#marine biologist!peter

[starker-sorbet]

Octomer Tony escaping from his enclosure at the aquarium in order to leave gifts for his favourite marine biologist unaware of what the items actually mean to the human

@starkerfestivals Mer-May 2024: Tank/Aquarium

[maple-tree-hills]

Percy Jackson AU where instead of Poseidon being absent in Percy’s life, he helps raise him. But Percy doesn’t know his dad is Poseidon. He thinks Peter Johnson is a marine biologist and a fisherman who is frequently on long business trips for his job. Maybe Sally and Poseidon are divorced, and she marries Smelly Gabe or maybe they’re still together, who knows.

Just, instead of Percy being in anger at the gods for neglecting their children he’s in disbelief that his very normal father is Poseidon. They go on fishing trips together all the time and he dresses like a tacky Hawaiian tourist. Not a god. He refuses to believe this despite Grover being a satyr, and Mr. Brunner being a centaur.

I’m not sure if Percy should know all of the gods or not. Maybe he knows Mr. D already as Cousin Dexter. Cousin Dexter has shown up a couple of times in his life. He’s a devil for the drink and a known alcoholic, so why is he at this weird camp playing cards with Grover and Mr. Brunner? And they start talking about the gods and demigods again. And Mr. D calls him ‘mortal.’ And Percy’s like yeah, no Cousin Dexter has had a bit too much to drink despite the fact that he can’t smell any alcohol on him, and he’s only been drinking Diet Coke. Percy switches subjects as to why Mr. D isn’t drinking any alcohol. Apparently, his father won’t let him drink alcohol anymore and is forcing him to work at this summer camp. Percy is happy to hear this because at least someone isn’t having Cousin Dexter’s shit anymore.

Then they switch gears back into the conversion about gods existing and he’s sure Grover, or Mr. Brunner, or Mr. D will say sike, but none of them do. They all seriously believe in the gods. Well Percy is stubborn and won’t be convinced this easily.

And then he finds out that Hades stole the master bolt and has his mother, and he’s like uncle Hector? Uncle Hector is a god of the underworld? And he has my mother and stole Zeus’s lightning bolt? No way. Uncle Hector lives in LA and works at a music producing studio. He is not the god of the underworld. He is not Hades, this is insane and Percy does not appreciate being punked. He’ll admit some supernatural stuff is real because a minatur killed his mom, but being a demigod no way.

And they keep telling Percy about the family drama and he’s still in disbelief. All he knows about uncle Zane is that his father is not on good terms with him. There’s no way uncle Zane who his father HATES, who works in the Empire State Building is Zeus. There’s just no way.

And then he finds out about the Big Three and forbidden children thing. And he goes ‘That can’t be true uncle Hector has two kids: cousin Bianca and cousin Nico.’ And he just accidentally spoils to everyone that Hades has not kept his end of the pact about fathering more mortal children.

And then they’re on the road going through quests fighting against Alecto again, Echidna, and Medusa and Percy still can’t believe the gods are real.

It isn’t until he gets to the underworld that he starts believing. There seated on a dark throne surrounded by skeletons is Uncle Hector? Uncle Hector is actually Hades? He’s freaking out he’s never seen his uncle this way before. He’s terrifying and keeps demanding this Helm of Darkness thing in exchange for his mother. Where’s Nico he wants to hang out with his cousin?

And maybe Percy sasses him because what the heck uncle Hector sending furies after your nephew and holding your sister-in-law hostage and accusing your nephew of theft is not cool. And things for the most part will proceed like they do in the book for the most part. I could see Hades when he’s pretending to be a human behaving similarly to Jay Duplass’s portrayal of him in the TV show. Just a comical uncle who is most certainly not lord of the underworld.

(I’ve only seen the TV and I’ve almost finished the first book so far, but I do know Hades has two kids named Bianca and Nico)

[sebbianas]

YOU GIVE FAKE SPOILERS????? more please i eat those things for snacks. nibble nibble nibble. yum in my tum.

james ends up leaving the band to be a marine biologist

remus quits the band starts living in a abandon haunted house

sirius goes to jail

peter and regulus ends up together

[docochocart]

DOCORONPA R

CHAPTER THREE

[ daily life ]

Drummer stirred in her bunk, the horrors she'd just witnessed at the trial burned into her psyche. She clearly wasn't alone in this, as not a word had been spoken between any of the girls since they'd returned.

While the other girls slowly petered off to sleep, Drummer wasn't so fortunate. Her mind began to spiral as the hours passed. While the reoccurring image of the gore from that night's trial seemed to interrupt every thought, she found herself returning to a single question:

What was with that pig?

An animal like that would be unusual in any woodland setting, let alone somewhere with as tight of security as these campgrounds. This anxiety compiled as Drummer contemplated on what other animals she'd seen on her trip so far. Absolutely none.

Not a deer, bird, fish, squirrel, or even cockroach could be found within the campgrounds. Their only living company was the occasional fly or mosquito.

So why the pi-

Drummer's anxiety spiral was finally put to a halt with the slow, creaking opening of the cabin door.

She tensed up, thinking of alerting her cabin-mates of the potential intruder. Before she could, a familiar silhouette stood in the cabin doorway.

Marine Biologist anxiously creeped toward Drummer, who she clearly presumed was asleep. Drummer slowly sat forward, shocking Marine Biologist. There was nobody she wanted to see more.

The two girls silently exitted the cabin for a late night chat.

Marine Biologist was fret with anxiety the entire time they spoke behind the cabin, constantly checking over her shoulder and lowering her already shaking voice.

She spared no time addressing why she'd come here this late at night: Ice Skater.

Drummer bit her tongue as Marine Biologist began rambling about how she'd grown to fear the power-hungry athlete. This was all sparked by what she'd seen the night of the murder.

That night, Ice Skater had suspiciously left their cabin very late into night. Marine Biologist had woken up after a nightmare late into the night, thinking to leave for a midnight snack.

Upon getting up from her bunk, she quickly noticed that Ice Skater had already left the cabin. Fearing the worst, Marine Biologist left for the craft hall where she would also not locate Ice Skater.

She cautiously returned to her cabin, quietly waiting for her dearest cabin-mate to return. After nearly an hour, she did.

Marine Biologist laid still in her bed, feigning sleep. She watched silently as Ice Skater quietly re-entered her top bunk. She never questioned Ice Skater on this, unsurprisingly.

After explaining all this at break-neck speed, Marine Biologist sheepishly asked for Drummer's opinion on the situation.

Drummer didn't know how to respond, knowing how attached Marine Biologist had become to Ice Skater. All she could really muster was to tell Marine Biologist to "be careful."

Clearly disappointed in this response, Marine Biologist awkwardly hurried the end of their discussion and rushed back to her cabin.

Drummer spent the rest of the night kicking herself for not being more bold when she'd had that chance. After an hour of seething, Drummer finally caught some shut eye.

...

*CRASH*

*BANG*

*CRASH*

Drummer, along with the rest of the camp, was awoken to a chorus of shattering glass and general destruction outside.

Hurrying outside to witness this carnage, the cast was met with the image an enraged Rebel stomping around the craft hall. He brutishly picked up and tossed rocks toward the building, shattering panes of glass upon impact.

Before any of his fellow campers could confront him on this childish display, MonoMaton beat them to the punch. The stuffed sheep was angrily tailing behind the deranged man.

"Stop! Destruction of camp property is strictly against the rules!"

The sheep repeated this add nauseam until every remaining camper had gathered around this strange scene. Finally, Rebel spoke:

"So... What you gonna do about it, sheep?"

The overconfident delinquent leaned down toward the stuffed sheep, extending a finger to the plush's forehead as he barked:

"You gonna stop me? Could you even do something like that?"

The cast watched on baited breath for MonoMaton's response to this challenge, relieved to see that their captor seemed to back down from this.

