Ok I finished The Raven King and it was full of surprises. It’s like the author needs to add the most amount of trauma she can in a book. This book is like 4.5 stars and I’ve already started reading the 2nd book.

Ok, spoilers for this next part. So when I was reading the part where they were in the car to go to Nicky’s parents house, I was so oblivious to what was going to happen next. In fact it reminded me of the first book where they went and got ice cream and I was like thats surprisingly sweet and then they all get high and poor Neil. So when I was reading the 2nd book and they were at Nicky’s parents house, I was like his parents are assholes and then I was hit with the Drake jumpscare and now Andrew is my pookie.

I knew Andrew was a pookie and then that just confirmed it. So much so that the second he left the book to go and get sober, I started waiting for him to get back. And when he didn’t I was super upset cause I get Riko the asshole instead that I picked up the 3rd book right away.

Also the part where Andrew lets Neil drive his car and tells him to stick with Kevin is so fucking sweet. And when Neil goes to the nest for him. They both are so in love. So anyway that’s it. Sorry if it’s long, I really liked the book.

Err Apparent, A Review

I was fortunate to be one of the ARC readers for Err Apparent by @hkamenar, and as excited as I was to get early access, I was even more excited once I started reading.

For those of you who have read my series of Lord Byron/Astarion fanfics, you may have realized that I have more than a passing love of historical accuracy. While Err Apparent isn’t set in a specific historical period, the world is clearly a Georgian/Regency analogue, complete with much of the material and social culture of the aristocracy of the time.

H. Kamenar plays with this brilliantly, building a gripping mystery that is equal parts magic and bureaucratic intrigue. Laid over a truly loving, supportive queer relationship, a background of well-written trauma recovery, and the strife of inheriting your abuser’s house, the novel is an absolute page turner.

Highly recommended.

Slay the Princess wasn’t a fav.

I had really high expectations for this game. Some people said it was actually life changing for them, and I think those expectations sort of damaged my experience overall. I went into it blind as advised and I like the vibe. The story just… Fell short for me. Maybe I just didn’t “get it.” but a lot of what really drew me in at first were those little moments in-between with The Long Quiet. I felt like I cared for her a lot more than the actual princess or protagonist and then she ended up being like a pretentious villain. I just didn’t really love that ending and it made me a little upset. I guess I was expecting something more character driven, but it was self aware but not quite in the way I thought it would be. I liked some endings more than others for sure, and I really loved the narrator. I cared for him a lot, especially in the end. I thought that whole segment was really cool but the ending just felt… Unsatisfying for me. Which was weird since I usually really love games like this. Typically they really strike a cord with me but this time around something just didn’t click for me. I almost felt a sort of disconnect while playing. Its a good game, art is phenomenal but I suppose if you go into a game expecting it to change your life then its got something too big to live up to. Which is unfortunate because I really love when narratives challenge the way I think.

Just wrote a whole letterboxd review and went to fact check one sentence and the draft disappeared, now only the sandy desert of New Mexico knows my review and perhaps the sunset shining pink on the mountains will speak it to you someday

Grammarly is turning off the expert review AI feature that stole our identities | Technology News

After careful consideration, we have decided to disable Expert Review as we reimagine the feature to make it more useful for users, while giving experts real control over how they want to be represented – or not represented at all. We built the agent to help users tap into the insights of thought leaders and experts, and to give experts new ways to share their knowledge and reach new audiences.…

Grammarly is turning off the expert review AI feature that stole our identities | Technology News

Sennheiser RS 275 TV Headphone Bundle Review: Awesome Tech, OK Headphones | Technology News

You may also be wondering just how you connect other headphones to the transmitter via Auracast. As I said earlier, Sennheiser’s HDR 275 connect to the system automatically on power-up, though they can also break free and connect to your phone over regular Bluetooth to take them on the go. Other options have their own methods; JBL’s Tour Pro 3 buds let you connect with their specialized…

Sennheiser RS 275 TV Headphone Bundle Review: Awesome Tech, OK Headphones | Technology News

Hoppers Review [Spoilers]

Judging by the articles about what happened during production, I was really worried that the environmental message was going to be shallow in this film. Thankfully, it isn’t, which makes me wonder if it was ham-fisted in the original draft.

