got a new tattoo today and it fr does not hurt, I'm gonna get a good grade in tattoos

Positive things I have to say about Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss.

So, with all this bickering I’ve been doing, it probably still seems like I hate Hazbin and helluva, or mainly, any of Viv’s works. I’ll state again that I don’t but, that’s not the point. So far, I’ve said a few things about helluva, a teeny about Viv, and....I don’t think I’ve said much about Hazbin, even though there’s a LOT I have to say. Since there are....sadly very LITTLE things I like about both shows, I’ll just share them now cause I’m bored. Later I’ll talk about a few things that grinds my gears with Hazbin but for now, things I actually LIKE.

HAZBIN HOTEL:

I really like the concept. The concept in fact is the only......well ONE of the only GOOD things to come out of this whole project. As much as I bash around Viv, she does come up with creative and unique ideas for a project that could turn into something truly AMAZING. The concept of redemption is already a hefty subject, it’s a theme not done in a lot of animated adult cartoons, with the only exception being Bojack Horseman. What makes this concept more interesting is that it takes place in hell. So how do you redeem someone who’s already....as some would put it.......gone? It raised the potential maxes to full capacity....it was just.....the execution and writing that messed it all up.

I do like vivziepop’s style, so the style of the show is NOT bad. I haven’t gotten into what I think about the character designs or Viv’s style, but even though I think her style has a LOT of issues and stuff she could improve on, (I’ll elaborate another time) I still like the style of the show. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m glad we FINALLY got an adult cartoon without a realistic style. The pilot is honestly nice to look at........on a...cartoon level I should say, so yeah.

I have to give props to Viv for making her main character relatable....like, really relatable. I relate to Charlie myself, as when I was growling up, I truly cared for the people around me and just wanted to help, for everything to be okay. I feel like a lot of people can relate to her, so good part on that Viv.

All the characters (except for Cherri and Sir Pentious I’m sorry I don’t care for them at all) themselves are interesting. Sure, right now they’re all flat, one note cardboard CUTOUTS with personalities that of a shallow pool, BUT that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in their backstories, and what’s ganna happen with them.

Alastor is the MOST interesting, in fact he’s the second good thing about this whole project. I can’t say he’s my favorite character because I don’t HAVE one but.....not only does he have so much potential, but I love his character concept. I love the whole radio filter thing since he was a radio announcer when he was alive, and I love how he chooses to smile when I ORIGINALLY thought he did simply because his face was stitched up. Even though I have problems with him as well, he has a lot of potential!

I love Tom trench. Remember when I said I didn’t have a favorite character? I lied. It’s Tom. Gas mask boi is adorable and must be protected. Please protect him and love him. He needs it. Okay but in all seriousness, I have hope for Tom as a character. I don’t know if he’ll pop up in the future but he seems like a decent guy, he legit doesn’t seem like a bad person, in fact, I totally see a potential episode in whatever season, where he actually wants to join the hotel and go to heaven, since he seems to be suffering all the time, however he would struggle because he seems manipulated by the people around him. That would be a good idea.

Speaking of Tom, I like Katie as well, in fact, both Katie and Tom were the ONLY enjoyable characters in the entire pilot, sorry not sorry. Hope to see more of them in the future.

HELLUVA BOSS:

The concept is also really good here as well. A show about demons who go to earth to kill people is an amazing idea for a comedy show!

And that’s it. Yeah........even though I could fill a library with everything wrong with Hazbin, helluva is just..........— OOF. 😀

Thanks for reading and I’ll see you soon! 👋💕

Things I Watched/Listened/Read These Past Few Days

So, I had a rather stressful month due to an assignment deadend - things are ok now - and I have decided I would watch or read or listen to any media I could, at least once a day, to cool down.

The movies on this post are the ones I watched to cope with the stress. I will be talking more about them as each of them go, if I liked them or not and etc. This is not a critical post, though, it's more... idk personal.

1. The Secret of Kells

It is Cartoon Saloon's first movie ever. It's story is simple and you may not understand the importance of the Book of Kells without some historical background, but you will be able to enjoy it either way. My favorite scene is when Aisling starts singing and aaaaaaa it's too much. Gorgeous.

My only problem though... was that one black character's design. It seemed too close to the Black FaceTM. I got kinda turned off by it.

2. Wolfwalkers

Yeah, I know, I know I should have watched it in a manner to support the artists the way they deserve to be supported and I really wish I could have done that. Either way, it is a beautifully animated film and to anyone able to afford Apple TV+, I highly beg you to support this movie and watch it. There is a HEART to it, a soul I've been missing in animated movies and only occasionally see.

You may think you figured out the entire plot from the trailers, but there is one aditional plot tied to it involving Mébh and I enjoyed the surprise of it. The movie is beautifully animated, I love the accents the characters have even if I need to force myself more to understand them - you see, I am not a native speaker and always listened more to a 'standard' american accent so hearing irish for the first time was hard. I figured it out though!! Am really proud.

Pleasepleaseplease support this movie is what I'm saying.

3. Ponyo

IT'S SUCH A CUTE STUDIO GHIBLI MOVIE I SHOULD HAVE WATCHED IT SOONER AJSJDJEJEWJD

I wish we could have known more about Ponyo's family, but other than that I really enjoyed seeing what happened on-screen and how it was delivered. It's a cute tale. Manages to be creative and simple at the same time??? Don't expect much more than cute and simple and GORGEOUSLY ANIMATED though

4. The Old Guard

Listen, I know they did it very differently than the comics - but sometimes you just want to see some immortal gays being badass you know :,)

It's hard to point what I love more about the movie. Cinematography, the creative idea (although we should thank the comic writers for that), the characters, their struggles, representation and they even ground the immortality superpower. I don't know how they do that but every action scene is tense even if you know they can not die. You just wonder if they will be ok. I don't know how they did that!

5. Oliver Twist (2005)

I do not know the public reception of this, but I have been curious as to Oliver Twist since I heard of Disney's Oliver and Company inspiration. Therefore, once Prime added it then the oportunity came and I really liked it. I know it is narrated with a humorous tone but I do feel like it's descriptions of the horrors the main character faces were all right, I might as well have learned something.

It follows what many already know as the book - I haven't read it personally, therefore I do not know if it is a trustworthy adaptation - and we have Edward Hardwicke. Just. Edward Hardwicke.

6. The Mystery of the Sleepy Hollow

I did enjoy this movie, doesn't mean I liked everything about it. I did think the main character jumped into conclusions often, as if the script could not decide if he should be competent or incompetent and it really bothered me. I do am a sucker for a mix between horror and mystery, though, and thus did not mind watching this one at Halloween night.

Also, main character passes out at least 4 times in this thing - can you see this is based on gothic literature yet?

THE DECAPITATIONS THO JAIDBEIEMGKEKENFWJW THE BODIES LOOKED LIKE LITTLE AMONG US DEAD CREWMATES SJEKEKWKEKRKEKRKKRKE

7. BBC Radio 4's "A Study in Scarlet"

It's a nice adaptation with many aditional moments that really warm your heart. Reading Holmes being excited is one thing - listening is a whole other and I love how his voice sounds in this one. He speaks fast but it's easy to understand and hIS TONE OF VOICE IS HIGHER THAN YOUR USUAL ADAPTATION, LIKE WATSON CONSTANTLY POINTS OUT IN THE BOOKS

Stamford gets aditional moments aswell, and they are great.

