#could do a book of comic slice of life scenarios

[atlaskrr]

Comics that resonate with me in an unexplainable way - a rec list

☆ amount represents how much is resonated with me (aka how obsessed i became or how deep i loved) which is a personal thing not a quality thing.

sorted by sections below ⬇️

Manga

Zeikin de katta hon☆☆☆ - delinquent wants to use library. OH NO! he needs to return a book he lost when he was child. welp. reimbursement time. he does (while embarrassed) and ends up working in the library in the process and growing as a person. messages relate to the books and library practices in the chapter.

pos: AUGHHHH. comforting, imformativs, beautiful messages, well-written characters that each carry a message, and makes you fall in love with libraries and books (you will appreciate librarians 10x more)

neg: some charas can feel exagerated and some jokes are repeated one too many times

Magmell shinkai suizokukan☆☆☆ - i wanna work in an aquarium! a well renowned first ever deep sea aquarium! and i am. just as a janitor. but its ok since i get to watch and learn about all these wonderful creatures. i hope people see how beautiful they are too. each chapter carries a message tied to the creature it covers.

pos: GOD DAMN the art is beautiful. informative on the deep sea, well written characters and their psychology, nice mystery build up along the slice of life, you will be enraptured by the "ugly" deep sea. will make you believe in yourself and your dreams and that you can always grow and improve

neg: some scenarios of the world dont make sense with how the creatures would usually behave, weird age gap side-story (did not happen and was handled responsibly but still)

Butai ni sake☆☆ - they said i sounded scary. what if everyone will misinterpret me again? im at a new school for hs. i got this. how can i learn to be more, less scary? wait what club is showcasing right now? the... threatre club? maybe thats the answer. chapters show the club preparing for plays!

pos: RELATABLE AF characters. the messages are strong throughout and all the showcase of what goes on in a theatre club is very accurate. it makes you fall in love with the art and if youre already a theatre kid like me, i think youll be impressed and find it relatable.

neg: besides the main 2 characters, side characters can feel underdeveloped. ESPECIALLY one of them. the ending is very open-ended on the romance that they kept on implying (though it mightve just been bait)

Yokai gakkou no sensei hajimemashita☆☆ - imagine the most pathetic man you can muster. now make him 100x more wimpy to the point hes hussled by kindergardners. thats the mc of yohaji abe haruaki! he became a shut-in after trying to teach at a school and getting scared away by delinquents. but wait! a family friend has let him work at a school. with its own island?! wow this is an amazing oppurtuni- ITS A SCHOOL FOR YOKAI?! starts out as comedy but plot and characters develop along the way

pos: AMAZING characters, well developed relationships, great development throughout the story overall, fun yokai trivia, and well incorparated comedy. also. GAY. like- well written abd casually. pretty art btw.

neg: humour can be repetitive and too questionable for some. lowk the mangakas kinks are slipping through into it 💀 the timeline of one year feels like its streching on for ATLEAST 2 with the amount of shit that happens. once again, lots of questionable things. like time travel age gap. or just age gap ship bait. or just the mc. he gets a pass tho.

Manwha

The makeup remover☆☆☆ - i am ugly. but im ok with that, i mean im just a photography student. but i guess i could try more... how does everybody just become beautiful? how do they learn? OMG HE FUCKED UP MY MAKEUP. wait whos this new random dude. and why is he asking me to be his model for a makeup competiton??? the story follows this duo in the makeup competition.

pos: AMAZING STORY. AMAZING MESSAGES. each character FEELS like a message. they're well written. it feels realistic. the makeup looks SO CREATIVE. the relationships between characters are developed well and the diverse cast of backgrounds allow for good subplots that make you CARE and think about the messages they carry as they resonate in your soul. it shows both the good and bad of makeup. realistic. truly.

neg: very vauge open ending on relationship front as they kept teasing multiple relationships and it just- no payoff. spme character backgrounds were not explored enough.

Sambong barbershop☆☆ - theres a virus spreading around to ugly people when they break. im scared ill be next. but then a cat steaps her watch, she follows it to a barbershop and- is that a humanoid cat?! smoking a cig?????? oh and a majestic dude who cut hair with gigantic scissors. blablabla she ends up working at a barbershop. sambong barbershop. it shows how one can grow as a person yet stay the same as the mc works at the barbershop.

pos: good message, complex charas (they can be assholely but theyre human), cool action scenes and fantasy elements, very realistic as, well youll see how the development goes if you read this comic.

neg: artstyle takes a while to grow on you and ending was- random. and ambig. also, because its very realistic it guves a more harsh vibe to the message rather than positivity (not a full downside tho). also the world-building is very unclear and vauge.

Surviving romance☆☆☆ - ive been isekaid into my favourite romance novel. ahh this is the life, ill get my happily ever after, who cares about those faceless extras. lalalala- ZOMBIE OUTBREAK??? I DIE?! wait. im. alive again. at the beginning of that day. WHATS GOING ON??? the story follows how she'll survive this nightmare by getting to know unknown extras she has never cared for along the way.

pos: AMAZING development throughout the story as always by lee yone. characters and relationships grow very well and the mystery us very well developed and hints are rlly good! as hidden yet visible as they need to be. the pacing was good and the artstyle is very charming. the visuals are also used very cleverly and creatively. you can even see hints in the first few scenes! also, friendship! and a good, hopeful message for anyone struggling.

neg: ending can feel very luck based. also very open-ended (personally part of the charm tho). also questionable age losgistics and some might not like the character attitude switch ups.

Peace restaurant☆ - the dimensions have all collapsed together, right in seoul. naturally, theres war over land. but one safe haven owned by a mysteriously strong and feared lady, is peace restaurant. the newly awakened demon king is ready to fly there and when he does- be gets beat up. and not by the warrior there- BUT BY THE LADY???? the story follows the growing mystery behind the mc and the "fight" agaisnt people who oppose her restaurant.

pos: love the mystery and found fam. fun exaggerated characters yet also clearly more depth hiding beneath that. love through cooking. comedy that grows plot my fav genre fr. also, very cool dishes and world. also good character and relationship development for one chara. also, HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS!

neg: other characters could be more well developed and complex. change can feel too fast suddenly accepted by the mc. the current arc (chap 26ish i think?) is dragging FAR longer than it needs to. could benefit from more realistic characters (though its probably a writing choice for the tone of the story)

Webtoon

Cursed princess club☆☆ - gwendolyn is beautiful, just like the rest of her siblings, everyone in her life thinks so. though her life in inside the palace due to her overorotective father. but when she and her sisters are set to get engaged to the plaid princes and her fiance calls her UGLY. her world shatters as she realizes hes right. she runs into the forest as she cries and WHATS THAT. she passes out and wakes up in a mansion with princesses having a tea party outside. huh. so this isnt a haunted forest? WAIT WHATS WITH THE LONG NOSE? AND HOLLOW EYES?? AND- LOBSTER HANDS???? she has just stumbled upon the cursed princess club. the story shows a journey of self improvement and self love.

pos: WAAAA I ACTUALLY CRIED AT THE ENDING. very well written characters that develop over time, creative curses and good foreshadowing. the subversion of tropes is PEAK. it has good callbacks, parallels, analogies, etc.

neg: i feel like many characters can be explored more, worldbuilding unclear, and cam often times focys on romance more than id like. humour is very often misplaced such as in serious scenes when they should be before or after the peak of tension instead of well- at the peak. some relationships and feelings feel- random? and also bad people are way too easily forgiven. i feel like there needs to be a line to the positive messaging on that front.

Maho shonen☆ - ahh magical girls. teenage girls with superpowers. ah! 2 guide are descending and- TWO FULLY GROWN MEN?! and the gaurdians are, well.... they're certainly not cutesy, on the inside at least. and the grown men? they're just plain horrid at their job. the only thing they gain from all this, is trauma! not like they're already stocked up on it. oh, and each other of course! the story shows how the two will get through this whole ordeal as well as their daily life.

pos: the story WILL grow on you. cool art, good trope subversions esp in the price of being a magical girl. explores the psychology of it all and has well written characters that deal with realistic issues. also very nice duo dynamic.

neg: the humour may not suit everyone as it can be a bit more mature. it does take a few eps to get good and grow on you.

Our walk home☆ - two academic rivals.... wait, why aren't they acting like rivals at all? they're even getting along? and finding things in common?! they're letting the masks slip. but their rivaling schools won't be happy to hear about this from their top students. afterall, no one from the two schools are allowed to be friends. the story shows how these two mask-wearing academic achievers get through life together. and maybe, just maybe, fall in love.

pos: VERY good exploration of identity and self-worth and VERY relatable. the characters are very well written and have simple yet recognizable designs, a cute dynamic between the mcs.

neg: honestly, i don't know. it just didn't attach to my soul. probably secondary character relationships could be further expanded on.

The bathroom ghost☆☆ - ghost are scary. but this ghost, is just REALLY BAD AT HER JOB! what's a ghost to do when she can't scare? and is stuck in a mall bathroom of all places? worse yet, the managers keep badgering her about it! this follows her hijinks.

pos: the COOLEST artstyle I've seen in a comic with a very fitting and unique feel. cool character design, simple, yet entertaining, comedy, great use of body language, hidden plot developing. mc is very endearing and so are the rest of the characters. it's just so feel-good and heartwarming.

neg: takes a few episodes to move on from episodic if you dislike that. honestly, i just need more. that's my only complaint. GIVE ME MORE VOLPEE

[roguesenses]

Kacchan was wrong - this was no party trick. No one could pretend to be Katsuki to this degree...look, even the way they walked was identical.

He studied this new Katsuki's features carefully, noting down details from every crease and line on the other's face to the way his hair looked underneath the sun. The similarity was unsettling, and perhaps that was why Izuku subconsciously took a step back.

It felt wrong to do that. Taking a step away from Kacchan, whom he had spent most of his life chasing.

"How-" Izuku's lips moved in an attempt to voice his concern but found those words stuck on his tongue. He'd known Katsuki since he was an actual child, how could this even be possible? It was certainly not a dream, because when he stumbled back earlier, the side of his hand brushed against a watermelon slice. It was cool to the touch with a lightly sticky after-feel, exactly as it should be.

Fortunately, there was something else in this scenario for him to latch onto. "You mentioned a world needs to be saved," he said once he'd managed to recollect himself enough to do so because being a hero and protecting others would always be a priority for Midoriya Izuku. "Which one is that?" At this point, Izuku's brain had come up with a slightly wild but acceptable theory to explain everything. It involved parallel universes and felt very comic-book-y, but he was willing to consider it.

"Let's hear him out," he told his Katsuki, giving him a pat on the arm in an attempt to soothe that flaring temper.

first there was void. then, a different kind of void ; a room in black space, chairs set in a circle in a crumbling room ... and seven ⸺ no, was it eight ? ⸺ faces staring right at him. katsuki recognises the shaped golden light of all might among them, but he stares warily back at the others, raising a brow and eventually attempting to demand answers. there isn't time for answers, says the one with white hair and striking green eyes, we need you to save izuku midoriya.

the summary is brief but precise ╱ izuku is trapped in an illusion world made by all for one's hands that the other vestiges cannot access, despite their attempts. and he, being the closest to izuku, needed to brave the illusion alone and bring him back to the real world. a tall order ... but katsuki was no stranger to such things.

katsuki enters the world after a few failed attempts, crimson eyes darting around to capture the scene, determine his next move. a beach on a clear day. most of the class resides on the firmer sand to play beach volleyball, their competitiveness knowing no bounds as they use their quirks to garner an advantage. the ones that were missing aren't of any concern to the blond ; it looks ... ideal. picturesque. if this was an illusion tailored to izuku, then the rest of the class was probably off to do something incredibly reckless, fun, or both.

when his gaze falls on izuku, it doesn't take much for him to recognise himself behind the green-haired boy ⸺ preoccupied with slicing up watermelon, face twisted in concentration, accepting izuku's closeness. actually, it's ... very close.

ah. izuku noticed him, his bewildered stare. he strides over with a stern gaze and shakes off the confusion ; he's here for a reason.

❝ izuku, shut up and listen to me. ❞ his voice captures the attention of the ... other him ? illusion him. ( it's odd, looking at him in this world ; same eyes, same glare, but places that should've scarred do not ╱ his chest remains untouched, as though he never faced shigaraki. what the hell was going on ? ) ❝ you got a fuckin' world to save. ❞

❝ tch, ❞ says this other version of him, ❝ some party trick, tryin' to be me. world's saved, asshole, didja miss the damn memo ? ❞

❝ hah ! way to just roll over and pretend everything's fine, where's your goddamn sense of self ? thought this weird-ass version of me would at least wanna pick a fight with whatever threat might be lingering. ❞ ignoring himself ⸺ this is fucking weird, he can't be the only one thinking that, right ? ⸺ katsuki turns his attention to izuku once again. ❝ i said we gotta go. ❞

[inkdemon-whore]

finished watching the girl from the other side 2022 ova/movie, and i........

kinda wish it was an 11 episode anime with 29 to 30 minutes for each episode 👉👈

i know animation takes time, and i sure as hell know the pay is trash, but my unga bunga brain want more

i like what they did though, honestly i was thinking of doing a sorta comic similar to this. not like beat for beat, but like a slice of life, where shiva already knows (spoilers go read the manga), but is scared to tell teacher when he reveals more of his past to her

the animation in it is great, and i'm sure if i watch it one or two more times, i'll grow more fond of it. the manga isn't without its faults either. but i feel like that's due more because of the manga/weekly/biweekly format. like i love the idea behind the story, i love the concept, i love these characters, but in the format of an anime or manga it leaves a lot to be desired imo. maybe as a grims farytale sorta thing, or (light)novel adaptation, or something, i'm not too sure

like.... like in the manga, teachers character was explored more, but that left shiva to the wayside until the very, and i mean VERY end of the story, like books 8 or 9 through 11, or even just 10 and 11 if we're talking about her past

in the anime/ova(both 2019 and 2022) shivas character was explored more (which i love after coming from the manga) but then teachers urgency wasn't really there, making it seem like he was flaky with shivas existence around him. sure he cares about her, but he's not too attached and is fine with losing her (mostly positively, like her living in a village, not her dying of course)

these are two people, who are both half a glass of water

one is the embodiment of a glass half empty (teacher), the other a glass half full (shiva), and it's..... upsetting, to not have them on the same table together, especially when they have the same amount of water in them, and one can give some of their water to the other, but they don't and i just

i like these half glasses of water, and i don't want them in different rooms, please come eat at the dinner table

----

i'm also just kinda upset by the trailer, because coming from the manga, seeing some of those scenes, i thought it would follow a bit more closely. like (major manga and ova spoilers)

the part in the trailer where teacher is running, i thought he was running for the wagon that took her (with her aunt) away in the manga

and the cut of teacher turning and his shoes/body disappearing was actually spliced of a scene not even in the manga, but was giving off the same vibes as him giving shiva his locket and bidding her farewell after giving her what's left of his soul (which i think was a fuckin beautiful scene in the manga, and i'm upset it wasn't animated)

there's other stuff, like teacher actually giving shiva the rest of his soul, but in the ova it's more of an imagined thought rather than a last resort

but also, like the manga, we don't really, get an ending

at least not a satisfying one

it's all just up in the air, which is fine, a story can have an ambiguous ending

but an ambiguous ending CAN be a satisfying ending. the manga hits it a little closer, but the ova doesn't deliver. it gives you a "what if" scenario from a seemingly detached character, that the manga says "yeah we did" to with a character who's much more attached to what he wants

and it's to not be alone, or force someone else to be alone by doing what might be "best" for them, whatever that may be. leaving or staying. holding them captive, away from their family, or becoming their family, and dying to protect them. to be near them, but never help them up, unable to heal their wounds, no way to comfort them beyond words, no muted joy to be shared by dancing or playing

just

mmm

mmmmmmmmmmm

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

more could be done with these two. the manga, while i love it, is a bit bloated in the many plot points it has, and the ova, while beautifully animated and referencing what it can, isn't long enough to encapsulate the views and emotions of both protagonist

i want

both

give me both of the babies

i need their views and emotions in the same room

give me like

give me fucking family therapy for these two

something, anything i just mmmmm

i want them to hold hands and be happy and live in their creaky lil house and homestead and cotachcore and dark academia and pick berries and flowers and play in the river and read books and go on their little boat over the lake and look at the stars and talk about their feeling and fears aND STOP FUCKING LYING TO EACH OTHER AND KEEPING SECRETS WITHOUT REASON

FOR FIVE G O D D A M N M I N U T E S

[rozengrotto]

Azul + Idia: Second Player

(in which Azul talks about his favorite gaming partner...)

