#i LOVE robots (2005) so much

[lbova]

Why I Love Rodney x Cappy From Robots

Now, I've seen people talk about how this ship feels rushed in the movie and how "Oh Cappy is barely in the movie and she doesn't really do anything in the movie". Heck, I've seen people talk about how awful Cappy is and why she's one of the worst characters in the movie. Like, it's the producer's fault for not expanding on her more. I've seen deleted scenes with Cappy, and she does in fact interact with Rodney. They probably thought that the movie should have been more focused on the main plot and Rodney since he's the main character. But uear me out on Rodney and Cappy.

I know that Rodney and Cappy's relationship in the movie is the stereotypical "poor boy and pretty girl" duo. I can see why people don't like this ship, and that's fine. Actually, every once in a while, I ship Rodney and Fender. But anyways, I will explain why I love Rodney and Cappy together.

Reason 1:

If you rewatch the movie, I want you to take in all the scenes that have Cappy in it. Why? Because if you really pay attention to Cappy's character, you'll find that there's a little more to her than you think. On the face of it, Cappy is just the average "beautiful love interest" and therefore is the only thing that she's remembered for. But, I've watched the movie MANY MANY times just to understand her character. When we first see Cappy, she's in the meeting room with Ratchet and the other employees. Now, I noticed that she was the only female in that room. It makes me think that she's worked very hard to get the job at Bigweld Industries. And, according to her character info, which i believe was on the Robots CD under the Meet The Robots section(I could be wrong), it states that Cappy came from a poor family and that she was an outmode before. I mean, her dad was a literal vacuum cleaner! Anyway, I think she's been working hard here whole life to get to where she was in the movie. The next time we see her is at the Bigweld Ball, where Ratchet is basically harassing her. I think that because Cappy is beautiful and stuff, she's probably been harassed by the other workers too. I think her and Loretta are one of the only employees we see as far as the movie goes. Cappy had probably never met a man who's had good intentions; that is until Rodney shows up in her life. When Rodney pushes through the crowd right after Ratchet appears on stage, you can see Cappy smiling at him. And then when Rodney confronts Ratchet, she smiles even more. You can't tell me she didn't fall in love with him right then and there. She found a guy with good intentions. Rodney wants to find Bigweld, he wants to help all of those bots who have been named Outmoded. And she admired that. She then proceeds to help Rodney escape Ratchet and she flies them to Bigweld's mansion. Also, when Rodney asks Cappy if she can take him to Bigweld, she quotes, "I must be out of my mind". There is another movie called Flushed Away about British rats. And the two main characters are Roddy and Rita, who are hinted as lovers. When Roddy makes a deal to help Rita get a real ruby if she takes him back to the surface, what does Rita say? Rita also quotes, "I must be out of my mind". I just thought that it was interesting that two love interests in two different movies say the same exact line word for word. Anyways, Rodney and Cappy go see Bigweld, they get him out of hiding eventually, and they stop Ratchet and Madame Gasket yada yada. I think Cappy is a great love interest for Rodney because she helped him find Bigweld and reach his goal. The rest of the movie wouldn't even have happened if it wasn't for Cappy.

Reason 2:

@fan-burns is a big part of this second reason. Remember that huge rant about me fangirling over them and talking about how much I love the Robots 2 fanfic that they're currently working on? They make me love Rodney and Cappy even more. Everytime they're mentioned together in the story, I giggle and kick my feet. Fan Burns does such an amazing job expanding on Rodney and Cappy's relationship throughout the story. They're not the main plot of the story, and they're not supposed to be, which makes their relationship more memorable. First of all, if you still haven't read their fanfic, then you won't even know what I'm about to yap about.

So, in the story, Rodney gets brainwashed by Ratchet and Doctor V, therefore all of his memories are gone. He doesn't remember his friends, his family, and Cappy. When he looks at his lock screen on his phone, Cappy looks familiar to him. And even though he doesn't remember Cappy right now, he still thinks that she's beautiful, and he wonders why a beautiful bot like her is with someone like him. (It's like he fell in love all over again 😭). Of course, Ratchet lies to Rodney saying that Cappy is a heart breaker and he gets Rodney to despise her. (Ratchet, when I catch you Ratchet). But even after Ratchet tells Rodney to destroy his phone which has the picture of him and Cappy on it, Rodney can't bring himself to do it, despite being under Ratchet's control. Fan Burns did an amazing job with their writing in the story. Love you again Fan Burns 🫶✨.

I will say there isn't enough Rodney x Cappy content and I need more of them. But then again, the less there is of them, the more meaningful they are to me.

It's okay if you don't like this ship. But I don't like it when people judge Cappy's character without giving her a chance. Anyways, goodnight y'all!

[sugarcoatedmechanic]

((Listen all I need is for everybody to make new robot ocs (the kind that doesn’t self-heal…) and then Luke can come full circle and be a doctor again))

[sparrowlucero]

Instead of discourse about showrunners and lesbians and whatever, I'm gonna bring a different type of discourse...whats ur fav and least Dr Whomst monsters. Hard mode: only the practical ones.

ok so I do like all the obvious ones, I like the angels, I like the vashta nerada, I like the not-things, I like the eternals. Here's a few deeper cuts (focusing on the tv show specifically):

they peaked with these maggots. they rock. pretty sure they're made with taxidermy? really great puppetry. I really like this thing:

what a cool design for this kind of forgotten midseason episode.

this is such a fun design for a langolier-type monster. I love how their crest and tail gives them the silhouette of a grim reaper

The 60s cybermen rock. I feel like they're hesitant to use them often in the modern show because they do look very 1960s but I think there's something really uncomfortable and evocative about the cloth faces that's lost when they're cool metallic robots. The mix between looking like an old diving suit and the implication of there being a chopped up person inside is gnarly and I love it. Simple, creepy, iconic design.

My favorite design in the show is probably this:

The 456 from the spinoff series torchwood. They didn't need the puppet to emote or move a ton since it spends the entire season in a little tank obscured in mist, so they just went crazy with the design and made it really bizarre looking. Extremely top tier alien. Anyways, negative. I really don't like this satan. the satan kind of sucks. the impossible planet is great atmospheric sci fi horror; every image of build up in it is haunting and leagues ahead of the climactic scene where he meets the satan. It singlehandedly kind of kills the vibe.

