#it’s much easier to take bad adaptations if you approach them like fan fiction

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Wise, 1979)

As a new big budget science fiction special effects extravaganza featuring pointy-eared aliens has just hit theatres and people are going in droves to see it, I decided to follow suit. That's right, the TIFF Bell Lightbox was playing a 4K restoration of the Director's Cut of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Now, I'm not the biggest Star Trek fan, in that I've only sporadically seen episodes of different series over the years, and hadn't seen any of the TOS movies since high school. My opinion coincided with the general consensus that the even-numbered movies were better than the odd-numbered ones, and that the first one, while not all that bad, was maybe a little boring. Of course, I saw those all in pan-and-scan versions on network TV, and I think this movie plays quite a bit better theatrically.

Like I noted in my review of Avatar, I appreciate when a movie actually tries to sell you on its special effects and uses them in the service of grandiose visuals. This provides frequent admiring views of interstellar vistas, of the retro space age design of the Enterprise, and the eerie, psychedelic lightshow effects evoking space travel and the mysterious V'Ger. The latter especially is a triumph in design, coldly atmospheric and possessing a certain logic in design but one which eludes our meager human brains, not unlike its origin and its motivations as they're eventually revealed. I understand the Director's Cut was released in 2001 with CGI effects added to supplement the previously unfinished footage incorporated into the movie. Under the scrutiny of the restored, higher definition transfer, they hold up less flatteringly than the original effects work, but not so much as to be distracting. Jerry Goldsmith's score also goes a long way in giving grandeur to the images, from the rousing fanfare of the main theme, which had me wanting to pump my fist, to the Klingon battle music, which has more than a few hints of Sergei Prokofiev's score for Alexander Nevsky. If you're going to steal, steal from the best.

The movie feels very much like a reaction to Star Wars, in that it obviously was easier to make after the other movie made big budget effects-heavy science fiction movies a more commercially viable proposition, but also that it provides an alternative to the action-adventure mode of Star Wars and many science fiction blockbusters since. The dramatic thrust of the movie is provided by the characters trying to understand what V'Ger is and wants and how best to react. The use of force is just one option that's on the table, and one which they seek to avoid. I don't have any particular interest in the heart of the franchise or what have you (like I said, my experience is fairly limited), but the intellectual tack this takes is in sharp contrast to the more action-heavy thrills offered by the recent reboots. Like I alluded to above, this movie's approach allows for plenty of spectacle, and while I'd like to think there's room for both sensibilities, it is unfortunate that this one feels increasingly unviable.

Of course, I do think the movie suffers in how it handles this dynamic. The discussions themselves of how to tackle the situation I found engaging enough, and even the scenes of William Shatner hamming it up and giving hokey speeches where he spells out the movie's ideas I found moving in their earnestness. But much of the appeal of movie adaptations of beloved series is seeing them get the gang back together again, and while there's some delight in the return of Spock and gruff hippie new age hairy-chested McCoy, the movie sidelines the majority of the original cast members. Instead, we get scene after scene where Kirk arguing with a new character played by Stephen Collins, who does not give a bad performance technically, but plays a punk ass bitch who I wanted off the screen for reasons obvious within the movie and outside as well. I do not know the exact changes made between the Theatrical Cut and the Director's Cut, but one hopes for a new version where Collins is ejected through the airlock early in the movie and his arguments are given to Scotty, Uhura, Tsulu and Chekov, who have basically fuck all to do. There's also a new character played by Persis Khambatta who gets possessed by V'Ger to act as a probe (not that kind, this is a family friendly film), a turn of events that might have resonated more had it been one of the original characters. (I was gonna comment that her bald wig held up seamlessly under the restoration, but it turns out she shaved her head for real.) But I suppose as the first movie in the run, it was less inclined to take risks in this respect.

Anyway, good movie. Lousy CGI effects. Needed less Stephen Collins.

[spockandawe]

Okay, I want to pull together more detailed thoughts at some point, I think, because the sheer amount of material means I have about ten billion thoughts to sort out. But I’ve read all three of the mxtx novels now, and loved all of them, in different ways. Though I already tried to figure out if I can pick a Favorite, and tbh, I can’t. I love them all in ways that are too distinct to let me rank them easily. And... man, it’s lucky for my friends that social distancing is in place, or I’d be hassling them shamelessly to give these novels a try.

RIGHT. So.

The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System: Shen Yuan goes to bed full of rage directed at a trashy webnovel with a grimdark blackened hero who conquered the world and collected hundreds of women into his harem.... and wakes up in novel, while that hero is still an innocent youth. As the hero’s abusive teacher. Who is doomed for a horrifying death unless he can somehow turn things around.

I think I had the most fun with this one. I really enjoy self-referential stories, and stories poking fun at certain genres, and I’ve run into the concept of transmigration before (the idea being a person enters a fictional world, a la lost in austen), though I’m blanking on any media like that I’ve actually consumed. This was chronologically the first book mxtx wrote, and it has less of a sprawling cast with complicated relationships than the other two books, but it definitely has the thing where she lays early groundwork for later revelations that shatter my poor heart. 

And there may be fewer relationships to play with, but my GOD, do I love the relationships we got. I’ve been rolling around in svsss fanfic since I finished the book, even more so than mdzs or tgcf. There’s a lot of good crunchy relationship content with the 79 ship (they destroy me, all day every day), Liu Qingge owns my whole-ass heart, and Luo Binghe makes for a fascinating love interest. I love that even at his best, he remains a needy, needy, manipulative boy, who’s so smart and strong and nEEDY. I don’t love how the book handled moshang, but mmmm the fan content is Good. And Shen Qingqiu does the unreliable narrator thing that is usually not my jam, but works so WELL in these books, in that his unreliable narration is hugely skewed towards not giving himself nearly as much credit as he deserves. Xie Lian takes this to UNBELIEVABLE heights in tgcf, but in Shen Qingqiu’s case, it’s done on such a casual, immediate, personal level that I’m fascinated by everything he does. 

And, since Shen Yuan/Shen Qingqiu is a millennial fan of trashy romance webnovels who gets yanked into the universe of a novel he hates, into an old-timey xianxia setting, the prose is SO COOL. You swing between modern slang and old school high society courtesies at the drop of a hat, and I’m honestly awed that the translators were able to catch so much of that. Like, in-setting, I love all the nuance you can get in ‘qi-ge should give his a-jiu the scroll’ vs ‘yue-shixiong should give this teacher the scroll’ vs ‘you should give me the scroll’. But then it adds a whole new layer when the person ALSO has modern-day casual speech bouncing around in their head. It makes for a fascinating, fascinating reading experience.

The Grandmaster Of Demonic Cultivation: Thirteen years ago, Wei Wuxian died. And then he wakes up! In someone else’s body. I’m not going to try to summarize the premise of this one, go look up The Untamed if you want someone to do a better job of this than me XD

Ahhh, this was the book I read first. I still haven’t watched the show (only clips) and I’m not sure I ever will, because adhd is a hell of a drug. But it’s hard to purely evaluate the prose when there’s also this gorgeous, beautifully-acted visual adaptation all over my tumblr to bias me in its favor. I think this book benefits a lot from the MYSTERY of it all. From the very start, there’s the question of ‘what the fuck is up with this goddamn arm’ that the characters pursue, even as that takes them through flashbacks and other arcs within the story. It gives a thrust to the novel that I think isn’t exactly there in tgcf, though I’m torn on which one is “better.” This gave the story momentum, yes, but it also meant I was much more impatient in yi city and the 3zun flashbacks, because this isn’t what I was focused onnnnnn this is cool but how much longer will we BE HERE--

That being said, I think I’ll be more patient with those flashbacks on my next time through the book, now that I have a better picture of where everything is headed. I think the balance and structure of the book worked really well, I was setting myself up for self-sabotage because of the pace I was plowing through the thing. My reading habits didn’t lend themselves well to the nonlinear storytelling, and it speaks to the story’s strength that it held up that well despite me. And the CAST. My GOD. I went in not caring about anyone but Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji and maybe the jackass nephew, but... that Did Not Last. I didn’t intend to care about 3zun? Nope, too bad, you care so much now. Who cares about Xue Yang? Me. I care. Way too much. HECK!!!

And something that happens in this book and tgcf that was much less of a thing in svsss is that there are some meaningful holes in the story that I’d like to be filled, and I really care about filling-- and the story doesn’t go there. But it doesn’t leave me unhappy, it leaves me cheerfully scrabbling around in the throwaway details trying to piece together a picture of what happened when I wasn’t looking. What happened to Wei Wuxian in the burial mounds? How did Hua Cheng take control of the ghost city? Idk, but let us Rummage and theorize and roll around in ideas and have a fantastic, speculative time. Svsss might hook me more than the other stories from an au+shipping perspective, but mdzs and tgcf do a great job of making me want to roll around and create within the bounds of canon.

Heaven Official’s Blessing: 800 years ago, Xie Lian ascended to heaven. And fell. And rose again! And fell again. Now he’s ascended for the third time, and things are Awkward.

God, I just finished this, and I’m still reeling. This is the LONGEST mxtx book, that’s for sure. I also think it’s the most tightly edited translation. All the translators did an unbelievable job, I could never even approach what they accomplished, but I am genuinely stunned that a book this long was edited so well. I blew through this in about 3.5 days (if not for work, i could have made it in three dghsafdsgf) and my brain was cooking in my skull by the time I was halfway through, but I couldn’t STOP. I was ENCHANTED the entire time! I was reading so much my head was destroying me and I still sulked so HARD every time I had to put my phone down and sleep.

