#but the dialog they give the white characters is just. so bad

[clamorybus]

every time a white man talks on yellowstone its just like. shut the fuck up

[perfectprofessorloverapricot]

•| A not so stolen youth |•

Stranger things / Chapter 1

Summary: Everything in life seemed limited to walls of whites and rainbows. Caged within the confines of the lab. But an accident that involved a group of teenagers and the upside down world finally let him free. In a funny turn of events he found himself hiding in a step sibling's shed. A redhead that loves video games and a blond that spends his time making sure to keep his good looks.

Character: Male child OC

Warnings: Possible to descriptive scenes, child abuse, use of drugs and bad language.

A/N: I ask you to take into account that I lack experience writing in English and there'll be some grammatical mistakes because my native language is Spanish.

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“What does it say here?” Sounded the voice of the teenage redhead in the shed. She pointed to one of the dialog bubbles in the comic.

Thirteen tilted his head in a vain attempt to read better. The comic was in his own hands and moving it wasn’t as helpful as he thought. “Mmm… final… v… victory?” He stutter. He felt he chest warm when he saw the look of pride in Max face while she nodded.

“Yeah. You’re getting better.” She said excitedly. A big smile was formed in the kids face.

It’s been two weeks since they met. And everything’s going good so far.

The day after Max let him stay, with the condition of being careful no to be seen, she went to check on him only to have heart attack when she didn’t find him.

The blankets she gave him were folded and there was no trace of him.

She spent the whole morning of school wondering where he could have gone. It’s not like she paid attention to the classes before.

And after an uncomfortable ride home with her stepbrother she went straight to the shed getting an insult of how weird she was behaving from the blond and disappointment from finding nothing.

She stayed on her room thinking the few things she knew about him while her brother worked out in the living room. She thought about the limited vocabulary of the kid and that she had to read the comics she showed him because he couldn’t.

There were no visible signs of physical abuse but she got a glimpse of a tattoo in his left wrist when he rubbed his eyes after yawning.

The kid is only ten, what kind of tattoo would a kid his age want?

He is dirty and his clothe doesn’t fit him, obviously not his. But still, none of it gives her a hint from where he comes from or how to find him.

She didn’t even know why she wanted to finde him so bad. Or more like, she pretended not to know.

She’s always thought of herself as independent, which was accurate for the most part, but didn’t mean she liked being alone.

Before moving to Hawkins, in California, she made her life outside of the awkward environment of her house. She spent most of her time with her two best friends and going to her biological fathers house. Even when her mother met Neil and his son, she did it.

But now, she is stuck in a place she doesn’t know with her awkwardly nervous mother, an asshole who controls the house and everyone in it and calls himself her father just to have an excuse to “educate” her and a stepbrother that gives cero shit about her.

The kid was like her hope for something better. His innocent soul hasn’t been taught how to be an though (asshole) to confront the live out there. He was a little piece of the remaining good things of the world.

Fortunately, before she could exit and give her stepbrother an excuse to leave the house she was startled out of her thoughts by a knock on her window.

There he was peeking over the edge of the window and lifting a hand with three bags of chips to share with her.

Since then it became a routine that they manage to hold for a week. While Max goes to school and avoids as much interaction with her current family as she could, thirteen sneaks out to explore more. He already knows most of the place like the back of his hands but he still finds interesting the things that people do, even tho he is to scared to get close.

Those are the moments too bitersweet to him. He loves watching others have fun and imagine himself enjoying with them, having a life where he didn’t have to keep hiding, but before he can get a step closer to the kids in the park the fear of returning to the lab and being punished for leaving in the first place stops him.

That’s why he always goes back to the shed. To a place where he knows he is not alone anymore. At least the fear of being found didn’t bother him for the first week, but at the beginning of the second something that neither he or Max could have thought happened.

It was a normal day for them until the girl came back from school and went to her room like usual. But her heart fell once she saw Billy walking out of the house with a grey tank top and a pair of shorts he only uses when he knows his going to get dirty. Which means he is going thinker with his car, which means, he needs his tolls that are in the shed.

She took a shortcut jumping through her window. She run to catch her stepbrother and walked as normal as posible beside him.

“What are you doing?” She asked, trying to act normal.

He threw her a a momentary look, easily realizing her act. “To mind my business.” He answers bluntly.

She put herself in front of him walking backwards, only making the situation even weirder to Billy. “Don’t you have a date? With the… that blonde girl. What was her name?” She tried to remember almost stumbling with a rock.

Billy rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I don’t know and I don’t care. That was yesterday. Now move.” He pushed her effortlessly to the side once they reached the shed.

Max almost face planted in the floor but that wasn’t her priority. She turned to Billy only to witness him stop in his place with the door open.

“What the fuck?” He mumbled.

Max rammed her body against the door and closed it staying between it and her stepbrother. “It’s not what it looks like.” She defended.

Billy rose a brown in incredulity. “Really? Because it looks like you’re keeping a stray in Neil’s shed.”

“He’s not a dog, he’s a kid.” She defended, actually offended. “A really scared kid.”

“And I don’t give a shit. You’ve been keeping him there in a shed that doesn’t belong to you.” Max knew that what he said was true, but she couldn’t let him to his own with the possibility of returning to an abusive home. “What could a kid of his age be scared of? A monster under his bed?” He shook his head. It was ridiculous. “He needs to go.” He said with finality.

Max pressed her back even harder against the door and shook her head.

Billy got closer to her, using his height to tower over her in an intimidating way. “Get him out before Neil finds out or I’ll do it.” He threatened in a gruff voice.

Max genuinely felt scared. She knew what he was capable of, but she bets that the kid is even more scared than she is right now. And she was right, the boy was shaking inside the shed, hugging to his chest one of the comics Max left for him. His favorite comics. One of x-men’s.

“No.” She said with all the confidence she could in front of her intimidating brother.

The blond grabbed her arm in a painfully strong grip and dragged her a few steps away from the shed before throwing her, ignoring her yelp when she fell on her side. “Then I’m gonna get rid of the scaredy cat myself.” He conclude walking with heavy steps towards the shed.

Max panicked. She let out something that she knew could affect him. “He’s scared of his father, okay?” She screamed.

She felt a small relief when Billy stopped in his actions with his hand in the door’s handle.

His hesitation brought some confidence to the girl. “He hurts him.” She explained in hopes of changing his mindset. “I’m not asking you to take care of him. Just don’t tell anyone. You won’t even notice he is here.” She pleaded a little calmer now but still seating in the floor. “You won’t even notice he is here.” She repeated in a soft voice.

Billy bit the inside of his cheek in thought. He doesn't know how long the kid’s been there but if it weren't for the fact that he personally went to the shed he wouldn't know of his existence.

Almost reluctantly, Billy opened the shed again. He stayed in his place but he took his time to actually take a look at the kid. Scared and dirty, the boy stayed in the very back of the wooden place, shaking. Those blue innocent eyes were looking at him, waiting for the worst.

For a second, a small flash, he saw himself in the boy. When he was recently abandoned by his mother and left with his abusive father. He moved slowly to one of the shelves close to the door to grab the box of tools, keeping an eye on the kid.

Once he was out he looked at the surprised redhead in the floor as he closed the door behind him.

He stepped in front of his sister with his always present frown in his face. “If Neil finds out I let you hide a kid in the shed I’m gonna drag you under the bus with me. Do you understand?” He concluded.

Max was stunned for a few seconds but nodded slowly.

Billy scoffed, proceeding with his plans on tinkering in his car but made a las comment. “And wash that filthy kid. His gonna become a charcoal by the weekend.”

Max blinked a few times. She sat there for a moment, processing what just happened until she heard the door creaked open and a pair of eyes accompanied by a dirty fur (at least that’s what it looks like) peeked out of the place. She gave him a toothed smile that soon became a laugh that turned into a cackle that had her almost rolling on the floor.

The boy came out of the shed smiling, visibly confused but smiling. If Max was happy that means good news.

And it did.

Now that she didn’t have to actually hide the boy it became easier to change places between her room and the shed, they go through her bedroom’s window though.

She did what Billy said. She gave him a bath. She took his clothes and left him in his underwear covering it with a towel and sat him in the bathtub. She was horrified when the water changed color almost instantly and she had to change it for more clean water.

She knew he got dirty through the week but not that much.

She was surprised once again when she gave him the bottle of her brother’s shampoo and he only looked at it in wonder.

The kid didn’t know how to use a shampoo, much less the conditioner. He now has hair long enough to go a little below his ears when wet but that’s new to him, he’s always had a buzz cut since he was a kid. He never needed anything more than soap for his whole body, like the rest of the kids in the lab.

Knowing the kid was never taught how to use a shampoo put another knot in Max’s heart. Through how much has the kid gone?

She end up teaching him how to use the shampoo and conditioner. He needed a little help to get some knots out of his hair but it was easy.

Surprise surprise. Under those old rags and all the dirt was a beautiful kid with light brown hair. It was formerly a way darker color.

Even Billy who was just on his way to his room did a doble take to the boy standing patiently in the hall. He scoffed and continued on his way. Who could have thought?

Meanwhile Max was practically buried in the main closet of the house, it was more like a storage room with all the unpacked boxes, looking for clothe that would fit him. More specifically, clothes her stepbrother used, but there was nothing. She already looked for in the unpacked boxes around the house and the closet was her last option.

She debated if she should ask Billy personally. It wasn’t the best of her ideas but it was the only one. The probability of Billy slamming the door in her face where high.

She sigh. It was her only option for now.

Reluctantly, she made her way to her stepbrothers bedroom where he was gathering clean clothes to take to the bathroom. His towel was already in his shoulder.

She knocked on the doorframe a little shy.

“What?” He grumbled without looking at her.

“Can you lend me some of your old clothes. The kid doesn’t have any.” She said in a small voice.

He huffed as he grabbed a blue tank top from his closet. “Why is that my problem? He should have thought about it before running away.” He said in a low voice with a hint of annoyance.

“Come on Billy. You can’t let him freeze to death in the autumn weather. Winter is already close.” She answered with a little bit of annoyance in her own voice.

Billy slammed the door of his closet shut and turned to Max. He already had what he needed. He pointed at her with his free hand. “You said he isn’t my problem and I wouldn’t even notice him. This doesn’t seem like it.” He had a point. “Give him some of your old clothes.” He recommended walking to the door. “You dress like a boy anyway.” He insult on his way out, bumping with Max’s shoulder on purpose.

Thirteen, still in the hallway, looked at Billy in curiosity when he walked by him, even when the teenage was obviously ignoring his presence.

Max huffed at him. Well she didn’t have that much expectations in him anyway.

She guided Thirteen back to her room and sat him down on her bed.

