#And they've destroyed the artistry of it.

[curiousorigins]

Man, I just really miss when they bothered lighting things on TV Shows and in Movies. Like the shadows were beautiful and everything had more depth.

Now they just brighten up everything use fills and like add shadows after.

It looks cruddy. Maybe because with all the post-darkening it's too much work to make them move when things move? Like they're doing their best, but nothing beats a scene that was lit properly in the first place.

I'm watching a no-name B-Horror Movie from 2005 (This was right before they started lighting everything cruddy and doing it in post.) And I'm 3 minutes in and it's just so much more beautiful than what's on TV and what's in Movies today. Like I can think of one movie that had particularly good lighting, and that's "Ready or Not". Probably because it was an Indie Movie and the people were filming in a historical place and were required to light it very carefully. (Similar to what happened with Woman on Fire which was also quite beautiful and an indie film.)

[ceasarslegion]

From what i know about WW2 history as well as film history i do wonder if the "giant monsters, big mechs, advanced tech, existential threats to the whole of mankind, and the children will save the world" trope that is so ubiquitous in anime has anything to do with shifting social polarities in post-war Japan. I never really noticed it until a Kingdom Hearts boss guide pointed it out to me, but you don't really see that trope much in western media, unless it's media clearly inspired by anime like how Pacific Rim is basically a third culture kid director's live action take on Neon Genesis Evangelion. Meanwhile, that kind of larger-than-life existential sci-fi is in absolutely everything in Japanese pop culture.

Anime culture really came about in post-war Japan. You can see a lot of proto-anime in their cinema before and during the war, but anime really became ANIME afterwards, with all the unique forms of storytelling and artistry that is specific to anime. It's not like other forms of animation, it's really it's own beast, right down to the art style that isn't used anywhere else.

And I mean, it makes a weird sort of sense, if you think about it. You don't come out of what Japan went through without some serious nation-wide intergenerational... something. Isolationism, imperialist fascism, 2 atomic bombs, realizing they need to change with the world or it will leave them behind, thrusting themselves into the tech sector to try to get away from that sordid past, but the foundations that created that sordid past are still there in their grind culture that is somewhat reflective of the old samurai. There is undoubtedly a weird pull there, where one side is pulling them towards the future, while the other towards tradition, meanwhile if you live in modern Japan your grandparents probably remember being A-bombed.

Technology is rarely if ever portrayed as anything less than positive progress in anime. It's always a tool to destroy this organic monstrous enemy homegrown in Japan. Even if there's some really bad caveat to its use (like in, again... Neon Genesis Evangelion. I wish I could turn my shitty coworkers into LCL), it's the ONLY way to defeat it. It's a necessary evil, and therefore a public good. Technology usually represents the future in sci fi, and the fact it's usually teenage and young adult heroes who wield it I don't think is a coincidence.

And then you grow this media presence that becomes known for its use of giant monsters and fighting robots and kid heroes who spit in the face of tradition to rip them apart with laser beams. The jokes about Dragon Ball Z super saiyan fire balls are funny, but I wonder how much those things come from this desire among the younger post-war generations to break from this isolated traditionalism that led to their role in the axis atrocities of WW2, and how much they've been uncritically looking to the future to do so, by any means necessary?

Godzilla is the personification of both the Nazism and the bombings it led to, after all. Like he wasn't just a big scary lizard, he was the monster they had to defeat to preserve themselves from destruction.

[monstersdownthepath]

Some extra details

About Clorpt and Val-Kasz that aren't in the original articles, either because I came up with it later, couldn't figure out how to organically fit it into the article, or just decided to leave it out.

Clorpt is a Chaotic Neutral CR 20 Diminutive Aberration (Chaotic, Earth, Great Old One). It lacks the Insanity rule of most GOOs, instead any creature making contact with its Churning Mind must succeed a save versus being struck with a psychic migraine as useless information about rocks and dirt fills their head, taking minor Int damage and becoming staggered for several rounds. Its Master of Stone and Soil allows it to cast any spell with the Earth descriptor as a spell-like ability, with a cooldown period of 1 round per level of the spell upon completion of the cast; this cooldown ticks down twice as fast if Clorpt is burrowed. It has a burrow speed of 100ft and can burrow through any substance, though solid metal slows it down to half speed. As alluded to in its article, it can Plane Shift at-will, but only if it's surrounded by soil, and if it's not in the Plane of Earth, it can only shift to the Plane of Earth.

