iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

At this point it’s probably a good thing half the people watching have dropped Grow Up Show/Circus-dan, because god if you ever wanted a real example of a why trying for the super happy ending & tie up every loose end is a bad idea this was it

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Lara 3.0 You Can (Not) Progress. Among the finale reaction one thread has been how productive it is to hold Yuri (or progressive) works to a higher standard of proof of intention than conventional works? It frustrated because Lara wasn’t subtle, her love was writ large. It was Text not subtext.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

If anyone asks where are you going with all that? all I can say is Anno made me wait years to get that question answered one day ain’t too bad 😅

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Lara 2.0 Your Can (Not) Be Touched My favourite show of the summer season was Botan Kamiina Only Blossoms When Drunk, & part of the reason for this is that it’s its shows intimacy early(ish) in it’s run. It’s not however treated as a culmination of love, just as a change in it.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Lara 1.0 Your Are (Not) Desired To desire & to be desired in turn is wired into us. For a long time society only classed desire that was consummated as legitimate, often symbolised in the form of a kiss. This is deeply problematic socially, but I’m going to keep to why it’s a problem narratively.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Time to reflect on the End of Sayonara Lara Or as I’m going to call the posts Rebuild of Lara 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, & 3.0+1.0 If I’m going to do a bit, I’m going to commit. Early stuff on where this kind of story sits in the media landscape. Later stuff on the reaction (spoiler: I’m sorta hopeful?)

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

right bed now then tomorrow it’s time to grasp the fish by the horns, & try to condense my thoughts on everything that’s gone on around the Lara ending into something coherent(ish)

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I am not proud to say it, but this time i was very much part of the problem. Worse it’s not like i put the effort in & produced a perfect meta end closer Oguri, because all of the ones i made failed in some way. Just a repurposed a uma from CM 17. Oh and she got the luck pace chaser position too😅

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnTe... Why did no one tell me a Rose of Versailles style umamusume advert was a thing that exists. I think we need this as an alternate skin for the game.

youtube.com

【ウマ娘プリティーダービー】CM「麗しのウマ娘劇場」篇

YouTube video by ぱかチューブっ!【ウマ娘公式】

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

This reminds me that Women’s Battalions of Death is the most chunibyo coded name for an actual military unit. (That i know of) Maybe the actual story of the battalions raised after the February revolution is is too obscure, morally ambiguous & short lived to inspire much fiction outside Russia.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Seeing “the 9 anime that changed me” & thinking “why are people posting the anime, but not what it changed about them” Is a reminder the discourse has made me needlessly crankly.

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Deep Sense of Creeping DreⱯd 2026 @devedy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Periodically I note that it seems to no longer be fashionable to talk basically constantly about how Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is one of the absolute best anime ever made, and I worry some people haven't heard that. So now you have, please watch it

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

A puppets & exploding miniatures, in the penultimate episode of a season, in a dark fantasty anime, confined entirely to the big boss fight? Why yes

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I don’t often read episode reviews but the detail & care put in to explain Lara in that context of works of Andersen & the wider folklore tradition by Rebbeca has been a pleasure to read. Thanks to her in particular for the extensive reading list provided over the course of the series.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Every time i try to gather my thoughts on a shot in Sayonara Lara the same pattern unfolds... “I love the way this shot looks, full of light & air. Those painted backgrounds & shots without tonnes of after effects just give me something a little different i didn’t know i missed”🙂

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Earlier in the show Mari’s mother frets that Mari is too “strong”. Mari with her strong sense of right & wrong, wont look away, won’t be selfish, wont back down. Except she can’t always match her ideals. She get’s lonely, she gets jealous & when she does she can’t be the cool Mari she aspires to be

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

How can human feelings endure then? Well because of faith, because we all possess a capacity to believe in something we can’t see ourselves. Love then maybe is finding someone who has faith in you, who can see in you what you can’t.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I think part of the problems around the finale of #SayonaraLara is that it’s a culmination of a dialog between the opposing mermaid & human ideas around love that doesn’t pick either.

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translator of the highest-rated game of all time @yukinogatari.moe · 20/09/2026

sayonara lara: complete perfection--is what the sobbing, emotional wreck writing this tweet WANTS to say. but in truth, it's a piece of fiction every bit as flawed as the characters within. it's NOT perfect, but it's fighting to be something--to stand on its own feet--and I think it's beautiful

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Staying spoiler freeish on #SayonaraLara until tomorrow but: As a anniversary project for Kinema Citrus i can not think of a better way of resolving the shows symbolism than switching from: a digitally animated iconified representation To: what looks like a cell animated practical effect

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Lara Finale 11/10. Expectations exceeded in wonderful ways. A lot of brave decisions, & it all felt consistent with what had come before.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Ok done, just in time to make a drink start watching & see how wrong i am 😅