Idia stepped into his sacred room, ready to return to his blissful hermit life of solitude and tranquility, until...

“I'm back, Ortho. How are yo-oooaaaaAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”

Back slamming against the door, Idia could only so much as squeak in terror at the sight before him.

Azul, the dormhead of Octavinelle, was currently sitting on his bed, reading one of Idia's manga.

Not the slightest bit unfazed by Idia's hysteric screeching, the younger student let the tankoubon sink down into his lap and smiled politely at the owner of the cluttered room.

“Good day to you as well, Idia-san.”

Barely managing to not hyperventilate, Idia asked: “H-h-h-how!? I m-mean, how did...did you...”

“How I entered your room? Ortho-san let me in.”

As if on cue, Ortho glided into Idia's vision, cheerful as ever.

“Welcome back! I'm so glad that my brother has finally found a friend who's not virtual! I didn't want Azul Ashengrotto-san to get bored until you return, so I told him that it's fine to read some of your comics in the meanwhile. I'm sure that's no problem, is it?”

Oh no.

Oh no, no, no, no.

This was the worst case scenario.

Okay, first he had to analyze the reading material in Azul's hands to get an idea of the scope of the damage.

Ah, just a popular Shounen manga, so he was in clear waters. Phew.

With the speed of a madman Idia dashed to the shelf where he kept all of his collector's volumes in meticulous order and scanned through the rows and rows of books, games and figurines to see if Azul had somehow managed to find his secret stash of shame tucked away behind the more ordinary titles.

Hm, no, all looked fine and untouched.

Idia let out a relieved sigh.

Mission [Not getting exposed as a total freak in front of your first and only friend at this school] was a success! At least for now.

As Idia turned around again, his relief swapped with a sense of dread.

Oh yeah, Azul was still inside his room, silently watching him.

Gods, this was awkward.

'Alright, Idia, pull yourself together! ', he told himself. 'You know what to do, you had enough practice with all those slice-of-life sims and know how to talk to other people now. Be eloquent!'

“Uhm...h-hi.”

Azul arched a perfectly groomed eyebrow.

“Hello again, Idia-san.”

Now this was just unfair. How could anyone expect him to act all natural and normal in this situation!?

He felt like entering a dungeon of high-level enemies while still using the crappy default gear.

Ignihyde's dormhead started to awkwardly fumble around with his hands, shoulders raised high to hide from that observant, bespectacled gaze of his guest.

“P-pardon my uhm, curiosity, b-but...why exactly are you in m-my room, Azul-shi?”

“I wanted to make sure that you come to the Board Game club since you didn't show up last time without announcing your absence. I was waiting in front of your door, then Ortho-san appeared and graciously let me enter.”

Right. Last week was the special raid event which he couldn't miss under any circumstance. Seems like he had forgotten to send a message to the club that he wouldn't attend, oops.

Azul adjusted his glasses, making them flash in the blue light of Idia's computer screens similar to those suave megane characters in anime.

“It is quite difficult to find a gaming partner who matches my own level of expertise.”, Azul explained, giving a shrug. “I highly appreciate your strategic thinking, Idia-san, you are my favorite opponent and it's a pity you weren't there last time. It was quite boring playing against other, less gifted people.”

F-f-favorite? Idia was someone's favorite?

No, better even, he was Azul's favorite???

Wait, when did this special bonus stage get unlocked? Receiving praise from an ally with insanely high stats like Azul...there had been no indicators whatsoever of such an event happening!?

Was their Social Link ranking up just now? Where had been the glass shattering sound!?

How was a humble hikkikomori like him supposed to read all those scary social cues and react to something like this!?

“Favorite...” Idia repeated, a terrifying, sharp teeth grin stretching out onto his blue-tinted lips.

“Idia-san? Is something the matter?”

“I'm in someone's roster in real life. Never thought that would actually happen to me lol.”

(omake)

“I apologize in advance if my question is prying in any way, but why weren't you attending the club last time?”

“Eh...uhm...D-devil Soul.”

Azul's questioning gaze told him that he had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

“It's an open-world action RPG with insane difficulty spikes, ridiculously hard boss levels and a gatcha recruit system and the current lava monster event was almost running out, so I had to grind some more for ritual stones and that's why I couldn't come...uhm, s-sorry.”

Had he talked like a waterfall again? Argh, he couldn't help it. Video games were his one big passion and it was so rare to find another person who was actually interested in the stuff he liked.

“And that game was enough for you to skip your club?”, Azul inquired. It didn't sound accusing, more so genuinely intrigued.

“Y-yeah...s-sorry again.”

The dormhead of Octavinelle pondered, before he asked: “This game of yours...might you be willing to show it to me? I have to say, it is quite fascinating how spellbinding virtual games appear to be. I would like to learn more.”

Was this really happening!? Idia almost couldn't believe it if he didn't actually witness Azul taking a seat next to him with his own eyes.

A non-online person...well, that was a first. A rare grin showed itself on Idia's face.

“Okay, now before I start, let me give you some of the lore!”

[takeshitakyuuto]

hi any tips on learning a new language?

Hi! I'm not sure if you mean general tips or tips for starting so I'll go through my process from the beginning and I hope this helps in your personal language learning journey! I've tried learning many languages and failed many times but after that trial and error, I feel like I've finally found my footing in self study and have come a long way in learning Japanese.

Getting started:

In my opinion, starting to learn a language is the hardest part. What I like to do is get a general feel for the language by listening to it. Listen to songs in your target language, watch a show (even with subtitles- try to see if you can pick up any words from it), etc. Spotify top 50 playlists by country are really great for this step

Another resource that I've found I like to use is (just trust me) Reddit. I use the subreddit r/LearnJapanese, which has a section for where to start and people often share their progress and study methods there, along with asking questions. Warning, I've seen some pretty stupid takes on Reddit. Try not to take everything on their as the right way or use it as your only source of interacting with other learners (even if it's just watching others on YouTube)

Textbooks/Workbooks:

Unpopular opinion, I have never found a textbook that works for me. I know they're out there (people swear by Genki) but I've found that YouTube works just as well and is free. Additionally, based on who you use, you'll probably end up getting a more in depth explanation of the grammar concepts and how it's used culturally. Japanese has a proficiency test that most people use (JLPT) and lots of videos are sorted by their difficulty relating to that, so I would suggest finding out if your target language has something similar to make sure you're not learning advanced grammar before you know how to conjugate a verb. Of course, I'm not saying that you shouldn't use textbooks (make sure you do your research or find a free pdf before dropping tons of money), this is just what's worked for me (and it's free!)

Other materials:

I've got four notebooks for Japanese learning. This in itself is kind of extreme, but I use one for grammar notes, one for studying kanji, one for vocabulary that I pick up from readings, and one for miscellaneous work such as writing practice sentences for recent grammar concepts.

For flashcards, I use Quizlet because it's easy and free, but so many people use and love Anki because of its spaced repetition algorithm. I'm not sure if it's free on PC, but it's free on android and costs like $25 on iphones, which is why I don't use it lol

For some regular practice, I use Duolingo. While I don't recommend using this solely to learn a language, it is good for getting regular practice and becoming accustomed to the language

Pimsleur is a great site/app that focuses on listening and speaking and has tons of languages, however it is a paid subscription. It does a good job of teaching grammar intuitively too

Staying motivated:

This part was always hardest for me oops but I finally figured out what works for me. A little practice consistently will help you advance more than lots of practice sporadically so I feel like staying motivated is probably one of the most important aspects to learning a language

Music is probably my number one motivator. I have so many playlists in Japanese and sometimes you just hear a song that's so beautiful you need to know the language immediately.

Shows and movies are also great motivators. Even if you're watching with subtitles for your native language, you can still focus on the spoken language as well and what's better payoff than being able to understand an episode of a TV show or an entire movie?

Books are harder for beginners but if you can find comics in your target language, those are always lots of fun. Slice of life stories are generally easier to comprehend than other stories.

There are also sites where you can talk to natives through a language exchange. Searching up "[target language] language exchange" should do the trick. There are probably plenty of people who are native speakers of your target language looking to learn your native language.

Remember that in practicing something such as reading, your personal enjoyment is a higher priority than if something is the correct "level." Reading something that's above your level that you enjoy will be easier than something that you have no interest in that might be simpler in terms of grammar and vocabulary.

Speaking:

All this is fine, but if you're self studying, it's really hard to get actual practice speaking. You could pay for a tutor from sites such as iTalki, or join a discord dedicated to your target language, or you could just,,, talk to yourself. Yell at the tv in your target language. Narrate your day, make up fake scenarios. The possibilities are endless, but don't neglect speaking altogether.

This is already super long but I hope that something I wrote helps you on your language learning journey! If you can't tell I love talking about language learning so don't hold back with any questions! I'll answer to the best of my ability and as always it's a good idea to get multiple points of view.

[atamascolily]

lily reads “Aftermath: Life Debt” by Chuck Wendig

This was one of the first nu-canon novels to come out in 2016, meant to fill the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. So far, all of the nu-canon stuff has been readable (unlike, say, some of Legends’ more memorable failures) but I was pleasantly surprised to find that Wendig’s writing is the most exciting and engaging I have encountered to date.

The problem is, of course, that he keeps using it to accomplish things I disagree with, but I am sure he did the best he could within the constraints Disney gave him and I don’t take it personally.

Anyway, I had to skip the first Aftermath book because it’s AWOL from the library right now, but fortunately, Wendig is pretty good about explaining How We Got Here without huge infodumps, so I got oriented pretty fast.

This book is written in present tense, which also surprised me. Even though I have read several pro-published novels that use present tense, I’m still not used to seeing it outside of fanfic, and it feels delightfully novel. I like present tense because it encourages concrete verbs, as well as a sense of immediacy and groundedness in the action (which is one reason I use it in fics). Present tense forces me to be a better writer precisely because it doesn’t come naturally. But I also enjoy it as a reader. 

Life Debt is set immediately post-Battle of Endor in 5 ABY. Leia is a few months pregnant. Luke is name-dropped a few times, but never appears. (Sigh.) Han is upset that the New Republic is dragging its feet on liberating Kashyyyk and he and Chewie decide to take matters into their own hands. When things go wrong, Leia asks Wendig’s OC Nora Wexley and her crew to bring him back.

Nora Wexley was one of the Y-wing pilots at the Battle of Endor. Now she roams the galaxy hunting Imperials for New Republic bounty, with a motley assortment of beings. There’s Sinjir, ex-Imperial and gay; Jas Emari, a Zabrak bounty hunter; and Jom Barell, who didn’t have any defining personality traits that stuck in my mind outside of his on-again, off-again friends-with-benefits with Jas;. There’s also her teenage son Temmin “Snap” Wexley and the refurbished battle droid he built as a personal bodyguard, Mr. Bones. Mr. Bones is an unrepentant murderbot and utterly delightful, especially when he tries to “blend in” by being more human.

More backstory: Nora joined the Rebellion after her husband Brentin was imprisoned by the Empire and presumed dead. Nora and Wedge have a thing as well. Mon Mothma is chancellor of the New Republic, and Leia is... I’m not sure what her official title is.

Meanwhile, on Team Empire, there’s Grand Admiral Rae Sloane, ostensibly in charge of a large slice of the Imperial Remnant, but who is being manipulated--to her deep resentment--by a man named Gallius Rax with ties to both Palpatine and Jakku. Sloane tortured Wedge in the previous book and Nora is frustrated she didn’t kill the Grand Admiral when she had the chance.

There’s also a hilarious sequence where the guy running Coruscant tries to surrender and Mon Mothma and Leia refuse because he doesn’t have anything they especially want.

In addition to the main plot, there are also short chapters titled “Interludes” showing various doings in the wider galaxy. I think a lot of these are supposed to be tie-ins for other material because they mostly don’t have any relevance to the current storyline. There’s one about a Vader-inspired death cult on Corellia, a pirate queen named Eleodie, Alderaanians mining asteroids from their former homeland and arguing about politics, Twi’leks freeing Ryloth, Malakili the ex-rancor-keeper gets a new job training a baby Hutt (?? - would have liked to hear more about that one!). I like the one about Maz Kanata’s castle, even though it still makes NO SENSE in terms of world-building.

I like Sinjir’s relationship with his slicer boyfriend, and I like that from his perspective, it’s not that the Empire particularly cares about homosexuality per se, (as long as you’re discreet about it), but the Empire uses relationships to manipulate and control people, so being open about them is a form of weakness. Just brings home the point that the Empire is a piece of shit (which is why it’s so hard for me to care about Rae Sloane or any of the scheming on Team Empire).

I don’t think I like Sinjir as a person, mind you, but he is certainly interesting, and he has no illusions that he’s a good guy, even though he’s now working against the Empire.

