#what's funny is that i don't have a title for the series itself yet

[erinwantstowrite]

I've been meaning to ask, but is the title for LoF a reference to something or a song lyric?

<3 <3 <3

the chapter titles are references to songs (all of them are meticulously chosen) but the title itself is a reference and a connection to the story itself.

"Leap of Faith" comes from Spider-Man's 'Leap of faith" quote (mostly inspired by Miles in ITSV), and it also sort of ties in to the fact that Dick is a Flying Grayson and etc. It symbolizes how many times Peter has to put his trust into people and himself during the story.

"Catch Me, if You Can" is directly from Peter. Peter's taking a leap of faith as both Spider-Man fighting his first big enemy and as Peter Parker, trying to trust people. He's trying to trust the Bats to help him in this strange universe, and also trying to trust Tony and the others back home to come looking for him. He's asking them to catch him when he jumps for it (which is also a reference to the Flying Graysons, being acrobats that have to trust their partners to catch them).

((Basically, the title could be shortened to 'Trust Fall' lol))

In the chapter where Batman and Spider-Man play tag with the sticky notes, "Catch me if you can!" is a reference to the title (*cinema sins ding noise*) and a hint that it connects to Peter and everyone trying to catch up to him. They've basically been playing tag this entire time, with Peter being a few steps ahead of them, and this is the turning point. Batman catches up to Peter because Peter finally decides to play the game the way it's supposed to be played. It's one big metaphor for how the arcs have been going

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

All the fling posse song snippets are out !!!

👀 The Fling Posse snippets are all out now!! :D Ramuda sounds so happy I cry TwT

Hey! Any thoughts on the Fling Posse solo previews? Love hearing your opinions on the trailers and getting some neat tidbits of insight into the lyrics/motifs.

Thanks for the messages! Let's go check 'em out.

One and Only

(8 seconds in) Ramuda's saying "Let's go" too

(41 seconds in) Ahh!

(48 seconds in) Jesus, Shirai is really pushing his range in this one

(50 seconds in) Self love for Ramuda, hell yeah. Good on him

(End of video) Not a lot to say; I feel like this one was pretty straight-forward. It's Ramuda embracing his personal identity as a unique human being-- LOVE to see it-- which is the culmination of his arc through the series so far. The music itself didn't capture me. I might warm up to it later like I usually do, but Shirai's singing on its own isn't usually my cup of tea. Which is chill; I hope other people like it. The wordplay on "clap your hands (te wo tataite); I want to celebrate [being alive] (tataeteitai)" was neat.

Lies

(Title note) I'm intrigued that the title is in kana instead of kanji, giving it a simple and almost "honest" feel in its simplicity. It's been a hot sec since I've seen Gentarou use that word in writing but iirc he usually uses kanji for it.

(5 seconds in) Loving this piano.

(15 seconds in) A boku-using Gentarou? Bruh.

(35 seconds in) Ohhh I see the point of the kana. The title is the same as a famous Shuntarou Tanikawa poem narrated by a little boy (hence the lack of kanji). Since the song lyrics reference it, here's a quick 'n dirty TL of the poem: Lies I think I'll always tell lies. My mother doesn't, but she's done so before. I think that because I know lying is painful. Even if the things I say are lies, the lying feeling is the truth. There are some truths that can only be told in lies. Even dogs--if they could talk, I think they'd tell lies as well. Even when I tell lies, even when my lies get caught, I don't apologize. I never tell lies just to get out of trouble. (*) Even if no one knows that, I know that, and so here I am, living with my lies. Until I just can't bear to lie any longer, I know I'll lie again and again and all the while long for the truth. (*) Literally, "resolve [the trouble] with apologies" which is why the narrator says he doesn't apologize Anyway, the "Even when I tell lies..." verse sans "and so..." is the opening of this song. Gentarou stops at "Even if no one knows that" and sighs in his second repetition of the verse.

(end of song) Wait, the whole thing is just verses of this poem? This is really cool and artistic (I dig it) but wow, what a choice! Saitou Souma's performance is incredible, and the background music is cool. I don't know how well this would go on a playlist, but I am here for it! ...I'm also wondering what the rights acquisition must have been like. This poem isn't in the JPN public domain yet, right? Hahaha.

God in the Dice

(title note) Fwiw I usually say Dice has "spirits" in his dice; calling them gods is just as valid. That seems to be what this is referring to.

(15 seconds in) Man I love Nozuyama's rapping chops. He delivers every time

(23 seconds in) Going to take this "I don't care" and make it a reaction image. Can't adequately express how much the phrase "Thog don't care" gets me through the day; this is right up there with that

(29 seconds in) It's very, very funny that Gentarou always teases Dice about his lack of vocab when you compare these two songs back to back. Hahaha.

(50 seconds in) Call back to Scramble Gamble with a more positive outlook. I can fuck with that.

(end of song) This one seems very similar to Ramuda's in terms of message (once again, I'm inappropriately amused at the notion of Ramuda and Dice living it up in the booth like "Love yourself...! Respect yourself! Love yourse--" and then it cuts to Gentarou who's got a piano and a Dramatic Poetry Reading and Angst. Well, that's Gentarou's way of loving himself, I suppose) and on the one hand, I am very happy for Dice deciding to live his life his own way, even if it goes against societal values... but I don't know how I feel about indulging in a gambling addiction as a way to explore that. You know? Maybe I'm just going "You don't have to follow societal expectations, but you should follow MY expectations, dammit!" Hahaha. Well....... Do what you gotta do, homie.... I'm reminded of how very 20 Dice is. Very, very 20 y.o. leaving a bad home life. Do what you gotta do....

Well, that's Fling Posse! Very much their usual Fling Posse selves.

[toyota-supra]

My Top 10 Favorite Games I Played In 2023

In chronological order. It's a long one.

Titanfall 2

I've been told to play this for years now, though for most of those I did not really know why, as it never seemed like my kind of game. But, ever since I started really getting into mecha sometime in 2022, I decided to finally give it a try. I'm very glad I did. Titanfall 2 is a criminally short First Person Shooter with a very fun mech/pilot dynamic, really good mechanics of movement and combat for both, and some of my favorite level design of any game I've played in a long while. The platforming is crazy good! The mechanics are tight as hell! The mech is awesome! I recommend Titanfall 2 for literally anyone reading this.

Mega Man Zero

The Zero series is the one that most called to me in the Mega Man franchise every time I looked these games over, and I was right in that judgement. While I couldn't say if I was going to appreciate most of the GBA era action platformer difficulty or not, it was clear from Zero's more agile movement and bite-sized missions with very memorization-heavy bosses that I would enjoy it. And I did enjoy it a lot! Most of the bosses kicked my ass but it was an absolute blast to finally learn their patterns enough to defeat them. The problem is, I went out of my way to not get any of the game's health upgrades or energy tanks, making the final boss so hard for me that after days and days of attempts I gave up. Not beating Mega Man Zero is probably my biggest regret of the year lmao

Fate/Stay Night

Honestly, what do I even say? You can see my Saber icon, right? Fate is a franchise I never bothered to get close to, knowing of its name only through vague images and names of more popular characters (not even from FGO, just in general), and from later on getting to know that Fate/Grand Order was the game it is I felt like it wasn't for me at all and who cares. So when I learned what the original VN was actually about I felt stupid. How could something so fitting to my tastes have gone under my radar for so long...? Despite not being much of a reader in general, F/SN is a very long game that feels like it's just as short as you need it to be. The prose flows so well, every single character is lovable in many ways, and there's so much passion written into them and the situations they're in that it's one of the most smooth-flowing VNs I've read (which granted are not many) even though it's around the high 6 digit wordcounts. I love this game dearly.

