#also I'm learning so much about hippos and many other animals so it's great

[diazsdimples]

Inspiration Saturday/Several Sentence Sunday

Working a little more on my cute zoo one-shot! Here's a little moodboard for Inspiration Saturday and some sentences (I was so close to 7 this week guys I swear) for Sunday!

Tagged by @spotsandsocks and @hippolotamus for Inspiration Saturday (count this as your sunday tags 💙)

Christopher does his best to wait patiently in line for tickets, but Buck can see him bouncing on the balls of his feet, his hands tightening and loosening over the grip of his crutches rhythmically as he tries to give himself something to focus on. Buck takes pity on the kid, leaning over so he’s able to whisper conspiratorially in Christopher’s ear. Eddie didn’t say anything about fun facts while waiting in line, after all. “Did you know that elephants have over 150,000 muscles in their trunk? And that they can hold up to 8 litres of water in it?” he murmurs, giving Christopher an easy grin when the kid lights up, finally able to spill the facts he’d been compiling all morning. “Really? That’s super cool! Did you know that –“ “Oi,” Eddie cuts in, jabbing Buck in the ribs. “I thought I said no hippo facts until we got there!” “You said no hippo facts in the car,” Buck corrects cheekily as Christopher nods quickly by his side, ever ready to aid Buck in tormenting his father. “And these are elephant facts, not hippo.” Eddie rolls his eyes, but Buck can see the small quirk at the corner of his mouth, clearly finding this far more endearing than he’d like to admit. “You’re impossible, both of you.” Buck claps him on the shoulder, shaking him back and forth a little. “Ah, but you love us.” Eddie’s cheeks flush pink and he looks away quickly, clearing his throat. Buck would give anything to see Eddie flush like that every day.

No pressure tagging @theotherbuckley @watchyourbuck @disasterbuckdiaz @puppyboybuckley@bucksbackwardcap @fortheloveofbuddie @aroeddiediaz @pirrusstuff @housewifebuck @daffi-990 @jesuisici33 @tizniz @wikiangela @steadfastsaturnsrings @buckbuckgoose @exhuastedpigeon @cal-daisies-and-briars @wildlife4life @slightlyobsessedwitheverything @evanbegins @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @rainbow-nerdss @kitteneddiediaz @elvensorceress @epicbuddieficrecs @smilingbuckley @thekristen999 @actuallyitsellie

[legendarywolf2022]

The Letter to Pierre Perifel

(To @tbgmoviecoverage from my friend)

🧡💛🧡💛🧡

Dear Mr Perifel,

First, I want to say I'm your biggest fan of your latest movie The Bad Guys. Also, I am really happy to know that you also worked as an animator on other projects such as the Kung Fu Panda franchise, Rise of Guardians and even Monsters vs. Alien (honestly I think those last are underrated gems).

Anyway I want to apologize for bothering you like this, but since the tumblr "tbgmoviecoverage" canceled "submit and post" section I had no choice, but to ask you directly. Like I said before I really love your movie The Bad Guys. It has everything, charming anthropomorphic characters, heists, action, heartfull moments, really funny jokes and animation style like from manga comic. It's really amazing. But I couldn't help but notice some similarities with another concept I am familiar with. I am not talking about Zootopia, or Robin Hood, heck even not about Lupin the Third or Ocean 11 or any Tarantino's movies. No. The truth is that those similarities don't come from movies. They actually come from the more or less well-known video game franchise Sly Cooper.

Believe it or not there are so many similarities you could even imagine. There are heists, some car chases, foxy love interest on the side of the law (who is pretty much combination of Diane Foxington (be a fox, sassy, flirty with protagonist, sometimes quick to judge but understanding) and Police Chief Misty (temper and similar police status as inspector of Interpol), hero's narrating to us, side character who pretends to be good guy help protagonists until the reveal of him(or her) be the main antagonist who betrays them and put them in jail, villain who pretends to be a samaritan, villain who tries to prove be the greatest thief (there are many villains with different goals so that's why I mentioning it thrice). Some cutscenes have really great comic style, except Thieves in Times, that one is more cartoon style, but it's still cool.

