#genuine contender for anime of the year

[dragon-wisteria]

[theendisneat]

Patterns

Pairing: Tighnari x gn!reader

Warnings: None

It stretched from the tip of your right middle finger to your left ear. Across your arm and chest and neck, a dark swirling tattoo of intricate patterns that indicated you your fated one was to be. When you were little, you’d like to imagine them, the person attached to the matching pattern. You’d think of the hair they’d have or how they dressed. You’d think of how they smiled or how they fidget.

Truly, you were a romantic child. Imagining eyes and nose and wispy bangs, staring off into space with what your parents had told was the most intense look they’d ever seen.

Soon though, you had to grow out of your fantasies and accept your patterns as simply part of your body. Rigorous studying did not leave time for daydreaming, working did not give you enough of a break to sleep let alone dream (it was a luxury at this point). You figured the time would come.

Soulmates always meet. If they didn’t, what was the point of two people being perfect matches if they never collided? It’s never confirmed when you and your soulmate would meet. Some meet when they’re children and others have met on their last day alive. It was a worrying prospect, but the fact that you’d get to meet them at all comforted you as you put your mark out of sight and out of mind.

And after hours and hours of hard work over the years, you finally made it to the Akademiya in Sumeru.

It was a struggle to get in, with your family not being particularly wealthy, well known, or even from Sumeru, so you had to overcompensate greatly purely through your academic prowess. You spent days writing till your hand felt like it would fall off, detailing your research and studies of the fauna of your country. Not simply limiting yourself to the animals, you studied the monsters as well. It was those studies that pushed you through, that willingness to put yourself on the line for important research.

Perhaps it wasn’t the healthiest mindset to have, forcing yourself into such dangerous situations, but you did genuinely love your studies, loved the creatures you followed and learned about, and now you could learn more, have access to more. It was a shining opportunity that had you burying your face in your hands to cover the blinding grin.

-

The years at the Akademiya were hard, harder than you were expecting. The classes on top of your personal studies were ruthless and oftentimes you went without sleeping for a couple nights in a row.

But you made it. You passed your classes, your work was recognized, you were a contender for funding. It was that funding that brought you to the Avidiya Forest.

Lush and green and beautiful, the forest surrounded you. The towering trees protected you from the sun, their branches and vibrant leaves stretching so far and so long shadows danced across the ground, only slivers of light shining through. The air was thick with heat, dirt, and a light, sweet ting of Sumeru’s natural flora.

You were crouched behind a bush, dirt staining your clothes and face. Tracking this particular monster was not the easiest. It liked to move, and prowl close to the ground, climb to the highest tree and soak in the sun.

You hand darted across the page, writing down every molecule of information about the beast in front of you. Its body was covered in shimmering, silver scales, giving in the appearance of an automaton. Its claw scratched deeply into the soft dirt of the forest.

You were so entranced by the being you didn’t hear the loud ‘move!’ before you were being pushed to the dirt. Your head was held down, and from the corner of your eye you could only just see the skittish creature skitter away.

With all your strength, you pushed the person off of you, hearing a faint ‘oomph’ as you sat up, glaring. “What the hell?!”

Anything else you had to say died immediately in your throat. Sitting in front of you, with hard, not cold, eyes and an almost pout to his lips, was a man your age. Choppy black and green hair framed his sharp face, a complicated outfit littered with bottles and what looked like first aid. Ears like that of a fennec fox stood straight up on his head, only slightly tilted back to signal growing aggression. But the thing that drew your eye the most, was the twirling, complicated tattoo that peaked out just by his neck.

The man couldn’t see the shock that captured your mind. “I’m sorry, did you just want me to let you get yourself decapitated by a carnivorous plant?”

“A what?” You murmured absentmindedly. Turning your head up you saw a wiggling vine connected to a head similar to that of a venus fly trap, a head whose teeth were now buried into the bark of the tree it rammed into when you had been moved out of the way. “Woah.”

“Woah.” The man mocked, his face set in an unimpressed frown. “Have you no awareness?”

“I was focused.” You defend hotly, an embarrassed heat on your cheeks.

He rolls his eyes and you feel your own twitch. “Really, you couldn't have been more unprepared.”

“I’m sorry.” You ground out. “I was unaware that this area was infested by people eating plants.”

“Perhaps you should look into that.”

You shot up, brushing the dirt from your clothes. “I’ll be on my way then, I have research to conduct and if I have to deal with your insufferable attitude, I might just pop a blood vessel.”

“My insufferable attitude? At least I’m not so ignorant as to not notice a giant plant about to strike!”

You were about to yell at him some more when your eyes once again caught the patterns peeking from his shirt. You knew it was your pattern. With the days you spent sitting in front of the mirror, gliding your fingers over the swirls and tangles and dots, how could you not recognize that which you knew so intimately?

You stepped closer to him and caught his suspicious gaze. You noticed his ears flick, for irritation, anxiety, you didn’t know, and chuckled, which only made his eyes narrow.

“Hey, I didn’t think to mention it because you were so irritating-” a scoff, “-but we have matching patterns.”

“What?” His ears when stock still, pointed straight up, and the tail you just saw froze, the fur bristling.

“Your pattern.” You repeat. “I know it like the back of my hand. We match.” You moved your hair and the scarf tucked tightly around your neck to reveal your own whorls over your skin.

Emotions you couldn’t name flashed through his eyes like bolts, his ears twitching only slightly.

You waved your hand in front of his face. “Hey, you in there? I know this isn’t how soulmate meetings typically go but you could try and look like this isn’t the end of the world.”

His blank face had snapped back to awareness, lips turning down. “I hope you don’t expect this to develop into some kind of romantic-”

“Excuse me?” You raised your eyebrow. “When did I ever imply-”

“It has been said that on multiple occasions that soulmates are expected to be romantic-”

“How long have you been in this forest?”

His ears bristled and puffed. He frowned further. “I don’t think my assumption is wrong, and the forest is much more welcome company than any ‘intelligence’ back in the academy.”

“Hey, at least we agree on one thing. Though I prefer the creatures of the forest to the forest itself.”

He scoffs again but this time it sounds more like a laugh, something that brings a bit of a smile to your face.

“Hey,” you stuck your hand out. “Acquaintances? Tenuous colleagues? Hate to break it to you, but I’m staying in Avidiya Forest for a while for research purposes.”

The man sighed but stuck his hand out, grasping yours. “Tenuous colleagues it is then. I’m Tighnari.”

“[Y/n].” You responded.

-

The months passed by quickly.

Soon after that conversation with Tighnari, you had bought a small little hut in Gandharva Ville. It became an immediate mess, covered from floor to ceiling in pages, diagrams of creature anatomy from all across Teyvat, paragraphs upon paragraphs of analysis and theorizing. The only place that was safe was your bed, but even with that the blankets were crumpled, the pillow nearly falling off the side.

Despite your mess, your research was going along perfectly. The opportunity to stalk so many gorgeous creatures, to communicate with them and study them was like a dream come true to you. Long days were spent out in the wild, more often than not, you came home covered in dirt.

During these months, you and Tighnari had grown closer. You ran into each other on multiple occasions, him sometimes following you out on your excursions when he had the time to make sure you didn’t get your head bit off by another carnivorous plant (you didn’t want to count how many close calls there had been already), and you sometimes crashing into him while running from a particularly aggressive creature you accidently startled.

Sometimes those encounters ended with you getting scratched and Tighnari pulling you back to your home, where he would then berate you for your horrible living state, and sit you down on the edge of your bed. He’d manhandle you, though you noticed he was never violent. His ears would go down with worry, pupils contracting every time he caught sight of a cut.

-

It was a bad cut. A truly terrible cut that went from the left side of your hip to your right shoulder. It was deep, flowing red so quickly your white shirt couldn’t even be called white any more. It came from an animal you weren’t expecting, one that had been stalking you as you quietly followed another.

The slash had left you disoriented, stumbling as you ran. You were lucky to find that the creature didn’t care to follow you, seeming to like the idea of playing with you. The blood gushed, sticking uncomfortable to your skin as you trudged back to Gandharva Ville, doing your best not to pass out.

In your delirium, you could only be glad that the slash missed the majority of your pattern, only getting the part on your chest. You held a worthless hand to the wound, pressing down with the fleeting thoughts of ‘pressure, pressure’.

You didn’t even notice when the sun caught your eye as you finally broke through the dense foliage of the forest. Screams went in one ear and out the other, sweat pouring from your forehead and into your eyes, the heat making your shirt stick horribly to your aching body.

Hands gripped your shoulders. Hands were the only thing you could think of, them wrapping around your waist and legs, pulling you into a bridal carry. Your head resting against a shoulder, the scent of earth and berries and blood invading your nostrils. Your head felt fuzzy and your breathing shallow.

It wasn’t long before you passed out.

-

You woke up in bed, aching, torso tightly wound with itchy gauze turning pink. A groan was caught in the back of your dry throat and your limbs flopped uselessly when you tried to sit up.

A door slammed open. “Honestly, this is why I track them. Can’t keep themselves safe and want to prance around a deadly forest. All this gauze…” You hear the muttering and couldn't stop a fond sigh.

“You complain,” your voice is rough, ugly in every sense of the word. “But I’m still alive now.”

“Yes, because of my expertise.” There was no ‘you’re awake’ no ‘thank goodness you’re alright’ no ‘don’t sass me while you’re at my mercy’. There was just a quiet relief in his sigh, the fond quirk of his lips, the with which he shot back at your words. It was comfortable and comfortable must’ve felt good after such a scare.

He sat on the edge of the bed, gently pulling you up so you’re sitting straight. “Come on, let me change your bandages.”

“Can I have some water afterwards?”

“So high maintenance,” he grumbled, and with the serious look on his face, it took you a moment to realize he was teasing. “First I use all this gauze, then I have to spare my water?”

“Oh please ‘humble one’. Let me have just a sip?” The back of your hand delicately touched your forehead in a dramatic swoon and you would’ve fallen back onto the bed for a little extra if Tighnari’s hands weren’t keeping you upright.

He huffed. “Alright, alright. I’ll get you some water, just be still.”

The rest of his care was spent in silence. Sometimes his hands would brush your skin and you would shiver, or his eyes would linger on your shared pattern and you felt this primal instinct to puff out your chest, to show it off with pride.

When he made to leave, probably to get the water you were oh so desperate for, you caught his risk. Looking up at him through your eyelashes, you smiled nervously at his inquisitive gaze. “After all these months, can we finally upgrade from tenuous colleagues to friendly acquaintances?”

His hand grasped your own wrist, squeezing gently. He rolled his eyes. “Friendly acquaintances then.”

-

Two years had passed from the time you and Tighnari first laid eyes on each other, a year and a half from when you became acquaintances, and now it had been two days since you’d upgraded to friends.

Just thinking about it, as you lie in the crumpled sheets of your messy bed, makes your heart thump wildly.

Two days ago, you and Tighnari had run into a researcher from the Akademiya. Haughty and aggravating, the two of you listened as he leveled thinly veiled insults at Gandharva Ville’s less than elite beauty, at Tighnari’s work ethic (because how can the forest still be so over run with withering zones if he was doing his job correctly?), and sneered at your choice of research, not so subtly referring to you as ‘one who likes to walk among their own kind’.

It was a hit to the heart, one you hadn’t heard in a while, but nothing new. Insults towards you have always followed a certain path. You were beastly as you like to roll in the mud just like the very beasts you followed. You were just so disoriented with the world of the elite Akademiya because you couldn’t possibly fathom such glamor from the hick town you grew up in. You didn’t belong in Sumeru itself, not even among the common folk, because did you really know how things worked over here? After all, you were from so far away.

But Tighnari had never treated you as anyone lesser. Not less knowledgeable or intelligent. Not less adaptable or sincere. Through working with him, you grew to respect him, not only his work ethics, but his aloof compassion and charm, something that made your heart sting every day, and you knew he felt that same respect for you.

Now, you couldn’t be more happy. The scowl that pulled back Tighnari’s lips was so fierce, the researcher had taken a step back, a thin sheen of sweat lining his forehead. “Are you always so obvious with your insinuations?”

“Mr. Tighnari-”

“Actually, with how obvious they are, I’d say they’re blatant insults.”

“Mr. Tighnari, please!” The researcher chuckled nervously. “It's not like it's personal, only jokes. Everyone made them back in our Akademiya days.”

The ease with which these statements against you were brushed off had Tighnari bristling. “Everyone? Who is everyone?”

“Sir,” you say, finally deciding to step in. “While I don't appreciate the familiar words, I do enjoy the fact that because you're so disgustingly arrogant and rude, you will never find yourself free to stay in Gandharva Ville.”

The researcher's face had gone from blanched to colored an angry, splotchy red that was particularly unattractive if you said so yourself. “What?! That can't be! I've got permission from the Akademiya to conduct my research here!”

“But I have final say if you stay here.” Tighnari’s smile was sharp and uncomfortable to look at. “So please, find your way back out of the Avidiya Forest. Your stench is creating more withering zones than I can handle.”

The researcher had run, tail between his legs and face that ugly crimson. You couldn't stop yourself from laughing and in all honesty, you didn't try to. From the corner of your eye, you saw the self-satisfied smirk on Tighnari’s face.

“What a minx you are. Did you have fun watching the blood drain from his face?” You teased.

He scoffed, ears twitching. “Of course I did.”

You hummed, smiling softly. After a moment’s hesitation, you wrapped your arms around his neck, hugging him close and resting your head on his shoulder. “Thank you for being such a good friend.”

Tighnari was stiff in your hold, at first, but he soon relaxed, returning your embrace with a little smile you could see as he buried his face in your hair. “We’re friends now?”

“Yeah, sorry. I’m not asking for this upgrade. We’re friends.”

With those words it seemed Tighnari hugged you tighter. “Alright.”

-

When you and Tighnari became lovers, it was a year later.

There was nothing special about the morning it happened. The sun rose the way it did everyday, shimmering through your too thin curtains to shine directly on your face, you groaning in defeat as you failed to fall back asleep, and the not so quiet slam of the door as Tighnari let himself in, as you told him he could.

While you loved your job and did the work you had to, needed to, you also enjoyed being horrifically lazy. Laying in bed and sleeping the day away every once in a while sounded like a dream (no pun intended), and like every morning before, you lounged for far longer than you should’ve just to think if today could be one of those days. But alas, it was not, and Tighnari entered your bedroom unceremoniously, his lips pressed into a fine line.

“Get up. I let you sleep longer today because you stayed up late last night, but you have work to do today.” He pulled the covers from your sleepy form and you let out a petulant whine.

“Tighnariiiiiii nooooo,” you groaned into your pillow, not moving from your spot.

He grabbed your hands and tried to pull you out, rolling his eyes at your stubbornness while you rag-dolled. “Come on.”

He yelped when your hands shot out to catch his own. “Tighnari, cuddle with me.”

“No.” He deadpanned.

“Tighnari-”

“No.”

“Please-”

“You have to get out of bed.”

“Pleeeease-”

“No.”

“Pleasepleasepleaseplease-”

“Fine!” He ground out, much to your delight. “Five minutes.”