Also, there’s a bounty hunter named Mercurial Swift, which is the most metal name ever, and cameos from Brendol Hux, who ran some sort of boarding school, and whose bastard son is name-dropped occasionally.

No one will be surprised that my favorite scene is Leia meditating next to a sanctuary tree sapling on Chandrila she grew from a seed that Wicket gave her, and she touches the Force for the first time, and realizes that her child is a boy. Nice.

Anyway, Nora and her team find Solo--Chewbacca is a prisoner on Kashyyk when their rebellion attempt failed--and they sneak into a prison called Ashmead’s Lock on Kashyyyk, which happens to be where Nora’s husband Brentin has been this whole time! The prisoners have been stuck in stasis pods and mined for energy in a Matrix-like scenario that really should have been explored more, but they bust out, with Nora taking the prisoners home and Han and Chewie continuing to lead the rebellion.

Time skip! Brentin is distant and has PTSD, Snap is angry and acting out, Nora feels guilty because she’s attracted to Wedge and she isn’t able to connect with her husband anymore. Wedge is, of course, heartbroken.

Sloane comes to Chandrila for peace talks, and Leia leaves to go after Han on Kashyyk when Mon Mothma refuses to back her up. She ends up getting Wedge to come with her for back-up, and her pilot is Evaan Verlaine from the comics (nice to see you Evaan!)

Meanwhile, the Empire continues to be a piece of shit on Kashyyyk, and it’s way more graphic than I expected this book to go. They get what’s coming to them eventually, when Han and his team disable the chips that are keeping all the Wookiees prisoner. 

The peace talks turn out to be a trap engineered by Gallius Rax--all of the prisoners from Kashyyyk are brainwashed to start murdering people at the big ceremony and Mon Mothma narrowly avoids assassination at Brentin’s hands thanks to Nora’s quick reflexes. Sloane escapes, is super-pissed about being manipulated yet again by Rax, and she and Brentin (who also wants revenge) go to Jakku to follow up on a lead about Rax’s past.

Han ends up stealing a Star Destroyer, and Leia saves the day, and they finally kiss and make up and it’s lovely. Han leaves Chewie behind on Kashyyyk to be with Leia. Norra and her remaining team members go after Sloane.

But the biggest disappointment, of course, is the New Republic’s inability to liberate Kashyyyk, which I think epitomizes the difference between Disney’s version of Star Wars and Legends for me. In Legends, it was never a question that our heroes would liberate Kashyyyk; that was important and the entire point of the Rebellion. Even though it happened more or less off-screen, it was mentioned and cited as proof of the New Republic’s victory and triumph. So to see Mon Mothma and Ackbar trying to dissuade Leia from this is just... wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Like I said, I think Wendig’s hands were tied on this one, but it just... lands wrong. It will never not feel wrong. Is it grittier and more “realistic” this way? Maybe, but what is the point?

Overall,  this is an action-packed adventure, with lots of good moments and funny bits that feel very much “Star Wars” to me. The interludes range from fan service-y to “hey, that’s neat, tell me more!” to  “wow, is there going to be a payoff for this years down the line?” In general, I find Disney Star Wars depressing as hell, but despite the downers I enjoyed this book much more than I expected. Like I said at the beginning, this is probably the best nu!canon thing I’ve read to date outside of the Shattered Empire comics. 

I came to like most of Wendig’s OCs, even though I’d really rather read about characters I already know--like, say, Luke! Imagine that!

(I don’t know why Disney thinks we’re not interested in what Luke’s doing, but tbh they write him so poorly when they bother that I’m not really sure I want them to.)

[sasskarian]

The Mostly-Complete Rise of Skywalker semi-liveblog and reaction list that literally no one asked for

I really dig the parallels between Exegol and Korriban. The way both places felt massive and cramped at the same time, all ominous and tomb-like. Both of them are desolate, devoid of all life. They both feel barren, but not just barren. Korriban feels like history crumbling beneath your fingertips. Exegol feels like a place that’s actively trying to wound you with its desolation, like it’s sucking the life out of you to try and renew itself. (Which, given that Palpatine is there and what he does later, yeah, that tracks.)

When Palps tells Kylo to kill Rey, you can see the micro expression in his eyes. The way the muscles in his face tighten up for a second, the brows drawing down in an expression of disdain and repulsion. If we could have seen his mouth, I’d lay money down on there being a sneer flash across his face for a moment. And damn if Adam isn’t a good actor for being able to portray something that subtle.

There were definitely a few moments where Chewie bitches at Poe for the stunts he’s pulling, including a very definitive accusation of “Rey would never do this to me or the Falcon,” or something along those lines. (This is when Poe snarls, “Yeah, well, Rey’s not here right now, is she?”)

Kylo reaching out into the Force. We’re supposed to think he’s trying to reach Anakin/Vader, but I don’t think that’s what happened at all. I think that he reached for Rey specifically, possibly as a self-soothing gesture. The need to feel her alive, reassure himself. And because of Rey’s feelings and connections to his own family, he’s clearly struggling with his more monstrous acts, and with seeing Luke and Han as intrusive thoughts.

Rey failing the training course because of him makes perfect sense. Notice that this is also when she gets angry.

The Kintsugi vibe given off by Ren’s helmet repairs are fascinating.

Given the way Pryde keeps focusing on Hux during the meeting, I feel like he suspects Hux.

I find it interesting that Finn seems to be the peacekeeper in the OT3. Poe is definitely a hothead, even though he’s matured since TFA and TLJ. And Rey snaps back at him, indignant that he’s snapping at her. And Finn is the one doing the “Guys, guYS, we don’t have TIME for this” routine.

I like the quiet horror of Rey recognizing Exegol’s name. Whether it’s Force shenanigans, or from reading Luke’s books, or from the vision, whatever. The recognition followed by horror is Good Fucking Acting.

I wish that there’d been a little more of Luke or Leia reassuring Rey that a name is just a name. That the legacy is what you make it. And that as the children of Anakin Skywalker, they know that better than anyone. I feel like that would have been a good tie-in and highlight for the way the surnames are treated in the movies. Ben shunning both Organa and Solo, Rey having a last name at last but one that carries the same kind of stigma and Dark past.

I… kind of wonder if Ren surrounded himself in atrocities as a means of self-punishment. We know it’s canon that he keeps being pulled to the Light, and that every time he does, he tries something Dark. Maybe it’s his way of reminding himself how far he’s fallen and that he can’t ever go back home again (which we know is bullshit, but hey, abuse fucks your brain up, and Snoke was abusive af). Like, again, I know it’s mostly just in the comics so far, but we see him a lot saying, “I never wanted this,” “I don’t want to do this.”

The Pasaana dance in the festival seems pretty clearly modeled after tribal dances, and that makes me wonder if powerful dances like the Dha Werda and the Ancestor Dance shown in the film send ripples through the Force. And what that might be like.

I… kind of like the idea of Ben and Kylo struggling for control? I need to finish reading TLJ and read TRoS when it comes out, but there are things Kylo does—the almost-gentle banter with Rey, the way he reaches out in TLJ when she’s on Ahch-To, warning her about Palps—that doesn’t make sense from a purely Kylo perspective. I mean, I’m also an angst gremlin who enjoys the idea of Kylo losing more ground to Ben Solo, and having serious identity clashes.

The bond between Rey and Kylo has grown exponentially. Each movie, it gets bigger and more powerful. In TFA, it allowed her to look into his head. And he wasn’t able to really bring himself to hurt her. In TLJ, it bridges impossible distances of space, even so far as transporting physical objects across the distance. And in TRoS, we see that it’s gotten so strong, it literally blocks out the rest of the physical world. You could argue that the darkness in the bond is what’s overshadowing it, but I don’t count it that way. Rey’s surroundings on Pasaana are slowed down and muted, as if only Ren is her focus.

The trio is so drift compatible, it hurts.

The way the trio grabs for each other, though. It was beautiful. Disney may have decided that Poe/Finn wasn’t a thing, which we all know is a damn lie, but this movie ships the OT3 so hard. The way Poe catches Rey as she falls, the way they both turn at almost the same time to look for Finn. The casual touching.

Childish though it was, I did enjoy the “mine’s bigger” joke with Rey’s lightsaber vs Poe’s flashlight.

Rey shows an affinity for Animal Empathy. Ren has used Stasis more than once. I could even argue that there’s been some subtle Battle Meditation going on throughout the series. And I kind of? Like that we’re seeing some of the more obscure and subtle Force powers.

Also? The snakey slow-blink? I love.

Rey seems to have some psychometry abilities. And I love it.

The way Rey says “I’ll be right behind you” isn’t what it sounds like. It has a lot of layers to it. (Just like Han’s “I know” in ESB) It’s declaration of intent (“I’ll handle this”), it’s a request (“Trust me”), and it’s consolation and reassurance (“I’ll be fine.”). The way all that is conveyed with five simple words is. Ugh. My heart.

As Finn gets stronger in the Force, I’m enjoying seeing his instincts kick in. He senses Ren’s approach, which is a nice completion of the parallel to TFA when Ren sensed him as the traitor.

I don’t know who’s read the Rise of Kylo comic, but the way she slices his ship to bring him down is a direct parallel to the shot he made when he escaped the destroyed Temple. (I love all the tie-ins, honestly)

Rey was doing okay with trying to pull the transport down until Kylo stepped in to push her. The most likely scenario is less “force lightning is genetic” (because that’s crap) but more that anger clouded her mind and she already had a direct Force ability going.

When I asked my roommate why she thought Rey couldn’t sense Chewie’s life force, she gave me an interesting theory. Well, a few, but one I think makes a lot of sense. The first was that Chewie was already off-world and thus too far away (later debunked by her sensing him as the Destroyer is in orbit). Or that maybe the transports were shielded against Force Abilities, but given that they’re so rare in this era, I don’t think that’s the case. I agree with my roomie in saying that it’s more likely that Rey burnt out part of her senses and basically put herself in shock due to the feedback of casting a powerful and traditionally dark side ability for the first time.

The first couple of times I watched the movie, the entire Threepio arc bothered me. Why didn’t they just plug him into the navicomputer, the way they’d done before? Why the angst build-up? Then I remembered that they left the Falcon on Pasaana, and it’s possible that L3 is more equipped to talk to Threepio’s forbidden memory banks than a post-TCW era ship that’s almost certainly out of date.

…Zorii and Poe have A Past. I’d put money on them having banged like screen doors in a hurricane at least a few times.

“Who are you hanging out with that spEAKS SITH?!?”

I? love? Babu?

“Does she do that to us?” had me in tears.

Oh my God, the sheer #aesthetic and foreshadowing of her duel with Ren. The red fruit (cherries?) spilling across the floor, the stark color against the too-bright white. The way Vader’s helmet thunks on the ground like a sour note in a song, the way the pedestal shatters with their combined strikes. Vader falling from Ren’s worship (as the truth is revealed that it was Snoke/Palps messing with his mind and he never heard Vader), the dark glass shattering the same way the darkness in Ren dies with him.

Finn is… kind of a gossipy biddy and I love it. The way Jannah hands him the part and he just flat out abandons the work to talk, the body language as he hoists himself up to sit on the ledge. I love it. He’s precious.

I wonder if the Death Star echoes in the Force. So many brutal deaths in those halls. So many restless ghosts.

…okay, I’m not sure how to feel about the dagger lining up with the fallen DS’s architecture. Because like. There’s so many layers to that? That suggests that Palps had the dagger created after Endor/RoTJ. Which suggests that he may have had the Wayfinders created then too (though it seemed pretty comfy in the Vault, so maybe he already had them?) (Also, there was one on Mustafar. Was it planted there? Did Vader know about Exegol? I need more information than this!) And like. The Death Star is sitting in a violent sea. It’s going to degrade eventually. What if the horizon line had changed? What then? It seems flimsy, for all that it was dramatic and cool.

The sheer aesthetic in this movie, though. The symbolism is everywhere. Like Rey taking the skimmer. I love the aesthetic choices of her struggling against these giant, furious waves as a fantastic visual analogy of her struggle against the emotions churning away inside her. And how Despair and Fear and even Anger threaten to overwhelm her and drown her, but she keeps holding tight to that little skimmer the same way she’s clinging to Luke’s teachings and Leia’s love and faith in her. Their belief in her.

“You don’t know what she’s fighting.” “And you do?” I wonder if, as a Force Adept, Finn can sense the bond between Rey and Ren, and that she’s struggling against it. As well as the Palpatine name.

Theory (that may or may not have been explored in the Legends EU): Any place steeped in enough Dark emotion can become a place of visions like the Mirror Cave and Dagobah’s Cave. Rey comes face to face with her worst fear on the Death Star.

Speaking of, I wonder if some small part of Rey enjoyed the vision of her and Kylo as Emperor and Empress. I wonder if that’s where the abject horror comes from.

Speaking of more aesthetic, the on-screen contrast and history of the window where Vader and Luke dueled, and the shot of Palps’ throne over Rey’s shoulder. Sorry not sorry but I’m going to be forever in love with the cinematography in this movie.

Ren seems… almost exasperated that she’s still drawing her saber on him. That has fic potential.

That. Entire. Fucking. Duel. That entire battle. Just… oof. OOF. My heart. It blew everything in me wide open. Looking with the eyes of a writer and SW expert instead of the wide-eyed “my hEaRt!” first reaction, I saw So Much. Like Rey and Ren trading battle stances. IDK if anyone else noticed, and it’s happened before (the throne room battle in TLJ, notably, but also their duel in Ren’s quarters). But here, it’s so clear. They gave and took from each other as they fought, and that broke my heart. It threw me back to KotOR II’s echani battles, and the fight between Sun and Mun in Sense8. Here, unlike TLJ, they weren’t fighting in tandem with each other. This was back and forth. Rey starts out saber up, in what looks like shii-cho. Kylo, like always, starts out in Ataru, with heavy, powerful strikes trying to bludgeon down her defense. Rey switches to an offensive, then to fast, agile strikes holding her lightsaber Ahsoka style. Kylo then switches to shii-cho, and Rey enters Ataru, with the aggressive offensive. The way they switched between each other was fantastic.

Near the end, Rey starts giving up. You can see it. Her movements get sluggish, like she’s just going through the motions. Like she’s so tired of fighting the bond in her head, her reluctant pull to him, like she’s just. So Fucking Tired. She’s resigned.

Kylo Ren dying by his own lightsaber while Ben’s mother called to him. That symbolism. That symbolism, though.

