#at least it was visually stunning but like you had the potential to have the ghosts of the people the US military murdered rise upZ

[wingsofhcpe]

You ever watch a movie that has the potential to make one of the most ground-breaking anti-war & anti-american imperialism/exceptionalism statements and then it just... doesn't. And you want to start screaming at the writers because they took a unique, groundbreaking idea and tossed it into the bin in order to end up writing yet another "US military saves the day from the Bad Eastern Europeans!" mediocre 1 hour and 50 minutes.

Anyway, that was my experience with Netflix's 'Spectral' in a nutshell.

[rogueddie]

Stranger Things: The First Shadow

This is going to be a full review; starting with production, some characterization issues and some of the plot holes.

But, before I get into the spoilers, I would just like to clarify my biggest issue; these characters are not the same characters that we see in the show. Every play demands suspension of disbelief, but it was completely impossible with this play.

I knew the play would be bad when I got my tickets. I didn't think I would have a bad time watching it.

warning; I am about to level a truly gruesome amount of critisism at the stage show. if you liked it, I'm glad you did; this is just my opinion and experience xoxo

My Review:

The production was, physically, beautiful. The designs and use of space was extremely well done. Some of the ways they used the screens and projections was stunning. It had the potential to add a lot to the story.

The sets are easily the strongest part of the production. The use of screens, levels and painted background- especially in the introduction- were stunning. It doesn't feel overwhelming and it makes it almost easy to remain engaged in both scenes playing out at once.

The design for the lab, too, is extremely well made. Having a box that can be rolled onto the stage is the perfect idea for the scene- it appears even smaller thanks to the contrast with the larger stage and the bright lights in white walls, the set feels ominous.

Unfortunately, the production ended up sabotaging itself. They default to special effects, screens and pyrotechnics to create the experience instead of trusting their designs or actors. It makes it seem like they are trying to hide their designs instead of enhancing them.

The introduction scene is the perfect example. The smoke machine initially added to the scene, it added an element of reality that could have drawn the audience in.

But, with how the smoke machine was overused, it ended up hiding the second set used in the "boat scene". In the stalls, I could barely see anything and was drawn out of the show completely and immediately- instead of watching a play, suddenly I'm worrying about whether I need to get my inhaler or not.

They overused everything. The screens were used so often that I have to wonder why they didn't just make a short movie instead of a play.

Similarly, the pyrotechnics were immediately overused- the first scene should not be making me wonder if you are using all of the visually compelling tricks in the first five minutes. But to keep using them at the same frequency? It makes it seem like you are more interested in making something look cool and care very little for the story you are supposed to be telling.

The lighting and music was simply poor. Half the time I couldn't hear what the actors were saying due to the music blasting at a painfully loud volume and, in scenes where the actors are clearly giving a brilliant performance, they are so poorly lit that they might as well not bother.

The poor lighting was very similar the show though. Props to them for managing that horrendous feat.

The directing definitely didn't help. The actors use of space is so poor and unnatural that, at least, I hope it was the director.

The lab set, for example; the actors both left the box set made. Henry's character roams the entire length of the stage, which makes the small lab set feel entirely pointless. His character never feels trapped or in any way boxed in by the box set. Instead of adding to the scene, it takes away- it's a giant set design that is ignored or takes up space in a way that is obtrusive.

On a positive note, I would like to point out that most of the actors did a phenomenol job. But I would especially like to emphasize how well Anika Boyle, Christopher Buckley, Oscar Lloyd, Louis McCartney and Isabella Pappas did. I can't wait to see what they do next.

Unfortunately, they're brilliant performances could do nothing to save a script that had already doomed them and their characters.

Doctor Brenner is easily the biggest problem when it comes to the characters. I'm not sure if it was the actor, the director or simply the writing, but he is the worst part of the entire play. He has no discernible motivation, none of his actions make sense with his character- if he can even be called a character. The show twists him so much that he becomes a caricature that bares no resemblence to the Doctor Brenner we see in the show.

Throughout the show, he's constantly encouraging Henry to kill. Literally, he verbally tells Henry to kill people. It's completely different to the sly and manipulative Brenner we see in the show- and not in a way that would make sense for him to have evolved from the stage Brenner to the show Brenner.

"Kill her," Doctor Brenner, The First Shadow, 2k23. Why does he say this? Uh... he wants the big scary interdimensional monster. Why does he want that? Uh... HEY, LOOK OVER THERE, PYROTECHNICS!

Henry Creels issues mostly stem from plot holes and retconning well established canon. In the show, he is not a victim and that fact is made abundantly clear. It's not that he's tricked into thinking he's in control, he simply is. The stage show tries to completely turn that on it's head and make him the poor little victim to something that, in canon, he made.

If he was a different character, or if we are to take the stage show as an au of sorts, I think he's pretty well written. His motivations and powers are well established. We, as the audience, understand his thought process. He is a believable character... even if the 'siezures' do often come across as nonsensical, borderline silly.

Hopper, Joyce and Bob were almost perfect too. It's something that has been slowly irritating me more and more- they could have easily been the protagonists, taking attention away from plot holes and poor characterization. They were strong enough as a trio and well written enough to be- almost- convincing.

I'm not sure how to explain my issues with Hoppers character in the show without it boiling down to 'dissappointing'. Nothing about the arc he goes through makes sense to me and it feels like the show forced him into the ending he had simply to remind the audience of the show, despite it making no sense with the story or arc that his character went through during the show.

My issues with Joyce are both- it breaks canon for her to know so much, so intimately, and her ending is also incredibly forced. The budding enemies-to-lovers that she had with Hopper also led to the ending feeling unsatisfying. It feels like the growth is for nothing.

The characters in the background too, somehow, are full of just as many flaws.

Claudia is the perfect example. When her cat is killed by Henry, she is immediately ready to start a literal witch hunt. She's insistant and frequant about it. There's even a small scene where she is seen to be irritating with how much she brings up her witch theory.

Yet, she stops talking about that very suddenly. She doesn't express as much as distaste for the play- about witches and killing. She's actually excited.

Her pets death and her character are important, but only until the plot demands she be quiet so they can move on, hoping that the audience will somehow forget this somewhat major B plot.

I could go on forever about the characters. A lot of the plot holes stem from how poorly they're handled and how much they immediately change to fit the narrative around Henry. None of them act like people and the play does not treat any of them like they, as characters, matter at all. They are just people to fill the space whilst Henry and Patty have a love story.

But, even then, the characters the play seems to care about are completely mishandled as well.

Joyce, in her introduction, spends most of in trousers and a bra. She's supposed to be a student in high school. It feels weird to ask your audience to watch someone standing on a stage in their underwear whilst also asking them to believe she is underage. It is so incredibly uncomfortable to think about. She didn't need to be topless for as long as she was.

Pattys ending made no sense. She died, but also she went to see her mother. So... she's alive? But also she's dead. But she's there, physically, so she must be alive... but also it's made clear that she died.

Eleven being 10(ish?) in the end made no sense with the timeline. They reduce characters to badly told jokes; Ted the idiot and Karen the blonde "slut".

I don't have the energy to go over the plot. There are so many holes and problems that it would take forever to deal with act one alone.

But, to summerize; this play had a lot of potential. There are parts that were almost brilliant and there are a lot of incredibly talented people working on it behind the scenes. The way all of that talent and potential is wasted for something as simple as lack of effort in the writing and directing? Dissappointing is not a harsh enough word.

0.5 / 10

[hausofmamadas]

MURDER HUSBANDS | Wind them up and watch them go (love letter to NBC’s Hannibal)

♫ To the tune of Climbing Up the Walls by Radiohead (with overture by Bruno Battisti D’Amario) ♫

✧

Wow

So I feel like I say this every time. But Mary mother of god, this was a behemoth. By a mile the hardest vid I’ve ever made joke’s on me bc I’m the fucking crackerjack who decided to tack on an whole ass other song as an overture bc why in the name of all cocks would I decide to make anything easy like it’s funny bc I always have an impression of how easy a vid is going to come together when I get the idea, right. And this duo with this song just pbj. So ngl I thought the shit was gonna edit itself. But guess what yall? Radiohead like … makes some intricate, complex-sounding shit stunning revelation, almost as if that’s what they’re fuckinfjsbs known for

HOWMEVER, the day has come, it’s arrived and I’ve looked at this thing for so long now, I sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, cannot tell if it’s good anymore. My last vid, I took a long break so by the end, I had enough time away from it to remember it was at least good. This? This could be visual gobbledygook, mush for your eyes, the equivalent of that shit brown shade you get when you mix too many water colors together.

But likehopefully it’s not and you can pls enjoy this love letter to one of the greatestqueer romances in modern media, which is a bold statement whatever fight me but I can’t think of a queer ship before this in tv/movies where the romance unfolds like any other hetero relationship and queer identity isn’t the focus, which even though I think is important, lbr there’s more to gays than being gay. Like it’s kinda visionary, despite the fact that neither character is explicitly queer, when it becomes clear that they’re in love with each other, no one, in-universe, is pearl-clutching all: EGAD! But Will’s never been with 😱a man😱 before?? How in THE DICKENS could he be in love with Hannibal when I don’t have definitive proof he’s even touched tips with another man let alone been balls deep!!!!!!!! How dare he not have this big, gay awakening for us all to gawk at applaud for!!!!” ?

No, literally every character: Jack, Alana, Bedelia, Margot, Mason, even Will’s wife god bless I cannot remember her name but she deserved better *shakes fist at Will* etc., all acknowledge the transcendent romantic bond btwn them and no one questions it. Well, no one questions it thru the lens of performed queerness. Tbf ppl had a lotta questions about the like probable impending multiple murders which validsisjwh

These are just 2 ppl who’re in love with each other to the point of being uncontrollably homicidal Which like … goals? Like I’ve really wracked my brain and can’t think of another queership that unfolds like every other hetero ass love story. That is to say, where fluidity is more the default, at least to the extent that no one talks about the orientation of either players within the show’s universe. Regardless of whether Bryan Fuller intended that from the start which tbh I don’t think he did but I also don’t think it’s fair to call it queerbaiting. I think he let the story unfold and realized kinda with the rest of us that this was a magical!realism romance and not a crime procedural and by S3 leaned tf into it doesn’t really matter bc the universe in which these two exist to truss each other up like Christmas turkeys aka foreplay symbolizes so much more to me than whatever it was initially invented to be. And if it’s not art, folks, idk what is ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Ofc I mean the show is art, not the vid. Vid=potential gobbledygook

✧

✧

taglist: @tofuwildcard @narcolini @ashlingnarcos @drabbles-mc

[sullina]

Rewatched httyd the hidden world today and ehile it is visually stunning, i still hate how toothless was written in that movie, he acts like Hiccup purposely denied him love for whatever reason, but it was literally never ever indicated in any way whatsoever that toothless WANTED love! Why does toothless act like he's jacked up on fucking pheromones or something the moment he met the lightfury???