Stranger of Paradise - Final Fantasy Origin

I wanted to play this game since the first few trailers! How cruel was it that, not only did I not have a powerful enough machine at the time, but the game wasn't even on Steam until the year after release? Final Fantasy Origin is the game it presents itself to be. There's something about it that's so special to a certain kind of person (which I happen to be one of) and that falls flat for everyone else. The combat and its many Weapons, Jobs and Skills to use are just fantastic in how nice they feel, and I really do like the type of story Stranger tells. I haven't finished it yet, but I'm close to it. I like to describe Stranger of Paradise as everything good about PS2 and PS3 games in a modern title.

Pseudoregalia

An old feeling from a new friend. Pseudoregalia is everything I like in 3D Platforming, and a little bit of what I don't. If you've ever looked at a single gif or video of Super Mario 64 and thought, "this looks pretty fun to play," you should be playing Pseudoregalia. If you like goat ladies with big butts, I can't say I understand if that would sell you on a game or not, but it is a feature everyone mentions. I wrote on this game already, so please do check that out and get it. It's one of the three titles of this list that came out this year, and I have not heard enough people talk about it.

Armored Core VI - Fires of Rubicon

My favorite in this list, which is funny because I don't know what to say about it at all. Armored Core is a series I've been studying up on from the outside for a while, and the announcement for this title was my reason to finally dive in. Unfortunately, I did not get past playing the first mission of AC1 a few times and booting up AC3 once. But I will get to it eventually! Fires of Rubicon is one hell of an action game, that I adored for every single one of my (currently) 67 hours of play. Going through the campaign with builds a little too busted for the AI most of the time was my dishonorable focus of the experience, but there's a lot else to do for every kind of person. The amount of freedom you have for messing with your builds for either single or multiplayer is not to be underestimated. Though it could be better. Here's hoping there will be a game that is.

Midnight Club 3 DUB Edition Remix

I played this game as a kid so much that the main menu and its theme are scarred into my mind, yet this whole time I had no idea what the game was actually like due to the fact that most of my playtime was doing a few races and just cruising around. Once you dive into trying to finish the story, MC3 is a much different experience. One that frustrated me so much, I got actually ill from the stress. Please take breaks, gamers! Your health is more important than finishing an 18 year old game! Still, I did eventually do it. Midnight Club 3's handling model and gameplay structure are really impressive in comparison to the much more popular Need for Speed series, and I have to admit I did enjoy the game a lot. It's just a lot harder than it ever needed to be. I'll probably never forget this game, and that's not really a good or bad thing. Just, advice from me, if it gets too hard, maybe switch to sports bikes. Buy that Ducati.

Test Drive Unlimited

Another car game, but this one I have the least to say about of any on this list. I had played TDU on PS2 multiple times before and thought it was awesome. The atmosphere and immersion of this game are unrivaled by any racing game to this day. But playing the PC version with a steering wheel and pedals made everything so much more incredible. I played the Platinum mod, which adds hundreds more cars and fixes a lot of issues with the original game (but not all of them; the game was still really rough and I hate how much the resolution is a pain to change). Overall, one of my favorite experiences with a steering wheel controller so far. Otherwise, a pretty good game if you like driving.

Super Mario Sunshine

An old friend, and a new feeling. I don't play 3D platformers as much as I wish I did, because they're really not part of my main priorities looking for games lately, but every time I play a Mario game, it's like I found love again. It was not the first time I played Super Mario Sunshine, as I had collected a dozen or so Sprites years before, but playing the whole game in I think two weeks during the latter half of the year was such an incredible experience. Unless for some reason you play it on the Switch, Sunshine is a game that loves you as much as you love it. And you do love it, right? I know I do. I'd love to play this game many other times in the future. Granted, that applies to every game here, I just wanted to say it out loud for this one.

Lethal Company

A fairly recent release! Having played it with many groups of people by now, both modded and vanilla, I think Lethal Company is probably one of my favorite multiplayer experiences ever. It is scary and hilarious, but also just really really good, to a level that surprised me for my quality standards of co-op (horror) games. Lethal Company turns friends into improvised horror movie actors and it's incredible. I'm almost at 30 hours played and will likely get to 40 at minimum. It's also pretty cheap and likely runs well on all sorts of machines, so consider checking this one out too.

Honorable Mentions

Witch on the Holy Night and Story of Seasons - Friends of Mineral Town are games I am adoring and could definitely go on this list, hadn't I started them both quite late into December. Maybe next year I'll give them a shoutout!

[reviewinghiccup]

RIDERS OF BERK | HTTYD SERIES | BREAKING DOWN HICCUP

Blog Post Series: Breaking Down Hiccup

Title: Breakneck Bog

Ep/Season: Episode 17, Season 1 (Riders of Berk)

Premise:

Hiccup and gang set out to the mysterious, maybe even dangerous Breakneck Bog in search for something once lost.

CHARACTER DISCUSSION

HICCUP HORRENDOUS HADDOCK III

(1) THE FILIAL SON

Stoick, Gobber, Hiccup, Thornado and Toothless go on a journey to find Trader Johann who is late and carrying a parcel on his ship Stoick really wants. When the mission fails, Hiccup decides to venture out on his own, to retrieve the lost treasure for his father.

Stoick didn't tell Hiccup that the treasure was actually a gift from his mother, knowing that if Hiccup knew that, he would've gone out of his way to get it back. However, what Stoick probably didn't bank on was the fact that Hiccup would do anything for him, regardless.

note: I need to get me one of those Berk crested satchels. Looks like it can carry a lot.

Of course, Astrid will come to find out about it and because our boy here cannot lie to the girl he likes, he told her everything. Well, that and more because, Astrid reads him like a book.

(2) UNHEEDED WARNINGS & STUBBORNNESS ISSUES

It felt like the running theme of the episode was unheeded warnings. Hiccup decided to find Trader Johann, even though it wasn't his father's wish for him to handle the operation on his own.

Snotlout got everyone to join the expedition despite being warned to keep the scout-group small.

And the decision to go into Breakneck Bog itself was stubbornness disguised as adventure.

It's so funny how Hiccup has no control over his group sometimes. No, sorry, its hilarious.

TRADER JOHANN

I open this question to the floor, do you think this incident was planned by Johann or did he really suffer an accident?

I mean, what are the odds that a valuable item to Stoick and Hiccup would be found on his ship the day he just had to pass Breakneck Bog. Do you think Johann planted it? I mean, it's not uncharacteristic of an evil mastermind to do so.

But that would mean, he knows them scarily well and planned to get rid of the riders this way.

Why I ask this question is because he was found on a plank, stranded in the middle of the ocean. We don't see any other ships or people nearby to help him. Did he really go that far to disguise his disloyalty?

Again, it wouldn't be uncharacteristic of him to do so. But still, no one can fault the dude for his dedication. Or acting.