The sheep turned to bargaining and begging with Rebel, who returned to ignoring the sheep and tossing stones.

Cowboy began to step forward to address the situation, rolling up his sleeves. He didn't make it far before a cloying Welder extended a twiggy arm to hold him back. Cowboy abstained, letting Rebel continue.

After a few more minutes of needless destruction, Rebel finally addressed the group:

"We're not the ones here with rules to obey. This thing can't hurt us, so what's stoppin us from ruining this shit?"

Following his statement, Rebel stomped into the craft hall for another terribly awkward breakfast. The slowly group joined him, all still stunned by the display they'd just seen.

...

Following the off-kilter start to their day, the girls found themselves at their usual spot: the dock. Unlike usual however, they were joined by Ghost Hunter.

The boy had shyly approached the girls during breakfast, still in shambles about what had happened to Daredevil. They decided they would make it their mission to cheer up the distraught man, or at the very least distract him.

Keeping to their promise, the four spent the morning together out on the dock. They kept the subjects light, mostly poking fun at their fellow campers and situation.

For the first time in a while, the girls found themselves distracted from their situation as well. While Ghost Hunter was still reserved, it was clear this casual companionship was cheering him up as well.

The dread looming above their heads had been lifted for the time being, but they could never be sure of how long this grace period would last.

...

Surprisingly, the cast made it an entire week without any major incidents. Everything had seemed to finally set into place around the camp.

The girls had spent the week avoiding their situation with their new friend Ghost Hunter. Bartender and Sailor continued their tirade on a low simmer while Welder and Streamer continued trying to stoke the flames. Cowboy continued patrolling the spot as an omnipresent protector while Ice Skater and Marine Biologist continued their antisocial norm.

The most major update would be Rebel, who had begun skipping "mandatory" meals at the beginning of the week. This quickly escalated to Rebel seemingly disappearing entirely. By the end of the week nobody had seen him in what felt like days. He didn't even sleep in his cabin.

After a week, Rebel's actions would finally catch up with the rest of the cast.

*WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*

Blaring sirens from what felt like all sides awoke the camp. Nothing like this had happened yet. All previous announcements had been done through MonoMaton's cutesy voice calmly instructing the campers. This was what seemed like several tornado sirens playing over one another.

It took less than 30 seconds for everyone, except Rebel, to gather outside, the unbearable sound covering the entire camp. MonoMaton stood at the entrance of the craft hall, motioning the group inside.

After everyone, barring Rebel, had entered the craft hall and taken a seat the blaring sirens finally stopped. MonoMaton took the center of the room to speak:

"As you may have noticed, one of our campers has been very... disobedient as of late. And unfortunately for you all, I am one for collective punishment."

With the doors shut behind him and all window damages repaired from last week's incident, MonoMaton invited his brethren to join the party.

Two MonoMaton's stepped in from the back entrance of the craft hall holding what looked like oversized, dystopian crop dusters.

Before the anyone could spring into action, a strange mist began pouring from the machines. By the time the cast had risen to their feet, the room had already begun to fill with this smog.

"You're going on a field trip-"

...

Drummer's eyes snapped open, revealing a completely unfamiliar ceiling. The jagged wooden slabs of Social Star's bunk no longer covering her view, Drummer was looking at equally weathered planks much farther above.

Turning to her right, she found her only roommate still comatose in her new bed. Bartender laid a tangled mess in front of the green and white paisley wall paper peeling from the wall behind her. A single window lit this oddly serene view.

Drummer had no time to enjoy this beauty, panic completely overtaking her. She laid paralyzed for what felt like an eternity, waiting for something terrible to force her to rise from this new, uncomfortable bedding.

This cosmic relief never came, Bartender continued snoring as Drummer slowly rose to meet this strange, new environment.

She creaked open the ornate, bedroom door to find herself in a massive room with similar stylings. With a look to her right, she could see several more doors lining the splintering walls. She peered over the railing only to find what looked like an abandoned saloon on the lower level.

After inspecting the room, Drummer paused. She didn't want to traverse this foreign environment alone, even if it meant doing it with someone she loathed.

Turning back, Drummer found herself making eye contact with a freshly awake Bartender. Before Drummer could let out a word Bartender began to shriek.

"Where the fuck are we? Where the fuck are we?"

Bartender repeated this shriek at an ear splitting decibel, jumping from the bed onto shaking legs. Drummer stepped forward to try and subdue this episode, but Bartender had already sprinted toward the window for a view. This only sent her into a deeper spiral.

Drummer met her hysterical roommate by the window and almost found herself joining in the panic with what she saw:

Pigs. Dozens of overgrown, unnatural looking pigs laid just meters behind their new window.

Before Drummer could fall into a spiral of her own, a deep roar shook the walls of the building.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?"

Sailors voice carried through the walls, surely waking up any campers still left comatose after Bartender's shrieking. Soon enough, there was a chorus of screams as everyone came to.

In less than a minute, the whole cast, barring one, was gathered in their new shared Foyer. Rebel was still suspiciously missing from the group.

The panic of the situation kept the students from fully taking in their new, western surroundings. Cowboy and Sailor spared no time in leading the group outside of this new strange building.

Upon stepping outside, a foul smell hit the cast. In front of them lay a wide sprawling field, pens of unusual looking farm animals filling most of this dead space.

Dirt roads crawled through these entrapments, leading way to more decrepit buildings in the distance. The old western farm town theme was completed deep into the background.

Even further out, the same fence that held them captive before still stood tall. Familiar pine trees could be seen just behind the fence, hinting to the cast how close they still were to camp.

Turning around, the building they'd left was marked with a massive 'HOTEL' in chipping white paint over splintering gray planks. Not very inviting.

Cowboy addressed the still panicked group, assuring that if they all kept calm this situation wouldn't get the best of them.

Before he could finish his motivational speech, Streamers grating voice cut through his words:

"Yo chat, check out the dick extdender."

All heads spun, eyes landing on a souped up white pick up truck parked just behind the hotel. The vehicle clearly had some wear and tear, the bottom of the cabin painted with layered mud.

The group sprinted over to investigate the abandoned car, only to be met with an empty gas meter. They quickly scavenged the truck for keys or any way of starting it, no luck.

Cowboy regained the groups attention, demanding that they set out to explore their new environment and locate Rebel. With no debate from the cast, they set off to do just that.

...

After 30 minutes, they'd covered a decent amount of ground.

Following the makeshift trail, they'd discovered the mysterious buildings in the distance to be an abandoned shooting range, pageant hall, and an old western saloon.

They briefly investigated each building, finding nothing of note in each. The highlight of the 3 buildings was the mechanical bull located toward the back of the saloon.

While Welder and Sailor both urged the group to stop for a drink at the oddly charming shanty-town bar, Cowboy forced them to push forward down the trail.

After a few more minutes, they finally reached the mysterious, towering silos. A small decrepit shed was plotted just behind the massive structures, the group opted to investigate this first.

To their chagrin, this shed seemed to be an armory of sorts. A mix of vaguely threatening gardening tools were laced with an assortment of outright weapons.

Cowboy led them inside with caution. He carefully poked around the rusting metal drawers, quickly coming across a very concerning piece of weaponry.

Cowboy slowly raised a lone pistol out of the drawer, the crowd gasping.

Before any debate, Cowboy asserted to the room that he would keep the weapon on his person for the "safety of the group".

Ice Skater began speaking up to contest this assertion, but was quickly interrupted with an excited cry from Welder:

"GASOLINE!"

The crowds attention turned to a small stockpile of red gasoline canisters. Cowboy continued his orders while subtly tucking the pistol in his back pocket:

"Everyone grab a canister, we may be able to find a way to start the truck."

...

Gathering back under the silos, Cowboy began doling out tasks for the group. The stress of their relocation had clearly gotten to him, as he'd never been this authoritaria-

*Boop!*

A black, fluffy slipper plopped onto Cowboys head from above, interrupting his demanding speech. All heads rose to see where this mysterious footwear had come from.

