#what an entertaining hilarious and awesome show

[mendokayalways]

watched my lady jane expecting it to be regency romance - did not expect him to be a horse actually that was wild

turns out Im wrong about the regency party too its tudor era lol

[skipitty-bop]

I, for one, absolutely LOVE Kremy and Torbek. They are one of my favorite duos. But not because I want them to be friends, but because I love that they aren't. 

Mostly, their dynamic is just REALLY funny. Their back and forth insufferableness makes them so great. Like Torbek being annoying trying to get Kremy’s attention and Kremy obviously and comedically ignoring him. Or Kremy taking advantage of Torbek for cheap dangerous labor, but Torbek is stupid enough to not realize, etc. etc. They’re complete polar opposites, but they do NOT attract, and that’s what makes them so entertaining. (Then also Torbek's clear admiration of Kremy's put togetherness, and then Kremy's extreme disgust of Torbek.)

But I LOVE the serious moments. It adds so much appeal to the story when Kremy does some fucked up shit to Torbek and I LOVE it because it’s who Kremy is. Harvesting witchlight at Torbek’s expense without thinking twice is just something he would do. Torbek throughout the series, spending more time with the krew, getting fed up and finally snapping at Kremy for his awful leadership is awesome because it shows Torbek less letting people walk over him. It creates tension and leads the story in super interesting routes. 

But! Obviously Kremy is not some soulless antagonist with no care for others, which makes moments like Kremy trying to clean Torbek heartwarming, but it not working because Torbek’s a disgusting wad of gunk, hilarious.

They’re great. I hope they never change.

[countdown-to-living-the-dream]

what is tomodachi life

Put your Mii centre stage in a world full of possibilities with Tomodachi Life, a quirky game starring you and everyone you know, only on Nintendo 3DS family systems. Populate your very own island paradise with the Mii characters of your choice and watch the drama unfold!

Bring your Mii characters to life!

You can create a Mii character from scratch, using a photo, or transfer in a Mii you’ve already created from Mii Maker. In Tomodachi Life, you can give your Mii a voice and set their personality, which determines how they’ll act, what sort of things they’ll say and much more!

Once you’ve moved your Mii into a new home at Mii Apartments, bring the place to life by creating the Mii characters of your family, friends, or anyone else you can think of! If you put your favorite people in your game, surprising things can happen! You can also receive Mii characters from other players via Local Play or by scanning QR Code patterns.

Look after them!

Up to 100 Mii characters can move in to the Mii Apartments and each one will need looking after. You can hang out with all your Mii characters, give them gifts, help to customize their apartments, and play minigames. Try different things to figure out what makes each one happy!

Check back every day…

Helping your Mii characters realize their hopes and dreams is rewarding but so is sitting back and watching the amazing, ridiculous, silly, hilarious drama of Tomodachi Life! Some residents may become friends, fall out, maybe even fall in love…assuming a love rival doesn’t step in! They might need your advice, so check in on them every day to see what they get up to!

Explore your new home

Your Tomodachi Life unfolds on two islands packed with interesting shops and places to hang out! The stock in shops changes every day, so you'll always find something new. To start, just a few areas are available, but in time other areas will unlock, letting you enjoy these awesome islands in all their glory!

The days and seasons pass on your islands just like in the real world. Keep your eyes peeled for special events every day.

Among others, you’ll unlock a café where you’re sure to overhear some bizarre conversations, a Concert Hall where your Mii characters can get together to perform songs and an Amusement Park filled with fun activities – including an RPG called TOMODACHI QUEST!

Anything can happen!

If a couple has a kid of their own, sooner or later that little person will grow up and want their own space. You can give them their own place in Mii Apartments, or send them off traveling around the world! They can go on a trip to visit other player’s islands via StreetPass, and you might just receive some visitors or goods from other islands, too! With SpotPass, you can also receive letters or photos from a Mii who is off traveling the world.

What will happen in your Tomodachi Life?

Create Mii characters, give them all unique personalities, and help them realize their hopes and dreams

Explore the island and discover fun new ways to care for and entertain your islanders

Witness silly, funny, or just plain awesome moments and show them off with screenshots!

Check back every day to see what crazy things your residents get up to!

at least thats what the nintendo page says

[fmajorenthusiast]

What would the Rocky Horror characters be like if they had to look after a baby? (The baby is a few months old)

OMG I LOVE IT SO MUCH THANK YOUUUU!!!! AAAAAAA THIS WAS SO HILARIOUS TO THINK ABOUT!!!! IM LAUGHING MY ASS OFFF!!!!

(Also side note: I love everybody's fankids so when I call everyone out for being bad w the baby here plz know that I think that theyre awesome parents if theyre your fankids!!! Ahhh I love this all so much!!!)

Frank: Frank should NOT be left near a baby! Frank would probably dance around with it in his arms and, in a graceful whirl, completely toss it across the room for fun whilst "dancing with it!" To upbeat classical music! Now, chucking it across the room is fully reason enough to not leave Frank alone with a baby, however it doesn't stop there!!! If Frank had to feed the kid, I feel like he'd cry about his hands getting dirty more than the baby did the entire visit! Also, if the baby cries, he's gonna get irritated at the sound and run away trying to get someone else to solve the problem because he cannot handle that!! That said, I do think that he would generally speaking enjoy the baby because the baby likes him!!! He'd enjoy making it laugh, (though he would admittedly get very pissed and storm away if the baby didn't laugh at his jokes!) He'd feel very proud to show it his way of life!!! I think that he'd give the baby makeovers and they'd both laugh and enjoy it!.... That being said, Frank will still very much chuck that child across a room so PLEASE do not let him touch the baby! It's really not worth it!!!

Brad: Oh this is 100% a glimpse into Brad's future of being terrified to be left alone with his own kids one day and he knows it!!! That said, the baby would be safe! Not the most looked after that it could be, but definitely safe! He'd probably just wind up carrying it around with him everywhere and talking to it normally! He'd explain his every day events SOOOO awkwardly to it and it'd be fucking HILARIOUS!!! He's perfectly fine doing this and even enjoys it up until something perfectly normal and expected happens! (The baby needs to be soothed/changed/fed/ etc!) And then he 100% calls Janet for help and she explains to him how to do literally everything! And he gets it done whilst being very terrified but being like "hey! I'm enjoying this!" Through all of that cluelessness!! Overall, the baby probably didn't super-love the visit because Brad doesn't really go out of his way to do too much, but they had a good time!!! Brad did manage to make them smile!! And it's great practice that Brad is definitely gonna need one day!!!!

