#its cute to make a little recap of the year

[bu99erfly]

rules: link your favorite and/or most popular post from each month this year <3 (it’s totally fine to skip months!)

i was tagged by: @lenteur @loversmore @okaysign @pinktaeyeon and i'm tagging: anyone who sees this and wants to do this &lt;3 [i get too shy to tag people]

january ✨ (most popular): SZA – SEEK & DESTROY [fun fact, this post got my acc terminated for two weeks 🥰] 💙 (favorite): GO WON – ONE&ONLY

february ✨: SZA – KILL BILL [sza going strong] 💙: SEULGI – 28 REASONS STAGES / KIM LIP – ECLIPSE LIVE / IRENE – RUSSIAN ROULETTE [guys check my feb archive, i love all sets]

march ✨: KAI – ROVER 💙: JINSOUL – SINGING IN THE RAIN LIVE / IRENE – DOUBLE PATTY

april ✨: BARBIE TRAILER #1 💙: YERI – R TO V / MINA – 7 RINGS [the pink contrast looks amazing]

may ✨: BARBIE TRAILER #2 💙: YVES – PERFECT LOVE

june ✨: JENNIE – THE IDOL EP01 💙: LOONA – HANDS [this makes me cry ngl]

july ✨: YVES by mu_gung 💙: ODD EYE CIRCLE – AIR FORCE ONE / CHUU – BLUE DRAGON AWARDS

august ✨: ODD EYE CIRCLE for SINGLES KOREA [and i watched them live a day after my bday <3<3<;3<3] 💙: ODD EYE CIRCLE x LOONAVERSE

september ✨: OLIVIA RODRIGO – GET HIM BACK 💙: EYEPATCH JINSOUL

october [the month where i spammed chuu and heejin] ✨: NAYEON – 10 MINUTES 💙: BIBI – ANIMAL FARM

november ✨: RED VELVET – CHILL KILL [also a fav] 💙: RED VELVET – BAD BOY CHARACTER TRAILERS

december [a month where im relearning giffing on a new computer...] ✨: ARTMS – CAROL 3.0 💙: VIVI – HEART BURN

[arieslost]

talk | op81

summary: oscar loves to talk your ear off.

word count: 1,276

masterlist — join my tag list here!

© arieslost 2024. DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT PERMISSION.

everyone who had told you that oscar piastri wasn’t much of a talker was a bold-faced liar.

that, or maybe they just never got to see that side of him.

before you started dating oscar, you totally believed it. the first few interactions the two of you had were awkward and brief, usually ending in you thinking that he actually hated you and only engaged in small talk to be nice.

the oscar you know now is nothing like the oscar you first met, and even though you’ve been with him for the better part of two years, his ability to talk for hours is still as shocking to you as it was in the beginning.

it started out innocently enough. the first time you hadn’t been able to attend a race, oscar called you the moment he was back in his hotel room. you’d only been dating for five months at that point, and you vividly remember your shock when you accepted the facetime call and he started talking at a mile a minute. you’d barely gotten out a “hello” before he started recapping his entire day in precise detail. he didn’t even stop to take a drink of water in his enthusiasm.

that turned into the two of you developing a routine. every time you couldn’t make it to a race, oscar would call you at the end of the day and tell you everything he’d been dying to tell you.

“you could text me some of this stuff, you know,” you told him once, and he had wrinkled his nose cutely.

“why would i text it to you when i can just tell you about it on the phone?” he’d responded, like your suggestion was completely outlandish.

it’s endearing, really, the way he’s always so excited every time you pick up the phone. like he is right now.

“hi, honey!” he says brightly the moment the call connects and you can see each other’s faces.

“hey, oz,” you smile, your mood immediately lifting at the sound of his voice. “how was your day?”

“oh, i have so much to tell you,” he leans forward, his hair obscuring the camera for a moment before he leans back with a piece of paper in his hand.

“what is that?” you ask, watching as he unfolds it.

“this, my love, is my list.” he says, turning it around so you can see the way the page is full of his writing, not only on the lines but in the margins, too. “if i can read my own handwriting.”

“busy day?” you pull the hood of your sweatshirt further over your head so it covers more of your screen.

“you have no idea. i don’t even know where to start.” he sighs, eyes scanning the paper before he looks back up at the camera. “but i want to hear about your day first.”

“ah, it was okay. boring. i got so used to traveling around with you that i don’t know what to do now that i’m home all by myself.” it’s a lie, of course.

you wouldn’t miss oscar’s birthday for the world, and that was why you’d been so believable when you told him that you were so sorry, but you couldn’t make it to japan for the next race. even thinking about not being with him for his birthday was enough to upset you, so he bought it easily. conspiring with mark and lando, you’d gotten your hands on a plane ticket and formed a plan to get to the hotel with oscar being none the wiser.

which is how you’re here, at the end of the hallway on his hotel floor, waiting for the perfect time to interject.

“oh, i have to tell you about how free practice went, the second session, not the first,” he’s saying, squinting a little at the paper. “i wrote it over something else and i can’t see what it says. whatever. anyway, it’s raining here, and, like, half the cars didn’t end up going out for the second session. i was just trying to do my best for the session but i ended up setting the fastest lap! i didn’t even know until i got out of the car. did you watch? i don’t know if you did, i forgot to ask you, but i think it was a 1:34 or something like that. i could’ve been faster, obviously, but it was raining. its still raining right now actually which kind of sucks. i wouldn’t mind if you were here, but it’s just miserable and cold.” he pauses to take a breath. “wait, where are you?”

well that you weren’t expecting. “at home… where else would i be?” you reply, hoping that your confusion looks genuine.

“your background looks… i dunno.” he presses his lips together. “doesn’t look the same.”

“well, i’m at home,” you repeat, trying to come up with something on the fly. “pretending that i’m talking to you face to face instead of through the phone, like always.”

“ah, yeah. i do that all the time,” he admits, giving up on his scrutinization of what little he can see behind your hood.

“i miss you,” he says then, and its absolute hell knowing you can’t knock on his door just yet.

“i miss you too, oz.” you whisper. “keep telling me about your day?”

“sure, honey.” he gives you a soft smile, once again consulting his piece of paper. “so after the second session, i went and got dinner— oh wait, i forgot to tell you what happened earlier! i left the hotel room—”

you were hoping to let him tire himself out a bit from talking so much before approaching the door, but with every little detail of his day he shares you wish more and more that he was saying it directly to you and not through the phone, so you give up on being patient and knock three times.

“hold on, baby. someone’s at the door.” he says on the other end of the call, getting up from where he’s sitting on the bed and leaving his phone behind, so you end the call to free both of your hands.

the look on his face when he opens the door is priceless. “you’re joking.”

“i figured you should tell me the rest in person,” you say. “besides, i’d be damned if i missed your birthday.”

“you’re joking,” he repeats, pulling you and your suitcase into the room and wrapping you into a tight hug. “you’re actually here.”

“of course i’m here.” you laugh, kissing his shoulder through the loose material of his worn out t-shirt. “i don’t want to be anywhere else but here.”

“i’m so happy,” is all your enthusiastic, talkative boyfriend says before kissing you, smiling against your lips the whole time.

“you hung up on me?” its the first thing he says once the two of you are cuddled up in bed, and your jaw drops.

“seriously? i’m right here, and you’re gonna come for me for hanging up on you?”

“i would never hang up on you, but whatever,” he rolls his eyes, but cuddles you closer all the same. “okay, you have to know what lando told me last night about this one thing he did over winter break. it doesn’t sound bad at first, but i promise you it gets so much worse.”

you sigh in content, happier than anything to be in oscar’s arms and listening to him talk your ear off for the foreseeable future. you would never lie about it— you don’t want to be anywhere else but here, with him.

note: happy oscar dayyy!! wishing my fellow aries the best birthday ever and i hope you all enjoyed this 🫶🏼 i low key hate it but hopefully that’s just me lolz

my inbox is always open for comments, criticism, and conversation! feel free to pop in!

reblogs are greatly appreciated <33

tags: @venusacrossthestars @67-angelofthelordme-67 @emails-i-can-send @nelly187 @cixrosie @fangirl-dot-com @sainzluvrr @imheretoread @mellowarcadefun @yourbane @monsieurbacteria6 @c-losur3 @papayatori @ssprayberrythings @namgification @maih23 @evlkking @witchycarmen @ilovethispookie @maxverstappenfan79 @sya-skies @sweatrevenge5436-blog @kimis-gloves @mia-rrrs @decafmickey @customsbyjcg-blog @bigheartsthings @tania2748 @scuderiadevils @iloveyou3000morgan @ctrlyomomma @hiireadstuff @daemyratwst @arian-directioner @evelyn-ny @avg-golden-retriever @likedbygaslyy @lightsoutletsgo

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - 2024 is Ending, Not With A Bang But With A Whimper

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Dec 2024 Week 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Your Sky AKA How to Train Your Seme (Sun iQIYI) ep 6 of 12 - Oh they are so fucking cute. Lee maybe the best brother wingman ever in BL. He is so entirely on Fah’s side. And we get sweet soft first kisses with permission asked. Yeah!