"Yo! What are you lot doin' out here?"

Rebel's raspy voice carried all the way down the massive, metal wall as he sat atop the silo. Even from this distance distain could be made out in his twisted expression.

Before a clearly perturbed Cowboy could answer Rebel's question, a familiar, sickeningly sweet voice chimed into the conversation:

"You already know why, silly!"

Seemingly appearing out of nowhere behind the cast, MonoMaton had joined the crew in their new location.

Ignoring the barrage of questions immediately being levied at him by the confused campers, MonoMaton continued:

"I'm not usually one for collective punishment, but it is really fun when I get to do it. You all can thank that imbecile up there for your field trip."

Ice Skater moved sharply toward their plush captor:

"So he did escape?"

MonoMaton stared silently into her unyielding scowl, calmly gesturing to the massive fence that still imprisoned them:

"Is this what you'd consider an escape?"

...

The sudden shift of environment clearly had shocked the cast back into a more passive state. Three days had passed in their new location with nearly no conflict.

This trip to the farm had almost began to feel like a strange vacation of sorts. Everybody had by and large stayed with their pre-existing cliques, spending their time scattered across the worn-down, Western environment.

Even Bartender and Ice Skater had seemingly shelved their hatred for one another, at least for the time being. It felt as if everyone was treating this as a fresh start of sorts.

The only tangible tension through this time was between an overbearing Cowboy and a flippant Rebel. While the rest of the group had taken to Cowboy as a self imposed leader, Rebel predictably rejected this authority.

Whenever Rebel was present, Cowboy could be sure that his assertions wouldn't go uncontested. It was clear by their third day that this was getting under cowboys skin. Still, their leader bit his tongue, knowing that a show of force wouldn't help anything.

Even with this conflict boiling under them, no real fight had broken out amongst the cast in half a week. This was a big accomplishment for them considering the past two weeks they'd endured. MonoMaton, however, wasn't content with this new found cast harmony.

...

*WAAAAAAAAAAA*

Drummer shot up, her eyes snapping wide and into focus as the wail of a siren filled the air from all sides. A disgruntled voice groaned to her left:

"What the fuck now?"

Drummer fixed her foggy eyes on a half-awake Bartender, who'd also been rudely awoken by this siren. With little discussion, the two made their way out of their room to see why they'd been awakened so harshly.

After two minutes of unyielding sirens, nearly the entire cast had gathered in the foyer. MonoMaton was plotted in front of the exit, silently waiting for everybody to gather.

Suddenly, the alarms stopped. MonoMaton slowly scanned the room:

"I see we're still missing somebody! Let's fix that."

The cast's heads spun, looking to see who was missing from the room. It took a moment for Drummer to realize it was Rebel, as they'd grown used to his absence by now.

After a few seconds of murmuring from the cast, MonoMaton stepped away from the door. A raspy scream could be heard slowly approaching the entrance.

*BOOM!*

This scream reached full volume as the doors swung open, a struggling Rebel being forcibly transported by six gleeful MonoMatons.

They unceremoniously plopped his writhing body on the floor, before joining their brethren in blocking the door. Before Rebel could pipe up, MonoMaton began his announcement.

"It's been gettin a little chummy here as of late. But I reckon most of you aren't being honest with how you feel about your peers..."

Rebel began his attempt to interrupt this announcement, quickly thwarted by several MonoMaton's dogpiling his head. MonoMaton continued speaking over his muffled rebellion.

"We're holding a popularity contest for you lot, and participation is mandatory."

Drummer felt a small wave of relief, as she'd been expecting much worse. A popularity contest, how bad could it be?

MonoMaton continued:

"There will be 5 categories to fill, each winner will receive a very, very useful prize. These categories will be: Class Clown, Local Hunk, Beauty Queen, Perfect Victim and Total Killer! And once again, participation will be mandatory!"

The last two categories confirmed that this pageant was meant as a motive to kill, or at the very least drive up tension amongst the cast.

"We will also need a host to announce all of our winners, any volunteers?"

Without a beat, Cowboy stepped forward to meet the call:

"I'll do it."

With no debate from the room, Cowboy was immediately selected as host for the event.

MonoMaton continued speaking with glee:

"Wonderful! With that decided, voting will be held tomorrow morning and the award ceremony will be held tomorrow evening in the Pageant Hall. Happy voting everybody!"

And with that, all seven MonoMatons swiftly exited the hotel, leaving the cast to mull over what had just been announced.

Bartender was the first to leave, followed by her overgrown lapdog, Sailor. She stared daggers into the crowd as she left, simply stating.

"I know how I'm voting."

...

Drummer, Social Star, Personal Trainer and Ghost Hunter spent their afternoon wandering the farm's many dirt trails as usual.

Though tensions were high again, the group did a good job of distracting themselves from tomorrow nights event. None of the four made any mention of it as they enjoyed one last peaceful afternoon.

After an hour or so of wandering, they could see Cowboy and Welder approaching them from a distance.

Once they'd reached them, the two spoke with a fervor, urging the four to vote them for the victim and killer categories. The two believed that if they took the fall in these categories, the cast could avoid another potential murder.

The group cautiously agreed to these terms, after which Cowboy and Welder swiftly continued down the trail to campaign to more campers.

As they walked away, Drummer recalled the mention of prizes being distributed for each category. She questioned to herself whether Cowboy and Welder's intentions were pure when volunteering for these categories.

She kept these concerns to herself, not wanting to cause a stir in the group and soil their nice afternoon.

The four continued on walking in a daydreaming denial of what was to come.

...

The next morning, the cast was once again awoken to the sounds of sirens from all sides. This time it lacked the punch of surprise, as the cast barely seemed phased as they once again entered the foyer.

To their surprise, the room had been completely redecorated overnight. Red white and blue streamers lined the walls, cheap paper stars dangled from the ceiling and ballot boxes were dotted around haphazardly.

Once again, the cast was made to wait for an apprehended Rebel to be brought to them. After that struggle was finished, voting commenced.

It didn't take long for nearly every camper to cast their ballots, Rebel unsurprisingly taking the longest of the cast to vote. After a struggle that lasted several embarrassing minutes, Rebel's forced vote was finally cast.

MonoMaton once again took center stage:

"Thank you, everybody, for your enthusiastic participation! Our awards ceremony will be held tonight at 5 o'clock sharp, don't be late!"

...

Again, Drummer and her friends spent their afternoon trying their best to ignore their grim situation. And once again, they would be rudely interrupted by a peer's agenda.

Rebel stomped his way over the group, Social Star already rolling her eyes at the drama they were clearly about to be dragged into.

Before he'd even reached them he began barking their way:

"We ain't doin no fuckin' pageant tonight, you got that?"

Social Star stepped forward to meet his gaze, calmly bur firmly responding that they weren't gonna be collectively punished for his treason again. She made it clear that they would be in attendance no matter what he said.

Rebel ignored her, continuing his tirade on how submitting to MonoMaton's will here would quickly lead to more bloodshed, but the group wasn't having it.

This time PT, stepped up, placing a hand on Social Star's shoulder and backing her up:

"We don't want any part in your bullshit, bozo."

Rebel glared down the group, taking pause while making eye contact with a silent Drummer:

"Suit yourself then."

The disgruntled man continued down the trail, cursing to himself as he stumbled. Drummer watched as he walked, fearing that this "bozo" may have a point.

...

After what felt like a no time, it was 4:45 and the cast had begun gathering outside the Pageant Hall. They waited in silence for everybody to arrive, assuming Rebel would require another kidnapping to be in attendance.

Streamer spoke up to break the tension, jokingly asking the room if she was more of a shoo-win for Beauty Queen or Local Hunk. Only Welder blessed her with a chuckle.