Janet: EVERY! BABY'S! DREAM!!! Omg Janet would do PHENOMENAL with a baby!!! She would love a baby to look after so much!!! She would take the opportunity to revisit a lot of her favorite shows and picture books from the past and she'd make sure that she reads to the baby in a way that the baby will really love!!! She knows how to do "Here Comes the Airplane" well, too!!! She can also objectively soothe a crying baby in RECORD time!! She could probably beat a lot of kids parents to that!! This is as much of an opportunity for her as it is for the kid's parents to get the time off! She's having the time of her life! That kid would end it's visit fed, washed, entertained, played with, and smiling and laughing!!! Leave your babies with Janet, everyone!!! Janet loves babies and babies love her!!!!

Riff Raff: Overall, he's not fantastic with babies! (Not referring to you Riff in my AU you're a fantastic dad ily kiddo) He's functional, but there are definitely other factors! First and foremost, secondhand smoke! Riff is.... enough of an addict that a baby will not deter him! He's also gonna be drinking and doing other drugs on the job! He's pretty much gonna leave the little one alone until they start crying for something. Then he'll do the bare minimum like, rock the crib and that's pretty much it. If he talks to the kid it'll be something along the lines of "you'll learn how to cry on the inside one day" and that's about it! Part of me thinks that his self esteem makes him afraid of the baby! Like, should he really be around a baby? Either way, he doesn't have enough energy for it! He's pretty much just existing in the same room as it as much as possible until he frustratedly has to do something! And y'know what? He deals with Frank every single day so that makes perfect sense!

Magenta: Magenta... Oh God I love you Magenta but sometimes I think that you might enjoy it when the baby cries. I really do. I don't think you would torture it but I do think that you would poke it. The other alternative is that Magenta COMPLETELY forgets that she's supposed to be taking care of a baby!!! Like, that baby gets left alone for a VERY unfortunate amount of time in the crib and it is not what childcare is supposed to look like at ALL! Overall though, she won't let it die. She will objectively enjoy it when the baby cries, but she'll keep it alive if she remembers to! And I think that the crying will bring her back! Overall.... this is so fucking funny to imagine but she's the wrong person for the job!!! She's hilarious, though!!!

Columbia: Columbia almost does a good job with it! She really does!!! She'll talk to the baby, hold the baby, talk in a baby voice to the baby! But she will not child proof her space! And she doesn't really have any activities for a baby aside from peekaboo- which she's great at, but the baby could use toys and a book or two!!! She enjoys time spent with the baby!!! She'd enjoy a chance to play with Legos again, but at the same time she would, in doing so, completely forget that you're not supposed to let a baby near Legos until they're at LEAST a year and a half old!!! Overall, Columbia would be very pure of heart, but not too smart with a baby! If everything goes well, her and the baby like each other a lot though!! If she ever has her own baby, I feel like she'd learn and do better in that case!!!

Rocky: This is an interesting one! Rocky would be incredibly gentle with the baby and he'd love to watch it smile!!! He'd very much have a "it's a baby! :D" reaction!!! However, he can't do too much more than rock it and be gentle and sweet with it because Rocky, in every way but physical, is also a baby!!! He loves it when someone plays peekaboo with him!!! He's so sweet with the baby, and maybe but big emphasis on maybe he'll be able to feed and change it if you give him very specific instructions, but that's only in a pinch!!! He loves to play with the baby's toys, so they'd better be able to share!!! Primarily, it boils down to what you need from him! If the request is, "here hold this while I run out to the car for a second!" He's right on the job!!! Better than a lot of the other people on this list!!! But that is his maximum level of difficulty!!! Any more than that and he simply has no IDEA what to do!!! And who can blame him? He's a baby too!!!

Eddie: I'm gonna go ahead and call this a bad plan! Eddie is a chronic safety risk to himself due to recklessness! Let alone what that'd mean for a baby!!! This baby would have chronic smoke in its face and Eddie would struggle to even rock a baby in its crib! I feel like, unless it was his and Columbia's kid, in which case he'd be titling his next album "I Love You, Sweet Little Rockstar", he'd probably just speedwalk out of the room! Also, be careful for the baby's ears!!! Eddie will not stop playing that music for anything! And that baby's ears are not developed yet and are prone to being damaged!!! Eddie does not really know or believe this fact enough to care!!! So this is a hearing loss risk situation!!! But hey! At least the baby's getting some good tunes!!!

Doctor Scott: Now Scotty knows how to take care of a kid!!! Hell, he'd probably bring that kid to meetings with him and baby talk the kid in the process!!! He still has a lot of books ams toys that he keeps around from when Eddie was a kid on the offchance that he'll have a kid around that can use them!! He'd talk very calmly to the baby!!!! Whereas Janet may be a bit more fun-loving, he's playful but in a very "and now we calm the baby!" type way! Similarly to Janet's style however, he's very much gentle with that kiddo and would never yell at the baby!! He probably wouldn't go above and beyond but he'd definitely make that baby love him!!! Well, as much as a baby can grow to love a stranger in an amount of time! But nevertheless he's absolutely fantastic with a baby!!!

The Criminologist: He likes the baby, but he might have some work to do!!! If he's working, then he'll find some way to keep the baby entertained (putting on a show, probably!) And get to work next to the baby so if the baby cries, he can spring into action! He may also use the baby as a chance to rubber duck if he's struggling with a mystery! He'll be like, "How can this make sense? It'd only make sense if there was a.... secret entrance! Yes! There must be a secret entrance!" And that'd be the one time he gets super animated around the baby! Other than that, he'd probably talk normally to the baby! Which the baby wouldn't mind, he has such a nice voice!!! He'd enjoy the baby for a change of energy!!! He'd want to work, yes, but the rubber ducking proves that the baby can help with that!! And they do!!!

