#there’s plenty left to be adapted on screen

[kazscrows]

I keep seeing people say things like “Why would we want a SoC spin-off they’ve already used the entire plot” and I’m like?? Did we read the same books???

What about The Ice Court Heist? Kuwei? Van Eck? “I’m going to get my money, Kaz vowed. And I’m going to get my girl.”??? The sugar fiasco? The auction at the exchange??

[trouvaille12]

I for one really want the SOC spin-off for multiple reasons, including (1) i love the crows more than life and (2) i think the jurda parem/ice court heist would translate very very well onto the screen and be hella cool

[echo-bleu]

Okay but. A movie/show adaptation of the Silmarillion where we never ever see the Silmarils. The closest we ever come is when Maedhros and Maglor steal them, in a chest, and we only see light coming out of the chest, never the stones.

They're such a beautiful light that nothing would do them justice, right? The whole scene of Beren cutting out the Silmaril is focused on Lúthien singing and Morgoth's hand twitching while Beren is muttering off-screen ("Manwë's butt, the cursed knife broke!"). Fëanor announces the creation of the Silmaril in public but he's seen from the back the entire time, we never see him wear them. Beren's severed hand comes out of Carcharoth's stomach with the fist closed around the stone, we can only glimpse the light.

We similarly never properly see Morgoth, or any of the Valar, they're always hooded/we only see their hands or feet or silhouette from very far away. We see no more of the two Trees than representations in stone or paintings, and the whole Valinor part is probably narrated by a voice-over, and maybe even entirely told through a visual framing that means we never see it either (paintings? theatre play? puppet show? idk there are plenty of options).

At the end we're left to wonder if the Silmarils ever really existed, if the Valar really waged war, or if it's all just a story the elves told to justify their endless wars...

[blueparadis]

❝ BLINDING LIGHTS ❞ + SHIDOU RYUSEI !

( ! )—› sae x f!reader x shidou, angst and feels, one sided pinning, smut descriptions, fwb, relationships, confession; word count :: 2kish.

( syn. )—› Ryuusei thought his morals, ideals, likings, and disliking would never clash with Sae. Well, he was not entirely wrong but fate always had a knack for playing it dirty.

( . . . )—› if you think he's ooc in this pls forgive me. i saw him come alive on screen and my first instinct was to hurt him -_- listen to the song blinding lights by lucas estrada. redirect to blog navigation.

What's a mistake? A miscalculation? A misunderstanding? A white lie? Well, what is it?

    For someone like Sae, Shidou thought he was never the type to date, not until he is established and well-settled. Sure, there were flings, casual dating, infatuations, and even bad break-ups but Shidou never thought he would get left behind. Part of him liked chasing Sae, in academics, sports, and sometimes girls but he never anticipated that this competitive gulf would widen so much in just one semester when he did not share the same class as Sae. But, Shidou could adapt to anything at light speed. Maybe, that is what prevented him from losing the spotlight to others. Shidou’s class was at the utmost corner of the floor, that is, the last classroom on the third floor. That was the only thing he liked about this semester. At least, he will attract stares whenever he goes for a toilet break during classes. He loves to put up shows, especially when he is the icon of them. Moreover, this semester, he and Sae belonged to the same section which secretly makes him look forward to his progress, to this semester. Being competitive with Sae is like walking on thin ice. One crack, one error and it's game over.

    Summer is here, and the shrill cry of the cicadas is almost at par with his annoyance. Late classes again. . . or detention, as put by his homeroom teacher. Well, at least Sae is waiting for him in the library. He does not have to walk home alone. Shidou's juice can is almost empty by now as he proceeded toward his classroom. He halted before the second last room of the long corridor. He was standing near the windows from where he could perfectly see Sae towering over a girl, his head buried in her shoulders, his hands clasping around her back while hers skimming through his hair, her mouth slightly parted, legs curling around his waist and her eyes. . . were stuck on Shidou. He immediately hid against the door crushing the juice pack out of agitation. It is no surprise for him to see Sae with a girl. He has seen him plenty of times at after-match parties, at locker rooms or at a closed friendly gathering. But here? At college? He must be desperate, and that girl sure got some fire to make him bend one of his codes. But why, why is it bothering him? Is it because Sae did not tell him, about this girl? Or is it just a kickstart for another boring semester? That day Shidou ended up waiting for Sae at the library instead.

Weeks passed but the uncanny feeling of sharing stares in the corridor kept piling up. Shidou was aware that she saw him walking into them and she knew this could ruin some relationships if not kept a secret. Shidou never asked about her to Sae and y/n never told him that Shidou saw them, that Shidou saw. How ironic it is that two people who never talked to each other decided to do the same thing. 

    Lately, Sae has been cutting ties off with his previous flings, not answering their calls, leaving them with a short reply, and telling them he does not have time even though he has nothing planned by his schedule.No one could see it more prominently than Shidou. They were roommates after all; of all the things Sae could do, he decided to hide things from him. So naive or . . . is it that he does not want y/n under his radar? If that is the reason, then he sure is going to do what he is not supposed to do, what he is not expected to do, what Sae does not want him to do . . . “that’s it for today’s class. Students who did not submit their homework should finish them and submit it before going home.” A united sigh echoed from the class. While everyone was dejected for having to stay late at after classes, Shidou was delighted, in fact, was looking forward since his bench partner was her, Y/N. Maybe not having subjects in common with Sae wasn’t so bad.