To their shock, 5 minutes before their set time, Rebel angrily stomped into eye shot. As he approached the group, Streamer spoke up again:

"Funny seeing you here."

Rebel grumpily made his way to the massive pageant hall entrance, dodging eye contact from all of his judgmental peers:

"Shut the fuck up."

Clearly his attempt to sabotage this event had failed miserably. He began furiously pounding the door, startling many of his fellow campers. He roared inside the rotting wooden walls.

"We're here you little piece of shit, let's just get this over with."

And with that, the massive double doors swung open to reveal a smiling MonoMaton standing on a humble stage. Flickering spotlights lit the faint purple curtain that fell behind him:

"Awww, what a nice surprise! Everybody's here!"

...

It took no time for Cowboy to take his place on stage, plotting himself just above the x that had been marked for him. The vintage spotlights obscured his view of the crowd just in front of him as MonoMaton handed him cards to read off of:

"Uh, Hello campers? I applaud you all for joining us today..."

He took pause while staring down at the cue card, his brow folding as he tossed the first aside. Then the second.

Clearly not wanting to prolong this dreadful event, Cowboy skipped through MonoMaton's prepared cards until finally reaching the first winner:

"Ah, there we are. The winner of Class Clown is... Streamer."

Streamer shrieked from the audience, clearly too excited about this award. She stormed the stage in a rush of excitement, being quelled by a stoic Cowboy guiding her to her place on stage.

She addressed the Pageant Hall with an ironic tone:

"Thank you all so SO much for this award. It just... means so much you know? For a little gal like me, it's like... You like me, you really li-"

Cowboy cut her off with a firm hand on the shoulder once again guiding her, this time off the stage. She continued her ramblings of false gratitude as she left the stage, silently being handed a mysterious goody bag from MonoMaton.

After flipping through a few more cards, Cowboy continued:

"Ok. Our winner of Local Hunk goes to... Sailor."

The entire cast jumped following the inhuman roar that Sailor emitted. The drunken giant got himself red in the face with celebratory screaming before even reaching the stage.

This behaviour continued on stage, not a single english word was uttered from the man as he screeched and flexed in celebration of this non-victory.

It took a couple good tugs of the arm from Cowboy to quell the giant enough to get him off stage, where he was handed his mysterious prize as well.

Trying his best absolute to keep things moving through the chaos, a visibly annoyed Cowboy continued:

"Beauty Queen winner is Social Media Star."

The first camper to accept her award graciously, Social Star took the stage with a demure posture.

She humbly thanked the room for this award, clearly a little flattered by the praise.

*CRASH*

*THUD*

*Ding Dong*

"A body has been discovered!"

[rowandriftwood]

I just watched Local Hero (1983) again, and I think it might actually be my favorite movie.

A businessman from Texas (Peter Riegert) is reluctantly sent to Scotland by the oil company he works for to buy a small coastal town and turn it into a refinery. Instead of the locals being upset at the prospect, they are all delighted about the money they will make. However, American falls in love with the place, and wishes things didn’t have to change, and he never had to leave.

It’s like a heartwarming Hallmark Christmas movie, except that instead of Christmas it’s Scotland, and instead of the big city guy falling for the small town girl, he simply falls for the small town.

Oh, and a very young Peter Capaldi runs like baby bird and falls in love with a marine biologist who might actually be a mermaid.

It’s the perfect combination of gentle humor, delightful characters, and beautiful scenery that gets me right in the feels every time. Just … magical.

As an added bonus, the music was done by Mark Knopfler, the frontman of Dire Straits, who also did the music for The Princess Bride.

[scotianostra]

One of Scotland's' most iconic films, Local Hero was released on February 18th 1983.

In the days before mobile phones we used to use things called phone boxes when we were not at home, and the phone box in Local Hero has become as iconic as the film itself.

There aren’t many films that have a 100% Tomatometer , on the movie website Rotten Tomatoes, backed up by an impressive 87% audience score, it should be all you need to know when choosing a movie to watch, expecially if you haven’t seen it before. IMDb also rate it highly with 7.4 out of 10.

Bill Forsyth’s oil-refinery comedy isn’t billed as a weepy. It is, however, a love poem to Scotland, and that’s what brings the lump to my throat.

Quirky, wry, gentle are words most often used for this comedy on the movie database site, IMDb, the starting point for many of my posts about those Scots in the acting profession in my posts. They brief story line on the site does not hint at the emotional turbulence you might soon be experiencing. So maybe it’s just me being a big sissy. Wouldn’t be the first time I lost the plot. All it says is "An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don't go as expected." The film is so much more than this and it stands the test of time much better than other Forsyth films like Comfort & Joy and Gregory's Girl, well in my opinion anyway!

Crackpot Texan oil magnate Felix Happer (Burt Lancaster) gets the idea that a small Scottish fishing village would be a marvellous acquisition for his so-rich-it-makes-you-sick company, Knox Oil and Gas, so he sends an executive gopher named MacIntyre (because that sounds Scottish, yeah – played by Peter Riegert) to close the deal and get the pipeline pencilled in.

“Mac” is met by some local “dork” called Oldsen (a young Peter Capaldi), who attempts to steer him through a tartan microculture that includes a lawyer-cum-publican/hotelier (Denis Lawson) who tapdances while standing on a chair shouting “Stella” – the name of his ever-randy wife; there is a super-hard marine biologist played by Jenny Seagrove who, after delivering a short lecture on the North Atlantic drift, ends up helping Oldsen to find that pistol in his pocket; and then there is a scene in which a very whisky-sodden Mac calls Texas from a red phone box on the harbourside, a phone box that has featured in so many peoples snaps when visiting Pennan in Banffshire.

Other bits of business in the film involve a salty Russian seafarer and overflying warplanes. You can see how it got the comedy tag, and I haven’t even mentioned the thing with the rabbit. And you can see how Mac ends up smitten.

This is all top material from a very talented writer/director, with photography and music from Glasgow born Mark Knopfler matches the acting and direction perfectly. But on first viewing I found myself asking halfway through, “What is this film actually about?” After not very much thought, I came to the conclusion that it was not a How Things Never Go According to Plan story, but a love poem to Scotland and the Scots. A bit slushy, but never mind. It’s only a film.

The scene when Mac phones to describe the Northern Lights, to me is very special, but the scene that prompted the lump in my throat at the end of the movie is when, having failed in his mission to secure the Knox refinery deal and mutilate one of Planet Earth’s most beautiful locations, Mac returns to his frigid steel-and-glass Houston apartment. He stands at his kitchen counter wondering what to do next, the hushed march of oil capitalism buzzing gently outside. He pulls from his coat pocket a handful of pebbles and shells, smelling one of them poignantly remembering as he spreads them on the work surface.

As Knopflers music gently plays he goes to his balcony and looks out to the city......the scene fades to black, then reopens 4,500 miles away, where, on the harbour side of a small Scottish fishing village, we see the phone box, perhaps ringing and the credits begin as the horns of Going Home blast out.

Others in the film include Rikki Fulton, Alex Norton, Kenny Ireland, John Gordon Sinclair and of course Burt Lancaster.

