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#Sonic is not drinking alcohol he’s drinking a Monster
eggseabutter · 1 year
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Somebody is angry!
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Things change, so the hedgehogs.
Sonic is still a ruffian with a heart of gold, he’s just very tired and sad but he still fights for what he thinks is right, no matter if it hurts him.
Shadow watches over him, like a shining star, because Sonic helped him a lot before and because,maybe, he cares a bit.
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sminny-wew · 2 years
Conversation
Sonic characters and how good I think they are at cooking
Sonic: Only knows how to heat up frozen foods and pour milk on cereal
Tails: He's good at following directions but he's not about to pull a Ratatouille
Knuckles: Angel Island is largely wilderness so he probably only knows how to forage, but he knows his spices
Amy: A goddess in the kitchen, can sauté mushrooms as effortlessly as she can boil sugar into caramel; according to Sonic X she wants to open her own restaurant and I love that for her
Cream: Can't use the stove or sharp utensils without adult supervision but she's a very good helper; learned by watching her mom and Amy
Shadow: This guy eats raw coffee beans and pizza rolls, I doubt he's ever LOOKED at a pot of water (he also probably ate freeze-dried foods on the ARK)
Rouge: She might know how to prep drinks (both alcoholic and not, despite being under 21) but that's about it
Omega: I hope you like your kitchen destroyed and your food cartoonishly burnt to ashes
Eggman: Why bother making your own food when you have robots (and Agent Stone) to do that for you? (That might explain why Chip thinks all the food at Eggmanland is disgusting)
Agent Stone: A TOTAL coffee snob, obviously; went to all the best culinary schools and isn't afraid to flaunt it; he may be a villain but if you ask for nondairy milk he'll give you nondairy milk b/c only a monster would swap it out for cow's milk
Blaze: Sonic Channel artwork has shown that she burns everything she cooks
Silver: This boy has only eaten concrete in his entire life and is driven to tears of joy by the taste of canned chicken noodle soup; if Amy took him under her wing he might be pretty good at it
Team Chaotix: In true Dad fashion, Vector can work a grill, make grilled cheese, and boil pasta; Espio is probably decent at meal prep and willing to help Vector in the kitchen; Charmy is six so he's allowed to stir the bowl, decorate, and nothing else
Big: He only knows how to cook one thing and it's fish; he and Amy could probably tag-team on a nice fish dinner tho
Vanilla: Shadow got excited during the Twitter Takeover when Tails said she was making dinner so I don't think I need to say anything
Gemerl: He's not nearly as bad as Omega but he feels more comfortable setting the table and leaving the cooking to Vanilla
Babylon Rogues: Storm is the only reason Jet and Wave aren't subsisting off of takeout and junk; I like to think he knows/has some of their ancestors' recipes
Sticks: Same as Knuckles; refuses to eat anything that came out of a microwave because something something government surveillance
Infinite: He just barely knows how to hunt and cook what he catches (probably relied on someone else in his old squad to do all the cooking)
Mighty and Ray: Mighty probably learned to grill from Vector; Ray gets nervous about using the stove/oven so he just lets Mighty handle it
Tangle: Seems like she'd burn the kitchen down but is a surprisingly capable cook, doesn't do anything too fancy tho; watches a lot of Tasty recipes
Whisper: Also a forager but has a sweet tooth; do not let her into your kitchen
Jewel: Can make a pretty bomb-ass salad
Rough & Tumble: Takeout gremlins; their attacks are based on skunk spray so I wouldn't trust them in my worst enemies' kitchens
Belle: Has the tools to cook b/c she's a robot but she can't taste anything so she has no idea how good it'd be; better off helping another cook
Surge: I WOULDN'T LET THIS LITTLE FREAK (affectionate) NEAR A TOASTER
Kit: Same as Tails but he usually only wants to eat Kid Cuisine (Tails eats Lunchables)
Starline: He can brew tea and that's it; "Cooking is for robots, poors, and slave labor"
Deadly Six: Bold of you to assume these guys do ANYTHING for themselves other than fight
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gofancyninjaworld · 4 years
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OPM Webcomic Chapter 129 Review: Winning the Battle, Losing the War
Story
Hey! I haven’t heard enough respect for Tank Top Master!  The toxic smoke of Heavy Smoker is an evil thing to contend against,  but instead of running away to save himself, he was prepared  to sacrifice himself by inhaling all the smoke to buy time for other heroes to arrive on the scene.
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More? This got long, so it’s under the cut.
