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Post by lentlsoup on Apr 22, 2023 21:18:10 GMT 1
#13 - Fantasy Life (Game) Date finished: March 18th
Yeah this game is the reason why there's only 2 media entries for February on this thread LOL. My gf Nachtkern made me download it shortly after the nintendo direct that showed the sequel coming out on switch later, and I quickly got sucked into a Fantasy Life hole. This game is so fun and addicting its insane. The gameplay loop is super satisfying and theres so much to do all the time its just filled with so much STUFF. The sizeable amount of sidequests to do and classes to upgrade make this game feel super rewarding to get sidetracked on. I'd go really long stretches of time without progressing the main story because I just wanted to do everything I possibly could before continuing. The multiplayer options make the game even more fun, I had a good bunch of long playing sessions with my gf and we'd collect resources together while he used a new save file and he'd also help me out with bigger bosses I was underleveled for using his Older Beefier save file on a different 3ds. As of writing this I've beat the main story but haven't progressed super far in the DLC expansion yet, but I love how it takes an already pretty huge game and makes it even BIGGER with even more stuff to do!
The gameplay isn't the only thing thats great about it though, even if its a huge focus. I really really enjoyed the cute little characters and the way their dialogue is written. This game has a very particular sense of humour in its writing that really tickles me. It's super funny and charming and I can tell the writers had a lot of fun making up some of the random dialogue in this game. It kind of reminded me a little bit of Touch Detective in that sense. I really hope the same team that did the writing in this game were carried over in the sequel, because I think the witty dialogue gave the game so much character and really made it what it was. I'm super looking forward to playing the switch game later this year, until then I'm still gonna try to max out every life in the game. :)
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Post by lentlsoup on Apr 22, 2023 23:40:38 GMT 1
#14 - In Defense of Inefficiency (Video Essay) Date watched: March 27th
This is a video essay by one of my favourite video essayists, Zoe Bee! She's a former teacher who uses her academic background and experience with teaching high school students to inform a lot of the topics that she covers on her channel. In this video she delves into the history of Efficiency as a societal concept, why and how it drives the behaviour of almost Everyone and Everything today, and what that means for everyone. It's a really cool watch! The whole thing can be summed up with "Efficiency isn't necessarily good and Inefficiency isn't necessarily Bad" but she dives into that idea really deep and gives a lot of interesting historical context + examples for her arguments.
One thing that stood out to me was her saying the time you spend meandering and pondering a creative project, and even time you thought you wasted by making something that turned out to be objectively bad and not at all what you wanted, is still time spent wisely that's valuable. It's precisely because its part of the process that leads you to the end result you Do want, and both the long time you spend stewing something in your brain + the time spent making mistakes when attempting to create it will inevitably lead you to a better result; one that's different from if you had finished something quickly and efficiently in one go, even if it was done well. Wow that was a mouthful I think i could have worded that point more eloquently but whatever. The creative process isn't really the Only thing that she covers wrt efficiency/inefficiency in this video though, its just one aspect of it. But it did stick out to me and made me feel a bit better about myself in that regard because I spend Forever working on the most mundane things that I feel shouldn't take me that long (strange example but I spent like a full week trying to find a way to best and fully articulate some thoughts i had about 9S. the NieR Automata character. it turned into an essay. I felt kind of sillay about how long it took.) Anyways really good video! I'd easily recommend any of Zoe's stuff to people unfamiliar with her, she's super insightful and her videos are well produced. Mayhaps give her stuff a look :) |
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Post by lentlsoup on Apr 23, 2023 0:20:55 GMT 1
#15 - The Greatest Living Show (Music Video) Date watched: March 31st
Toby Fox and Itoki Hana have done it again!!! I really enjoyed their first collab song 74, and their other song Skies Forever Blue that came out last year was really cute. But WOW this one was super cool to look at visually. Toby had actually finished this song 2 years ago, so it was made after 74 but before Skies Forever Blue. During those 2 years, Bani-chan worked on creating this stellar music video COMPLETELY by herself which is so wild to me. The level of detail and artistry packed into this mv is insane. When this was announced I got really excited because I recognized Bani-chan's art style right away. She had already collabed with Toby+Itoki Hana once before for 74, but she made a static image for that video and not an animation. This would be the first time I've seen an animation from her since her Undertale Fanart days, which is how I (and many others, including Toby Fox himself) first found out about her from. I really enjoy Bani-chan's artstyle... Her anatomy is kind of wonky, like the limbs and torsos of the people she draws are usually drawn really noticeably Long, but I feel like it adds to the overall atmosphere of her illustrations. Lots of them feel super dark and otherworldly, which definitely carried over in This project.
