#makers her so interesting and so likeable

[arcanegifs]

ARCANE LEAGUE OF LEGENDS: 2x01 - “Heavy is the Crown”

[queenvhagar]

2 1/2 years of seeing posts, listening to podcasts, and watching reaction channels practically salivate over any and every misfortune that the Greens (particularly Alicent) could suffer through whatever ludicrous "karmic comeuppance" they perceived, only for it to happen within the text of the show come Season 2 was the final nail in the coffin for me.

Watching Alicent Hightower beg for Rhaenyra Targaryen's mercy (a thing they seemingly if not accidentally foreshadowed in 1.05), while abandoning every male association of hers because of some misguided attempt at Feminism™️from these writers and showrunners, thereby validating every single atrocious thing the Team Black fundamentalists have said about her character, truly makes me disgusted.

It's so visceral to see a "professional" television production team stumble their way into confirming their own biases (accidental or otherwise) and then some for a section of the fanbase that goes out of their way to harass others who enjoy characters either on the opposite side of the conflict and/or even the actors themselves!

Condal & Hess have turned what is ostensibly a medieval political thriller rooted heavily in Gray and Grey Morality, into a Black and White Morality tale that is only interested in appealing to the idea of progressivism but stifling any degree of complexity to all the characters, because they're obsessed with making the female protagonists "likeable" to an audience, so that they aren't accused of the same immature and volatile environment that Benioff & Weiss cultivated behind the scenes during their "leadership" of Game of Thrones.

I cannot speak for anyone else but myself. This isn't simply about enjoying Team Green, but their position within the narrative that the television adaptation has made is emblematic of a larger issue. The rampant media illiteracy and anti-intellectualism permeating art (if not simply entertainment) has led to a fundamental and belligerent misunderstanding of characters. Audiences nowadays cannot fathom others liking characters that aren't aligned with the protagonist and their centered morality, especially if those characters range from being textually "bad" to just "ambiguous" or "conflicted" within the narrative.

It feels like there has been no room for intellectual debate among the majority since House of the Dragon started airing because audiences (consumers, I should say) at large don't seem to want a complex and tragic tale showcasing the flaws inherent to feudalism and monarchy which are the main themes of the source material, but simply a cool wish-fulfillment fantasy a la "tits and dragons" without any of the substance that made A Song of Ice and Fire so interesting and impactful. Seven hells if you try and offer any disagreement with these people. If this is the environment (read: echo chamber) that Condal & Hess are building, then count me out.

Absolutely this.

Unfortunately media is reflecting larger trends towards anti-intellectualism and media illiteracy, all heightened by social media and internet echo chambers. There's also something to be said about this trend towards purity culture/politics in media wherein creators and those who consume the media are quick to label something as not being progressive enough, or at least performatively progressive enough, which results in media relying on these caracturized versions of character archetypes in order to not portray something problematic and ironically results in stories that are inauthentic, rely at times on harmful stereotypes to tell their tale, and remove ambiguities and complexities from the narrative. Unfortunately, media makers like HBO don't trust their audience to have critical thinking, and unfortunately, the general audience reinforces it with their interpretation of what's presented.

It comes down to where we're at socially and politically, and there's also a large economic component: what sells the best to the most people is a more generic, easily digestible story, in most cases good vs evil with the insertion of certain qualities like good CGI or witty humor/one liners that can be taken from the show and used in marketing/social media reactions/the like.

This is what's happened to HOTD season 2 in a nutshell, but it's not the only franchise to suffer from such things.

[tenebrare]

Random musings from TV

Been watching Finnish military themed drama - "Conflict" and I would like to point out to some mainstream American show writers: This is how you write strong female leads (there's 2) and NOT write complete girl boss shit like in True Detective latest season. I fucking hated True Detective last season and even with FFW button it was boring badly done over the top snore fest. I hope HBO never shows shit like this on my selection ever again. Solid 1/10 season for a series that had 2 10/10 seasons (1st and 3rd) A good protagonist goes trough lessons and hurdles. In "Conflict" one of the female leads does series of bad decisions. She is over confident and suffers personal loss due it (an actual loss, not some artificial thing she can shrug off). She does not immediately 'get over it' - she learns to overcome the loss trough focusing on survival, revenge and her responsibility over her 2 surviving comrades as she is commanding officer afterall. Neither of her 2 companions is stupid or ignorant tag-alongs(the stupid ones get off the picture like in 1st moments) - foreigner born, but Finnish guy and American are offering her support forming a good team which starts off slightly dysfunctional, but they understand that there is no "I" in a team. She becomes less arrogant and goes trough personal growth in extreme situations - making her and her surviving 2 team mates extremely relatable and likeable. Team members as characters serve a purpose to counter her line of thoughts and give feedback to her decision making and actions. If viewer has an opinion, those 2 characters on occasion represent hose. They are not there to fill a space or minutes on screen, they are there to help her character to grow. None of them, not her, her team nor the other female protagonist (president) would survive without the 'teams' and people around them. Trough the growth especially the officer earns respect of the viewer and you start hoping she'll survive the ordeal while show makes clear that no character is safe from capture or death. President is accompanied by the classic 'stupid old man' foreigner minister, but even that pairing is based on reality - this is how a Finnish PM was - often too much in Tik Tok rather than in politics and crisis (COVID at time) - so it makes this pairing interesting as in many occasions the annoying old man is right, but yet this pairing shows that both extremes are bad for the community and nation. One has to come down from her celebrity status and other has to stop being stuck in some sort of old-mans-club. Dysfunctional pairing that completely deserves one another. Also Finnish Tv makers manage to make you feel sorry for every person lost. The good and bad guys alike. No the evil mercenaries are not 'obviously Russian' - they are from various countries from Europe and there is no lecturing about good and evil, there is story of characters, politics and how big countries like USA and Russia see small nations (Finland has only 5 mil population, i believe). I think this series deserves more recognition just because of its depth and actual quality. More so the premises of the 'Conflict' is based on real events from 2014 (no, it didn't occur in Finland though, but if you see the show you know which actual military conflict its based on and the series do follow the methodology of the actual take over pretty closely) Also on other note - been working on a Pin+Kirsty doodle, although I still suck at doodling Kirsty. I am trying ... while watching The Conflict.

[bakawitch]

Random blab session about my love Bellamy 💓 (I had too much time on my hands, so I've been fantasising about her lore)

Her biggest number one flaw is that she is extremely judgemental. Even her compliments (which are probably rare) sound very judgy and backhanded.

She tends to judge people on the surface level based on first impressions, which can be often inaccurate. They are also extremely biased towards their own opinions, and she often dismisses and/or underestimates the people around her. She does not enjoy associating with people who don't meet her standards. Which admittedly are most people. And her pessimistic tendencies to always assume the worst about others definitely isn't helping her make any new friends... But since Bellamy is kind of a loner, that doesn't bother her too much.

Bellamy is also not the best decision maker because of this. Since more often than not she only relies on first impressions, she can be very rash when making decisions as she usually doesn't bother to gather enough information past what she already knows.

Does this also make her kind of hypocritical? Oh, absolutely. Bellamy judges others, not themselves. They hold others to high standards, but if they would happen to make the same mistake someone else did, there would be a reasonable explanation in her mind to exhonorate Bellamy from the same fault, unlike with someone else. She completely refuses to acknowledge her own flaws, even if they are brought up to her. She's been raised to be that way for a reason– she's been fine up until now, and she'll still be fine being like this in the future. Why should she have to change? (So yeah, this is 100% learned behaviour)

Since Bellamy is so prone to assumptions, she often sees ill intent and hostility where there is none. They tend to unintentionally escalate situations into conflicts, even if they could have been solved peacefully because that's just what she knows to work to get her point across.