Thankfully, his sacrifice proved unnecessary with the arrival of Flashy Flash, who used the knowledge on the scrolls Saitama lifted off That Man to make impressively short work of it.   Unfortunately, the toxic smoke coming from the monster’s body poisoned the surrounding city anyway, forcing a wider evacuation.
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Also looking over a Pyrrhic victory is Tatsumaki, who has destroyed Aggregation, but not in time to stop it from consuming much of the city. It’s starting to feel futile.
Another hero who feels the weight of futility is Genos, who we meet lying on the ground mired in despair despite having defeated a dragon-level threat all by himself. [Aside: Note how cleverly ONE has set things up so that if he wants to use this story element in the manga, he can without creating an inconsistency: this is the first time that no one can claim to have had any sort of a hand in helping Genos take down the monster, or have weakened the monster or distracted it any way. So even if he has him go ham on the monsters at the Monster Association, there’s nothing to explain away.] Genos isn’t worrying too much about the fate of mankind -- right now he’s worrying about the Sisyphean nature of the arms race he seems to be on with the monsters and his obsession to break free of this hell is only growing.  Where’s a wise sensei when you want one?
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I’ll tell you where Saitama is!  Following up on Suiko’s footsteps -- he noticed her leaving when the monster announcement was made in chapter 128.   Speaking of Suiko, it’s been good to see that ONE found a place for his original plans to have Suiryu have a drunken fighting style.  When Machine God Mirror tossed her through the window of a shop, she tanked up on -- alcoholic energy drinks (god, is this an invitation to an ASBO or what?) and sallied forth to fight in her ‘drunken tiger’ style.  It’s a beautiful style.  And unfortunately, Machine God Mirror did what Machine God G-5 did in the manga and learned the style.  Ugh. She did incredibly well not losing heart despite the way things turned against her and in feeling only frustration, not fear, when she lost.  I predict good things in her future.
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Besides being incredibly sarcastic (who programmes these things?), Machine God Mirror is quite the hero connoisseur, spotting heroes with a keenness that’d rival any hero otaku, deciding if it liked the sounds of their styles and generally being a pain.  Insulting Saitama was its one fatal error.
WHO THE FUCK IS CAPED BALDY?   That’s a battlecry for the ages! LOL!
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We leave the chapter to Suiko pinching herself in wonder and Blue agog at Saitama’s power as they watch him and his buddies go to the next town in search of more trouble to smack out of existence.
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Despite all the great moments for comedy, the serious truth is that unless something can be done to prevent monsters from attacking at all, it’s almost pointless for heroes to show up: the damage to live and property happens so rapidly now it’s hard to see how civilized humanity can hold up much longer.  The monsters are winning, one dead monster at a time.  Tatsumaki has put it perfectly.
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Seeing how splendidly Flashy Flash took out Heavy Smoker from studying That Man’s scrolls,  I’m rather glad that he and Sonic didn’t meet him -- anyone in possession and practice of the knowledge he had must have been truly scary.  I’m a little more mollified now.
Names!  AHAHAHAAAAA!  The Great Degenerate wanting to be called Magic Hand makes sense.  Red Nose wanting Red Thunder, okay, that’ll be distant thunder, but it’s a nice aspirational name.  Then we get more delusional names like Drunkard wanting to be called Young Man.  Unfortunately, we never knew what Caped Baldy wanted for himself.
More people recognising Saitama: yes please.  The approbation of his ‘group’, and the astonishment with which Butterfly DX, Chain N’ Toad, Suiko, and Blue watched his retreating figure speaks to a guy who is not going to go unrecognised for too much longer.  The HA may not care to raise his unprepossessing self to the masses but a role as King Under The Hill suits Saitama.
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Speaking of which, I really hope he has a bit of time and space for his disciple.  But ah, that’s something we’ll have to see.
Something very interesting: Blue saying that the monster he’d been fighting died, as opposed to being killed by him.  He’s not too sure how it happened that he was beating on it with everything he had, and then just as his suit ran out of power, the monster started to writhe in pain and then expired.  It’s curiously unmarked as well: all the other monsters taken down by other heroes have been quite thoroughly destroyed, being cut to pieces, crushed, burned or smashed to bits.  It could be that he happened to hit on a vital spot.  Or... this really could be an orchestrated plan with Blue as a vital cog for now.
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Speaking about orchestrated plans, The Organization is getting serious about collecting all the data on heroes it can. Just what is it planning?  I have a feeling we’re going to find out sooner than we’d like.
All in all, it looks like the End of the World is right on schedule.
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awakenedredemption · 4 years
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[ S H A D O W ] encounters his ‘alternate’. -— [💥彡] —( @somewhereinchaos​ )
-— 💥彡 "I'll never fully grasp the power he held over us."
