, and they must adjust their lives around each other. Yet, somehow, it works. They build a connection by leaving notes for one another until they wish to finally meet. But something stronger than distance may keep them apart.”

Was very disappointed when this came out in theaters because it never came anywhere close to where I live. I don’t think it played anywhere in my state for that matter. I did pick up a copy because I want to know if it really is worth the hype. I haven’t watched it yet because I decided to wait till my friend and I could get together to watch it together. 

There is a standard version (DVD and a combo pack) as well as an LE. The LE, “contains two-piece double-sided collectible chipboard box with rainbow holographic finish.” Like what they did for Death Parade’s LE. Which both are nice but makes me nervous that it would fall out if I picked it up wrong. It also comes with a 60 page art booklet, an art digipack, and a two disc OST. The second OST is shorter. It has five songs; if I remember correctly, that are sung in English by RADWIMPS.

[besidesitstoowarm]

series 2 retrospective

this season felt like it lasted FOREVER. i think a lot of that was down to how much more slowly i got through the episodes (this season had a lot of baggage for me that i think i've now shed, so i was kind of dreading all of them) but the other part is the lack of real stand-out phenomenal episodes, i think. i don't count the finale, bc finales always have a ton going on and iirc they're all somewhere between great and mindblowingly excellent. i guess my fave this season would've been "the impossible planet" with maybe "new earth" as a second? "school reunion" gets huge nostalgia points for me, which is quite the feat bc i haven't even seen the era it's nostalgic for. this has the weakest of moffat's rtd-era eps and i don't think any of the episodes just slam my ass into next week in the same way as like, "dalek" or "utopia"

but my memory had been very unkind to this season and i am brave enough, and sexy and genius enough, to admit my wrongness. it's honestly really powerful of me. anyway i do think this season carried on and expanded upon some of the themes of last season, namely sympathizing w mickey, the doctor's savior complex, and the near-suicidal devotion that rose has to traveling with the doctor. all three were handled well, including the doctor taking his protective shit too far; nine would tell rose to sit the hell down and stay put, but ten was willing to BANISH HER TO AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE just bc HE decided she would be better off there. he will learn nothing from this, and make the same type of decision for donna

idk if this makes sense, but ten is the "main character" in the way that nine wasn't in s1? nine kept himself deliberately closed off, he did not want his pain and his feelings to be centered in the way that loud, boisterous ten edges his way into every conversation. nine went places and saw things and saved the day, sure, but was also willing to leave or sit this one out or stay out of things, which makes sense as a recent genocide survivor/perpetrator. he doesn't want to be the center of attention, he just shows up and crazy goes down around him (and his companions do whatever). that feels a little closer to early classic who, to me. the show lives and dies by the quality of its companions. ten (who is heavily influenced by rose) wants to be The Hero. he wants to Save The Day

i am sticking by my theory that ten was crafted and molded by the mingled energy of rose and the tardis as bad wolf, and so he's like. well he's basically what donna becomes at the end of s4, this time lord human hybrid thing. i maintain this bc it makes sense both plot-wise and thematically and it's romantic in a cannibalistic way which appeals to me (two different ways to be "inside" someone). so in that sense, ten isn't just a response to having been nine (having "survived" being nine) but he's also absorbed rose's outsized opinions of him. he was born from her love and devotion for him, and his regeneration took place under her care, under her belief that "the doctor is special and important and nothing is allowed to happen to him" and wow it gave him an ego! it also gave him a pathologic need to Save The Day. i can't wait to see what happens to him when he is with any other companion

and so we say goodbye to rose. she was the perfect companion to restart the show with, very likeable, very bubbly, very curious. she was opinionated and saucy and empathetic, and she had fantastic chemistry with both doctors, which is hard to pull off for such different actors. i don't really have a lot to say that i didn't already say in my various individual episode write-ups, but i will miss rose, and i look forward to her various returns

[stacks-reviews]

October and November Awesomeness

A while back I mentioned that October and November were going to kick ass this year. Thought I would finally share the reasons why.

In Books --A 10th anniversary edition of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (10/3) New cover, never-before-seen illustrations, updated and detailed world map, new author’s note, appendix with calendar system and currencies, and a pronunciation guide.

--The Illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (10/3)

--Rat Queens Volume 4 by Kurtis J. Wiebe and illustrated by Own Gieni (10/17) Very excited to read more about the Rat Queens.

--Harry Potter: A Journey Through a History of magic by the British Library (10/20) The first of the two new HP books set to be released this year.

--A collectors edition of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (10/31) A new cove with metallic ink, fan art end papers, a glossary, an interview between the author and editor, original Tales from the world, and a ‘reading ribbon of great fanciness’. There is a B&N exclusive edition of it that is listed as including “A look at Lila Barn’s London” which is not listed on the other edition. Though I would classify that as being part of the Tales. I’m not positive and I’ve been having some trouble trying to find a resource listing all the differences at the moment. Other than that, the main difference is the B&N edition’s cover is similar to the standard cover in appearance. While the other CE has a black cover. I like the black cover better cause it helps it stand out as a collector’s edition but I might end up getting the B&N if it has exclusive, additional extras.

--The Perfect Shadow by Brent Weeks (11/7) The prequel novella to the Night Angel Trilogy that I have been waiting to see a physical release of for a long time. Can’t wait.