This book sprawls the hardest, I think, because it involves a cast made of mostly immortal/immortal-adjacent people, so time and space get... flexible. And I feel really bad saying this, because Lan Wangji is DEVOTED, but this is seriously the book with the most attentive and adoring and respectful love interest. Hua Cheng is..... god. I truly don’t think I’ve EVER read a character quite like him before, and I am so, so sad, because I don’t know how I’ll find one who lives up to these heights ever again XD I recommend reading this book just for the Hua Cheng experience, if nothing else. I was making audible noises at literally flailing at multiple points in the story, but most often, it was because of him. 

Shipping is what usually drags me into a fandom hardest, and all of these books do pretty well for themselves, all of them have a nice selection of fluffy and crunchy ships to choose from. And this one... goddammit. I just realized, that the best, most crunchy ships are too spoilery for me to be willing to talk about them here. Hell. Goddammit. But I think tgcf has the crunchiest ship of all, even better than xuexiao. I was so invested, and then there were Reveals, and then I was like OH NO THIS IS TERRIBLE BUT MY INVESTMENT HAS EXPONENTIALLY INCREASED. 

And something that I really, really appreciate, is that across the mxtx books, even though a lot of characters fit into strong archetypes, there’s nobody that is blurring together for me, either within or across the books. Liu Qingge isn’t Jiang Cheng isn’t Feng Xin. They’re all blunt, fighty boys, but all super distinct in my head, and what I want for each of them is distinct and character-driven. I want Liu Qingge to be properly cherished and I want Jiang Cheng to relax with his brother and nephew and I want Feng Xin to [goddammit i don’t want to spoil this book AGH]. It’s something I appreciated in the other books too, but I can really FEEL it in this book, with how long and luxurious it is. 

And last thing I have to say, I think, is that tgcf is so long. It’s so, so long. But I would FITE if anyone tried to pare it down at all. I can’t think of anything I’d be willing to sacrifice. I enjoyed every last piece of it so much, and it was all ultimately SO well-constructed and interlocking, that any piece I can think of snipping out would take away significant emotional impact from what was left. It’s a nonlinear story, like mdzs is nonlinear, and I loved mdzs a lot! But the construction here is so, so, so elegant. I’m just in AWE of how well it was assembled. I was in Agony as reveals happened, because oh no no no no, now that they’ve told me this, that casts this whole other scene in a brand new light! The one I read hundreds of thousands of words ago! Literally, I need to go start the book over so I can savor the shitty teens in new ways, given [redacted] as revealed in like, the last twenty percent of the book. The book was a fun experience, but there’s so Much here that I know I haven’t even absorbed yet. I loved the other mxtx books a lot, and in many ways, they were easier to get a grasp on than tgcf was, but even before I finished tgcf I was already despairingly trying to figure out how easily I could fit a full reread into my life, and I think that says a lot

[aqua-eros]

iKON astro notes: Kim Hanbin ✒️

Bonjour! and welcome to a new series of astro notes, this time covering the members of iKON. As always, all assumptions are based on their personal placements and personalities without knowing exact birth times. First, let's take a look at B.I, the leader, rapper and composer of the group🎼

Sun in Libra

Unless you are unfamiliar with iKON and/or B.I, you could definitely point out that, one way or another, Hanbin is very likeable and charming. Any type of person can and probably will naturally and unintentionally fall for him, even if they just met. Such is the Libra gift, brought to them by Venus itself. Venus brings irresistible charm and beauty to to the signs it rules (Taurus and Libra), therefore anyone can find themselves trapped in the moment as the magic of Libra takes their breath away, especially considering the fact that this is an air sign. Air is known for being alluring in a breezy and light-hearted sense, making it's way into your life through the help of intellect. The addition of Venus to Hanbin's air is an even bigger magnet that pulls people in without them even realizing it.

The element of air gives a wide understanding of the world, concepts and ideas, since the mind is the most active and receptive part. Air natives are creative and highly adaptable, because just like air, they can mold themselves into any shape or form, they change in order to fit in or, on the contrary, stand out. In addition, being so observant of the world and people around them, Libra natives are exceptionally good at putting up a facade, acting and playing make-believe in order to get what they truly desire. As you can see, such techniques can be used with various intentions, both good and bad, but ultimately, the goal is to bring harmony and peace to the environment a Libra is in. And if harmony means being right and having the upper hand, well, a Libra will not hesitate to take action to suit themselves. After all, we're talking about a cardinal sign and as much as Libra is known for it's indecisiveness, they know what they truly want.

The Libra energy within Hanbin (his sun and mercury) contributes to his remarkable leadership skills, for as much as he is demanding, detailed and strict, he is also diplomatic, communicative, responsible and a fighter for justice.

take a look at any episode of their survival shows "win: who is next" or "mix & match" to truly understand what I mean. Hanbin always strives for perfection and ultimate dedication from his team, to use their abilities to the max and develop them with every practice session. he accepted no slacking and because he strived for a stunning visual experience of their performances, he put immense effort into leading his team to the top (along with writing/composing their tracks). of course, that required him to play good cop/bad cop and push the members (and himself) to their limits. cardinal energy at it's peak

Libra being a social and partnership-oriented sign, it takes action through relationships and interaction with others, which also explains the heavy influence he had on his team

as much as Libras may be airheads, they are very clever. they constantly analyse and evaluate their relationships and environment, wishing to improve themselves and their surroundings for others

imbalance and unfairness is a no-no⚡

Moon in Pisces

Ah, the soul of a true poet, the spirit of an artist, such is the essence of Hanbin's inner self and it is obviously reflected in his field of work.

Hanbin's quiet, shy and somewhat awkward side is granted by his moon. It may be quite challenging for him to speak about his actual emotions and whatever ups and downs he is experiencing, since it's difficult to understand them all in the first place.

While he is very much concerned about others' emotional well-being and is trying his best to help, reassure and console those who are in need of it, when it comes to his own feelings... It can get really complicated and foggy.

The notable Neptunian influence is bound to hide and confuse whatever it touches and in Hanbin's case, his moon gets overshadowed and is left unable to fully reveal itself. He most likely goes through periods of self-reflection (his Libra energy craving that as well), isolating himself for even just a little bit in order to clear his mind, to detect the roots of his problems and, hopefully, find a solution or at least some inner peace. Whatever it is, understanding himself definitely does not come easy. It's a whole journey that takes him to pretty deep and unclear waters, as Pisces is notoriously complex and multi-facetted. Hanbin's feelings are not just this or that, they are everything at once and go through pretty intense changes on a daily, which is a lot to process. Thus, self-expression in a more emotional sense is not his forte. Yet, that explains why writing down what he feels (music) can be an easier way of opening up to the world.

Accepting failure is most certainly harder for him, since Pisces is a very sensitive sign. In his position, it is important to find the strength to move on, which he does, yet emotional pressure hits him hard and disappointing others is his worst nightmare. In a sense, it can make him feel fragile and helpless, push him into a dark place where he swims for some time, almost drowning, almost surrendering. Melancholy is close to Pisces, as well as getting lost in their own heads, endlessly dreaming, wishing and thinking.

Hanbin has mentioned that he's not especially experienced in the field of love. yet, he has written many songs specifically associated with that. obviously, he draws inspiration from fiction and certain life situations, yet I cannot skip on his imagination. pisces are famous for having visions that are beyond vivid. their minds are full of wonder and distant worlds🌠and romance is a constantly present theme inside those worlds

in other words, the need for love is really prominent. it is a yearning

intuition is strong with this placement

despite being an avid thinker, a pisces moon often acts based on emotion and the heart's desire, rather than logic

sentimental and soft, though he may try to hide it

did someone order pink glasses?🌸💕

Libra Mercury

lovely tone of voice, pleasant manners, charming way of approaching people✨

not a fan of conflicts, he either avoids them or, if the need arises, finds strength to resolve it in the most peaceful way possible

a good example of his mercury in action is "iKON TV" (ep. 7, part 4) where he felt uncomfortable confronting the rude/provocative behavior of a man and wanted to end things on mutual understanding and good terms

afraid of harming people with his words

naturally polite to everyone, wants people to like him

open-minded about new ideas and loves hearing what other people have to say

beauty finds it's way into B.I's speech. again, this serves him well during writing and sometimes public speaking

fairness is a big theme here as well, won't tolerate unjust or foul words towards anyone

his mind is very much set towards the good things and traits in people or the world. it's a rather idealistic perspective, but Libras seek peace and equality within their lives. imbalance or lack of harmony throws them from the right path and that may lead to unwanted moodswings, unusual behavior or an overall negative response from the Libra native🎭

needs a lot of time to make decisions and process things (and especially what side he's on)

Venus in Virgo

highly detail-oriented, especially when it comes to other people

hardly ever satisfied, perfection is everything to him. this goes for himself and others as well

while dealing with a Virgo placement, notice how good they are at helping you improve and develop yourself and your work ethics. they are great at helping people, yet they might not be too good on themselves and their standarts. considering that Virgo is in Hanbin's venus, his standarts in relationships of any kind can be high. he's a selective kind💎 that can be both useful and too much to handle

