#a saga of bears & lions

[empressofmankind]

"Euron stood by the window, drinking from a silver cup. He wore the sable cloak he took from Blacktyde, his red leather eye patch, and nothing else. "When I was a boy, I dreamt that I could fly," he announced. "When I woke, I couldn't . . . or so the maester said. But what if he lied?"

Close up under the cut.

Send me to therapy, I am completely unreasonable about this bag of human trash.

[patheticblorbloscholar]

Characters with arcs similar to Spider's:

Kovu:

Tarzan[literally they are the same character]

Koda:

Jim Hawkins:

Jake Sully[from the first movie]

Jon Snow:

My favorite character archetype

[mychlapci]

Cont Synth-En Ratchet Saga, Megatron definitely shakes the Vehicon's hands and gives him light duties and exceptions from dangerous assignment. His weird day turns into a weird month as he hits the horny/protective part of pregnancy and I say we treat Cybertronians like lions with 1-2 lions and a Pride of lionesses so Megatron following instincts shoves him in his room to protect their shared progeny (and sate each others sexual frustrations until Ratchet can be captured).

There's a bounty on Ratchet. Either his capture or more babies because Knock Out co formed ambulances and rewards are given to “expanding their forces”.

Ratchet meanwhile has managed to fuck his way through most of Team Prime but the others had birth control (Arcee and Bulkhead at least had regular partners and Bumblebee kept his health checks up to date) don't get pregnant. Though they are having regular “sessions” to burn out Ratchet's energy because his body is pinging he should have multiple carriers but only has a very grounded Optimus to fuss over.

Thankfully he recognizes the kids as kids rather than intruders so when they are around he is mostly grumpy and fussy and indulging them and constantly moving them to stay close to where he has herded Optimus. Which Optimus teases him about.

Things are mostly stable until the first time he goes out in an emergency. Dreadwing attempts to bring him in and Ratchet goes on defense but when he gets him pinned catches a whiff of Megatron and switches from Enemy to Sire Coding and poor Dreadwing is experiencing a very skilled medic touching exactly the perfect places on his frame. He us also loyal so remembering his orders flashes his panel ready to grit and bear it only to get fucked into the ground until he's clawing and panting and absolutely soaked while Ratchet drags hom by wing and knot to somewhere more private to insure he takes. He's in perfect condition, even repaired a little when he scuttles back the the Nemesis though with distinct red and white paint transfers.

Thus starts Ratchet's accidental campaign to knock up most of the species.

Synth-En Ratchet Anon

aaaaah i love the concept of sires surrounding themselves with multiple carriers. All Ratchet wants at this point is to have as many pregnant mates possible, siring coding urging him to protect them. He gets protective of the kids, they might be human and they annoy him but they are little offspring and they need to be with the carrier! Optimus feels so awkward, he’s already rocking a swollen belly and it is difficult to explain to the kids what Ratchet is trying to do right now.

But onto the sexy stuff. Needing more carriers has Ratchet even more horny, if that is even possible. Fucking the rest of team prime burns off energy but it doesn’t satisfy the breeding drive, and as much as he would, technically, be fully satisfied with only having Optimus as a carrier, his coding doesn’t allow it. Any decepticon he gets his hands on is just not safe from his rage and his spike.

He overpowers Dreadwing so easily. At first he’s a threat to be snuffed, but then the scent of Megatron reminds him he needs more carriers. Dreadwing could take, sure.

Megatron cannot believe that him and his soldiers are getting overpowered and impregnated by the Prime's little lapdog left and right. How is that even possible? At least Dreadwing brought back more additions to the ranks, but they're really missing a sire nearby.

Maybe they eventually realized what put Ratchet in a frenzy and decided to lure him in, slathering someone in Megatron's scent to get him following after no matter what... Frankly, if he got himself actually captured, it would probably be a little easier on his coding. Multiple carriers will make him happier...

[bugs-in-situations]

we can't get the illustrations done so we're just going to talk about the "how leif forgot what kind of animal they are" saga so we don't go insane in here

as we said in the last post, wearing each other's pelts as apparel is usual for married selkies. muse and leif had figured out a practical application of this: wearing their pelts on missions so they had a way to signal to each other while split up. one tap on the pelt for "i'm stuck in place", three taps for "i'm in immediate danger", so on.

muse felt it when leif died in snakemouth den, when the feeling of leif clawing at her pelt for help stopped and when their pelt turned cold in her hands. she wasn't allowed to go back in to find leif or her pelt, and lived out the rest of her life sick from pelt separation. she couldn't stand looking at leif's pelt anymore and put it away in a box, buried in storage until she died.

leif was still wearing her pelt in the spider web.

decades later, when they awoke, all their memories of being a mongoose selkie wiped, and with a sea lion's pelt on their back... the logical conclusion, of course, is that they had been a sea lion selkie. their head was still fuzzy, and their memory was malleable - a few events that didn't really happen began to implant in their mind. what other explanation was there? they don't remember any selkie tradition that would explain why they would wear someone else's pelt.

it takes leif a long time to remember muse even existed.

in the mean time, they're trying to be a sea lion and... not doing it very well. when they wear the pelt fully, it hangs on them loosely and is incredibly uncanny to look at. they're afraid of water and can't stand to be in their "natural" environment. they don't crave fish like the other pinnipeds around them, instead craving much crunchier and explicitly forbidden prey.

there's also the fact that their pelt is cold in the way only a dead selkie's pelt should be. they rationalize this as being because of their ice magic. it's harder to explain why nothing happens when someone takes it away and tries to command them.

despite all of this, leif can't bear to take the thing off or leave it anywhere they can't reach.

tl;dr leif died wearing muse's pelt and now thinks her pelt is theirs and they're being very normal about it

[just-walk-around]

I don't read or watch the twilight saga, I only have seen some parts. But I love fanfics, I twilight fanfics are part of all the group of shows that I like. But my queer ass prefer a platonic relationship than romantic between Bella and Edward. WLW and MLM is the best friendship ever.

Edward (sad, dramatic, repressed hundred years old but still mentally teenager gay): I'M A MONSTER, AN ABOMINATION THE WORST, GOD WILL NEVER OPEN THE DOORS TO HEAVEN FOR ME.

Bella (kinda depressed, sarcastic, weird, grow up to fast, absolute disaster lesbian): DUDE, IS JUST A FUCKING SPIDER!

Bella x all female vampire (except esme that woman is her mother figure you can't change my mind) is delicious.

Alice? Friends to lovers, calm gf and too much energy gf, "sweast and t shirt is enough" "as your future wife I have full right to change your clothes" "my Future Fucking what?!" "opps spoilers" , oh you are weird I weird too! Besties!

Rosalie? Rival to lovers, tsundere gf and oblivious gf, "I fucking hate you" "oh, then what you buy me a new car?" "BECAUSE THAT SHITTY TRUCK HURT MY EYES", family intervention because they Will never get together otherwise "I'm not jealous!"You just make a boy cry because he told her how nice her hair looked!" "wow your sister is beautiful but she is a bitch, just because she is hot and smart and have a pretty smile and..." "Bells just ask her out this is painful to watch" "I don't love her!" "Bella take a moment to think about everything that happened between you two, EVERYTHING and tell me again that you don't love her" "I.. *processing information" "HOLY FUCK I'M IN LOVE WITH YOUR SISTER""Congratulations you are THE LAST TO KNOW IT! "

Any of the Denali trio ? Teacher x student, "I have met this human for one second now I love her I will provide everything for her I will make her happy Fucked up!Edward stay away", patient gf with hurt gf.

Victoria or any volturi girl? Enemy to friends to lovers, reluctant gf and resigned gf, denial, denial and more denial, the bad guys are actually doing good things, "I will never fall in love with you" "I have all the time of the world darling". Unhealthy relationship going to healthy relationship.

The other vampire clans? The possibilities are endless!.