The thought in itself sickened Shadow's core, taking a large slug of his 'smoked & salted' whiskey. It wasn't everyday someone would encounter an 'alternate' of themselves... in fact the idea of that was laughable. It slowly became Shadow's 'norm' to come across other-worldly phenomenons, what with his unforeseen travels from zone to zone as well as running into various 'duplicates' who seemed familiar, but in reality were someone else entirely.
However, there was something significantly different in regards to this occurrence. The hedgehog had... 'unfortunate' history running into countless ready-made copies of himself, especially at a very vulnerable moment in his life. Without the help of Sonic, Rouge— Various characters who stood by the hero's side, these events could have left detrimental effects on Shadow's well-being; Androids... illusions... he'd seen it all. These inferior 'lookalikes' would try to soil the hedgehog's name. Shadow would be damned if he let that happen.
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Due to said fact, there was a somewhat intense exchange between himself and the 'alternate' Shadow that sat across from him. The fight would not last long as they both could sense each other's 'chaos signature', besides the also very noticeable match in strength and resolve. There was no way an android or any other lesser copy could mimic something as unique and special as Shadow's vitality. After a short, awkward exchange of words, their brawl lead them here— A bar on the outskirts of Westopolis. To most, the scenario's outcome would be seen as comedic. Even without verbally agreeing to it, the Shadows found compromise in keeping their skirmish a secret.
Fortunately, this bar never seemed crowded. It definitely kept enough business to thrive, but somehow maintained a low-key atmosphere. That's why Shadow liked it. He wasn't a regular though as drinking wasn't something he took consistent pleasure in. The alcohol itself did nothing to his body nor his current mental state. The anti-hero had his incredibly fast healing to 'thank' for that. It wasn't much of a loss as particular drinks still satisfied his taste.
Shadow and his alternate self sat in a booth on the right hand side of the bar. He ordered them both a drink to help 'break the ice'... as neither of them said much up until this point. He felt almost surprised his alternate decided to join him, knowing full well how his mind 'usually' broke situations like this down. It was the least he could do after jumping the gun on him. Once their drinks arrived, Shadow took a few sips, eyes scanning his alternate ignoring the off-handed comment from the bartender.
'You guys twins or somethin'?'
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The blissful ignorance was appreciated. It was better left unsaid. As time progressed, Shadow placed his glass upon the booth's table tracing the rim with his gloved finger. He stared at the alcoholic substance debating how best to approach... some kind of conversation. The anti-hero's ears would perk up once the two of them started to converse. Progress.
"We were certainly vulnerable at the time, piecing together fragmented memories in hopes to find a reason to our existence... That got old real fast."
He took another sip this time placing the glass further away from his hand. Shadow's eyes were filled with disgust as they reminisced over the Black Comet's invasion, the moment they both came face to face with the monster known as 'Black Doom'.
"There's times I wish— I wish I would've concluded my intent far sooner. I foolishly... believed there was hope for him, maybe even a mix of I wanted to see hope in him; Despite the lies, the manipulation... the pain he brought to so many..."
A grunt mixed between mental exhaustion and pure hatred spat from Shadow's mouth one of his gloved hands rubbing his top quill as his head gradually lowered toward the table. In only a moment, he'd tilt his head just a bit to stare back at his alternate.
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"... It's not... easy to discuss. I understand, but how did you... proceed in regards to handling him and his army? I could assume how it transpired, but even though we're literally the same being and have experienced near identical events, I have no way of knowing your true thought process."
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kaitoexe-blog · 6 years
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yo yo yo i am rae and this is my boi kaito. he’s a pretty good boy, i would say, potentially too pure for the universe he lives in. he’s the kind of guy who would make cookies for his coworkers if he actually worked, you know, a real job. he’s just a twitch streamer who makes money off of streaming his attempt at being the entirety of shrek on beat saber and playing old school nintendo games. also a part time titty streamer, if he include the times he goes on stream wearing a crop top just for the lols. anyhow, under the read more you’ll find more about this beautiful boy. HIT ME UP WITH THEM PLOTS THOUGH!!