Virgos show love through service, mostly when in comes to something practical

although this is an earth sign, it is ruled by mercury, which makes B.I not only down-to-earth, hard-working and determined, but also craving communication, variety and fun

enjoys people with a broad mind and diverse personality, someone who never stops learning🚀

considering that venus is in fall in the sign of Virgo, the planet doesn't sit well here. it feels like there's no air for venus to breathe in when trapped in the analytical mind of Virgo, where much emphasis is put on the smaller things and not the bigger picture

tbh writing, information and organizing is basically a turn on

needs loads of time for himself, to organize his throughts, progress, values and work. alone time is a must

highly intellectual. knowledge is power

shy. especially when he likes someone

cares a lot about anything and everything. oftentimes that leads to worry and anxiety, but in severe levels

spends money wisely, is very careful about it. never impulsive spending, thinks it through a lot

responsible

Mars in Leo

oohh, here we go🔥

a very obvious indication of natural leadership skills

mars feels comfortable here, in the fire-y sign of Leo, therefore brings loads of confidence to the table

cocky boi, lets be real

noticeable presence, strong ethics, fixed morals, big desires

takes much pride in his achievements/success and the leo withing him likes to show it off to the world, wear his power like a lion's mane 🦁

winning in life is what he lives for

the stage truly belongs to him, it feels right to be there and shine like a thousand stars, to be loved by many and to, most importantly, spread that love even more like a Leo is prone to do

receives attention quite easily, even if he's not asking for it

since adoration is enjoyable, especially for Leo placements, it is likely he may go out of his way to feel it, to experience the admiration from others. after all, he's a born performer and has all of the creativity to get what he wants🎬

as you can imagine, for a placement like this, losing is not an option. but when that happens, when things don't go well or they unwillingly put shame on their name, it's a big stab in the ego. Leos are never in a good place when they fail, therefore they do anything they can to always end up victorious. otherwise, they won't even compete

embarrassment and humiliation is a big NO

can be quite the drama queen when all worked up about an issue, definitely the type to demonstrate what they're feeling

Hanbin is a frequent gym visitor, which is really good for his Leo mars. that way he can manage his emotions better and calm down his high levels of energy

say hello to !passion!, she loves to be here and boost Hanbin with even more drive for conquering not only his goals, but also his love interests

ultimate hunter award? yeah, you got it

he truly loves to love, spread love, show love, be loved, make love, everything!❤️

big-hearted and very generous, he would share the world with you if he could, or better yet, give it to you🌌

That's it for this goofball🌈 Thank you for reading! I'm really excited to start this series once again (previously done with Monsta X) but now with iKON. Only 6 more members to go!

Hope you're having a lovely day, wherever you are🎈

[zerochanges]

Valentine’s Chocolates and Glass Masks

The romance genre in anime is a little weird, and honestly on the whole the majority of the genre in anime is probably a bit too slow for its own good. “Will they or won’t they” is something most romantic fiction is guilty of, but I think you’d be hard press to come across 150 episode TV series dedicated solely to that premise anywhere else. And this has nothing on the pure silliness that can come with the genre; hand holding, indirect kisses, masked secret admirers, all that good stuff. Really, I’m not here to trash talk romantic anime though, but as I sat down and tried to think about writing a Valentine's Day blog post I just couldn't help but think to myself how romance anime might be the hardest to explain to anyone not in the fandom. I mean, I think I’d have an easier time explaining the plot of any given saga in DBZ than I would explaining “Notice me, senpai” to somebody.

You know what though, I kind of ironically enjoy all of this. Yeah, pure romance anime can be cheesy, but it’s just the right amount cheese that it’s like, c’mon, how can you not enjoy this? Perhaps the worst (or best!) offender of this are older shoujo titles where they can seem almost downright like a soap opera at times. Shows like these are just so full of bizarre, off-the-walls, and over-the-top melodrama that they manage to suck me completely in. They’re heartbreaking, they’re engaging, and the times when they fail at being those things they are hilarious. 

My most recent experience with an older shoujo title like this would have to be studio Eiken’s 1984 adaptation of Glass Mask. Now Glass Mask (or Glass no Kamen as it is known by some) is a manga that started life in 1976 and to this day has yet to be finished, with the manga creator Suzue Miuchi stating she would like to finish it soon, but hasn't quite figured out when that will be (move over Hunter x Hunter fans). Having been one of the earlier shoujo titles starting back in the mid-70’s the series is full to the brim with pretty much every cliche and trope you can think of for shoujo anime, and to a modern audience it can often be almost hilarious at times to sit through. It is important to remember that for its time Glass Mask was a trend-setter and arguably if not the creator than certainly the reason why a lot of these cliches became cliches in the first place. Over the years Glass Mask has received its fair share of adaptations and even parodies, and currently has 3 different animes as well as a live action drama series and real life stage plays based on it. I heard the most recent anime, the 2005 TMS adaptation of Glass Mask, does a pretty great job at modernizing several aspects of the series, but unfortunately I have yet to watch that to weigh in so all I can say is that I was inundated with more cliches than I could count and laughed a ton while watching the 1984 series and I loved every minute of it. 

Glass Mask is the story of a young 13 year old girl Maya Kitajima, who has a dream to be a great theatre actress. Unfortunately for Maya she’s from a very poor family, and even more unfortunately for her, she is incredibly average looking with no flair--and don’t worry, the anime will remind you of that fact countless times every episode. Despite her damnable curse of “just looking kind of average” Maya will stop at nothing to pursue her dream and eventually runs away from home after getting a scholarship for an acting school. There, the enigmatic Chigusa Tsukikage notices Maya’s talents and takes her on as her protege. Soon, Maya learns that her mentor Tsukikage was once a legendary actress thought to be truly one of the all time greats who due to a tragic Phantom of the Opera style accident had her face hideously scarred and retreated out of the spotlight. 

Tsukikage is looking to pass on her talents to the future generation and eventually pass on her greatest possession, the rights to the elusive Crimson Goddess play--a supposed legendary masterpiece that has not been seen by anyone in decades; not since Tsukikage’s career ruining accident. For some reason the director and creator of the the Crimson Goddess play saw it fit to beseech all the rights to his masterpiece to Tsukikage and thus nobody else has been able to produce this elusive phantom play since. It won’t be easy for Maya and the Tsukikage acting school, as media conglomerate and mega corporation Daito Entertainment will stop at nothing to get the rights to the Crimson Goddess, and isn't afraid to sabotage them at every step of the way. Perhaps Maya’s greatest rival however is the young Ayumi Himekawa, the daughter of an already famous actress who is said to be the favorite to inherit the Crimson Goddess role, and is everything Maya isn't; beautiful, rich, famous and well loved by all, and while not a student of Tsukikage she is more than willing to pass on the rights to Himekawa if Maya fails to prove herself.

It’s easy to already see the cheesiness just from me trying my best to summarize the basic plot, and we haven’t even gotten into the romances yet. Maya’s relationship with the young Yu Sakurakoji is fairly simple at first, as he helped rescue her from a feral dog and despite being in rival acting schools--one affiliated under Daito no less, he’s a pretty chill guy that enjoys spending time with her and doesn't care about all that stuff. It’s only after Maya starts to take off in her career that Sakurakoji starts to spiral into this insane inferiority complex centered around her, where he thinks she has become too good an actress for him to be around anymore and starts to give her the cold shoulder all because of his own make-believe shortcomings. It’s very odd and sudden, and the entire thing is blown out of proportions as Maya clearly does not think that and Sakurakoji eventually has to be lectured by bad boy Masumi of all people to come around and start spending time with Maya again. Even after this however it isn't like the old days anymore and the gap that was created from his own complex still lingers.

And oh boy, don’t get me started on Masumi, he’s quite the character. Masumi Hayami is the 24 year old son of the president of Daito Entertainment and is currently running the corporation in his father’s stead. Masumi serves as both an antagonist and love interest (because of course he can be both) in the early parts of the story and is often behind some (but not all) the sabotage done to Tsukikage’s acting school. Masumi will eventually take a more reasonable approach when it comes to trying to yank the rights of the Crimson Goddess away from Tsukikage’s hands as the anime progresses, often just by having his acting school beating Tsukikage’s students in contest and the like, and it’s here where we usually see Masumi’s employees that work under him being the more underhanded characters instead of Masumi directly engaging in the conflict.

Despite being on different sides, so to speak, Masumi catches one of Maya’s earliest performances, her role as Beth in Little Women, and falls in love with the young girl, impressed by both her potential as an actress and her fortitude for going on with the show despite suffering from a dangerously high fever and immediately being rushed to the doctors after the curtains fall. From this point on her takes the role of “Mr Purple Rose” named for the bouquet of purple roses he sends to her at every show. As her secret admirer and the first fan Maya has ever had he means a lot to her yet as his true identity of Masumi he’s an enemy that Maya cannot stand to breathe the same air as. So in short, Masumi is just your average 24 year old CEO of a mega corporation crushing on a 13 year old girl from a small acting school he is trying to ruin and also her secret admirer. Somehow Masumi is one of the best characters in the series, and is my best boy. Only in shoujo!

So far I've been having some cheap laughs at the expense of the 1984 Glass Mask anime but it’s not all like this. The over-the-top bombardment of old school shoujo cliches and the laughs I got from them may be one of the most memorable component of my viewing but there’s actually a lot more to this anime than that. When you get beyond the silly age gap romances and the flowery melodrama of young teenage love, Glass Mask is a story of artists trying to pursue their passions and dedicating their everything to them. Maya may be cursed to forever be “only average looking” but I really respect her drive to dedicate her entire life to theatre. 