PLUS PAPA BEAR CHARLIE JUS GOING FULL SUPPORTIVE,HE COULD EITHER BE PUTTING RAINBOWS STICKERS IN HIS CLOTHES, "YES SIR I LOVE NY GAY DAUGHTER DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT" OR HAVING NO IDEA HOW TO GO ABOUT IT, "So you like tits? I like tits too! I mean, uh" "did you need um you know advice? About you know?" "dad please you are killing me" the best Is that he wouldn't care if his daughter is dating a vampire BUT THEY ARE SO OLD, HE WOULD BE LOOKING THINKING IS THIS PREDATORY BEHAVIOR? AND BELLA BEING LIKE DAD WE JUST ARE HOLDING HANDS There will not be a shotgun he will buy a freaking flamethrower he will spend all his money for a fishing boat to buy it. Because God dammit he is a dad trying his best!.

Edward x Jacob? Enemy to friends to lovers, cross lovers, cat bf x dog bf, homophobic Edward, denial denial and more denial, supportive cullens or slightly homophobic because of their differents ages trying their best to overcome their views for their son/brother, VS the pack "my imprint is a boy" "That's okay we love you and support you anyway"" he is a vampire""WHAT THE FUCK YOU SAY?! EXILE FOR JACOB, EXILED FOR HUNDRED OF YEARS"

Edward x Emmett? I get us in trouble bf and I get us out of trouble bf, calm bf and too much energy bf, grumpy cat bf and dumb bear bf, "babe what animal is the pink panther?" "dear, is in the name" "I think is a lion" "love of my life is a panther" "I Google it panther aren't pink" "AND FUCKING LIONS ARE?" "You do something stupid again don't you" "no, I just think he will like some roses for his room and a new piano" "sure"

Edward x jasper? Learning together to live with overwhelming powers and the guilt of our decisions and mistakes.

And just for the shit of it, Edward x Aro, Carlisle going FULL PAPA BEAR ON IT.

Like it could go the hurt/comfort route or the comedic route and it will be amazing.

[haledamage]

Nora Gray - playlist

Eleanor's playlist already has 22 songs on it, so it's probably time to share it 😁 Nora is, as always, my MC from Fernweh Saga by @lacunafiction 💖

track list (plus lyrics) under the cut:

Southern Comfort - Larkin Poe [Roadtrip] Blacktop, down in the ditches / Hitching a ride back to where I'm from / Catching secondhand smoke or a greyhound bus / Pretty or not, baby, here I come / I had high hopes, it was all downhill / Life flying by, like I was standing still / I’m a little nobody from the middle of nowhere / Gotta get home, I know I will

In The Woods Somewhere - Hozier [???] I clutched my life / And wished it kept / My dearest love, I'm not done yet / How many years / I know I'll bear / I found something in the woods somewhere

Trouble Finds You - Juliet Simms [???] Tonight darkness finds you / Right behind you / Say your prayers / Tonight trouble finds you / It's inside you / Say your prayers tonight

California King - Larkin Poe [???] I've got a funny feelin' / Somethin' that I missed or misread / My feet are on the ceilin' / Runnin', but I can't get ahead / I've got a funny feelin' / Honey, is it all in my head?

Take The Journey - Molly Tuttle [Fernweh] Skies are falling all around you / Who will protect you from your deepest fears? / Take the hand of the one besides you / Let the fire guide you 'til the path is clear / Take the journey / No matter where it starts or where it ends / Take the journey / Someday you'll make it back home again

Round Here - Counting Crows [Fernweh] 'Round here, we're carving out our names / 'Round here, we all look the same / 'Round here, we talk just like lions / But we sacrifice like lambs / 'Round here, she's slipping through my hands

Hard Learned - Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown [Nora] And all I know has been / Hard learned / The scars I wear, you can best believe I earned / Hard learned / Say a prayer for me cause the devil don't seem concerned

Dead Weight - PVRIS [Nora] If I start cracking at the center, all this goes away / I'm staying numb to my feelings, dodge 'em like novocaine / My back is breaking from taking all of this dead weight / All give, no take / Do you even notice / How easy you got this? / Taking wings off a goddess / If I'm being honest

everything i wanted - Billie Eilish [Nora] I tried to scream / But my head was underwater / They called me weak / Like I'm not just somebody's daughter / It could've been a nightmare / But it felt like they were right there / And it feels like yesterday was a year ago / But I don't wanna let anybody know / 'Cause everybody wants something from me now / And I don't wanna let 'em down

Somewhere Only We Know - Keane [Nora] I came across a fallen tree / I felt the branches of it looking at me / Is this the place we used to love? / Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

You and I - PVRIS [🤍 - General Romance] I know it's warmer where you are / And it's safer by your side / But right now I can't be what you want / Just give it time / And if you and I / Can make it through the night / And if you and I / Can keep our love alive, we'll fight

Crash and Burn - Savage Garden [🤍 - General Romance] I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you / It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold / When darkness is upon your door / And you feel like you can't take anymore / Let me be the one you call

Break In - Halestorm ft. Amy Lee [🧡 - Becca] You are the only one / The only one that sees me / Trusts me and believes me / You are the only one / The only one that knows me / And in the dark you show me / Yeah, it's perfectly reckless / Damn, you leave me defenseless / So break in

Dressed In Black - Sia [🧡 - Becca] I thought life passed me by / Missed my tears, ignored my cries / Life had broken my heart, my spirit / And then you crossed my path / You quelled my fears, you made me laugh / Then you covered my heart in kisses

As It Was - Hozier [💙 - Silas] There is a roadway, muddy and foxgloved / Never I'd had life enough / My heart is screaming out / And in a few days I would be there, love / Whatever here that's left of me is yours just as it was / Just as it was, baby / Before the otherness came / And I knew its name / The love, the dark, the light, the flame

I Should Go - Levi Kreis [💙 - Silas] And your company was just the thing I needed tonight / Somehow I feel I should apologize / Cuz I'm just a little shaken / By what's going on inside / I should go / Before my will gets any weaker / And my eyes begin to linger / Longer than they should / I should go / Before I lose my sense of reason / And this hour holds more meaning / Than it ever could

Broken - Seether ft. Amy Lee [💚 - James] I keep your photograph, and I know it serves me well / I want to hold you high and steal your pain / 'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome / And I don't feel right when you've gone away / You've gone away / You don't feel me here anymore

This Town - Niall Horan [💚 - James] And I want to tell you everything / The words I never got to say the first time around / And I remember everything / From when we were the children playing in this fairground / Wish I was there with you now

Move Like U Stole It - ZZ Ward [🖤 - Reese] Whoa, the world ain't ending, but it might as well be / Whoa, I'll rock you like the sea / Buildings ain't crumblin', but they might as well be / Whoa, so let's not think and just / Move like you stole it / Make your move on me

If You’re Gone - Matchbox Twenty [🖤 - Reese] I bet you're hard to get over / I bet the room just won't shine / I bet my hands I can stay here / And I bet you need more than you mind / And I think you're so mean, I think we should try / I think I could need, this in my life / I think I'm just scared that I know too much / I can't relate and that's a problem I'm feelin' / If you're gone

Power Over Me - Dermot Kennedy [💜 - Reese/James] So we hide away and never tell / You decide if darkness knows you well / That lesson of love, all that it was / I need you to see / You've got that power over me, my my / Everything I hold dear resides in those eyes

Here Is Gone - Goo Goo Dolls [💜 - Reese/James] And I want to get free / Talk to me / I can feel you falling / And I wanted to be / All you need / Somehow here is gone / And I don't need the fallout / Of all the past that's in between us

[yandere-toons]

CURRENT FANDOMS

-- Alphabetised by Title --

★ No need to limit yourself to what's here! This is more of a formality than anything concrete.

Novels:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Dune

Durarara!!

