#jay reviews!!!

[waterghostype]

disappears for weeks posts this disappears again

[cinematicwasteland]

[ladyloveandjustice]

My Favorite Books I Read in 2023

I read a ton of good novels last year- 36 in all (and uh, 78 manga/graphic novels, but we'll examine that in another post). Here's a link to my Goodreads year in books (the manga is at the beginning, the novels start with Siren Queen) and my storygraph wrap up.  

I reread a ton of Discworld this year, and it's as spectacular as ever. But what about new reads?

Well, here are my favorite books I read in 2023!

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

This is an autobiographical memoir about the abusive relationship the author went through with her ex-girlfriend. It's absolutely gut-wrenching, and at times, achingly beautiful. Machado uses the house she shared with her girlfriend, which she calls the "dream house", as a back drop. It's a place she always wanted and also a place she became trapped in, Machado's language is beautiful as she explores the relationship from different lenses-- The Dream House as Lesbian Cult Classic, the Dream House as Noir, the Dream House as Creature Feature, the Dream House as Stoner Comedy....All facets of the relationship are explored in a way that grips you by the throat and makes you remember everyone who ever tried to suffocate you-- but it also explores the hard work of moving on, of picking up the pieces, of living and embracing tenderness along with hardship.

I especially related to Machado's struggle to talk about abuse between queer lovers because of her fears of giving homophobes more ammunition...and when she says "we deserve to have our wrongdoing represented as much as our heroism, because when we refuse wrongdoing as a possibility for a group of people, we refuse their humanity", I felt that deeply.

This wasn't just one of my favorite books this year, it goes on the list of all-time favorite books. I wish I had this kind of writing style. I'll be returning to this again and again.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao

A middle-grade novel about a Chinese-American teen who feels a bit alienated from his heritage, which becomes a bit of an issue once he finds out the First Emperor of China has possessed his A.R. Gaming Headset. Now he needs to close a portal to the underworld with the help of other kids possessed by emporers.

This was a whole lot of fun, and often quite poignant. I was unsure if I could really enjoy middle-grade books as an adult, and this absolutely proves I can. There's a lot of really interesting Chinese history blended with action-packed fantasy, and exploration of the complicated feelings a kid can have about their own heritage . The dynamic between Zachary and Qin Shi Huang was so entertaining with the Emperor being villainous, heroic, charismatic, detestable-- and Zachary realizing how his complicated feelings about him mirror his relationship with his culture at large. There was also a lot of fun with other historical figures, and Xiran's take on Wu Zetian is a joy. (Also, if you like Yu-Gi-Oh!, you'll probably like this, since Xiran says it was one of their influences).

Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Rose is young woman who's raised in a fundamentalist Christian household, and she's a devout, obedient daughter. But some weird things are happening. She's seeing a terrifying demon everywhere, insects are coming out of her mouth....and she's possibly having feelings about other girls. What's going on?

Yes, this is by the Chuck Tingle who makes all those Tinglers. But THIS one... will make you tingle with fear! It's a great horror novel! It's skin-crawlingly creepy at times, but also does a great job digging into how fundamentalist dogma harms queer people, and the hypocrisy of such beliefs. The conversion camp aspect is handled tastefully, and overall it was a great spooky read that's also ultimately very affirming, cathartic, and hopeful.

Qualia the Purple by Hisamitsu Ueo

You might go into this thinking it's just a quirky yuri light novel about a schoolgirl and her crush who sees everyone around her as robots (like literally, when she looks at someone she sees a robot instead of a human). But it quickly becomes surreal queer psychological horror steeped in absolutely wild applications of quantum mechanics and thought-provoking time travel.  Some of the quantum mechanics  exposition dumps were a bit much but I deeply enjoyed having my mind cracked open by this book. 

It's one of the most interesting takes of time loop stories I've seen. But it definitely covers a lot of rough subject matter, including a relationship with a serious age gap and extremely messed up relationships, so be cautious if you have triggers.

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

This book follows Miri, whose wife goes missing on a deep-sea submarine mission for six months. Miri thought her wife dead, but she miraculously returns one day...but her wife has changed. She's like a stranger. She may have bought the horrors of the sea home with her.

