#lauren plays cyberpunk

[glassrunner]

HOLY FUCK THEY FINALLY UPDATED THE PHOTO OF RANDY AND RIVER 😭😭😭😭

[colorfulnickellandgarden]

NIGHT//DAY

[theaddictedwatcher]

Hello everyone!

The series I will introduce to you today is an American science fiction series categorized as cyberpunk. Created by Laeta Kalogridis (Avatar, Shutter Island, Alita: Battle Angel) and based on the novel of the same name written by Richard K. Morgan which was written in 2002, the first season of the series was commissioned by Netflix in 2016 and was released on the streaming platform in 2018. I'm going to tell you about the Altered Carbon series.

As always, let's start with a short synopsis: In a future where humans can transfer their minds from one body to another, Takeshi Kovacs -a rebel- is brought back to life 250 years after his death to solve the vicious murder of the richest man in the world -Laurens Bancroft- in exchange for his freedom. He must find allies, pay attention to every detail, and remember what he was taught as a diplomatic corps to succeed. And a short technical presentation : - Created by Laeta Kalogridis. Based upon Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon trilogy. - Music by Jeff Russo. - Main cast: Joel Kinnaman, Renée Elise Goldsberry, James Purefoy, Kristin Lehman, Martha Higareda, Dichen Lachman, Chris Conner, Ato Essandoh, Trieu Tran, Anthony Mackie, Lela Loren, Simone Missick, Dina Shihabi, Torben Liebrecht.

THE PRODUCTION

As I said in the introduction, Netflix ordered the series in January 2016, fifteen years after Laeta Kalogridis - the series's creator- optioned the rights for a film adaptation of Richard K. Morgan's 2002 novel Altered Carbon. According to her, the complex nature of the novel and the fact that the subject matter is rated R made it difficult to sell the project to a production company. But that was before Netflix launched the project as a series! In fact, the series was one of the many dramas commissioned in a short space of time by the streaming platform, which had committed to spending $5 billion on original content and agreed to make it a project for a mature audience over the age of 16.

Laeta Kalogridis co-wrote the script and was executive producer in addition to her role as creator of the project. Richard K. Morgan, the author of the novel, acted as a consultant during the production of the series. The first season - consisting of 10 episodes - was released in 2018 and the second season - consisting of 8 episodes - will be released in 2020.

In 2018, Netflix also announced an animated film derived from the series to ‘expand the universe’ by adding new elements to the story's mythology.

Titled Altered Carbon: Resleeved and released in March 2020, a month after the release of season 2, the feature film uses character designs by manga artist Yasuo Ōtagaki (Moonlight Mile). It is written by Dai Satō (Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop) and Tsukasa Kondo, directed by Takeru Nakajima (Sword Art Online) and Yoshiyuki Okada, and produced by Anima Studio. It also features an original soundtrack by Keigo Hoashi (Square Enix's Nier franchise) and Kinuyiki Takahashi.

Following the release of the second season and the animated film, Netflix decided in April 2020 not to renew the series. Unlike the cancellation of other series, the decision to cancel Altered Carbon was not linked to the COVID pandemic but stemmed from the lack of return on viewings to the production costs. In fact, the series is the most expensive Netflix production to date and, although production costs have not been disclosed, Joel Kinnaman - who plays Takeshi Kovacs, the series' lead character - said they had “a bigger budget than the first three seasons of Game of Thrones”.

Enough introductions, it's time to get to the heart of the matter! To be perfectly honest, I didn't enjoy watching this series, but I'll come back to that later. I didn't manage to watch it in full and haven't seen the film, although I'll give it a chance one day. In my observations and remarks, there could be questions that remain with me and which may have been answered in the episodes I couldn't bring myself to watch.

THE UNIVERSE

But let's start by giving you more information about the universe into which the series plunges us. The first season takes place in 2384, in a futuristic city called Bay City. In this future, a person's memory and consciousness can be stored on a disc - called a stack - implanted in the back of their neck. The shell can be human or synthetic. In the event of physical death, these storage discs can be transferred to a new envelope. However, if a person's disk is destroyed, then their death is final. While theoretically, this means that anyone can claim immortality, in practice only the richest people - the Meths - have the means to do so through the use of clones and remote back-ups of their consciousness. But these are very expensive and so reserved for a certain financially comfortable elite.

In this reality, Takeshi Kovacs - played by Byron Mann (Skyscraper, The Big Short) in flashbacks - is a political agent with mercenary skills. He is the only surviving soldier of the Envoys, a rebel group defeated during an uprising against the New World Order.

In the first season, which takes place 250 years after the destruction of the Envoys, Kovacs' stack is pulled from the prison where Kovacs was sentenced by Meth Laurens Bancroft. Played by James Purefoy (Solomon Kane, Churchill, Rome), the 300-year-old Bancroft is one of the richest men in the established worlds. Bancroft offers Kovacs a new shell - played by Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop, Suicide Squad) - and the chance to solve a murder and get a new lease on life.

The second season of Altered Carbon begins 30 years after the conclusion of season 1 and finds Takeshi Kovacs - played by Anthony Mackie (Captain America: Civil War, Black Mirror, Notorious) - the sole surviving soldier of an elite group of interstellar warriors, continuing his age-old quest to find his lost love, Quellcrist Falconer - played by Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton, The Good Wife, Masters of Sex). The season picks up some of the characters from Broken Angels - the second book in the series - but has a plot closer to that of the third book in the series, Woken Furies.

THE POST-CYBERPUNK GENRE

The term post-cyberpunk was first used around 1991 to describe Neal Stephenson's science fiction novel Snow Crash.

In 1998, in an article entitled Notes for a post-cyberpunk manifesto, the writer and critic Lawrence Person identified the emergence of a post-cyberpunk current. Cyberpunk was popular in the late 1970s and 1980s (Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, William Gibson's Neuromancer). Lawrence Person defines post-cyberpunk as ‘bringing in characters and settings different from cyberpunk, and, above all, making fundamentally different assumptions about the future. Far from being lonely outsiders, post-cyberpunk characters are often an integral part of society. They evolve in a future that is not necessarily anti-utopian (in fact, they are often bathed in an optimism that ranges from caution to exuberance), but their daily lives remain marked by rapid technological renewal and ubiquitous computerized infrastructure.’ (Notes for a post-cyberpunk manifesto, 1998).

The following are the main differences between post-cyberpunk and cyberpunk:

Like its predecessor, post-cyberpunk describes a realistic near-future rather than distant futures set in space. The focus is on the social effects of technology deployed on Earth rather than on space travel.

Cyberpunk typically deals with addicted loners in a dystopia, whereas post-cyberpunk tends to deal with people who are more involved in society, from the middle classes of the population, and there are very detailed descriptions of the characters' environment.

The post-cyberpunk individual tends to be warm and funny, attempting seduction through optimism after years of seduction through dread with the cyberpunk individual, who is colder and more sinister.

In cyberpunk, the alienating effects of new technology are highlighted, whereas in post-cyberpunk, technology is society. Post-cyberpunk therefore allows more technocratic themes and themes relating to the downside of technology to be included than cyberpunk.

Post-cyberpunk also offers a more realistic description of computers, consisting, for example, of the replacement of traditional virtual reality by a network of voice, image, sound or holography based on the Internet, or the abandonment of metallic implants in favor of body modifications using biotechnologies (particularly nanotechnologies).

