#THERE'S ONE MOMENT I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL BUT THE MUSIC FOR IT WAS PHENOMENALLY DONE

[pichlive]

God… how do I even START to describe Slay the Princess??? My one, main advice, is if you're somehow looking and this and haven't played the game yet, and you don't know a lot about it? Play the game. Please play Slay the Princess. And not just because supporting indie devs is always nice. It is a phenomenal experience that makes me not only want to play their other game, but makes me extremely excited to check out whatever this studio makes next. Even if you do know about it-- I'd still recommend it. It's an incredibly personal game that… even if you do spoil yourself, it goes out of your way to make sure your playthrough is something special to you.

So, first off, the writing in this game is spectacular. The intrigue is immaculate, and it always kept me guessing-- especially on a blind playthrough where I was fed tidbits of what might be going on, but never the full picture until the end-- I think. Again, even if you do know spoilers? Honestly, that still can enhance the experience. But it always feels as if every choice really is valid-- even if you, the player, might feel sad or bad about it, the game never shames you for what your personal perspective and actions might be. Looking at how the game was developed-- they very deliberately made sure there was never any 'bad ends'-- because there aren't any! Just new perspectives.

The art is also… beautiful. And horrifying. And spectacular. And also very funny at times. All on purpose-- but I can tell that Abby Howard is an absolute MASTER of her craft, and she knows how to bend the art to be… extremely unsettling at times. While I didn't personally hit them on my run-- some of the routes can get extremely, extremely unnerving… as a horror, game, obviously, that's to be expected-- but the art hits its mark in every respect. Of course, it can also be extremely beautiful… I loved every princess I stumbled upon, and even the ones I didn't, all the designs are lovely, and extremely fitting for whatever route you're playing at that moment.

The music is also perfect. The soundtrack done by Brandon Boone, with some vocals by Amelia Jones in some tracks, absolutely fits the atmosphere and mood in every scenario. The first track, and what I'd say is the main theme of the game, The Princess, is as beautiful as it is haunting and sad-- and makes for a perfect first meeting. The other tracks are also, similarly, excellently tailored for each princess, and further scenario you go through… The music in the latter half of the game, for several of the endings, is extremely powerful to me, and made for an incredibly impactful experience. There's also an extremely personal final touch they do with the music that made the experience all the more special.

All in all: I would say Slay the Princess is one of those few games that's THE gaming experience. Even if it's not your usual thing-- please, please play it. I promise it's an experience you'll never forget-- or want to.

[themightyaliendwarf]

I finished Steins;Gate 0 VN and I have some thoughts

So, I watched Steins;Gate 0 a few weeks after finishing the original anime and I didn’t like it. The story felt disjointed, many plot points seemed rushed or pointless and I had issues understanding how we got in places we ended up in. It has been a couple of years now, so it seemed fair to give it another chance hoping that the visual novel is better.

Overall, my feelings are complicated because I still have many complaints about the story, characters and endings. But when SG 0 got good, it got really good. I strongly believe the reason behind my problems is the structure of this game. I’ve seen somebody describe it as a Frankenstein’s monster and, yeah, that’s an accurate description.

I'm going to spoil a lot, so you have been warned.

So, SG 0 structure is a bit odd and its graph (taken from the wiki) looks like this

Here is the order in which I’ve played the game:

Gehenna’s Stigma -> Twin Automata -> Recursive Mother Goose -> Promised Rinascimento -> Vega and Altair -> Milky-way Crossing

I'm going to sprinkle some of my favourite CGs in this post for your enjoyment.

Positive thoughts

I loved Daru in this game. I recalled his relationship with Suzuha being weird and uncomfortable to watch, but it was fairly sweet here. Yeah, there have been some cringy moments, but that was the minority. Also, even outside of that, he was great. His relationship with Yuki? Really sweet. Conspiring with Maho? Great. That moment when he punches Okabe in the face? One of my favourites in the whole game!

Maho no longer felt like a Kurisu replacement. They allowed her different personality to shine and made the best of it. The majority of her screen time was a pure joy to experience. And what was the best part of all of that? Her friendship with Moeka in Twin Automata. It was just *chef's kiss* so good! So good in fact that I consider not having this friendship blossom in other endings as a huge disadvantage.

The music was, dare I say it, better than in the original? Yeah, Gate of Steiner and Remember Me are iconic, but Messenger, A Song Played by the Stars and Re-awake are just so good. Also, I enjoyed ambience music a bit more.

In my mind, the main theme of the original Steins;Gate is loneliness. With Steins;Gate 0 introducing AI to the story, I find it fitting that the focus of the story was on the subject of identity and personal worth. A theme that was beautifully shown in Twin Automata (I think you might already know which ending is my favourite).