Their views on the world are extremely rigid, and she is very resistant to change. She's very stubborn and close-minded when it comes down to it. She struggles to adapt to new ideas, different perspectives, and the like. Bellamy would absolutely reject good advice or help if it came from someone she doesn't respect and believes to be incompetent or if said advice would collide with her views.

Hehe idk why I kicked off her more indeapth introduction in such a negative way, but I feel like this actually gives a pretty good peek at what Bellamy is like as a person. Obviously, she has good and likeable traits too, but I kinda felt like this was more interesting to think about XD

[hellsbeenbettersincehesplit]

What's this? Chapter 4 of shifting vertebrae is posted? Starring Valentino failing to be a detective and some interesting insight into the other side of people being confused by whatever tf Vel is up to?

Also, just a warning- I added a few tags for this one.

Cross-posted under the cut!

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Shifting Vertebrae

Chapter 4: An Interlude at Vee Tower

Valentino wasn’t quite as dumb as everyone seemed to think.

Well. Like everyone, he wasn’t the best judge of his own intelligence. But others seemed to assume a certain level of incompetence, and when Val let this assumption persist, he would typically get something out of it. People weren’t nearly as careful with their secrets as they should be around him, and when a deal maker can reveal information that you’d rather keep hidden… truly, exaggerating his stupidity and seeming incapable was a great recruitment tactic.

That’s not to say he was close to the other Vees. Or most overlords. He was around the same level as most sinners, and most sinners couldn’t play the games of overlord politics that his world was- that’s why most sinners never became overlord.

His Voxy could process information, statistics, and observations in the blink of an eye. His code could optimize their every business decision and respond expeditiously to new events. His cameras and memory ensured that nothing could get past him. And Vox had that smooth charisma that made people take their business seriously. Vel was likeable, Val was the sex appeal, and Vox was the perfect company representative.

Even more than Vox, however... Vel had people skills beyond what Valentino had thought was possible. She didn’t even have enhanced intellect from her descent, but that didn’t keep her from walking into a room, observing every scrap of information, and then drawing correct conclusions on her back burner while pushing the right buttons to end up exactly where she wanted to be. Vox and Vel both had gaps- his processors were perfect with hard facts, but his interpretations were a bit slower. He tended to rely a bit on his mind-controlling powers. Vel could take the facts from Vox and identify exactly what weak points he’d found. Usually her conclusions were correct. The scariest part? People almost never realized what she was doing in the first place.

Val wouldn’t want to be against either of the two. And if they were together against him, he may as well give up.

So, of course Val knew something was going on with Velvette, and of course he didn’t like that he didn’t know what. He’d barely seen her all week, she refused to discuss the friend she was staying with, and she had done something nice for her employees. What the fuck?

When he brought it up, her response was, “Ask Vox.” She hadn’t even glanced away from the lighting design she was considering for the next fashion show! She typed suggestions furiously, clearly not paying Valentino’s interruption any attention. Valentino honestly thought the design looked fine, but the last time he had made a comment like that about her work, she’d refused to produce the outfits he’d needed for his pornos for two weeks.

When Valentino did ask Vox, the reply was, “Vel’s mad?”

Which meant she was likely mad at Val specifically, and he had no fucking idea why. He was supposed to be the one always angry over small reasons! Over the past three months, nothing he’d done should’ve upset her. Velvette hadn’t been angry with Val like this since that time she’d found out about how he created the overlords porn series and hired her cousin to act as her. (In his defense, she’d refused! He was just following the money. He’d been comitted enough to producing the full set that he’d even found someone to act as a fake Alastor. That demon was in hiding since the real radio demon came back, but that wasn’t a problem for Valentino. In any case, the last thing he needed was a resurgence of that argument.)

Maybe she was thinking about that again? He dialed Vox’s number.

“Voxy,” he purred into the phone.

“Val,” Vox responded flatly. “What do you want?”

“Can you check the viewing statistics on my old overlord series?”

“Same levels as always. Why, do you need them pushed? Are you doing a remake so soon after the initial production?”

“Just curious.” So it wasn’t that. Val hung up the phone in his office, feet on the table. Why were women so irrational?

See, this was where he was weak. Velvette was supposed to be their emotional intelligence. They needed a second Velvette or some shit if they wanted to ever decode the one they already had.

He could ask, but that hadn’t worked the first few times, and it wouldn’t work the next.

“Sir?” One of the actors called out to him with a knock on his office door, interrupting his train of thought. “Are you ready for us to continue filming?”

So his ‘take five’ had run out. Valentino opened the door with mild distaste, reluctantly made his way to the director’s chair, and called out, “Action!”

Between shots, Velvette posted her two-week update on the ‘experiment.’ Like all her sinstagram posts, she looked fantastic- it focused on her typing on a computer in a professional-looking black blouse. She’d deemed this a business post: It resembled her other posts discussing the Voxtech corporation, giving off the perfect professional-yet-trendy vibe. The caption discussed the success of her ‘experiment’ and the notable increases in productivity. Val seethed when he saw that she’d said that other overlords would likely benefit from implementing similar strategies.

They were in fucking hell. Weak-ass sinners were lucky to gain power from an overlord. If they can work harder from breaks, they can work harder without them. This wasn’t for productivity, it couldn’t be. No, this was some kind of power play. At best, an attempt to look like the nice overlord to attract new sinners. Maybe a way of shifting public opinion to make her look better when some shit hits the fan, or keeping attention away from some ongoing scandal.

Valentino had to figure out what was going on to keep them all intact, but he was miles from figuring out whatever Vel was hiding.

“You,” he ordered, pointing at a random nerdy-looking sound tech of his. “Schedule me a meeting with the other Vees.”

There! Now, the three of them could have a nice, open, honest conversation. Whatever this was, it could be fixed or strengthened by working together. That’s how they’d built their empire, and that’s how they would maintain it. This problem would go away with a little communication.

And yet, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” was the response he’d gotten from Vel.

“Your little sinstagram stunt? The fact that you’ve been avoiding us? I looked at your content, and you haven’t even promoted the actors in my latest porn to trending!”

Vel only picked her nails with an eye roll. “You’re overstating things. Not my fault nobody cares about your shitty actors.”

“No the fuck I’m not-” Vox’s hand caught his arm before he could take his emotion out the usual way.

“In any case,” Vel’s eyes narrowed with distaste, “Vox knows exactly what he did.”

“No he doesn’t!”

Vel raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

Vox’s claws scraped the table. “I would know if you’d fucking tell me! “ His voice changed the way it sometimes did when he was angry.

Velvette didn’t even glance at them. “Look, I have SinToks to review for the latest trending sound.” She stood. “Why don’t you two put your two braincells and single line of code together and see if you can think for once in your afterlives.” Then she fucking walked away from Val? What the fuck?

“That bitch!”

Vox sighed. “Val, it’s a lost cause. Whatever this is, she’ll tell us eventually, just like the last time we upset her.”

“And wait for our empire to crumble while she has her pity party?” He responded. “Look through your memory! What was the thing two and a half months ago that got her like this?”

“Nothing from that week should have made her upset,” Vox replied after a moment of processing.

Val was pacing. “Is she just being crazy?”

“Babe,” Vox interjected, his tone infuriatingly calm. “We clearly can’t get to the bottom of this right now. Why don’t you take this out on your workers, and I’ll review some camera footage?”

Val groaned. “Will you call me when you find something?”

Voxy smiled. “Of course.”

So here Val was, having stormed back to set. “Cut!” Val called out. “Make it faster, make it rougher! Nobody watches mafia for whatever this slow shit is.” It was fine, honestly, but nobody got to leave until Val felt better about that meeting.

If only he could order the rest of his life into perfection. At least here, there were no cryptic phrases and confusing actions. When there were, he could weed them out. Around the other overlords, everything was schemes, and Val could tell he was a chess piece without knowing what each side wanted from him.

