“Keep it simple” works for games too — I’m never too subtle when it comes to telling my family what kind of present I’d like to receive for Christmas. I don’t like to force it upon them, but I couldn’t deal with being let down if they didn’t get my hint and gift me something else entirely. …

But it’s still one of the best shows of the last couple of years. — Watching Without Expectations I didn’t really know what to expect from HBO’s The White Lotus before I began watching it, and to be honest I didn’t know even halfway through the first season. …

And does it really matter? — I was born in the second half of the 80s, so there are a few examples popping up in my mind when I hear the term “boy band.” You name it: Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Take That, Boyzone, New Kids On The Block.

The problem with superheroes and what to do about it — I’ve never been a huge MCU fan, even though I’ve watched many of the movies and TV series. You’ve got to know something if you’re going to critique it, after all. …

The unbelievable story of Ada Blackjack — “You’re doing it for your child. You’re doing it for Bennet.” Ada Blackjack repeated it as a mantra as she saw the Alaskan shoreline getting farther and farther. Coming back alive was the only thing she could do for him, hoping he didn’t die of tuberculosis in the meantime. Ada…

Let’s narrow it down, shall we? — Last week I ran into a couple of Medium articles in which the writer chose a song for each one of the letters of their first name. Even though I wasn’t officially invited to this challenge(FOMO!), I decided I’m participating anyway. But I’m going to make it my own way…

A few thoughts on bad guys in modern pop culture — The sympathetic villain: when does it become too much? One of the few pieces of narrative writing advice that really stuck with me is that a story is only as good as its villain. If you think about it, it’s quite straightforward. …

But I’m ready to have my expectations crushed in 2023 — Did Metallica stop being cool? And when? Today I listened to Metallica’s new single, Lux Aeterna. I didn’t know what to expect from it because I still had to recover from the bad impression they made when I saw them live in Florence last June. …

A happy ending when all hope was almost gone — In 1967, The Beach Boys were on the verge of releasing an album meant to be the best in modern music history. Brian Wilson wanted the band to stop being just the band of the surf/car/girls in bikinis songs. …