8. Upside Down

I have been curious about this movie since my father watched it back in 2013. I remembered the name and the basic premise for all these years - because I thought it was unique. I never watched it before because I thought it would be a cheesy romance movie bUT-

It has an unique worldbuilding and I love it. I even liked how the camera angles made me kinda umconfy because can you imagine talking to someone who's upside down LMAO. It's world have limits too, and I really appreciate that.

I simply did not understand how can someone get pregnant in Eden's situation but 😳 who am I to question 😳. I also wish Eden could have had more of a presence too, like I wish I could have seen more of her even with her amnesia :( I felt she had one of the weakest characterizations. I wish we could have seen Adam and Eden talking to each other more, seeing they slowly grow into lovers. I also didn't like how much exposition it had as well, like I did not understand the first 5 minutes of the movie at ALL.

Still enjoyed it tho. It's just... kinda average but thats ok i guess

9. Bojack Horseman S04EP09 “Ruthie”

Massive comfort episode! I must have watched Ruthie more than any other Bojack Horseman episode, to be honest.

This episode is just a huge bad day for Princess Carolyn and the way she copes with it and how it is incorporated into the story is... beautiful and tragic. I love Princess Carolyn-centered episodes, and even though this one isn't compared to the trend this series has of making a fantastic Episode 11 for each season, it is still enjoyable and sad. That and I did have a small giggle at the miscarriage jokes, I'm so fucking sorry.

10. Brooklyn 99 Pilot Episode

(Of course this image is not from that episode I just find this scene funny)

I had watched Brooklyn 99 before - but it's been a long time since I've seen the first episode that ever aired. I really enjoyed it and it did make my mother and I chuckle a little bit.

God, I need to keep up with this series again; it's been such a long time since I stopped watching due to stress getting in the way lmao

Part 2 will come as soon as I finish another 10 days 😊

Didja miss my face, ‘cause here it is in excess!  

I’ve been oh so happily living life at home with little erp.  I’m on day four of being solo with her  during the days before Kevin comes home at night (since my mom flew out from California the morning I went into labor 12/20 and stayed until Saturday 1/4, then Kevin went back to school Monday 1/6) and I’m absolutely positively loving it.  I always knew I wanted to be a stay at home mom because work, ugh, and home, yay, but actually getting to be responsible for a little one and cultivate my day around her needs has been both more demanding than expected but also more fulfilling than anticipated.  

The downside?  I don’t get to live this life for too much longer :(  My in-laws are arriving in eight days and staying for ten days then I only have six precious more days at home before I have to go back to work.  Insert all the grieving.  Thankfully, even though I’m going back to work it’ll only be in the office 2-3 days a week for six weeks and working from home the other days.  So it should be an easier transition back while still getting to indulge in more snuggle time.  

Amazingly, we found a woman to watch her out of her home with other children.  Erp will be one of the only infants so hopefully that means she’ll be focused on more than if there were a lot?  I don’t know, I’m extremely conflicted about the entire thing.  I don’t want to have to leave her, especially with a stranger.  Prior to finding this woman (thanks to a friend of a friend’s referral) we have been on five daycare waitlists with no openings projected until maaaaybe late summer so she’s literally my only option right now.  Thankfully, this lady is ridiculously cheap (cue suspicion) but she’s also 30 minutes away so that adds an extra two hours of commuting to my work day.  Uggghhhhh.  But, we do what we have to do, right?  All in all I’m glad we found a place we can afford and I asked for references which came back glowing, so that’s encouraging.  Hopefully it will just be temporary until a spot opens up much closer to home that’s actually a licensed, official facility (even though it’ll be double the cost).  The whole thing sucks and I just want to stay home with erp, but I’m the sole provider until we move for residency so I have no other choice.  (and even when we move, I won’t be allowed to stay home until maaaaybe he’s an attending physician which is still 6-8 years away. Boooooo)

My days consist of breastfeeding (30 minutes), feeding her a bottle (15 minutes), pumping (15 minutes) then putting her down for two hours while I either do productive things around the house or rest/nap.  Then doing it again and again and again.  She’s currently three weeks old today (and today is her due date!!) and she’s already been to the pediatrician five times to continue to check on her weight since she was dropping so much post birth.  As of two days ago she’s finaaaally back up to birth weight so at night instead of waking up every three hours to feed her (three hours from the start of her feeding so only like an hour and a half to two hours of sleep) we’re now allowed to go for five hour stretches!  Although, of course, that is if she’ll sleep that long.  Last night she decided she wanted to revert back to every three hours.  But still, progress!  

I’ve been spending my nursing time keeping very current with all your Tumblr happenings while also speeding through almost the entire six seasons of BoJack Horseman.  I’m enjoying it far more than anticipated since I usually don’t do cartoons, but also finding it waaaaay darker than imagined given its cartoon status.  I’m already sad I’ll soon be out of episodes but apparently the end of season six will drop at the end of January which I’m looking forward to even if I’m not looking forward to the end of January because it means I’ll be going back to work.  

Another thing I’ve been greatly enjoying while being at home is making myself breakfast every day.  Getting to spend the time making eggs, egg sandwiches, breakfast burritos, and anything else I can make over easy eggs on (since I was prohibited from eating runny yolk for nine months during pregnancy).  I haven’t started focusing on weight loss yet since I only recently have been allowed to do anything more than just rest.  The recovery process from this has been longer than anticipated since I expected once I got my body back to myself everything would be back to normal but that has not been the case.  I’ve been on two half hour walks so far and the first one, using a stroller for the first time, wiped me out for the entire rest of the day.  The second one, this morning where I used a baby carrier, went much better!  Hopefully I’ll continue to have energy to do even more things today.  I’m definitely encouraged that today’s walk was more manageable so hopefully I can start integrating these into my days even more and start getting back to longer walks.  I think I like using the carrier more than the stroller, but we’ll see what I end up using more.  Not having to worry about navigating the broken sidewalks with the stroller is definitely a plus.  I’m looking forward to when I’m healed enough to get back to weight lifting but for now, I’m glad I at least have the energy to walk and do all the things around the house. 

Thanks to @81welsh and @healthyontheinside for tagging me for SDS!  Here’s all the pics of my face for your viewing enjoyment.  Tagging @fitness-my-way, @abcd-adventures, and @dungeonsndiapers for your faces should you care to share!  

Also, huge news, I finally booked a haircut appointment for the first time in over two years.  I’ll probably only end up cutting off like two inches, but it’ll be exciting to have less dead ends, especially since I’m rarely taking the time to curl my hair (which hides the split ends) let alone shower and change my clothes.  Definitely living the scrub life up in here.  Although, every day is better and I’m feeling more able to integrate a self care routine into my days which include regularly showering and taking care of myself instead of just erp, Kevin and Saki.  

