#query posts

[yunisverse]

Oi! You! What is a rant about a cartoon/animation/passion that you’ve wanted to spill for a while but haven’t gotten the opportunity to? Lay it on me!

you want it? you got it.

let's talk about Cloverfield's viral marketing campaign.

July 2007, the first Transformers movie hits theaters preceded by a strange trailer. There's no name for the film, just the date of release: 1-18-08.

1-18-08.com is found (don't go there now, some jerk snatched the domain and runs malware ads now), a site which has some scattered photos of the party from the trailer. You can move around the photos, and flip some over to get notes.

Slusho!, a Japanese drink company, is found thanks to its logo on a shirt in the trailer. The company's site loaded with Engrish about how Slusho makes you Zoom! You can't drink just six! It boasts of its secret ingredient, known only as Seabed Nectar.

Then comes the discovery of Tagruato, Slusho's parent organization. Tagruato is vague as hell about what their company is actually about, but what's most clearly documented are their deep sea drilling sites, and news of them sending a satellite into orbit.

The Myspace pages for various characters in the upcoming movie are found, mostly just the characters chatting like normal pals. One character's page, Jamie, hides a link to the secret site shared with her long-distance boyfriend Teddy where she records video messages to him. She knows he's off saving the world or whatever, but she's lonely!

Tagruato's website uploads an assurance to investors that the claims in the article from Ravaille Research Center are baseless, and its author is known for suspicious work. Googling RRC results in worried posts from families asking about the article, which says that cursory experiments with samples of Seabed Nectar show rapid cell growth, muscle growth, sharper eyesight, increased strength, and a sensation of full-body tingling described as a "wave of happiness."

People can buy merch of shirts from the Slusho! website. At first the packages are lined with Japanese newspapers, but over time some people find crumpled Tagruato documents with a hastily scrawled message to the recipient, from "The Whistleblower," trying to warn that employees have gone missing.

Tagruato's site is hacked, images of its CEO defaced. Hints in the images eventually lead to the site of the ecoterrorist organization TIDO-Wave, who are determined to bring to light the shady underbelly of Tagruato and Slusho. Most notable is this Seabed Nectar stuff is a closely-guarded secret, and definitely not FDA-approved.

Jamie's videos to Teddie are getting less sweet and more irritable. He used to be so good about calling, now he's gone radio silent. After weeks of nothing, Jamie opens a package from Teddie containing "evidence" and some kind of warning about Tagrutto or whatever, and frankly she's insulted he had to make up a whole song and dance instead of breaking up with her like a normal person.

At one point, calling Tagruato's contact line mentions a memorial service. TIDO-Wave's site uploads an article with more information: a famed marine biologist who'd been working for Tagruato's medical branch tragically died while camping with his family shortly after his retirement. It's rumored he made an incredible discovery right before retiring, but his computer, papers, and all research files are mysteriously missing.

1-18-08.com is slowly being uploaded with more and more photos, of soldiers and debris-filled streets and an explosion on some sort of ocean tanker. The photos show timestamps all throughout the night the movie takes place, and a timeline is starting to form. If you stay on the site for six minutes, a monster's roar can be heard.

The Whistleblower leaks a report of the various deep sea oil drills owned by Tagruato, noting that their most recently constructed drill not far offshore from New York has no report of oil whatsoever. So what are they doing there?

Tagruato's space division happily reports the success of their satellite in orbit. It even got a really good picture of a piece of a satellite falling. Some other satellite, not theirs. It's probably fine.

TIDO-Wave has been making plans to infiltrate the suspicious drill site off the coast of New York called Chuai Station, but when they arrive at the coordinates there's nothing there.

Soon after, reports flood in about a horrible altercation at the site; there are news reports in at least six different languages about the event showing footage of Chuai collapsing and sinking under the waves in a matter of minutes. Footage from workers trying to escape from inside the station shows armed Tagruato personnel on the site, and a recording from an escaping lifeboat shows massive chunks of metal debris launched out of the ocean after them as they escape. With knowledge that TIDO was in the area at that time, it's believed to be a terrorist attack. One news report mentions concern about dark shapes under the water shortly before Chuai sunk: if it's an oil leak, that could spell huge consequences for the surrounding area.

