#and we have just had a chill fuckin time. we haven't really done anything other than that they had a gig on Thursday

[thedreadvampy]

I fucking love my friend!!!!!!!

[spheresr4cubes]

Thoughts on the Mario movie

THE PROS

--Stunning animation! I mean, Jesus Mohammad Christ, the lighting?! The facial expressions?! The textures?! The weight of things falling and hitting and cracking?! The translation of 2D side-scroller to 3D world?! J'adore!!

--Genuinely horrific intro to the Darklands. Like, I was actually terrified for Luigi, especially the last shot with the Shy Guys in the castle.

--The world designs! If there's anything Illumination excels at, it's funky little societies, and the Mushroom Kingdom is no exception.

--The Battle with Francis the Dog, not only for the fantastic facial expressions of Francis himself, but for showing off how Mario and Luigi interact when faced with a problem (Luigi holding up a mirror as a shield mirrors [ha] how he protects Mario at the end of the movie). Also, the placement of the opera music over the madness happening when the plumbing goes haywire was *chef's kiss*.

--Hair flippies <3

--"Peaches"

--The voice acting: Charlie Day strikes a very interesting balance between Luigi's game voice and a real person, which makes him feel familiar at the same time as adding depth. And of course, Jack Black sounds like he had a lot of fun as Bowser, and I got chills twice during his lines.

--Existential luma

--Mario and Luigi apparently dress the way they do as a way to brand the look for their new business, and I love that. They feel out-of-place in their world somehow and fit better into the Mushroom Kingdom (which may just be the fact that their designs were meant for that world, but ce la vie, that's how it felt).

--THE HUG. I did not want to see this movie at all until I started hearing people talk about the relationship between Mario and Luigi as actual brothers. I haven't played any of the games with story, so I don't know how the film's take compares, but I do have a little sibling whom I love dearly and would absolutely learn the physics-bending rules and fight the same battles as Mario does if it meant getting my sister back. Does it feel a little fanficky? Sure. But it works.

--Actually, the whole Mario family's dynamics work, and there were so many little details and interactions I caught just on the first watch that build so much character with only a few scenes of dialogue. Mario being athletic before the events of the movie, never knowing when to quit, being defensive about his career choices and how they affect Luigi, who would follow him anywhere; Luigi being the most supportive person, even singing Mario's praises in the face of a big scary monster, never losing hope even when things are looking dire; their parents being more concerned than outright disappointed in their choices, trying to be supportive but missing the mark.

--Speaking of Mario never knowing when to quit and Luigi being a supportive person, no one in this movie really learns anything... and that's okay! The feelings that everyone has about how things should be end up being what keeps them going until the world(s) agree with them. Peach, for example, cares tremendously about the Toads and will do anything to keep them safe, which she does!

--Bowser is actually terrifying! Sure, he has his silly moments, but the badassery absolutely outweighs them. I had no doubt that he would actually commit mass murder, especially toward the end of the movie when the anger from being turned-down really comes out.

--Peach running the obstacle course in heels and a full gown (I have done something similar in a full skirt and bodice, and it was fun to watch on screen).

--FUCKIN TEAMWORK, YA'LL

THE CONS

--How many times do they have to title-drop? After seven, I was really getting tired of it. Like, yes, we know it's the Super Mario Brothers, we are aware.

--Illumination has a brand of comedy, and it is not absent from the movie.

--I'm not too familiar with the lore of anything, much less Donkey Kong, but... he never struck me as the fratboy type?? Like, sure, the dynamic kind of works when he interacts with others, but it felt... off.

--The voice acting. I saw this one coming, honestly, and I think I blame the studios more than the actors (I can't help but have sympathy). Seth Rogan as Donkey Kong felt wrong to me. Same with Cranky Kong, as if something in the voice did not match the character somehow. I'm not sure how to describe it. There were times where the same issue arose with Peach, Mario, and the main Toad as well, like there's a disconnect.

--Lots of very bright colors in both Brooklyn and the Mushroom Kingdom, which softens the blow of actually arriving in another world. I get that this is more of a children's movie, and children love bright colors, but do you know the feeling you got when first seeing Dorothy step out of the sepia-tone house into the technicolor Land of Oz? That feeling was missing here.