The way he looks around, like he’s in shock. The way the battle just stops, and he’s sitting there, dying. You can see the change in him, as Ben wakes up and Kylo dies. There’s so much shell-shock and disorientation, like someone who’s been asleep for too long, waking up confused. And I’d like to believe that Rey healing him poured not just healing but maybe a little Light into him, and that, along with Leia reaching for him, is what gave Ben the strength to rise over Kylo and overpower him. (See also, my love of internal power struggles)

“I did want to take your hand. Ben’s hand.” Excuse you, I did not sign up for this feels trip.

Rey running away. I have… conflicted feelings on? Did she run away because she was grieving? To escape her own history? Did she run because she gave into the dark and struck down Kylo in anger? Or because she was tempted by Ben?

I know everyone says that Han was just a memory but I prefer to believe that Han’s just too stubborn to be a proper Force Ghost. And Disney and Lucasarts can pry Force Sensitive Han Solo out of my cold dead hands.

Luke, materializing out of the air and catching the saber. My heart screamed. Especially when he chided her (and himself) that a lightsaber deserves more respect.

“Leia didn’t tell me.” I think… I think Leia was trying to, without saying the words, “Rey, you’re a Palpatine.” She said, “Never be afraid of who you are.” And oh, God, that’s something Leia would know. In the EU she struggles with being Anakin’s daughter, with the legacy of Vader hanging over her. She struggles with it so much. And finally comes to terms with it. So if anyone knows what that’s like, it’s going to be her.

­­­"She sensed the death of her son at the end of her Jedi path." So... she had nearly thirty years to plan for it. Yoda says, “Always in motion, the future is.” I don’t believe for a single instant that Leia Organa shrugged her shoulders and said “Welp, guess my kid’s gonna die.”

Luke KNEW Ben would go to Exegol. He knew and no one will ever convince me otherwise. “Take both sabers.” She’d need one for Ben.

I wonder if Lando looks at the Falcon and sees all the little pieces of Han.

So. The arrival order at Exegol threw me for a while. Rey gets there, in Red 5. Using the toasted Wayfinder. Then the Resistance arrives, following her trail. We see Ben arrive in a TIE fighter. But… how? Rey’s trail was given to the Resistance on what I can only imagine is an encrypted wave data burst. We know it was technically given to Lando, so that the people joining the battle could find them. But Ben’s in a TIE fighter. Did he get the message from Lando? Were the coordinates already programmed into the TIE via the Final Order? Did he memorize the path from before (given that he’s a stellar pilot like Han)? Did Rey give it to him?

I hate Palps being a one-trick pony in the movies. We see him in TCW having other abilities, and mad saber skills. But in the movies, his schtick is the same every time: He seduces people to the Dark and makes them feel like they don’t have a choice, usually by dangling, “Look, you can SAVE THEM” in front of everyone. And then once he has them, he keeps them by constantly belittling them and reminding them that there’s nowhere else for them to go, because they burnt all their bridges. (Ex: Vader being reminded of what he did to Padme, and Kylo being reminded via Snoke of his own actions)

WEDGE. WEDGE ANTILLES. WEDGE.

Rey felt Ben’s approach, and you can see the change in her body language.

THAT IS THE MOST HAN SOLO THING I HAVE EVER SEEN AND IT’S NOT EVEN HAN SOLO. Watching the changes in Ben (vs Kylo) is so fucking great. He’s lighter, he’s faster. He skids (Han/Death Star), shoots behind him (Han/TFA), and the Solo Shrug. Ugh. Seeing Leia and Han blended in Ben with the Solo swagger, and Leia’s grace is fantastic.

Also: he looks so Soft. And so much younger.

I wonder if they’re communicating through the bond? He knows she can see him, because he nods at her to give him the saber. And unless I didn’t see correctly, she mouthed/whispered his name. And again, we see the connections between them in the fighting style. They’re still acting and reacting like extensions of each other.

The way they meet, the relief on their faces. Relief that melts into stubbornness and determination. Also, the way they take up their sabers in the same stance, the same expression. It’s delicious.

We were ROBBED of seeing the Jedi around Rey. ROBBED.

I’m STILL SALTY that they weren’t there for Ben (that we can see anyway).

Ben proceeded to completely shatter my heart. When he pulls Rey into his lap, he looks around like he’s waiting for someone to tell him what to do. He’s actively seeking guidance and help. And because we don’t have an in to Ben’s head, we don’t know if someone told him what to do or how to do it, or if anyone comforted him. But we do see his face go from disbelief to despair to acceptance.

The face touch. Stop breaking my damn heart.

When the Core ships arrive, I’m almost positive I saw The Razorcrest and the Ghost. I need to check the disc where I can pause it, but I’d put money on it that I saw them.

The way the trio grabs for each other at the end is more movie-shipping-OT3. Finn holding the two people he loves most in the world, right where he can see them. Poe taking Rey’s hand. They don’t know what happened in the Citadel, but I’m pretty sure Finn can feel how tired Rey is, how wounded she is. And they’re There For Her.

Rey burying the sabers on Tatooine has so many emotions attached to it. Tatooine, where Anakin Skywalker was born of the Force, where Luke spent his formative years. Luke and Leia resting together in the Force, as their student moves on and tries to find her way in the galaxy. And the parallels and tie ins from TFA to now, like Rey building a dual saber from parts of her quarterstaff, the sand sliding, and the OT callback to the protag being silhouetted by the twin suns, were satisfying.

Rey’s saber being yellow is something I find… interesting. If you look at the newer movies, whenever a blue or green saber crosses with a red one, the light sparks and blending of the plasma fields look yellow. And Kyber crystals (in the new canon) aren’t colored. They take on a color when the jedi awakes the force in them. So for her color to resonate yellow as someone balanced in light and dark makes a lot of sense.

I have… Opinions on the surname controversy that I’m still trying to sort through. And I definitely have Opinions on Ben sacrificing himself (mostly that the entire sequel trilogy spent two and a half movies harping on about balance only to kill off half the balance and leave a Force Wound in their protag)

***

Was Rise of Skywalker a good movie? Eh. That depends a lot on your criteria.

Was it a successful Star Wars movie? That also depends on your criteria.

But for me, it felt like Star Wars. It felt like an ending to the Skywalker saga. Did I get everything I wanted? No. Am I salty about parts of it? Absolutely. Are there plot holes I could drive a Death Star through? You betcha. Were we robbed of a better, more cohesive movie based on the leaks from JJ’s crew? YUP.

But I found things to enjoy. I got things I wanted (OT3! Force Sensitive Finn! Bendemption! Lando! Hope for the galaxy!), didn’t know I wanted (Master Leia! D-O the anxiety droid! Generals Finn and Poe!), and things I definitely didn’t want.

[fyrapartnersearch]

Chapter 1; In Which Death Awaits and a Plot is Hatched

“You’re fucking persistent, I’ll give you that,” Izar growled, planting his foot in the snow and pivoting around to face the wards. He slammed his hands on the wards, causing a deep resonance to sound across the snowy grounds.

He was lifted off his feet and sent flying. Izar clenched his lips together before he gave a delighted laugh, not even stopping as he was deposited harshly onto the ground. He spread his arms out around his body, making tracks in the snow beneath him. Odd… he never had made a snow angel before. 

Izar leaned his head into the snow, ignoring the eerie quiet that reverberated across the grounds. The army was flabbergasted at what had just happened, Izar knew. Though, hopefully they were impressed, because he was even impressed with himself. Sadly, it didn’t take long for the fighting to continue for he heard magic and curses being passed back and forth between the crowds a few yards away from his current position.

Chaos would erupt shortly. The two groups were still in quiet surprise over the areas lack of magic. Soon, the students and the professors would either herd together inside the castle, escape, or join the fray.

Until that time…

Izar kicked his arms and legs out, creating a snow angel beneath him. His green eyes stared at the sky above him, observing the snowflakes as they slowly drifted into focus. Without the soft and yellowed glow from Hogwarts, the only thing left to light the grounds was the half moon and the curses being released from their owners’ wands. He smiled thinly, finding himself feeling rather numb despite the situation that transpired earlier.

He issued a controlled moan.

“What… are you doing?”

Izar gave the towering man a look of disdain. “Exactly what it looks like, My Lord.”

Voldemort’s lips thinned as he watched Izar create a deeper snow angel. “They did warn me that the insanity was strong within you. Obviously, I hadn’t given it proper consideration.” A pause. “Until now.”

While his Master’s tone was light in his mocking, Izar could see the man deeper than that. There was a knowing glint in the crimson eyes as they watched Izar in the snow. The Dark Lord believed Izar was averting his focus and attention away from reality in order to avoid thinking about his near-death experience.

Was he? Possibly… no, most certainly. He had almost been absorbed into the castle’s wards. Izar had been taken off-guard. There was this nagging feeling that Izar could have prevented everything that transpired in the last few minutes. 

–

Chapter 1; In which Death awaits and a plot is hatched.

Did the above introduction catch your interest? I sincerely hope so. I also hope that, from there, your eyes continue on, trifling through this post, absorbing the information I offer and nurturing a growing interest that will lead you to my door.

Writing is not just a pass-time. It’s an adventure, an extravagant and deeply fulfilling world created for our very own enjoyment - this is the reason I am now here in search of partners. Optimistically thinking, I have not scared too many of you away with my mutterings and lavish vocabulary!

Let’s move on, shall we?

First and foremost, I am here with a particular request.  If this does not interest you, but my extract above did - then please direct yourself towards the following sentence: “While I am searching groundlessly for a partner to investigate a specific plot, I am very open to ideas of other genres; drop me a message, and perhaps we’ll find another ground on which to muse”

Onto the important stuff!

Who Am I?

Arik is the name, roleplaying is the game (or something like that). Online, I go by the aforementioned Arik or Ari, Ariikos Melanthios for those interested in the more formal route (and if you can tell me what those names refer to, I will be thoroughly impressed). I’m an 18+ British roleplayer working a full-time job that is taking its toll. I’m a little eccentric, which you may have noticed by now, and an avid gamer who’s looking for a new muse to fill in the gaps in her days. 

How Do I Roleplay?

Due to my nature, I am comfortable playing all kinds of characters, including genders and sexualities, as well as races and nature of minds. There isn’t anything I’m not open to trying (or at least, not so far), so I’ll most definitely be your hot stud to your M/M romance or the sweetheart girl across the street for your F/F and F/M. You get the gist, right? 

My roleplay posts will always be on the longer side, depending on the complexity of the plot, and the situation I’m in when attempting to write a reply. At no point do I expect you to match these lengths, especially when I get carried away, however, I do require enough that I am not carrying the plot alone.

What Am I Looking For?

Now, this is where the fun begins. 

I roleplay in both original and canon universes. We’ll start with the arguably ‘easier’ settings, shall we?

I play both OC and Canon characters, but will always choose to play an OC. Doubling is fine, but I’m only likely to wish to play a Canon to your OC or Canon if the plot is especially interesting!

Harry Potter; any era, though less preference towards next gen. AU’s and crossovers are absolutely and avidly accepted!

Dragon Age; huge nerd of this game, please send any ideas my way, including oscure settings in the general universe but separate from the canon storylines. All of the games are fantastic!

MCU; comics and films, preference towards X-Men but generally open to anything.

The Witcher; books, games or TV series!

Telltale The Walking Dead; a little more obscure, but believe it could make for an interesting take on the original story?

Star Trek; new or old generation, or our own take!

Resident Evil; preference towards the films, but familiar with the games too.

Sword Art Online

Doctor Who; any doctor, or our own! 

Honestly, I’m missing so many here, but just ask and I probably know it! If not, I’m always willing to do the research and put in the effort.

Onto original plots - in general, I want to create a world with you! 

Fantasy 

Sci-Fi 

Urban

Dystopia

Mythology

Medieval

Etc

I’m usually open for anything, though I’m not a huge fan of slice-of-life. Anything with action, and I’m in. 

In particular, I have a world, and a set of characters and I’m looking for someone to join in on the fun. This world is set within our modern one, with the twist of fantasy being a common feature in day to day life (think Hellboy). For the most part, Humans ignore them and go about their day. What’s important though, that even in this mystical reimagining of the human realm, still humans continue under the belief that the Gods are nothing more than fantasy - and lets not even consider demons. 

But what if they were wrong?

More explanations upon a promising start to our communication!

What Am I Looking For In A Partner?

Paragraph replies - the longer the better - and ability to reply a minimum of twice a week (assuming neither of us gets caught up in real life, of course) is also preferable. Please don’t ghost me! I’m here primarily because all my partners have slowly melted into the shadows :c

Finally, please be open to ideas! I wish to get to know you, to create a story of our own creation that will grow as we do. I want both of us to suggest ideas for development, to agree on scenes and scenarios, so on and so forth.

I recognise I am looking for a lot here in a single person, but in my mind, I see this as a long-term project between two people, and a possible lasting friendship. If you’re not interested in this particular original idea, then do not be afraid to still drop me a message, and as I noted in the beginning - perhaps we’ll find other common ground!

Find me @

Ariikos#3683

AriikosMelanthios@gmail.com

Please introduce yourself upon the first contact, letting me know what you’re looking for! If you can provide information about yourself, your likes and dislikes, and perhaps even a writing example (which I would love to reciprocate) then you’d gain extra points in my book! You will absolutely be judged by your introduction :P

Looking forward to hearing from you!

[dontdropthedoughnut]

24 October 2019 - Okay, okay I will stop posting up recommendations of other artists and post up my own work instead...soon...

So one last artist recommendation who I just have to mention! I was scrolling through YouTube looking at the video recommendations and the YouTube algorithm decided to suggest Kasey Golden's video "Drawing Silly Faces on 64 Pages - SKETCHBOOK TOUR".

So in the video she does an unboxing of ArtSnacks' monthly art supply subscription box and the supplies are the typical ones you'd expect for Inktober. What I'm waaay more inspired about is the sketches she does! Instead of being too precious about drawing in a brand new sketchbook and making each drawing beautifully rendered, she has a screw it, let's do it attitude!

Watching her I get the vibe that she's having so much fun and ideas just seem to be free flowing to her. It's a process I want to attempt, I think it would be a really good method to generate ideas when stuck...I'm gonna put it on my Art Impossible List! Definitively give her video a watch, just loving the whole graphic and bold vibe she's giving!!!

[yuvilee]

29th October 2019 Student-led seminar 2

Text: Siegel, D. (2009) ‘Designing Our Own Graves’, in: Armstrong, H. (ed.) Graphic Design Theory : Readings From the Field, Princeton Architectural Press, New York, pp. 115-118. First published: Siegel, D. (2006) ‘Designing Our Own Graves’, Design Observer, 27 June. Available at: https://designobserver.com/article.php?id=4307 (Accessed on: 27 October 2019)

Table of content:

Introduction - Have a butcher’s Main part:  The butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker The greatest thing since sliced bread - The art of self-promotion Conclusion -  Digging it Notes: Books and articles Pictures

About the author: Dmitri Siegel is a Creative Executive with more than ten years of experience leading and modernising brands, building teams, making change, and driving growth. Brand strategist, marketing executive, creative director, design leader, P&L owner, whatever. Currently inspiring the world to listen better with Sonos(1).

