October 2023 Monthly Update (Patreon)

It's spooky season! You may have noticed, but Halloween is when I let my love for witches and all things spooky get out of control and reblog lots of art. I'm also going to go Trunk or Treating with my partner and their kids tonight. Have a witch outfit on at work (it's just fancy clothes and a small hat, I took the cloak off) and feeling kinda alone because I'm the only one that dressed up...but whatever, not my fault no one else is having fun.

I've been doing a bit better at the end of the month. The Janelle Monae concert was really fun, and I'll try to remember to post more about it later. I've mostly been busy getting rewriting small parts of my novel and getting in touch with potential editors and beta readers. And grading. Lots of grading.

For the spooky season, I read Camp Damascus, a horror novel about a conversion camp by Chuck Tingle (yes, it's a Tingler- but it really is a horror novel, nobody gets pounded, except by fear). It was genuinely creepy, but also tasteful in how it handled everything, I'd recommend it if you want a good scare!

I've also been playing lots of games again- there's Spiritfarer, (which is a very cozy game where you ferry the departed around with an adorable cat sidekick),  What Remains of Edith Finch (first person exploration game where the last surviving memory of a family where everyone dies in unfortunate ways and is said to be cursed searches her childhood home and learns about her dead relatives--really interesting so far and utilizes a lot of different gameplay) , Slay the Princess (FANTASTIC horror visual novel where you're told you have to kill a princess for the sake of the world that takes advantage of branching narratives and different choices affecting things in a really cool way). I also got Mineko's Night Market based off the cute art style, but there's not a whole lot to do in the early parts and I got bored.

I went to a con last month and read some DC comics (final Batgirls, Nubia and the Amazons). Both were fun, but it just kind of reinforced that I was right to start reading DC. Batgirls has already been cancelled, the Nubia graphic novel was interrupted by a crossover and had to include a summary of a bunch of stuff that happened in other comics. I just can't go back to that life.

I met the guy who did the famous comic book reimagining of the Flintstones and told him he was still beloved on Tumblr. I got his Snagglepuss Chronicles comic, which yes, reimagines Snagglepuss as a gay playwright in the 50's dealing with McCarthyism. It's as wild as it sounds, and pretty poignant and full of historical references. I enjoyed it.

Keeping up with a lot of anime:

Spy x Family Season 2: still solid, excited for the Yor arc being animated

I'm in Love with the Villainess: this is my trash, I won't apologize. I enjoy the voice acting a lot, and while it doesn't have high production values, it has heart.

The 100 Girlfriends who Really x4 Love You: I am amazed at myself that I'm still watching this, but it is genuinely really funny at times, and I appreciate that the MC is the ultimate wife guy and that they're learning how to function as a polycule. Definitely trashy, but it's fun, self-aware trash.

Shy: A solid superhero show about a shy girl, has some slight yuri undertones with her civilian friend that will likely keep me hooked, just the way they want it. what if my hero academia cared about women.

The Apothecary Diaries: A beautiful medical mystery series set in imperial China about a loveable girl who worked at an apothecary, and after ending up at the palace, uses her skills to solve all the weird poisonings and other things going on.

Migi and Dali: A reviewer called it 'if they made an anime out of the death note potato chip scene' and yeah. I don't want to spoil it because it's delightfully weird, and you could go in cold.

Frieren: An absolutely gorgeous show about what happens to an elf after her adventuring party saves the world, and how she comes to terms with outliving all her friends. It's got a wistful, melancholy feel about it, but also shows a lot of beauty and intrigue.

I also finished live Action One Piece, which was fun! I'm almost caught up with Our Flag Means Death, which has also been fun (and you KNOW I'm here for Anne Bonnie, Mary Read and Ching Shih). I've started watching The Fall of the House of Usher, and I don't know how I feel about it-- I'm a simp for Poe references but so far it's kind of discount Succession with a horror feel.

Happy Halloween, all! See you next time!