The Meaning of Death: BoJack Horseman vs. The Good Place by Wisecrack

When they started talking about “all books have endings”, I couldn’t help but think of comic books, going on and on and on.  Before I switched to manga, I read American comic books, americomi.  So it was a shock to me, to get into one of my first favorite manga series and reach its end.  No rolling into new writers, artists, or storylines.  Just “this is the end of the series”.  And yes, it was nice to have a story so cohesive---with repeating motifs, foreshadowings, properly placed milestones of emotional progression, a perfectly unfolded theme(s)---because CLAMP had an ending in mind, even when they gave Rayearth a sequel series.  But when that first series ended, I didn’t know what to do.  Magic Knight Rayearth had taken up so much real estate in my brain’s fangirling, that I didn’t know what to do with it gone. I felt an empty spot, that was pretty big.  And years later, when Ranma 1/2 ended, there was melancholy and loss too.  ...Though, Ranma 1/2′s open-ended  “ending” to the manga felt reassuring, that Ranma and Akane were still out there, up to their antics.  But I think when that manga ended, some small part of me was still a little unsatisfied with the lack of finality.  Though compared to the vast majority of fans, it was a very small part.  I was actually very happy to feel like Ranma and Akane were still out there.  Even if their further adventures were only in our imaginations.  But yeah, it’s got nothing on americomi that has gone on for years and years and decades.  LOL

I watched Bojack but not the Good Place, so I thought I’d stop watching this video before spoilers.  But I don’t think this is even the first video essay on The Good Place, that I forgot to check out of before spoilers.  Whatever.  I used to be immune to spoilers.  My immunity has gone down, but I still feel that a series is as good as the experiences of its moments, vs just knowing what happens in the plot and the end.  I want a series/movie/story that feels good to re-watch, because the individual scenes are good experiences, in and of themselves.  So what do a few little spoilers---like plot points---matter?  lol  

And maybe that explains why I never liked the idea that death gives life meaning.  It sounds like the moment to moment experiences are negated or invalid.  If you’re suffering, it “doesn’t matter” because death will make it end and that will be meaningful in some retroactive symbolic way. If you’re enjoying a moment, then it “doesn’t matter” unless it’s eventually ripped away from you, or you or someone else eventually suffers.  Maybe it’s the suicidal depressive in me that doesn’t like the invalidation of the hells or heavens of each daily, “mundane” moment.  Once my sister and I watched a suicide scene in a movie and she didn’t understand why the character did it because he was happy in his relationship.  I just told her cryptically, “It’s an artist thing.”  Maybe I didn’t want to actually talk about the fear of good moments turning bad or wanting to seemingly stay in good moments by making life cut off right there.  Not that I agreed with the character. (Personally, I think death/suicide is for ending and resting from the never-ending suffering that is existence.)  He could have continued on, having many more good moments, he couldn’t have possibly imagined with his significant other.  My sister was right.  Death doesn’t give anything meaning.  It’s like what dream-Herb said in Bojack Horseman, “It’s just your brain trying to make sense of things.”  That’s just what human brains do.  But the comforting interpretations of people left behind doesn’t make anything better or worse for the person who had the actual experiences.  Maybe my problem with the idea  “can’t enjoy anything without it eventually ending” (or even “no light without darkness and no good without evil”), is because it probably plays into the same anxious insecurity that I have to deal with in real life.  I’d like to be able to feel secure in good things/experiences staying and not being called “invalid” unless it has an end in sight.  I’d much prefer for things to evolve.  Even if they transition so much that they’re no longer recognizable from the original, then at least each state was gradual and the necessary fit for each corresponding situation.  I’d prefer that good moments be appreciated, instead of being told they’re invalid unless they have an ending.  And I’d prefer bad moments stop, vs being told it has meaning, like the universe giving you “tough love” so you can learn to become “stronger” or whatever.  Sometimes shitty situations/feelings are just shitty.  And anyway, there’s no guarantee that everyone reacts the same enough to predict whether “tough love” will yield a “toughened up spirit” or a traumatically scarred mentality; the only certainty is that the dispenser of “tough love” is being callous, discompassionate, and often trying to make excuses to “allow” such abuse.  If there’s anything that’s given me the closest understanding of objecting to “the ends justify the means”, it’s my objection to the implication that the day-to-day daily moments don’t matter unless Death.  Like Cloud said in FF7AC, “There’s nothing that isn’t important.” 

Though I can be a little bit of a nihilist about life never having any inherent meaning, I actually just like the ideas that life can be given meaning and that there’s nothing cheap about that manufactured meaning.  (Who told that allegory about a man-made fire to sit by, being just as good as a fire that came out of no where?)  Even though I haven’t watched The Good Place, I like a lot of stories/series about immortality, my Personal Myth uses it a lot in Thought Experiments, and I do like muddling over such themes accompanying immortality.  I feel, just like a truly enjoyable movie/series/manga, the value is in the experiences of scenes and moments.  So what if you already have experienced everything for yourself and know how everything is going to end or know what patterns are going to repeat forever?  You don’t know what a moment feels like to someone else.  One of the tragic failings of language is that humans will still never be able to communicate their exact experiences to each other, no matter what the means of conveyance.  Anything short of a psychic hive mind is still inadequate communication, even that could be considered a singular being who doesn’t know how to communicate to other entities.  (Not without some trial and error, like in Eureka 7.)  It would be just the same as like individual humans to individual humans.  But maybe I just find an unusual amount of value and joy in experiencing things by proxy or from the outside.  Maybe it’s because I’m oversensitive and the bluntness of actually having first-person experiences is too intense for me.  But I enjoy watching someone else having an experience or even just imagining how they experience something, even if I myself have experienced it a zillion times.  Like when I watch an anime I already saw, in a video room with other people at a convention, or listen to reaction videos of a scene or movie I’ve already seen.  No matter how jaded I’ve become to the event, watching someone else have an experience and me trying to imagine what it must feel like for them, reminds me of how I felt when I first experienced the same thing.  But not just a recall; rather, the feelings actually re-manifest as a full emotional experience in and of themselves.  Not just a recollection of events in a plot.  Of course, a whole group of immortals jaded with their own experiences could become too dependent and addicted to the need for fresh people to have experiences for them to re-experience things freshly, by proxy...  ^.^;  There’s just something irrevocably new each time, to dealing with someone who isn’t already experienced with everything.  And all because no matter how jaded and “been there, done that” you’ve become, you still have to be kind and empathetic to other people.  Like when I was a teacher’s aid for 3 year olds, for 6 years.  I wonder if empathy is the reason why watching someone else’s experience, second-hand, by proxy, can be just as intense as a first-hand experience.  I wonder if the writers of The Good Place or all the philosophers cited would have had the notion that “once you’re jaded to your own experiences, there’s nothing else to experience”, if they were neuroatypical?  Where any of them HSPs?  And I don’t think that using other people as proxies for reinvigorating re-experiences is the only use of inexperienced people.  I think that genuinely caring for their emotions, not knowing what they’re going to do when you interact with them, having hopes that they’ll experience things well, and adjusting your interactive tactics to help guide them to good experiences, is instinctually emotional each time.  Or maybe my brain is just weird to care too much whenever someone is standing in front of me in real life.  But I really don’t think it’s just me.  As proof, there’s a lot of problems in the world caused by people ONLY caring about people in front of them in real life, so it can’t be that uncommon.  So then why get so jaded after depleting your own experiences?  Am I saying that mentorship is the “ultimate answer”?  lol  I dunno. But it would explain why people like raising children, even children not their own, when working as teachers.  In my Personal Myth, my main character is spiritually dying inside because she’s immortal and life is a never-ending hopeless trudge, that she no longer has the Strength to improve.  So she hopes instead for death, as a lazy way out.  But continually, new people she meets, and new experiences with old people she’s met before, keep pointing to the answer being to return to the Fight, the everyday battle to continuously improve.  After all, even in the jaded mindset, apparently perfection is still unattainable, because even complacency and satisfaction can spoil into stagnation.  So the answer was in the “martial arts anime” genre all along.  That must be why it always rung true enough for me to encounter it again, seeing the same tenants repeated in the artist community.  “Continual self-improvement”, “compare to your past self, not to others”, “progression is only measured by your own path, not someone else’s years of experience or natural talent”, “fear stagnation and complacency”, “be more concerned with self-improvement vs aggrandizing your ego”,  “recognize the True Strengths of Compassion vs Power”, etc.  Whether art or in anime martial arts, existence is a never-ending battle, constantly teetering on the edge of falling, then gritting your teeth to climb back up, again and again.  There’s always so much to do in existence, how can any humans get bored?  Maybe being jaded is less about having nothing new left to experience or do.  Maybe it’s more about being too tired to contract and expand to adjust to other people? Or just being too tired to overcome the fear that nothing will be different, no matter what you do or what happens, enough to stop trying?  Maybe I’m just falling into human cliches to value Evolution.  Or maybe that’s just the necessary value of anything living.  “Sometimes life is a bitch, but then you keep living,” to paraphrase what Diane said in Bojack Horseman.  Believing that Living and being truly Alive has to be about constantly evolving, both spiritually and mentally, is probably necessary for my survival as a living being.  Evolved into instinct, out of necessity.  