Stupid phone call!

ThamePo (Fri YT) ep 3 of 12 - Not gonna lie, hard call over whether this should take the top spot this week. I adore this show.

This lead pair is absolutely stunning. I love that the story is about external drama with others, not manufactured drama or miscommunication between the leads. In fact, the romance that we see developing is one characterized by careful attention, gentleness, and patience. They enjoy each other‘s company in a restful calming way. We are watching them become each other’s safe space. Neither of them realizing how much they needed that from the world. I hope the conflict stays external and they get to evolve as a couple while narrative tension stays external.

Love Sick 2024 (Sun iQIYI) ep 15 end - i’m quite pleased that they kept most of the stuff in the forest. And I actually like that they swapped it around so that this was the end of the series. I think it makes for a better more solid ending. I'm disappointed that 10 years on and PhunNoh still don't get to have a decent kiss. Since I think the new pair would’ve done fine with it. In the end I think neither Love Sick really come out on top. They’re both represent their time although this new one was oddly nostalgic.

I chronicaled my experience with 2024 as compared to 2014 here including ep-by-ep recaps and ratings, as well as a summary judgement over all. Spoiler...... all that work and it was, ultimately, a draw. I guess 10 years a not all THAT much has changed in Thail BL. Therefore this Love Sick gets the same as the original, 7/10 

The Heart Killers (Weds Gaga) ep 6 of 12 - I love the tension and the slow rollout of the secret being revealed. It’s really beautifully done. Joong is knocking his role out of the park, I have to say. He’s kind of stealing this show for me. Also I loved the foreshadowing of drawing the make up tears on his face and then, of course, us knowing that there will be tears from Fidel in this episode once he knows The Truth. Very nice, boyos.

Fourever You (Thurs YT) ep 13 of 16 - I think i love Arthirt best in the world. love seeing someone more an arse than Johan. To Johan. Also, by all means take Ngern's shirt off. We all being all kinds of respectful on this side of the screen. Pinky promise.

Caged Again (Fri Gaga) ep 8 of 10 - Adorable date and sweet kisses. But NGL this episode was a bit boring for me.

Perfect 10 Liners (Sun YT) ep 9 of 24 - I think that I like ForceBook best when they are just being casual long-term boyfriends together. You know, chwill chwill sabai sabai. I see Santa is back in his "punk ass little brother" role. Suits him well enough. But I have to say that Junior is absolutely stealing this show. He’s truly stellar. Meanwhile, what an adorable hug and meet cute. I enjoyed the ending of this episode. I admit, I’m not sold on the new pair, but I’m more willing to give them a chance now then I was when this was first announced.

Secret Love 60-81 end - what a very odd show. But I forgive a lot for pining semes and the stepbrother trope. 7/10

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Our Youth AKA Miseinen: Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu (Japan Tues Gaga) ep 8 of 11 - oh its so painful. No one does this level of suffering like Japan. Just press that bruise and feel the sticky sweet ache.

See Your Love (Taiwan Weds Gaga) ep 11 of 13 - it is all very important and absolutely adorable but where Sean just kind gestures desperately at the bed and Shao Peng muscles him into it was absolutely fantastic. All the picking up and tossign arroudn and smily fun kissing in the shower. It'll all just GREAT. Also, THAT pregnancy line was epic. 

Eternal Butler (Taiwan Fri Gaga) eps 3 of 12 - It's actually quite sweet. Tonally quite odd, and definitely jarring when pitted agains the rest of the end of year offerings, but I think I like it? I don’t know where it’s going. Or what it’s doing. And I don’t entirely trust it. Because of the production house track record. But I am enjoying it. Also, the horny herb drug is back. This is a seriously old trope. Like 1970s old romance trope.

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 13 of ? - I'm bored.

It's airing but......

Spare Me Your Mercy (Thurs iQIYI) finished it's run. I don't know what to do. Reviews are all over the damn place. Do I watch?

Be Moon - Falling for my enemy's son (China YT) movie from HBD Studio. I can't find it. You?

Winter Is Not The Death of Summer (Thai ???) - has been picked up to air on WeTV, or something? Criminals who meet in prison fall in love. I did find it on YouTube, initially un-subbed, then subs happened by which time I got distracted. It is very pulp but intriguing. For now it's to the wayside until someone tells me it landed safely. Occasionally Thai pulps want to be edgy and it's not a good look on them. But sometimes they do good.

The Renovation (Thai mini One31) 2 eps - Writer turns his blossoming romance with holiday resort owner into a novel. Is it worth tracking down? That is the question.

0.5D (Japan ????) 4 eps - Supposedly a now completed short. "Sales ace, Sada, has a secret that only his junior, Daiki, knows. He has pretended to have a gf for years, resulting in him being a virgin. But now Sada has fallen in love. Confused, Sada seeks advice from his junior." I sense another queer Cyrano De Bergerac. I can't find and it's got very poor reviews, so Imma stop looking. Info here.

It Ended But?

Blue Canvas of Youthful Days (China Sun Viki) paused at eps 9-10 of 12 - I have been told the ending is OK if not great. I just haven't been inspired to watch.

In Case You Missed it

I've started my end of year wraps. Here's the 2024 Trend Report. My best of year wards are still to come. Watch this space.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Final still to come in 2024:

12/29 Sangmin Dinneaw (Thai Sun iQIYI) ??eps - trailer Childhood friends (Thai & Korean) reunite after being apart for ten years. As the boys reconnect, their bond matures and feelings of romance develop.

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

BEST BOY. (Your Sky)

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[poorlemons]

A little look-back through 2024, how fun!

January

Certainly a range going on, dungeon meshi, moomin, rottmnt, and whatever is happening to Rhode. I don't think I really drew much during Jan, all things considered.

February

A failed attempt at amphiburary- school took over, or something- and a lot of oc art! overall I did more art that month and while some of it bugs me, and i dont have pleasant memories attached to it, i still like a lot of what I did. Got experimental 'n stuff!

March

Its all OC art baybe!! and some stuff included that I never posted. Rhode (the ginger with glasses) is my special little guy and I had plenty happening in a rp thing I do. You can see how his nose hadn't reached its full evolution yet.

April

Again with the oc stuff! Rhode persists! March was the eclipse, which honestly I forgot happened this year... man that feels like so long ago. Also, I did some stuff with my magical girl ocs, a rare treat! I honestly really like that art set I did, the magazine idea was cute

May-June

I did a lot of mostly complete artworks these two months, but theyre 90% oc art so I figured i could shove them together. You can see me experimenting with coloring and rendering in some of these. Also, I visited rottmnt again for a lil bit in June! Honestly I was having a great time drawing me and my friend's ocs

July

And so I discovered Reigen. Plus some more rhode n other ocs. But mostly it was Reigen. Mob psycho is great, i had a great time watching it. Kinda wanna go back and rewatch it but all for another day.

August

didn't draw as much in august, i had a really fun trip I went on that I spent the month preparing for! Love ren fairs. But what i did draw was (drum roll) oc art! Rhode, Lamp, Ann and otheres- theres a decent variety here. Still mostly Rhode, though.

September-October (and so my Michael obsession begins)

So um. Michael, amiright? honestly i have so much fun drawing both michaels, its a damn delight. ive been so happy at the reception of them from everyone too- i draw michael solely for myself but i do like it when my work makes others happy

November

Honestly some good michael art from november. plus the creation of Clear Image AU! I have less to say about these last too months, since itd be less looking back and more recapping what is basically yesterday.