Clorpt's Unspeakable Presence is only 150ft wide instead of 300ft and causes any creature that succumbs to it to be unable to vocalize anything not spoken in Terran; creatures that don't know Terran simply cannot speak at all (so it's a literal unspeakable presence). Unlike other GOOs, it has Regeneration that's insurmountable so long as it's in contact with sand, stone, silt, or soil, and its Immortality causes it to be reborn on a random planet inside of a geode over the course of several months whenever it's actually killed.

Val-Kasz is a Neutral Evil CR ~26 Gargantuan Ooze (Extraplanar, Great Old One, incorporeal). It doesn't fully exist in reality, and the Shape that exists in reality is actually a feeding appendage being extended into the Material Plane, something not even its cult is fully aware of (this is how its Immortality works; it withdraws its appendage and spends several years regenerating it). The rest of its body is safely inside of a mindscape of its own creation which drifts close to the Dimension of Dreams. Mortals who are hallucinating or dreaming due to narcotics can rarely enter this mindscape by accident, which is how it gets ahold of creatures from afar even if they've never heard of it or been anywhere near Val-Geith. Visitors it notices and catches are often released untouched in order to draw them to its crater, but sometimes for its own alien reasons, it will tamper with them; sometimes it gives them strange psychic powers, or awakens a sorcerous bloodline in them, and sometimes it just inspires them like a muse to perform some feat of artistry or chemistry. Sometimes it goes even further and destroys their consciousness utterly, pouring a fragment of itself into their former body (unless another Ethereal or Astral creature does it first) to explore the world. Such puppets are almost always powerful psychic casters--especially Mesmerists--but sometimes they become Alchemists or Investigators instead.

Star-torched victims are drawn into its mindscape while they dream. For the most part they're ignored, as many of them are too busy exploring the mindscape and aren't lucid enough to affect it. Creatures that alter the mindscape in any way or do something else which draws the Old One's attention are usually destroyed instantly. This behavior isn't intentional, it's a side-effect the psychic 'lighthouse' effect the mindscape has on addled minds. It's basically the equivalent of someone piling up empty sunflower seed shells and never quite realizing how big the pile has gotten until they brush up against the husks, and then shoving part of the pile into the trash can. The Shape doesn't consume minds, though it will sometimes pull them open to examine them out of curiosity or to gain an answer to a question it has.

Val-Geith means 'Gentle Land' in Aklo, while Val-Kasz means 'Gentle Death.' This has no basis in the game proper.

[1eos]

sadly, i think the reason why exid started following the 4th gen girl crush sound is bc they've been gone for quite a while, so they prolly had to resort to this to easily gain back whatever hype they may have lost, and the only way to do that is by attracting the noise music loving 4th gen stans 😭😭 that seems to dominate kpop fandom these days... i also noticed how their dance in the chorus seems very tiktok worthy (the hip swaying)... they're following the trends of 4th gen kpop and it sucks...

we've got to start killing new kpop fans. theyre an invasive species ruining everything. like nutria. too many established groups are catering to the tasteless...what happened to committing to 'flopping' (even tho moderate success and building a legitimate and trustworthy fanbase is better in the long run than trend hopping and being at the mercy of the fickle casual fans) with content that has artistic integrity and pussy juice? leo can't be the only one giving artistry he's got 4 other jobs. also tiktok must be destroyed. thank you this has been the kendra broadcast

[rosered2018]

St. Kilda - Determination and Curiosity

Apologies for skipping a week. I've been struggling with writer's block, and I am hoping that this may help me break it. Also, last week's episode felt like setup for what was to come.

So. The past two weeks, we've had more than a few developments.

First of all, we've gotten some information as to why Andromeda is so determined to have Lockie in her life. Her family's curse is killing her, and she thinks he can heal her. More to the point, she thinks Dubrach himself led Lockie to the island to do that.

Which brings us to this week, where we find out that Lockie's con artistry extended to being a bogus faith healer. And not only has his past come back to bite him in the ass, he's been put in the position where he's going to have to prove he can do what he claimed he could.

I do have to agree with Lockie on the subject of the journals. It seems odd that Cormac, who had been fairly verbose on paper, would suddenly clam up at a point, and that he wouldn't say a word in his journals about his little daughter Andromeda. There was some kind of major change in there, and Andromeda was probably too little to notice it or to know what happened. And, for my money, if there were journals missing, they've probably been destroyed.

I noticed that the fallout from that first ritual and the aftermath is still coming. The immediate political fallout has yet to hit, I think, but it's going to cause a lot upheaval when it does.

