It's been a while. I'm sure the only people who will come across this site are those who are familiar with my long standing username, MaybeMockingbird/MayBMockingbird. This blog hasn't been used for some time, as you can see by the archives, and there are plenty of reasons why. The main content I covered on this site were new video game and film releases. The goal in 2020 was to finally get back to seeing movies regularly and purchase games at a faster rate, as I had recently been promoted to office manager at my job. Oh, 2020. I used to see films and grab games at midnight releases, which obviously came to a halt alongside the rest of the world, which meant the majority of the content I covered went away or was delayed. As with everything else, things shifted, my job ended as did my lease. I got into webcomics, moved to a different state, and things changed for the better. I was connected with the great people over at Comic Book Yeti, I used this site to help prove that I sort of knew what I was doing, and quickly came on board as a webcomic critic. Most of my extra time and my reviews were focused on this new shift, as webcomics were easily accessible from the safety of my home and updated on a regular basis, so it kept me busy. Recently, I was promoted to webcomic editor and I also started a specialty review blog on the side focusing on the BL genre. I also started writing creatively again, I am 1.35 million words into my novel series and was a part of a flash fiction charity zine and wrote several short stories for competitions on Vocal. I also started a small candle business with spooky themed item! With that, this blog fell to the wayside. I won't be using it, but I put so much time and care into this silly site that I wanted to give it a proper send off. If you want to see what I'm doing, you can check out the links below. Thanks for your support and, if you found this place by accident, feel free to read some classics. Personal Writing Site - Disturbances by Alycia Candle Shop - Li'l-Spooky-Soul Candle Co.™ Comic Book Yeti
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There's something so charming about the slice of life genre when it comes to comics, it's one of my all time favorite genres and a go-to favorite for cold, rainy weekends. It's realistic enough to be relatable but still has that lovely sense of fantastical air about it that helps pull you out of your own day-to-day into a sense of nostalgia that you can't quite place. It taps into those sweet dreams of an exaggerated life you always wished you could have with characters that stick with their reader for a long while after the story concludes. This is why I was so instantly pulled into Spun Together when it popped up on my Lezhin comics app. There was a cutesy goofiness to it that was so charming you could almost see it happening in reality, just down the street from your own home in a quiet little corner with strangers you pass by at a coffee shop and pay little mind to. The colorful art style and genuine, well written cast, alongside a self-aware humor was instantly captivating and left me with the warm fuzzies that I find myself returning to time and again. My FAVORITE genre is the incredible, wide open universe of space operas. Give me any sort of story revolving around a group of mismatched individuals stuck on a space ship and I am all over it, which is why I was immediately drawn to Jurinova's Home Is A Distant Wish. A beautifully crafted story, both in its written attributes and artistry, this webcomic tells the story of a group of smugglers led by couple Arahne and Nkapu who are struggling to survive and find a place to call home in universe that is not necessarily kind. Though it's been a while since I've sat down and read the whole thing, I have fond memories of that initial first reading when it popped up in my recommended page, and I find myself thinking of it often. The story and characters are just that gripping, that impactful. A slow burn of a tale, the group of smugglers pick up some ‘cargo' - this cargo being a mysterious individual of Keld descent named Ores, one who has offered to give no information about himself up to his couriers but harbors a dark secret. However he's not the only stranger who finds himself aboard this vessel that fateful day… Comics. My 2020 was filled with comics to help pass the time as I was stuck at home during the early months of the year. I found myself heavily ready all sorts of genres and styles of comics, manga, manhwa, and web-comics just to pass the time and it reinvigorated my love for storytelling through the medium of paneled art and big, loud speech bubbles. I've found a few series that have really captivated me and I have grown to love sharing these stories on TikTok where I get asked for comic recommendations a lot. While I am always excited to share them, I recently discovered a new one that really stuck with me and I thought it needed to be shared with anyone who will listen. Daniel's Very Personal Villain was like a breath of fresh air in an oversaturated superhero genre. I was introduced to it via an ad for Tapas.io on my Instagram and, having caught up on everything else, decided to give it a read. It had just been released as a new series a few days ago and had fifteen chapters available. I devoured them all in one sitting. Needless to say, I'm hooked. For anyone who knows me or is in any way familiar with this blog you'll know I LOVE my paranormal/ghost hunting television. My most popular entry on this blog is my review of season one of Kindred Spirits, which was a turning point for the genre. The 2019 fall season has been an exciting one for lovers of the ghost hunting genre with new and unique shows - the serial killer spirits mini-series of Ghost Adventures, Travel Channel's live ghost hunt in Salem, the return of the OGs of the genre with Ghost Hunters on A&E (which is such a joy) and Ghost Nation, the announcement of season four of Kindred Spirits, and the immensely disappointing Holzer Files. The list goes on and on. In the midst of all of these new and returning gems of the paranormal reality tv genre none have stood out quite as strong and refreshing to me as Destination Fear. It was just different and completely captivating. One episode in and I was immediately hooked and each episode after continued to cement its status amongst the top tiered new shows of 2019. From the first episode it was easy to see that Destination Fear, conceived by Dakota Laden of Ghost Adventures fame, was something different. It was nostalgic of days when ghost hunting television was still new. There's a sense of wonder, excitement, and most of all raw fear. It's the paranormal show you should be watching this season. If you had asked anybody around me over the last few days what I was most excited about this