Introduction - Have a butcher’s

Siegels essay was first published in 2006, but looking at the questions on the DIY society it seems like he had foreseen how social media, digital availability and appearance would shape our life and work these days: creating own content.

Those early signs were already visible in 2003. Back then, my arts and design tutor told us in one of our design-related courses about recessions and smaller businesses. ‘If an economy is in recession’, he said, ‘one of the first things to get cut are advertising through graphic designers.’ His cautionary tale was about a butchers who would rather create his own advertisement instead of investing in a graphic design studio. It might not look elaborate or clean but it still works. Sales would not go down drastically and he would advertise his offers with self-written promotions. The numbers would show in his favour and reassure him to go on like this, he argued.  

My tutor was not totally right but also not totally wrong with his bleak prediction as the progression from Flickr and MySpace (which Siegel provided as examples) advanced to easy manageable website creation tools from companies such as Wix.com, Squarespace, GoDaddy and similar - and they are growing constantly. 

The butcher, the baker and the candlestick-maker

Never was creating a website easier. And it is free on top - if you choose the smallest offer and depending on the selected provider. You do not get printed flyers and a business card, but you can even create your own logo.

For a small business it seems to be more lucrative and less complicated to build their own website. It makes sense as they are also in total control over the content and display. It seems like grammar-checking became less important as long as the layout is clean, the pictures are appealing, and the text is short enough to be read in three seconds(2).

The revenue those companies create are supporting the theory how accessible and appealing it became to build your own online appearance. Just to give one example, in 2017, Squarespace was estimated to have a value of $1.7 billion(3).

Nowadays, the challenge doesn’t seem to be a webpage anymore but rather a well thought out social media presence and a good looking portfolio. Same goes for the creatives like designers, photographers, and illustrators.

Above: My screenshot of Jullien, J., Peace for Paris, (2015)

Above: My screenshot of Jullien, J., Peace for Paris, shown by The Telegraph, (2015)

The greatest thing since sliced bread - The art of self-promotion

You are a good designer, tattoo-artist, illustrator, restaurant- or flower-shop owner if you at least have an online appearance, if you can be reached on Twitter and/or Facebook, and if you have good reviews and show your work on display over platforms like Instagram. Every self-promotion guide will tell you that. 

Those guides tell about creating an own brand, a distinctive logo, a signature and especially for illustrators it seems like people want you to create new content in your signature style.

In a best case scenario, your picture goes viral and you become famous overnight, like Jean Jullien’s Eiffel Tower/Peace Symbol in 2015 (as seen above) after the terror attacks. He posted his picture on his social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The image had been shared over 60,000 times on Twitter, and millions of times more via other accounts of people who had copied and shared the image(4). 

Another case in point in the realm of illustration I’d like to write about is Shencomix. His Facebook account goes back to the 21st February 2013. He is known for emotional comics everyone can relate to. Since then he got himself established as an illustrator with merchandise purchasable in his online-shop. He got famous as people are posting his comics on all available social media (Tumblr, /reddit, Twitter, …) since they are little, curious snippets right out of every-day life that many people can relate to easily. From simple comics to his own brand: 

Above: My screenshot of shencomix, no title, (2016)

Above: My screenshot of shencomix’s online-shop, (2019)

There are numerous similar stories of equal success stories. But getting back at Siegel’s question ‘Does that coffin have your career's name on it?’, sure there are ways to undersell your work (such as Fiverr) but I would tend to disagree. It has rather shifted and with this it has also opened up new possibilities.

Above: My screenshot of aitchmade, fun at the mall, (2012)

Above: My screenshot of lisa_quine, mural, (2018)

Conclusion -  Digging it

What I am getting at: social media has opened up new possibilities for illustrators but they require to be on top of them all the time and producing non-stop, ideally always in their own unique style. The AOI and agencies are constantly on social media, looking for new talents. Only if someone has a great and distinct portfolio, it is possible that they will be approached.

So are designers really digging their own graves or just following up with the changing advertising world? Companies like Wix and GoDaddy still work hard to create easily accessible websites but in fact not every small business has time or patience to create their website themselves. In the end they still need great content like photographs and text. Copy Writers and photographers might still find lots of job opportunities there while illustrators and graphic designers could still offer to create the websites. With the new emerging hype around hand-lettering and small illustrations such as Jean Jullien’s, with online short comics or long-running online graphic novels we are still in a position to find work if we make ourselves visible enough to be found.

Unrelated: I did enjoy Siegel’s Spotify lists I found on his web-page while writing.

Notes:

Books and articles

Siegel, D. (no date) Dmitri Siegel about. Available at: https://www.dmitrisiegel.com/ (Accessed on: 27 October 2019). And yes, the ‘whatever’ part is on his webpage.

The belief of a three second memory capacity of a goldfish has been busted as a myth. Cf. Simpson, A. (2009) ‘Fish’s memories last for month, say scientists’, The Telegraph, 07 January. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/4158477/Fishs-memories-last-for-months-say-scientists.html (Accessed on: 27 October 2019).

Vynck, G. (2017) ‘Squarespace Raises Funding at $1.7 Billion Valuation'. Bloomberg. 14 December. Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-14/squarespace-is-said-to-raise-funding-at-1-7-billion-valuation (Accessed on: 27 October 2019).

Nudd, T. (2015) ‘How a Designer’s ‘Peace for Paris’ Sketch, Made in Minutes, Became a Global Symbol’, Adweek, 16 November. Available at: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-designers-peace-paris-sketch-made-minutes-became-global-symbol-168150/ (Accessed on: 27 October 2019).

Pictures

Jullien, J. (2015) 'Peace for Paris' [Instagram]. 13 November. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/-CvRmhhFJP/ (Accessed on: 28 October 2019).

Before long, this digital image made its way into the real world from a peace vigil in Kathmandu (top left), onto the streets of Paris (bottom left) and to vigils in Hong Kong (top right). Reuters/Getty/Instagram/Twitter/Facebook (2015) [Screenshot]. Available at: https://s.telegraph.co.uk/graphics/projects/paris-attacks-tributes/index.html (Accessed on: 28 October 2019).

shencomix, (2016) no title, [Instagram]. 30 November. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/BNcbN6nABUo/ (Accessed on: 28 October 2019).

shencomix, (2019), [Screenshot]. Available at: https://shenstuff.com/ (Accessed on: 28 October 2019).

Aitchmade’s fun at the mal, (2012), [Screenshot]. Available at: http://aitchmade.blogspot.com/2012/03/fun-at-mall.html (Accessed on: 28 October 2019).

lisa_quine, (2018) ‘no title’ [Instagram]. 19 June. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/BkMPg0FFSXB/ (Accessed on: 28 October 2019).

[thebigreylotheory]

Belated TROS trailer reaction and thoughts

Painting.

Been doing lots of painting.  Rewatching TFA, TLJ, and Solo and painting.

Ok, wow, originally intended to have this up by May the 4th….but like I mentioned some posts ago, bantha poodoo happens. (Caps is the same :( )

It’s finally, finally time for my TROS trailer reaction, thoughts, and a few theories! (I don’t know about you, but I’m still not over how good it is. Say what you will, Star Wars has the best trailers.)

Breathing is very important to the sequel trilogy. (I would say that Rey that is totally going to be ahead of the game for Lamaze class if we get a sequel-sequel trilogy/book/comic baby some galaxy far far away day.)

I’ve wondered if the movie will take the time to explain how the Skywalker lightsaber has been repaired? My feeling is, sorta like ROTJ, it’ll just be there like Luke’s green lightsaber. So, you’ll either have to make up your own head canon OR we’ll eventually get books and comics for the time gap between TLJ and TROS that will explain exactly what Rey did. Since she’s a scavenger, and mechanically inclined around junk, my feeling right now is, it’s possible she might have gone on a journey for a new kyber crystal and she’s repurposed the hilt. Which I think could be symbolically interesting….almost saying she’s “her own person (crystal)” on the inside now, but externally carrying on the outward mantle of her teacher/master Luke.

Which leads me to: by now, you’ve probably heard the theory that the last name “Skywalker” might transform to a term for the henceforth new Jedi. Personally, I am a fan of this theory. I think it would be useful for keeping the Star Wars eras straight when referencing any potential future Star Wars films/books/comics. For example, instead of saying “post-Skywalker trilogies,” one could say this-or-that takes place during the Jedi era or the new Skywalker era, etc (as well as, hopefully, the Knights of the Old Republic era someday soon).

AND, if Rey dubs herself (and perhaps any future students she has) a Skywalker….then, well, oddly enough, it would fulfill the whole Rey is a Skywalker discussion in the most interesting way possible. (While also keeping the plot open for her to choose whomever *coughcough* Ben Solo *coughcough* she would like to romantically be with someday.) It could potentially mean anyone could be a Skywalker. I’m a Skywalker. You’re a Skywalker. We’re Skywalker. Sign me up.

Luke is everybody’s spiritual father. (And I guess Vader is everybody’s grandfather??)

And, on a kinda odd note, being a Caravan-of-Courage-baby and a long-time SW fan, thinking of the name Skywalker, does anyone else think it sounds like a talent? Or is my brain just connecting Moonwalking with Skywalking? I guess, technically, Rey isn’t Skywalking here, right? It’s more like Skyjumping? Skyflipping? Maybe she’s really a Skyflipper. Part dolphin.

But I slightly digress, back to the trailer.

When this scene hit, I initially thought, from a distance, the TIE was a TIE bomber. Haha, silly me. 

I have fond memories of the TIE bomber toys Revan/Devan had as a kid.

Yay, Lawrence of Arabia will be returning to theaters Sept. 1st and 4th, presented by TCM! I did a middle school history report over Lawrence. Mostly because I wanted to learn about desert warfare so I could write better Star Wars fan fiction. It’s all about Star Wars, people. It always has been.

Now, that’s what I call TIE racing!

Sweet butter tacos, by now I have paused these scenes over and over trying to decide if this is Kylo Ren and/or if the scenes match or they’ve been sliced much like the TLJ trailer. 

HAHA. You trailer editor people are so good. You did it just enough to make me crazy until December. THANKS.

But, I guess it’s safe to say, in this sequel trilogy, when the camera zooms to black gloves, it’s probably Kylo.

Gee, these two just can’t flirt normally. It’s like they thought, “Oh what can we do on our date that hasn’t been done before?” “Oh, I know, let’s play chicken with the TIE Fighter!”

No, in all seriousness, as it’s been said before many times now, this would be a really strange way to try to take Rey out…

Wouldn’t Kylo be a man and just face her? He hasn’t been afraid to face people before.

And, I don’t know…some people I know are hoping that they are working together somehow, which I hope they are, don’t get me wrong,…but at the moment, I just can’t think of why Rey would need to jump on a TIE Fighter/Kylo’s TIE. (Mind out of the gutter!) I mean, if they are working together, practicing even, for some Force trick/feat that needs doing to destroy or infiltrate something, it looks like she could have climbed on the TIE before it took off?

I mean the Interwebs might tell you that she needs to practice her jumping so she can have the high ground later, but I still don’t know.

It could be a dream/vision. Simple enough.

It could be that ForceTime is acting really weird?

Did we really understand or have all the rules of ForceTime in TLJ? Could it be if ForceTime connects and Rey and Kylo hold-on to another they can pull each other to a different location? So for instance, if Rey jumps on the TIE she could be transported to where Kylo is?

That would mean there was a reason Luke told them to stop. Did he know either Kylo would be pulled to Ahch-To in the flesh or Rey would end up at the First Order (before she totally left in the Falcon for the First Order)?

Dunno. That could be getting too “beam-me-up-Scotty” or too “magical” for SW. We’ll see. I’m open to most things so long as they’re done well.

Alternatively, because Caps and I have also been reading SW comics for a few years now, I think it’s also possible that Kylo could be possessed here. 

As in, someone:

Like monkey-hands here, or whomever monkey-hands works for (Palps, Hux, The Resistance, KOR), took Kylo’s helmet and added Sith-y stuff to it.

I want to lean towards the idea of an enemy/frenemy of Kylo’s changing his helmet. I thought it was a little unusual that Kylo would go back to wearing the helmet after smashing it. I mean, character-wise, I figured it would remind him of Snoke’s taunts. It seemed like a step backward. Like going back to a security blanket after you’ve gotten over needing it. Dunno, are they going to capture him and force him to wear it? Making him Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs to get him out of the way?

BUT, there again, I guess, I could stretch my imagination and believe that Kylo, might, might, go back to wearing his helmet on his own, if he thought there was some power or knowledge to be gained. And, either, earnestly, he did it to himself or it was a TRAP!

And possibly, in this scene, possessed Kylo is about to crash wherever Rey is, but she saves him by cutting open the hatch, etc? 

(She’s learned to lift rocks, but could she stop a TIE via the Force and climb in and save someone? Maybe, but it, arguably, wouldn’t look as cool or dramatic). And if that were the case, Kylo would be in some serious debt to Rey for saving his life. Girl already spared him once. Twice, if you count she didn’t run him through on Starkiller Base.

Anyways, back to reviewing the trailer chronologically.

Somehow this reminds me of the Lost City of Atlantis. Was there a city on Bespin below Cloud City? According to Wookiepedia Bespin is a cloudy place. Sooo, could be Lando’s entrance in the movie, possibly.

Did I read somewhere that Kylo is tackling a Knight of Ren here? (Double checked and yes.) That’s interesting. I could come up lots of out-of-the-hat-theories as to why. KOR turns against him. Kylo turns against KOR. KOR Civil War? KOR Battle Royale where the survivor of the Hunger Games gets to be Master?

But what’s really interesting, is the fact that Kylo doesn’t slice the guy in two pieces with the lightsaber.

And that, to me, also spawns some theories. Is the tackle just a cinematic scene to show Kylo’s strength? Maybe Disney doesn’t want to go “Darth Maul-ing” people in two pieces? Kylo, for some reason, isn’t killing people on this particular day or any more at all? Or Kylo’s in a super rush and is more focused on getting a certain location in a hurry and whatever, guy was in the way? It made me concerned, mmm, can’t Kylo use the Force in this scene? He isn’t Force Pushing or Freezing the guy?

