#nonetheless i LOVE the character designs and lore overall

[cheerioskid]

more empires s1 doodles

[ganondoodle]

feeling much better now having gotten some sleep (the dont trust how you feel about yourself past 9pm is good advice no joke)

of course all my criticism of totk still applies but im feeling less depressed about it, tho i will say its honestly kinda baffling how many times the game actually got me interested and excited about stuff and then just kinda drops it in a dead end, of course they were those kind of things in botw as well but it seems much less .. balanced in totk

(not even just the big things like making me want to actively do something to help zelda turn back when it just gets solved on its own in the end, but also some lil things like the fact that so many NPCs tell you about that newly discovered animal species and when you find the dongos they are just gem vending maschines)

in the end i can say, no, i dont like totk, tho i still love the graphics and the way the world is made ( botw showed me jsut how immersive and alive a world can feel i love it to death), i liked the gameplay and that it kept the freedom botw had established, the bossfights are mostly fun (tho i wish you could refight more of them), i LOVE the yiga and im glad they got more of a spotlight, the music is FANTASTIC i keep catching myself humming along, alot of the sidequests are much bigger and feel like you are actually doing something, i like how the sages are a bit more integrated into the story, the majority of the new designs are great, both the japanese and german voice acting is great, and the end fight has some of the best build up i have ever experienced, my heart starts to race when that music build up starts even tho i have beaten it 3 times already-

however, the story is both simple and incredible flat with lots of stuff that doesnt make sense especially when it was said to be a sequel, the zonau should have stayed a mystery imo, they failed to make me care about them even a little bit and often felt forcefully crammed into the world and its history, i think you could have told an incredible story taking place in the present and leave the past be the past, you easily could have connected botw and totk in a much better way than they did, i dont like how it changes aspects about botw all the while nigh ignoring it ever happened, it still feels like it was trying to be a replacement and not a sequel and all the referencing and callbacks to the old titles may have been done in good faith but that and including time travel yet again ultimately lead to people ripping each other to shreds over trying to prove its placed in the old timeline despite it making no sense at all and confusing people even more; often when the game made me care or be excited about something it was dropped in a dead end, there was a ton of missed opportunities and lost potential to tell a much more nuanced and interesting story/lore, and thinking about it only makes me sad for the things that could have been

overall i think my disappointment is outweighing my fun and the only way i can keep playing it while having fun is ignoring everything that isnt, which works quite well most of the time since im pretty much done with all story stuff but i keep slipping into my little rants nonetheless; i will say its making me a little worried about the future of the franchise, but i know im in the minority and maybe i will just have to accept that the new stuff wont be for me anymore and i should not hope for anything that interests me xD

except for some meme material or specific characters i love i dont think i will make much use of anything totk tried to establish, and i hope thats fine with the lot of you (<3) hopefully that also means my ranting days are over xD

anyway, back to making niche art i go! (sorry for making you endure these long ass rambling posts :,) )

[saltymorde]

favorite things about morde/kazan? character wise, design wise, whatever suits your fancy :o

Both are big buff men.

Anyway.

To Mord, goes the design. I'm weak for big, armored things, that are also powerful. Tho, I do love his lore too. A villain, that basically became even worse after his death(s). And as I was RPing him (Well, I still am but privately.) I do explore him more and that makes my love to him growing even more.

Kazan? Listen, since forever I've been into Onis. I'm obsessed with their teeth. I love his design, tho I wish his mask would be his real face fnkbdfbgjhkdf. Nonetheless, I love him the way as he is. But also his lore is interesting, pretty brutal, but good.

So basically I love them both for their overall design and lores!

...

I have a weakspot for brutal villains I think.

[teeto-peteto]

Another question, if that’s not too much to ask: Who is your favourite character from each Runeterra region?

HOO thats a long one and i have the memory of the size of a pea so im opening Map of Runeterra for this one. Its never too much to ask just dont mind me not remembering all the people that cohexists in league of legends universe im sleepy and obsessed with THAT one character.

i'll try to give further explanation but in most cases is just for the aesthetic and not because of the lore so my apopopopologies <3

Freldjord: Braum!! Who doesnt love that big guy. Honestly, he's fun, he's cute, he's very talkative and passionate about the things he likes so he feels relatable at least for me. And he's kind to everyone! and kind to creatures! Probably one of my 'shirtless TM riot men that i actually like' list. He's just wholesome and warm.

Demacia: Ahhh uhhh ummmm yeah ahhh... demacia huh... ummm... (On my pc Morgana's little icon under Demacia's name is the old splashart pre rework i just think its fucking funny)

Poppy! I know she's a yordle and that i already said that i love them but overall demacian characters feel a bit dull to me (not all of them, but if you know, you know...). I just love her big ass hammer and her story, and how she's so convinced that she's not the hero but everyone around her clearly nows it. I love how she looks! And i love her pigtails... I also liked her old design, wich surprises a lot of people when i express it. Yes, she was sometimes uncannily creepy... but she had cool splasharts in the past, and i didnt mind her being ''ugly''. Fuck Riot's concept of beauty.

Noxus: Hhahahahahhahah im terrible but im a sucker for Kled. I love that guy i already expalined this on previous posts. Playing league is my way to cope with roughness in life and has been present through a lot of my trauma and i started playing Kled when i had some peaks of anger issues, the thrill of his gameplay made me de-stress a lot and i love his quotes. He is also very charming in quotes! He's funny, he's silly and he's old and theres something unspoken going on there, brain weasels. I love that guy and her screaming lizzard she's my baby. I love Skaarl and how she has her own personality that often crashes with Kled but she's nonetheless always loyal to him and restores her courage to save his ass. Queen.

Piltover: Hummm probably Orianna. I say probably cause im unaware if her lore has changed from 2014 to this day. I love the concept of a human girl with such a loving father that tried so badly to keep her alive as she was dying and loosing parts of herself and how he tried to keep her with him until she became just a beautifully but souless creation. Its a character i actually like having no quotes related to her lore, in the end Orianna is already very much gone, she's now but an empty metal shell that only commands the ball and speaks souless about human emotions she so used to understand when she was human. Fun fact i was a sucker for BlitzxOri ship and i still think its funny and cute.

Zaun: Twitch... he's a rat. There's nothing more about it. I would say Janna but she's technically Shuriman but either way i will briefly say that i enjoy her in Zaun, queen is giving fresh air slay pop off. Back to Twitch, i always liked him! He's silly, i have his punk skin and i adore how he looks, he's silly and stylish... I also got his shadowfeet skin cause he reminded me of my pet rat Kenny and i bought it to try and cope with his passing, i upgraded him maestry 7 on his honour. I dont know! He's cute in all of his skins not just the ones that intently try to make him cute, punk one is great, and i loooove how his head looks in Ice King skin... He's just lovely, and munches on cheese. And stinks. Its literally so me.

Targon: Soraka, probably. She's a goat unicorn lady! What else can i say? Im a sucker for most of her skins mostly the old ones. I love program Soraka, its one of my favourite skins of her, i think she's neat when i dont analize it... if i did i would set in on fire probably. I dont know her gameplay is cool and its one of the firsts supports i started playing. I used to heal the minions when you could do that back in the day. I remember my shock face first time i healed someone and realized my health bar went lower like 'OH sharing is caring!'. Unicorn lady mom.

Shurima: Renekton. Only because he's a crocodile and 'crocodile' is the word i pop up in my mind whenever i overthink to make my mind blank, and because i think crocodiles are cool. He's stubborn and resentful. Just like meeeeeeee

The Void: Kog Maw... he's silly designed and right now im VERY hungry im feeling very Kog Maw right now. I dont knoooow he's silly and i love his skins that do not portray him as cute too... I love skeleton kog maw he's amazing sack of bones. Point of all this is because i think he's cute, mostly. I want to hug him and he would puke on me and burn me in acid. cutely, though. he ate and left no crumbs.