I can't judge how realistic Okabe's anxiety attacks were, but they felt real to me. Of course, his VA is phenomenal, but the script also deserves a praise here. It was painful to see him struggle with his trauma and easily triggered flashbacks.

While on the topic, the voice acting was great. Granted, with a cast like this that shouldn't be a surprise, but it's still worth to mention it.

I'm not going to elaborate on this point. Just this moment:

Mayuri is always a beacon of positivist and an absolute joy to watch. We all need a Mayushii in our lives.

The climax of Twin Automata, Gehenna's Stigma and Promised Rinascimento are all great. That moment when Leskinen traps Okabe in GS and Okabe realises, he can't die for the next ~15 years? Chilling.

"Holy cow! So I said we should come soon" - name a more iconic line in VN. I will wait, you won't find any.

Negative thoughts

Kagari. I don't like her, I don't need her, she should go away. She is boring at best and annoying at worst. Her story is silly in Promised Rinascimento and in Vega and Altair it's just bad. How?

She has a plastic surgery to look like Yuki. Ok, how did she manage to make herself to look so accurate to the original, that she fooled Suzuha? Alright, they know about the current whereabouts of the original, so that's how they manage to "copy" her. But in that case, I want to know more about this subplot.

We know that this Kagari and Yuki share a room in the future. That's real awkward, not gonna lie.

How does she survive Vega and Altair since she died before Okabe time leapt? Is it because Suzuha and Mayuri made a successful jump to the past? But if that's so, shouldn't the worldline change and therefore Okabe notice it? Actually, why doesn't he notice when the worldline changes due to Suzuha and Mayuri making a decision? I don't think this type of shifting was properly introduced before.

If we have this Kagari in the future, what happens with the child Kagari? If Mayuri goes back to 2025 and still chooses to adopt her, wouldn't that cause massive issues? Yes, that shouldn't happen because shift will occur before, but it does bother me a lot.

Similarly, Fubuki and Kaede can go away. They contributed close to nothing and I don't need them here.

I was hoping for more development for Luka and Faris. On the other hand, I think that Kurisu card should be used a bit less. Let us truly feel we miss her.

In the original, everything happens because of our protagonists. They make the PhoneWave, they choose to experiment and then they need to suffer consequences. Here they (especially Okabe) are mostly passive and just allow stuff to happen. This causes problems because worldline changes many times in 0 and we don't really know how and why it happens. Sure, it is connected to Amadeus (usually), but I'm lacking an explanation. It just kinda happens. I disliked not knowing the reason behind each change. Sure, in the original the reason isn’t always perfect (like how they change Luka’s sex), but at least I know the source. Again, not an issue in itself, but I regret we didn’t get more answers. 

The first chapters were really difficult to get through. With no goal in mind, Okabe no longer being charismatic enough to carry the story and not really having a plot, it’s difficult to call this experience enjoyable.

Pacing was all over the place. Steins;Gate 0 consists of 14 chapters (including Prologue and True End). The minimum number of chapters you need to play to reach an ending is 5 (Gehenna’s Stigma and Twin Automata) and the longest single route takes 7 (Milky-way Crossing). Because of that, I often felt like the story either didn’t have or had too many climaxes. Apart from that, it was disappointing to find out that some of my favourite moments aren’t technically canon. Well, to be fair, you could even argue that in the grand scheme of things, nothing that happens in beta was real because the world shifts to Steins Gate, but you know what I mean.

I didn’t like the push for romance for Okabe. First of all, because it felt disrespectful towards him. Here we have a broken, depressed man who needs a lot of therapy. Playing romantic tension for laughs, while we are dealing with a man who killed a person he loved, seems very icky for me. And implying that Maho might develop feelings for him just felt so unhealthy, because she would literally become a replacement. Kinda like in Harry Potter where one of the Weasley twins dies and then his girlfriend marries the surviving brother - that’s just messed up. Look, I love both of them, but they need therapy, not romance.

Minor nitpick, so, they updated character sprites for 0, but, of some reason, in Summer Mayuri and Faris have their old sprites. Similarly, Kurisu has her old sprite in Okabe's memories and while we quickly jump to alpha, while she has new new sprite as Amadeus and in Maho's memories. Why? Who did this? Also, nobody except for Kagari and Suzuha get a sprite in the future. They robbed us! Also, also, I find it kinda funny that Okabe notices himself having partially grey hair, but he doesn't have them on CGs.

True Ending is a joke. It's short and anticlimactic. Yes, it would feel cheap if they just gave us the original VN ending to play, but I would prefer if they added it.