This week on “This Old Helmet,” Norm and guys add detailing to a once dilapidated helmet. Yup, it was a real fixer-upper. If Mr. Monkey doesn’t work for some VIP, he’s a really strange janitor.

Ok, Finn and Poe are going to, canon, start a boy band in TROS, right? This is a scene from their KPOP-ish music video, right? “‘Cause I want it that way…” If they don’t dance, so help me Star Wars...I’ll make them in a fanvid.

To be honest, I’m not sure if I like D/O yet. The jury is still out for me. Mostly because I thought some of the other concept designs were much cuter. Although, I can’t wait to see the Droid Builders tackle this one. I’m still stuck on a mouse droid.

Aww, yeah, welcome back Lando! Mr. Smoothie! (I wish he’d been apart of TFA and TLJ, but better late than never.) I know, I know the ship should be Chewie’s now, but I secretly hope that Lando is able to donate money to restore the Falcon, like an old classic car. *coughcough* Reylo Wedding Gift *coughcough*

Hmm, moisture farm or temple? Guess we’ll see. I’m loving that the troops possibly have jetpacks and/or sand-speeders?

Dunno, after the whole Rambo C3P0 poster, I’m wondering if someone’s after C3P0 here? BB and R2 have had their “find-that-droid” day, maybe it’s C3P0’s turn?

Aww, the medal. Sweet medal. 

I can give you some out-of-the-hat ideas about this, too. Maybe this is Han’s. Maybe it’s in Leia’s collection of memories and she takes it out for nostalgia, to feel close to Han in spirit, or for the anniversary of his death. Maybe she’s decided to give it to someone else? Or, worst-case scenario, the Resistance needs gold and this is all they got left?

Or, this is Luke’s? And ditto on everything. Maybe Luke left it behind before he left for Ahch-To? Maybe he gave it back to Leia? Or maybe Leia and company find more of Luke’s belongings elsewhere? Maybe Luke was using it as a bookmark in one of the Jedi Texts?

Goodness. When the trailer hit Celebration, this scene filled my heart with the greatest bittersweet joy. 

I’m really glad that the extra/reworked footage of Carrie as Leia looks good. That it will uphold her legacy. It’s been on my mind ever since her passing.

In fact, I was so caught up in being happy that the footage looks great, at first, I didn’t stop to think why Leia and Rey are hugging?

And, at first, I was so vicariously being Rey while watching the trailer, hugging Leia with my own emotional fan tear, that I didn’t consider why is Rey crying?

Well, theory-wise it could be a number of things. Rey and Leia have really bonded, and maybe Rey’s about to go on a dangerous mission? Or the Resistance has had a major setback?

But, I think one of the biggest, most emotional, thing both Rey and Leia have in common is:

Yup. Benny Boy.

And, this thought/feeling opens up a whole new can.

Um, have they heard something about Kylo/Ben that’s upsetting? And, if so, would this scene take place early or late in the film? I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors that Kylo/Ben might not be making it out of this one entirely. Dunno, to me, it almost feels like Rey’s upset that she’s failed at something. I guess, especially, because it’s extra/reworked footage of the reaction to Han’s death.

Again, with the band! It’s like a 90s Alternation Rock cover!

My question is: What is in Rey’s hand? Is it a bag? What’s in the bag? Is she carrying the Jedi text or some other special item? Is it a device? What sort of device?

Have they all been camping? ‘Cause Finn and Poe have bags, too. Do they got thermal detonators in there?

I’m assuming, since they look more angry/focused than shocked, that their on some sort of mission to find this broken piece of Death Star II? That their purpose is to go inside? Or destroy the rest of it? Either way, if I learned anything from Wind Waker, it doesn’t look like a good day for sailing towards it.

Now, in the split second when Luke says “no one’s ever really gone” again…I wanted to believe we were going to get a Force Ghost reveal. Or that possibly, the-Force-killed-Luke was just social media red herring.

I never dreamed that laugh….

Chilled me to the bone.

The biggest “oh Sh*$” moment of my movie trailer watching life.

 Ooo the possibilities. More thoughts on Emperor Palps’ return later.

Until then my Reylos and Star Wars friends, May The Force Be With You!

[omniversalobservations]

Devil May Cry Series Joins Netflix's Castlevania in 'Bootleg Multiverse'

After weeks of rumors, executive producer Adi Shankar has announced he is developing an animated series based on Capcom's popular action-adventure video game franchise Devil May Cry for Netflix.

Shankar had purchased the television rights to the video game series from Capcom himself to ensure a greater degree of creative freedom rather than acquiring them through a production studio. As such, the producer teased that the upcoming animated series takes place in the same multiverse as his Castlevania animated series for Netflix. Shankar confirmed the project through a post on his Twitter account dressed up as the franchise's protagonist, the demon hunter Dante.

"[I] acquired [Devil May Cry's] rights myself so the jabronis in Hollywood don’t fuck this one up too," explained Shankar in an interview with IGN. "[Devil May Cry] will join Castlevania in what we’re now calling the bootleg multiverse."

For weeks, there were rumors that Shankar was developing an animated adaptation to Nintendo's popular action-RPG franchise The Legend of Zelda. These rumors escalated after Shankar hinted at a massive video game-related announcement today. Today's announcement revealed that Shankar was working on a completely different video game adaptation with a different game studio instead while the producer thanked fans of Netflix's Castlevania for his continued success.

"[Castlevania] really over-performed. It did crazy well. We immediately got greenlit for Season 3," revealed Shankar. "I wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for the fans."

Details on the Devil May Cry adaptation, including an anticipated release date and cast, are currently unannounced as is how being in the same multiverse as Castlevania will impact either series, if in any way at all.

Source: Comic Book Resources

As showrunner Adi Shankar revealed exclusively to IGN's Jacki Jing, work has begun on a Devil May Cry animated series that will exist as part of a shared multiverse with Castlevania. Suddenly, two of the biggest franchises in the gaming world have become intertwined.

While at first glance these might seem like very random pairings of AAA franchises, there's actually a lot of potential in linking Castlevania and Devil May Cry. Here's how we think these two shows will connect with each other and begin to forge a larger animated multiverse.

MULTIVERSE VS. SHARED UNIVERSE: Shankar is specifically referring to Castlevania and Devil May Cry as being part of a multiverse rather than one shared universe. That might seem like a minor distinction, but it reveals a lot about how the two shows are likely connected. Unfortunately, the word "multiverse" implies that the two series won't be taking place in the same world. We could easily envision a scenario where Castlevania (which is currently set in 15th Century Wallachia) takes place some 500 years prior to the events of Devil May Cry (which will presumably unfold in the present day). But instead, it appears that the two series will be fairly isolated from one another.

This may be a necessary move given that the two game franchises are owned by different developers. It would be one thing to expand the world of Castlevania using other Konami properties like Silent Hill and Metal Gear, but it becomes a different matter entirely when Capcom's franchises are brought to the table. As much as we'd love to see the mythologies of Castlevania and Devil May Cry merge into one cohesive dark fantasy universe, that's probably too much to ask for.

THE ARROWVERSE COMPARISON: So if the two shows aren't going to take place in the same universe, what's the point of linking them at all? Does announcing a Castlevania/Devil May Cry multiverse actually have a tangible impact on either show? We have to assume the answer is still yes. Frankly, we doubt Shankar would make this announcement if there weren't concrete plans for having the two shows cross over with each other.

Our guess is that the two shows will coexist much in the same way The Flash and Supergirl do on The CW. Those two shows take place on separate alternate Earths in the larger DC multiverse. Barry Allen and his friends dwell on Earth-1, while Kara Danvers and crew reside on Earth-38. For the most part, Flash and Supergirl have separate adventures and don't cross paths. But once or twice every season, one hero will cross the barrier between universes and pay a visit to the other. The line-wide Arrowverse crossover has now become an annual tradition every December, with this year's "Elseworlds" crossover drawing near.

We assume Castlevania and Devil May Cry will have a similar relationship. We may not see Alucard cross paths with Dante very often, but it stands to reason that these shows will occasionally take the opportunity to bring one monster hunter over into another's world, allowing them to battle foes too powerful for any one hero to overcome. Given how steeped both franchises are in the supernatural, it wouldn't be very hard to invent a justification for an inter-dimensional crossover. Heck, most of the Devil May Cry games revolve heavily around the barriers between the mortal realm and Hell being shattered.

THEMATIC TIES: Hopefully, fans can look forward to occasional crossovers between the two shows, and possibly even the animated video game equivalent of The Defenders if Netflix continues to draw in more gaming properties. But it may be that the goal is less about establishing a shared continuity for these shows than it is building thematic ties.

Going back to the Flash/Supergirl comparison, it's always very obvious that the two shows are part of a shared multiverse even when they go months without directly interacting with each other. That's because they share many stylistic elements in common. They both take a relatively lighthearted approach to superhero storytelling. They both emphasize the importance of a strong support network in a costumed hero's life. Tonally, both shows are similar enough that it's easy to picture Central City existing just down the road from National City.

The same will probably hold true for Castlevania and Devil May Cry. Even if the two shows don't have much in the way of a plot connection, Devil May Cry may draw a lot of inspiration from Castlevania in terms of its tone, presentation, and characterization. Why shouldn't it? As we said in our review of Castlevania Season 2, the series easily ranks among the best video game adaptations ever. Given how difficult it's been for studios to adapt games to other media in the past, it would be foolish not to take a long, hard look at why this series has succeeded where most others have failed. From Capcom's perspective, the goal may be less about the fanboy appeal of pairing Dante with Alucard as it is having a Devil May Cry series that's as critically acclaimed as Castlevania. Not to mention that with Devil May Cry 5 arriving in March 2019, now is the ideal time to give the franchise a renewed push in other media.

And there's certainly plenty of inspiration to be drawn from Castlevania. This is a series notable for devoting painstaking attention to fleshing out its characters, heroes and villains alike. It's also a show that revolves heavily around family histories and heroes reluctantly embracing their destinies. Dante and Alucard make for logical allies, not just because they're both good at slicing up monsters, but because they're both half-human warriors torn between two worlds. Regardless of any overt crossover elements, we'd be happy just watching a Devil May Cry series where Dante's character arc mirrors what Alucard has suffered through over the course of 12 episodes.

Source: IGN

(image via YouTube)

[0bfvscate]

What inspired you to write Lord of Thundertown?

When I started living on my own I moved into an old warehouse, and started working with my roommates to re-zone it as residential. The work on our end was pretty easy, but our landlords refused to make any changes. The building was bought and sold three times when I lived there and we suffered through all kinds of slumlord behavior designed to get us out. Heat, water, and electricity habitually went out. Counters and cabinets collapsed. Once, the ceiling in the kitchen fell in.

Each landlord tried to claim they had no responsibility to us. The first one didn’t want to be part of the rezoning process at all, the second one argued the rezoning was illegal, and the third one argued that they never signed a lease with us. In order to keep a roof over our heads, we all had to follow exact rules of protocol.

The whole scenario felt very surreal, and some of the things we had to do felt like superstition. For example, if we wanted to fix anything ourselves, we had to write to the landlord three times. At one court appearance our lawyer instructed us to say nothing, except for one four-word phrase he’d underlined from New York State’s Tenants Rights Constitution. Being instructed in such a static way, in the face of agents of the state who had no emotional connection to our situation, was like doing a quest in a fantasy novel. Pick these mushrooms, throw them in the well, knock on this green door but only speak to the man in blue.

The characters existed since I was in high-school. My friends and I used to pass notes to each other with our characters interacting on them. Initially, my characters were supposed to populate a slice-of-life story written because I felt like my experiences growing up in New York weren’t represented anywhere in media, but I could never create a plot. Just little scenes, long enough for a four-panel comic.

When I started toying around with the idea of State Government being run by ancient monsters with just a grasp on humanity, Alex and Nails were the obvious protagonists to cast in the role, and Sam was added when I was reading early @nothwell drafts and he mentioned feeling weird about not having any women in his books.

I’m gonna try to find some of the doodles I used to draw with Alex and Nails. I think Charlie still has some of our notes.

[damijon-supersons]

Master list for all my Super Sons fic prompts

Hi! This is the master list for all the fics i’ve done so far in response to the story prompts you guys sent me before and short ficlets that i’ve done. All of them are tagged #fic and #prompt. Thanks so much for the support you’ve given me all the while and I hope you keep enjoying my work :) I know I still got a ton of prompts in my inbox, and I hope I’ll get the free time I need to keep doing them. (Updated as of 5/20/18)

For the Master list of my non-prompt original longer Damijon fics, click here: Original fics

Love Letters - a damijon fic - A short but really sweet fic prompt I did for my damijon discord friends. Jon keeps getting love letters in his school locker, but he can’t tell who they’re from, and there are a lot of them. Updated to include art from my good friend @jaidenstar !!

How does the sunshine die? - an incredibly angsty damijon fic -  The third of some angsty fics that I’ve done recently. This was born from a time when I was really inspired to write but the worst prompt i could possibly get in my inbox showed up by way of an anon ask lol. One of the heaviest fics I’ve written, but one that I’m really proud of too. I was just coming off of reading Stephen King’s It, and I still had some inspiration from that wonderful book. Basically...Jon figures out how the sunshine dies.

“We’re friends, aren’t we?” - a Damijon fic - The second of some angsty fics that I’ve done recently. Jon always asks Damian one particular qustion that Damian could never bring himself to answer directly. This is my response (in the form of a fic) to the rumors that Brian Michael Bendis taking over the Superman comics might result in Jon getting scrapped as a character.

Superman’s Sword - an angsty damijon fic (sort of) - The first of some angsty fics that I’ve done recently. This was written before Super Sons 14 and Action Comics 1000. A mother tells her child about the story of Superman and why the Superman of their time carries a sword.

Damijon Week Prompt Day 4 (losing control) “Mid-air hugs are pretty cool”- My Day 4 Submission for DamiJon week. After getting kissed by  Damian, Jon takes Damian with him back to their farm in Hamilton so that they could have the privacy they need to sort through their feelings for each other. WARNING: Heavily Implied NSFW

Damijon Week Prompt Day 3 (first kiss) “We’re in the closet. Literally.”- My Day 3 Submission for DamiJon week. This was based on the incredible picture that flipityflip made for Day 1 of the week. With her permission, I based my fic on it. Here, Damian and Jon run away from detention and get stuck in a locker together. A really tight one. 

Damijon Week Prompt Day 2 (coming out) “I’m Damian and I do not pine! And yes, I’m just fine!” - My Day 2 Submission for DamiJon week. Here, Jon has been away from school for a mission leaving Damian alone. Damian bumps into Maya, and the two have a heart to heart talk about Damian’s not-so-secret secret.