week they would tell you one of two things - IT Chapter 2 and Bloober Team's Blair Witch. I spent the last two days playing through Blair Witch, and while it leaves a lot to be desired, I will admit I had fun. Part of me knew it wouldn't be anything special, but I held out hope for a semi-enjoyable experience to kill a few hours with and maybe get a few goods spooks in along the way. As per Bloober Team's tried and true formula of 'less raw horror, more tension and atmosphere' Blair Witch creates a haunting aesthetic with some really cool details that will bring a smile to the faces of longtime fans. Sadly, it's glitchy and it drags a lot in places, but the sound design and immersion brought some really tense moments that stuck with me throughout the last few nights. While I'm currently midway through a second playthrough, which is required to gain all achievements, I thought I'd share my initial thoughts with the internet so those who are curious (especially those with that nice Game Pass subscription) can decide whether to spend a few hours of this long weekend walking the woods with the witch. I had the pleasure of getting to see Shazam last night, two weeks before release date (courtesy of the lovely folks at Fandango), and wasn't quite sure what to expect. I love comics, comic book film adaptations, and the superhero archetype in general but when it comes to DC Comics I'm in the novice category of historical facts - unless of course it's Batman related. So Shazam, much like Aquaman, was new territory for me so for the first time in a while I went in completely blind as to what to expect. I was not disappointed. Shazam is ballsy as hell and as clever as they come, with a whimsical atmosphere perfectly balanced alongside a backdrop of everything that makes a superhero film worthwhile. A heavy backstory of loneliness and the horrors of being a teen with sharp humor and a sense of hope that is undeniably adventuresome. It's a strong contender for the best of what DC has to offer and it could just be the film that pushes the DCU back into the running for fan-favorite superhero films. "They made a tonic" isn't just a compelling way to begin a story. For many of us, it was the beginning of an obsession with one of the most provocative and captivating series of narratives in the 21st century. A mere few days ago, it gripped tight to curious readers as the opening chapter of a guidebook to monstrous creatures. This past Friday the 13th it became the introduction for millions to The World of Lore through Amazon Prime and Aaron Mahnke's chillingly true storytelling series Lore. Experiencing Lore in any capacity is like sitting in chilled autumnal air around a campfire while your cool uncle spins yarns of folktales and wonder. There's a creepy comfort in the immersion, and the stark truth behind the unbelievable stories remind us that the world is full of weird and wonderful things. Lore gives its audience tales that are gripping, enticing, and eerily more real than we'd like them to be and the six part program captures that spirit. Season one provides viewers with diverse tales documenting iconic to little known pieces of folklore, presented in a stark mixture of documentary style storytelling beautiful animation, and dramatic recreations. Narrated by the master himself, Mr. Aaron Mahnke, the show proves that the wait is truly worth the outcome and the world isn't always what it seems. It's the perfect addition to your season of scares and a powerful testament to the love fans have for this world. This... is Lore. Evil returns and it did not disappoint. I'm one of those weird, rare die-hard fans of the severely underrated original (like I own a Beacon Mental Hospital staff hoodie die-hard). Next to Silent Hill: Downpour, it quickly took its place as one of my favorite horror titles across all categories of media. The game encompassed what I love about horror; the psychological aspect. Paired with a rich story, a compelling hero, and just enough of a sense of unknown urgency, it created a world that was as frustrating as it was satisfying. It begged to ask the questions of what happens when the mind breaks, how far are you willing to go to survive, how much can the human mind withstand, and at what point do the hallucinations become reality. It's psychological horror at its finest, so when rumors began to circulate of a sequel around E3 time I was pumped. I just wanted to take one more step into this thrilling, anxiety pounding world and all the aspects of what makes this powerful title so legendary in the eyes of horror fans. Bethesda (as always) has put a lot of work and time into this game, it shows in the marketing, it shows in the designs and updates, it showed in the excitement of the fans. As the count-down to Friday the 13th loomed I grew more and more excited and my first playthrough clocked just fifty one seconds shy of twenty eight hours between game-play, exploring, collectibles, and just appreciating the overall experience. The Evil Within 2 is an aesthetically pleasing terror-trip into darkness, and I couldn't be more satisfied with seeing how Sebastian's story is continuing thus far. As I began my second playthrough I decided to reflect on the game. Humans are natural conspiracy theorists, cause reality sucks and it's more fun to believe Elvis is still alive instead of focusing on what's happening around us. We love taking things that are 'known' and shaking them up. The what-ifs of the world are always more appealing than the reality we live in - it's why we believe in Bigfoots (Bigfeet? Debate.) and ghosts and aliens. There's no definitive proof that they're real, but we'll do anything to convince ourselves otherwise. Millennials are ruthless conspiracy junkies, we will literally argue till the sun comes up to defend our beliefs. From FNAF Fanatics to the "Who Is Gonna Kill Rick Sanchez" obsessors (that's my current category), everybody has a niche subject they like spend time delving into the what-ifs of. Lucky for us we live in an age of technology, where we can hop on Reddit or Wikis in an instant, we have easy access to be able to research, create, and share theories about our favorite stories with each other and the world and, if you're anything like me, YouTube is your go-to place for the latest in media theories. One day YouTube autoplay blessed me with the most wonderful new content I never knew I needed (see what I did there?). It's Treesicle, a group of dudes with way too much time on their hands, a penchant for sneaking the word butt into every other sentence like an art form, and fantastic senses of humor - and you really need to be watching their stuff. |
AuthorJust your average geek chic gamer chick into all things ghostly and geeky (and vice versa) Archives
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