Conclusion

So, I did write more negative points, but I can't say I had a bad time. I enjoyed playing the game... for the most part! Look, I'm not going to pretend that the original SG had no issues. It had, but I think 0 lows were too low for me. But, hey! At least I would say it had different problems, so... progress?

While I do appreciate that the structure of 0 allowed us to experience more perspectives and stories (also, I enjoyed that the path to Steins;Gate requires many futures), I ultimately think it was also its biggest flaw. I might one day consider what kind of rewrites I would implement.

As a side note, I think I might write a separate post on the depiction of AI in SG 0 because it is something I was working on during my bachelor's and master's thesis, therefore I have thoughts.

[ordinaryschmuck]

Why I (Want to) Love Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure

Salutations random people on the internet who most likely won’t read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

When I heard Disney was making an animated series based on Tangled, acting as a continuation from the original movie, my initial thought was, "Why?"

Sure, Disney is infamous for its unnecessary sequels of the story after happily ever after, with the many, many, many failures that follow suit. Even then, though, most of these continuations were movies that kind of have the potential to tell more of a story. But what more could be said about Tangled? Sorry to spoil a movie that's over ten years old at this point, but by the end of it: Rapunzel lost her golden hair, was reunited with her parents, fell in love, and lived happily ever after. Her losing the golden hair is the most essential part of that list because how can you do a series based on a Disney princess when her most iconic feature is gone? Then I found out that the series forced a way for her hair to come back, and my new initial thought became, "Oh man. This is gonna suck, isn't it?"

Despite the hesitation, I decided to give it a chance anyway. After all, I've been pleasantly surprised before. Things like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, and even The Owl House (yes, really), were shows (and a movie) that I didn't think would be that special. Only to find myself enjoying nearly every minute. So after watching Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, I can certainly say I was surprised...but it was entirely for the wrong reasons.

And to explain how requires spoilers. So if you haven't checked the series out yet, I highly suggest you do it to form your own opinion. Just keep in mind that it's a bit of a mess, but it can be an enjoyable mess...sometimes...let me explain.

WHAT I LIKED

The Animation/Art Style: The series swapping from 3D to 2D might have been the most brilliant decision anyone could have ever made with this series. Usually, when an animated movie gets turned into a show, the most noticeable downgrade is always the animation. Whether it’s not as detailed or not as fluid, it's always subjective that the movie is better animated than the series. But by switching up the styles, the contrast becomes objective instead. 2D and 3D animation each have their pros and cons, so deciding which one is better is nothing more than a matter of opinion. So by changing the style, Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure avoids getting complaints of being a downgrade from the original movie. It also helps that the art style of the series is really unique.

The best way to describe how the show looks is that it's like a coloring book brought to life. At times, everything looks like it was drawn and colored in with crayons, which sounds like an insult, but in actuality, it's one of the best features of the series. As much as I love most animated shows nowadays, I will admit, they all look a little too similar at times. Then here comes Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, which tries to incorporate a whole new style that successfully sets it apart from most shows.

As for the animation itself, it's really well-made! It's remarkably expressive when required, while the movements are really fluid during the correct scenes. Sure the fighting can be a little floaty during some action set pieces (yes, those exist here), but the dialogue and comedic moments are really where the series shines with its animation. I may have problems with the series as a whole, but I give credit where credit is due for the perfectly executed effort that I see in every episode in terms of animation.

Rapunzel and Eugene’s relationship: This was not something I was expecting to enjoy from the series. In the movie, Rapunzel and Eugene were fine. They were the typical Disney couple that worked off of each other enough that it was always entertaining, even if it was unbelievable that they fell deeply in love with each other after, like, two days. They weren't bad, but they weren't anything to go crazy over.

But the writers for the series said, "You know what, let's make these two adorable in nearly every scene they're in." And they are!

Even though I don't believe in their relationship in the movie, I fully believe it here. Both characters have a large amount of faith in one another on top of having endless love for their partner. Like how Eugene knew Rapunzel would be fine when taking out an airship or how Rapunzel couldn't bring herself to say a bad thing about Eugene when making Cassandra a sparring dummy of him. It's legitimately pleasant to watch, to the point where I put Rapunzel and Eugene in my top ten list of favorite fictional couples. They're that good to me, and it's one of the reasons why I don't jump on the bandwagon of shipping the two main female characters together. I'm all for LGBTQA+ representation, but give Cassandra her own girlfriend. Rapunzel's taken, and most of my enjoyment of this show comes from her and her man. So, you know, keep things as they are.