[lpsgirl109]

THE OFFICIAL OLIVIA ROSEMARY OCTAVIUS INFO POST 🔥🔥🔥

Finally deciding to make a proper explanation on who this girl is, considering I talk about her so much. Gonna preface this by saying that this character has nothing to do with Spiderverse Doc Ock. I genuinely forgot she existed until I was info dumping to my friend and he made a joke about it, and then I mentally exploded about it /j. So, same name, completely different character

Olivia is my OC who is the daughter of Otto and Rosie Octavius. She's childhood friends with Peter, Harry, and MJ. In terms of relationships, I've sort of dug myself into a pit where I've ended up shipping her with just about everyone ever /hj. But the important Olivia ships are Harlivia (Harry/Olivia) OJ (MJ/Olivia) Spider Quartet (Peter Harry Liv MJ polycule) and Felivia (Felicia Hardy/Olivia)

Here's a basic idea of what she looks like

i plan on making individual designs for each version of her eventually, but this is kinda her main design

Olivia's story differs with every universe I put her in. Because I plan on making at least a few long fics about her in the future, I'm not gonna go too deep into those plots, mainly because there's some things I'd like to see my friends' live reactions to (Hi Jade. The raimi Olivia fic is gonna destroy you :3). The main thing she shares across every universe is that post Otto dying or getting arrested or whatever, Olivia goes on to recreate an eight armed version of his octopus arms. Sometimes they're used for good, sometimes they're used for evil. Really depends on the circumstances she's in.

Some fun little facts about her are that she's half mexican (I hc Rosie being mexican. This may or may not have been for projection purposes). She's really good at cooking. A huge hobby of hers is gardening, her favorite flowers are roses. Her dream is to one day become a marine biologist (though she only achieves this in like one or two universes LMAO). She has a lot of knowledge in engineering from Otto, which is how she recreates his arms. I often associate her with these like reddish pink colors. I can't really explain it but they fit her to me. I also think she'd be a huge cat person

My ask box is always and forever open to Olivia asks. I love talking about her. I'm also totally cool with people having their own OCs associate with Olivia!! It's super fun to me :)

[wisteriagoesvroom]

How many WIPs do you have currently and do you mind sharing a little summary of them!

hello anon, sure - i don't think these have shifted a huge amount in the last few months because i'm a self-identified slow writer for various reasons. but, here are what i will call them using a labelling system that makes sense mostly to myself only:

unidentified carcar item in the bagging area -> mystery plot. pwp but if you ran in through a sundance movie filter i guess

a femininomenon? a femininomenon! -> landoscar where lando gets [redacted] in a dress

inspired by wiz's adventures stuck in various airports but with 50x more YAOI! -> actor!lando and marine biologist!oscar au

*insert spiderman pointing meme* -> a vaguely peter parker-inspired landoscar multiverse proposition

if you're talking about which ideas rotate in my head like a chaotic microwave, well, that's a slightly different proposition...

[lonelychicago]

get to know me! 💌

tagged by the lovelies @bekkachaos @trashbaget @transbuck @spotsandsocks @bybuckley @thewolvesof1998 @disasterbuckdiaz 💗

animal: sea turtles!! but also literally any other marine creature. i've always been obsessed with the sea and the ocean and my dream job used to be a marine biologist so, y'know.

movie: i have so many favorite movies tbh. but my all time favorite, one i never get tired of watching is mamma mia. (i love musicals in generals but this is my number one!!) (my close second favorite movie is 10 things i hate about you tho)

season: autumn 🍁

character: amelia shepherd from grey's anatomy has left such a mark on me. i adore her so much.

color: violet or purple at the moment but tbh my favorite color usually varies with time.

hobby: writing.

book: soooo many favorite books but from the ones i've read this year, late to the party is the one i related to so hard and i was like !!!! this was specifically written for me actually. but also!! the whole foxhole court trilogy. andrew and neil own me.

song: there it goes by maisie peters. i just !!! i love this song so much and everytime i hear it i feel hopeful for the future, idk how to explain it. it makes me feel so good and just !!!!!!! (but also history of man and literally any other song from maisie's album)

drink: tea!! 🍵

tagging: @monsterrae1 @buddierights @prettyboybuckley @cowboy-buddie @bigfootsmom and idkkk anyone who wants to do it!! i can't remember urls for the life of me rn.

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

Brainwaves Bios: Doctor Raymond Stantz (1984)

The Heart of The Ghostbusters Doctor Raymond Stantz, PhD

The heart of the Ghostbusters. Raymond is the one who is most interested in ghosts, and will often be the most interested in ghosts, and will often be the most excited when encountering something supernatural. He provides knowledge of folklore to compliment Egon's scientific knowledge when figuring out how to deal with a ghost.

"Everything was fine with our system, until the power grid was shut off by dickless here."

Name

Full Legal Name: Raymond Francis Stantz

First Name: Raymond

Meaning: From the Germanic name 'Raginmund', composed of the elements 'Regin' 'Advice, Counsel, Decision' and 'Munt' 'Protection'.

Pronunciation: RAY-mund

Origin: English, French

Middle Name: Francis

Meaning: English form of the Late Latin name 'Franciscus' meaning 'Frenchman', ultimately from the Germanic tribe of the Franks, who were named for a type of spear that they used.

Pronunciation: FRAN-sis

Origin: English, French

Surname: Stantz

Meaning: Variation on 'Stanz', a habitational name from places called 'Stans' or 'Stantz' in Austria and Switzerland

Pronunciation: STAN-ts

Origin: German

Titles: Doctor, Professor, Mr

Nicknames: Ray, Francine (By Venkman), Frank (By Nova)

Characteristics

Age: 32

Gender: Male. He/Him Pronouns

Race: Human (Touched by the 'Psychic Realm')

Nationality: American Citizen. Born in America

Ethnicity: White

Birth Date: July 1st 1952

Sexuality: Straight

Religion: Non-Religious (Formerly Christian)

Native Language: English

Known Languages: English, Latin, Hebrew, Greek, Spanish, Arabic, Norse, Phoenician, Chinese

Relationship Status: Single

Astrological Sign: Cancer

Actor: Dan Aykroyd

Geographical Characteristics

Birthplace: Cutchogue, Long Island, New York

Current Residence: North Moore Street, New York, New York

Appearance

Height: 6'0" / 183 cm

Weight: 200 lbs / 91 kg

Eye Colour: Heterochromatic (1 Green, 1 Brown)

Hair Colour: Brown

Hair Dye: Once dyed his hair blond in college

Body Hair: Hairy

Facial Hair: Clean Shaven

Tattoos: (As of Jan 1984) None

Piercings: None

Scars: None

Health and Fitness

Allergies: None

Alcoholic, Smoker, Drug User: Social Drinker, Smoker

Illnesses/Disorders: None Diagnosed (Autistic)

Medications: None

Any Specific Diet: None

Relationships

Affiliated Groups: Ghostbusters (Founding Member)

Friends: Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, Janine Melnitz, Dana Barrett, Louis Tully (Sort-Of), Mars Teufel, Nova Teufel

Significant Other: None (Crush: Nova Teufel)

Previous Partners: None of Note

Parents: Silas Stantz (Deceased, Father), Joanna Stantz (Deceased, Mother, Née Gwerder)

Parents-In-Law: None

Siblings: Carl Stantz (36, Brother), Jean Stantz (30, Sister)

Siblings-In-Law: Nicola Stantz (34, Carl's Wife, Née Woodrow)

Nieces & Nephews: Tyler Stantz (12, Nephew), Jacob Stantz (8, Nephew), Saffron Stantz (10, Niece)

Children: None

Extras

Level of Education: Engineering PhD, Metallurgy PhD, Astronomy PhD, Chemistry PhD, History PhD, Physics PhD, Parapsychology PhD

Occupation: Ghostbuster

Employer: Ghostbusters

Expertise:

Parapsychologist

Engineering Expert

Metallurgist

Astronomer

Biologist (Micro & Marine Biology)

Chemist

Historian

Marine Spongiologist

Physicist

Architectural Knowledge

Polyglot

Occult Literature Knowledge

Faults:

Nicotine Addicted

Prone to 'Shut Down's

Can be Controlled via Twisting His Ears

Susceptible to Possession

Backstory: In his childhood, Ray Stantz went to Camp Waconda. Sitting at the campfire and roasting Stay Puft Marshmallows became one of his fondest memory. In his adulthood, Dr. Ray Stantz worked in the private sector at one point but he was not adept at producing the results they wanted. By 1984, Ray's parents passed away and he inherited the home he was born in. Ray went to work at Columbia University and studied the paranormal phenomena with Dr. Peter Venkman and Dr. Egon Spengler. Egon and Ray were usually the first to interview case subjects, even people Peter called "schizos" no matter how far-fetched their stories were.