Jamie's still uploading videos to let Teddy know how Over Him she is. Him and his stupid games and his fake evidence. "Do Not Eat," huh, well, here's what she thinks about your stupid spy games, what are you gonna do, asshole? oh wow it tastes really good though. Damn she is FULL of energy. Fuck you Teddy she's gonna go PARTY and NOT think about YOU.

On MySpace, friends are congratulating their buddy Rob on getting an incredible job opportunity what will require him to relocate to Japan--he's supposed to help figure out how to market this super popular drink over there to Western buyers. His friends are planning a goodbye party on the night of the 18th.

So like. Know that 99% of this never appears in the movie. One character wears a Slusho! shirt, Jamie can be seen for a split second passed out on a couch. At the end of the movie, you can catch a distant splash as a piece of a satellite falls into the Atlantic. Most audiences don't notice or care and lose nothing having missed all of it. In fact, I didn't find most of this until AFTER seeing the movie.

but GOD did I think it was rad. For most people Cloverfield was just a generic monster movie that gave them motion sickness, but the marketing campaign gave me brainrot for YEARS after it faded from the public consciousness.

I have not and don't intend to ever care about anything else JJ Abrams has ever done but god DAMN if he didn't get me with this one.

so yeah there's your ramble thank u come again

[bookwyrminspiration]

Wow. I just scrolled through your art and wow. It was all incredible and you should be so proud of the talent that have! It was all gorgeous and has a well balanced look of realism and cartoon. I’m not sure if you take requests but I really would like it if you could draw Linh. Something in my gut just says that if you did so Linh would look like an absolute goddess.

I honestly love your work and have no words for it because I can’t describe how amazing it is!

Thank you very much, that's incredibly kind of you--and I hope these Linh's live up to the absolute goddess imaginings you had, as she was a delight to draw and I tried some new things.

Since it's pride month (@kotlcpridemonth2023), I did both an abrosexual and an asexual color scheme (I couldn't decide between the suggestions), but if anyone would like this Linh in a different flag I'd be more than happy to oblige <3

KOTLC Art Taglist:

@bronte-deserves-better @imaramennoodle @thisbluewind @we-have-no-bananas-today @theofficialkai517 @ruewen-and-rising @keefeinnit @thesandsofdawn @crumpledwitchfeet @ascendant-queen @tribblemakingalicorn @axels-corner @loverofallthingssmart @silveny-dreams @girlofmanyfandoms @enbies-and-felonies @impostertamsong @sofia-not-sophie @alabestrine @keefes-hairgel @fanartofthelostcities @three-bunnies-in-a-trenchcoat @a-lonely-tatertot @ketterdamkid @cosmogyral-cleo @meg-doodles @dragonwinnie-kotlc @anaccidentwaitingtohappen @maglorslostsilmaril @even-if-in-another-time @crazedfangirl14 @callas-pancake-tree @katniss-elizabeth-chase @wolfstar-being-ridikkulus @thefoxysnake @florida-preposterously

[oddball216]

So....um....what are you doing with your foot there, Eddie?

[stealthnoodle]

I see there's a new post on AO3 on AI and data scraping, the contents of which I would describe as a real mixed bag, and the sheer number of comments on it is activating my self-preservation instincts too much for me to subject myself to reading through them. Instead I'm thinking about how much daylight there is between does or doesn't constitute a TOS violation and what does or doesn't violate community norms, and how AO3 finally rolled out that blocking and muting feature recently, and how I think it would be good, actually, if most people's immediate reaction to seeing a work that announces itself as being the product of generative AI was to mute the user who posted it.

That's my reaction, anyway!