Good Stuff: Final Space (Part 2)

WARNING: Keep an eye on your bottle while on the road. Thank you, take care out there, and enjoy. Part 1 Review

In Space, You have no Time to Rest

You ever feel like Final Space is that odd one is out in adult television? One’s that captivating and compelling but isn’t as popularized as say Bojack Horseman or.... Rick and Morty? Not saying it isn’t a popular show but it just feels like it doesn’t have that widespread appeal the likes of Breaking Bad and R&M got almost instantly when they first aired. It’s strange, but not bad. Final Space captured audiences with it’s great use of thrills and gravitas, but does its second season live up to that, bringing the ceiling up more so than the first?

Especially before the rest of Fall 2019 just... shags us in four different directions

Well, it’s a good start that our hero Gary Goodspeed is thrust back into action immediately after both winning and losing the fight he never wanted to be in. And throughout the season, as happy-go-lucky as he can appear, there’s a looming sense of restlessness that lies in Gary’s willingness to go along with saving the universe if it not only means there’s a chance to do things right, but potentially get back Quinn, the love of his life. Reunited with old friends, and now bunked with new friends (& Clarence), Gary trudges on knowing if he doesn’t, the weight of everything that happened before will catch up to him. I’ll express this a little later, but I wanted to share my two problems with this season.

Number one: I never liked Todd. Nuance be damned, fuck this Todd in particular.

Keep in mind that to me this season was honestly better than the first, and it’s less that there were any bad moments but more of there being cheapened moments. Certain scenes and episodes make you wish that more could’ve been added on to it, like they had to cut moments out to avoid going overtime. The former half of the season especially feels like they had to dash through plot points in order to strengthen the latter half that suffers the same here and there but feels a lot more focused. I could blame Clarence’s involvement (lack there of) as the reason but as annoying as he was, I can’t deny that he offered levity in good doses. That and his exit in the story was meaningful and cathartic in every way.

Honestly, every new character was pretty momentous in their own way

But when it comes to Gary’s adventure over the season, I say it’s enjoyably messy. It’s more episodic, but the variety of it all was fun. The bond the crew has felt gradual and lovely and perfectly works off the show’s notable themes of working through loneliness. My favorite part would have to be the dynamic between Little Cato and Gary where while their bond in the first season was established, the second season not only solidified it but made it stronger when Avocato is brought back. I wouldn’t have liked how death felt cheap in this series since bringing Avocato would’ve kind of undermined the 1st season, but I can say that it didn’t feel cheap as not only did everything come together in the end, Little Cato finding joy not only getting his father back but now having Gary as his caring and trusting surrogate felt satisfying. That’s generally how I’d describe this season: messy yet satisfying.

Gary especially made every episode work with his amazing character progression

Overall, this was a great step forward from the first season. It took its risks and while things could’ve been done better, I can’t say it’s all a detriment scaled against the good that came from it all. Like I said in my previous review, it has that Space Dandy feel to it, but now it’s handled it all in a... mature way if I say so myself. And while there weren’t any porgs, I’ll gladly let it slide this time. Here’s to a potential season three pulling no punches.

4.5 out of 5. A Great Galactic Thrill Ride.

So I just finished watching half an episode of Big Mouth and I wish I could write this having watched more but I physically could not get myself to sit through it any longer. One minute in and I already wanted to hit the back button but I forced myself to hold tight a bit longer. Now if you know me, you know I enjoy laughing at trash shows and movies like "The Room" or "Norm of the North" but I found zero enjoyment out of this show. What's obvious first is the art style that reflects most 18+ cartoons, by that I mean it's fucking ugly. But even ugly cartoons have proven to be amazing when you look at Bojack or Rick and Morty. The art style is always something you can overlook if the plot is good but in this case..... both are a steaming pile of shit. Now the theme I know is supposed to focus around sexuality and puberty and I think that is the basis of what's wrong about this show. This is an 18+ show about middle school children's sexuality. I'm sorry but how did this get greenlit when it just screams predatory? Not even 10 minutes in and we get a very clear close up on one of the boys penises and the frame holds for a good second. These animators do know they could have animated the "I accidentally saw my friends dick" situation without actually making the audience look at his dick? And from the acting and dialog, it felt to me like a 40 year old man is trying to portray what he thinks middle school kids act like and what they talk like because nothing felt natural. It was all forced awkwardness in an attempt to get a laugh through shock humor but only made me cringe and feel disappointed. I know a lot of you will be curious and want to watch to see if it's really that bad. Well I'm just warning you that it is. There are no redeeming qualities. I would rather sit through the emoji movie 20 times than watch one more episode of this because at least the emoji movie has decent animation. You will not get a laugh out of this one. It's just bad so please save yourself the disappointment and watch Neo Yokio instead

Best and Worst of 2017

I started doing this last year, but this is a series where I talk different mediums and name what I think did the best and worst in what I personally consumed that year. I will be including things from years past in this.

Serialized Programming -

This section includes series that you can find on streaming websites or television. This includes anime, cartoons, and live action series.

Best: Bojack Horseman Season 4 This season of Bojack Horseman deserves a post all it’s own, I think I actually did that a while back. If not, I’ll do that soon. This season took this show from being really good to being amazing and the best show I’ve ever seen. The series delves into being a drama in this season and, while it has a couple episodes of levity, it never makes fun of really important issues nor does it use traumatic events as the punchline to a joke. I’ll talk about this more in it’s own post as I’d be taking up way too much of your time here if I stated everything good about this season.

Worst: Big Mouth Season 1 I am counting dropped series in this post because I watched the first two episodes and was honestly disgusted. Upon watching a WatchMojo list on the times that the show went two far, I’m glad I didn’t watch any further. Look, I understand wanting to have a show that talks about the awkwardness of adolescence, but you don’t need to watch and then defend child pornography to get your point across. It also doesn’t at all cover what it’s like growing up not wanting to have sex or being outright asexual (like myself and some other people I knew). This series is on the ground, the bar is nowhere near this show.