December

And so ends the year.. More michael, some Lyf, some oc art, all the fun stuff. Plus... a little sneak peak at the expert testimony animatic im working on in the upper righthand corner.

Happy new years, fingers crossed for a better 2025 for everyone!

[victor-aguilar]

could you summarize the lore drops? its gonna be a while until im able to watch the stream :/

Disclaimer: I watched bits and pieces of the stream off and on again with very bad connection, so I have not picked up on everything!!! I think you might be better answered by someone else but, still, thanks for thinking of me, I hope this helps somewhat!!

Spoilers for Pit Stop in Hatchetfield below:

Charles yellow jacket is Charles Coven, owner of CCRP he is the coven in the name!!!!

Dan and Donna are smoke club members.

They were both! present at the protest at the Hatchetfield kennel.

They dropped lore on the problematic puppy but i missed that.

Miss Holloway got to be a bit bitchy and i loved that she is so fucking badass bro.

They read through a scene of Bottle Imps and two (or three?) scenes of Miss Holloween.

Extreme bouts of Hollo-lore.

She is concerningly chill about sacrificing herself.

She has had enough! of giving herself up when it all inevitably is pointless. She's done her fair share of good!! She deserves to do something for herself for once, god damn it.

The Lords in Black appear as children! in cute little onesies. They seem to like Miss Holloway.

She has multiple names, she wants back her real, true one. There's one Wiggly wants.

Tinky smittenly repeats that Miss Holloway thinks he's cute! (she said it about all 5 of them)

Charles used to work in government (possibly PEIP) and he knows President Howard Goodman.

Miss Holloway revokes her deal with the Lords in Black. Implications... Think of them.

They mention a girl she saved ten years prior who didn't make it during that decade. It hits Miss Holloway hard. to the point she decides to turn back on her deal.

Brenda, the cheerleader from NPMD is a waitress at Miss Retro's!

Kyle went to college and Brenda failed. They are no longer together.

Duke helped Holloway set up an email! She is not good with this stuff.

New characters revealed:

Pastor Todd (Jon), a man that Riley's mother enlists to try and help her son. He does not what he's doing and calls Holloway.

Riley, a kid who finds a mask which attachs itself to and possesses him.

Monster Mask (Jeff), a mask that's a demonic entity of some sort.

Blaire (Mrah), Riley's mother.

Tucker the Fucker: Brenda's boyfriend. He sucks ass. Miss Holloway doesn't like him.

That's all I can remember at the moment, anon! I'm so sorry this is hours late, I got busy, but I hope this helps!!! If I remember more, I might edit this. (This does not touch on the death match. Unfortunately, I can't recap that)

[ghenry]

2024 RECAP

It's that time of the year once again: the end of it. The holiday season is hitting us with its capitalistic drive, cold-ass weather (if applicable), and family love (if applicable)! I'm enjoying my little break from making videos and reflecting on the work I put out in 2024. My video count was much higher than in 2023. But even then, I had a lot more in mind, so much so that I made a cute little MV for patrons in the beginning of the year. Sadly, not everything I considered 'locked in' came to fruition.

But that's okay, because I still came out with some fun videos! The projects I couldn't focus on aren't entirely abandoned, but they'll have to simmer more as I have big plans for 2025. That doesn't necessarily include everything I had in mind for this ending year, but you'll see. With that, let's go over all the videos I managed to create for this channel throughout this year leaving us;

Sonic 3D Retrospective | Onto Adventure

I have begun a retrospective series on Sonic's post-2D era, as I've always had a passing interest in the franchise.

The point of the video:

I used to be a major poser regarding some Sonic games, most notably blindly hating Adventure 1. This gave me a chance to reevaluate and describe why I love it as an adult today. I also found it interesting how vastly different SA1 and 2 are from each other, so I wanted to explore that as well.

Deadly Individualism: Frog Minutes

This was my first ever April Fools video, and it was a lot of fun to make! Thanks to an anonymous individual that made Frog Minutes playable via Android emulator, I got to experience a Grasshopper "gem" of sorts myself! I had a great time goofing on it as well as various comments disparaging my work. They motivate me just as much as the rest!

The point of the video:

I wanted to surprise folks as it was a long-running joke about when I'd make a video analysis on Frog Minutes, so I thought it made for a great gag!

Suda51 interview | Talking about Shadows of the Damned

One of my dreams came true, I got to meet Suda51 and talk to him extensively about his games, mainly Shadows of the Damned! This video pretty much had the entire interview, with added visual context of what we're discussing.

The point of the video:

To live a dream. Suda himself was a very kind man. I also had him sign my copy of Moonlight Syndrome, which he absolutely freaked out about! I don't think anyone has had him sign a copy of that in years, if ever.

I Do NOT Want a Flower, Sun, and Rain Remaster | Prelude Analysis

Originally part of the full analysis where I would go on an early tangent regarding the nature of video game remakes, I figured it was good enough to warrant its own video, rather than be a somewhat random tangent about game remakes in general.

The point of the video:

I realized I'm not a fan of most game remakes, I think just about all are unnecessary and pretty much always provide a downgraded experience of the original. Even regarding Resident Evil 1 (the go-to "what about-" example), I still prefer playing the original above the remake.

3 videos about Dead Rising Deluxe Remastered

Initially, I was merely reacting to the news of the original Dead Rising getting a full-on remake, as I figured people would be curious about my thoughts. To my surprise, Capcom recognized my dedication and reached out to me with early access and a free copy! I had to take the opportunity and provide deeper thoughts of my experience.

The point of the videos:

To properly evaluate what I thought of the remake, things that changed, and things that stayed the same. And, of course, to appease Capcom as they did me a solid. I was more than happy to make these videos!

Flower, Sun, and Rain Analysis | Yes Paradise

Another gigantic analysis video in a game directed by Suda51? Who could have guessed? Unlike my analysis for The Silver Case, this felt less daunting as I found Flower, Sun, and Rain easier to understand. Therefore, I had a great time really dissecting what Suda and the gang were trying to say with it.

The point of the video:

I never gave this game a proper analysis until now. A lot of people think it's just senseless and quirky, but there's actually a lot of great nuance and intrigue. Also, I wanted to describe that its story and structure is eerily close to how No More Heroes 3 was designed and even narrated. Awesome game.

In Here Is a Tragedy | The Silent Hill 2 remake is terrible

Experiencing the Silent Hill 2 remake was both grueling and gratifying. I felt a near infinite amount of vindication, as nearly all of my suspicions were proven right. The Silent Hill 2 remake is anti-art and anti-thought. Just like with The Medium, the developers did not take this harrowing adventure's centerpiece of severe mental health and trauma seriously. They tried selling an arthouse film like a theme park ride, which is all sorts of disgusting.

The point of the video:

I jokingly sent a request for a review code on Silent Hill 2, and Konami was dense enough to send it to me. I felt obligated to make a review at that point.

Shadows of the Damned | Bygone Era of Third Person Shooters

Shadows of the Damned received a proper remaster in 2024, making the game available on all current platforms! I wanted to give my thoughts on the port itself, as well as reflecting on this 2011 classic TPS. Also, the fine folks at NetEase sent me a code to review it, which was kind of them.

The point of the video:

Shadows of the Damned represents this era of TPS games that were more arcadey, faster-paced, and fun. I wanted to reflect on how TPS games don't play like it anymore, and why that might be the case.

Iron Meat Review | Finally, a good Contra game

I was given the opportunity of reviewing Iron Meat, an indie run-n-gun game that's heavily inspired by the Contra series. And, in turn, excels the efforts of current Contra in every single way imaginable.

The point of the video:

Contra is truly dead. Anything official using the name is merely a husk piece of the old game's glory. It's either unrecognizable, or nostalgia-grabbing trite with uninspired design. Retroware has a much better understanding of run-n-gun design than Wayforward, or anyone at Konami. It's sad, but I'm glad the spirit of Contra lives in indie gems such as this!

That's it for now, thank you so much for supporting me! I hope to make more awesome videos in 2025, catch y'all next time, and happy holidays!