[courseyoulovemeyoudontknowme]

Jaws (1975, Steven Spielberg)

12/03/2024

Jaws is a 1975 film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Peter Benchley. It tells the story of a great white shark that kills swimmers on Amity Island, prompting the local police chief to try to kill it with the help of a marine biologist and a shark hunter. The film stars Roy Scheider as police chief Martin Brody, Richard Dreyfuss as oceanographer Matt Hooper, Robert Shaw as shart hunter Quint, Murray Hamilton as the mayor of Amity Island and Lorraine Gary as Brody's wife Ellen. The screenplay is credited to both Benchley, who wrote the first drafts, and actor-writer Carl Gottlieb, who rewrote the screenplay during production.

Filmed mostly on location on Martha's Vineyard, Jaws was the first major motion picture shot offshore and, as a result, had a troubled production, exceeding its budget and schedule. Because the mechanical sharks created by the art department malfunctioned, Spielberg decided, in many scenes, to merely suggest the shark's presence, employing a menacing theme created by composer John Williams to indicate its approach.

Jaws was the prototype of the summer blockbuster and is considered a watershed in the history of cinema. Its release was considered a turning point in the history of cinema and the advent of the New Hollywood.

The film was released in US theaters on June 20, 1975. Generally well received by critics, Jaws became the highest-grossing film in history, and remained so until the release of Star Wars (1977). It won three Oscars for editing, sound and soundtrack for John Williams, as well as consecrating the fame of Steven Spielberg, then a little-known director aged just 28, and is often cited as one of the best films of all time. It was followed by three sequels, none of which featured Spielberg or Benchley, and many knockoff thrillers.

In 1998 the American Film Institute placed it in forty-eight place in the list of the 100 best American films of all time, while in 2007 it dropped to fifty-sixth place. In 2001, Jaws was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry, being considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

In the seaside town of Amity Island (New England), a young woman leaves a late-night beach party to go for a swim, but while out at sea she is viciously attacked and dragged underwater by something. After the medical examiner concludes that it may be a shark attack, newly hired police chief Martin Brody wants to close the beaches, but Mayor Larry Vaughn convinces him to reconsider, fearing that the town's summer economy will suffer.

[rxttenfish]

also i finally finished Into The Drowning Deep so i never have to look at it again

my review: legitimately one of the worst books i have had the misfortune of reading, made worse by the fact that its all of the tropes that i love and hold dearly. everything feels like a slap in the face to all that i adore. can't even write amphibians, ancient or otherwise, right, and it does poorly on the other scientific facts. you might be drawn to it thinking it'd be a fun found footage with spec evo mermaids. you would be wrong. it has marine biologist david peters who is right (of course she's right), a megalodon believer, and it doesn't get better.

[norirosewrites]

Horror Documentary Review: Sharksploitation

Subgenre: Documentary

Gore Level: None (though animal lovers might be upset by some of the footage)

Do you remember the first time you saw Jaws? I was eight years old, and I watched my mother’s VHS copy on the floor in our living room with a bowl of sour cream and onion potato chips and a bottle of lemonade. I couldn’t help feeling unsettled (who doesn’t feel at least a teeny bit apprehensive while watching Jaws?), but more than anything, I was fascinated by it. Maybe it was because my household also had a VHS of a Discovery Channel documentary about sharks and their importance in the oceanic ecosystem that I loved watching as a kid, so I already had a pretty solid appreciation and healthy respect for sharks. I went on to read the novel for a bit of light summer reading before my junior year of high school, and I agree with Speilberg wholeheartedly: in Peter Benchley’s version of the story, the shark should have won. (Seriously. All of the other characters in the book are terrible.) All that’s to say, I’ve always thought that sharks are pretty cool. You’ve got to respect a species older than the dinosaurs that have survived multiple mass extinction events. (One of my favorite memories from summer trips to Galveston growing up was seeing a little bonnethead hanging around one of the fishing piers looking for tasty morsels.) That being said, I’m not generally a fan of shark films. Almost all of them are piggybacks of Jaws with horribly written storylines and terrible CGI. (Laugh at the “cheesy” mechanical shark all you want, but no one will ever convince me that CGI is better than the craftsmanship that goes into making physical props and effects.) Shark documentaries, on the other hand, are always on my radar – no pun intended – and a documentary on the subject of sharks and film and sharks in film was a natural choice. Sharksploitation delivered on my expectations.

In A Nutshell:

Sharksploitation is an original documentary produced by Shudder and Sharksploitation, LLC, that follows the timeline of shark films from the early 20th century to the present and explores how the representation of sharks in cinema both reflects and influences their relationship with humanity. While Jaws is at the heart of the film, it features commentary on sharks in folklore, visual art, and film long predating the classic film, as well as contemporary depictions in the post-Jaws era, from experts ranging from filmmakers and marine biologists to actors and horror film historians, and Wendy Benchley, ocean conservationist and wife of Peter Benchley.

Sharksploitation begins by examining why so many people are drawn to shark movies and why sharksploitation films have such universal appeal that other exploitation genres don’t enjoy. Dr. Emily Zarka, professor and monster expert, defines sharksploitation as a genre that focuses on the idea of the “meta shark” – essentially, a monstrous, exaggerated idea of sharks with very little basis in actual reality. Roger Corman, producer of She Gods of Shark Reef (1958), Piranha (1978 – which, fun fact, was filmed here in Texas), and Sharktopus (2010), comments that people are drawn to shark movies because sharks are natural monsters, not fictional creations. As a land-lubber species, humans have a primal fear of being in the water and having something unseen grab hold of us. Sharks also contribute to thalassophobia – the fear of the ocean or large, deep bodies of water – to say nothing of the natural fear of being eaten alive. Mario Van Peebles, director of USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016) and actor in Jaws: The Revenge (1987), sums it up: “[Sharksploitation] reminds us how frail and vulnerable we are, but ignites something in us on the adrenaline level that makes us feel alive.” This is likely a huge part of why Jaws was such a hit and continues to be exalted as a classic. While it was not the first film to feature undersea monsters (an early example is 1930’s The Sea Bat, which features a giant manta ray as the murderous marine star), it was the first to cast a shark in the villainous spotlight.

The film then explores how the image of sharks in media has evolved throughout human history. For centuries, sharks have been depicted as divine or ancestral spirits in the folklore of the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, and Africa, sometimes offering help and protection to humans and often having the ability to shapeshift into a humanoid form. (A well-known example is the Hawaiian myth of Nanaue.) Even early films featuring sharks didn’t always portray them as evil; in Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931), the shark character is a god who protects the ocean (and also holds the distinction as the first rubber shark used in a film). These ancient folkloric tropes can still be seen today in films like Moana (2016) and Suicide Squad (2016). However, Dr. Zarka points out that when Western filmmakers began looking at sharks as cinematic exploration, they looked at real sharks rather than the rich body of folklore surrounding them.

Sharks began to be depicted in a more sinister light in the Enlightenment era of the eighteenth century. British artist J.M.W Truner painted them attacking African victims of the Zong massacre who were thrown or jumped from the ship (The Slave Ship, 1840), and the infamous oil painting Watson and the Shark (1778) by John Singleton Copley sensationalized the real-life story of an unfortunate cabin boy’s run-in with a shark in the waters near Havana, Cuba.

The 1916 Jersey Shore bull shark attacks lent credence to these unsettling depictions. Meanwhile, surfing was gaining popularity in Australia, inevitably leading to more human-shark interactions. World War II brought about the tragic USS Indianapolis incident. And during the filming of Shark! (1969), a stuntman who got too close to one of the real sharks in the water was killed on camera. In a tragic reversal, a shark was killed by the crew out of Blue Water, White Death (1971) out of fear and without provocation.