[rosaacicularis]

anyway, soulmate au where grian and scar have a telepathic connection, and scar is undercover as a hero to take it down from the inside. not even villains know he’s one of them.

everyone thinks hawkeye’s soulmate is just this unthreatening used bookstore owner named grian… when in reality he is the city’s number one supervillain who has the city’s top hero under his protection for some reason.

and all the villains think that watcher is lulling hawkeye into a false sense of security, making him feel safe, when in reality they’re literally the dynamic duo.

grian and scar fight in public sometimes to keep up appearances, but it’s very easy to dodge when you literally know your opponent’s next moves <3<3

[venusinmyrrh]

Venus what if the emulsion was split on purpose. There is no way that a restaurant of that quality would have a split emulsion, especially under Julian's watch. So what if the staff did it on purpose to see if Lillian would comment on it. Venus I'm going insane

I mean I don’t know shit about emulsions, so maybe it’s the sort of thing that can just happen on occasion?

I assumed it was an example of how complete perfection is impossible for humans to achieve, so her fixating on the one flaw in an otherwise exquisitely perfect meal was a particularly fucking bitch move. like if evidence of humanity is not something you can forgive, evidence that this meal was made by a person and not a machine, then you’re fundamentally missing the ability to appreciate art, since art can only come from a human soul. the relentless expectation of perfection without forgiveness for the humanity of the creator (and honestly! seeing humanity as something that requires forgiveness!) is a pressure cooker that WILL drive an artist well and truly insane.

pretty sure that attitude of hers is why she wrote such career-ending reviews of other (probably otherwise quite good) restaurants.

[just-an-enby-lemon]

Jonathan Crane does not celebrate christmas. His grandma did and it was hell and he just hates everything that happens after Halloween anyway. Except Jervis Tetch is absolutly a christimas fan, the songs, the lights, the decorantions, the music, the food, the snow, Santa Claus, Jervis loves everything about it. His house is always the best decorated if a little bit over the top, his dolls are all dressed for the occasion and he even helps poor kids dressed as Santa before going for his own house and having a themed tea party.

Now Jonathan Crane hates most things and he specially hates christmas but he loves Jervis. And that means that suddently christmases aren't just another work day perfecting his formula and studying it's results anymore. Decemeber isn't the same month. He spends it decorating the house and putting a beutifull tree that would likely make Ivvy murder them if she ever sees it. He goes gift shopping of all things (and worse he has to call Edward and Harley to help him choose something for Jervis!)! He wears the most stupid elf costume and likely scares the kids Jervis is helping. He cooks! And he sings stupid cherry songs. And he hates everthing about it but it's soo damm worth it to see Jervis beam with joy and his eyes crinker and the soft hugs and passioned kisses and the soft ones at the mistletoe and even how cute Tetch looks in the dumb Santa hat.

- / -

Ivvy is not very into christmas, she sees it for the capitalistic waste that it is and while she enjoys gift making, her only celebration is to put her pine three on the front of the house as an statement that growing your own tree is waay better to all parts than to kill one.

Harley is jewish. She likes Hannukkah but where jewish celebrations are concerned is not really as important or showey as christmas is for christians and neither is her favorite. So different of what people might expect Christmas Eve is not really important in the Harlivvy household. During the weeks leading to it Harley decorares Ivvy's tree and goes to gift shoppings with Eddie and Selina and recently Crane and Ivvy celebrates Hannukah with her even if just to show support. The day itself is mostly spend cuddling in the sofa with take out and watching bad romance movies. They love it.

-.-

Edward does not care for christmas and never truly did. His mother was jewish and his father was an asshole. Hannukkah with his mom was nice, it was almost as if there was only the two of them for a while. Christmas after his mother was bleak and either just a bunch of nothingness and hidding under the sheats with the knowledge his dad was getting drunker downstairs or worse his dad would cry and say he regretted everyting and try to pretend it was all okay and do a nice father-son christmas day, it never lasted and the wait until things went wrong was unsuferable.

Diedre's christmas were full of catholic guilty and sexist parents and expectations she would never truly met. Of having her girlfriends be called close friends and listening to old aunties ask when she would settle down and marry already even though she wasn't even eighteen. Of treats of hell and treats of violence. It's not really surprising she stopped liking it at age eight and never went back.