Whatever this shit with Velvette was, he would solve it if it’s the last goddamn thing he did. And if he couldn’t, Vox would. It was only a matter of time.

[ask-serendipity-sky]

Tae is kinda very smart for not confirming Taennie lol. Jennie doesn't give af about dating rumors because she already have multiple confirmed relationships, Tae is the biggest celebrity she's ever linked with, her Fandom kinda supports her, she will be hated anyway by others and has nothing to lose. But Tae ? Everything opposite of Jennie's case.

Personally I dont think they'll last until he decides to marry her and I think he feels the same. So why put his career, fanbase and reputation in danger for a relationship that won't last ? That's why there's no 'contribution' from Tae's side to this news lol, if anything he boosts Taekook whenever he can as it holds his fanbase together. Tbh it was a smart decision, if he wasn't dragging tkk to this shit tho. This isn't his first nor last relationship, it's his private thing which he dont wanna confirm to anyone.

I BET IF HE'S MARRYING A WOMAN ONE DAY IT WON'T BE A CELEBRITY, ESPECIALLY A VERY POPULAR BUSY ONE. You know how most SK men generally think about marriage right ? They want someone who stays at home, look after their kids and family, available to spend time with husband whenever he's at home. Tae has said he likes a woman who can be like his mother (its a eww for me tho). Even the regular men are like that so we can imagine how a busy rich celebrity men may want from thier wife lol. Most of korean female celebs who married male celebs either quit work or took long breaks. And Jennie is too big to be just a home maker momma he dreams of and not planning to give up everything to marry him. She has her own career which is almost big as him and is even busier than him. So yeah, I think they'll breakup eventually and find other partners who they can build their ideal future with.

Hello,

Hmmm.

I'm sensing that you don't like Jennie? Lol

I just want to point out that Jennie is probably more known that Tae. She has as much to lose as he does, if not, more. I don't like how people low key shade her and act like she's inferior to Tae. She doesn't need Tae either. She's done well on her own. And she's dated G-dragon...I mean...come on!

I don’t see it like this at all. Taennie is strong AF! I know people judge Jennie for other valid reasons but if you see content of hers (not on stage), she seems very sweet and down to Earth. Nicer than Tae, actually. She's much more likeable and she has a pleasant personality.

I remember a BP live where her and Lisa are decorating a cake and Jennie says that she wants to be able to bake cakes with her children while Lisa says she will just give them money to buy a cake lol

Jennie didn't grow up with her mom either so it seems like she also wants a home and a family. She's is very motherly.

I actually think they are perfect for each other.

If Tae is not confirming, that's because he needs album support from the tkkrs and his fans who don't see right through him but just wait until all this is done. It will be interesting.

Hope this helps.

[tenaciouspostfun]

Stories

Submitted



Ferrari. Movie Review.

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"Ferrari" differs from "Ford vs Ferrari" that played several years ago. This movie deals with the personal life of Enzo Ferrari and his inner conflicts. Where "Ford vs Ferrari" dealt with the competition between the two great auto makers, this movie takes us to the life of the man in Modena,Italy.

Enzo Ferrari has had a long time mistress, Lina Lardi played by Shailene Woodling in which he has a son with her, Piero. Years before, Enzo had lost his older son (Dino) to a long illness and it has hurt him deeply; he visits his son's tomb often.

What makes "Ferrari" work so well is several-fold: the great cinematography, excellent directing by Michael Mann and the acting that each and every actor puts into their roles. One gets a sense of the time and place of where Ferrari grew up and lived his life.

In what maybe her best role since "Blow", Penelope Cruz hits it out of the park as Ferrari's wife, Laura Ferrari. Determined, classy, demanding and smart, Cruz is the true matriarch of this family; she takes no crap from anyone. Laura is bitter over losing her son; losing her husband as she toils with the car company that it teetering on bankruptcy.

Ferrari himself (Adam Driver) is a calm, calculating man who is always in control of his emotions, always. He too is a demanding man who does not suffer defeat very easily. He, after all is a car company that produces cars to support his racing team which is anathema to all the other car companies in the world. Being that he makes so few cars he needs to win races for his company to survive.

What complicates Ferrari's life is his other life, a mistress and a son that he tucks away in the countryside. Where his wife thinks that he is having multiple affairs, it his other secret life that lays bare the controversy in this movie. Only a handful of people know of Enzo's secret. Like his first child, Enzo nurtures this young boy, teaches him about engineering and even though he is young, he educates him about practical daily matters.

What makes Ferrari most appealing is that the director deftly moves us from a nasty wife at the beginning who is unlikable to a stealthy woman that we all respect at the end. Even though her husband has not been kind to her, she stands behind him at all times. She is by no means a pushover, however, she is his fortress. Laura manages the books, delves out the salaries of the workers and is a very shrewd businesswoman.

Another reason "Ferrari" appeals is the cars themselves and the racing scenes; lifelike and engaging, both the direction and cinematography make this movie a winner. I don't think I will ever forget the near end of the last race scene that involved fatalities; never have I ever witnessed a scene like that in all the years I have watched film!

Even though it is billed as a work of fiction, "Ferrari" is a work about real people who experience what the film depicts. Much of the story is based on the man, his company and his life, but not all of it is factual. What is factual about the man is that he loved his cars and his racing team, he built cars like no one else could. Where Henry Ford build an assembly line, Ferrari built works of art, something that Ford's son who would later take over the business couldn't do.

At a little over two hours, "Ferrari" for the most part moves nicely (there are some slow points), it engages the audience and keeps the characters interesting and for the most part, likeable.

Enzo Ferrari, Penelope Cruz, Adam Driver, Michael Mann, Patrick Dempsey, Hollywood, Academy Awards, Oscars.

Words: 639

[opbackgrounds]

I’m glad you chose this particular character, Law and Wyper is such a great comparison, Who isn’t a supernova but still says a lot lol.

All that effort to create an ally to Luffy, which he needs, and moving the plot forward, Is to be treated like a character you have to Google!

Fuck that Oda, why he must make other characters important!! Sounds like shitty world building to me!!  It is like the final saga of the story, where secrets get unraveled and more characters get involved!! God forbid Sabo’s flashback take any longer.

But hey !Crew members other than the original five, to be completely honest here, Oda before even Law showed up didn’t give a fuck about, which is noticeable before the time skip. And to me, it is a shame cuz I love the older group of the crew more.cuz the repetition of solo fights (zoro/sanji) is sometimes boring.

And hey! I’m a hardcord Robin fan, she’s the one who got me into OP in the first place, and guess what ? I was dying for her to get some screen-time so much I got frustrated, but I interpreted that Oda is saving her for the final saga which he actually stated later on ,that then will be ok with me.

and not saying that how it should be, no, but each crew member got a dream /goal that will be explored. plus, I don’t really see them less than they usually do in each arc, the focus was and still is on luffy,zoro, sanji and nami the most.

 But yeah, I really feel you. Franky and Chopper such a pivotal characters, poor them.

Ah for vivi, I didn’t say she’s not a crew member ?It seems like the favourite topic for a lot of people lol. she just doesn’t have an active rule, till now at least, she’s just a linking point for luffy and a political figure, just like Shirahoshi

No denying in that !

But Could I make the same argument that Oda gave her a D and killed off her father to maker her likeable and interesting? 

Because not a lot of people would give a shit about her.

At the end, I do like all the crew members, don’t get me wrong but there’s good writing and there’s fairlytail writing. 

But oh dear, we will continue seeing more characters that you or me don’t give a shit about for the final saga.

[miloscat]

[Review] Grapple Force Rena (PC)

More grappling action!

Grapplethon 2023 continues with this little treasure of a game. Rena was Kickstarted in 2014 with a quite experimental model: a serialised episodic game playable in a browser (“a webcomic you can play”). These plans fell through but its creator Tim Ashley Jenkins pushed on and with the help of Galaxy Trail (Freedom Planet) published it in 2018 as a traditional standalone game, which works perfectly well for it.