Post-cyberpunk undoubtedly emerged in part because science fiction writers and the general population were beginning to use computers, the Internet, and PDAs without suffering the massive digital divide predicted in the 1970s and 1980s. The underlying idea was therefore to humanize the construction of cyberpunk universes and bring them closer to the life that the world's population could envisage in the future with the new technologies that were flourishing. The nightmarish visions engendered by the genre, including and especially in the popular imagination, covered what such a future could contain that was desirable. This is not to say that technological paradise is just around the corner, but that it is possible to be healthy and sane in a hyper-technological universe.

Emblematic works of the genre such as Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell, and the video games Deus Ex and Deus Ex: Invisible War by Ion Storm, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided by Eidos Montreal have all played a large part in democratizing the genre among a wider audience.

DIFFERENCES FROM THE NOVEL

As I haven't read the books, I'm giving you the information as I found it during my research into the series. I think I'll try to read the novels one day because, like the animated film, I'm very interested in the theme. As someone afraid of the direction our society is taking, of its relationship with technology, and in particular of its untimely and irrational use of artificial intelligence, I'm always interested in the warnings that artists try to convey through their work, whatever the medium. And I like to think that just because I didn't like an adaptation - it can happen - doesn't mean that the original material isn't worth discovering.

The first season is based on the novel Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan, published in 2002. This is the first volume of a trilogy recounting the adventures of Takeshi Kovacs, a post-cyberpunk techno-thriller series set on the West Coast of the United States at the end of the twenty-fifth century. Although the adaptation retains most of the main plot points of the first volume, the series introduces several major changes to its characters and organizations:

In the novel, the Envoys are elite soldiers of the Earth-based United Nations Protectorate, the complete opposite of the rebel freedom fighters portrayed in the series, who hail from Harlan's World where Takeshi Kovacs was born.

In the book, Takeshi Kovacs was imprisoned for his independent work after leaving the Envoys, whereas in the series, Kovacs is a captured rebel.

Reileen Kawahara's character in the novel was merely Kovacs' ruthless underworld boss and had no blood relationship with him, unlike their brother/sister relationship in the series where she is played by Dichen Lachman.

The Envoy who trained Kovacs in the book was Virginia Vidaura, whereas in the series she is only a minor character. The role of her trainer and her story are carried over to the character of Quellcrist Falconer, who in the third book is the messiah-like historical figure.

Falconer's rebellion did not take place during Kovacs' training, as in the series, but long before Kovacs was born in the books.

In Richard K. Morgan's novel, the Hendrix Hotel is a crucial character. It's not just a Jimi Hendrix-themed building, but also an artificial intelligence in the guise of Jimi Hendrix that has a strange bond with its only guest, Takeshi Kovacs. With Hendrix's estate refusing to license his image for the TV series due to its violence, series's creator Laeta Kalogridis chose the likeness of Edgar Allan Poe - played by Chris Conner - and a Victorian hotel for the replacement AI in Poe's image and said it would juxtapose well with the futuristic look of Bay City.

In the books, Kristin Ortega - played by Martha Higareda- is a much less important character. The main female character in the series, the dedicated detective doesn't have a devastating fight with the Ghostwalker, nor does she get a new super-powered arm. Her subplot with her family and religion isn't explored in the book and she isn't captured and tortured by Rei - although she is tortured all the same. Also, in the book her partner is called Rodrigo, not Aboud, and he doesn't date her mother.

And these are just some of the changes that were made when the novels were adapted for Netflix.

THEMES

Let's move on to the themes addressed in this dystopian work. Many of the themes addressed by the series - such as the human-machine interface, the alliance between technology and our society, cyberspace and objective reality, hyper-urbanisation and artificial intelligence - are recurring themes in cyberpunk and post-cyberpunk works.

Because of the technological implications, the subject also raises moral questions. Is murder always immoral if it is consensual and the victim can be reimplanted in a new body in the space of a few minutes? The police themselves issue permits for spectacular fights to the death, organized in the homes of the rich, with husbands and wives teaming up to fight to the death for entertainment (the winner receiving a new, improved body).

However, another major implication was raised during the first season of Altered Carbon, which Laeta Kalogridis herself underlines: the separation of soul and body and the question of gender identity. If you could choose your own body, would you choose the one you were born with? This is a critical question for transgender people or those whose gender is fluid, and, for the show's creator, the subject was only touched on in this first season. However, she told TheWrap in 2019 that she would like to explore this dimension in more detail :

“The idea that this kind of technology creates interesting intersections between your idea of your physical self and your idea of your inner or spiritual self, or your idea of being fluid in some way, certainly the idea of reassigning your gender, becomes a whole lot easier if you don’t actually have to do it surgically. At the very least it becomes different. You are still in a body you weren’t born in. And I think exploring the idea of being able to recreate the physical self in another different way, I mean we’ve barely scratched the surface of that. And LGBTQ, and so many issues, and the ways in which we feel comfortable or uncomfortable in our physical bodies, are things that I think the show is very right to explore but has not yet been able to do. Certainly first season. We touched on it a little bit — but not much. I mean if we did get a second season — which we don’t know yet — but if we were to get a second season, I would definitely say that was one thing we frankly didn’t have time to touch on and wasn’t dealt with in the book at all. We went a little further than the book did, but honestly, it was just about time.”

What's interesting to me about these themes is that the creators - Richard K. Morgan and Laeta Kalogridis - are both aware that technological developments of all kinds are changing the structure of the world, just as cars, air travel, the Internet, and cell phones have done, and that they're not trying to wrap a soft pink cloud around the dangers that could await us in a few decades.

COSTUMES

There's one aspect that surprised me, it's the costume work in the series. Having read that the production had created approximately 2,000 costumes for the series, including 500 unique, made-to-measure pieces, I was expecting to get a real kick out of this. And although the work of Ann Foley (Marvel's Agents of SHIELD) for season 1, Cynthia Ann Summers (The Last of Us) for season 2 and their teams is visible, I was expecting more grandiose costumes, especially for the Bancrofts who are one of the wealthiest families on Earth at the time of the story. The artistic direction chosen was to make simple, realistic costumes to illustrate the fashion of the future, while adding a color palette and specific details, notably for the Meths.

However, I really like the idea of subtle costume changes for characters who use the same body envelope to differentiate them, as with Miriam Bancroft and her daughter Naomi - both played by Kristin Lehman. Upon this subject, the actress declared that she was very interested in the challenge this ambivalence would require and that it was quite different from her usual roles.

SHOOTING LOCATIONS

The series was mainly filmed at Skydance Studios in Vancouver, Canada, where they stayed for eight months to shoot the first season. Most of Altered Carbon's scenes were created on green screen and in CGI to accentuate the futuristic effect of the universe.

Lead actor Joel Kinnaman told Canadian publication K5 News about the shoot:

"We had a set three soccer pitches deep. Around 400 or 500 extras were bustling around us, it was a real living city, with noodle stores, construction workers and police officers… You could just breathe in the universe without having to imagine anything."

Some of the sets were filmed in real locations, such as Laurens Bancroft's gardens pictured above which were filmed in the Rose Garden at the University of British Columbia, or the hall of the Marine Building, which served as the Bancroft family home.