This is a gripping exploration of grief and loss combined with a delicious, slow horror that creeps under your skin. There's excellent Lovecraftian and body horror elements to the novel, but it works very effectively as a metaphor for a loved one going through trauma, and a relationship starting to crumble because everything seems different. A moment that really stuck out to me is when Miri copes with her wife's disappearance by frequenting an online community where women roleplay as wives with husbands missing in space. The way the online drama of the community interacted with her grief was  both funny and heartbreaking. 

This is another example of a book that makes me deeply jealous with its lyrical writing, and another one for the ever-lengthening all time favorites list.

Otherside Picnic Volume 8: Accomplices No More by Iori Miyazawa

The latest entry in a series about two girls exploring an alternate dimension full of creepypasta monsters, while also falling in love with each other. See my other reviews here and here.

This volume has the payoff to a lot of careful character work and relationship building, and it was completely satisfying. In fact, it was...show-stopping. Spectacular.  Incredible. I loved the exploration of how love, sex, and romance are so different for different people and it's impossible to put it in neat boxes. The frank and messy conversation our leads have about their relationship was perfect and so was that absolutely  bonkers, wonderful finale. This is another one for the all times favorite list, and I loved it so much I wrote a extremely long review/recap here. 

Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality by Eliot Schrefer

This was a well-researched, well-crafted, easy to read book that explores queerness (mainly homosexuality, bisexuality, trans and genderfluid expressions in animals, and even the question of if and how animals can related to gender) in the animal kingdom. Though it's definitely aimed at teens, I learned a lot from it (who knew female bonobos were such life goals) and it presented its information in a fun way. It included some interesting examinations of how proof of homosexuality and bisexuality in animals was historically suppressed and filtered through homophobic assumptions. If you want to learn a little animal science in an accessible format, definitely check this out.

Night’s Edge by Liz Kerin

The story follows Mia, a woman in her 20's living with her vampire mother. Her whole life revolves around not drawing suspicion towards her Mom. She also has to make sure to feed her Mom some of her blood every night--lest her mother fall back in with her abusive boyfriend and start hunting humans.  But when Mia meets a cute girl, she starts to dream of living her own life...

It was a really interesting use of vampirism as a metaphor for both living with a parent struggling with addiction and having an abusive parent. It's just a well-told, heartwrenching tale that got deep into the character's mindsets. I thought the ending was bit abrupt and rushed, but it did make more sense once I realized this was the first in a duology. It's a fascinating take on vampires, and I'm interested in seeing more.

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

This novel follows a middle-aged Muslim female pirate living around the Arabian Peninsula. She's supposed to be in retirement, but wouldn't you know it, she's lured in for one last job! I she rescues a kidnapped girl,  she'll have all the riches she needs to set her family up for life. So Amina begins her adventure of fighting demons and monsters and ex-husbands. But the job might not be all it seems.

This novel is full of all the entertaining swashbuckling action and shenanigans that any pirate story should have. It's a rollicking good time, and feeds my craving for middle aged women going on quests and kicking ass. Amina's journey is a fun, wild ride full of dynamic characters and interesting mythology!

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Juniper is friends with a successful Chinese-American author, Athena Liu, and has always been deeply jealous of her. When Athena dies in front of her, Juniper decides to steal her manuscript rooted in Chinese history and claim it as her own. But plagiarism might catch up with her...

This is a strong example of a book I thought was really well-done, but one I'm probably never going to read again. The way it depicted Twitter drama is just too accurate and I got anxiety. It did such a good job putting you in Juniper's awful shoes so you can feel the pressure close in along with her. The book's commentary on the insidious racism of the publishing industry was effective, and it made a horrible character's journey fascinating to follow. I was so intrigued yet anxious I had to force myself to finish the last few pages.

Bonus read:

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldtree

A very cute novel about an orc named Viv who decides to retire from the violent life of a bounty hunter and run a coffee shop instead. She ends up getting a lot of assistance from a succubus named Tandri...and my, is that a slow-burn coffee shop romance brewing? This book reminds me a lot of various cozy slice-of-life anime, and it's nice to be getting more of that feeling in book form. I wish there was a little more specific to the fantasy world rather than making it a coffee shop that line up 1 to 1 to a modern day shop, but it was definitely a sweet read.

[blortch]

Jay says dinner in America is the first movie he’s laughed at in a long time... cut to every screening of every movie for the last decade of Jay laughing uproariously

Didn't he say CONSISTENTLY laughed at throughout. There's a difference !