It's kind of heartbreaking that Angelique wouldn't even sell Wee Mary any cat foot because she decided to side with Mathias. Poor Toast was an absolute innocent in the whole mess and did not deserve that.

And on the subject of our favorite red-haired disaster area, does Mathias actually have any relationships that he hasn't screwed up in some way, shape, or form?

He alienated probably both of the Torrence brothers, and I can't see Wee Mary wanting anything to do with him. And given what happened after the attempted ritual, I can't see him being too popular with the community in general.

Whatever relationship he's got with Andromeda is probably gone after his attempted coup (whether that was what he actually intended or not) and trying to throw Lockie into a bottomless pit.

His relationship with Niyathi is probably shaky at best, considering she's his ex-wife and that they should probably have never gotten together to begin with. He's been carrying a torch for Andromeda since he was kid, and I don't think he was her first choice, either. The fact she's quite definitely moved on from their relationship and is getting involved with Lockie is not going to help things any. At this point, I'd say that the only thing they have in common at this point is Hari.

Hari, of course, is still an adorable little kid, and I know people guessed that Mathias was his father just from the way they interacted in the first episode. I've gotten the impression that Mathias loves him dearly, but has no idea how the hell to relate to him. The only time that child showed any interest in being in his father's presence was when Mathias was going to get him ice cream and then make the phone call that probably brought Preston to the island looking for Lockie.

The backbone, however, I don't think is as literal a thing as Niyathi and Lockie seem to think it is. For my money, it's probably a person, though at this point, I don't know who, and I can't see Andromeda being happy with the idea of them poking around her family crypt while chasing a metaphor.

Personally, I suspect it might be Mathias, but I don't know if that's just because I have a minor crush on Ben Meredith (I like his voice!) or because he's the only other character with the potential for a major story arc. Mathias certainly sees himself as the backbone of the community, even though everyone else seems to see him as a pain in the ass. Plus, I like the idea of Mathias and Lockie becoming reluctant allies and even more reluctant friends while they deal with whatever's coming.

UPDATE: Just went back and realized that I had a paragraph out of order, and went back and fixed it. I have no idea how I managed to miss it the first time. Sorry about that.

[cruciferousjex]

The Attendant Four:

Girls All Day

(aka a requiem for this poor fucker ^):

***

The soup was, as promised, absolutely delicious. It would have been the single best soup they'd ever tasted if not for the knowledge of what it was. 

"See? I told you you'd enjoy it!" Prime said, grinning. "The cognitive dissonance only adds to the experience, or so I'm told. I'd never do anything so vulgar as eat with my mouth." He watched then for moment. "Do you ever think about chewing? What that actually is? And that you do it in public?"

They stared at their soup.

"And how do you eat, Prime?" Catra asked.

"All the nutrients I need are brewed in a vat and ported directly in," he said, showing her a port on his arm. "The same as my brothers."

"Sure, that's way less disgusting," Catra replied 

"I'm so glad you agree! I could fit you with a port if you'd prefer?"

Catra blinked. "I… I'll stick with...uh...good ol' mouth eating, thanks. It's how I was raised."

"Yes, we grew up eating," Glimmer said quickly. "We grew up eating absolutely everything."

"Are you sure? You absorb far more essential nutrients with the port method. And there's no...nasty business on the tail end of the process." Prime shuddered. "You need not fall victim to the brutality nature has inflicted on you, my dears. Just say the word."

"We'll uh...definitely keep that in mind," Glimmer said, stirring her soup. 

"Suit yourselves!" Prime said, leaning back in his chair. "Hardly anyone I ask chooses to go that route. It's a mystery to me, honestly. All I want is to make things better for people. No one understands that."

"I can't imagine why, " Catra said. "It seems obvious this is an intergalactic charity mission."

Prime paused for a moment. Blinked. Then burst out laughing.

"A charity mission! Oh! Oh that's good!' he said, wiping all four of his eyes.  "Charity. Oh, imagine. Heh heh. Your Lady has quite the sense of humor, Queen Glimmer. I see why you keep her around."

"Yup, she's a funny one," Glimmer said.

"And she's not entirely wrong!" Prime began, but then suddenly stopped. Turned towards an attendant clone and glared. "Will you tell your brothers to give me a moment's PEACE?" He shouted at it, slamming his hand on the table. The clone flinched and shrunk away.  "I. Have. Company!"

Glimmer and Catra stared at him. 