The former Canada Post building was used as the setting for the Wei Clinic, where Kovacs was tortured. The scenes with the Envoys were filmed on the Sea to Sky Gondola suspension bridge in Squamish.

Other filming locations in Vancouver included the Convention Centre West Building, the VanDusen Botanical Gardens Visitor Centre, the UBC Museum of Anthropology and the Qube.

MUSIC

Finally, I'd like to mention the work done by Jeff Russo (Umbrella Academy) and his team on the series' soundtrack, which is, to me, the only real positive point of this adaptation. What I particularly liked about their proposal is that they managed to combine very modern tracks like techno or hard rock (e.g. Karate by BABYMETAL) with much older pieces like jazz masterpieces by Django Reinhardt or even classical music (Anton Dvorak or Mozart). Mingling this alliance with the original creations composed by Jeff Russo for the series allows this soundtrack to create the unique atmosphere of each scene, making it easier for viewers to identify the characters and the stakes involved.

To be perfectly honest, when I was writing this article, I was listening to the series' soundtrack which, even outside the series, is very catchy and captivating. Even though I wasn't really hooked on the series, it allowed me to immerse myself in this universe and draw some personal reflections from it. For me, it's one of the greatest proofs of a successful composer's work: managing to draw someone into a specific universe using a few pieces of music alone.

CONCLUSION

And we are done with the Altered Carbon series. If you've made it this far, thank you for reading and staying!

I'm a pretty tenacious person and don't like to give up on series along the way - even when I don't like them - so I have to admit I'm disappointed to have to add this series to the short list of abandoned series where it joins The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad (amongst others). Someday I hope that the animated film Altered Carbon: Resleeved will find favor in my eyes and redeem the adaptation of this universe, which at the moment still looks fun and interesting to explore.

Until that day comes, I'll leave you to it. Despite this setback for me, I can only advise you to follow Laeta Kalogridis' work and read this fine interview with her on the Refinery29 website, in which she talks, among other things, about her approach to nudity as a feminist weapon.

For those of you who have seen the series or read the novels, I'm curious to know your opinion, especially if it differs from mine. So feel free to leave a little comment below the article or send me a message, on the blog or on Instagram at @theaddictedwatcherreviews.

Have a great week, happy viewings, and I'll see you next time!

Eli.

[therogerclarkfanclub]

Roger has a new game in the works! 🎉He is working along side Bryan Dechart and Amelia Rose Blaire, who will take the role of Chelsea Williams, the main character on this new 2D action-adventure game set in the future.

Evolutis: Duality is a 2D story-driven action game inspired by 80s Anime that takes you on a cyberpunk adventure in a limitless city of the future. 🎮

Play as Chelsea Williams, a fighter in Fenghai, facing corruption & tough choices to support her ailing father.

Game Features: • Cutting edge 2D story-driven action game inspired by '80s anime-realism and set in Fenghai, where the city never sleeps. • Discover the mystery of Fenghai through an immersive and dramatic storyline. • Engage in futuristic combat with a great variety of skill, and experience the world and story with immersive controls. • Deal with corruption and crime from local gangs and forces, or just relax in Chelsea's apartment. Just try to stay alive!

Roger plays the role of Ricky Peril, a thick hair chested bloke who sounds like he may be one of the bad guys, but it's too soon to tell.

The game will also feature the amazing talents from:

Amelia Rose Blaire (Traci in Detroit: Become Human)

Cissy Jones (Fury in Darksiders 3)

Dave Fennoy (Lee Everett in TellTales' The Walking Dead)

Bryan Dechart (Connor in Detroit: Become Human)

Lauren Tom (Lady Masako Adachi in Ghost of Tsushima)

Erika Ishii (Miyoko in Dragonfly)

Ben Lavin (Scott in The Rookie)

Daisuke Tsuji (Jin Sakai in Ghost of Tsushima)

Earl T. Kim (Norio in Ghost of Tsushima)

So far the game is set to release on PC only. Release date TBA

[dream-thief-forever-amen]

rules: you can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. put your playlist on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, and then tag 10 people. no skipping!

Tagged by @saturnskyline

- [ ] Punch - NCT

- [ ] Easy - KEY

- [ ] Spotlight - Jessie Ware

- [ ] No One Dies From Love - Tove Lo

- [ ] Cyberpunk - Ateez

- [ ] Self Control - Lauren Brannigan

- [ ] Night call - Kavinsky

- [ ] Back Down - P1Harmony

- [ ] Favorite Vampire - NCT 127

- [ ] Hidden Side - Hwang Min Hyun

Genuinely surprised a few of these popped up - and shocked Onew, SHINEe, and Baekhyun did not cause they are on steady rotation recently.

Wanna play? Tagging: @afloweroutofstone @soracities @pharawee @fluidsoul31 @perfectlyherwerewolf @nihilisticcondensedmilk

[fantrollology]

🔫🎀🖍️- for ceefor and lauren? :)

🔫 PISTOL - do they trust people easily? how easily will they turn their back to someone? have they been backstabbed before? will they betray someone if given an ultimatum?

Ceefor - Ceefor does NOT trust easily and is infallibly loyal to very very few. It takes forever to earn her trust and it's lost at the slightest betrayal. But if Cee truly has your back, and you have hers, she will NEVER fuck you over. Her first boyfriend fucked with her brain (literally) and abandoned her without notice so yeah she's been backstabbed before, and shes also witnessed plenty of backstabbing within the corporate minefield, and probably got her own serving of it early in her business development.

Lauren - He'll trust people to the extent it benefits him. I mean, he trusted Styx to fake his death. I think he believes in the good in people individually but as a whole thinks of people as selfish and stupid so he takes everything with a grain of salt. So I guess it depends on what he's trusting them with! If you stick out your neck for him in a real way he'll owe you one, but his loyalty has pretty clear weak spots. He's a fickle guy. I think he's gotten screwed over in a mild way a couple times in the fleet but he's never been the sort to risk his shit for anyone.

🎀 RIBBON - how would they fit into other worlds / aus? what aus would you like to try out? what fictional world would they fit / not fit into?

I think both Cee and Lauren could play well in any scifi or cyberpunk universe because of their place in space. Contemporary worlds would play just fine, too. Fantasy would be a bit of a wrestle with Cee but Lauren could probably be plopped anywhere and I could work with it. I don't play around with AUs too much though honestly!

🖍️ CRAYON - what advice would you give to them?

Cee - Close interpersonal relationships are worth it. Vulnerability is worth it. Other people are capable of helping you in ways you couldn't imagine. Just because you're doing well enough alone doesn't mean you have to keep doing it alone. Not everything can be worked through by yourself, and it doesn't have to be. The friends you have aren't a one-stop-shop; just because you had to lean on someone before and haven't "paid it back" doesn't mean you can't do it again. Relationships aren't an exchange like that.

Lauren - Go back inside and change, you're not going out in that. Rinse off some of that cologne I can smell you from over here. Clean your room. Call your fucking mother and apologize. Get a real job. No, I don't care if you "tried that before." The reason you feel like shit isn't because "nothings good enough for you" but because you won't let it feel right. If you don't want to belong anywhere then you won't. You don't just get plopped somewhere and suddenly live up to "your potential." And DON'T take that tone with me!!!!!!!!!!!