Peter Benchley wrote Jaws as “fiction based on fact” based on a story he heard about a fisherman who caught a 4,550 lb great white. At that time, the “rogue shark” theory – the idea that a shark who tastes human flesh will develop an appetite for it and stake its territory in waters where humans are known to participate in recreational activities – was popular among marine biologists. (The theory has since been discredited by most scientists, but it has contributed to controversial and largely ineffective shark control measures that have caused harm to shark populations around the world.) According to his wife, ocean conservationist Wendy Benchley, Peter did not subscribe to the theory, but director Stephen Spielberg DID run with it in the film adaptation.

Jaws was groundbreaking on multiple fronts. It was the first summer blockbuster, one of the first films to show trailers as TV commercials, and the first film to have promotional merchandise on a mass-market scale. Jaws was also unique in that it made the shark itself a character in the story. It not only kickstarted the modern sharksploitation genre, but it also influenced other “animal horror” films like Orca (1977) and Grizzly (1976). Unfortunately, marine biologists and conservationists knew it spelled disaster for real sharks. Fishermen and vigilantes took it upon themselves to kill sharks as a preventative measure, mistakenly believing they were making beaches and fishing grounds safer, and some species have never recovered from that era. Subsequent films like Shark’s Treasure (1975), Mako: The Jaws of Death (1976 – which, oddly enough, is about a man who discovers he is telepathic with sharks and attempts to save them), and Tintorera (1977) involved the brutal on-camera deaths of real sharks to get the desired shots.

Sharksploitation films died out a little in the 90s in favor of sci-fi flicks (including a personal favorite of mine, 1993’s Jurassic Park), but 1999’s Deep Blue Sea brought the genre back into the limelight by combining sharksploitation with actual science (at least, what was accepted science at the time). Open Water (2003), loosely based on the true story of Thomas and Eileen Lonergan, was a more realistic film that piggybacked on the found-footage style of the Blair Witch Project (1999). Dr. Zarka comments that more contemporary films like Sharktopus (2010), Sharknado (2013), Ghost Shark (2013), and The Meg (2018) show an interesting evolution of the genre: “It’s like sharks can get you anywhere – pools, sinks, buckets of water, even fire hydrants on the street.” Dr. Zarka believes these films also speak to our modern desire to reconnect with the supernatural; “The idea that scientists could somehow find an ancient creature like the megalodon hiding out there is terrifying but also thrilling.”

Unfortunately, profit sometimes often gets in the way of distinguishing sensationalized fiction from reality. Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week, once a celebrated educational program, broke the public trust in 2013 with the mockumentary Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives, which falsely suggested that the extinct prehistoric shark could still be roaming the world’s oceans today. In Sharksploitation, marine biologist Vicky Vasquez discusses how this misleading programming, alongside other pseudo-documentaries such as Animal Planet’s Mermaids: The Body Found (2012), has damaged marine conservation efforts by directing public attention away from real oceanic conservation efforts in favor of fantasy.

The film wraps up by acknowledging that the impact of Jaws on human-shark relations was not all negative. The original sharksploitation blockbuster inspired many young fans to pursue careers in oceanography and marine conservation. While it may have made some viewers scared to step into a bubble-filled bathtub, let alone the ocean, Jaws remains a beloved film to this day and is still considered an important piece of cinematic history. “In a way,” Dr. Zarka states near the film's end, “campy sharksploitation has made sharks less scary because of their ridiculousness. If we approach it as fun and an exaggeration and not as reality, I think we can appreciate it.”

The WOW:

– Hands down, my favorite thing about this documentary was the way it traced the history of sharks in folklore, art, and film in almost a narrative arc. I haven’t seen many shark documentaries that acknowledge the important role of sharks in non-Western cultures. As someone passionate about folklore and mythology, I appreciated that this was addressed early in the film. Showing that sharks’ relationship with humanity has not always been negative was a thought-provoking and wise way to open the documentary.

– The vintage film and documentary footage were fun to watch and a great way to visualize the evolution of sharks in cinema. I think the commentators did a good job of making thoughtful comparisons between different films and film eras.

– What I appreciated the most about this documentary was that it featured a vast array of experts weighing in on the nature of sharksploitation. It may not seem like horror film historians, marine scientists, and action film actors have much in common, but I found each speaker had something insightful to share that contributed to the cross-disciplinary conversation. I was also pleased that Peter Benchley’s wife, Wendy Benchley, was given a spot in the film to speak about her late husband’s work as a writer and his subsequent career as a marine conservationist. I had always heard that Mr. Benchley later regretted writing Jaws due to the novel and film’s negative impact on sharks, and Wendy Benchley confirmed this to be true; before her husband died in 2006, he told her, “There’s no way I could write Jaws now.” The Meh:

– I don’t have too much in the way of criticism about Sharksploitation. If I had to offer one piece of critique, I would have liked to have heard more from the horror film historians featured in the film and their thoughts on how depictions of sharks in cinema might reflect the real-life social and political anxieties of the audience (one of my favorite topics to discuss concerning the horror genre, and especially now that eco-horror – which Jaws subsequent sharksploitation films could arguably fall under – is currently having a huge moment).

Final Thoughts:

If you’re a fan of Jaws, the horror genre, film history, or are interested in sharks in any capacity, I think you’ll enjoy Sharksploitation. It’s a well-made and fun documentary that will make you think differently about shark movies and why their appeal has endured for so long. And if somebody out there gets inspired to write a better screenplay than most of the shark films that have come out since Jaws – and bonus points if anyone is willing to build actual props for it – I will be the first one to buy tickets!

[mireyadc]

The Octopus

Dr. Octopus sona

"Mo" Octavius - The Octopus - Hero - Earth 9639

In the end I decided to make a Dr Octopus instead of Spider-man and the result turned out to be the winner, she is incredible and at the same time she is very me, she is what I would like to be in a few years, but with superpowers and she is perfect. I even encouraged myself to make a reference to her actuators.

The how I came to try a Doctor Octopus sona is very really long story, so if you want to read it or read some headcanon about Mo, click on "keep reading".

I will also answer questions about her

Feel free to ask!

Where did the "Octopus" idea come from?

My dream in life was to become a paleontologist, but unfortunately where I live that is not possible, geologically speaking, my land is very young and there are no fossil remains, so I could not study here and the truth is that I love more my family and my land than my dream of studying extinct creatures, I will not go study far away.

I was talking with an old classmate about what other specialty I could choose and she told me that she had always believed that I would end up as a marine biologist, I asked her why and she told me that it was the impression she got on the visit to the "oceanographic".

Apparently, on a trip we made to the Oceanographic Institute, she heard me giving fun facts about octopus, squid and cuttlefish; I have always been fascinated by cephalopods and since at that very moment they were studying the life cycle of octopuses in the laboratories that they showed us, I was a little excited; and then there was an incident with an octopus… What a day... really, but when I remembered it, I kept thinking.

Two days later there was the first Spider-man film from 2002 on TV and I saw the beginning, when they arrived at the laboratory where the spiders were and it reminded me so much of the excursion I had been talking about the other day with my partner, so much, that I couldn't avoid thinking:

“Radioactive spider + nerd = Spider-man

Radioactive octopus + nerd = Octopus-woman?”

And then I remembered Dr. Octopus and thought "Why not?"

It started as a bit of a joke, as if on that excursion I had been bitten by a radioactive octopus and had become a superhero with octopus powers. I took all my knowledge about cephalopods, I designed the outfit inspired by my own clothes, I thought about what things I could make a superhero where I live and when I wanted to realize it, I had created Mo Octavius, my Dr. Octopus sona, one of the characters I've created that I like the most, even though I hate drawing humans.