[toonrandytalkstoons]

Cyber Group Studios is no more :(

It's official: Cyber Group Studios is being liquidated to pay back its creditors by court order, it has been reported today.

The French animation outfit suddenly found itself into financial trouble starting in October 2024 and declared itself insolvent. Between then and today (April 28), Cyber Group welcomed several buyout deals to save the company; the company's higher-ups favored a buyout from one company, but the Paris Commercial Court ordered Cyber Group into liquidation in what I'm sure is a serious blow.

Gigantosaurus, one of Cyber Group's biggest hit series

It has been known that some parts within the animation industry has been experiencing a downturn -- not too long ago, fellow French studio TeamTO (Jade Armor, Elena of Avalor, My Knight and Me) also struggled financially and has since bought out by Italy-based RIVA Studios.

While I have already known about Cyber Group's struggles and saw this coming, I'm still bummed by this. It had become of my favorite animation studios and they have contributed to animation a great deal, even though a lot of the series they have produced weren't household names.

Ernest & Rebecca, an adaption of the graphic novel series of the same name

The first Cyber Group series I watched is Sadie Sparks. A few of the people in my friend group are fans of the series. I started watching it in 2023 -- I haven't gone beyond the first 5-10 episodes since ;P -- and it was a good series! Although it lasted only a single season, it left a good impression on me and I started to become interested in Cyber Group!

Sadie Sparks, a series blending 2D and CGI animation

And then came 50/50 Heroes.

50/50 Heroes: Half-siblings, half-superheroes!

My goodness, this series! I loved it so much, and I have mentioned how sweet this series is for something that's superhero related! Not to mention doggone hilarious and with awesome animation! I haven't completed the series yet, but I have to watch the rest soon.

Taffy: While I haven't seen this series yet, it does kinda reminds me of Tom & Jerry!

Cyber Group made and/or distributed a bunch of shows that I want to see: among them are Taffy, Ernest & Rebecca, The Pirates Next Door, Zak Jinks, Droners, Press Start! and others I may have forgotten!

The Pirates Next Door, based on a series of picture books first published in the U.K.

In the last several months leading to its liquidation, Cyber Group debuted Press Start! for Peacock in the U.S. (you can also find full episodes on YouTube), and Alex Player in France and Italy (no news for an English language dub yet but since the company is no longer existing it now seems unlikely).

Press Start!, based on the children's book series

Alex Player

Cyber Group still had several original series in development until its demise, including Hoodie Buddy, Yum Yum, Erica and Trevor vs. Spooky Monsters, and The Tern; and adaptations of Final Fantasy IX, Masters of the Unicorns, and Monster in My Pocket. Production of new episodes of its hit series Gigantosaurus was already under way, a third season of Taffy was in development, and I've heard rumors of a second season of 50/50 Heroes being developed around the 'net, but nothing has come out it. It is currently unknown whether existing IP or series in development would be purchased by other companies. Cyber Group has also distributed several of their series to YouTube and some free streaming services -- it's also currently unknown what will the future be for those.

Cyber Group Studios may be gone, but I'm hoping that other animation studios -- and especially animation studios in France -- continue to be in solid footing and do what they do best -- entertaining millions around the world and contributing to the great art that is animation.

Here's to Cyber Group and to everyone involved over the years for bringing us memories and great shows!

[crehador]

brother crab's fall 2024 parting thoughts: murai no koi

i'm gonna be so honest with you guys this was fucking awesome. teacher/student romcom is not something that would catch my eye normally but i picked this one up for the cast (amachan AND haruki hello) and i'm really glad i did

the romance itself, ngl, was pretty predictable and for much of the show i wasn't really invested in it. when the love triangle cropped up later on i was even actively rooting for the other teacher guy because like. he is just a hot mess emphasis on hot

but anyway it's your standard "we knew each other when we were Much younger, before we were teacher/student" deal with a... reasonable resolution to the teacher/student issue i guess. i'm not like a hater about the main romance but it's probably obvious that isn't the thing i really loved about the show

what i did love was

IT'S FUCKING HILARIOUS. okay the humor is amazing, the comedic timing, the delivery of the voice actors, even the subs absolutely nailed the humorous tone. like for me, in this romcom, the com part is definitely what really shined

the ride and die friendships between the students were also just so much fun to see. kiriyama is going in the little guys of all time hall of fame immediately. the boys will be boys energy he, hirai, and murai have together is just plain fun, and the other friends surrounding them are all entertaining characters too

most people will have gripes about the animation i'm sure, but just like with gokushufudou (it's the same series composition guy) i honestly liked it. i seriously, genuinely do not think this is Bad animation. call it slideshow animation if you must, but imo it's a perfectly fine stylistic choice that was done well and worked perfectly with the tone of the show. like i know i'm in the unpopular opinion camp here, but to me it is a genuinely enjoyable style of animation that's particularly well-suited to this kind of comedy. i felt this way about gokushufudou and i feel this way about murai no koi, i will absolutely watch more of whatever work yamakawa susumu does next

anyway

tl;dr as a romcom the rom was just fine but the com was banging, the whole cast of characters was entertaining but for me kiriyama hard carried this from fun to excellent, i personally liked the animation boo me if you must

[hyog-blog]

Melody Journey (Music TV Show, 2024)

Zhou Shen, Xue Zhiqian, Ayunga, Liu Yuning, Liu DuanDuan, and more

I blame Liu Yuning for my falling into the c-pop wormhole, which led to a whole new world filled with cheesy ballads, romantic love songs, old-school rock hits, and cdrama OSTs. Chinese music industry really knows how to celebrate its talents—and have fun while it's at it!

Melody Journey has a fairly original concept. They invited a bunch of upcoming and established composers to present their new (!) songs to equally established and upcoming singers. That creates a very powerful mix - the singers get exposure and can sing some pretty amazing new hits (or less amazing, but it's still all in good fun), and the composers get their songs being broadcasted nationwide for the first time.

The modern stage is visually striking, the filming of the whole show is top-notch high-quality, but what makes it so damn good and delicious on all levels is the cast. The show features a lot of familiar faces from Singing with Legends season 3, which was pure awesomeness (if you haven't watched it - just go and do it now, you'll fall in love with all the singers and probably the Chinese music industry as well).