Cassandra (Seasons One and Two): Seeing how I've already mentioned her, let's talk about Cassandra, shall we? Because when making a series based on a movie that had only four prominent characters, with two of them being comedic animal sidekicks, you're going to need to introduce more members to the main cast to write more potential stories. And Cassandra, in Seasons One and Two (I'll get to Season Three), is a worthy addition. She acts as a strict straight man (I know the irony) who interacts well with Rapunzel and clashes perfectly with Eugene on occasion. She was passably entertaining in Season One and developed amazingly in Season Two. Her growing frustrations with Rapunzel's actions lead to a slow build-up that made her betrayal heartbreaking but somewhat understandable. And as for the results in that betrayal...yeah, I'll get into that later. For now, I'll just say that Cassandra was a pleasant addition to the main cast, especially when she was a part of the main trio, and she's yet another good surprise that the writers supplied for the series.

The Songs: The songs are...not going to be for everyone. Most of them are passable yet kind of generic, while others sound like they belong on Disney Junior (Looking at you, "Bigger Than That"). But when Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure makes a hit, MAN, it is a home run. Numbers like "Ready As I'll Ever Be" and "Nothing Left to Lose" are sung phenomenally, orchestrated well, and are songs I can listen to on repeat multiple times. And "Waiting in the Wings" is not only something I consider to be the best song in the series, but it's also something I'd place as high up on Disney's best due to how f**king incredible it is. "Waiting in the Wings" is a powerful ballad that manages to be both tragic yet inspiring on top of how well it sums up Cassandra as a character. The writers may not always be on top of their game when it comes to music, but songs like these prove that they know how to earn that Disney name.

And that’s all I have for the likes...Oh boy. That’s not a good thing is it?

WHAT I DISLIKED

It Peaked at Season One: It did. It really did.

Season One felt like the writers had a grip on what type of show they wanted: A slice-of-life series with Rapunzel dealing with the issues of her kingdom with a meager threat of these black rocks growing in the background. It was all cute and well-balanced for the most part, but that all disappears in Season Two. Because now it's sort of about this adventure, but because Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure set itself as a slice-of-life series, there need to be these small-scale stories that intertwine the grand narrative being told. The issue is that the story comes to a grinding halt one too many times as fans are forced to sit through these filler episodes that, while not all of them are bad, still feel like a distraction. And by Season Three, the series does feel more focused while having some slice-of-life episodes added to the ongoing story instead of distracting us from it. But the writing isn't as strong, there are several plot holes in the narrative (how did Rapunzel's sunstone get into her dress?), and there is way too much time going back and forth on Cassandra's morality. They claim that she's a villain while arguing that there might still be some good in her, and they continue this train of thought for nine episodes when it really could have been settled in two. For me, it's a bad sign for a series when the first season is the best one. Because if it's all downhill from there, what's the point of even watching?

It Tries to be Epic: This might have been the worst decision the writers could have made.

Now, here's the thing: I don't mind grand epic tales of adventure and battles against demons. If anything, I'm all for them...when it's appropriate and fits with the tone of the series.

Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure suffers a similar problem Frozen II has, in which the writers felt like a big, life-threatening adventure was the perfect continuation of a meager, personal story about the relationships of characters. It isn't. If anything, it's completely missing the mark about what the original story was about. And sure, sometimes writers can succeed in telling personal stories through grand adventures. Just look at The Owl House and parts of Amphibia. But with those shows, it's established within the first few episodes that action and peril will be a series staple. With Tangled, while there was some action and peril, it's all very subdued compared to how high the stakes got raised in later episodes in the show. Especially in the series finale.

And, I mean, c'mon. You're making Rapunzel an action hero?

Judy Hopps? Yes.

Moana? Maybe.

Raya? Most definitely.

But Rapunzel? The character who’s all about optimism and seeing the best of others. That's the character you're going to morph into a hero that fights against an evil demon laid dormant for years? Did you even watch the original movie? Yeah, sorry, but I just don't buy it.

If you want to tell an epic story that gets the blood pumping for fans addicted to adventure, go for it! See where the wind takes you. But make sure to set that tone as early as possible while also making sure that it fits with the characters. If not, the end result is a series that feels like it's trying to be something it’s not.

Eugene is Kind of an Idiot at Times: It should be noted that Movie-Eugene and Series-Eugene are practically two different characters. In the film, Eugene was more or less the straight man, as he often questions the wackiness in the world around him and keeping Rapunzel grounded in reality. For the series, most of that personality got transferred to Cassandra. Thus making Eugene's new role in the series act as the egotistical imbecile. Sure, he had those moments in the film, but not as frequently, and it really pains me when the writers really lean hard into a minor aspect of his personality. Sometimes there are moments when Eugene acts like his original self. But it's all small scenes that are spread apart with entire episodes where he has half a brain cell. I'm sure some people didn't mind this change to the character, but as someone who adores the movie version of Eugene, I can't help but feel disappointed.