Ixtal: FOR SOME REASON QIYANA'S ICON HAS YASUO'S ILLUSTRATION what. Uhhh i dont know why Milio isnt in the list of Ixtal champions... I think Riot's map machine broke. Anyway. Milio!!! He's a sweet kid, with a lot of preassure on his shoulders but he's so carefree and confident but not in a smug way but in a 'i have to do it for my omele' and he's so fucking adorable with his little fire dudes... I loved his lore and his short story he DRAWS pictures of his adventures and sends it to his family it makes me sob and punch the wall because he's such a sweet child he deserves the whole world. He's here to bring the good vibe on Ixtal. When i started playing him i didnt read his lore and he was talking so lightheartedly of his family that my poor ass knowing Riot i said 'Those bitches are definetly dead' WELL TURNS OUT NO and im so very happy cause if his family isnt okay i will kill everyone in this room and then myself.

Ionia: Uhhh can i get uhhhh ummm like... an interesting champion i have no problems with? /jk. Jhin :) he's iconic, so iconic riot decided to bamboozle all of us with 200 dollars chroma LOL. Okay but there was a lot of Jhin fever when he was released and the early years of his existance and those were probably the years i had the most fun on tumblr. He's memeable, but you can also take him seriously and think that the guy is fucking crazy and excentric. He paints his nails so... bonus points. His hourglass body type in project: Jhin was so INSANE it made everyone wild in this website. For once there was equality, briefly. His face reveal was kiiiind of a letdown, i expect him to be more fucked up but well i guess that what is behind a mask is another mask. In castilian dub his voice is very recognizable, he's actually the same voice actor that does Batman voice! wich is very cool, but he also does the ads of Carrefour wich is a supermarket and sometimes you can bug your own mind and imagine Jhin selling you a kilogram of tangerines, its so fun. Jhin also canonically shaves his balls wich is not a personal preference of mine nor does this add to the why i like him i just felt like i should say that Jhin canonically and confirmed by a rioter shaves his balls.

Shadow Isles: Maokai he's a FUCKING tree oh my god. I loved that little instance of Ruined King when we saw a younger maokai he looks so silly and curious... I loved his little paper on the game. Also i dont know how are they called in english... does riot call them 'saplings' to the little guys Maokai throws around and that are sitting on his hand? In Spain they are called 'pimpollos' wich is the name i call my followers on instagram, actually im going to start calling everyone my little pimpollos :)

Bandle City: Teemo... he's the first champ i've ever known. He's short, he's an explorer, i dont think he's twisted he's just smart and that scares humans for his yordle powers. But he can also be a little bit of a dummy, like in Dont mess with the yordles. He KEEPS a DIARY oh my GOD i want to read it and it also feeds my Tristmo ship cause i imagine him drawing Tristana and doodling silly stuff while she is watching her train or thinking about her... He also has wich is, for me at least, one of the bests legendary skins in the whole game being that Omega Squad. That one sent me FLYING when he was leaked and i had started playing already for 5-6 months or so. I begged my dad to buy it. I loved his old interactive page that also eventually leaked and got into official league page where you could click on different condecorations and trinkets and he would drop his quotes about other yordles and champions. That skin messed my brain scheme forever. and when they released Omega squad tristana... my ship level RISED... He's a baby, but he can bite you if he wants. I will protect him from people that says he's a trash champion.

Bilgewater: Do i even have to...?

what a babygirl he is.

[fictionstuff]

The Last Campfire

Status: played through in 7-8 hours, used chat’s help to solve some puzzles

Points: 3,75/5 [3,828125]

TLC speaks of a light in the darkness. Something every human can relate to at one point in their lives. The characters don’t exactly remind you of humans visually, but the story they tell sounds all too human. If you stray from your path, you may need a guide to bring you back onto the right track! TLC displays a multitude of human emotions in beautiful ways through interesting puzzles, funny NPCs and good platforming experience. It’s been a while since I played some indie titles, but I had a super lovely time with TLC.

Artwork/Design - 4

TLC features a rather simple but sweet design, many bright and cute characters, like super big pigs or cooking turtles. On the other hand we have our adorable main character called Ember who leads the forlorn, the lost. 

In the game you can find many different unique areas: swamps, woods, ruins, caves etc. The game is all about exploring while you find many interesting looking items which serve some purpose or you can step into your boat and navigate through the soft looking water areas.

The visual design fits the overall subtle theme of emotional storytelling and makes the game all the more enjoyable. The puzzles were super well integrated into the environment, while the world around you changed swiftly. 

Story/Gameplay - 4

TLC is a puzzle adventure game with a truly touching, albeit subtle emotional story. The main character Ember is a guide, leading the forlorn, the lost souls, back onto the right track, like guiding a lost light through the darkness back to the campfire. These lost souls receive their light back once Ember solves their puzzle.

I like this subtle but effective storytelling which can easily be connected to human emotions, especially psychological illnesses as well, i.e. depression, burnout, stress etc. This connection is more or less my own interpretation though. Nonetheless I like overall storytelling through a wonderful narrator named Rachel August, who leads you from one place to another while you explore the different areas and story parts.

While Ember seems to be determined to bring the forlorn back, we have no further hints on world lore or what has been going on. Even Ember starts to question their purpose in life as they come across more and more forlorn.

Another brilliant aspect is of course the gameplay. The puzzles can be truly challenging or super easy. Sometimes I needed chat’s help, but even I could solve most of them on my own without consulting a guide which honestly makes me enjoy a game much more. Even though the entire game play might have been inspired by The Legend of Zelda (especially the visual aspects) it doesn’t truly remind me of the game series.

The approach to the gameplay is very simplistic: push, pull, interact (with objects or persons) and run around. Even though this seems easy, there is enough variety in the different mechanisms of the puzzles which range from pushing blocks and wheels, sorting through pipes while turning them around to fit over to protecting a light from wind. It’s always fresh and new, especially when a certain tool is added to control certain mechanisms from afar.

Listening to the subtle nature inspired music and Rachel’s voice was a very chilling experience, like a good night story being read to you. Cleverly touching upon (mature) real world problems through charming and subtle storytelling made me experience a lot of joy during my 6-8 hours with the game.

The end fell a bit short of expectations even though it was pretty to look at, while the overall gameplay was also a bit too short in my opinion. My gameplay experience was probably also a bit dampened by the lag on the Switch. Not sure if it also lagged like this on other consoles but it was certainly enough to scare me of the game crushing on me every 15-20 minutes.

TLC is a great indie game and if you’re into puzzle adventure games, then this might be something you’d enjoy.

Enjoyment - 3,75

[o-w-quinlan]

Action Comics Annual (2021) Review

A good story that sadly cannot escape the inherent classism of the fantasy tropes it uses. The best thing about it is the Superman of its era, Brandon Kent.

I think my favorite thing about it was the way it portrayed the importance of stories. In current times, Byla’s storytelling to the young Phaelosian children is portrayed as a way to hold on to not just their traditions, history and heritage, but onto the hope for a better tomorrow. In the House of El timeline, we see the difference between Brandon Kent’s reaction to the Phantom Zone (he reacts as if it was a mythical hell, long lost to legend but nonetheless real to him) and Ronan Kent’s (he reacts as if it were a piece of history, intellectually knowing it’s dangerous but not really that emotionally affected by it).