[dddesc]

another ehhhhhhhh episode! get ready for

EPISODE 14: The Dream Demon Debut

bluuugh recap episode. but i can't be too upset... there are very nice treats within its barren halls........

the episode starts in dedede's tunnels under the castle! i don't remember these showing up very much but they're fun to think about. riding his chair through the castle like a roller coaster with escargon clinging on for dear life...

the chair leads straight to the throne room after this, where it usually is, so i wonder where they were coming from.... does it ever show up in dedede's bedroom?? humm

we get the first sighting of customer service's cute new years getup.

....buuuut the episode is filled with so many reused shots; even outside of the nightmares the noddy pillows give everybody, a grand majority of the footage used is stuff we've already seen, just taken out of context. the writing is lazy enough that meta knight even suggests everybody use dedede's obviously-evil pillows. bummer!!!

i do love how meta knight sleeps. fully armed, mask on, cape on, eyes dulled. like he's ready for action -- as if he ever does all that much. awesome.

also, i think it's sweet that bun got so scared of the nightmares that he went to spend the night with his sister. rare moment of me feeling endeared by an interaction between the kids.

dedede and escargon are the real reason that this episode worth it, though (as usual).

very very cute dededes in this scene... i love when he >:o

and escargon, the little trooper, follows orders he already expected he'd get...... sleeping on the floor next to dedede with their evil pillows. don't know why they decided to do this on the floor of the throne room instead of their beds, but i'm not complaining. sillys. sillys. sillys

WAAHGGHH it makes me crazy that dedede barely fits in kirby's house. he's so big that he squishes escargon . i love when they put in gags like this. cute little details.....

GIGGLE

and now for the coup de grace.......

GAY PEOPLE

im gonna puek. they're all over each other. maybe this episode is acutlaly really good.

oh god i did it again. i talked too much. and this is a recap episode. i'm going to pass away

[timetravell]

Twas the first day of school, here is a little recap:

We mainly went over all the new procedures. Theres one about phones and if they have to take it up 4 times in a row you have to pay a fine of 15 dollars. And the dress code regressed?? No teacher is enforcing it though. We still have the same tardy policy (10 tardies = ISS).

If this phone policy doesn't 'work' then we just- wont be allowed to bring our phones at all Which is a HUGE safety concern.

below is a recap of all my class periods <3

1st period: Colorguard

Nothing much happened here, again a lot of today was just a repeat of all procedures. There were a few band specific things, such as attendance, rehearsals, UDB, and stuff pertaining to the band hall itself. There is now a form so if need be, your istrument can be turned into the shop to get fixed!

We also cleaned out the guard locker room/area. All of the costumes from last year got put in one of the lower lockers. We somehow found stuff from seniors who left YEARS ago. And 3 year old water....in a jug still.. yikes.

2nd: Forensics!!!

Im actually so happy I got to be in this class. Im looking forward to a lot of things in it. Especially the labs and that one lecture about blood splatters. Our teacher is actually absent this first week, but thats because he's also the volleyball coach. (Our volleyball team is in Hawaii for nationals I believe)

We had three assignments. One of them was designing a locker (mine is super cute, it has a Marina poster), the second was a Syllabus scavenger hunt which isn't due until tomorrow but I wanted to get a jump on it so I finished it at home. The third was homework, which was just a student survey.

3rd: ELA

It was just, again, more policy updates and a little get to know you card. This class, thank god, wont be all on computer. We'll have some paper assignments. We haven't gotten our reading yet (which upsets me a teeny bit, but I'm sure we'll learn about it later in the week)

4th: AP World History

I'm actually so exited for this class its not even funny. I was genuinley upset when we didnt get our unit 0 packets and when I found out we werent getting our textbooks until Friday.

We did learn that the AP teachers are no longer allowed to split that 70% weighted major assignments to 40/30. Which absolutely sucks, and on top of that our first unit is stuff our state says we NEED to know to get said World History credit. Which means we wont even be tested on it come spring. Our district hates us.

I actually have a good teacher for this AP class, last year I had a very (idk how else to put it) 'White privlidged' teacher. AND AND I narrowly missed being stuck in a class with someone I despise. Made me so happy!

I also learned that 'The History of the Entire World I guess' is pretty accurate! So I can use that as a study resource for like- a short summary.

5th: Astronomy

SO SO SO excited for this class. And there is no math! None! (If they added math it would have to become an AP class). My teacher is so funny unironicly. He's very monotone and you would think he'd be a bore, but he's actually really funny in my opinion.

We actually will talk about why Astrology isnt real which I think will be really fun. I dont nessicarily believe astrology is real, I like the idea of it. But going indepts on why it isnt is going to be really interesting!

We also will get to learn how galaxies and solar systems form, which will be really helpfull for making my story, Abyss. Theres also gonna be night labs!! (if we go we get a free 100 on a test grade) And maybe some Day Labs if the school can get their hands on a solar telescope.

6th: Geometry

It's geometry. There wasnt really anything of note here. Just the fact that i somehow have a class full of kids who dont care abt the Highschool grades. (I have confirmed this, it isnt speculation) It's gonna be a loud period..

7th: Band (they split it up weird)

Again nothing of note. EXCEPT NOW I HAVE TO LEARN THE SHOW?? ON MY FLUTE?? WHAT??

Im in guard, i dont do 'band' until concert season. I cant work on my solo during this period OR my homework. Pissed me of factually because the original plan was as followed:

Used as a study hall

Practice choreography

Practice flute

But nope! They hate me! /j

8th: Musical Theatre!

So many new people! Its gonna be so much fun! I have a lot of friends in that class so im really excited!

I already know the song im gonna do for our first solo, just gotta get permission cuz its technicly not from a musical (Wont say im in love from hercules)

Anyways thats it!! Tmmr will most likely have some more stuff so follow if you want to see!

[leonbastralle]

another year, another gaming recap! once again it will be 2 posts but less games kdjshkjfshkjdf

a winding path: starting the year with a bang! in this game you are just a little stick figure in a land that has been struggling through a massive draught. you think you can't do anything about it? with the power of music and friendship, you can! this game is very short but cheap and made with a lot of love, everything is hand-drawn with pencil, the characters and the story/setting are cool and interesting. the main mechanic and the rare puzzle are rly fun! i loved this game. also esmond is the mvp.

astrologaster: another fun one that enacts the life of a real.....fake.... doctor. there are some period typical horros and the main character as well as some of his patients are kind of shitty people but it's really funny, especially when it comes to the dialogue, and the concept and style of the game are really cool (it's set up like a play with a backdrop and puppets, and there is a song for each character too). i wasn't a big fan of the main mechanic as it's very guessy which makes it hard when you want to actually finish all the storylines, but it also makes sense in context

my time at sandrock: this was one of my absolute favorites of this year. i already really enjoyed the story and mechanics of portia and this game improved on that. i loved the factory/crafting mechanics with new added challenges due to the setting, the combat, characters and story lines are all really good. however the level curve was terrible and the favoritism when it comes to some characters truly bothered me, especially since they made so many characters/love interests just to leave most of them on the sidelines when it comes to quests/development. also why the fuck are we still straightwashing so hard sdfkjhskfdskj let characters be canonically queer beyond the player romance

botany manor: another short and sweet one (and honestly kind of overpriced for that reason), definitely best gotten on sale. in this game you are a botanist trying to figure out how to grow certain rare plants for your book. the puzzles and hint system were very immersive to me and the lore around the plants was really cool. i had a really lovely time with it, and it helps that the surroundings are really really pretty. warning for period typical misogyny though.

islets: baby's first metroidvania in which you have to restore the world out of its broken parts. the art style of this is very cute and the characters are lovable. i had a lot of difficulty with the platforming/abilities/combat when it comes to timing and coordination, but there's a bunch of rly good accessibility options to help with that. they took the stress out of it for me and helped me rly enjoy it! i'm excited to try the spiritual successor (crypt custodian) soon.

tiny detour: i have to admit i fucked up with this purchase. it sounded and looked really cute, and the concept really is cute. but it feels like no effort was put into it at all. i understand that it must have been a fun little project for a single dev, but i would have at least enjoyed a more elaborate story and characters that have a personality (even though there is like five of them who all look the same so that didn't help i guess). at least it's very cheap, but it still kind of felt like a waste to me.