And in the end, he leaves his best friend, no, SOULMATE, for a dragon he's known for like a week????

And Hiccup sends the dragons away because "you'll be safe in the hidden world" BITCH YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!!! WHAT IF THERE'S ANOTHER ENTRANCE TO THE HIDDEN WORLD THAT ANOTHER HUNTER IS ALREADY LOOKING AT INVADING???

Hiccup sending the dragons away bc of safety is the equivalent of moving away bc some weeds popped up in your garden after you've already lived in it for 10 years. Plus, if Berk was getting overloaded with dragons, which was Hiccups main mistake here, then literally just spread them out? Make branch villages from Berk? Just bc Toothless is the alpha doesn't mean that the dragons can't survive away from him. Both tv shows show every single episode that dragons don't need an alpha to live. Hell, some dragons even live entirely on their own!

And the lightfury is pretty at first glance, but when you think about it, what's actually the deal with her? Oh, she can camouflage herself, but that's it, what else can she do as a lightfury? And how did Toothless himself not know he could do the same with lightning? How did he not know he could *summon* lightning???? He's the last nightfury, okay, but he also had to have had parent dragons, right? It's possible they were killed when he was still an egg, but if Grimel is supposedly the "best dragon hunter", how did he miss that two night furies had an egg? Especially considering he knew that furies supposedly bond for life. Wouldn't he know when furies lay eggs too? Bitch.

The ending also doesn't make sense when you consider that Grimel is supposedly dead. He fell into the ocean from a deadly height, as far as Hiccup is concerned, he's dead, he was the biggest threat Berk had faced, he was defeated, and *now* Hiccup sends the dragons away? Bitch, you don't move out *after* you get rid of the weeds!

"There'll always be other hunters" so? They had to deal with hunters since they made peace with the dragons, why is it suddenly so bad after DEFEATING Grimel???

And don't even get me started on "we don't deserve you, not yet" bitch huh??? Every single berkian LOVED their dragon, it was very much a mutually wanted relationship, at least it's never been shown to be anything else!

And the "you gave him his freedom, what did you expect?" Hiccup and Toothless have been together for roughly 10 years, and he first time Hiccup made a tail that Toothless could fly on his own with, Toothless destroyed it, because he *didn't want to fly if it wasn't with Hiccup*. If Toothless was so desperate for a mate, he could've flown off right then! And he also could've stayed without destroying the tail fin and just flown with Hiccup without having Hiccup control the tail! That part is just a huge hole in the entire story!

And Toothless never would've gone after the light fury without Hiccup, he would've dragged that boy down the cliffside in his mouth if he had to! You're telling me that Toothless is just gonna regress to a horny idiot shot with pheromones just bc of "love"? Sorry, but i don't buy it. Hiccup is literally the most important person in Toothless' entire life and you cannot tell me otherwise.

And if the lightfury came around on Berk in the end, there's no reason she couldn't have stayed with Berk and helped defend it from any potential future hunters!

[hwanghyunjinenthusiast]

i saw your skz hand rating(which i completely agree with btw but the pics of their hands made me–*gunshot*)

anyways!! decided to ruin myself further and ask you if you could do one for svt? i know it'll be a lot harder since they’re 13 so feel free to ignore this if you don't want to!!

I needed to supply the visual aids lol. Funnily enough, after answering the Stray Kids one, I started thinking about how I'd rank Seventeen. Thanks for reading my mind lmao.

Going to put the actual ranking under the readmore but a few things:

1. I am deeply indecisive. This was very hard lol and will likely change but, this is my very tentative ranking for now.

2. I realised with the Stray Kids one that I have two criteria I unconsciously use. The Stray Kids ones was just vibes lol and not as bad because there are only 8 members. However, I realised I based these rankings off of 1. Attractiveness and 2. Aesthetics. That's why Jeongin was so high despite me not viewing him sexually. The man has pretty ass hands.

3. I can only post 10 pictures a post so, I'll reblog this and add the last 3 members as well as visual aids for them too.

Let's get into it.

1. Joshua

I hate myself. I have nothing to say.

I'm joking. However, this is pure horniness I'm not even going to pretend. I think I'm just so viscerally attracted to his hands that it negates every other criteria and everyone elses' hands. That's really it lol.

2. Jeonghan

I think putting him this high is going to surprise a lot of people and mayhaps even be controversial. However, I think Jeonghan's hands are massively slept on. I think they're so beautiful and, I think the way his fingertips bend is fascinating. Elegant hands for a beautiful man. Very fitting.

3. Minghao

Another potentially controversial placement. Minghao is the marriage of my opinion on Josh's hands and my opinion on Jeonghan's hands. I think his hands are really pleasing to look at but, they're also very, very hot to me. Based on my Stray Kids ranking, I seem to have an affinity for long fingers/big hands generally lol and, it likely shows.

4. DK

Very strong contender for most beautiful hands in the whole group. I already knew when I thought about this that he'd be at least top 5, and I was correct lol. I honestly don't have much to say, I think his hands are gorgeous.

5. Woozi

I remember Hon (a mutual of mine) saying she was attacked by his hands and, I understand why. Another strong contender for most beautiful hands in the whole group. I honestly haven't paid much attention to his hands but, after today I definitely will.

6. S.Coups

Shoutout to my man for making it to the top 6 lol. Okay so, I actually have very similar feelings about Josh and Cheol's hands BUT I do think Josh's are a tad more aesthetically pleasing. Cheol still has that massive hands appeal that makes me want him carnally though. Oh, I've also noticed thick fingers tend to be a plus in my book so, that partly explains why he's so high too.

7. Seungkwan

I can already feel tomatoes coming because I ranked him so low. HEAR ME OUT. Another member of the most beautiful hands in the group committed but, I think where I appreciate them a tonne aesthetically, the carnal appeal isn't there as much I think? That's the best wai I can think to explain it. Still has stunning ass hands though.

8. Mingyu

Honestly don't have much to say. Very similar thoughts as Cheol actually. I like big hands lol and he had the thick fingers going for him too.

9. Wonwoo

Ngl, I think this is where my opinions on the members hands get a bit same-y so, apologies in advance for that. Wonwoo's hands are fine. They're not bad by any means but, I guess I just don't have a real reason to put him above everyone else listed so far?

10. Jun

Similar sentiments to Wonwoo. I think why I might have put Wonwoo's a little higher is because his hands look slightly bigger lol but, honestly the gap between Jun and Wonwoo is pretty minimal.

[jojotier]

working on a couple og fiction projects and i think i'm slowly coming to understand why Hussie shit the bed so hard after cascade like, metatextually

because like [S] Cascade was a full on Culmination right. a good amount of the plotlines up until that point had reached a sufficiently gorgeous climax, there was the possibility of it developing even more, and the stakes had been overcome even though they were at an all-time high.

like they had to destroy two entire universes for this sun! three of the main characters die and come back as Gods! the score is absolutely banging and thematically appropriate, the visuals are stunning, the way the website itself changes is insane. Newgrounds fucking Breaks. homestuck becomes the webcomic that breaks Newgrounds

But the thing is... how do you top that, narratively?

Hussie has already established that death kinda doesn't mean anything. It has now been established that entire universes can be destroyed without the really main core cast being hurt. It's a taste of the 'escape the narrative' end that Homestuck was always building to but the problem is, this time, even when they escape their own narrative-

they're just stuck in another narrative. back to square one. and like, there's something to be said about that! about escaping your narrative (the beta session) and then finding yourself in someone else's (the alpha session)- but that never really gets utilized to its full potential in Act 6.

so like you're Andrew Hussie and you're seeing that everyone is expecting incredible things from you. your little webcomic has somehow attracted legions of fans, ensnared a team of musicians and coders and artists who are in love with what you have built, and changed fandom culture also. that is a Lot Of Pressure. so how do you continue the story after Cascade?

I feel like the impulse of the artist is to escalate. It is always to escalate. And that's all exasperated by the nature of continuous long-form content that has an audience to give its reactions in real time.

It's an impulse I struggle with a hell of a lot, because the thing is, there's a certain expectation you as an artist, you as a writer, have set in place for your audience. You have promised an experience and it is your job to deliver that experience. And it's not that you've promised to give fans the experience they expect, or even want necessarily, but you've promised to give them an experience in line with your vision.

But the thing is, sometimes your vision needs to be reworked along the way. Sometimes your ambitions get the best of you and you aim slightly too high, and when you look to the future every carefully laid plan is a kinked out mess. But you can't share those fears because just as you have given the audience the expectation of what your art is, you have given them an expectation of who you as an artist are, even indirectly.

if you have this veneer of irony and insincerity, people will expect it. if you give the veneer that you know exactly what you're doing and that everything is part of a grand plan, the audience will believe it, at least at first. if you have just created one of the biggest cultural phenomena in recent memory, they will expect you to be the kind of person who would have been able to create such a thing.

I don't want to speculate about what Hussie might've been personally feeling because like, I was 13 when Cascade dropped, nor do I want to speculate on any arrogance or insecurities he might've had, because that's real personal shit that has no place in the conversation.

but I can tell you that when you don't expect something to blow up, and it does, there's a certain fear of the thing you have created. You see the audience reaction as you write and there will always be the question in the back of your mind: where is the point where people lose interest?

so the impulse of the artist is to try and escalate and to keep attention on them at all costs. and thus, the impulse of the writer is to jump straight into finding the next bigger thing- the next white whale- the next thing to top their Cascade- while forgetting the important fact that when telling a story, to reach that higher climax, there has to be trust in the continuity that they're building.

You have to trust that you already have every tool in your box, and that you'll find new, creative ways to use them. You have to step back and look at all the new ideas you're getting and figure out which has something that could be useful and which you're just using to distract yourself from your own story. You have to stymie your own urge to self-sabotage your work with bullshit implicit bias or flights of whimsy.

More than that, have to trust that what you've built is enough for someone to love it, not just for flashy visuals or catchy music but because the story you're telling is one that is resonant to someone.

To have trust in your audience isn't only limited to trusting that they're smart enough to 'get it'. It means trusting that they will experience and continue to want to experience your work. It means putting your faith in the fact that people want to hear you out. It means swallowing your pride when they don't- and it means learning new techniques to tell the story you wanted to tell in a way that will communicate what you want to tell them better. It means trying to meet people where they are in such a way that it doesn't compromise what you want.