The Great Gatsby

The Hobbit

The Hunger Games

IT

The Lord of the Rings

Mortal Engines

No Country for Old Men

Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Ready Player One

The Silence of the Lambs

A Song of Ice and Fire

Star Wars: Dark Disciple

Comics & Manga:

Beastars

Blue Exorcist

Boku no Hero Academia

Death Note

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

Disney Duck Comics

Johnny the Homicidal Maniac

Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri

Scott Pilgrim

Soul Eater

Tokyo Ghoul

The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye

Watchmen

Films:

Accepted (2006)

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl

Airplane!

The Angry Birds Movie

Argylle

Austin Powers

Back to the Future

The Bad Guys (2022)

Bad Ronald (1974)

Bad Taste (1987)

Balto (1995)

Bambi (1942)

Bambi II (2006)

The Banana Splits Movie

Barbie (2023)

Batman Begins

Batman Forever

The Beekeeper (2024)

Beetlejuice (1988)

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

Big Hero 6

Black Christmas (1974)

The Black Phone

The Book of Life

Brave (2012)

Brother Bear

A Bug's Life

Bullet Train (2022)

Cars (2006)

Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness

Chicken Little

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Con Air (1997)

Coneheads

Coraline

Corpse Bride

Cowboys & Aliens

Deadpool (2016)

Deadpool & Wolverine

Despicable Me

Detective Pikachu

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)

Dracula: Dead and Loving It

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Elemental

The Emperor's New Groove

Encanto

Enchanted

Exchange Student Zero

An Extremely Goofy Movie

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fast & Furious Saga

Fear Street Trilogy (2021)

FernGully: The Last Rainforest

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

Free Guy (2020)

Frozen (2013)

Galaxy Quest (1999)

Ghost Rider (2007)

Glass Onion

Godzilla

A Goofy Movie

Grease (1978)

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

The Happytime Murders

Haunted Mansion

Hellboy (2004)

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Hercules (1997)

The Hobbit Trilogy

Hocus Pocus

Holes (2003)

Home (2015)

Home Alone (1990)

Hotel Transylvania

Howard the Duck (1986)

How to Train Your Dragon

The Hunger Games

Ice Age

The Incredibles

Inside Out

IT (2017)

John Wick

The Jungle Book (1967)

Jurassic Park

Jurassic World

Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Knives Out

Kung Fu Panda

Legally Blonde

The LEGO Batman Movie

The LEGO Movie

The LEGO Ninjago Movie

The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special

LEGO Star Wars Summer Vacation

Lift (2024)

Lilo & Stitch

The Lion King (1994)

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

The Lorax (2012)

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Luca (2021)

Luck (2022)

Mad Max Saga

The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Mean Girls (2004)

Meet the Feebles

The Meg

Meg 2: The Trench

Megamind

Minions: The Rise of Gru

Mission: Impossible

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Monkey King Reborn

Monsters, Inc.

Monsters University

Monsters vs. Aliens

Mulan (1998)

My Little Pony: A New Generation

My Little Pony: The Movie (2017)

Napoleon Dynamite

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Night at the Museum

The Nightmare Before Christmas

No Country for Old Men

NOPE (2022)

Onward

Open Season (2006)

Osmosis Jones

Over the Hedge

Pacific Rim

Paddington

Penguins of Madagascar (2014)

The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

Pirates of the Caribbean

Planet of the Apes

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Rango

Ready Player One (2018)

Renfield

Return to Oz

Rio (2011)

Rise of the Guardians (2012)

Road House

The Road to El Dorado

RoboCop (1987)

Robots (2005)

Rock Dog

Ron's Gone Wrong

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Shark Tale

Shaun of the Dead

Shrek

Sing (2016 & 2021)

Small Soldiers (1998)

Sonic the Hedgehog

Spaceballs

Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money

Space Jam

Spider-Verse Trilogy

Spies in Disguise

Star Trek

Star Wars

Storks (2016)

The Suicide Squad (2021)

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Surf's Up

The Terminator

Titanic (1997)

Toy Story

Treasure Planet (2002)

Trolls (2016)

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil

Turning Red

Vivo (2021)

Whiplash

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

Wreck-It Ralph

X-Men

“ASTEROID CITY”

TV Series & Web Series:

The Adventures of Sam & Max: Freelance Police

The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin

Adventure Time

Alvin and the Chipmunks

The Amazing World of Gumball

American Dad!

American Dragon: Jake Long

American Gods

Amphibia

Animaniacs

Aqua Teen Hunger Force

Ash vs Evil Dead

Barry (HBO)

Bates Motel

The Batman (2004)

Batman: The Animated Series

Better Call Saul

Big City Greens

Bigtop Burger

Black Clover

Bluey

Bob's Burgers

BoJack Horseman

Breaking Bad

Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

Camp Camp

Carmen Sandiego

Cars on the Road

Clone High

Codename: Kids Next Door

Count Duckula

Courage the Cowardly Dog

The Cuphead Show!

Danger Mouse

Danny Phantom

Dan Vs.

Darkwing Duck

The Devil Is a Part-Timer!

Dexter's Laboratory

Dinosaurs

Diriliş: Ertuğrul

Doctor Who

Dogs in Space

Don't Hug Me I'm Scared

Dorohedoro

Duck Dodgers

DuckTales (1987 & 2017)

Exchange Student Zero

Freakazoid!

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End

Futurama

Game of Thrones

Gargoyles

Good Omens

Goosebumps

Gotham

Gravity Falls

Green Eggs and Ham (Netflix Series)

Gregory Horror Show

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy

Grimm

Happy Tree Friends

Harley Quinn

Hazbin Hotel

Helluva Boss

Hero: 108

House of the Dragon

Inside Job (2021)

Inspector Gadget (1983)

Invader ZIM

Kim Possible

King of the Hill

The Lion Guard

Looney Tunes

The Looney Tunes Show

Love, Death & Robots

Making Fiends

The Mandela Catalogue

Max Headroom

the middle.

Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series

Milo Murphy's Law

Mob Psycho 100

Modern Family

Monkie Kid

Monsters at Work

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

Mystery Skulls Animated

Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu

The Office

OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes

Our Flag Means Death

Overlord

The Owl House

Peaky Blinders

The Penguins of Madagascar

Phineas and Ferb

Pinky and the Brain

Popee the Performer

The Powerpuff Girls

Primal

The Proud Family

Regular Show

The Righteous Gemstones

Salad Fingers

Samurai Jack

The Sandman

Schitt's Creek

Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

Shameless

Shaolin Wuzang

Silicon Valley

Silly Symphony

The Simpsons

Sonic Prime

Sonic X

Soul Eater

Space Force

SpongeBob SquarePants

Spooky Month

Star Trek

Star vs. the Forces of Evil

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Static Shock

Succession

Superjail!

Superstore

Tabaluga

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teen Titans (2003)

Tiny Toon Adventures

Tom and Jerry

Total Drama

Transformers: Prime

True Detective

Twin Peaks

The Umbrella Academy

Underverse

Villainous

The Walking Dead

Wander Over Yonder

We Bare Bears

Welcome Home

What If...?

X-Men: Evolution

Xiaolin Showdown

The Yogi Bear Show

Zig & Sharko

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

Music:

Gorillaz

The Purple People Eater

Board Games:

Monopoly

Video Games:

At Dead of Night

Batman: The Enemy Within

Borderlands

Crash Bandicoot

Cuphead: Don't Deal with the Devil

Danganronpa

Deltarune

Destroy All Humans!

Dialtown

Dino Crisis

Don't Starve

Eloquent Countenance

Fallout: New Vegas

Far Cry

Five Nights at Freddy's

Friday Night Funkin'

God of War

Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee

Grand Theft Auto V

Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series

John Doe

L.A. Noire

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Lollipop Chainsaw

Lucius

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

Mass Effect

MazM: Jekyll and Hyde

Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Monkey Island

Monster Prom

Mortal Kombat

Naughty Bear

Nicktoons Unite!