This means we get to enjoy the frantic humor of Xue Zhiqian, as well as his passionate performances. Next, there's Zhou Shen with his incredibly high, androgynous voice and a diva-like presence on stage (that, and his humor barely passing the show's censorship XD). There's also the incredibly lovely Shan Yichun and some cool guests appearing all the time, so the cast is pretty fluid.

At some point, Ayunga joins the stage - and if you know him, you know that this Mongolian musical singer is a real gem both in terms of looks and his gorgeous voice. Then Liu Yuning joins the show, bringing his magical voice and powerful performances, which can't really be compared to anyone else. That, and his personality also shines bright.

I was also very surprised to find Liu DuanDuan (2nd Prince from Joy of Life) to be a pretty good singer. Like really good! I didn't connect to him much at first, but he has a quirky sense of humor and a very hard-working personality. He's very passionate about singing, and it shows!

The show is hilarious right from the first episodes, there's so much humor, you can watch it just for that alone. Xue Zhiqian is a walking stand-up comedian, but he treats music very seriously. He also shifts between the roles of a singer and composer, giving some of his songs to the performers.

Because all the songs are new, it's very exciting to see the whole process of reacting/choosing what to sing. Everyone has their own personalities and preferences, which makes for a very entertaining process. I haven't laughed so much in a long while. All the guys and girls know each other, so it's not really a competition, but rather a fun music camp they do altogether.

At the end of each episdoe, some cutting-edge AI decides what song has the best chance of becoming a hit. That's pretty much it! No rewards or fancy titles. The show itself with new music and interesting performances is the reward, so they're doing it just for the fun of it.

I enjoyed the concept just as much as I enjoyed everyone's performances - there were lots of really cool new songs! So I recommend watching it fully, but if you're interested in our boy Liu Yuning, he appears in episode 7.

I've watched 9 episodes out of 11, and it's been nothing but fun paired with excitement :3 The humor is literally never-ending. No one is safe from friendly pranks.

You can't have Liu Yuning on the show without some height jokes, okay? They're obligatory)))

All the boys are incredibly touchy-feely and they hug a lot, which made my heart all warm and fuzzy. They're so cute. Also, the support seniors have to younger stars is very heart-warming.

Apart from all the fun, the show is just very pleasing to the eye. The stages have cool visual effects and some performances are very artsy.

The beginning of the show is already striking and you know it's going to be pretty!

[zerozerozio]

OMG YOU LKE HOUSE I LITERALLY JUST LIKE GOT THE MOTIVATION TO WATCH IT AND IM CRASHING OUT!!!!! WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SCENE

I FUCKING LOVE HOUSE!!!!!!!! UGHHHH omg ok

my favourite scene is INCREDIBLY hard to choose, so instead i will give you what TYPE of scenes are my favourite. theres 3 main ones

1. moments between House and Wilson. I could just go on and on about their chemistry and what they mean to eachother but it might kill me if i do, so anyway. The "gay" scenes (where they joke about being gay, ppl thinking theyre gay, etc etc) are ofc entertaining and awesome, but i actually like another type even more. Scenes that show how they fit together like no one else, their casual intimacy, the married couple behaviour, the scenes that show THEM. if that makes sense. if i weren't concussed, maybe i could explain exactly what I mean better, but basically, i love the gay joke scenes however i love the scenes that make you actually wonder "whats the deal with these guys" Those. Those are my favourites.

2. times when we see under House's shell. I love scenes where we can see that he does care, just in his own weird twisted way. when he's vulnerable in general, it's interesting to see. i love characters with walls up and seeing them be broken down, even if just for a moment.

3. anytime something happens that is just so ridiculous or absurd that it's hilarious (think of when Chase tried to dominate a patient to help him accept treatment, or when House dances at work with a beatbox on his shoulder for example.) House is a super entertaining show over all, and i love when they do things that are just so unserious

[foodfightnovelization]

Foodfight! The (OFFICIAL) Video Game

Yes, you read the title right! No it's not the fangame I made a couple months ago, this is the real deal, the whole enchilada, the ACTUAL Foodfight! tie-in game! Shortly after ROTTEN: Behind The Foodfight was released, its creator Ziggy, myself, and everyone else in the Foodfight! community thought we'd found everything there was left to find. After all, we'd uncovered the workprint, the novelization, almost all the original footage, Ziggy had interviewed countless people who worked on the movie, some character models had even been found...so that was it, right? But as I hinted at in my last few posts, the Foodfight! story wasn't quite over yet.

Reese, a friend of Ziggy's, had reached out to one of the developers involved in the Foodfight! tie-in game that was set to be released alongside the movie, and shortly after ROTTEN came out, Ziggy also managed to get in touch with them. One thing led to another and we were sent a HUGE 10GB folder of art, documents, models, and footage related to the game. What you see above is a concept submission trailer created to show off the game and what it'd look like, similar to the pitch reel created for the movie itself. Needless to say, this blew our minds! If you've read my previous post on the subject, you'll know that up until now the only thing anyone had EVER seen of this game was a few seconds of grainy footage from E3 2006. To go from that to a whole stockpile of material from its development was INCREDIBLE! To learn more about how this found its way into our hands, I'll direct you to a blog post from Ziggy himself, explaining a little more about the game's developers (and relaying a truly hilarious story about Larry Kasanoff)

However, I want to talk more about the INCREDIBLE plethora of material included in the folder that was shared with us. Ziggy uploaded everything he was sent to archive.org, so I'll link it below if you'd like to peruse the files yourself, but keep reading if you want to know more about what's included!

Just to start off with, the footage from the above concept trailer and the assorted screenshots- doesn't it just look awesome? It's way more visually appealing than the finished movie ended up looking, for one thing, and it's seemingly inspired more by the early pre-motion capture footage than anything that came later on. It's also just mindblowing to finally see all this, to suddenly go from knowing basically nothing about the game to knowing so much about it! And best of all...doesn't this just look EXACTLY like a movie tie-in game from the mid 2000s? I mean, that shouldn't be too surprising, that's exactly what it is, but tie-in games of that era had a very specific look and feel and this just takes me right back to that. Remember the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory game where you're racing around on a trashcan lid, the Spider-Man game where you're running around Oscorp avoiding security robots, or the Incredibles game where you're rushing through a burning building fighting guys with flamethrowers? Doesn't this just look EXACTLY like one of those?