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Lara In a strange way the easiest & hardest one. The tension is obvious Lara doesn’t need introspection, when she gets a giant magical fish dagger to manifest her lack of self acceptance.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Mari It’s probably slightly controversial to say this but i think Mari’s arc has already been resolved? Mari was never going to reject Lara, it’s been clear for a long time she’s accepted her for who she is. If Mari has to become a mermaid for Lara to see herself accepted she will.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Rowan A lot of Lara Fan’s want to see bad things happen to Rowan, & strangely i think so too does Rowan. Whoever he was has been dead for 200 years now. He retreated into a duty to his daughters & role as a king. With shattering of his Trident to turn Lara into a mermaid that last part is gone too.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Lisa The Lisa we see in childhood is fundamentally a slightly nervous but kind kid. She wants to help other but hesitates out of fear, a trait that Kota helps alleviate but becomes dominant due to her trauma. She lacks faith in herself, & so latches onto her father’s idea around Lara’s duty.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Kota A extreme example of the The reoccurring theme of not judging by appearance. Kota is characterised by their willingness to take action. To go into the dark places that Lisa would not, to be the knight who saves her, & most importantly to show her there is a way to live she couldn’t imagine

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Not long now till it’s Sayonara all of Lara. It’s been great to have a show I’ve really clicked to motivate me to think about how thematic & structural concerns. So I’m going to post on how they might resolve themselves within the narrative. Not predictions but more a series of idle ponderings

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Kaiju Girl Caramelise final impressions: Sweet romcom comfort food as advertised. Kuroe/Harugon is excellent. In a generally light show her VA got across a undercurrent of impotent frustration. The simple unfairness of being denied a chance at happiness everyone else takes for granted

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Catsuka @catsuka.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Hand-painted shot from "Jaadugar" Ending. x.com/sciencesaru/...

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

It’s a measure of its particular impact on me that even now i can just see a still from it & the final scene of Heike Monogatari floods back into my head.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The big problem with playing Umamusume is you’re often forewarned that you need to save for a card that is necessary to play the game, but they throw intresting characters at you. Or at least a fun seeming dumbass.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Good news they’ve greenlit a sequel to Sayonara Lara.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

One thing that’s stood out about #SayonaraLara #GoodbyeLara during its run has been its beautiful hand painted backdrops. At times they border on impressionistic, and focus on capturing the light & mood of scenes

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Watching back the latest Sayonara Lara ep the one thing I’m convinced about is its finale is going to be silly. The knife fish is serious, a reflection of the responsibility of a princess to find true love, but that role does not bring happiness. Something we frequently see in Grace & Rigmor’s lives

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Normally it’s the visual & storytelling of #GoodbyeLara #さよならララ I admire. But hearing Rigmor’s VA seem to match Lara’s VA’s delivery of a line near perfectly was wonderful in its own way. Taking words which have acquired such weight to one & have another say them is a risk but they did it perfectly.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

As we head into the penultimate episode of Sayonara Lara i must admit I am generally not someone who cares about “lore’. So i have to ask myself: why then is Grace’s identity important to me? Why did it feel such a compelling & important idea to me that Lara’s story was mirroring Grace’s.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

In the midst of all the cosmological rumination in Jaadugar this week we also discovered that Toregene revolves around the Son.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

A excellent final episode of #Jaadugar. Loose end’s tied up then a beautiful restatement of what’s at stake. Again we are reminded of Sitara/Fatima’s belief in a natural order. That seeking greater understanding so we may better live in harmony with it is what mankind should strive towards.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Drop a random GL manga panel with absolutely no context

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Rumic World @furinkan.com · 11/09/2026

Scenes such as this where the light is reflecting on the water are accomplished through a process called "backlighting", "underlighting" or "bipack glow". To create the effect a matte is cut and light is shone through the holes.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

BanG Dream! Yume∞mita thoughts: Tough show to judge on its own terms compared to MyGo! & AveMujica. Less ambitious but executes well? I’m glad it retains an attention to detail. Things like the shows primary antagonist staring up at fireworks that seemingly match Yume∞mita’s colours are satisfying

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Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

This German comedy sketch (with English subtitles) perfectly captures so much of what is going on right now in the UK, the US, and across Europe. "Playing the 'Nazi Card' in the Third Reich", by Browser Ballett.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Oh no I’m done for. They are deployed the smart, laconic, but somehow also vulnerable lady. This is the most lethal combination known to mankind & is responsible for 100% of my anime related crushes. Poor Prince never stood a chance.

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Final #SayonaraLara thought as mermaid Monday draws to a close. Do people who have been watching the show think Grace is: A: Rigmor’s (Lara’s Mother) Sister? Or B: Rowan’s Sister?

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codi @codiduncan.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

It’s fun how multi-generational Sayonara Lara's story is. The older generation responsible for the status-quo either refuses to acknowledge it’s state, or is consumed by guilt. Love to Rowan is a Vow sacred & unchanging. Love to Grace is not something she feels deserving of, but wishes for others

Grace & Lara's faces overlapping as their desires converge

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Sasha's Retrobytes 🏳️‍⚧️ @sharkabytes.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

PC Gamer's Guide to Netiquette: Stay on topic! Don't be going to the Monster Truck Madness chatroom looking for cybersex. 📖: PC Gamer, April 1997

A snippet of a feature on internet gaming:

Netiquette
The Internet is a big and scary place, but if you behave your- self, you have little chance of being shunned and humiliated in front of elder gamers. Here are a few tips to keep you from being booted, dissed, or other- wise looked down upon by your gaming comrades.
1. If you're in a specified chat room, attempt to stay on topic. Very few people go into a Monster Truck Madness chat room in hopes of cybersex.

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