Oddworld

Outlast

PaRappa the Rapper

Pathologic

Psychonauts

Rampage: Total Destruction

Ratchet & Clank

Red Dead Revolver

Resident Evil

Road 96

Silent Hill

Slime Rancher

Smile For Me

Sonic the Hedgehog

Total War: Warhammer III

Uncharted

Undertale

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

So yeah... That totally unnecessary Nelson Peltz proxy fight saga of current-day Disney is finally over.

Thank goodness. Peltz seemed like he was acting on behalf of former Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter, another guy who is bad news bears to say the least. Peltz just looked like another old man who plays to the crowd that loves to call everything "woke". While it doesn't take rocket science to figure out that The Walt Disney Company is having some trouble across various divisions, their solution wasn't even a solution. Nothing remotely near that.

Interestingly, Disney finally released their first *new* theatrical movie this year, a $30m prequel to THE OMEN that got solid reviews but struggled on opening weekend for whatever reason. It's looking to perform more like last year's new EXORCIST movie than 2018 HALLOWEEN (both films directed by David Gordon Green), I guess not all horror legacy sequels (lega-sequels) are destined to make coin. No matter, $30m isn't steep, it should make it back eventually if not in theaters. It's a 20th Century Studios movie, so it's no big deal really.

Weirdly, POOR THINGS is one of their few box office successes released over the past 12 or so months, outside of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 and - by a hair - ELEMENTAL. 20th kinda came to the rescue there, too: A HAUNTING IN VENICE doubled its budget, THE BOOGEYMAN did pretty good.

All I know is, Disney's probably never going to relive 2019 again... And I feel like they keep trying to make that year happen again... But it won't, because that was a case of the planets freakin' aligning...

I extend that to the 2010s in general, honestly, but I'll focus on 2019...

That year saw the billion-dollar releases of - in order: CAPTAIN MARVEL, AVENGERS: ENDGAME, ALADDIN, TOY STORY 4, THE LION KING, FROZEN II, and THE RISE OF SKYWALKER... They got a moderate success out of the MALEFICENT sequel that year, too, while the live-action DUMBO didn't recoup its - ironically - massive budget. (The original 1941 DUMBO was a low-budget picture belted out during the war.) Some 20th titles came out that year, too, most of them not doing great, like the X-Men movie DARK PHOENIX and Blue Sky's penultimate SPIES IN DISGUISE (I call it penultimate because I consider NIMONA a partial Blue Sky movie, their swan song).

Even then, that was a year to die for. But that's the rub... ENDGAME was the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's whole Infinity Saga. 11 years in the making, it's astounding it was able to have juice for that long! Yes, yes, I know, SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME was the *actual* end of Phase 3... That functions more like an epilogue, while ENDGAME was the big finale event everyone waited for... and of course, CAPTAIN MARVEL benefited greatly from being the movie that preceded ENDGAME. By less than two months... TOY STORY 4 was locked to be big, because TOY STORY 3 made a billion nine years earlier. ALADDIN and THE LION KING were remakes of some of Disney's biggest animated movies, and FROZEN II was a sequel to another one of Disney's biggest animated movies. RISE OF SKYWALKER ended the entire Skywalker Saga... And ending the main story of one of the biggest franchises- You get the idea!

Suffice to say, Disney's not going to have that year again. They'd have to acquire like another 2-3 franchises, and release their finales all during the same year in addition to two other favorites. The MCU isn't the must-see event with each and every film anymore post-ENDGAME, Star Wars' future is probably in serialized shows still, the remake well has run dry and all the biggest Disney animated movies were pretty much covered (SNOW WHITE - from the one that started everything - is on its way, but I see that performing more similarly to DUMBO and not LITTLE MERMAID), and... Well, animated movies that aren't sequels are more of a gamble nowadays.

But it seems like in 2025 and 2026, Disney's looking to keep trying this usual platter of movies that would've been a killer line-up in 2017. Not today. That's how I felt about their offering last year, too.

It's a lot of reliance on the brands. New Star Wars sounds like box office gold, right? Well, two new Star Wars movies in 2026 after all those movies Disney did from 2015-2019 in addition to what seems like a ton of Disney+ shows... And Grogu was super-popular back when he first appeared in THE MANDALORIAN back in 2019... Yeah, like, who knows how those will do... In addition to all the Marvel movies planned, not all of them are gonna get everyone packing the auditoriums - as we saw with QUANTUMANIA and THE MARVELS. (And on the Warner Bros./DC end, SHAZAM! 2 and BLUE BEETLE, even AQUAMAN 2 didn't make half of what the first one made, THE FLASH fell sharply after its opening.)

And then you have the animated sequels, which seem like safe bets. Disney only missed with Pixar's LIGHTYEAR, which was a spin-off that went a totally different direction that seemed to have alienated the audiences that made all the TOY STORY movies the big hits that they were. TOY STORY 5 likely does way better than that, but I expect it to be a box office come down from the last two. It would have to have a real banger story, I feel, to get people to keep coming. I think MOANA 2, ZOOTOPIA 2, and FROZEN III - all from Disney Animation - are locked to at least open big. If they're very unsatisfactory movies to the public - like STRANGE WORLD and WISH were, then they have weak legs... And smackdab between this sequel-frenzy is one original Pixar movie: Space adventure ELIO.... Which got delayed, supposedly because it was a big mess and it needed another year and a half to be reconfigured. Not that that really means anything, but it's sure to balloon its probably already-big budget. ELEMENTAL had to climb and climb to somewhat eke out a profit, ELIO might have even more trouble as an original movie. It's also not known what Pixar's other 2026 movie is opposite TOY STORY 5, though I suspect it is another original, which will make it stick out as well. WDAS' original movies seem missing in action at the moment.

20th Century Studios and Searchlight continue to have the interesting stuff, which I think will last longer than more Marvel and Star Wars movies. Both studios really did become a replacement for Disney's former adult movie label Touchstone, didn't they? And they too have their franchise biggies, more for Disney, with the likes of PLANET OF THE APES and ALIEN... Whose new installments come out this year and are sure to do okay. Plus, more AVATAR... And yet those franchise don't feel - to me - as overdone as Star Wars and the MCU. It's been 7 years since the last APES and ALIEN movies, weirdly enough (WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES and ALIEN: COVENANT), and AVATAR took a long break before returning with a cluster sequels all reasonably spaced out from one another. PREDATOR/PREY looks to keep going. I also wonder if future KINGSMAN movies are still in play.

Again, it's the little stuff that matters, because wells always run dry... And I think that's Disney's problem at the moment, ditto them playing things way too safe in other areas... I've said that before, but they - specifically on the "Walt Disney Pictures" end - need to just let loose and let a filmmaker just make something dynamic and cool and new. Something that takes the audience completely by surprise, not just another "Disney movie". Something like PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN or WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT. And make more smaller movies, too, and not relegate them to streaming. Little movies like THE PRINCESS DIARIES, HOLES, etc. We're in that scene in RATATOUILLE again where the patrons of Gusteau's ask if there's anything *new* on the menu...

The time is now, Disney. With a new head of your live-action division, let's see what you've got. We're past calendar years locked and loaded with 8 tentpole movies...

[p1325]

#fanvidfeed #disney100 #viddingisart #disney #waltdisney #amv #coldplay #thechainsmokers #somethingjustlikethis #somethingjustlikethislyrics ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Here's the list of the movies I used: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Pinocchio, Fun and Fancy Tree, Encanto, Strange World, Big Hero 6, Tangled, Zootopia -Inside Out, Toy Story Saga, Frozen, Wreck-It Ralph, Turning Red, Fantasia, Dinosaur, Fantasia 2000, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, The Rescuers -The Rescuers Down Under, Soul, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Aladdin, Hercules, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Lilo and Stitch, Make Mine Music -Atlantis: The Lost Empire, The Good Dinosaur, The Three Caballeros, Saludos Amigos, Tarzan, Pocahontas, The Black Cauldron, The Incredibles -Moana, The Sword In The Stone, A Bug's Life, Brave, Up, Bolt, Princess and the Frog, Home on the Range, The Treasure Planet, Dumbo, Bambi, Coco -Brother Bear, Monsters & Co, Monsters University, The Little Mermaid, 101 Dalmatians,  Raya and The Last Dragon, Meet the Robinsons, Oliver & Co. -Ratatouille, Winnie The Pooh, Robin Hood, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, The Great Detective Mouse, Wall-E, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, The Emperor's New Groove, Luca, Chicken Little, Lightyear, Cars Saga ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Song:  Something Just Like This Artist: The Chainsmokers, Coldplay

[laufire]

about me™

I decided between one thing and the other, it was time to make a new version of my “what could you reasonably expect from this blog” post. Since it’s my birthday, here it is!

