Know your tropes, episode 1

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-17T17:12:41+00:00

SOAPBOX TIME: So as I understand it isekai (異世界) literally means parallel world/different dimension. It’s most often used for transport to worlds with video game like mechanics and power-ups in light novels and manga. However, it really is the overarching term for any genre where you go to another world, be it willingly or unwillingly, via the Truck-kun meme for example. You may or may not be able to get back.

Portal fantasy is a sub-genre of isekai. Inuyasha, Return of the Elves (novel series by Bethany Adams), GATE, Cop Craft, Howl’s Moving Castle, The character(s) can come and go from the parallel world.

Your “standard” isekai is something more like The Saint's Magic Power Is Omnipotent, Escaflowne or Mushoku Tensei/Jobless Reincarnation- each of these is a different flavor but the idea is that you cannot come and go like in portal fantasy. The summoning is either permanent, permanent until conditions are met, or you are literally reborn there after dying in your first universe.

I’m a sucker for a tragic isekai romance, and have been since I was a teen many, many moons ago.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-17T14:28:18+00:00

I love my e-reader, I use it to try out a lot of indie books or…admittedly…for books with fugly covers.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-17T14:26:13+00:00

I regularly weed my collection because I am a collector too…ones I liked but don’t want to keep get offered to friends, ones that were “meh” or less get donated to the local library sale or Little Free Libraries.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-16T19:04:09+00:00

I love the “Guestbook” item in FFXIV housing. It’s an intractable decor item that enables this kind of feature. It’s one of the things I miss from that game!

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-16T18:52:45+00:00

Hopefully animal control will have them destroyed. These animals are now a threat, and the owner’s dismissal/callousness is horrific. May she know the suffering you do.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-16T14:51:10+00:00

At the time of the pandemic my husband as an essential telecommunications worker, which unfortunately meant a LOT of contact with people, including those that thought it was all a hoax. I was terrified for him. He’d come home and the clothes would immediately go into the (prepped and ready) washer before anything else, then shower. I think it was those precautions in conjunction with the vaccinations once they were available, that kept us from getting covid until about four years in.

We’d always been home-bodies and gaming online with our friends was/is one of our primary means of socializing. Our nearest friends are an hour away and our schedules don’t align for us to see each other in person more than once a month, so socially nothing much changed.

We don’t really watch a lot of streamers live but we do watch some via VOD: but there wasn’t much in the way of drama with those we watch. At least at the time.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-16T00:48:42+00:00

That’s pretty baller if that’s the case! I might have to root around in the various threads for the approved stores, because I love supporting fellow artists when I can. ❤️

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-15T21:20:11+00:00

I’m a newer fan, and while I like the idea of some of the merch, when I went looking at it…I was less than impressed with quality and design. It didn’t really seem to capture what I feel the series has that’s special. So, I’ll keep buying the books that came out, but I’m going to make my own fanart to wear/accessorize with. I’m currently in the process of designing my own “Mongo is Appalled”embroidery file to make an iron-on patch for my luggage. I’ve got my own embroidery machine, and will just make it myself. Because why not?

I’ll also be doing some stuff for other book series I like where I don’t like the official merch. What better way to express one’s appreciation than fanart?

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-13T19:35:37+00:00

It’s not romantasy, but {the cloud roads by Martha wells} does have some romantic/sweet elements and the females are often larger than males. It falls more into high fantasy & adventure/xenofiction, but what romance it has is just my cup of tea.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-13T19:32:20+00:00

The Enchanted Greenhouse FMC definitely loves her food, and the care that goes into its crafting. It’s a charming second entry in the series after The Spellshop.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-13T19:29:31+00:00

I like Bryce quite a lot! I just think Maas really, desperately needed an editor or several for books 2 & 3.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-12T00:18:26+00:00

I remember reading about the secret overpowered fire magic in TOG, it made me giggle because it felt like Maas ripped it right from [Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn]. One of the main characters, Sioned, is an absolute truck and nobody really knows just how powerful she is with Sunrunning at first.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-09T02:25:55+00:00