Or maybe Hussie just didn't know what the fuck he was doing. Maybe I'm just projecting too hard because I loved Homestuck and now its spectre haunts me with every comic script I write. Maybe I don't even really know what I'm saying.

All I know is that if media is a conversation, we've lost contact with Andrew Hussie years ago.

[animehouse-moe]

Undead Girl Murder Farce Episode 9: Werewolves

Where to begin, where to begin indeed. I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. You want a series to crown as the king of Summer 2023? It's Undead Girl Murder Farce. It might not have the pedigree of other returning titles, it might not have the biggest studio ever behind it. But by god, if they aren't working tirelessly to provide one of the most outright creatively exciting mystery series I'm not sure what it is they might be doing.

Right away, we're met with black and white in a flashback. Standard fare, right? Well, you're wrong. There's incredibly important groundwork being laid here that works insanely well to set the tone and purpose of this episode.

It's not just black and white. There's red, and there's fire as well. Three pieces, three very important pieces that create the foundation for this episode.

The point of it, both in past, present, and arguably even the potential future is as follows. The black and white, alongside the imagery of religion that's pasted further into the episode is used as weaponry against werewolves. They use the monochromatic color scheme to highlight the thinking of the humans in that Werewolves are only capable of being the enemy of humanity. The fire represents the human's hatred for werewolves and the destructive nature of such a thing. The blood is a reminder that despite appearances, these creatures hurt in the same manner of humans. It's an intricate tapestry that focuses on both widening the rift between werewolf and human while bringing the gap between them closer and closer.

And within that lays another reference, at least I believe it to be one. That reference being the death of Frankenstein's Monster in the popularized 1931 movie. In that movie, the monster is stuck in a windmill that the humans outside light on fire, causing the monster to die. Here, while it may not be a windmill, the werewolf we follow finds a similar fate.

Now, what about this use of color in the present tense? Well, while Doctor Heinemann so graciously explains the grisly nature of the deaths of girls in his village, we're treated to that black and white color palette once more.

But it's more interesting than just being a copy of the past tense. Rather, the use of black and white differs here. Blood is not displayed in red, there's no fire used, and there's actually color given to the murdered girls prior to their death.

Weird, right?

Well that's because the purpose of the colors has changed. This isn't a hunt, but rather a stroke of revenge. Blood, blotted out to remain gray distances the prey from their predator, and rather than yellow or orange flames denoting a fiery hatred associated with these acts, we see bodies blackened and almost charred-looking instead. As if those flames had already been extinguished, leaving behind what viewers are treated to.

It's an incredibly strong sense of direction that implicitly ties these terrible acts to the young werewolf Jutte, subject to the heinous acts of the village people 8 years prior. But of course, it's more than that, as the latest victim's abduction tells a different story. But I'll talk more on that later. Let's rewind, shall we?

Got a little carried away with the impressive work here, but there's still plenty more peppered throughout the episode, so allow me to get started once more.

Tsugaru as a character makes so many of the expositional scenes work, but the staff also put quite a lot of effort into varied visuals and approaches to keep viewers engaged and interested.

Like this shift in art style as Aya explains an experience from her (distant) past.

Or this once more stunning visual used to explain the various transformations and forms of werewolves. Also, allow me to point out once more the color palette. This time, no blood, but a heavy focus on the monochromatic style of the open as well as that fiery background.

Anyways, here's doggy Tsugaru

Okay, back to it. A rather strong penchant and appeal to style that remains throughout many of these episodes is the concept of superimposition. Sometimes it's used quite often, and others not so much. I think this episode is a solid example of the former as we get treated to many scenes like this.

Even more interesting than superimposition however, is this oddly intentional blur that appears only a handful of times throughout the episode. The composition is largely and layouts of both scenes are very similar, so there's certainly an intentional reason behind the blur, but I don't have anything that immediately comes to mind.

This is a mystery series though, isn't it? Well, I'd love to talk the mystery, but I want to skip ahead to this church scene before diving head first into the rest of it. I'd show it, but I have a limited amount of pictures, but the way we open on the church is by showing the burning tower of the past before fading into the spire of the church in the present. It's a very scary way of uniting the humans under the strength of their religion in expulsing that which isn't similar, all the while justifying their actions.

The most important piece here though is Gustav, the father of the most recent missing girl. And what a sequence it is. It's something that I'm sure many can implicitly understand, but when faced with explaining you're helplessly left stumbling over your own words. I won't make a fool of myself, but rather make a more creative connection, "The eyes are the windows to the soul". Peel back that curtain, the façade that all operate under, and gaze into the truth that you may be unwilling to face.

Anyways, back to the mystery of Louise's abduction. Under a clear night sky, within the comfort of her own home, Louise was stolen away from her parents. Doesn't fit the MO, does it now? Making an appearance around others, leaving a trail of information behind, this one is decidedly different than the others. Arguably the most interesting piece being the fact that we're shown blood in its proper color. Despite the black and white nature of the recollection, and the visual consistency of the other deaths, we're given a clear and decisive outlier here.

So, let's lay out the details we've been given. Blood on the bed, but none from the bed to the window. A trail of paw prints from the chimney to the window, but none that lead to the bed, nor the damaged parts of Louise's room. Broken glass on the outside of the house, indicating it was shattered from the inside, and on the window that is unable to open, as well.

Lots of inconsistencies and issues, no? I think perhaps the most interesting though is the sounds from the flashback. We hear the sound of several glass-like objects shattering. We don't hear Louise's voice trail off as she's carried away either. And, after those sounds of something breaking, we still hear sounds coming from in the room. Now, I'm no detective by any means, but considering the "order" of the sounds, I believe it's safe to say that we didn't hear the window shatter during the break in/flashback.

Moving back into the realm of the actual detective, Aya discovers an odd inconsistency with the information laid in front of her. Tsugaru placed a hand on the floor to investigate the chimney through which it was presumed that the werewolf entered via, but after displaying it to Aya, it's shown that there's no dust or ash covering it.

So, she performs an experiment. Drop something small and in similar size to the werewolf down the chimney, and see what happens. To no surprise, a puff of ash engulfs the pair as they watch the fireplace.

But more important than the act itself is the residue that it leaves behind. Look at this image from before the test. That ledge to the fireplace is rather neat and clean, no sign of any ash or dust building up on it.

After that soot is spread by the falling of Tsugaru's pillow though, take a look at that ledge once more. That's right, it's dirty. So, the culprit (most likely) did not come through the chimney, but used the piled up soot to create footprints to make it appear as though they did.

Now, just for a few pieces of detail to add here and there. The famous author Goethe makes an appearance, most likely due to their middle name being Wolfgang. Not anything incredibly important, but a fun detail nonetheless.

More questionable than that however is the notion that Gustav's gun was previously stolen about a year ago, which is around the same time that the werewolf appeared in the village.

But I'll let that one stew, here's a super interesting visual to accompany Aya's explanation of the break in and abduction. Love how it gives a loose form to an idea being expressed by the character, rather than a very detailed and "accurate" example.

Alright, now I'm sure that just like me, many out there are dealing with a fried brain right about now, so I'll cut to the chase with the end of this episode. Rather than seeing Banquet disembark a train, we see two of the effective executioners for our lovely "insurance" company make their way towards the Forest of Fangs. What I found interesting here is that the characters will always travel in twos, and that they're presumably paired based upon their nationality, as this duo embodies the United States thanks to things like the Cowboy outfit.

So where do we stand at the end of this episode? The key to the werewolves is hidden behind the village chief's bet with Aya about finding the culprit of the child murders, and the "insurance" company is hot on their tail with Banquet nowhere to be found. Will we see a head to head prior to the discovery of the werewolves? Or will our various parties converge only once the village is uncovered? Personally, I can't say. What I can say though is that this episode, like all the others before it, is so full of life, creativity, and detail, that it nearly spoils the other series of the season. I've already watched this episode at least twice to create this post, and I already know I'll be going back once more before we return next week.

[sailforvalinor]

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is by no means a fantastic film, but it’s a such a shame because it could have been! The pieces were all there! The concept of Clara, feeling lost and out of place in the world that her mother left her in, stumbling into an entire world also dealing with the loss of the same person is fantastic, and if the film had done even just a little bit more with it it could have been great. Marie is mentioned all the time, but as the film is more concerned with showing how visually stunning the Four Realms are than actually diving into its characters, we never get a sense of the hole that she left behind and how Clara is (or is not) able to fill it. If Marie had been given a bit more of a tangible presence in the world, rather than just characters talking about her constantly (but never actually telling us anything of substance about her character except for how wonderful she was), the Sugar Plum Fairy’s betrayal would’ve felt a ton more justified. Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy were clearly meant to be foils for one another, and the film could’ve benefited from bringing how they both handle their grief into sharper focus—Clara pulls into herself and doesn’t engage with the outside world, while the Sugar Plum Fairy tries to extend her power outward beyond herself to try control her environment, but what both have in common is that they both try to exert control in order to establish the security that they feel they’ve lost in Marie. I wish the film could’ve been a little bit clearer in its “it’s okay to miss me, but you will heal and you have the ability to stand on your own” message, which is at least what I think it was going for, rather than the cliched “the power was in you all along and your the most-est special-est person ever,” which is definitely what it felt like at times. The “the wonderful invention your mother ever created was you” rang especially hollow at the end, as it kind of ignores the existence of Clara’s two other siblings. Were they just not special enough? Because, if so…yikes.

I’m holding myself back from going on a whole rant about how this film handled Clara’s siblings, because that would take awhile, but I will say that if this film ever gets a sequel (which I still hope it does, as I said, there’s so much here), it HAS to include Clara’s siblings—the Four Realms are just as much their birthright as it is Clara’s.

Also, for a film called “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms,” it irks me so much how little the Nutcracker is involved in the plot. He’s just kind of there. In a film named after him he feels like an afterthought and I hate it! Why is he the only Nutcracker? Why is he guarding that bridge alone? Did he personally know Marie, or only as his queen? Is he actually a Nutcracker or a real person? There is so much they could’ve explored with him, but no, they decided to regulate him to being the guy with the sword and saying vaguely encouraging things to Clara sometimes. The one great moment he had was when Clara opens the music box and says, “There’s nothing here,” and he replies, “There’s music”—but then they undermine that a few scenes later by having him be wrong and there be a mirror in there! (I hate that mirror as a plot device so much.) I just—I—the wasted potential!

[screametc]

avatar: the way of water initial thoughts & first impressions (as a longtime fan!)

so i saw the advanced screening of avatar: the way of water (shortening to twow for the rest of this post) tonight, and i want to get my initial thoughts out while my brain is still reaping the benefits of this redbull.

this is mostly for personal reference, but feel free to interact w/ this post as much as you like! i'd love to know how other people felt about the film, whether you dis/agree with me, why/why not, etc. this seems obvious and will be tagged, but spoilers ahead!