She looked for her own old clothes through the many unpacked boxes in her room, grumbling every time something fell out of the boxes for the lack of space needed.

It took a long time but finally, she found her clothes. she organized it into tree divisions. The too small for the 10 year old kid, the clothes that fits and the clothes that will fit. All of that, after selecting the ones that looked boyish.

By the end of it thirteen already had his hair sticking out in every direction, full of static. He put on and took off everything to measure.

While they were both doing their own things, Billy was back in his room. He discarded the dirty clothes in the laundry basket and dried his hair with harsh movements of the towel. Once satisfied he threw the towel to wherever the hell it flew, he just wanted to fall on his bed and blast some music, but he was stopped when he heard a commotion at the feet of his bed.

He huffed. The towel fell on top a stack of books placed on an unpacked box and caused everything to fall.

He grabbed the towel with annoyance only to freeze when he saw the box slightly opened. The item wasn’t hidden but wasn’t visible either from the door, that’s why Max didn’t see it when she came to ask. The light left a cloth visible inside the box. The box was filled with the clothes Max was looking for and some other things of his childhood.

Memories of the few good times. When his mother was still with him and he was happy.

He hasn’t been able to get rid of the things. To sentimental. But he doesn’t want to be reminded of the past and keeps everything hidden. Just like his feelings.

Agitated, Billy grabbed the box of things, slammed his closet’s door open, threw the box inside and slammed it back shut. He walked to his nightstand and grabbed the box of cigarettes. He lighted one up with hands trembling in bottled fury and disgust towards himself and the world.

The relief of breathing nicotine and filling his lungs with the smoke was almost instant. He held his breath for a few seconds, calming himself first then letting it out just like the bad feelings.

The past is in the past, he cannot be weak anymore. He doesn’t have that chance.

To drown every remaining of that bad taste in his mouth he blasted his noisy music so loud that he couldn’t hear his own thoughts anymore.

Thirteen, still in Max’s room frowned when the music reached his ears. Billy’s door was close and so was Max’s, yet, he could still hear the music very clear. He didn’t like how it sounds.

A little thing he hasn’t told Max yet is one of his rare capabilities. Everyone in the lab new it was a possibility to gain enhanced senses once some of the kids started showing signs of it. More specifically, hearing and smell.

Whatever they did to expand the limits of their minds also better enabled the senses limited by mental capacity.

9 of the 15 kids they had developed the enhanced senses along with telepathy and psychokinetic powers. Thirteen was one of them. He only got the hearing though.

But he never got to interact enough with them because he was separated from the rest of the kids when his father found out he was a late bloomer. He was left in isolation for many hours with the excuse that it was to help him concentrate. He was raised in the east side of the lab while the rest were held in the west.

But still, he ended up better than his father ever anticipated and now he has some resemblance of freedom.

Uncomfortable with the music rumbling in his head he rubbed his ears for a moment. The security alarms in the lab were still worse so it wasn’t that much of a problem.

“Here” cheered Max grabbing jeans, a pair of socks, a navy-blue t-shirt with long sleeves and a red hoodie that has less color than when it was new for the many times it’s been washed.

Happy to cover his chilling skinny body he quickly put on the clothes. Max helped him when he managed to get his head stuck in one of the long sleeves.

At last, when he was done, he had a big innocent smile in his face that was reflected in Max’s own. The clothes fitted perfectly.

“Looking good, uh?” she said rising and lowering her eyebrows consecutively. The smile in the boy’s face widened with joy. “Now you can blend in with the others if you need.” Thirteen nodded in agreement. “Wanna read a comic now?” She asked, getting another nod as an answer.

“Magneto?” asked the boy in hope.

Max laughed a little, already grabbing an x-men comic. She knows that the boy’s favorite character is Magneto. She doesn’t know why but she likes how he thinks outside of the box. Most of the kids like a hero, but Thirteen likes a villain, just like she likes monsters. In some way, they are similar.

That’s how the first two weeks of knowing the stepsiblings went. Enjoying a little bit of liberty and not lonely anymore.

But Halloween is close, and so are other things in the dark he thought he would never see again.

Fortunately, this time he won’t be alone.

What do you think?

Any comment or constructive criticism are appreciated.

[how-very-salty]

How do I make my characters have more depth or like a spark yk? How do I make them feel alive and like actual people. (Also I need general tips on writing please)

Hi…I'll try to give some advice, although I don't think I'm that skilled at it :3

Always read your writing out loud, especially dialog. With intonation, as if you were an actor.This will help you see the mistakes and correct them.

Characters shouldn't have only black and white sides. People are usually gray and often very contradictory. For example, the way I write Ronnie in one of the fics. Outer layer: On the outside, she seems very confident. Flirts a lot, knows how to keep a face. Inner layer: She is vulnerable and dependent on other people's opinions. She needs approval. Digging deeper: Veronica believes that she's actually a good person and that she's just underestimated. So she tries to live up to her self-image, but… And a little deeper: …but she fails, and this striving drains her. Her parents loved her, but expressed love only as a reward. She never received unconditional love, it always seemed to her that she had to work hard to get it. And this is where you get motivation that you can use later. Of course, you don't have to say it directly, but leave clues: the resentment of being underestimated, the feeling of butterflies in her stomach when JD taked her side without question or reproach. Motivation is important. It may not be shown, it may not be mentioned, but the most important thing is to know it when you write. That way, the character's actions will be smooth and believable.

Accidents happen, impulsive decisions are made. If you want a character to suddenly decide to do something out of character, why not? Just lead up to it. Add fatigue from routine, thoughts of "I'm tired of thinking things through," and so on. And then the reader will believe that this is not a god from the machine, and that the character has just gone over the edge.

You have to play "yes, but" with the characters. For example, there is Martha. Martha is kind and naive. She's naive. Yes, but naivety is a childish trait. With naivety often comes selfishness, not from evil, but from a black-and-white view of the world. Even if you look at the canon, Martha didn't really think about Veronica's feelings when she suggested going into her boyfriend's locker, or when she assumed he was a murderer. It didn't occur to her that if Veronica hadn't known it was really him, she would have been hurt by the situation. That she would have had to choose between an old friend and love. Or no longer about canon, but about fanon. Martha is kind - what dark side could there be? Simple, she is good, but her goodness can be suffocating. Veronica is sarcastic by nature, she has an innate adaptability, black humor and gray morals. And she can feel bad around Martha, not just because she compares herself to her, but because Martha, for all her goodness, may not accept all of Veronica's darker sides. And Veronica will have to work harder to hide her bad sides and earn Martha's friendship. Which brings us back to Veronica's inner conflict.

Well, probably the last thing on my mind is rereading and correcting it until it comes together in the right way. Sometimes you've already written a chapter, and you reread earlier chapters and see that there was a situation that could be the reason for the characters' actions now. Because you have the motivation in your head, all the events follow each other, even if you didn't think them through. They just fit into that character's vision. And rereading helps to connect and flesh that out, to make the story even more coherent.

I hope I've been helpful. Have a good day!

[imfagentsworld]

The following contains spoilers of Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning part one, you have been warned.

Goodbye Mission Impossible series. Goodbye IMF team.

When I watched Dead Reckoning Part One, I was heartbroken, angry, and confused. Now a few days later, I don't have any of the above emotions, I only have infinite disappointment and feeling sorry for them, for this great series, for a group of actors who are one of the best in the world, and for those brilliant characters that the audience loves dearly.

I feel so fucking insane, How did this even occur? What the actual fuck are you doing? McQ? You're telling me this is what we've been waiting five years for?

Where is the man who can write a script with a well-conceived, plausible plot that resonates with audiences and makes them want to walk into the theater again and again? (All the people around me are saying they won't watch it again because it's heartbreaking and overlong. Box office receipts won't be low because of the dazzling stunts that will seal the mouths of people who want to give it bad reviews.)

What about not weakening one character for the sake of highlighting another?

(You mean the White Widow who became retarded to set up Grace's awesomeness? Or Ilsa, who ridiculously sacrificed her life to put Grace on the throne? The White Widow is a ruthless, highly intelligent arms dealer who trust no one. And she just casually enters a compartment with no private security. Have you forgotten how great a fighter she was in the Grand Palais in Paris? And she was instantly overpowered by a petty thief with absolutely no training. Ha, just like that. Oh, and we should thank you for interspersing a couple of giddy, goofy scenes of her, that worked. She does looked retarded and weak.

Ilsa, a world-class top agent who can kill men much stronger than her with her bare hands, who can kill Bone Doctor with a knife and beat Solomon Lane even if she's tied to a chair at first.

She's holding a sword. Using a long weapon against Gabriel's short blade. Do you have any common sense in weapons melee combat? Ilsa can cut him to pieces. But hey, don't worry, let's make Ilsa drop the long sword and spin around a couple times to get stabbed to death by Gabriel. Omg it's so smart. I don't care if Ilsa faked her death or will come back to life in MI8, you've already ruined everything.)

What about "story is king"?

（The whole movie revolves around the queen Grace and various stunts, plus the concept of AI ruling human society, and a few dry laughs. At nearly 3 hours long, it doesn't tell the story well. All the wonderful characters are completely instrumentalized. Large stretches of unnecessary dialog and stunts for the sake of stunts make the movie worse.）

Rebecca and Vanessa please don't return for the next movie, I'm shocked how you even agreed to come back to MI7? It seems like you guys think like us that they won't mess it up haphazardly. You guys exist to set someone up for greatness and your characters have been ruined. So go to a movie crew that actually values you and go work happily in a toxin free environment. I'd rather Fallout be the last in the whole series. I refuse to accept everything shown in Dead Reckoning.

You have failed to live up to the legacy and reputation that the great directors, thousands of cast and crew members have built for the series over the years. You have failed to live up to the expectations of all the IMF fans and viewers around the world. You have ruined the good characters and outstanding results you created before. You killed Ilsa and the love for this movie series in the hearts of countless audiences. That's a crime.

I wonder who will take the blame, the unknown and unrepresented Eric the old man? Or you, the man who built and destroyed everything? The cinema is dead, the last worth waiting for series is gone, and maybe that's the worst thing in this industry. Goodbye mission impossible, goodbye IMF team. When we started this journey, no one would have thought it would end this way.

[abnerkrill]

And with my last film watched, it’s Venice roundup time babey! may contain mild spoilers but I keep it vague. from worst to best! featuring a somewhat arbitrary rating scale because the big screen festival ambience obliterates my objectivity.

[please note that I did not attend blonde, the son, or white noise so I have no opinions on those.]