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Saturday, June 3rd

SENATOR: The vampire with a soul will play a pivotal role in the apocalypse. VAIL: And as a reward, will become human. SEBASSIS: A paranoid person might think you're trying to manipulate us in an attempt to fulfill this prophecy. ANGEL: I have no desire to become human. SEBASSIS: Oh, good. Then you won't mind signing that pesky future away. Through that document, the prophecy can be undone. Your signature there will remove any opportunity that you will ever earn your once-precious humanity. Will you sign it? ANGEL: Of course.

~~Not Fade Away~~

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for at least one new editor. Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! Find out more here.

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

First Turn in the Spiral by Gabriel_Is_My_Guardian_Angel89 (Angel/Spike, E)

Guardian of the Night by Loki_Dokie_Okie (Xander/reader, G)

Sweet dreams are made of this by Bl4ckHunter (Warren, The Sandman crossover, T)

Flower in the Desert by InMyOwnHeadItGoesLikeThis (Willow/Tara, T)

Accidental Slumber by lokidokieokie (Giles/reader, not rated)

Guardian of the Night by lokidokieokie (Xander/reader, not rated)

Get Well by way2geeky (Spike/reader, not rated)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Dress My Body All in Flowers White, Chapter 28 by othellia (Buffy/Spike, M)

sunnydale anonymous, Chapter 16 by bodytoflame (Buffy/Faith, T)

Divide & Conquer, Chapter 37 by Removes_and_Cleans_Glasses_00 (Buffy/Giles, E)

The Wedding, Chapter 6 by Alwaysandforevermylove (Buffy/Faith, E)

Just Married, Chapter 3 (complete!) by AJ Fields (myfanfiction) (Xander/Anya, T)

Held Together, Chapter 7 by MadeInGold (Angel/Spike, M)

Moments that Make You: The Hero and The Princess, Chapter 5 by myheadsgonenumb (Cordelia/Doyle, T)

objects in the mirror are not as they appear, Chapter 2 (complete!) by BeatriceEveryTuesday (Giles/Jenny, T)

A Family Room at the Heartbreak Hotel, Chapter 5 by Julikobold (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Twice Broken, Thrice Burnt, Chapter 7 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Neighbor's Point of View, Chapter 16 by the_big_bad (Buffy/Spike, PG)

Sparks, Chapter 6 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Saviour and the Slayer, Chapter 1 by OUATBuffyFanHere (OC Summers sister, Once Upon a Time crossover, FR13)

A Family Room at the Heartbreak Hotel, Chapter 5 by Julikobold (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Twice Broken, Thrice Burnt, Chapter 7 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Float, Chapter 7 by Grief Counseling (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Tattoo: the slayer Scythe by Lonely-Wasabi-305

Artwork: Spike "Every day I save you" by absentfather (worksafe)

Artwork: anya and giles study by williamprattz (worksafe)

Artwork: Faith and Sasha Waybright by tales-of-lellu (worksafe)

Icons: Willow/Tara by buffyversefans (worksafe)

Special effects: Angel S4 Spider Monster part 1 by Christopher Burdett

Special effects: Angel S4 Spider Monster part 2 by Christopher Burdett

Special effects: "No Face" ghost from Hellbound by Christopher Burdett

Artwork/sewing: Buffy hoodie by rattusrattus3 (worksafe)

Playlist: Buffy x Faith by super-rangers

Fanvid: If I Can’t Love Her - Roy Mustang/Spike/Kaz Brekker/Mr Darcy by Lauren Rogers

Fanvid: Buffy the vampire slayer crashed Melrose Place (opening) by Soaps4Life

Fanvid: Spike and Klaus- My Way (Gary Oldman as Sid Vicious cover) by Bobblehead89

Fanvid: buffy vs Dracula 4K (Gods & Monsters) by Moon Child

Fanvid: BTVS | Help, i'm alive by WeCan Try

Music: Slayer - Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Cyberpunk Dystopia

[Reviews & Recaps]

angel "you're welcome" by elliebartlets

Conversations with Dead People by spikes-left-eyebrow

Video: Into the Buffyverse 1:1 Hellmouth by Biffs Werewolf World

Video: Did Buffy become a vampire? Season 1 Episode 10 review [Nightmares] by All Things Aida

[Search]

Fic search: looking for a BtVS Willow/Tara fic that was originally posted on the old Kittenboard by keliana856 via ao3fics-lost-and-found

Fic search: spike & Buffy living in Latin America because of time travel by mypalal8907

[Fandom Discussions]

Is Willow a bad person for getting with somebody like Kennedy? by Girl4Music

the state of buffy media makes me so insane by helpfulbug

Bangel v. Spuffy v. Fuffy in terms of episodes where they have scenes together by juanabaloo

Buffy Season 2, Episode 17 Passion Thoughts by linkspooky

any time i see art from the btvs comics by louisandjade

Angel signing letters with “A” instead of his name by oveliagirlhaditright

Buffy can always tell when it’s Angel or not by oveliagirlhaditright

the few times that Buffy and Willow really fight in BTVS, you feel it and it usually has such devastating consequences by oveliagirlhaditright

the mutiny scene [in Empty Places] by tuiyla

[About the Kennedy dislike] by tuiyla

when Buffy goes to kill Faith in Graduation Day, she changes into an outfit in Faith’s color palette first by witchothewest

angel’s photographic memory by angel-thoughts-dum

How is Spike, even with the posthypnotic trigger, more dangerous than Willow? by hero-adjacent

Giles likely got $52,000 ($1k a week) a year working for the Watcher’s Council by hero-adjacent

[What is Buffy doing during Angel S4?] by mayorsquid

Was Fred’s death unnecessarily cruel? by vampmogs

The Darla and Drusilla Season 2 Storyline should have been more developed by Billboard_1183

Anyone else hated that Angel was ready to die for Darla? by Sutech2301

Dawson's Creek references in Buffy could hint at how the Spike/Angel/Buffy triangle could eventually turn out by APixelPrincess

Why doesn’t The Initiative care about LA? by Eagles56

Xander [looking too old] by Speed-Zealousideal

Season 4 was The Worst. Season 3 was The Best by Billboard_1183

Flooded (episode 4, season 6) - What the hell, Willow and Tara? by dismustbetheplace

How could Angel have come back after being killed by Buffy? by RansieTheWitch

Do you believe there was ever a way Warren could have been redeemed? by mbene913

Out of all the characters, who has the best wardrobe? by DistastefulSideboob_

"I could smack ya so hard, your eyeballs'll switch sockets" by kipcarson37

Why does the master say 'my soul is your soul' when he's doing that ritual? by Boble123pop

Naive Buffy by moshmoshhh

Video: Buffy Fans LOVE It ... But ...: A Dissent on "The Body" - Did Season 6 Do Grief Better? by Examining Kubrick Philosophy Craven Nolan

Video: Buffy: The Many Ways To Slay by Black Diamond Lore

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[maicherry]

Survey

What is your name?- Brittany

What is your nickname?- Brittleigh

What is your favorite BREAKFAST food? - I love all breakfast foods. Eggs in all ways, bacon, toast with butter, pancakes, waffles, french toast, grits, oatmeal, cream of wheat, sausage balls give me ALL of it

What is your favorite LUNCH food?- Im a foodie so this changes constantly. Soup and sandwich currently.

What is your favorite DINNER food?- See previous, but if I had to choose, spaghetti.