(just some of) what i liked:

the worldbuilding and the expansion of the pandoran lore/universe was stunning, in particular the culture of the metkayina. i felt that twow did so much justice to the original film in this regard, at least as much as was possible within the framework of the narrative.

in avatar 2009 we obviously had human!jake as a vehicle for learning more about the na'vi and pandora, whereas by now he's fully assimilated into omatikaya society; by having the sully family seek refuge with the metkayina, they were able to fill his previous role collectively, centering the metkayina and showcasing another gorgeous, detailed, rich na'vi culture (which i think bodes well for the future of the franchise, as there's so much untapped potential still on pandora!)

speaking of pandora, how can i not mention the visuals? they were obviously top tier, especially the underwater scenes. the trailers are truly only a taste, and those were already so beautiful

the motion capture was smooth, fight scenes were fun and well choreographed (insofar as choreography is relevant for these kinds of action sequences) - and, take it from a star wars fan, fight choreography is important

the number of callbacks to avatar 2009 made me personally very happy! obviously, references and callbacks do not make or break a film, but they're still fun and very much appreciated. a little gift for OG fans!

all the new characters, but especially the sully children

what i didn't like:

this might be a me-thing, but the scope of twow felt so much smaller than avatar 2009. the finale in 2009 is a battle for all na'vi kind, a battle for pandora, a battle for freedom. the climax of twow is the semi-resolution to something that has, over the course of the film, already happened three times (the sully kids being taken hostage by quaritch).

following on from 1, i think this has to do with a change in theme. it's subtle, considering that twow makes plenty of references to environmental concerns and is in some ways even more explicit in these than its predecessor (instead of mining pandora for resources, the humans are now actively seeking to colonise it as a replacement home), but it's clear that the story has gone from being about freedom generally, to a family legacy narrative - the sully family legacy. this isn't inherently a bad thing, and it might play well to some audiences who feel the stakes are intensified by that more personal/familial angle, but it didn't jive with me.

unanswered questions! are these humans still the RDA, or is this a specific government? their goal is to colonise and settle rather than to mine for resources, which indicates something more than a profit motive and has me leaning towards government (the RDA was an NGO), but it's never explicitly stated (there might have been visual clues that answer this, such a logos, which i'll keep an eye out for in my next viewing). who is kiri's father? (please, for the love of eywa, please let her not be an immaculate conception. i can't handle another anakin)

lack of character arcs for some of the main cast. i can forgive this if these issues are rectified in future installments, but as it stands, there were just so many new characters, it's hard to even give all of them dialogue, let alone meaningful development and fully realised arcs. jake re-learned the lessons he learned in 2009 (he doesn't want to fight for his people/would rather run and hide instead because he's a dad now and family comes first, i guess, but then he learns that he can do both - better later than never?)

to expand on this: kiri has some kind of super connection to eywa, neteyam... dies, which i suppose can loosely be considered an arc, and lo'ak is exactly as impulsive and hot-headed as he was at the beginning of twow (which i actually loved - he's such a perfect reflection of his father, while neteyam takes after their mother), but this time (the climax) it pays off, which is less of an arc and more of a plot necessity.

lack of dialogue for neytiri. i understand it's no longer just her and jake's story, but she felt almost... sidelined in favour of her children, and that was such a shame as she truly carried 2009.

i want to stress that these are my own personal opinions. they're totally subjective, and also subject to change upon future rewatches. the aspects of this movie i had the most critiques about might be some of the parts you like the best!

in fact, i'd love to know if that's how you feel. i'd just love to talk avatar! it feels so special that after 13 years of waiting we finally have this sequel, and i know i'm going to be thinking about it for a long, long time! these are early days yet and i'm sure there's much discussion to come

[lupine-princess]

She Thinks- Part Two

Fandom: Supernatural

Rating: M? (just to be safe, since there is discussion of sex. Also violence in later parts.)

Pairing: Female OC x ??? (it's a surprise/choose your own-ish? There is a reveal moment, but you could easily put in whoever you want I suppose)

Warnings: implied rough sex/choking/etc., torture/violence in later parts, Not Beta Read

Word Count: 5824 (like I said in pt. 1, this one is a beast...sorry?)

Cross posted on AO3 @- Lupine_Princess

Part 3 *is* coming soon. Hopefully by Monday at the latest, but that's what I thought about these two, so who knows at this point right? Please enjoy the Part That Wouldn't End Because the Character Is Super Thirsty, and tell me what you think? lol

Part Two

The woman remembers that day as though she were watching it happen in real time all over again. Six months prior, she had been invited to a party by a friend of hers at the last minute. Apparently, the woman’s friend had a date that had cancelled on him the night before and so he had no one to go to the party with, an entirely unacceptable state of affairs for any socially conscious person in their area. The friend’s only options then were to either go alone, again unacceptable, or take a friend who understood that the late invitation was not a slight but also that the night would not lead to anything more either.

The woman of course understood all of that, she had often been a plus one for her male friends when their own wives or girlfriends couldn’t or wouldn’t attend an event with them, and so had no problem reprising that role once again. It would do nothing to silence the town gossips who were determined to either set the woman up with every available man in the vicinity regardless of their acceptability, or else slander her for her current, and enduring, lack of a husband. They just didn’t seem to understand that a husband was a good and wonderful thing to have, but bonds formed by love, affection, and sex and extended through into friendship had a much better return and were better in many ways. A husband was one potentially powerful connection, but her own liaisons had formed connections that endured with multiple powerful families and had given the woman power of her own. Clearly, the local gossips didn’t have Mamas like the woman did. Mamas were was willing to teach their daughter the ways of the world and how to get the most out of it in the most practical way. That, or they did, but their Mamas had realized their daughters didn’t have the visual appeal or intelligence necessary to succeed in the least, and so the lessons would be wasted. Shaking off that thought, the woman scolds herself, such cattiness is unbecoming of a lady. I know better. Mama taught me better. I’m sorry again, Mama… The woman sighs and returns to what is seeming less like a search for answers to her downfall and more like penance for forgetting herself and her Mama’s invaluable teachings. Enough of that, the woman thinks, back to the matter at hand. That night…the woman sighs as the memory washes over her like it had a thousand times before.

The night of the party that lead her astray had been a beautiful one. All of the stars were out in force and the wind whispered through the trees as though it was sharing a secret. Maybe it was. Or maybe it was whispering a warning, either way the woman had simply enjoyed the breeze and continued on as she always had. By the time her friend arrived at her home to take her to the party, it would never be acceptable for them to arrive separately after all, her hair was perfect, her makeup stunning, and she was dressed to kill. Not that she would, of course. A living, happily married, rich, powerful man who felt friendship and fondness for her and also felt indebted to her for his happy state was much more beneficial to her than a dead one, unless of course that man had an appropriate and legally valid will, though that would only be a short-term benefit at best. No, for now it would be far better to merely look like a woman a man would die for, even though later on it may be necessary to…ask them to prove it. After all, lessons in deportment, practicality, and strategy were not the only ones her Mama had taught the woman.

All dressed and largely ready, the woman only made her friend wait a few moments in order to apply her favorite perfume and for it to dry down a bit so that it wouldn’t be overly strong in the confines of the car. It was simply good manners, though her friend would still have the scent of her signature fragrance on him from the car ride to the event. The thought wasn’t a displeasing one despite the fact that the woman didn’t have any designs on her friend’s heart. After she still wanted to remind every woman there of who exactly he was with that night. Her friend told her she looked lovely, and she smiled, thanking him for his compliment. Friends alone they may be, but never let it be said that the woman and her friend were lacking in manners.

On the way to the party, the woman’s friend spoke to her about his business, and how he was finally looking to settle down, now that things had started to calm down following his recent explosive success. He was still do very well, he reassured the woman, but things had stopped being so fast paced and chaotic. The woman had nodded, indicating that she understood, and began to think of acceptable female friends of hers that would be best for him. She assured him that with her on the case, they would see him married by Christmas at the latest. His laugh echoed through the car and the woman chuckled at his mirth. He thought she was exaggerating, but she was entirely serious. In any case, at least he was in a better mood and that was good. There was nothing worse than a melancholy date, regardless of the fact that it wasn’t a “date” date as the kids liked to say. By the time they arrived at the party, her friend had fully shaken off his moodiness, and they were sharing amusing stories about the past and other mutual friends, and so it was a laughing pair that entered the event rather than a silent one. Much better optics if you asked the woman.

An hour or two after arriving at the party, the woman and her friend had separated to mingle with friends of theirs on their own. The woman had breathed a small sigh of relief because it would seem that her dear friend had forgotten part of the arrangement for the night and their friendship in general. He had started look at her with the kind of longing that she knew stemmed from his loneliness and needed to be nipped in the bud as soon as possible. He had always before understood that while she adored him and valued his place in her life, she would never look on him as a potential suitor. He had even understood her reasons and her Mama’s lessons, having gotten similar lessons from his own Mama. It would seem that those lessons needed refreshing. The woman had sighed, shaken her head, and decided that she would speak to him gently about it the next day. It wouldn’t do to lose a good friend who understood her to what amounted to a puppy love crush. Especially not one born out of a desperation not to be alone anymore rather than a genuine desire and need for her. Frankly, she deserved better.

Resolve firmed, the woman smiled and laughed as she chatted with other friends that had been invited to this party. As she was talking to a woman who was more of an acquaintance than a true friend, another acquaintance came over with a person the woman couldn’t quite see, so she finished what she had been saying and turned to look at and greet this new person who had entered their little circle of chatters.

Her heart stopped. Her breath froze in her chest as her lungs forgot how they operated. Her blood started racing in her veins and rushed to her head. She felt like she’d had too much to drink, when she hadn’t even finished one glass of wine and she knew no one here would dream of putting something in her glass. Her vision blurred for a moment, which she was thankful for because it allowed her brain to function properly once more. Before her was the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on in her entire life. His shoulders and chest were broad, and even through his suit she could see that both were well-muscled, and her knees began to shake. His arms lightly strained the sleeves of his suit jacket, so they were well-muscled as well, and at the sight of his hands, her knees nearly gave out.

But that wasn’t all. As she continued to observe the man (she was not staring thank you very much, staring is incredibly rude, and Mama had taught her better than that), she realized how tall he was and felt her a rush of moisture seep into her panties. She had always been a fan of tall man and this one had the actual height itself coupled with a presence that made him seem even taller. She studied his sculpted jaw, complete with five o’clock shadow, and expressive mouth that seemed to command attention and demand that she press her own against it. Her mouth, wanting, needing to answer to his, but denied due to social restrictions, began to water.