I give 1.5 stars to CHIARA, an Italian biopic about St. Clare of Assisi. There are fragments of a great film in here and some surprisingly hella cool musical sequences, but also some laughably bad shots and cringe-fail dialog. I mostly felt disrespected by its approach to history: why oh why are we turning 13th century saints into girlbosses?

I give 2 stars to the short HOUSE COMES WITH A BIRD, which is oh so beautiful but extremely dumb. Feels like an advertisement—and that’s because it is! Made for Miu Miu. I am begging Pedro Pascal to let me choose his projects for him from now on.

I give 2.25 stars to DON’T WORRY DARLING. Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, Kiki Layne, costumes, production, cinematography, and score are top-notch. However, Pine, Chan, and Layne are hilariously underutilized. The script sucks ass and the sci-fi twist is so riddled with plot holes it instantly sinks. And Harry Styles is bad in this, folks. Get that man an acting coach—or far away from film sets.

I give 2.5 stars to MONICA, a family drama about a trans woman who returns home to care for her ailing mother. Gorgeously shot with a star turn from Trace Lysette, but frustratingly empty, slow, and ultimately somewhat hollow.

I give 2.85 stars to POUR LA FRANCE, a family drama about immigrant identity, patriotism, and regret. The weakest of the “Sad French films about brotherhood” trilogy from Venice (also including ATHENA and LES MIENS.) Felt like it could’ve used some restraint and cutting—it lags and continues where it ought to pull back and stop.

I give 3 stars to LETTER TO MY MOTHER FOR MY SON, another short I thought was touching but leans too advertisement-esque at times. If Miu Miu et al insist on funding films (good) they could at least refrain from having all their films double as branding exercises (bad.)

I give 3.5 stars to DEAD FOR A DOLLAR, a fun Western that literally made me go 🤔 in the theater when Rachel Brosnahan’s character refers to a Black man as a “man of color.” Like, what? This isn’t the 21st century, babes. Waltz and Dafoe seem a little confounded at times, torn between playing this as a Fun Cowboy Yarn or a Serious Morality Tale. Also, the color grading is way too fucking orange. Take it easy on the Instagram filters, I am begging you.

I give 3.75 stars to KHERS NIST (NO BEARS), a relatively short and sweet punch in the face about the hubris of filmmaking. It does what it does very well, but I couldn’t help but feel like its own layers of artifice hinder it from full effectiveness.

I give 3.85 stars to THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN, which maybe deserves a higher objective score but which I simply do not vibe with. I just wanted to shake the characters and tell them to get over themselves :( It’s such a beautiful film though, and these actors do not miss. I’m in love with Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan. Also, slight criticism over the shooting of the violin playing: Gleeson clearly can play, but not all the shots line up, which is just such an easy fix and so frustrating to musicians in the audience.

I give 3.9 stars to BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS, the tantalizingly divisive surrealist film from Iñárritu that will spark delicious Film Twitter Discourse for months to come. There are episodes in this long, winding tale that made me weep, and there are some that made me cringe in horror, and some that made me go :o dang I didn’t know he was allowed to go there. The long-awaited final scenes of this 3-hour film reward your patience, if you allow it to unfold in its own time. An epic, and a weird one. If you can stomach it, it will amaze.

I give 4 stars to TÁR, thee Cate Blanchett film that will surely get her an Oscar nom. Someone on Twitter called it “more of a full-body possession than a performance” and honestly that description kinda slaps so I’ll repeat it here. I’m really glad this film pulls no punches but I also cringe to think about the ways it’ll be misinterpreted. My complaints are limited to how Lydia Tár acts as a symphony orchestra conductor, with so many dick moves that surely the orchestra members would’ve revolted by now. Final note: I’m so glad we have representation for women who are shitty husbands :’)

I give 4.1 stars to L’IMMENSITÁ, a film that ostensibly stars Penélope Cruz but is actually about her trans son Andrew played so, so well by Luana Giuliani. The bittersweet coming-of-age scenes strike true and the musical sequences are transcendent. Prepare the tissues.

I give 4.1 stars to LES MIENS (OUR TIES), the next-best sad French film about brotherhood. This is a stellar family drama, at times hopeful and gently tragic, but always tender. Wonderful film—could’ve easily turned tacky and overly sentimental, but balances it all well.

I give 4.2 stars to THE WHALE, the film I thought I’d hate but reluctantly love! The fatsuit is problematic and there are indeed elements of framing his eating disorder as something horrific or grotesque, but overall the film treats Charlie (Fraser) with compassion and dignity, and he’s a well-written, fully-realized character. The real standouts are Sadie Sink as his daughter and Hong Chau as his friend and caregiver. They are both so incredibly good that I already weep at the fact that they can’t both win best supporting actress at every awards show ever. Also deals with religious trauma surprisingly well—a huge surprise considering I usually dislike Aronofsky.

I give 4.3 stars to BLUE JEAN, which I thought was another short with the Miu Miu project until it actually played and it’s a full-on feature 😭 This is the lesbian movie I really wish I’d had earlier in my personal journey. It’s open and raw, but insists on compassion when considering the perceived failures of closeted or non-activist queer people in the 80s. This film was made by queer women and it shows. Watch it!

I give 4.3 stars to MASTER GARDENER, an imperfect film I will gleefully defend. Hit me up if you hate it—most people do! I repeat as always that Paul Schrader is really just making different versions of the same film over and over again, so if you don’t like Schrader you won’t like this, but if you do like Schrader you’ll like this. Thorny, stilted, gloriously particular, this is Paul Schrader at peak Paul Schrader. I have never been so in love with Joel Edgerton, and Quintessa Swindell is my personal breakout star of Venice.

I give 4.4 stars to SAINT OMER, the French feminist take on Medea that I loved so very much. You can tell that director Alice Diop is a documentary filmmaker because it often feels documentary-like, which is absolutely a strength here. Quiet and gripping, a must-see for the classics intertextuality girlies.

I give 4.5 stars to BONES AND ALL. I love this film to bits and I sense it will affect my thinking and my storytelling impulses for a long, long time. A road trip, a coming-of-age film, a gory cannibalism film, an indictment, a poem, a love letter. Might have turned me into a real Timothee Chalamet fan when I was always somewhat neutral about him before. Taylor Russell is magnificent. This films says to love and be loved is to feed and be fed, and IT’S RIGHT.

Finally, I give a whopping 5 stars to ATHENA, which someone on Twitter called “Mad Max on the streets of Paris,” if that gives you a sense of the vibe. This is the film of the fucking year and believe you me they’re going to name some other film Best Picture at the awards shows but they will be wrong, I say. THEY WILL ALL BE WRONG. I am begging you to watch it on the biggest screen possible; it also releases on Netflix later this year. Breathtakingly original, vibrant, dynamic, violent filmmaking at its finest. We will all soon be in love with Sami Slimane’s Karim—especially Enjolras girls, calling it now. It’s the revolutionary leader vibes which honestly is all I ever wanted. It’s the love and tragedy and grief and brotherhood of it all. In conclusion:

Thanks for coming to my Ted talk, now go set an alert for ATHENA’s release date and do come bother me with ultra-specific questions about any and all films.

[quidcumque]

GRAVEYARD KEEPER: FIRST THOUGHTS

I heard it compared to Stardew Valley and aside from the silly title screen, it's definitely visually there. Play through? There are a hell of a lot of cons, but they won't keep me from playing it

Con: no character customization, no choices at all. You ARE a heterosexual white male-presenting protagonist with a female-presenting white sweetheart. Any headcannon re either of you being 🏳️‍⚧️ remains headcannon

Hilarious: you are reading a text from your sweetheart when crossing a road and you get hit by a car. Keep track of your surroundings, kids

Con: the dialog writing starts out real clumsy. You do eventually get choices, but I prefer how SV makes you the strong silent type when you're not actively involved

WHICH REMINDS ME, CON: don't let the dialog bubbles cycle on their own without me clicking??? I missed so much unretrievable info because I was mulling over the first half smh

Plot: she swallowed the dog to catch the cat, she swallowed the cat to catch the bird, she swallowed the bird to catch the spider, she swallowed the spider to catch the fly. I don't know why she swallowed the fly, maybe she died crossing the street and woke up in a shitty little medieval FLAT EARTHER village and she has to rube goldburg her way to and through a magic portal to get back to her sweetheart. Or something.

Pro: I don't play rpgs much so while I don't prefer this style over sv's do-whatever-and-you'll-suck-less-as-you-go gameplay, it's pretty awesome in and off itself BECAUSE it's so different. It also contributes heavily to the swallowed-the-spider-to-catch-the-fly effect because it's got EIGHT TABS OF TECH TREES and I started drawing graphs

Pro: you're on a derelict homestead/graveyard with a familiar need to clear rocks/trees/stuff and bring the area back to life. BUT doing things gives you different xp/knowledge points which is how you advance on the tech trees, so it's different from just a carbon copy SV feel

Con: Jesús Christ you can tell this was made by a dude. So was SV, but where it had nearly equal gender ratios (plus the aforementioned character choices), I've seen... not very many women thus far, and what we get is not exactly impressive. I have no problems with "ms charm" telling me to fuck off until I deserved to talk to her, as half the men I met said the same. But I've met two wives thus far, and uhhhhhhhhhhh one is straight up called sweet but stupid in her bio and the other opens EVERY SINGLE DIALOG with "you should talk to my husband, he's in charge" like jfc lady you're the one I need for recipes, calm down? Does he beat you? What the hell?

Con: let's set aside that I'm pretty sure the "medieval idiots thought world flat" thing has been debunked, because I found info but it didn't have good citations. Also maybe we're going for parody over historically accurate, fine whatever. But whyyyyyyyyyy do you have a guy named "G*psy Traveler" like I know I have an inflated sense of how widely it's known that that's a slur, but it on top of the flat earth thing and the WOW that's bad female-or-anything representation, it builds an image of the creator/creators as the really stereotypical basement dwelling head-up-ass dudes who have never ever looked outside their zone and never ever want to

Pro: like two steps into the tutorial you're slapped in the face with Soilent Green is People and you just live with that

Hilarious: I can tell when I have a first conversation with somebody I was supposed to have met already, because my pre-scripted side of the conversation suddenly backslides in terms of my acceptance of the situation

Pro: time is an illusion and represented only by the cycle of emoji-labeled days. Weeks are not counted, so I legitimately have no clue how many "weeks" I went through last night

Unsure??? I don't know how much I'm going to have to drink the church koolaid to progress? I saw an indication up the tech tree that suggested my good/evil choices MIGHT matter, but I've got no idea how. I told the inquisitor who'd just BURNED A PEOPLE ALIVE IN FRONT OF ME that sure I'd be his friend, and I don't know if the game allows for that to have been a choice made out of the fear that I'd be burned next if I said no

Pro: I still want to play it. The myriad cons will influence how I talk about it to my friends, but it's still giving me dopamine, and that's good enough

[basuralindo]

tell me about your baldur's gate favs ill definitely not ask my sister about it and judge you :)

(jk but go off)

gjsjshdshf I will go off thank you (also I haven't gotten past the first stage yet but I've collected all the main cast so far, so, have your sister take that into account I guess)

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most): This is so hard to choose! Like genuinely I just can't. My top guys are Karlach, Lae'zel, Astarion, Wyll, and Gale. It's most of the cast.