a little to the left: a very pretty sorting game that had its satisfying moments to me, i liked the hint/skip system. however there were issues with the accessibility to me and sometimes it was quite frustrating as you couldn't really figure out what the fuck the game wanted from you (levels where you have to arrange pretty things in a random pattern on the screen i'm looking at you). also did not enjoy at all that the whole game was just constantly advertising the dlc. what in the greed skjfhksdjfhsd

stardew valley: this was in the last review too but i wanted to include it again since after 1.6 i finally stuck with a farm all the way to year 3, finished the community center and ginger island, checked out a lot of the new content, and worked towards completing a whole bunch of collections! so this was a reformed experience to me, even though i do have to say that i need the visual mods to stomach the game, the content itself is timeless and fun.

paradise killer: not my first time playing this one but i played it for my wife earlier this year and was happy to have a reason to talk about this. i love dystopian vaporwave murder mystery island. i love all the wacky ass lore and the assortment of morally more than grey characters. i love how the entire experience feels like a trip on some drug that is unknown to me. the music is banging. the dialogue is great. you are a corrupt detective lady with thick thighs. you can fuck a goat woman. capitalism is horrible. this game is everything to me

potion craft: oh boy did i have a terrible time with this one. i gave up on it because it was unfinished and extremely grindy to the point that your potion business is not sustainable (there's no easy way to keep a good stock of items but you need them to make potions to sell, but you also need them for your own ventures, however you need to keep making big money to support repurchasing ingredients for both). this is because it was released as 1.0 despite missing a bunch of big updates. ever since i quit one such update has hit (after a year or so of no sign of life from the devs) but i will not be touching it again until it's officially complete.

paper trail: running away from your overbearing parents to go to university simulator. the puzzle mechanic (folding the edges of the piece of map you are standing on to create new paths) was a new one for me and i thought it was a really interesting way to handle it. it did not get boring to me (a common complaint of reviewers) since every new level adds challenges to it. i was really impressed by the design, a lot of thought must have gone into designing a front and back for every area that leaves you with several ways of folding it. i liked that there was a hint system, though sometimes it wasn't helpful, and that you collect origami. the art style and music are lovely, the characters all make funny noises and the story is nice, though not very deep. the epilogue made me cry skjhfskjdfsd

cat cafe manager: my first steam deck game! i played this one on my wife's deck when i was with her so i have special memories of it. the characters and story in this game are quite shallow but the game is cute and does what it advertises, i loved all the cats you can get and the way the upgrade and friendship system works (especially the friendship furniture you unlock at max relationship that adds a lot of new group events which was my favorite part about the characters!). the story is. just there. it really isn't needed at all, don't expect much from it. but it's a fun little management game. and it has cats.

[chronotsr]

No. 7.5 - 1978 Reflections, and the Halls of Mystery

Welcome back to the end-of-the-year recaps! This is technically the first TSR iteration of it!

1. Coolest ideas

It's a lot of stuff from D2. The big ticket item is "neutral-ground hostile shrine" -- any time you can muck about with otherwise hostile people without drawing swords immediately is a big win. I know that the reaction table is supposed to mitigate that some but, cmon. Sometimes you just can't think of a good reason that the 9th goblin pack tonight is not immediately hostile. This is a way more natural way to handle it. And it lets you talk and such and experience their culture from their perspective!

2. Coolest Module You Haven't Heard Of

This is honestly a hard one because all of these modules are intensely well known. Gun to my head, I would probably vote for G1. The D-series is cool but frankly there have been more better and more interesting iterations of subterranean hexcrawls -- Veins of the Earth being the currently famous one. But the thing about G1 is, G1 is a surprisingly natural and fun location. Unlike the others in the GDQ series, G1 is genuinely an adventure you could slot anywhere with no context. It is simply a fun raid on a fortress, which I never get tired of. The twists of "they're piss drunk" and "there's a slave revolt in the basement" are really good (albeit in 2024 a little stale) twists on the classic raid-on-fortress formula.

3. The Growth of Module Design

Honestly 1978 represents a rather stagnant year for module design. The most innovative design feature I see is how D1-D3 feeds into one another in a much more naturalistic way than its predecessors, and all through that deeply useful combination of hexmap and random tables with a handful of pre-programmed setpieces. I am eager to see hexmap technology get much better going forward.

…

Surprisingly, 1978 wasn't too much to talk about? I don't generally think of Gary as an "innovator" in module design space. His main contribution is taking things that already exist and making them feel more natural. Which is not to say that I now buy into Gygaxian Naturalism as this great feat, more than a lot of his competition at the time was seemingly intentionally anti-Naturalism. Their work feels like the reaction to me, Gary is just staying the course of "this should make an amount of sense". Although, his random dungeon monsters mishmash still feels as nonsensical as all hell.

The Halls of Mystery (From Dragon 21, December 1978)

And as threatened, we're going to have a very brief section on The Halls of Mystery, which holds the dubious honor of 1st Dragon Magazine dungeon. I would throw the full header at you, but everything is by Don Turnbull. You may recognize his name, at publication time he works for Games Workshop and he will be heading up TSR, Inc.'s UK branch starting in 1980, leading to the much-beloved Fiend Folio.

So. Not much to say about this, actually, It's a very large room with some branches. The main schtick of the Halls is that the main chamber contains several mirrors, some of which are magical. There's a big riddle on the desk on the south side, the riddle solution is actually quite obvious (say Excalibur three times -- and hey, Don told us the answer and rationale of the puzzle! Thanks Don!). When you move the central cylinder, it teleports you to the corresponding position in the dungeon. The rest is a lightweight stocking of the dungeon with monsters, treasure, et c. If you're keeping score, this is a Zelda puzzle. It's very cute and lightweight and honestly it's so neutrally written (no statistics are given and it would be trivially easy to restock it at any level) that you could genuinely use it in 2024 with very little effort. It's adorable! It is also wonderfully lean, clocking in at two total pages and frankly it's super refreshing to have such a light read of a module here.

Happily, next time we will be covering B1 - In Search of the Unknown, which is the second Basic D&D adventure we will be reviewing in this series (The adventure printed in the Basic rulebook, Tower of Zenopus, was first. This is our first lettered Basic adventure.) And, funnily, the first TSR module in this lineup I've never read before. See you then!

[what-gs-watching]

“There is only room for one God in this lab and it's not yours."

Welp, my city has decided that it forgot how weather works, and we’re snowed in and there’s a frozen pipe in my goddamn basement and I finished an interview loop for a company last week so I’m just sitting here trapped in my house and waiting desperately for any news on if they might hire me and it’s not going amazing SO, 

It’s time for a FRINGE BINGE. 

I saw a post a week or two ago that Fringe might be leaving Max at the end of the month, and I couldn’t let it go without a rewatch. It’s one of the reasons I started playing “What G’s Watching” with my husband - he’d seen it when it first came out and I thought maybe he’d remember some of it and could understand my rambling, because you need some kind of background to truly grasp what the eff is happening in Fringe. He didn’t. But that didn’t stop me from becoming completely obsessed. 

Even when I’m not rewatching, sometimes I’ll yell “PREVIOUSLY ON FRINGE” when the show I’m actually enjoying does a recap. I don’t know why it’s stuck in my brain, but it doesn’t matter, I love it.

Here’s the thing about Fringe: it’s absolutely ridiculous. It’s like X-Files on acid (or Walter’s Brown Bettty?). The science is ridiculous and honestly it’s difficult to follow the lore sometimes, especially the first time through it. But it’s weirdly captivating and it tugs at your heart strings, which doesn’t make any sense.

Basically, FBI agent Olivia Dunham gets sucked into a special division that investigates weird occurrences that seem to have to do with ‘fringe science’, and she ends up enlisting Peter Bishop and his genius scientist father, Walter Bishop (who’d spent almost twenty years in a mental institution) to help her get to the bottom of what the eff is going on.

AND THEN THINGS GET CRAZY. 

They pump so much backstory into this show. There’s monsters of the week, sure, but every single character has a whole damn room full of skeletons and it was so much fun trying to puzzle all of that shit out the first time. In my rewatch so far, I’m picking up a ton of little random clues and I’m loving it. It’s clear that J. J. Abrams had some IDEAS. 

Also, I’ve never watched Lost, (and I never will, I put my foot down on that)  but I can confidently say this is the better J. J. Abrams show. The ending doesn’t make you ridiculously angry you watched the whole thing. So there’s that. 

Honestly, there’s too much I love about this show. The whole alternate universe plotline for one, which creates some of my favorite moments. But it’s mainly about Peter and Walter. At its core, this stupid show is about their father son relationship, and how far people are willing to go  to protect their family. Which is weird, but also perfect. 