Looking further, the woman notice that his hair was either expertly styled or he was blessed with hair that fell in an artfully messy style reminiscent of a man freshly out of bed after a night of passionate lovemaking with a very lucky woman, all on its own. She knew where she would be willing to place her bets, but she didn’t actually know for certain…yet. By this point the woman couldn’t concentrate enough to even begin to tell you the color of his hair. Perhaps it was dark brown or maybe it was black, but in the dim light they were standing in it could easily have been much lighter than it first appeared. The same could be said for his eyes. The color was as much a mystery as his identity because of the accursed lighting. Were they brown? Blue? Green? Some odd combination? The woman didn’t know, but she desperately wanted to. I never did figure it out, the woman pouts privately, I never saw him in bright enough light to tell even though I was…rather close to them for several hours. At the thought of how the night had progressed, the woman shudders in aftershocks of remembered pleasure and sighs with a girlish smile.

The only real things that the woman remembers about the man’s hair and eyes are how soft his hair was as she ran her fingers through it (or gripped it tight) and how his eyes had burned with hunger the moment he looked at her. She remembers how it had shocked her so much that she had had to bite back a gasp. The intensity of his eyes on her had made her feel as though she were standing before him as naked as the day she was born. She could feel his eyes raking over her body leaving a scorching trail, even through her black dress. Perhaps in effort to quench the flames racing across her flesh, the woman’s body sent a flood of wetness into her already damp under garments. The silk, she was certain, was now completely ruined, and her body’s efforts were in vain. The fire was nowhere near quenched. If anything, they leapt higher when it became apparent that some part of her dilemma had shown on her face as the man sent the most sin-filled smirk in the woman’s direction. She sincerely hoped that the owners of this home had a good cleaning service scheduled to come in the next day, because the moment the woman saw that smirk, she was certain that there had to now be a puddle forming on the carpet at her feet.

Thankfully, the woman thinks, I had decided to wear a floor length dress in spite of the warm late spring evening because, if there had indeed been a mess, at least no one else could see it. The only thing I had to worry about after that was an…olfactory give away, but the only person other than me that seemed to notice was Him. He had seemed…pleased and satisfied by my response to him. That satisfaction did nothing to dull the ravenous hunger we both felt. Cutting off that train of thought before it could force her to skip ahead, the woman moans and shifts uncomfortably. Not an uncommon state of affairs since that night, but nearly overwhelmingly common in the last several days.

Biting back a scream of frustration, the woman forces her thoughts back to That Night. That Night, the woman scoffs, capital T, capital N. The night everything changed. The night that led me to this place. Too bad I didn’t know about all of this then. But can I honestly say it would have changed anything? Gritting her teeth, the woman mentally waves off that most uncomfortable question, and returns to That Night once more. Specifically, the moment He opened his mouth and spoke. Smoky, dark chocolate. Smooth, but somehow simultaneously rough. Crushed velvet on sweat soaked skin. Decadent, but firm. Strong. The unspoken promise of pleasure so strong that it borders on, flirts with, then becomes pain. But such an unexpectedly, but wonderfully, intense pain that it circles back around to pleasure like a never-ending feedback loop. This time, the woman can not contain herself, and audibly growls in frustration at her runaway mind. This is not the time for that trip down memory lane. And what a well-traveled lane that particular one is. One walked many a time over the previous six months in the dark of the night and the comfort of her own home. The woman less than gently slams her head back, then freezes at the unexpectedly loud resulting noise.

Back to That Night, for the love of God! Let’s just get this over with! the woman all but screams in her own mind. She is fine with self-reflection; it has served her well over the years and was one on Mama’s more important lessons. It was how she knew when to move on from a lover and who to gently and respectfully hand him off to. It was how Mama had known when to cut her losses and deal with the problems Daddy had caused. The woman snorts delicately, ‘Problems Daddy caused?’ By the end, Daddy was the problem, but Mama…oh, Mama handled it beautifully. Thinking back to that time far in the past to her young girlhood, the woman struggles to think of a more elegant picture than the one seared into her mind of Mama dressed in black. The woman remembered the tears that had rolled over Mama’s cheeks gracefully as if she were so grief-stricken that she could not stop them, but neither did she have the strength any longer to give any notice, so deep was she in her sorrow, while she sat in the church and listened to the preacher. The woman also remembers the first of Mama’s lessons given that very night. If it must be done, dear one, it must be done with grace. Mama applied that to everything in her life. Grieving with grace. Mourning with grace. Healing with grace. Moving on with grace Very permanently ridding yourself of a husband who has forgotten his place…with grace, the woman mused. Mama had made sure Daddy thought everything was all right, so neither he, nor anyone else, suspected anything in the least. She had waited until the bruises had healed and took the woman, then seven years old, on a pre-planned weekend getaway. They returned to news of a tragedy. A gas leak. Daddy found in bed by the neighbor. So very sad. So very unexpected. Mama handled her business, with grace of course, and began teaching her daughter how to handle her own. All those lessons. All of that time. And I wind up here…the woman thinks sadly.

But it does bring her back to the point of self-reflection. Self-reflection is a wonderful tool when used properly. Not so much when it is derailed by hormones running rampant at the thought of the man who was the cause of all of this. She has been obsessing over this man for the last six months, and had only now come to the conclusion that, while part of the blame for this whole situation is invariably on her, the majority has to rest with him. It has to. Because otherwise, either she is entirely to blame, an unacceptable notion, or this is nothing but a horrid coincidence, and that thought is even more repugnant to the woman than the first. It has long been her belief, her dogma, that nothing, nothing, happens without reason or purpose. Nothing happens that cannot be controlled, ideally by her, but failing that then by her more powerful and well placed…friends. She must call them that, because any other descriptor would make her sound callous and cruel, and she could not fathom anyone calling her that.

So how did this happen? This travesty. Truly it began just after the woman heard Him speak. With nothing more than a simple “Hello,” she knew to the depths of her being that she absolutely must have him. In her bed. In his. Against the nearest wall or other semi-flat surface. It absolutely did not matter. She knew nothing about him, and at the time did not care, so she didn’t know if He would be useful or if he would even be worth keeping forever, but that didn’t matter either. She craved him. She was a woman dying of thirst and He was blessed, cool water. And it appeared, to the woman at least, that he felt similarly. Perhaps not quite as strongly as the woman did, but certainly strongly enough to respond to her favorably.

After introductions were made, the acquaintance who had brought Him over to the group explained that He was an agent for with the FBI who was in their small town because he was working on a case in the next town over. The acquaintance and the man had met a few years prior when the acquaintance’s car had broken down on an unknown road when the acquaintance was out of state on business and the man had stopped to help. They had talked while the man had fixed the car and then talked more over the dinner the acquaintance had insisted on buying the man as a thank you. They agreed to keep in touch and when the man had been assigned a case near where the acquaintance lived, it only made sense that the man would choose to stay near and be shown around the area by a person He knew. The woman nodded and smiled, praising the man for his compassion in helping “her friend,” meanwhile she was trying not to combust then and there. A handsome man with power who was good with his hands and was practical and intelligent enough to do the logical thing without someone else pointing it out to him? The woman would later swear she had heard wedding bells for a brief moment, before they had been melted into nothingness by an inferno of lust.

It was a sweet story and made sense at the time, but later the woman would wonder how much of it was true. It was too neat, the woman decides. The acquaintance had never in the woman’s nor their mutual friend’s memories had car trouble of any kind. The acquaintance was well known for, and often teased about, their near obsession with maintaining their vehicle. It was sensible when you thought about it. The acquaintance was constantly out of town for one reason or another. It seemed as though they were gone more often than not really, which was why they were only the woman’s acquaintance rather than a friend. Moreover, the acquaintance had always struck the woman as…odd. Not necessarily in a bad way, of course, just different. Maybe that’s what happens when a person falls too much in love with history and not enough in love with another person, the woman pondered, somewhat cattily, but at this point she doesn’t care anymore. Mama’s lessons clearly aren’t getting her out of this, so she’ll have to figure something else out.

Back to self-reflection minus hormones clouding the issue, dammit, the woman scolds herself. Though really, she can’t be held entirely responsible for that either. That man had a way of making everything in her brain reduce to a pile of quivering, lust filled goo. At any rate, back to That Night, after the appropriate, and probably fabricated, explanation, the circle went on to continue its chatting about this, that, and the other thing, and not one bit of it anything with any substance whatsoever. Had the woman not been standing next to a man who simply oozed sex from his very pore, she would have been able to feel her brain-cells begin die and would have drifted away from the group to recover. As it was though, the woman was unable to anything of the sort. To do that would move her away from Him, so she had to hope that the lust would protect her. It didn’t. She wouldn’t find out until later that it had apparently had the opposite effect entirely.

But would I really have walked away then if I knew what I know now? the woman demands of herself. She still isn’t willing to answer that question, but it does bear acknowledging if nothing else. The woman remembers how His burning eyes rarely left her, and how his voice, even when not directed at her specifically, caressed her body like the lover he wasn’t yet, but she so wanted him to become. It was about an hour after meeting Him, that her escort for the evening found her to let her know he was ready to leave. And this brings me to the first misstep and the first of Mama’s Rules broken…

Normally, the woman would never dream of leaving any event with someone other than the person she came with, and certainly not alone. You always leave with the one that brought you, sweet. It is, if nothing else, good manners, and manners are the bedrock of society. One cannot hope to succeed in any endeavor they take on if they cannot conduct themselves well, after all, the woman hears Mama’s voice ringing through her head as though she had just spoken the words to the woman. Considering the woman missed her Mama deeply since she had passed several years before, the voice would have been comforting. Unfortunately, the tone was somewhat scolding and as much woman wished otherwise, she honestly understood the implied censure.

The woman did not leave with the friend that brought her to the party. When He saw her friend come over and attempt to end the evening for both of them, he had offered, in a very pleasant and gentlemanly way and not at all lasciviously (though the woman will swear to this day that she heard a touch of prurience in his tone), to escort her home should the woman want to stay longer than her present escort desired. The woman had had to bite back her immediate agreement to the plan so as not to offend her friend, but she could still see a glimmer of jealousy and anger in her friend’s eyes. That would not do, the woman decided and she stood firm in her decision despite her friend trying to change her mind when she told him that she was having far too good a time catching up with friends to end the night so early, and that since the man was offering an escort home and her friend was already ready to leave, she would not ask her friend to stay and would instead accept a ride home from her new friend. Thinking back later, the woman would swear she saw a hint of an amused smirk on her acquaintance’s lips, and that they rolled their eyes, possibly at the woman’s behavior, possibly the man’s, more likely it was both, but the woman didn’t care then, and she doesn’t care now.