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped): Karlach! She so goddamn cute, and so fun. I know everything ever calls her a ball of sunshine, but they're all correct. She's peak himbo energy in a woman and so much more. If you leave her idle she starts dancing. I wanna buy her icecream.

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave): Wyyyyylllll. He was a little boring at first just for being so noble with no obvious bastard tendencies, but after having him in my party for a bit I've realized he can be a little shit and I'm so much more attached now. I like that he actually cares and wants to do good, and as always I appreciate when a character has a lot of complications under the surface that are hard to spot immediately. I don't know what his whole deal is yet but I'm intrigued, I'll probably try to romance him in some playthrough. I don't see nearly enough fan content of him and it's a tragedy.

Also Lae'zel fits here I think? She doesn't seem to be as popular and that sucks because I'm obsessed with her. Weirdly enough kinda reminds me of Jamil if he was raised worse and like 80% more unhinged. I love that, despite the outward rabid warrior impression, for her culture she actually seems to be kind of a nerd? Girl read literally an entire library, she's insecure about not being strong enough and failing to live up to expectations, she fantasizes about being accepted by her own people and on some level seems to doubt that it'll happen, it's interesting. She's also hilarious to me, and I enjoy the blatant hostility tbh. Eventually I will convince her to fall in love with at least one of my Tavs, I need to know what she's like when she opens up, if she opens up, and I wanna see what her good end is like

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): My man Withers. Memeable af. I haven't had any use for him so far but I love having him around because he cracks me up.

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave): Let's hear it for white boy of the year, wettest cat, most unfortunate little bastard man with the biggest saddest eyes, and absolutely-totally-not-a-vampire-he-swears-on-his-own-grave: Astarion!! This is not a surprise. Your sister is probably sick of hearing about him. Everyone on the internet is probably sick of hearing about him. Half the fans hate him for reasons that range from fair enough, to homophobic, to entirely fabricated. The other half are completely obsessed with him for reasons that range from fair enough, to fetishistic, to entirely fabricated. I do genuinely feel that he's an incredibly valuable character and gives a level of honest nuance to abuse representation that needed to be shown. I'm glad they chose to portray his bad qualities and keep the good more subtle, he feels real and it's meaningful. He's also really funny and fun to get to know. I started romancing him on accident by trying to banter, and I'm enjoying that route so far. I love how bitchy he is and how hypocritical he ends up being about acts of kindness. I wanna see both his good and bad ends. (also I will never stop laughing at how bad he is at hiding that he's a vampire, like every single step of the way)

Honorable mention to Gale for also portraying a severely under acknowledged form of abuse and trauma! The way he expects and accepts mistreatment, the cruel dialog options that you are offered in response to him, and the reaction of fans who find him obnoxious or cumbersome all work so well to showcase the way society treats both addiction and autism to different degrees? Not to mention the reaction to his grooming, which can get pretty nasty. He's not as entertaining to me as the others, but he's important. I don't have the energy to really elaborate on my thoughts here and I know they're scrambled but yeah, I appreciate Gale.

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason): idk, that one tiefling wizard guy with the shit attitude, I wouldn't wanna be cruel but I'd fuck with him a little just to get his head out of his ass. Also, more maliciously, I'd put Raphael back in the plinko from whence he came.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): The orchestrators of everyone's tragic backstories. Let's be real, who can pick just one?

[tomate-grappe]

Just watched Across the spiderverse

Ok no offense, genuinely I don’t get this, maybe I’m not the intended audience. I love animation, I don’t really care about superheroes but my bf wanted to watch this movie so I agreed. I went with no expectations. I’ll start with the good parts :

- The characters are amazing, I loved most of the storylines individually. I won’t go into details here but I can’t think of one I disliked.

- Animation and art was incredible. Every universe was well-crafted and beautifully animated with a distinctive style. Special mention to the Renaissance monster made of parchment. The action sequences are flawless.

Ok now the bad things :

- There are sooooo many things happening !! We see all these families, all those spiderpersons but we don’t really go deep with any of them. I wish the movie would stop sometimes and give us more time with one character instead of jumping from one to the other. Why didn’t they choose one or two universe and focus on them ?

- Where is the plot ? Is there a plot ? I spent 2/3 of the movie wondering where it went. Seriously what’s the point ? Putting a lot of cool characters does not a coherent plot make. (yes I know there’s a plot but it only unravels in the last part and the rest of the movie seems completely unfocused)

- The animation was good like I said above. But. Does it ever stop ? The Ekko/Jinx fight was so impactful in Arcane because it was one fight ! But in this movie every single scene is filled to the brim with special effects, groundbreaking animation and so on. Yeah you’re able to do that, we get it, no need to put it in every single scene ! Even dialog scenes were so heavily stylized. Imo it cheapens the strong moments. (Yes I loved the pastel palette in Gwen’s world. But do you really need to change it in every shot ? The hug when it all goes white would have been way more impactful if there wasn’t a color change in every single shot before that.)

- No warning for epilepsy. Seriously.

- Maybe only my opinion but the screenplay felt like a videogame to me.

- again maybe only my opinion but too many memes especially in the spider centre (don’t know how to call that). Felt like fan service to me.

TLDR : good parts individually, sum of the parts awful. 2h20 long epilepsy-inducing glorified videogame cinematic that goes nowhere. I genuinely don’t get how it can be called a good movie. (sorry I’m frustrated)

[spikeinthepunch]

made the risky choice of replying to a comment on my yt video in regards to the new buzzo dialog. heres to hope assholes dont arrive. and ill put it here bc i finally decided to write out my actual thoughts on how that conversation could apply in a meta context, as i felt like it was partly meta.

@ultimatecorgi3392 honestly, my interpretation of this rant given feels more like… idk, i dont wanna say a critique/rant at the /fans/ but, more so a mindset or lesson its projecting and it takes a bit of a meta route i to do that. i think its very much an attack on buzzo's character that didnt feel properly concluded, and so an extension of the dialog that didnt happen in the og to do it. i take buddy's rant at buzzo as saying something to someone who has gone so hard into blaming themself that it excuses other people's actions and/or paints a picture about a person they cannot speak for. which of course, thats buzzo here.

the original dialog left buzzo blaming himself for like everything- brad's actions, the joy, etc. he cried about lisa and spoke for her in a way that he felt she would love that world etc even though she is dead and also labelling her as the evil one who made it all happen. and i dont think the original writing was exactly trying to convince the audience that he really is to blame! but i think the pacing and writing on the original just made it bad because it gave no chance for anyone to be like "wtf dude?" in terms of why he even acted like that, cuz thats how i felt about it. like there was nothing at all after he said any of that shit really, and it wasnt good to me bc i felt like someone should have said 'man thats not how that works'. not going and countering buzzo in the og kind of left the idea that it probably was all his fault or that we should be left with the idea that everyone's actions can be brushed off just bc hes crying about himself, and thats that. and again, probably not what the audience should see and im sure many didnt take it like that, but the lack of writing in story wasnt great at sending that message.

but the slightly meta part comes to me as how i saw a lot of people reacting to Joyful too. i dont want to say that the fans or something are 'buzzo' but i feel like the message of not speaking for someone you dont know or dont know enough about is aimed at the audience too-- but also really that dialog of buzzo saying lisa is evil because even though i dont think the og intention was to say that she actually is, i saw a lot of how people's reactions were to believe she really was the evil in the end. the ranting and anger about it is what made it feel a bit meta with its length, and imo the things buddy was criticizing made me feel like it was a counter at the loads of fans back when joyful came out who did a complete 180 to the opinion of lisa suddenly no longer being good bc her being toxic towards buzzo. suddenly black and white, and the lack of dialog on what buzzo said initially really didnt help. thats at least, the first things that came to mind . lisa is a character we dont know everything about either and you can have your opinions that vary from good or bad, but there is a point where you gotta remember these are also characters we cannot speak for, or know everything about in order to form the most perfect opinion. and of course, that buzzo's words were not literally either… leaving the blame on lisa being the one who led buzzo to all this is the wrong view to have. i feel like this was trying to be corrected heavily with the other new content from Painful and Joyful too where there was more put on her. honestly, things that remind you she is a human and not some mysterious force of the narrative.

and of course, many lines that feel like obvious jabs at the writing/continuity itself. like how buzzo is suddenly pathetic and giving up, whether or not his story makes sense, etc. feel blatantly meta too.

and i dont think the entire conversation doesnt work… its just executed in a way that still doesnt help joyful's pacing, sadly :/ and the fact the rant went on for quite a while and started to not feel 100% in character. and well, especially the way buzzo's reaction was way more exaggerated too lol. which definitely made me just think of more like a written 'lol whatever' kinda vibe for that meta feeling. i cant say i hate the intention, if my theory is like. anything correct lmao. i mean even as a meta text alone i agree with what buddy voices- i think it gives at least a little or what i wish the og managed to say before buzzo just died. but it went too meta for it to feel like it was in character still, as is a common complaint of joyful too.

[theeyoungalabastoralt]

FNaF SB x NonBi!Animatronic!Blacklight!Drummer! reader

Beat of Your Own Drum

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5,

ANNOUNCEMENT

Request: no

Warnings: Swearing,

Pronouns: They/ Them

Mainly Mentioned: Reader,

Violet Codes

"Sounds like you and Monty have gotten closer!" An arm is thrown over your shoulders causing a yelp to escape your lips at the sudden weight. Glancing up at the white chicken you gave a soft grin before nodding slightly. "What happened? Because I got yelled at for making a mess in the kitchen that I vividly remember cleaning and the mess in his golf course." She quizzed quirking a thin brow voice laced with an unreadable tone, leaning against your brightly pigmented vanity.