[edited on 01/01/2024]

General stuff

-Anon is open, for now; don’t abuse it, and follow the usual “don’t be an asshole” guideliness. I don’t post anon hate (unless I think it would be really funny of me to do so), so I suggest you don’t bother sending it.

-I block at the drop of a hat. The main reasons are usually bigotry and conservative rhetoric, general assholery (especially on the tags I track), and noticing someone blocked me first (I don't want you to reblog my posts if I can't reply to you or even see anything you add to them).

-In my pinned posts you can see a few links of interest (this post, my edits or fics, my author newsletter, etc.).

-I add image descriptions to everything in my blog (for my original posts, I usually use alt text). Feel free to send me an ask if I ever miss anything.

-I’m an Opinionated Person and I sometimes post negativity™ just for the sake of bitching (which I consider different from general, grounded criticism and the like). It’s all tagged with “bitter lau tag”, and “antiX for ts” tags, X being a fandom/character/ship. I.e. “antidelena for ts”; “antidamonsalvatore for ts”. That way it doesn't appear on main searches for those things. In general, I’m an exhaustive tagger, so filtering anything shouldn’t be a problem; and of course, you can always ask me to tag something specific I might've missed in order to filter it.

Fandoms

I’m very multifandom, but I'm prone to have one or two hyperfixations at the forefront. Sometimes they're new favourites, but more often than not they're old favourites that get their claws back on me.

-Main fandoms:

DCU. My interests in this very large fandom are diversified, but my entry point of obsession is often Jason Todd in particular and the Bat Cult Clan in general. Add some Young Justice, Gotham, Wonder Woman, Zatanna, the early DCEU, various female characters of dubious moral qualities, multiple teamups and adaptations and elseworlds… I always return to this world, basically. My primary area interest is the post-crisis/new earth comics continuity, but I dabble in many others.

-

Some of my favourite shows: Angel & BTVS, Attack on Titan, Black Sails, Desperate Housewives, Dollhouse, Killjoys, MARVEL’S Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nikita, Person of Interest, Reign, Scandal, Severance, Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Good Wife, The Sopranos, The Vampire Diaries & Co, The Wire, Underground, Veronica Mars, Xena: Warrior Princess.

Some of my favourite films: the Alien franchise, Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus, Batman Returns, Black Swan, Blancanieves (2012), Colombiana, D.E.B.S., El verdugo, Jennifer’s Body, Jupiter Ascending, Lust Caution, Mulan, Pan’s Labyrinth, Practical Magic, The Handmaiden, The Lion in Winter, The Mask of Zorro, The Terminator (1 & 2).

Some of my favourite authors: Agatha Christie, Ana María Matute, Angela Carter, Camilla Andrew, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Daphne du Maurier, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Miguel Hernández, Philip Pullman, Shirley Jackson, Terry Pratchett, Ursula K. Le Guin.

Other favourite books: Beauty and the Beast (Madame de Villeneuve), Carmilla, Dangerous Liaisons, Frankenstein, El cordero carnívoro, Fuenteovejuna, His Dark Materials, Hymn to Demeter, Medea, Pygmalion, Rebecca, The Essence of the Equinox, the Seven Kingdoms series, We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

Some other favourite comics: IDW (Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, Dark Spaces), Image (Monstress, Paper Girls, Saga), Iron Man (Fatal Frontier, Doomquest, Legacy of Doom, vol 1. & 3).

Favourite music artists: Aaliyah, Amistades Peligrosas, Amy Winehouse, Ani DiFranco, Antonio Vivaldi, Bear McCreary, Christopher Beck, Clint Mansell, Dessa, Ennio Morricone, Fiona Apple, FKA twigs, Florence + the Machine, Georges Bizet, Hole, Julie London, Kate Bush, Mägo de Oz, Mirel Wagner, Montserrat Caballé, Nancy Sinatra, Nina Simone, Peggy Seeger, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Queen, Richard Wagner, Serguéi Serguéievich Prokófiev, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Pretty Reckless, Tracy Chapman.

Other interests: art history, creative writing, photography, history, historiography, languages, criminal and international law, orcas, owls… countless others.

- ⚖️🔥 -

[empressofmankind]

Magic mirror on the wall,

Who's the fairest one of the worst of them all?

[littlewalken]

The moving saga is a saga

First place was great but then is out because of a bitch who can go die get lost on Mt Baldy. Wishing for someone who deserves to die get lost on Mt Baldy is fine, that mountain will collect her dead like the mortician lady on Youtube. She does so every year there's a good snow. A few cold nights avoiding bears, mountain lions, squatches, and what ever else is up there might set her priorities strait.

Second place would have been not much different size wise but we have to go somewhere, so basically this place with carpeting. Guy there tries to be helpful and almost causes more trouble in his effort to be helpful.

Guy from the first place calls to fins out why we aren't finishing up there and offers us the same style unit at a different property literally up the street. We go there tomorrow and things should get back on track.

If anyone with a Reddit account wants details for a good story LMK.

[trendylil]

Top 10 Most Searched Christmas Gifts on Amazon

Unwrap the Most-Wanted Presents for 2023

The holiday season is upon us, and it's time to start thinking about gifts for your loved ones. If you're not sure where to start, don't worry. We've rounded up the top 10 most searched Christmas gifts on Amazon right now, so you can find the perfect present for everyone on your list.

1. Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen)

The Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen) is a popular smart speaker that can be used to play music, set alarms, get news and weather updates, and control smart home devices. It is one of the most popular items on Amazon this year, with over 10 million searches.

2. Apple AirTag

The Apple AirTag is a small, lightweight tracker that can be attached to keys, wallets, bags, or other items. It can be used to track lost items using the Find My app on iPhone, iPad, or Mac. It is a great gift for anyone who always loses their things.

price on Amazon

3. Tile Mate

The Tile Mate is another popular item tracker that is similar to the Apple AirTag. It can be used to track lost items using the Tile app on iPhone, iPad, or Android devices.

4. Nintendo Switch Sports

Nintendo Switch Sports is a collection of six sports games that can be played with friends and family. The games include tennis, bowling, badminton, soccer, chambara (swordplay), and volleyball. It is a great gift for active families.

price on Amazon

5. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a new video game that tells the story of all nine Star Wars Skywalker Saga films. It features updated graphics, new gameplay mechanics, and a massive open world to explore. It is a great gift for any Star Wars fan.

price on Amazon

6. 5-Minute Crafts DIY Slime Kit

This DIY slime kit is a great gift for kids who love to get creative. It comes with everything you need to make your own slime, including glue, borax, food coloring, and glitter.

price on AMAZON

7. Play-Doh Modeling Compound 24-Pack

Play-Doh is a classic toy that has been enjoyed by kids for generations. This 24-pack comes with a variety of colors, so kids can create all sorts of fun shapes and figures.

price on Amazon

8. L.O.L. Surprise! OMG Neonlicious Fashion Doll with Surprise Accessories

L.O.L. Surprise! dolls are always popular, and this Neonlicious fashion doll is no exception. It comes with a variety of surprise accessories, including clothes, shoes, and jewelry.

price on Amazon

9. Barbie Dreamhouse Playset

The Barbie Dreamhouse is a classic toy that has been a staple of many kids' bedrooms for years. This playset comes with a variety of features, including a pool, a slide, and a working elevator.