Damijon Week Prompt Day 1 (middleschool AU) “Slice of life? Very poor choice of words…” - My Day 1 Submission for DamiJon week. Here, Jon and Damian are classmates in middleschool and Damian is having a lot of trouble adjusting. Jon tries to comfort him the only way he knows.

Picture Prompt: Hunted by the Son of Night - This short fic is a Jon Vampire Hunter/ Damian Vampire AU that was inspired by artwork from dsasworld. My friend and I on our discord group loved the pic and I was so inspired to write a fic for it, with the artist’s permission. Here, Vampire Hunter Jon is meeting Vampire Damian for a very clandestine and fateful reason.

Picture Prompt: You’re safe in my arms - This is the ficlet I made to accompany my pic commission from laizy-boy. This is based on the Super Sons of Tomorrow crossover arc (Teen Titans #15), where Damian rescues Jon after the latter exploded and fell into San Fran bay.

Prompt: Dark Future’s End - I wrote this before the Super sons of tomorrow arc, but inspired by the idea of it.  So an anon asked me if Damian would take the initiative and kiss Jon first. My answer to that is…yea, basically. He totally would. I was motivated to turn that into a cute little story but things got crazy and I somehow ended up with an overly dramatic end-of-the-world scenario. 

Prompt: Will I grow up a villain? - An anon asked me to make a story about Damian and Jon playing a game. I chose Injustice 2. At the time, discourse was flaring up about DC giving Damian really bleak futures as an adult. This is my response to that since, in Injustice, Damian turned evil.

Prompt: Baking with the Super Sons -  So a friend of mine gave me a quick story prompt about Damian and Jon just cooking together like in a romcom.

Prompt: Who has the best Superboy? - Damian and Tim argue over who has the better super BFF.

Prompt: What if Injustice Damian attacked the main timeline Damian and Bat Family? - I was asked what would happen if Injustice Damian, the grown up one who utterly betrayed Batman, came into the main DC universe and saw that his younger self was loved and adored by his family, and had a best friend in Jon. Long story short, Injustice Damian doesn’t take it very well.

Not exactly a prompt: What if Jon was in injustice? - This isn’t really a story, but an anon asked me what if Jon was in Injustice, and this was my long reply to that. I also couldn’t help but write a tiny little ficlet at the end. This ask informs the injustice prompt i got above.

Prompt: You don’t own this secret spot! - A prompt where Tim and Kon are flying to their secret date spot, except they find that Damian and Jon had beaten them there.

Prompt: Babysitting the Super Brats - Tim and Kon just wanted some alone time, but they get saddled with the responsibility of looking after their youngest siblings.

Prompt: I can’t protect you! - Originally a prompt where Jon doesn't want Damian to go on a dangerous mission because he’s at risk of getting killed. I turned it into an end of the world scenario, because of course I did :p Written in Jon’s POV.

Prompt: Dick’s Robin outfit does not fit Jon - Because Jon lost a dare with Damian, he now has to wear Dick Grayson’s original Robin gear. Yep, underwear and all.

Prompt: Maya’s Surprise - Supposedly part of a 5+1 thingie where people walk in on Damian and Jon kissing. It’s Maya’s turn, and well, she gets way more than she bargained for. This actually a censored version lol. The slightly more graphic version is on my ao3.

Prompt: Damian’s death anniversary - Jon accompanies Damian as the latter remembers the day he died. This prompt was really hard to write, because of all the emotion that Damian would have had to deal with.

Prompt: A TimKon Damijon double date - Damian and Jon are forced to go on a double date with Tim and Kon. They go eat dinner and then play laser tag, with a bet that the loser has to do what the winner wants.

Prompt: Super Puppy Love Epilogue: Why there’s a naked Damian in Jon’s bed - this was originally a story prompt but in the end I turned it into the epilogue of one of my better fics, which you can find over here:   (Super Puppy Love:   Damian finds out Jon has a crush on him and decides to have fun with it.)

Prompt: Board games with the Super Sons and the Bat Bros - Damian and Jon join the older Wayne boys for some games. What they don’t know is that the Bat Boys have already guessed just how much the two of them feel for each other.

Prompt: Everybody walks in on Damian and Jon making out - My first-ever prompt! Apparently, a 5+1 thingie where various people walk in on Damian and Jon snogging each other in some way :p

[smillingcartoonist]

TV Shows that I Watched in 2017

A Series of Unfortunate Events (2 Episodes)

I Nearly forget that I watch this ! I Watched 2 episodes and then something happened to my computer, I don’t remember what ! but I lost interesting, and still with no interesting what so ever to continue watching.  

Samurai Jack (Season 5)

This wasn’t my favorite cartoon back in the day so I wasn’t expecting much out of it ,but oh man ! Turn out to be a really good ! a much more mature story line, I got a little down by the end, But I think it end really well ! The whole story of Jack dealing with his failure and his own wish for Death was pretty interesting, when all of that was solved it kinda drop the ball a little ! and Visually too, by the end the visual aspect of the show is gone ! I remember that some people are really worried about if Ashi and Jack are gonna end up together,well this is tumblr,this is what really important here !! I don’t know/care about the general opinion about the ending of the show, but I guess for other people if doesn’t go the way they want they will rage about it ! which is pretty stupid ! after the success of this revival, some other shows announced a revival,First Invader Zim and then Hey Arnold, The Arnold movie come out just recently,But Invader Zim is still with no date of release,that’s a bummer.

Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex (Season 1)

If we talk about fidelity to the material which was originated, this version of Ghost In the Shell is the more faithful adaption of the comic ! Mamoru Oshii movie was good, but It kinda goes really far from the manga, like this version got more of the political and crime drama that the comic had and it’s more appropriated to the show. The Major of this version is more like the Major of the comic, she have a pretty humorous personality, way more in the comic, The tachikomas are in here and the the whole section 5 appears in most episodes, even trough the main focus is on The Major,Batou and Ishikawa,most on him ! I guess because he’s the most Human Character in the team !

The Show is divide in a main line story,The Laughing Man case, and some others cases, that later on some of they get integrated into the main story, overall is pretty good, I can’t think of something bad about this show, everything is really well craft, expect to the Major Child Spare body,why the fuck she have that ? Why she use that ? That’s was really weird !! Other think that is good and deserve some credit is the dub, the English dub is really good,but only for the main characters,everyone else have a mediocre or bad dub, In fact it was really hard to find subs for this show ! 

Doctor Who (Season 10)

This season was bad ! The First half of episodes are ok,but the second is just the worst ! and this season got the worst season Finale so far ! Let’s break this shit down !!

Let’s start with Bill, did she have a arc of a story in this show ?? for most of the time she was just there ! either something happen to her and the doctor have to save her or she was there to do something and say something, but outside of that, she doesn’t have a story ! in comparison to another character like Martha from Season 3,she did have a story, she began travailing with the Doctor,she kinda fall in love with him but he doesn’t love her, things happens and Martha and the doctor solve it ! and by then end she quits because the Doctor doesn’t love her and she get on her life,it’s kinda lame but at least it have some goods reasons, Bill story is like What ?? She travel with the doctor,die and becomes a cyberman, die again and become a liquid alien and then she goes way because the doctor is Dead and her Crush come to get her ?! Is that even a conclusion ? Nardole was even worse, he’s boring, he is a boring comic relief, he was pretty funny on the Christmas specials,but on this he’s like the Doctor’s mom ! and he also have nothing to do ! most of the episode he appear he doesn’t  do anything, So Why put him in there ??

The First half episodes are good, they are most involving the relationship between the Doctor and Bill, again Jamie Mathieson write a really good episode “Oxygen”probably the best episode of this season even trough I don’t think it was his best episode ! Extremys was also good, even trough it had some of the over the top stuff that Moffat like to put ! The Doctor meeting the Pope, The Doctor Fuck the pope, a female Pope ? for some reason they keep trying to make that Doctor have bang half of the universe ! I was expecting at some point Matt Smith say to Clara “hey Clara did I Tell you about when I Bang Joana D’arc ?” and also anything that happens in this episode got nothing to do with the next, Why the monks are running this specific scenario ?? Why they let they own Computer send a warning to the Doctor ?? 

 The Other half of episode is when things start to fall apart, “the Pyramids at the end of World” still a solid episode even trough the most convenient thing happens at the end to let the story have a third part ! This Third part is a Failure,they had a really good premise “the Monks have brainwash humanity to believe they are they rulers and the Doctor is on they side” This could be a really good episode, but turns out to be bullshit, turns out the Doctor is faking he do a faking regeneration just to fuck with Bill, also they really exploit the fact that this is the last season of Capaldi and think they audience are a bunch of idiots that don’t know that will only happens in the last episode ! At least the scene with Michelle Gomez was good !  Mark Gatiss write another bad episode so fuck it,  The Eaters of Light was really good, after two really bad episodes it’s refreshing to have a episode with Doctor Who stuff on it !! and then The Season Finally comes in, World Enough and Time was pretty good, even trough I Got a big issue with The Doctor saying that he have a Crush on the Master when they are children, was that really Necessary ?? did Moffat had to do this so he could appeal the hearth of some horny teenager girl Out there ? did the Doctor really need to say “Oh he was my fundamental school crush”, Was that necessary,no ! Fuck You Steve !! But that’s not even the tip of the Iceberg ! The problems get worse on the last Episode !

The Doctor Falls his the lamest Season Finale so far !! This episode is a soap novel that doesn’t go anywhere !! and also they keep showing the Doctor Contenting his regeneration, Oh he can do that now ? yeah I Guess he can, and only now !! Why Bring John Simm back if you not gonna do anything with him ?? The Only thing that he do is Flirt with Gomez and then shoot her in the back, also that, You expect that Missy story will have some kinda of nice conclusion,Oh ! Missy is turning good ? she will have some kinda of redemption at the end,that since interesting, but Moffat have to end that in a lame way with he Master Shooting himself, Oh ! God Moffat ! get your dick out of our mouth !! that was terrible and we something even worse ! You have the lamest Deus Ex-Machina that I Ever seeing,so the Doctor is dead,cyberBill is about to die and then The Liquid alien girl appears at the end and just transform Bill into another liquid alien, Because she can do that of course !! if this chick could appear anytime to help she could appear sometime before all this shit happens,or even in some other episode where Bill was in danger and she could help, But any way, she get then make in the Tardis,How ??, and she just happens to know how to pilot the Tardis,because she is a Dues Ex-Machina !! and then Bill leaves the Tardis seeing “Yeah Doctor that was fun,But your Dead Now,and my Crush have come pick me up, so Bye !” and the she leaves, The doctor wake and say some embarrassing and unnecessary stuff and go outside the Tardis to Scream NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO in the snow,because he acting like a kid and does not want to regenerate. Man ! That was terrible ! Fuck You Steven Moffat !!

American Gods (Season 1)

Adaptation of a book,written by Neil Gaiman,Book that I read in the beginning of the year and I Like reading it,maybe it was the last Book that read this year ! I don’t remember ! But anyway, I Liked this show overall,really competent adaption,just some things i Think Like: Anansi is not a elderly pervert man,that was the whole reasons I like that character,because he was grumpy and every line he insulted Shadow. Other thing I didn’t like was the among of gratuity sex scenes in the show,there is not that among of fucking in book, there is this scene where Bisquis Pussy vore this guy in the beginning and some other sex scene later, in the show they put some more of Bisquis eating people for no reason at all !! she also become a important character now,because in the book she appears and then she appears again and die ! 

Michiko To Hatchin (22 Episodes)

Anime is not really my thing, But this year I Try somethings, this and Ghost In the shell are the ones that I Like ! I find this thanks to Tumblr,Yeah !! sometimes you can find good things in this place, It got my attention because of the premise, It happens in Brasil and some Brazilian guy made the sound track, that enough to get me to watch ! and I Like it, one thing I find weird is the Tone of the show, like it begins really cheeky and Funny and on the forth episodes things start to get more serious and then get less serious, and it keeps going like this into the end. The Director of this show Sayo Yamamoto, direct a show that made a huge success last year, specially here on tumblr, the anime about gay ice skating “Yuri on Ice” I kinda wanna watch that now,just because it was directed by her ! By The end of anime I Got that the message was “Girls shouldn’t be running after man that are fucking jackasses” which I think that is true and right !

Ballroom & Youkoso (4 Episodes)

This was the first deception on trying to get on Modern anime ! It is this slice of life with a bunch of dull characters and dull humor, I didn’t like anything about it, the animation too was really dull,like everything in this show was dull for me ! The whole point that I thought it will be interesting was the dancing part ! but when that happens, it’s lifeless, like Finally the dull Protagonist get to Dance and he does a incredible move where he stand still !! don’t move, dance is all about moving and the first he does is not Move !! in the next episode the “I’m the best” character goes dance,furious because the dull protagonist got some fun not dancing on his place, and the you think is gonna be the most awesome thing into the next Dance contest,but there is only 10 seconds of actual dancing and the rest is just flashing images and the crowd cheering, I Get the impression that I should be doing the same but is so dull !! after this I really could care anymore !

Preacher (Season 2)

I Enjoyed This Season a Lot more then the first,Like this season have a lot more of the fell of the comic into it then the first and it’s way more resolved in the adaptation part ! finally Jesse gonna search for god ! the they motivations are different, in the comic Jesse what to find God because pissed with him and the TV show he want to do that because he thinks that he is in some kind of holy mission ! The Humor get’s kinda predictable, Because everyone in the world of Preacher is really nasty and terrible person, so you know that something nasty is gonna happen ! One thing that I find strange was the whole Hitler good man thing,every time that happen is said “No Man! what are you doing !!” in times like this, that’s pretty dangerous !! 

Castlevania (Season 1)

Warren Ellis can do anything, he can write a story about dish washing and it gonna be the most awesome thing ever, it will probably involve a alien abduction or a secret organization plot to kill aliens or supernatural creatures ! any way this was another good show with marvelous quality, the only bummer it is so short, 4 episodes, and when it ends it end out of the no where like “that is, more next year” ! I Just wandering what’s gonna happen in the next season ! if Belmonth is gonna have to fight the monster of Frankenstein and mummy ?! 

Psycho-Pass (20 Minutes)

Din’t even bother to get anything for this ! I Thought this would be a good show, the premise was good, the design of the characters look like shit ! But maybe the story would be good, but when I Finally watch, damn, that was terrible ! the first episode begins with the villan (I guess) wanking about himself and then it goes for some of the stupid anime shit that ever seen ! I Just could care ! after 20 minutes i Just stop the video and said no ! fuck this !!