Also I think Jay said once that in RLM he comes off as somebody that laughs a lot but when he's at home watching movies he's not like that at all. You can also see that a lot of times he reacts to what's being said by other people like Mike etc. when he's watching it in a group rather than the movie itself

[imjustwritingg]

Other than wanting to wrap Hailey in cotton wool and give her the biggest hug, how are you feeling/what are your thoughts after last nights episode?

This turned into an unofficial review of sorts and it got rather long, so I’ll post it all below the cut for those that want to read my thoughts.

I might be in the minority here, but I really enjoyed the episode. I kinda loved it actually, and it might be one of my favorite episodes. I enjoyed everything about it…the writing, the directing, the acting.

Gwen Sigan wrote the episode, but I gotta give her credit where it’s due because it was pretty damn good in my book. It reminded me a lot of her writing days prior to her becoming show-runner and I miss those days so very much.

I think the tidbits of Hailey’s past are coming way too late, but I still really enjoyed getting to peek into her life a bit more. Just wish we could have gotten more of it along the way and not three episodes before the character is gone.

I loved Kevin’s blatant callout to Hailey in the first minute of the episode of how she’s dealing and if running is helping her. He asks this question of “how are you doing…really doing?” with no words and just one look, and then we’re given the answer by Hailey deflecting and avoiding yet again under the guise of wanting a sugar fix. I think that was brilliant. It conveyed everything you needed to know about Hailey’s mental state in one short moment.

No Voight in the episode was such a gift.

Hailey being in charge and leading this particular case was the right move and she handled it so well. I’m bummed we probably won’t see her leading her own unit someday.

Also back to the no Voight thing just for a moment to say that it’s interesting to see how the dynamic shifted with the team versus him not being around and Hailey being in charge. The team felt lighter to me, like in the sense that they weren’t on edge, walking on eggshells in a way. Everything just felt calmer. There was still an intensity and an urgency to solve the case, but rules were followed, there was no off the book cowboy bullshit, and it felt like everyone followed Hailey and trusted her, whereas with Voight they were obeying orders that were barked out to them. I don’t know. It just felt really different and so very satisfying to me.

I love Kevin and Kim’s ability to communicate with one another with just one look between them. Makes me think of the early days of them being partners and being on patrol. They still work so wonderfully together.

This case was sick. A mother doing that to her own child is demented. Where these writers, and Gwen specifically, come up with these ideas is beyond me, but someone should probably do a wellness check on her. Like girly needs some serious therapy and R&R.

Josephine Petrovic. I had some hesitation with her at first as you usually do with a new character as you try and suss them out, but I’ve gotta say, I like her. I like her and I hate that I like her and I hate that she only just came onto the show because I would love to see what happens with her if she were to stick around, but I can’t watch this show without Tracy or Jesse — mostly Tracy — but neither of them? I just can’t do it. I have some other thoughts on Jo, but I will save them for another ask I received.

I obviously saved the elephant in the room for last…Jay. I really don’t think the mentions and nods to him in this episode were “bad” in any way because it’s stuff that has already been said about the character…Gwen’s version of him at least, but I do think there is a reason why he is being brought up and why there are so many nods to the marriage. Hailey insisted she wasn’t angry with him in the premiere. She signed the divorce papers, sent them off, and that was that and she washed her hands of him. Except she didn’t. Because she is angry, she hasn’t moved on in the year and a half he’s been gone now, signing the papers didn’t give her any closure…hell, even him signing the papers didn’t give her any closure, (I will die on the hill that he only signed them because it’s what he thought she wanted). I personally do not think she will get any closure whatsoever if she doesn’t have a conversation with him, if she doesn’t confront him and all of it head on…the anger and resentment and confusion and the love that is still there. You can’t turn that shit off. You can’t just push it away and be like, “okay, I’m done with you now, goodbye.” Life doesn’t work that way. Emotions don’t work that way. Grief sure as shit doesn’t work that way, and I feel like that is the stage Hailey is stuck in right now. Grieving the loss of Jay and her marriage and stuck in a limbo that she doesn’t know how to navigate on her own while dealing with childhood trauma that she actually isn’t really dealing with at all. And she is without a doubt on her own. That is the one thing that has been made clear this season. She has no family, not any friends other than co-workers, and right now, she doesn’t have Jay. I respect the “independent woman, gonna stand on my own, I don’t need anyone” mindset, but I don’t agree with how we got here and I also don’t fully agree with the notion that she doesn’t need anyone because everyone needs someone. You can’t do life alone. You need someone in your corner, someone by your side, someone who gets you in ways you don’t even know yourself, and for Hailey, that person is and will always be Jay Halstead. I think she will realize she needs to get out of Chicago like her brothers, like Jay, like Will, and I hope that wherever she ends up, Jay is there waiting for her and the two of them can just start over without Chicago and their past looming over them like a dark cloud. And for the love of God, let them both go to therapy…together and separately.