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tw: mentions of child neglect/abuse, dementia
so, he grew up in a household where his parents were more interested in drinking than taking care of him. it wasn’t anything he wasn’t used to by the time he was five and wasn’t really in any danger. sure, sometimes they forgot to feed him, no one was there to comfort him when the monsters under his bed just felt so real, but he had his imaginary friends to keep him company.
his life seemed to turn around when his grandfather came from new york city to visit. it was where his mother was from, and it didn’t take long for his grandfather to take notice that something wasn’t quite right.
his mother tried to play the part of a good mother and wife, cleaning the kitchen and even clean the beer cans and wine bottles off the many surfaces that were in the main rooms of the slightly rundown home. she even made steak and baked potatoes, which kaito was eager to scarf down.
the holes started to crack in the facade within the first four days after his grandpa dean was there. being a functioning alcoholic was never something kaito’s mother was good at and his father never tried to even hide it from his father in law.
there was a lot of yelling and hollering the night before grandpa dean insisted he was moving to little valley. kaito didn’t know why at the time, didn’t know that his grandfather had every intention to protect him and get him away from the horrors of the house.
by the age of seven, kaito was in his grandfather’s custody, dean having gone to court against his own daughter to claim she had no right to care for her child. kaito knew it was never easy for his grandpa, but he never showed it, instead having a pizza night in a pillow fort in the condo his first night there. the small boy never had pizza that wasn’t from the oven and still slightly frozen in places.
dean was an inventor, making gadgets and gizmos that he sold to willing buyers, claiming a certain percent of the earnings made by them. kaito quickly became his little helper, learning all the different kinds of screwdrivers and other tools.
they lived happily together, having his grandfather occasionally go to and from new york for business, but there was always very kind babysitters who took care of him while he was gone. and kaito found himself calling his grandpa simply papa, because it was easier. his grandfather was more of a dad than anyone he had ever known.
middle school came and went uneventfully, other than the occasional teasing about how his eyes were a funny shape and he never had many friends. he didn’t need many friends when he had all the love he could have in his house. during that time, he found video games and the internet, falling deeply into the world of these amazing games. his first game he ever played was sonic on the sega that his grandfather bought him.
high school he got a part-time job as a fast food worker, saving enough money so that he could build his own pc and have a place where he could find a place to play video games on youtube. he had seen many people do it and be successful, it filled him with hope that he could do it to. by the time he was eighteen, he was making his first shitty gameplay of bioshock 2.
by nineteen, he had 340k subscribers and he couldn’t be happier. his grandfather didn’t quite get his excitement, but he still grinned and played along because his boy was happy.
twenty came like a pile of bricks as his grandfather seemed different. it was almost unnoticeable at first, but before he knew it he was asking the same questions over and over again. he constantly asked kaito to buy more milk when his grandfather went with him to the store to buy the milk with him. it became worrying after a few months of it seeming not to get any better.
dementia. that was what the doctor told him with sorrowful eyes and kaito had to hold back tears because he didn’t know what that meant, what he could do to help it, because he knew he couldn’t help his grandfather. the man who helped him his entire life. all he could do was help him the best he could.
it took a few months to become acclimated to the change in dynamic. kaito found himself being his full time carer, but there was a stagnation in his brain disease, often times he would go weeks with clarity in his eyes and a smile on his face. then the weeks turned to just a week, then them to a few days. it was terrible seeing the man he respected turn into a husk of his former self.
he eventually moved to twitch when it became big, finding it easier than editting youtube videos and being able to do it for hours with almost the same income as one video would normally get him in ad cents.
kaito wasn’t happy, not truly, but he had to find a way to fake it to make his grandfather find comfort in the world that was becoming more and more foreign to him. kaito in the beginning of the last year had to take up sleeping on the couch, simply to be around if his grandfather walked out of his room in the middle of the night, thinking that he needed to go to work or to the grocery store.
it wasn’t easy but it was his life.
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Monster Mash(Up): FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN Turns 75
75 years ago today – March 5th, 1943, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man was first released. We look back on the hilarious hijinks of this Universal Monster classic, starring horror icons Lon Cheney Jr. and Bela Lugosi.
  Frankenstein Wolfs the Meat Man
Curt Siodmak wanted to buy a new car. He’d picked it out and had spent several hours daydreaming about getting behind the wheel. He just needed a down-payment to make it a reality. The only trouble was, he also needed a new writing job to be able to afford it and hadn’t been given a new assignment in a while. The screenwriter was pondering his next move when he bumped into George Waggner in the Universal studio commissary. 
The two sat and began to shoot the breeze as they ate. Both men had enjoyed a fruitful professional and personal relationship since Waggner had directed The Wolf Man, from Siodmak’s script. Nevertheless, Siodmak felt some trepidation about asking for a new job. Still, he thought, if you don’t ask…
“George, I’ve an idea for a new monster movie.”
“Oh, really?” Waggner replied over a mouthful of food. “Go on.”
“Frankenstein Wolfs the Meat Man,” Siodmak returned, with a hesitant chuckle.