Idk how many times I've rewatched this mv and I still keep noticing more little details. The overall narrative of it is pretty haunting, and the art reflects it really well. I hope Bani-chan does more collabs with Toby or even makes her own personal original animations idk how long I'd have to wait to see them. They're gorgeous. There are preorders on fangamer for an art book detailing the process of making this music video and includes a bunch of concept art and stills from the mv, and I really want to get a physical copy but I'm still deciding on whether to get it or not. Even if I don't, I'll for sure get a digital download of it because I'd love to see all the work that went into making this mv. Gonna watch this again like 5 more times now
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Post by lentlsoup on Apr 23, 2023 8:12:57 GMT 1
#16 - PARANORMASIGHT: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo (Game) Date finished: April 1st
THIS GAME WAS SOOOOO FUCKING GOOOOOODDD AAAUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGHHH okay sorry about that i just had to get that out of my system. Ahem.
This game was shadowdropped with little fanfare about a monthish ago. It was featured in a nintendo direct but only in a japanese version specifically, and didn't show up on any other country's direct for. some reason. I knew practically nothing about it going in, but it caught my attention for a simple reason, and i am a Simple Man. The lead artist and character designer of this game is Gen Kobayashi, who is the same lead artist of the TWEWY games. That's literally all it took for me to pick up this game and nothing else LMAO. I'm really glad I did though, because this game is definitely one thats best experiences as blind as possible. Everything about it comes together so perfectly to deliver a fantastically tight and solid mystery. But since I did get into it purely because of the artist I want to talk about the visuals first,
Even though this is drawn and stylized in a very different way than TWEWY is, I can absolutely see Gen Koboyashi's touch here and the similarities between both works. The thick black lines are the only Obvious similarity, but I can also really see it in the way he draws eyes specifically. Whenever there's a close-up to a character's face I can see the TWEWY Eye Shapes. The Face shapes and features also really stood out to me too in the same way. The overall visual aesthetic of the game is so so so cool and I love the use of chromatic aberration to give everything a retro look and feel. But what really stands out to me most in the visual presentation of this game is the Cinematography. They really spiced up the presentation by making the visuals so dynamic. Instead of a text box and a static sprite with changing expressions against a background, dialogue between characters is framed kind of like a movie. The text is presented like subtitles at the bottom of the screen, while characters are posed and "shot" at different, changing angles in between different lines. The camera angle can pan up or to the side while the characters are talking, the camera focus/depth of field is played around with at times, and character sprites can be as close or as far away to the camera as needed to establish the shot. It really feels like you're watching cutscenes from a 3D game except they're completely 2D and the characters aren't even actually animated. I haven't seen anything quite like it before in a VN-adjacent type of game. It really helps set the mood and atmosphere for scenes and for the game as a whole.
And the gameplay... ok im going to hide this one under a spoiler section bc its super cool and I don't want to post clear spoilers in this thread of anything but i gotta gush about it a little ok.
{please dont read this unless youve actually played the game ok pweas :owocry:}I LOOOOOVE THE META 4TH WALL-BREAKING PUZZLES I LOVE HOW IT MELDS SO SEAMLESSLY WITH THE ACTUAL STORY!!!! Calling them puzzles feels weird since these, aren't exactly puzzles in the traditional sense but idk what else to really call them and I think puzzles is vaguely appropriate. The way the game rewards you for thinking outside of the box and for taking the elements of it As A Game and using them in clever ways... The way that it doesn't hold your hand (unless you really really need it but even then, only for a few specific instances) and it trusts you to have the ability to figure stuff out on your own... I particularly loved the one bit where you have to place Mio and Yakko At The School so that they can meet with Erio and Tsutsumi. You The Player have to make that happen. You are using your knowledge to lead the characters around and guide them to finding the truth and lead them out of harms way when necessary... I was giggling and kicking my legs excitedly whenever I figured something out that I got stuck on. I adore how at the very end, when you're just at the cusp of the true ending, the game doesn't tell you what to do or how to achieve it! there's no clear indication for where in the timeline you have to jump to in order to get the true ending, you HAVE to think all the information through and figure it out yourself! I got stuck for quite a while tbh until I was like "wait... It would make the most logical sense to jump to This Specific point in time considering everything I know now, wouldn't it...? Maybe???" AND I WAS RIGHT!!!!!!!! Pure dopamine rush for licherally every roadblock you successfully clear yourself.
OKAY MOVING ON
The story was really good from start to finish and the characters + their interactions were a huge highlight. The mystery aspect was very well done imo... it feels like every single twist was foreshadowed a good amount. It doesn't ever feel like its obfuscating any facts or not showing its hand to give the player a surprise later down the line. It lays down everything you need to figure things out, and makes it feel super rewarding when you do. If something came out of left field for me I realized afterwards that I just didn't pay enough attention. The game's story overall feels super tight, in a good way. It can be a pretty short experience if you blaze through it, and I do wish it was a little longer but it doesn't overstay its welcome and I think it was paced perfectly. I just wanted to see more of the characters bc I loved them so much LOL but everyones arcs were rounded out and completed in a satisfying way. I've seen a few people express disappointment in the way the story ended, but personally I found it perfect for what it was setting out to achieve.