And you might be thinking "it's too bad we only have a few minutes of footage and some screenshots, I wish we could know even more about what the game would've been like". Well, your wish just came true! Buried deep in the files is a copy of the game's design documents, telling us EXACTLY how each level would've played out! (If you're struggling to find it, it's in AUDIO> Final Drop> FF> Docs) So not only do we get to see a ton of what the game would've looked like, we also get to see how the whole thing would've come together, with 26 action-packed levels consisting of a variety of different gameplay types. Looking at several other files, it seems like the number of levels may have been cut down to 15 later in development, but hey, it's fairly common for design docs to be more complex than the finished game. Regardless, reading about everything they had planned...this really is the ultimate stereotypical tie-in game. I mean, just look at some of these level descriptions! Isn't this every movie-based game you've ever played, all rolled into one? You can bet your boxtop if it had made it all the way through development, it'd easily have the honor of being one of the few tie-in games BETTER than the movie it was based off, although considering how the finished film turned out maybe that's not saying much.

Based on what the developers said in the article linked above, it's unclear exactly how much of the game was finished before it was cancelled, and unfortunately it's incredibly unlikely they'll ever be able to compile a build together to send our way. However, there's just SO much included in this folder it's hard to complain. Not only do we get basically a complete picture of how the game would've come together from all the documents, screenshots, audio, cutscenes and footage included, there are all kinds of additional files that are both interesting and incredibly useful.

Not only are there models and environments from the game itself (unfortunately the only character model included seems to be Dex), there are also models of the ENTIRE CAST taken directly from the earlier version of the movie! Every main character is here, from Dex to Sunshine to Mr Leonard, as well as a bunch of other models such as Dan's plane and cockpit. This is HUGE, and I can't wait to see what talented artists will do with all these resources. At the time I'm writing this, someone already ported several of the models into SFM (Source Filmmaker) and another made several animations in Blender!

I'm sure even more will happen soon, but right now this is pretty incredible. Who thought this would EVER happen? That one day we'd have models of every main character, a complete workprint of the movie from 2005, a tie-in novelization, footage of the long-sought after videogame, and so, so much more. In the span of less than a year, Foodfight! went from some of the most obscure lost media of all time to some of the most well-documented lost media of all time. We have so much there's no way I'd ever even be able to discuss it all, that's how far we've come in the past few months.

Seriously, I've barely even scratched the surface of what's in this folder. There are 3D cutscenes from the game, 2D cutscenes, concept art for the planned toy line, footage of prototypes of those toys in action, MORE gameplay footage, previously unseen storyboards not included in the workprint, raw audio of Charlie Sheen's voice sessions from the movie, tons of songs from the game, the entire score from the movie, and that's STILL not everything! I mean, holy chips! I STRONGLY encourage you to download the folder for yourself and take a look...maybe you'll even find something I haven't yet?

I really think that with this folder now out in the public, this is as much closure on Foodfight! as we'll ever get. I know I always say that and then there's some amazing discovery a few months later, but this is just such a huge smorgasbord of material that I don't even think we can count Foodfight! as lost media anymore...okay, we haven't found absolutely everything so it's partially found media at best, but could you really ask for more than all this? We have countless models from the movie, design docs and footage from the planned tie-in game, early drafts of the script, we know EXACTLY what the movie and game were going to be like before everything collapsed... now, if you're so inclined you can take all that and make something out of all of it, but me? I'm pretty satisfied just having the knowledge. Knowing what could've been before it all fell apart, getting to see so much I never thought I'd get a chance to see... right now, I'd say my Foodfight! cravings have been satiated. Unless another monumental discovery is unearthed anytime soon (at this point I wouldn't be surprised), I think there's really not much more to say. If nothing comes up in a month or two, I'll make a post showing off my personal collection of Foodfight! merchandise, an epilogue to the past year I've spent obsessing over this movie. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy the absolute treasure trove of Foodfight! material that's been discovered! Dig through it all! Make something out of it! There's so much in these files, you could create your OWN Foodfight!, with blackjack and hookers!

[elliwiny]

TLDR The Musical Chicago Taught Me About The Terrible Societal Pressure to Perform Gender Way Before I Really Understood What That Even Was

So it's Pride Month! And I've been listening to Chicago basically every day because it's exactly the length of my commute right now so I wanted to write about it.

I didn't grow up questioning my gender, and I guess my sexuality was 'I'll worry about that when I'm older' - until I got to my 20's and hit the 'oh shit, I haven't got the feelings I'm supposed to have, is something wrong with me?' phase of my existence.

Bringing it around to Chicago - I mean, look at her! It's Catherine Zeta Jones! Everybody is a little attracted to women, right? They're supposed to be hot! That's just how it is!

Hahahahaha.

But other than my hilariously delayed lesbianism I think Chicago stealthily gave me a primer on the fucked up ways our society enforces gender performance. Because you don't have to be trans to be in a situation where your life depends on giving 'em the ol' razzle dazzle.

The protagonist, Roxy Hart, is an asshole, a murderer, and kind of a ditz. Most of the criminals are right assholes, some are more sympathetic, and one is even 100% innocent! Aside from the innocent Hungarian, the thing the prisoners have in common is that they were boxed in, and were driven to violence after being pushed too far.

Whether 'too far' is justified is immaterial to the point. They became outlaws, and must perform womanhood to win over the court of public opinion and earn their 'not guilty' verdicts. And it's not just the kind of performance where you have to color inside the lines to not come off as weird, it's the kind where you dance and contort for the entertainment of the people who get to decide whether you get to live or die.

In Roxy's case this is kind of awesome. She's always wanted to be a star and with the power of hot-headed cold-blooded murder, she's stumbled ass-backwards into an unexpected avenue of fame and attention. She's determined to do this well, not for her survival (she doesn't appreciate the gravity of the situation, yet) but for a way to launch a career as a singer.