Nina's parents never cared. Her dad was ethinically jewish and her mother was a chinese imigrant and neither could really give a shit about Jesus birthday. Not going to school was nice. And her parents deserved a day off for how tired they were all the time. They would play board games and her dad would make some simple and delicous meal. Christmas on the orphanage was full of people pretending to care for one day only and she was glad she only stayed a year before getting her emancipation and her late parents tiny appartment to bolt.

Their first time together was akward glances and shy gift exchanging (between the girls and Eddie, Diedre and Nina played by different rules with each other) and plotting to do a heist just the three of them only to give up and end in a bent up sofa watching bad horror movies and eating chinese and it was better than annyone had expected. It became a tradition. Nina would cook her parents old recipies and Diedre would create beutifull decorantions that were completly off brand from spider webs to easter bunnies to just ridiculous random themes like collages of shakesperean characthers and Edward would make not even a little bit christmacy playlists and sing anything from the soundtrack of Phantom of the Opera to The Beach Boys back to the poor confused carrollers who dared to ring their bell (it wasn't that he was a bad singer but answering to "we wish you a merry christmas" with Taylor Swift was a certain way to rise some eyebrowns) and somehow find the funnier worst horror movies ever made.

They would shop separadly both for the surprise effect of the presents and becase the girls did not like it as much as Nygma. Edward was enrapted by the puzzle of finding the perfect present and was a massive fan of dressing up wich ended with him going not only for himself but again for Jonathan and Harley and any other rogue who wanted his assistance.

It was their own little traditions and their own little family in the end.

-|-

Victor used to love christmas. Mostly because Nora loved it and appeared to shine in the hollyday sheer. They would decorate the tree and make a pretty snowman and just be happy together. She would always point out that more than the lights and the food and the gifts and anything really she was just happy to do it all with him. He would annoy her by singing "All I want for Christmas is You" in her ear while she failed to complain as all her trials were stopped by laughter until they were both laughting together.

Without Nora christmas was just another day of work. Another day trying to find a cure. One day she would be back and he would still be lonley because they still had to much to mend and he couldn't see himself as worthy. But this would pass. And one day she would be back and they would be together and this time she would sing "All I Want for Christmas is You" and he would try to deny it, to point out how she needed and deserved much more, only to end up laughting and they would kiss and things would be alright. One day. Soon. But not today.

-|-

Christmas for Harvey was bittersweet. His stepfather was a dick and growing up seing the good christmas on TV he wanted that. He had that for a while with Bruce and Gilda and the Gordons, the perfect christmas. The tree and the food and the feeling of belonging for once.

But good things aren't meant to last and christmas as Two-Face was bleak and empty and he would toss a coin for either going to the Iceberg's boring party or comiting a crime. It was empty.

This time he was in Arkham and christmases in Arkham were always bad. The staff was pissed of that they were working and it would always end up bad for the inmates. Except this time they took him to the visitation area. For an old man with glasses and a young woman with red hair. The Gordons didn't go for the Wayne party for once.

Christmas with the Gordons was bittersweet. But that was just how he liked it. And with his belly full of cheap turkey and microwave lasagna, playing Mario Kart with Barbara and a videogame illiterated Jim, Harvey felt like he belonged once again.

-|-

Christmas with Selina meant christmas with the Waynes for a long time. The difference was that before it meant go to the cover up high society partys and steal some jewelry, now it meant family celebrations.

It was not fair to call it chrisrmas, most of the Waynes (and Co.) were jewish and the ones who weren't weren't christian either, Dick was romani, Thalia was hindu and Duke and Steph (her mother usually worked on Christmas because being a nurse meant that hollydays turns were a likely possibility) were atheists from birth. But they had a tree and a feast and they loved each other.