This game is easily. EASILY already a strong contender for GOTY for me. And the creator of the game has expressed interest in making PARANORMASIGHT a series, which AAAAAAUGH YES PLEASE. PLEEEAAAASSEEEE the story ended nicely but theres so much you can do with the concepts brought up in the setting and world the game presented!!! This can be such a fantastic anthology series! I have high hopes that this Will get a sequel based on the directors eagerness about it + the game itself vaguely hinting at the notion of one, and when that happens I am going to BE THERE. Stan Ayame Tono. my final message goodbye
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Post by lentlsoup on Apr 23, 2023 9:22:28 GMT 1
#17 - Yakuza 4 (Let's Play Series) Date finished: April 8th
Well. Um. At least the ending kind of made up for the shitshow of everything else leading up to it? Maybe that's a little harsh. Ok from the beginning.
I don't actually play any of the Yakuza games myself, I watch NicoB's lets plays of them on his channel as he slowly goes through the series. Reason being is that this was already a pretty well established IP by the time I'd heard of it and got into it, and I'm not really willing to spend the time or money catching up on playing every game in the series myself. It's a series thats just way too deep for me to want to dive in and commit to it fully. But I am satisfied just watching lets plays of the games, especially since NicoB in particular is a completionist and plays all the sidequests and does all the minigames for his viewers to watch alongside the main story stuff. I don't get to experience the gameplay but idm since the main draw of the series is the Crime Drama Stories and the cinematic way it approaches them. But the story of Yakuza 4 just plain sucks,
Okay that's a lie it doesn't actually suck. It's actually pretty good and really engaging for like the first three quarters of it and the new characters it introduces are, for the most part, really interesting and well written. But that makes it feel all the more disappointing when the story shits the bed in like the final quarter of the game. So many plot contrivances start happening in rapid succession, character arcs get spat on with with poor writing and melodrama out of nowhere, like 4 different twists get thrown at your face at once with very little explanation or breathing room that make it feel like a blur instead of having any sort of impact, and also this game singlehandedly has the worst cutscene out of any game I've ever seen in that it made me so fucking mad by how little sense it made and how it throws so much character+writing potential down the gutter SO fast. I was so "ok fucking whatever" after that cutscene and didn't think the game could redeem itself for me but the way the ultimate conclusion was set up + followed through on was pretty cool at least. For the most part. It still had some really dumb moments that dampened it. But it was pretty alright I suppose. I just desperately wish the events leading up to it had been thought out better and that they didn't just toss out a character in a way that made me want to tear my hair out. I heard that Yakuza 5 isn't much better, but I guess I'll see eventually in like another year or so.
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Post by lentlsoup on Apr 23, 2023 16:50:50 GMT 1
#18 - The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Movie) Date watched: April 10th
WHEEEEE GO MARIO!!!!!!!!! I wasn't going into this with super high expectations for this As A Movie but I was hoping for a pretty fun time at least. And i got that! This movie is super fun. The visuals are fantastic and really drive the world of Mario home, I loved how they included orchestral arrangements of the mario OST and its sound effects, and there are so many fun references jam-packed into the whole thing. Mario and Luigi's relationship with each other is I think my favourite part of the whole thing. It's probably not really an easy movie to follow along with if you know Literally Nothing About Mario but its fine who cares its the Mario Movie.
Browser and Luigi have the best vocal performances in the movie no contest. Christ Pratt as Mario, for all people gave him shit when the trailers dropped, is Serviceable at the very least. It's not GREAT but it's not THAT bad either. I get the angle they were going for with Mario being a Normal Plumber who Got Isekai'd and making his voice more lowkey bc of that but I'd still prefer if it was Charles Martinet voicing him even if he tweaked his usual angle a little bit. But oh well it's Fine. I actually only really had a problem with Princess Peach, who I felt doesn't even have a Hint of Peach in her voice. It bothered me more in particular since, I kind of don't really like how they characterized Peach in this movie? It felt like they wanted to turn around her whole Damsel in Distress thing by overcompensating and making her a hyper-competent #girlboss type of character who stands up for herself and takes no shit. Which in and of itself I don't really mind or find that to be a bad thing, but I feel like they could have done that without... idk changing her established personality too much? The way she carries herself in the movie made her seem to me more like Daisy except pink and like. There already is a Daisy. I think even just changing the vocal performance to SOUND more like Princess Peach would've made all the difference. But all this is a nitpick more than anything lol.