The Annual also fleshed out some of the characters from the House of El timeline beyond the vague outlines they were in Future State, particularly Alura, Khan and Brandon. The art does a very good job portraying just how in love Alura and Khan are, every bit the warrior couple we’re told they are (look at how excited Khan is when archvillain Pyrrhos crashes his wedding and challenges him to a real fight) and Brandon has this All Star Superman vibe of being the most relaxed, confident man in the world. He’s also very informal in what’s supposed to be ceremonial settings (my favorite is his comment on how Khan’s wedding gift to Alura of “every drop of blood running through his body” was the most Phaelosian thing ever), and the stubble adds to his whole aura. We see him treat the old elements of Superman lore (the Phantom Zone, Hank Henshaw) as both legendary and alive, a mythical legacy he does his best to live up to and that is so much more to him than just a history lesson. We see his leadership role in the group, his distrust of Henshaw over what he did hundreds of years ago (vindicated), but also his decision to free him from his punishment despite all that because no one deserves to be imprisoned forever. We see him as a father, his sweet relationship with his daughter Theand’r, how she’s starting to try to be independent but still can’t help but hide behind Brandon when danger arrives (until, of course, it’s her turn to save him) being all the more bittersweet in light of what we know their relationship was like in Future State. It was also a passing-of-the-torch story for him, since we see how much he holds onto the past and how he might be past his prime in the final fight, ultimately giving the title of Superman to Ronan. I can’t say I particularly liked that part (no offense to Ronan, but nothing he did in this Annual made him look like the best choice for a successor compared to, say, Alura), but it is what it is.

Speaking of characters, we also have Hank Henshaw here, his design implying he has met Clark (a legend who people doubt even existed in this time in the 30th Century) fairly recently. He has an entirely predictable arc of pretending to be reformed only to betray them in the end, though ultimately the House of El does pardon him from remaining in the Phantom Zone. He does the exposition on how the Phantom Zone has changed and even a nice moment where he describes Jor-El and Kal-El as having thrown every criminal they faced into this hellish dimension. Good to see even in the future he’s devoted to ruining Clark’s legacy as much as possible. Still not as good a “Superman shows Henshaw mercy in hopes of redeeming him” story as Action Comics 999.

Speaking of the Phantom Zone, we have the whole worldbuilding aspect of this issue. The Annual brings back Gerber’s idea of the Phantom Zone as the mind projections of a sleeping God, except now that God has awoken and warped it even further. Except for Henshaw, all of the prisoners we see have warped into Lovecraftian monsters, completely mindless beyond seeking violence or obeying the will of the Phantom Zone God. Some of these designs I liked (particularly the ones hanging from the ceiling when Henshaw starts his explanation), but the majority of them I found boring, the sort of tentacly mess that is way too overused when doing Lovecraft homages. Henshaw did speak of other prisoners who weren’t warped as much and retained their wills, even building villages (which we do see), so I hope we eventually see them.

As for the worldbuilding with the House of El… I’m not as big a fan, though it’s well-crafted. There’s this sense of royalty in almost everything the House of El does (starting with their name) that I don’t like as representative of Clark’s legacy. Speaking of which, these kinds of ceremonies would have to have started with Clark, Kara and maybe Lois and Jon, but none of those 4 are the type to want to do something like this. Kara presiding as the head of the House of El is pretty cool, but her floating above everyone else during the ceremony further emphasizing how above everyone else the House of El is just strikes me as wrong. I mean, it would be one thing if it were an OC, but it’s Kara. In the final scenes she does remain on the ground while finishing the “ceremony”, but that doesn’t change my distaste for the earlier scenes. I also didn’t like how she was easily defeated to make Pyrrhos more menacing. We had previously seen Pyrrhos be absolutely schooled by Clark, so this is implicitely putting her extremely below him in power, which I don’t agree with at this point in their lives. As for Pyrrhos… he was an 80’s cartoon villain here, not even the vague promise of something more in him like in Future State. We also have Alura’s name being Alura Van-El, which is interesting as far as speculating on the family tree goes (Alura, as in Kara’s mother, and Van-El, as in Clark’s son with Lyla Lerrol in the dream scenario in “For The Man Who Has Everything”), but also implies even this far into the future they’re still keeping the patriarchal tradition of women’s names including their father’s, something I had been hoping would change when Thao-La was introduced. We’re also told that Khan doesn't have a named house, which once again emphasizes the “The House of El socially uplifts a lower-caste man through marriage” theme that’s probably intended as progressive (they don’t care who they fall in love with!) but just comes across as classist. It also raises some questions as to current Phaelosians, because Thao-La presumably did have a House given the structure of her name. Is Thao-La's parentage more prestigious than it is implied for Khan? Are there people who do have Houses among the current Phaelosians and people who don't? Is that from Krypton itself, or something that happened over the years?

There’s also the whole imagery at the start with the dark-skinned Phaelosians being slaves constantly in chains, which is... well, troubling. I mean, it's been a thing in the past few issues of Action Comics, but never did it hit quite as hard as here, probably because there were also light-skinned Phaelosians in chains so it didn't feel necessarily racially charged. Not the case here. When PKJ said his run would adress things like racism, I did not expect this. Thankfully the vast majority features Ronan and Rowan instead, who being classical heroes are as far away from the "black person as slave" imagery as possible. Pity that still manifests as Khan, the Phaelosian representative in the future (the symbol of how far they've come) being light-skinned.

I just spend quite a lot of time complaining, but I did find it an overall good story. Even all my complains about the inherent classism has to acknowledge that it was a technically good, very multilayered portrayal of something I hate. I did like the theme of stories and legends and almost everything with Brandon and Theand’r, and despite my distaste for the classism I did like how Alura’s and Khan’s relationship was portrayed. Overall, though, it’s not as exciting as PKJ’s regular issues of Action Comics, and certainly more troubling than them in a lot of ways.

Here’s my favorite panels:

[luwucas04]

About 4000 (I am so sorry) Words Concerning Films that Helped Define My Existence

Ah, movies. So much in one package. Story, music, visuals, what’s not to love? Today I shall be elaborating on the most noteworthy films in the thrilling ever-changing saga that continues to be my life. Screenplay alongside a screenplay, if you will (please take this statement as modestly as you can).

The first ever thing in my entire life that I remember being an avid and enthusiastic fan about was the original Star Wars saga, written and directed by George Lucas, spanning May 1977 (A New Hope) – May 2005 (Revenge of the Sith).

As mentioned in the podcast and as you may be able to tell from said podcast, I can’t really pinpoint an exact point in my life where I was introduced to it as it was kinda integrated into my upbringing from the get-go—and due to this it’s a very near and dear franchise to me. And oh boy fun fact my first ever childhood crush was Luke Skywalker (I vividly recall my uncle asking why I had his page bookmarked haha). I remember it was something that I would always watch with my dad and or grandpa, and then when I couldn’t find the VCR set that we had for it, I officially commenced my illicit streaming career (not really though, I didn’t get very far. Only crappy 20-minute clips on YouTube). Star Wars for me was the first thing that I actively sought out stuff for or showed genuine interest in pursuing if that makes sense. Like, you’d watch whatever movies or shows were thrown at you and you never thought much of them. Ohoho not Star Wars, though, that one lasted years. My cousin and I would always bring our little action figures to play with whenever we visited—or we’d find long-ish sticks in the backyard and have lightsaber fights, I got the video games, posters, Lego sets of ships (X-wing and Y-wing to be exact), an entire encyclopedia that I still own to this day (I just checked and there’s a date written inside, April 9th 2010 (which is my 7th birthday)), and of course inspiration for my own art and such. I remember I made this magazine that was essentially just me redrawing pages from the guidebook I had. I still have it, too! Sitting at the bottom of a drawer right now. Also, later on for some reason I absolutely loved drawing Ashoka Tano. Over and over again man. I drew her taking up my cousin’s entire driveway in chalk once.