Your eye widened slightly at the mention, ears jerking down slightly as you chuckled nervously, shifting uncomforting in your seat, clinging to the neon pillow that sat on your lap. Mouth opening to speak. "W-Well, I may have made the messes, and I apologize for getting you in trouble Chica, it's just that Montgomery wasn't at the little celebration last night and I felt bad, so I tried bringing him some food last night but it uh- got cold..." You breathed out the last part, vibrant (E/C) orbs shot to the floor, suddenly finding the rather cricked tiles interesting. "And when we talked last night, I brought him back into the kitchen to make more but then I remembered-"

"-He likes it cold" Chica broke in with a knowing nod, the tuffs of feathers atop of her head waving smoothly at the action. "Honestly, I'm surprised he didn't drag you out of his Golf course, that's what he did to Freddy." She chuckled pushing herself from the place she stood her fuchsia hues admired the vibrant room she stood in, beak slightly agape. This being her first time in your room she still could not get over how different it looked compared to the others. "This place is amazing, it's so...-"

"-Bright, I know, it's been giving my programing problems. I wish I knew how to turn the damned black lights off. It's starting to irritate me." You hissed with a strained voice raising a finger to massage your temple with a padded palm, careful not to accidentally chip the paint or even scuff your plush obsidian colored fur. Chica nodded again with a light hum, "Oh, (Y/N)" Chica turned her head to glance at your seated form, pillow now resting behind your head as you observed the ceiling above. Unlike the rest of the room was red with support beams.

Seems like they hadn't finished when I arrived. You dialoged mentally as you reluctantly glanced toward the female standing next to the brightly colored instruments. Chica lifted a gloved finger in thought, seeming to have forgotten what she was about to say. After a moment of silence and groan from the chicken her fingers snapped, cherry hues perking as she nodded to herself leaving you questioning and slightly concerned. "Officer Vanessa wanted to see you before the show today! She said it was something about your entertainment room!"

"Entertainment room?" You questioned lips pulled into a thick line showing that you were clearly clueless as to what she was getting at. Chica nodded with a bubbly giggle. "Yes silly, we all have entertainment rooms! like..." She paused resting her head in her palm before again perking. "Monty has Monty Golf, Freddy has Fazer Blast! And Bonnie has Bonnie bow-" She stopped last word extending on her tongue, cursing mentally she glanced away from your figure as if embarrassed, eyes laced with a familiar emotion.

Resentment.

Irritation sparked through your wires at this realization, why did they have to look at you like that when that character was mentioned? Yes, you knew that Bonnie was once a big part of the band, but it wasn't your fault that he was decommissioned and thrown away. You weren't even thought of when he was scrapped.

A huff left your snout at her wavering gaze before pushing yourself from your spot, no longer finding comfort in the suddenly stiff cushioning. Your gears let out a stiff audible cry in protest as you stood causing the girl to look back at you with apologetic eyes, without a glance you strode towards the door, the ear-piercing sound no longer as noticeable. With a dismissing wave the door opened obediently as you spoke. "Well, I'm going to go and see what she needs, If I'm going to be performing today then I better get going huh?" You spoke blandly stepping out of the room, door slamming closed behind you are leaving the band member behind in silence.

____

"Your leg joints are still a bit tight, so I'm going to have to loosen them." placing the tablet on the desk she turned her head, bonded hair pulled tight into a ponytail, bangs slicked back, a few strands tickling the base of her forehead. Vanessa directed a hand towards the protective cylinder. "You will need to step in here so I can loosen them up, your tablet also says that you need your ear springs adjusted too." She stated with a huff as you trudged stiffly into the cylinder, propping yourself onto the padded stretcher like furniture.

It took a few moments for the blond to enter the cylinder due to typing away at the computer and gathering the things she would need.

It was odd, feeling the joints loosen, and the wires being shifted around so she could reach access to the places needed adjusting. It didn't take as long, that was till she made her way to the ear springs.

Vanessa's lips were pulled into a displeased frown as she tried to reach her lean fingers into the tight space, moving your ear's out of the way before crossing her arms, a low growl leaving her throat. You quirked a brow at the human beside you before your eyes focused on the object in her hand, twirling around her fingers.

A violet disc, spun around her fingers swiftly, giving you only a few moments to catch a glance at the unique design engraved into the plastic covering. The words were scrapped messily on the plastic surface making it almost unreadable and incomprehensible, opening your mouth to speak you hummed.

"What may that be Officer Vanessa?" You puzzled; voice laced with a somewhat unreadable tone. She perked at the sound of your voice breaking her train of thought, she turns the disc around reading the rough surface with a shrug. "It's supposed to be a disc with the new songs you will be playing in your entertainment room for the kids. I can't find your damned import." She grumbled in what seemed to be defeat. You perked at this leaning forwards slightly. There in the little of your back was a port.

"You could have just asked; I know that I am a new piece of equipment and not built like the rest of my band mates." You paused, feeling the warmth of her palm run down your spine, and the said disc slide into its place. You groaned at the searing pain that shot from your wires, surrounding every joint painstakingly. Vanessa glanced at your pained expression with a furrowed brow. "Sorry (Y/N), It's gonna hurt for a bit, your body is trying to read the programing and such. I'll leave you here for a bit, I don't think you should perform today so that you don't play the wrong song." She chuckled dryly turning away from your laying figure. Exiting the cylinder, she nodded to herself leaving you to comprehend the new programing.

Sorry for the short chapter I have been quite tired and lazy lol,

A/U: UNEDITED

[lesvegas]

My Mod List for Fallout: New Vegas

Some months ago, I answered an ask regarding FNV mods I’d recommend. Over the past few months, I’ve tried many more mods since, and have even removed several mods from the original list. I decided to remake the list, both in this post and also in this doc for the sake of documentation.

These are both for my own reference and for anyone who’s looking for mod recommendations. Keep in mind my preferences for mods tend to be smaller-scale, quality of life and immersive mods, and I’m not super into big story mods.

This is a long one, so I’m putting it under a readmore.

You’re gonna wanna start with this mod configuration menu, which helps to manage mods in-game. 

Fixes & Script Extenders

Most of these are necessary for a stable game and for the rest of the mods listed here.

New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE) - You’ll need this for most of these to work at all.

Yukichigai Unofficial Patch (YUP) - A compilation of vital bug fixes with no further additions. Just bug fixes.

Unofficial Patch Plus - A collection of supplementary bug fixes to be used alongside YUP. Includes improved versions of popular NVSE bug fixes.

New Vegas Anti Crash (NVAC) - Says it right there in the name.

JIP LN NVSE Plugin - An extension of NVSE that restores broken features and supplies bug fixes; read through this one before toggling anything.

JohnnyGuitar NVSE - Another NVSE extender.

FNV 4GB Patch - Simple patcher to make Fallout New Vegas 4GB Aware.

Throwable Weapon Fixes - A collection of fixes for throwable weapons and projectiles.

Overhauls

New Vegas Character Expansions (NVCE) - Probably the only character overhaul that just makes everyone look a little less potato without making them look hollow inside. (NOTE: This may make some characters have white faces. If this happens, the fix that worked for me is at the bottom of this post)

Water Overhaul - Overhauls various aspects of water, making radiation-free water more scarce and allowing you to refill bottles anywhere with a water source.

Starting Gear Overhaul - Adjusts the gear you start with to be more sensible and catered to your tagged skills. Recommended using along with JSawyer Ultimate.

Mojave Raiders - Adds more raiders to fight and balances their loot.

Mojave Wildlife - Adds hundreds more levelled, vanilla-friendly creature spawn points throughout the whole Mojave, based off unused vanilla levelled lists.

Mojave Arsenal - Adds ammo variants, reloading parts, and weapon mods as loot; fixes item naming conventions; improves recipes; and adds options for configuring GRA.

The Living Desert - Adds hundreds of NPCs and several scripted events; people patrolling the roads, travelling between towns, occupying locations.

Faction Map Icon Overhaul - Changes faction-related icons on the Pip-Boy map, for example Camp McCarran and the Mojave Outpost’s icons are the two-headed bear, the Fort and Cottonwood Cove are the bull, etc.

Immersion

New Vegas Enhanced Camera - Enables visible body and player shadow in first person, will let you remain in first person when you would otherwise be forced into third person (death/knocked down/etc).

Barton Thorn Acts Normally - Barton Thorn seeks out the player himself to ask for help with the geckos.

Clarity - Removes orange/blue tints.

Harvestable Cave Fungus - Self-explanatory.

Better Pickup Prompt - Makes several improvements to the HUD pickup prompt that appears when you look at an item. (NOTE: This mod has been discontinued, but seems to still work).

Realistic Safehouse Upgrades - Gives every safehouse a workbench, reloading bench, camp fire and more containers to make them feel like home.

Eddie Hears And Explosion - Fixes one of the clunkier moments in the game, near the end of the Powder Ganger questline.

Neck Seam Concealer Necklaces - A wide variety of necklaces that perfectly conceal the seam connecting characters’ heads and torsos. 

Vanilla Hair, No Shine - Makes the default hairstyles have less obnoxious white shine.

Light Step ED-E - This mod gives ED-E the Light Step perk, preventing him from setting off mines and floor traps.

Hi-Res Vanilla Posters and Graffiti - Posters and graffiti have x2 upscaled resolution, with no ugly blurring or sharpening.

Mojave Nights - Mojave Nights combines my Enhanced Night Sky mod with a brand-new, highly detailed moon replacement for complete night-time realism.

Functional Post-Game Ending (FPGE) - Adds a fully functional post-game world to the game, where you will realise the consequences of your choices.

Just Vanilla Sprint (JVS) - A simple vanilla sprint mod. Requires JIP LN Plugin (scroll up to Fixes & Script Extenders).

Animated Maize Fields, Park Equipment, Poseidon Energy Signs (personal fave), Sunset Sarsaparilla Rotary Entrance, Rotating Brahmin Rotisserie, and Foliage. This mod maker has tons of immersive little animation mods; I recommend looking through all of them.

JSawyer Ultimate Edition

JSawyer Ultimate Edition - JSawyer's popular mod, fully re-implemented from the ground up. A ‘meant-to-be’ mod which changes elements of the game to how they should have been from the start.

JSawyer Ultimate Edition Patches - Patches for using several popular mods alongside JSawyer Ultimate Edition.

JSawyer Mod Vanilla Number Of Perks - Changes the final total number of perks acquired by level 34 from the JSawyer default of 17 to the vanilla default of 25.

Perk Every Level, Cap at 100 - JSawyer Ultimate Edition caps the player at level 35. Once I reached level 35, THEN I installed this mod, which was the only increased level cap mod that worked for me. It doesn’t add perks after that, though; I have to add perks manually.

Restored Cut Content

Uncut Wasteland - Restores a huge amount of scenery and little random things which were patched out of the game post-release.

The Moon Comes Over The Tower - Restores the rest of the quest given by Emily Ortal, which requires you to go H&H Tools Factory, Camp Golf, and North Vegas Steel.

Vanilla Intro Plus - Restores the bit of the intro where Victor pulls the courier out of their own grave.