The Villains are the Worst: Now, I don't mean the one-off villains that show up, cause some chaos for a bit, and disappear at the end of the episode. Those are characters with fun personalities, occasionally cool designs, and do their job as villains of the week. It doesn't matter if their motivations are laughably simple, as their purpose is to be enjoyable characters above anything else. So I actually enjoy those villains...it's the ones that act as season-long antagonists that really grind my gears.

The purpose behind these types of foes is to build up how evil they are throughout the season. The issue is that the writers try to give these characters, or at least two of them, a point. To be fair, this can work. Just look at Killmonger from Black Panther and sometimes Karli Morgenthau from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. You understand and probably even sympathize with the logic and reasoning these characters have. It's just that their actions couldn't be farther from what you would do. The problem with Varian and Cassandra is that they have the motivation, but it's not written suitably for the story.

Cassandra is a whole can of worms I'll get to in a minute, but Varian is someone I can easily discuss for a brief time. Because while I can comprehend his pain for having his father frozen in yellow rock, I don't think turning evil is the best decision to go with that character. Because A. Everything is his fault. He blames Rapunzel for not helping him, but even if she didn't have a crisis to deal with, there was nothing she could have done to stop it. His frustrations are not only unjustified, but given the fact that this wouldn't have happened if he listened to his father in the first place, it feels like him becoming evil is too drastic of a turn. And B. Varian worked much better as a supporting character rather than a primary antagonist. He was just this hopeful, if not a clumsy scientist who wanted to prove himself, who causes minor catastrophes due to not thinking ahead. Turning a character like Varian into a villain is a bit of a misstep because if the guy acts hilariously incompetent as a good guy, it makes little sense to have him be intelligent and ten steps ahead of Rapunzel when being evil. If he were to become more serious and careful when helping the rest of the main cast, I'd consider that character progression done properly. But becoming a villain is just an overreaction.

However, none of that compares with my issues with the main antagonist of the series: Zhan Tiri. This goes back to my problems with the series making itself too epic. Because if Zhan Tiri existed in any other show, I probably wouldn't have any problem with her. She's built up well throughout all three seasons and is kind of threatening at times. But she doesn't belong in a series based on a movie that dealt with a small, personal issue where it wasn't even the character who killed the villain in the end. It was her love interest and animal sidekick. Even if Zhan Tiri works well as a character, the fact that it doesn't feel like she belongs in the show makes her too distracting to enjoy. And that's why these villains suck. If not poorly written, they don't belong in a series that should focus on small-scale issues. And if you can functionally write an antagonist that appears for only one episode but flounder with ones that show up in several, well, that's just embarrassing.

Cassandra (Season 3): OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH BOY, do I have some words to express with this character. Like with Movie-Eugene and Series-Eugene, Cassandra from Seasons One and Two is frustratingly different from the psychotic IDIOT from Season Three. Basically, just take the issues I have with Varian, multiply them by ten, add them with some bafflingly stupid decisions, and you still wouldn't get how much Season Three-Cassandra frustrates me!

First off, her motivation...what the f**k were the writers thinking? The big reason why Cassandra betrays Rapunzel and motivates all of her misdeeds was that Cassandra's mother was Mother Gothal...EXPLAIN THAT LOGIC TO ME?! Because Cassandra should know what type of woman Mother Gothal was. She should know what Mother Gothal did to Rapunzel in the first eighteen years of her life. So how is Cassandra being abandoned by Gothal the central motivator to cut ties with Rapunzel, who is probably an even bigger victim in this scenario!? Seriously, Rapunzel was cut off from the rest of the world and treated as an unknowing prisoner because she was beneficial to Gothal. Cassandra was adopted into a household with mutual love and got to actually live her life. In no way does it make sense for her to be angry at Rapunzel.

Nor does it make sense that the writers try to play it off as a good thing in the song "Crossing the Line!" Sure, it sounds nice, but thematically, it gives across the opposite feelings that the audience should have. Because if Cassandra cutting ties with Rapunzel is meant to be tragic and awful, why is the music suggesting it's the best possible thing that's ever happened for the character? If you like the song, fine, but even you have to admit that it's thematic nonsense.

But, sure. Cassandra's evil now, and she considers it a good thing. Whatever. I'll take it as long as it leads to good stories...but here's the thing: In the penultimate episode before the three-part series finale, Cassandra asks a question. A question I would have never expected her to ask, despite everything that has happened in the last season. A question that was so baffling, I had to legitimately pause the episode to process the fact that she asked something so stupid. Because Cassandra, the character who is intelligent and grounded in reality, asked, "Am I the bad guy?"