He moved a blanket so he wasn’t directly on the covers and laid down, letting out a small grunt when you flopped on top of him.

“You're always so warm. It's very nice.” You mumbled, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

Tighnari’s breath hitched and you pulled back, confused. “Tighnari?” His eyes were wide, lips pressed tight. The one arm that had been around your shoulder, holding you close now laid limp on the bed, his other hand clenched over his stomach. “Hey, Tighnari, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine.” But some part of him looked far away, eyes glazed. His limp hand went to cup the side of his neck and it was then you realized you had nuzzled into your shared pattern.

“Oh, Tighnari, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I know you don't… really… we’ve never brought up the whole soulmates thing… I shouldn't have done that… I know touching your soulmate's pattern is really intimate… I'm sorry.” The more you spoke the quieter you got, overcome with embarrassment. You sat up and turned away from him, pulling your knees close to your chest and hiding your face.

The truth was that the past three years had hit your romanticism hard. Tighnari was wonderful. A strong and caring person, passionate in everything he does, snarky is just the way that made you laugh. Every little thing he did endeared you, from the way the fur of his ears stood up when he was annoyed to the way his nose scrunched when he tried not to laugh at something you did that truly amused him (he never wanted to give you the satisfaction).

You fell fast and hard. Really, how could anyone blame you? Your heart burned every time you thought about the day the two of you met, remembering the words he spoke.

“I hope you don't expect this to develop into some kind of romantic-”

He never wanted romance. It was just your traitorous heart that couldn't help loving him. So you didn't mention it. Your friendship was wonderful enough for you. And sometimes soulmates stayed friends! You reasoned. You were lucky enough to see him so young, now your friendship can last the rest of your life!

But now you messed it all up.

While it wasn't taboo to show off your pattern, it was taboo to touch other's patterns or let people who are not family or your soulmate touch yours. Some of the most conservative families don't even allow family members to touch the pattern after the child is a certain age.

Now, it wasn't uncommon or anything for soulmates who remained platonic to touch each other's patterns, as really the idea was more to show the depth of the bond, how much the other means to you. It wasn't inherently romantic or platonic or familial, though some could definitely make it that way, but you had always known of Tighnari’s prickly nature so you avoided doing anything too much. Occasionally your arms would brush the pattern with hugs and whatnot, but nothing ever so intimate as cuddling and nuzzling, laying in your bed like you were more than what you were.

A large part of you wanted this, this casual domesticity with him. Tender brushes of his fingers against your skin, tracing the loops and swirls, little kisses from your ear to your neck to your chest, down your arm until he reached your right middle finger. The whole thought brought tears to your eyes, and now your knees were pressed into your sockets, trying desperately to stop any of those tears from falling.

Skin, bare skin, shocked you from your sadness. The back of Tighnari’s right hand was brushing against the left side of your neck. Ever so gently, his hand twisted and cold fingertips were gliding across your skin. The fingers followed the pattern down your arm till they intertwined with your own.

A little tug had you looking into Tighnari’s eyes, wide and hazel and worried. “[Y/n]... I know we have not discussed the soulmate… thing, but I was not unaccepting of your affection. Just surprised.”

You sniffle. “Really?”

He nods, a small smile on his thin lips. “Would you like to touch patterns again?”

You were about to say yes before biting your lip and shaking your head. It was different for you and you didn’t want to indulge your little romantic fantasies or take advantage of the intimacy Tighnari was granting you.

He tried to brush his hand along your neck once again but you leaned back. The hurt in his eyes stabbed into your heart.

“It’s different for me ‘Nari. I just don’t feel the same way about this as you do.” You mutter.

Tighnari’s eyebrow raised in question, a challenging look in his eyes. “How do I feel then?”

“What?”

“Tell me how I feel, that's so different from you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous ‘Nari! We’re friends and that’s all we are!” Your voice breaks as you cry and a heat crawls over your cheeks. “This is too much, it’s…” You took a deep breath. “You said when we first met, you did want me to think of this relationship ever turning romantic, but I just can’t help it! I love you, I love you so much and the thought of doing this with you with us thinking different things… it hurts.”

“I said that three years ago.” He deadpanned.

You only shrugged.

“Don’t you think, in the past few years we’ve known one another, my feelings could have changed?”

You stared at him till he sighed with annoyance.

“Stupid…” He rolled his eyes and practically fell on top of you in a hug, his face pressed directly into the junction of your neck where he nuzzled a beautiful little loop in your pattern.

Your whole body shuddered at such a display of affection, but as much as you wanted to lean into it, you stayed stiff in his arms. “What is this?” You whispered tearfully.

“Reciprocation of romantic affection.”

Was it really so simple?

“You love me… the way I love you?” You were almost scared to ask, terrified that this was some kind of joke, his sarcasm taken too far.

Tighnari pulled back and cupped your face within his chilly hands. His eyes were the most intense you’ve ever seen them, wide and dilated, bright and covered in a soft sheen of tears that made them shine. “Yes.”

You finally smiled, leaning into his hands. “Then, can we upgrade again?”

“To?”

You hummed in thought. “Soulmates?”

“We’ve been soulmates since we were born.” He denied.

“Lovers?”

“Too cliche.”

“Partners?”

“Clinical.”

“Bedfellows?”

“Are we four hundred?”

“I don’t know then.”

Tighnari was quiet for a moment. “Life companions.”

You perked up. “Life and death companions!”

“Why death?”

You leaned over so you were draped over his body. “Do you really think when we die, I’m going to let you go? We’ll reincarnate together and be soulmates all over again!”

“Oh great, I can have you for multiple lifetimes. Yayyyyy…” His voice petered out slowly as he looked at you with dead eyes.

“Don’t sound so enthused ‘Nari, maybe we’ll be reincarnated as flowers right next to each other, or maybe as lovebirds, or or we could be giant trees that reach the sun, but below the dirt our roots are intertwined so we’re forever holding hands!” You giggled.

“I cannot believe we are still so young and you are already thinking about our deaths.” He chuckles fondly. “Besides that fact, why do you think we’ll die with so little good karma that we won’t become human again?”

“It’s not that, but don’t you think being a big tree, basking in the sunlight, entangled with me and me with you is such a more romantic concept?”

“Your mind runs away from you sometimes.”

“Then I hope you’ll always be there to ground me, hm?” You meant it to be only teasing but you noticed Tighnari’s eyes darken, the way his sight flickered down to your lips. “Tighnari?”

His hands led you to lay back on the bed and he hovered over you. His gaze was heavy, never drifting from your eyes, you were locked into his heated stare. “May I kiss you?”

“If you kiss me, I won’t be able to stay on the ground.” Your voice was breathy, you felt like you couldn’t breathe, stifled by his earthy scent. “My head will go up to the clouds.”

“I’ll pull you back down, just as I always have.” He was resolute, his tone rough and husky. He leaned closer, his lips brushing against yours in the slightest touch. “May I kiss you?”

How could you say anything but- “Yes.”

His smile was tender as he finally caught your lips in a gentle dance. He was warm, warmth that you felt creeped from your head to your toes. A hand to the back of your neck, a thumb brushing your shared pattern as his insistent lips kissed fervently.

The love you never thought you’d get was here, in your arms, sucking your soul out and pressing you to your mattress. It couldn’t have been any better.

[fictionadventurer]

Little House in the Big Woods is a masterful depiction of the simple joys and mindset of very early childhood. Which, oddly enough, makes the book work better for me as an adult than as a child. As a kid, I saw this as one of the lesser books--there are some fun moments and interesting stories, but nothing really happens. As an adult, that's one of the main draws--nothing happens! Laura gets to see the frost on the windows and play with her cousins and get Christmas presents and look at the pictures in the animal book and play house and nothing goes wrong. It brings back those innocent, simple joys of very early childhood in a way that's much more welcome now that I'm much further away from it.

With an adult's perspective, it's also easier to catch more details about the wider world surrounding that little cabin in the Big Woods. The family ties binding together the adults. The historical context of the 1860s. You catch the fact that they're choosing to live like this--the rest of the world is pretty advanced, but they're living on the very edges of civilization where you have to do things for yourself in a way few other people do.

As a kid, I just saw the historical moment as "pioneer times where they live like this because they haven't invented technology." As an adult, I know that there's a ton of technology already being invented at a faster rate than ever before, and even here on the fringes of society, it's got a huge effect on how they settle the area. They buy machine-made traps to catch animals for a huge fur industry (at least, I don't see a local blacksmith making these). They use a complicated threshing machine. They buy machine-made cloth and cane sugar and have little store-made knickknacks. Their way of life is pretty heavily dependent on a world where railroads and steamships can rapidly transport goods around the world, which is a huge reason that life changed so quickly during Laura's lifetime--the world was already pretty modern, and just had to get out to where she was. It's a perspective that added a lot of depth to my view of the setting.

The book's also better from an adult viewpoint because it's not just the story of early childhood, but it's a woman in her 60s looking back at her early childhood--nostalgic for it in the way a lot of adults are nostalgic for a time when the world seemed simpler and safer--which makes the perspective oddly relatable.

I can still see why it's less exciting than the other books--even apart from the lack of deadly perils, Laura's extremely young age means she's not an active protagonist. She's just watching life while other people go off and do things. Most of the events are things we hear about--Pa telling stories of his childhood or of what he's done during the day. Laura doesn't, for instance, go out to the bee tree--she sees Pa get the wagon and then come back and tell her about it. Even this simple event is something that Laura's not actively watching, which makes her perspective feel a bit disconnected from the world.

But for all the story's flaws and virtues, the very best part of the book is how much love goes into it. Laura is writing this out of love for the family that gave her such a childhood. She'll pause to note Pa's laugh, or talk about how pretty Ma was while making hominy. She loves the landscape, delighting in the details of every season. She loves the daily tasks of farm life. She's not just detailing things like cheese-making or churning because these skills are dying out, but because she's lived her life on a farm and takes genuine joy in the details that go into completing all these tasks. She loved farming so much that she spent years writing a column about farming life, and that absolutely comes out here.

Then, at the very end, we have a line that's my contender for one of the best last lines in all of literature. Laura's watching her family and the firelight as Pa plays his fiddle in the cozy little house, singing about remembering the days of long ago. And this sixty-some-year-old woman, looking back at her childhood, bringing back a vanished world for the children of today, ends with a paragraph that perfectly sums up the bittersweet truths of the story--that childhood thinks it will last forever, that time will pass in the blink of an eye, and that memory and storytelling can, in their imperfect way, make the past immortal.

She was glad that the cosy house, and Pa and Ma and the firelight and the music were now. They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now. It can never be a long time ago.

[babeclownart]

Skibidi toilet and gacha life are not that bad.

OKAY HEAR ME OUT First: skibidi toilet is literally just gm /sfm machinimas. Yes, the are loud and annoying, but its literally not that bad. Kids need to be stimulated, and any hl fans, who say "oh but they are ruining hl characters" are just stupid, G-mans head poking out of the toilet and singing stupid song not going to ruin years of in-game lore. Second: gacha life is a game, that brings out creativity in kids. I've seen countless genuinely good creations, characters and animations made by kids in this game. I know people whos art journey started from gacha life. While yes, unfortunately there are a lot of ranchy content created in gacha life, its just something that always happens, young teenagers may be drawn to such content because of their curiosity. I think a lot of people just want to hate on kids for their interests because we think that its too stupid and cringe and annoying, but I think we need to let kids enjoy they life until they will unavoidably fall into being self-conscious about everything they do and like. THE PROBLEM is, however, stars then ADULTS start to make inappropriate contend targeted at kids with things kids love, and I think we don`t talk about it enough.

[sminny-wew]

Why people are excited over Princess Elise’s (brief) return

Short answer: the new design/art style that Sonic Channel gave her looks nice and she’s being treated with as much dignity as the rest of the Sonic cast for the first time since Sonic 06′s release nearly 17 years ago

Long answer:

Every year, Sonic Channel (the official Japanese website for Sonic the Hedgehog) puts out character illustrations for each month. Sometimes it’s just art of the character posing, sometimes they’re actually doing something (Sonic celebrating his birthday, Amy walking in the rain, Cream going trick-or-treating, etc.). For 2023, Sonic Channel is posting a specific themed series of artwork called “Isekai Ogiri” that depicts two characters in silly, non-canon scenarios; part of the appeal of these illustrations is that one of the two characters in each artwork is voted for by fans. So far we’ve seen Gadget (AKA Buddy AKA the custom character from Sonic Forces) confessing his love to an Egg Pawn in a scene straight out of a slice-of-life anime, Shadow and Infinite as rival idol musicians, a cutely-dressed Blaze visiting fortune teller Amy, Tikal and Chaos running their own pizza place, and most recently as of this post, Silver the figure-skating coach and his student Elise. (I’m linking back to the original SC pages b/c they put out a message on their official Twitter urging people to link back to the original SC pages/tweets, otherwise they might be inclined to stop making this art; if you want to understand the little stories that come with each illustration, I’m afraid you’ll have to put up with janky Google Translate translations.)

So, yeah, Princess Elise of notorious Sonic 06 infamy, the one video game journalists always seem eager to remind you kissed a dead anthropomorphic hedgehog, recently appeared in one of these illustrations. And people lost their minds, but this time, with excitement.

But if Princess Elise was/is so despised, why do people seem genuinely excited to see her now?

Well there’s 2 reasons for that: 1) the way in which she was drawn, and 2) the fact that she was even a contender to appear in this art series in the first place

1) Human characters appearing in the Sonic series has always been a source of discourse among fans. Some, like myself, enjoy seeing humans coexist alongside a cast of furries, robots, and other assorted beings; others believe there shouldn’t be any humans (except Eggman) in Sonic at all. They’ve been variously depicted as realistic people (Sonic 06) and with more cartoonish Pixar-esque proportions (Sonic Unleashed). From my perspective, what seemed to make people dislike Elise’s original design was that in addition to looking out-of-place next to the cartoony Sonic (people often say that she looks like she belongs in Final Fantasy), her facial expressions were quite bland and difficult to read. While I would argue that Sonic and his friends also had very little facial expression in 06, it’s much easier to notice with Elise (and to a lesser degree, 06 Eggman) due to her more realistic face. It evokes a feeling in some people known as the Uncanny Valley. In the Isekai Ogiri’s April illustration, Elise is depicted in a new style that leans more towards cartoony; some have compared it to Puyo Puyo, others have said she resembles the humans from Balan Wonderworld. Either way, most fans, at least those on Twitter and Tumblr, have praised Elise’s new “look” because her new proportions (large head and hands, big eyes that are easier to read) make her more closely fit in with other Sonic characters. She feels less like a Final Fantasy character and more like a Sonic character.

(With that said, not everyone was automatically bothered by Elise’s realistic 06 design because human beings do not perceive everything in the exact same way b/c art is subjective)

2) Part of how Elise even wound up in this illustration is not just because people wanted to see her again, but because Sonic Team themselves decided to treat her with dignity by making her an option to vote for. And she was up against Merlina from Sonic and the Black Knight, a well-regarded character among fans and one of the few female villains in the entire series!! The poll they were in for the April pic was very close!!