Brenna Malloy directed and it was just…perfect. True cinema if you will. The close-ups of the actors’ faces during certain scenes and how the camera would pan to them at just the exact right moment for a reaction, the no background noise and intentional pauses during scenes that allowed moments to feel heavier and more real, the ending shot of Hailey and her teary eyes…I feel like it was a story that was so delicately handled and crafted by Brenna, and I’m just really impressed.

Tracy Spiridakos. I mean, what more even needs to be said? The woman is a powerhouse. It always amazes me knowing how much of a goof she is on set and then you watch an episode like this and it’s just like…WOW. Her range of emotion and the way she makes you feel every single one of those emotions is truly something that needs to be studied. You cry with her, you smile with her, you laugh with her, but the biggest thing is you feel for her character, and I think that is something that not all actors are capable of doing with an audience. Tracy knocks it out of the park, across the highway, into the next town every time, and her execution is consistent every time as well. No one is doing it like her, and I love and respect the hell out of that woman and her talent.

I think the same also needs to be said for Bojana Novakovic. I have been surprisingly impressed by her and kind of adore her. I’ve really been enjoying the character of Josephine Petrovic and I hate that she’s only coming into the show now right when Tracy is walking out the door because Bojana alone is incredible, but her and Tracy together? It’s like magic to me. Their chemistry as scene partners and the way they bounce off each other is absolutely insane, and then their ability to pull you in and keep you locked in…ooof. I think it’s something special and I’ve really enjoyed seeing them together on-screen.

As for how I feel…

I feel good? Okay? The episode didn’t do much for me in the grand scheme of “what is Hailey gonna do” or “what’s gonna happen” because we already anticipated her leaving Chicago. That wasn’t ever in question. But the actual reason for Hailey leaving is still muddled to me, even more so because she hasn’t resolved anything in her life. She still has these demons, a past filled with trauma she hasn’t found peace with, she has no closure with Jay, she has questions and zero answers, and she is already and literally running from her problems.

So, is she supposed to leave Chicago and start over somewhere and her problems are just gonna go poof? Magically disappear? Because that’s not how that works, and I think that would be yet another injustice to the character and more lazy writing. I do think the episode (finally!) laid the groundwork for Tracy’s exit, but it should have started in episode 1, not 10. Tracy gave them an entire season to wrap up Hailey’s story, and I feel like they wasted so much time and it’s gonna be another rushed exit once the curtain falls. It’s not that I’m surprised in that regard, but I am disappointed (again!) especially considering how much of a fuss Gwen made about “it’s so generous of Tracy to give us a whole season.”

If Gwen’s plan was to make Hailey’s exit about her family and her childhood trauma then the seed should have been planted long before now, and Jay shouldn’t still be a sore subject for her. I think we’re in for a really emotional ending to the season, not just for Hailey, but for the first time since season eight I’m actually looking forward to a finale again.

In conclusion and a very long story short…I loved the episode, but Gwen Sigan is still on my shit list.

[kiaerinnn]

MAJOR NINJAGO DR SEASON 2 SPOILERS BELOW❗️❗️ DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVENT WATCHED ALL 10 EPISODES. (unless you want major spoilers, I guess??)

Just some notes and commentary about the new season!! (I will die because of this season.)

V V V V

When the group was in the cave facing their fears in the darkness, we were showed everyone's fears EXCEPT Kai's (and Wyldfyre's and Riyu's but Wyldfyre said something about, 'the wasting'??) Lloyd's was not being good enough to be a master, Sora's was being controlled by Imperium again, Arins was being afraid of not finding his parents and if they even still loved him, and lastly Nya's was Jay not knowing who she was. I was SO sad when she said "I know the real Jay could never forget me." BECAUSE HE DID, BUT NOT PURPOSEFULLY AAAAA I WILL PERISH.

