Ever since I was a child, one of my biggest dreams in life has been to travel the world. I’ve always loved meeting people from new places and learning about different cultures, and spent most of my 20’s roaming around the USA. But outside of a couple family trips when I was young, I’d never... Continue Reading →
Character Arcs: Shulk and Defiance of Fate
My favorite RPG series is Xenoblade, and Shulk is its Luke Skywalker. If you only know him through Smash, you might just think of him as the jumpy blonde British kid who screams “I’m really feeling it!” and never wears a shirt. But playing the first Xenoblade Chronicles reveals Shulk to be a complex, existentialist... Continue Reading →
The Legend of Zelda: Queers of the Fandom
I’ve been streaming my favorite game, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, on YouTube in the lead-up to the next big entry, Tears of the Kingdom. As a trans content creator, I’ve always been proud of my identity and use the #lgbtqia tag to connect with others in the community. Recently though, I’ve been... Continue Reading →
The Witch From Mercury: Boldly Going Where Gundam Has Never Gone Before
As much as I love great mecha anime, I never could get into Gundam. I’d watched a little of the original 1979 series and Gundam Wing on Toonami back of the day, but all the spin-off series, alternate timelines, and convoluted lore made the franchise feel impenetrable for a filthy causal like myself. Studio Sunrise... Continue Reading →
Dear Anime Industry: No AI “Art”
What a time to be alive. Barely a year ago, advanced generative AI was the stuff of science fiction. But now, you can ask Bing to look up movie times (if it actually works) ChatGPT to write essays and cover letters, and DALL-E to make a picture of anything you ask it to. These systems... Continue Reading →
Classic Albums: Remembering Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours
On November 30, 2022, we lost a music legend. Christine McVie, keyboardist, singer, and songwriter of Fleetwood Mac, passed away at the age of 79. While she was often overshadowed by her co-stars Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, McVie’s soulful alto and impeccable chops made her the architect of some of the band’s greatest hits.... Continue Reading →
The Unique Joy of the LBGTQ+ Anime Fandom
Online fandoms have come a long way since the halcyon days of the internet, when the only way to find people with similar interests was to load up a GameFAQs message board on a sluggish dial-up connection. Nowadays, though, all it takes is a quick search on Reddit, Discord, or (RIP) Twitter to find millions... Continue Reading →
My Favorite Random Things of 2022
2022 was a rough year in a string of *rough* years for the world. It was a year of war, toxic politics, COVID still lingering, and whatever the heck Elon Musk has been up to recently. But amidst all the garbage, there were a few things that made 2022 a bit more bearable. Some of... Continue Reading →
The Rings of Power: Not the Lore I Was Looking For
Before I rant too much, I have to address this. Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a polarizing series, but the most toxic online debates have been about the casting of women and people of color. Now, I could go on about J.R.R. Tolkien’s views on race and gender, and why I... Continue Reading →
Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Thanks For The Memories
Prologue: A Life Sent On Xenoblade Chronicles 3 begins with a melody. An earnest youth named Noah plays his flute as the horrors of war rage around him. Noah is an off-seer, and his song allows the souls of departed comrades to pass on. In a world of ceaseless violence, where the very earth is... Continue Reading →