During the late 2000s following Sonic 06′s release, Silver had his fanbase, but a lot of people still viewed him as annoying, and it took several years of game reappearances for him to become a less divisive character (my source: I’ve been a Sonic fan with internet access since ~2003, the way he’s depicted in the Sonic Paradox shorts is actually what a lot of people thought of him at the time). Also, he was still an anthropomorphic Sonic animal, so naturally people would be quicker to accept him as part of the cast.

But Elise? The human? While I doubt she was originally intended to be a recurring character, even if 06 WAS supposed to be a reboot, her portrayal in that game was so widely despised by critics and fans alike that she was thereafter relegated to rare cameos (like being on a collectible card in Sonic Rivals 2) and jokes at her expense (in LEGO Dimensions, when Sonic interacts with Lumpy Space Princess, he says, “Last time I met a princess, I...we...you know, I don't quite remember, never mind!” in a hurried and embarrassed voice). Elise is hardly the only notoriously-disliked Sonic character, but because she only appeared in one game in a non-playable role (I’m not counting the stages where Sonic carries her), her biggest positive accomplishments--unlocking her cell herself instead of waiting for Sonic to save her, jumping from Eggman’s ship with zero hesitation, and reviving Sonic--are often overshadowed by the moments where she just stands there praying, gets kidnapped, and kisses a dead hedgehog just in case you forgot for the 17th year in a row, leading people to view her as an inherently bad character. Because she is also a girl, and video games were and still are a largely male-dominated culture loaded with toxic masculinity, it’d be ignorant to say the vitriol towards Elise wasn’t charged with sexism and misogyny on some level.

But as an aspiring writer and someone who hates wasted character potential, my personal opinion is that characters, SPECIFICALLY in ongoing franchises like Sonic, are not inherently bad, it’s the ways in which they’re USED that can make them LOOK good or bad, and they don’t deserve to be locked away forever all because of one bad interpretation. But unlike Silver who has been in multiple games since 06 (or even Mephiles, who was added to the Sonic Forces mobile game last year as an unlockable character), Elise has only ever had 06. Thus, people only have that one interpretation of her to go off of, because not everyone obsessively rewrites her in their headcanons or hunts down fan fiction where Elise is characterized with actual effort.

And like I said, I don’t think Elise was created with longevity in mind, but it’s specifically because critics and fans alike continue to beat this dead horse that you have people like me saying “What if she came back tho”

Compare the hate Elise gets to the Deadly Six, characters whose debut game was not seen as quite a colossal failure as 06 but still had a story that was almost universally panned, particularly in regards to its character writing. While the Deadly Six (or just Zavok) have yet to appear in a game written by Ian Flynn, they’ve been recurring characters in the IDW Sonic comics and, while still pretty universally disliked, have been regarded by some fans as being tolerable in the comics due to how Flynn utilizes them there. (I wrote a whole other post speculating about the Deadly Six’s characterization in IDW if you feel like reading that lol.) In this sense, the current Sonic writers are genuinely trying to make even the most undesired characters palatable for the audience. I think it’ll be a long while before most people fully warm up to the D6, but the intent is there.

Meaning that the same could hypothetically be done for Elise, if this illustration is any indication that SEGA is beginning to wholeheartedly embrace their past, even the ugly parts

I’m not expecting anything huge from this, and I don’t expect her to suddenly become a major recurring character, because this illustration is nothing more than Sonic Team testing the waters to see how people react to them unironically including Elise in non-canon material. But look at all the fan art people are drawing of Elise in her skating outfit. Look at how fans are reacting. If, sometime after this, Elise were to appear in even a minor role in the IDW comics, in this new art style, with Ian Flynn, Evan Stanley, or even a guest writer like Daniel Barnes at the helm, I would welcome it with open arms, because I trust them to handle Princess Elise’s character with genuine investment and care.

(But until then I have my own ideas that I’m a bit hesitant to share for.....reasons~)

[tunashei]

First impressions of Animoprhs!

I'm listening to the Animorphs series while I work, through Animorphs Aloud - a fan made reading of the series. Here are my first impressions/random thoughts about them! Spoilers below if you haven't read them.

Book 7: The Stranger

I often think how you'd REALLY react if you were faced with something paranormal or magical, because it wouldn't just be the monster or ghost or superhero you have to contend with - but your entire knowledge of the universe flipping on it's head. Legit consider how insane you'd go if you found out monsters were *really* real. And they do this to a random person in the start of most books! Ha.

Kind of surprised they consider a human-alien relationship with any sort of seriousness. How progressive. But then there's been a few hints towards Rachel liking Tobias and he's...a bird. Rachel is very open minded.

Somehow I have my doubts Rachel will move away. The clue is the 47 books that come after this.

Man I feel for Tobias, having to spend the rest of his life as a hawk while potentially watching his friends move on. It's not like he can make new friends. Also how long does he even live? Does he have a hawk lifespan now of 10-15 years?

Rachel wants more firepower and she skips the POLAR BEARS? GIRL. Those things are fucking terrifying! Though I did do a bit of research and turns out when Polar Bears and Grizzlies compete for food it's usually the Polar Bears that leave.

Also I have a hard time believing a bear has more 'firepower' than an elephant. Bit easier to move around and get into places as a bear though.

Still can't get over the frequent use of the slang 'hooked up' to mean meeting. Very different meaning nowadays.

The mental image of them fitting pretty much a centaur into a dressing room is very funny.

Wow. Stopping time definitely blindsided me. This Ellimist is like a god?? Was not expecting that.

The descriptions when the Ellimist is showing off the beauty of earth make me very sad I will likely not get to experience it. It's so sad to know coral reefs exist out there, beauty unparalleled, and you can't simply go and see them. Not without money. It's a cruel joke that we're placed on such an amazing planet and yet how little of it we'll see.

Man this is a genuinely tough decision. I really like Cassie's perspective, that humans are now the endangered animals potentially rejecting the one thing that could save them. Honestly if what seemed like a literal god told me the fight is unwinnable I'd probably give in and tell them to take me to a new planet.

Aaaand now the kids are getting eaten alive. I LOVE the amount of traumatising scenarios in these books. Main reason I started em. Feel a bit bad for the Taxon, imagine eating some innocuous snack and it swells up and bursts you from the inside.

Ax has a thing for cutting off people's arms.

You're the second largest carnivore on land Rachel, Polar Bears got you beat.

Also Rachel totally just murdered a bunch of human people.

Now...time travel? Hm not a big fan of time travel.

Damn the Yeerks invested in free, superfast and wide-covering public transport? I'd vote for them.

This is why I don't like time travel. Is it deterministic? Can it be changed? Boggles the mind. The implication is they refuse the Ellimist's offer and stay and fight, and lose, and Rachel becomes a controller. But why would Ax being there mean the future has changed? Did future-Rachel lie about there being six humans to Visser-Three? Why?

PFFFF I'm sorry but as horrifying as the idea of them killing and consuming Tobias after being infected and turned into controllers is, it's also like Disney-level villainy.

If this is the future and it can be changed, why can't Visser-Three kill them? Sure he wouldn't have controller Rachel so the future would be different but the goal of invading would work?

Well this is looking bleak.

I wonder who is keeping Ellimists in check that they even need rules.

Surprisingly quick and efficient mission! And that's the end of that one. A bit confusing, but I wonder if the Ellimist stuff will get clearer later on.

[themattress]

I Grade: Sailor Moon Anime Arcs

After a 5 year hiatus, "I Grade" returns to Sailor Moon!

Origin Story (Episodes 1-13)

What makes the first ever Sailor Moon story arc so good partly came down to serendipity. Originally, this was going to be stretched out across two cours rather than one, with a lot more formulaic episodes of Usagi on her own before meeting Ami at around episode 20, Rei shortly after, and defeating Jadeite. But because the makers of the OP included Ami and Rei in it, it was decided to not test fans' patience like that, and thus we got Ami in episode 8, Rei in episode 10, and Jadeite defeated in episode 13. Which is good, because as interesting as watching Usagi learn and struggle on her own is, it would have way outlasted its welcome if the initial plan was followed and severely messed up the pacing of this team-oriented series.

As it stands, this is a well-paced, utterly charming beginning for the show, showcasing Usagi's journey from clumsy crybaby to capable superheroine to leader of a team, contrasted with her punchably smug nemesis Jadeite's descent from a genuinely formidable adversary to a struggling, incompetent failure. The best episodes are 1 (where it all begins), 3 (where Usagi and Jadeite first meet), 6 (a wonderfully atmospheric piece with a fantastic adult character-of-the-day), 8 (Ami's intro), 10 (Rei's intro), and 13 (the climactic battle with Jadeite at the airport). Everything else is fine, if not notably, often laughably formulaic and repetitive.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

Star-Crossed (Episodes 14-24)

This arc is the show slowly plunging into a valley until suddenly rocketing upward toward a peak. Nephrite is a great new villain with an interesting new way of doing things, but for some reason or other the execution of it in episodes 14-18 doesn't live up to how entertaining the previous formula was. Maybe it's because there's a weird sexism undercurrent going on? Girls being aggressive instead of graceful in sports is wrong, girls be boy crazy over guys five years their age and argumentative over wedding dresses, guys who only take photos of girls for their beauty must be shown the error of their ways through the words of a male college student who bullies a female middle school student over allegedly not being beautiful among other things, and let's bring back that one little girl character and make her life about dolls! Coming off an arc climax that ham-fistedly preached girl power, this is fucking ridiculous.

But in the second half, Nephrite and the writers shift gears. Suddenly, we get a ton of dynamic plot progression and character development! Depictions of women and girls that don't feel sexist! A (questionably placed, tbh) beach filler episode that doesn't involve the central villains at all and it somehow works beautifully! And of course, the tragic doomed relationship between Naru and Nephrite which elevates the series to a new emotional level, turning a good show into a great one. What could have fallen a grade below the previous arc ends up worthy of a grade higher (though sadly not any more than that because of its start).

Grade: 4 out of 5

The Rainbow Crystals (Episodes 25-35)

This is hands-down the greatest stretch of episodes in not just this show but all Sailor Moon shows. We get the introductions of Queen Metalia, Makoto, Reika, Yuichiro, Minako and Artemis! The dangerously competent villainous duo of Zoisite and Kunzite! Mamoru / Tuxedo Mask developing into a truly fascinating character who gets to see a lot of action and who you're really rooting for! An episodic formula that has an air of unpredictability, as you never know who might bear one of the Rainbow Crystals and who might end up with it! Episode 31, a contender for the funniest episode in the series! And Episodes 33-35, where shit gets real.

Let's not beat around the bush, we all know what grade this arc gets.

Grade: 5 out of 5.

Moonlight Destiny (Episodes 36-46)

Wow, if I had a nickel for every time the original Sailor Moon series had an arc with a big quality decline in its first half only to redeem itself in its second, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice! The first five episodes here are the worst this show has ever been, and the following two are kind of shaky as well. After reaching such a high point in the previous arc, we regress to a more banal formula here with little sense of direction. It hurts the Sailor Senshi who now appear stupid and aimless, it hurts Kunzite who now appears inept despite how threatening he was before, and it really hurts Mamoru, now the "evil" brainwashed Endymion, who just ends up following his old Tuxedo Mask To The Rescue formula while just claiming that he's a Dark Kingdom warrior who wants to take the Silver Crystal from Usagi without ever doing much of anything that would grant him success in doing so because he's still too much of a princely gentleman for that. It's really weak.

But not only are things fully redeemed by the penultimate two episodes, one which is a testament to the growth of the Sailor Senshi's friendship and another which provides the full backstory that's been alluded to for so long, but then we have the two-part finale. This finale is the stuff of anime legends. All of the raw emotion it expresses as it dives headfirst into the deepest darkness will stick with viewers forever, as will the final clash between Princess Serenity and Queen Metalia. It's more than enough to grant this final arc a passing grade.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5.

FULL SERIES GRADE: 4 out of 5.

The Makai Tree (Episodes 1-13)

This is one of the best filler arcs in all of anime. Its relative light-heartedness is the perfect bridge between the darkness we've just been through and the darkness that's to follow, Ail and En are lovable sympathetic villains with an interesting progression as the arc goes on, the pacing is perfect, episode 10 is absolutely hilarious, and the lesson taught about love in the finale is a sound one: it's all about the giving, not the taking. This was the last arc that was directed by Junichi Sato before turning the reigns over to Kunihiko Ikuhara, and he made the most of it. My three complaints with it are that Ami never gets a focus episode even when everyone else does, the Moonlight Knight sucks and was a questionable creative choice, and despite its quality it is still a filler arc and thus never has any bearing on anything going forward beyond happening to be when the main characters regained their memories.

Grade: 4 out of 5.

Invaders From The Future (Episodes 14-28)

Well, this is a toughie. For every pro in this arc, there's a con. Chibiusa is a fascinating character...but she's also extremely annoying. Rubeus is an excellent villain...but it takes 15 episodes to defeat the goddamn guy and it can be taxing on viewers' patience given that he only gets more and more despicable during that time. The 4 Spectre Sisters are entertaining evil minions...but there's way too much of Calveras and Petz, not enough of Koan and Berthier. The girls and their friendship is still on point....but Usagi and Mamoru's romance gets derailed with a mind-numbingly stupid break-up plotline. The pacing would be perfect...if not for another questionably placed beach filler episode without the usual villains, this one not even any good! Ultimately, I can't call this arc anything but mid. The high points are incredibly high, but the low points are so low that they reflect badly on Kunihiko Ikuhara as a director.

Grade: 3 out of 5.

The Dark Gate (Episodes 29-35)

The midness continues. On the one hand, Chibiusa is now a more likable character, the break-up plot comes to its merciful end, and with the debut of Sailor Pluto and the rest of the Black Moon Clan the conflict's stakes are finally clarified after all the vagueness that came before. But on the other hand, Esmeraude is a huge step down from Rubeus as an antagonist, we get too much broad comedy that starts feeling actively disrespectful toward characters involved, and the brevity of the arc makes it blatantly clear that the writers were spinning their wheels until Naoko Takeuchi provided them with more material in the manga.

Grade: 3 out of 5.

Across Space and Time (Episodes 36-42)

Now that's more like it! The previous set of 7 episodes becomes a cross one is willing to bear in order to reach this set of 7 episodes, which pays off everything that had been building since Chibiusa's arrival and provides a spectacular climax. Yes, the finale isn't as emotional as the previous show's nor is the final battle as good, but when taken as a whole this last stretch of story puts the previous show's to shame. It's grandiose and epic on a scale we haven't seen before, with the present and the future intertwining to heighten the stakes.

Grade: 4.5 out of 5.

FULL SERIES GRADE: 3.5 out of 5.