THEME, MESSAGE & STORYLINE

"Most people are afraid of things because they don't understand them. For me, it was dragons. Then one day that changed, and my greatest fear became my best friend." - Hiccup

Just like Breakneck Bog and the elusive Fog Monster, there was great fear in the unexplainable. However, when the "cover" is blown and what was suppose to be scary ended up being nothing but a facade, we truly see where fears lie, in ignorance of truth.

A fear of dragons was the downfall of the village, until they started understanding them. Then they realised, like Hiccup did, that dragons were just like them. Scared, nervous, strong, independent.

That was also Valka's message which we learn in HTTYD 2. I liked this episode because it combined all my favourite bits of the show. The heartwarming family values, the bond of friendship, adventure and their overarching lesson, that you don't have to be afraid of the things you can't yet understand.

The episode is shrouded in mystery, i.e., Breakneck Bog, the Lost Treasure, the Fog Monsters. But the best part about it is how it is uncovered. And what "treasure" means to someone, is completely how we attach value to it.

Further, inasmuch as you can hate on Snotlout or be annoyed with the twins, you can't help but know that as a group they work well together and they will be there for each other.

In terms of comedic timing and pacing, this show definitely hits as one of the better ones. It's a mix of adventure, humour, family - in essence, what the entire franchise is about, but as a series it was a lovely bite size piece to enjoy.

PERSONAL FAVOURITE MOMENTS

A) EVERYONE UPSET THAT THEY HAVE A CONSCIOUS

B) HICCUP'S SIDE EYE WHEN SNOTLOUT CALLED ASTRID'S GRANDFATHER STUPID

C) A SCARED FISHLEGS OFFERING HICCUP HIS MOTHER

D) SNOTLOUT CALLING OUT JOHANN

Given Snotlout's distrust, he is actually someone who calls Johann out constantly. One thing Hiccup does fail to discern is the true nature of people. Which is a flaw that leads him to most of his problems.

E) ASTRID AND HICCUP'S HERO POSE

[barbieb0y]

joining the thoughts on golden hour part 1 bandwagon bc oh boy i have thoughts

obviously my expectations were kinda high bc it's ateez we're talking about here and that this is actually my first comeback ever. none of the title tracks have disappointed me so far – and thats not to say i was disappointed with work. but i would say it's... underwhelming.

i mean, after the world series with guerilla, halazia, bouncy and crazy form, how do you expect me to process the whiplash that is work? we got all these intense songs and performances, hammering in the outlaw concept then... work. this album. there's a reason why i was surprised to hear this is a hip-hop themed comeback bc it's not that it doesnt suit ateez, i was excited to see how they would mess with the genre, but. work sounds like a song another group can pull off. sonically, at least.

i'd like to think that work is a milestone for all their achievements thus far, like "hey we made it this far bc we hustled" and i still think that but it could've been theirs. but this sound isn't theirs. at least not yet, if theyre planning to mess with it in the future too.

i liked the beat when they first leaked it and i still like it. but throughout the whole song, it's just that. it's just one beat. im not saying it cant sound good (360 by charli xcx is a good example) and im not saying it's not good but like i said: it's underwhelming. the mv kinda saves it bc i absolutely adore how chaotic and funny it is but i wish the song itself couldve lived up to the whole chaos of the visuals.

im not gonna talk about the intro bc the intro is just the intro. let's talk about blind. when i listened to the preview, my first thought was "wow they should play this in the world cup" and i was still thinking that when i listened to the whole thing for the first time. then i listened to it with the lyrics and i thought "wowie it's a love song i see". but to put it simply, i like it but thats about it. i wouldn't skip it but i don't lose my mind or put it at the top of my rankings like everyone has been apparently doing.

moving on to empty box, i wasn't expecting to like it much when i listened to it in the preview bc i'm not a fan of slow songs/ballads usually but when i first listened to it on release... it became my first favorite of the album. this is what i mean by they can do simple good and they can make it theirs. even though the song does remind me of another song/artist (ive been struggling to figure out what/who exactly though...), it's not bc it's a song anyone else can do. they took a genre and made it theirs. that's how you own it. the lyrics also hit close to home and i find them incredibly moving.

next is shaboom. this was my initial favorite from when i listened to the preview and i was looking forward to how the whole thing sounds like and well, i wasn't blown away but i do enjoy it. i like the goofy intro and the first verses are fun, like i can imagine a silly mv where they're hosting a house party and inviting you to join in on the festivities. i can't really remember the verses after the first chorus though (idk why but im struggling to remember the non-chorus parts in this album despite looping it for a few times already) but i do like it. more than blind at least.

lastly, siren. my current favorite. ive been looping the fuck outta this song. it is actually so good but i'm not really surprised bc this, alongside empty box, are the ones that allegedly had more time spent on them (hell, siren was battling crazy form to become the title track for the world ep fin will). this is how good they can be when they actually take their time, this is who ateez is supposed to be. and im not lying nor exaggerating when i say this should been the title track for this comeback. i can already imagine the mv, the choreo, the stages that they can do if this was the title track. i sincerely believe that this song is like a mix of bouncy (mostly the vibes), outlaw and crazy form which you should know is a banging mix. i love the goofy intro (of course), i love the chaos from the verses, i love the descent in the pre-chorus down to the chorus itself (i think it's reminiscent of crazy form), the "ringing siren, ringing siren" parts make me ascend (both the post-chorus and at the end of the song), THIS IS ATEEZ. GOD.

tldr my ranking is this:

siren

empty box

shaboom

work*

blind*

golden hour

*work and blind are interchangeable bc i like them the same amount

conclusion? a solid album but it's not their best. it's not cohesive. like it feels like it's creating a creative dent in their discography. so i can't really rate it bc it'll have to depend on what perspective you're looking at.

i can only hope they take more time to prepare for their next album. i do not want another rushed comeback and album. i want these bitches to rest and be at their actual best when they perform! go for quality over quantity of you can't do both!!

[catfox13102ndblog]

Alyla Of The Dead: A zombie apocalypse crossover AU

So I got his little thing I thought of, so why don't I share it all with ya.

So yeah, I had an idea for a zombie apocalypse AU, and it does feature Maria, but here's the thing...

It isn't related to Sonic at all! It's actually an Alyla Browne crossover AU! As you could guess by the title. (It was orignally conceptualized as a Sonic AU, but eventually it changed into what I'm telling here.)

This means that this Maria is who we follow, not the Maria from the games.

And not only her, but other characters who Alyla Browne portrayed, like Charlotte, young Furiosa, Angie, and young Alice Hart, will be in there as well.

There is another funny little thing I should mention too:

In the AU. Gerald, Maria, and G.U.N as a whole all exist in that reality (their Movie counterparts of course). But the Sonic series is still just a game franchise.

And this timeline has the Dreamcast and Sonic Adventure fail so badly that SEGA straight up closes their doors, meaning that Sonic Adventure 2 was never made at all. (Gee, Sonic really did have a rough transition into 3D in this timeline, huh.)

Maria herself is a fan of the Sonic franchise in this AU, and she's often called "Maria Robotnik" as a fun little nickname because of this. (mostly just an in-universe way to keep her OG name)

But enough talking about small little notes, let's talk about...