But I really wanna know what Kai saw, he was the only one who's wasn't shown or even talked about, but after it happened he seemed to still be thinking about it, like, he was looking down into space or smth.

Also, that flashback Geo had when Cole was gone?? Kinda gay man ngl.. (but I live them so much)😂

I LOVED THE COLE AND ZANE DUO RECOGNITIONNN!!! I LOVE THAT DUOOO

When Jay was trying to capture Bonzle, Sprite (the weird yellow orb) showed him himself, what he was supposed to be, a ninja. And it revealed his lightning powers and he said something like "Thats MY secret that I have lightning powers!" I LOVED THAT BUT ALSO YOU DUMBASS YOU NEED TO REMEMBER😡😡

BRO. KAI IS IN THE FUCKING PORTAL. IT LOOKS LIKE A FUCKING BACKROOMS LEVEL😭😭 I think we know what Doc Wyatt meant about Kai now..😢 I NEED HIM BACK BRO. THE CLIFFHANGERRRRRR KMS RN. (/j)

IT WAS SO GOOD BUT.. AAAAAAA WHYYY *violent sobbing*

Honestly, it kinda felt like a whole different show! The lore seems pretty different. (Also what happened to Kai's hair in episode 9??? It looked a little wonky-)

I love how Kai was the first one to achieve the rising dragon form, then Nya, then Lloyd. Kai's encouragement was Nya, Nya's encouragement was Kai being taken, and Lloyd's encouragement was the visions and realizing he needed to connect with the motion. (And because their fate kinda depended on him to do it sooo.. pressure lol!!)

I love how (I need to stop starting every sentence with this) the thing that was holding Kai back was his anger and emotions. They've held him back a lot especially in the pre – s8 seasons.

That's it for now, if you aren't already bored of reading this. I might add more if I realize more. (Jebus this is long)

[ohemgeeejay]

I watched Lisa Frankenstein today with some of my friends and OH MY GOURD.

When I saw a promotional poster in my local theatre two weeks ago, I was intrigued. When I saw the trailer during the pre-show for Night Swim that same day, I was persuaded. But when I saw Diablo Cody and Zelda Williams on a poster while leaving the theatre, I knew I had to watch it.

And it did not disappoint.

That movie was so good! It was so much fun. The dialogue was fantastic, the humour was well timed and well written, the set design was beautiful, and the general aesthetics of the film were downright gorgeous. I also loved the character dynamics, especially between Lisa and Taff.

I was truly shocked to find that it’s kind of a flop. The critic reviews are so low, which doesn’t surprise me, although it does disappoint me. Especially seeing people call these characters one dimensional and stereotypical. I completely disagree; and I think the way that Taff loved, supported, and stuck up for Lisa right from the beginning was proof of that. She was more than her peppy, popular cheerleader archetype, she was a person and a character of her own.

The lack of love for this movie is crazy! I genuinely enjoyed that movie so much, and I feel an oncoming fixation.

My friend described it as slasher meets romcom and that feels like a decently accurate representation of the vibes. It’s lighter on the horror and heavier on the humour, but it’s absolutely charming.

It’s a great watch, one of the best times I’ve had seeing something in theatres in a while.

And I mean, the poster art is just the cherry on top! It’s gorgeous, and it captures the vibes of the movie perfectly. Huge props to whoever made these posters, I love them and would love to have one for my room.

I’ve seen many call the film “uneven,” or “disjointed,” criticizing its pacing. I understand why some people may dislike it, as it’s an uncommon path of plot progression, but I found it to be very enjoyable. I think that the unusual pacing of the film only made it stand out more.

All around, I really loved this movie. If you liked Heathers, Jennifer’s Body, Beetlejuice, or any other campy cult classics, I highly recommend it. I can definitely see Lisa Frankenstein becoming a cult classic itself in a few years.

I apologize if this post is a bit all over the place, I have a lot of thoughts about this film. And a lot of love for it too. I just had to talk about it, because I cannot get this movie out of my head! I think it’s quickly becoming a favourite, and I know I’m going to have to watch it again.