Waggner did not share the screenwriter’s humour. The two men quietly continued their lunch until Siodmak, growing desperate, broke the silence.
“George, I need a new car,” he confessed. “I want to make a down-payment, but I need a new job first.”
Waggner raised an eyebrow and went back to eating his lunch. After what seemed like an eternity, Siodmak spoke again.
“Well, can I get a job? Please.”
“Sure,” Waggner nodded. He stood and walked away, stopping at the door to the commissary. “You’ll get a job, buy the car.”
——
A week later, Waggner called Siodmak into his office.
“Did you buy the car yet?”
“Yes, I bought it,” Siodmak answered.
“Good. Your new assignment is Frankenstein Wolfs the Meat Man…er, Meets the Wolf Man. I’ll give you two hours to accept.”
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    Building the myth
In 1931, Universal followed the enormous success of Dracula – starring then-unknown Hungarian actor, Bela Lugosi, as the eponymous vampire – by mining another classic literature property. Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley and originally published in 1818, was an even greater success than Dracula. The movie propelled its star, William Henry Pratt, into the stratosphere, under his adopted stage name, Boris Karloff. Thus, began a professional rivalry between Lugosi and Karloff – whose careers endured wildly disparate degrees of success – lasting until the former’s death in 1956.
Universal, for its part, were keen to ring as much success as possible from their fledgling monster movie cycle. They were soon plundering literature again for HG Wells’, The Invisible Man, and Edgar Allen Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Raven.
Not all the studio’s creations were borrowed from the great authors, though. Myths, legends and folk tales were equally fair game. So, when the German-born screenwriter, Curt Siodmak, wrote a script called The Wolf Man, which then proved to be a huge hit, Universal had another potential franchise property on their hands. And they were keen to exploit their hirsute creation for all it was worth.
George Waggner, a former actor, had taken directorial reigns on The Wolf Man, casting the late Lon Chaney’s son, Creighton Chaney (now capitalising on his father’s name via the appellation, Lon Chaney Jr.), in the role of Lawrence ‘Larry’ Talbot, a man cursed with lycanthropy.
The Wolf Man marked the first of five collaborations between Waggner and Siodmak.  Their work together would go on to include The Invisible Agent, The Climax, and Cobra Woman (albeit with Waggner producing and Siodmak’s brother, Robert, in the director’s chair).
But it was the throwaway half-joke in the Universal commissary that led to the first pairing of any of the studios’ Monsters.
  “Transforming Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man from a half-baked idea into a feature film was not a simple proposition..”
  Of Gods & Monsters (and Mice and Men)
Transforming Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man from a half-baked idea into a feature film was not a simple proposition. As Siodmak remembered:
And then you had to sit there and think, “What can I do now?” Now is when you need a basic idea. My idea was, The Wolf Man, as was the tradition now, wants to die – he doesn’t want to be a murderer. And Dr. Frankenstein know the secrets of life and death. So he wants to meet Dr. Frankenstein. The Monster, on the other hand, wants to live forever.
From this outline, Siodmak fashioned a script, which, at the time, was a singular feat for a horror screenplay. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man was a direct sequel to not one but two separate films. A follow-up to The Wolf Man, and a continuation of the events that took place in the previous year’s The Ghost of Frankenstein, amalgamated into a linear narrative that would bring the creatures together for the first time.
Waggner, producing this time, left directorial duties in the safe hands of Roy William Neill, an Englishman with over 50 films already under his belt. Lon Chaney Jr. was duly hired to return in the Larry Talbot/Wolf Man role. Neill had worked with Chaney Jr. before on Eyes of the Underworld and was well aware of the star’s penchant for drinking on set – his prodigious alcoholic intake concealing an inner distress, rarely divulged. As it transpired, the director was unable to inspire Chaney Jr. to really elevate his performance: a much-celebrated turn as Lenny in Of Mice and Men just four years earlier seemingly consigned forever to the past.
  I, Monster!
Meanwhile, Bela Lugosi finally took on the role of Frankenstein’s Monster. There’s no definitive account to substantiate beyond doubt that Lugosi rejected the role that made Boris Karloff a star over a decade earlier. It’s certain, however, that test reels were filmed (now lost) with Lugosi and Universal even went so far as to release posters announcing ‘the star of Dracula‘ in his next role. Upon discovering that the role was not a speaking part, however, with no dialogue written for the Monster, Lugosi allegedly reneged on the deal. In a moment of hubris, Lugosi was said to have raged: “I was a star in my own country and I refuse to be a scarecrow here!”