Twin Peaks (Season 1,2 and 3)

My favorite show of the year !! I Got interesting in it when I saw somethings here on Tumblr,and the I decide to Watch the First episode of the Third season, after watching some episodes I decide to go see the other 2 seasons (To see if anything that I saw it will make sense), that was like 36 episodes or something, for some reasons at the time I got nothing to do so had plenty of time of nothing to do ! I Enjoy most of it, it’s like a Soap Novel with bizarre characters and that managed to get me entreating to watch everything and see what was gonna happens with to does characters,You Know like any other show should be ! But It fells kinda flat after they solve the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer, but the whole thing with Window Earl was cool the actor that play him was really good ! I Just wonder how he moved a giant piece of Chest to that, hum that … that place and later they show like 5 people with a crane trying to move that thing from there !

I Also watched the two Movies,Fire Walk with me and The Missing pieces, The Movie are really different from the the TV show, like It doesn’t have space for comedy into it so the Movie is really depressing,You already know what is gonna happen, but even so !! after watching that I watched the Missing Pieces in a vain hope to see if anything that I saw later would make more sense ! Guess what, It Didn’t !! The Missing Pieces is all the scenes that didn’t make to the movie,it also have the scene of the meeting in the Convenience store and the scene with Phillip separated of which other,that for some reasons Lynch decide to put them together to make even less sense !! does that mean that it make sense now ! I Guess !? 

Season 3 was incredible, if I was not terrified I would be laughing my ass off, but after 18 hours of pure surreal stuff did i Understand anything of it, mostly of it no, I saw some theories and it make me fells stupid ! Because there is this whole other thing happen and I didn’t even notice, “I’m a idiot for not noticing that early” I said to my self, and I saw some other theory about how this things that seen out of place and weird are in fact critics to state of America. When I finally saw the ending I was not expecting anything different, I wasn’t expecting to end on a good way, every season didn’t end with a happy ending, so this one should be the same ! What i find incredible was the number of people trying to figured out the meaning behind the ending in a number of way’s, but like It doesn’t matter if you watch all episodes at the same time, you not gonna find anything, the only way to figured out is to Interpreted everything you see and figured out how that work !! You have to think about you saw, But if can’t do that,what are doing watching this then ??

Big Mouth (Season 1) 

I Got interested in this after seeing the two teaser, the first one I laugh once, and the second,that was the ending of the second episode, sold me into it. I find it really funny at some parts and not funny at all in others, all that Thing with Jay and his Pillow I think that was the most surreal stuff that I have seen in years !! even more surreal then Twin Peaks. Maya Rudolph was The Hormone Monstress is the high point of this show,she give a lot Charm to the character. A Lot of people didn’t like this show because it was to offensive for then and too ugly !! But like, all this cartoon show for adults are all really ugly !! so like, so what ??

Mindhunter (Season 1)

I Like a lot of crime investigative stuff, and like most of the show even through there is somethings that kinda seen like they go no where, all that stuff with the tickling, I Though it go to something bigger but it didn’t !! I Though that they will go back to the first case they reject and solve it, but I guess that would be a think for season two. I Like how they handle the arc of the Mindhunter,this whole thing of him being this ambitious agent that want to discovery a new method of investigation and becoming this self centre asshole that thinks that he his the fucking most ! Now that is a Grow of a Character !!

American Vandal (Season 1)

The whole part of the humor of this show kinda feel flat for me, but the investigation stuff is way more engaging, I like how fluid the whole investigation process how they going finding out how everyone in this school have some dirt in then and how that later affect them ! in the end they come to a solution to get the asshole that was false accused set free, but later he get in jail again because he’s just a asshole, But they don’t solve the mystery,Who Draw the dicks ??  My Guess is that was the History teacher,the cool dude that bad mouth the other teacher, I think because the way he storm out of a scene they show in the last episode.

Inuyashiki (3 Episodes)

I already have made fun of the two first episodes of this anime, I was reluctant to continue watching this,after the third episode I was done with this, basically what happen in it is a reminder that Bad guy is bad and good guy is good Nothing else happens,the characters does’t haven anything to them they have no charm or anything,they are this bland person with no expression, I guess that they faces never change,they have the same face every time !! I was really expecting something more out of this !! I Guess that I don’t have the age to watch this animes anymore,I can’t go back be a thirteen old again !!

Genocyber (5 Episodes)

This is some old cult anime stuff, ultra violent and really nonsensical, and some how can be was better any of this other animes that I have watched, is there a lot of more effort put into it by the way,it was kinda fun to watch this and see the stuff happening and just shout to the screen “What ?? Why ?” it made me care that’s the important thing, also the soundtrack is good,is probably the best thing out of it !! 

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (Season 2)

Is kinda sad talk about this,since the show was cancelled, But even so,I don’t have enjoyed this season as more then the first one, It was funny and all,but the whole fantasy world don’t have got me, and this whole another plot of Dirk trying to be a normal Detective didn’t land well for me.I Think that the Third Season out have turn out to be great, also this thing of turning that Computer guy into the antagonist was kinda surprising and out the nowhere !! Also The Creator of the Show Max Landis was accused of Sexual harassment recently, Guess that’s way the show was cancelled !!    

The Young Pope (Season 1 ??)

From all the shows here,this is the one that got the best cinematography of them all !! really stunning photography, Jude Law give a incredible performance in this show,I Guess that i never seen anything else with him,But anyway he’s just awesome ! They gave him a bunch of huge speech to him, so there are some incredible long scene of Jude Law talking about how his character is awesome and can do anything ! also I was kinda confused watching, the initial speech that he give on his dream confused me when he was taking decision that are the opposite from early, I was thinking that he was just pretending to be a huge asshole when in fact he is a huge asshole !! but also sometimes not a total jackass and by the end he have some kind of redemption ! that I don’t understand if they want to make a Season 2 out of this,the whole story of Jude Law is done what more can you go far from this ? But if they wanna do it I’m Fine with this !

Dark (Season 1)

My Second favorite show of the year, I Like everything about it,the story,the photography.the music, it’s really well put together, a lot people compared this to Stranger Things,and it’s nothing like it ! Stranger Things is this little light harder show that funny and colorful and Dark it’s just Depressing, It’s this show that nothing is gonna go well and it’s not go end in a happy way, The only problem that I got is that I don’t remember any of the names of the characters I Only know the name of the main kid with the yellow jacket that is Jonas. I’m looking forward to the next Season,the show leave a lot of question open, and I wanna know who is going to be our real protagonist !! Also The Director of this show Baran Bo Odar,is the director of one of the worst movies of this year called Sleepless,which I find weird since this show is so good.

Stranger Things 2 (Why The Two ? Season 2) 

Another Show That I don’t think it make it up for the last one, I not part of the cult of adoration of this serie,but I like it I Think there are good and fun to watch and not this Grater masterpiece that people make up to believe. I felt that the some of the same stuff that happened in the last season is happening again in this, Hysterical Mom is more Hysterical, let’s trash Winona Ryder House in some way ! Friends are not friends anymore and get back being friends !! the rest of it was just ok, they the asshole from the last season not be a asshole anymore,guess I Kinda like him now, which make four of the characters that I like in this show,Him,Dustin, the new Hellboy man and Eleven. I Guess that they could’t stretch this for one more Season,but they did !! What gonna happen in the next season ?! Did they gonna turn the asshole of this season into not a asshole and make him have a affair with the mom of the sour face kid ?! is Dustin gonna have more adventures with the non-asshole cool guy ?! Winona Ryder is goona stop being Hysterical ?! (probably no !) Also they kinda ruined Dustin Character in this season,they turning him into fat kid slop comic relief, I don’t remember him being like that In the last season ?!

Punisher (Season 1) 

The last Show that I watch this year, I enjoyed watching, even trough I Don’t think it had the among of shooting that I wanted to have ! From all this netflix super heroes show’s I only watched this,Jessica Jones and Daredevil,I Really don’t care about the rest, But This show is on pair with Jessica Jones in mine opinion.I don’t know much about The Punisher comics so can’t comment on anything of this part ! I Think that Jon Bernthal is great actor, he really give a good performance making the Punisher into this psycho maniac that want to kill people ! He have great Gutural Scream ! I saw video about Sicario and how Dennis Villanueve put this whole section of in the movie so he could Film Jon acting !! Like he is really good, I Think that he is the perfect Candidate to be a New rambo, If someone ever wanna do a new type of Rambo Movie he would be great there !! shooting people and screaming at the same time ! 

[aion-rsa]

The Simpsons Season 32 Episode 15 Review: Do PizzaBots Dream of Electric Guitars?

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This The Simpsons review contains spoilers.

The Simpsons Season 32 Episode 15

The Simpsons Season 32, episode 15, “Do PizzaBots Dream of Electric Guitars?,” is a reaffirmation of all things Simpson. It is off the rails as far as timelines go, but captures the classic subversion of all things sacred. The episode is about rekindling the sparks of youth which have burned out and the destruction of memory, specifically childhood memories. The first thing the episode tackles is what we know about the Simpson family.

The episode opens in a flashback to the 1990s, when Homer was a teenager at his first job. Of course, we know he’s actually already married with two kids, and starring on a show which has been on TV since 1989 at this point in his life, but after 32 seasons of The Simpsons, there are only so many satirical scenarios left to dredge for a backstory. In this timeline we get to see Hip Hop Homer, aspiring DJ and lover of the Humpty dance. Abe thinks his son is wasting his life. The premise of the opening segment is the 8 Mile story, which The Simpsons has mined before for inspiration. It’s crystal Pepsi clear.

Non-canonical episodes of The Simpsons are very often series highlights. The “Treehouse of Horror” episodes consistently rank at the top of every season. The writers don’t have to deal with everyday terrors like character continuity, or fit into any timeline. Springfield residents can be dispensed at whim, and not just Hans Moleman, who can be killed in any manner of ways during a regular episode, occasionally more than once.

Gil Gunderson is another ultimately disposable character. Here we get a faux backstory to spice up the 8 Mile premise. Homer is working at a specialty pizza parlor in this episode, setting up mechanical robots who sing for kids. When a birthday brat ruins one, it’s showtime for the teen rapper. Homer “knows all the Ices, from Cube to T,” but his opening cut is “Slice, Slice Baby,” which he heavily samples from Vanilla Ice. Homer uses it to upsell pizzas, even finding a rhyme for Calamari olives. He ends with a plug for Canadian bacon which, on pizza, is very Vanilla Ice.

At the height of the pizzatainment, Gil’s place is shut down by the feds, because there were drugs stashed in the robot musicians. Homer’s dream is dashed. He loved those pizza-bots. We learn it’s just a memory Homer’s repressed, but remembering it wrecks him. Marge can’t stand to see him this way. He’s lost his youthful spirit. She can tell because he no longer shuffles his pancakes or butt races the dog on the carpet. Moe can sense something is wrong because Homer doesn’t spin Barnie on his barstool anymore, or drink beer from a crazy straw.

Bart and Lisa can tell because Moe and Marge agree on something. Also, because it makes sense. Rapping pizza robots “is a very dad kind of trauma.”

Putting the band back together makes for some classic comic sequences. The kids track Gil to Skid Row in Hollywood, where he remembers the incident in a completely subverted way. Back then, the whole world was his nostril, the drugs sold themselves, and he’s just waiting for a chance to pull himself together and sell more drugs. Disco Stu, who is a collector of disco memorabilia, owns the Jive Turkeys from the display. His mother, Public Domain Debbie, mocks her son for obsessing over the worst music craze ever inflicted on America, and frets over what his father, Doo-Wop Steve, would think.

Professor Frink owns the mechanical beaver. His segment comes second but it is the comic high point of the episode. Of course he understands the connection with mechanical friends. His own mechanical friends only want, well, the punch line, which almost makes you miss the opening of Moe’s wonderful Colombo spoof. He’s even wearing a raincoat, and spins back with one more thing, some WD-40 and an Enrique Iglesias record could only mean the last member of the mechanical band has been turned into a sex robot. Upon being outsmarted, Sideshow Mel provides a perfect Colombo villain denouement. He applauds the effort, very slowly. It is clever and funny, but lands perfectly after the Frink highpoint.

J.J. Abrams is the guest star and his quest to provide ageless marvels ultimately delivers the episode’s deepest cynicism. His sycophants have to keep him in a childlike state of wonder and constant whimsy, tracking down 1982 quarters and providing other emotional comforts. Lisa and Bart get into his offices with the kinds of “super vague” promises the Abrams enterprise considers its prime directive. But when they steal the last pizza bot, on little Star Wars robot wheels no less, they have taken too big a bite on the kitsch.

Even Homer is appalled, because stealing from a celebrity is, by law, equivalent to murdering “a dozen normies.” This is wonderful underhanded commentary, the likes of which goes back to the best of the series, since its beginning. Abrams, as himself, makes it worse by not only taking the actual mechanical musicians, but destroying everything Homer loves about them by planning a robot reboot franchise in a nine-movie arc. It’s set to open March 30th, “the new Fourth of July.” Ruining childhoods is what Abrams does best. He really is a bad robot.

Homer and Comic Book Guy have such a wonderful bonding you can actually see Homer turning into the trolling collectible collector by the climax. They meet to eat, in this case their feelings, which includes chocolate frosty depression and a hot apple cry. The sadness swallowers commiserate over ruined childhood memories, like Sonic the Hedgehog’s creepy human teeth. It is deliciously warped by how touching it turns out to be.

No matter how good determination tastes, Homer can neither save his childhood nor stop the robot reboot. Too many animators went blind to make it. Homer hilariously notes “the reimagining is worse than I could’ve imagined.” The movie stars “whoever was famous eight months ago.” In the trailer, the “Agents of Pizza” promise they’ll “save the world in 90 minutes or the movie is free.” The whole movie setup sequence is a giggle.

The Simpsons revert to their irreverent roots. Movie protesters hold signs reminding people “Some of us are women” and “unrelease the Snyder cut.” Abe admits being a terrible father is a generational thing. Men his age could only love sports stars and cars, and his dream child would have been a 1963 impala SS Sport Coupe.

The conclusion seals the episode as a classic. Not only does Homer lovingly blame Abe for every horrible memory of his young life, his own kids admit they can’t wait to burn the memories of their childhoods from their brains. The readings on lines like “it was always him sucking,” “I hate you dad,” and “forget you’re terrible parents” are exquisitely inverted emotionally.  The “Troll Force Five” epilogue uses Comic Book Man and his clan very well.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

“Do PizzaBots Dream of Electric Guitars?” is the best episode of the season so far, and a classic installment to The Simpsons repertoire. Clearly up to par with the best of the classics. It is so satisfying, it feels as if it was individually made to suit me, just like J.J. Abrams would’ve done.

The post The Simpsons Season 32 Episode 15 Review: Do PizzaBots Dream of Electric Guitars? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3te3fGa