On the whole, I had a really fun time and that's all that matters. A sequel is pretty likely I think, and when one comes around I think I'd like to see some Mario Galaxy elements come into play. They added a single Luma in this movie for shits and giggles so I don't think that's off the table. I wanna see Rosalina! Anyways Fun Movie Would Watch Again
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Post by lentlsoup on Apr 23, 2023 18:54:55 GMT 1
#19 - His Dark Materials (TV Series, Season Three) Date finished: April 20th
When I first heard that this series was coming out it was pretty Great Timing because I was close to finished reading the trilogy of books its based on. So I watched the first season and kept up with it weekly as episodes were coming out while the details of the novels were super fresh in my mind. The second season started airing almost exactly a year after the first, and I could still remember the events of the books pretty clearly and was able to tell what changed and what didn't. I'd also rewatched the first season by then with my mom, who wanted to see the show since the only HDM experience she had until then was the shitty 2007 movie adaptation of The Golden Compass. In comparison, the third season came out a full two years after the second, and flew under the radar for me. While I was hyped up for the first and second seasons and knew exactly when they were coming out I just somehow didn't hear anything about the third until well after it finished airing LOL. My mom asked me one day saying "hey whatever happened to his dark materials? did it get cancelled or something???" and i was like "Huh I don't actually know. I hope not???? I never heard anything about the final season..." Then I looked it up and saw that the series had already been over for like 4 months. Oopsie.
Since more time has passed since I read the novels, I couldn't remember details from the book quite as clearly as I did watching the first two seasons, so I only remembered the broad strokes of the story going in. It was a little bit hard to follow for the first few episodes, both for me and my mom (who hadn't read any of the books prior). It picks up literally right where the finale of the second season leaves off, but after 2 years of waiting it was a little difficult to get readjusted to the setting and remembering the plot beats since the narrative drives forward without any sort of recap. That's probably more on us than anything though, it would've helped to rewatch the 2nd season before diving into the third since its a story with a lot of moving parts to it. My mom ended up forgetting a lot of details and asked me a bunch of questions for the first few episodes, some which I didn't fully remember the answers to.
I do wonder though, how the first few episodes of the season would be any different had the 2nd season been one episode longer. The first and third seasons are 8 episodes long while the 2nd one is just seven. It was originally going to also be 8 episodes long, but COVID disrupted filming and an episode had to be abandoned. From what I heard, the abandoned season 2 episode was going to have content that ultimately ended up moving to the beginning of season 3 instead? It might have helped the pacing + been easier to understand and get back into if that ssn 2 episode got the opportunity to be completed. I guess we'll never know but thats ok. After the first few exposition-y episodes the show really picks up the pace and starts paying off. All the best scenes from the book that I remembered strongly and was looking forward to seeing live action were adapted so well... Some scenes had to be scaled back and streamlined in terms of scope compared to the novel, I assume maybe because of COVID restrictions? But the execution of the scenes and the character acting was so good it more than made up for it for me.
One thing that stood out to me was how much the actors for the protags aged. Dafne Keen as Lyra and Amir Wilson as Will visibly look fairly older than they did in the first two seasons, which of course is bound to happen with the Passage Of Time (and teens do grow pretty quickly) but it was a hard to ignore since not That much time in-universe is supposed to have passed and it created a bit of dissonance. There really isn't much to be done about that though, it would've sucked if they got recast this late and ultimately I do think its a net positive for the show. I found Dafne Keen's acting this season to be better than it was before, which was something that took me out a little bit at some moments during the first season in particular. And moreover I think the protags looking Noticeably older for the final season works well for the coming-of-age narrative of the show anyways (and some specific scenes work better for it), even if it doesn't make that much logical sense.
All in all, this was a great adaptation through and through. I wouldn't call it perfect, I don't agree with some of the changes made from the novel and I feel like the writers of the show had a slightly different interpretation of some characters than I did. But I liked it for what it was and I'm glad this series of books finally got a good live action adaptation even if it took absolutely Forever to get here. I am aware that there is a sequel trilogy to the HDM books called the Book of Dust that has 2/3 books out rn, and I'm unsure if the showrunners plan to adapt that too but they did hint at it a little in the end. I've heard..... very mixed things abt the Book of Dust so I haven't got around to reading it yet, but if they do announce that they're going to adapt that series as well then sometime down the line then I'll read the books before watching it just for good measure.