Heart Theft (Episodes 1-13)

Return of the mid! This arc has a lot of things going for it: the darker than usual tone, the introduction of morally gray lesbian icons Haruka and Michiru, the wonderfully entertaining Professor Tomoe as a villain, and several stellar episodes. Unfortunately, we also have Mamoru officially becoming downsized as just "the boyfriend" and precious little else, one of the blandest villains ever in Kaolinite, a Minako focus episode that is at complete odds with her established character, and a sense that more than ever the anime is wildly diverging from its source material - to a detrimental level. Like, where the Hell is Infinity Academy? That place seems tailor-made to be a hub location for events in a formulaic anime, and yet it somehow isn't? And what about the mystic elements complimenting the scientific ones? Kaolinite would be so much more interesting if she was still a Grand Magus! It just feels like the anime producers rushed into this to keep things going when they could have stood to have a hiatus. If they had taken a break, I feel this series would have ended up stronger for it.

Grade: 3 out of 5.

Quest For The Grail (Episodes 14-22)

This is a surprisingly good set of episodes. Chibiusa returns as Sailor Mini-Moon and she's great! Professor Tomoe is as wonderful as ever and Kaolinite is traded out for a different red-haired minion Eudial who is better than her in every conceivable way and among the most competent villains in the franchise. There are some great dramatic episode like the flashback to how Haruka and Michiru met, and some hilarious ones like the "English speaking" one. There's even a make-up for the last bad Minako episode with a really good Minako episode. The climax is fantastic, with Sailor Moon finally finding the Holy Grail and becoming Super Sailor Moon. If only it wasn't for the direct follow-up where Eudial goes out like a punk by her car being sabotaged and flying off a cliff, since the whole show went over the edge with her.

Grade: 3.5 out of 5

The Dark Messiah (Episodes 23-31)

What a mess. Mimete is a huge step down from Eudial as a villain, Kaolinite is back and not that much more interesting than before, Hotaru and almost everything surrounding her is haphazardly shoved in without appropriate growing room, Chibiusa is starting to grow annoying again, the Outer Senshi become downright unlikable, and only at the very end do we finally get Infinity Academy! Also, maybe this is a me problem, but the whole heart-snatching Daimon formula is really starting to wear thin. The Daimons in the manga were horrifying, but here they're just regular monsters-of-the-week, and I accept that up to a certain point but if nothing changes then it just becomes tedious. Not coincidentally Sukehiro Tomita, the guy who was the head writer on the anime since the beginning, had stepped down in this arc and given things over to Yoji Enokido, and the downgrade in writing quality is obvious.

Grade: 2 out of 5.

Infinity Conspiracy (Episodes 32-38)

So after 9 episodes with Eudial and 9 episodes with Mimete, we get 1 episode with Tellu, 1 episode with Viluy, and half an episode with Cyprine? Makes sense. Oh, and Kaolinite's resurrection? Totally pointless, as she dies in a much lamer way this time around. While there's certainly more shit going down and Ikuhara's direction makes it a spectacle to be behold, that isn't enough to salvage basic writing blunders like the further destruction of the Outer Senshi's likability, the last minute introduction of a Final Boss who is fought and defeated off-screen, and two more episodes of meandering after that which results in the final enemy fought being a random monster-of-the-week Daimon, with the show ending on a cheesy iris-out on Chibiusa as if to say "Yeah, that's what it's all been about" when instead it's an omen to things to come. Why do fans love this trainwreck of a series so much, again?

Grade: 2.5 out of 5.

FULL SERIES GRADE: 3 out of 5.

The Amazon Trio (Episodes 1-22)

Formula, filler, formula, filler, formula, filler! It has never been as bad as it is here, where for 22 whole episodes we get precious little plot advancement or character development. Chibiusa has also taken over the series in order to appeal to younger viewers, and it's annoying. Maybe things got too dark in the previous show, but dialing it back too far to the other extreme was not a good answer. It's also insulting that the Sailor Senshi now have to rely on Pegasus for their power, and Mamoru is sidelined more than ever before despite being a major part of the corresponding manga arc. The major saving grace are the villains. The Dead Moon Circus with Grand Master Zirconia, the Amazon Trio, and the Lemures are so entertaining that they carry the whole show on their backs. I'm motivated to keep watching solely because of them, and the two-part pay-off at the end of the arc is damn well worth it.

Grade: 2.5 out of 5.

The Amazoness Quartet (Episodes 23-33)

At half the length of the previous arc, more important story advancements being made, and the Amazon Trio's replacements the Amazoness Quartet being just as delightful, this is a stronger set of episodes. Pegasus and Chibusa are still an issue, but at this point I'm fairly numb to them. If the show had been at this quality to begin with, it'd likely be viewed better.

Grade: 3 out of 5.

Queen Nehelenia (Episodes 34-39)

These final episodes ae good. The problem is that the ways in which they could have been even better are incredibly obvious and leaves the flaws more noticeable. Too much time is spent inside a big top, there's a lot of treading water just to extend the episode count, we don't go to Elysian, Mamoru still gets the shaft, and once again we end on an anti-climax. Also, it's retroactively tarnished by what follows unless you simply don't watch the next series, which I'd actually recommend. Anti-climax aside, this is a perfectly satisfying ending. Stars loses the director, head writer, even the theme song; you may as well go with them!

Grade: 3 out of 5.

FULL SERIES GRADE: 3 out of 5.

Nightmares (Episodes 1-6)

The worst arc ever, bar none. Its premise is dead on arrival - Queen Nehelenia returning after we just got finished dealing with her? On top of that, insultingly retconning her backstory and motivation in a way that undercuts her wonderfully dark and tragic conclusion from SuperS? It's horrendous. Add to this the rushed way of bringing back the Outer Senshi and the stupidity of writing out Chibiusa to appease fans even though doing so makes no logical sense at this point (and actively screws the Amazoness Quartet out of a reappearance even though they should have one over Nehelenia getting one) and you have a true shit sandwich.

Grade: 1 out of 5.

The Sailor Starlights (Episodes 7-15)

Shadow Galactica disguising as a corporation is a good idea and Sailor Iron Mouse is a hoot, but otherwise this arc starts the final saga off to an incredibly weak start. The Usagi-Mamoru separation plotline is even worse than the break-up plotline back in R, as we know the truth that Mamoru was killed en route to America but none of the other characters do, so the emotional angst about Mamoru possibly having moved on from Usagi is laughable. And of course, we have the Sailor Starlights. Look, I'm all for gender fluidity, but not in Sailor Senshi; that's a core rule of the setting. A boy band of biological males transforming into females and hogging the spotlight, especially when they're such minor characters (and just female) in the manga, is absurd, and trying to recreate the already iffy original dynamic between Usagi and Mamoru with Seiya was horrendously ill-advised...and Seiya isn't remotely likable either!

Grade: 2 out of 5.

The Girl and The Princess (Episodes 16-28)

This set of episodes is paced out well, and the duo of Sailor Aluminum Seiren and Sailor Lead Crow would work in a different context, but that's about all the positive I can say. I just. don't. care about what is going on anymore. I'm not a fan of Chibi Chibi, Princess Kagyuu does nothing to entice me, the Sailor Starlights reach new degrees of unlikability that make what Haruka and Michiru devolved into in S look reasonable, and I'm sorry but I just can't get over that we are in the final saga and we're still doing this monster-of-the-week formulaic bullshit, with the monsters and villains commanding them being sillier than ever before. Just compare this conflict to the conflict with the Dark Kingdom. How far we've fallen from then!

Grade: 1.5 out of 5.

Chaos (Episodes 29-34)

The final episodes are technically the strongest in Stars, with director Takuya Igarashi showing why there are great things in his future. The fight between Sailor Moon and Sailor Galaxia / Sailor Chaos is some of the best action the franchise has ever seen. Unfortunately, head writer Ryota Yamaguchi is still as lousy as ever. Characters dying one by one should have been happening gradually across the series, not just in these episodes, and the fact that the goddamn Sailor Starlights survive all the way is a slap in the face of the highest order. And on top of that, Sailor Galaxia's character is ruined - much like with Nehelenia, she's ham-fistedly absolved and made sympathetic with the reveal that nothing was truly her fault since she was possessed by Chaos...a possession caused by her because she's apparently the dumbest person in the universe. The ending where everyone's revived and we cut to the final credits as Usagi kisses Mamoru is just...hollow. Again, compare this to how hard-hitting the finale of the original series was, in just 2 episodes rather than 6. The difference is night and day. Thank God for Sailor Moon Cosmos, where we get the kind of epic finish we deserve.

Grade: 2.5 out of 5.

FULL SERIES GRADE: 2 out of 5.

[bigfootbeat]

Bigfoot at Mt. Shasta

This video claims Bigfoot (and UFOs and other paranormal things) are at Mt. Shasta in California. What is the story about Bigfoot and Mt. Shasta?

North American forests, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, are home to the cryptid known as Bigfoot. This big, hairy, bipedal humanoid has long captivated people and generated conjecture. The area surrounding Mount Shasta in Northern California is one of the most closely linked to reports of bigfoot sightings. This magnificent, snow-capped volcano serves as a great setting for tales of enigmatic animals because it has long been a central figure in many myths and legends. Mount Shasta's solitary wildness and commanding majesty enhance stories of bigfoot sightings. The mountain's surrounding deep forests, untamed areas, and rough terrain provide the ideal habitat for this supposedly elusive and solitary monster. Over the years, numerous accounts of hikers, campers, and residents reporting having seen or heard anything strange in the area have surfaced. These tales frequently depict a massive, ape-like figure, odd noises, or mysterious footprints, all of which add to Bigfoot's ongoing mystery. The association between Mount Shasta and Bigfoot is not limited to contemporary occurrences. The oral traditions of the Klamath, Modoc, and Shasta indigenous tribes in the area have long contained tales of huge, enigmatic creatures. These stories frequently describe "hairy men" who live in the highlands and forests, occasionally giving them magical abilities or spiritual importance. These cultures' cultural histories and natural worldviews intersect with Bigfoot mythology. Mount Shasta is known for being a place of extreme strangeness and paranormal activity, in addition to local mythology. Numerous reports of UFO sightings, abductions, and otherworldly occurrences enhance the mountain's aura of mystery. For many fans, the combination of these factors makes a strong argument for Bigfoot's existence in the area. Researchers and cryptozoologists often travel to Mount Shasta in hopes of finding proof or having an encounter that may help solve the Bigfoot puzzle. Nevertheless, skeptics contend that more commonplace causes could account for the sightings and claims. They argue that misidentifications, hoaxes, and people's natural narrative tendencies greatly aid the Bigfoot myth. People may mistake the weird noises and illusions produced by the untamed and frequently hazardous landscape surrounding Mount Shasta for signals of a massive, unidentified creature. Despite these logical justifications, Bigfoot's appeal endures. People's natural attraction to the unknown and the possibility of unanswered questions about the natural world sustains Bigfoot's attraction. The persistent fascination with Bigfoot and Mount Shasta is indicative of a broader human yearning for the unknown and the unexplained. Bigfoot sightings and stories continue to pique people's curiosity, regardless of whether they believe the creature to be a genuine, undiscovered species or to represent the untamed and wild parts of nature. A pivotal location in the ongoing Bigfoot saga, Mount Shasta's spectacular beauty, folklore, and rich history pull equal numbers of believers and skeptics to its slopes in pursuit of answers.

[grelleswife]

Hi! I wanted to ask your opinion on why you enjoy Kuroshitsuji if it isn’t too much to answer. Recently I have been feeling like I’m being ‘punished’ for enjoying Kuro because I always see people talking bad about it and Yana on twitter. 😅 I am well aware Kuro has a lot of issues but I really enjoy the characters and such but the opinions of people about the series kind of has been hurting me as a fan and thus I have been losing interest🥲 I was hoping I can talk to someone who is a fan of Kuro that can help give me some mindset or something. I have been drawing for Kuro for years so I’m quite passionate towards the series and Yana herself and but this has been bugging me. If you can’t answer this it is totally okay and you can delete this ask❣️

Hi, anon! That’s not too much at all! My apologies for the late response; I wanted to make sure I could sit down to properly get my thoughts in order before answering.

My love for Kuro was originally (and is to this day) rooted in the source material. The manga and anime introduced me to some of my most beloved fictional characters, including Miss Grelle—as attested to by my url! 😉 The story instantly had me hooked with its campy hijinks, tragic undertones, and forays into the dark corners of the human psyche. Even with the current lag in pacing, I’m excited to see where the Phantomfam’s adventures take us next! And, of course, I would be remiss without mentioning the artwork. In a visual medium like manga, aesthetics can make or break your enjoyment of a series, and Kuro’s Victorian steampunk flair is perfectly suited to my tastes, especially with the steady improvement in quality as Yana’s honed her craft over the years.

However, particularly during this dry season of short chapters and plodding plot progression, it’s the community that grew up around Kuro that nourishes my love for it the most. Naysayers condescendingly sneer that the fandom is dead, but the incredible art, funny memes, awesome animations, excellent fics (some of which outshine published novels I’ve read), insightful meta and more that I see across my dash and in the tags suggest otherwise. And when we come together (such as during past fandom weeks or @anewp0tat0 ‘s recent event to celebrate the 200th chapter) that display of talent burns even brighter. As a writer, building up lore in headcanons and fic or reading my mutual’s creative interpretations of Yana’s world is just as fun—if not more so—than engaging with the actual manga. That enrichment alone is enough to keep me invested in the Kuroverse for the foreseeable future.

The series also holds considerable sentimental value for me because it served as the catalyst for my queer awakening and brought friends and loved ones into my life who I would never have met otherwise. Even if the day comes when I put Kuroshitsuji on the shelf in favor of other stories, that positive impact will remain.

However, that doesn’t mean that the series or fandom are perfect. Yana’s sleazy past and irresponsible pandering to the gross side of the fandom are an unpleasant reality with which we must contend, as are the fujoshis, transphobes, and other creeps—some of whom proved to be a genuine danger to minors—who continue to give us a bad name. But those people who blindly label Kuro as wholesale trash and accuse all fans of condoning the problematic content merely betray their simplistic, black-and-white way of thinking. We cannot and should not sweep the objectionable aspects of the series under the rug, but we can interact with Kuro critically—recognizing and calling out the areas in need of improvement while also cherishing the best parts of this cursed butler manga. As long as you’re consuming media responsibly, and in a way that doesn’t actively harm others, then you have no reason to feel guilty. You sure as heck don’t deserve to be punished!

Ignore the haters as best you can, and try to focus on what first ignited your passion for Kuro; don’t let those jerks steal your joy. 😤 Alternatively, if you need to take a break from that onslaught of negativity and just rest for a bit, that’s fine, too! There’s no shame in stepping away to recharge, and you shouldn’t push yourself to participate in fandom if doing so is detrimental to your well-being.

I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been having a tough time over on the bird app, but I hope my answer was helpful and that Kurohell can continue to be a happy, welcoming place for you! 🖤

[seriousbrat]

You ready for more of these?

- Marauder most likely to have a good singing voice (there will be welsh people mad at you if you don’t give them this one, Tom Jones did pass out holding that note in Thunderbolt)

- Marauder with the best music taste (incredibly subjective question, I know, but let’s say “good music taste” means “active interest in pursuing new music” as opposed to just passively listening to what parents or radio play)

- Marauder who’s the most disappointing in bed.