The only difference I think they have (aside from location) are instead of 5 typical stereotypes of villain animals like snake, tarantula, shark, wolf it's actually 3 animals like turtle, hippo and of course a raccoon (who is actually a stereotype for a masked thief). And they only steal from others, because and I quote: "There's no honor, no challenge, no fun in stealing from ordinary people."

Fun fact: 6 years ago there was supposed to be a movie adaptation, but due to Ratchet and Clank movie failure, it never happened. Then there was a tv series idea, but it also ended up forgotten and as for the next game, nothing since Thieves in Times came and that was 9 years ago and it's only a speculation now considering the 20th anniversary is coming this year. But after the success of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and of course The Bad Guys, being the two of the top movies at the box office in weeks, maybe there is still a chance.

So I am asking you only two questions:

1. Was Sly Cooper one of your inspirations for your movie The Bad Guys? (If you know about this game of course)

2. If there would be a chance of making a movie or tv series adaptation of Sly Cooper, would you take a chance working on it as a director? (Because honestly, there is no other who I would trust with this but you. Like I said, your movie is a great example of how to make a great animated heist movie.)

You don't have to answer that second question if you don't want to. But I still want to know the answer to the first one. Again I apologize for bothering like that, but I assure you this will be the only e-mail you get from me. I just only want to know this. And the rest of my knowledge of Bad Guys production I will learn from a blog on tumblr I just mentioned.

So for final words: Congratulations to your successful movie The Bad Guys and wishing you good luck for future projects like sequel or tv series. You, Aaron Blabey, Damon Ross, Rebecca Huntley, Etan Cohen, all actors, editors, musicians, choreographers, animators, everyone who worked on that movie, you all deserved it.

Sincerely, one of your fans.

P.S. So Long Suckers!🐺😎

🧡💛🧡💛🧡

Please share this to everyone who will get this letter to Mr Perifel himself to see it!

[zannolin]

I'm fully aware I could just look it up, but I kinda wanna hear your pitch: what's Beyonders about? Adding another book series to the to-read pile

okay im legally obligated to drop the simplified video version i made (should link to the correct timestamp) bc my ass spent way too long on it as a whole buuut.

so there's this kid named jason and he's the most Just Some Guy ever. likes baseball and animals. probaby is going to be a dentist someday bc his dad wants it. he gets hit in the head with a baseball and then swallowed by a hippo in that order but not immediately consecutively mind you and the hippo turns out to be a portal into another world (lyrian) where he promptly witnesses a band's group suicide and accidentally gets involved in a quest to bring down the evil wizard emperor, maldor. in lyrian he's called a beyonder bc he's from the beyond (which does not Just include earth but that's not important unless you want to read the other mull books, namely five kingdoms. i digress) and he meets another beyonder, rachel (homeschooler rep for the win) and they set off on this quest to get the magical way to defeat maldor together. there's a giant crab, but no more hippos. this book anyway. basically it's your typical kid falls into another world and ends up fighting the evil ruler to save said world story, except the worldbuilding is super fun and funky and all the magical races are SO cool (there's seed people who can live theoretically infinite lifetimes if you replant their seed that falls out when they die; there's dudes who can just take off their heads and put them back on and such; there's these guys that are just covered in plants? also?) and there's throat mold which will haunt me forever. you got such excellent places as: deadly swamp, deadly jungle, haunted sunken city within the deadly swamp, random library in the middle of the forest, a restaurant that spins in circles for little to no reason, and more!

in the second book it really starts to get into the magic of lyrian and you learn about the history and the interspecies dynamics and stuff. they start a proper rebellion and go on a quest for a prophecy and they blow a lot of things up which i fully support. the whole thing is this wonderful celebration of friendship and how kindness can save the world, and what heroism and sacrifice really mean, and if it's possible to change what others and maybe you see as your nature, and whether it's all worth it or not. in the end so many things happen simply because jason (and rachel) chose to be someone's friend and believe in them and oh my god it makes me want to sit down and cry sometimes. it's about the power found when you come together to make a difference and also the power just one person can have by choosing good. and it's also really heartening to read a story about characters who have absolutely no obligation to this world, to these people, who are still saying no i'm going to fight for you because it's worth it. because it's the right thing. i know a lot of stories have that but sometimes i just need it again y'know. fighting not because you must, but because you choose to.