The Lore (So far)

(NOTE: THE 3RD SONIC FILM HASN'T BEEN RELEASED YET AS I WRITE THIS, SO THE LORE MAY OR MAY NOT BE CHANGED IN THE FUTURE)

So the current lore I thought about was that a scientist on the ARK attempted to cure Maria's illness (whether it's NIDS or something else entirely in the third Sonic film, we don't really know yet) by using a sample of her blood, while experimenting with this blood sample, something else had happened entirely.

The scientist had accidently created a mutated variant of the illness, it had infected the scientist by unknown means, and caused him to be violently ill.

Eventually he died from this mutated illness, and no one could've prepared for what happened next.

The dead scientist came back to life, attacking any staff near him, luckly they were able to subdue him, and study why he was like this.

They concluded that this new form of Maria's illness had brought him back from the dead, many of the scientists thought it was absurd. After all, how could he be dead, yet still able to move?

Regardless, things went horribly wrong, as the staff who the zombified scientist had attacked became infected, died, and reanimated themselves, chaos would erupt on the ARK as it slowly became overrun with zombies.

In response, the US military was sent to contain the outbreak on the ARK, Maria was the only one who they found alive. (they had no idea Gerald was alive as well) With enough reaserch, they managed to cure Maria. Later, in 2022, the military founded the Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N).

Finally, in 2024, our story begins when the mutated illness that the military thought was fully contained, breached containment under mysterious circumstances. Resulting in a global scale zombie apocalypse.

(It's also worth mentioning that Maria still looks like she did in 1974, we don't know how or why, she just does. She never aged at all after 50 years apparently)

Now, onto...

The Zombies

To put it simply, the zombies are based on George A. Romero's shamblers, they move slowly, eat the flesh of the living, and can only be killed by a shot or heavy blow to the head.

I also headcanon that the zombies specifically resemble the ones seen in the 1990 remake of Night Of The Living Dead as seen down below. But it's just a headcanon, what they look like is mostly up to interpretation.

In fact, the AU itself is heavily influenced by George Romero's zombie films as a whole.

And that's all there is to tell you so far, there's a lot more I could tell you though.

Well, you can ask questions and stuff about it, and I'll try to answer ya.

[mzannthropy]

Sam Claflin + well developed female characters

I once posted a list of Sam's female-directed films [x], but as @jesstasticvoyage points out, it's also true that a lot of stuff he stars in features well developed female characters (I'm kinda tired of the "strong female character" phrase, so using this one instead). So, let's have a look at them.

The Hunger Games series (dir Francis Lawrence) - still the most obvious example for Sam as a role he's known for, and the purpose of this post. It's safe to say most people know Katniss Everdeen.

Their Finest (dir Lone Scherfig) - Gemma Arterton's character, Catrin, is an aspiring screenwriter hired to work on a script for a film about Dunkirk evacuation--this is a movie about a movie set during WW2. Sam is a fellow writer, in fact he is the one who discovered her. It's funny bc this takes place in 1940s and she gets the job of writing female characters, when even in our times we don't always have that. Worth noting is also Rachael Stirling's Phyl, a minor character but memorable and a lesbian--who doesn't die at the end. It's the straight relationship that gets treated like bury your gays trope this time!

The Nightingale (dir Jennifer Kent) - also known as the film in which Sam plays an absolute monster (you think Billy Dunne is bad, lol). The film centres on young convict Claire (Aisling Franciosi) seeking revenge for the indescribable harm done to her family. Basically, trigger warning for everything.

My Cousin Rachel (dir Roger Michell) - adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's novel. Sam plays Philip, the narrator, but Rachel is so intriguing, the whole story is named for her. She's played by her namesake, Rachel Weisz. There's also Louise (Holliday Granger), Philip's childhood friend. She's the relatable, girl next door type, but she is smart, in fact I think she is the one with the most braincells. (Also I have a theory about her, I think this version of Louise has a darker side!)

Enola Holmes (dir Harry Bradbeer) - title speaks for itself. Enola's mother is missing and the teenage heroine goes on a quest to find her and thus becomes a detective herself. Sam plays Mycroft, the eldest Holmes sibling, though he's far removed from the original Mycroft Holmes of Arthur Conan Doyle's books. Edith, who runs a teashop, is another notable female character.

Adrift (dir Baltasar Kormakur) - based on a true story of Tami Oldham, an amateur sailor, surviving 41 days adrift on the Pacific Ocean after a hurricane. Sam plays her bf Richard. Shailene Woodley has the role of Tami and is also the film's producer.

Riot Club (dir Lone Scherfig) - okay so what's this doing here, you ask, it's a film about an all-male elite club at Oxford. Yes but that's exactly the point, bc even though it is about an all male club, the female characters are surprisingly well developed. The play this is adapted from, Posh, was written by Laura Wade and the director is also a woman, so maybe it's not so surprising. We have Holliday Granger who plays the gf of one of the boys and Jessica Brown Findlay in the role of the pub landlord's daughter. Holliday's character certainly doesn't take any shit from the posh boys. Even Natalie Dormer in the role of a sex worker has enough self-respect to refuse their deranged requests, despite the amount of money it would earn her. Hence I include it on the list.

Charlie's Angels (dir Elizabeth Banks) - title speaking for itself, yet again. Sam's role is relatively minor.

Book of Love (dir Analeine Cal y Mayor) - a romcom. When Maria, played by Veronica Echegui, translates Henry's (Sam) unsuccessful book from English to Spanish, the book becomes a huge hit in Mexico. Turns out that while translating, she inserted some seriously hot steamy scenes. Sam travels to Mexico for promotion and the two of them now have to work together on the next book. So without Maria, the story would not exist and also, once Henry accepts the situation, he is happy to collaborate with her--and at the end, supports her in her own writing efforts. (If you can get round the premise, it is an enjoyable film.)

Daisy Jones and the Six - mini series based on a book of the same name. We have not one, not two, not three, but four amazing ladies to root for: Daisy, Camila, Karen and Simone. While Sam gives performance of a lifetime as the band's frontman Billy Dunne.

Other Notes:

Honourable mentions are Snow White (Kristen Stewart) in Snow White and the Huntsman, a film I have a definite soft spot for though there's many ways it could have been better. In The Corrupted Sam plays a convict who just got out of prison and reunites with his gf and son. The gf is played by Naomi Ackie. She's wary at first but does allow him back into her life and they get back together and raise their son. Unsure if another one of my faves, Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides apply. Sam's romance with the mermaid Syrena is my absolute favourite of his. She might seem helpless for majority of her screentime, bc she gets captured, turns human on dry land and is unable to walk as she's not used to having legs, Philip (Sam's character) has to carry her. But she was the one who saved him first. And POTC overall is not without good female characters.

[clairethecutepup]

Puppy Eyes and Doll Eyes: The Complete, Short "Assassin AU" Comic (EEnE)

First, disclaimers: we all know Ed Edd n' Eddy doesn't belong to me, and the "Assassin AU" of the series is by "C2ndy2c1d". For more about the overall comic and my thoughts, click the "read more" below. Hopefully, this sample of my comic-related works sparks interest in a potential audience for more, both of original and fan-based content.