What is your favorite DESSERT?- Anything citrusy.

What is your favorite poolside drink?- Cold brew black iced coffee no cream no sugar.

 Where did you go to college?- I didnt.

 Do you have any food allergies?- Not that Im aware of. I was raised differently in my day. We ate what we were given or we didnt eat.

What is your favorite JUNK FOOD?- Anything cheesy.

 What is your favorite SNACK?- Cheese and crackers, fruit, pickles, hummus.

What is your favorite sport to WATCH?- Gymnastics.

What is your favorite sport to PLAY?- Gymnastics.

What TYPE of MUSIC do you like?- Vaporwave, synthwave, futurepop, industrial, nu metal, goth, cyberpunk.

What is your favorite SONG?- Anything by Depeche Mode, The Birthday Massacre, Crystal Castles, VNV Nation, Assemblage 23 etc.

What is your favorite color?- Blue, anything sparkly, glittery, neon, pastel, plastic, shiny, holographic, iridescent, rainbow.

 What is your motto?- Fuck the world gently with a chainsaw.

 What is your pet peeve?- Hypocrisy

Do you have any hobbies? If yes, what are they?- Mostly internet related such as cataloging, archiving, researching etc. Also scrapbooking, collecting and antiquing/thrifting.

What is your favorite book? Stellaluna. I also love the Fallen series by Lauren Kate even though Im in my 30s now. When it first came out I read through it all and havent stopped going back and rereading it ever since.

What is your all time favorite movie?- The Lost Boys and the Labyrinth.

[cclkestis]

I really want to pre-order cyberpunk 2077 once I have the money but I need the required pc specs first so I can decide whether to get it on pc or ps4 aaaAHHH

[falcqns]

I know that I'm boring and that you'll probably block me if I request something again, but you're the only one who always writes request, so thanks in advance. ❤💕 Well, I thought of this, Henry as my husband entered the bedroom where I'm in bed with Kal sleeping barely covered by a blanket in panties only because I started to sleep like this like Henry. It can be always smutty smut like you perfectly write it. ❤

Big Brat

Pairing: Henry Cavill x Reader

Warnings: Smut! Fluff, bratty Henry (like big brat), use of sign language, slight angst at the end 

A/N: I would never block you love! I absolutely love getting requests! I’m sorry this took so long to get to, I just started my second semester of college, and I have way more classes, plus a baby and some other drama which I’ll probs rant about later lmao. I hope you enjoy!

Henry had been downstairs in his office, playing Cyberpunk for hours. Due to an injury on set, he couldn't film, so he was stuck at home. You had hung out with him for a few hours while he played, but eventually made your way upstairs when you became too tired.

“Text me when you’re done so I can help you up the stairs, kay?” You had asked. He agreed with a smile. His injury wasn’t too bad, but he still had trouble going up and down the stairs, and his pain got worse at night, so you made it your full time job to help him. 

However, you should have known he wouldn’t listen. While he was grateful for your help, when he glanced at the clock and saw that it read 2:13 am, he knew he wouldn't wake you. He wasn’t THAT injured. 

He saved the game, and turned off the computer before slowly limping his way out of his office. He glanced around the downstairs of his home, and didn't see Kal, so he knew that the big bear was upstairs with you. He took a deep breath before making the journey up the stairs. 

He walked into the room, and his breath caught in his throat. You were nestled under the covers, with Kal snoring beside you. You had pulled the majority of the blanket to your chest, and had your right arm and right leg thrown over top of it, cuddling it. His eyes made the journey from your face, down your body, and stopping when he noticed you weren't wearing any pants, only blue panties.

He let out a low groan, and quickly stripped out of his clothes, before sitting down on the bed in his boxers.

He pet Kal in between the ears, gently coaxing the Akita awake.

The bear let out a low growl before turning to look at his dad in annoyance, sending a chuckle through Henry’s chest. 

“Sorry, buddy, daddy’s gotta go to bed so you have to move,” He whispered, and watched in amusement as the dog grunted in annoyance, but complied, jumping off the bed and making his way to his own.

Kal jostled the bed as he jumped off, which woke you up. 

“Henry? Why didn't you text me?” You asked, and watched as he slowly laid his body down, gripping his injured leg and easing it up and onto the bed.

“You were asleep, I didn’t want to disturb you,” He reasoned, as his head hit the pillow.

You sighed in annoyance, propping your arm up on your elbow, your head in your hand.

“You could have hurt yourself more,” 

Henry scoffed, and ran his fingers through your hair. “But I didn't,” He whispered, and pressed a sweet kiss to your lips. You smiled into the kiss, your annoyance melting away the second his skin touched yours. “God, you look beautiful.” He mumbled into the kiss, his left hand running up your legs and coming to rest on top your panty covered hip.

You giggled whilst pulling away. 

“Hen, your doctor said no strenuous activity for a least two weeks while your leg heals,” You reminded him, a knowing smile on your face. His head fell back once more, before sighing. “You don’t want to have to tell Lauren that you can't film for even longer because you had sex with your wife and hurt your leg even more, do you?” 

He gave you a side eye look. “No.” You chuckled as he covered his bare chest with his arms, crossing them. “it’s not fair,” He complained.

You rolled your eyes, and laid down. “Sometimes life isn't, my dear.” All you got was a grunt in response.

You rolled over, laughing at your husbands childish antics. You threw the comforter over your body, and tossed some to him, choosing to ignore the way he pushed it off moments later, obviously deciding to be a brat about the whole situation. 

“I love you,” You said in a singsong voice.

“No, you don't.” He grunted, a sniffle following moments later. You flipped over and almost laughed in annoyance at what you saw. He had his arms crossed over his chest still, his eyebrows were furrowed in annoyance, and tears were streaming down his cheeks.

“Are you seriously crying because I won't fuck you?” 

He snapped his head to glare at you. “Yes,”

“Why?” You asked, exasperated at his attitude.

“Because, I walked in and saw my beautiful wife wearing the blue panties I bought for her while filming Mission, and she won't even let me sleep with her because I’ll ‘hurt myself’,” He said, putting the last two words in air quotes.

“First of all, you're being a brat, second of all, you will hurt yourself.”

He scoffed again before answering. “No, I won't!”    

You breathed out through your nose before continuing. “Hen, that’s exactly what you said about the stupid stunt! And guess what, you hurt yourself, which is why we’re in this stupid situation.”

He sighed, before rolling over, you following and rolling to the other side.

You felt him roll back a few minutes later and had to mentally prepare yourself for the sheer stupidity that was sure to spill from his mouth.

“You could ride me.”

You eyes flew open, and your body flipped to face him again. 

“What?”

“You heard me.” “Obviously I heard you, you dingus, but no, I am not doing that.” “Please?” He begged.

You laid down again, and closed your eyes. “I’ve said no. You haven't listened to a word I’ve said, argued about every little thing, and are refusing to stop being a brat and just go to sleep! Its almost 3 am,”

He sighed again, and you felt your patience running out. “But, baby-” He began to say before you lost it.

You sat up and threw the blankets off of you before tugging off the panties and tossing them on the floor. You pushed Henry on his back and climbed on him.