I was honestly shocked to find out she was shocked! How, in the flying, everlasting, cock-a-doodle-doodling F**K does a person like her not pick up that maybe, just maybe, she isn't the hero in this story!? Call me crazy, but endangering the lives of people you once called friends and family, dressing in black, AND HAVING A GIANT EVIL-LOOKING TOWER MADE OUT OF F**KING SPIKES aren't qualities I would give to a hero!

If Cassandra was like Thanos, a character so wrapped up in his ego that he can't even notice how evil he is, I would understand. But she doesn't have an ego. Anger, yes. But for the most part, her personality is based on having logic and reasoning. So turning her into a villain and having her unaware that she's a villain is an act of lunacy that I am incapable of understanding. I don't know who's idea this was, but whoever is to blame...you've got issues.

>Sighs<...This series isn't good, is it?

IN CONCLUSION

I like the animation and some of the characters...but that's not enough. Tangled: The Series/Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure is a mess of a show that tries to do too much for a story that should have so little. Meaning that it's a D+ for me. I want to enjoy it and give it a higher grade, especially with how much I hear people praise this series. And if you do enjoy it, all the power to you. Your opinions are valid, even if I highly disagree with them. Because for me, this is a show that I won't get myself tangled up in again in the future.

[dans-den]

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Review

Hey guys! Dan here and today I'll be giving my review on the Marvel movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness!

Fair warning, there will be spoilers ahead.

This is a movie that's been hyped up for years as part of the next phase of the MCU and I am not disappointed with this film. The fact that they got Sam Raimi to direct this film makes it all the better, for those who don't know, Sam Raimi was the director for the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy from the 2000's and he was a horror director as well and you'll see plenty of horror elements in this film. There will be some jump scares but nothing too extreme just some little jump scares here and there. Not only that, but they got Danny Elfman to compose the music, Danny Elfman also composed the music in the 2000's Spider-Man movies as well so this film was done with the same care and quality as one of my favorite superhero trilogies from my childhood.

The cast of the film did a phenomenal job in their roles. Benedict Cumberbatch once again gave a great performance as Doctor Stephen Strange, always witty, calculated and full of charm for the role. Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda aka Scarlet Witch was a close second to Doctor Strange in this film she went all out here portraying Scarlet witch showing us how powerful she's truly become and her range of emotions. Xochitl Gomez did a great job as American Chavez, I haven't seen too much of her work, but she killed it in this role as the dimension jumping girl. Benedict Wong as Wong (still makes me laugh since that's his literal last name) did a great job in his role once again being the serious character but also having some comedic value and moments I'll always enjoy. There are other characters in this film that I don't want to spoil even though the trailers did show a couple of them but to anyone who didn't grow up with the marvel movies from the 2000's they won't understand I'm talking about. This is where Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox comes into play in the MCU, this is where it all starts to come together for the next phase.

The plot here is pretty good, I like how they're expanding on the concept of the multiverse in the films now. However, since this is the MCU, all the movies and shows are connected. If you haven't been keeping up with the MCU movies and shows then you won't fully understand what's going on here since this film calls back to a lot of MCU movies leading up to that film. My recommendation is before watching this film, you'll need to watch 4 MCU movies in particular as well as two MCU TV series. the movies you'll need to watch prior are Doctor Strange (2016), Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. The two MCU shows to watch prior are WandaVision and Marvel's What If...? series. I think as long as you watch the four films, you'll be fine, the shows are more optional to be honest. So back to the plot, Doctor Strange is protecting America Chavez since someone is trying to take her powers and Strange is trying to protect her which leads to a wacky adventure through the various universes. During this adventure, Stephen Strange starts questioning his happiness since he's not with Christine (his love interest from the first film played by Rachel McAdams). We also learn about America Chavez as well, little spoiler this film will include same sex parents which I think is neat especially considering Disney's stance against LGBT content but its nice to see these studios work around that, Pixar did it with Turning Red and Marvel is doing it here.

Right now there's not a whole lot explored about her in the MCU but I'm sure we'll get more about her in later films or TV shows. That being said, my only complaint about her was how she was able to control her powers, I wont spoil that part but it's not super exciting. This also brings me to the Villains motive for hunting down Chavez, the motive here is kind of weak and how she's defeated isn't that satisfying either, its like Antman and the Wasp levels of Unsatisfying Villain defeats. Like don't get me wrong it does work, but it was somewhat anti-climatic and what the villain ended up doing after that was a little more satisfying. I will also say that there were some characters in here I felt were nerfed badly and the villain just ripped through them all with ease though perhaps they're just that powerful now that's up to you to interpret.