Personally I would have just kept the actual appearance off screen, just have it be eyes in the dark or something. Apparently they also tossed around the idea that it would end up being a normal little girl who was chained up in the cave and I think that would have visually fit the rest of the episode better.

I'm really not big on the modern design for the sea devils (the green one on the right). I think the classic ones clearly took a lot of direct influence from real animals and generally is a pretty thoughtfully realized design, the modern ones seem like they were first and foremost using the classic ones for reference and didn't quite capture the nuance of the design. Sad, as I would really like to see design for these guys with modern puppetry.

I think this is actually a pretty contentious opinion but the work of the specific studio who headed this redesign generally wasn't my favorite. Apparently there was some sort of major, semi public falling out between the fx studio that had been working on the show since 2005 and the people who started running the show in 2018, and they were briefly replaced with a much less experienced studio. No hate to them of course (I think this was actually their first job like, ever, and a lot of the work was done in crunch time?) but the difference did stand out to me:

[mothiir]

i am foaming at the mouth waiting for more of the aeldari/diplomat fic. the way you write the alien perspective is So! Good!!! please tell me you have more writing/headcanons for the xenos factions, i love those silly space elves and space robots!!

i will be working on my next taleath/diplomat fic soon, but here are some headcanons to tide you over because GW neglects Eldar and half the fandom just boils them down to pointy-eared waifus rather than truly alien creatures, which bugs me. these are all 100% my own invention and based on nothing but my own perception of what would be cool.

Random thoughts on Aeldari culture:

since the vast majority of Craftworld Eldar live lives of carefully curated experience in order to avoid succumbing to their degeneracy of their past, it stands to reason that sex is a Big Deal for them. Romantic relationships between Aeldari can take decades to form — sometimes centuries can pass before a couple so much as hold hands. Even when things are moving relatively swiftly by Aeldari standards, there will be months of meditating beside each other, ensuring that they can stand to be in each other’s presence without losing their grip on their feelings. It’s very common for older Aeldari to serve as chaperones for young would-be lovers; they are tasked with ensuring things do not get too intense. When the pair do have sex, it is often intensely ritualistic. Since Aeldari are so psychically gifted, they need layers of protection and care to ensure they don’t give half their Craftworld a really awkward dream. No one wants to have a vision of their brother getting backshots for the first time.

Exodite Eldar - the ones that ride dinosaurs and haven’t had a lore update since about 2005 - view sex very differently. It is a gift from their mother planet, and meant to be enjoyed. They do not casually procreate, but this is because they believe it is their duty to raise strong children to benefit the collective. Arranged marriages are common, but always done with the consent of the children involved (the children in question are generally about two hundred years old — the Craftworld Aeldari think this is appallingly young). The fertile Aeldari are encouraged to procreate as much as possible, and families of ten or more children are common. Since the Fall, infertility is very common among both males and females, so those that cannot bear their own young will work to raise the young of those who can, freeing them up for more frequent pregnancies (since Aeldari children taken at least three decades to reach what we would consider prepubescence, the help is much needed).

Since Yvraine’s big song and dance about Ynnead, more and more Drukhari are defecting — some directly to Yvraine, some to the Craftworlds. Obviously, there are all sorts of problems with integration — including detoxing from literal soul addiction — but one of the more mundane ones is sexual frustration. Imagine going from shagging every time you feel like it to being told that even looking lustfully at another Eldar is considered a grave breach of protocol. Taleath has spent more time than he will ever admit meditating away a boner.

And the more NSFW stuff:

Yes, they have dicks. They look very human in that respect. Never mention this to them, because they will not appreciate it.

Most Aeldari will tell you that they could never look lustfully upon a human, as this would be equivalent to you looking lustfully upon an ape. You are utterly beneath them — you barely qualify as sentient to them — and sex with you would qualify as bestiality to them.

Most Drukhari will tell you that Craftworld Aeldari are filthy liars with a stick so far up their arse it’s a wonder they manage to get anything done. Yes, humans are totally beneath Aeldari — they’re mewling, miserable creatures with short pathetic lives and nothing to redeem them apart from how delicious they are when they die screaming. Or, even better, fail to die, and just scream and wail for mercy and — wait, what were you asking again?

Basically, Drukhari will fuck humans — not all Drukhari, not all humans, and we are going to have to play fast and loose with the definition of ‘fuck’ because a lot of the stuff that happens in Commoragh defies even my attempts at description.

Aeldari will not, in general, fuck humans. This does not mean that some do not want to. They just cannot acknowledge it without going against the deeply held taboos of their culture. The fact is that they will say it is because humans are disgusting and completely beneath them — which is, from their point of view, largely true — but that is an effective shield against the actual answer, which is deeper and more complicated than anything they really want to admit to outsiders: that the Fall warped every aspect of Aeldari society, including sex. The rituals they have prior to building a relationship, let alone prior to sex, are so intricate and long that a human could well age and die before the Aeldari even feels ready to admit their feelings. It just isn’t worth it.

BONUS: How to Tell If An Aeldari Is Crushing On You

Aeldari are creatures of bizarre mannerisms and a culture so alien that it makes the orcs look familiar. However, here are some signs to watch out for if you think that your Aeldari is harbouring some heretical feelings:

They occasionally refer to you by name instead of ‘Mon-Keigh’. (Note: if they start fondly referring to you as ‘little pet’ or ‘little prey thing’ I would advise reading up on your life insurance policy as this is not an Aeldari, this is a Drukhari, and only the Emperor’s Mercy can help you now)

You keep bumping into them. Normally you will walk into what you thought was a perfectly empty room, only to find them meditating. They will normally sigh, and declare something about not being able to be free of your pestilential species, and make to swan off. If you apologise profusely, they may graciously permit you to join them. This is the Aeldari equivalent of a blow job in church, so be try and be good.

They loudly state how annoying and loud all these humans are. Aeldari do not normally need to say this out loud; it’s a given. If they are saying it, they are trying to remind themselves of the fact they are meant to dislike you.

They mastermind a plot to save you from a minor inconvenience that leaves thousands of your kin dead or dying. They do not understand why you are upset at this. The others are just humans, yes? You are their human. That is the difference. (Contrary to what you might think, this is not a purely Drukhari trait. This is something all types of Aeldari will do. The only difference is that a Drukhari will try and fuck you after doing it, possibly as you cry out of guilt, and an Aeldari will try to hold you hand, which is their version of fucking)

[kaifougere666]

Hello everyone, I created a community for the robots movie of 2005 feel free to join if you're older than 13 ! (13 is the minimum age bc people of all ages will be on there)

Here are our rules :

This place is completely sfw so people of all ages (13 minimum though) can join!