also there's like excellent levels of snark and banter and jason does some of the most absurd things (like, besides being swallowed by a hippo) and it shouldn't work but it DOES. and lyrian is such a grim world for a middle grade series. maldor's seriously devious in very subtle, fun ways, like how he toys with his enemies and tempts them to his side to the point where people will fight him not to fight him, but only far enough to get an invitation to his pleasure palace where all the heroes go and give up fighting for luxury. i just really really love the worldbuilding which has gotta be Some kind of endorsement bc i'm literally a fantasy hater most of the time (shut up about lotr and narnia those don't count they're classic i hate Most fantasy okay) and i usually think it has too much worldbuilding. idk it's just great! it's great!!!! and it's not perfect and has weird bits and things that make me go eeehhh but at the end of the day. i love it. even when it murders like most of my favorite characters and made me cry a lot. like a lot.

ahem. that's beyonders. give or take several hundred pages.

[fatedwithmbc]

Over the past twenty four hours, I've attempted to write this post in my head. When you're a writer, this is a bad idea, because whatever words make their way to the inevitable edit don't seem as great. However, I'm going to put that aside. Also, I can't believe that it has been almost a month since my last post. I only know that because tomorrow begins session/round three of Ibrance, Alas, what has been in my head and brought me here:

In 1999, my Mom-Mom was determined to see my sister and I confirmed. I'm an Episcopalian and making your confirmation is the Catholic equivalent of everything important. So, my soul was on the line and I couldn't disappoint her or damn my soul for eternity (despite my understanding that baptism would provide the forgiveness of my sins. I guess that needs renewal in your teen years). To help learn the fundamentals of the lessons I needed to understand to successfully accomplish Confirmation, I would go to youth group each Sunday either before or after church to get my extra dose of God. This particular year, one of the activities we, as a group, were signed up for the AIDS Walk in Philadelphia.

There wasn't much to do to as a participant except to fundraise a particular dollar amount to earn your t-shirt.

I remember standing in lines outside of the museum for registration and I must of met the fundraising requirement because I received a t-shirt and tiny me had an XS and was swimming in that. I remember waiting in line with others in youth group, hearing the key note speaker, but not really paying too much attention. Undoubtedly, due to my age and my greater excitement of standing with and then the possibility of spending the morning goofing off with my crush as we walked the course; he had the same idea, only with his crush (hence the term crush). Beyond that, I remember the walk, the t-shirt, the failed flirting attempt, and being slightly glad to have had a true reason for procrastinating my homework.

This was my first experience with a 5K. Lackluster. A requirement. Underwhelming.

Fast forward about 15 years and I was determined to run a 5K on my own just to say that I could. It was a 4th of July "Fun Run" the Red, White and Zoo at the Philadelphia Zoo. I spent the day wandering about the zoo looking at all of the animals especially the Hippopotamuses, or is it Hippopotami?? Any trip to the zoo for me will include the Hippo's (they are my undoubtedly favorite animal in case you didn't know). One year, I was gifted a behind the scenes experience to feed Cindy and Una and I am still convinced that nothing with top that experience (Thanks. Dad!). Overall, the "Fun Run" was terrible, the course was cut short due to rain and a flooding in particular zoo sections. So, my first 5K was only 2.5 miles. I felt like a failure but it was supposed to be for fun. So I shrugged my shoulders and vowed I'd do it "next" time. This began my several year foray into running. And my roommate avidly supported me. I’ll never forget my sign and balloon after my failed 5K which gave me more motivation to keep going.