Not only are the Star Wars films a nostalgic and comforting series, but it held onto its marvel throughout the. Wow well over 10 whole years, I’m getting old. Additionally, because at the time we didn’t have as much access to the things we can achieve with modern technology, I was basically all on my own with it. I fueled my own fascination. And shockingly, not a lot of people in my elementary school (up until maybe grade 6-7) showed much interest in it either. So it was pretty much just me myself and I, and occasionally my cousin whenever he visited, and I think that made it all the more special to me. Also, at the time I think it was geared way more toward kids. There weren’t series like The Mandalorian or active internet communities that were obsessed with the series as far as I was aware, so there wasn’t the same quantity of content nor overall enthusiasm around it. Nonetheless, it was and still is a very personal series due to how engrained it is into basically every aspect of my childhood. I’ll try not to be too repetitive with what I said in the podcast, but ultimately the clear nature of the franchise (attractive character designs, colours, setting in general (it’s an action-packed space adventure what’s not to love)) is what really made me latch onto it, and it kickstarted my interest in the very essence of media and understanding the film medium and what it has to offer. I remember asking how they got Jar Jar to exist on screen and he told me they made him out of CGI, and I interpreted that as they somehow made a real-life computer model out of him and that they were actually interacting with like a physical, solid hologram. Anyway, revisiting the franchise and diving into more of its intricacies now (like the production diaries) is like an absolute goldmine. There are so many aspects of it that 100% contributed to and nurtured my goals, passions, and ultimately who I am as a person. Here is some of my very recent art for good measure:

Up next up we got Lord of the Rings (dir. Peter Jackson, December 2001 – December 2003) or I guess a better way to put it would be those plus The Hobbit (December 2012 – December 2014) trilogy. I think it was earlier than the Marvel phase (which follows this section) because like Star Wars I can’t really remember my first viewing of it, but I definitely watched it all. It might’ve been around grade 3 so 2011-ish? Quick anecdote, one time I had a sleepover I was really excited for, and as we all know when you’re excited for something as a kid and it’s later on in the day, time doesn’t actually pass at all, and so my genius ass decided to flip on The Fellowship of the Ring and boom it was 5 pm and time to leave. Also my grandparents from my mom’s side of the family (they’re German so we call them oma and opa) were visiting once and my opa (grandpa equivalent) wanted to watch something so I was like “omg Lord of the Rings is perfect there are so many characters he can feel empowered by (Gandalf and Saruman because they’re old)”. Phenomenal logic—now thinking back it was probably much too violent for his tastes but yknow.

I love Lord of the Rings so much because it’s the true embodiment of an ideal fantasy story; there’s such pure character dynamics and personalities and Tolkien created such an incredibly solid world in which these stories take place. Man knew his stuff, and in turn provided a charming and utterly wonderful scape for young minds to roam free within. I was going to talk about this if I did my other culminating idea regarding masculinity within the media, but I have the perfect opportunity to do so here: something so great about said world is how sincere and genuine a lot of the male characters are (yknow minus people like Denethor and Alfred). Namely the fellowship, they all openly care for and are affectionate towards one another, something we rarely see between men both in modern media and in real life. Aragorn is a perfect example of someone owning and being comfortable in his masculinity. He is kind to and uplifts others, and communicates openly with them. He isn’t afraid of being intimate and vulnerable towards them, either. We see this in Boromir’s death scene. Aragorn doesn’t patronize him for trying to take the Ring, he consoles Boromir in his last moments and they treat each other with the utmost tenderness and respect—not callously or stiffly. Right after decapitating an orc, Aragorn is still able to run to his side, hold him, and kiss him on the forehead following his passing. Aragorn also isn’t afraid to share fame or glory, in fact he never seeks it out in the first place despite his lineage. It was at the battle of Helm’s Deep that he embraced that destine to be king, not out of lust for power, but because these people needed guidance and leadership and he could provide it for them. He elevates others in an incredibly positive and empowering way, especially Frodo and Éowyn, and is content with the fact that the story is not about him. Even at his own coronation, he directs every single person’s attention to the literal earth-saving feat that the hobbits have achieved in light of his own massive accomplishment. He is such a great role model to have been able to look up and aspire to be like, and I wish there were more characters and people like him.

I was a fan of those original films at an earlier point in my life, but the thing that brought that interest back a little stronger was undoubtedly the release of the Hobbit prequels. Like the Star Wars prequels, everyone can say what they want but they are very gorgeous to me. I skipped out on seeing Frozen with my class to go see The Desolation of Smaug with my dad and that was SUCH a good decision. Although, I’m rewatching them all now and Battle of the Five Armies kinda sucks at the beginning. They kill Smaug in like the first five minutes and like it wasn’t bad but it was very anticlimactic. I also don’t like how they shoved Legolas in there, his personality is really jaded and he’s kind of a big prick in those films. But it’s fine I love Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage and the rest of the dwarves the most. They were obviously the most significant and I like them a lot, and there are three movies as opposed to the one book so there’s even more content!

WHEW sorry about that anyway The Hobbit really was the revival/rekindling of that past love for Tolkien’s world. I also had a good close friend who was also along for the ride as well—being able to be into these things alongside someone is always fun and I’m grateful she was there and shared my same energy. She had the Lego game for that one, very similar free-roam concept as my Marvel one (coming up next), so we had lots of fun with that too. To reiterate, I am rewatching these movies again now as an older person with like an actual conscience, and my takeaway from them is vastly different on more of like… a philosophical level, I suppose. I appreciate the process of things more and the backstory behind Tolkien’s lore and the timeless characters and deeper meanings that he’s conceived. But that wouldn’t be very chronological of me to go into it here so moving on.

Proceeding next, around grade four at the most (so just after it came out), I watched The Avengers (dir. Joss Whedon, 2012). Not only did this single-handedly make my art convictions explode (in a good way), it also instigated my love for soundtracks (and also the entire Marvel universe but we’ll obviously be covering that very soon).

The Avengers was like an epiphany for me. Literally ground-breaking and earth-shattering. Changed my entire 10-year-old life. It was all that I ever wanted and more, and since it was around 2012-13 that I became aware of its existence, the internet community was blossoming with possibilities and content. That same friend liked it as well! My Avengers/Marvel phase definitely rivals my Star Wars phase; I think I watched The Avengers first, and then my dad was like “yeah ok you need to watch everything else now” and so henceforth Captain America and Iron Man and Thor. Those were very good times, and I actually remember experiencing all of them for the first time ever. The Christmas of 2013 was absolutely wild. I only got Marvel related gifts which was incredible at the time. My first ever ‘art of’ book was for the Avengers film, too! I also got an arc reactor shirt that actually lit up and I thought that was the absolute coolest thing ever, and then I remember I cut my tongue on this candy I was eating and my mouth bled profusely for a while. However the most iconic gift of all was my copy of Lego Marvel Superheroes for the PS3. I finished it in about 2 days, and it’s the only Lego game that I’ve gotten 100% completed progress on. I love that game dearly and still play it sometimes. The thing that I love specifically about it was the ability to free-roam the entirety of New York City as any character you wanted, me and that friend would do that exclusively for hours on end and make up our own stories with all the characters. Here is Galactus perusing the streets

Speaking of characters, this was the first thing that really got me making up and drawing a shit ton (apologies for lack of a better phrase) of original characters. I’d make superhero characters for me and my friend (ok I guess I should give her a name huh), Mackenzie, and even for random people in my class cause we needed to fill in some blanks in the stories we’d make. I’d create comics, write little stories, make variation after variation of these people we came up with, and of course like normal children me and Mackenzie would go to the park near my old house and pretend we were said characters. Man it was so fun. Then we’d do all those personality quizzes to find out which member you were most like. Mackenzie and I would do these quizzes on none other than our state-of-the-art BlackBerry playbooks. For me it was usually either Iron Man or Thor, and Mackenzie had this weird curse where she’d only ever get Loki as a result for anything at all which was very hilarious to me. Circling back to soundtracks, The Avengers OST was one of my first full album purchases. The main theme was my favourite track out of all of them for obvious reasons, but I still paid respects to all of them and listened to it often. Since I bought it with my dad’s Apple ID, it’d show up on the communal iPad that we used for music in the kitchen and I have full recollection of my grandpa playing it on blast in the morning to wake us up one time. I was aggravated at first but then when I realized what it was I was like ah yes of course. After the Avengers soundtrack, I got the Wolverine (2013) OST and that was fun but I didn’t like all the tracks in the same way, but THEN I got the Days of Future Past soundtrack. THAT is a good soundtrack AND a phenomenal film.