It has undergone some modifications since the beginning, especially in its background and powers, but it is now ready to go out into the world.

Headcanon:

No, she actially wasn't bitten by a radioactive octopus. Instead, some chemicals fell on her, mutagenic risk products containing DNA fragments from cephalopod for hybridization, belonging to a project to create transgenic octopuses for commercial purposes. (I hope I can elaborate on this a bit more, I find it very interesting)

Her mother and sister are alive, but they live very far from where she studies, so she stays with her uncles, Otto and Rossy. Her uncle, Otto Octavius, is the true inventor of the actuators she uses.

She has two names, Micaela Ophelia, but she doesn't like either of them, so she prefers to be called Mo, after the initials, M.O.

In Spanish, two surnames are used, the father's first and the mother's second, but since Mo never met his father, she usually uses only her mother's surname, Octavius. (She lives in a part of Spain)

She is the superhero in charge of protecting the city where she lives, and why not Spider-man? Because the Peter Parker of her dimension purposely modified a spider, imitating what happened with Mo, to also obtain powers, but it went wrong, the spider's venom altered his brain chemistry and turned him evil and monstrous, a mutant spider-man who almost destroy the city. The biggest enemy of The Octopus.

Unlike most superheroes, especially Spider-man, for whom all the mutations they underwent were beneficial, she has also undergone some harmful changes, even for her health. (I will elaborate on this a bit more, later)

[sharonisthebettercarter]

Merfolk!Au where The spider crew benignly kidnap Peter B., thinking that he needs help and Miguel comes back for him (he's apocalyptically pissed). Miguel is an octopid and Peter is a goldfish. Miguel's claws are retractable on both his hands and tentacles. Miguel can regrow limbs and can change color of his tentacles at will. Also yes, he inks. Inky boi!

... so my first thought for miguel was vampire squid...

and then i was leik OH YES please please please please PLEASE~<3!!!!

i NEED IT--

lmao, yes. yes to everything plus INKY BOI~<3!! when i do mer au's, i do tend to combine certain canon elements to make mer forms allusions to the original but i LOVE the idea of goldi peter and octo miguel~<3<3<3

tho i must admit, i'd be moar likely to do some kinda blend/maybe combine for that allusion/fantasy fish element (like the vampy squid for miguel~<3<3<3<3 but also *maybe* spiderfish for petey pie~<3) because i like deep sea horrors... but also ;))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

deep sea glowy vampy octopid with spiny lil spider carp/koi(goldi's and koi are carps!)~<3 maybe?

i LOVE that tho, *apocalyptically* pissed~<3!! YES~<3!!

i do imagine peter just being an idiot who gets caught in the fishing nets, not even that they intentionally kidnap him lol

mer aus can be pretty basic but there's def a lot to explore worldbuilding wise there. i like to include mers, sirens, and beast kin for various subcategories and differing abilities.

singing for sirens and sometimes mers for example, but voraciously carnivorous appetites for sirens and verious beast kin types.

there are also a ton a themes to explopre there but they do dive a little outward from them both being mers.

marine biologist, classic crabby hermit, lil mermaid rescue a dumb human vibes are always great choices for some variation. LOVE the idea of a scientist discovering this supposedly *mythical* beast is actually extremely intelligent. love it even moar when they get caught on purpose *possibly* to study the human, or even that the 'human' person secretly has mer blood in them without knowing~<3

OOH~<3! here's an idea<3<3<3

inky boi miguel is a marine biologist (who is aware of his own mer's blood BUTT avoids the water maybe because of some certain... hungry tendencies~<3), peter is the idiot fish boi who's trying to get his attention and keeps getting captured, on purpose (after the first time at least~<3) just to get his attention~<3<3<3

;)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

BUTT~! do also love the idea of miguel being a very clingy and protective octopid for his goldi petey pie~<3<3<3

OOH OHH!!!

CAN'T forget to mention but... PIRATES~<3<3<3

which might not so 'benignly' kidnap a pretty golden petey pie~<3<3<3

they do say the *flesh* of a mermaid can give *immortality*. maybe miguel already knows the truth of that rumor~<3 maybe he knows the cost that follows in a thirst for human blood/flesh, cursed to be an aquatic/replace the one killed~<3 maybe he's the captain and toying with his precious petey~<3<3<3

;))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

ahhhh, so many ideas, so little time~<3

[scotianostra]

One of Scotland’s’ most iconic films, Local Hero was released on February 18th 1983.

In the days before mobile phones we used to use things called phone boxes when we were not at home, and the phone box  in Local Hero has become as iconic as the film itself.

There aren’t many films that have a 100%  Tomatometer , on the movie website Rotten Tomatoes, backed up by an impressive 87% audience score, it should be all you need to know when choosing a movie to watch, expecially if you haven’t seen it before. IMDb also rate it highly with 7.4 out of 10.

Bill Forsyth’s oil-refinery comedy isn’t billed as a weepy. It is, however, a love poem to Scotland, and that’s what brings the lump to my throat.

Quirky, wry, gentle are words most often used for this comedy on the movie database site, IMDb, the starting point for many of my posts about those Scots in the acting profession in my posts. They brief story line on the site does not hint at the emotional turbulence you might soon be experiencing. So maybe it’s just me being a big sissy. Wouldn’t be the first time I lost the plot. All it says is “An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don’t go as expected.” The film is so much more than this and it stands the test of time much better than other Forsyth films like Comfort & Joy and Gregory’s Girl, well in my opinion anyway!

Crackpot Texan oil magnate Felix Happer (Burt Lancaster) gets the idea that a small Scottish fishing village would be a marvellous acquisition for his so-rich-it-makes-you-sick company, Knox Oil and Gas, so he sends an executive gopher named MacIntyre (because that sounds Scottish, yeah – played by Peter Riegert) to close the deal and get the pipeline pencilled in.

“Mac” is met by some local “dork” called Oldsen (a young Peter Capaldi), who attempts to steer him through a tartan microculture that includes a lawyer-cum-publican/hotelier (Denis Lawson) who tapdances while standing on a chair shouting “Stella” – the name of his ever-randy wife; there is a super-hard marine biologist played by Jenny Seagrove who, after delivering a short lecture on the North Atlantic drift, ends up helping Oldsen to find that pistol in his pocket; and then there is a scene in which a very whisky-sodden Mac calls Texas from a red phone box on the harbourside, a phone box that has featured in so many peoples snaps when visiting Pennan in Banffshire.

Other bits of business in the film involve a salty Russian seafarer and overflying warplanes. You can see how it got the comedy tag, and I haven’t even mentioned the thing with the rabbit. And you can see how Mac ends up smitten.

This is all top material from a very talented writer/director, with photography and music from Glasgow born Mark Knopfler matches the acting and direction perfectly. But on first viewing I found myself asking halfway through, “What is this film actually about?” After not very much thought, I came to the conclusion that it was not a How Things Never Go According to Plan story, but a love poem to Scotland and the Scots. A bit slushy, but never mind. It’s only a film.

The scene when Mac phones to describe the Northern Lights, to me is very special, but the scene that prompted the lump in my throat at the end of the movie is when, having failed in his mission to secure the Knox refinery deal and mutilate one of Planet Earth’s most beautiful locations, Mac returns to his frigid steel-and-glass Houston apartment. He stands at his kitchen counter wondering what to do next, the hushed march of oil capitalism buzzing gently outside. He pulls from his coat pocket a handful of pebbles and shells, smelling one of them poignantly remembering as he spreads them on the work surface.

As Knopflers music gently plays he goes to his balcony and looks out to the city……the scene fades to black, then reopens 4,500 miles away, where, on the harbour side of a small Scottish fishing village, we see the phone box, perhaps ringing and the credits begin as the horns of Going Home blast out. Others in the film include Rikki Fulton, Alex Norton, Kenny Ireland, John Gordon Sinclair and of course Burt Lancaster.