Before the mental institution, Walter was a little bit of a sociopath, pursuing scientific enhancements, consequences be damned. He was a shit person. He ran tests on children, he fucked with the fabric of the universe. No fucks given, that man. But the Walter we get for most of the show is just…oddly charming. Quirky in his brilliance, instead of calculating. And it’s FUNNY and endearing. 

Olivia brings in another agent to help corral Walter in his resurrected lab beneath Harvard, Astrid, and he spends most of the series calling her anything but. “Astro”, “Astrix”, etc. It’s not malicious, he just can’t hold the information, as much as he appreciates the work she does with him. Like, how does that turn out to just be kind of cute? 

Some of my favorite made-up words are from Walter.  “Vagenda”, for one. Which is ‘vagina agenda’ obviously. As in, “Peter fell for her vagenda”, which had me rolling. Even if it came about during a storyline that made me absolutely FURIOUS, but in the best of ways. (There was a lot of time wherein I was yelling at my husband about how much I hated “Fauxlivia” and her vagenda, but honestly I don’t want to spoil it because the twists and turns this show takes are so wonderful, they should be experienced with absolutely no background.)

The whole thing with Walter is that he’s atoning for the sins of his past, even if he doesn’t really realize it at first, and it’s just, really comforting. His entire arc is compelling and satisfying, even if it leaves you a crying mess. 

Also, Peter Bishop is forever my perfect New England boyfriend. At first I’m not sure who they wanted him to be exactly, but eventually he smoothed out into just an earnest, genius, gorgeous man trying to do the right thing and get past all of the hurt Walter caused him. They put him in devastatingly handsome peacoats and he saves the day and he’s sweet to Olivia and I just spend most of the time swooning. That smile, gang.

Is it because I fell in love with Pacey Witter as a young girl during Dawson’s Creek’s heyday? 98% yes. I will always love Joshua Jackson and Pacey was done dirty for a while. And come to think of it, Peter was too. It’s his thing, apparently. 

I do  realize Olivia is supposed to be the main character probably, but she gets me to my two favorite guys so I guess she’s fine. Anna Torv is wonderful, she plays Dunham really well (which I imagine was grueling given some of the storylines) but the Bishops are the stars of the show. I just want to squeeze both of them.

The crazy thing is there are some episodes that will destroy you emotionally. The white tulip? Jesus. That one just came up in my rewatch, and it was still a punch in the face the second time. There’s one where Walter gets lost in Chinatown, I had to literally mute it because it’s gut wrenching. Even with the silliness and the science that makes you roll your eyes, they make you look at things you don’t want to, and it can hurt. I love/hate that so much. 

And look, I understand that the moral of the show is that science and technology can be dangerous and we shouldn’t let it get away from us because it could eventually cause the downfall of everything, but that’s not what I’m here for. I’m always here for the relationships. And the ridiculous ways we can get people to die. And the outlandish scifi. If you wanna remind me of things that I don’t want to think about in between that, I guess it’s okay, because it makes no sense, but when I think of Fringe, it just makes me feel warm and fuzzy. It’s not a warm and fuzzy show, but it is for me. 

I started watching it because it was a complete series that had a purposeful ending and I needed something, but it turned into a lot more than that. I’m jealous of people who can see it for the first time. It’s just so…special. In weird and wonderful ways. There will never be another character quite like Walter Bishop. Or a truly realized tv universe as outlandish. They swung for the fences, and it really landed; vagenda, the observers, Walternate, and all. 

Let Walter charm the shit out of you, you won’t be disappointed.

[gaylittleguys]

2024 movie recap

New watches:

2024 releases:

I Saw The TV Glow: AUGH. Amazing. Definitely top movie of the year. Heartbreaking and gutwrenching, stunningly beautiful and extremely hitting all the boxes of things I love. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie that captures the feeling of suffocating in yourself that this does. Had to get it on dvd though I have yet to prepare myself to rewatch it… haven’t stopped thinking about it since I saw it in July.

Smile 2: ACTUALLY really really good! I didn’t really like the first one (which I watched the day before seeing this) but 2 is LEAGUES better. Really makes use of the premise and is scary and unsettling AND has some really sick practical effects!

Cuckoo: I really liked this. I didn’t see a lot of talk about it, though. It was weird and PLEASE watch it without looking anything up. I went in pretty much blind and it was great. Hunter Schafer is amazing and we should get Dan Steven’s to play more unsettling European creeps

Abigail: Dan Stevens again lmao. This was really really fun it was everything it needed to be! Watch this vampire child attack the fun cast of characters!

The Wild Robot: sooooo cute 😭 such a gorgeous movie too. I cried most of the way thought it (positive) (bc it was very cute) aughhh the robot learning emotions got me augghhhhh noooo

Dune 2: I actually didn’t like it as much as the first half, but that’s also a pretty high bar to be fair. Stunning movie.

New to me:

Brazil: wow! Definitely taking a lot of inspiration from 1984, this has such an interesting intricate world. Not as ‘weird’ as I had been told, but definitely a surreal dystopian journey.

Dark City: I have no idea how I hadn’t heard of this movie until this year??? I loved it, such a strange distinct style, and the kind of weird story I like. Near the ending I think it wasn’t quite as strong as the rest of it, but really good!! Check it out!!

Silence of the lambs: watched for the first time somehow. I did really like it, it’s extremely well acted, and sickeningly tense. It’s objectively a really amazing movie, definitely worth its status as a classic. But. It’s really hard to ignore how much it pushed real life transphobia which adds another layer onto an already difficult watch.

(Sillay) anthology horror: Campfire Tales, The Monster Club, and Creepshow. Apparently I’d seen some of Campfire Tales before?? It was silly, very campy (ha) very much the caliber of stories told around a campfire. Monster Club was unique, the in-between story was a lot more memorable than the actual tales, much help from Vincent Price. I LOVED Creepshow, it was 100% up my alley and was such a treat, a really fun homage to old horror comics.

2024 was the year of Alien a bit lol, watched the rerelease of the original in theatres for my birthday, which was fantastic. Watched both Prometheus and Covenant in a weekend while sick, and Romulus as well. I don’t think Prometheus deserves the dislike it got, Covenant was pretty bad (except for the little chestburster guy) and Romulus was fun and had some excellent practical effects.

The Exorcist (1973) and The Pope’s Exorcist double feature was a blast, I think The Exorcist would have hit better at the time or if I was more religious, but I liked it. The Pope’s Exorcist was a BLAST however it was very fun and kind of bad and I do keep telling people about the Catholic Avengers ending and the funniest sequel bait I’ve ever seen

Redline kicked ass what a fun movie and just stunning to look at. Lu Over The Wall was so so good too, I loved how gloopy the animation was.

Nimona was honestly kind of disappointing for me :( I was definitely holding it to the book which I loved and was rly important to me as a teen. It was cute and would have probably been better if I didn’t have something to compare it to, but honestly it felt a little toothless? I wanted to like it a lot more than I did. Rip goldenloin’s hair too 😔

Cursed and Wild Country: my only 2 werewolf movies this year :( I’m falling behind… Cursed had the bones of a good movie, you can really tell it was screwed over by the studio. The sfx are great and the werewolf suit is fantastic, but they ditch it to use ugly cgi or just have the werewolves in human form 😔 Wild Country was fun in a kind of bad way! The werewolves look kinda like boars? Bears??

The Sudbury Devil and The VVitch: New England religious horror lets gooooo. The Witch was great, loved the sense of atmosphere, and it was really immersed in the time in a way that’s rare to see. The Sudbury Devil was definitely trying really hard, but I don’t think it quite achieved its aims. It’s disorienting in a confusing way, not a surreal way, and it doesn’t feel as grounded in the time somehow, although I do like its commitment to period accurate pronunciations! A strange watch.

Barbarian: REALLY good. Nauseating horror. Didn’t know much before going in and I think that was a good choice!

Donnie Darko: was ok. Seemed like it was Trying to be really smart without reeeaaallllyyyyy saying anything smart. Was expecting it to be weirder than it was.

Blue Velvet: 4th times the charm on finishing this lmao. I did like it, but not as much as Lynch’s other work I’ve seen.