GFR seems inspired by 16-bit action games like Treasure’s, as well as obviously grapple-action classics like Bionic Commando and Faussete Amour. It benefits greatly from being a modern release though, sporting vibrant colours, options for analogue control that add much to the grappling gameplay, and a diverse cast in both skin tone and respectful gender identity (for example, several characters are non-binary).

Rena has few verbs in practice: her grapple powers are a laser focus here. This lets the game hone and iterate those mechanics, and allows even more options for control schemes. I tried D-pad and buttons at first (I just can’t get on with analogue movement in a 2D sidescroller) but analogue aiming is so essential for getting the most out of the grapple that I switched to mouse and keyboard. Not only does the grapple let you swing and climb, but combat is frequent and your only recourse is grabbing and chucking, as in Treasure’s Mischief Makers. Lucky it’s so satisfying to do, and not much of the game overstays its welcome outside some platforming difficulty spikes at the very end.

The story is mostly pretty breezy, with a cartoony tone in a fantasy world, mysterious artefacts, likeable friends and rivals, and a moustache-twirling antagonist... until an odd swerve at around the three-quarter mark where reality breaks down, the government turns fascist, and everything goes a bit Iconoclasts-lite. This does encourage cooperation with former enemies (always a fun trope), but some plot threads get hastily dropped and the ending actually ends up rather anticlimactic. I have to wonder if the planned episodic release might have smoothed this over more or given more time to address the disappearing antagonist and their plot, the hinted moral ambiguity, or the enemy lieutenant who shows up in one cutscene and is never seen again. Oh well, I’m glad the attempt was made to shake things up and make the story more interesting even if it didn’t all pan out.

There’s occasional cracks in other parts too. Some level gimmicks work better than others. And maybe it’s all the other grapple-based games I’ve played recently but Rena’s feels a bit weak and finicky. There is depth to the game in mastering these mechanics and learning the levels, with optional time trials unlocked after finishing, so I understand that it’s not just a joyride down easy street. And honestly, for a first-time commercial game developed almost entirely by one person which changed business model and release format partway through development, it’s a remarkable achievement, so I can forgive a few rough spots.

[ghoulschooldropout]

Literally had no idea you had OCs I would have been sending asks this WHOLE TIME spill the beans about them please and thank you 👁👁

you're all getting big ol' cartoony bugs bunny smooches rn i swear<3

OK SO most of my OCs are created through my writing, so a lot of them I don't have drawings of (yet! I'm working on it) and all my fics are WIPs but i can give you a brief intro/over-view of the main OCs that occupy my brain...

(BEWARE: VERY LONG)

Nathaniel J. Pearce (Nate) - the "canon" Sole Survivor - he/him

MY MAIN MAN i have like 5 WIP fics currently going for him...(the pic above is from a comic I’ve been working on, I’m not sure when I’ll finish it tbh, I’m currently in the process of redrawing old pages bc the style was so outdated)

He is the middle sibling of 3: younger brother Adrian & older brother Ethan- they have their own stories going on for them too but I won't get into that

He grew up poor in a very bad family situation, let’s just say his dad was out of the picture & he never had a great paternal role model (other than his brother who was only 4 years older than him). his mother also struggled with addiction & depression and was eventually institutionalized at Parson’s Asylum. so through his teenage years he and Adrian lived with their grandmother (Ethan left and joined the army straight out of high school)

Music was his passion & life's ambition before the war: he plays guitar, trumpet, and piano (his favorite). he also loves to sing & he writes his own music (but NOT the lyrics bc he thinks he is bad with words/poetry)

He was going to college for robotics & computer programming but he dropped out to pursue a career as a musician; this is how he ended up working construction as his day job, and spending his nights entertaining at a club as part of a band in the pre-war combat zone (where he met Nora)

Then of course to be canon compliant he was drafted into the war (turns out he is great at it) which killed a little bit of his soul and fucked up one of his hands; afterwards he swore off violence & promised himself he would never take a life ever again for any reason (which causes him a lot of pain, self-hatred, & inner-conflict post-war as you can imagine)

Before the bombs dropped he was planning to go back to school to become a music teacher

He struggles with PTSD, alcohol abuse/dependency, and grief; basically he's a mess mentally but like who wouldn't be in his position tbh?

Personality-wise he’s a people pleaser and a peace-maker, he gets nervous easily and feels awkward often but he is really good at hiding it. most people think he is very easy-going and likeable with a winning smile (but really he just smiles and jokes/laughs a lot when he’s uncomfortable)

He would probably consider Piper to be his best friend, with Nick and Cait as close runner-ups, but he’s also extremely close to MacCready & Deacon (they sort of fill the bickering brother-shaped holes in his life)

Nick is his love-interest; slow-burn, lots of pining bc they both think the other isn’t interested (& they have Issues) so they don’t get their shit together until after Far Harbor (After the Institute’s destruction)

I don’t really have an over-arching story for him, I just love using Nate to write scenes & give life & detail to the Commonwealth/Fallout 4. So I’ve created a lot of side characters/OCs by giving names, faces, and personalities to the NPCs he meets (such as Minutemen, Triggermen, & Raiders)

this is a lot of information and it’s not even Everything about him! so feel free to ask more facts about him I would be happy to share!!!

I’ve posted a little bit of him HERE, HERE, & HERE (His face is inconsistent, I know, I haven’t got him “just right” yet)

Lenora Mission-Pearce (Nora or Lenny) - she/they

(sorry the only pic I have rn is a doodle I made with the vague idea of her in mind- I’m working on a character sheet!)

Lenora is my sole survivor in an alternate universe where Nate never comes back from Anchorage, so she is a widowed single mother raising Shaun on her own (+Codsworth ofc)

Since there’s no backup Kellogg is less inclined to shoot her when attempting to kidnap Shaun, so in the end they kidnap them Both

The Institute offer her a place to stay there with Shaun, which she accepts at first (feeling she has no choice)

Of course she’s very nosy and asks too many questions & gets on the nerves of the Director, she befriends some Gen 2 synths (they are more human than the Institute gives them credit for) and learns about the organic synth plan (they leave out they are using her son for it), and THEN she finds out that the director kidnapped the rest of the Vault 111 residents and is using them for FEV experimentation which is the last straw leading to a confrontation with the director

the fight goes Very Badly and she asks to leave which presents a problem for the Institute bc they can’t let her go (she knows too much) but they can’t kill her (she’s befriended too many scientists and they would mutiny if her termination ever got out) so they end up forcing her & Shaun back under freeze in Vault 111 (they got what they needed from Shaun, but might as well keep him safe under freeze in case they need him again)

SO eventually she gets released 60ish years later and she’s fucking PISSED and ready to start a war with the Institute but she also has to face the difficulties of raising an infant by herself in the wasteland

So overall it’s Lone Wolf and Cub sort of adventures, with her desire for revenge against the institute keeping her from settling down

BACKGROUND & PREWAR INFO - she grew up rich, her parents divorced when she was young, her dad is Boston’s District Attorney, she went to boarding school where she met and fell in love with Jennifer Lands, so eventually when Jenny moves to Boston with Nick she becomes roommates with Lenora (causing Lenora to want to leave her apartment often and get drunk, which is how she meets Nate), Nate becomes her best friend very quickly and she loves him a lot & marries him but she never considered herself “in love” with him like he was with her

POST-BOMBS, her best friends are Nick and Codsworth

her love interest is Hancock, it’s an enemies to friends to lovers dynamic, they clash and argue a lot but they come to respect each other, Hancock definitely falls first. eventually they rile each other up for fun because they like arguing with each other (and the sex is great)

personality wise Lenora is very straight-forward and blunt, she is competitive, prefers to get her way, and is extremely smart. she speaks her mind and isn’t afraid to make enemies by doing so. honest to a fault. she has a bit of a temper, but she has it very under control (she is a professional after all). she loves her son more than anything in this world and will destroy anything or anyone that threatens her and her baby