"Excuse my outburst," Prime said, smoothing his hair. "Tell me, have you ever had a pet cat?"

"Other than her?" Glimmer said.

"No no, I mean a full actual cat, not a half breed like whatever your Lady is. Four legs. They're on almost every mammalian life-bearing planet, if you can believe it. Nature clearly favors that design," he said. "In any case, have you ever had one? Either of you?"

"No," Catra said flatly. "They weird me out."

"My mother did," Glimmer said softly. "She loved cats."

"Ah. Then you will know how annoying they can be when they are hungry. How they scream, nonstop, until they are fed." Prime turned to glare at the attendant clone, who averted his eyes. "My brothers are hungry, my dears. The poor things haven't seen battle in months. It's hard on them, they simply live for it. They've been longing to be allowed down to your planet and raze it to the ground. To kill every living thing. Isn't that right?" he asked the attendant clone, who looked terrified. "Isn't that right, you bloodthirtsy little things? Come here."

The attendant, though clearly afraid, approached Prime without hesitation. The second he was within his reach Prime grabbed him quite brutally by the hair. 

"Please excuse his inexcusable rudeness," Prime said.  The clone twitched in his grasp, green eyes wide with terror. "The cheek of him. Honestly."

"He didn't say anything," Glimmer said quickly. 

"Well not to you," Prime said. "You can't hear their every thought,  but I can."

"Was he...standing there thinking how he wants to destroy Etheria?" Catra asked.

"Not him specifically," Prime said, narrowing his eyes at the clone. "No, this one is quite peaceful. Never seen battle. Rather likes being an attendant. Liked making your dress, and serving your food. Ah, you do like being near the fascinating pretty girls, don't you?" he asked, shaking him by the hair. The clone made the tiniest of fearful whimpers. " But you must understand, the clones are all the same. All connected. Their thoughts can be transmitted to me, as one,  through the clone with the closest physical proximity. I can taste their bloodlust through this one. And at times like this, I must remind them they are being inexcusably rude."

With that a long, scalpel-like blade shot out of an unforeseen slot in Prime's forearm.

"No-" Glimmer protested, but it was too late. Prime put the blade directly into, and across, the clone's throat, spraying blood across the table, into the soup, onto their clothes.

"There is nuance in conquering!" Prime shouted into the dying clone's face.  "Artistry! Subtlety! It's not just kill, kill, kill all the time! Tell your brothers to grow the hell up!" Prime glanced towards the table and guests, ruined with blood. "LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO!" He shouted at the now very dead clone. "You've spoiled their meal! And Lady Catra's gown! Imbecile!"

He threw the clone to the floor with a disgusted look. 

"Oh, how they try me. Oh, the chore of rulership! The burden of it!"  he moaned. "Queen Glimmer, you understand."

Glimmer was wide-eyed, unable to respond in her shock. 

"Such a trying time, keeping them at bay," Prime said, gesturing to the dead clones littering the floor. "No manners. Ah well. That's what I get for having a standing army," he said, looking for something to wipe his hands on. "Could one of you mass produced morons get me a napkin or shall I use the tablecloth?" he shouted. "And some fresh soup for the ladies? Must I spell everything out for you?"

Four clones immediately presented Prime with napkins and the girls with new, unblooded soup. 

"Speaking of unsubtle morons, how is your attendant performing?" Prime asked.

"Fine!" Glimmer said quickly.

"Perfect!" Catra added.

"Perfectly polite, he's perfect," Glimmer said. "Please don't hurt him."

"Don't hurt him? Whyever not, didn't he destroy a large portion of your planet with a garish fifty year ground war? I'm surprised you haven't taken him out yourself, little Queen." 

He eyed Glimmer suspiciously.

"It's… he's…he's had excellent manners since you reconditioned him,  Prime. The best. Excellent, uh...such excellent servants are difficult to come by."

He shrugged. "Keeping him as a trophy then? Suit yourself. Make of him what you will. Humiliate him, keep him as a pet. Fuck him if you like. He'll make you absolutely squeal," he said. "Or I will, if you prefer."

He grinned creepishly.

"I like girls," Catra said.

"Me too," Glimmer said quickly. "Girls all day."

Catra looked up at Glimmer in surprise. 

"We're super into women," Glimmer continued. "I mean like...boobs, amirite?"

"You are right," Prime said.

"She is so right," Catra said.

"Then we're all in agreement," Prime said, folding his hands on the bloodsoaked table. "Boobs."