Any nsfw/fetish-y material will be deleted and is not welcome here, we wanna keep it wholesome around here ^^

Here are our DNIs:

Proshippers, maps, any kind of phobe or ists, Nsfw, Fetish and any varient of these.

You are very welcome whatever you are, if you're not in the DNIs!

What can you do here?

- RP

- Post art, memes, theories, rambles

- You can express how much you love the silly robots

- self ship/ F/O talking

- shipping (as long as it's not problematic)

Sensitive content, like violence, blood, are accepted (to a certain degree, not too gore pls) only if you put a trigger warning first ! We don't want to trigger anyone here :]

(Pretty much anything related to Robots is accepted haha ^^)

Creator of the community (aka, me, Kai) is a minor btw, that's why the rules are so strict on a few things.

[astrology-bf]

Current coping mechanism is a rewatch of some masterpieces and personal favorites in animation, so I'd like to turn that into some positive energy with a few recommendations for any followers and moots wanting something to watch. ^^ Here's a little spoiler-free list.

5 Centimeters per Second (dir. Makoto Shinkai, 2005, ~63min) A romance and drama centered around two people in love drifting apart over time, fairly sad but in a cathartic way. This helped inform and inspire my own writings on relationships that simply don't work out.

The Iron Giant (dir. Brad Bird, 1999, ~87 min) The final fully animated film produced by Warner Brothers, which tells the story of a giant robot from space befriending a young boy in the USA during the Cold War. In addition to being one of the greatest works of western animation, the theme of having to make the active choice to be good remains a central one in my own writing and was in no small part influenced by seeing this film as a kid.

Angel's Egg (dir. Mamoru Oshii, 1985, ~71 min) An arthouse collaboration between the same powerhouse who would direct Ghost in the Shell and the artwork of Yoshitaka Amano. It's a beautiful piece that's rich in religious symbolism and has very little dialogue, making it a very visual experience, and as an art film it is much more focused on imagery and themes than having a real plot or explaining much of the worldbuilding beyond implication.

Sword of the Stranger (dir. Masahiro Ando, 2007, ~102min) A period drama and action film set during the Sengoku Period. Very much a homage to classic Kurosawa films which stands out for its stunning animation and visual choreography, and a stellar soundtrack. If you like swordplay, I'd definitely give this a watch. [CW: Graphic Depictions of Violence and Death]

Ghost in the Shell (dir. Mamoru Oshii, 1995, ~83min) An absolute classic and one of the pillars of the cyberpunk genre. I'd highly encourage even those who aren't anime fans to watch it simply because it's a stunning piece of cinema both visually and in terms of themes. [CW: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Nudity]

Titan A.E. (dir. Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, 2000, ~94min) A sci-fi action/adventure film telling the story of a young man inheriting his father's legacy against the backdrop of Earth having been destroyed by aliens. I wouldn't necessarily say this is a masterpiece as there are a lot of flaws , but what makes Titan A.E. stand out is its risk-taking by incorporating 2D and CGI elements and attempting to tell a more adult story than was the norm in western animated films at the time.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (dir. Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, 2001, ~96min) A science fantasy action/adventure film centered around a quest to find the lost city of Atlantis. Another film with flaws (mainly its short runtime for the story it tries to tell) but a visual masterpiece with some incredibly nuanced voice work by the likes of Cree Summer and Leonard Nimoy. The other thing which I love is how it actively avoids painting Atlantis as just a copy-paste of Classical Greek culture, but instead is much more inspired by architecture you'd see in Cambodia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

Русалочка [Rusalochka] (dir. Ivan Aksenchuk, 1968, ~29 min) A short animated adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid and honestly an excellent example of the very underappreciated genre that is Soviet animation. It's a rare version in which the tragic ending of the original is actually made more so, as it omits the deux ex machina in favor of telling a bittersweet but ultimately cautionary love story.

Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid (dir. Tomoharu Katsumata, 1975, ~68min) Another adaptation which maintains the original ending, this one is very interesting because it incorporated several animated conventions which would most certainly inspire Disney's own crack at the story more than a decade later. It's not necessarily a stand out piece for anything other than some gorgeous animation, but it is an interesting comparison to the film that would set off the Disney Renaissance in 1989. [CW: Mild nonsexual nudity (boobs)]

Kirikou et la Sorcière (dir. Michel Ocelot, 1998, ~71min) This is an interesting and controversial film because while it is a French film and was directed by a French man, the focus is entirely on West African folklore and culture - even the voice cast is almost entirely Senegalese - and the large amounts of nudity is nonsexualized. Visually stunning, but keep in mind that it remains a foreign film about West Africa, not a West African story. [CW: Nonsexual nudity]

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (dir. Mamoru Hosoda, 2006, ~98min) A sci-fi romance which tells the story of a girl gaining the ability to rewind time, and her dealing with the consequences of her choices. This is based on a famous series of novels from the 1960s and was very formative for me in terms of writing about the way in which choices can and cannot affect divergent outcomes. Plus the main couple is very cute.

Tokyo Godfathers (dir. Satoshi Kon, 2003, ~92min) Oh, what can I say about this film? There's comedy, there's tragedy, and it's just a wonderfully animated look into the lives of those living at the margins of Japanese society. The story is fundamentally optimistic and sentimental, but it takes a lot of turns along the way.

The Secret of Kells (dir. Tom Moore and Nora Twomey, 2009, ~75min) A fantasy film centered around the Book of Kells in 9th century Ireland, and the first of a trilogy of animated films delving heavily into Irish mythology and folklore. The visual style is extremely evocative of the same Insular Art used in the Book of Kells itself, and the voice acting adds another layer of richness to a very heartwarming story.

Kubo and the Two Strings (dir. Travis Knight, 2016, ~102min) Stop motion animation counts because I want to talk about this movie. The story is a fairly formulaic fantasy adventure drama and leans heavily into the tropes in a perfect way, combining stunning feats of stop motion animation with outstanding performances by the voice actors, and a score that takes the film to peaks of cinematic excellence. Go watch it, lol.