Lucinda Mission AKA "Cinder" (Cindy, Cici, Boss, Cinder) - ghoul - raider boss - she/her (pre-war) they/them (post-war) 

Lenora’s half-sibling (younger, father’s side)

They were a chemist before the war

They were on their way to Nora’s house to take Shaun to the park when the bombs dropped and they ended up ghoulified

By the time Nora finds them, Lucinda is the leader of a raider gang occupying the Ironworks by Finch Farm and goes by the name Cinder

They offer settlements in their “territory” protection from other gangs & defense from mutants in exchange for “taxes”

Eventually Cinder & Nora work together to create a unity/treaty between the settlements, minutemen, & raider gangs (but not without a lot of conflict and fights first)

Eventually they become the Nuka-World Overboss

They have an affinity for chems, fire, & demolition, and prefer to use the Shishkebob (flamesword) as weapon

Personality-wise they are a boss ass bitch and they know it, their sense of humor has been warped a bit over the centuries, they can be a hard-ass and even a bit cruel at times but they are a good person still at heart and command respect from their gang

No drawings of Cinder yet unfortunately :(

Amias - super mutant courier six - he/they

Amias’s story is a little muddy, especially to Amias himself who has a lot of memory problems already (getting shot in the head was no help there)

He was turned into a super mutant when he was twelve by his own mother who believed she was “saving” him - his memory of this is warped due to trauma so he thinks that someone was forcing her to do this

Since he was turned so young he is a bit smaller than most mutants, but also because of his age his body was able to adapt better and grow into his mutation than those that were turned as adults

He’s very smart, he has an affinity for computers and robots, and he loves to read and he writes poetry (his handwriting is not the best though)

After his mutation he is abandoned by his mother & “family” (the organization they were a part of) so for many years he wandered the west coast looking for them

Because of this he has wanderlust & gets restless being in one place for long

Eventually as he travelled people asked him to pass along messages & packages as he went and he found himself becoming a courier

He has forgotten most of what has happened in those years searching for his family and it bothers/haunts him, he remembers somethings in his dreams but they are startling & out of context and only serve to stress him out more wondering what part of him he is missing

During New Vegas he becomes close to Raul, Lily, and Arcade (and he never goes anywhere without Ed-e)

He develops a big crush on Arcade, but it is unrequited

He doesn’t like the NCR (and they don’t really like him either) and he hates the Legion, so after befriending Yes-man he fights for an independent (and mutant friendly) New Vegas - but he has no interest in running things so he leaves the Mojave afterwards

Eventually he hears rumors of the Memory Den and so he makes his way east, hopeful to recover his memory & the part of him he thinks is missing... (Where he can become a Companion and you can convince him whether or not the memories are important to his identity)

You can also see Amias HERE

Clyde T. Spade (Courier, Spade, or Clyde)- she/they/his (genderfluid)

I created Clyde by accident, they started out as just a courier I could juxtapose with drawings of Benny (because I find courier/Benny relationship vastly entertaining) but then I started giving her a personality

Spade & Benny’s relationship is volatile and defined by their attempts to kill each other, but they are also inexplicably attracted to each other which makes things weird and complicated

They end up taking over New Vegas together (after Spade has to chase Benny across half the damn Mojave and convince him they actually like the guy despite wanting to kill him sometimes)

I honestly don’t think I have much to say about him right now other than I love drawing a seductive little bastard giving Benny trouble

I don’t know, it’s like this:

you can also see Spade HERE & HERE

Sharps & Maverick (Troy Merritt & Brian Maverick/Z4-21, package deal)

these guys were my first ever fallout OCs, i think i first created them back in high school? I used to have a few drawings of them but they were on a flash drive that is unfortunately no longer with us (RIP)

Sharps & Maverick are business partners that run a caravan company out of the Commonwealth, at least that is what it is on the surface

Their company can be hired to provide protection (normal caravan guards, but also Advanced Protection), but they can also be hired as couriers & delivery across the Commonwealth

They don’t discriminate to whom they provide their services-- be it for the triggerman, gunners, raiders, settlers, the railroad, the brotherhood, etc.

They refuse to traffick people, but they do offer synths jobs on caravans so they can discretely leave the region

Sharps manages most of the business side, the money, the routes, etc.

Maverick doesn’t care much for the details of the business, he enjoys being hands on with the caravans and the people themselves, and he trains Deathclaws & Mutts to provide the company’s Advanced Protection services

The nature of their caravan is mostly hush-hush and underground, they do a lot of their transportation at night, so they’ve managed to go under the Institute’s radar for a long time until Maverick gets replaced by Z4-21

Sharps realizes something is wrong with Maverick pretty quickly, but he lacks the proof and conviction to do anything (but he does start filtering the information he tells Maverick)

This is where the Sole Survivor can come in, they can be introduced to their organization through the Railroad, the Brotherhood, or possibly the Minutemen (looking for an alliance to aid with supply lines)

(or I guess you can come with the Institute to try and destroy/take over the caravan company)

You can convince Sharps to hire you to investigate Maverick (it helps if you have Nick Valentine with you)

You can investigate Maverick’s bedroom & terminal, go to Maverick’s last known whereabouts before his noticeable personality change (according to Sharps), or you can tail Maverick to see/report if he does anything suspicious (you’ll probably have to do all three & make sure you get concrete evidence, Sharps takes a lot of convincing to betray/confront Maverick)

Of course you can confront “Maverick” directly and if you’re convincing enough he will confess to being a replacement, but he will tell you he means Sharps (and the company) no harm and doesn’t want to work for the Institute (it’s up to you to decide if he’s lying)

The ending and what happens to Maverick is really up to you

Depending on the outcome you choose, if you’re aligned with the minutemen but not charismatic enough for the local leader perk you can use Sharps’ caravan to establish supply lines between your settlements

If you got this far I am amazed, thank you so much for reading! If you have any questions about any of them, feel free to send me an ask or DM me! I’ll be posting character sheets eventually that will be much more palatable than this exhausting wall of text, so stay tuned! <3 <3 <3

[shimmershae]

My thoughts on Episode 7--Promises Broken

Placed behind a cut for those of you that would rather escape my babbling, lol.  You’re welcome.  

The episode opens with Maggie, Elijah, Father Gabe, and Negan.  

Right away I can’t help feeling disappointed because the emotional core of last episode (Kelly and Connie’s reunion and the aftermath) seems like it’s being ignored and punted further down the road so we can waste another hour getting piece meal progress on the Reaper front, but I’m going to try to push my misgivings away and enjoy this episode for what it is, so.  

“Daryl just told us to go home.”  

And save your hides and keep the rest of the community safe?  I can’t argue that Negan might have an actual point here, lol.  But Maggie sure can.  

Not gonna lie.  When Negan came back with “I think he was being subtle. He said they were armed with lookouts” I had to LOL.  

“We will never be even.”  I mean.  Maggie been frustrating me with her stubbornness in this suicide mission, true.  But she right.  They will never, ever be even.  

“Ya’ll know Blackbeard, too?”  I admit it.  I laughed.  A little.  

Okay.  I don’t know if this bodes well for this episode or not, but the cold opening in this episode?  Was the most underwhelming cold open of this season.  

At least the opening credits still give me that old familiar rush of the heyday of TWD.  

Fake Stephanie and Eugene are on Walker clean up duty.  Hmm.  I think I’m going to refer to Fake Stephanie as Fifi until she gets a real name for brevity’s sake.  

Fifi handles herself surprisingly well with the Walkers.  Is she one of Mercer’s stormtroopers working undercover maybe?  