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Post by lentlsoup on Apr 30, 2023 9:58:49 GMT 1
#20 - Succession (TV Series, Seasons One + Two) Date finished (SSN1): April 23rd
Date finished (SSN2): April 28th
I had been meaning to jump into this series for a couple years now, around the time the third season started airing I'd heard really good things about it and was curious about it. But I never got around to it and then they announced the 4th season and said it'd be the final one and so I guessed now's a good a time as any to start catching up. And um. uuuuuuhhhhh
Idk how to describe how I feel about this show. I think just saying "i like it" (while not untrue) doesn't really cut it. Because I also hate it a little. But I don't but I do. And I also love it but i dont but I do but i don't. (I do)
The show straddles a very fine line between being immensely insufferable and immensely entertaining to watch and the line is pretty razor thin. I think I do really like it but also at times it's kind of hard to watch. I was going to write a very long spiel about why but I'll just copy/paste a (slightly edited) description of the show that I gave to my friend instead:
And like im 2000% certain that the vast majority of characters are unlikeable and unsympathetic by design. Because they're stupidly rich assholes. I don't think its a flaw in any way or that it hurts the writing (i think it elevates it a lot actually) but it does make it tough to watch at times simply bc its a bit too real. There really are people out there like the main cast in the show running the world, and the specific ways in which these characters are unlikeable + unsympathetic is an uncomfortably direct reflection of reality, however satirical it may be. I've seen people say they couldn't get into the show and had to drop it because all it made them feel was pure dread at the current state of the world and they did Not have it in themselves to engage with it as a work of fiction and yeah i can totally get it.
For me personally though, I was able to push through the hurdle of having to deal with all these distasteful and unpleasant people Primarily bc it scratches the itch of my Weakness. I am just a sucker for family drama and anything digging into a dysfunctional family's dynamics (and ESPECIALLY sibling dynamics) will have me stuffing it down my throat like a ravenous wild animal. I was already Hooked seeing the ways the main cast interacts with each other from the first episode and i sank Succession into my teeth for that alone. (I was surprised to later hear that most people found the first few episodes slow and boring and only really got into it around the 6th episode.)
Despite the fact that every main character objectively sucks I still really want to see them hopefully have functional relationships with each other eventually. And although the family stuff is what I stayed for, really All the character dynamics and relationships are super on point. The writing of this show (from what i've seen thus far) is really, really good! Even though I don't really genuinely like... pretty much any of these characters save for maybe one or two side guys, I am really invested with pretty much all of them and their nuances. This show doesn't just Survive being carried by a full main cast of deeply unlikeable characters, it THRIVES.
The biggest thing that makes the show more Palatable though is that its really fucking funny. The way some of the interactions + dialogue is written and how some lines are delivered made me full belly laugh till my gut hurt. It might just be that i'm way too easy to humour because some parts I was laughing my ass off silly like an idiot while my mom (who I'm watching this with) just kind of  but she does laugh a lot at the show too. Maybe my funny bone is oversensitive i dotn know.
All in all, I think this show achieves what it sets out to do really well but I also wouldn't readily recommend it to people unless they were prepared for the arduous and taxing experience of having to sit through a bunch of entitled corporate assholes playing mindgames and trying to one-up each other while being really uncomfortably cruel but also whiny about it. There's a lot to enjoy about it if you're armed and prepared. As of writing this I've watched 2/9 episodes of season 3, and season 4 has aired 5/10 episodes, with i think the 6th one airing later today. at the rate me and my mom are gobbling this show up we'll probably catch up on the rest of the show within just the next few days and then start watching the remaining episodes weekly until the whole show is over. I already really like the direction season 3 starts in immediately and I hope the quality and tension keeps up until the series finale.
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Post by lentlsoup on May 19, 2023 8:54:47 GMT 1
#21 - Drift Mine Satellite (Game) Date played: May 19th
This is a small interactive text game in which you are a repair technician living in an underground limestone mine with a tiny community of people trying to make do, maintaining the communication network that's set up there. I happened to stumble upon it while browsing websites and it really took me by surprise. It's entirely text with no visuals, but not quite like any other text-based game I've seen. As shown in the image above, it's structured like an overview map of a 3D space, but instead of visual elements placed on the map there's text, and you can click the objects to open a small text box and get a brief description of it and sometimes an action command. There are arrows on the sides of the screen that show the available directions you can move to, and from there you can explore more areas of the overall map.
Granted, I'm not super well versed in fully text-based games, so this is probably not a novel idea and I've just remained ignorant of this specific type of thing until now, but I found it really cool. At first I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy it, but I quickly found myself immersed in the world of this little game and engrossed with the small descriptions of objects that paint a clear picture of the solarpunk setting. The game has you wandering around exploring the map and picking up objects along the way to fulfill a series of small tasks for the residents of this underground mine. Took me a bit over an hour to beat and I would recommend playing it. Here's the link!
With that out of the way though, I want to share how I even found this game to begin with. A couple days ago I saw a post on tumblr complaining about how current search engines operate and how they want older sites to pop up in their searches that have much more wealth of knowledge than barebones clickbait articles, and someone linked a search engine called marginalia that's built for that exact purpose and prioritizes non-commercial content. In truth this is not the first time I've seen this post and I've known about marginalia for a while, but every time it circles around and finds its way back to my dash I excitedly dive headfirst into a rabbit hole with it. What I didn't know until just recently though, is that the marginalia search engine is but one small part of a larger marginalia website, built by a Swedish software engineer who just, like, really loves websites. The search engine is just one of his projects, but there are others on his site, and the one that caught my attention was his website explorer.