Despite the imperfect race, I found the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation 5K, which for several years I did hard work to fund raise (organizing Dine & Donate’s with local restaurants) and participate. As the years went on, my reason for races and the impact I wanted to make became stronger. Especially for this organizations that were close to my heart, like BJALCF, as they did much work for lung cancer patients, which most who know me, know me Pop-Pop succumbed to.

After needing physical therapy for sore and improperly strengthened IT Bands (and I went back to school), I hung up my running shoes.

Many may be asking why I’m giving my life’s history on 5K’s, but I have one coming up for me. For my disease. For my own program who has helped me. Unite for Her will be holding their 5K on September 23rd in West Chester. I have a group of friends to walk along with me and I feel overly supported in the best way. I have also pushed hard for my fundraising and have been so appreciative to everyone who has donated (there’s still time)! This 5K feels like the most important I’ve ever participated in because of my diagnosis and because it supports the organization that supports women in my condition. They offer a way for women to take some charge in their treatment path, offering eastern medicine practices like Reiki and Acupuncture. I want to help this foundation as much as they’ve helped me. I’ve recognized how important it is to me to do what I can to support the organization. So if my history of 5K’s helps, then I’m glad I rambled through them. Thanks for reading and as always the support!!

My fundraising link is still active:

https://runsignup.com/ashleysibley

[lizzybeth1986]

Note: Since this post is about group scenes, and Book 2 is still ongoing, I will be updating this essay as and when a group scene appears in the book. As with Book 1, I will be concentrating mainly on the portions that include Liam.

ETA: COMPLETED

--

Bathhouse/Spa Scene

Technically the spa is free - the part that costs diamonds is crashing the “boy’s” side and getting to spend time with your LI if you’re going for Drake or Liam. It also gives us some great insights into Maxwell’s past, by revealing his hippo tattoo.

Like Liam, Maxwell appears to have been very close to his mother and remembers her fondly for the unconditional support he recieved from her (calling him her “little hippo”, telling him that hippos were strong and tough). Both Liam and Maxwell have similar backgrounds - privileged upbringings that nevertheless had its negative effects, lost their mothers at a young age, and as adults they cling to those memories in varying ways.

The scene then diversifies into time spent with Drake/Liam, depending on who the reader ships. The encounter with Liam can go two ways - one is the romance option: a massage followed by some stolen kisses (the MC still manages to kiss him if she so chooses a few minutes later, even if she doesn’t choose the massage), and the other, more neutral option: asking Liam about the “raising a barn tradition”. I’d like the elaborate on the latter, because I believe it raises some very interesting points.

Today I’d like to talk about Liam not in respect to his relationship with the MC, but instead to his relationship with the reader. Whether one chooses him as an LI or not, he is our main link to this fictional kingdom. He is the reason our character gets the opportunity to travel to Cordonia in the first place. Book 1 is about his social season. Throughout the series, we see Cordonia through the eyes of someone who is completely new to the place (the MC), and in that position Liam (as Cordonia's future/current king) is our main source of information to truly building a worldview of this place.

Now, all the prominent characters in their own capacities help the MC understand the country. Hana, Maxwell and Bertrand help us understand the rules, norms and conditions of high society within the kingdom (for instance, making us understand how important apples are to the economy), Drake gives us a unique perspective of the royal court through Savannah’s experience, Olivia in her one diamond scene gives us an insight into Cordonian history that will prove to be important later.

But Liam, in his capacity as Prince and then King, gives us an insight into the heart of the country, its culture, why it is the way it is, why things happen a particular way here.

At the Masquerade, he elaborates on the importance of the social season, warns us about the fierce competition, and reveals how dangerous instability within the royal family can be.

At the Regatta, he recounts the history of the boat race, and talks about Cordonia’s ties with its neighbours. Sharing this historical tidbit saves the MC a lot of embarrassment while dealing with the press.

At the Forgotten Falls, Liam narrates a love legend. This may not have much to do with Cordonian politics or the court, but love legends are part of a country’s cultural fabric.

At the ruins, he talks about history and how his father views his place in it, and wonders what mark he will leave on his kingdom.