Anyway, after that I was a Marvel connoisseur for a little while. Like Star Wars I got an entire character encyclopedia, a bunch of comics, posters, you name it. My parents and sister also enjoyed dabbling in stuff too; we’d watch the animated series together on Netflix and eventually ended up seeing all the new movies together when they came out in theatres (except not my mom though cause she gets motion sickness from action films). Marvel was a staple in the adolescence stage of my life before I was introduced to anime (then it was all downhill from there (I am kidding anime was a part of my life that I look back at with great fondness)). It was reason for so much of what I explored with my art and my own imagination, and was one of my first experiences in what it was like to be a part of a fandom-esque community. There were also memes ripe for the picking when it came to Marvel; as one can assume I had no access to memes in kindergarten to grade 1 in the late 2000s. It was such a lovely and warm point in my life, something that established what kind of passion I really poured into something when I really liked it. And akin to Star Wars, there’s just so much to like about it. There’s so much to offer, an array of colourful characters and storylines—and of course, creative liberty when it came to superpowers and that whole narrative. The sky was literally the limit. Here is some of my ancient 2014 portraiture that I dug up for the sake of this assignment

Ok heads up we are now veering AWAY from childhood content and touching on a film that played a more personal part, namely during a very pivotal point, in my life. I picked up The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky, 1999) at a bookstore and read it at the speed of light; I was crying in my room on my bed by the time I finished it. I love how we see Charlie’s character change over the course of the novel, not only through what he describes or how he perceives things but his style of writing in general. Anyway, I wanted to read the novel first before I watched the movie (dir. Stephen Chbosky 2012), and I was pleasantly surprised by how accurate the movie is to the book (well duh the author directed it). I read/watched this right before I started high school, so I was kind of (but not really considering the built-up childhood trauma he has yikes) in the same position as the protagonist, Charlie, as he was starting out (minus a lot of the major aspects of his character and what he went/goes through (like drugs)). A lot of the things that he learns were really important takeaways for me before heading into that new chapter of life like he did.

Contrary to the title of the (I know it started out as a novel but I’m just gonna say film) film, you need to put yourself out there and advocate for yourself in life. It’s great to be a trustworthy individual whom everyone is vaguely aware of and likes, but you need to approach things with reason and make yourself known somehow. At the time, both before and during grade 9, and even still sometimes in the present (though I do it more deliberately now), I found myself just standing on the sidelines as life happened before me and I let it sweep me away without having any feet planted on the ground. It was like I wasn’t in control of it, and in turn I might’ve struggled in some areas more than I should have. I didn’t own anything, like I wasn’t totally present. Similar to Charlie, I was a person who’d always be there for others, someone people could talk to and confide in, and ultimately someone people truly enjoyed having around—which is pretty great. But I didn’t fully know my position or what I ultimately wanted in any of those situations. Don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly grateful for my entire freshman experience and I absolutely wouldn’t have wanted it any other way considering all personal circumstances, but with that foreknowledge of the importance of making a name for yourself, especially in high school, I think I was able to branch out with ease a bit more than I would have without it. I at least was aware of what was going on in that sense. That movie is really special to me because it ended up being a pseudo-mirror of my own experiences. Charlie’s English teacher, Bill, embraced his writing abilities and urged him to participate more, share his own thoughts, and express more of his personality by giving him books for extra reading. My first ever semester of Laurier did the exact same for me as Bill did for Charlie. It fostered my interests and intellectual abilities, and you guys constantly urged me and everyone else to go above and beyond what we were used to because you knew we could do it (even though I feel like I could’ve done a lot better on some things as my marks in grade 9 are a bit lower than I’d like them to be, but hey it was a time of adjustment and I did my best and that’s what matters). As a direct result of Laurier, I’m really lucky to have been surrounded by an amazing group of passionate students, a handful of which became my closest friends throughout high school, and that my very first teachers of the day were people who uplifted me and genuinely cared not only about furthering my academic work, but about my growth as a person.

Whew let’s wade out of the sap and get into some more energetic stuff!!! To tie off this recollection of my life through film the most recent and notable movie that impacted my life was, the one and only, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (dir. Peter Ramsey, Bob Persichetti, Rodney Rothman, 2018). Similar to The Desolation of Smaug and Frozen, I went with my dad to the cinema but parted ways with him to watch this movie by my lonesome (he went to the Aquaman theatre instead smh). Again, phenomenal choice. I talked about this in my grade 11 blog, but Spider-Verse is an absolute masterpiece in every way shape and form.

At the point I watched it, I knew what I wanted to generally do with my life (be part of the art industry) and the visuals of this movie alone were enough to make me want to elope with it and never see or talk to anyone ever again. It is such a gorgeous film. The way they strayed from the yucky 3D conventions norm—and there is literally no way they could’ve done the majority of what they did in that movie effectively if they did it live action. Or, they could definitely try and make an attempt, but it’d look like garbage. For example, a lot of the action scenes in general and also when they become abstracted like with the particle collider. 40-60 fps would not do that sense of movement justice at all. Too smooth. Not enough grit and personality.

Anyway, they also pioneered new animation techniques in mixing 2D and 3D, and explored a newer superhero trope where the main character’s own mundane life struggles are equally as important as him trying to sort things out with these new powers. It’s more of a battle between what Miles wants with his own personal life—new school, the friends he won’t be able to see because of said new school, owning his own abilities and adjusting to change. Then on top of that he’s met with all these alternate-dimension people that he has to work and be on par with. Aside from the art, I thought the overall message was every special: Miles learns through trial and tribulations, unsureness—and most importantly, failure. Confidence and optimism, in regard to what he thinks he can and can’t do, is vital. Amidst everything he is faced with, he starts out as just another kid who wants to be just another kid. But we all have something special inside us that we must choose to embrace if we want to truly flourish. We see him come to terms with the fact that he really is capable of greatness if he sets his mind to it—and that’s the main message: anyone can wear the mask. And can we talk about that soundtrack??? Not only the instrumentals, but the actual songs were great too! “Sunflower” and “What’s Up Danger”? Lovely and fitting. And back to the OST, the Prowler’s theme??? Shivers.

There is such a unique and beautiful vibe to this movie, and it’s inspired me in more ways than one. Aside from that nice motivational stuff, it also has recently played a tremendous part in developing my own art. All of the artists who worked on the film are people I immediately tried to find on social media so I could see more of their work. I purchased the art book, and even bought a 2D sequence illustration course provided by one of the art directors, Patrick O’Keefe. That course also came with the (digital) brushes he uses, and I’ve used them in pretty much every single one of my pieces since downloading them. This movie really showed me the possibilities of what could be achieved in the art industry, and it made me want to be a part of it so much more than I was before. I want to be involved in revolutionary visual achievements, and I want to develop characters and stories and worlds that are as interesting and loveable as the ones in Spider-Verse. (my stuff featured below)

So there you have it folks, 5 (five) of the most significant movies in my life relayed in a whopping just over 4000 words. I hope this has been enlightening for all you readers out there, perhaps you now have a better understanding of how I came to be personality/interest-wise, and I hope you can catch a glimpse of that same importance these pieces of media have in regard to me and my values.

[yellow-saber-blog]

The Star Wars Fan Wars or why some fans hated The Last Jedi.

If you are into StarWars or into films in general you are probably aware that the SW fandom is currently divided into two groups - those who hated the TLJ and those who loved it. Or so it would seem....I am pretty sure there are many people, like me, who stand in between: people who acknowledge the film’s flaws but who still find things they enjoy in it. But one thing is certain - those who stand at the extreme lines are very vocal about their opinions and are often pretty rude towards each other.

I am writing this post here on Tumblr because I want to address a particular issue that is bothering me a lot and that is: how people who liked the TLJ are  labeling those who didn’t like the film as “butthurt fanboys” and discredit their opinions and feelings as being simply “broken expectations”. 

I want to defend those angry “fanboys/girls” a bit, because it seems that some fans miss the point of why others hated TLJ. Lots of the complains people have, even though often expressed with anger and harsh words, are legit. 

Now, before we go further, I want to address another issue that people neglect - personal oppinion vs facts. 