I really don’t think that the trailers did this much justice. The teaser made it look like an Avatar clone but in an anthropomorphic animal type story, which made me think it was going to be boring. The official trailers made the film out to be really silly, but the film actually has the right amount of quirky silliness, heart and emotion (though, I do wish it was a little less melodramatic at a few points but we’ll get to that). It also has a creative and wholesome story and a relatable message/attitude in a time of political instability.

I love her grandmother’s way of dealing with upset emotions. It’s a good thing to teach kids when they feel upset. Now, I’m going to go indulge into nature the next time I feel bad.

There were even some things that I didn’t see coming. Like, there was one point where it appeared they were going to do a third act break up and they didn’t. Mayor Jerry redeems himself and we get the real villain of the story at the end.

The switch between the dotted eyes and the expressive eyes was a different touch. Maple as a beaver is also really cute and cuddly, I hope they make a stuffed animal out of her.

There are some things that hold it back from being the golden era of Pixar though.

Maple was a little annoying with her SJW know-it-all attitude. She was sympathetic and well meaning for the most part, but I wish they gave her a little more class especially in her interactions with the mayor. And also leave out the antihero manipulative stuff, just felt completely unnecessary.

Mayor Jerry felt underdeveloped in his reasoning for building a highway. You could say it was to be re-elected, but is there anyone else against the building of the highway besides Maple? I feel like that would’ve been a good inner conflict to explore with Jerry if there were other left-wingers who didn’t want the highway built.

I felt like they were trying to do too much with that third act. Like, I see what they were going for, but at the same time, it came off as if they were trying to make like a cartoonish Disney villain act. I think the third act should’ve stayed Titus trying to get revenge on the humans for trying to turn his home into a highway or just leave it out completely. I love however, that this is Pixar’s first foray into the horror genre.

I give Hoppers 7.6 bells out of 10.

I’m confused as to why the hoppers program is discontinued, though.

Flow Review

Was worried this was going to end up being a Stray clone. Thankfully, it ended up not being the case. The plot is entirely different even though they both feature cats in apocalyptic worlds. I liked the usage of a cat as a protagonist in water and learning how to get used to the water as that would be a huge conflict for cats.

The beginning is a little slow, but it picks up pretty quickly after about 15 minutes.

I wish I liked this a bit more, but there were a lot of things that left me scratching my head. What happened to all the humans? Why was there a flood in the first place? What is the meaning behind the bird’s “death” scene and why did it die (I felt that whole symbolic scene was out of place, too)? Why were they all looking at the water at the end? Are the animals supposed to be anthropomorphic? They act like animals for the most part but other times are smart enough to steer a boat. Why do lemurs collect things in this world? Was the whale at the middle and end of the film the same whale as in the beginning?

I still personally prefer Stray a bit more. There were some times where I felt the movie was slightly mean spirited for no reason, although I don’t know much about wildlife and wild cats so what do I know. I also feel like the pacing in Stray was better, there were some scenes in Flow that felt contrived in the way it resolves conflicts, but this is a family film so. The gameplay itself is not my cup of tea but I watched the majority of someone’s playthrough on it.

I give Flow 6.3 bells out of 10

Nice premise. Loved how they had some of the animals acting like animals. I just wish some things were executed better.

Rio Review

I put off this film for the longest time because it just looked so boring and uninteresting to me. I watched the sequel back when it came out and thought it was boring. I feel bad because I’m sure I would’ve loved this as a kid/young teen.

While it definitely hasn’t aged well and doesn’t break any new ground, it is still a fun, chaotic, humorous time. Classic Blue Sky film.

All of the characters have their own personalities and a lot of charm and wholesomeness to them. Some of them I did find annoying or unlikeable like Jewel and Nico.

You hate the villains but also admire their charisma and humor. They are on par with Disney villains. I love the clashing dynamic between the smugglers.

My problems with the film is that I didn’t care much for Linda and Tulio. Their antics felt out of place and weren’t very funny to me. Linda is also surprisingly badass out of nowhere for a third act that as a whole, felt too contrived and full of cliches for me. Lastly, Linda and Tulio’s romantic tease just felt awkward and forced to me.

Rafi’s hatchlings were annoying as all get out. I hate kids in films, especially as comic relief. Thankfully, they’re only in like one scene. Also, I know this is a film, but I had to look up toucans because how can Rafi have 17 kids all about the same age when toucans only lay about 2-4 eggs in a year? Sorry, but that really bothered me.

I give Rio 7.5 bells out of 10.

I miss Blue Sky.