“Shut up.” You demanded, and he opened his mouth to speak, but you cut him off, your hand slapping to his mouth. “I said shut up. You’ve pissed me off, so I’m going to ride you until I cum, and then I’m going to bed. I don't give two shits wether or not you finish. Now. Shut. Up.”

His eyes widened, and his hands ran up your legs, before you slapped one of them.

“You don't get to talk, you don’t get to touch. You’re in trouble, this is your punishment.” He sighed in annoyance, but accepted his fate.

You fished him out of his underwear and to your surprise, he was rock hard. You pumped him a few times, and glared up at him when he let out a moan.

“I said no talking!”

He opened his mouth to speak, but decided not to, instead communicating through sign language.

‘Thats not talking.’ He signed. You mentally cursed yourself for helping him learn sign language when he saw you communicating with a child at work who was deaf.

“No sounds.” You growled. He rolled his eyes and brought his straight hand up from his neck to his chin and pointing at you.

“Yeah, yeah, fuck you too,” You said, before guiding him inside you.

You didn't give him time to adjust being inside you, instead you immediately started bouncing on him, and letting out moans.

Henry had his eyes squeezed shut, and his lip was trapped in between his teeth in an attempt to silence his moans. His hands were balled up and gripping the bedsheets underneath him as well.

You chuckled at him and stopped bouncing to grind your hips against his.

“If you would have waited until tomorrow morning, I would have willingly rode you,” You growled out, the pleasure from riding him quickly growing in your lower belly. “But, no, you had to be a stubborn little shit and piss me off.”

Henry locked eyes with you, pleading you to let him touch you. 

“I said no.” You grunted, riding him even faster. You could feel your clit catching on his hip every once in a while, and it was slowly bringing you to the edge.

By the look on Henry’s face, he was close too, but you didn't care about his pleasure. He had been selfish, now it was your turn.

You bounced on him as fast as you could, your head thrown back, and your hands gripping your husbands large pecs.

“Fuck, even when I’m mad at you, you still make me feel so fucking good,” You cried out. You were teetering on the edge, so you reached your hand in between your legs and rubbed your clit quickly, which threw you over the edge.

You came on Henry, crying and rocking, the waves of pleasure that crashed down on you seemly never-ending. 

You felt him tense up just as you were coming down from your high, and immediately moved off of him. He stared at you in confusion as you grabbed your panties off the ground and slipping them on, before grabbing your phone and walking towards the door.

You turned back to look at him. “I’m still very mad at you, so I’m sleeping in the guest room. If you touch yourself, I will not sleep with you until you’ve finished filming.” You said, before walking out the door, letting it slam shut behind you.

Henry sighed in desperation, but let you go. He’d make it up to you tomorrow, but he was too tired to do anything tonight, even finish himself off.

He rolled on his side carefully, and cuddled your pillow into his chest. He drifted off to the thought of you, wishing you were sleeping next to him.

[roleplayfinder]

Looking For RP Partner!

This is my first time doing this so please spare me :3

Hi! My Name is Ginger and I'm 19 years old (turning 20 soon) who is a lesbian and uses she/her pronouns! I am a very chill individual and I reply super duper fast! Take a look at my info down below to see if you want to rp with me! 

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

I am really into Star Wars lately so I would love to play Padme or Obi-Wan (cause he baby and soft boi) but I also do rp with my Ocs, which are both female! So I am good with FxF or FxM but with canon characters I usually do MxM. My only triggers are self-harm and animal abuse.

I am good with NSFW themes as well as gore so I would love a partner that is 18+ to explore these themes with. But I usually play bottoms so ha. But I usually do romantic plots but with some drama and action!

I also write Semi Lit to Novella! 

I am a huge Sci-Fi Nerd as well as a Fantasy Nerd and 007 Nerd So here are my Settings I Love!

Sci-Fi

Fantasy

Horror

Drama 

Cyberpunk

Historical

007; James Bond or secret Agens

Star Wars

Superheros 

I am really into just rping Star Wars but I can rp these characters:

Aziraphale (Good Omens)

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars)

Padme Amidala (Star Wars)

My Ocs (I have drawings of them I can show you!)

Alex Ham, John Laurens (Historical)

I love cartoons and I also love chatting! Please tell me if you are doing something because I am anxious ginger but I hope to meet some people! :3 

Here Is my Discord Which Is what I use or comment if you can't get this tag to work:

GingerSnappies#1007 

#Star Wars role-play

#Eighteen and Over

#NSFW

#OCs

#Good Omens

#007

#Fantasy

#SciFi

[glassrunner]

ahfjsjgjs i can NOT stop thinking about how fucking incredible phantom liberty is

i’ve already waxed poetic about the title but it is truly so apt for both songbird and v — they’re trapped in no-win situations of their own unintentional design, yet continue to fight for freedom even though their lives will still be constrained significantly. for v in the normal endings, it’s those mere six months of life remaining even after they purge johnny from their body; even in the tower ending, they must contend with trading their current life and loved ones to become a stranger in a strange world, even if they’re free to live life not on a timer.

but for songbird… if v sends her to the moon, she will almost certainly end up in lifetime debt to whomever is willing to operate on her — possibly mr. blue eyes and other rogue AIs, which could be more dangerous than putting her in myers’ hands. if v gives her back to the FIA, she ends up trapped in the same old cage and with even tighter chains thanks to her acts of treason. and depending on whether or not she goes rogue and gives herself over to the blackwall as she destroys the stadium, she can end up being too far gone to save. of course v can also euthanize her, but obviously that doesn’t give her any opportunity for experiencing the freedom she was willing to sacrifice so much for.

the only way to escape this inescapable prison is for both songbird and v to not have chosen the paths they did — to not have aimed for the stars, overreached, and fallen. but what kind of life is that, especially in the world of cyberpunk where you have to excel just to really live? phantom liberty indeed: the obfuscation of life such that the pursuit of greatness becomes a noose around your neck.

and then there’s the relationship between reed and songbird as well, the intertwining of their fates… reed doubles down on his dogmatic loyalty to the FIA if v helps songbird escape, and for her to reach the moon, v has to kill him. but reed only starts to doubt his blind devotion when his protege clearly suffers in servitude to the same organization — and in the ending where v chooses to end songbird’s suffering, he finally expresses a desire to leave the FIA behind, having faced the fact that it’s quite literally sucked the life out of both of them.

one must die for the other to be free. and does life afterwards feel worth it? knowing that it took the death of someone you cared for just to get to where you are?

[mostlysignssomeportents]

All the books I reviewed in 2020

I know it's a little late for Xmas shipping, but I'm FINALLY getting around to publishing a roundup of all the books I reviewed in 2019!