I mean what's Roxy's other choice? Go back to Amos? The guy who affectionately puts her on the same level as a housecat in his song? He's not the one who 'pushed' her, poor guy can't push anybody to do anything, but that's not even an option she entertains. I used to think he was one of the few good people in this movie/show, but it became pretty clear to me that devotion isn't the same thing as love.

Anyway, enter Billy Flynn, famous lawyer and expert ringmaster. In the song where he talks to the press, they do this cool thing where the reporters' initial questions don't follow the melody at first. As Billy crafts Roxy's story they quickly fall into the structure of the music, too. They draw the conclusions he wants them to, too. "Understandable! Comprehensable! Not a bit reprehensible, it's so defensible~"

Roxy's cover story is absurd, by the way, but it ingeniously plays to her type. She's a ditz but she's not naive, she has incredible natural instincts for the game she's playing. (Well, when it counts. She is resistant following the script, which sometimes gets her in trouble)

Roxy's innocent veneer plays contrast to the Hungarian, who becomes the first woman in the county to be hung for murder. She can't speak the language, literally, which locks her out of being able to play the game at all. In the framework of Roxy's imagination, we see the Hungarian's death as another performance... Because it is!

If you cannot perform, a narrative will be assigned to you and we will cheer for your pretty corpse. The metaphor could not be more clear. This is when shit gets real for Roxy, too.

Velma Kelly is also a good performer, who knows the game, but she has a disadvantage to Roxy. Her story just isn't as good. Nobody really believes she didn't do it, she's already so entrenched in the circus of jazz and liquor and sin that sentencing her is the least interesting outcome. I think that's why she gets away with shit like 'oh I blacked out I can't remember a thing' and getting her charges thrown out in exchange for her testifying against Roxy.

After all, she can't do it alone ;) if she didn't suck up her pride and embrace the pivot to playing the heel in Roxy's story, I bet she'd be hanging, too. Or at least, destitute.

They're both discarded by the public as soon as the verdict is passed and there's fresh blood to gawk at. The only way they survive as independent women cast outside the protections offered as stifled housewives is to embrace the world of Jazz, liquor, and sin... and most importantly, the narrative of the rivalry that they perform for those roaring ding-dong-daddies.

And it's not so bad, because that's what they both wanted, anyway.

[ericdeggans]

My List of the Best TV in 2023: An Abundance of Quality Even in Adversity

What’s the surest proof that there truly is too much television available these days?

The fact that, even though 2023 featured historic performers and writers strikes in Hollywood which crippled film and TV production for months, there was still enough great series and projects to fill an entire notebook page.

Way too many, in fact, for me to cover in my small part of NPR’s awesome annual listing of the best TV and film of the year, compiled among six different critics. It’s one reason the strikes went on so long in the first place – for fans of great TV, it didn’t really seem like much changed, as streaming services kept dropping cool stuff, thanks to their long production lead times.

Ironically, viewers may notice the strikes’ impact more next year – in part, because a lot of cool TV shows left us in 2023 (pour one out for Barry, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Crown, Reservation Dogs, Succession, and, possibly, Ted Lasso) and also because the streamers will spend some time rebuilding lineups which got depleted.

Here, where I have a lot more room is my highly subjective and surprisingly long list of the Best TV of 2024:

TOP PICK - Succession – A show which perfectly captured how the dysfunctions of wealthy families can impact the world delivered a note-perfect finale that surprised – though I did predict Tom would win out – and yet felt completely inevitable. All while the world was second-guessing and writing their own endings. Masterful.

The Last of Us – Who knew reinventing the zombie apocalypse story was simple as coming up with a new cause – fungus, eww! – and the willingness to hand big chunks of the story over to compelling, fully drawn supporting characters. Doesn’t hurt to have ultimate zaddy Pedro Pascal and precocious acting genius Bella Ramsey on the case, either.

The Bear - Speaking of compelling supporting characters…this show’s second season sparkled by giving the other employees in Carmy’s greasy spoon-becoming-a-great-restaurant lots of narrative room. But it took flight with unexpected, brilliant cameos from Jon Bernthal, Olivia Colman, Oliver Platt, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, and the legendary Jamie Lee Curtis.

Reservation Dogs – Proof of the amazing, authentic, original stories which come from letting indigenous people tells their own stories, smashing together a crushing realism with the sense that a jarring visit from the spirit world is always around the next corner.

Fargo – Not sure I love the ultimate message on the healing power of suburban, white, upper middle class Midwestern family life (or what happens to the one major Black character). But crackling performances from Juno Temple, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Jason leigh and Dave Foley make this year’s installment the best version in many years.

Shrinking – An emotional and truly funny comedy that reminds us how hilarious Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams can be while not making us spend too much time on Jason Segel’s angsty privileged white guy shtick.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – The TV series which scored the most by taking the boldest swings, leaning into Trek’s original heritage as an adventure-of-the-week which told the most ambitious stories on the small screen.

(The dancing, dubstepping, boy band-style Klingons on Strange New Worlds powered my favorite TV scene of the year.)

Star Trek: Picard – Yeah, I put TWO Trek series here, because everyone else in critic-land seems to be sleeping on the fact that they made more than one excellent season of a new Trek series filled with nods to what came before, including this show, which reunited the Next Generation cast in a storyline basically about old people saving the universe from young, clueless, mind-controlled pawns.

Barry – Wasn’t thrilled about how grim this series’ finale eventually became. But respected the fact that co-creator/star Bill Hader never shied away from the fact that the show was going to be his laboratory for all the directing and storytelling tricks he ever wanted to try, and a dark comedy about a hitman-turned-actor has to be seriously dark to mean something.

Beef – A road rage incident becomes a crackling, entertaining look at everything from Asian family culture to Elon Musk-level mogul dysfunction while also proving my girl Ali Wong can act her ass off.

Still: A Michael J. Fox Story – While other celebrities are executive producing documentaries to show how legendarily cool they are, Fox helped create an up close look at his struggle with Parkinson’s disease which show how hard it is to put on socks and take a walk on a new York street without crashing to the ground right in front of a concerned fan.

Only Murders in the Building – A comedy about over-privileged crime podcasters in an Upper West side apartment building should not stay entertaining over three seasons. But this show pulls it off, tossing in against-the-grain cameos by Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep that provide the best icing on a very fine cake.