My favorite part about this film were the special effects, the first Doctor Strange had various trippy sequences throughout the film, and this film I felt improved on that a little more going through different dimensions and looking different for each one. I love how creative they got for those sequences and it truly shows how wide a range in various mediums this film has. I'll admit the magic here was pretty standard though I was expecting a little more creativity to it rather than just the magic shields and projectile magic fire blasts but I digress. Overall, it was still visually appealing and I enjoyed every second of it.

To wrap this up, Doctor Strange in the multiverse of Madness was a great film, one of my favorite MCU movies in recent years and a great sequel to Doctor Strange. I felt the hype was justified here and now I look forward to what's next for Doctor Strange and the rest of the multiverse. There are two post credit scenes so stick around for those, especially the second one.

Now to conjure my ratings for this film, I'm giving it:

8/10

If you haven't watched the film yet, I highly recommend giving it a watch. I still recommend watching at least the four marvel films I mentioned before watching this one to get a better understanding for the plot but if you don't care for that and just wanna watch a fun film, that works too!

See ya!

[was-it-really-worth-it]

Game 173 - Life is Strange: True Colors by Deck Nine

What did I think it was at first? I was a big fan of the original Life is Strange game, so I knew this would be a must-play for me. I am super excited about this one.

This review is not going to be spoiler free. Since the game is mostly story, it'd be really hard to discuss the things I loved about it while not talking about the story!

How was the character creator? Alex is not customizable outside of her outfits, but you can decide what kind of person she is. You make a myriad of smaller choices as well as a few key ones. Alex also isn't defined by her powers - she can choose to minimize them or to lean on them more throughout the story.

Alex is Asian-American (it wasn't clear to me what her heritage was precisely, and as a white person I'm not really the best person to adjudicate the game's portrayal of race), and there are several nods to her background throughout the game. She also comes out of a foster-care background. Her superpower, which involves sensing, reading, and manipulating the emotions of others, really reminded me of behaviors that people impacted by trauma develop in order to cope and survive in the world. Her world felt very realistic to me, and Alex seems like a real person.

One of the things I loved about Alex is that she's not the video game archetypal body. She's a little short (and the game has somewhat diverse character models! would have liked more diversity in size, but they are not all identical) and a little heavier than your average protagonist. The mocap work here is phenomenal as well. The expressions on all of the characters are realistic. Even Alex's body language - I can recognize gestures in her hands when she's anxious or notice the movement in her shoulders when she's angry.

How was the game? Last year, I played Red Dead Redemption 2 early in the year and then went on and on about how great it is for the rest of the year. It's premature, but this might be the game I obsess over for the rest of the year.

As I'm sure you can tell from the excessive amount of pictures in this post, the game is absolutely gorgeous. There aren't a lot of different environments, but the game makes up for that with lush detailing of each set piece and voiced remarks from Alex on many individual items. Haven feels like a real place, and it's the coolest place in the world.

And the audio design! The soundtrack! The indie music! It's great!

The cast here is also pretty small, so you really get to know them as Alex. Even your brother, who dies in the first act of the game, is really charming and funny and easy to get to know. The romance options, Ryan and Steph, both have their own unique personalities. I also really enjoyed the feature where you can read the town's social media as well as Alex's journal and texts with her friends - including events that take place before the game and during time skips between chapters. It really helped flesh out each of the characters.

The game is divided into chapters that you work through as you solve a mystery. A lot of the plot points in the game are missable, so it rewards careful exploration. Moral quandaries take center stage here, and the choices you make determine how the story plays out.

I don't want to spoil too much of the game, so I'll keep it short - my favorite sequence of the game involved a town-wide LARP in a D&D inspired world. I love Dungeons and Dragons, and the way the town came together to put on the event honestly made me cry. I cried twice in this game, actually.

What did I not love? Here I am going to really talk about the ending - if you have not finished the game, beware the spoilers below!

The ending chapters where you explore Alex's history - her mother's death, her father's neglect, and her experience in foster care - are some of the strongest storytelling moments I have seen in a video game. However, the ending chapter of the game felt weak to me. It's kind of like Mass Effect 3 where I'm sure no ending would really be satisfying, but here we go:

When Jed betrays Alex by shooting her and leaving her in the mine, I really felt like it was a rehash of the original Life is Strange where your father figure and mentor ALSO betrays you and puts you in a situation where you will die. It...wasn't great? Is this a series mainstay? I don't intend to play 2 but will get to Before the Storm eventually.

I also thought the game went a little far by making Jed responsible for the death of Alex's father. It seemed a little too cheesy and hackneyed. He had already committed a massive sin. It was too much to add Alex's history to it.