[lunabug2004]

Watching Reactions to The Eclipse is Such a Gamble

Ya'll know this, I've said it multiple times now, but I love to watch reactions to my favorite shows. One of these shows is The Eclipse. But, I swear it's always a gamble watching someone react to it. Fair warning: I hate Thua, so... yeah, this will be biased. These are some trends I've noticed (& they kinda build on each other):

Sometimes, they don't like Akk, even as the show goes on, and he's my favorite so that always sucks.

Sometimes, they don't ever fully understand the manipulation Akk was under. Like, they constantly make comments about Akk's character development regressing or stuff like that. Idk how, but some people just never pick up on the amount of pressure Akk was under, and it's sad.

Sometimes, they don't understand the mental health parts of the show. Like how Ayan was only "protecting" Akk for so long bc he was literally in the worst mental state. Ayan saw the same signs in Akk that he saw in Dika, and he was terrified their stories would end the same way. Ayan still wanted the truth to come out, he was just trying to find a safer way for Akk! He was not just protecting Akk because they were dating, either! Idk how people come to these conclusions... oh wait, yes I do, it's bc of Thua >:(

Sometimes, when that one scene of episode 11 goes down, they completely side with Thua. Now, this could be because they don't realize the outing part of things, or because they don't realize why Thua went about things the complete wrong way. But, it's annoying nonetheless.

Sometimes, they completely change their tune about Teacher Chadok. I don't care about his tragic backstory! He manipulated a kid so much he considered unaliving himself, and you're telling me that just because he has a tragic gay backstory, he deserves to be forgiven??? Absolutely not!

And I'll stop here. I could say more but I think it's already too much 😂

[redlettermediathings]

[bluejayblueskies]

Bookbinding Year in Review

I bound a lot of books this year, so I thought I'd do a quick little recap of my progress as a binder! Starting off with some stats for 2023:

Total books bound: 68 Total words bound: 1,428,472 Average words per book: 21,007 Total books gifted: 44

I bound a lot of short fics this year, most notably as part of Binderary, a bookbinding marathon event hosted by the Renegade Publishing server in February. I aimed to bind a book a day, specifically binding shorter fics in the pamphlet style--a single signature sewn to a cardstock cover. I hit that and beyond, binding a total of 36 books for the event! I plan to do Binderary again this year, though my project for it is a surprise ✨

(The observant will notice that there are fewer than 36 books in this picture--I finished up a few more after this photo was taken!)

Other events I bound for this year included:

For a total of 54 books bound for an event! That's ~80% of the total amount of books I bound this year!

My top fandom was unsurprisingly Malevolent, coming in at 53 fics. The Magnus Archives was a close runner-up at 8 fics. The other seven fics bound were in the 9-1-1 and Hello From the Hallowoods fandoms, as well as some journals.

I'm really happy with my progress as a binder this year! I participated in a lot of events, gifted many books, got some fun new equipment, rebound my first ever bound book, and generally grew a lot as an artist. My favorite books from this year have to be this set of two volumes I did for @phynoma's work the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the ambition of the world for the Rusty Quill Big Bang:

The embroidery was very much a labor of love, and I'm so happy with how they turned out!!

I also loved collaborating with visual artists in various ways, including working with @kahtiihma to commission artwork from @shadow0haven for her fic Repetition//Retention and incorporating over a hundred pieces of artwork from @captaincravatthecapricious and @genderfluid-druid in my bind of @organchordsandlightning's fic formaldehyde.

I plan to do some more collaboration with artists in 2024, as well as many more gifts and author copies, so stay tuned for that!!

Some other statistics below the cut, for those interested:

Books bound per binding style

Books bound per size

Top 10 Authors Bound, sorted by number of books (duplicate copies included)

With_the_Wolves (12 books)

Croik (8 books)

SupposedToBeWriting (8 books)

Kahti (7 books)

PrettyArbitrary (5 books)

shadow0haven (5 books)

AlexanderPeterson (4 books)

AnonymousSong (3 books)

arthureameslove (3 books)

bluejayblueskies (that's me!) (3 books)

[gurokatt]

I watched A Quiet Place: Day One

I think the movie was fun, I am very much a HUGE fan of apocalypse movies that start from the start, when the news is being weird, the hints and build up to the horror of it starting.