In the end, it didn’t matter. The woman’s friend was surprised by her actions of course, having grown up with similar lessons. Even though he seemed to forget some of the more important ones when it pleased him, the woman thinks with no small amount of irritation and disquiet. The idea that she should be held to a different standard than her friend, as if she had not followed every rule and lesson given without fail or fight while he had repeatedly needed to be brought back into line several times in their youth, apparently now as well, offended the woman to the depths of her soul. More than the whispers of the town gossips. More than the idea that all of what has befallen her is her own fault and no one else’s. More even than being lied to in deed if not in word, by both her acquaintance and Him. It was clear that her friend thought he had a claim on her then and now, and the he also thought he was better than her. Superior to her. Above her. That she should be grateful for his attention. He had said almost exactly that over the last few days as a matter of fact, but she hadn’t believed or understood then. Now, on reflection, she believes every syllable she wonders how long he had felt this way. It seemed there was a glimmer of it that long ago night, but it had gotten more and more clear as time, culminating in the last…however longs it’s been… the woman thinks with her ever present sigh.

The woman recalls the slighted feeling of apprehension when her friend had finally gotten the message that she would not be leaving and that He would be the one to take her home, not her friend. Ultimately the feeling was fleeting. As if it had never been, it vanished with the smile of satisfaction and pleasure that He bestowed on her. His friend, the woman’s acquaintance, had made a sound like a chuckle and told the man that he should be glad that they had brought separate cars to the party, before they said their own polite goodbyes and moved off in search of less fraught conversation.

As soon as the woman’s acquaintance had wandered off, it was like a leash had been slipped or a floodgate opened. The other chatterers had meandered away before during the conversation between Him and the woman’s friend, and so the woman and the man found themselves blessedly, terrifyingly, wonderfully alone. Granted they were still surrounded by people because the party was not yet over, but they were off to the side in a less open area. Not entirely private, so they were still constrained by social convention, but private enough for small touches, private smiles, and the kind of innuendo laced talk that would have sent the gossips’ heads spinning and rushing to the nearest telephone. The wine flowed as well as the conversation. Rich and decadent like His voice. Ordinarily, they woman judged harshly those who left with a person who had been drinking, but in this case, she had argued to herself, she had already given enthusiastic consent to anything the night held before she had started her second glass. She had intentionally waited until they had some sort of privacy before she had allowed herself to have any more than the one glass. She wanted no misunderstandings and not miscommunications. She wanted him. She wanted to be His. Even if only for a night, but ideally longer.

After her complete and total surrender to Him, the night progressed quickly, also but oddly in slow motion. It was like a dream. And like in a dream, time seemed to have a mind of its own. It sped up and slowed down at random, for no real reason, although on further reflection, the woman supposes the slowest moments may have coincided with the small touches the two exchanged throughout the night. Fleeting touches. Burning touches. A hand on an arm while laughing. A piece of escaped hair tucked behind an ear. A dance than nearly had caused spontaneous combustion, though there was nothing provocative or indecent about it. A firm hand on the small of a back. A soft helping hand into a car. A guiding hand to motel door.

And just like that, another rule was broken. Several actually. One: Never sleep with a man the first night. Two: Never sleep with a man you don’t know. Three: Never stay in a motel.” Hotels only, the more stars the better. And the last, four: Always, always, stay in control. Of yourself. Of him. Of the situation. Always stay in control. With the combination of the wine and Him, the woman more out of control than she had ever been. She swears she remembers His sex-soaked voice chuckle darkly something about knowing she’d be a hellcat in bed. At the time, she hadn’t cared, and now she can’t be bothered to be offended even if she could remember exactly what was said.

And that was another thing. There were many things said that night. Filthy things. Things that would have normally had her stalking away with a stinging hand. Things that only served fan the flames higher and higher until total combustion and meltdown her only options. She knows all of this, but the words themselves escape her. Six months on and all she is left with is a deep, dark rumble purring in her ear, dripping with sin and promise. A promise what was absolutely fulfilled. Again, and again, and again, it was fulfilled.

The remainder of the night had been a blur of flesh and sweat, pleasure and pain, whispers and shouts. She is certain she did a fair amount of that shouting, if not outright screaming, if only because when the night had reached its inevitable conclusion, her throat had been quite sore. Then again, the woman muses, shouting was probably the least of the causes. A chuckle escapes her lips and she shifts in discomfort once more. Remembering that night always made her uncomfortable. Not in a negative way, certainly, but every time her skin would feel hot and tight, her heart would race, and her body would invariably prepare itself for a lover that would never appear. Ordinarily, she would force her body under control until she could get to her home. She lives alone, so she has complete freedom to take care of her needs where ever and how ever she sees fit within her four walls. It is a good thing to. Her thoughts and actions as she seeks out that same loose-bodied, exhausted high make her blush even now. Depravity is the privilege of the powerful, well-connected, and well thought of, the woman scolds herself. Blushing, like tears, will serve no purpose and so will not be tolerated. Besides, she had and has nothing to be ashamed of. Though she hadn’t been as sure of that then when morning came as she is now six months later.

When dawn broke after having spent hours with the man, the woman had been just sober enough to be ever so slightly horrified at her actions. She realized, now that the lust had faded what exactly she had done. That overwhelming lust would never completely disappear, of course, but it had loosened it grip enough by morning for the woman to be able to think a bit more clearly. And the first thought that had crossed her mind as she saw the sun make its arrival known, was that she had to leave. She had to get out of this bed. Out of this room. Out. Now. Oh, she didn’t feel like she was in danger, in truth she had never felt safer than in his arms, but the knowledge of Broken Rules and suspect behavior came crashing down on her and all she could think to do was run.

As the morning sun kissed the treetops, the woman brushed a kiss across the sleeping man’s lips, gently so as not to wake him. He deserved his rest, especially after the night just ended. She looked for her clothes, and felt shame try to creep itself into her mind. Shoes on either side of the door. Last night’s dress in crumpled heap on the floor. Last nights panties next to the bed, silk ruined beyond saving. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and the shame crept further in. Hair in disarray. Makeup smudged. Lipstick gone. Skin stained red in various places from a scratchy beard and large, strong hands. Dark splotches dotting otherwise creamy skin. She had to get out of there.

Once the woman was finished dressing and attempting to make herself look presentable, she decided to scribble her phone number on a piece of paper and laid it on the lone table in the room. The one covered in books whose names she couldn’t make out, but looked like they belonged in a museum rather than a no star motel in a small town. She had shrugged it off assuming that they were for the case her was working in the next town over, and would only later wonder why he needed books so old for no one knew anything about in a town just as small as the one she lives in.

When she was as presentable as she could possibly be, given the situation, the woman walked to the door intent on using the payphone at the and of the row of rooms to call for a taxi to take her home. Before the turned the handle to leave, she looked back at the man still sleeping on the bed. She studied his features once more and thanked a God she wasn’t sure she believed in for bringing him into her life. She was so sure that would not the last time they would see own another and so did not linger long. If she had known then what she knows now, she may have stayed longer. More likely, she would have just stayed in bed and fallen asleep with Him.

But, she didn’t. And she left. She called the cab and was gone less than ten minutes from leaving that motel room. But while she sat in the back of that cab in last night’s clothes with last night’s passion written across her skin, she did then what she does now…

She thinks

@kittenofdoomage @holylulusworld @impala-dreamer @imanuglywombat

[popentertainment-moviereviews]

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER (2022)

Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Giovanni Ribisi, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell, Jemaine Clement, CCH Pounder, Jamie Flatters, Britain Dalton, Chloe Coleman, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Bailey Bass, Filip Geljo, Duane Evans Jr., CJ Jones, Jack Champion, Joel David Moore, Dileep Rao, Matt Gerald and Alicia Vela-Bailey.

Screenplay by  James Cameron, Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver.

Directed by James Cameron.

Distributed by 20th Century Studios. 192 minutes. Rated PG-13.

James Cameron’s film Avatar took off like a rocket when it was released in 2009. With spectacular special effects and eye-popping action, it quickly became a smash hit – eventually becoming the highest grossing box office motion picture ever, a distinction that it still holds with $2.8 billion in ticket sales.

And honestly, it may or may not have really deserved that popularity. As often is the case with Cameron’s movies, it was spectacularly filmed, with some terrific world building, had an intriguing, important ecological message, but it was not all that well written. (Dialogue has always been Cameron’s Achilles heel.) It was a pretty good film, but was it the best ever – or even just worthy of being the most popular film? At the time, Cameron promised that Avatar was going to be a series of at least three films (he’s now talking about five) and potentially the biggest franchise ever.

However, then a strange thing happened. It’s like the world at large just sort of moved on from Avatar, almost forgot about it. Literally, when was the last time you thought about Avatar, or someone mentioned it to you? It had been years that I had spared a thought for the film before the hype machine started ramping up for this sequel.

I saw the first film once in the theater, once when it was released on video, and since then never even thought of rewatching it again. I was not alone on that. Avatar seemed to fade away from pop culture consciousness.  Previous films that were at their time the top grossing films of all time – like Jaws, Star Wars and Cameron’s Titanic – are still beloved classics and regularly watched decades after their release.

Of course now with the second Avatar film finally making it to theaters, Cameron is desperately trying to downplay the Avatar backlash talk. (Don’t believe your lying eyes, you’ve all loved this movie for years!)

Also, Cameron’s legendary slowness in releasing films didn’t help to keep the momentum going. Cameron has directed nine feature films in 40 years if you count Avatar II, and his last three have been released over a period of 25 years.

Now, thirteen years after the first chapter, is there really an audience still waiting for a second Avatar movie?

We’ll see.

It certainly is a spectacular piece of filmmaking. The visuals are even more impressive than they had been in the first film. (Thirteen years of innovations definitely are noticeable.) That said, Cameron’s tendency for clunky dialogue still has not totally improved, and the story, while visually stunning, is pretty much a retread of the original film. And I’m sorry, the computer-generated alien creatures are still kind of weird looking.

There is the addition of undersea footage – a long time fascination of Cameron’s. (See also: The Abyss, Titanic and the sea diving documentaries that Cameron has put together over the years.) These are also generally spectacular looking, particularly if you have the opportunity to see it in IMAX 3D.

Honestly, The Way of Water is too long (three hours and twelve minutes!) and some of the battle sequences seem to be straight out of the modern blockbuster playbook. Still, credit where it is due, Cameron has a stunning visual eye and much of Avatar: The Way of Water is picture-book gorgeous.

I’m definitely glad I’ve seen it and I have no doubt it will be a big hit (although probably not on the scale of the first film). However, like the first one, it doesn’t seem like a movie I’d be likely to revisit with any regularity.