Despite Lugosi’s advancing years, his casting as the Monster in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man 12 years later, made perfect narrative (and sonic) sense. His portrayal of the crazed Ygor in The Ghost of Frankenstein, had culminated in the transplant of the broken-necked minion’s brain into the Monster. When the Monster speaks for the first time, it is the voice of Lugosi as Ygor that is heard, not Chaney Jr’s – here playing the role of the Monster. In a further development, which would have future repercussions, the Monster subsequently goes blind due to the incompatibility of the blood types between itself and Ygor. Continuity dictated that Lugosi would take the role of the Monster in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, since Chaney Jr. had sole ownership of the Larry Talbot/Wolf Man character and simply couldn’t play both.
    The Accidental Icon
It was the cruellest of ironic twists, then, that audience reaction to Lugosi’s performance precipitated the complete removal of the Monster’s dialogue. The unintentionally hilarious sound of the Monster speaking with a strong Hungarian accent didn’t sit well with test audiences, nor it seemed did the Monster’s blindness, so all exposition regarding the origin of its ocular incapacity was also expunged.
To exacerbate things further, Lugosi, caught in the grip of an addiction to opiates prescribed to counter his acute sciatica, collapsed on set. Consequently, he only appears on screen in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man for a scant few minutes. Stuntmen were employed to portray the monster in a number of scenes, notably during the battle finale with the Wolf Man and, oddly, during the Monster’s initial close-up reveal.
Instead, the Monster’s entire screen time is an incomprehensible mess. Lugosi staggers around blindly, mouthing words that we do not hear. Later in the film his eyesight returns – though no explanation is given for the sudden clarity. Yet, despite the utter chaos of the characterisation, Lugosi’s performance had one indelible impact on the Monster: the incidental creation of the iconic ‘Frankenstein Walk’. Staggering around, blind (though not from the audience’s perspective), with arms stiffened and outstretched, Lugosi gave birth to all future Universal incarnations of the Monster: a stereotype that would endure for decades.
   “[Siodmak] married new characters to old.”
  The Ballad of Dwight Frye
In writing Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, Siodmak had taken care to ensure that the continuation of both stories didn’t omit important characters from previous films, and married new characters to old. Maria Ouspenskaya returned as the venerable Maleva, whom Larry Talbot seeks out to help find a cure. Her Gipsy woman character first appeared in The Wolf Man and was indirectly responsible for Talbot’s fate; her son, a werewolf (played by Lugosi) attacked and maimed Talbot, cursing him to a life of lycanthropy.
Ilona Massey joined the cast as Baroness Elsa Frankenstein. This was her second and final horror movie role, following The Invisible Agent. Massey’s character formed a link to The Ghost of Frankenstein as Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein’s daughter; while Patric Knowles took on the role of Dr. Mannering, an ostensibly noble medical practitioner, who’s logical countenance eventually gives way to a more hubristic side. Lionel Atwill also joined the cast taking a small role as the Mayor of Vaseria. At the time of filming, Atwill was struggling to find work. He’d resorted to taking parts in cheap Poverty Row productions, following his embroilment in a salacious Hollywood scandal.
Horror staple, Dwight Frye, also had some connection with Lugosi via his role as Renfield in Dracula. Frye had made a career playing murderous henchman figures. ‘The Man of a Thousand Deaths‘ appeared as Dr. Frankenstein’s loyal hunch-backed minion, Fritz in Frankenstein, and Dr. Pretorius’s henchman, Karl, in the follow-up, Bride of Frankenstein. Despite his pedigree, Frye was only a peripheral figure, playing Rudi, a Vaserian villager. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man would be his last credited role. Frye succumbed to a heart attack just eight months after the film’s release.
  ‘For life is short…’
Ostensibly, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is a cash-in on the waning monster movie phenomenon that began with Dracula. It would be easy, though probably true, to cast the film as the point Universal began to run out of ideas, but there’s no doubting it paved the way for future ensemble pieces, albeit of varying quality, from House of Frankenstein to King Kong vs. Godzilla, and decades later, Alien vs. Predator and Freddy vs. Jason.
But was Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man really just a cheap way to keep the monster movie gravy train rolling, or were there layers hitherto unexplored? In Don G. Smith’s book on Lon Chaney Jr. he discusses a theme not previously mentioned in relation to the film; that of ‘a Blakeian journey from childhood and innocence, to experience.’ Smith expands further:
The words of Kuznetzoff’s song, “For Life is short, but death is long,” is a theme of adult experience explored by many writers. This leads us to reconsider Talbot’s journey from carefree youth to death-cursed maturity, a journey we all face.