Well, that is to say, the times when she isn't acting like punching bag to the rest of the cast (Glass Mask has a tendency to make Maya into a Cinderella surrounded by tons of wicked stepsisters). When Maya is written not as a Cinderella she’s fiercely determined, and never backs down despite some straight-up abusive behavior she is put through. At times her mentor Tsukikage is absolutely savage, regularly beating Maya and putting her through some training that is definitely highly illegal, at least for today’s standards. For instance she once threw Maya in a shed and locked the door refusing to let her out until she finally understood her character she was assigned. Did I mention it was in the middle of the freezing cold winter and snowing out and Maya only had the clothes on her back for warmth? She was out there for days with no food, water, or even warmth. But don’t worry, she had her script to read and that made it all okay. Like goddamn, somebody call child protective services on this lady.

Speaking about “the art” and everyone’s passions, the more you watch the series the more it becomes obvious that the creator, Suzue Miuchi, really cares for theatre and isn't just using it as a vehicle to propel her own story. There are countless renditions of classic plays shown in Glass Mask, such as the mentioned already Little Women, The Miracle Worker, and Wuthering Heights, just to name a few. Some of these plays are presented without any changes while others may have reinterpretations made to them by the characters who are trying to give their roles a life of their own away from the original source material. Miuchi very much understands theatre and does a great job converting many famous plays into a more compressed and easily digestible form of entertainment that can be viewed on a week by week bases. The analysis characters give about the plays and other characters’ performances, the ways characters interpret their parts, and how the plays that we are privy to see in the series end up all show a deeper understanding of the medium. Watching Glass Mask is almost like taking a beginning course in theatre that covers all the classics, only with way more melodrama and over-the-top romance than you will find in your local theatre group. I hope.

What’s the most impressive however goes beyond just Miuchi’s renditions of other classic works and instead are her own plays that she creates herself. As not only does Glass Mask use pre-existing plays it also has its own original productions that will spring up in-between the real world plays. A lot of these self created plays are very enjoyable too, and some feel way more fleshed out than they have any right to be and you often find yourself regretting that you are only privy to a small part of the performance and not able to just sit there and watch the entire play like the characters in the anime do. Maybe that’s why it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that some of the plays Miuchi has created for her manga have later been adapted into real life plays in Japanese theatres. This is probably the greatest testament to the series’ popularity right there, where its own fictional works are turned real. I can’t think of many examples of something like that happening before.

I’d be remiss not to mention the visual aspect of this series before wrapping up my thoughts on it too. While certainly no powerhouse in animation, Glass Mask 1984 goes for a more picturesque route, and does a great job with tons of beautiful still shots and intricately detailed background images. It’s a humble production but with the right use of lighting a lot of scenes can really shine (pardon the terrible pun it was an accident), especially the night shots which can be pure art. Hang it in a museum, I say. I’m almost surprised we don’t see more “aesthetic” anime blogs mining images from this series. Veteran director Gisaburo Sugii (Dororo, Touch, Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix) leads the production with skilled marksmanship you would expect from his previous (and future) pedigree, and along with legendary animator the late Shingo Araki (Ashita no Joe, Galaxy Express 999, Saint Seiya) the series has a wonderful 80’s flair to it that just fills any retro anime fan full of nostalgia whether or not they have seen the show before.

Studio Eiken’s 1984 Glass Mask adaptation is a short, briskly paced 22 episode series that is easy on the eyes and not hard at all to still sit through for modern audiences. It’s full of tons of laughs (both ironic and sincere) as well as tons of melodrama and over-the-top romance. Most importantly though, it’s a full of passion; lots and lots of passion. During its short episode count the series watches Maya progress as an actress and grow older, with her finishing middle school and beginning high school while also balancing full time acting jobs on the side. The ending is left open--and let’s face it the manga hasn't even ended some 35 years later still--but there’s enough forward momentum in the series to really feel like your time with the characters wasn't wasted and that they were able to accomplish something--not to mention the ending spot is a pretty decent one leaving the viewer wanting more but enjoying a satisfying conclusion to one of the more interesting story arcs adapted. Overall I think anyone who enjoys cheesy anime romance can sit down with this series and have a fun Valentine’s.

[aion-rsa]

Upcoming Jason Momoa Movies and TV Shows to Watch Out For

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Jason Momoa is everywhere. The former Game of Thrones actor is riding high after starring in the popular film Sweet Girl on Netflix, with Season 2 of his Apple TV+ series See set to start streaming this weekend and a key role in Denis Villeneuve’s hotly anticipated Dune adaptation on deck. Oh, and as the DCEU continues to shift and change, he’s still the only Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman, in sight. Not bad for a guy who got his start on Baywatch: Hawaii.

Things aren’t slowing down any time soon for Momoa. Besides the projects listed above, the actor has a few other big things planned down the road. If you just finished Netflix’s Sweet Girl and you’re looking for more Momoa in your life, here’s where you can expect to see the King of Atlantis next.

See Season 2

Streaming August 26

Apple TV+’s sci-fi dystopian series is set in a far-off future in which humanity collectively lost the sense of sight. Season 1 found Momoa’s Baba Voss reuniting with his sighted stepson Kofun (Archie Madekwe) after defeating Jerlamarel (Joshua Henry), another sighted man who had fathered kids like Kofun all while having a weird messiah complex.

In season 2, Momoa’s Baba will have to go toe-to-toe with another big bad preoccupied with the possibility of returning sight to the world, his brother Edo Voss, played by Dave Bautista. It’s clear from early looks of season 2 that there’s some bad blood between the hulking brothers, and with season 2 bringing in a new showrunner, Warrior‘s Jonathan Tropper, we can expect the action scenes to be even more explosive in year two.

Dune

In theaters and on HBO Max on Oct. 22

After a failed Alejandro Jodorowsky adaptation, and a polarizing one from David Lynch, Frank Herbert’s “unfilmable” science fiction classic, Dune, will once again hit theaters and streaming this October. Once slated for a Christmas time release, Denis Villenuve’s Dune aims to capture the scale of the epic novel, with huge battles and even larger sand worms.

In a packed cast that also includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, and many more A-listers, Jason Momoa is playing Duncan Idaho, the swordmaster of House Atreides. Loyal to protagonist Paul, the ducal heir of House Atreides, Duncan is a mentor to Paul and an ambassador to the Fremen, the inhabitants of the the planet Arrakis.

There’s no telling if Villenuve’s Dune will make the hard science fiction of its source material palatable for a wide audience, but Momoa has had success in parts tied to beloved novels before, and there’s no doubt he’ll make Duncan Idaho into something memorable on screen.

Aquaman and the Last Kingdom

In theaters Dec. 16, 2022

Production has begun on the second Aquaman film, but the plot of the Jason Momoa-starrer mostly remains obscured in murky water. However, returning director James Wan has provided an intriguing update that references a cult classic 1960s Italian horror film as its main source of inspiration.

“Aquaman 2 is very heavily inspired by Planet of the Vampires,” Wan recently told Total Film. “You can take the boy out of horror but you can never take the horror out the boy.” 

But does the cult-classic Mario Bava sci-fi film about spaceships haunted by mysterious alien lifeforms fit into the underwater superhero aesthetic of Aquaman? Wan thinks the fans will roll with it.

“Well, the first movie took a lot of people by surprise, right?” Wan said. “And that’s partially because they were not familiar with the comic book, which deals in this very lurid, strange world. People were taken aback that I didn’t throw all that stuff away and make a dark, heavy film. But I didn’t feel that would have been right for it. So, with the second film, I feel it will be easier for people to accept where we go because I’ve already laid the foundation.”

We’ll see exactly where Wan, Momoa, and company will go when Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom hits theaters on Dec. 16, 2022.

The Last Manhunt

Release Date TBD

Filming on this Western has been completed for some time, and the movie was set to premiere Aug. 27 at Pioneertown International Film Festival before the event was delayed by the surging COVID-19 Delta variant.

Jason Momoa exec produced and has a story credit on The Last Manhunt, which is based on true events. According to the synopsis, the film follows a Native American cowboy known as Willie Boy, who was chased into the hills by a sheriff’s posse in 1909 after Willie Boy fell in love with a woman named Carlota. Carlota’s father, a Chemehuevi shaman and local tribal leader, refused to let the young couple be together, and in a fatal confrontation, Carlota’s father was killed by an accidental gun shot and the young lovers fled to the sun enslaved Mohave desert.

The film was shot near where the actual events took place and local tribes were recruited to appear in the movie as extras or stand-ins. Momoa, who was originally onboard to direct but had to back out due to other commitment, was said to have fallen in love with the story and was insistent on getting the input of tribal members. The story was adapted to film once before in Robert Redford’s Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here.

The film stars Martin Sensmeier as Willie Boy, Mainei Kinimaka as Carlota, and Momoa appears In a brief role as Big Jim. Directed by Momoa’s See costar Christian Camargo, The Last Manhunt currently does not have a scheduled release date.

Slumberland

TBD 2022

From Hunger Games franchise director Francis Lawrence, Slumberland is a live-action adaptation of the comic book series Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay. Taking a gender-flipped approach to the source material, Slumberland tells the story of a young girl (Marlow Barkley) who discovers a secret map to the dreamworld of Slumberland, and with the help of an eccentric outlaw, she traverses through dreams and flees nightmares, with the hope that she will see her late father again. Guess who will be playing that eccentric outlaw.