Treasure Planet (dir. John Musker and Ron Clements, 2002, ~95min) Finishing off with another formative piece from the last days of big-budget 2D animated films in the West. I love it because it's very obviously a passion project and because it's shameless in how it glosses over the mechanics of atmosphere in space simply to facilitate the visual coolness of having an Age of Sail drama IN SPACE. But more than that, the coming of age narrative and the relationship between the protagonist and villain just makes this a real classic. Only main problem with it is that f*cking annoying robot towards the end.

Do give one or some a watch, and feel free to ask if you'd like more thoughts or recs. 💕

[neoyi]

The Catbat comic was a nice little treat for the upcoming Crash Team Rumble game, but I especially love the addition of this particular character.

Like up until the ending slide show in Crash 4, I don't think there was anything to indicate Cortex's robotic scientists weren't anything but mindless automatons that did his bidding (and also end up as cannon fodder during.) The slide show implied they had to do something while Cortex was away post-final battle, which could either be them fulfilling their commands to keep themselves busy (or something) or the first signs of sentience and a life beyond their creator.

So you got one of the Lab Assistants who doesn't seem to work for Cortex. Or maybe he does and he has a rock gig in secret. Whatever the case is, there are signs of a free man here, one who grew beyond his programming and doesn't have to live a degrading, butt monkey existence as Cortex's minion. One who could be altruistic and help those in need.

Even the outfit he wears evokes the many, many costumes the Lab Assistants have donned over the games. They were always situational and appropriate to wherever Cortex sent them, but this rock n' roll look though? It's all his. This is his personal identity and what he can claim to call his own. Cortex did not choose this, HE did. I hope Rock n' Roll Lab Assistant Guy continues to explore his identity (find a name, continue to help people and rock out, etc.)

I don't know if Catbat told him the truth of their origin. If so, then they're with good company because he understands, and oh MAN, I really want to do fanart of these two buddies being good friends (or more? Catbat/Rock n' Roll LA pairing? Sure, why not?)

Catbat has such a great potential if Toys For Bob plays their cards right. Because yeah, there really isn't a Cortex science experiment who carried the kind of emotional baggage the way they do. None of the Bandicoots are as burdened with angst about the whole thing. Crash is more than willing to forgive and embrace Cortex because he is a cinnamon roll and I bet he just wants to reconcile with his dad. Coco has healthy outlets when she isn't kicking Cortex's ass through engineering and gaming, as well as a loving sibling bond with her brother. Prime!Tawna? ...Who knows. Crunch? ...That character is so goddamn useless he's not worth talking about here (I'm sorry, Crunch was a better character when he was an evil rival to Crash. You strip that off of him and what does he contribute?) But I digress.

What I'm saying is, I dig Catbat's background, because it continues where Crash 4 took off by creating pathos and character exploration instead of ha ha goofy character and dumb 2005-era Dreamworks humor (god, post-CNK games before the revival era really flattened these characters into senseless clowns.) Like I don't know if Catbat is even on Crash's side, or they happen to want to work together because of common goals. We'll see, I guess!

If a hypothetical Crash 5 happens and Catbat returns, I would genuinely love to see them returning, with an even more greater focus on their revenge against Cortex. But I'm getting ahead of myself; let's see how they do in Rumble first.

Apparently we'll be getting snippets of lore like these throughout Rumble's updates, and I am genuinely looking forward to them expanding the world built by Crash 4.

Look man, I'm not saying Crash Bandicoot has the deepest lore, but seeing little things like these add so much.

[denimbex1986]

'Saving Kylie Minogue from a bridge was not in Colum Sanson-Regan's plans when he turned up as a Doctor Who extra.

But David Tennant was not around, so someone had to do it, and producers thought Colum looked like the doctor.

"I've saved Kylie, flown the Tardis, held the screwdriver and had Billie Piper look deep into my eyes and tell me how much she loved me," joked Colum.

"I asked the producer 'Why am I putting on the doctor's suit? They replied 'Well, David Tennant isn't in'.

Now a father of two, Colum was earning some extra cash before his first child was born.

"I didn't know what was going on," recalled Colum of when he arrived on the set but was ushered past the "cold bus" where the extras usually hang around and was shown to a posh trailer.

The 10th Doctor had to leave the set for the 2007 Christmas special Voyage of the Damned, and producers needed a Tennant-alike for some extra shots showing his back.

So they improvised and Colum, then 31, stepped in to the suit synonymous with the Doctor since the world's longest running sci-fi TV show rebooted on the BBC in 2005.

Colum, now 46, had been asked by producers to be on set early but he had no inkling that his time (lord) had come.

"All of a sudden I was standing with the suit there, and I was handed a script and told 'You're gonna need this'," recalled Colum. "I was thinking pinch me, what's going on?

"Then I went for a haircut and a little Australian lady passed me dressed in a French maid outfit and said hello. I did a double take and realised I was there with Kylie Minogue."

The Australian singer and actor was a Doctor Who superfan and had asked for a part, which was humanoid waitress Astrid Peth, a one-off companion of the doctor.

"I was a bit star struck, for sure," he admitted.

His first work in Voyage of the Damned - where a starship replica of the Titanic is on collision course with Earth - was an action-packed scene where killer robot angels launched a deadly attack.

"There was a bridge, and the killer robot angels were trying to shoot, so I had to stop Kylie from falling over," recalled Colum.

"I had to hang on to her and pull her back from a precipice. That was the first thing I had to do in the morning."

The author and musician had a gig with his band that weekend in Leicester. As Kylie almost sang, he couldn't get it out of his head that he had worked with her - and we should all be so lucky.

"We got in the car and I said to my bandmates, guess who I've been working with this week?" said Colum, who lives near Cardiff.

"We'd been driving for almost two hours and had nearly hit Birmingham and they still hadn't guessed. I had to tell them! They're like 'absolutely no way'. It was so bizarre."

To Colum's pleasant surprise, producers were so happy with his work and lookalike skills, they asked him to play the Doctor again in the 2008 episode Journey's End - this time as his clone in the final episode of the fourth series.

That meant he had to be in the same scenes with Tennant, Billie Piper, John Barrowman and Catherine Tate, making her final appearance as a regular.

"I got to fly the Tardis in Journey's End," recalled Colum, who is originally from the Republic of Ireland.

"Everybody was gathered around the central console of the Tardis. We all had to have our hands on the machine and flying controls. Everybody was on that episode. There was a real buzz.