Final thoughts on ghost of yotei: the writing should have been tighter. There were a couple dumb twists I could have done without. The gameplay is fun but an open world honestly doesnt fit the type of story they’re trying to tell; A tight and focused revenge plot loses effectiveness when your character is also out there climbing shrines and collecting fashion accessories and like. Random shit like helping a guy with his pet bear or whatever [shino why]. The graphics are nice and ezo is fucking beautiful so I enjoyed exploring but like. Hard to remember I’m supposed to be playing a revenge driven onryo when I’m also fucking off to climb my 30th shrine you know what I mean?

Also the game lives or dies based on how much you like atsu because she doesnt get much of a supporting cast until the last 3rd of the game. I like her, personally, but I can see how if you dont the game can be hard to get into

And of course, the game suffers massively by being a sequel to ghost of tsushima. Jin also spends a lot of time wandering around helping people with their problems and climbing shrines and such, but where with atsu she is on a very personal quest of vengeance, even if it coincidentally helps out the rest of ezo, Jin is at every turn defending tsushima from invaders as his duty to defend the island, at a deep personal cost of his family, his honor and his very place in society, wheras atsu doesnt have much at stake. She left ezo for 16 years ago, fucked around mainland japan for a while, and comes back for ??? Revenge time I guess. Shes not personally invested in which factions control ezo, she doesnt have any broader goals and she has no real moral conflict with what she does, unlike Jin in tsushima. Overall, theres just a lot less at stake, storywise, and the story tension is continually undercut by the openworld gameplay that let’s you wander around doing random bullshit instead of keeping you focused in on atsu’s revenge. Like the only reasonable explanation I can come up with that would motivate her to do so much horseshit while on a revenge quest is untreated adhd or something. Atsu is, unfortunately, just not as engaging a character as jin, because she doesnt have the high personal cost in pursuing her quest, and until close to the end of the game theres no real personal or emotional stakes for her beyond avenging her parents, and again, the story would have been much better served by different gameplay mechanics that dont encourage so much wandering around

The companion characters are less compelling as well, with only two that really have much to do with atsu. I like oyuki and jubei, but they’re the only two who actually have much involvement with the overarching plot and it’s a shame. everyone else is forgettable, even your ainu grandma. They’re confined to the region you find them in, unless they’re merchants, and their story involvement is minimal and easily skipped if you dont want whatever skill they’re gonna teach you, and once theyre done with that they never show up again. Once again yotei suffers in comparison with tsushima, where each of your 5 or so companions has a longer journey that is tied in with jin’s story and grows along with it. Lady masako with her revenge, ishikawa and his traitorous apprentice, yuna and taka just trying to survive, and so on, all of them have stories that intertwine with jin’s. And of course, the pivotal relationship between jin and lord shimura that leads to the game’s ultimate climax. Nothing in yotei compares, I cant even name atsu’s other allies, because they have nothing to do with her beyond teaching her a skill and then fucking off

Theres also a couple puzzle and mini games in yotei, which. The puzzles are not challenging and the mini games are finicky as hell. Hatred and damnation on that ring shooting game, and the flicking mechanism for the coin game is arbitrary and a light flick sometimes sends coins shooting off the table for no reason. Kill it with fire. Anyway

Overall I’d say it’s a solid a 6 out of 10 for me. Good game play with weak writing. I wish other characters had more to do with the main story, and that the gameplay style actually fit the story they were trying to tell. I’m not sad I played it but I am a bit disappointed by it

Review of TMNT: Battle Nexus From a RotTMNT Fan

I finally had time to sit down and read my floppies from the five-issue limited series and it wasn’t really what I expected. Maybe I misunderstood the marketing or maybe I was blinded by the thought of more Rise content, but I was pretty sure this was touted as being a battle tournament between all iterations of TMNT.

It’s not.

It’s all about the IDW turtles and I don’t read their comics…

I guess I can review it as someone who has never read them, to which I would tell you: it was fine.

I don’t know who Alopex is (kinda thought she was someone desceros made up for Symphony, always thought it was weird Lory had a version, but what do I know; Timothy is literally a one-off 2012 guy that’s a glorified OC! She could have been like that). I don’t know who Slash is. I don’t even know why that Shredder (and Splinter) was in black and white. I also don’t need answers to these questions because this isn’t something I’m interested in finding out. I just opened my mind up and said, alright this is happening and read it.

To which… It was a story.

it made enough sense.

Rise Donnie is the only one rottmnt boy actually in the story.