For individual pages and THEIR commentary notes:

Pg 1

Pg 2

Pg 3

Pg 4

Pg 5

Pg 6

Pg 7

For the final page, #8:

Finally, got it finished! Boy, talk about having a "funny way of showing it," when it comes to any feelings of endearment, huh? Let's just say, "It's complicated..." isn't just for romantic relations. Also, I hope you got your fill of Claire retaining her usual wolfishness there, as she's going to be a normal human in the actual fan comic series. As I've said before, the concept of "werebeasts" can be an interesting idea for an assassin-based series, just not for the world of EEnE-- "alternate universe" or not.

I admit that it'll be jarring, but I can still replicate Claire's wolf nature via her assassin theme: "Herr Wolf," which involves her dressing similarly to the common werewolf portrayal. If you're wondering why she's using "Herr" in that title, and not the more appropriate German addressment of "Frau," it's both for similar sound to the mythical monster and for the masculine nature of her outfit's appearance. Plus, wolves are generally associated with masculinity. As for when she's OUT of costume, she'll be wearing a little wolf-hoodie that has both ears and a tail. It'd be perfect, as constantly having the hood over her head would also portray her timid/shy demeanor. Besides, Sarah and Jimmy would probably find their apprentice cuter with her hood on and ears hanging about, so there's that.

Oh yeah, hope you grew to like the idea of Claire being with Sarah and Jimmy up there, as she'll be with them instead. Don't worry, they'll take good care of her; but that doesn't mean they can't have some fun with her, every now and again~. What's all this about apprentices and stuff? This post is your answer, in regards to the upcoming fan comic series. Of course, keep in mind that I also do more ORIGINAL series, so it's not like I'll dedicate every moment of "creative time" to that.

Back to the page itself, I really wish I could've figured out a way to make the colorless outlines match how I envisioned: a tad on the fancier side, but I definitely like the surrounding "oil paint" texture that CS-Art offered. At the very least, I find the "End" text very pretty and satisfyingly done: simple, yet nicely calligraphic. Then again, that IS the form of "pen" I selected, when writing it. Can you believe I also had trouble drawing in a more "chibi" style? Yeah, that's some irony right there: I can easily draw the more "professional" forms of characters, but it's drawing them in smaller/simpler forms that "hard mode" is activated... Eh, practice makes perfect, ja?

I also notice I forgot to add the little chick feet, on the back of Ed's magazine; but let's be honest, it's not really THAT big of a deal. It also looks a little better without the busy back cover, I'd say? As for Sarah's face, in regards to visible angels of things, she's grinning under her mask. Unfortunately, it covers the left side of her face; and she and Jimmy are heading to the RIGHT, therefore their LEFT sides will be toward the audience, in that perspective.

Anyway, I think I've finally figured how to go about comics, thanks to this little and fun fan one-- both to the actual EEnE series, and C2ndy2C1d's awesome AU concept. Seriously, Sarah and Jimmy may scare me to heck and back, as this version of their characters, but I'd be lying if I claimed they (and the other characters) weren't cool. Yep, from now on, it's gonna be: traditional panels (with less being more), handwritten lettering, a colored background for space outside the panels, and somewhat text-fitting bubbles that overlay the panels. Welp, hope you all look forward to future comic works by me, as I've finally found my niche!

[bonesandthebees]

theres so much stuff to talk about im getting overwhelmed (/pos) idk what to focus on first and its not even about the chapter itself yet lmao

latin series and chapter titles? oooh cool, more stuff to look into

like "we keep the names bare"? thats metal as fuck

"so it happens" in itself is interesting and very fitting but in latin its just so much more fancy

I love how their official names are different (and unusual), like wilum, nikanna, tomys, alecs

once again you have something special about names and looking back to the series name I have a feeling there will be moments where the choice between formal name and nickname will be important

(the lengths stories in english have to go to show the border between formal/informal addressing /hj, names have a different beat to them but the technique is actually similar

its a bit sad actually, I feel like so many english texts could go bonkers if "thou" and "ye" still existed and didnt get merged into you)

I mean we already saw something similar in the prequel with phil calling wilbur wilum to show importance of the situation

gotta say, the importance of names is always a bit different and never boring and I love it

origins characters and character traits oh my that opens up so many possibilities i love the sound of this

also just the phil we see in the prequel has some "harsh" qualities, setting kids up against each other which fits o!phil much more than c!phil, so many new traits to play with

excited to see how this might change the characters and relationships and stuff (sandduo is bound to be interesting, not that they werent before, but yk)

looking at tags there's no major character death, should I probably not mention that in comments as not to spoil anyone? or spread fake news

there are other tags that sound really fun tho

before reading the summary I havent even realised that we havent heard about tommys role in all this before in neither the prequel nor the snippets we got

hes thirteen and a problem? oh its going to be a blast

cant wait to see the worldbuilding and fashion in this, youve been so excited about it for so long and I havent seen hotd so im ready to be impressed

the latin series title is one I like quite a bit :)) also the only latin chapter title i think we're going to have is the first one (it also translates to 'so it begins' which I just thought was fitting). maybe the last one too to round it out but i dont plan chapter titles ahead of time so we'll see lmao

oh I had such a fun time coming up with the names. I also struggled so fucking hard LMAO. I think Nikanna is my favorite of the names I came up with, although I thought Alecs and Tomys were clever since it's just alternate spellings. also it hasn't been mentioned in text yet, but Sam's full name is Samuel Aswyn and I'm pretty happy with myself for coming up with Aswyn as a surname equivalent for 'awesamdude'

but yeah there's always going to be an element of importance given to names in a fic like this. like, it's one of my favorite tropes to use. it definitely isn't going to have the same weight as names in glass and stars did, but it'll be there for sure.

you get it though. like, we would benefit SO much if we still used thou and ye because we could go insane in the membrane with the way we write interactions between characters. but alas i just have to create convoluted worldbuilding rules about the roles of names to get my point across instead...

yeah I mean stars!phil definitely had elements of o!phil in him, but it'll definitely be more obvious in rose. also, ngl, a huge part of why I decided to throw osmp in the tags was because I just wanted to write o!sneeg. I fucking love o!phil and o!sneeg's dynamic they're so funny together so when I was like "holy shit I could put sneeg in rose" I knew I had to do it

bestie I don't know where you're looking because major character death is 100% in the tags. like, go do a double take it's in the archive warnings.

yeah a part of me wanted to keep tommy's role entirely a secret until his character got introduced in ch 2, but then I realized I couldn't really write a compelling summary without throwing him in somewhere so I had to bite the bullet and ruin the surprise a bit lol. but yeah he's gonna be GREAT

aaaa thank you so much I'm so glad you're excited for this!! I really hope you guys like this journey we're gonna go on

[animehouse-moe]

Glitch, Vol. 1: That Funny Feeling

You know that feeling when something isn't right, but it's not wrong either. Where you're trying to find out the cause of it, of all the things you're seeing and feeling that are different. You're not quite afraid, but neither are you overly excited about the feeling. That's what this first volume of Glitch conveys, and in really solid fashion. A few missteps and stumbles here and there, but overall a deeply engaging and unique read.

A little more explanation, Minato and Akira move into a new town with their mother (who they refer to by name) and quickly discover things aren't what they seem. Spurred on by the oddity, they end up seeking to understand what's going on around them.

Really interesting concept, right?

