Mod Post: Off-Topic Tuesday

[icon_uk]

In the comments to these weekly posts (and only these posts), it's your chance to go as off topic as you like.

Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat among yourselves.

The intent of these posts is to chat and have some fun and, sure, vent a little as required. Reasoned debate is fine, as always, but if you have to ask if something is going over the line, think carefully before posting please.

Normal board rules about conduct and behaviour still apply, of course.

It's been suggested that, if discussing spoilers for recent media events, it might be advisable to consider using the rot13 method to prevent other members seeing spoilers in passing.

The world situation is the world situation. If you're following the news, you know it as much as I do, if you're not, then there are better sources than scans_daily. But please, no doomscrolling, for your own sake.

Whilst the US deals with... everything going on like the Voting Rights Act being gutted and a possible $60M grift on mobile phones

Meanwhile, not to be outdone, the UK Government is dealing with major losses in last weeks local Council Elections (and Scottish and Welsh Assembly elections) by fracturing over whether the Prime Minister (admittedly a thoroughly unpopular one) should react by stepping down. Because that ALWAYS works, just ask the Tories.

On the plus side, the Scottish Assembly had two openly trans Members voted in, including, with delightful irony, one in Edinburgh who represents the constituency JK Rowling lives in.

I caught up with "Madame Web" on Netflix before it disappears at the end of the month. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I honestly found it quite enjoyable, if rather clichéd and a bit camp (not always a negative). Whilst it did have the air of a TV pilot given a movie budget, it's a shame we'll likely never get to see any of these Spider-Women again... :(

Comments

[leahandillyana]

I genuinely don’t know which way my health is going. On one hand, I am feeling somewhat less tired and depressed, which I attribute to the soothing effect of the nature blossoming rather than any actual improvement on my part, and on the other, I’ve been suffering from epileptic attacks on every Saturday for several Saturdays in a row, which I attribute to the effects of stress kept at bay by large amounts of adrenaline during the week. At least I am managing to do something other than working and sleeping: I got to plant a large variety of plants and am currently moving the young flowers from seedbeds to flowerbeds proper. I feel especially optimistic about the sunflowers, cosmoses and mallows, which took really well to my care thus far and are growing fast. It also helped that it finally rained for the first time since Novemeber, replenishing the completely dry well, stream, and groundwater resources. Unfortunately almost none of my fancy tulips bloomed this year, with garden being instead dominated by red, yellow and striped orange-yellow varieties planted by my mother in the autumn. Unsure whether it’s just an odd year or if they will never again bloom, I preordered hundreds of new fancy bulbs to be delivered in October. Also, the swallows returned recently with the rain and we have new neighbours I have mixed feelings about – a family of reddish-brown rats. I miss the hedgehogs though, I haven’t seen any in a very long time, it’s honestly easier to encounter a bear than a hedgehog here nowadays.

A few weeks ago, during my second week of the health leave, I’ve finally read Togainu no Chi, but needed some more time to think on the story before writing. I genuinely loved it and it’s currently my favourite visual novel, as well as the second longest visual novel I’ve read thus far. However, I cannot recommend it to anyone really, unless they are specifically into eroguro and related really disturbing sexual horror themes, because the game is just as guro as Sweet Pool is, if not more. Perhaps the toned-down and desexed True Blood edition, released in English in late 2025, would be a better introduction for more sensitive readers, as while the story, from what I’ve heard, remains mostly the same, the most disturbing aspects are implied rather than shown outright. As for the story itself, when you look past all the fetish material, instead of edgy cyberpunk action tale you might expect you are met with surprisingly psychologically and philosophically deep personal drama telling the story of how generational trauma impacts people and how compassion and kindness can safe even seemingly hopeless causes. It’s not Steven Universe, but the contrast between the themes and message is astounding. Well, that and well written but poorly planned Hellraiser fanfiction in about equal doses. It really feels like the story suffered from budget shortages that did not allow the creators to portray all the scenes they wanted for the story to be complete, to be honest, which is especially notable in the unlockable storylines. All in all, I enjoyed Rin and Motomi’s storylines, have mixed feelings about Keisuke’s storyline, and think that Nano and Shiki’s storylines failed at how they wanted to portray the pathos of the characters and their relationships with Akira. I have many thoughts about the game, would it be alright if I made a post about it in the community, as I wanted to write about the problems with adapting non-linear narratives into a literal medium with the example of the many failed attempts at Togainu no Chi comic adaptations, or would it be too off topic? Please ask me about TnC, I feel really excited about the novel but have nobody to talk about it with irl.