Somehow I doubt it’s true that our friends can trust “Lance” but whatever, lol.  

I hate to admit it but I’m already kind of bored with this episode.  We’re barely over 6 minutes in.  

I didn’t recognize Princess without her fluffy pink coat!  

Zeke is definitely struggling.  

I do like that these two  have been paired up.  They have taken to each other quickly and already have a good rapport.  There’s something endearing about their scenes together.  

“Never been afraid of hard work.  Kinda anti-friends who die from stubbornness.”  Have I mentioned lately how much I love Princess?  Because I really, really do.  

So it’s been days.  Has it been days that Maggie and Negan and Co. have been outrunning the Reapers?  I’m talking since they left the safe house.  Does that mean that it’s also been days since Kelly and Connie’s reunion?  This timeline is so slow and yet they keep telling us it’s been days and making me think we’ve been missing time.  Like I can’t even.  

You know Carol’s “Pookie is in danger” senses have to be big-time tingling by now if it’s been DAYS.  

Also?  Alden almost certainly has to be dead.  

But I digress.  They obviously don’t want us getting hung up on the apparent time warp between ASZ, Meridian, and the Commonwealth.  It’s like the Bermuda Triangle of the ZA.  

“A person with your pedigree...”  

Okay then.  Commonwealth is full of uppity assholes.  Good to know.  

Yumiko looks classy!  I say that in my best Princess voice, lol.  

Well.  At least they’ve given Daryl Dog back.  Has Dog come to his senses though?  That is the question.  

Daryl sharing a smoke with the enemy to gain some intel.  Or maybe just the keys to food storage.  

So.  Another redshirt (Elijah’s sister’s friend) we don’t know bites the dust.  Meh.  Including that tidbit in the trailer was purposefully misleading, lol.  Not that I want people to die, but still.  

“But the one?  He’s mine.”  Let’s take bets.  Was it Carver Elijah has a beef with because it just seems like it was.  Could also be that his name is the only one I know, lol.  

Where is Maggie sending our hobbled Father G?  

“I kept my mask for practical and sentimental reasons.”  Negan?  You almost had me.  He really can’t help his inherent asshole-ishness can he?  

But seriously.  Yuck at what they about to do because I assume Alpha and Co. at least cured the nasty skins.  

I wish I could say I give a damn that they’re attempting to give Leah some more likeable layers but it’s a cheap cheat so naw.  

There’s that damn river that symbolizes the great divide between Daryl and his love and his family.  At least it’s pretty.  

I’m with Daryl.  Is Pope just looking to cleanse the earth of those he doesn’t feel belong or what?  Wheedle the truth out of her, Daryl.  

“You never needed anyone to make you strong.”  

Think our guy has ever said this to his real girl?  

It’s kinda funny that the Whisperer flunkie is now the herding Whisperer tutor.  

Is that the Reaper’s version of a priest?  Sorry.  I swear.  I’ve been trying to pay attention during their scenes.  But my mind wanders because it feels like Woodbury and the Sanctuary all over again.  The Whisperers at least were elevated by Samantha Morton, Ryan Hurst, Thora Birch, and yes, Jeffrey Dean Morgan.  Like I love Norman Reedus and the character he’s crafted in Daryl but he’s not enough to have me enthralled with Leah and these dudes.  I don’t care if they were all Calendar pinups before the ZA.  

Truly.  A+ casting with Yumiko’s brother.  

Yeah.  Something’s definitely fishy about Tomi’s reluctance to go back to his old life in the Commonwealth, but the desire for a slower, less stressful existence is definitely relatable so I’m not going to hold that part against him at all.  

What did Maggie say after Elijah asked if Negan had changed?  Because I replayed it a handful of times and still don’t know.  

This Lancy Hornsby dude reeks of slimy politician.  

Too much one on one Daryl and Leah in this episode.  Without any kind of chemistry at least these two drag each other and their parts of the episode down.  Leah’s character is a fail for me and it has nothing to do with shipping reasons.  She’s just not believable or authentic to her role as a mercenary.  

“If I could do it all over again, I’d have killed every single one of you.”  Damn.  Well.  He’s being true to himself, I guess.  Unapologetically Negan.  

Again.  I can’t say Negan’s wrong exactly but shit does he deliver some uncomfortable truths.  

Princess’s childlike delight over treats is <3.  

Look at Eugene running toward danger!  OG Eugene would never.  Abe would be so proud.  

Eugene and Fifi actually work pretty good together but it all feels so staged.  I feel sorry for our guy.  

“This guy was being, well, an asshole.”  LMAO @ Josh’s delivery. The asshole definitely deserved that punch and his date deserved to be eaten.  

Real Stephanie is so pretty.  

Aww.  She’s concerned about Eugene.  

Oh shit.  Eugene punched Pamela Milton’s little entitled prick of a son.  This feels like the ASZ Monroes all over again.  Sorry.  I can’t remember their names.  

Poor Eugene.  Have I said that already?  

Is this Lance Hornsby guy the lesser of two evils or...”  

All the chances you’ve gotten, hmm?  Seems to me they’ve been set up for some failure too, though.  

Maggie and Negan leading a herd where?  Meridian?  

That poor woman.  Just wanting her family safe and spared of seeing her meet her maker.  

f

So Leah’s not completely cold.  Okay.  Doesn’t mean she’s able to be saved though.  

At this point, Kang is just  yanking Daryl’s chain and ours in the process.  

Even hidden behind that skin mask, Elijah made me tear up when he saw his sister.  

No previews?  What a copout.  

Not Kang correlating Maggie and Negan to child and coach, lol.  

The narrative they keep pushing about the villains having families and FEELINGS doesn’t change much for me, Angela.  Gracie was the only innocent in that outpost Team Family attacked.  I’m not saying they should have done it but stop trying to make the bad guys sympathetic.  It isn’t earned.  

Interesting how she mentions Gabe is trying so very hard to hold onto faith.  

If Leah’s the frog boiling in that pot?  They better be serving frog legs to the starving community she’s hunting.  Just saying.  

Overall impression of this episode?  

It was boring.  No seriously.  

I wish I could say I liked it better but it was just meh.  I can’t even muster up any words because I just feel blah about it and that’s not a good feeling to have going into the first final (mid?  half?  tri?  I don’t know what to call it) episode of the season.  

Withholding the previews further adds to the doldrums because what is there to actually be excited about here after that episode?  At least try to pique our interest, Angela.  

[meet-me-at-our-place]

@wjnterchild

Hi there love! Thank you so much for resending your request and my god the patience you have is so amazing. I really appreciate you sticking around, I know Ives said this to the majority of you who have been straight up amazing people who I love interacting with but still, I just adore y’all. Anyways onto your ship! I’ll be honest I actually adored doing this ship for you, like I’m actually glad you didn’t go with Aespa because I seriously see your personality lining up with either of the two groups that you mentioned in your latest request, I mean you would fit into either group but I just loved writing this for you.

Also sorry this took so long, I redid the aesthetic for your ship a few times so I could get it as close to the desired aesthetic that you had wanted.

Lots of Love, Eden xoxoxoxo 

~Your Group~ Miss A 

~Position~ You’re the Lead Rapper, Vocalist & Maknae of the group 

~When You Joined~ During the Independent Women Pt. III era

~Fans Reaction to You~  Initially Say A were quite confused at JYP’s move to add a completely new member two years after Miss A’s official debut date. It wasn’t that they were reluctant, many agreed that it would be interesting to see how the groups entire dynamic worked around having a new member. It was nerve-wracking on your end since there was definitely an expectation for you to live up to performing as well as Miss A, they were expecting a member who had grace and coordination, a person who would immediately assume the role of being a good new member. You actually didn’t have to worry about much though, you were such a likeable person from the get go. Yeah you played the silent observer for the most part but you had such a charming atmosphere that surrounded you, you really assumed the role of the Maknae. At first people thought you were leaning into that a bit too much but after a considerable amount of time they were able to come around to that. You just had so much respect and affection towards the others, it didn’t take long for you to become the prided baby of the group, you were essentially their baby bread (excuse the Skz reference, I’m high on Circus). You were so gentle and down to earth yet you also had such a distinct stage presence, the best part about all of that? You are so humble and have adopted music and the idol life as your passion to ensure that others are also somewhat healed by the music you are putting out there. Honestly you’re just loved for being the kind and thoughtful member, you’re not exactly the mood maker, instead you’re the one that will just fuss over the other members. Say A quickly came to adore you, there was no way that they could actively dislike you. Both Say A and the members felt like you were the extra family member they didn’t know Miss A needed, you truly complete them.