--Someone used a lot of the budget on copyrighted songs, and it gets distracting. ("Mr. Blue Sky" is already intrinsically linked with a complete other fandom in my mind, so its addition really threw me out of the story).

OVERALL

The Mario movie was good! I enjoyed it, even with its faults, and I would buy the DVD if only to admire the artistry that went into the animation and screenplay. There were still times I absolutely would have screamed "HELL YEAAAHHH!" had I not been in a public theater.

10/10 visuals

10/10 foley

6/10 voice acting

7/10 plot execution

8/10 characterization

Judgement: Would recommend, even if you don't know lore!

[advnterccs-archive]

Send me a 💕 and a ship: In-depth Edition || no longer accepting

@dynamoprotocol sent; 💕 Clarissa and Rick :)

how did they meet? -- "Guess we both met during o-one of my adventures a-and I saw that cool electricity shit she does. Y-You could say it sparked my interest."

who flirted with who first? -- "Damn, m-maybe the both of us? I-It was equal effort, pfft."

was it love at first sight or a slowburn romance? -- "Eh, maybe both, hasn't been too fast but not too slow either."

did they start dating right away or were they friends before things became romantic? -- "Shit, I-I think we might've started just dating."

what was their first date? -- "Don't think we've done that yet, i-it's been mostly spending time with each other, but.. I-I have an idea."

what are their favourite things to do on date nights? -- "So far we've been working on tech stuff a-and once in a while, we'll watch a movie and chill."

do they still go on dates after being together for a while? -- "Can't answer that, we've been together for just a little while."

what is their love language? -- "I-I don't know, being there for each other, motivating each other to be better."

who kissed who first? -- "Pfft, I did~"

who started the relationship? -- "I-I think she did."

monogamy or polyamory? -- "Depends on the verse." Cue a wink.

are they/do they plan on getting married? -- "Nope, nah-uh, I-I don't do marriage."

who proposed? was it a yes or no? -- "Neither."

do they want kids? who brought it up first? -- "Nope. Don't want any. We have Morty."

do they already have kids, together or from previous relationships? -- "Does Morty count?"

do they have any routines/rituals in their relationship? -- "We hang out a lot, go on adventures a-and shit."

how do they take care of each other when they are sick/hurt? -- "She, uh, sh-she's comforting, makes me feel like I'm not a fucking failure. I-I haven't taken care of her, yet, but, i-if she needed me to, I'd comfort her, be there for her, listen and all of that."

how do they like to spend time together? -- "We work on gadgets a-and tech, sometimes she shows me her shit a-and I show her my shit, sometimes we improve upon it."

what are their favourite non-sexual forms of intimacy? -- "I-I like when she puts her fingers in my hair a-and I love laying my head on her lap. It's fuckin' nice."

what are some of their favourite things about their partner? -- "Sh-She's fucking badass, knows what she wants and knows how to do fucking do things the right way. She's really fucking strong, physically and mentally, a-at least, to me, she is."

how do they comfort the other when they are upset? -- "Didn't I already answer this question?"

who buys the other spontaneous gifts? -- "I-It's not that I buy her things, but sometimes I make some things for her."

what position do they sleep in? -- "I-I hold her real fucking close to me, it's fucking comfortable."

do they bathe/shower together? -- "Not yet, h-haven't really done that."

do they do anything else in the bath/shower other than wash? -- "Nope."

in the bedroom - vanilla, a little spice, or kinky af? -- "Kinky~"

for applicable ships - who tops/bottoms? -- "I-I'm a switch."

for applicable ships - who is more dominant/submissive?

what is their favourite sex position? -- "Pfft, we haven't found a favorite, yet, but we try a little bit of everything."

do either of them enjoy bringing sex toys into the bedroom? -- "We can, like I said, we try a little bit of everything~"

favourite place to have sex? -- "I-I don't know if it's her favorite, but mine has always been the garage."

most adventurous place they’ve had sex? -- "Inside that mecha of hers~"

how often do they fight? what about? -- ".... We've only had a few fights, uh, some misunderstandings, but th-they're small."

have they ever broken up? -- "Nope, th-that's the thing we're avoiding."

messy breakup, amicable split, remain friends, ride or die or til death do us part? -- "I fucking hope not."