Price On Amazon

10. Melissa & Doug Wooden Animal Counters Set

This set of wooden animal counters is a great way for kids to learn about animals. It comes with 24 different animal counters, including lions, tigers, bears, and elephants.

price on Amazon

These are just a few of the many popular Christmas gifts that are being searched for on Amazon right now. With so many great options to choose from, you're sure to find the perfect gift for everyone on your list.

Happy shopping!

[number1spongebobfan]

My Favorite Episodes

Dora the Explorer - Dora Saves the Snow Princess

SpongeBob SquarePants - The Fry Cook Games

Peppa Pig - Holiday Saga (the ones where she goes to Italy to see Gabriella Goat and her family)

Bluey - Escape

The Fairly Odd Parents - Dread 'N' Breakfast (DAT RUNNING GAG WITH ABRAHAM LINCOLN IN THE SHOWER WTF LOL)

Hey Arnold - Pigeon Man

Peanuts - A Charlie Brown Christmas

Courage the Cowardly Dog - The Mask

Tom and Jerry - The Cat Concerto

The Loud House - Save the Date (Lincoln and Ronnie Anne are a cute couple)

Bubble Guppies - The Restaurant (idk why the song is so catchy IT'S LITTERALLY ABOUT GOING TO A RESTAURAUNT)

The Lion Guard - Never Judge a Hyena by Its Spots

The Wild Thornberrys - Cheetahs Never Prosper (Eliza was rightfully punished at the end, the story's heartwarming and cheetahs are my favorite animal!)

Blue's Clues - Blue's Big Holiday

Max and Ruby - Bunny Cakes (they're so cute okay and I wanna eat the cakes they look delicious, yum)

Rugrats - Mother's Day (it's so sweet it's so sad that Chuckie's mommy died and it reminds me how much my mommy loves me too!)

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - Popstar Minnie (Minnie you slay that outfit!)

Classic Care Bears - Care Bears Nutcracker Suite

Classic My Little Pony - Rescue from Midnight Castle

Yo Gabba Gabba - Eat (Party in My Tummy song creeped me out when I was little but I love it now)

[iamdexter123]

Top 10 character essence tag

Thank you to @mariahwritesstuff - sorry this was a bit delayed! It took a bit of thinking but I loved it!

Rules:  A challenge to give your Top 10 favourite characters, based on their ESSENCE. They have to be favourite characters that also have a deeper literary value, where you enjoy their specific role in the story, and this means that the list also should exclude characters that would normally count as favourites if for purely nostalgic reasons. They can be from film, tv, or written media, anything.

Pretty sure these will all be along the same theme of people carrying heavy burdens at the cost to themselves.

Atticus Finch, To Kill A Mockingbird

Atticus was my first exposure to The Stoic and I have drunk deeply at that well ever since. He is the lawyer that every lawyer wants to be: measured and impartial yet feels injustice deeply. He knows he is on the losing side, knows it will cause him and his family pain (and danger) and yet he cannot turn away. He just can’t.

Elinor Dashwood, Sense and Sensibility

Oh Elinor, the responsibility you carry! Putting everyone before you—even those who don’t deserve it—to your own detriment. She is my second Stoic. She was ready to carry those burdens to her old maid grave until Edward in the Key of F Major cleared up the confusion of his marital status. Thank Christ he did too.

Chidi Anagonye, The Good Place

A man who got sent to hell because he just couldn’t. Make. A. Decision. But he was so earnest about trying to do the right thing and live a good life; I love that. He always kept trying, no matter what was thrown at him. It made him neurotic and anxious but still he persevered.

Samantha Caine / Charlene “Charlie” Baltimore, The Long Kiss Goodnight

When Susie Homemaker’s memory returns she finds out she’s an elite assassin. I love how this character moved from Mum of the Year to Kill Everyone and then eventually found some happy medium between the two extremes. Also she was just boss.

Father Andrew Kiernan, Stigmata

Okay at one point in time a whole bunch of religious films came out at once: when I say a whole bunch, I probably just mean Stigmata and End of Days. I really loved the soundtrack to this movie, but I also loved Father Kiernan; a priest but also a man of science. The movie pushed him hard between his logic and his belief and he navigated it respectfully according to his own truth. I’ll probably lump him in as a Stoic too.

Iorek Byrnison, His Dark Materials

Principled, loyal and independent. Love that in a bear. Every story has to have a loyal sidekick and Iorek is one of the best. He is Lyra’s greatest protector. Saul Silva, Fate: The Winx Saga

My current obsession. He is the only adult in the show to have a tragic backstory, which set him up from episode 1 to be the Character That Carries The Heavy Burden. Not only that, they made him kill his best friend. And yet still he fronts up to work and teaches kids how to be good human beings. A+ Stoic.

Anne Elliott, Persuasion

Overlooked, quiet, long-suffering Anne. She listened to her family and said no to the marriage proposal of the man she loved and regretted it immediately. She took one for the team and received nothing but a broken heart. What a surprise, another Stoic.

Eowyn, Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

Boss bitch Eowyn. Heart of a lion but alas a woman, she wasn’t allowed to protect her people the way she wanted. Did it stop her? Hells no. She forged her own way forward and Middle Earth was better for it. She also snagged herself a great husband in Faramir (my fave). And finally… Owen Meany, A Prayer For Owen Meany

Who would have guessed that a shorter-than-average, painfully high-pitched boy whose dialogue was written “ENTIRELY IN CAPITALS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE BOOK” would teach me to appreciate how miraculous it is that we are alive. Tagging @radley21, @astrid-v, @theyhaveacavetroll, and @septemberrie if you’d like to have a go. It’s harder than you think so if you don’t do it I understand!

[dangeroustimemachinehologram]

Resident Evil 7:Biohazard and Resident Evil Village reviews

 Resident Evil 7:Biohazard

The sixth installment of Resident Evil, although it earned Capcom a lot of money, showed that the formula invented on the occasion of the revolutionary "four" has burned out and the series needs changes.

For twenty years, Resident Evil remains the strongest brand in the yellow-blue portfolio, but its history can be reduced to three specific titles. Released in 1996, the original set the standard for console survival horror for years, the "four" released eight years later popularized the view over the shoulder and turned the series into - as the creators themselves described it - an action horror movie. The final collapse of the series came in 2012, when Resident Evil 6 was released, which, although sold very well, rejected the lion's share of fans. The incredible scale of the events, powerful melee attacks, the gameplay focused on pure destruction, a huge amount of QTE sequences, a terrible script or terrible cutscenes staggering between the convention of romantic realism and anime poetics, left an unequivocally negative impression. Correct interquels in the form of the handheld Revelations and its solid continuation still drew more from the newer installments of the series than the classics, which fortunately the publisher decided to remind us of, spitting out reissues of the excellent REmake and RE 0, available only for Nintendo consoles for years. Putting the "six" and the remake of the original side by side, you can clearly see how much the authors have deviated from the original assumptions of the cycle. Here a revolution was needed, which had to be accomplished, even at the cost of worse financial results. Capcom had the courage to do so.

Richard Pearsey, the creator of the script for the memorable Spec Ops: The Line, is responsible for the script of Resident Evil 7. For the first time in the history of the series, the storyline for the canonical version of the saga is not the responsibility of the Japanese, which - bearing in mind the last few episodes full of kitsch and trash - was a great move already in the initial development phase. After watching the end credits, I can say that it was a bull's eye. The action of the game takes place four years after the events of the "six", although the knowledge of the series is irrelevant, because in the field of scenario the newest part almost completely separates from its heritage. As an ordinary middle-aged guy, Ethan Winters, we receive a video message from Mia, the main character's wife, who has been dead for over three years. The woman informs her husband that she is at the Baker's plantation in Dulvey, Louisiana, but also asks him not to come for her. The protagonist, wanting to find out the truth about the disappearance of his spouse, moves to the address indicated. On the spot, it turns out that the Bakers are completely crazy, but inexplicable things are happening in their ruined household.