~Relationship With the Members~ 

~Fei~ Now upon meeting you Fei was admittingly the quietest member, she didn’t really know how you would react to her. Most of her hesitance seemed to melt away after some time, at the end of the day she would feel a little silly for seeming so uncomfortable around you. You were both one in the same, as a result you both formed a deep understanding of each other. She can’t even fathom what her life would be without you, you were always so kind and gentle with her. Part of her would be absolutely lost without your cheerful and caring disposition, so yeah Fei would be a little too doting on you in comparison to the other members, but if you felt uncomfortable with that she would obviously tone it down. Fei sees you as family at this stage, you’re one of the first ones she confides in for help or even just to vent a little. Despite this she would assume the role of being your group Mom, so while you could baby the other members Fei will always outdo the love and affection you have to offer, she will always out love you.

~Suzy~ Your partner in crime for sure. Suzy would have platonically fallen in love after meeting you for the first time, not to sound vain but she really sees herself in you. You both connect in a different way as opposed to you and the other members. Overall, she was just drawn to your personality, it was a breath of fresh air and she was absolutely thrilled that she wasn’t the Maknae anymore. This sounds a little odd, since most Maknae’s just play into their role, but to be fair she loved you being the Maknae since she was now obliged to play the role of the annoying yet charming older sister. After you had settled into the group it was a frequent occurrence to see you hanging out with Suzy, but really that puts everyone’s worries at ease, as long as you’re with Suzy the staff can actually relax. Being one of the toughest members in the group she will be one of the members who accompanies you on outings, and man people better watch out at award shows. She will always be looking out for you and will keep you by her side, honestly Suzy loves going to award shows with you, they’re one of her favourite things about being an idol. Both of you rub off on each other, you both get insanely cheerful and bubbly and steal the attention at award shows with your wholesome friendship.

~Min~ Your relationship with Min was quite a complex one in the beginning, she didn’t hate you, she just didn’t know how to approach you for some time. She felt as if both of you had come from completely different worlds, the initial distance between you was seemingly strengthened by her not actually staying in the dorms. In short you had spent way more time with the other girls, so you didn’t really consider yourselves as friends for some time. Though this was a tougher friendship to initiate it would become easier overtime, eventually the two of you would find a way to bond over your differences.  You are polar opposites, she is a lot more hardened in her perception of life, whereas, you are fairly expressive and are known to wear your heart on your sleeve. Despite all of this  you both feel that your friendship is a valued one, you both teach each other so much. From observing her you’ll adopt some of her charm and maturity. On the whole you’ll just feel so much more confident after spending some time with her. I kind of hinted at this but your friendship goes both ways, overtime your excitement, energy and hopeful nature will really rub off on her. It’s as if you were meant to be present in each others lives. 

~Jia~ Man I’m just going to say this now, Jia was the first person to introduce herself and she will take that to her grave. She will always find a way to bring up the fact that she was the one who got to know you first, essentially she loves knowing that she was the one who was blessed enough to experience your personality first hand. Jia is probably the member who understands you the most, which is a huge thing, since Suzy loves to think that she knows you inside and out. Though she is a hard worker to some extent, she loves to just hang out with you while lazing around and procrastinating. She really is like your cool cousin, and for the record she is probably one of the members who can press you to do something, all the while she’ll never seem naggy. A prime example of this is the fact that she will invite you to practice or train with her, and you always accept these offers because she is so chill to be around. And don’t worry she definitely gives you fair and honest advice on how to improve your stage presence, honestly the two of you are well known for having the most stage presence a duo could have. Also I’m not saying that arguments would occur that often but if they ever did Jia would defend you until the ends of the earth. Maybe she is a little biased but you could never do anything wrong in her eyes.

~Roommate~ Jia

~Debut Stage Outfit & Makeup~ 

~Extra Info~ 

~You were given the title of Nation’s Little Sister due to your fun, girl next door personality.

~ When Miss A disbanded you were obviously hurt but you had taken that time to gain experience in the acting world before you decided to join a new upcoming girl group as the lead rapper, since you felt that you idol days were far from over. 

~ There were several dating rumours attached to your name pretty quickly, you were just such an agreeable, bubbly and beautiful idol. It was only natural that fans shipped you with so many idols.

~ Some time after Miss A had disbanded you had also gotten into the music composing and song writing scene, so when you had finally joined another group you were given the role of being one of the main composers in the group. But on a larger scale due to your song writing you actually became an idol that is very well known in the kpop scene for their creativity.

[scaarletwiitch]

My thoughts on Hawkeye episode 1

SPOILERS AHEAD

1. I always enjoy a good flashback. Taking us back to 2012 was 10/10

2. Title sequence is incredible! Love it! Not as much as I loved the Black Widow Smells Like Teen Spirit montage, but it's up there. Though, it really did set the episode (series?) up to be Kate Bishop's show.

3. "present day" really confused me because isn't this 2 years post blip, which would make it 2025?

4. I like how badass Kate is, but I don't *love* her yet

5. Clint watching Roger's The Musical... uwu Finally someone as grief stricken as me over Natasha's death...

6. I really fucking hate urinal scenes... like if that's what men do fine... but as a film maker do not put me as the audience in that position.

6.5 "Thanos was right" graffiti really hits when you, like Clint Barton, love Natasha Romanoff

7. Kinda hate his daughter even weighing in on his grief about Natasha... also why is his daughter the one carrying this family? Is it because she's the eldest daughter of divorce? It really has that vibe

8. Is that the same farm wife from the movie? She seemed even worse.

9. Clint desperately trying to bond with his children was really weird. I can't figure out if it was weird because he is so grief stricken he's forcing everyone to have a good time when it's physically impossible to have a good time around him or if because these are literally not his children and he's pretending really hard that they are. Also a possibility, he has been in a psych ward for the past two years and has just been discharged? Would explain why the daughter is carrying the family and why he can't seem to relate to his kids at all.

10. So much Kate... so little Clint... I think I'm desensitised to the "my parent's getting remarried and nobody told me" angst. Interested in the mother's story line though

11. Enjoyed the wine cellar fight scene. Much like the scaffolding fight scene in shang-chi it was a really fun setting.

12. Clint's traumatic response to seeing Ronin on the news REALLY does NOT help me to believe that he managed to get happily back together with his wife and kids... again a pretty good argument for the psych ward theory... (but also shout out to the endgame flashback... another clintasha crumb)

13. Loved the ending... can't wait to see Kate and Clint interact it might make Kate more likeable? idk (also, when the fuck can we get rid of these kids?)

14. Lucky <3 (but if she just got back to town how did she have pizza leftovers?)

[goddessofblood]

12, 15, 25, 35, 54, 68, 74.

12, Most bizarre game you’ve ever played? Hmm, I haven't played many bizarre games to be honest. I guess the boring answer is that I was obsessed with this platformer MMO called Slime Online as a kid.  It had a short shelf life, but it was part of the golden age of Game Maker ™ forum games.  The bizarre element was that it was simply a platformer.  It had some mmo elements like crafting and gathering towards the end, but its main focus was just platforming.  It was actually pretty fun, and I hope to make a similar platforming mmo sometime myself.