Its essentially a randomizing game that shows you a bunch of different obscure websites around the internet. Specifically, it shows you a screenshot of the site's homepage, and clicking on it will direct you to that site. There is a button to go to the next site on the randomizer (it only shows sites one by one), a button to look for websites similar to the one you are currently on, and a button to reset the preferences and start the exploration over again. I found a bunch of neat stuff there like a drum and snare bpm generator, several book clubs, lots of neocities pages, and a surprising amount of personal websites specifically made by tech whizzes allergic to social media. (On one of those sites I found this thing as one guy's misc project and it's the funniest thing I've seen in a while.) I did see one site in the randomizer that I actually knew of beforehand though, which caught me off guard, and that's maple.pet.
If you're in the NIGHTCORNER discord and have a good memory, you might recall the gameboy camera web app I got really excited about a few years back. It was made by the same person, and is on its site! I didn't really know much about this person's other projects though since I only ever went on its site for the gameboy camera, so when it turned up on the website explorer I took the opportunity to poke around more a bit. There's a ton of cool stuff on it! This person makes music, does pixel art, mods tech, writes programs, all very epic. I noticed at the bottom of the homepage though, that the site was part of a webring called the low tech webring, which focused on sites interested in low tech and old web in general. (I had to google what a webring was I am not very knowledgeable on these things. but i know what a webring is now)
Anyways I looked through the directory of the low tech webring and browsed through a bunch of the sites in it and I was so stoked. Theres SOOOOO much cool shit in there its unbelievable. I clicked so many links and saw artwork, small games, code tutorials, thinkpieces, mini apps, zines, poetry, and lots more. Every site is just bursting with so much personality, creativity, and knowledge. It's in one of these sites that I found Drift Mine Satellite, by Everest Pipkin. It was linked as one of their most recent works in their portfolio, releasing just under a month ago on April 22nd. It's actually a part of a group exhibition called Sun Thinking, which from what I can tell is a curation of art and writings exploring the concepts of solar powered networks and solar power in general. I intend to go through the exhibition and check out some other stuff in there another time when it isn't almost 4 am but I'm excited about it.
Anyways this journey has definitely (re)taught me one thing. The internet genuinely fucking rules like actually. Social media makes it easy to forget how cool it is because its a toxic sludge and everyone's living in it etc. etc. but MAN there's just so so so so so SO much cool shit out there!!! You have to go out of your way to dig and find them, but it's so much more rewarding than scrolling endlessly through a feed and its so much FUN!!!! You find a bunch of cool things you never even knew existed and lots of hidden gems along the way! The internet really is a Web and travelling along the connective tissue with an open and curious mind is so invigorating. Now more than ever I feel so compelled to start making a neocities website and make it my home. Everyone Come Join Me
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Post by lentlsoup on Sept 13, 2023 3:37:29 GMT 1
#22 - Succession (TV Series, Seasons Three + Four) Date finished (SSN3): May 6th
Date finished (SSN4): May 28th
I'm jumping back to updating this thread after like. 4 months so my thoughts on the seasons aren't as fresh but By God this show really stuck the landing. It ended exactly the way I wanted it to, but didn't feel predictable in any way either. All those feelings of discomfort and unease and annoyance that I expressed in my post abt the first two seasons didn't really go away over time but at this point I didn't care lol. I was vibing with the show all the way through and the characters carried it so well.
There weren't any dips in quality imo so every bit of praise I went over in my first post still applies here, but in particular I really have to applaud the show for the way it ended. Even though plenty of huge Events happen each season it really feels like the show saved its best character moments for last, and like it let the chemistry of each relationship + dynamic slowly build up and come to a bubbling boil before an imminent and inevitable explosion that was just SOOOOO satisfying to see. Every payoff felt well earned and cathartic (to me. not for the characters LMAO) and I appreciate how the show ends with a huge bang with very little attention to the aftermath.
Even though I appreciated the show very early on, initially I did not think it'd be a show I would rewatch just on account of how hard it was to sit through and stomach a lot of times. I have since changed my mind; I still don't think I'd readily recommend it to many people for the Same reasons as my last post (in fact i think it just gets worse every season in that regard) but the character dynamics were so tasty for me I'll gladly subject myself to this Arduous Experience once more sometime down the line. It probably won't be as bad the second time around. maybe
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Post by lentlsoup on Sept 30, 2023 4:40:07 GMT 1
#23 - Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse (Movie) Date watched: June 3rd
Yeah this ruled. Excellent sequel in pretty much every capacity. It's utterly insane how much the first movie brought to the table in terms of style and animation and went on to inspire many more 3D animated movies that pushed the stylization and animation in ways that can be clearly and obviously traced back to it. That thing reinvented the wheel in a lot of ways, and there was absolutely nothing else quite like it at the time of its release. So it's really awesome how the sequel takes everything it pioneered from the first movie and runs even further with it.