I'd agree, and while not everything they see is the same, it's centered around the idea of a "glitch", which I think is a genius idea given the art style of the series. I mean, just take a look at it, so angular and digital feeling. All the triangles and rectangles that are rendered in things like the greenery or buildings. It all works in bringing the concept of a glitch in the digital sense closer to mind.

And truthfully, the art is the strongest visual suit with the manga. Not that the rest are terrible, but that they can't keep pace with the talent. Layouts and boarding are solid, but the paneling needs some work. With the concept of glitches I feel like there's endless potential for how you approach paneling, but it remains largely focused on rectangles which is a bit of a shame.

Anyways, the aspect of discomfort. I don't call it horror because it's not horror, not yet. Rather, it's just this weird sense that there's something around you. Like it's not just what you see, that there's a separation between your senses and your experience. And I think that this volume expresses that dissonance incredibly well in simple terms.

Separating the reader from the object.

Now you might say, "Hey, this panel only has angel head guy in it, so wouldn't it be more focused on bringing the reader in?". It would, if this story was told from a first person perspective, but it's not. We focus largely on the third person. Instead, it's attempting to separate angel head from the rest of the world of Glitch in this instance.

It's a really interesting trick where the expectations of the experience are betrayed and it makes things feel different. Something similar is at play with the earlier image of Minato. The environment looks sketchier. There's less noticeable detail and information in the panel, despite it being full. We lead up to the page by focusing on (mostly) closeups of Minato only to zoom out on the reveal. It creates a sense of isolation, and well, difference. And really, the key to the success of the approach is in what it changes. It needs to focus on a single piece to succeed, to make something just that little bit different from the usual so that readers think something's off.

And time and time again in this volume, it betrays expectations in really interesting ways. It's unique, it's fresh, it's creative. It hits all the right notes for its approach to succeed. And then it adds some more.

A mystery means nothing without worldbuilding, and building a world it does. Forgetting where you originally came from, being able to see glitches, calling your mother by her name, only seeing a single adult at a time. There's all sorts of little oddities and intricacies that pepper this peculiar story.

Really, that's all I have to say. There's a lot that's better left unspoken with this story as a lot of its allure is the experience itself. Feeling the disconnect between worlds and what you see. Figuring out why this one piece feels weird. Trying to think of what will come next. It's a surprisingly engaging title for how passive it is, so it truly is a unique experience that I recommend.

[thebonsai]

KERKA (and general) update

Hello again.

This week felt like it had to throw haymakers at me, especially towards the weekend. Besides that however, things are on track.

On KERKA

This is a bit of a funny one. For starters, I have begun working on the first painting for the planned painting series. The WiP is viewable for all of my supporters. I intend to publish three different pieces, that best work lined up next to one another, but still work individually.

The paintings will be available for purchase on Displate once they are done. 

The comic itself is making decent progress. It is planned to have all the rough work for the first batch done towards the middle of October. WiPs will come as they are done.

Now to the funky parts: I had a lot of discussions with other comic authors the past weeks regarding KERKA and how it should be published. Now, there is no one formula for every comic. Different approaches work for different customers, communities, media etc. . The back-and-forth I had with them was very illuminating however. I believe my current model might be a bit convoluted and might detract from the overall enjoyment, providing only a drizzle of pages every week. That might change entirely. There is still talk about it, so don't consider that to be completely decided yet.

Lastly: I did a double-take on the copyright-registry for the title KERKA, and as it turned out, its already taken by another book. Well, kind of. Not entirely, and with the sub-title and everything its distinguished enough to not violate anything, but it's worth keeping in mind.

So far, I will keep using KERKA as the name, but it might be demoted to a project name down the line and replaced with a new title. I already made possible alternatives and they are not taken yet.

Its fair to expect the title of the comic to change, but not before a proper announcement. Basically, were something like a trailer to drop and it calls KERKA something else, that's when you will know.

Commissions

Its that time again. I have reopened two commission slots. First come first serve! Tell me what you need and we will get right to it. Do consider the rules for commissions, viewable in the commission menu.

Not many things changed, but if you have any questions do not shy away from reaching out to me over DMs.

And that's it for this weeks update. There will be a lot of busy work this month, but I will see to update you again at least once before the end of September.

Thank you for reading and stay safe

[boundlessthoughtsbyantonette]

Sylvia Locke and the Three Bears Tairy Fails: Book 1 by David Horn

RED ALERT FOR FAIRY TALE LAND: Sylvia Locke is out and ready to cause mischief.

Once upon a time in Fairy Tale Land, there lived a very bad girl indeed. Sylvia Locke may have been abandoned by her adventuring parents but that’s no excuse for being mean to her loving grandparents, rude to everyone at school, and even bullying rare magical creatures. Right?

One day, when out on a break-and-enter job at the Bear family’s house, Sylvia happens upon a magical mirror that turns out to be more than she bargained for. Could even a kid like Sylvia find a friend? Could some warm and fuzzies change her heart?

--

3.75 Stars but rounding up to 4 Stars To sum everything up, this is your modern fairy tale with fanciful twists!

Thank you very much BookSirens for the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost, let's talk about the book cover, shall we? This is definitely what I would expect from a modern version of our beloved classic fairy tale. This gives whimsical, adventurous, mischievous, and classic yet modern.

I find this cover perfectly fitting with the story.

Now, the title. It is very catchy I must say, however, what does "Tairy" signify?

We all know that this was based on Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Sylvia Locke gives a nice ring for this modern version. The chapter titles were engaging and whimsical as well. I enjoyed each of them. All the places mentioned in this book were very funny too!

Moving on to the story and the plot itself - I love that Sylvia Locke has a backstory.

The story eventually unfolds everything and explains why things happened the way they did and why the main character acted specifically like that in specific chapters.

Most importantly, the book and the author, teach us valuable lessons which may differ from one person to another.

Why 3.75 Stars? There were parts I found messy and things were a bit all over the place. Some things were left unexplained and perhaps, I will find answers as the series continues.

This is a good book, don't get me wrong. It is perfect for kids and elementary readers. Sometimes, Sylvia and her attitude were just too much for me.

And at the Epilogue, did we get a snippet of Book 2? Exciting!

[listieshadows]

Well, after years of procrastinating, I've finally started watching The Owl House. I'll be watching it in four episode chunks throughout the month, so right now I don't have terribly much to go on, but I've got some general, preliminary thoughts.

To begin with, I honestly wasn't feeling it too much in episode one? While I was watching it, it felt... I'unno. A bit too quick? I didn't really 100% get this show's vibe until episode three, so thinking back on the first episode it makes more sense, but in the moment... I think I might'a been spoiled by the fact that the last show I watched was Avatar: The Last Airbender, and that opened with, like, a three parter. That's close to 70 minutes to set itself up versus only 23 minutes for The Owl House. And for what was there, thinking back on it, yeah; it's a fine lil' adventure to kick things off.

At the very least, from episode one I vibed very much with its sense of humour. That whole "Yep, she got away" bit in particular clued me right in. Not everything hit with me, but a good majority did—and, besides, who expects to bat a perfect 100, anyway? I saw Alex Hirsch's name in the credits, and I didn't see what he was credited, but I do get a lot of Gravity Falls vibes.