Capcom made the game at a cost, and the entire experience was developed with virtual reality in mind, resulting in shallower gameplay. It's not true. The latest episode is an intelligent, classic survival horror, which is what every iteration of Resident Evil should be. We have here most of the elements for which we fell in love with the cycle years ago. The need for wise inventory management, saving ammunition, a manual save system, puzzles that require perceptiveness, the ability to "play" opponents, memorable battles with bosses, various endings or an additional challenge level, and fresh poppers unlock after completing the adventure.

Despite the change to the first-person perspective or the resignation from many stationary points of view, the "seven" is played similarly to the classic versions of the PSone and GameCube era. We traverse a huge plantation, including a mansion resembling Spencer's house, exploring the environment in search of the items necessary to push the action forward. Importantly, the authors managed to differentiate the "problems" encountered by the protagonist so much that the scheme "find the key/card to the next door", which he could wear out even in the excellent Alien: Isolation, does not apply here. It is worth looking into every nook and cranny, as it may turn out that we have just discovered a shortcut to an important location. Level-design, as in the classic trilogy, Code: Veronica X or Zero, is the highest shelf. However, what you will be looking for with the most persistence will be weapons, ammunition and green plants.

In the game, you will not meet zombies or other mutated mammals. The standard adversary we see most often is the mold-covered creature, which comes in several varieties and looks a bit like the Ooze mutants from the first REvelations. Clashes with them raise adrenaline both in the first part of the game, when we only have a gun, and later, when they attack in groups. Unfortunately, they are not able to overcome ordinary doors, as long as we close them behind us, so it is relatively easy to outmaneuver them. With time, they make up for the lack of forceful arguments in numbers, but then we already have a shotgun, magnum, flamethrower or grenade launcher.

The authors consistently stick to the goal once chosen, so that survival will accompany us all the time, only occasionally proposing sections on slightly different principles, but even then survival is the number one goal. Then you can see which titles the developers drew their inspiration from, and there are some of them. Several times we are forced to play a game of cat and mouse with an indestructible stalker, which raises the tension in the same way as in the aforementioned Alien: Isolation or horrors from the hide-and-seek subspecies, such as Outlast. In some parts of the game, the game tries to build an atmosphere of fear with the same means as the popular walking simulators like Layers of Fear or the unforgettable P.T., which turns out pretty well. There was also something from The Evil Within, namely traps that one of the characters sets for Ethan. As in the production of Shiji Mikami - the father of Resident Evil - we can save some ammunition by giving the opponent an explosive surprise. There is nothing wrong with peeking at the best, after all the authors were extremely sparing in adding something from themselves.

Is Resident Evil 7 a scare? In a few moments, definitely yes, and in addition, we feel anxious all the time - the greater the less careful we are when using firearms. However, I must admit that something was missing. Do you remember Crimson Heads from the remake of "one" or hard-to-beat Leechman from RE 0? Here, a similar, stressful and unpredictable factor is not implemented. This flaw is partially compensated by the ghostly Bakers, but the encounters with them are scripted, so the tension after such sections evaporates for a long time. The checkpoint system is also a bad idea. Although the game can be saved only with tape recorders, the death of a character does not mean going back to the last save. It is a pity, because the penalty for death is lower, and therefore the player is more willing to risk. After all, this is probably the only element that shows that the producer would like to reach as many players as possible. The lack of components of the last two numbered RE episodes, i.e. cheap gimmicky, Quick Time Events sequences, moments straight from the shooter on rails, or rendered film inserts, makes me very happy.

The plot is at least ten hours of intense survival in the old Japanese style, so it turns out that the authors did not lie, telling in interviews that they are going back to their roots. The manufacturer has definitely abandoned the MT Framework multi-platform engine, developing new technology for Resident Evil 7 - RE Engine. This engine provided the game with high-quality, photorealistic graphics, and some compromises, such as less accurate models of individual elements of the environment or average-quality shadows, compensate for the tricks with lighting and sixty frames per second on all platforms. The creators did not express interest in creating a version for the Switch, although it seems to me that the Nintendo console would bear this title. I have already mentioned great voice-acting, a strong point of the game is also the sound, so important for survival horror. I was impressed by the soundtrack prepared by Akiyuki Morimoto (Lost Planet 2, Resident Evil 6). The musical setting sounds completely different than in the riotous "five" or "six" - here it is very economical, the guitar dominates, and the whole thing perfectly corresponds to the atmosphere of the American province. PlayStation VR owners can play the whole adventure with goggles on their heads, although I did not have and will not have the opportunity to test the reviewed position in virtual reality.

I have respect for Capcom for the fact that in the case of Resident Evil 7 he took up such a project. The "Seven" is less affordable and effective than the latest achievements of the series, so the publisher probably expects worse sales, but sometimes it is worth taking a step back to take two forward. Resident Evil 7 is a successful return of the series to its roots, reconciling the classics with modern solutions. Not everything sounded right, the checkpoint system and scripted clashes with the pursuers dilute the dense atmosphere of terror and hate, and the adventure could take a little longer, but the seventh episode of the famous series should satisfy all fans of survival horror, especially RE fans, who will find a lot of flavors here. or references to old, iconic parts.

Resident Evil Village

"Success is only rented, and the rent has to be paid every day" - this is the maxim repeated by the outstanding football coach Hansi Flick. After completing the latest installment of Resident Evil, I have no doubt that they also adhere to this principle at Capcom.

Resident Evil Code: Veronica X from 2000 has one particular scene within it. Trapped on the island, Claire Redfield discovers a secret passageway leading to the Ashford Mansion. At some point, the camera moves away from the character, and in the background, the player can admire the spooky castle illuminated by lightning. The father of the series, Shinji Mikami, admitted in one of the interviews that the above scene is one of his favorites and best defines what Resident Evil means to him. The creators of the mentioned title from Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 partially abandoned the poetics of American zombie films, instead drawing inspiration from the achievements of European artists.

The authors of the series actually experimented with various sub-genres of horror from the very beginning, although for most players the series was defined by views referring to Hollywood images about the living dead. However, Capcom's games have evolved like a virus over the years, and therefore we received titles maintained in different conventions. European influences were visible to the naked eye in Code: Veronica X or Resident Evil Zero, while the very successful "seven" took full advantage of the achievements of American slashers. Meanwhile, thanks to the reviewed Resident Evil Village, Mikami's dream came true, who wanted to see a game in the poetics of gothic horror.

Although the version in question functions without a number, in fact, Village, is an "eight" cleverly hidden in the game's subtitle. The story is a direct continuation of Resident Evil VII: Biohazard, focusing on the fate of Ethan Winters and his family. Three years after the dramatic events in the Baker's household, Ethan and his wife Mia are living a quiet life in Europe. They are happier than ever because their daughter Rosemary was born six months earlier. However, one evening it all ends. Chris Redfield, a former member of the elite S.T.A.R.S. and the legendary BSAA agent, along with his team attacks the Winters family. He kills Mia in front of her husband, kidnaps Rose, and orders Ethan to be imprisoned. A few hours later, the hero wakes up on the road leading to the mountain village ...

An extremely strong and intriguing beginning heralds a ride without handlebars, and it is also true. For obvious reasons, I will not reveal even the smallest script secret, but I will write one thing for sure - the reviewed Resident Evil Village offers the most interesting and simply the best story I have experienced in the series! Virtually everything played here, i.e. a shocking opening, an atmosphere of great mystery, shocking twists, well-written characters, numerous references, and consistency with the Resident Evil universe, there were also surprisingly emotional moments. It is worth noting that although you can watch a short summary of the events from the "seven" before the start of the game, I strongly encourage you to read the title before Village because both items are closely related to each other. More than anyone could imagine.