Part 1: FICTION FOR ADULTS

I. AGENCY by William Gibson: A sequel to The Peripheral for the Trump years, about seductive bitterness of imagined alternate timelines, filled with cyberpunk cool and action.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2020-01-24/agency-william-gibson

II. RIOT BABY by Tochi Onyebuchi: An incandescent Afrofuturist novella that connects the Rodney King uprising with contemporary struggle, pitting supernatural powers against dire politics.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/04/23/riot-baby/#Tochi-Onyebuchi

III. OR WHAT YOU WILL by Jo Walton: A metafiction about the desperate attempt of a character to pull his writer into a fictional world to save the both from human mortality.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/07/little-bro-with-snowden/#metafiction

IV. A BEAUTIFULLY FOOLISH ENDEAVOR by Hank Green: Sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing - a madcap and sometimes brutal tale of social media influencers, alien invaders, disinformation, and runaway capitalism.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/08/absolutely-remarkable-thing/#carls

V. FAILED STATE by Christopher Brown: A legal eco-thriller that imagines the end of capitalism without imagining the end of the world - cyberpunk meets ecotopianism, with anarchist jurisdictions, show-trials, and rewilding.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/12/failed-state/#chris-brown

VI. AFTERLAND by Lauren Beukes: Eerily well-timed road-trip novel set after a prostate-cancer plague wipes out nearly every man on Earth, except for the protagonist's teenaged son, who is now being hunted by the (all-female) US government.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/28/afterland/#XY

VII. BALLISTIC KISS by Richard Kadrey: Sandman Slim confronts the worst demons of all - his own trauma and self-doubt.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/25/anxietypunk/#bk

VIII. SQUEEZE ME by Carl Hiaasen: Hiaasen was writing comedic whodunnits about improbable Florida Man types decades before the memes, and his Mar-a-Lago gator plague novel is a hectic and hilarious tale for our times.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/05/florida-man/#disappearing-act

VIII. The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson: KSR says it's his last novel and I say it's the book he's been training to write all his life. If you like your climate fiction wrenching but still uplifting enough to move you to tears...

https://pluralistic.net/2020/12/03/ministry-for-the-future/#ksr

IX. SET MY HEART TO FIVE by Simon Stephenson: An absurdist robot-romp in the mold of Kurt Vonnegut about a robot who catches the disease of emotions and tries to treat it by moving to Hollywood to write screenplays about robots.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/01/cant-pay-wont-pay/#robot-rights

Part 2: NONFICTION FOR ADULTS

I. A PUBLIC SERVICE by Tim Schwartz: An incredibly practical, detailed guide for would-be whistleblowers (and journalists who work with them) to staying safe while spilling the beans.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/01/08/a-public-service-a-comprehensive-comprehensible-guide-to-leaking-documents-to-journalists-and-public-service-groups-without-getting-caught/

II. THE MONSTERS KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING by Keith Ammann: A sourcebook for RPG game-masters explaining how different kinds of monsters can use a variety of combat tactics that add depth, texture (and challenge) to your games.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/01/10/the-monsters-know-what-theyre-doing-an-rpg-sourcebook-for-dms-who-want-to-imbue-monsters-with-deep-smart-tactics/

III. SNOWDEN'S BOX by Jessica Bruder and Dale Maharidge: The incredible, true tale of how trust among friends allowed Snowden's leaks to safely transit from his home in Hawai'i to the hands of Laura Poitras and the journalists who reported the story.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/03/31/snowdens-box-the-incredible-illuminating-story-of-the-journey-of-snowdens-hard-drive/

III. ABOLISH SILICON VALLEY by Wendy Liu: A personal journey from a fully bought-in believer in Silicon Valley's meritocracy to a ferocious critic who demands tech to serve humanity, not a human race in service to the tech industry.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/04/14/abolish-silicon-valley-memoir-of-a-driven-startup-founder-who-became-an-anti-capitalist-activist/

IV. THE CASE FOR A JOB GUARANTEE by Pavlina Tcherneva: A fierce little book setting out an economic program to rescue the nation and the planet from a system that insists we can't even hope for a better world.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/22/jobs-guarantee/#job-guarantee

VII. SUBPRIME ATTENTION CRISIS by Tim Hwang: What's worse than having our lies destroyed by surveillance to manipulate us with ads? Having our lives destroyed by surveillance in order to fuel a fraudulent market in ad-based manipulation.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/05/florida-man/#wannamakers-ghost

VIII. MONOPOLIES SUCK by Sally Hubbard: There are plenty of *great* books about monopolies and the resurgence in antitrust, but Hubbard's is the most practical, providing the reader with excellent advice for actually *doing something* about monopolism.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/27/peads-r-us/#sally-hubbard

IX. BREAK 'EM UP by Zephyr Teachout: The most lucid, readable, infuriating, energizing book on the rise of monopolies. Teachout never loses sight of the systemic nature of the problem, even as she uses individual stories to tell the tale.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/29/break-em-up/#break-em-up

X. BOUNDLESS REALM by Fox Nolte: There has never been a better book about the Haunted Mansion (indeed, this is one of the best books ever written about environmental design in general). Nolte goes *way* beyond trite wisdom about "storytelling."

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/09/boundless-realm/#fuxxfur

PART 3: GRAPHIC NOVELS

I. YEAR OF THE RABBIT by Tean Viasna: A graphic memoir of Viasna's harrowing boyhood during the rise of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. It's a tale we've rarely seen through the eyes of a child, and brilliantly realized.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/01/22/year-of-the-rabbit-a-graphic-novel-memoir-of-one-familys-life-under-the-khmer-rouge/

II. FEMALE FURIES by @misscecil​: Castellucci uses an obscure and anachronistic all-woman cast of DC Universe b-characters to tell an incredible, smart, pitiless story about #MeToo, comics, solidarity and betrayal.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/29/female-furies/#apokolips-now

III. LONELINESS OF THE LONG-DISTANCE CARTOONIST by Adrian Tomine: A memoir of intensely felt impostor syndrome, a forceful reminder that comparison is the thief of joy - and that the traits that keep an artist going at first go toxic over time.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/21/the-thief-of-joy/#tomine

IV. CONSTITUTION ILLUSTRATED by R Sikoryak: The Trump years were an unhappy crash-course in Constitutional law, but Sikoryak's genius adaptation of the Constitution in the style of dozens of cartoonists is a pure delight.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/27/ip/#r-sikoryak

PART 4: KIDS AND YA

I. SEND PICS by Lauren McLaughlin: A YA novel that's a thrilling revenge-play about "revenge porn," a cyber-heist novel that's also a sneaky and forceful book about teen girls' sexuality.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/04/21/send-pics-ripping-brutal-amazing-novel-about-teens-sextortion-revenge-and-justice/

II. IMPOSSIBLE MUSIC by Sean Williams: A YA novel about a music-obsessed kid who loses his hearing is the frame for a book about ability, adaptation, music theory, family, Deafness and what dreams are really for.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/30/deafhood/#impossible-music

III. HARD WIRED by Len Vlahos: A 15 year old discovers the truth behind bizarre dysfunction of the world around him: he's an AI in a sim, and the guy he thinks of as his long-dead father is actually the research scientists who created him.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/31/ai-rights-now/#len-vlahos

IV. ADVENTURES OF A DWERGISH GIRL, by Daniel Pinkwater: Like every Pinkwater novel, it defies description, it is brilliant, and it is his best to date. Ghosts, Revolutionary War fleshbots, papaya juice, and supernatural beings from the Catskills!

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/25/dwergish-girl/#you-are-a-pickle

V. WITCH by Finbar Hawkins: A beautiful debut novel about a pair of 17th century sisters who avenge themselves against the witchfinders that murdered their mother. A superbly told historical.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/01/the-years-of-repair/#witch

FINALLY: I published *four* books in 2020!

I. POESY THE MONSTER SLAYER: My debut picture book, about a little girl who turns her toys into weapons and torments her parents by hunting monsters all night, with wonderful art by Matt Rockefeller:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627

II. LITTLE BROTHER/HOMELAND: My multibestselling YA novels were reissued last summer in a gorgeous package with a (fantastic) new introduction by Snowden.