And no I’m not closed minded for not wanting to watch a sheep in a thong molest a young boy.

Graphic Novel -

This section can include western graphic novels, Japanese manga, and finished web series.

Best: Another The art in this manga is honestly gorgeous. Mixing that with the dark imagery and character deaths as the reader unravels the mystery of who’s dead in the class. The manga is also quite short, at only one long volume and if you liked the anime, the manga changes just enough design-wise and story-wise that you might enjoy reading the manga as well. I don’t want to talk too much about this one because I don’t want to spoil it.

There’re also amazing pie memes that have come out of it’s anime.

Worst: Platinum End From the people who brought us Deathnote comes this. This another series I’ve dropped though it’s nowhere near as bad as Big Mouth. This manga is ongoing and you can currently pick up every volume at Chapters. Though this series, well, it doesn’t feel like it had much thought put into it. It’s premise is basically the same as Future Diary (or Mirai Nikki to the weebs out there), except they never actually meet God and the main character is attempting suicide at the beginning. Though what this lacks is Yuno. Whether you hate or love Yuno you have to admit that removing her from that formula would be detrimental to the story and overall tone of the show. She’s replaced with the stereotypical childhood friend character. Oh, and shinigami are replaced with angels. The designs of the angels are pretty cool, but that doesn’t really matter when the writing is subpar.

Video Games:

Best: Breath of the Wild This game honestly has so much going for it that, like the fourth season of Bojack Horseman, it could take up it’s own post. What I can say here though is that the writing, animations, game design, and character designs all work together to bring us the first games in Nintendo’s second Renaissance period. I would honestly suggest that every WiiU or Switch owner also owns a copy of Breath of the Wild. It was one of the first games in a very long time that made me want to start the game over and play it again as soon as I was done. Which I know I’ll do at some point in the future.

Worst: Overwatch I’m just honestly happy that a lot of people have started to realize that the developers don’t actually care too much about the community, they have people who are paid to work with community but those people simply treat it like a job and have been trained to have the high emotional intelligence that the job requires. The game doesn’t have much to it and I honestly wouldn’t dislike it as much as I do if it were free to play while requiring you to pay for specific lootboxes or having some form of in game currency. I found myself wanting to turn the game off and play Paladins instead every time I loaded up the game, so I ended up selling the physical copy that I’d gotten for quite cheap.

Movie:

Best: Blade Runner 2049 This film is really well made and I don’t want to spoil it too much. You don’t need to watch the first film to understand the plot of this film, but watching it, and the prologues, is suggested as a few things make a bit more sense with them. But the film is still enjoyable without context as they take the time to explain the world that the series takes place in. That mixed with this being Harrison Ford’s best performance and the visuals being some of the most astounding I’ve ever seen while still staying true to the world established in both the original book “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” and the first film. I’m including each of the prologues in this as the short films provide more lore for the Blade Runner universe while being artistic in their own rights. It got snubbed for film of the year at the Oscars, but what do they know.

Worst: A Ghost Story I actually think that this film is really good from a technical stand point, it was dreadfully boring. I understand that mourning goes on for a long time, but there was a five minute scene that I just kind of wanted to walk away during because I was so bored. It’s the pie eating scene, that scene is why i think this film is overrated. A lot of people also said that they were emotionally affected by the film. It might be that I’m unemotional, or that, as a writer, I have this massive disconnect between reality and fiction that is rarely breached, but I wasn’t at all emotionally affected. The only thing that I dislike more than a bad film, is a boring one.

Guest Article: DDV’s Review of Bojack Horseman

(Note: This is a guest article by a friend of mine named DDV. It is not my work.)

After watching about half of season 1 of Bojack Horseman I described it to a friend as “feeling  like a personal attack”. By that I meant it felt as if the writers had dissected my life and produced a show in a thinly veiled attempt to make me feel awful had all the wrong I had done in my life, the failures and regrets.

That said, it’s one of my favorite shows of all time…yet like many of my favorite shows (Twin Peaks, Breaking Bad, The Wire, etc), it’s not something I can recommend to everyone. It’s heartbreaking, often brutal to the point I’ve grinded my teeth and paused multiple times from mini-fits of anxiety…but it’s also given me hope in a lot of ways and made reevaluate myself and different aspects of my life.

Here’s the premise for those uninitiated; the story centers around Bojack Horseman (voiced by Will Arnett of Arrested Development fame), anthropomorphic horse and former actor of 90’s family sitcom Horsin’ Around, who struggles to find happiness despite having fallen out of grace with everyone around him and Hollywood at large due to his consistently self-destructive nature.

On paper, the concept is ludicrous, as if An Extremely Goofy Movie had a sequel where a depressed Goofy struggled to deal with the pitfalls and temptations of fame, while undergoing a midlife crisis and the struggle to remain relevant in world that’s moved on without him.

Yet Bojack embraces the ludicrousness; a good chunk of the show’s humor is based around the the concept of animal human hybrids acting like animals (dog-men harass mail carriers, sloth and turtle people move at a snail’s pace, etc) and cartoonishly slap-stick gags, but the majority comes from razor sharp satire to to pick apart the bizarre culture of celebrity worship.

But the shenanigans also serves to both soften the blow of the show’s main goal; to follow the journey of a man at times so unlikeable he can be deemed an anti-hero, and even a villain. It also becomes a vehicle to analyze broader issues such as existentialism, abortion, mass shootings, often in a way that remains ridiculous but executed with a surprising amount of tact and taste.

Without the humour, the show wouldn’t be a dark comedy–it would simply be dark.

Also to the show’s credit, the narrative integrity remains solid throughout. Each season is well paced with a couple plotlines that gradually explore the motivations of the cast, with the writing, animation and acting quality remaining consistent and arguably getting better over time.

And yet the cast itself, the core of any show or media, is something of a mixed bag, and that’s where a viewer’s mileage will vary wildly.

As stated, Bojack can be unlikeable, but he’s also aware of just how unlikeable he can be. As a matter of fact, most of the cast are frequently unlikeable, but are also cognizant of their issues to the point that they’ll blatantly tell other characters exactly what their issues are with precision that one usually don’t come across in the real world. Bojack in particular frequently loves to “fetishize [his] own sadness” and martyrize himself while falling into same emotional pitfalls over and over. This can lead to bounty of frustration in the short term; it’s hard to watch characters who’ve become attached to slide back into their old ways, destroying the fragile relationships they’ve  worked hard on building.

But to the show’s credit, this process mirrors real life; a large amount of people are self aware enough to know the source of their emotional issues, yet continue to make the same mistakes time and time again, all while exclaiming on how the fault lies with others, with “bad luck”, with life itself. In a way it’s cathartic to see the this animated cast of anthropomorphic animals act how they would in real life, but in an easy to grasp and consistent way.

In addition, it’s satisfying to see the rest of the cast and world move on even if one character finds themselves emotionally stuck, because time’s arrow keeps marching forward regardless of the actions of any one person.

Overall, as someone who’s recently finished season 4 (the most current season as of writing this), I can firmly say that there is a definitive sense of progress; characters grow emotionally as often as they have setbacks, becoming even more nuanced and complex over time. It takes looking at the series as whole rather than its parts to really appreciate the struggle they go through.