"I got to hold the screwdriver - they were very protective and kept taking it off me."

Colum was then involved in an emotional scene where Rose Tyler, played by Piper, had to say her final goodbyes to the doctor.

"It was an amazing and surreal experience.

"The nicest thing I have to take away was getting to work near David Tennant. I loved it. He was a thoroughly lovely, lovely guy and so professional. I think that was my favourite thing about the whole crazy time."

This weekend sees Tennant and Tate back together for Doctor Who, reprising their roles as the Doctor and Donna Noble in The Star Beast on BBC One on Saturday evening - but Colum will be back on his sofa with his family at home.

Husband to Kerry, singer and guitarist of band Goose, a creative writing lecturer and author of books like The Fly Guy, The Tall Owl and Other Stories, Colum has limited time for more extra work - especially after having his own trailer as the doctor's double.

"I'm looking forward to the show on Saturday with the return of some fantastic actors," added Colum.

"As a fan, working on the show was incredible and it's only strengthened my love for Doctor Who."'

[catholic-character-tournament]

Round 3 - Catholic Character Tournament

Propaganda below ⬇️

Gabriel

Well he's an angel so I'm taking him being catholic as canon. There are a lot of themes in the game that point to catholisism specifically.

He's so fucking funny. he listens to nine inch nails and quotes one of the songs in a fight basically "fight me like an animal". he and v1 kind of have this yuri thing going on. he has an official bodypillow. hes a metaphor for being excommunicated and no one gets him like me and my friends do

The *true* Catholic experience is leaving the church and having a gay awakening, ask anyone

its debatable if Gabriel truly believes he's "the one true savior" or is mocking the idea of it

ok im actually gonna write some gabe propaganda bc despite what you may expect from a game called ULTRAKILL theres a lot to be said about his character and how catholicism is represented

Gabriel is a genuinely caring person who struggles to square his desire to help people with his duty as an archangel. He's the only one in Heaven trying to make things better for those in Hell, but his faith is used to manipulate him into committing atrocities against the people he used to protect (see the "TRAITOR" mural in 4-2)

he only realizes his mistakes after losing everything and being sentenced to death, but he still decides with only a little time remaining to try and make things right. for the sake of spoilers i will just say that the measures he takes are... extremely drastic and very enjoyable. i just really like the idea that even facing the end of all living things, no matter how steep your crimes, it is never too late to fix your mistakes. you are never unworthy forgiveness.

hes also SO FUCKING GAY for this dumb little robot. it mauled him so hard he tasted his own blood and he fell in love right there. theres no way this guy has a normal healthy relationship to pain he is soooooooooo fucked. i love him. please vote for Gabriel "patron saint of gay lapsed catholics" Ultrakill !!!!!!!!

Shadow

In sonic destruction (the AI generated fan thing snapcube made a while ago) shadow was catholic or something which I think is reallyyyyyyy funny

Ok listen. I know this is a stretch but hear me out. He says “oh my God” in the Twitter takeovers so we know this is a possibility. I see him as a Christ-like figure because I saw his whole confrontation with Mephiles and was like “this is a thing that happened in the Bible??” and the pose Mephiles shows him in is literally like a crucifixion and Mephiles is meant to be a demon / false prophet reference. And also he’s called a demon in Shadow The Hedgehog 2005 then the guy who calls him that is like “I was wrong I’m sorry” and that also reminds me of a thing with Jesus in The Bible. But the biggest reason is his whole thing with Maria cause I think he’d come to earth and hear Ave Maria once and convert to Catholicism idk he’s like we’re comforted by a female familial figure named Mary sometimes called Maria?? And her color is blue????? Heck yeah I’m in because I Will Cry. Also feel free to share this as propaganda obv even if he doesn’t get in the bracket just. It’s funny.

I feel like he’d battle a lot with being seen or portrayed as a demon and how the aliens he’s related to very much look and act like demons idk lmao- and also I feel like confession would just be good for him I think he needs it for his mental health

There is a debate on the lovely website tunblr that Shadow T. Hedgehog is an allegory for Jesus Christ.

He is Jesus, idk what to tell you. He lived, he was sealed away, he was awakened again and deemed the ultimate lifeforms, he’s angry but not evil, does what he believes is best for people and the world at any given time. Total loser.

[chartmyfixations]

cris watches dr. who: s01e06 - "Dalek"

"E-le-vate!"

They're in 2012! It's funny how when the episode aired that was ever-so-slightly into the future and now it's ever-so-slightly into the past. 2012 wasn't so different from 2005: there were fewer LiveJournals and more Lady Gaga, maybe

Sometimes, I'm a little sad that I haven't seen the old episodes of Dr. Who, because I'm betting Van Statten's alien artifact bunker is filled with all sorts of callbacks that I don't understand

A Dalek! Even I know of Daleks!

Huh. I never realized it was Da-lek, not Da-lek

Hoo-boy the Doctor v. much does not like Daleks. Normally he's sassy but all in favour of a peaceful solution, but this odd li'l appliance robot makes him absolutely froth with rage

Aw, Emo!Dalek

So the Time War was a mutually destructive conflict between the Time Lords and the Daleks? Something tells me these two last vestiges of their races won't end up in an unlikely friendship

Stop torturing the murder robot, you goons

Stop touching the murder robot, Rose, you goon

I love how the Dalek is so obviously a relic from seventies sci-fi design - the way it looks, the shrill electric way it talks, the weird bumper tires - but he still feels menacing when he advances through the army base

I know I'm not supposed to be on the side of the depressed toaster oven, but I still kind of cheered when the Dalek managed to overcome the previously insurmountable object of the staircase

Once again, Rose's empathy is instrumental in saving the day

Alas, poor Dalek; alas, poor Doctor

8 out of 8 Tardes. New depth and history for the Doctor; absolutely chuffed with an episode that makes you feel both afraid of and sorry for a washer/drier-combination from the seventies. Also, Adam, so new character dynamics within the Tardis next episode! Kudos!

[quetzalpapalotl]

hi im new to the transformers fandom. i watched half of season 1 of tfa and all of earthspark and Thats It. do u think im qualified to read eugenesis??? or unqualified? or whatever will be more fun?