The cat, the bats, the birds and the assassins. They made a weird picture and Selina loved it. She loved Dick jokes and hugs and Jason begrudgingly presence and well though home made gifts he would badly lie about finding in the garbage. She adored Steph sheer and sarcastic quips and Tim obligatory game moments. Duke's wild tales and Damian competitviness and sweet tooth. She would have the time of her life with Kate's childhood stories and Helena who would always appear late and lie she didn't care but also bring some new desert she totally didn't spend weeks learning with Alfred's help. She would melt at Bruce's barely hidden excitment over having they all there and Thalia's not even a little bit hidden kisses. The Gordon's didn't appear this year: family emergencies they said. And it was sad but it was okay. Harper and Cullen did and she was sure that was only the first of many times and they were happy and was cute.

Selina had a family now. A huge one. And she had no idea what it meant but the days were warm.

-/-

For Oswald Christmas Eve meant organizing the Iceberg Anual Party to perfection, grating his patrons a good time in exchange of his own enjoyment and being called a Grinch and other way less polite insults by all his workers. He didn't care. Growing up christmas with his family was good but scarse, the Cooblepot name was disgraced, they had no money and his dad had abandoned them the moment he realized his kid was truly disfigurated. The celebrations were only him and his mom and she did her best, god bless her soul, she truly did, she would starve to give him a book about birds from Santa, but they always had soo little. He dreamed of giving her the best. Maybe he did. In her last days. But it wasn't enought.

And maybe it had turned him a bit bitter. Or so his workers thought, he would do the celebration and count the dollar bills. He would go to church on Christmas Day and pretend to be a good catholic boy only to go back to his second party round and make his employees life hell (with maybe some murder involved). He was just a bitter Scrooge they would say behind his back. But Oswald didn't care.

The real celebration for Penguin was neither of those days. His true moment of joy was the 26th were he would host his dinner for all the A-Lister Rogues not currently arrested (with the exception of Joker as he was just too trigger happy for the occasion and after their break up it was also a matter of chosing either the clown or Harley and it was not a hard choice at all). It was all he had wished with his mother, full of pretty lights and food but still full of joys and friends and warm.

[stedeswardrobe]

Hi this blog has been so helpful, but I was hoping to ask if you have any reference photos of the back of the purple suit that Ed wears? And maybe the waistcoat?

Unfortunately, we don't have any behind the scenes photos of the back of the suit. In the episode itself, we only get one shot where we can see the direct back of it, but the scene is in shadow. I've attempted to brighten it up and color correct it:

We do get some sideways shots where we get some hints of the back, and those shots may actually be more useful:

As for the waistcoat, it appears to be a solid color - indigo. With purpleish-brown buttons. I've zoomed in on the colors, as well as color-dropped them for better visualization.

I hope this helps! Since i'm already here, i'm going to add some more references of the outfit.

Hannah Green's instagram photos of the suit coat:

Close ups of Ed's cravat(s?) in this outfit:

Hair and beard references:

Full-body shot that includes breeches, stockings, and shoes.

[kindahoping4forever]

Ash @ Take My Hand Gold Coast

[wizard-archivist-official]

i went to the astral plane and met my astral self (to reach 6th attunement obviously) but they were kind of a dick so i hit them with the penis blast but i forgot that astral selves have a cloaca instead of a penis so it passed through them and hit my neighbor's tower instead.

i won't name him but judging by the perpetual twilight and feeling of ennui around it i think he's a follower of the Waking Sleeper.

i haven't heard anything from him but i still feel bad about it and want to talk to him but also i really don't want to be put in a coma for 100 years so what should i do

Dear Interested Enquirer,

We at the Archives were very excited to receive your raven - we don't get much post out here, you see - and all decided to have a Greater Meeting of Staff to properly brainstorm a solution.

After sixteen hours of deliberation in closed council, we have decided that the best course of action would be to send a politely worded letter of apology before renewing all of your wards just in case you neighbour chooses to pursue a path of bloody vengeance once the identity of the unknown penis blaster becomes known to them.

We have enclosed a copy of Reginald Erstwhile's Lesser Guide to Proper Etiquette and Decorum to help with writing the letter. We also recommend that you consider loaning a 9th Level Greater Astral Bulwark from the Archives to prevent similar misadventures in the future.