Luckily, it doesn’t seem that we’ll have to wait another thirteen years for the next Avatar film. Cameron is planning (and plans don’t always go as one would expect) to release the next film in two years, and then another one every two years until at least 2028.

Will it really happen that way? Like I said earlier, we’ll see.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2022 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: December 15, 2022.

[queen-erika-the-songful]

Best and worst parts of F2 for you?

Best parts for me:

The MUSIC oh my stars it was so good. I love every song and all the cut ones we know about (well, “Unmeltable Me” isn’t all that great to me, but it was still cute). My favorites are still “Show Yourself” and “The Next Right Thing” but I have a greater appreciation for “Into the Unknown” now too (I ended up singing it for my last recital lol).

Anna and Elsa getting the endings I thought they deserved. Even in the 1st movie, Anna felt like the better candidate for Queen to me. Like she wanted so badly to be with the kingdom and see the people, and even though she left a stranger in charge, she took responsibility for pushing Elsa too far and went after her. Then in movie 2 she’s going all over Arendelle in the opening and does everything she can in service of her people. Even her cut song “Home” is all about wanting to give Arendelle everything she can. I’m on the side of those that felt her ascending the throne made sense. I also think Elsa fully becoming the Snow Queen/5th Spirit and having her stay in the forest was the right decision. (Also SHE’S LIVING IN THE FOREST WITH THE NORTHULDRA AND NOT ALONE IN THE GLACIER, HOW ARE SOME PEOPLE NOT GETTING THAT??) Now she can finally, truly be what she wanted in the first film - fully free to be herself. She’s not stranding herself on a mountaintop or self-isolating herself in the name of “protecting” herself/Anna, she has fully embraced her powers and can be herself entirely. And if we look at the last shot of the whole movie, she’s calm and elated. The story of the sisters ends with Elsa finally being happy.

The visuals - the animation and effects are stunning and the COSTUUUUMES oh my gosh I love the costumes. My favorite is Anna’s outfit with the cape and Elsa’s spirit dress. I still kind of wish the spirit dress was a bit more “mystical” but I’ve grown more fond of it overtime (and at least its silhouette fits in with her other dresses).

I LOVE Kristoff in this film. I’ve said it too many times but I don’t really like how Kristoff was handled in movie 1. But in THIS one omg yes please more of this. He’s so supportive of Anna through and through and just wants to make her happy. I really wish his original song hadn’t got cut, it was really fun and sweet (plus Anna being the one to propose would’ve been a nice switch). I get slightly annoyed that he just spends his B-plot trying to propose until he disappears til the end, but still, he’s much more tolerable than movie 1 “stupid girl you can’t get married to that guy you’ve only known a day oh now you’ve known me for like 2-3 suddenly i love you now kiss me”.

Worst Parts for me:

The story wanted to badly for you to forgive Agnarr and Iduna for what they did to Anna and Elsa and I just can’t. Good intentions or not, THEY were the ones that shut Anna out. THEY were the ones that allowed Pabbie to manipulate Anna’s memories. THEY were the ones that taught Elsa her powers were dangerous and had to be suppressed to the point that no one would even know she had them. The most we get is Anna telling Elsa not to blame herself for their deaths because she wasn’t responsible for their decisions. I understand why “I Seek the Truth” got cut, but I still think you could’ve re-worked it for the boat scene so that Anna could get to call them out (”another secret/and another and another/ at least you were consistent/hello Father, hello Mother”).

Going off that last point, because they wanted you to forgive Agnarr and Iduna so bad, I think the Show Yourself scene, as honestly FANTASTIC as it is for the story at that point, was stopped from its full potential of being absolutely perfect. After watching the docuseries (Into the Unknown: The Making of Frozen II) I learned the writing team went back and forth for the longest time on who the voice was going to be. At one point, the idea was that the voice was Elsa herself, like her Snow Queen/Spirit form calling to her, and when she found the voice she would merge with it to become her true self. That makes so much sense with the song! There’s this journey she takes in it where she believes she’ll find a PERSON with all of the answers to who she is, while it turns out she was searching for herself and her place in the world. So she embraces her destiny as the Fifth Spirit and fully transforms into the Snow Queen. I think it makes that one line much more powerful: “You are the one you’ve been waiting for / All of my life”. BUT that’s just my own view of it. I really want a version now (even a cover) where it’s Elsa singing with herself.

I don’t like the inconsistency of the spirits - like why is there only 1 for 3/4 of the elements but then Earth has a few? And why are they all vastly different KINDS of creatures? Earth has personified elements, water and fire have animals, air is just the wind, and the 5th spirit is a human-turned-spirit. 

I think a lot could’ve been fixed with the story if they were given an extension and kept the target audience on the kids/teens that grew up with the original Frozen instead of being told they had to tone it down for younger kids. Again, the Into the Unknown docuseries showed me how troubled production was. There was so much passion behind the making of it, but because they had such a rigorous deadline and had to appeal more to younger kids, I feel like that’s what ultimately caused the movie to suffer with its writing. The writing team clearly wanted a more mature story but had to rewrite and rewrite until they had to just finish everything without being able to iron out the creases. It’s a shame, really.

[fostersffff]

I just got to Disc 3 of Final Fantasy IX.

I should start this by saying that I totally get why some people really adore Final Fantasy IX, especially if they played it when it was new and it was the most visually stunning video game ever made. I think that rumored anime has the potential to be excellent, because the story and characters lend themselves readily to an episodeic (read: more than 12 episodes) anime, and I'm optimistic about how the rumored remake could be handled as well, and I'll probably show up to give that a shot if/when it exists.

With all that said: I might wind up ranking this game lower than Final Fantasy II.

The weapon/spell-use-based levelling system in FF2 sucks, and will always suck, but this equipment-based ability acquisition system sucks even fucking more, and is made worse by the infrequent and obtuse equipment synthesis system. If you're not grinding, you have to choose between losing access to abilities by equipping better equipment, or sticking with older equipment until the abilities are maxed. Also, you can't sell any old equipment because maybe it might possibly be relevant in synthesis later in the game, so if you need more money: grind.

The game actively wants you to be stealing with Zidane (or whoever has steal in the event Zidane is not in the party), so unless you know you don't need anything in advance you're going to be spending anywhere between "two" and "infinity" turns not attacking with one of your four party members, which sucks because everyone takes a minute to fill up their ATB bar. Also, it fucking sucks not attacking with Zidane, because it seems like he's the only goddamn character who can get weapons from synthesis.

Quina's Blue Magic/Eat mechanic would be fine if, again, it didn't take five years to fill up the ATB bar and also hope you have Garnet in the party so you can scan the enemy's HP and gauge whether or not they're in Eat range, and either way occasionally you're gonna have to just inch them into range with a spellcaster, which takes even more time.

Trance is the worst Limit Break mechanic since FF6's "you'll do a special attack with a cool animation if you use the Attack command at low HP past an arbitrary point in the game", and I only don't say "worst ever" because I haven't played enough subsequent FF games to know for sure.

There is not a single compelling antagonist in this game. Zorn and Thorn sucked, Queen Brahne was an obvious stooge, and Kuja is fuckin' lame "ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE" man, which I knew going in, but fuck. There is no one I look at and think "oh man, they pose a credible threat and we need to get stronger to overcome them!" Speaking of which:

I liked Beatrix so much more before playing this game and realizing that she's not actually an execution of the "General Leo" archetype. That would be the case if General Leo was directly responsible for the poisoning of Doma and then felt bad about it later but otherwise had the exact same arc. The fights with her aren't even cool because she doesn't actually overpower you, she just does an animation after an invisible timer runs out.

The main cast, as a whole, is just below the "endearing line". I like all of them fine, and they each have at least one funny moment. Like, I can't see Freya having any more storyline relevance since everything about her was wrapped up when Cleyra got Zentetsuken'd, but at least she did the riverdance and looks cool. They're all kind of actively harmed by how much Zidane is just Disney's Aladdin. Also Amarant; why even bother with this fuckin' guy?

[missbrunettebarbie]

Top 5 barbie movies + Top 5 barbie heroines

Movies

1. Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus - It is one of the few completely original Barbie movies (at least when I was a kid) and probably the best one. I loved everything about this movie: the setting, the protagonist, the villain, the love interest, the magic, the secondary characters. I think the only aspect where it failed me was the fashion, as Anika's dress was rather...forgetable. But her earlier skating suit was great, so there is that.

2. Barbie as Mariposa - Visually, I like this one better. And I also love the characters here just as much as in Magic of Pegasus, but I feel like it didn't live up to its full potential. I am mostly thinking here of the relationship between Mariposa and the antagonist, but there is also the fact that she and the love interest spent almost her entire movie apart, so....yeah, it could have been better. Still love the worldbuilding and the atmosphere.

3. Barbie in the Island Princess - Nostalgia is strong here! One of the few films I owned on DVD. I also found the visuals gr8: Ro's outfits were Iconic and the kingdom and the island were stunning. I also really loved the villain and her daughter, and Antonio was a decent love interest. And that final scene with Ro and her mom...my heart! But again, it could have been so much more than it was. One day, I might write the canon rewrite this movie needs, but it's not today.

4. Barbie in Princess Charm School - Mostly for Blair LOL She's the most Snake primary Barbie to ever exist and I loooove her for it. The movie is rather dumb but in a rather charming way. Again, love the fashion here.

5. Barbie in a Mermaid Tale - Merliah my beloved! You and your mom carry this entire movie series. Again, a bit of a dumb movie, but in a charming way. Really love the secondary characters.

Heroines

1. Eden Starling - The only reason her movie isn't in the above category is bc the others have more ~rewatch value, but she is by faaar the bestest Barbie to ever Barbie. No explanation needed

2. Blair Willows - Probably the most girl-next-door Barbie we ever had, but idc, I luff her. Part of it is -as mentioned above- bc she is the most unapologeatic Snake primary we've seen in the Barbieverse (sidenote: I am really curious about Margot's Barbie's sorting). Really wish we could have seen more of her story.

3. Princess Anika - If I ever had to apply the world girlboss to a Barbie (although I would try to avoid it most of the time) it would be her. She's just perfect. (Eden doesn't get the title bc instead of getting good old revenge on her aunt she bought into her BS and was even happy to see her in the afterlife)

4. Ro(sella) - Again, nostalgia, but damn, I love this girl. She inspires me to write fic! That's incredible.

5. Merliah Summers - Probably the Barbie with the most badass name. I love this competitive, stubborn girl with mommy issues.

