as small as a world and as large as alone
hey.
It’s been a rough few days, here in the states. It feels like it’s been rough in a lot of ways in a lot of places lately.
I don’t want this newsletter to become something where I rehash the terrible things that have happened in a given fortnight, although they’re hard for me to set aside. I’ll keep putting relevant links at the end, though.
My birthday was last week! I mostly celebrated in the traditional way: by forcing my friends and loved ones to play card and board games. Pictured above: Fan Tan, my very fave standard deck card game. We also played Betrayal at the House on the Hill, which resulted in my friend Kevin becoming possessed by a creeping darkness and killing all of us. Very fun! Highly recommended.
Notable Breakfast
My go-to recently: turkey bacon, fruit with granola, and toast of some kind.
Dog Thing
Mixed Media
Confession: when I was in high school (and into college), I was really, really into anime. The first fanfiction I ever wrote was for Gundam Wing, and I owned so very many DVD boxsets (I was fortunate that I shared this passion with a couple friends, so we took turns buying the DVDs–really the only way to get them in those long-ago days of the early aughts). I’ve moved away from it in recent years, but this past week I went back down the rabbit hole, in a big way. Here are some great things I watch in their entirety:
Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress
This is sort of Snowpiercer meets Attack on Titan, but kinda steampunk and also there are zombies. None of these things shout THING KELLY WILL ENJOY (the opposite, in fact, with the zombies), but I saw this post about this character:
and was intrigued enough to check it out. She, and the rest of the cast of women on the show, are fantastic and varied and I was just really, really impressed. It’s a very intense show, however, with not a lot of let-up. The whole thing is available to watch for free on Amazon if you have a Prime account.
Flying Witch
After the intense ride that was Kabaneri, Flying Witch was the perfect antidote. It is the sweetest, most chill series I’ve ever watched. The main character is a witch, but for all that it isn’t a magic-heavy show. It’s very slice-of-life. The cast is mostly women–again, a fantastic range of characters. It’s very relaxing to watch, and at times extremely, delightfully weird.
It’s available in full on Crunchyroll (which has a free trial period after sign up).
My Love Story!!
This was the stand-out of the bunch, about a giant, deep-voiced 15-year-old, and the sweet, tiny girl who loves him. The protagonists, Takeo and Rinko, are so completely earnest, and it absolutely makes the show. There are blushing glances, and misunderstandings, and shenanigans, of course, but it never loses that core of sweetness.
What really made it, for me, was that although the focus of the show was on the romance, it spent a lot on time looking at platonic relationships of all kinds. In particular, I found Takeo’s relationship with his best friend, Suna, incredibly moving. The entire show is also available on Crunchyroll!
All in all, everything I watched was entertaining and inspiring. I highly recommend this anime rabbit hole.
Also:
I read the next book in Lisa Kleypas’ Ravenels series, Marrying Winterborne, and enjoyed it, although it suffered from the person-A-is-keeping-a-Big-Secret-from-person-B trope, which went on a little too long for me. I read Princess Jellyfish Volume 2 and loved it. I love that series so much.
Continuing with my descent wholly into Japanese animation, I watched Little Witch Academia, which is a short film, and its sequel, Little Witch Academia: the Enchanted Parade. Both are completely adorable and available on Netflix!
I received a new turntable for my birthday, so I’ve been listening to a lot of vinyl. Some newer albums, and some old instrumental records I’ve collected over the years. A favourite is Gustav Holst’s The Planets (appropriate, considering!). A friend gave me the Josie and the Pussycats soundtrack, which I’ve loved deeply for a long time. The voice of Josie is Kay Hanley of Letters to Cleo!
Anxiety Pyjamas
Fics I Shouted About
never been kissed by kairiolette Voltron, Keith/Lance. Keith and Lance go to a space diner, bickering ensues and somehow ends in kissing.
within me, an invincible summer by notcaycepollard Civil War, Sam/Bucky. Bucky’s sent off to a Hulk-proof cabin to recover and be out of sight and mind, Sam goes along to keep an eye on him. Healing happens to both of them.
Eyes Over Here, Mister by amillionsmiles Voltron, Keith/Lance. Lance reflects on how he used to think of Keith, and how they are now. When a writer nails Lance’s voice, it’s the best.
Lastly
Roxanne Gay’s “Alton Sterling and When Black Lives Stopped Mattering“
“Advice for White Folks in the Wake of the Police Murder of a Black Person“
This excellent thread from Ijeoma Oluo on how to stop feeling helpless and demanding accountability.
bye!
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