With my other fandoms, I managed to finish all my winter 2026 anime series (yay!), though to tell the truth the season was nothing spectacular and I feel that I could have skipped everything I started and ended up on the same note. I’m up to date with Kamiina Botan and Witch Hat Atelier, but I’m kinda bored with those series, as I am not in the mindset to watch slice of life scenes, be it real life or a fantastic world. I finished Her tale of Shim Chong and I continue to recommend the series, though I feel that the pacing is too slow and the story would fare better as a hypothetical 12-13 episodes long single cour anime while a faithful adaptation would have required a double cour of 24 episodes at least. I am also on volume 8 of Villains are destined to die, and I think the story is finally reaching its climax. The tale is beautiful and the psychology of the main character is complex, but I wish there was any other female character with major role, a recurring friend or a relentless rival who could potentially turn an ally, because as interesting as the story is, it’s all about the heroine and her potential love interests, with minor parts for her father. The story feels greatly unbalanced. In general, I am reading much fever comics than I wish to, with American comics having completely left my reading pile about a year ago. :( When I visited the city on Saturday I visited a comic shop, but realized that I would have picked any comic they had in the middle of a storyline I was unfamiliar with and left with only a few free comics I later reassembled into one decorative album.

[onsokumaru]

I alway wanted my boy Sero Hanta from My Hero Academia to become viral, but maybe not like this.

[iamrman]

This week’s comics ramblings:

New Mutants. After that one issue (you know the one) and a grim Mutant Massacre tie-in, it was refreshing to have a fun jaunt through time with Robert the Bruce. Alas, the fun times won’t last as Claremont leaves the book not long after. No way am I putting myself through the Louise Simonson run again. It is telling just how bad her run was when I actually prefer the Liefeld issues.

New Warriors. I enjoyed posting this series, so now I have gone back to read this series for my own benefit. Yes, I still find Night-Thrasher ridiculous. I like the rest of the team just fine. They are all pre-existing characters and the only one I dislike is the totally radical new guy. Make of that what you will.

Power Man and Iron Fist. Luke and Danny’s own books weren’t selling, so it was decided to smoosh them together and thus a bromance was born.

Power Pack. Just so people don’t think I crap on all of Louise Simonson’s work, here is one of her books I do actually like. (As much as I joked about the constant angst back when I was posting, I did actually like her run on X-Factor.)

Sensational She-Hulk. Simon Furman starts his run with a guest appearance from Death’s Head. Suppose it was inevitable, yes?

In other news, I finally got around to listening to the Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men podcast. I only recently gained the means with which to listen to podcasts. I got bored of the same old shite being brought up in my usual wrestling podcasts, so I decided to give Jay and Miles ago. Needless to say, I have a lot of catching up to do.

[scorntx]

It's kind of eerie how well Luke and Danny work together sometimes.
Even Netflix Danny is vastly improved when teamed up with Luke.
Though really there wasn't much room for him to go but up...


(Power Pack Epic Collection ever, Marvel?)

[iamrman]

"(Power Pack Epic Collection ever, Marvel?)"

If the likes of Morbius and Killraven can get Epics, why not Power Pack?

[tripodeca113]

Doctor Who: Steven Moffat's greatest trick was to write good episodes of Doctor Who to trick us into thinking he should be showrunner...

So this episode had a scene where the Doctor realized that the only clock in the room was broken and so the ticking sound is a sign that the monster is nearby.
It's a good effective scene, but wait a minute- in his last episode back in season one a character went "I'm not using the typewriter and your not using the typewriter...so what's making that typing sound? The monster is here!"
And I assume it was a deliberate homage to the previous episode but it's kind of odd to repeat yourself like that in only your third episode....