The crowd scenes in the city were absolutely PHENOMENAL [actually a lot of the angles and set were fantastic] The scene where all the characters were walking to the boats all quiet, but very much NOT quiet, and the slow build up of sound before showing the death angels stalking them?

that is one of the BEST scenes in the entire movie fr.

now compared the the first two movies? MUCH BETTER than part 2 by a lot [as someone who rewatched both movies last night]

However, compared to part 1, the sound design wasn't as good. this movie relied a bit too much on music rather than the atmosphere that the first movie did.

I also do wish the usage of sign was back again, because it made the first two movies much more immersive to me. HOWEVER i can understand wanting to use other forms of talking [writing] to communicate.

Having the main character terminally ill, with cancer, and going through the apocalypse is honestly something i don't see much of. GENUINELY love sam [Lupita's character] so much. And eric arrived as a wet beast and was pathetic throughout the movie.

Of course though, Frodo the cat single pawed-ly carried the entire movie, move aside Jonesy, we have a NEW horror cat icon!!

There is something so scary about having MULTIPLE death angels stalking the main characters!

[gorogues]

Spoilers for Flash #12!

You can see some preview pages here.

Not sure what to think about this; Evan is "unwritten" and now has never existed thanks to the Arc Angles, but we've seen him on an upcoming cover. That said, comic covers aren't always accurate so who knows if he'll actually be in the issue, and if he's just been erased here I'll be pissed that he's gone again so soon after returning from a lengthy absence. I don't appreciate it when DC jerks us around. Or maybe I'm jumping the gun, and Wally will somehow bring him back when he undoes the damage to the universe…that's perhaps possible.

Anyway, as you can see here, Irey gives temporary powers to the villain henchmen to fight/distract the Arc Angles, and they do the job effectively until Evan's a wee bit slow. We also learn that the Resident was made from the parts of Linda that Kadabra cut away with his Mindflayer, which explains why the Resident loved him so much, and now that Linda's had her missing parts returned she's able to awaken Wally from the damage done by the Arc Angles.

Hartley seems to have gone off for a huge keg of coffee, because he's not been hanging with the Flash Family over the past two issues. There probably isn't much he can do in this fight, but it'd be nice to see him keep Iris or Linda company instead of simply vanishing for no reason.

It's good to see this arc close to wrapping up and see the Flash Family joyful again, though the stuff with Evan is something of a sour note. I'll wait and see what happens with him before forming a final judgment, but this run has been frustrating with its 'one step forward and two steps back' approach to tone. My goodness, has it ever been depressing.

[reviewinghiccup]

DEFENDERS OF BERK | HTTYD SERIES | BREAKING DOWN HICCUP

Blog Post Series: Breaking Down Hiccup

Title: The Night and the Fury

Ep/Season: Episode 3, Season 2 (Defenders of Berk)

Premise:

Hiccup and gang set out on a training exercise on Dragon Island in hopes to train their stealth / combat skills without help from their dragons. Unfortunately, they run into a very, very unlikely "friend"...

IN ASTRID WE TRUST

It's no secret that the team needs some polishing. And we're hoping, Astrid's obstacles could do the trick. I love how they groaned, knowing that her tests is going to be difficult. It's very like them to do that and very like her to make things tough.

This exercise is fertile ground for individual members of the team to grow. For example:

(1) TUFFNUT TAKES ON THE RESPONSIBILITY OF WATCHING THE DRAGONS

(2) RUFFNUT GOES OUT ON HER OWN

(3) FISHLEGS, WELL, IT'S JUST ANOTHER DAY FOR HIM REALLY. I.E., DOING SOMETHING HE'S SCARED TO DO

(4) HICCUP, DEALING W DAGUR

(Can we also take a moment to appreciate the little confidence boost Hiccup gives to Fishlegs? We can? Ok. Here you go.)

If you started watching RTTE without first seeing ROB/DOB, you might wonder why Dagur calls him brother. Well, to be fair, I still don't know why he does, but at least from this episode, you'll know when the supposed familial relationship began.

P/S: Look at how small & cute baby is.

It's also really cute that Hiccup tries, for the most part, to keep the peace with Dagur, though for the most part, I hate to watch them pandering to him.