It’s certainly an interesting theory. Larry Talbot knows that he can only bring great suffering and so seeks any possible means of ensuring that his demise is a permanent one. The tragedy of Talbot is that, despite his relatively young age, he has already reached a ‘death-cursed maturity’. If Talbot covets emancipation, only death will bring him peace.
    ‘…but death is long.’
Larry Talbot’s story is by far the more interesting of the two monsters. It appears as if Frankenstein’s Monster is forced into the narrative in order to sell a few more theatre seats. It can be argued that the extensive cuts to the film negated Lugosi’s role. In fact, he only really serves as a sparring partner for the Wolf Man in the film’s denouement. It’s also fair to suggest that Lon Chaney Jr.’s performance lacks the charisma befitting a leading man. But, for all his often mediocre acting prowess, Chaney Jr.’s eyes convey such sorrow, one wishes his suffering would end. The sadness, though, was no act. This was never more pronounced than when he revealed to Siodmak the treatment at the hands of his father, the revered silent star, Lon Chaney. As Siodmak explained:
All these people, if you knew them, had sad stories behind them. The father of Lon Chaney – the old man, Chaney Sr. – was a very cold man, and he used to beat the boy all the time. Lon told me he had to go into a shed and be beaten with a leather strap, sometimes for things he hadn’t done. This killed him, mentally – he became an alcoholic, and always needed a father figure to tell him what to do. He’d drink on set.
  ‘He simply wants to die.’
The film begins to lose a little focus following the introduction of the Monster. The distracting performance, and appearance, of Lugosi (and numerous stuntmen) shakes the viewer out of the story. Lugosi isn’t to blame, given the erasure of his screen time and any semblance of character lost to the cutting room floor. Unfortunately, though, this doesn’t make for a particularly coherent story. So, it’s a testament to Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man that it holds together as well as it does.
And despite Chaney Jr.’s relatively average performance, the film only really catches fire during the scenes involving Talbot. Only by sacrificing himself can he end the murderous path he is on. Regardless of the obstacle, the survival instinct is the most powerful of humanity’s driving forces. Yet, Talbot is cognisant that his own humanity is drifting further out of reach with every transmogrification into the beast; thus his own survival instinct is weakened to the point that he welcomes death. Maleva’s assertion that: “He is not insane. He simply wants to die,” marks the finest, and most tragically profound moment of the film.
It’s possible that, in the hands of a better actor, Talbot’s plight could have made for an exceptional character study. Still, it remains that in Chaney Jr.’s hands – or, rather, eyes – there’s a pathos that still resonates 75 years later.
  The beginning of the end
Following the release of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man on March 5th 1943, cracks were showing in Universal’s horror monopoly. RKO Pictures’ Cat People, released the previous year had raised the bar, with a more cerebral take on the genre. As Variety noted:
“This is a weird drama of thrill-chill caliber, with developments of surprises confined to psychology and mental reactions, rather than transformation to grotesque and marauding characters for visual impact on the audiences.”
This was the sea change that the horror movie, by now beginning to go stale, needed. With RKO’s next picture, I Walked With a Zombie on release shortly after Frankenstein Meet the Wolf Man, Universal was looking over its shoulder.
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man was just the start for monster mash-ups. But for Universal Studios’ Classic Monster period, it marked the beginning of the end.
  The post Monster Mash(Up): FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN Turns 75 appeared first on Nightmare on Film Street - Horror Movie Podcast, News and Reviews.
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grimandstickmod · 7 years
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The Master’s Test(Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate Quest)
Alright, so a friend of mine here on tumblr is having trouble with The Master’s Test, a difficult quest in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. For those of you struggling with it, hopefully this will help.
PLEASE NOTE: I main the Charge Blade/Charge Axe in MH4U, and this is how I completed this quest. Other weapon users will have different strategies, strengths, weaknesses, and loadouts. If you have trouble with the Charge Blade/Axe, or it’s a weapon you’re unfamiliar with, try a different weapon. Don’t push yourself out of your area of expertise.
That being said, the loadout I used, as well as the items I carried, will be below the cut. Good luck Hunters!
Alright, first things first: The weapon. Chernobog’s Scythe Charge Blade. Fully upgraded, honed for Life. Base damage w/o armor is 828, with 250 Sleep damage, and an Affinity of 45%. One decoration slot available.