- Marauder who’s the best at giving gifts.

- And the worst at giving gifts!

- Most likely to learn a new language.

- Most likely to be a good swimmer.

- Most likely to have committed the first act of deliberate mischief in Hogwarts.

- First to get caught committing an act of deliberate mischief in Hogwarts.

- To be genuinely interested in Divination

- To be close friends with Hagrid (I have a feeling it would be James, but I wanna hear your thoughts)

- To be good (or passable) at driving a car. Muggle way.

- To develop any kind of addiction

- Most likely to do well without their wands (no animagus tricks, we all know Peter did pretty well for 13 years)

Adios!

yess I love these so much, thank you!

- Marauder most likely to have a good singing voice: @ welsh people of the world, peidiwch poeni, for my answer is Remus! He would have been a great Sad Man With Guitar. I think Sirius could be a contender too, though probably in a husky rock singer type of way.

- Marauder with the best music taste: it's Sirius and I'll fight about this. If we're being super realistic I know Remus is the most likely to know about Muggle music, but you said subjective so I'm giving it to my post-punk baby boy Sirius. Who I do like to think would have had an interest in Muggle music and if he did would absolutely have loved dark, subversive post-punk. Just let me have this.

- Marauder who’s the most disappointing in bed: I was tempted to say Remus LOL but okay, fine, Peter. Although I wouldn't expect much from Peter to begin with so maybe disappointing isn't fair. Although controversial time....... perhaps it's Sirius just because he's so hot you'd expect it to be realy good and then he just wouldn't be that bothered about it.

- Marauder who’s the best at giving gifts: James! He'd be really thoughtful about gifts imo.

- And the worst at giving gifts! Peter, who just wouldn't have a clue what to get people and would possibly be a bit stingy about it.

- Most likely to learn a new language: I think Sirius would be very good at languages. Remus would probably put the most effort into it, plus he likely grew up with at least some Cymraeg so maybe that's an advantage, idk.

- Most likely to be a good swimmer: boring answer but James, he's athletic+has got those Chaser arms. As animals, Sirius swam to the mainland from Azkaban so that's fairly impressive.

- Most likely to have committed the first act of deliberate mischief in Hogwarts: I mean, I can't imagine that James and Sirius didn't commit their first act of mischief together.

- First to get caught committing an act of deliberate mischief in Hogwarts: Maybe Sirius-- idk how much he'd care about being caught, and if he wasn't with James he wouldn't have the cloak. But again, I like to think they were caught and had their first detention together.

- To be genuinely interested in Divination: I think most of them would find the subject ridiculous, so let's go Peter. He's a worrier so would probably like to know his future.

- To be close friends with Hagrid (I have a feeling it would be James, but I wanna hear your thoughts): I agree that it's James! Hagrid seems to have great fondness for him.

- To be good (or passable) at driving a car. Muggle way. Realistically, it's Remus as the resident half-blood, but if we make it fair and imagine that they are all Muggles then I think James, who would be good at driving. Car-broomstick parallels.

- To develop any kind of addiction: Sirius Black he's just got those junkie vibes. Although I also think Remus is kind of an interesting answer.

- Most likely to do well without their wands (no animagus tricks, we all know Peter did pretty well for 13 years): Sirius tbh, even without the Animagus advantage he's just resourceful, clever, and good at surviving. I also think he'd have fun in the Muggle world.

[animebw]

Short Reflection: Fall 2022 Anime

Was Fall 2022 the single most stacked season of anime ever? It’s certainly a contender, at least. Not only were there once again far too many good shows to keep up with, not only were a lot of those shows really fucking good, but there was such a wide variety that no matter your tastes- shonen, slice of life, mecha, political drama, whatever the fuck Akiba Maid War counts as- you were basically guaranteed at least one phenomenal show to stay hooked on. And if you’re someone like me who appreciates pretty much every genre as long as it’s done well? Then my god, I hope you skipped lunch, because this feast never fucking ended. I’ve already given my thoughts on Yama no Susume’s underwhelming fourth season (6.5/10), Mob Psycho 100′s safe but deeply satisfying finale (8/10), and the bonkers roller coaster of Chainsaw Man (8.5/10), and there’s still way too many anime left to talk about. So without any further ado, let’s dive right in to the disappointments, the hidden gems, and the runaway smash hits that closed out this fantastic year for anime.

My Hero Academia Season 6: Unfinished/10

There’s not much I have to say about this one yet, as I’m planning to give it a full review when it’s all over. But I at least wanted to say this: I fucking told y’all My Hero Academia was going to reclaim its crown. I told y’all this show was eventually gonna earn its place back as one of the greatest long-running shonen of all time. But nooooo, you were all busy pretending that a few lackluster fight scenes meant this show was the worst garbage ever and handing out accolades to gorgeously animated pieces of stale cardboard like Demon Slayer for plastering pretty wallpaper all over the vapid nonsense at their core. Well, how does it feel now, huh? How does it feel to remember what an actual great shonen action series looks like? This is the best that MHA has been since season 3, and while it’s gonna fall to the next cours to determine where season 6 ends up on the pantheon, it’s so fucking good to see this show operating at full capacity again.

To Your Eternity Season 2: Unfinished/10

Genuine question: what the absolute fuck happened to To Your Eternity? I still remember when that incredible first episode dropped back in 2021 and everyone was ready to crown it the new patron saint of cry-inducing philosophical fantasy. How did we get from that to this? To increasingly hacky production values that rarely rise above passable and never once manage to capture the awe and wonder this story is so clearly shooting tor? To writing so tonally inconsistent it decides to introduce a cast of wacky over-the-top camera-muggers in this serious and serene fantasy yarn? Didn’t this show used to be good? Didn’t it used to be a genuinely compelling exploration of human nature and immortality and moving on from loss? When did it fall apart so badly that it barely even resembles the show it used to be? And that’s not even getting into some of the most abysmal queerbaiting I’ve seen in a very long time. There were definitely worse anime this year, but nothing else left me feeling so utterly betrayed. I can only pray the slight upswing of quality it’s experiencing in its current arc continues, because otherwise this is going to end up the most crushing disappointment of anime in 2022.

Reincarnated as a Sword: 3/10

Let us all stop for a moment and consider the absolute state of the isekai genre. Here we have yet another story of some personality-deficient schlub transported to another world that runs on JRPG logic, where he instantly becomes the most OP person (or, well, sword) around and never has to struggle for anything. The characters and setting are all as painfully generic as every other entry in the genre. The plot wastes so much time rattling off video game stats to justify its boring OP worldbuilding that it forgets to write any sort of interesting or nuanced personalities for the people in its world. The production values are passably okay without ever showing a single shred of personality beyond the most by-the-basics staples of this watered-down Dragon Quest backwash. There is nothing worth recommending here, nothing you can get from this show that you can’t get in a million better ways elsewhere. And yet, Reincarnated as a Sword has one thing going for it: it doesn’t try and justify slavery. In fact, its real protagonist is an enslaved catgirl who breaks free from her chains and seeks to prove her worth, with the titular sword serving as her paternal guardian. And that alone puts this dull, uninspired, pointless slab of processed anime loaf above a decent chunk of its contemporaries in the isekai genre. Because that is how fucking far the bar has been lowered at this point. God help us all.

My Master Has No Tail: 4/10

The frustrating thing about My Master Has No Tail is that there’s not really anything wrong with it. It’s a cute little historical anime about a tanuki girl learning rakugo from a fox spirit in a time of huge technological upheaval for Japan, a time when all the old spirits are at risk of losing their place in the world and must find some way to adapt to the new era alongside humanity. That premise should result in something really interesting, or at least unique enough for a mellow slice-of-life hobby show with a supernatural twist. And yet despite the lack of things to complain about, I just could not get on this show’s wavelength. It just doesn’t push far enough in any direction to be memorable; the animation is competent but also as basic as it gets, the characters are inoffensive but simple, the comedy is decent but rarely rises above a chuckle. Every single aspect of this show is just a little too underwhelming to really make an impact, and with nothing but average everywhere you look, the whole thing ends up kinda boring. I do like the themes it’s playing with, how art is used as a vessel for spirits and humans to keep their connections strong in an increasingly secular, industrialized world, but it’s not enough to bring this show up anywhere above harmlessly mediocre. What a shame.

Arknights Prelude to Dawn: 4.5/10

I find myself fairly conflicted about the first season of Arknights. On the one hand, it’s a relief to get a gacha game adaptation with some actual gravitas behind it, and the story of a post-infection dystopian world struggling between compassion and justice has some genuinely complex things to say about the morality of living through hellish situations. And its cinematic production ambitions ensure it’s rarely boring to look at. On the other hand, though, I get the sense that whoever was behind the script didn’t take into account the differences between what works narratively in a video game and what works in a TV show. Divorced from their role as an audience surrogate/POV who needs to be explained everything so the player can understand how to play, the mostly silent Doctor comes off as a nothing character who could be cut from the show without changing anything. Ditto the under-explained, underutilized tactical cell phone that probably only existed in the first place to justify how the game’s combat looked and functioned, and the dialogue that’s mostly a series of plot points taking us from one Important Setpiece to the next. I want to like what Arknights is doing, but it’s not until the shockingly great final two episodes that it starts to feel like a proper show and not just a lavishly animated cutscene compilation. Hopefully the second season continues that upward trajectory, and maybe then we’ll be able to call this a truly excellent gacha anime.

Do It Yourself: 5/10

Between this show and Healer Girl from earlier this year, I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I really need more than vibes to keep me interested in a show. Don’t get me wrong, vibes are good! But there’s a whole subsection of cute-girls shows that are basically nothing but vibes, and absent anything else to sink my teeth into, I find myself feeling very little connection to them. You’d think Do It Yourself might have a little more going on, what with its near-future setting, stabs at commentary on the importance of not letting automation fully run everything, and extremely gay undertones. But no, it’s mostly just cute girls doing DIY carpentry for twelve episodes. It’s a show for you to turn your brain off to and just, well, like I said, vibe to the expressive FLCL-esque art style and richly detailed guide to DIY carpentry with a bunch of intermittenly interesting characters. And while I can appreciate those vibes well enough, there’s so little intrigue to anything that I can’t really bring myself to care about it all that much. I dunno, maybe they shouldn’t have kept the one character who actually generates interesting narrative friction at arm’s length for nearly the entire show. And maybe they should’ve let Serafu and Pudding kiss. Actually, no maybes there, they definitely should’ve done that.

Play It Cool, Guys (1st Half): 5.5/10

Here’s a pleasant little surprise I don’t think anyone saw coming. Sure, this slice-of-life about a bunch of clumsy dudes navigating their own awkwardness isn’t gonna set the world on fire, but it’s become one of the more unusually absorbing short anime I’ve encountered in a while. I think what draws me to Play It Cool, Guys is that it’s just very unpretentious; it promises a chill twelve minutes every week of low-key sweet-natured comedy, and that’s exactly what you get. The punchlines aren’t amazing, but they pretty much always hit. The characters aren’t very complex or interesting, but they all carry themselves well enough that you enjoy seeing them on screen. It’s even got a certain kind of confidence to just be so low-key and not try to overextend itself with cheap gimmicks or recycled plot beats to grab your attention, because it trusts that its word and characters are charming enough to earn your investment on their own. And you know what? That confidence is not misplaced. It might not be my favorite thing in the world, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s just going to keep growing on me as it moves into its second cours. Check back at the end of winter, and I might just end up giving it a much more enthusiastic recommendation.

Urusei Yatsura (1st Half): 6/10

Is there still a point to Urusei Yatsura today? Yes, Rumiko Takahashi’s groundbreaking rom-com about an alien girl falling in love with a philandering douchenozzle invented the anime rom-com as we know it, not to mention possibly starting waifu culture itself with Lum. But fifty years later, with all its component parts iterated upon by basically every romance-adjacent anime that followed it, does the original property have anything left to offer on its own merits? Or is it a relic of a bygone time, no longer useful as anything but a historical artifact for tropes and archetypes that have all been used better by the works it ended up inspiring? Halfway through this modern reboot, I’m still not sure what the answer to that question is going to be. What I can say for sure is that this show makes me laugh more often than it doesn’t, and while not all of it has aged gracefully, it’s oddly refreshing to see just how much more egalitarian the anime rom-com used to be. This is no incel wank fantasy where a loser guy gets all the hot girls by doing basically nothing; this is a show where everyone’s just a little bit nuts, and you’re not so much rooting for anyone to get together as you are just enjoying the chaos that results when all these different flavors of asshole butt heads. That’s far more my speed than any of the wish fulfillment harem slop that learned all the wrong lessons from Urusei Yatsura’s success. Whether or not it’ll end up anything more than a series of mostly amusing episodic sketches remains to be seen, but for now, I’m content to just watch the madness unfold. Plus, it’s got Hiroshi Kamiya and Mamoru Miyano sniping at each other like every episode, you can’t not love that.

Pop Team Epic Season 2: 6/10

Sometimes, you just need a little chaos in your life. That sentence probably sums up the appeal of Pop Team Epic better than anything else I could ever write. Sometimes, you just want to let loose on a stream of consciousness through utterly batshit comedy skits that switch tone and animation style on a dime, packed with references to countless things you’re only vaguely aware of, never quite sure if all this insanity has any kind of point or if the pointlessness is itself the point. Pop Team Epic is just fucking weird, y’all. But it’s the kind of weird that clearly comes from a group of talented people having a blast throwing anything and everything at the wall just because they can, not caring about whether any of it sticks or not because the messy, nonsensical act of creating the damn thing in the first place is reason enough for it to exist. What other show will give you a dating sim spoof, yaoi lesbians, legitimately great mecha action, a final fantasy parody, gratuitous violence, a live action flipbook segment, and a full-on tokusatsu show starring Aoi Shota as a time-traveling sentai hero, all in the space of 12 episodes? If that kind of memetic insanity is your jam, then you need to get this show in your eyeballs yesterday. Pop Team Epic makes no goddamn sense, and god bless it for that.

Spy x Family Part 2: 7/10

Does a show need a plot? Is it enough for it to simply wander through a bunch of random side quests and coast on charm alone? That certainly seems to be what Spy x Family is banking on; after a relatively plot-solid first part where most episodes had at least a little in the way of new developments, part 2 seems content mostly to put the Forger family members in a variety of amusing scenarios and leave all the big picture stuff in the background until the final episode. And it’s a testament to just how damn charming these characters are- and how slick the production continues to be- that it mostly gets away with it. it’s fun watching Loid, Yor, and Anya bumble about as they slowly figure out what it means to live a “normal” life. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t impatient for the plot to pick back up. I dunno, after so many episodes of just faffing about, I felt myself getting kind of burnt out on the sitcom hijinks. And it doesn’t help that the biggest new character introduced is basically just a genderswapped Yuri, a.k.a. the worst character in the series. Spy x Family works best when it’s balancing its fluffy and kickass sides, and part 2 just leaned a little too far into fluff for my tastes. I still had a lot of fun, but I’m more than ready for the Ostania-Westalis conflict to be important again.