I mean, I can't tell you whether you're qualified or not to read a fanfic, but I can give you some context so you can decide if you want to:

Eugenesis is a fanfic written by James Roberts (JRo) who would later go to write the fan-favorite comic More Than Meets the Eye in 2012, which is set in the IDW1/IDW 2005 continuity (more info on that here).

Eugenesis was published in 2001 (being a remix of an earlier, incomplete fanfic also by Roberts) when JRo was part of Transmasters UK (TMUK). A group of fans that would distribute zines, organize cons and collectively write their own fanfic continuity based on the Marvel UK comics (the UK version being different from the US version of the comics, more info on that here)

So, ideally, to read Eugenesis with full context, one would need to have read Marvel UK and the previous TMUK stories. You can find the first online, but a great part of the later has been lost to time. @polyhexian is currently working on an archive of TMUK stuff. Luckily, you can make do without any of these (like I did at the time), because Eugenesis comes with a helpful continuity notes guide whihc you can download here, along with the main text.

I would greatly advice to anyone to read that first, even if you have read Marvel UK, because it also covers TMUK stuff. Eugenesis is still going to be a tad confusing at times, but it'll make things so much easier to understand.

As for my personal recommendation, is Eugenesis good? Is it bad? Well, it is an experience, for sure, I'm obsessed with it. I adore how depressing it is, how it has some of the most touching lines I've read followed by the weirdest description choices and oh boy, does the prose drag at times. It's an amateur work in a way that makes it very raw and I love it, it truly is born out of love.

It has value as a piece of fandom history and as a fan of Robert's later work in Transformers. A lot of concepts that JRo introduces in his comics first appear here, and it's interesting to see his influences and the way his prose has evolved.

Now, this is very important, the way the fandom talks about Eugenesis it's as something very silly, JRo writing a fic for his mechpreg kink. And yeah, I also do that because a lot of the stuff in this is premium material for shitposting. But this is NOT something that's worth reading just for the lolz.

Eugenesis is a very depressing read with a lot of potentially triggering material. Including lots of robot body horror and death, some detailed, some just mentioned in passing. Also suicide, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. One part goes into detail about a character's mental state before taking their own life, including allucinations, but no one here is ina good mental place. There are also death camps, with torture depersonalization and detailed inhumane treatment. This is holocaust with robots. One chapter is literally titled "The Anti Holocaust". It does throw you bones at the end, but at it's core is a book about futility.

Depending on what you can stomatch, it may not actually be that bad, some even wish it was worse. But I don't know you, so I want to give you a fair warning, and I repeat, it is not worth reading just for a laugh.

Sorry for all that infodump. You may do whatever you want with this information. I hope it helps and feel free to ask any more questions!

[lbova]

I wanna take a moment to appreciate one of my most favorite bloggers of all: @fan-burns ✨✨

This is going to be a somewhat long rant about how much I adore this blogger. So buckle up!

It all started when I rediscovered one of my favorite childhood movies called Robots, made by Blue Sky Studios back in 2005. I decided to rewatch the movie and it's safe to say it's a pretty good movie. And ever since I rewatched the movie, I became hyper fixed on it. And what do people usually do when they get hyper fixed on a a movie/show? They look for content about them. Last year, I discovered Tumblr, and to my surprise, there were people that knew about the movie! There were fanarts, headcanons, fanfictions, etc. Of course, the Robots fandom wasn't very large, but that's what made it special. And then... it happened.

I found a Robots blogger unlike anyone I've come across before. And their name was the one the only... Fan Burns! I first discovered them when I found one of their Robots Deep Dives about how Rodney and Ratchet are similar yet different. I thought the Deep Dive was very interesting, so I viewed their blog to see what else the blog had to offer. And wouldn't you know it, they were an artist as well. So I took the time to scroll through their art. And I immediately fell in love with the art. They have this Robots Oc named Harvey, and i love him to death. After looking and admiring their art, I then discovered a fanfic they were working on. Apparently, they decided to write a fanmade sequel to Robots, which is simply called Robots 2. Curiosity got the best of me and I decided to read the fanfic. And do you know what happened after that? I became OBSESSED with the story. It was edgy, creative, and above all, the most amazing fanfic I've ever read in my entire life of reading fanfics! I have seen many fanfics of what it would be like if Robots had a sequel, but Fan Burns... you have outdone yourself. You have managed to grab my attention. Your fanfic made me so obsessed, that I constantly think about it. Every. Single. Day.

Fan Burns. I honestly can't believe how underrated you are. I feel like more people should read your fanfic and appreciate your art. You deserve all the love in the world. You are amazing, talented, creative, funny. And I know that you're also living your life to it's potential. You're doing what you can to just simply live your life to the fullest. So I know it's hard to update your fanfic when you're busy, and don't worry. I will always wait for whatever you have in store in the future. Whenever Chapter 19 comes out, I will be running in circles around my room. But I want you to take your time posting or updating anything. I want you to take as much time as you need. I remember when I asked you to draw Rodney and Cappy together, and the look on my face when you answered my question. I stared at that picture for 2 hours straight no cap. I still go back to that picture to admire it, even today.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you. You definitely deserve it. Love you, Fan Burns. If you do read this, thank you for listening to my crackhead self. And thank you to everyone else if you got to this point. Everyone, if you haven't yet, please go check them out! You will not be disappointed.

Yeah I'm posting this at midnight. And I don't care. Bye y'all!!

[direful]

I finally got around to doing a reference image for Cautery (two of them, in fact!) and I'm really pleased with how they turned out, especially in comparison to his simple design sketch. It's been a while since I tried my hand at a proper robot/mecha design!

I've posted a little bit about him already, he used to be a surgeon before the war. He's still a surgeon now, but you really don't want to be the one on his table... His toyhou.se bio is here and will be updated soon!

Some design notes/an extra altmode image under the cut:

I did this design with IDW 2005 in mind because MTMTE is my favorite bit of Transformers media, but I think his look would stay pretty much the same regardless of continuity.

His altmode & transformation sequence take a lot of inspiration from Perceptor! I love the treads on the back of his legs so I wanted to use that idea on Cautery. I definitely also had TFP Shockwave rattling around in my mind while I was drawing him too, but I didn't realize it until now.

I've still got to do his prewar design, but he had a pretty classic medic look; red-and-white with yellow accents. And, y'know. A face and hands. He was less bulky too (think more like Quark), he's since added on some extra armor plating that he doesn't actually need to function.