Altogether, enjoyment of Bojack Horseman, like all media, relies on how much the viewer can relate to it’s premise, message, and execution. Personally I found myself resonating strongly with the show as a whole; like Bojack, I’ve sabotaged myself plenty of times, anguishing over my mistakes and regrets, with that voice inside my head chiming in that I’ll only amount to being a failure. But I’ve also overcome many of the challenges I’ve faced, I try to do good when I can and keep growing as a person despite my setbacks.

In my opinion, if you’re a fan of dark comedy, or excellent animation coupled with award worthy voice acting, or you just want show that’ll respect the time you’ll invest into it, you owe it to yourself to watch the show.

Kamlin has been a member since October 2015. She has a community reputation of 761.

We asked Kamlin ten questions, this is how she responded…

What does your Art Haven username mean and why did you choose it? My username doesn't have that special of a meaning, as it combines two words. "Kam" is apart of my real name, Kamryn, and is usually used as a nickname. I added the "lin" part because I thought it flowed nicely with "Kam." I made this username back in 2014 on DeviantArt and carried it to Art Haven. 

How do you think that friends would describe you in three words? Honestly, they would probably describe me as the "quiet art girl???" If there are two traits of mine that have been present since I was a child, it will definitely be shy and artistic. I have always been quite reserved to myself, and with that, I was able to discover my early passion of drawing and painting. 

Is there anyone who makes your Art Haven experience more enjoyable? I don't have specific people who come to mind, but I would say the community makes my Art Haven experience enjoyable. I have met so many people on here that are very kind and supportive towards me and my art. Also, seeing so many talented artists in this community inspires me everyday to continue improving!

If you were to win $10 million, what would you buy? I would definitely move to an urban area like NYC, Boston, or Seattle, since it's my dream to live in the city! I would help out my family and buy their necessities. Probably buy 2 more cats and tons of coffee. I can't think of anything else other than saving it for other important stuff LOL.

What is your favourite thing about Art Haven? My favorite thing in Art Haven is the opportunity to create and sell my art to people. It makes me very happy that people are interested in trusting me to draw their ideas and original characters. It's very fulfilling seeing someone happy and excited about the completed artwork, especially if it's a gift for their loved one! 

What is your biggest pet peeve? My biggest pet peeve is when people talk over others. One, I think it's just plain rude and ignorant to do to anyone. Second, I dealt with too many people at university loudly conversing over the professors when I'm just trying to learn the material. I have a lot more pet peeves but this one definitely comes to mind first!

What is the funniest thing that has happened to you recently? Not much recently since I'm quarantined in my house! I did have a girls movie night over Discord where we watched Divergent and made fun of it the whole time, so I guess that counts. All I gotta say is that, Twilight is better.

What is your favourite quote?

"It gets easier. Every day it gets a little easier. But you got to do it every day. That's the hard part. But it does get easier." ― Jogging Baboon from Bojack Horseman

If a genie were to grant you one wish, what would you wish for? Happiness for everyone.

What inspires you as an artist?   My imagination. I love to create art that focuses on characters and stories that I make up in my head. The ability to express my ideas and emotions through art is the coolest, most fun thing I do. The second inspiration of mine is definitely music. Just give me a song and I can draw the emotions conveyed in it.

Want to know more?

Kamlin’s Profile | Kamlin’s Shop

What I’ve neglected, lost, and done wrong

I lied. The previous one was not the last update. I’ve realized that I’ve only written the things that I have done well in the past few months, but not the mistakes that I’ve made. I’m not quite sure whether or not this big list will be helpful because at the end of the day making mistakes is part of the process, and it’s as necessary as getting it right. Moreover, it’s not very effective to tell someone “don’t do x or y, you’re going to regret it” — no one ever listens to old people, or to parents, and all of this stuff is basically what they keep telling us over and over. We only learn from our own experience, we need to bang our heads against something to have it settle in. But still: while this might not help to avoid a mistake, I see it as pattern recognition. Maybe reading it will help somone recognize an issue before it becomes problematic.

So, what I’ve done wrong, analyzed:

1: I’ve lost the ability to spend time by myself.

As I’ve forced myself to go out more, and spending time surrounded by people, I’ve gone to the other extreme and I’ve kind of lost the ability to be surrounded by just myself. I’m not reading enough, I’m not watching any more shows, I’m not cooking, I’ve basically stopped doing things on my own, chilling by myself.

On one side, I think this is because I fear that somehow I’ll go back to my old habits and become a shut-in again. On the other, I think I’m just scared; spending time alone, for me, means being forced to have deep thoughts about who I am and what I want — which I don’t think I really know.

Going out almost every day has definitely helped me, but now I need time to figure stuff out. For example, I started partner-dancing to take my mind off my breakup, and I’ve not stopped since. I am pretty sure I still love it, but I owe it to myself to take some time off of it to think hard about it. Having a positive routine is a great thing, but it should be re evaluated every now and then — doing something just because it’s the thing you do is not healthy. It should be a conscious choice.

I think I will spend a few nights a week learning how to cook, meditating, and writing a bit more. These are all things I used to love that I rejected when I began the “conversion” to become more outgoing. It was fine then, I needed to distance myself as much as possible from my past habits, but now I’m comfortable in my own skin, I don’t fear those ghosts anymore.

2: I’ve focused too much on self-growth

All that I’ve achieved this year is because I’ve put immense pressure on myself. My iPhone is full of notes filled with objectives, diaries, goals, and so on. And even though I think that’s fine, I’ve become so focused on becoming better and better and better that I’ve had real issues of being able to accept myself as I currently am.

This is the thing that I’ve discovered: however fucked up you and your life might be, you’re still a person, and because of that you deserve to love yourself. Obviously that doesn’t mean you should never go out of your comfort zone, but the opposite is also counterproductive: progress and growth won’t necessarily fix your self-image problems. You, as a person, are fine as you are, and deserve to be loved (by other people and yourself). If you don’t realise that, no matter how much you’ll change and improve, you’re always going to feel like you’re not enough.

Finding the fine line between acceptance and eagerness to grow is tricky, but it needs to be done. Your mental health depends on it. The faster you’ll be able to accept your reality, the faster you’ll have the right tools to improve it and move on from it.

3: Cutting out toxic people

This one is hard. While trying to be social I’ve felt the need to be accepting of everyone that I’ve come across. A need to please and be friends with everybody. This can’t and shouldn’t be done.

I define toxic people as follows: people that instead of adding value to your life they remove it.

At the end of the day, your life is your responsibility. Not everything that happens might be your fault, but everything that happens to you, once it’s happened, it’s your responsibility to manage. You could be hit by a bus, or be dumped by your SO, or have someone in your life die, and while none of this might not be your fault, how you decide to handle the consequences is solely your responsibility.

The same applies to other people in your life. If they can’t handle what they’ve been thrown at, you can and should try to help them, but if they can’t snap out of it, at the end of the day, it is their problem, not yours. It’s harsh but true. Your life objective shouldn’t be to fix everybody.

A person that is removing value from your life, to me, can mean a bunch of different things. It could be a colleague that is always down and shuts down any attempt to positivity and growth. Or a friend that is not willing to step out of their comfort zone and makes planning going out on the weekends impossible. Or a girl that makes dating her difficult instead of an enjoyable discovery. Or a parent that doesn’t want to see you grow, wherever that growth might take you.