Classic Fallout Floaters - Adds Floaters into New Vegas based on information and cut content found within the files. Can be found where Centaurs lurk.

The Strip Open - Removes the gates and excess loading screens within the Strip.

Legion Quests Expanded - Provides more Legion content by adding or expanding several Legion quests. Needs compatibility patches.

Karma and Reputation

Karma Changes - Changes the karma alignment of some NPCs, like making Caesar Very Evil instead of Neutral.

Lonesome Road True Faction Allegiance - The parameters for your allegiance has been altered to reflect on your quest status, rather than reputation. This is reflected in Ulysses’ dialogue and the courier duster.

Powder Ganger Rep Fix (Ghost Town Gunfight) - A quick and easy fix that removes the Goodsprings Powder Gangers from the PG Faction.

Negative Karma for Gravedigging - Gives the player bad karma every time they dig up a grave.

Quests

Autumn Leaves - A DLC-sized quest mod in a centuries-old library inhabited by sentient machines with a mystery to solve.

Boom to the Moon - A short but sweet quest investigating a moon base featuring some of the best interiors I’ve ever seen in a video game. Walkthrough required, though, and be sure to install the failsafes.

Snow Globe Quest - Adds quest markers to all the snow globes you find for Mr. House.

Benny

Benny Returns - Returns Benny to the game as a companion. Be sure to read through the mod description carefully before saving him from the Fort.

Bi Benny: The Re-Bennying - Edits Benny's Black Widow dialog to work with Confirmed Bachelor couriers, with altered working voiced + lip sync dialog. It’s a little rough but it works.

Save Benny Without Angering The Legion - This mod makes you able to save Benny at The Fort without angering the Legion or breaking their questline.

Less Serious Mods

Benny’s Aid - Funny Simpsons reference.

Mr. House Portrait Fix - Gives the portraits of Mr. House the Platinum Drip.

I Got Spurs - Adds a set of lucky spurs to Doc Mitchell's house that can be worn with any clothing. They can be found on top of the Vigor-Tester.

Legate Caravan Showdown - Allows you to duel Legate Lanius in a game of Caravan rather than combat.

NVCE Pale Face Fix

Literally copied from some forum, the usual .ini fix didn’t work for me but this one did:

Another .ini fix, but this time the file is FALLOUT.INI, found under "C:\Users<your Windows username>\Documents\My Games\FalloutNV". Open it up in your text editor of choice, and search for the line:

bLoadFaceGenHeadEGTFiles=0

and change the 0 to 1, so it looks like:

bLoadFaceGenHeadEGTFiles=1

In the page on the Nexus it actually says to change that value in both a Fallout.ini file AND a FalloutPrefs.ini file, both in the My Games\FalloutNV folder.

[morlock-holmes]

I was bored and watching first episodes of things on HBOMax and I tried Lovecraft Country and I got so annoyed I turned it off after 20 minutes because every bit of dialog coming out of these people in the early 50s sounded like an Onion AV Club article from the mid-2010s.

Like, there's this scene where the main character and this woman are walking down the road together, and she asks him what he's reading, and he explains that it's one of the John Carter of Mars books, and when he says John Carter was a soldier in the army of West Virginia, this conversation happens:

"Ah, so he fought for slavery."

"Well, he's an ex-soldier of West Virginia-"

"He fought for slavery, you don't get to put an 'ex' in front of that."

Okay, but why are they walking down the road? Well, when the segregated bus broke down, the driver found a white guy with a pickup truck but said white guy was too racist to give the black passengers a ride.

I went back to double-check and neither character has a single line of dialog about that.

It's like, lady, what "ex"? The people around you don't consider the slavery part of the civil war an embarrassment or, like, one small part of a complicated war, they aren't glossing it over or trying to forget it, they're fucking proud of the fact that their ancestors hated you.

Like, this character is so political that she cares whether there's a pretend confederate martian in a book that a lot of adults back then would have found embarrassing to read, but not political enough to tie it to the fucking racist guy who made you carry your suitcase five miles in a ditch on the roadside? This show takes place in the 50s, they're at most five years out from the Montgomery Bus Boycott, this was very much on people's minds.

Like, the characters in the show are surrounded by this really overt, hostile racism but they only comment on the parts that people argue about online in the 2010s while passing over much nastier, more immediately relevant things in utter silence.

I don't know, maybe this is an intentional thing, I've read that it gets meta eventually, but it really, really really annoyed me.

I haven't been as immediately annoyed by a TV show since trying to watch the first episode of Breaking Bad. Both shows hit one theme really really hard, but only in the most easily-digestible middlebrow way possible, and I just got this point of, "Yes I get it, Walt feels imasculated by society, Lovecraft wrote some really racist shit can we fucking move along here?"

[gabolange]

So, let’s talk about Leverage: Redemption. In which I am medium-whelmed at best.

Spoilers below the cut.

I finished the show a couple of days ago and I keep trying to figure out why I didn’t love it. This isn’t to say I didn’t like it, because I did, but it didn’t land for me the way it seems to have landed for a lot of people, and so here I am with, like, meta. Party like it’s 2008 and all that.

2008. I actually didn’t meet Leverage until 2010 despite friends telling me for ages I should watch. It one of those moments that became a forever memory for many reasons, but the most important is this: the show was perfect. Those first hours spent watching a rerun marathon on TNT on a hot-as-fuck July 4 in Albuquerque, New Mexico came with them the understanding that this show was truly special.

It was funny, it was topical, it was sexy, and it was so fucking smart. I fell in love right away with all of them, but especially with Sophie, and with Nate, and with their complicated, complex, adult history. And then over the course of catching up and keeping up, I fell even harder, with them and those themes, with watching Parker and Hardison grow into themselves, with watching Eliot deal every day with his demons. I loved the way the show balanced light and dark, how it could have Archie’s zappy cane in the same breath as Eliot giving Nate advice about what it would mean to kill. I loved that we all loved Maggie, even though ex-wives are known in television to be evil shrews. I loved Tara’s complexity, and Sterling’s wit, and how every episode was a chess game. And oh, how I loved Sophie’s journey, how she had to decide every day not how to live but who to be.

When I say it was perfect, I don’t mean it didn’t have its duds. Of course it did. But it did the thing it was trying to do better than anyone has ever done it, with intelligence and respect, and its finale is one of the three best series finales ever filmed.

This is all to say the bar for Leverage: Redemption was both sky high and very low. When I heard they weren’t bringing Nate back, my first thought was don’t you fucking dare break my heart. If Nate was drunk off his ass in a ditch somewhere, if he had broken Sophie’s heart--that would be the ultimate betrayal (hi, I still have feelings about The Doctor Blake Mysteries). And so the bar was: don’t break my heart, while also being something like the perfect show.

They didn’t break my heart. I said early the best thing would be to kill Nate after he and Sophie had good, long, happy years together. And they did, and it was the right place to start.

They gave me that, and I am grateful, but when I look at the rest, I guess I was underwhelmed. Or at least only whelmed. Medium-whelmed at best.

There were things I loved: Hardison and Parker’s relationship. Eliot’s careful watch over Sophie. Hardison growing up to become the most epic white hat hacker ever. The idea that getting back into the game would be the thing that would make Sophie happy. Hardison’s commentary on redemption. The idea of Leverage: International. Gina Bellman is still made of magic and heartbreak and perfection.

There were things I liked: I am fond of our Mister Wilson, even if I find Noah Wylie about as interesting as plain toast. There were some truly great Eliot beats. I don’t yet like Breanna, but I like the idea of Breanna. I liked the way Nate hovered over the entire thing, because Sophie brought him with her. I think the sets were great, and I was impressed at how much they were able to do in a pandemic. I found utterly baffling but nonetheless charming that we meet Harry in the middle of a failed heist in which the team judges his technique and then adopts him. I liked Fake Nate and everything they did with that. The show had many bright spots, and I don’t in any way want to diminish them.

But. It wasn’t smart. It wasn’t sexy. Except for Sophie’s grief and Hardison’s plans, it picked up the character beats where we left them ten years ago. Has Parker been mastermind for this entire time? I would have loved to see that. Have they learned how to do this well without Sophie and Nate? I would have loved to see that. Show me the history.

Show me the history. Breanna and Hardison and Parker all say this is the worst timeline, and we know it is because we have lived it. But in the universe of the show, it doesn’t really seem that bad -- the plots of the week were silly and so small. I remember finding Damien Moreau too big, once upon a time, but this all felt too easy, the stakes far too small for this to be a show where everything has gotten worse. Nate almost murdered two guys in cold blood, folks. The show was missing any of the darkness that made the original truly compelling, and so lost the balance we loved between that and finding joy. I don’t need it in every episode, but I need a hint that there’s something bigger and meaner out there other than throwaway dialog.

(And, when it tried to go dark, it swung and missed. The episode with the collapsed building was timely, but as someone with anxiety and PTSD, the way the crew played on this guy who had apparently tried to do better this time around...was kinda not okay, to be honest.)

I don’t have OT3 goggles, but I think if I did, I would find Hardison’s absence a little sad--he was the glue, and they needed to do more to bring Parker and Eliot together as friends / colleagues / long-term members of the same polycue / whatever. But even without OT3 goggles, I missed Hardison a whole lot. And I am SO happy for Aldis Hodge growing up to be a real movie star, but he brought so much presence and capability to every scene he was in, even when he was just a kid. Nobody else has his gravitas, or Timothy Hutton’s.

I do have Sophie goggles, and Sophie / Nate goggles. And they didn’t ruin the ship or anything, of course not. But I missed the frisson they brought, the way they made the show just that much more adult. And I am so very, very glad they got their happiness, but I am kinda sad that sexy got replaced with grief.

So yeah. I don’t know. I didn’t hate it at all. I am willing to give it a chance, to let it grow into something I love. But it isn’t, at least not yet.

(x-posted to dreamwidth)

[normal-thoughts-official]

I would have loved to see more interactions with the seelies- people who can’t lie but are crafty and secretive sounds fascinating. Think of the dialog! Alec going to magnus for advice since he has centuries of experience talking to them, Alec playing mental chess while trying to maintain peace. Would have loved getting more- but let’s be real, Cassaundra and the show writers weren’t clever enough to actually make any conversations like that of value.