Now imagine you are going to buy a shirt in the store with your friend. You both like clothes from the StarWars brand. They now have a new collection of shirts. You absolutely love that new blue shirt but your friend doesn’t like it at all. This shows your different taste and leads to your opposite opinions on something that is subjective. No one can convince the other that their opinion is right or wrong because that is the nature of subjective opinions and personal taste. 

The same is with movies - someone will enjoy a film that another will hate and both are free to express their joy or frustration as much as they want without trying to discredit the other. 

Now there is another aspect to things - the facts. As much as you like that new shirt’s design if you look at it closely, you might notice that it’s not sewed properly or that there are some other defects on it. You can still like it or buy it but you cannot deny the fact that there are defects on that shirt and that is not made as good as it could have been done. 

The same thing can be said about the TLJ - that film is not stitched up together as good as it might have been. You can still enjoy it immensely but you will be lying to yourself if you insist that this is a good movie because it isn’t. The script, the pacing and the inconsistent tone of the movie are some of it’s bigger problems. When audiences go to see a StarWars film made with billions of dollars from some of the best in Hollywood, they naturally expect to see a decent, competent movie. You can’t blame people for complaining when they are given something far less professional than promised.  

I think we can all acknowledge that TLJ has weak points in terms of storytelling, consistency and basic logic. That being said, we should also all acknowledge that visually this film is magnificent and one of the best looking StarWars films. Those aspects we can consider facts about the film. You will be insulting a lot of classic movies if you insist these things aren’t true.You can still love or hate the movie all you want but you should at least acknowledge those basic truths about it. So objectively this film deserve probably around 6/10. Definitely not the best of StarWars. But it can still be your favourite SW film, nonetheless. 

Now lets get to the point - why some fans hate this movie? The main reasons are simple and I will list them in no particular order: 

- Silly side story -  the dump and illogical things that happen with the Resistance and all the subplots revolving around Poe, Finn and Rose. The movie just doesn’t know what to do with them. The plan about going to Canto Bight gets stupider the more you think about it. General Holdo’s motivations and character in general are simply weird for a Resistance leader. Everything there feels like a filler episode of a TV show. Is that all they could come up with? You might at least understand why such a silly plot makes some people angry or irritates them. StarWars never had any super complex plot points - but no matter how simple those stories might have been, they were at least bound by a basic logic and overall narrative purpose. ( and they were much more fun to watch) 

- The First Order start to feel like a joke. Snoke is killed without explaining anything about him at all, Hux is more like a comic relief and not like a serious bad guy. The whole First Order feels underwhelming. The Dark Side has always been very cool and a bit frightening. Now is more like a bunch of idiots with cool looking ships. 

- The bad treatment of the original characters - Luke is misused and his character is completely changed without proper explanation or motivation. I won’t even go into details about Luke because it will take me ages. Leia, in turn,  is given close to nothing to do and her “force flying” appears to be more laughable than impressive. Yes, there are some good scenes with Luke and Mark Hamill is amazing in the part but the negative things are just overshadowing the good ones. 

To those reasons you can add other complains that people still have about Rey being a Mary Sue, about Snoke being useless, about Kylo Ren’s still unclear motivations and so on. 

But let me condense it all in it’s basic essence - Disney/Ryan/Kathleen Kennedy and whoever else was involved - they all tried to be original in the wrong places and changed things they shouldn’t have changed AND at the same time they were unoriginal and silly in story points they should have changed or be creative with. Let me elaborate: 

Luke won’t train Rey the way you think. Luke is not the hero you might expect to see. He is actually responsible for the fall of Kylo Ren and he did things against his character because you won’t expect that. And when Luke finally decides to do something he just Force project himself to have a “surprise” at the end. And dies. Basically Luke is written to be nothing you expect him to be, so you will be surprised. But the truth is: no one wants to be surprised by Luke or see him as a broken old man, no one wants to see their beloved characters killed off in such ways as Han and Luke.  Give the audience the Luke they love and know. Surprise the fans with new characters and plots points without ruining the things fans already love. That is what will make people happy, why is it so hard to understand? 

The "This is not going to go the way you think” theme goes on -  Rey parents will be nobodies because you won’t expect that. Snoke will die, because you won’t expect that, Holdo has a secret plan all along because you won’t expect that. These choices are not about being original or creative, they are just doing the opposite because they want people to get something “they don’t expect”. 

JJ and the marketing team created all that mystery around Rey and Snoke, it’s not just the fans’ imagination going wild. Still  they didn’t deliver anything intriguing about those “mystery boxes”.  I am personally ok with Rey’s parents being nobodies - I actually expected that to be the case. But you can’t blame people for wanting to know more about Snoke. When the first Star Wars films  were out it was enough to say “this is the Emperor” and he is the bad guy. Now we have 6 movies and even more canon books and tv series. You have all that existing history there. The context of the story is different.  It’s normal for people to want to know where those new powerful characters are placed in the history of the story. If you give them no answers about Snoke, you make the character pointless to the fans. So he is just a tool for Kylo to rise to power? But it’s Star Wars - people want to have something more to the story than just unexplained and undeveloped characters. 

Still with the new characters, people are more perceptive to changes therefore one can do something really bold with them and change them upside down and get away with it.  But the characters we grew up with - they need to be consistent with what we know about them. There is the balance between things you can twist/change and things you should respect and honer. 

Now despite all the “ this is not what you expect” ideas, the creators of the film have the same story points as the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi - we have a space chase, a white planet battle with walkers, an exotic world where we meet someone who will betray our characters, Rey will face Snoke as Luke faced the Emperor and so on. Those story similarities are the things they could have made completely different and be as creative as they want with those. Yet, they chose the similar plot points and visual elements to echo the OT but changed the characters from the OT. Why??? That is a very dump decision if you know anything about StarWars fans or if you know anything about people expectations and behaviour in general. Disney are not trying to win Oscars with this, they are trying to please the audience. But something in their research tables and marketing graphics went totally wrong. 

There are at least 100 ways to write that same story both pushing forward the new characters and honouring the OT characters. They killed Han in an idiotic way, Luke is now gone in a poetic but useless manner. All those misplaced creative choices make the new films out of balance. They talk about balance so much in the story but they cannot achieve it. The balance between new and old, between the old generation and the new, between creativity and honouring the established lore. This imbalance it the real problem of the new trilogy. And this is a REAL PROBLEM no matter if it personally bothers you or not. If it doesn’t - good for you. But don’t disregard the opinions of those who are bothered by the unbalanced new trilogy and don’t call their complains “whining” or “lack of vision”. 

You can enjoy the characters and the movie despite those problems but to deny that those ARE problems is a bit naive and short-sighted. 

At this point it seems that Disney have no real idea of what they are doing with this franchise. At times it’s apparent that they are more concern with marketing and money rather than making a good film product. But is that really true? I am sure no one at Disney wanted to make a bad movie on purpose. But it turned out to be a rather messy one. One can make huge mistakes with the best of intentions. 

They are nuances to things - nothing is black and white. Neither “playing safe” nor its opposite “disregard the film legacy” are good choices. 

I just want to conclude this post by saying that people who grew up with StarWars don’t take this universe lightly. Life might suck big time but when you go to your StarWars corner of the galaxy, things should be better there. When someone hurts a character you love from your childhood you have the right to be angry, you have the right to complain, you have the right to demand a better treatment of that character. 

We should all demand to be given better movies, better treatment in general as audience. I am sure there are many new, original and great stories that are not given green light so we can have more Marvel, more DC, more Star Wars. Therefore Star Wars movies should be made worthy of their title, of their popularity and of the resources poured into them. The hardest thing in all aspects of life is to get the balance right.   

I really hope that Lucasfilm are making something better for the final movie, something that will bring fans back together. 

I personally consider everything from TFA until now to be alternative universe and this is how I am fine with it. But still I would prefer to see a movie with a more intelligent script and not a filler subplots. 