Toxic people are draining. They take energy out of your life, while only adding pain. And while I believe that pain is necessary, it should have a purpose: gym pain is useful, as is learning pain, and new experience pain — pain for the sake of it, however, it’s not, and should be avoided at all costs.

It is always painful to recognise that a person is a value-vampire, but it needs to be done, and you need to cut them off. You don’t necessarily need to completely isolate yourself from them, but you do need to find the right distance where their actions won’t affect you.

Distancing someone is always scary, like am I going to be able to find other people that suit me? But it shouldn’t, because by doing it you’re effectively improving your life, your mood, your health, and it will be easier for you to attract new people in your life.

4: Not setting standards for girls I date

This is linked to cutting off people that remove value from your life. I have done the big mistake of basically going out with every girl that 1) was attractive 2) was showing me signs of interest. This is not okay. I have taken great care to make my life full of enjoyment and growth, so if I let a girl in my life, she needs to be hitting a certain standard. A pretty face is not enough.

And by the way, this is not a brag. I believe everybody should have standards, it’s just that my requirements could be very different from someone else’s. You might need someone that has their shit together, or a fuck-buddy, or someone that is willing to take things seriously, or someone that makes everything else disappear when you’re spending time with them. We all seek different things. But again, we should set a standard, and ruthlessly cut out the people that don’t meet it.

It is again a matter of self-love: how are you supposed to make the world better if you can’t love yourself and the situation you’re in? And if your partner is making it hard to do it, they should go.

There’s plenty of people in the world, and there are probably a dozen or more SOs that would make your life better. It’s just a matter of being in the right state of mind to recognise and bring them in.

5: Getting validation from external factors

I shouldn’t have set goals. Become a mid-level iOS engineer by this year. Find a girl in that year. Have x social circles by the end of the summer. Goals, while quantifiable, are very easy to miss, and the pain is not only when you measure yourself against them, but when you realise you don’t have enough momentum to hit them (and then you get sad, and unmotivated). They’re a receipe for disaster.

There are so many times that I’ve found myself coming back from a night of social dancing with a sad frown because I did 5 dances instead of the 10 I told myself I’d do, or because one girl I liked stopped replying (when I had others going on), and so on.

Instead, what I’ve found useful, is setting up processes. Processes still retain some of the characteristics of goals, as you can look back and see if you’ve improved, but are more forgiving — they let you have bad days, or even weeks. Sometimes life gets in the way and it temporarily derails your plans, and that’s okay. In one of Bojack’s episodes, Bojack is resting breathless on the side of the road after a run. Another runner, a monkey, notices his pain, stops by, and says “It gets easier. Every day it gets a little easier. But you gotta do it every day, that’s the hard part. But it does get easier”. I don’t think one good night makes up for ten average ones. If you show up every day you slowly build up what you need to improve on, and the bar consistently gets higher.

This is very much linked to being able to forgive myself. Not every day I’ll be in the best state of mind or physical ability. But that’s okay. If I’m able to move on from disappointing days it means that I can look forward the future ones to improve even more.

6: Build a support network ASAP

The day of the breakup I realized I not only lost my lover, but my best friend too. Staying together for nine years means the other person has a mini-you in their head that is a very good approximation of the real you, making it easier for them to support you. When we broke up we made ourselves a promise to keep being friends, but that’s, IMO, a bad idea. I needed time to grieve and to process the loss. So I stopped communicating with her for many months. When I felt ready we started talking again, and I was lucky that she was still available to entertain a friendship with me. But the months in between have sucked hard. I lost her, my other best friend was in Italy, and so were my parents. I had no one to look in their face and tell them how my world was falling apart.

I got very lucky to find some other people that I’ve become very close to, but I’ve should have pushed more and way, way sooner. Friendships are tricky because you don’t really notice their importance in good times, but if you don’t really have any close people next to you in the hard times, well, your life is going to be miserable. As I’m sure most of this “advice” will sound, this is basic knowledge for many people, but I don’t think there is a limit to how much you can give to others during the good times. Time for others is always well spent, and will pay you back when in need (assuming you're choosing the people in your life wisely). It’s also very easy to kind of treat some relationships as a given, but they need to be nurtured constantly (and actually meaning it). It might sound a tad self-centered, but you need to give to others because one day they will need to give to you. And oh boy that day is coming. Better be prepared.

7: Not being authentic sooner

I’ve touched this topic briefly here and there, but I think it’s worth repeating.

For a long time, years probably, I’ve felt the need to be accepted by everybody. To do that, I’ve tried not to say anything polarizing or to express myself honestly. The result has been me being very… well, boring and insipid to other people. Not really what I had hoped to be.

When I’ve started being more honest, and above all when I’ve stopped putting up a filter, I’ve seen people getting closer to me way faster than ever. My fear of hurting or disagreeing with anyone was making me avoid any conflict, or saying what I really thought, and the irony is that people trust you more when you’re open to them (even if they don’t fuck with you in some regard). If a person is able to get to know you, even if they don’t like x or y of you, they still will like you. I have so many friends that I don’t agree with on some topics, even political or “serious” ones, and yet I still love them to death. People are not defined by one thing, they are three dimensional, and it’s okay if they’re different from you. But the moment you decide to filter out your thoughts you become one dimensional, and no one in their right mind is going to want to learn more about you.

I’ve had people I’ve known for years telling me that they didn’t really know me — they didn’t know what I liked, or my interests, or my political stance. When I was leaving to come to London, I heard that coming from someone that had known me for almost ten years and it hurt like nothing else before. I realized I had given up a life of authenticity for the pyrrhic objective of being accepted by everyone. I had effectively hid myself for years.

These days I really don’t care anymore. I am 100% honest to anyone, be it work or friends or girls, and I’m doing fine. I’m able to filter out people very fast, and I’m confident that those who are around me truly like me and embrace me for what I am. And the funny thing, by stopping giving a shit about rejection, you actually experience it less. In some ways this mentality gives you abundance of opportunities, and friends, and that has a positive feedback loop back to your mentality, making you care even less.

—

At this point I think I’ve eviscerated everything I went through. Maybe I’ll write a couple of things here and there, but I think that’s it.

It’s a good time to stop. In ten days I’ll be back in Italy for a while and I’ll be able to face my ghosts there. The final battle. I need to get away from all the stuff that’s going well here to see if I can handle the pressure of being in a place that brings up too many painful memories. I think I can do it. :)

Oh, and one more thing: thanks for all the support in the last post. It’s really nice to see that people care, and it’s been fantastic having people tell me privately how something I wrote reasonated with them. There’s still a lot of stigma around talking about this kind of personal stuff, but it needs to change, as we need to recognise that the fights we’re fighting are something we all go through in a similar way, and there’s a lot of people that we can lean on.

Update 22/10/18 - Mini Hiatus followed by Bumper Week

Hi all - I'll keep this update brief, to the point, and stress the exciting positive parts while simultaneously downplaying the negative parts, but I'm sure this overly blunt and ongoing introductory sentence means I'm not off to the best start in any of those areas.