SAME!!!!! honestly i would have loved to see so much more of the seelies. like bro do you understand that their culture predates the VERY EXISTENCE OF HUMANITY??? they are the ONLY kind of downworlders whose culture is completely detached from any human culture, not only because of predating it, but also because of the relative isolationism - which means human culture barely had any influence on their culture and history AS it developed

so like you can literally go fucking bonkers??????????? you can make ANYTHING. they have a whole ass society that doesn't have to have ANY ties to mundane concepts or history AT ALL. complete creative freedom. you could do ANYTHING! and don't get me started on the potential this has, within storytelling, to contextualize a lot of stuff modern western culture sees as natural or timeless as actually pretty fucking specific - like monogamy, cisheteropatriarchy, the gender binary, racism. all immortals have that potential of course since they can come from an array of different cultural and historical backgrounds but seelies in particular have SO much potential that is NEVER! FUCKING! USED! it all goes to waste and they are just a generic vaguely monarchic society that behaves literally exactly as modern western cultural standards. WHY. i'll never stop being salty, especially within sh where all this potential was there and instead they just villainized the seelies like no tomorrow for nO FUCKING REASON, and included a whole plotline about their ruler being a terrible power-hungry person and then proceeded to act as if that would have no influence on the seelies under her rule? thanks for nothing

like i know the seelie queen was so badly written that her own motivations even as a power-hungry wacko didn't make sense or were consistent (like why give simon the mark of cain for example, and for god's sake what kind of power-hungry crazy bitch gives their main enemy the power to literally kill her and destroy everything she has at the blink of an eye, like??? she literally tried to assist in her own genocide, it makes no fucking sense, i fucking hate it here) but if they are going to make her Terrible the least they could do was show how that impacted the people under her rule, especially if they are going to have meliorn be fucking tortured and either forced to display the marks of said torture or choosing to display them themself, like? please give your plotlines one singular thought

but of course it's easier to villainize seelies and reduce them to their obviously tyrannical ruler so they can go back to focusing on the shadowhunters and their issues. nevermind the fact that seelies are obviously equivalent to native ppls/third world countries resisting colonialism/imperialism in sh's stupid ass racial metaphor, which makes making their ruler a big bad unequivocally evil villain that is ruining everything A Choice. and a particularly choicy Choice considering they cast a middle-eastern man to play the most important seelie character. but if they are going to do that they could at least address how the people under her rule suffer and how that's a direct consequence of shadowhunter colonialism and interference, but why would we fkcnig thdo that!!!! when we can have love triangle drama or whatever

and tHEN there is the whole aspect of being unable to lie which is bound to have such an impact on their culture and history since they have to rely on other forms of communication to protect themselves - and considering the whole "tyrannical rule" plotline, to further the queen's agenda in the first place. and how telling the truth without preamble would probably be considered a huge display of trust in a society that has culturally developed so many ways of talking around things. like again the potential of the cultural and historic background for that society! it makes me go insane!!!

anyway all of that to say #JusticeForSeelies and #SeeliePlotlinesNow 2021 and forever. and YES i would have loved to see more interactions between them and other characters, particularly magnus because 1- admittedly i'm a hoe; and 2- magnus was clearly the one that had the most experience talking to seelies and that others relied on for that communication. he also seemed to be the most comfortable with them, which indicates there is either some sort of history there, or magnus just happens to feel relatively at home with the workings of their culture. which makes sense, because magnus also had to develop pretty similar defense mechanisms due to his, A- work as a warlock representative who has to interact with shadowhunters on the regular; B- history with having to deal with asmodeus, which required him to be very smart about what he disclosed and how, especially considering that he had to have been planning banishing asmodeus for a long time before he got to do it; and C- just history with abuse in general. we've seen the way he closed his heart off to new people; but at the same time, magnus is obviously an extrovert and likes to be around people in general. this meant that, in order to be able to both be in the kind of environment where he thrives and protect himself/his heart/his feelings, he had to learn how to interact with people while putting on a convincing façade, which requires pretty much the same sorts of wordplay and defense mechanisms that seelies use

magnus is good at wordplay, he's good at using talking to his benefit; we've seen that. he is also good at hiding and deflecting. he is notably not good at directly lying - every time he directly said A Lie such as "i am perfectly fine and not bothered by this at all :)" it was way less convincing than it was a clear display that he wouldn't budge. even alec, who has difficulty with social cues, noticed the lying and seemed concerned about it. so like. clearly his defense mechanisms were less lying and more dancing around subjects, directing conversation to safe topics, and guiding people to making certain assumptions and seeing sides of his that were safer and he preferred

so in that way it makes sense that magnus is somewhat in his element when dealing with seelies. i think "comfortable" is a strong word because this whole song and dance takes a huge toll on anyone's mental health and energy (which i think is something that could be very interestingly explored in seelies, their collective psyche, and their culture, the way they build relationships, etc. let meliorn have partners they feel 100% comfortable talking without preamble with 2k21), but it's something he is used to and a dynamic he can fall into without as much effort as others who would be second guessing themselves more and going slower, which clearly gives the seelies, who are used to it, an advantage

and like i know that i'm implying a confrontation or sort of situation where they are on opposing sides to seelies here, which i kind of am because i am thinking mostly about magnus' interactions with the seelie queen specifically, since she was the seelie he had the most meaningful interactions with. his interactions with meliorn were very few and almost never relevant, i barely remember them happening outside of generic downworld cabinet interactions tbh. but i don't just mean that because again, stop villainizing seelies 2k21

i also mean just generally that magnus would be in a more comfortable position talking to seelie strangers and slowly working into building a relationship and mutual trust. and just generally understanding them and the workings of their culture because he can empathize with the way they have built their social defense mechanisms. no one is 100% truthful to strangers, but seelies always seem kind of- analytical. and the cultural difference + anti-seelie racism makes them seem untrustworthy to most people, but magnus Gets It, so the potential for friendships! and the mutual understanding and the relative comfort around each other! and both parts understanding the enormity that is letting their walls down gradually and being more direct as time goes by. like.... aaaaaa

and yes magnus becomes a sort of reference on talking to seelies, mostly because he is good at "playing their game", but also making it a point to humanize seelies and making the other parts understand where they are coming from and how they feel :) and just improving their relations, particularly with other downworlders

im not going to get into alec because 1- the relationship between shadowhunters and seelies is already filled with oppression and a lot of complications, and particularly now that the seelie realm is politically fragile due to the loss of their ruler (however terrible she might have been), it would play into either white savior narratives or just straight up colonialism, especially given how alec as a leader already has a history of trying to build tutelage over downworlders (i don't care what his intentions were, it's still true, and although he's learning... well. he's learning, continuous action); 2- that would be more a relationship of opposition and i'm not that interested in that. but i would love to see seelies rebuilding themselves and their relationships and alliances with other downworlders particularly, and all the better if magnus is playing a part in that :)

in short:

more seelies

more magnus with seelies, especially friendships

more focus on the politics of seelies now that the seelie queen is gone

more seelies

more seelies

more seelies

[zkfanworkweek]

ZFAW Fan Content Creator Interviews: HayleyNFoster

Hey everyone! We hope you’re all excited for ZFAW, and to honor (ha!) ZFAW’s commitment to supporting and celebrating fan content creators in the Zutara fandom, we’re going to be rolling out a series of interviews with well-known and widely-beloved content creators over the next few weeks. We’ve got artists and fanfiction authors, some names you recognize as well as a few phenomenal up-and-coming talents, and we can’t wait for you to meet them all!

For the second interview in this cycle, we have our best propaganda creator and this fandom’s hottest new artist/undisputed queen of the animatic, @hayleynfoster!

1. Tell us about how you came to ship Zutara. What does this ship mean to you?

When I was around 14 or 15 and caught Avatar: The Last Airbender on television, I was drawn in by the art style, the humor, and the wonderful characters. I caught the episodes out of order, and the first one I saw and wasn’t prepared to be sucked in by was The Waterbending Scroll. It intrigued me at that age, and the line “I’ll save you from the pirates” combined with the tension between Katara and Zuko in that whole scene was electrifying. I remember my teenage self thinking these two have so much chemistry! And when I saw a commercial on Nickelodeon that featured fanart submitted by fellow Avatar fans, I realized that I could do that to! So I set about making Zutara fanart for myself. I stumbled onto Youtube, practically in its infancy, and discovered that people set clips of Zuko and Katara set to music (And this was still in season 1 days… so people who made these amvs were the real mvps because they were able to make compelling narratives in their amvs with like practically nothing to work with!). The AMVs really spurred my interest in this couple, I remember distinctly one Zutara AMV using the Dido song White Flag utterly capturing my imagination. I found fandom shortly after, getting into deviantart and forums. But the ship really began to mean something to me when, as I was working on my drawings in the computer lab at school, a buoyant presence hovered over my shoulder noticing my Zutara art on the computer screen. The girl was someone I had never really talked to and had only seen from afar but she immediately started excitedly saying she shipped Zuko and Katara too! In this simple shared obsession, I made one of the best friends I’ve ever had and we’re still friends to this day. We would theorize and fangirl over Avatar like it was nobody’s business; we poured over bootleg San Diego Comic Con footage that showed spoilers for season 2 before it aired; we lost our freaking minds when we finally saw The Crossroads of Destiny. We had watch parties every week as Season 3 of A:TLA aired, and comforted each other when the show ended as it did (much ranting was shared). Those are some of my happiest memories from high school… all because this one pairing from this wonderful show. Even though Zutara didn’t happen, we still chat every now and then about it. Zutara will probably be a lifelong obsession, always bubbling under the surface. And without it, I would have never realized that animation was a viable career path. It really did inspire everything including the work I’m doing to this day in the animation industry. I owe a lot to this ship and to Avatar: the Last Airbender.

2. What inspires you to create zutara fanworks?

The resurgence of Avatar: The Last Airbender this year really helped sort of spark that dormant love I had for Zutara. The show’s ending still disappointed me on the rewatch, but Zuko and Katara’s relationship arc was as captivating as ever, so I turned to some fanfiction and looking at people’s pretty Zutara art and AMVs to just revel in fanon instead of getting to hung up on the actual ending of the show. But then I realized, with quarantine and my work load being pretty light, I had time to actually make all new Zutara art for myself, art I was never fully capable of making as a kid, but now could do with my 7 years of industry experience and just… life experience. And I was inspired to do some corrective animatics to satisfy my own desire for a different ending. I just really like exploring these two characters, doing different and interesting things with them, and frankly I’m inspired to make cute, fluffy, romantic art simply by virtue of living in a really sad and depressing world. Things are so crazy right now, creating art about two characters I love being in love, is comforting. And it helps to have inspiring music and amazing Zutara amvs to just sort of stir up my emotions and imagery in my head to make into animatics and art.

3. Be selfish - if you could request one fanwork based on your own art/fanfic, what would it be? What would you absolutely love to see someone create?