As in the case of RE7, an English-speaking writer was hired to work on the Resident Evil Village script, which only confirmed my belief that the games in this series are best interpreted by people from the Western cultural circle. It does not change the fact that the Japanese developer has done a fantastic job styling his work into a gothic horror movie. From a spooky atmosphere and a sense of threat, through medieval architecture, the themes of death, madness, or disease, to the creations of antagonists and parenthood as the leitmotif, we will find here everything that an eighteenth-century horror novel should contain. The authors have already proved that they can deftly redefine the well-known horror convention for Resident Evil, but in this case, they went a step further. Anyone who thinks that Village is "from a different story" should definitely finish it first.

The reviewed Resident Evil Village is not only the result of the developer's 25 years of experience but also the result of numerous inspirations from such titles as Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, and The Evil Within. The core of the game is a classic survival horror in a nutshell, i.e. combat and exploration of terrifying scenery, limited range of player avatar movements, the need for wise inventory management, shortage of ammunition or a manual save system. However - due to the development of most known systems and the implementation of themes from other games - the "eight" has its own identity.

Excluding pageviews with numbers 4, 5, and 6, each canonical part of Resident Evil usually offered one main location where the player spent most of the time playing, possibly a few more minor ones. Resident Evil Village is much larger than any episode of the series, offering a partially open field of action. The eponymous village can be safely described as another heroine of the story - dangerous, mysterious, unpredictable, and hiding many secrets. At the very beginning, we only gain access to its central part, where people used to live, but as the game progresses, we visit new locations. The main plot is completely linear, but the Village offers the freedom to perform optional activities and exploration on a scale that we could have previously dreamed of. At the same time, the creators managed to avoid typical side quests such as orders from survivors or courier missions - there is nothing here that would knock you out of the main story.

However, the biggest impression is still made by huge, closed locations. In order not to spoil your fun, I will mention only one, well-known from the promotional materials of the castle, Lady Dimitrescu. The multi-story building is full of hidden rooms, shortcuts, secret passages, and valuable treasures to find. Exploration is then the same as in Spencer's villa from the original or at the police station of the "two", so we are looking for ways to get to the next places and we move forward methodically. The reviewed Resident Evil Village follows the same principle as in every main installment of the series - the more places we visit thoroughly, the better the rewards we get. The Vampire House is just an example of how well the site designers, whose designs are reminiscent of Bloodborne, have done their job well.

In the Resident Evil Village review, I can't help but mention the recurring theme of the indestructible stalker. During the last few parts, we ran away, among others before Jack Baker, Tyrant, or Nemesis, so these mechanics could not be missing also in the "eight". I know that there are people in the room who do not like such a procedure, but my reaction to similar complaints can be reduced to two words - survival horror. The most important feature of this genre is to exert pressure and stress on the player. The stronger the better, hence the popularity of invincible torturers since the times of Nemesis and Pyramid head. In the Village, we will meet several of them - some move freely within a given location, while others attack only in scripted sequences. Traditionally, I will not reveal much, I will only mention one such antagonist, whom everyone who follows the materials from the game has already met.

Alcina Dimitrescu became the face of the promotional campaign of the peer-reviewed Resident Evil Village a little by accident. Internet deviants aside, he is a character as interesting as he is dangerous. A nearly three-meter-tall vampire trapped in the body of a 44-year-old aristocrat will not rest until she interrupts Ethan's search for her daughter. Over time, the death of the hero becomes a personal matter for her, so it is not the epitome of pure antagonism like a dispassionate Tyrant, but it cannot be taken lightly. However, if - like the proud Indian Billy in the Predator movie - you have enough of escaping and decide to face an unequal duel, beware. To sum up, in the subject of adversary-persecutor Village does not add much from itself, rather using the patterns developed in the "seven" and the remake of Resident Evil 2, nevertheless, as a fan of this type of attraction I feel satisfied.

I mentioned numerous inspirations of the creators of the "eight", both with the older installments of the series and other survival horror films. The partially open world reminds me of the great The Evil Within 2, a sensational fragment of the game that could easily play out in the title of the Fatal Frame series, a confrontation with one opponent reminded me of the unforgettable Silent Hills, there was even a pinch of hide-and-seek horror. However, the reviewed Resident Evil Village draws the most from its own heritage, including the iconic "four". As you have already noticed, the discussed item on the one hand expands all the successful elements of the first-person RE7: Biohazard, while borrowing interesting mechanics from other games. The spirit of the controversial Resident Evil 4 also hovers over all of this, which this time does not shift the emphasis towards pure action, but diversifies the Village formula.

Capcom managed to balance all the components of the game, which include exploration, combat and puzzles. I have already written a lot about the first one, and then it is no less interesting. We have an extensive arsenal, which over time includes pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles, several types of grenades and other surprises. The combat in Resident Evil Village is fast, intense and rewarding, requiring the player to skillfully use weapons, use the environment and a bit of tactics. Headshots look lush like in RE4, which also borrowed the possibility of barricading in besieged buildings, a system for organizing items in a backpack, and above all, the figure of a trader. Duke shows up in strategic places selling useful items, weapon modifications, lockpicks, and other goods. It also strengthens our character by serving meals, as long as we hunt game beforehand (simple, optional activity). It is especially worth buying schematics that allow you to create first aid kits and shells.

The element in which Resident Evil Village definitely dominates the "four" are puzzles, almost absent in the classic from 2005. Compared to other aspects of the game, this one is the worst, but still at least decent. Simple puzzles appear in the main plot, once even while escaping from a boss, and a few optional ones will test your patience and dexterity. There aren't as many puzzles as in the classic installments of the PlayStation or GameCube era, as it would certainly have a negative impact on the pace of the game. Completing the game on the standard challenge level is about 13-15 hours, depending on how thoroughly we explore the village. There are a total of four difficulty levels, and during the game we unlock internal achievements, for which we get CP points needed for purchases in the main menu. Weapons acquired in this way can be used during subsequent playthroughs, just like in Resident Evil 3.

After completing the adventure, we get access to interesting bonuses. Hundreds of character models and concept sketches are standard for modern installments of the series, but this time the illustrations have been decorated with comments from the creators, which allows you to broaden your knowledge about the events in the game. There are also some behind-the-scenes videos on how the game was made, but I left the best dessert after the campaign main course for last. The Mercenaries mode returns in the reviewed Resident Evil Village! The rules have not changed much since the times of the "four", so our task is to clean the selected set of locations with the best possible score. By collecting yellow crystals, we extend the time limit, and by smashing the blue crystals, we gain a selected gameplay modifier to eliminate enemies even more effectively. A successful mode that effectively extends the life of the product and proves that the "eight" gameplay fits even short, arcade sessions.

The graphic design is a high level of "seven" and other productions on the RE Engine. Although there were some compromises - mainly in terms of the quality of environmental textures, shadows, and dematerializing corpses - given the size of the game world, rich geometry of objects, detailed character models, trace aliasing, and almost no loading screens, the developers working on the Village deserve praise. The animation works in the range between 45 and 60fps, slowing down slightly during spectacular cutscenes, and I did not encounter any major errors while playing. PS5 and Xbox Series X / S owners can count on higher resolution, smoother animation, ray tracing, and - similar to PS4 - HDR.

The sound layer is also a strong point. Putting on the headphones, you can feel like prey in the frosty world of werewolves and vampires, scary howls that can throw shivers down your back. The music track was composed by the veteran of the Shusaku Uchiyama series, who recently signed the 2019 RE2. As the atmosphere in the title is different, the soundtrack for Resident Evil Village is not as bombastic as in the remake of the "two". It seems to me that the composer managed to find a golden mean between minimalist music from RE7 and lofty songs associated with gothic scenery. The voice actors also presented a high level.

I consider the reviewed Resident Evil Village a pearl in the crown of the series, an almost perfect summary of Capcom's activities in the entire previous generation. "Eight" is delightful on so many levels - from a sensational story, through a satisfying fight, extensive exploration, a fantastic world, esoteric atmosphere or enemy designs, to technical performance and rich content - that I can do nothing but warmly recommend it. A wonderful survival horror game, and one of the best Resident Evil parts ever.