Here, after building the barn, he briefly touches on Cordonia’s agrarian roots, but more importantly, helps us understand that the start to a new couple’s life is a community effort in Cordonia - that not only are the couple or their families part of raising the barn, but also their friends, neighbours and peers. Whether this applies to all, or even some, aspects of Cordonian society, is something we may only learn over the course of book 2.

Liam, in telling us these stories that don’t seem to important in that moment, allows us to chart Cordonian history and culture, and gives us an insight into the way the country works. He is our source of information for many of its cultural anomalies, and gently guides the MC - who cannot always relate to their way of life - into knowing how to tackle things and what to say.

In a sense, Liam is our Encyclopedia Cordonia 😂

The MC’s Journey

I’m just going to leave this bit of dialogue here:

MC: When you put it that way, I'm not sure if it's an amazing advanture or something I'd barely survive.

Liam: Most great things in life are a little bit of both, if only metaphorically.

If this isn’t a summary of what the MC’s entire story in The Royal Romance is, I don’t know what is.

Fondue Party Scene

This scene takes place in Italy, during Madeleine's bachelorette party celebrations and after she has thoroughly humiliated Hana. The purpose of this scene, therefore, is to cheer Hana up and make her feel less of a failure than she already does.

As with the Truth or Dare sequence in Book 1, Liam doesn't feature in this sequence, possibly for two reasons: a. Possibly kingly/political duties, and b. He also happens to be the fiance of the bride whose bachelorette party it is, making it even more unlikely that he will be close by, unlike Drake and Maxwell.

However, he does feature in a childhood story Drake tells us, of the two playing hide and seek in the palace as kids. This story highlights Drake's competitive nature (not coming out of the laundry chute for hours because he didn't want to lose) and Liam's tendency to panic/worry when he cannot find people close to him.

This is possibly a trait that has followed him to adulthood, if his appointing of Drake as the MC's bodyguard is any indication.

Camping Scene

The camping scene takes place as a breather for the group, coming right after a charged sequence where the MC gets to ask Queen Mother Regina about her involvement in the plot and learns about her filial relationship with Adeleide. The MC needs time to come to terms with these revelations and arm herself for the next confrontation, and the rest of the group need to be away from court drama. It is Drake, the camping veteran, who suggests exploring a campsite.

Liam is more relaxed and himself in this sequence, watching his friends tend to a stray lizard and offering help to set up the tents. While helping the MC with hers (if she so chooses to let him), he talks of going camping with Drake often enough that he would have to know how to build a tent and fend for himself if he had to survive. Later, he tells her about getting lost while camping, and being found by Drake afterwards. This sequence helps us understand two things about Liam:

1. The Liam - Drake dynamic. Liam jokingly tells us, early on in the book, that Drake "never lets me get away with anything", and that that is his favourite thing about him. Liam sees Drake as someone who keeps him grounded, and as a person who has had his back when he has needed it, such as the boat rescue and the lost-at-camp story. Later in New York, Drake buys Liam a compass as a wedding gift, hoping that if Liam is to ever feel like he will lose his way, the compass will remind him of who he is, and what he hopes to achieve.

2. It also gives us a glimpse into how truly lonely Liam can be sometimes, and why he holds his friendships so close to his heart. Liam is the only one in the group known to be so intensely involved in court, and he can find no genuine friends there. Maxwell is involved only to a certain extent as is Hana, and we aren't completely sure yet how involved Drake is, even though he may be more involved than he lets on.

Liam cannot trust easily. He has learned long ago that there aren't a lot of people he can genuinely rely on. So he holds on to the few friends he has like a drowning man to a raft. He needs this group as much as they need him, because he knows these people care for him as a person and worry about his well-being.

Shanghai Panda Reserve

The group scene at the panda reserve begins with a scenario where only Liam is allowed inside the enclosure, given his privilege as King of Cordonia. If the MC and her friends convince Xinghai to let them join him, this scene is unlocked.

This scene does not have any specific signifcance like the Night Market scene later on in the chapter, but is more of a fun activity involving cute animals.