If you’ve seen that panel and you probably have, but if you haven’t:

This is completely non-canonical to the story. This is a fun little bonus panel that exists in the back of each book as a shallow attempt at actually showing the different iterations battling. We know for a fact from the actual story that this did not happen because Savanti Romero (I remember you from the only episodes (Halloween!) I ever watched of 2012, bud) is very clear that he’s been only sending out 1v1 combatants the whole time.

By the time we enter the story, several iterations, including Rise, have already been eliminated, and we get no information at all regarding what went down in those fights. Who was each Rise boys weakness? We’ll never know! The convenient plot point as to why this happens? The longer you’re in the prison dimension, the more you forget your past! Why only Rise Donnie? If you encounter your multi-verse self you get Paradox Psychosis à la Umbrella Academy and inevitably kill your other self so they’ve cherry picked groups of one boy each, but mixed them up for whatever reason (there’s no scapegoat for this one, they literally just don’t care to answer).

Was Rise!Donnie a delight? Oh surely. I thought his dialog was great. However, I wasn’t impressed with the art which was riddled with mistakes. I’m not going to pretend like that didn’t hurt my final score. i found the first three issues to be a complete slog and issue four (coincidentally the Donnie issue) ended up capturing at least some of my attention (I swear not because of Donnie), but because we finally got to see how the different iterations play off each other. That part was fantastic in comic. Seeing the two Leo’s talk was great. Seeing all black Raph (?) and other Raph spar and talk about love interests was cute. That was what I was hoping to see, I assume this is what most people hoped to see, and it really was the only part of the story that held any true entertainment.

I’m sure for IDW fans this was a nice revisit of their comic history, but for a Rise fan, this story is one I would recommend you skip.

oh shit alfie ended. she really was a bastard wasnt she. it is an* ending.

No Sudden Move

You simply cannot scroll or do anything else while this movie is on or you will get lost. At least I did. Also, the beginning is super slow. David back in the super hot 1960s suit and eyeglasses look.

And he’s having an affair with his secretary. Of course he is.

Don Cheadle’s the goat.

Ohh, David and Jon Hamm together? So buzzy.

Nobody plays a better anxious, yelling/freaking out dude than David K Harbour.

I think I’m just burnt out on watching this genre of movie at the point. Drama. Thriller. Whatever. Literally took a break halfway through and went to sleep.

CAST DAVID HARBOUR IN MORE ROMANTIC AND COMEDIC ROLES DEAR GODS OF THE UNIVERSE I BEG.

Hahaha I’M GOING TO PUNCH YOU NOW, SIR. THIS IS GOING TO BE A PUNCH. I LOVE MY JOB SIR! THATS HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS THAT IM WILLING TO BE FIRED! That was absolutely hilarious.

Hahah he’s such a bumbling dummy.

Well, well, well… The affair turned out to be a really bad idea. Go figure. It’s almost like… You shouldn’t have an affair.

K this took me 3 tries to get through. Might have to take a break from this endeavor, lol.

The ITVX drama #TheLady comes to #BritBox on March 18, starring Natalie Dormer and Mia McKenna-Bruce as Sarah Ferguson and Jane Andrews. But is the miniseries based on a true crime story worth watching? Here’s our review.

BritBox series The Lady sees Natalie Dormer, Mia McKenna-Bruce transcend TV conventions

Scott Pilgrim EX traz pancadaria retrô, humor e nostalgia em um beat ’em up divertido da Tribute Games que expande o universo criado por Bryan Lee O'Malley.

Scott Pilgrim EX resgata o espírito dos beat ’em ups clássicos com humor, nostalgia e pancadaria

“Homogenic” – Björk (1997)

The Vibe: Volcanic Beats and Shivering Strings
If her previous albums were about exploring the world, Homogenic is Björk retreating to her home soil of Iceland to build a world of her own. It’s a fierce, emotional landscape where “nature” and “technology” stop fighting and start dancing. It feels like standing on the edge of a frozen cliff during a thunderstorm—it’s cold, cinematic, and startlingly human.