Ohhhh… Well, It’s always nice to have people write fanfiction that puts words to my animatics. I am not that great at coming up with dialog myself, so I’ve just chosen to indulge in visuals and emotions for my boards. But when I read things like RideBoldlyRide’s take on my Reunion Animatic, it makes me pretty giddy. (They finally have voices!) :) And this is the MOST selfish thing I could request, but I’m not shy about saying how much I love well done amvs, so I will literally kill for someone to make Zutara AMVs to songs I like… Like, most of AURORA’s songs but especially Exist for Love, Sunseeker by The Naked and Famous, Promises or Take Me by Aly & AJ, Adore You by Harry Styles, Human Enough by ONR, Never Let Me Go by Florence + The Machine, and/or Almost (Sweet Music) by Hozier just… I can see the AMVs so clearly to any of these songs in my head, but I don’t have the tools or skill set at my disposal to make a compelling fan video. When I was in high school, I originally thought I wanted to go into video editing simply because I loved making very crappy AMVs (they were so bad you guys), but I figured out being a storyboard artist was more in my wheelhouse. haha

4. Any words for people who are new to the fandom and/or nervous about sharing their work for the first time?

If you’re new to the Zutara fandom, just have a good time! Don’t waste too much time arguing with people over your shipping preferences. I wasted so much of my teen years having pointless shipping wars with people on DeviantArt, and I’m just so much happier nowadays because I’m just making Zutara art in my little corner of the internet, and honestly, in the politest of ways, I don’t give a shit if people don’t like my art or Zutara. haha I think that’s sort of a key thing for people thinking of posting creative works here in the fandom, just make art for yourself, satisfy your own desires for the pairing, get your creative sparks flying, and create just for the joy of creating. It’s always nice to get comments and such, but simply making the art should be what spurs you on, not the external validation. And have a good time, don’t worry too much - I say as someone who worries about EVERYTHING. But honestly, making art for A:TLA is some of the most relaxed I’ve been because I make it just for me. I’m lucky others seem to like it too!

5. What’s an idea for a fanwork that you have but haven't gotten around to making?

I have an idea for a second generation storyline with my Zutara kids that involves Kya (the eldest firebending daughter) falling in love with an airbender boy (tentatively named Gora in my headcanon who’s a bit of a rabble rouser and one of Aang’s kids he had with a Kyoshi Warrior), and then they start a socialist revolution in the Fire Nation in order to dismantle all of the hierarchical societies across the Avatar world… Together Kya and Gora Fan the Flames of revolution… ehhhhh... Get it?? Oh! Oh, and then Katara, who had put in legit liberal reforms in her time as Fire Lady listens to her daughter after resisting in the first part of the story, but then realizes she can actually play a part in the dissolution of the royalty and is also active in the revolution realizing that moderate liberal reforms are no substitute for a society free of serving royalty (which she had always been uncomfortable with but had rationalized with herself that she was doing good in her capacity as Fire Lady.) I just feel like there’s a lot of cool potential for discussing these ideas and also having some aspirational change in the Avatar world. lol For aesthetics and just happy fluffy times, I can indulge in Fire Lady and Fire Lord Zuko stuff, but really at the end of the day, I take issue with the structures in a society that have to exist for monarchies to exist. Soooo, I kind of want to do my own corrective story for that… if I ever have the time or guts. On a less ambitious note, I would love to do a Zutara sparring animatic to practice doing action, but I need a good story; I am not good at doing fights just for fighting’s sake. Those are just some things I have rattling around in my head.  

6. Are you participating in ZFAW? If so want to give us a hint as to your plans?

Yes! The most I can say is I have one animatic almost finished and one that’s still being thumbnailed. The rest are probably going to be comics or emotive single pieces based on the fanfics I really like right now. :)

[liliaeth]

Fix it’s for Teen Wolf

I can think of a few things that would have made Teen Wolf better.

1.  I wanted more focus on Scott’s emotional response to what happened to him.  I don’t mind that Scott isn’t the type who complains about getting hurt. The problem for me was that the show rarely dealt with the consequences of Scott’s pain, and thus to the casual viewer often made it look like he simply didn’t mind, that being hurt didn’t bother him at all. Or worse, that nothing all that bad had happened in the first place.

 Doing this undermined many of the hallucination scenes.  For example, in Season 2’s Party Guessed, we get hallucinations for Stiles, Jackson, and Allison which give us a view into psychology, letting us know their issues without spelling them out.  For Scott, we got Allison making out with kanima Jackson.   Compared to the others, it felt shallow and confusing.  The writers couldn’t even bother to give us dialog.  He received the same treatment in Season 5, when they read the book designed to trigger their memories about the Dread Doctors. Stiles gets yet another scene about his dead mother who has been crucial to his story since Season 1.  Lydia sees her grandmother and her connection to both Lydia’s powers and Eichen House, as well as foreshadowing her treatment at the hands of Valack.   Malia about her Mom and sister’s death at the hands of the Desert Wolf, which is her entire arc.  And Scott?  He gets a nightmare about a dog that was never mentioned before and would not be mentioned after.

 2. I wanted more focus on Scott’s trauma in general. In Season 1, Scott was repeatedly mentally and physically violated by Peter, terrorized and abused by Derek, and hunted by the Argents, and it was taken as a given.   Even the recaps at the beginning episodes in other seasons barely show any of that.  For example, Gerard attacking Scott in clear view at the hospital, stabbing him, and threatening his mother, never appeared in any of the recaps, even in episodes where it would have been important to remind the viewers about it.

While the show had no issue showing us over and over again how Stiles or Derek or Isaac or Allison or any white character really was hurt, they did not focus on the pain Scott was put through, and thus let the viewers conclude that those events didn’t matter.

The show literally had Scott try and kill himself, twice in less than two days, first in Frayed, by refusing to let himself heal, and then again in Motel California, yet neither of those suicide attempts are mentioned even once afterwards. And this while it would have been a good call back in s5b, when Scott is once again not letting himself heal after Theo killed him. and yet again, no mention whatsoever.

 3. I wanted more consequences for certain characters.   I liked that Scott and to a lesser extent Derek were confronted with the consequences of their actions. When they screwed up, they got called out on it. When they did something wrong, it wasn’t excused.  Then they made up for it.

In contrast, certain characters, especially Stiles, got to do whatever they wanted and it was either dismissed as funny or used to make them look sympathetic.  Stiles got to be mean and cruel, and the narrative still treated him as if he were the best friend ever.  He got to assault people, hurt them, and it was treated as if somehow he was the victim. 

For example, I would have liked Stiles a lot better, if when he tortured Scott with lacrosse balls, punishing him for who-knows-what, if someone else had called him out on it or if Scott had got to defend himself, instead of just taking it because Stiles was angry.  Scott allowing Stiles to hurt him to maintain their friendship was a pattern between them, just as much as Scott taking responsibility for things that aren’t his fault.  He keeps on doing it over the course of the show, but it would have been nice if the show at the very least had made it clear that that didn’t make Stiles behavior acceptable.

Just like I wish that Peter had actually faced consequences for his actions – and/or shown some kind of true remorse for his misdeeds--instead of the others just letting him hang around after all the horrible things he’d done or reduce it pettiness.

 4. I would have liked more time spent on Melissa and the McCall family in general, especially on Melissa’s initial reaction to Scott being a werewolf. In the show, they barely spent two minutes total on Melissa’s reaction to finding out her son has been turned into a werewolf.  By the end of s6b, she was barely even behaving like a mother anymore. Even to the point where we don’t even get a conversation between her and Chris about his attacks on her son before the two of them start dating.  Now don’t get me wrong, I liked Chris and Melissa in a relationship, but it was missed opportunity to humanize both her and Scott that they didn’t bother to show her finding out about that and her reaction to it.

Instead we got the whole horror reaction, of her being horrified at seeing her son’s other face, the reaction that any LGBT kid fears when they come out to their parent. Which could have been a great metaphor, especially if they had then made it clear that Scott was bisexual.

 5. I would have liked more focus on Boyd.   The production time spent on Isaac and Erica, while Boyd’s arc was treated as almost an afterthought. We barely even got any hint on his past, in the episode before they killed him off.    They started out with Boyd as the one who wanted to be like Scott, and then never explained it.  Why not focus more on that, and their relationship?

(similar complaints go about Mason, and how little we knew about Mason, outside of him being Liam’s friend. Like... what was his relationship like with his parents? What is Mason interested in, what does he want to do with his life... how did he deal with the after effects of the Beast...

 6. I would have liked more focus on Alan Deaton. The show had such huge potential with this character’s backstory, not just with the Hales but as an emissary in general.  There was this whole mythology about druids that they barely even delved into.

To not even start on how little we knew about his personal life? Why did he and his sister have different last names? What was their relationship like?

Does he have any romantic relationships? Friendships, relationships in general?

Or how about more time spent on his role as a father figure to Scott, we got so few crumbs of their relationship when we should have gotten so much more

 7. I would have liked more focus on Scott and Theo’s interaction in Season 6.   I get that in 6a, they had Scott primarily focused on getting Stiles back, but I’ll never understand why they then didn’t use 6b, to deal with the fact that Theo had tried to murder Scott and was trying to make it up to him and the pack for what he’d done to Scott and the others.

I don’t mind Theo interacting with Liam.  Those scenes were great, but they should have at least one scene with Scott and Theo dealing with the issues between them.  For Theo’s sake, as much as Scott’s.

 8. I would have liked a complete rework of Season 6A in its entirety.  If you’re going to focus a season on an actor who isn’t available, then you have to make it about his impact on the others. Show us what difference this character made, by showing us the effects of his absence, rather than just try and make it about a romantic ship. (I’ve written a post about this already in greater detail, so limiting it to that, but seriously, that season was such a huge wasted opportunity.)

 9.  Actual character growth for Stiles. For a character who had as much screentime as Stiles did, it’s shocking just how little character growth Stiles had over the course of the entire show. This contrasts in a really bad way, when you look at how much every single other character grew and changed over the course of the show.

Just look at the last four episodes of 5b, to give an example. After almost an entire season of watching Stiles at his worst, focusing on emotional scene after emotional scene with him, he suddenly got relegated to comic relief. Why? Because they didn’t want Stiles to grow, because unless he grew, there was no way for him to go but down. If Stiles had taken responsibility for his actions, then they’d have had to admit that he did wrong in the first place. And they couldn’t have that happen.

 10. And last but not least. More moments of the kids being kids. Even if it’s just proms and beach parties. Moments where we see the characters spend time together, when they aren’t trying to stop some bad guy. Where we can see them be friends, hang out with kids their own age. Even just to remind the audience just how young these children are. And where the viewers along with the characters can rest in between the horror, because doing so makes the horror hit far more strongly in contrast to the light.

 11. Also, a better lighting budget, pretty please Davies, were a few more light bulbs that much to ask for?