[fernsnailz]

what’s your favourite version of shadow? like characterization-wise

i think my favorite instances of shadow characterization all come from various spin-off materials or games. they all have slightly different takes on the character that serve as an interesting insight into shadow, but i think these are my favorites:

Sonic X (season 3): i mean like. yeah no kidding. Sonic X feels like a very definitive and classic version of shadow, as it's very close to his characterization in Sonic Adventure 2. i really like season 3 because it raises the question of “what makes a hero?” shadow doesn’t consider himself a hero, and for good reason - he understands that he does some pretty heinous stuff for the greater good of the universe (namely trying to kill cosmo). and yet despite not being a hero, he still does heroic things. introducing the character of molly was one of the show's greatest ideas because it shows that some people DO consider shadow to be a hero, and his black and white viewpoint on the topic isn’t the only way to see things - plus, the comparisons between the two characters are a smart way to add some depth to shadow and lead to some absolutely heartbreaking moments. i dunno, Sonic X just has a really strong version of him and it’s fun to dissect his actions and beliefs. and also it makes me cry

Archie Sonic (post-issue 160): archie shadow pre-160 is one of the worst things in the world. but after that he’s pretty good! while archie shadow differs from his mainline counterparts, it’s in a very interesting way - archie shadow is surprisingly soft and a bit less subtle than most other versions of him, and this may be due to the fact that he never really went through the events of Sonic Heroes or Shadow the Hedgehog 2005. hell, he only went through like. half of the events of Sonic Adventure 2. while i don’t consider this version of him to be “definitively” shadow, he’s just so much fun. this take on him allows for some really great character work between team dark and a number of other characters. there’s a reason the treasure team tango arc is one of my favorite sonic stories ever - shadow goes through a very clear character arc in just four issues, and it’s really interesting to see how he gets there.

Sonic Battle: this one’s a bit of a wild card. i’ve never seen anyone talk about Sonic Battle on here, so for context it’s a 2D fighting game for the GBA that features a robot named emerl, an ancient battle android whose abilities grow when he comes in contact with the chaos emeralds. not only that, but emerl only gains character traits and his personality after interacting with the various sonic cast members. he’s a strange mix of sonic, tails, amy, knuckles, cream, rouge, and most importantly, shadow. this game’s version of shadow is really interesting - in terms of timeline it’s certainly debatable on where Sonic Battle fits into any sort of “canonical” timeline (i could make a whole different post explaining why). regardless, shadow has all of his memories back, but he’s EXTREMELY tormented through this entire game because Sonic Battle focuses directly on shadow’s feelings about being a living weapon. and it’s honestly amazing.

shadow spends most of the game trying to destroy emerl because the android is another weapon created to destroy the world, and there’s a number of good moments between the two of them and the other sonic cast members. i don’t really want to give much more away because the end of Sonic Battle is one of the most impactful endings i’ve seen in any sonic game - emerl’s last line in this game makes me cry every single time. if you’re interested, i’d suggest watching a longplay to see the cutscenes or reading the script online because i NEED more people to experience this game. it’s not perfect - the story is told entirely through video game dialogue and limited visuals so it’s a little clunky, but there’s so much good to be found in the character interactions. i love this game

[nuri148]

My Trip to Japan! ⛩️ Part 2

15.12.

🍃🍂Ghibli Park!!!🍂🍃

AKA the trigger for all this madness. It was when they announced that Ghibli was going to open a theme park that going to Japan went from dream to plan.

Getting tickets was an adventure on its own. I had to sit in front of the computer on the day and time they went on sale (a Sunday at 7 am, Spain time) and get in the virtual queue like it was a freaking Taylor Swift concert, to secure my spot. They had this perverse system where you have to get a ticket for each of the 3 areas of the park, and each has its allocated entry time. To complicate matters further, not all entry slots are available from abroad, only two for each area, which required significant research between blogs, reviews, and videos to figure out the most convenient order to see everything.

We headed to Aichi; at the end of the subway line (this one had elevators), we changed to the Linimo, Japan's only maglev (magnetic levitation train). It was built for Expo 2005, and Ghibli Park is now located on its premises. We arrived very early, bought lunch at the konbini for later, and went to the first gift shop. Consumerism is rewarded here: each shop within the park offered slightly different things, so we had to go through them all. I swear I did not actually buy in all of them.

We started in the Hill of Youth area. Around the Whisper of the Heart roundabout, you'll find the antique shop/house from the movie, the cat office from The Cat Returns, and the bus stop from My Neighbor Totoro. There's also a real mailbox, and letters dropped there carry a postmark from the park. I knew this already, so I sent myself a postcard.

The cat's office is beautiful, built to scale and all detail outside and in, with figures of the Baron and Muta chatting in the living room.

But the antique shop... That house is something else. Everything is recreated in the smallest detail, from the luthier workshop below, with woodchips scattered on the floor, worn-out tools, violins in different stages of construction, to the living area upstairs, featuring vintage furniture from the sixties, incredible. The drawers and cabinets are full of things, not recreations (except the food in the fridge lol), real things from bygone times, normal things you find in houses. And you can open them and peek. Matches, kitchen towels, a bag of cat food. Mismatched crockery and cutlery as it’s normal in houses where actual people live. Cleaning stuff. Old postcards and magazines.

The painstaking  work they must have undertaken of searching through antique shops and flea markets all over Japan to achieve such level of detail is absolutely mind-blowing. And the shop itself, omg... You have the Baron statuette, of course, with its mesmerizing eyes; the carrousel horse, the chimney... And the clock. Which we waited for because it activates every half hour. Yes, that clock, with the elves mining gemstones and the prince contemplating his princess before the day transforms her back into a sheep; all that is right there, live, for real. I’m not crying, you are crying.

From there, we went to the Grand Warehouse, the biggest area of the park. It is, as it says, a big warehouse with different exhibits and a clearly Gaudí-inspired main square (the Japanese love Gaudí). We took (read: Husband took of me) lots of photos in the different recreated props from the studio’s movies. We only missed two, consciously: No-Face from Spirited Away and the robot from Laputa: Castle in the Sky. In both cases, the line was so long that we wouldn't have made it to the next area on time. And in the case of the robot, we had the one at the museum. It was also my fault for not wanting to stand in line as soon as we arrived (in my defence, I didn’t know what was inside – it's not visible from outside the entrance), leaving that exhibit for the end, and by then the queue had become much longer. No-face is the first stop in the main exhibit, which features props from various movies where you can take photos. The main problem, IMHO, is that people take hundreds of photos, check if they liked them, repeat... I'm sorry, but if you have a hundred people behind you, take two or three, and whatever comes out is fine. The staff should speed up the people more, or even take the photos themselves.