Blue Lock (1st Half): 7/10

The premise of Blue Lock is one of those immediately head-slapping moments of “Wow, why has no one tried this before?” brilliance: what if you took a shonen sports anime and made it an edgy death game? Sports anime are already full of larger-than-life personalities and conflicts, so taking that over-the-top competitive camp and applying it to a situation where the characters have to destroy each other to get ahead in a winner-takes-all battle royale is such a no-brainer, I’m shocked it’s taken this long for someone to come up with it. Sure, you don’t actually die if you lose Blue Lock, but losing the ability to play competitive soccer ever again might as well be death for a shonen sports boy, so it still counts. Point is, this premise is certifiably genius. Which makes it slightly disappointing that so far, the show isn’t taking as much advantage of it as it could. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some of the skullduggery and backstabbing you’d expect from your typical death game, but for the most part, Blue Lock just plays like a traditional soccer anime. A very good soccer anime, to be sure, but I find myself wishing it was willing to get nastier and edgier and really take advantage of its premise. Hell, it’s not even the best straightforward soccer anime this year; Ao Ashi has it beat in everything but animation. So count me a fan, but also count me hopeful that it leans more into what makes it unique going forward.

Raven of the Inner Palace: 7.5/10

In a fantasy-tinged version of Medieval China, there lives an imperial courtesan known as the Raven Consort. But unlike the other courtesans, her duties do not involve, well, nighttime visits. No, her mission is to put to rest the wandering spirits of the dead, the shades of those who died with regrets or unfinished business that still tie them to the world of the living. As long as anyone can remember, she’s lived alone, existing for nothing but her mission with no bonds to the world around her. But when a new emperor deposes the corrupt regime, he makes it his mission to set right everything his forebearers set wrong... including freeing the Raven Consort from her isolation. Thus begins one of the most absorbing anime I’ve watched all year, a story of the sins of the past as they claw at the fabric of the present, the struggle to untangle eons of societal oppression, and what it truly means to make amends for mistakes that left scars too big to ever heal. Raven of the Inner Palace is a bit of a slow burn, but when it takes off, it fucking takes off. And I know most of you barely even heard about it because it was overshadowed by all the louder, flashier shows this season, so consider this your wake-up call. Don’t sleep on this one, it’s really damn good.

Akiba Maid War: 8.5/10

Honestly, I don’t even want to say anything about this one. I just want to tell you all that you need to fucking watch Akiba Maid War and let you experience its many surprises as deliriously blind as I did. So if that alone is enough to convince you to go watch it, then stop what you’re doing and go watch it before you’re spoiled on anything. But if you need a little extra convincing, then consider the following: what if I told you that this seemingly innocuous maid cafe show is not, in fact, a quaint little otaku-centric slice of life, but a full-on pastiche of yakuza movies that takes all the genre’s bloodshed and mayhem and filters it through maid-colored glasses? A show where maids gun each other down and jockey for power and get in vicious turf battles and yet never once break maid keyfabe? Where the simple joke of “yakuza movie but they’re maids” is played so straight and pushed so far to its absolute limit that it somehow wraps back around to being both a completely ludicrous parody of itself and a completely genuine, 100% heart-on-its-sleeve love letter to both seemingly incompatible sides of its double identity? And walks that seemingly impossible tonal tightrope near flawlessly before bringing it all home in a final episode so pitch-perfect it forced me to pump my score up half a point just from how hard it stuck the goddamn landing? Are you convinced yet? Did I mention there’s a thirty-six year old murder maid who totally kicks fucking ass and doesn’t let anyone shame her for being a middle-aged woman working a cutesy job? What more do you want from me? JUST GO FUCKING WATCH THIS SHOW ALREADY I SWEAR TO GOD

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury: 8.5/10

I had no idea what to expect going into my first ever Gundam anime. Sure, I was excited to finally get a taste of what this storied franchise had to offer, and the excellent prologue and promise of an interesting female protagonist were certainly reasons to be hopeful, but as someone who’s rarely clicked with mecha as a genre, I wasn’t sure how this first foray into the definitive mecha anime would turn out. What I never expected- what I don’t think anyone could’ve expected- was that The Witch From Mercury wasn’t content to just be the first even female-led Gundam. No, this show decided to be REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA. IN SPACE. WITH MECHA BATTLES. And I don’t think I need to say a goddamn thing more to convince you to watch this show. It’s goddamn Gundam Utena! It’s the queerest, most socially conscious anime of all time re-imagined with a futuristic metal exoskeleton, only with Utena’s symbolism-drenched ruminations on gender and patriarchy replaced with a no-less-compelling grounded portrayal of the evils of space capitalism and the political consequences of corrupt systems. Well, presumably; this first cours has mostly focused on the ground-level school romance antics as it builds up all that big picture stuff in the background. But I say again: GUNDAM. FUCKING. UTENA. I couldn’t have picked a better introduction to the world of Gundam if I tried. And as long as the second cours doesn’t shit the bed, this is going to go down in history as one of the greatest things to over come out of the mecha genre.

Bocchi the Rock: 9.5/10

And yet. Despite all the big shonens and bold anime originals, despite Chainsaw Man and My Hero Academia and Gundam Utena, when all was said and done, one series rose above them all. One series that looked at all those big names with a smirk and sailed past them as naturally as breathing. Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between, Bocchi the Rock is a goddamn motherfucking masterpiece. It takes the band-girls coming-of-age majesty, the painfully relatable social anxiety of Watamote, and the sheer animation flexing of Nichijou, and blends them all together into a gut-busting, tear-jerking, jaw-dropping tour de force that raises the bar on what slice-of-life anime is capable of just as thoroughly as K-On did thirteen years ago. Hitori Gotou is a socially paralyzed weirdo who’s never had a real friend because her anxiety’s too overwhelming to make friends, but she knows how to play some mean guitar. So when a chance encounter leads to her joining a band, she resolves to stick with it and try to finally break out of her shell, one hilarious misstep at a time. It’s a wonderful story of overcoming what holds you back and finding a community that accepts you for who you are, brought to life with some of the most astonishingly Extra(tm) animation that regularly left me choking on my own laughter. And the music uniformly kicks ass, and the incredible supporting cast provides a wide array of perspectives of introversion and extroversion, and Ryou is such an asshole and I love her, and fucking hell, I love this show! Other anime may be deeper or more complex or have more to say, but almost nothing else is so consistently charming. Every second of this show is delightful. Every moment is lovable. It’s a new gold standard for animated comedy, for cute girls, for coming-of-age, and for music anime in general. Bocchi the Rock fucking rules, and every single one of you needs to give it a watch. Something tells me this is gonna be one of those shows we’re still going to be gushing over for many, many years to come.

[allhallowsthemepark]

Half-a-ween Special: A Full Calendar of Spookiness!

Friends, today is Half-a-ween—the day of the year on the exact opposite side of the calendar from our beloved Halloween—and I thought, what better time to remind ourselves that All Hallows is a year-round celebration of the dark and spooky side of life! Operating the whole year, of course, means having to contend with other holidays as they arise. I touched on the crossover potential between Halloween and Christmas a while back, but holidays have a habit of cropping up in every season, and it seems only fitting to fill the All Hallows calendar with appropriately spooky twists on them all!

For our first shake-up, we’re starting this calendar not in January, but in November—right after Halloween itself, and just when we might be wondering what else we could do with All Hallows now that it’s raison d’être is past.

Dia de Los Muertos: Let’s be clear—Dia de los Muertos is not just “Mexican Halloween,” and I don’t think it’s right to go around poaching bits of other people’s cultures for entertainment. That said, there are some similar themes between the Day of the Dead and Halloween, and if a special event could be done respectfully and with full permission and consultation by the Mexican-American community, it could be a good way to ease the park down from the full-blown frenzy of Halloween itself. Dia de los Muertos events would be located in Ghoul City, and in the expanded version of the park, Croaker Creek (for the Southwestern aesthetic) and History of Horror (for the educational aspect).

Thanksgiving: Pumpkin Acres is our Thanksgiving hub, what with already exemplifying the harvest aspect of Halloween with its cornstalks, scarecrows, pumpkin and apple pies, and other bits of cozy rural Americana. For Thanksgiving, live turkeys are added to Harry Palmer’s Petting Farm, Country Costumes adds Pilgrim garb and turkey suits to its wares, and the pumpkin patch transforms into a farmer’s market selling actual edible produce (including pumpkins, still...but now they're explicitly for pies). Make a reservation for a genuine turkey dinner at Granny McGillicuddy's Pie Barn...and if slots run out, similar meal events are available in other park restaurants!

Christmas: A couple years ago, I devoted a whole post to Christmas possibilities for All Hallows. I still stand by all of it. Hexmas imagery forms the backbone of the Yuletide festivities, with spooky black evergreens in the Entry Plaza, Trick-or-Treat Village, and Ghoul City. Goblin Woods and County Drakul host folkloric monsters as walkaround characters. Meanwhile, people who prefer a more conventional Christmas can head into Pumpkin Acres, where things are a bit more mainstream. All across the park, you can shop for Christmas-themed costumes, and Grave Goods stocks a few bona-fide Christmas decorations alongside the more typical Hexmas ones.

New Year’s: Interestingly enough, the ancient Celts marked the turning of the year at Samhain and many neopagans still observe it as their religious New Year. That said, raucous New Year celebrations are generally considered an urban phenomenon, so head to Ghoul City for the special events (and Baby New Year/Father Time costumes, if you think you need them). Strange things happen when the clock counts down to midnight...and nothing new can start without something else meeting its end...

Lunar New Year: Lunar New Year, as its name suggests, is tied to the phases of the moon. That alone suggests some interesting crossover ideas, but there's more content to be had in focusing on the East Asian cultural aspect with its deep well of horror lore. Chinese hopping vampires, Japanese youkai, Vietnamese ghosts and monsters...expect to see them all wandering the place, along with the animals of the Eastern zodiac itself.

Valentine’s Day: Not to be crass about it, but “monsterfucking” became the Tumblr equivalent of a household word for a reason. Quite a few people seem to fantasize about romance with one or more creatures of the night. Valentine's Day festivities are more touchy-feely than other occasions at All Hallows...or any theme park, really. In this adults-only special event, roaming characters are fully empowered to flirt with guests and even engage in some low-level physical contact (e.g. hugging, hand-holding). The interactions range from the sultry to the silly and everything in-between (but nothing too intense).

Carnavale/Mardi Gras: This one isn't a big deal where I live, so I don't have any firm ideas for specific events or attractions, but I'll just point out two things. First, this holiday shares with Halloween a tradition of masks and costumes, so expect to see a lot more colorful sequins and feathers on the shelves of the costume stores. Second, the etymology of the word “carnival” apparently comes from the Latin root for “flesh.” There's probably something we can do with that.

Easter: What do Easter and Halloween have in common? CANDY! What else do they have in common? Um...things rising from the dead...no, I'm sorry, I can't. I'm not Christian but I'm not about to make a mockery of their holiest day like that. Better stick with the candy. The Easter celebrations in All Hallows can be found in Trick-or-Treat Village, where the characters sport bunny ears and hand out trick-or-treat prizes inside specially patterned plastic eggs.

May Day/Half-a-ween: On this, the polar opposite day to Samhain, the Seelie and Unseelie faeries are said to do battle with each other for control of the natural world! If you dance the maypole in Goblin Woods, you might catch a glimpse of this conflict (read: battalions of bloodthirsty fae will appear without warning and skirmish without regard for bystanders). Elsewhere in the park, the delightful irony of Half-a-ween, or “Halloween in May,” is reflected in window displays and roaming character dialogue.

Summer: Goblin Woods comes to the fore again with “A Midsummer Night's Nightmare,” a full-scale LARP adventure for teams of 4-6 players (reservations required). In Ghoul City, the Gilman Municipal Beach area becomes the site of a tongue-in-cheek Monster Beach Party event. Pumpkin Acres is all about the Summer Harvest, with delicious summer produce and watermelons carved like jack-o-lanterns. These events run all summer long until Labor Day weekend (we Americans are weird and place it in early September), by which point we're all sick of the heat and ready for Halloween season proper to begin again!

All Year Long: Keep an eye on your calendar and plan visits for evenings marked with a white circle, even if they fall in the middle of the week. The night of the full moon is Werewolf Night in Ghoul City, Goblin Woods, and County Drakul, and each month bears a sub-theme of its own, with photo ops, collectible merch, and more! And if a second full moon hits in one calendar month? That's the fabled Blue Moon, bringing twice the spooky magic!

And that's how you celebrate Halloween the whole year round.

[jtheplante]

All Hail King Julien survey! 🎉

Feel free to copy & paste, then give ur own answers! 👍 Stolen from @fairfaxandy

1. What do you think about All Hail King Julien?

Worst show ever

2. When did you first watch the show?

I knew this show existed for years. WHY DID I SLEEP ON IT FOR SO LONG??? Anyway last June I think I finally gave the 1st episode a chance, I was bored & looking for something new. The 1st episode is only okay so I didn't think much of it. A few weeks later (early July) I decided to give the show a 2nd chance. Episode 2 is meh, but it was Episode 3 w/the absolute gay furry thirst trap that is Karl Fanaloka that won me over & sealed my fate to watch the whole show 🔥

3. Favorite season?

Season 2 is probably the best season of any show ever in history. Exiled as a whole is also amazing but sadly dips in quality for a couple episodes IMO

4. Favorite episode?

Um have u even watched my episode rank video?? I put s3e6 (Jungle Games) as my #1, but as time's gone on, I think it's really s5e11 (KJ Is Watching You AKA the Orange ITN Black parody episode). Ted is peak and this episode is his peak 🔥

5. Least favorite episode?

As said in my ep rank video!! The S3 opener - O Captain Where Aren't Thou (both parts). Jokes fall flat, KJ's parents are a pain to watch, & the pirate crew is so forgettable I can't name a single one off the top of my head

6. Favorite scene?

Um the whole show but the hardest I laughed at any moment was when Ted suddenly exploded on stage while singing for no f*cking reason

7. Least favorite scene?

s3e4 the episode basically opens with a minute of nasty visualized farts & everyone vomiting on each other. I like gross-out to an extent but this was TOO. MUCH.

8. Favorite characters?

1st: Ted my beloved 💗💗💗 he's so much like me it's scary

2nd: King Julien - a VERY close 2nd. His energy & ability to stay goofy in even the worst situations inspires me to be the same 🔥

3rd: Karl - Gay thirst trap hottie social reject misunderstood sad backstory creative genius who just wants love 😭😭😭

4th: Mort - Objectively the best fictional character of all time. Sure he delivers the funniest moments in animated history but I don't really feel a connection with him like I do the top 3

5th: "Uncle" Julien - sass and ASS 🍑🥵 I love villains who are unapologetically assholes. His redemption was forced & stupid

9. Least favorite character?

Maggie - I love farts but it 100% depends on who. If it's a hot guy then 😍😍😍 but this is an old woman so 🤢 & that's like her whole character

10. Favorite ships?

Jaurice - absolutely adorable couple, heck I get teary eyed just thinking about them, gosh I'm so gay. Anyway their ship is extra special b/c KJ is usually hedonistic & horni, but with Maurice it's so wholesome & romantic 🥺

Julieddy & Karlien - These 2 ships have their own unique dynamics, but I put them together b/c they're both a gay man desperately wanting a man they can't have. This kinda situation always fascinates me & I can relate myself...