Next, the armor. Grand Mizuha set(G Rank Chameleos armor). All five pieces are sitting at level 11, with 143 defense per piece. Helm, chest, and gloves have all available slots filled with Grinder Jewels(providing 8/10 needed for Speed Sharpening, which makes using your whetstones a “one and done” event). Belt slots are loaded with Earplug Jewel 1(3/15 for HG Earplugs, the armor set providing the other 12/15 needed for the skill), and the two slots in the boots are Heat Res Jewel 1(2/10 Heat Resistance) and Grinder Jewel 1(giving you Speed Sharpening mentioned earlier).
The talisman: +10 Psychic, second skill is unimportant. Loaded with three Psychic Jewel 1(Providing the skill Autotracker, which makes it impossible for you to lose a monster and negates the use of paintballs).
Now, on to the items: As always, you should carry ten each of Potions, Mega Potions, and Honey as well as your Powertalon, Powercharm, Armortalon, and Armorcharm. Lifepowder and Dust of Life are welcome, as well as some Max Potions and an Ancient Potion. For this particular fight, these items are a must-have: A full stack of Smoke Bombs, Large Barrel Bombs, Large Barrel Bomb+, one of both trap types, Nulberries, Adamant Pills, Dung Bombs, and Tinged Meat. Portable Steam Bombs and Whetstones are also necessary for this fight.
If you know how to use them against Diablos, bring some Sonic Bombs, too. You shouldn’t really have much space left, but if you can fit some Mega Dash drinks in, I highly recommend it.
Before you go into the fight, try and eat for Pyro AND Foodie. If you can get one but not the other, eat for Pyro(Meat and alcohol). Also, and this is important, grab either a defense or offense Wystone AND the Drive Wystone. You cannot put a monster to sleep when it’s Apex.
Now, for the fight itself. Prepare your aft end, for this WILL be a close call. Once you’ve looted the chest in the base camp, pay attention to the positions of the monsters in the next room. The left door will put you by the Seregios, and the right door by the Diablos. You’ll want to take out the Seregios first, as that razor-sharp pinecone is physically weaker than the Diablos. Wait for both of them to have their backs to you, then quickly go out the left door and use a Smoke Bomb. Get the Seregios’ attention and periodically sheathe your weapon to drop another Smoke Bomb. If you’re quick about it, the Seregios will be ready to carve before you run out of Smoke Bombs. Quickly carve the body and go off to one side of the arena away from the Diablos. While you still have the smoke cover, drop a Tinged meat, then go after the Diablos.
At this point, you’ve probably fought some Diablos before, so you should be roughly familiar with its patterns. That being said, this one will hit like a runaway freight train, especially when it’s Apex. If you can avoid as many hits as possible while getting a few in yourself, you should be able to get the sucker to fall asleep. Stack some bombs on its head(Make sure you save some for Deviljho) and let loose with an Ultra burst(Five phials loaded into the shield, five phials filled. If you’re not sure what an Ultra is, check this video). If you’re familiar with Ultra bombing, then you should be able to gauge the distance between you and the bomb’s blast radius. If you gauge it correctly, you won’t get blasted as well as the monster. Gauge it wrong, you get sent flying. Either way, save a few bombs for the Deviljho and get off as many Ultras as you can onto the sleeping monster’s head.
Some time during your bout with the Diablos, Deviljho MAY appear in the arena. If it happens quickly enough, he may go straight for the meat you planted a little bit ago. Either way, quickly use a Smoke Bomb(if you have any left) and plant a Tinged Meat. Then, lure the Diablos to the side of the arena opposite Deviljho. You’ll be able to use the arena’s divider, but you MUST be quick about it. If you aren’t fast enough, Jho will break free of their paralysis and/or Diablos will run you down. Or, alternatively, you’ll have both monsters on one side and you on the other... or all three of you locked into one half of the arena. Neither of those last two options are pleasant. With good timing on your part, you’ll be able to lock the Diablos in one half of the arena with you. Doing so should give you time to kill and carve it, but only if you act fast. Do it right, and it’ll just be you and Jho.
You’ve fought some Deviljho before, right? Right. Still, it’s a good thing you’ve brought some brown pants. You... did bring brown pants, right? Since the other two monsters are out of commission, it’s just you and Jho. No doubt you’ve already used some of your Mega Potions and will have to quickly craft some more without getting ripped to shreds. Keep your Wystones and dung bombs ready at all times, and don’t worry about sparing the barrel bombs. When Deviljho is snoozing away, stack them on his head and crack that skull with an Ultra or three. Don’t be afraid about getting aggressive, cause you still have to beat the clock as well as the monsters. If you haven’t used them by now, use those two traps on Jho once you’ve knocked the Frenzy out of him. They’ll give you a chance to pile on some damage. If you can, scatter some Tinged meat around the Arena. The small window of time that provides may be enough to tip things in your favor.
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