How many times per day we say to each other the same thing - do not disregard people’s feelings and opinions just because they differ from yours, don’t attack or insult those people because what they say makes you feel uncomfortable. 

We all love the same thing lets be more civilised about it. 

[jacobfishermedia-blog]

PlayStation:

The reasoning behind why I included the PlayStation logo is because it was one of the first gaming consoles I ever owned. This is important to me, as I still value gaming as a hobby and interest today. Which all began with the first era of PlayStation consoles, playing games such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro.

X-Men:

I decided to place the X-Men logo within this collage, because within the Marvel Comics Universe they are arguably my favourite superhero team. This is because the concept of a metaphorical family unit, as opposed to a team unit we see with the likes of the Avengers appealed to me on a greater scale. Not forgetting that within the X-Men storylines we see these characters grow as individuals which correlated with many readers on a personal level from being a teenager and not fitting in. It is also important to mention that the X-Men have some of the most well recognised cast of characters, with the likes of Wolverine, Storm and Cyclops.

Spotify:

The Spotify logo was placed here because for me it is a convenient way to listen to music. Even though I am not somebody who listens to music frequently, whenever I feel the need to do so I always find myself returning to Spotify over any other music provider. I believe this is because I enjoy the colour scheme and layout of the site and app itself, and having most pieces of music in one place is appealing for the sake of convenience.

RuPaul’s Drag Race:

In regards to RuPaul’s Drag Race, this reality television show has really made me appreciate drag as an art form, and individuals to be inspired by. Nonetheless, the competitive nature of the show is extremely fun to watch and the colourful cast of competitors really help to make the show shine over other reality television shows. Another thing that I really enjoy seeing with RuPaul’s Drag Race is how it really is a show for anyone to watch if they give it a chance, and I find myself recommending this show to a lot of close friends and family.

Mass Effect:

With the Mass Effect logo, this is a game franchise that I binge played a few years ago and it really struck a chord with me. Specifically in regards to the characters who you really felt a deep connection with when playing. Furthermore, the lore of the universe was in depth and interesting due to the variety of alien races you interact with. This game carried over your decisions throughout the three games in the franchise, which was a fun feature to have multiple play throughs with.

Netflix:

Similarly to Spotify, this television show provider is extremely convenient for having a wide cast of shows in one place. In addition, the price of Netflix is reasonable in comparison to the abundance of television shows and films on the provider itself. It is also important to mention that this is where I was able to watch RuPaul’s Drag Race, which I have to thank Netflix for providing due to my liking of the show. Not forgetting that most Netflix exclusives are of an extremely high quality and really elevate television shows to a new level of quality.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves:

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was my favourite instalment of the Uncharted games franchise. However, I am highlighting the franchise as a whole when including it in this collage. This is because I specifically enjoy games that have interesting characters which is showcased within this franchise. Not forgetting that this is a game franchise that I followed from its beginning, which really makes me feel as if I’ve grown alongside this franchise and really seen it progress into this wonderful franchise.

Kill Bill:

The reasoning behind why I used the Kill Bill logo is because the Kill Bill franchise is one of my favourite films (collectively). I’m not entirely sure what it is exactly that makes me enjoy this franchise, but it has something that I sometimes feel like is lacking in other films where I genuinely felt motivated throughout the entirety of the two films. I would also like to mention the soundtrack which was great to hear throughout the films, and many of the scores throughout really levitated scenes to new heights.

Amazon:

Amazon is similar to Netflix and Spotify, as it is convenient when delivering items. It is extremely time saving, as you can order most products from the comfort of your own home. There’s also an element of trust that you sometimes don’t get with other delivery websites - which really makes me want to use the website more. It is also important to mention that Amazon Prime is a great service in providing certain items in a one day time frame, and provide television shows and films at a decent quality.

Harley Quinn:

The inclusion of the Harley Quinn logo is because, in regards to DC comics, Harley Quinn stood out as an interesting female character within this universe. I personally prefer vigilante characters as opposed to super powered characters most of the time. So her abilities and overall aesthetic were appealing. Nonetheless, I think the quality that shined the most about this character was her personality, which was fun loving despite the horrific, crime ridden lifestyle she finds herself in.

Dominos:

Dominos is a fantastic website, as it provides pizzas of your creation. As somebody who enjoys pizza this is an appealing feature, and there often a large amount of deals throughout the week which make this pizza chain appealing.

Rockstar Games:

Rockstar are important to me, as the Grand Theft Auto franchise has been prevalent in my gaming hobby for a while. However, where people tend to focus on the violence of the game they forget about the brilliant map design, storylines, and gameplay mechanics that make the games fun to play. Over time the games have grown to a global audience. Which is showcased with Grand Theft Auto V, which was the fastest selling game to reach $1 billion. Furthermore, the Red Dead Redemption franchise is also one of my favourites, as the storyline and characters were some of Rockstars best in my opinion.

Batman:

This highlights the entirety of the bat family, rather than Batman himself. I believe that, in regards to DC comics, the Batman side of the universe is one of the best in terms of characters and setting. This is because of how much these characters have grown over the space of 70+ years, and even new additions to the cast can be creative and exciting. This cast of characters can span to fellow bat family members such as Nightwing, to the rogues gallery with the likes of the Joker.

Fallout:

Fallout for me is a recent obsession. This is because I find the dystopian post apocalyptic lore fascinating in regards to setting and characters. There’s this feeling of a truly realised world that exists and grows over the span of each consecutive game. There are also factions that, in some games more than others, are extremely well written and all have their pros and cons. This is substantial in a role playing game like Fallout, because as a player I want to feel like my decisions have weight. Nonetheless, I think the better games in the Fallout franchise are the older games with Fallout 1 and 2, and then Fallout: New Vegas which released in 2010. However, the other Fallout instalments do have highlights as well.

[rthegamergirl-blog]

Still More Skin

This is a (further) continuation of my previous blog posts, “Skins: Too Much Skin?” and “Skins with Skin,” which examine the skins of several female characters in Smite. If you have already read these two, you can skip the introduction.

Introduction: For each character, how sexually the character is rendered is measured on two separate scales: a Sexualized Scale (1-5) and a Sensible or Sleazy Scale (1-5). The Sexualized Scale will rank how sexual or provocative the characters appearance, including body shape, poses, armor design, and how revealing the armor is. For the Sensible or Sleazy Scale, a score of 1 will represent a very sensible image, or one that is consistent the goddess’ lore and makes sense for her role; a five will represent a sleazy image, or one that is unnecessarily oversexualized and fits poorly with the character’s role or lore. The ratings will be based on each character’s overall portrayal, including multiple skins. Following each set of ratings, I will provide a brief explanation for the rating results.

Goddess Name: Aphrodite

Sexualized Scale: 5 (1-5)

Sensible or Sleazy: 2 (1-5)

Explanation:

Now, given that this is Aphrodite, after all, I have determined my ratings for this character with some special consideration. Obviously, the bikini-clad Beach Babe skin is quite revealing (below).

Once you take into account Smite’s chest physics (which seem to have her breasts do the wave with every breath she takes), the skin becomes even more provocative than it first appears. I couldn’t capture the breast physics, but here are some of her idle poses with the default skin, use your imagination.

Nonetheless, this is Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. Sexual appeal is to be expected, because it fits here. Still, perhaps there are other ways to portray beauty and pleasure without resorting to lewdness. How do you envision Aphrodite?

Character Name: Arachne

Sexualized Scale: 2

Sensible or Sleazy: 1

Explanation:

To begin with, let me first address that the goddess title does not actually apply to Arachne. In the traditional mythology, Arachne was a talented mortal, whose weaving was so skilled that it rivaled the gods. However, her hubris concerning her talents led Athena to turn her into a spider. As a result, most of her humanoid features– such as her hair– are removed during the transformation. Despite her mythological description, it is not uncommon to see Arachne depicted as a partially humanoid being, with her upper body being that of a woman grafted onto the lower body of a spider, as is seen in her default skin (above) and her Toxic Caress skin (below). 