For real, Into the Spider-Verse was the best looking 3D animated movie I'd ever seen, and when I look at it side-by-side with scenes from Across the Spider-Verse it looks like a rough draft in comparison. It's so nuts. Did you know it took like three years just to animate Hobie alone? What the fuck man. Once the movie released a lot of artists on twitter who worked on the film posted the work they contributed to the movie like concept designs for characters + settings and it was such a treat to comb through and see the creative process behind the small individual bits that went into the movie as a whole...
I'm not particularly a Spider-Man fan, or fans of superhero franchises in general, so I really appreciated how both spiderverse movies are written so that they're clear homages and love letters to the many versions of spider-man canon but don't rely on any background or even passing knowledge of them to be enjoyed. I can imagine how the movies are even better for the diehard fans who do know the countless canons of spider-man and could pick up on references and details that casual viewers do not, but those references don't carry either movie and neither one relies too much on them to tell their stories.
While I've seen the first movie multiple times though, I've only seen the sequel once, and in part its because I found it to be a little overwhelming. It's super long and doesn't even tell a complete story, just a very extended setup for what's going to be it's eventual sequel, and that takes away from it a little to me as a standalone movie. It gives Gwen's character an arc with a very sweet and fitting conclusion, but for just about every other character and plot thread everything is left up in the air. I understand why they did it this way but I overall can't say its a better or more cohesive movie than the first one for this reason, at least in its story department.
That said though, I'm very excited for the conclusion to that story! I loved the twist + cliffhanger at the end and I'm happy to wait as long as it takes for it to turn out as best as it can be without breaking the hands of like every animator working on it. I hope pavitr prabhakar shows up more.
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Post by lentlsoup on Sept 30, 2023 7:06:48 GMT 1
#24 - Yellowjackets (TV Series, Seasons One + Two) Date finished (SSN 1): June 5th
Date finished (SSN 2): June 10th
Watching this show felt like eating a 5 course meal and an entire coffee cake for dessert made specifically for me along with the most delectable milk tea to accompany it I feel so thoroughly fed having seen this. I'd heard of this through some recommendations that were like "watch this if you love feral unhinged women and support women's wrongs" and i was like "ok" and they really fucking delivered. It's like if Lord of the Flies had a cast of teen girls instead of little boys.
I loved everything about this show. The direction and overall aesthetic of it is so up my alley and it was such a gripping and intense watch from start to finish. I wouldn't call it perfect; there are some character moments and plot threads that stood out to me as messy and unrefined, but the show's vision is so strong that I really didn't care about its shortcomings overall. In particular, I really liked its nonlinear story structure and how the show took advantage of blurring the lines between the past and present within its story.
The premise is that a high school girl soccer team flies on a private plane to travel to a national tournament but the plane crashes in the wilderness and the girls have to find ways to survive, and the perspective constantly jumps from the past to the present which shows the surviving/rescued girls (now grown women) and how what happened in their youth haunts them. In general, stories that follow a group of ppl surviving in the wilderness after a crash or wreckage of sorts follow more or less of the same pattern: the group dynamics change, and roles get reversed. Yellowjackets does that same thing but what really caught my attention with it is how it uses that basic trope as a framework to explore the brutality of adolescence, and how it uses a lot of exaggeration and artistic license to drive the point home.
In any case, excellent show if you think high school dramas don't have enough blood and carnage happening in them. I think those elements vastly improve petty teenager drama situations. Cannot wait for season 3.
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Post by lentlsoup on Dec 4, 2023 1:48:49 GMT 1
#25 - Black Mirror: Joan is Awful (TV Episode) Date watched: June 15
This was a wild episode to watch with my mom because on the day we watched it while my mom was at work she was talking with her patient about how technology picks up on your conversations + tracks your activity for the sake of advertising and how you'll get recommended products for a thing 2 seconds after you just finished talking about it irl. And then she came back home and watched this with me and this episode was about Exactly That and she was scared shitless.
That aside though this was a fun one. I think I enjoyed the beginning way more than the rest of the episode though. It was genuinely really off-putting and uncomfortable to watch the inciting situation unfold, but after that the rest of the episode took a more lighthearted and comedic approach to the way the conflict progressed and eventually gets resolved. Which wasn't that it just didn't cater much to me.