[soul-dwelling]

Think I agree about the cg show Okhubo is involved with. The school setting is even generic for its own standards (atleast DWMA was in the Us, in a wacky location ans looked stylish), the charachter designs just have the most surface level trademarks of the teeth and eyes or ponytails and not the cool monsters, architecture or graphic graffiti elements (ok maybe those come later) and worst of all it just seems that Okhubo is trapped in writing minors and not moving on to something more complex

Some of this can just be a problem of plotting and marketing.

This is going to be another long response...

Let's start with plotting. Ohkubo is not the writer of this; Yoko Taro is listed as the creator. I never played Taro's Nier, but from what I have read, I can appreciate what motivated Taro's choices in plot and setting and tone. I'm not saying it is for me, or that I'll agree with the potential message (more on that in a moment). If this new CG series is about schools and conformity, it makes sense for the designs to all start out looking so uniform...

...except, well, I see that argument, and I raise you a Matrix. Or just about any series that also is trying to show how people work within uniformed systems and the pressures of conformity--and find a way to make the art still stand out, whether to make it eyecatching, or to hint at variations between the duplicates and copycats and dopplegangers to show some variation for the sake of believability and keeping the visual audience engaged.

(It doesn't help Ohkubo just came off an entire series about dopplegangers...and I am stunned to now realize he did next to nothing compelling with that concept. "But Shinra's body was possessed by his duplicate, and because the world saw him that way, and his doppleganger was literally how others saw him, that is how possession happened." I said "compelling," not "fucking inane and unclear and aimless." This is a series that also breaks logic to explain Iris and the First Pillar, and Mari and the Preacher. As such, any variations in dopplegangers are just exact duplicates without something impressive to enhance their differences, not even exaggerating the forms like a funhouse mirror. "It is you in the audience who don't understand who Joker and Kurono really are, not the writer, so here are dopplegangers to show that!" Oh, screw off--give me something off-the-wall with these dopplegangers.)

So, again, the school setting, the generic look, the lack of stuff that makes it stand out: that can enhance a message about conformity...but that leads to the marketing: do you risk giving away the ending, which I hope defies that conformity, and breaks that conformity, whether to show something progressive, or to show some worse danger that required this strict adherence, just to appease people who hope we get to see Ohkubo cut loose in visuals? Or do you just trade on name recognition and superficial trademarks like the sharp teeth and pigtails (and really flat facial cheeks and dead eyes and God, I miss the earlier Ohkubo style) and hope that'll be enough to attract viewers?

Again, making the school look so boring can work for your story...but CG animation just makes it look more dead. At least 2D animation, or some more cel shading, could make the school have aesthetics, maybe to sap even more color, enhance the contrast? Or do you want to keep it more and more drab so that what I hope is an explosion of color, whether blood or something else, can make this series stand out? But it doesn't. The director for this series also did the Godzilla anime, and that series excelled visually more due to the 2D designs (even if they were too busy for me, at least they have the best parts of Blue Exorcist), so roping in that director for dull CG is disappointing.

As for your other points:

"At least DWMA was in the US": Which is now made even weirder thanks to the bullshit of Fire Force. Before, those of us in the US had a laugh, as it felt like a perspective from Japan looking at the US, looking at that desert, and finding potential in just making a weird new world here. Fire Force though just has Shinra reboot the world, so we're not even seeing the US as it exists in our world, we're seeing a fantasy of what Shinra imagined, so we don't even get "US but a spin on it," we get "17-year-old who never heard of this place and just makes crap up." It's now absurdity without purpose, as opposed to "Of course Lord Death would base himself out of Nevada, have you seen how fucked up that place is?"

"Okhubo is trapped in writing minors and not moving on to something more complex": He tried with Akitaru (and just buried him into the background, and had him be a creep, encouraging Shinra's pervy qualities in Chapter 0, and [SPOILERS that I can't get into right now]). And he tried with Hibana (...who...I don't know where to start, let this woman date adults, stop having her going after underage Shinra, FFS). It's not as if he can't write adults, but it does feel like he doesn't go to the logical conclusion (really push Spirit to a logical conclusion about his life; stop being coy around Stein and Marie until the end of the manga; try a series that is now about adult-ing, maybe with 20-somethings, something to move forward the art design).

And as for what I brought up earlier: it doesn't make me feel at ease that one of the worst sites on the rightwing is falling in love with this new CG series already. Ohkubo has certainly courted a shitty market online, and it'll only get worse when we get to the Tamaki fight at the end of the Fire Force anime. Like I said, I'm not familiar enough with Toro's philosophy and games and so on, and I hope his work appeals to a wider audience than just the worst people online and that the worst people are just misinterpreting Nier and other work.

And it's not up to Toro or Ohkubo to worry only about the worst people liking their stuff...but if the worst people liked my stuff, and they are misinterpreting my stuff, I would hope I would strive to undo that damage in my next work, not double down. I can only pray somehow Toro isn't going to double-down on some Chapter 113 / Tamaki crap, but I don't get the sense they will based on just this trailer and what little I know of their earlier work.

I can't say I am enthused to see what Ohkubo does next, given how badly his manga wrapped up. At least if he was cutting loose with, as you brought up, cool monsters, bizarre architecture, and graffiti aesthetics, maybe with an older set of characters (20-somethings?), it would stand out differently (the age of the characters) while still giving us what were trademarks to B Ichi, Soul Eater (not as much NOT), and to some extent Fire Force (monsters, architecture, aesthetics).

But this is his life, his income, he's going to do what he wants, I'm not here to determine the trajectory of his career or his oeuvre. I'm just some nostalgic Soul Eater fan (and all the toxicity of nostalgia) who coincidentally thinks Soul Eater is where he may have peaked. But I hope I'm wrong, and that something comes after, because Fire Force is not a great spot to peak in legacy or career output. Fire Force does not feel like his masterpiece, e.g. a reflection on all that came before, all he has learned in artwork and storytelling and characterization, and a synthesis of his philosophy and message (...except, yeah, it kind of is a synthesis of his overall philosophy, and good God, that philosophy is toxic and dangerous and fuck him for it).

[kitchencountertopsinlivoniami]

Top Kitchen Remodeling in West Bloomfield MI Secrets

Our team of top-of-the-range experts on kitchen remodeling in West Bloomfield, MI satisfaction themselves with furnishing custom-made solutions For every homeowner keen on giving their dwelling a clean new degree of favor, dependability, and comfort.

Kmart began remodeling stores to your "Orange" prototype in 2005.[76] In 2006, the typical white and blue inside the stores were transformed to orange and brown, and shelf heights had been decreased to produce better sight lines. The remodeled merchants include an equipment department with Kenmore Appliances and many have hardware departments that provide Craftsman equipment, which ahead of the merger had been special to Sears merchants.

The Wooden framing on the cabinet fronts provides a stunning dimensional facet to this minimalistic kitchen structure. The darkish Wooden frame in opposition to the lighter Wooden cabinet deal gives the cabinets a two-toned glimpse.

The enlarged island now capabilities open up shelves on one close that retail outlet and Screen serving items. New appliances, a customized-crafted array hood, plus a crisp white and gray color plan modernize the Place.

Possibly, the easiest strategy To do that is to decide if the pros surpass the cons. In regards to cooking spot renovation and home worths, you might find out that, in lots of circumstances, a household's worth increases that have a remodeling activity, consisting of the kitchen renovating task. An additional Professional to renovating your kitchen is the truth that you will, in essence, be getting a manufacturer-new cooking location. Some house owners decide to just redesign a little bit part of their kitchen, Other people go ideal out and redesign their entire factor. Irrespective of whether you choose to simply adjust your cooking area countertops and cupboards, or alter your kitchen counters, cupboards, sink, oven, floor tiles, and wall paint, You will find a great option that your cooking space may appear whether it is an entire, fresh cooking area. When you need to repair service a couple of repair service functions, you could potentially swiftly renovate just a portion of your kitchen place, but if you desire a whole brand-new visual appeal, you may redesign your overall kitchen region; the choice is yours to make.

the point, usually, all you call for is a method as well as a set of directions to follow and you simply must be great to go. You could need to location much more of a deal with redecorating if Here is the scenario. Simply by changing your kitchen area drapes, changing some of your respective kitchen property appliances, and even altering your cooking area towel topic, you would possibly receive the brand name-new kitchen region think that you were being attempted to find. Although it might not be exactly what you experienced hoped for, it truly is an alternative that could merely give you Anything you call for. Possibly, probably the most website apparent approach to conserving hard cash, In regards to remodeling your kitchen, is picking whether or not your kitchen involves being renovated. As a dwelling proprietor, you've got every ideal to remodel your kitchen, if you'd like to achieve this; however, if dollars are restricted it might be an incredible notion to reconsider your final decision, at the very least up until your financial outlook enhances. After your kitchen cupboards happen to be improved and you've got additional hard cash for renovation, you might like to move on to the following remodeling endeavor, condition-changing The sunshine fixtures inside your kitchen space. Together with the resources wanted, you could likewise have the option to discover the materials or products that you would like, including kitchen area sinks, kitchen sink pipelines, kitchen spot flooring tiles, in addition to cooking place mild fixtures. Basically, by changing your kitchen area curtains, transforming a few of your cooking place appliances, and even altering your kitchen towel topic, you may have the brand name-new kitchen thing that you had been on the lookout for.

Should you be seriously thinking of undertaking a cooking place renovation, let's acquire a look at a lot of the aspects you must goal for.

Open up cabinets and changed one block of cabinets to strengthen the airy seem. Graphic porcelain ground tiles increase a bold punch of pattern, whilst upgraded appliances and butcher-block countertops round out the kitchen makeover.

Timeless finishes outfit the classic-design and style kitchen, such as a subway tile backsplash and crisp white cabinetry.

Kitchen structure guide Our specialist design marketing consultant will provide the showroom for you. You’ll receive our greatest suggestions, view samples from the convenience of your home, and opt for the options you love.

Below, Hannah and Tyler have extra ground-to-ceiling black slab cabinetry for just a modern glimpse which makes this bright space feel bigger.

Multi-Home Remodel Enclosing doorway walls with siding in Florida room in the back of the home. Set up two scaled-down sliding Home windows on the edges and sliding doorways during the back with siding surrounding it.

The kitchen Of this charming Cape Cod dwelling needed lots of performance, but that didn't scare off the Do-it-yourself-savvy homeowners. To make a Place substantial more than enough for or her spouse and children, they knocked down the wall between the dining room and kitchen.

Such as, In case you are prepared to invest as much as $15,000, you can entire a more primary renovation. To keep your charges as low as you can, you'll probably have to do much of the work by yourself, using the services of experts for all specialties to get the job done. Also, try to get products yourself and also have the House thoroughly clean and prepared for setting up.