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583

III. ATTACK SURFACE: A standalone, adult sequel to Little Brother and Homeland. The New York Times called it "vocal and unflinching" and "ultimately optimistic"; the Washington Post called it a "riveting techno-thriller."

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250757531

IV. HOW TO DESTROY SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM: A long pamphlet/short book that makes the case that Big Tech manipulates us and spies on us because they have monopolies - not because they've developed devastating, data-driven mind-control.

https://onezero.medium.com/how-to-destroy-surveillance-capitalism-8135e6744d59

[thes-hitoverlord]

Best animated series of 2019

This list is purely subjective. Only includes series that started airing in 2019, with the exception of seasonal anime. 

Cartoon Network 

Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart

Imagine if Shadow the Hedgehog had to babysit the Carebears, and protect them from 80s Cobra Commander/Shredder/Megatron/Mum-Ra/Skeletor. Now imagine it actually being good.

Infinity Train

This is what you would probably get if you made a kid-friendly adaptation of the No End House creepypasta. A solid miniseries that surprisingly seems to share some themes with the old Silent Hill video game series. Despite being intended as a self-contained miniseries, it got a second season. Judging by the trailers, the second season seems to be focusing on new characters.

Victor and Valentino

You can oversimplify a bit by calling this show “Mexican Gravity Falls” alto the series itself has more similarities to Regular Show. Originally I wondered whether or not to include this, as the series is largely hit or miss with its quality. However the episodes that are actually good make it worth. 

Adult Swim 

Primal

A new series by Genndy Tartakovsky, which made me realize just how I miss old-school macho protagonists. Outside of amazing and brutal action scenes, the series has amazing writing, despite having no dialogue. 

Tigtone

Best described as a parody of RPG videogames and tabletop RPGs. The main protagonist can be described as the sort of character a min-maxer/munchkin/power-gamers would create. 

Warner bros. 

DC Super Hero Girls

New series by Lauren Faust, based on a doll line, based of DC comics characters. Major improvement over the old web series. 

Disney 

Amphibia

How come America makes better Isekai anime than Japan? 

Netflix 

Carmen Sandiego plays as a sort of origin story of the master thief. 

Nickelodeon 

It’s Pony

Series literally just started, as Nickelodeon uploaded the first episode onto its Youtube. Only judging based of of the first episode, but it does make me want to see more. 

The Casagrandes

If you liked The Loud House, you’ll probably like this as well. Let us be fair, this is mostly an excuse for Nickelodeon to make more Loud House episodes, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. 

Anime 

series based on Shogakukan manga Dororo adapts an old classic by Osamu Tezuka, while improving on an already good source material. Mob Psycho 100 (season 2) continues to deliver on the high standards set by the first seasons

series based on Kadokawa properties I usually don’t like Isekai anime, but The Rising of the Shield Hero puts a twist on the whole thing by instead of having everyone love the protagonist, the whole world shits on him for something that was not even his fault. Series caused allot of backlash from left-wing extremist, which however only helped to promote the series. 

series based on Shogakukan manga From the pages of Shonen Jump we are getting The Promised Neverland, Kimetsu no Yaiba, Dr. Stone, and My Hero Academia (season 4). One-Punch Man (season 2) got criticized for using cheaper animation compared to the first season, but still delivers in the writing department. No Guns Life follows a hard-boiled detective who is also a giant talking gun, and it is treated 100% seriously, and it is awesome. A really solid cyberpunk conspiracy thriller overall. 

series based on Kodansha manga Fire Force is a series by Atsushi Okubo,  the creator of Soul Eater follows a group of fire fighters in a world where an outbreak is turning people into fire monsters. A fairly standard battle shonen series, but very well executed. Vinland Saga is a gritty historical drama with excelent character writing. While we age here I will also address season 3 of The Seven Deadly Sins, where while I loved the first two seasons, I em just not feeling the third. 

series based on Akita Shoten manga If I were to oversimplify, I’d call Beastars a gritty remake of Zootopia, but that would be a disservice. It is largely a psychological and social drama that tackles social issues while also avoiding being preachy or in your face. A little tidbit of information I would also add is that the series creator Paru Itagaki,  is the daughter of Keisuke Itagaki, the creator of Baki the Grappler. 

other

Mr. Magoo

A new adaptation of the old character that turned out surprisingly well. Gets away with jokes I would not expect them to pull in the present day political climate. 

[ravensim]

10 Random Questions Rule: Answer 10 random questions and tag 10 simmers!

Thank you @saps-sims for tagging me!

1. If you could travel to one place in the world where would you travel? -Hmm, I love England but I've been there once already so I'd say Iceland! Also really want to see Japan!

2. What do you do in your free time away from sims? -At the moment I love to sit outside since the weather has been so nice! Or bake, but I'm not great at it so it often ends in anger LOL. Other than that probably just play other games or watch series/movies!

3. What other games do you play besides the sims? -Rdr2, Farm together, House flipper, Deus ex, Lara Croft, Mass Effect, and so many more lol (I can't wait for Cyberpunk 2077!)

4. How tall are you? -1.70m

5. One random interest of yours? -True Crime, I love reading, listening, researching them etc.

6. Current favorite bands or artists? -It depends on my mood but I just love music in general. I listen to Barns Courtney, Mumford & Sons, Rhiannon Giddens, Janis Joplin, LP, Lauren Ruth Ward, Nathaniel Rateliff & the night sweats, The white buffalo, Canned heat, I'm sure you get the picture LOL.

7. Something your looking forward to? -Summer!

8. Current favorite films? -Patch Adams, Point of no return, Pride and prejudice ,The awakenings, Twister, Benny & Joon, Donnie Brasco, The world accoring to garp, Lost in translation, Stage beauty. I have LOTS more. I love movies can you tell.

9. Who is a historical icon who has left an impact on your life? -Any human being who stood up for love and peace in times of war and hate.

10. Favorite series (book or movie series)? -Lucifer! (Can't wait for season 5, should come out any day now!) Law and order SVU and Sons of Anarchy.

I tag @maladi777 @candycottonchu @budgie2budgie @cookiesandcrumbs @zeussim and anyone else who wants to do this! I usually don’t do these but I was bored LOL.

[beautifulbizarremagazine]

INSIDE ISSUE 026 // "Each of Lauren YS’ paintings is a portal into another universe. In this galaxy, cyberpunk soft goth creatures cast in pastel neons swim through a sparkling phosphorescent sky while celestial electronic vibes pulsate. Sultry cephalopod’s and spirit tigers play with creepy kinky guardian warriors while split-tongue alien babes shake their shackles of oppression and emblazon their leather jackets with sociopolitical slogans like “My Body, My Choice”. This world is dark, but illuminated like the famed star cluster R136." Read more about @squid.licker and her work in Issue 026 of Beautiful Bizarre Magazine.⁣ .⁣ Get your copy at beautifulbizarre.net/shop [link in our profile] or from one of our Stockists worldwide. ⁣ .⁣ .⁣ .⁣ #MakeArtTheHero #BeautifulBizarre #ArtMagazine #Art #painting #lowbrowart #surrealart #popsurrealism #laurenys #mushrooms #pastelgoth — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2ZHRVXB