Karl x Chauncey - we all kno who Karl wants the most, but the fact that he has a happy life with Chauncey makes me happy 😌

Pandy - Be gay do crime

Ted x Horst - tbh if Ted finally divorced & married a man instead, Horst is a genuine contender

Nurse Phantom & Dr. S - the way they bicker is hilarious

KJ x Rob - Gay booty bumpin hotties enough said

11. Least favorite ships?

Clage - I've already ranted about it a million times it's just crap

"Uncle" Julien x Zora - like I said, forced & stupid

Willie x anyone - Willie's too innocent y'all

12. Have you ever cried while watching?

I'm an overly emotional gay man I cry over litcherally everything. I practically choked to death crying the first time I saw Maurice fall 😭

13. Favorite songs?

-Theme song superiority 🔥🔥🔥

-True Bromance is a gay anthem for the ages

-All Eyes On Me (Photronique) 🔥🔥

-I also like Swagnificent & Big Stacks

[focusfixated]

17, 28, and 30 for the ao3 wrapped ask!

thank you @hallo-catfish!

Favourite character to write this year?

it simply has to be izzy hands in when we fight about love (ofmd). that story is a straight-up character thesis, and i wrote it very much in the vein of that tim minchin quote where he's like "i genuinely think, if i get this, if i nail this, then that's it. end of argument." like if i got this izzy right, it would be the definitive version of the character that would be my flagpost for forever on.

it was also a deeply satisfying creative challenge to attempt to write a point of view character with unapologetically dislikeable traits who was also a very unreliable narrator, who was undergoing and resisting growth and change. writing from the point of view of someone lying to themselves, without defaulting to an omniscient narrative cop-out of "he was lying to himself, of course", was incredibly hard, but ultimately one of the most satisfying things i've ever done.

Favourite work you wrote this year?

WWFAL is a strong all-time contender, but it was also a very slow, difficult writing process that took nearly a year to finish, so i'm going to go with something that was quick, fun, and satisfying, and pick the soft animal of your body (good omens).

my favourite way to write - and the thing i think i'm best at - is writing from an image, translating a scene or snapshot into words, making a visual thing sensory and descriptive, and the best and most fun way to do that is to write something based on artwork, which is what i did for @chernozemm's piece here. writing this fic was delightfully fucking easy, and i loved the result.

Biggest surprise while writing this year?

maybe not a surprise in the process of writing itself, but in the form of a piece of feedback. i couldn't see this person's handle anywhere to tag them or reply to them, but the comment they left on their bookmark for when we fight about love really hit me.

what surprised me about this comment was a) how fucking insightful a take on the whole story it was, b) how much it was actually an insanely accurate revelation about myself, and i hadn't even noticed. i wrote about self-actualisation as an empowering (if difficult) process. i hadn't considered it could be interpreted as lonely, or that izzy's resilience could be seen as isolating, instead of simply being one of his strengths.

but of course that's what i wrote. and of course, once it was laid out in a comment like that, i realised that's exactly what i think about myself & my experiences, and i was shocked-pikachu.jpg to discover that i'd been so obvious about it the whole time. so i guess i learnt something this year!

a03 wrapped ask

[davidmariottecomics]

Keeping Your Comic Perspectives Broad

Hi there! 

This week, I've had a lot on my mind. I saw a conversation going around Bluesky about whether the big two are publishing comics for kids in a way that's reflective of their multimedia presences. I'm reading Bill Griffith's Three Rocks: The story of Ernie Bushmiller, the Man Who Created Nancy and, somehow, moments after putting it down after reading for a bit this morning, managed to open Bluesky to a creator I like having no idea who Nancy is. Becca and I each read the Palestine section of Joe Sacco's Journalism since it's the only Sacco book I have that I know where it is in the house, unfortunately. And, being a Sunday morning, I did my usual Sunday round-up of new releases on the Shonen Jump app and on Webtoons. Plus all the comics I read as a regular part of my work day--action-adventure with funny animals (Sonic), action-thriller with giant monsters & robots (Godzilla), and pitches and shorts of horror and sci-fi and superheroes and all sorts of stuff. I've enjoyed a lot of different types of comics, and all of that goes back to a different conversation I saw going around earlier on Bluesky, of why comics creators who may not particularly enjoy superhero stories should still recognize the fundamental comics storytelling that they've built and refined over the past almost 100 years. 

So, today we're talking briefly on all of that in talking about the importance of keeping your perspectives broad on what the medium is and can be. 

Is Nancy the Purest Expression of Comics? 

Like... probably! Yeah. Nancy is great, whether you're talking about modern Nancy or classic! It is the only comic I consistently remember to read every day (though I try very hard to keep up with my other two current dailies, Dumbing of Age and Gil Thorp). I am not the first to say that Nancy is a comic inherently about comics, about the format and the ways in which we interact with them. In fact, there's a whole book called How to Read Nancy which contends that you can understand all complexities of comics through a single Nancy strip. Which somehow manages to be a bold claim and something so inherently true if you've ever read Nancy that it almost renders the book superfluous. 

Something a lot of folks who are not Nancy-heads probably don't realize is that the strip is *technically* 101 years old. It started as a different strip, Fritzi Ritz, with a different creator, Larry Whittington. Nancy herself showed up in 1933, and accidentally kinda took over. Good for her. And, under Bushmiller's (and later assistants') pen, it became this just really condensed form of comics in usually 3-4 panel gag strips that play with all the conventions of the form. I've mentioned the new Comic Devices site and I genuinely believe you can probably find any of the devices mentioned in the great history of Nancy strips. 

With this high pedigree and recognition by many cartoonists and the heights of how big it got as a newpaper comic, you'd think Nancy would be an instantly recognizable character to anyone who has ever read a comic and... she's iconic, no doubt, but especially now, I don't think that's true (see the above where I mentioned a creator I like having no idea who Nancy was). 

The Conventions of Superheroes

The reason I bring up Nancy in particular is that Nancy is a comic strip. Yes, Nancy has also been a comic book and many strips are also now digital as well as print, but my point being, outside of a few strip collections and your more literary books like Three Rocks or How to Read Nancy, you aren't going to see a lot of Nancy at your local bookstore or comic shop. And that's also kind of one of the things I love about comics as a medium. While there are obvious downsides too, I do love that comics readers are spoiled with choice. Whatever genre may strike your fancy, whatever method of comics storytelling--single issues, collections and OGNs, webcomics, strips, weird hybrid things, whatever--you can kind of find and enjoy if that's what you want. 

I bring this all up in reference to superheroes because there is still, even within creator spaces, I think there tend to be misconceptions about what "superhero comics" are, or bad experiences with superhero comics leading to a rejection of the breadth of that form of storytelling. 

Take, for example, the many times I have gone into a bookstore (not usually comic shops, but bookstores) and have seen a display that reads something like "Comics without superheroes" and then it has Sandman on it. I think my local library's had that sort of display too. And I'm like... Martian Manhunter and Doctor Destiny are in volume 1 of this thing. Sandman is very much a part of the DC universe, it's just not telling "traditional" superhero narratives. But it is a book that exists within and because of superhero storytelling. Same with pretty much all of early/retroactively Vertigo--Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol, Animal Man, Hellblazer, Lucifer, that weird Prez one-shot, etc. 

Or, alternatively, take the folks who love My Hero Academia and don't have the same relationship with other superhero comics. Yes, the actual forms of them tend to be different, but that thing wears it's Big 2 influences on its sleeve. 

I think I'm drifting a bit, so to refocus on the point--even if you don't think you like superhero stories, chances are, there are some that would really resonate with you because superhero stories aren't a monolith. And, y'know, I also sometimes wonder if I'm the one with odd taste because while I may have genre preferences in the types of media I consume, I'm usually pretty flexible with trying different samples from different forms and finding stuff I like even if not everything's for me (like... I'm not a big jazz guy, but there's definitely some that does it for me). And the reason you'll find that there are stories that work for you is superheroes are a vehicle for storytelling the same as many other things. Superhero stories can be political commentary, they can be self-aware, they can be horror or romance or suspense or or sci-fi or sometimes even non-fiction autobiography. What you want is likely there, there just might be some extra footwork to find what you want. 

And, if nothing else, you can find some amazing craft within superhero comics. I often link to it because I think it's quite the analysis, but years ago, ComicsAlliance ran a really great multi-part piece on superheroes as the basics of color theory and how that can apply outside the world of superhero comics. So many tricks to lettering and layouts and foreshortening and the ways in which we can create shorthand or pose bodies or create interesting juxtapositions can be found in superhero comics. And that's true of kind of any type of comic. You can find bits that you like there. 

The other reason I stress all of this, and one of the other big misconceptions I think people sometimes have about superhero comics, is as I mentioned earlier, I saw a thread questioning basically "Are there comics starring Spider-Verse star, Spider-Gwen, that my middle grader can read?" And the short answer is yes! She's got a major role in Marvel Action: Spider-Man. A lot of her comics runs, honestly, pretty kid-friendly as long as you accept that your kid might have some questions about like... a few instances of word choices or like relationships. Which is how a lot of comics still are--we think of single issue comics that aren't shelved in the kids section as being "child inappropriate" and certainly, some of them are, but a lot of them are fine for an inquisitive kid. And, yes, publishers are trying to make it easier with clearer options for younger folks, like the DC younger reader graphic novels program or Marvel's Scholastic books. 

Enjoy a Little of Everything Here's the big takeaway. If you let them be, comics can be a buffet of delights. You can sample so many different things and eat as much as you want and sometimes find, sure, this soup doesn't really work for you, but the one next to it slaps. And I think the best creators are people who recognize that and fully embrace it and try to read a lot of other comics in their various forms and genres and also, of course, consume plenty of other non-comics work too and maybe have some sort of life outside of pop culture. But whether it is trying to stay abreast of what is currently happening in comics to see if someone else is executing a similar idea or to be able to recommend a book to a lost parent or to really be able to seek out the things you personally enjoy and be able to incorporate the best of that into your own work, I think you've got to take comics with a broad perspective. 

That's it for me this week! See ya soon! 

What I enjoyed this week: Blank Check (Podcast),  Reverse 1999 (Video Game), Joe Pera Talks with You (TV show), Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Anime), Gone Girl (Movie... I might've watched this two weeks ago, but hey, still slaps), Three Rocks (Comic), Journalism by Joe Sacco (Comic), Nancy (Comic), Lego Masters (TV show)

New Releases this week (11/15/2023): Godzilla Rivals: vs. Mechagodzilla (Editor)     - As an aside, a couple of my Godzilla creators, Kara Huset from Rivals: vs. Mechagodzilla and Lane Lloyd from an upcoming War for Humanity cover, are going through a bit of a tough time and could use some extra work. If you've got anything to send their way, I can vouch for 'em! They are both creators where in like 3-5 years, you'll be notable for getting them before they blew up! 

Final Order Cutoffs next week (11/20/2023): Sonic the Hedgehog #68 (Editor)

New Releases next week (11/22/2023): Brynmore #5 (Editor)

Announcements: Do you have $10, want some cool comics, and also want to do good in the world? Adam Szym put together Comics for Gaza's Children on itch.io. They're already a third of the way to their overall goal and just launched this morning. It's over 100 items from more than 50 creators across a ton of different genres. I have a comic in there because Becca volunteered Jimmy Squarefoot as well as their adult NSFW comic with letterer Duke NuCum, Rivals. All proceeds are going to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund. 

If you have more money to give, the Cartoonist Cooperative is doing E-Sim cards for Gaza. You can donate a digital sim card so that residents can get access to the internet and have more functional phones and, in exchange, get some comics or a drawing or whatever else is available from the many participating artists. 

You can also give more directly. If you don't have money, and I get it, you can call or fax or email or show up at the offices of your representatives. And, of course, if you need to step away for a bit so that you can do more again later on, please take care of yourself. 

And this last part is unlikely, because you're someone who reads and/or works in comics, but if you've still got a couple of dollars, why not support some struggling artists? Aside from those already mentioned, you can visit my webstore, my Patreon, or my Kofi, and you can always visit Becca's portfolio/shop/Patreon/Twitch streams too. Depending on what time I have to go through things and update my shop, I'm hoping to do a little something for Small Business Saturday-Cyber Monday. 

Pic of the Week: When Becca and I were grocery shopping the other day, we saw a genuinely very impressively sized eggplant. It was bigger than their hand. And hilarious eggplant as dick aside, honestly, it made us kinda bummed that we don't like eggplant because that's just a really impressive veggie! 

[derekfoxwit]

With the (as if this writing) upcoming 95th Academy Awards, and because I want to do this just for fun, I feel like going over the Best Animated Feature category and share what alternatives for nominations and wins I feel would’ve been more appropriate, especially in the long run. I primarily wanted to do something like this due to some of my own annoyances with how that category tended to be handled, along with the ceremony’s general treatment of animation beyond said category. Most nomination alternatives I suggest will be based on this list of submissions.

2001

In terms of nominations, the most I can think to do is switch Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius for something else. If I just went with basically any eligible movie, submitted or otherwise, Atlantis: The Lost Empire would’ve been an alright replacement, mainly to retroactively throw directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale a bone for (1) having Beauty and the Beast be the only animated film nominated for Best Picture by this point, and (2) making up for how, as of now, they haven’t been the co-directors of a major animated film since. Sticking solely to submitted films, Richard Linklater’s Waking Life is probably to strongest replacement here, speaking as someone who’s seen it once before. Even then, Shrek’s gonna stay the winner since, let’s face it, given the huge impression it made, there’s no way Waking Life would’ve grabbed that win instead.

2002

Looking at the different submissions and relevant films, I might just keep the nominations and the win the same. I don’t think any of the other submissions look any better to replace Ice Age or Spirit with, and the remaining releases of that year that aren’t later submissions don’t seem that way either (except maybe The Cat Returns). Plus, they would’ve been against Spirited Away, so.........

2003

Once again, the winner is going to stay as Finding Nemo with 85% of other alternatives. There still aren’t many meaningful alternatives IMO, but there are a couple of interesting ones. Satoshi Kon’s Millennium Actress is likely the best one to have replace Brother Bear (easily the less acclaimed of the three contenders we got, plus Triplets of Belleville is genuinely great). Tokyo Godfathers was also submitted for that same ceremony. Beyond submissions, there’s also Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem, the anime film that serves as a visual companion to Daft Punk’s Discovery. Those three would be good replacements for Brother Bear, but I guess if you wanted to go crazy, there’s Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Imagine if either Triplets of Belleville or Millennium Actress walked out with a win instead, though.

