Good morning everyone,
It’s January 2023 and the fifth year of the Reiwa (令和) era. Before we look forward and plan for the year ahead, it’s necessary to look back. Please read Top 10 Size-Themed Creations of 2022 if you haven’t already because today’s post builds upon that. Both talk about the year that was 2022.
First, let me discuss requests sent via blog messages and e-mails. Requests for reviews were submitted via blog comments, e-mails, on the Process Forum, etc. That’s been great! Several reviews were written over the last 12 months including “Kaylee” by RedFireD0g, “Size Matters The Thrust Diaries – Case 3″ by Sasha Twyst, “The Growth Chronicles” Books 1 through 6 by Ivy Maxwell, and many more.
Coming soon to There She Grows are more requested reviews including Diane Chrystall’s “Growing Bigger Than The City Giantess and Giant Double Growth” (suggested in an anonymous message via the contact form), Gallop’s “Giant Woman 01” starring Chinatsu Nakano (suggested by Robopengy on the Process Forum), and TyGuy94’s “Soul Mates” (suggested by Gourd in a November 29th comment under the Kaylee review).
Those recommendations have been rewarding, particularly because they often alert me to important media that I missed. However, please search There She Grows before asking! Multiple requests have been received for stuff that has already been done. For instance, the following were already posted: “Hard Gains” by HB Flynn and “Project Izanami” by CaptainXero and Dinner-Kun.
If there are issues or problems with the WordPress search box (it’s down toward the bottom of every page) please let me know. To the best of my knowledge, it works fine, but I can look into it if anyone has difficulties.
On the topic of sending messages and recommending reviews via the blog, a few people (or maybe one person sending multiple messages) asked that the Email and Name blocks in the Contact form be made optional. Of course, I fully support the right to privacy. It’s understandable that people want to be anonymous. It would be awkward if someone next to you sitting on the same church pew leaned over on Sunday morning and asked why you sent questions to There She Grows. However, in my opinion, this isn’t a significant problem because people can simply input a fake name and bogus e-mail address.
Furthermore, I am reluctant to make the blocks optional because that information is useful when someone asks for something that was already done. For instance, if I knew the e-mail address for the person who requested Project: Izanami then I could have sent them a quick reply with a link to the post. However, that person was anonymous; so, I have no way to contact them and can only hope that they find the review on their own or read this post.
What do other people think? Do you the reader think the Email and Name blocks should be optional? I’m not unwavering in my opinion and could be convinced if more people objected.
On the topic of size-fetish forums, little changed. Arguably, the biggest shakeup was in May when webmaster Pete assumed control over the Giantess City forum, arguably the most popular (based on monthly number of visitors) of all size-fetish forums. Initially, Giantess City was owned by MysticCrunk, then Gary Pranzo ran it for a long time, and now it belongs to Pete. Nothing has been changed, and many visitors may not have even known that the place was under new ownership. Here’s wishing Pete good luck as he eventually transitions the forum from phpBB to custom-coded software which reportedly will make it easier to add new functionality.
Switching gears, several live-action giantess movies were mentioned in the Top 10 Size-Themed Creations of 2022. (NOTE: Although, I forgot to mention the appearance of the giant Atom Smasher character in Warner Bros. Black Adam.) I want to make sure and report that animation and comics also contributed. For example, American comic book publisher BOOM! Studios provided their take on Alice in Wonderland, as can be seen in the above image.
Japanese anime and manga publishers pulled their own weight of course. New manga volumes of Nikumura-Q’s ジャイアントお嬢様 (Giant Ojo-sama) and Aoima Shirou’s ちっちゃい島のでっかいガール (Chicchai Shima no dekkai Garu) Big Girl on a Little Island were published. Additionally, the anime 僕のヒーローアカデミア (Boku no Hiro Akademia) My Hero Academia released an episode (Season 6 Episode 5 “The Thrill of Destruction”) in which the enormous Mt. Lady nearly flattened another hero, Fat Gum, under her prodigious buttocks. (NOTE: Fat Gum has enhanced durability; so, perhaps he would have been fine if he had stayed put and just let it happen 🙂 )
Let me turn to a more serious topic, politics. A few individuals in the size community publicly complained about people who advertise their political views. This isn’t about the individuals who sent those tweets; so, I am not going to identify them. I’m confident that readers are already familiar with family or friends who threaten to withdraw support from a celebrity if they voiced a political opinion.