Still, is it really necessary to give her– a spider that was once human– scantily clad, flesh-colored breasts and exposed midriff in the Black Widow skin (below)?

Goddess Name: Artio

Sexualized Scale: 1

Sensible or Sleazy: 1

Explanation:

Artio (default skin shown above, in human and bear form) is one of Smite’s more recent additions from Celtic mythology. The “Goddess-Bear” Artio rules over cycles in Celtic mythology, keeping balance between nature’s opposites, like life and death or darkness and light. Artio is one of– if not the–least sexualized goddesses in the game. She is not scantily-clad Neith or sex-appeal-oozing Aphrodite. In fact, her most revealing skin is the Wild Druid skin (below).

As you can see, Smite kept it very PG with this goddess. Although the mythology of Artio is rather obscure, her appearance fits well with her in-game lore, as she is meant to be a respectable goddess.

[zywesrebro-blog]

long thoughts abt salazar’s revenge behind cut, inc. spoilers, so!

So, firstly, if I'd seen the film in gifsets, I'd tell you immediately that PotC: Salazar's Revenge really captured the aesthetic and wonder of the original films without getting old.

The choreography of the most ridiculous scenes was really breathtaking - I loved the bank robbing, and I thought the execution scene was really interesting to watch, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Fight scenes kept with the ridiculousness of the PoTC universe while not being so obscene they were boring to watch or removed any sense of interest, you know?

The lore added in is absolutely fantastic - the design of Salazar's ship was enchanting and macabre, and I really felt they showed these "dead men" without copying or ruining those we saw in The Dead Man's Chest. The costume was truly something else - I love the variety of military uniforms we saw, with epaulettes and shiny buttons, and we saw much more motley colour palettes across the pirates themselves! Something I've often been underwhelmed by in the series is the tendency to clad the "background" pirates in very drab browns, but I saw red coats, blues, greens! The costumes, mismatched and ill-fitting and obviously "not" uniform were very fitting of pirate crews without being so colourful they seemed out of place.

This was particularly the case in regards to Jack's first "tributes" - seeing those iconic elements of his costume stacked up was a lovely callback throughout the universe, even though the young Johnny Depp CGI face creeped me out a little bit.

I also loved the whole aesthetic of the starry island, and while I feel a few elements lacked a crucial exposition, I actually liked the story quite a lot - particularly Barbossa being able to connect and them be separated from his daughter. Even the characters of Corinna and Henry, like, despite coming across as very, uh, fanfiction-OCy, they were likable, and by the end of the movie I liked them both. The Witch was unfortunately underutilized, as were the British Generals, but I found them interesting to watch nonetheless.

And yet overall, the movie fell flat. And it's such a shame, like, all these elements - worldbuilding, story, a great villain, characters, costuming, all were very well-designed.

But God, the script was TERRIBLE.

I think the only scenes that I found convincing, the only scenes that really gripped me, were those between Salazar and Barbossa, and then Salazar and young Jack - that especially really fascinated and engaged me.

But the rest of the dialogue in the film, God, it was painful. It was weak, lacking character, lacking consistency in places - it seemed like it had been cobbled together from a list of vague dirty jokes, and yes, there was the occasional funny line, but... God, the speech was just so WEAK.

Jack's dialogue sounded like a child's parody of him; Barbossa's held a ghost of his dramatics, but none of his significance or veneer of class; Henry's lacked conviction or drive; Corinna's was dry, often sounding unrehearsed and foreign - and I've seen her act before, I know that wasn't all down to the actress.

I did enjoy Salazar's Revenge, overall - I think it's introduced some very interesting characters to the universe, and I'd even be willing to see more of them!

I just don't think I've ever seen a film that performed so admirably in so many departments while failing to grasp some of the most crucial skills of the art of cinema.

Also, for fuck's sake, if you can get Elizabeth to come, why not give her a SINGLE line of dialogue? Seriously? Are you kidding? A panning shot of her snogging Will Turner doesn't CUT it.

[fictionstuff]

Plot: Being the first female student council president isn't easy, especially when your school just transitioned from an all boys high school to a co-ed one. Aptly nicknamed "Demon President" by the boys for her strict disciplinary style, Misaki Ayuzawa is not afraid to use her mastery of Aikido techniques to cast judgment onto the hordes of misbehaving boys and defend the girls at Seika High School. Yet even the perfect Ayuzawa has an embarrassing secret—she works part-time as a maid at a maid café to help her struggling family pay the bills. She has managed to keep her job hidden from her fellow students and maintained her flawless image as a stellar student until one day, Takumi Usui, the most popular boy in school, walks into the maid café. He could destroy her reputation with her secret... or he could twist the student council president around his little finger and use her secret as an opportunity to get closer to her. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Episodes: 26

Main Characters: Ayuzawa Misaki Usui Takumi

Points: 7.25/10

I always wanted to watch Kaichou wa Maid-sama but it indeed took until 2021 to make me watch it. The premise was interesting enough: romance, slice of life, school life, a tad of drama but in its overall course of the story it fell a bit short in my expectations.

At first I thought it would follow the common lore of main male character finding out a dirty secret and then blackmailing the main female characters, but I am glad, that KWMS went a completely different route. Blackmailing has not become an aspect at all, luckily.

The entire anime concentrates on the two main characters, so don't expect any character to get any sort of backstory, development and honestly, very sadly, most were just thrown in for unnecessary love rivalry just to be discarded completely in the next episode. Despite that the chemistry between our two mains is very well balanced and build up. There are indeed many quite emotional, sweet and impactful romantic moments with a very big big build up to them becoming a thing. Sometimes – I have to mention – the plot drags on for no apparent reason than to try to build upon more momentums in their relationship which in turn has little to zero impact on the watcher – or maybe that was just me. Within these episodes nothing of substance really happens, which disturbs the overall flow of the story and just unnecessarily makes the anime a tad boring, but it's not a regular thing occurring every third episode, so it wasn't something that would make me deduct more than one point.

One more word about our two main characters though: both are lovely and good, but they still lack that certain something I always look forward to in animes. Misaki is a truly well written female main character, but just like Usui she lacks a backstory, which would make us understand why she is, who she is today. Understanding a character always leads back to where that character came from and from where her dislike for men comes, why she's pursued to become the class representative and so on. That in no way means she is a bad character, but it would have made the characterisation much easier. Nonetheless she's a strong and kind girl, who loves and fights for her friends, who stands in for her colleagues, who always lends a helping hand and is generally a very positive person. Despite that she knows when to be strict and sometimes gets lost in her stubbornness and acts on emotions rather than pursuing a more logical approach to some of her problems, which in turn leads me to Usui, who always helps her out without making her appear to be a damsel in distress, cause she is not.

Usui on the other hand pretty much shows us the true shoujo trope: strong, cool, smart, talented, just overall a perfect human being. We get no backstory and his only fault may be his strong feelings for Misaki as he definitely tends to follow her around like a stalker sometimes. He is sympathetic nonetheless, because he is honest and doesn't dance around his feelings. He supports her in the best way he can without making her feel like an inferior being (which was indeed among the feelings at the very start of the anime).

The anime is doing very well at conveying subtext emotions, as the whole anime relies on this. There's enough room for interpretation, what both truly feel for one another although this is already painfully clear after like 13-15 episodes. Nonetheless it isn't easy to just build a relationship and for Misaki the very feeling of love seems to be rather foreign and strange.

Another point that made me deduct points is the overall end to the story, but it just left me behind with more questions, especially how does it go on? Not part of the story, I know, but maybe this should've been displayed in 1 or 2 more episodes to establish a good ending with all characters involved.

Last but not least: the animation and the design. For an anime which is relatively old, I think there's quite a bit of smooth animations with cool character designs (although rivals somehow end up looking very much alike) while there's nothing much to say about the colours or the backgrounds. There's indeed nothing that needs to be complimented.

Animation/Design – 7.0

Characters/Story – 7.25

Enjoyment – 7.5