There's a bit where the Doctor mind melds with Madame de Pompadour which was a bit odd.
You'd think that ability would come up more, but in practice it does seem about as practical as just asking someone a question normally so I guess that's why we don't see it that much.

yay! Toph debuted twenty years ago!
I really don't look forward to seeing how the live action show adapts that episode.

I've been waiting for them to sell bootleg copies of the Darth Maul show on Ebay. hmm do I buy the copy going for $150 or the one that's $20? Decisions, decisions...

[icon_uk]

I'll forgive him the sound continuing because it's different reasons.

In one it's a sound which shouldn't be there at all.

In the other it's a sound continuing when it shouldn't but which you could miss because there's nominally a reason it should be there.

I'm more irked with the number of times "Super dangerous weapon has OS so powerful it develops sapience and a conscience and decides to sabotage the original plan for it's use" is lauded as a novel idea

"The Day of the Doctor"

"Boom!"

"Joy to the World"

And those are just the first three I can think of. Pretty sure there are others.

[scorntx]

Moffat's one of those environmentally friendly writers who likes to reuse certain ideas and themes.
Sometimes quite a lot.

Though I think "living superweapon with a conscience" is one of his lesser used ones. Can't recall offhand, unless he's been writing for other franchises.

[icon_uk]

I think it was the fact that it was core of the massive 50th anniversary story... then used for his much publicised first DW story since ceasing being showrunner, then again in the very next DW story he wrote which was also touted as the last he'd ever write for DW.

[deh_tommy]

Moffat has his stock tropes, and hey, if they work they work. Though funnily I remember being disappointed in The Girl in the Fireplace back in the day, but that was because I loved The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances so much and seeing his name on the episode I was expecting something much scarier in that vein. I’m sure it is a good one and I was just unfair to it, but I haven’t watched it in forever.

[scorntx]

Did not have the absolute best Sunday.
Started out well enough; nice family trip to a garden center.
Not home twenty minutes before there was a break-in next door.

Discussion's turning to moving, for a mix of reasons (money, the by-election results, the unspoken "we've been here more than a decade and now I'm bored!").
I'm heavily resistant, not least because the prospect of A: Having to pack up my vast hoard of stuff, B: The possibility of some of that stuff going missing, but... having little ****s committing break-ins on the regular doesn't help the paranoia.

(I mean, I was thinking of going seeing The Mandalorian & Grogu, but I don't know if I'll be comfortable leaving the house unattended for that long...)


We got some rain the other day. The garden liked it. Especially the thistles.
Shootin' up, they are.
The asparagus, not so much.


Speakin' a TM&G, saw a news article today proclaiming it has to succeed or else Star Wars is dead.
Which seems just a touch hyperbolic to me.

Been re-reading some of the old D'n'A Guardians. Those were the days.
When a series of Nova could last more than seven issues.

Read that Civil War: Unmasked (celebrating twenty years of Civil War... for some reason).
Didn't know the Cap / Iron Man one-shot was one of Gage's. ... got that issue somewhere, in the Civil War pile.
Also: Way to completely bollock things up, Bishop.

[thanekos]

Jillian Tamaki's " Supermutant Magic Academy " is getting an animated adaptation.

[thezmage]

Listened to a podcast recently called Azathoth Blues about three detectives being punished by being assigned to the division that investigates the weird mysteries, based above a porno theater. It really scratches the cosmic horror noir mystery itch I've always had.

I saw Mortal Kombat 2 and the Sheep Detectives this weekend. I enjoyed both.

Mortal Kombat was a fun movie doing their best to bring an actual fighting game plot to the big screen, with the previous movie doing a lot of the heavy lifting WRT character motivations.

Sheep Detectives was a fun cozy mystery with some funny bits about sheep trying to understand the human world and also a lot of talk about death as they struggle through the concepts of mortality and grief.

[zachbeacon]

The last month has been …a lot, so rather than share some personal things I haven’t fully processed … here’s some media I’ve been enjoying recently …


Deli Boys is a Hulu/Disney crime comedy about two idiot brothers who find out their late father was a crime boss. I’m late to this one but that means I don’t have to wait long for the second season this month.


Atomic Robo is one of my favorite indie comics and its split across two bundles along with some extras (like the RPG) on Bundle of Holding …

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/2026RoboR2
https://bundleofholding.com/presents/RoboNewEra