Slow Horses – This show about a department filled with failed British intelligence agents not only subverts the spy genre, it subverts the satires which originally subverted classic spy dramas, like Get Smart. Topped by mesmerizing performances from Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas, I would have subtitled this one, Get Smarter.

Happy Valley - This series about an experienced, ball-busting divorced single mom of a police sergeant in a mid-size town in Britain notched an underappreciated series finale featuring the amazing Sarah Lancashire as Catharine Cawood, finally confronting the man she blamed for her daughter’s suicide and her grandson’s emotional turmoil.

BS High – A great documentary often tells a story which keeps going deeper and better, like a descent into a spellbinding madness. This film achieved that by giving center stage to master manipulator/football coach Roy Johnson, who got ESPN to air a game featuring his Bishop Sycamore High School team; the film contends their crushing loss eventually exposed that the school didn’t really exist.

I’m a Virgo – Creator and activist Boots Riley made an urban parable where Black excellence became superpowers and the world’s exploitive class came for a 13-foot-tall Black teen played by the always compelling Jharrel Jerome. Always inspiring to see how Boots turns mainstream media’s tropes and expectations against itself.

[wondrousmay]

Mayonaka Punch was a wild and entertaining ride! It’s always exciting to watch an original anime because you never know what to expect with the story. This show did a great job of combining two unlikely concepts (video-making and vampires) to make a fun story!

Masaki was a really fun protagonist! She’s a huge mess and can be very self-centered at times in order to make Mayonaka Punch channel grow. She does care a lot about Live and the others but she’s very stubborn about it haha. It’s nice to see characters like this.

The vampires are also very entertaining too. I love how chaotic they all are! Fu and Ichiko’s backstories were bittersweet while Yuki’s backstory with Live was hilarious. It’s cool that in-universe, Mayonaka Punch got famous because of the organic interactions of the members while the audience in real life enjoys their antics as well as Masaki’s story too. It’s a pretty neat meta.

The production value of this show was awesome. I love the dynamic animation which captured the ridiculousness of the characters really well!

While the show ended on an open-ended note, the final episode was unexpected in many ways which is very in-line with Mayonaka Punch’s style haha. It was an enjoyable time!

7/10

[missielynne]

CBS Ghosts Review: It's The End of the World...

I will say right of the bat that I wasn't expecting to like this episode. I thought it was going to be a slog, since it's about Flower and she hasn't had much to do beyond being Thor's girlfriend and prattle on about her stereotypical Hippie behavior in a long time.

But to my surprise, I did enjoy it. It'll never be one of my top ten episodes, but getting background on Flower's cult was really good because it brought reality to what she said. And having her talk about why she joined really made her feel more like a person I can root for, which is a nice change. The way she talked before about Bruce in particular, she sounded like a Manson follower or someone more than willing to drink the Kool-aid and it was actually beginning to weird me out.

But the strength of this episode for me was that it made Flower feel like a person again, not just a stereotypical cartoon hippie, and that's what I've needed. That's what I've been talking about with my anons. It was good to hear that Flower joined the cult because she was alone and scared after a bunch of crap happened to her and she just wanted to belong somewhere.

Thor and Flower's relationship has also seemed very one-note ever since it started, so it was nice to hear something specific and actually real relationship like when Thor explained that Flower only spoke Spanish when she was angry or upset (and I love the idea of her teaching it to him as well. We know from how fast he seemed to learn Lenape that he's surprisingly good with languages.)

I give Flower points for wanting to save Sam and Jay from what she honestly thought was a real threat, but I also liked that the show brought her down to earth as well, and in the case of Sam, surprisingly, not very easily. I liked that they had the other ghosts point out that the sun went down and nothing happened and they then said Bruce lied and that even though the cult didn't work out for her and wasn't exactly the sense of belonging that she wanted, they didn't see her as a joke, but as a valuable part of Woodstone who would always have a place among them. That was really sweet. I hope this means we don't need to hear her going on and on about the cult anymore, because that's run its course, honestly.

And although having the cholera ghosts give all the cooks cholera to stop the restaurant from opening was not good (and really, what other ghost power could those guys have but to give people cholera? Loved seeing it in action even if it caused trouble), it was still very entertaining, as it always it to me, when they go upstairs and do shenanigans. Seeing the two at the ghost table just hanging out makes me want to see more of that...as long as they aren't actively giving people cholera.

And the Hetty and Trevor development was awesome. Long live Power Friends, benefits optional. I just love watching them indulge in a game of wits because they're both genuinely good at it. Also, Hetty's enthusiastic fist bump was the best, and them moving from the kitchen to the living room because there's more likely to be people in the living room that they can lord their superiority over? That was hilarious.

Next week...Pete and the possible (please I hope) history of Uncle Sal in hell. Can't wait to see how Ghostfellas goes.

[zeravmeta]

*Hopes for the as least of a harsh response* Yuya Sakaki

Why I like them/why I don’t:

さぁ、お楽しみはこれからだ！

What the hell can I say about Yuya that I haven't already said in the past decade. Arc-V is the series that got me out of my ygo hiatus and back into the series as a whole, and Yuya is a big part of that. I've written metas on him in the past which you can find on my blog, but whats always stuck out to me about Yuya is that he's kind of a pathetic depressed loser failure (best way possible) but still drags himself back up. We see him stumble so damn much throughout the show and he does fail and lash out and suffer and make things worse BUT HE STILL GETS BACK UP!!!!

HE!!! TAKES THE STEP FORWARD!!! WITH COURAGE!!! HE WEARS A SMILE!!!!!! NOT BECAUSE IT IS EASY!!! OR BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO PLEASE THE AUDIENCE!!! BUT BECAUSE A SMILE CAN HELP YOU FEEL COURAGE!!!!! BECAUSE PENDULUM IS THE RANGE, THE OSCILLATION BETWEEN JOY AND SADNESS!!! IT'S AN EXCHANGE, A CONVERSATION!!!! A WAY TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE AND HAVE THEM UNDERSTAND YOUR VIEW!!! ENTERTAINMENT CAN BRIDGE THE TRAGEDIES OF WAR BECAUSE WHATS MORE UNIVERSAL THAN THE SMILES IT CAN BRING!!!!!!