Anyway, to those not in the know, I'm doing part-time postgraduate research, which means I spend my time alternating between research, job(s), personal life stuff, and writing. I'm still figuring out how to balance things properly (which roughly translates to "flailing about and hoping one of the approaches I try works out"), but when a deadline rolls around for my research, I tend to prioritise that and take things slowly in the other areas of my life. Another one of those deadlines approaches, and for the next week or so, I won't be posting any new content.

However, I think I've worked out a compromise which I hope will make everyone happy. I propose to make the week after my deadline a bumper week for Inquisitive J content, which will mean that you get Six Articles in the space of one week! That will be one review per day on week days, and one review for the weekend to give me a chance to recover. This will be a system I adopt from now on whenever I have an upcoming deadline every two months or so.  My hope is that, by taking time away to work on my academic commitments, I can come back and be genuinely excited to produce a variety of different content that is fun for me to write and enjoyable for you to read.

I've even got a plan for what the schedule will be for our first Comeback Bumper Week between the 31st of October and the 6th of November;

On Wednesday 31st, I'm going to be reviewing Halloween. No, not the holiday, the movie! ... No, not that one which came out, the original! Yup, the October Special this year will be a Halloween Late to the Party in every sense as I take my first look at the John Carpenter 1978 slasher classic. Despite absorbing a lot of information about the series over the years, I felt I wasn't the right person to review the recently released sequel, and I didn't want to see it for my own personal enjoyment until I was more familiar with the series. It's like how, despite really wanting to, I've yet to see Creed because I know my first viewing will be more powerful when I've actually seen a Rocky movie or two. But I'm getting ahead of myself, because that's for another upcoming Late to the Party...

On Thursday, I'm going to finally wrap up my thoughts on Bojack Season 4. It's been much delayed, and it's time I put it to rest so that we can start fresh on new things. Not that I'm not looking forward to talking about it, because yeah, it is one of my favourite things on television at the moment.

Speaking of favourite TV shows, on Friday I'll be posting a condensed writeup of the by-then three episodes of Doctor Who that have aired since my writeup of the first episode of the latest series.

And then, for the remaining 3 articles of Comeback Bumper Week, I'm going to leave that in your hands. As an apology and a thank you to my readers and my patrons in particular for being so patient, I will be taking requests. Want me to go out and review a specific movie that's in theatres right now? Have an old favourite that I may not have seen and would love to see a Late to the Party on? Curious to hear my thoughts on a particular genre, theme, recurring narrative concept, or heck, even game series? Reach out to me through a comment or a direct message on Twitter with a request, and as long as it's reasonable, feasible, and something I wouldn't object to (which, given the loveliness of the small reader-base I interact with, is something I highly doubt will happen), then I'll write an article on your subject of choice! If I don't get any takers, then I'll go with some backup ideas so that you guys still get a full bumper week of 6 articles. If, and this is a very big IF, I end up getting more than three requests, then I promise to form a backlog that I'll work through at a decent pace.

And as for the podcast... sigh. Okay, the podcast is something that I am more or less putting on hiatus until I decide what the best format for it should be, and how regularly it should come out. I am sorry if the podcast is a particular highlight for you, and will understand if the delay in any more episodes coming out is a deal-breaker for you if you're a patron. But that doesn't mean that there won't be any more episodes, or that there won't be any episodes any time soon, it ... just means I need to think about what I want to do with the podcast before I'm ready to jump back into recording new material.

And that's everything! So much for the brief update, huh? Anyway, I hope that all sounds good to you guys, and I'll say again: GIVE ME YOUR REQUESTS! I'm all ears :)

Take care and enjoy yourselves.

october 2016

Note: I am currently playing catch up on the last few months of 2016 before I dive into my pop culture consumption of 2017 so please bear with me as October, November and December go up on the blog. They are (as all these wrap-ups are) mostly for my own posterity, but I hope you enjoy / take some of the recommendations!

- the television -

The concept of BoJack Horseman was initially completely dumbfounding to me. An animated comedy for adults? I know this isn't a new concept by any means but I had been largely ignorant about shows like Archer or anything that airs on (DURING?) AdultSwim, and had no idea that this was a thing. But man, is it ever wonderful. BoJack is incredibly smart and funny. The whole series is great, but the season 3 episode, "Fish Out of Water", is exceptional.

After BoJack, I buried myself in a Community re-watch. I watched the entire series over a couple of weeks. I was completely sucked back in to the wacky, sometimes batshit universe of the show and fell in love yet again with the study group and their shenanigans.

This month, I also started and gave up on four different shows - three new ones (This Is Us, Frequency, Timeless) and one oldie (Roswell). I watched four episodes each from the newbies, but abandoned them all.

This Is Us should have been right up my alley - it features a big family, a (pretty cool) twist in the pilot, and Milo Ventimiglia. I'm also a crier. But, instead, I found it insufferable. It churns through big idea after big idea without actually developing any of the characters. Kate doesn't seem to have a personality beyond her obsession with weight loss and her boyfriend is Awful. Kevin's whole "I WANT TO BE A ~REAL ACTOR" thing could not be less interesting. I badly wanted to like this show and if there was a way to only watch the Randall or Jack/Rebecca parts, I would be all in. Frequency was an interesting enough concept, but I still do not understand how the premise could sustain a few episodes, let alone a whole season of television and beyond. Timeless was created by Eric Kripke (Supernatural) and stars Abigail Spencer (Suits, Rectify) and Matt Lanter (90210). The episodes I watched were fun but ultimately not engaging enough to be incorporated into my weekly TV schedule.

Roswell, a late '90s/early '00s teen drama about aliens, is certainly interesting and I hope to revisit it later but this month, for various reasons, I just couldn't get into it. I watched the first seventeen episodes before (virtually) shelving it.

Towards the end of the month, I was having a rough time, mental-health-wise and decided to re-watch the most batshit / terrible show I could think of. Hello, Wisteria Lane, my old friend. That's right, Desperate Housewives. This is show is full of suburbia and murder and conspiracies and it is absolutely ridiculous, but it was also the perfect distraction from the clusterfuck happening in my brain. Finally, in October, I got on the Making A Murderer train. (Nearly a year after everyone else. I'm so timely). It was incredibly disturbing and infuriating to see all the ways the case was bumbled, but also really interesting.  

- the books -

After such a prolific September, I fell into a reading slump in October, only managing to finish Rich and Pretty by Rumaan Alam. The novel focuses on the friendship between the two main characters, Sarah and Lauren, and how the connections we forge in childhood can decay and fade away as we adapt to adulthood and our priorities shift. Alam explores whether it is their "abiding connection - or just force of habit - that keeps them together?" It was very good. You should read it.

- the movies -

This month, I watched a documentary, a TV movie, and two blockbuster films. First, the Amanda Knox Netflix documentary which satisfied the true-crime obsessed corner of my brain. Next, Looking: The Movie, the conclusion to the wonderful HBO series that was cancelled in 2015. As upset as I was that the show was over, the movie provided some closure and a look at the characters lives a few years from the last episode. It had the same charm and sensibility as the series and was thoroughly enjoyable.

In October, I also finally got around to watching both parts of the final chapter in The Hunger Games trilogy - Mockingjay Part 1 and Mockingjay Part 2. Mockingjay was by far my least favourite novel in the book trilogy so I have to commend the films for making it so much more interesting. Team Katniss, always.

I hope you all had a wonderful October, happy reading / watching / listening!