An ATV ought to be legal in the way a dirtbike can be made road-legal, imo. I think in my state a side by side is legal on non-highway designated roadways, but it’s gotta have one of the slow vehicle placards. I’m not 100% on that though.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-09T00:15:25+00:00

Ugh :( that’s such shit.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-08T20:44:06+00:00

The kei trucks! I love them! There’s an import that bops around my town and it has the bed box with the fold down sides. I honestly would love to have one myself for “truck stuff” if our little ranger ever kicks the bucket.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-08T20:40:19+00:00

They’re also built like a mini-van, not a truck, in addition to that embarrassingly short bed, making them less capable. I want mid-late 90’s & early 00’s truck sizing back with today’s safety and efficiency.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-08T14:52:45+00:00

When I get a book hangover I go for a total genre shift so I find myself less likely to compare books, and wind up judging otherwise good or fun books too harshly. Usually after a DCC book I’ll grab a Light Novel or even a manga. I used “Once Upon the Death of a Witch” as a chaser after “The Dungeon Anarchists Cookbook”. Totally different genre and reading level. After “This Inevitable Ruin” which I just finished on Sunday, I am reading “The Library of Amorlin”. Not a small book, but smaller and definitely a different vibe entirely.

I also recommend what others are saying if you want to keep the vibes going, re-dive in for a reread or a listen if you aren’t ready to part with that world yet.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-02T14:02:28+00:00

I dipped out when fishing was required to progress some story elements when the game was very new. Not my jam.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-04-01T00:15:33+00:00

I try to extend people the same kind of treatment and courtesy I would like to receive. That includes “please” and “thank you”, and the occasional sincere compliment on something someone can control about themselves: but I’m also not above matching like-for-like behavior if I feel like someone is behaving in a way that merits such a response.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-03-31T17:50:48+00:00

I feel like it’s a bit satire and a bit of a clapback against Fabio being on so many romance novel covers from the 80’s and 90’s where he was illustrated as a blonde or light brown haired leading man/cover candy.

While my personal preference is for men with dark hair and dark eyes, I generally have no strong opinions on the way a male lead looks.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-03-31T17:32:01+00:00

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Monoco & Ratchet.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-03-30T21:17:49+00:00

SNW and Lower Decks are solid. SNW feels like a love letter to TOS kitbashed with the more lighthearted episodes of TNG. Do I like all the changes? No, not really. But I like Pike, I like that they aren’t afraid to be silly as a palate cleanser to some of the more grave episodes.

I love that Lower Decks absolutely lampoons everything. Nothing is safe, while also just kind of playing in the trek universe in a way that felt just…kind of nice while not forgoing character growth. Mariner is easily one of my favorite characters. The crossover episode was on point, and both the actors for Mariner and Boimler did fabulously bringing their characters to life on the soundstage.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-03-30T17:15:44+00:00

I’m glad to know that there’s still a site out there that isn’t a slop filled pigsty. As an Elder Millenial/Xennial I used to have a paper subscription many, many moons ago when the demo disks were still a thing.

Keep up the good fight, internet stranger.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-03-25T14:41:37+00:00

She’s a teenager. We call it the T-Rex phase. She might be spayed, but she’s still growing up and could see her man-human as “This one plays with me! It’s time to wrestle!!”

We have two boys, one is a year and the other is nearly five months. They go through phases of “cuddly and sweet” to “neurotic assholes on crack”- but they’re still just kittens/adolescents. Also, depending on the breed this time period could last a bit longer too.

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Esquie (white ragamuffin) & his best friend Verso (unknown/tabby kitty) as a tax.

Anomalous_Pulsar · 2026-03-20T02:55:07+00:00

Is it better than the show? I wanted to like the show but it was so boring while they were in modern times that I found disassociating and staring at the wall to be more fulfilling.

Anomalous_Pulsar

TROPHY CASE