Standout Tracks
• “Hunter”: A masterclass in tension. The skittering, military-style beat mimics the focus of a predator, while Björk’s vocals coil and snap around a haunting synth-oboe melody.
• “Jóga”: The emotional heart of the record. Dedicated to her best friend, this track features “volcanic” distorted beats that crash against a lush, sweeping string orchestra. It sounds like the earth cracking open to reveal a heart of gold.
• “Bachelorette”: Pure drama. It’s an epic, Gothic tale with a soaring arrangement that feels like it belongs in a dark film noir. It’s intense, theatrical, and arguably one of the greatest vocal performances of her career.
• “All Is Full of Love”: After the chaos of the preceding tracks, this is the ultimate exhale. The album version is more industrial and minimalist than the famous music video mix, emphasizing a spiritual, ambient peace.

The Sound
The sonic palette is intentionally restricted (hence “homogenic”): strings and beats. Björk collaborated with Mark Bell to create rhythms that sound like crunching snow and erupting geysers, then layered them with classical arrangements. The result is a “hi-tech” organic sound—it’s mechanical and sharp, yet it breathes and bleeds.

The Verdict
Homogenic is the moment Björk transitioned from an avant-pop star to a visionary architect. It is a brave, protective, and deeply romantic album that hasn’t aged a day since 1997. It’s the perfect listen for when you feel “explosive” and need a soundtrack that is just as big as your emotions.

Final Rating: 10/10

“Study Group” Reflects On the Importance of Education in South Korea

Ga-min isn’t the best student - he’s ranked 219th out of 220 students. But it was refreshing to watch a K-drama like “STUDY GROUP,” where the child’s impetutus to study wasn’t driven by overbearing parents, but his own desire to learn and better himself. When he improves his ranking a bit, he celebrates as if he had ranked in the Top 10. It’s these small victories that are worth celebrating.

Posted a review of Stray by Vito Delsante and Sean Izaakse on my blog. Read it here.

tl;dr – Decent

Time for another manga review! This time: Küsse und weiße Lilien für meine Liebste (engl. title: Kiss and White Lily for My Dearest Girl) by Canno. I got this one in a double pack together with the second volume, but will focus only on the first here.

It is set in the Yuri classic of the girls’ boarding school, though a pretty modern one. Here model pupil Ayaka finds her ambitions to be top of her year thwarted by her classmate Yurine, who effortlessly excels in any given discipline. Ayaka won’t stand for that and delves into a rather one-sided rivalry with Yurine, who doesn’t even realise that and instead takes a liking to her. At the end of their first semester Ayaka, again having come second after her “rival”, finally snaps and tells Yurine that she is going to best her and prove that she’s just a normal human like everyone else and not some unsurpassable genius, despite clearly being more capable than others. Yurine is completely smitten by that declaration of war, be it for the acknowledgment of her skills or that of her being a regular human, kisses her and demands Akaya to do her best to defeat her before walking away. From then on Akaya becomes even more obsessed with Yurine, not realising yet that it goes beyond academical fervour, even still claiming she hates her. Meanwhile Yurine seems to see it more as a friendly game (of courship?). Besides our main couple the story also focusses a lot on Ayaka’s cousin the track athlete and designated girlprince Mizuki and Moe, who’s also the track & field-club’s manager. They have their own, though way less intense, rivalry with Yurine, who of course is also the fastest runner.

I really enjoyed reading this first volume! The artstyle is very playful at times and Canno has a hand for very amusing facial expressions. The plot, while nothing unheard of, is enjoyable and it is fun following the cast of characters navigating it. Speaking of which, I found the characters and their dynamics entertaining to observe. I initially had my reservations regardings Yurine, because “better than everyone in everything” can be quite boring if not actively obnoxious as a character concept. Despite not even being exactly humble about it, she’s still pretty likeable, because she’s very genuine and unless provoked not boastful about it. Next to Ayaka/Yurine, who still have quite a bit to go to actually become a couple, it is very nice to also have Mizuki and Moe, who, going by how they treat each other and talk to another, are clearly a deeply devoted couple, despite it never being made 100% explicit - I look forward to see how concrete that will get too!
The main characters all have some kind of baggage that shapes their personality and behaviour and I can imagine it to be quite interesting when that gets picked up later.
Another thing I liked in this manga was that after each chapter there was a single-page-section, that told what some background characters were being up to in the meantime, fills the story’s world with a little more life.

All in all I’d say that, despite not being too spectacular, it still is a nice read and I’m glad that I have the second volume already at hand, because I do want to see if it will develop the potential it has. I’m also intrigued how the story will progress, because this first volume did span about a year starting at the middle of their first highschool semester and the series is completed at 10 volumes, so the next ones either will have to focus on notably shorter timeframes or grow beyond its initial premise, which would be nice as well.