Liam, particularly in this sequence, shows his characteristic ability to communicate well with animals: introducing the group to Yue Yue and Yang Yang, happily carrying them around, predicting correctly that hunger may causing their change in mood. Liam's ability to connect with animals is a recurring theme in the books: he is shown speaking affectionately to the horses in the stable just prior to the Fox Hunt in Book 1, cares for the MC's horse (if she buys it) while she is gone, has an instant connection with the corgi when they meet in Paris - to the point where he is able to train him for the proposal in New York and is adored by the pandas in the short time that he is there.

Coney Island

The trip to Coney Island takes place shortly after the MC's name has been cleared, and is planned as a way for the group to celebrate the MC's victory over the scandal that nearly ruined any chances of her staying in Cordonia. This - along with the Beer Garden sequence - are meant to lull the characters into a feeling of false security, a feeling that everything has been worked out and they don't need to worry anymore. But even in this relaxed atmosphere, there are signs that things will soon take a turn for the worse.

The most prominent part of this sequence is the scene in the fortune telling booth, where each of our main characters get varied fortunes. The most confusing so far is Liam's, which is the only one written in the form of a verse. We will explore what this fortune could possibly mean in a separate essay.

Liam confesses to wanting to go to the circus/carnival from time to time, but tells the MC later at the Ferris Wheel that he had "only hoped to see the circus, not join it. My youthful rebellion had its limits". Why is this particular statement interesting? Because his older brother Leo, in RoE Book 3, relates to us a story of how he desired to be part of the circus as a young boy, and how Liam wanted to be his assistant. Yet here, Liam tells us that he was more comfortable with enjoying parts of it rather than actually joining it. In a lot of ways, one can see the circus as representative of the world outside Cordonia: while Leo feels trapped in his role as Crown Prince and desires freedom from it, for Liam it is a part of who he is. The outside world represents everything Leo could possibly want from his life. Liam, however, is happier with having freedom in small doses - his joy lies in simple moments where he can shed his role for a while, but not completely because in being King, being protector and guardian of his country, lies the core of his identity. It may not have been a role he may have always wanted, but one cannot deny that it's who Liam is. So while Liam may enjoy thr circus/outside world from a distance, he may never truly be a part of it.

Other moments involving Liam include him joining the others in a high-striker competition (and reaching only the halfway mark), a cute childhood story about how he used to give titles to all his soft toys (when one has the power to grant titles, why let it go to waste?), and an offer to buy cotton candy for everyone. I see the last as his way of caring for the group: he tends to match Hana when it comes to looking after them, individually and together (an example of this would be him ensuring that Drake is well-taken-care-of when he goes to play pool in Paris, and his offer to help build tents).

Beer Garden

The Beer Garden sequence is seen as the last chance the group will have to interact together before the Finale, and is seen as a breather they take before the Homecoming Ball the next day. Almost half the court makes an appearence here, including former ladies-in-waiting Kiara and Penelope, and noblemen Neville and Rashad.

Much of the scene is provided to the player for free, even allowing us time to have a chat with Bertrand about what happened in Paris. The sequence is extended if the rest of the group manage to convince a reluctant Liam to stay back and enjoy the festivities, and involves plenty of drinking and dancing on a table.

In this sequence, we see Liam preferring to be a distant observer who isn't very keen on dancing alone. He tells us that he is not altogether comfortable doing so, which comes as a surprise (considering the MC remarked that he was an excellent dancer during their first waltz together).

This is similar to how he acted at Drake's birthday party at the American bar in Applewood: he has to be pushed to "show a move" during the celebrations, and seems more comfortable doing a slow romantic dance with the MC. Here, too, he needs the MC's encouragement to climb on the table and dance along.

This reminds me of a dialogue said by Madeleine during her bachelorette, when the court ladies explain to her that this is their first time at a club. We don't all have the luxury of engaging in such gauche behaviour. Liam would have been brought up in a similar manner, perhaps with even more stringent restrictions. It would not be altogether surprising if his inability to dance outside of choreographed waltzes requiring partners has more to do with not having enough opportunities to let loose very often.