The ending council meeting felt good, and I was able to earn the approval of almost the whole town on my first playthrough. However, when I tried to find information it didn't really seem like there were consequences for not passing the tribunal? At the end of the game, Alex chooses whether to leave Haven or stay, and her love interest will go with her. It didn't feel like the stakes were as high as Max's decision to save Chloe or Arcadia Bay.

At 10 hours and $50, was it really worth it? god this game was so good. Everyone play this game. I'm going to play the DLC later and add another review, but I can already give it a glowing recommendation.

One caveat: the DLC isn't really worth it. Alex has a pretty good closet already, and you can't wear the outfits for the whole game. Steph's story, Wavelengths, is neat as a prequel but didn't feel as well done to me. It's exciting if you're into Critical Role, though, and the references to the original Life is Strange do help tie the story together.

[shinovii]

I love it when it's Saturday and you wanna spend time playing video games.......however that's gonna have to wait because there's cartoons to watch!

Yep, it's time once again to talk new episodes of The Loud House! This time we're getting our controllers ready as we tackle the first of our double feature, "Game Off"!

Apologies for having skipped the episode synopsis this time, I kinda got caught up with other things lol.

Also, don't think I didn't see the Mario 3 reference, that was a lovely touch.

Well, I sure loved how this episode turned out. Much like Lola, Lana excels in her focus episodes, outright shining in almost every scene she's in. This one certainly hits it for me given how relatable it is. Gotta say seeing Lynn and Lisa help Lana out was a nice touch, seeing as we hardly get sisterly moments with these two. It helps showcase how good their bond with Lana is, which is something I hope to see more of in one form or another. As for the ending moments....oh man. I really wanted to hug Lana after everything she did, and deservedly so too. A solid episode that gets many 1-ups from me!

I don't think I've said it before on this blog, but we really needed an episode showing the older sisters' lives at school. This was as close as it could get and I'm okay with that (though I was hoping Leni would be a part of this, but I guess she doesn't have any clubs to be in). It gave me more fun, tons of good humor, and the best part...more speaking roles for Luna's bandmates! Yeah that was something worth zeroing in on, and it makes me even happier to see more of Sam, Sully, and Mazzy (also I just noticed Sully plays keyboard, does that mean their club is catered around "light" music? Lol). I also enjoyed just how insanely chaotic it got near the end, holy smokes the Loud sisters have no chill whatsoever when it comes to their clubs (though I was pulling for Luna a bit). Plus, we get to hear more of Nika Futterman's singing which is phenomenal! There's not much else to say without spoiling, but I was really enjoying this episode my first time around. Wacky, funny, and a good showcase of three of the Loud sisters at school too.

Apologies if this post seemed a little short compared to my previous ones, but I just couldn't let this slip by either. I can, however, say that I'm greatly looking forward to seeing more new episodes, especially the ones coming right after Valentine's Day! It's gonna be quite a fun time, just you wait! Until next time!

[eusuntgratie]

Ramble about country music AUs for 500 words, pls.

okay last one for tonight but i'm too excited not to answer this.

y'all i'm so obsessed with this fic its ridiculous. i have annoyed at least four humans by talking about it too much.

centrifugal motion is a country singers tknp au and its so goddamn good i don't know where to begin. yes, of course, it is well written and the characters are incredible. but there's two reasons this fic really stuck with me i think.

one is that the author did a phenomenal job of blending people form one universe into another world. this is one of those fics where i just got totally lost in that universe. i just wanna swim around in there forever. i am truly, genuinely sad that i cannot go to a travis konecny concert or buy West Elgin Standards or see Nolan Patrick and the Lonely Hearts live or buy his merch. its devastating.

second, is that the author is a southern queer who wrote the story for other southern queers, and damn they did a phenomenal job. i think anyone and everyone should read this fic, but if you're from the American South or spent a lot of time there, if you grew up listening to country and folk and bluegrass, if you're a queer person from the south, if you have a weird or complicated relationship with country music (I AM ALL OF THESE THINGS), it will speak to your soul. so many little moments, references to specific songs, the way the characters talk about music... i could go on and on. there's five playlists attached to the fic to give you the vibes and they all punched me right in the face in the best way. i teared up in the grocery store listening to song i haven't heard in a decade. i dug up an old country playlist and started devouring new ones and have been singing my heart out ever since.

i'll also just add that while y'all know i love angst, i love that my boys don't suffer for being queer in this one. it was just so goddamn lovely to read their love story. i don't want to spoil, but reading about these two falling in love and choosing to live their lives on their terms was just really fucking good for my soul.

this is one of those fics that i will read over and over. it came to me at the right time and i'm so so so grateful i found it. go read it! and after you read it, check out the other works inspired by because there is a truly amazing love letter to fandom about this 'verse that is just so fucking cool.

sleepover weekend | ask grace