THE DAGUR FIASCO

This episode is where I feel DOB kicks off. Hiccup's in a very precarious position. The last time Dagur showed up, Stoick lied that Berk was still at war w dragons and that they still killed them. For the sake of peace, Hiccup didn't have much of a choice but to play along and reassert the lie.

This episode is definitely one of my favourites, especially in terms of the Hiccup-Dagur dialogue.

It's hard to not enjoy the "bro-mance" sequences. Just look at this one:

In fact, if you only watched RTTE, you might've missed where the Dagur v Snotlout situation also began. And it might surprise you to realise, that Snotlout was very much, a fan of Monsieur Deranged here.

HICCUP'S STAND

But nothing beats, that moment when Hiccup takes his stand.

It was such a DEFINING MOMENT, because Dagur has been looking down on Hiccup for years and NOW, NOW?! He realises what a genuine threat Hiccup could be. And more importantly, how easily his pride is wounded.

I'm all here for HEROIC HICCUP. And what an artistic way to show how much Dagur underestimated him. He even underestimate his shield! Much to his lost...

Also, don't you think that it is very Captain America of Hiccup sometimes, when he's wielding the shield?

And let's not forget, Hiccup is one sassy protagonist. I mean, you know you're an enemy when he burns you.

This episode is way more significant than I realised it at first. This whole time, Alvin was Berk's only viable threat. But his beef was with Stoick, initially at least.

But now, Dagur is another. And the person he's going after is Hiccup. Dagur is Hiccup's first archenemy.

And it doesn't help that he's insane.

So, what I loved about this episode was, it heightened the stakes of the entire show AND also, showcased how Hiccup can out-wit, out-smart and challenge Dagur, who I think, must've been a pretty tough contender to command the massive armada he ends up leading.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAY BARUCHEL (9.4.2023)

I know this may come off super random, but it is Jay Baruchel's birthday today. I think we can all agree that Jay is the life and soul of Hiccup. If you follow me on twitter @reviewinghiccup, you should know that I am down the rabbit hole of Jay Baruchel movies, interviews and podcasts.

And what I love so much about this guy is the respect and reverence he has for the show. I mean, he constantly praises it and not just because of his role, which he believes pales in comparison to the artists designing and working the animation, but its obvious that he's a HTTYD superfan.

I love it when an actor pays their respects to the franchise and I do enjoy his take on the work and how much the line between who Hiccup is and who he is, as a person, is blurred.

He's an eloquent speaker and tries to produce, write and direct movies now, instead of act in them. He's based in Canada.

Anyways, something interesting I learned about him was, in an interview w Tom Power, he talks about the book he wrote and what being a fan means to him. Him being a fan of hockey and how precious it can be to live within a franchise or something as massive as indulging interests. It sorta validates me a little, specially since I've dived deep into HTTYD fandom since changing careers.

And just like Hiccup, there is way more to this guy than it seems. He's funny, humble, kind and generous with his time. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he's pretty jittery in real life too. But what kind of broke me, was finding out that even with his own father, he felt like he wasn't the kind of son his dad wanted.

Apparently, he had a complicated relationship with his dad which I believe may have bled into his work.

If you've watched enough of his interviews you'll know that he's had to support his mom and sister at 14-years-old with acting gigs because his father left and passed away when Jay was 21 following a drug overdose. Yet, he still remains so kind. I mean, his upbringing was tough, poor and difficult, yet you can still see him trudging through humbly, not wanting to draw attention to himself as much as he can help it.

In an interview article I read this morning, he explained that he wanted to continue being a good husband, son, brother, friend and I thought that was such a genuine Hiccup thing to say. He shoulders all these responsibilities and have been since he was a kid. Look, I don't know the guy personally, but from the expansive notes and recordings I've looked into, he seems pretty decent and I am such a huge fan.

As I grow older, I understand people on a different level. I accord respect so differently from how I would've years ago. And right now, I think what makes Jay Baruchel interesting is his sheer promise to do better for his family. And I think, in the absence of chiefing, running a village and saving the world, Hiccup is very much the same in that aspect too. A chief protects his own, which seems to be the mantra ringing in my head as I listen to Jay talk about his life.

You guys have no idea how much I know about this dude. I have possibly stalked him silly right now. And am a little embarrass as I admit this. Anyways, all I want is for him to succeed, in his work, life and family.