Singing in the rain: this one’s a classic for a reason!!!! It’s great!!

DnD delayed double feature: Dungeons and Dragons (2000) was uh. A journey. I actually would not really recommend it as it was stretching even a so-bad-it’s-good watch with friends. I don’t know why a dnd movie is seemingly so allergic to having anything dnd-ish in it. Not even Jeremy Irons as the villain and his strange blue lipped henchman could save this. The cast of heroes are completely forgettable and contribute somehow basically nothing to the plot. #ripSnails. HOWEVER, the new one, which I’ve seen before, is great!! Really fun to watch again with my dnd group. :)

Legend: what the fuck. Just check this out. How’d this get made. What’s going on.

Honourable horror mentions: Tucker and Dale vs Evil, Bloody Valentine, High Life, Infinity Pool, The Others

Rewatches:

The Green Knight: yesssss my beloved green knight ❤️ bought the special dvd for this this year. The people I know have seen this are pretty split on it, but I love it.

Jaws my angel ❤️

The Thing my love ❤️

Dead Poets Society: hadn’t seen this since I saw it in high school, still heartbreaking. What a good movie.

The Last Unicorn: didn’t really like this as a kid, but I hadn’t seen it for a while. It’s soo pretty. I really loved it on this rewatch.

[littleragondin]

2023 Recap - Songs from (QL) Dramas

I've been tagged by @troubled-mind to make a list of my favorites songs from this year's QL dramas (thank you so much 💕) and of course I can't resist. I liked a lot of music from shows this year, which is great but made the selection harder so it will be a little long, I hope you'll forgive me.

OST I've been milking in full

I don't very often go through full OST unless someone does a background music playlist i can put on (Like this one for La Pluie by troubled-mind, and this one for To Sir, With Love for example) but two stood out for me this year.

My School President OST - I knew in advance I would enjoy a musical show, and I have to say I was NOT disappointed. My favorite though is ฟัง by Fourth, Ford, Satang, Winny, and the fantastic Pijika Jittaputta. Have a go at the original too!

Unintentional Love Story OST - This one came late this year for me, but i have been listening to the whole thing again and again. My favorite is Beautiful Day by Cha Seowon. I really enjoy his voice a LOT, and I'm weak for a nice, so soft it's even a little mushy love ballad.

With those two out of the way, let's go through the list country by country I think.

From Thailand 🇹🇭

ลางสังหรณ์ by Teng Tachaya from The Sign

This one is just a banger! It literally rocks, and I keep belting out the chorus every single time i listen to it. I love everything about it, even the spoken words. Also, not music related, but that costume!!

เงา by Lazyloxy from Shadow

I like Lazyloxy's voice a lot, as well as the rhythm/bass line (?) during the verses. There is an edge in that song that fits the show very well, too.

พรุ่งนี้ by Ford Arun from Moonlight Chicken

Ford's voice, do I need to say more? Tbh I got a little teary the first (ten) time(s) I listen to it.This ballad is so very touching, it's gentle and hopeful, I can never tire of it.

Honorable mentions >

รักคุณยิ่งกว่าใคร by NuNew's cover of Got Jakraphan from Cutie Pie 2. I loved this one so much I got myself a video editor so I could post it there. Only honorable because it's a cover, but it got me into luk thung so it deserves to be here.

เพลง รักนี้มากับดวง by Bmine & Near from Lucky My Love. This one is just because it's goddamn cute, sweet and peppy, and it makes me smile and bop my head. Sometimes I don't ask for more.

From Japan 🇯🇵

U&I by Hi-Fi Unicorn from Kimi ni wa todokanai

It's just a perfectly crafted pop song imo. It's cute, fresh and lively, fitting the show perfectly too. Since it came out, you can catch me humming "kimi ni waaa todokanai hmm hmm hmm" all day, every day, so it deserves its place on the list!

Yoruwazura by osage feat Ishino Riko from Kimi to nara koi wo shite mite mo

This one got me the second Ishino Riko started singing. The harmonies between the two are SO good! I really like the guitar in this one, and the little claps in the background. It's also really easy to hum so it stays with me a lot.

Bitter by Royce from Utsukushii Kare season 2

The contrast between the energy of the melody and the nearly bored sound of the voice (the singer sounds like their mouth does not open fully) works reaaally well for me. It's catchy and fun, and well, the lyrics are just so perfectly Hira...

ふたたび Futatabi by HIROBA & Otsuka Ai from Bokura no micro na shuumatsu

I was very surprised when I saw it was a feat with Otsuka Ai (who I only knew for her sugary pop in early 2000). The melancholy of the lyrics and the melody are beautiful, I am a huge fan of the way their voices mesh together, and I can't resist a piano + violins combo like that.

Honorable mention > Go Sign by Billy Laurent from Ameiro Paradox. The little piano, the rhythm, that chorus, it makes me shake my ass every single time.

From Taiwan 🇹🇼

'痛苦擁抱 (Painful Hug) by Ozone from Oh No! Here Comes Trouble

(I won't hear anything about technicality and it being a QL show or not =3) Had not realized it was from a boy group before checking the clip for this list. I like the way the melody rises for the chorus, their voices are pleasant, and it carries both power and some sort of melancholy that reminds me very much of Pu Yiyong.

Honorable mention > Come With Me by K6 from Marry My Dead Body. The whole OST of that movie is great, but I somehow got completely obsessed by this one from the gym scene at the start. It also features Austin Lin (I think as backup on the chorus).

From Korea 🇰🇷

IoU by UTOPI from The New Employee

It's a sweet, simple one that never fails to put me in a good mood, and sometimes that's enough to listen to a song non stop over months =3

Natural by Young K from A Breeze of Love

This one is also sunny, light and joyful. I like the guitars and I am especially fond of Young K's voice - it got me looking into him which I do not regret. A nice little surprise for the end of the year.

Thank you if you made it all the way through it, otherwise...

Tl;dr you can find all songs under this playlist (´꒳`)♡

i'm not sure who would have fun doing this, maybe @iguessitsjustme if you fancy it? Anyone who see this and want to do it, please tag me so I can have a look at your faves! <3

[asinglestrike]

StrikeClan - Moon 22

Previous || Next || From Beginning || Allegiances

Woo two years! Look out for the recap + other clans soon!

Rip homegirl

Finally got something with the babies! Funnily enough after Emberstar lost her life she literally interacted with every single cat, you go girl. Ashkit is so cute, i'm betting either him or Shadekit becomes a healer. Lightleaf would actually die if it was Shadekit lol

"I hate you!" A voice rang out across the clearing. Shadekit looked up from the leaf she had been inspecting just in time to see an angered Mintpaw shove a shocked looking Cloudfall away and bolt into the apprentices den. Cloudfall looked crestfallen.

"I just don't know what to do..." The young tom's face was a reflection of his inward anxiety. Emberstar, Mintpaw's mom, Shadekit thought with a grimace, approached and began talking to him. Her ears pricked at soft sniffling. She glanced at the older cats, who were deep in discussion. Abandoning her leaf, she crept towards the apprentices den. Poking her head around the corner, she was startled to see the usually proud and angry Mintpaw hunched over and crying.

"....Mintpaw?" She called out softly. The apprentice startled, whipping his head around.

"What do you want?" He tried and failed to stop sniffling.

"I..." Shadekit hesitated. "Just wanted to see if you were ok." She blinked, stepping further into the den. She expected a sharp rebuttal, but instead, to her surprise, Mintpaw scooted over to make room. She sat down next to him, glancing up.

"I'll be sharing this den with you in a moon." She commented softly, trying to distract.

"Ya?" He sniffed.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" She offered just as quietly. She could see him thinking about it.

"No...it's not something you would understand." He frowned.

"But uh...thanks. For. You know." He looked away.

The two sat in silence, and Shadekit slowly gained a new respect for the hot-headed tom. Maybe...maybe they could be friends when she started training. Ya. She would like that.

It was fun writing these two! Mintpaw has such a personality already, its so fun!! At the time of writing Shadekit and her siblings are 5 moons, so I let her be a little more mature. Also I know he wasn't around for long, but if you peep Shadekit's hair it looks similar to Flintpaw, which is not helping Lightleaf's paranoia.

[imaginespazzi]

Happy Sunday evening bestie! Hope the weekend has treated you well.