I've made the joke before but he is the closest analogue yugioh has ever had to shirou emiya which is a hilarious statement but it's true, from clinging to his fathers ideals because he knows no other way to live to his genuine mercilessness when pushed to the edge, all the way down to the living weapon metaphors and transfem subtext

What I like about their appearance: I think Yuya's design is unironically the best out of the protags, he just combines so many aspects of what makes previous protags designs work, but specifically I also love that they put him in different outfits. I have such a soft spot for his clown outfit and his riding duel outfit is sleek and minimalist.

Do I prefer their dub names or original names?: Sub only man, again I have a candid vitriol of YGO dubbing past DM because it turned any serious dubbing of ygo into a joke

OTP: As an Arc-V fan I'm under a binding geas so it is physically mentally and spiritually impossible for me to answer anything other than Fruitshipping here.

NOTP: probably the only one of these I hold but out of all the protag/rival ships across all ygo, yuya/reiji never actually compelled me all that much.

OT3: I while ago I made a post talking about how awesome the fucked up codependency of yuya/serena/shun could have been so yeah here. IG fruit salad also works here, any combination of the yuboys/bracelet girls is funny to me, selfcest is not just a suggestion but a necessity as well as a competition and THEY ARE WINNING

Favourite card they use: This one might be a hot take but out of the three archetypes Yuya blends in the Performapals, Odd-Eyes, and Pendulum Magicians, my favorite bar none and my fully fav archetype in all of yugioh is the Magician Pendulums. Yuya's own arc in the show is about differentiating himself from his father, and I think the Magician Pendulums stick out to me so much in this regard because they're HIS archetype: Performapals are from Yusho and the Dragons are from Zarc, but the Magician Pendulums are from Yuya!!!

I think Enlightenment Paladin and Nirvana High Palandin are my fav cards he ever uses, but Arc-V does this genius thing with action duels where it just wildly humanizes the monsters, so they all have tidbits of personality throughout the show and I love all of them.

Also obligatory shout out to Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon I love the big chicken and no one loves Yuya the way Odd-Eyes loves Yuya

Favourite moment they were in: Man. People thinking that Yuya just shouts Egao and fixes everything and that he never examines this when we have the Barret duel within ep91-92 where hes having a panic attack between saving Yuzu and just. discarding Smile World because he's so desperate to cling to his dad while also desperate to save Yuzu he is at one of his lowest lows here its just SUCH a good character moment that shows how much Yuya suffers from all the responsibility on his shoulders, self-imposed and otherwise

Least favourite moment: My live reaction- "Man, the Zarc duel was so fucking good!!! Literally peak yugioh, the best duel of all time! Alright so I bet we've got 1-2 more episodes to finish things off we've hit the series climax no way they can ruin this- Why are there 8 more episodes?"

Would I fuck, marry or kill them: im sorry yuya but move over im going to humiliate your older dragon god alter ego and shape the mattress like him

[kstaki]

Basically just me, wondering what exactly did I just do 😂 it wasn't planned to be honest. Something happen soooo that why I decide let go Niigata FLT too!

So mad chase for tickets the last minute & thankful I found for all three timing! Nearly gave up on one but manage to find it.

What can I say about the FLT? It awesome & just taken back it still so good. 🥹 Plus when Takano-Sensei say he wrote for it to fit prefecture I think it depends which Retainer & Suzume are attending. (Yes they are apart of the show)

I did went for all three timing but my brain isn't that capable of remembering everythinggggg sadly but the Act 2 every session was different yet it was sooo entertaining & hilarious. I remember the bit & pieces I got write it down but people X (Twitter) are just so good at remembering. I will probably just write down my note later maybe?

Between I think right now everyone is sooo hype about Racles, Yano-San tends to just be so ridiculous performing in Act 2 plus I feel like they all tease him too much.

I will post some pictures on goods later ☺️

[marley-manson]

Gabrielle and Trapper for the ask meme?

Thank you! 💖

Gabrielle

Something I like: Well I've talked about her awesome character arc and her muscles plenty, so how about her humour! Renee O'Connor has great comic timing and she can be a very funny character. I love that she's not relegated to funny comic relief, she's a protagonist in her own right, but when she's in a comedy role she's delightful. A Day In The Life, The Quill is Mightier, The Play's The Thing, Deja Vu All Over Again, Altared States, etc etc. Hilarious stuff.

Something I dislike: Now this is hard lol. I don't like how often Xena/Gab fic emphasizes her youth inexperience naivete etc. I don't kink on any of that and I generally slightly prefer season 4+ Gab because in addition to finding the short hair hotter, I prefer the sense of maturity. I still like baby Gab a lot in the show but a lot of fandom seemed really obsessed with exaggerating that version of her instead of embracing her growth and character arc.

If I have to say something that's actually canon though, then I'll say her brief true pacifist period in season 4. I was meant to hate it and it led to a really satisfying conclusion to that particular subplot, but it was still a little painful to watch at times lol.

Trapper

Something I like: I love how fun he is. I think Wayne Rogers had a certain charisma that really worked and made Trapper very appealing even as more of a side character. He's always fun to watch, his chemistry with Alan Alda is always on, his comic timing and line delivery is great, etc. Even in episodes where the script doesn't really let him be engaging as a character, Rogers still makes him v entertaining and likeable.

Something I dislike: Difficult lol. Saying the womanizing is so passe. Well, I wish he and Hawkeye got more drama. That's always been the one thing about HawkTrap that disappoints me, how in-sync and perfect together they are lol, ironically. And I mean I love that for Hawkeye, ~it's what he deserves~ but for myself I like angst and misery and strife before the happy ever after and it would be nice if there was a good canon source for that with Trapper. A lot of fic writers just fall back on internalized homophobia which doesn't suit his vibe imo.

I think like my ideal hypothetical mash ship would have beejhawk style evil fuckery but hawktrap style chemistry so I could enjoy both the positive happy moments and the fucked up moments lol. But given the choice I do prefer the ship that's more engaging while positive and happy as an endgame ship for Hawkeye.

Send me a character and I’ll tell you something I like about them, as well as something I dislike about them