In addition to this permanent exhibition, there was another temporary one about food in the different Ghibli movies. I was thrilled to see they’d included paintings from my beloved Heidi, produced by Isao Takahata before founding Ghibli with Miyazaki.

The warehouse, like the Museum, also has a cinema, done in an exquisitely art deco style. The short film we watched, however, (Hoshi wo Katta Hi) escaped us, as it had much more dialogue than our basic Japanese could process. Next to the cinema, there’s a warehouse with different props not currently used  in any of the exhibits.

Other highlights include Arriety’s house, the philosophy club closet from Up from Poppy Hill (also recreated in painstaking detail)  and a few non-gift shops. There is also a children’s area with a catbus to play in and a café on the backyard, which we didn’t go to as we hadn’t enough time.  

After a quick visit to the gift shop, crowded with people, we left for the last area, Dondoko Forest, where Satsuki and Mei's house from My Neighbor Totoro stands. Another masterpiece of recreation. Kitchen stuff, toys, clothes, everything you can find in a house. In the kitchen drawers, there were even antique mosquito coils (the movie takes place in the '50s). Sorry (not sorry) for repeating myself, but the fieldwork they must have done to obtain all those objects is colossal.

Unlike the Whisper of the Heart shop, here they did allow photos inside, so I would have stayed forever if it weren't for Husband eventually looking at me with his best are-we-leaving-yet face, plus daylight beginning to fade. The visit was completed with a climb to a hill where there's a giant Totoro for photos, and we got down with a kind of funicular (technically an inclined elevator), which looks like a toy it’s so smol and kawaii.

Before leaving, we passed by Mononoke Village. This area, included in the Grand Warehouse ticket but without an entry slot, hasjust opened. There was only has a couple of monsters for the photo and a pavilion were they do workshops that was already closed, so we only saw the outside of it. There is a new area in construction, the Valley of Witches, scheduled to open in March, which will feature scenery from Howl’s mving Castle and Kiki’s Delivery Service.

The park is fucking amazing, and a total must for any self-respecting Ghibli fan. I want to go back right away. The one downside, for me, is the fixed schedule ticket system they have (which they say they will eliminate soon), because we didn't have enough time to see all of the Grand Warehouse, but if we’d stayed, we would have missed the Dondoko Forest, and with Totor being my favourite Ghibli film, that would have been unforgivable.

We came back exhausted, and it was an adventure to find a place to have dinner. The word of the day was "kanseki": "full." Finally, we found an izakaya where we had a great meal and better service.

[nonbinary-sticks-the-badger]

the OFFICIAL sonatchet propaganda post from the REAL ceo of sonatchet

are you a fan of sonic the hedgehog? perhaps ratchet and clank is more your style? or maybe you like both? well, have I got the ship for you.

now, why should YOU ship sonatchet? it's simple: the franchises have so much in common. now, sonic fans, when i say, an anthropomorphic creature has to stop the evil capitalist baddie from taking over the world with his little buddy, smart as a whistle. along the way, he grinds rails, he follows his own path, not exactly good, but certainly heroic. he does this all with an absolutely brilliant soundtrack. and yeah, maybe the more recent games haven't been so good, writing and gameplay-wise, but hey, we're getting back on track.

what i have just described to you is ratchet and clank. initially created a year after everyone's golden child of sonic games, sa2, by ex-members of sonic team, ratchet and clank has been a vital part of my upbringing, more so than sonic has. for me, sonic is a more recent thing. i've been a fan since i was 5. when did i become a fan of r&c, you may ask? well, my first memory is my dad playing it in front of me, to give you an idea. i couldn't walk or speak properly, sat in a high chair, presumably eating soggy toast, one half marmite and the other of bovril. but, by that point, i was used to the experience - i can't even remember the first time i watched him play.

for any sonic fans who havent yet got the gist, imagine shadow the hedgehog (2005) with good writing that sounds like how actual people speak and less goofy weapons. edginess for the sake of humour rather than for edginess. oh also there is actual genocide in r&c1 quick heads up.

so, r&c fans, with it being far more mainstream, you're probably well aware of the overlap between the two franchises. hell, most of you reading probably are sonic fans. so, of course, i probably wont have to explain sonic in ratchet and clank terms. i want to but i wont. at the end of the day, all you need to know is that sonic is a hedgehog who runs fast and is kinda like ratchet.

THE SIMILARITIES

quickfire round! if it's in blue, it's headcanon, if it's plain text, it's canon!

transmasc and bi

somewhat morally grey, however definitely on the good side and classes themself as a hero

has a younger brother-figure/best friend who's good with electronics and can let him fly

has to fight robots

the biggest baddie is usually capitalism or actual cosmic horrors

space is vaguely related

sci fi

both quite calm and laid back but can get very serious and angry if you let them

adventurous travellers

fairly flirty but never seem to settle down (aroace reference?)

from what ive heard stc sonic is basically slightly angrier 2002 ratchet (i havent read stc though)

both almost the exact same age, with ratchet being 14-16, depending on which game, and sonic being 15

THE DIFFERENCES

ratchet LOVES weapons, with the vast arsenal being one of the main selling points of r&c1/sonic is known for spin dash

ratchet canonically has negative rizz (though i believe has had canon love interests iirc?)/sonic is attractive to almost everyone

ratchet has explored multiple galaxies/sonic has only explored a single planet and the odd space station

sonic is probably more likely to do the right thing

sonic is a giant environmentalist, literally has befriended nature/ratchet cares more about saving people than planets, unless it's an actual planet blowing up. like, the planet will cease to exist from quark's super laser piss or something

all of this ties together to create the wonderful ship we call sonatchet, a real and true yearning across franchises. truly, god made them in different game studios because he knew they would be unstoppable as canon lovers.

for any sonic fans wanting a really good comparison, id say the best i can give you is sonadow with a sonknux dynamic? though, not entirely. obviously, if there were a comparable ship, i wouldn't bother tagging in another guy from a completely seperate franchise, so please, please, understand the joys of sonatchet.