2004

Let’s be upfront here. SHARK TALE shouldn’t be have been nominated! Seriously, within submissions alone, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence; The first SpongeBob film; and Polar Express were right here! The latter most would’ve also been less bad than one would think given that this was before the Zemeckis Mo-Cap trend got out of hand, and you could’ve at least excused PE’s use compared to later on. Outside of submissions, however, the only other one I could think of was for Masaaki Yuasa’s Mind Game, and even then that could’ve been more eligible for next year. The winner will stay the same (The Incredibles).

2005

......well......looking back is making me realize how especially underwhelming computer animation had it this year. Robots; Madagascar; Chicken Little; Hoodwinked; VALIENT! Those were the submissions, and that’s more or less all they’ve had for choices that even resemble meaningful ones. This results in the only time in the category where none of the nominations are computer animated (Howl’s Moving Castle; Corpse Bride; Curse of the Were-Rabbit). Since the most I could think of for alternatives is MAYBE Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, let’s just stuck to the same contenders. Whether Wallace & Gromit keeps the win or Howl gets it instead (maybe even Corpse Bride) can be up to you.

2006

Guess who? If it weren’t for Arthur and the Invisibles disqualifying due to not having enough animation to meet that 75% requirement, we could’ve had 5 nominations instead of three, since that film’s inclusion would’ve equaled 16 submissions. Anyway, this is where I really start making substantial alternatives. First, the nominations this year were Cars, Monster House and Happy Feet, with the last one being the winner. Submitted alternatives to replace one of them include Aardman’s Flushed Away; Satoshi Kon’s Paprika; Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly; and MAYBE Curious George just for SOME kind of 2D animated rep. that the Oscars wouldn’t be allergic to. Outside of submissions, there was also Mamoru Hosoda’s The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. There was also apparently a 2006 Russian animated adaptation of the story of Vladimir the Great if you really wanna push for other options. For the contenders proper, I would honestly prefer replacing one of them with Paprika and have that be the winner, just so there’s more variety in both studios AND animation styles that win. If I just kept it to the nominees we got, then you could probably argue that Cars deserved it a tiny bit more than Happy Feet. However, given that we can meme that the one Oscar win for George Miller of Mad Max famer is for Happy Feet, I’m willing to let that slide.

2007

The nominations proper aren’t too bad (Ratatouille; Persepolis; Surf’s Up), even if for the last one, it’s more for its experimental ambition. It is kind of surprising that the Oscars didn’t consider Simpsons Movie for a nomination. Another submitted contender would include Tekkonkinkreet, which I found very good from the one time I watched it. Makoto Shinkai’s 5 Centimeter per Second came out this year, so there was that potential option. If that was in competition instead of Surf’s Up, that could’ve made for an interesting win, given that this was before Your Name. Perhaps just swap that and Surf’s Up, and you could either keep Ratatouille’s win or have Persepolis win instead.

2008

Being upfront, Wall-E is staying the winner here. Also right off the bat, Bolt will be replaced with something else, perhaps Waltz with Bashir, which got the Best Foreign Film nomination that year. Especially since there were pretty much no other submissions that make sense for me to include. Sita Sings the Blues came out the high praise, but considering its more indie method of release (more or less into Public Domain via the internet), I doubt that would’ve truly qualified due to never being in a Los Angeles theater at any point. So all that I’d change is switching Waltz with Bashir with Bolt.

2009

Man, 2009 was such a standout year for animated films, with literally EVERY nomination being an example of why. Coraline kicking off Laika and still arguably being their peak; Princess and the Frog giving us at least one more chance to see a 2D animated princess film after a major slump Disney went through; Cartoon Saloon more or less kickstarts with Secret of Kells; Wes Anderson gives us Fantastic Mr. Fox; and Pixar’s Up not only being yet another homerun for them, but becoming the second animated film to get the Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Ponyo came out last year, but couldn’t qualify until this year. There’s also A Town Called Panic (submitted; pretty good wacky stop-motion comedy based on a Belgian cartoon); Mary & Max (though IFC Films’ distribution made it essentially qualify more as direct-to-video in the US, whoops); Mamoru Hosoda’s Summer Wars (got submitted next year); and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (submitted; basically kickstarted a direction for Sony Animation to have a more cartoony feel in its CGI). The contenders will still be the same, but I actually think Fantastic Mr. Fox would’ve deserved the win a bit more (and perhaps should’ve joined Up in that aforementioned Best Picture nomination, wink wink).

2010

The nominations and win we got here work fine. For submissions, there were Megamind; Tangled and the aforementioned Summer Wars. This is where Illumination debuted with Despicable Me, but even at that point, I don’t really care for them to be nominated at all. Otherwise, there are Secret World of Arrietty and, I guess, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. Anything else I can think of gets their chance next year, so let’s just keep this year the same.

2011

Nominations here are A Cat in Paris; Chico & Rita (both from last year but now eligible); Kung Fu Panda 2; Puss in Boots 2011; and the winner Rango. By the way, in 2010, the Academy enacted a rule that basically said “no mocap cartoons,” so The Adventures of Tintin may as well not be submitted. Among the most promising submitted alternatives are Winnie the Pooh 2011; Arthur Christmas; and some animated film from Spain about elderly folk called “Wrinkles” (might be worth a watch). Also seriously, FUCKING Mars Needs Moms is a submission, what the hell? It would’ve been neat if Hungarian animator Marcell Jankovics got submitted for The Tragedy of Man, his last film. I’d swap out Puss in Boots 2011 for one of those other features (I’ll show which one later), but Rango keeps it Oscar.

2012

Okay, lemme cut the bullshit. Brave’s win is gonna be handed to someone else. The other nominations were Frankenweenie; ParaNorman; Wreck-It Ralph; and The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! In addition to better known submissions like Rise of the Guardians and Hotel Transylvania, there are also a few interesting sounding indie projects such as The Painting (Le Tableau) and The Rabbi’s Cat. Despite not being a submission, I may just add in Wolf Children just to get back at the Oscars for being allergic to non-Ghibli anime films. In fact, fuck it, replace Brave with Wolf Children. From there, the award is going to either it, ParaNorman or Wreck-It Ralph.

2013

Frozen should just let IT (the award) go and give it to some other flick. Both The Croods and especially Despicable Me 2 will be swapped out for something else (Hell, I’d rather Monsters University was there instead, winning or otherwise). The other two contenders (Ernest & Celestine; The Wind Rises) are still great ones to have. One of the foreign submissions is some Brazilian film called “Rio 2096: A Story of Love and Fury.” From South Korea, there’s Yeon Sang-ho’s The Fake (reception seems more mixed to positive, but by default, more interesting compared to what DM2 was doing). In Japan, there’s A Letter to Momo; Shinkai’s The Garden of Words; and The Puella Magi Madoka Magica movie Rebellion (the last in a trilogy, but ultimately based on an acclaimed anime). I think for my new nominations, I’ll just go with Rio 2096 and The PMMM Movie Rebellion. The new winner is now The Wind Rises.

2014

First off, let’s remedy that bullshit of with LEGO Movie never getting that nomination. It’ll be swapped with The Box Trolls, since I hear that’s Laika’s most underwhelming movie. Aside from maybe Bill Plympton’s Cheatin’ and the French-Belgian project Minusclue: Valley of the Lost Ants, I’m not sure if any of the other submissions called for a nomination. Outside of the submissions, the only alternative I would’ve considered is The Book of Life. As a result, all the other contenders (How to Train Your Dragon 2; Song of the Sea; Tale of the Princess Kaguya; Big Hero 6) will be kept the same. BH6, however, will now be a loser while either Kaguya or LEGO Movie will be the winner (personally going with Kaguya, but you can go with LEGO Movie instead if you want).

2015

At this point, I wouldn’t care if Inside Out stays the winner, but there are a surprising amount of alternatives I would consider. To start, the other contenders were Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa; the Brazilian animated feature Boy and the World (by Ale Abreu); Shaun the Sheep Movie from Aardman Animations; and Ghibli’s When Marnie was There. I wouldn’t mind swapping a couple of (otherwise still worthy) contenders for a couple of other great picks, such as The Peanuts Movie; Birdboy: The Forgotten Children; and The Little Prince (got submitted next year tho). I think I’d swap Marnie with Peanuts Movie (already plenty of Ghibli love by this point, and I already said their last two films, especially Kaguya, deserved it more than Disney that year). Little Prince; Birdboy; and Boy in the World can interchange in my mind, so I’ll probably keep the rest of the nominations the same. As for a winner, I don’t care if Inside Out kept the win, if Anomalisa got it instead, for even some surprise win from Shaun or Boy. Though for variety sake, I’ll stick to Anomalisa.

2016

Okay, just because the Oscars were allergic to non-Ghibli anime films and needlessly ignored such an acclaimed animated film, Shinkai’s Your Name’s is going to replace one of the nominations. This year actually SAW The Little Prince as a submission as well, along with Long Way North and April and the Extraordinary World. However, I feel this otherwise picked too many meaningful nominations (Zootopia; Moana; Kubo and the Two Strings; My Life as a Zucchini; The Red Turtle) to easily remove them. I’ll probably just switch Your Name with one of the two Disney nomination, and surprisingly, it may just be Zootopia. As well-liked as that one is, it does feel like it became a bit more sidelined compared to Moana overtime. In fact, let’s say that the award win will go to Your Name just to compensate for how dumb the Academy Awards can be with anime.

2017

Starting off, I will still change two for the nominations we got (stares judgingly at Boss Baby). The Breadwinner and Loving Vincent will stay, so that leaves Blue Sky’s Ferdinand as another movie getting replaced. One of the new contenders is EASILY A Silent Voice for basically the same reasons why as Your Name. I may even have either that movie win or keep Coco’s win. Also, I keep forgetting that some foreign films were eligible for submission since this year NOW saw the submissions of Birdboy: The Forgotten Children, as well as Ethel & Ernest and The Girl Without Hands from the previous year. Other submissions include The Captain Underpants movie; Mary and the Witch’s Flower; and The LEGO Batman Movie. However, I think I may just make Birdboy the other new nomination instead for even stronger variety.

2018

You’re kidding, right? Of course Into The Spider-Verse is staying the winner. I’ll also take Ralph Breaks The Internet out of here and give its place to another film. It’ll instead go to Masaaki Yuasa’s Night is Short, Walk on Girl. The other nominations are also fine to have (Isle of Dogs; Incredibles 2; Mirai). 

2019

No, Toy Story 4 is not keeping that award win. In fact, I’ll actually be replacing that movie with another possible contender. I’m tempted to default to Lupin III: The First instead of Weathering With You since with my previous changes, I already gave Shinkai the win. However, that’s not eligible until next year, so Weathering gets in. Either way, Klaus wins instead here. I could either keep Missing Link or replace it with Ne-Zha. The other nominations (HTTYD 3; I Lost My Body) stay.

2020

I would honestly prefer it if Wolkwalkers was the winner instead of Soul. I might also replace Onward with some other movie. HERE is where Lupin III: The First will get a nomination instead. The rest (Shaun the Sheep: Farmageddon and Over The Moon) stay, mainly due to having less great alternatives than the last few times. That makes sense, though, considering......

2021

We don’t talk about Encanto winning this time. Now, the animated documentary Flee is getting the honor. Raya is also getting replaced with an arguably more worthy contender. Good alternative picks include The Summit of the Gods and Hosoda’s Belle. Heck, I’d probably be more willing to give Arlo the Alligator the nomination compared to just having Disney hog three of five entries (though sometimes, that’s tricky anyway). I’ll just have that new fifth nomination be a toss-up between Summit and Belle.

2022

This time, let’s just list the nominations normally:

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (Directed by Dean Fleisher Camp)

Turning Red (Directed by Domee Shi)

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (Directed by Joel Crawford)

The Sea Beast (Directed by Chris Williams)

This may just be one of the best and most varied listings of five nominations this category has seen, as this Tweet puts it best. As of this post, the ceremony hasn’t happened yet (didn’t mind doing this early though). Even then, I could realistically see one film (The Sea Beast) get replaced with something else. Either Phil Tippett’s Mad God; Masaaki Yuada’s Inu-Oh; or even DreamWorks’ own The Bad Guys (if only to give them multi-nomination rep. that actually makes sense). Sorry, Strange World and Wendell & Wild. However, that won’t be a set replacement. Honestly, for once, I can see a realistic arms race between more than two animated films. In fact, I think there’s one for all of the contenders EXCEPT for Sea Beast. Then again, kind of sucks that Turning Red is pretty much guaranteed to be in hot water if it does win. I’m holding out for Guillermo Del Toro to win the most, so that’ll be what I’m picking as my “alternate” choice (still would be one if it doesn’t win, but given its Golden Globe win, it’s still likely).

Now that I’m done, I’ll end this off with a listed version of the changes I’d make (parenthesis for replacements; bold for wins; crossed-out for replaced films):

2001 - Shrek; Monsters, Inc.; (Waking Life) Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius 2002 - no change 2003 - Finding Nemo; Triplets of Belleville; (Millennium Actress) Brother Bear 2004 - The Incredibles; Shrek 2; (Mind Game or Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, depending if the former could qualify) Shark Tale 2005 - no change 2006 - (Paprika); Cars; Happy Feet Monster House 2007 - Ratatouille or Persepolis; (5 Centimeters per Second) Surf’s Up 2008 - Wall-E; Kung Fu Panda; (Waltz with Bashir) Bolt 2009 - Fantastic Mr. Fox; Up; Coraline; Princess and the Frog; The Secret of Kells 2010 - no change 2011 - Rango; Kung Fu Panda 2; (The Tragedy of Man); A Cat in Paris; Chico & Rita Puss in Boots 2011 2012 - Wreck-It Ralph; ParaNorman or (Wolf Children); The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!; Frankenweenie Brave 2013 - (The Wind Rises); (Rio 2096: A Story of Love and Fury); (Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion); Ernest & Celestine; Frozen The Croods; Despicable Me 2 2014 - (The Tale of the Princess Kaguya); The LEGO Movie; How To Train Your Dragon 2; Song of the Sea (Big Hero 6) The Box Trolls 2015 - Inside Out or (Anomalisa); Boy and the World; Shaun The Sheep Movie; (The Peanuts Movies) When Marnie Was There 2016 - (Your Name); Moana; Kubo and the Two Strings; My Life as a Zucchini; The Red Turtle Zootopia 2017 - Coco or (A Silent Voice); The Breadwinner; Loving Vincent; (Birdboy: The Forgotten Children) The Boss Baby; Ferdinand 2018 - Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse; Isle of Dogs; Mirai; (Night is Short, Walk on Girl); The Incredibles 2 Ralph Breaks the Internet 2019 - Klaus; How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World; (Weathering With You); I Lost My Body; (Ne-Zha) or Missing Link Toy Story 4 2020 - Wolfwalkers; Soul; Over The Moon; (Lupin III: The First); A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Fargageddon Onward 2021 - Flee; Encanto; The Mitchells vs. The Machines; (Belle or Summit of the Gods); Luca Raya and the Last Dragon 2022 - Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio; Turning Red; Puss in Boots: The Last Wish; Marcel the Shell with Shoes On; (Mad God or Inu-Oh) The Sea Beast