No, you’re not dreaming—that’s Jason Momoa with a full set of horns. Here’s a sneak peek behind the scenes at SLUMBERLAND, a new adventure story about an eccentric outlaw (Momoa) who guides a young hero (Marlow Barkley) through a secret dreamworld. Coming to Netflix in 2022. pic.twitter.com/QZIaQbk7HM

— NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm) April 6, 2021

Momoa looks wonderful sporting big horns and extravagant outfit. His character, Flip, is described as a “nine-foot-tall creature that is half-man, half-beast, has shaggy fur, and long curved tusks.” They’ve certainly have got the man for the job.

Slumberland will also feature Weruche Opia, India de Beaufort, Kyle Chandler, and Chris O’Dowd rounding out the ensemble cast.

Cliffhanger

(TBD)

A female-led reboot of Sylvester Stallone’s Cliffhanger is in the works from director Iranian-American filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour.

Speaking to Deadline, Amirpour said, “I instantly knew the elements of the story I wanted to tell. There’s a special place in my heart for an action-survival movie. I’ve always been attracted to the theme of mountain climbers who, like filmmakers, have a certain madness to them. I love genre and fantasy and in this type of survival film you’re playing with real fear.”

“We are setting out to create a thrill-ride on the mountain which taps into the primal side of an action movie, where you see what a person is capable of doing to survive in the most extreme situations, pushed to the limits,” she continued. “Add to that some high-stakes espionage and a badass female mountain climber as the lead and it becomes a truly epic reinvention of what made the original Cliffhanger movie so fun and so thrilling.”

There’s no word on casting for the female lead, but Momoa is said to be involved in the film, with at least a cameo planned for the actor. Momoa confirmed as much with a post on his Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies)

Untitled Momoa-Dave Bautista Buddy Cop Movie

TBD

What started as a text exchange between two frequent co-stars has now become a public promise: we are going to get a Jason Momoa/Dave Bautista buddy cop film at some point.

After Bautista tweeted about the idea, Momoa took things even further by going on The Late Late Show with James Corden and expanding on the idea.

“[Bautista] literally texted me four days ago, going, ‘We need to do a buddy cop film,’” Momoa told Corden. “We love each other. We are on See and Dune together. And I said, ‘Absolutely.’ And he said, ‘Let’s do it in Hawaii.’ And I said, ‘Let’s do it. I have an idea.’ So it’s off to the races now. We’re doing it.”

“It sells itself, bro,” he continued. “Dave loves wearing Speedos. I love wearing board shorts. And both of us with our shirts off. He’ll be grumpy and I’ll be charming. Boom. It sells itself, bro. I have the hair. He doesn’t have hair. We cover all the demographics.”

Obviously this project is in a very early stage, but Momoa is right — this thing sells itself. Sign us up for opening day tickets, please!

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[topazshadowwolf]

False Hope (Chapter 4)

After the human left the underground, Sans is left trying to piece his life back together with those who remain. As time goes on, decisions are made about what monster kind should do next, and how best to escape to the surface. But if they do get there their freedom, what will happen?

Written by: Topaz Shadowwolf Undertale Fan fiction Undertale is owned by Toby Fox

Heads up: Soriel, Sans POV, my goal in writing this is to poke at your emotions Warnings: Major character death, implied suicide, homicidal thoughts, don’t expect a happy ending

AO3 On Tumblr: Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3

I know it’s been a while, and sorry about that, but then, I have posted several stories. So, I guess I’m not that sorry. Anyway, there should just be two more chapters.

False Hope: Chapter 4

Displaced

I guess I should have been angry at myself for, y’know, letting them down like that. I mean, they were my friends, brother, and… well, heh… Anyway, I didn’t feel angry at myself about it at the time. I was already angry at myself about other things. So, I just turned that feeling to the person I was already, uh, ‘enraged’ with.

That’s more of an Undyne word, but, mad doesn’t describe how I felt anymore. I want revenge, and don't really care how I get it.

Back to what I was talking about, well, I wasn’t thinking clearly enough to understand what all was going on with me. I mean, was I going crazy? Was I just obsessed? But, I think anyone would be angry in my situation… heh, the whole remainder of the underground is.

I feel like I’m getting off track.

The point is, I displaced any additional bad feelings on the same target. It was just easier that way, and you know me. The less work the better.

So, my thoughts turned to how I could beat Undyne to the human who murdered my brother and… tori.

Getting the spiders on my side was easy enough, I’d bought enough donuts from them over the years that they knew me. So, I convinced them to be my spies. Sure, I could trace high LOVE like Undyne. Figuring out how to do that took a while, and I found a way. But that is slower than a webwork of spiders. Especially when the spiders wanted revenge themselves, and would rather see me be the winner at the end verses Undyne.

 ---

 Flowey never bothered him again, and Sans was fine with that. And he quickly figured out, that if he kept his thoughts from being so dark, his ghosts or visions wouldn’t reflect that. It wasn’t easy, because he wanted nothing more than to kill that human who murdered them; but, he knew that he didn’t want to see… that… ever again.

When he did want to plot his revenge, he would make some excuse to them about why he wanted to be alone. It was clear Toriel wasn’t buying it, and Papyrus had caught on too. Sans wasn’t sure about Alphys, but she wasn’t an idiot, she most likely knew.

As for crafting Undyne’s weapons, well, that took some more effort. More than he really cared to put into the project. But at least he had a good starting point. His own Gaster Blasters seemed like something that could be recreated and altered for the use of other monsters. When he presented the idea to Undyne, she jumped off her throne, grabbed Sans up by his ribcage, and spun him around while telling him what a ‘wonderful nerd’ he was. When she did finally set him down, he needed a moment before moving as the room was still spinning.

Once he got back to the lab, and employees, he got to work. He really didn’t like having staff hanging around. It was nice for bouncing ideas off someone, but he’d rather just do that with Alphys. More than once now, when he thought he was alone with the late scientist, someone else would interrupt and ask if he was okay.

Sans always answered that he was, but a few times he wanted to say “you just caught me talking to someone you can’t see. what do you think?” While Toriel did agree that would be funny, she still chided him, telling him not to take his anger out on them. She reminded him that they are only trying to help. And, of course, his brother agreed. Naturally, he didn’t want to let them down more than he already had, so he behaved.

Alphys was far better at this than he was, or any of the new guys. It just frustrated him more that she was so underappreciated. And though he doubted her cameras would come in use, he still left them per her request, just in case. Which turned out to be a good decision.

“SANS?” Papyrus spoke up. Sans had been working with Alphys in his office, figuring out how to adapt Blaster magic he had into something others could use.  The two were on a roll, but he didn’t consider Papyrus an interruption. Papyrus was his younger brother, and important. Paps could never been an interruption, just an interlude from his current thoughts.

“yeah, bro?” Sans asked, turning to look as his brother.

“ISN’T THAT A HUMAN?” Papyrus was pointing a finger at one of the monitors. On the screen, sure enough, was a human child.

“O-oh, yes Papyrus, that is a h-human. S-sans, maybe you should i-inform U-Undyne?” Alphys replied.

Sans just sat there staring at the monitor. What did this mean? That was a different human, a new one, not the one with dust on their hands. Could a reset happen how? Was getting things back to normal now hopeless?

“Sans, dear,” Toriel was there, hugging him. It wasn’t fair. He wanted to really hug her back. To REALLY feel her warmth, and not this false reality that either his mind imagines or these specters are able to project.

“thanks, tori,” Sans finally said, reaching for his phone.

“I AGREE WITH ALPHYS. WE SHOULD INFORM UNDYNE, CAPTURE THE HUMAN, AND THEN… MAKE FRIENDS?”

“sounds like a good idea, bro. why don’t you stay here while i work on that, huh?” Sans said while not looking up. He quickly found Undyne in his contacts and typed out a message.

 *human just left ruins.

 “Sans, what are you planning?” Toriel asked, she was giving him a I-know-something's-up look. But he did his best to ignore it.

“i’ll be back, alright?” And with that Sans took a shortcut to the woods just outside the ruins. He could see the child further on down the path, tentative, scared, and hesitant with each step. Sans was fine with this. Their LV was still low, not a speck of dust on them, so they must’ve gotten through the Ruins without killing a thing. Shame really. Well, if he caught the human off guard, killing it will be easy and unavoidable. His attack maybe weak, but a target with their defenses lowered is easy to kill.

He’ll just approach them, all friendly like, wait for them to shake his hand, then end it.

“Sans! You promised!” Toriel apparated in front of him.

The human was getting closer, and while kiddo can’t hear Toriel, Sans would be heard. Not wanting to give himself away, he kept his voice hushed, “tori, the last human killed you. shouldn’t that nullify the promise?”

“Does it?” she asked in that stern tone that leave Sans knowing the answer.

No, according to her, or some subconscious part of his mind, he was still under contract of that promise. Sans shoved his hands in my pockets and sighed, “fine, but undyne is just going to kill the kid anyway, y’know.”

“WHY WOULD UNDYNE DO THAT?” Papyrus asked from behind, surprising Sans.

“bro!” Sans winced and looked over at the human, the boy didn’t notice he was here; yet, seem to have heard something. “pap, what are you doing here?” Sans tried to demand the best he could in a whisper.