It's also funny that—and for the record, I came into this show knowing pretty much nothing. It's about magic, there's a character called Odalia Blight that an artist I like themed themselves around for a few months... And that Luz and Amity will eventually hook up. And that's the biggest thing I know, so watching their preliminary interactions in episode three are big, "Wow, is that how you treat your future girlfriend?" Seriously, I kinda look forward to learning more about her just so that that's not the only thing I think about when I see her in the opening title sequence.

I got, like, two more preliminary thoughts I wanna share. One, I thought I'd get sick real quick of King's thing of acting like he's a big, scary demon when he's really just a cute lil' thing, but he really hasn't yet. Testament to the writing, design and voice acting for finding the balance where I don't mind, I guess. And speaking of his voice, it sounds really familiar to me, but I can't place my finger on exactly who it is... And I'm feeling a big lazy right now and don't feel like looking up who it is.

Second—and this one is more for me and my friend group than the open Tumblr public, but—I got this OC, Louise, who suffers from what I call "existential depression." Basically, she worries, and she worries hard, that she doesn't truly have a place in the world. She worries she's a side character in someone else's story, and that, ultimately, she's not really important. I feel like she'd get something out of the message in episode two: that no one's going to just come up and tell you you're the chosen one and you're destined to be special; you just have to choose to be it. At the very least, Louise would for sure fall super hard for the "you're the chosen one" scam. She ain't above nuthin'.

So yeah. Scattered thoughts on the first four episodes of The Owl House. Truthfully, I don't feel as sparked as I did when I saw the first few episodes of DuckTales 2017 or Avatar: The Last Airbender, but for sure it still falls into that big category of "I'm really kicking myself for not checking it out sooner." Especially when it's been on my "to watch list" ever since Disney+ first launched. Alongside Amphibia, actually, but let me take things on at a time here. Besides, there's still the rest of the series left, and if the final three episodes are each big enough that all three can get entries on Letterboxd... Well, darn; if I don't expect big things.

[wanderinglotus7]

Restless Spirit

I'm not ashamed to say this, but I'm struggling. My emotions are all over the place. My mind & body are present, but my heart is missing. What I mean by this is that there are so many emotions building up inside of me it has become difficult trying to identify which ones I need to address first. I know for one thing; work is the last thing on my mind. I'm doing my clients a disservice if I cannot show up for myself. Also, I just don't want to deal with anyone else's problems right now.

My mind hasn't been able to rest itself. I find myself replaying the same songs over and over again. Memories of my previous relationship is stuck on replay too. It's like I'm stuck rehashing the past even though I'm focused on moving forward. I was thinking to myself last night on how the Universe can be funny at times. During those grayish times, the Universe always seemed to find a way to loop myself and my ex back together. It reminds me of something that I read recently that said something along the line of "you may have fallen in love with someone, but that doesn't mean that you both are meant to be together forever". I'm over here, again, trying to figure out if this holds true for me.

I guess what's really been rocking my world lately is the news I received about my ex. Mental illness is no joke. It's a matter that needs to be taken seriously. Maybe it was a coincidence, earlier that morning, God placed my ex on my mind. Then later that day it was shared with me that he tried to take his life. Sad, yes. Really tragic though. I'm happy that God intervene and he's still here. Yet, I wasn't shocked by this incident. I've been here with him before. It doesn't change the fact that he's been suffering so long that he believed that this option was his best way of getting rid of his pain. Even before this news was shared with me, I had a feeling something bad happened. When it comes to my ex, I tend to lean towards the worst-case scenarios. I wish I can be wrong at least once. What's really freaking me out is I'm afraid that the next call or text I receive is going to about his funeral if he doesn't get the proper help that he needs.

This is too much for one person to carry, but I should be used to it. Actually, I shouldn't be used to this. This shouldn't be my normal. This shouldn't be anyone's normal. I'm doing my best in keeping myself from being directly involved in this situation. I did everything I could during the five years we were involved in each other's lives. I have nothing more to say and nothing more to give. The only thing I can continue to offer is prayer because my ex's life is in God's hands. I told myself last week, that our life (love) story would make an interesting Netflix series. I thought This Is Us is overwhelmingly emotional. My experiences with my ex would pull the heartstrings too. Maybe that's why I found myself spending some of my downtime writing out our life story. I joked to myself that I could write a short story based on our experience. I could title it L&E Unlocked (lol).

I'm trying to find some humor among all of this crazy mess. I already bawled my eyes out, I'm not sure if I have any tears left. I'm not indicating that I want to go back to my ex. I'm just a caring person, and I want him to live a fulfilling life filled with everything he has ever hoped (dreamed) of. He deserves peace, stability, and joy like everyone else in this world. Right now, I cannot walk down this path with him. I'm not being selfish; I'm protecting my boundaries. I finally have peace and stability, I'm not willing to give those up for a tragic ending. I don't want to risk my mental & emotional well-being for a tragic ending. Whoever said this I guess s/he is right; it can be difficult getting over your first love. I hope putting all of this out into the vortex places my heart back in peace once I find it again. Pray, pray, pray, pray...

[dearaliya]

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes:

Dear Aliya,

How do I pronounce your name? How do I pronounce anyone's?

We've joked before that a guide to character names would benefit everyone and I can think of no truer time than with this book. Within my own head, vague sounds work perfectly so I have to ask, don't ever make me dramatically read this book out loud.

Luckily, audiobooks exist for those nights I just can't bear to look at a bunch of letters and attempt to string them together. Not that this one was phenomenal. Some lines sounded like they were recorded with a completely different set-up than the original and not for dramatic effect.

But I've discussed this in a different post so let's move on into more spoilery territory.

I am such a fan of this book! Juggling as many characters as it did, I was pleased that none of them felt simply tacked on for a shock and horror death. Of course, the tributes from the districts were always destined to be killed off, but the mentors biting it too I didn't see coming!

Speaking of the mentors, my sweet Sejanus, holds the place in my heart reserved for favourite characters. It was easy for him to walk right in, given he seemed the only one with a moral compass. Well, him and Tigris who was also a darling.

But my oh my, most fascinating character award goes to Coriolanus Snow, for sure! Of course, we were directly in his head listening to his thoughts on everyone and everything so it's only natural he was so interesting. He's everything I thought he would be, knowing who he later becomes in the series, and yet so much more! Is it any wonder he was so twisted given the system he found himself raised in? I don't think our poor Lucy Gray had a sliver of a chance of saving him.

Anyone who watched the movie without the book has missed a lot of his character, which is a shame. He showed traits of empathy and understanding towards the atrocities of the games in the beginning and when seeing tributes he'd interacted with a few times dying. Alongside seeing his slow progression into his worst possible form, you do also miss some of his funniest moments. Some of the snide comments truly knocked me out, he had no right to be outrageously funny in times of turmoil. He's two-faced and controlling, deserving of his snake title and it's great to see just how hard he fools all the other characters into believing every detail about himself that he feeds them. Snow is pressured from the very beginning to prolong the dynasty built by his family, he will claw and fight and kill anyone he needs to to make that happen. Sejanus was an unfortunate casualty, there was a kernel of goodness in Snow that wanted him to live, but anything good in Snow died when Sejanus did.

Lucy Gray Baird was another matter entirely.

District 12 was mentioned to have two victors allllllll the way at the beginning of the original trilogy, but she was never mentioned by name. I won't say she was always planned, but I do think hints of her were destined to be put to page after everything we went through with Katniss. She's the most excellent parallel and opposite to Katniss, the blueprint and catalyst to everything.