15, Favorite animal in a video game?

Oooh, this is a good question.  And a tough one.  I think I, just haven’t played enough games with animal companions to answer this lmao.  Assuming this is asking about a specific animal and not like, a species made up for a video game.

Maybe Sif?  I don’t think I’ve even fought her before but she’s iconic & cool.  

25, Proudest accomplishment in gaming?

God theres… not as many as I’d like lol.  Despite how much i love games, I’m quite terrible at them.  Beating the Moon Lord in Terraria is probably my proudest accomplishment so far.  That was a hard fought battle ^_^

35, Best protagonist?

Honestly kinda cringe of me, but I have to say Neptune.  She’s just a fun :3 brainless brat and really thats my favorite kind of character.  I am a morosexual after all.  But she also brings such a great energy to the games that helps keep and light and interesting even in cliche moments the writers took a break from thinking on (ie 80% of nep i and iii).  I don’t think the Neptunia games would be half as fun with someone else as the protagonist.  That said I’m biased so I’ll give a runner’s up too.

Runner Up is probably Iji from the game of the same name?  She’s kind of the opposite of Nep, in that she’s very fierce, serious, and contemplative.  Iji is a perfect protagonist to explore the game’s main theme, since it's easy to see her as either hyper violent or hyper pacifistic.

54, A sequel you really want?

I am fucking dying for a sequel to Tales from the Borderlands.  I’m not like, a super fan of the Borderlands games, but I played a lot of 2 with friends and fell in love with Athena & Janey in TftB and Presequel.  I also really like Fiona and Rhys is likeable.  I’d love to see a continuation of their storyline and to see both of them evolve into fully fledged vault hunters.  Also presumably that’d mean more Athena, which I am super down for.

68, An older game that you’ve just recently gotten into?

I have been absolutely obsessed with Space Station 13 recently.  Phenomenal life simulator/space station cleaning simulation.  Janitor is always a fun time, but I’ve also been enjoying playing around in Chemistry, Virology, and Clown.  I also want to play around with the science classes.

74, Which game has the best lore?

Finally, I get to talk about Iji’s lore.  The game is just packed with interesting and revealing lore about the alien species invading Earth, the politics surrounding those species, the alien military-industrial complex, and the side story about the gun crackers being hunted by the alien government for repairing/modifying their own tech. And thats all just like, scratching the surface of the topics covered. It's all diegetic and, as I recall, pretty well written.  It's a great game & I highly recommend it.

[anhed-nia]

BLOGTOBER 10/16/2020 pt 2: HOUSE OF WAX (2005)

I like this movie even more than I originally thought I did, although we shall see if I can justify this strange affection. When I first saw 2005's nominal remake of the 1953 HOUSE OF WAX, I experienced something that I object to in concept: guilty pleasure. I did not want to find myself seduced by one of these teen-targeting modern updates of canonical chillers of 50s and 60s, like THE HAUNTING and HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL in 1999 and 13 GHOSTS in 2001. Indeed, the 2005 HOW is most commonly thought of as "the one with Paris Hilton?"--a thought that is hard to avoid, what with the movie’s mindless running gag about her then-recent sex tape. But, to my surprise, the very natural-acting It Girl of the 00s is not the worst thing about the movie, and moreover, there's a lot to like about the whole production.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, now slated to direct DCU's forthcoming Black Adam movie (though I like him for ORPHAN), and written by former Doublemint twins (yes, really--and this fact will really become relevant) Chad and Carey Hayes, this HOUSE OF WAX is gory, loud, convoluted, and actually very likeable. A caravan of horny kids take a deadly detour down a bayou backroad that strands them in a seemingly abandoned town made up of eerie art deco buildings. Among them is the House of Wax, a wax museum in which literally every single thing is cast in wax--and so are all of its neighbors. Our heroes are trapped in this scenario with sinister mechanic Bo and disfigured maniac Vincent (*eye roll emoji*), whose means and motivation for turning an entire town into wax dummies are unclear, but you have to admit that they did a great job.

Unsurprisingly, HOUSE OF WAX is first and foremost an FX picture, and it fulfills that purpose with aplomb. One finds incredible commitment in the set design, which upholds its obligation to appear as a massive waxwork; even blunt objects like piano keys or marble tiles have that milky, semi-translucent appearance that leaves a visceral impression of their artificiality. The set may not count as a special effect exactly, but it is extremely special; its expressionistic flair filled me with the hope that it was a place I could visit, and I was inevitably disappointed to discover that it was a temporary construction in Australia’s Gold Coast, long since demolished. The violence is the main event, of course, and HOUSE hosts an exciting array of gory gags that I have rarely seen elsewhere, and that are better seen than described.

Lest anyone think of violence as a limited form of emotional exploitation, one of the things I like most about this remake is its use of horrific injuries to do something unusual in mainstream film. A character who has to wrench a crossbow bolt from his sternum vomits from the shock of it, conveying a physical reality that I can only immediately relate to Dan Hedaya getting smacked in the balls with a baseball bat in BLOOD SIMPLE. The main character survives the film with a severed finger, which is highly unusual; your average Hollywood production needs to restore order at the end of the story, and won't risk bumming out the audience with the thought of living with a permanent disfigurement. The few examples that come to mind are not necessarily mainstream visions, including DELIVERANCE and FROM BEYOND, in which disfigurement is used to communicate a grim ending for a trespassing character for whom there is no salvation. HOUSE OF WAX has no such philosophical pretentions, but its evocations of visceral revolt and permanent damage add an interesting touch of realism to an otherwise extremely cartoony movie.

Paris Hilton really is perfectly good here, although I suspect that one reason I like her is that I find her so relaxing to watch. One of Hilton’s signature characteristics, often interpreted as pure bimboism, is that she absolutely does not let anything get to her, ever--besides being terrorized by psychotic craftsmen, of course--a quality that she does not share with other celebrity “trainwrecks” of her general description. 

We don't find this realism in the narrative component of HOW, which is loaded with extraneous and unresolved teen drama. However, the movie does do something that the superior original does not: It adds subtext. The Vincent Price version offers glimpses of class conflict, in which various characters struggle against poverty in their own way--whether it's through insurance fraud, exploitative art, or interpersonal gold digging--but it doesn't amount to much, prioritizing the pure terror of the situation. The 2005 remake actually engages directly with the idea of the uncanny duplicate. It is one of those unusual, often uncomfortable movies in which the main "couple" are siblings. Elisha Cuthbert plays the responsible twin sister of Chad Michael Murray, who has grown into a sullen juvenile delinquent due to their parents' clear preference for their daughter. Meanwhile, we discover that Bo and Vincent (Brian Van Holt for both) were conjoined twins whose mad scientist father performed a controversial separation, leaving one of them deformed; in an early scene from their horrific childhood, we find that their deranged parents also preferred the more controlled twin over his insane sibling. The parents were in the business of creating artificial impressions of life: the father a disgraced surgeon, the mother a maker of wax masks. All of these narratives describe the neurotic human urge to curate appearances, to synthesize normality or idealism through behavior, art, and medical intervention. Even Chad Michael Murray turns out to be a synthesis of his parents' idea of him, his JD façade forming a protective shell around an essentially good kid who has taken the fall for his slacker friends. One can only imagine how relevant this story is to its twin screenwriters; only in the most general conceptual sense, one hopes.

Don’t get me wrong: HOUSE OF WAX is definitely not brainfood. Most of its characters are little more than crash test dummies, its big reveal is hard to understand, and as with most remakes of vintage classics, its main reason for being is outrageous sadism and dazzling visual effects. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I'm not trying to tell you that HOUSE OF WAX is especially deep--or even that it makes very much sense--I do want to insist that it makes a noble attempt to address an interesting idea, which is more than many audiences have given it credit for.