“I KNOW YOU SAID I SHOULD STAY AT THE LAB, BUT WHEN TORIEL LEFT, FOLLOWED BY ALPHYS, I THOUGHT MAYBE I SHOULD TOO.”

“al?” Sans looked around, and there was Alphys, hiding behind a tree, watching the human.

“Sans, please, the human hasn’t hurt anyone, don’t let Undyne hurt him,” Toriel pleaded.

“she’s queen, tori, there’s only so much i can do,” Sans rubbed his skull, feeling frustrated. To add to all this his cell phone made a ‘dinging’ sound and he took it from his pocket to look.

There was a message from Undyne, and he remembered he let her know about the human. Of course, he did that with the intent on beating her here, dispatching the human himself, and leaving before she arrived. But of course, that wouldn’t be good enough for the dead. Now he was staring at a message from Undyne.

 *WHERE IS IT?! I’LL TAKE CARE OF IT!

 “Sans, please?” Toriel pleaded.

“I… I NORMALLY AM ONE TO AGREE WITH UNDYNE, BUT ON THIS MATTER, I DON’T THINK MURDERING THE HUMAN IS A GOOD IDEA,” Papyrus added.

“alright, alright… just… just give me a moment to think,” this was going to give him one nasty skullache. If not just dealing with the specters, then hearing Undyne yelling at him, for protecting the human, will finish him off.

“I… I-I, um, have an i-idea, if y-you want to h-hear it, that is,” Alphys said quietly, as if they human could hear her.

Sans phone dinged again, it was Undyne, he opted to ignore the message for now, and looked to Alphys, “what’s your idea, al.”

“M-maybe, you should s-say you n-need the human, to, um, s-study it’s s-soul?” Alphys said, or more accurately asked.

After some thought, Sans shook his head, “it is a nice idea, al. but that doesn’t say why i need him alive. we could easily just-”

“Sans, please, I don’t want to hear it,” Toriel said, looking distraught.

“I-I only studied the souls, a-and I n-never got far,” Alphys again tried, “m-maybe we c-could get further with a l-living human s-specimen?”

Sans phone dinged twice in a row, looking at the messages it was clear Undyne was getting impatient with the wait. It was the best he had at the moment, so he nodded to Alphys while typing, ‘wait, i have an idea that you won't like.”

It took some convincing, and Undyne yelling at him later, but the human was now safe in the lab, munching on popato chisps. Indeed, his earlier assessment was correct, as Sans’ skull hurt so much it was making him nauseous. But, at least, Toriel and Papyrus were happy, Alphys as well. The late scientist hasn’t shut up about how cool and unique this “human specimen” is, and wondering what new “human histories” they had seen.

“Sans! P-play some anime f-for the human!” Alphys was practically squealing with excitement.

“alright, just keep it down,” Sans shuffled over to the human, who was staring at him with a suspicious look. Fine, whatever, let the human think he was weird, and talking to himself. He didn’t care anymore. All he wanted to do was take something for his skull and lie down.

“come on, got something for you to watch,” Sans said, offering a hand for the kid to hold.

The human, not wanting to fall for the same trick twice, looked at the hand for a whoopee cushion first. Seeing it was clear of a repeat of practical jokes, the kid took his hand and they walked from that room to another. “okay, here ya go, here’s a blanket and pillow if you get tired too. i’ll be one room over sleeping, if you need me,” the human just stared at him, silently. “you following?” Finally, a nod, good.

“Oh, oh! H-how about this one, i-it is a good children’s a-anime, so is this one,” Alphys said, pointing out several video tapes.

“hey kid, you know how to work one of these?” Sans glanced at the human who again nods.

“cool, so, uh, i’m just going to set out a few, only watch them, alright?” he asked without looking at the human. Alphys pointed out her suggestions and he grabbed them, glancing at the covers only briefly, and he was happy he did. One of them looked… questionable at best. Shooting Alphys a dark glare, he set it back, “not that one. besides, that’s more than enough tapes.”

He asked the kid which they wanted to watch first from the stack, but only got a shrug. With a sigh, he grabbed one of the tapes and put it in, “there you go, kiddo.”

Once alone he downed some pills for the pain and curled up in his makeshift bedroom, pulling the covers over his head to block out as much light as possible. As to how much agonizing time went by he had no idea, but his phone dinged. Cursing under his breath he reached for it to check. Great, Undyne wanted him.

Getting out of bed, he checked to see how the kid was doing. They seemed fine, so he told himself not to worry. Taking a shortcut to the throne room he found Undyne sitting there waiting for him.

“Sans, you sure you need the human alive?” She asked for…

“for the sixteenth time, yes, i do. if anything, a living human is easier to get determination from than just a soul,” and that was a load of bull. Souls are much easier to harvest, but he doubted Undyne knew that.  “is that the only reason you asked me here?” He asked, though sounded more like a whine at the end.

“No, I wanted to talk to you at the barrier about what I have planned so far.”

With a shrug, Sans started walking in the opposite direction, “see you there,” he said. She started to protest, but he didn’t care right now. The less actual walking he had to do, the better. Once in the room he regretted his decision.

His eye sockets widened at the forlorn sight before him. Mighty but broken, intimidating yet beaten, Asgore stood there, looking down at Sans with sorrow and unending regret. Unsure what to do, Sans shifted back towards the exit.

“heh, h-hey there,” Sans started.

“Howdy, Sans, sorry things turned out this way,” Asgore said. Even dead, the boss monster towered over Sans. Seeing him here was a surprise, catching Sans off guard. Normally, he would have been able to shrug this off, yet, he couldn’t help feeling the late king was disappointed, or angry with him.

“uh, yeah, but, that was not something…,” he was going to say, ‘we could have predicted’, but that was a lie. He saw it coming in the old research. Maybe not fully, and this ending being the end, per say, but, it was all there.

“I failed as a king,” Asgore sighed, “But Sans, don’t let your hate blind you as it did me.”

“y-yeah, okay, sure,” Sans said, backing up again, this time bumping into something that caused him to jump.

“Sans? Are you alright? Geez, what’s wrong?” Undyne asked, forming a spear in her hands while looking around.

“it’s uh,” Sans said, looking back over at Asgore.

“My poor Undyne, I’m so sorry I left you like this,” Asgore said, reaching for his adopted daughter, who could never hear or see him again.

“heh, sorry, but, yeah,” Sans said and left the room, taking a shortcut in the process. Undyne yelled something after him, but that was lost as he disappeared. He sat in Waterfall, huddled in a dark room, save for the false stars above and the glowing flowers around him. His phone started dinging with messages from Undyne, and he silenced it, just wanting to be left alone.

 Closing notes: Again, I want to thank @upperstories for your help. Take care, and good luck!

Since this is so close to finishing, after Soriel Week I plan on trying to wrap this story up.

[drferox]

20 Questions with Dr Ferox #8

My gosh, there’s just so much stuff you vetlings want to know, isn’t there? Well, knowledge is good, so here we go with yet another info dump as I try to answer a big slew of your questions in one hit.

Anonymous said: I sometimes get your patreon emails or an update on your blog while I'm studying/struggling in the wee-hours of the morning (vetmed). I'm in WA, so where-ever you are it's also late/early. What are you doing up in the witching hours?

First of all, I am an AdultTM and as such I am permitted to set by own Bed Time. There are many reasons why you might receive notifications from me so ‘early’.

I have a blog post on queue every morning between 5am and 6am my time (so probably 3am and 4am your time). It goes up automatically, so I can see initial responses before I go to work.

I think Patreon sends its emails at the same time each day, regardless of when I post. I certainly don’t type there early in the morning.

Sometimes I’m on nightshift and can get kinda bored at 3am sometimes.

Sometimes I just can’t sleep, especially with the changing day/night cycles.

Most of the blog runs on queue, honestly. At least three posts a day do.

@banesidhe said: Just happened to discover your blog. Thank you so much for posting like you do (even the snark. I'm a 911 dispatcher, I appreciate the snark ;) ), and sharing your experiences. No vet question, but if you could only ever re/read five books for the rest of your life, which five titles would make your cut?

Ah, I have found many similar people to myself among emergency personnel. There’s a particular combination of gallows humor and wishing people would get to the point that unites us.

For fiction books:

Feral, Kerry Greenwood

The Shepherd’s Crown, Terry Pratchett

Monstrous Regiment, Terry Pratchett

Watership Down, Richard Adam

Good Omens, Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

Hmm, bit of a trend there.

But the work books I couldn’t live without are:

Plumb’s Veterinary Drug Handbook

The 5 minute veterinary consult, Dog and Cat Edition

Ettinger’s Textbook of Internal Medicine, Expert Consult

BSAVA Rabbit Medicine & Surgery Handbook

Small Animal Surgery, Fossum.

Anonymous asked: what was the most exotic/rare patient youve ever had?

This fat meerkat.

Anonymous said: My dog is a shelter dog and we suspect she was abused before we got her (afraid of E V E R Y T H I N G) and weve been slowly working on getting her to at least ignore people we walk past or that enter the house and thats been making progress. But she hates the vet. Hates it. Gets in my lap and refuses to leave. New dogs people and smells. So her normal vet takes the approach of having one of us hold/console her while they do all the poking and listening and whatnot and muzzling her if they need to and just getting it done as quickly as possible. But this last time she saw a new vet and this vet took the approach of hand-feeding her almost an entire bag of treats and called it "stress-eating" and tbh you should have seen the look on my dogs face. She was so weirded out. Shes highly food motivated so it was like heaven to her but she was simultaneously very suspicious. Her face was like"i love this but idk if i trust it" it was great.Have a greatday!