--Ghost in the Shell manga box set by Shirow Masamune (11/14) This one makes me a bit mad. If I had known they would be releasing a set I would have held off on buying them all when they were rereleased back in February. March for me though cause it kept getting pushed back where I order them. Other than its box (which there is currently no image of that I’ve seen) it comes with a lithograph created by Masamune.

--Rose Volume 1 by Meredith Finch and illustrated by Ig Guara (11/28) I can’t wait to try out this series.

In Movies --Spider-Man Homecoming (10/17)

--Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, and Ponyo The first wave of Studio Ghibli films to be rereleaed by GKids with Shout Factory. If you were not aware, when these films were first released by Disney they did not give the Japanese audio tracks a proper subtitling. They used dubtitles (when watching some in Japanese it gets you the subtitles to the English version. But GKids is supposed to be giving them the actual translation.

--Anohana The Flower We Saw that Day (10/31) I really love this show. I already own it but I’ll need to get this edition so I can cry my eyes out in two languages.

--Castle In the Sky, Nausicca of the Valley of the Wind (10/31) The second wave of the Gkids rereleases

--Project Ito: Genocidal Organ (11/7) I enjoyed Empire of Corpses but I still need to watch Harmony and this one.

--Your Name (11/7) I haven’t had an opportunity to see this hit film. I want to know if it really lives up to the hype. There is a standard edition and a limited. The LE has a clipboard box, a 60 page art book, an art digipack, and the soundtrack by RADWIMPS on two discs.

--Haikyu S1 (11/14) All twenty-five episodes of the hit volleyball series. There is a standard edition and a collector’s edition. The CE has a clipboard box, a hardcover booklet, art cards, character trading cards, a Karasuno token, and a set of nine bird pens. S2 has a CE that comes out in January and is listed to having the exact same items but with different images. For example the trading cards for S2 shows some of the characters from different teams while S1′s is everyone from Karasuno. 

--Porco Rosso, The Secret World of Arrietty (11/21) Third wave of the rereleaes by GKids.

In Games --Fire Emblem Warriors on Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch (10/20) I’m always excited for a new Fire Emblem Game. The Switch copy is about $20 more than the 3DS version. I might end up getting the Switch edition because I want to build its library but I haven’t decided yet. The Switch did get a special edition that includes character art cards, slip case for the cards, a dual-sided poster, and three cd’s of game music.

--.hack//G.U. Recode (11/3) I’ve never got to play a .hack game so I really want to get this. I love .hack.

--Rime for Nintendo Switch (11/4)  It is already out on the PS4 but I’ve been debating if I’d rather take it with me on the Switch. But the Switch version is $10 more than the PS4 version.

--Pokemon Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon Nintendo 3DS (11/17) I wasn’t that crazy about Sun and Moon. I didn’t pour as much time into it as I usually do with any Pokemon game but I still liked them. I have every game (minus the Ranger and Mystery Dungeon titles) and I still love playing them so I’ll be getting the new editions.

--Skyrim for Nintendo Switch (11/17) I just got this last black Friday for my PS4 so I don’t know if I’ll be getting this edition. But I know this one is highly anticipated by fans.

Manga There’s a lot of new volumes I’m looking forward to.  --Assassination Classroom Volume 18 by Yusei Matsui (10/3) --The Water Dragon’s Bride Volume 3 by Rei Toma (10/3) --Gangsta: Cursed Volume 3 by Kohske and illustrated by Kamo Syuhei (10/10) --Tokyo Ghoul: re Volume 1 by Sui Ishida (10/17) --Nekogahara Stray Cat Samurai Volume 3 by Hiroyuki Takei (10/17) It’s exactly what it sounds like. Is surprisingly violent. The first volume was fun but there was something in the second volume I wasn’t very fond of. --Land of the Lustrous Volume 3 by Haruko Ishikawa (10/24) --Erased Volume 3 by Kei Sanbe (10/31) --The Girl from the Other Side Siuil A Run Volume 3 by Nagabe (10/31) --To Your Eternity Volume 1 by Yoshitoki Oima (10/31) By the same author of A Silent Voice. --My Hero Academia Volume 10 by Kohei Horikoshi (11/7) --Descending Stories Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju Volume 4 by Haruko Kumota (11/7) --A Silent Voice Box Set by Yoshitoki Oima I’ve only read the first volume but I know it is a great series. I am debating about someday getting the box set so that I can continue it. --Fairy Tail Volume 62 by Hiro Mashima (11/14) --Frau Faust Volume 2 by Kore Yamazaki (11/14) --Arakawa Under the Bridge Volume 1 by Hikaru Nakamura (11/21) I have the anime. It’s crazy and fun. I still need to finish the second half. --Children of the Whales Volume 1 by Abi Umeda (11/21) --Fairy Tail Volume 63 by Hiro Mashima (11/28) Final volume of the main series. I do find it a little odd that 62 and 63 are coming out within a week of each other. I’m not surprised that the might release at the same time, but why would they put a week in between them.

There are a couple of books that was originally supposed to be released in these two months but they were pushed back. December also had a great list of new releases but since this one is already so long (by time I thought about making it two separate posts for each month, it was too late to go back) I’ll hold off on it for now.