Much love Sincerely,

Your local friendly archivists

[bookwyrminspiration]

wait wait what the fuck. shannon set up the "immortality ALWAYS comes with a cost" thing with fallon's faulty memory + bronte's needing to keep himself involved so he doesn't lose himself + fintan and vesperas' instability and then just Did Not Talk About It.

Like what about how all of their individual falling aparts come from their abilities? Fallon is a telepath (I'm not bothering to fact check that correct me if I'm wrong) and his mind is wandering, his memory is faulty, he can't stay in the moment. Bronte loses control of himself, he's become cold and stubborn, he has to ball his negative emotions up in his chest to keep from feeling too much. Fintan is unstable like a fire, an infection, he needs to consume everything in his path and maybe or maybe not let something new grow from the ashes; fire is vengeful. vespera has gone numb and that's what happens when you feel too many emotions for too long! you lose yourself!

that's a symptom of being an ancient!! you lose yourself!!

exploring this as a parallel to fitz, sophie, marella, and keefe is interesting as well because you're seeing all these ancients fall apart and it's because of their ability. Keefe already is going numb. Marella can barely keep control. Sophie ties her emotions around themselves. Fitz loses his mind in his emotions. They know that this could happen to them. It will.

For some reason, it's never talked about how immortality (or indefinite life) is the perfect circumstance for a mind to break. Maybe elves don't die. maybe they're exiled because the weight of the years shattered them.

Oo and excellent observation and conversational topic. What really stands out to me about it is that's it's an inevitability. It's not you might lose yourself to your ability, it's not you might become unstable, it's not you might have to fight against it. It's that you live forever, so there is no escaping it. You live forever, so you will live long enough to experience the disconnect of a world moving on around you. You will live long enough that you will either have to fight to stay present--like Bronte--or distance yourself--like Fallon and other ancients. And if you chose to fight, then you will keep living, long enough that there will come a time you cannot continue to win. Perhaps you can stay in a stalemate for a while, but it will grow increasingly difficult and eventually will reach a point of no return.

And! It never ends! Elves live forever. Unless they die via unnatural means (fire, squashed, drowned, fell down the stairs bella swan style) they are going to just. Be experiencing that forever. There is no anticipated ending to losing themselves, they just continuously do so forever and ever. Some can hold on longer than others, are more present than others at the same point in time, but we're speaking in infinities! That dwarfs it all. Unless they finally discover a natural end to their lifespan, it's all practically inevitable.

But yeah, Shannon has not covered this. Likely because 1. it's horrifying, and 2. it's completely irrelevant to the battle's Sophie is facing. She has eternity in front of her, and eternity to come to terms with her lifespan. Right now she's got other things on her plate than contemplating how long she'll live and what she'll do with it and what'll happen to her. But also I think. It may have been unintentional on Shannon's part, to create such a consequence. Not that she's completely ignoring it, as she has separated the ancients from everyone else to an extent and characterized them differently. But the idea of losing yourself inevitably with time? Probably not what she meant, at least that's my assumption based on what she's intended with the rest of her world. However, maybe i'm wrong and not giving her enough credit! perhaps she knows about that, but just doesn't cover it because it doesn't fit the vibe of the series or her intended audience.

Who knows! Either way, it is a very interesting and also horrifying thought. Thanks for prompting it!

[ambassadorquark]

do you drink water at all like I only see you reviewing Mountain Dews or drinking tea

i drink water all the time i just don't post about it bc who does that

[pizzazz-party]

if usagi were surrounded by wild bunnies, do you think they’d accept him as one of their own. might they make him their king?

[spinningbagel]

since i ate a small portion of your spinning bagel head, does that mean you now have brain damage?

Nope, no damage done. Just everlasting trauma and a bite taken from my head

[unopenablebox]

i haven’t seen kink at pride discourse that was on the side of getting rid of kink in like 2 years. is it over and we’re just all still mad or did it all move to twitter or did i just unfollow someone with terrible opinions in 2021 and forget i did that

[edwardnigmaisapunkbitch]

Riddler on the phone, voice shaking: “Query, Echo, people are laughing at my riddles, please come pick me up.”