If you an reinforce the behaviour by arranging frequent, short visits to the vet clinic where nothing happens but lots of treats, she may start to associate the vet clinic with positive things (food) ad no scary things. This might make the rest ofher life easier.

Anonymous said: I own fancy rats and just want to put out there to people, that while they are THE MOST amazing tiny friends, in my experience most vets are completely lost when it comes to their care & several I've seen refused to even touch my exceptionally friendly females. They often get respiratory infections requiring antibiotics. One of my friend's females passed away bc nobody would perform a simple surgery on her. So please be cautious when buying them. 

I would like to suggest that any surgery on a rat is likely to be not simple, because they do have particular anesthetic requirements that can make their recovery difficult. Also that a lot of traditional rat medicine hinges on using post mortem examination as a diagnostic tool, which is not useful at all with pet rats.

In dog and cat medicine most of our equipment and even medications are not suitable for rats, or very difficult to adapt. We simply have fewer options, and generally less experience with these species Most vets I know will attempt to treat them, but with a great big disclaimer saying I don’t do this often, and a quick question as to whether you’d prefer to go to a nearby clinic that does see rats more often.

Anonymous said: Hello, I recently took in 3 abandoned kittens and they're covered in fleas. They appear to be 6 weeks old and can't use meds or wash for them. I clean them with vinegar and dish soap and I was wondering if you knew of any other ways to help them since they hate getting wet. I also use a comb but they dislike that as well.

You can use capstar on kittens from 4 weeks of age, and Revolution from 6, probably earlier. Talk to your vet.

Anonymous asked: Strange question but do you know if that rage syndrome thing can happen in cats also? I know a cat who does that and also acts strangely in general at the same time?

It is not documented in cats, however Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome may present in a similar way.

Anonymous said: Hey doc! I plan on getting my cat fixed soon and I'm worried about how it'll affect her. She's really skittish and prefers to stay in one room, could getting her fixed make it worse?? I guess like what are the possible behavioral effects is what I'm askin? For the qt: ive been here a while i just dont like or reblog stuff but i came for the vet knowledge and stayed for it too, especially the mythical creatures and dog breed info

She is probably not going to have any long term personality changes from being desexed, though might be out of sorts for a few days after the anaesthetic. If anything they tend to be less stressed because they’re not attracting Toms.

Another Anonymous said: My kitten was neutered yesterday and he's doing great, healing well, playing nonstop, remarkably agile despite the e-collar (navigating small spaces, jumping to high places), eating & drinking well. The vet didn't give us any aftercare instructions but I googled it -- and wish I'd done so before the surgery because I could've prepared better. A lot of it seemed obvious in hindsight but nothing I'd have thought of on my own. Do you have a flier or anything for your patients' humans? 

We send our patients home with aftercare instructions. We have a default one that we print for routine surgery like desexing, and a customized one for non-routine procedures.

We also read it out to our clients when they pick up their pet, and point out that all these instructions are written down, because it’s easy to forget details when you’re worried.

Anonymous asked: I have a question! I saw your desexing cats post and thought I might send it to you. I neutered my male cat but he still sprays and tries to roam the neighborhood. I try to keep him inside best I can. Is there a reason this happens?

It may be stress, but you should consult your vet to rule out any underlying urinary tract issue before assuming so. Your vet should be able to discus the various stress reducing techniques, changes and treatments that are available.

Anonymous asked: Whenever my roommate wakes up before me, she makes bacon for breakfast while the coffee is brewing. If she hasn't slept well, her coherence is sometimes a bit... lacking. If our cat happens to demand food, about half the time she ends up giving him a slice of bacon instead of cat food. We only recently figured out that she's been doing this. He's not getting fat, and gets actual cat food later, so is this OK, or do we need to try to figure out how to keep this from happening?

While bacon is certainly digestible, it is not a balanced diet. It would be ideal if you could minimize his bacon habit.

@nowgovanish said: Hello! I have a question about my 13 and 4 year old cats. They seem to have some pretty bad skin reactions to certain foods, and I've tried a lot of different food brands that my vet reccommended. The one that seems to work best is a grain free/ non chicken variant, but I see that you aren't a huge fan of grain free. Is there anything I should change or try sticking with what works?

I have said many times before that if it’s working, keep feeding it.

Novel protein diets, and ideally single proteins source diets, are more use for allergies than just going ‘grain free’.

‘Grain Free’ labelling on food particularly vexes me because it’s not regulated. You can find ‘grain free’ food that really mean ‘corn free’ and either use grain byproducts or straight up use rice. Last time I checked, rice was a grain.

It’s like ‘Hollistic’ - it means nothing on a pet food label. Neither does ‘Organic’, pet food companies do not have to use all organic products in pet food to label the food as organic. These are marketing ploys like ‘all natural’ which are targeting your emotions and don’t mean anything when it comes to the food.

If you’ve come across a novel protein diet, or a minimum ingredient diet, that is beneficial for your cats then stick with it. But recognise what’s marketing and what’s useful.

Anonymous said: I love my dog but he is a complete and total moron. He has strangled himself so often that his bark is now raspy. He even found a way to do it with a harness! We've resorted to jogging when walking him to try and keep up but is there some way to make it better? We've tried letting him learn on his own, pausing when he pulls, and getting a longer leash. If he was much smarter I'd accuse him of being into asphyxiation.

I would suggest that you potentially need to figure out what motivates your dog most. Consider using positive reinforcement to encourage him to heel on the lead, instead of wandering and pulling.

You might also want to consider something like a halti collar, which pulls the dog’s nose downwards to their chest when they pull, instead of something that goes around the neck.

Anonymous: Would you consider it a good generalization that dogs more closely resembling/related to wolves (like huskies) have less health problems? I am aware that no dogs are completely lacking in health problems.  Tax: came for good hard factual analysis.

No. And here’s the thing- all modern dog breeds are equally distant from their wolf-like ancestor, unless they have been recently mixed with wolves again.

Their health problems are different to those dogs with more extreme anatomy, but dogs that look like wolves are not inherently healthier.

@justslowdown said: a book i have discusses the man who created the GSD breed (aka isolated traits from a diverse population) pairing dogs with their daughters, granddaughters, great-granddaughters and onwards til more than 1/2 of the pups had to be culled. due you think this could be partially responsible for the health issues remaining more than a century later? "Very drastic inbreeding was espoused during the formation of the breed [...] to quickly form specific type" - The German Shepherd Dog by Ernest H Hart

Certainly.

This is called line breeding, where the offspring of a ‘perfect’ individual are repeatedly bred back to the same individual generation upon generation to try to recreate it. All you really do is lose genetic diversity very quickly and allow recessive deleterious genes to proliferate in the population.

This is why just about everywhere else that’s not the purebred pet world, this is considered a bad thing to do.

@eyestumblin said: Do you think horses would look significantly different if their wonky anatomy were more logical?

They would no longer be a horse.

@cirque-du-spoon said: I saw you mention sheep on the horse thread and I spent a fair bit of time on a sheep farm in Wales. The head shepherd once told me "sheep are born, they spend the rest of their life trying to die". Then he opened his landrover door, and the passenger footwell was maybe 6 lambs snuggled up to one of his old motherly collies.

The common phrase down here was “The aim in life of a Merino ewe is to die and take fifty of her friends with her.” It’s not really much of an exaggeration.

Anonymous said: I'm intrigued to hear the faults of sheep, lay it on me!

Oh I will. It’s on my list for a big write up.

@queenalia said: Hi! I love the post about why horses make no sense, and I was wondering if you would do a similar one for sheep (one of the most suicidal animals on earth in my opinion)?

It will definitely be done sometime in the next few weeks. As you understand, it’s not  quick answer.

@vulturegeorge said: Hey Dr.F, after reeding your "horses-are-spindily-legged-disasters" post and your comment about how sheep are worse, I was wondering if you wished to elaborate? I am currently working on a heard of 50 random sheep my uni bought with a ton of lung issues ... so it'd be super interesting to me. Question tax: came for the Lucifer story, stayed for all of your amazing advice & opinions. I hope you are finding balance between vetting and living. cheers!

I promise I will elaborate. I can’t leave a cliff hanger like that and not explain... eventually.

[recentanimenews]

The Crunchyroll 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

Hello everyone and Season’s Greetings. My name is Peter Fobian, Associate Features Editor. We here at Crunchyroll know how hard it is to plan out holiday shopping for your friends, family, and loved ones, so we wanted to put together a handy gift guide for the anime-inclined! We’ve separated the gifts into several different sections for varying types of anime fans and included options for different budgets. Whether the person you’re shopping for loves Attack on Titan or Sailor Moon, we’ve got something for them on this list. Light up the fireplace, pour yourself a mug of good nog, and enjoy the Crunchyroll 2017 Holiday Gift Guide!

Gifts for the Shonen Fan

Martial arts, powerful psychic abilities, and Earth-shattering fight scenes—if the person you’re buying gifts for loves these things, here’s the section for you! Here are gifts for the people in your life who love shonen.