However, despite the potential objections, politics will still be discussed at There She Grows. I will not be silent when Americans are in danger of losing hard-earned rights, whether that’s abortion or the right of consenting adults to marry each other. The nationwide right to abortion was eliminated in June as a result of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision which overruled long-established precedent established by the Roe and Casey decisions made decades ago. In his concurring opinion, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas also suggested reconsidering other cases, like Obergefell v. Hodges which provided the same-sex marriage right for Americans across the nation.
(NOTE : While the Respect for Marriage Act, signed in mid-December by President Biden, was a positive step it did not guarantee that homosexual marriage ceremonies could be performed everywhere in the U.S. Instead, that federal law required that all U.S. states and territories must recognize interracial and same-sex marriages which were performed in a jurisdiction where such marriages are legally permitted. Most states have laws forbidding same-sex marriages which are currently unenforceable due to Obergefell v. Hodges. Those restrictive laws are still on the books and would have power again if Obergefell was overturned. Therefore, if Clarence Thomas, and the other conservative Supreme Court judges who form a majority, are able to impose their religious views and overturn Obergefell then homosexual Americans would only be allowed to marry in a state or territory which allows same-sex marriage. By the way, several states also have anti-miscegenation laws which prevent interracial marriage and which were negated by Loving v. Virginia. Those anti-miscegenation laws could also be enforced again if the Supreme Court used the same logic which negated Roe. Bottomline, America needs Supreme Court justices who defend core human rights, not those who tear them down.)
Apathy may be attractive to some, but such a timid approach to life should be rejected. It’s only by fighting that we can make a difference. It’s worth the effort required to vote and at the very least attempt to make the world better. Fear of losing followers may cause weak-willed creators to be quiet on important issues, but the size community would be better off if its members discussed political matters. The community should support legislators who fight for human rights and recognize that sex work is real work.
Accordingly, I advocate that Americans do not support ignorant politicians such as Utah Senator Mike Lee (Republican), who introduced a bill to basically make internet porn illegal in the United States (click here to read about that), and Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley (Democrat) whose misguided “SISEA” bill could compel social media platforms to ban porn (click here for a Twitter thread regarding the problems with SISEA).
Regarding social media, Twitter has become noticeably unstable since Elon Musk acquired it in late October. Several decisions, like the option for “paid verification” in the form of blue checkmarks, were implemented with negative consequences. Paid verification resulted in predictably poor results when people were suddenly able to impersonate official accounts. Notably, a user pretended to represent insulin producer Eli Lilly and tweeted “We are excited to announce insulin is free now.” That caused confusion and subsequently the company’s stock price plummeted.
Annoying policies, such as a ban on linking to other social media sites were hastily put into place and then removed less than a day later. Worse, Elon briefly reinstated Ye (the rapper formerly called Kanye West) which allowed Ye to spread antisemitic hate until Elon banned him again two weeks later. Hmm… it’s almost as if previous management was justified when they banned Ye the first time.
Based on those several missteps, Elon Musk appears incompetent and unfit to serve as an executive of a social media company. My prediction is that Elon Musk will either sell Twitter at a loss or hire someone else to be its chief executive. The following tweet from the YouTuber Shaun sums up the situation nicely:
Unfortunately, Twitter still remains the best means to reach a broad audience. I created an account on Mastodon, but it’s basically a ghost town when it comes to macrophilia / size-themed topics.
On the subject of holidays and exceptionally tall people, last Halloween featured several size-emphasizing parodies of famous horror flicks. That included Aborigen’s take on the Scandinavian vampire film “Let the Right One In,” Aborigen’s parody is shown below. Click here to see all the wonderful Halloween parodies. My only regret is not squeezing in a “I Know What You Grew Last Summer” poster 😎 (So proud of myself for coming up with that title!)
More will be forthcoming. Although, the next parodies may feature a different annual festival. A wonderful celebration which begins up north, at the North Pole, and involves a chubby and plump, right jolly old elf called Saint Nick, a.k.a. Santa Claus.
Lastly, and most importantly, let me express my appreciation for everyone who commented, gave suggestions, liked posts, sent e-mails, or took the time to do an interview. Thank you all for supporting There She Grows!
That’s it for now folks. Here’s wishing that the new year will bring you joy, love, peace, and happiness. What are your hopes for 2023? Please comment below or send me an e-mail. Next week will feature a regular review. Until then, keep growing!
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