From Capitol fashion likely being inspired by her brightness and colour to the songs that trickled down through generations so they could be used in defiance once more, Lucy Gray Baird is woven through the fabric of the Hunger Games universe from beginning to end. It's thrilling to pull all the little connections together and see the big picture.

Now, for the event itself, the Hunger Games.

What a departure from the 75th Games and thereafter!

The idea that the games were so small, hardly watched to begin with, enforces that they were honestly just meant to prove what Gaul wanted to prove. Humans are naturally violent, as seen time and again when innocent district children become killers. A punishment indeed, to never forget the atrocities of war. Only later, when Gaul saw they were becoming ineffective because people weren't watching them, did the spectacle begin to ramp up into what was seen so many years down the line.

And of course later, when they really did become a means of control and power over the district.

Sooooooo...

How bad do you think Snow shit himself when, after maintaining a perfect grip on the districts from the age of 18, another girl from 12 started singing the songs of his old flame from his two-month situationship while wearing a mockingjay pin and replicating her mannerisms? I'm positively gleeful with the idea that Lucy Gray, if she was alive during the end of Mockingjay, was sitting back knowing Snow was as freaked out as he was in the woods.

If not worse.

Nothing more comes to mind, so I appreciate you listening to my thoughts. I’ll see you next time, stay well!

Hannah xx

[kieuecaprie]

KieueCaprie's Games Completed List of 2022 - Reflections

I don't think I'm gonna be able to throw in one last entry into this (and that would be unhealthy to do so) so I'm gonna call this list good. It would've been nice to at least put Super Lesbian Animal RPG on there but I've been taking my time with that game. (RPGs are also exhausting after a while so I need time to recharge. I love the genre, it's just that I lack the energy to go through them in long bursts and I appreciate it when the RPG breaks itself up into chunks that have clear endpoints)

With that out of the way, however, it's time for the opinions nobody asked for. That's right, this is a blog post about my opinions on what impressed me this year. No restrictions on release date, it just has to be something I've completed. And no repeats. If you wish to unveil my bad opinions, click that funny "keep reading" button and let's get on with it.

Favorite Replayed Game: Banjo-Kazooie

(The entry can be found here!)

This was a toss-up between Banjo-Kazooie and Plok, and while I like the Incredible Exploding Man (who has a webcomic now for some reason, not gonna question it), Banjo-Kazooie has left a deeper impression on me.

Hell, I've completed it, like, six or seven times! Several of which have been true 100% completions! Stop'n'Swop notwithstanding...

I genuinely enjoy the Banjo-Kazooie universe a lot and it saddens me to this day that the only modern-day relevancy they have is as merch to sell and a fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which I guess is more than can be said for a lot of old fogies.

I appreciate Microsoft for 1) keeping backwards compatibility with Rare Replay for Xbox and 2) allowing Nintendo to put Banjo-Kazooie on N64 Online, so that's something!

Favorite Modernized Remake: Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series

(The entry can be found here!)

Again, another toss-up because this and LIVE A LIVE came very close to leaving their mark in my soul. However, I have to give my little wahoo mans his due, even though I appreciate LIVE A LIVE for finally leaving Japan.

It's just that the game is cute as hell and it's a crime that Namco-Bandai really likes to not advertise their games sometimes (I wonder where I've seen this before. Maybe where The World Ends with You?) and dooming the game to obscurity.

So, I will not shut up about how good this game is, even if it's a re-release of the two major games in Klonoa's lifespan. But two good games they were.

Favorite VR Game: Cosmonious High

(The entry can be found here!)

The only new VR games I've played this year has been this, BONELAB, and Zenith VR, all of which are great, however Zenith VR is an MMO and MMOs are long and it is still fairly barebones atm, PLUS I didn't finish the MSQ for it so...

Cosmonious High is yet another Owlchemy Lab VR Toybox-like game with similar mechanics to their previous titles, more specifically Job Simulator and Vacation Simulator. But boy do they know what they're doing. There's a more proper STORY going on this time!

I genuinely enjoyed my time playing through this, even though BONELAB has the better replay value in the end, and I loved pretty much every character I came across, including the one who is a big fan of blebs. I, too, love blebs, they are friends. :)

Favorite Series I Got Introduced To: Armored Core

(Armored Core 1's entry in my games completed list can be found here!)

Gran Turismo (and Forza Horizon) are close second(s) and introduced me to the other side of the racing genre that wasn't just yeeting (beat) koopas and bananas at opposing drivers.

Armored Core, however, is a different story. For the longest time, the title made me think of it as some sort of generic mil-sim game and not the dystopian sci-fi mech action game it truly was. As much as I hate to say it, The Game Awards and them showing the Armored Core VI trailer opened my eyes to its true colors.

Started with the very first game in the series, it was clunky, it was a Playstation 1 game, it was very clunky, but I liked it a lot. Sure, there were times when it got frustrating to deal with like the final section of the game or fighting bunny-hopping enemy ACs but I really liked everything.

Then I started playing the other numbered games, up to 4, to see what each generation was like. 2nd Gen was more of the same but it was on PS2 and introduced a heat mechanic that I have a love-hate relationship with. 3rd Gen took 2nd Gen and improved upon it, I dare say it may be my favorite AC generation by far. 4th Gen took everything and made it significantly faster, which I enjoyed, with a more story-based focus which was great but the missions had horrible, and I mean horrible, difficulty spikes where the game at its lowest was a slogfest and where the game at its highest was fun. It's the only generation that I have mixed feelings about really, the pace was nice but 4A kind of made everything too fast.

But all in all, I'm now looking forward to the day that Armored Core VI comes out to see what kind of game it turns out to be. I just hope it isn't locked to something like PS5, which I still don't have btw.

The Game Of A Time: Hello Neighbor 2

I didn't even include this in my Tumblr list but it's on my Twitter list. I dunno what to say about this one other than it was a game and it was a time. And it was surely Hello Neighbor 2.

(High On Life would've been my pick had I actually bucked up and finished it... but it's exhausting.)

My Game of the Year: My Friend Peppa Pig

(The entry can be found here!)

Yeah, sorry, can't compete with perfection. :)

My Actual Game of the Year: Kirby and the Forgotten Land

(The entry can be found here!)

The best ever 3D Kirby title that is actually in 3D and not played in a 2.5D perspective! Sure, the powers were a little small in selection but it was made up for in the amount of upgrades you could have for each of them. Not to mention that the game is fun and cute as hell!

Yeah, it's a little on the easy side, even in Wild Mode, and the True Arena didn't pose much of a challenge this go around but Kirby is a good game and I love it so much.

(Honorable mentions go to: Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series (already picked for Favorite Modernized Remaster), Cosmonious High (picked for Favorite VR Game), LIVE A LIVE, Bugsnax, Earthbound (the one on SNES Online))

And that's all for now.

I'll start up a 2023 list as soon as I have something to report. As I've said, I'm currently working through Super Lesbian Animal RPG and Silent Line: Armored Core. Fortunately, the former works on Steam Deck so I can get my Super Lesbian Animal Role Playing Action before going to bed.

...yes I know what I said. No, I refuse to reiterate.