For fans of Dragon Ball Super, My Hero Academia, Yu Yu Hakusho

$:Dragon Ball VIZBIG Vol 1

Akira Toriyama’s groundbreaking manga set the stage for modern shonen and the international megahit Dragonball Z. A more light-hearted, simpler look at Goku's adventures with Bulma as a child. The VIZBIG editions of the series offer a lot  for your dollar, collecting several volumes in omnibus with plus-size pages!

$$:Kakashi Military Hoodie

Perfect for running with your arms out behind you, the Kakashi Military Hoodie is great for the Naruto fan in your life who has cold arms. This type of gear is my favorite since it can be worn casually or as lowkey cosplay and acts as a conversation starter for fellow fans.

$$$:One Punch Man

Here we have the collected edition of one of the most popular shonen anime of the past few years, including all 12 episodes and 6 OVAs. One Punch Man’s comedy-heavy take on the superhero genre and amazing fight scenes demand blu-ray quality viewing as we all wait for season 2.

Gifts for the Shojo Fan

For fans of Sailor Moon, Blue Spring Ride, Glass Mask

Do you know someone who loves nothing more than love triangles and flurries of cherry blossoms? Does the sight of magical girl transformations make their heart flutter? Well we’ve got the perfect gifts for you to buy them!

$:Sailor Moon Socks

By the power of the moon, these socks will keep your toes warm during the winter. A perfect accessory for Usagi fans and a great way of buying someone socks for the holidays without the usual accompanying disappointment. With several different patterns, no  one will be able to accuse you of using the same socks every day.

$$:CardCaptor Sakura Figure

With the approach of the Clear Card arc after nearly two decades of hiatus, it’s time to start gearing back up with Cardcaptor Sakura merchandise. Although the series is known for its myriad outfits courtesy of Sakura's best friend Tomoyo, nothing look is more iconic than Sakura in her trademark rollerblades.

$$$:Revolutionary Girl Utena

A genre-defining shojo title whose influence has reached well beyond the anime fandom. Revolutionary Girl Utena broke new ground when it aired in the late ’90s, and our friends at Nozomi are giving it a gorgeous box set fit for a prince. This gift is great for diehard fans, people who you know will fall in love with the series (everyone), and the rings make it perfect for finding your own rose bride.

Gifts for the Manga Reader

“Well, the anime was pretty good, but have you read the manga?” Here are some excellent gift choices for people who have always, always read the manga before watching the anime.

For fans who are reading a ton of manga that still haven't gotten anime adaptation.

$:The Promised Neverland

Although The Promised Neverland has been running in Weekly Shonen Jump for over a year, the first volume just made it to print in the United States this month. I won't ruin the twist, but there is more to this cute-looking series than meets the eye. If I had to provide one common title to compare it to I'd maybe say... 20th Century Boys?

  $$:Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

An influential manga classic, this series was written and illustrated by Hayao Miyazaki himself. The Ghibli movie of the same name only gave you a taste of the greater story which has been collected in this beautiful 2-volume hardback box set. A seminal work and a must-have for manga collectors.

$$$:One Piece volume 1-23 box set

One of the most popular comics in the world, for good reason. One Piece has been running strong for 20 years and just keeps getting better! A perfect balance of action, hijinks, and some of the highest emotional highs of the genre. This set contains the first 23(!!!) volumes of the series and is a great starter pack for anyone looking to build out their collection. More of a briefcase than a box set, it's even got a carrying handle.

Gifts for the Anime Newbie

Anime is more popular than ever before, which means you probably know someone who is just getting started down the rabbit hole of anime fandom. Here are some presents to help you foster the growing anime fan in your life!

For fans who are dipping their toes in

$: Crunchyroll Membership

  Is there any greater gift in the entire world than a Crunchyroll Premium membership? Access to one of the largest anime libraries in the Western hemisphere ad-free and a ton of digital manga—it’s never been easier to get into anime!

$$:Ghibli Bundle - Spirited Away/Princess Mononoke

Ghibli movies are some of the most well known anime to mainstream moviegoers and are responsible for bringing in more than their fair share of dedicated fans. Most of the people I talk to today got their start with either Princess Mononoke or Spirited Away. Now it's easy and affordable to buy them together!

$$$:Your name

Speaking of anime films that made it into the mainstream, Your name has become a global phenomenon and one of the most successful anime features of all time. The opus of science fiction romanticist, Makoto Shinkai is a perfect starting point for blossoming anime fans.

Gifts for the Arthouse Buff

We all have that one friend. You know the one: that person who has an encyclopedic knowledge of anime directors and a top 10 list of shows you’ve never heard of. Well I am that friend, so these gifts are objectively good choices for the arthouse buff in your life!

For fans of Bakemonogatari, The Tatami Galaxy, Yuri Kuma Arashi

$:In This Corner of the World

I'm gonna keep talking about anime films... While it didn’t make the bang that Your name did, In This Corner of the World was one of the best anime films of the same year. A painstakingly researched historic drama five years in the making from industry legend and Santa Claus of anime Masao Maruyama, anyone who loves anime or cinema in general should see this film.

$$:Only Yesterday

Isao Takahata is often overlooked in favor of Hayao Miyazaki, but his directorial work for Ghibli is just as important! Takahata’s 1991 film is a sensitive portrait of a young woman that reaches an impressive level of realism and depth.

$$$:Mob Psycho 100 Limited Edition

From the creator of One Punch Man, Mob Psycho is the Studio BONES given free reign to go wild over the visual medium. This series reached into the far corners of the medium trying out downright experimental animation techniques. It even comes with a spoon to practice your psychic abilities!

Gifts for the Horror Lover

Halloween may be months past, but it’s never a bad time for horror! While these gifts might not be for the faint-of-heart, anyone with a fondness for all things scary will be sure to love them!

For fans of Another, Shiki, Ghost-type Pokémon

$:Happiness

From Suzo Oshimi, the author of Flowers of Evil and Inside Mari, comes a vampire manga that is as horrific as it is beautiful. Tokyo Ghoul fans will find a familiar premise taken in a much darker and introspective direction. 

$$:Tomie

Junji Ito’s works are being collected into beautiful black and white hardback editions and Tomie is one of his most famous, spawning a series of live-action films. This collected edition tells the story of its eponymous character, a mysterious and monstrous beauty.

$$$:When they Cry

Spread across three seasons, When They Cry is a master class in how to do horror right in anime. Suspense and body horror both used to their fullest for the entire series run is now available in one convenient package.

Gifts for the Figure Collector

Anime figures are one of the easiest ways to show your love for a favorite character! This year has seen plenty of great new collectibles, and here are three that are sure to delight the figure fan in your life!

For fans of Figmas, Nendoroids, and everything in between

  $:My Hero Academia Pop! Vinyl Figure

Everyone’s favorite heroes in training plus the symbol of Piece, All-Might, available in Funko Pop! form! Cute, affordable, and, above all else, HEROIC. PLUS ULTRA!!

$$:Breath of the Wild Link Nendoroid

The newest entry in the Legend of Zelda series was hailed by critics and fans as the game of the year when it was first released, and now this version of Link is available as a Nendoroid! Be sure it check out the store page since nendroid never skimps on customizability and accessories!

$$$:Viktor Nikiforov

Yuri’s coach is immortalized in this beautifully realized figure! Viktor’s known for always surprising his fans and your loved one opening a gift to find this figure within will be no exception. A must-have for Yuri!!! on ICE fans. There's also a Yuri version to recreate their duet.

  Gifts for the Gamer

There are anime fans and there are video game fans, but what to buy those who occupy the middle segment of this particular Venn Diagram? Don’t you worry, we’ve got you covered with these gifts that are sure to put please any anime-inclined gamers!

  $:Battle Chef Brigade

Recent digital release for Windows and Nintendo Switch perfect for fans of everything from Food Wars! to Avatar: The Last Airbender. This charming game combines side-scrolling combat with a novel Puzzle Fighter-like cooking system. Hunt monsters and and use their parts to win cooking battles!

$$:Persona 5

One of the greatest videogames of what has turned out to be a stacked year for gaming. Persona 5 did a rare thing by living up to its own hype, delivering one of the most stylish games in recent history, including a great story with attractive characters and fun gameplay.

$$$:Dark Souls the Board Game

It’s the Dark Souls of board games! FROM may be finished with the franchise, but you can invade your friends homes to take on dangerous bosses as a group. It’s all the soul-crushing difficulty of the game except you’ve got a team at your back.

Gifs for the Fashionable Friend

$:All-Might Socks

Your feet are fine now. Why? BECAUSE I’M HERE. AHAHAHAHAHA.

...

Anyways these All-Might socks are really good.

$$:Yuri Katsuki sweatpants

Do you know someone who wants to dress like a professional figure skater while simultaneously harboring a passion for loungewear? These Yuri Katsuki Sweatpants would make a great gift for them! Perfect for lounging around the house and eating pork cutlet bowls.

$$$:Subaru Hoodie

This hoodie is perfect for the person in your life who is willing to try and fail and try again! It’s a gift your loved ones can enjoy again and again… and again… and again...

The holidays are drawing closer but there's still plenty of time to find the perfect gift. As a self-described anime and gift-giving expert, I'm confident this list has just what you need to end the year with a bang and cause the recipients of your gifts to spontaneously start conversations with others about what a great person you are when you're not around. Until next year, good shopping, good buying, and goodbye-ing...

---

Peter Fobian is an Associate Features Editor for Crunchyroll, author of Monthly Mangaka Spotlight, writer for Anime Academy, and contributor at Anime Feminist. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com