In general i feel like Black Mirror has been on a decline with each new season and the stories don't really Hit as much as they used to. This is far from the worst episode of black mirror but I can't say I cared much for it either, aside from the chilling beginning. But Alas
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Post by lentlsoup on Dec 4, 2023 3:04:43 GMT 1
#26 - Midsommar (Movie) Date watched: June 18th
FINALLY watched this movie after meaning to For Ever. I watched Ari Aster's first movie Hereditary years ago on my friend Tim's recommendation with zero clue of what it was about let alone what genre it was and then i was subsequently traumatized. Never in my life have i had such an upsetting viewing experience i was thoroughly unprepared for. It ruled. But still fuck you Tim for doing that to me.
I really REALLY liked how Hereditary built atmosphere and carried a constant feeling of dread and unease, and how it explodes catastrophically in the final stretch of the story. I didn't really like the Very end of the movie, but that was moreso because i didn't get what it was going for then as clearly as I do now looking back on it. I was very curious to check out his other movie after seeing that one, but never got around to it until now.
Unlike Hereditary, I did go into Midsommar knowing way more about it. Not so much because I wanted to know more going in but because I was unable to avoid discourse surrounding The Themes online so I knew the broad strokes of the story already. That didn't stop the movie from being a really cool watch though. The tension and unease and discomfort of it did NOT let up at any moment. My favourite part of it is how 99% of it is filmed and set in harsh, broad daylight, but this doesn't do much to dampen the horror and instead amplifies it.
The juxtaposition between the idyllic scenery + happy crowds of people engaging in Festivities and the horrific things happening to the protags was super effective and disturbing to watch. It's made even better with the music.... or lack thereof. A lot of scenes sit in an uncomfortable silence, but the ones that don't have an eerie discordant tune to them with string instruments that just feel grating to listen to. The beginning of the movie really stands out to me because of the score; some violins are played in a way that sounds like a slowed down siren alarm, paired together with a scene in which an ambulance comes to pick up some corpses. It's neat!
All in all this was a very cool movie from a technical and aesthetic standpoint.... my mom didn't like it and thought it was kinda dumb but i enjoyed it. Or well. maybe enjoyed isn't the right word necessarily but I found it to be very engaging and also a very interesting exploration in the ways cults indoctrinate people in vulnerable positions. I really wish the internet didn't flatten it to a #Girlboss movie though
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Post by lentlsoup on Dec 12, 2023 2:19:44 GMT 1
#27 - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Manga) Date finished: June 22nd
I kinda read this on a whim while reminiscing about Twilight Princess the Video Game. It's the only Zelda game I've played but its one of my favourite games of all time and I love everything about it.... I don't have any other Zelda games to compare it to as a point of reference (that I've played personally anyways) but as a standalone game it's one of the most memorable games I've ever played. The unique and somber atmosphere and the wide range of characters made a huge impression when I first played and really stuck with me. I have a TP posted right above my bed in my room. This game just rules.
I was aware that a Twilight Princess manga adaptation existed, but when I first heard of it the manga was still ongoing, and didn't particularly feel like keeping up with it at the time. After randomly remembering about it years later i binged through it in about 2 or 3 sittings. And WOW this is such a good adaptation it kind of blew me away. It extrapolates a lot from the game and adds insight and backstory where there wasn't any, and all the new additions to the story were really exciting to read.
In the game there's an infamous creepy cutscene that Very Briefly hints at/entertains the idea of Link having a dark side and potentially losing himself to a desire for power, but it's only brought up as a warning for Link to be wary of and ultimately nothing comes of it. In the manga though, that actually happens! They take that concept and make a whole character arc out of it that extends an entire volume! I was really surprised at the direction it took while reading but it was so thrilling and satisfying to see seeds that the game planted fully bloom in the manga. Not that the game feels incomplete in any way, but the manga really elevates its story with a ton of cool and thoughtful additions such as this one.
One of the most notable changes/additions in the manga was a shared backstory between Midna and Zelda. In the game, they're essentially strangers that come to care for each other and eventually be in each others debt, but in the manga they're also estranged childhood friends who were torn apart from each other and have fond memories of their time together but do not recognize each other in adulthood. Which was fascinatingly yuri. On top of that Midna and Link actually kiss at the end of the manga so between that and the added midna/zelda storyline the writers really pushed Both the Midna/Link and Midna/Zelda agenda which. Good for them lmao. It was very fanservicey but i can gladly say As A Fan I Was Sufficiently Serviced.
There's so much more that the manga adds to the story, in particular the way it connects to previous zelda games (and how those connections are brought to the forefront and made more blatant when they're just hints/references in the games) but I'll stop here lol. In any case this manga is technically non-canon (along with its changes/additions) but its canon to my heart. I never really thought about or entertained the idea of a Zelda Anime but if they ever make one they should just make an anime adaptation of this manga specifically. It's already translated the gaminess out of the game through its medium and it'd be super dope to see. I also really gotta play every other zelda game now and read Their manga adaptations too. I have a long way to go. 
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but she does laugh a lot at the show too. Maybe my funny bone is oversensitive i dotn know. 