Happy to share! Really it feels like the least I could do in return for your assistance w the spouse thing lol. But really the moments were just too cute and feel good. I dont use the term adorable often but they are 🥰.

Ok little 🏀 results recap then: More notable upsets starting to pile up eh? N. Iowa over Iowa St. Creighton over Neb. IU beat Baylor. I enjoyed watching USF play Louisville, Bulls nearly pulled it off :/. Man HH (bleh) and Miles were good yesterday. ND looked very good in some stretches, but also shaky in some others tbf. Honestly, even w some players still out, the Irish just feel more fully formed early this season to me than Southern Cal. Cant lie, the S. Carolina game is shocking me as we go to the 4th Q. Not to much that UCLA is playing well or winning/ahead by a lot at some point. In fact thats typical of the Burins in Nov it seems. But real surprise is that the Gamecocks came out so flat and arent offering a real response yet.

Now is prob a good time to mention how Im very jealous of the teams & fans currently in the Bahamas 🇧🇸 . Ive actually stayed at Baha Mar before a handful of years ago. Its absolutely sweet and especially looks so cute decorated for the holidays. The climate/beach sounds so good right now! Also theres a shit ton of high end shopping on site and I'd be lying if I said Im not just a little bit worried about Paige's bank account ha.

I get such entertainment from seeing people/blogs discovering the Liz lore! Love that we will always be OGs on that and one of them on Percabeth/Pazzi parallels 🤝

Quick circling back to soccer, I was pretty neutral watching the match but Im so happy to see Marta 🐐and a resurgent Orlando Pride club win it all. Cant help but be thrilled for her to have that moment as the career closes out.

You make good points on the Wings and LA. Im pretty solidified in thinking that it will end up being more positive than not for P. Lets see what Curt can pull off. Btw bet that man has spent the last week just gloating that karmas a bitch ha! (Oh and if Im being transparent about any bias, Im so looking forward to WAGing at games w Azzi 😜)

Have a great night

-☕️

Happy Sunday bestie!

Can you believe I'm actually answering your ask on the day you sent it? Pat on the back for me lmaoooo

WCBB is finally WCBB-ing because I fear the opening weeks were just a little boring. BUT TRUST NOTHING'S BORING ANYMORE. The ISU loss was actually so questionable?? Like what was going on there? I'm very intrigued for our game vs them now. Louisville are not good I fear and I was stuck between rooting for USF but also needed Louisville to stay ranked but I could see Colorado upsetting them next game. ND-USC was an upset by all technicalities but it didn't feel like it because I think everyone sort of expected it.

But tonight was the real upset because I genuinely don't think I spoke to anyone who thought UCLA was gonna win, especially like. Everyone said they might keep it close but it's SC who couldn't keep it close at all.

Ugh what I wouldn't do to be in the Bahamas right now away from this dreary dark and cold winter that's spreading siiiiigh.

I'm not super into WOSO beyond like world cups but it really was such a well-deserved win for Marta and her legacy.

OMG YOU AND AZZI LEADING THE WAGS CLUB I LOVE IT!! Yeah I definitely think we'll look back and think what happened, happened for the best and Curt's deserved gloating makes me think he'll make sure she has what she deserves.

[whichstiel]

A Christmas Prince II

I haven't even watched THAT many Christmas or other holiday movies yet this season, but I just vividly dreamed an alternative sequel to the Netflix's A Christmas Prince.

The movie began with them divorced after a short but rocky marriage. The magnifying glass of royalty charred them both and they parted ways amicably (but also obviously heartbroken).

After the opening recap monologue where she talks about her whirlwind royal romance and subsequent heartbreak (disclaimer: I haven't watched the movie in at least a few years - what even happened in it?) we cut to her leaning in to kiss her new girlfriend. (That's right, Netflix says bisexual rights!) They're ready to spend their first Christmas together. Her new girlfriend really wants to introduce her to her parents when the whole family gets together for the holiday. It's bittersweet for our heroine but she tries to move on.

But Amber (I just had to google her name, shut up) gets a call from her Journalism Boss, the Boss of Journalistic Sources. The crown jewels from her former lover's kingdom have been stolen!!! And there's nobody better to cover the news than Amber.

Amber breaks the news to her new girlfriend buuuuuut also obviously makes a big terrible lie out of it. Instead of "sorry, babe, I need to work," she tells the girlfriend that she can't meet the parents because her Christmas surprise is an all expenses whirlwind romantic trip toooooo ALDOVIA. Her girlfriend is apparently NOT a news reader, connects no dots, and packs her skis, baby!

They arrive in Aldovia. Amber tries to spend the whole time wearing slouchy hats and sunglasses, so that nobody in this tiny, fake European monarchy will notice its famous former queen. Hijinks happen. She probably gets recognized by the butler, or something, who secretly plots to "accidentally" reunite her with her former husband who has been pining for her this whole time.

The girlfriend is a sweet but lazily written cinnamon stick who is mainly in the movie to be holiday-card cute and super sweet to Amber (while Amber spirals after glimpsing the Prince - er, King? IDK). We want Amber to reunite with her lost love but also? Girlfriend is sweet like kitten? Must protect??? Maybe this will be a Frozen situation and the girlfriend will turn out to be a total Hans.

Amber is trying to focus on the case - er, journalism story. WHO STOLE THE ROYAL JEWELS? She is only in the country for this reason! She definitely does not find herself comically hiding herself in hedgery to spy on her prince! Especially when a princess comes to town looking to give away her rose, if you know what I mean.

This part of my dream is a little fuzzy, which probably means it doesn't actually exist. So let's have a little fun and make it up.

We can throw in a...baking contest. How about Amber goes undercover as a contestant to sneak into her former home and nobody will recognize her at all because, uuuuuuh, she just has "one of those faces?" (Her bakes are terrible.) She tells her boss that she's only in it to find the jewels and save the prince's kingdom cover the news story.

While Amber is living her worst life, her actually still pretty new girlfriend is busy being a solo tourist of Aldovia. We get what could be a sad montage of solo Christmas card moments (decorating cookies at the local snowy farmer's market stall, holding baby bunnies at the Pet Palace Emporium (the bunnies wear little fake poinsettia bows), and drinking hot chocolate while looking at CGI snowy mountains). The thing is, she's not sad about it. Girlfriend is having the BEST time. It keeps things light for this Netflix romance and we don't feel too bad for girlfriend. She is in a stale three month relationship and all she has is this amazing overseas vacation to show for it!

Amber ends up getting discovered at the palace by the prince. He pulls her into a lavishly red and green decorated room to hold a hissing conversation about why she is there, is she there because of this princess interloper, does she want to get back together, does she miss him too, has she happened to spot any very shiny rocks anywhere?

They decide to solve the mystery together before parting ways FOREVER. One last adventure! Hijinks ensue again, and we're made to suspect the interloping princess, the mysterious relative of the prince who just so happened to be visiting and may be trying to steal his throne, and probably a mysterious shopkeeper who bears some resemblance to Santa Claus and keeps showing up unannounced all over the movie.

While they try to find the missing jewels, Amber and the Prince fall back in love. Or, realize they never fell out of love.

Amber breaks up with her girlfriend - probably during the baking contest - and runs off to stop the prince from getting engaged. It turns out the princess interloper is nowhere in sight and the prince is just...staring out over the mountains, longing for Amber.

Finally, we get back to my dream. The snowy garden is full of twinkling lights and Amber and the prince lean in. Turns out they never stopped loving each other. They vow to let nothing get in the way of their love again. It's time to get married again! They can overcome anything including Journalism and Jewel Thieves! Will their marriage crumble again?

That's probably for next year's sequel.

The cinnamon-stick girlfriend soothes her sorrow by heading back to the Baby Animal Emporium to snuggle more bunnies. The spurned Princess shows up, looking to soothe her heartache with some, uh, bunny snuggling as well. I guess they're going to be featured in the spinoff movie?

Oh, and what about the JEWEL THIEF? We almost forgot about the mystery sub-plot! A squirrel lumbers across the yard while Amber and her prince reaffirm their love. It's...dragging a ruby pendant. They follow the squirrel and find the entire treasure trove of Aldovia shoved into a hollow tree. The thief was small and furry and there's no threat to the kingdom after all! Let's turn to the camera and laugh, share a kiss, and.......fade into snowy mountains while a generic Christmas love song plays us out.