It is true that from the day his eyes met her, he kept thinking about her. Thinking about things like how she speaks? what did she like? what she does not like? what she hates the most? what kind of person she would be? He weaved a version of her and when his homework was over, he realized how wrong he was about her. It was as if she broke through all his ‘types’ and ‘rules’. No wonder Sae liked her. Maybe it was more than just liking.

  Shidou kept not doing his homework on a regular basis. She was the kind who never missed any of the homework but being a class representative had its own pros and cons. He never bothered to talk about that illicit stare they shared at the advent of the semester while she thought that very eye contact would be enough of a reason to stay back after classes. Maybe this went on for almost a month. Shidou could not tell that time flew by so quickly until some mock tests were announced. Shit! He can’t stay back after school anymore. Practice tests became frequent. Shidou started submitting his homework on time. Y/N saw less of him as the end-semester exams approached. Time ran faster than usual and perhaps, they forgot about each other in time, or atleast that is what Shidou hoped for. There is no gain to remember someone who belonged to someone else, right?

“There he is,” Sae spoke leaving the crowd to walk toward his former roommate. New semester, new roommate. Sae walked towards him. The music was loud, and the lights were dim but Shidou could see her clearly, walking towards him. . . maybe she remembered him after all; he blinked as Sae introduced her to him. He never would have imagined that Sae would be so fast at making this official. Did he actually know that he likes y/n? He shifts his haze beside the girl who curled her arm around Sae's. Oh yeah, how could he forget those eyes? Those eyes beckoned him while she made love to his friend. “Hello, I’m y/n l/n. I’m sure you heard a lot about me. . . she looks at Sae with a beaming smile on her face and then looks at Shidou saying, “nice to meet you,” extending her hand towards him. Oh dear, she must be kidding with this act. Shindou could see her nerves wracking, tension slipping through her very fingers that is supposed to welcome him. Was he supposed to keep it a secret? That they knew each other?

He grins meekly before speaking. “Nice.to.meet.you, y/n. . . call me Ryuu.” He utters plainly without smiling or even shaking hands with her and walking past her. Sae smiles, not surprised by his behavior but quickly wraps his arms around her waist giving a little squeeze and a kiss on her temple exclaiming fondly, “Sorry for that. He is a little moody today.” scrunching up his nose regretful of his friend, an apology that Sae should not ask but rather Shidou should; but who was y/n to judge? She hit his nerve the moment she decided to treat him as a complete stranger even though they were not, they were like what. . . just . . .study buddies? The party went on, with music buzzing in his ears, neon lights blinding his vision, and his senses and all Shidou did was sit in silence amongst these busy noises. He did not even entertain the advances of certain girls. He was exhausted, exhausted for being the chaser. For once he wanted to be an ally. If only Sae told him about her before anyone, would things be different?

From then, a weekly study session was done in Sae's room. Things were awkward at first but time, time wiped all of it but it could never fade the hurt y/n was going through. Sae always had a bevy of girls, sometimes boys after him. He was just a popular guy. And, there were times when Sae failed to be Y/n's support, sometimes even when she was looked down upon, or begrudged by others. So, Shidou ended up doing something he should not have done. He went to visit her, when Sae was not around and when there was no study session scheduled.

Mouth open ajar, eyes full of perplexed look. “Why . . . why are you here? We don’t have a study session today.”

“What makes you think I came to meet you? I came to see Sae, where is he?” He voiced irritatingly.

She brushed his harsh tone and responded.“Out. been gone for almost an hour.” Shidou did not press her about it anymore. Even though he was not facing her, he could tell she was about to cry, at least she sounded like that. “I’ll give him a call,” She called Sae but there was no answer at the other end. Y/n was about to text him but Shidou grabbed her wrist, firmly, saying, “Don’t,” leaving her hand. “I’ll wait.” He exhaled deeply regretting coming here out on a whim, what if he can not tell what he was supposed to tell by coming here? what if he hurt her more than him? What if he is wrong all about her? what if she still chooses to be by his side despite Sae being so cold to her . . .Shidou rubbed his hands, then put them inside the pocket of his jersey-jacket. Mind fogging with so many thoughts, he blurted out of the blue, “I like you.”

     “. . . Huh?”

    “i like how you . . . your voice, uhm. . . your smile, face, just . . . everything about you ” Shidou sat on the edge of the bed. Y/n licked her lips before letting out a soft chuckle. She knew this was going to happen at some point. She felt it, felt it during every study session, felt it every time Ryu kept looking at her.

     “Ohhh?” She exclaimed with a hit of mockery in her voice “then, Is there anything you dislike about me ?”

    “there is.” 

“I don't like the fact that you're just his speed dial girl” How did he know that? She walked towards him where he was still seated. His eyes did not leave her and neither did hers.  Extending her hand to cup his face she said, “Ryuu. . .” rubbing his cheeks gently, Shidou closed his eyes feeling the warmth of her hands, just for a moment before the warm recoiled. “You should leave. Sae will be here soon.”

Ryusei smirked, standing up.“Yeah right.” he exhaled deeply. “yeah.right.” 

  What's a mistake? is it not a miscalculation?is it not a misunderstanding? or a white lie? or is it not being able to come to terms with the output that one would not dare to imagine?

@tokyometronetwork

[orionsangel86]

The Problem With Thessaly

I’m sure plenty of fans would agree with me that there are certain elements of the Sandman comics that are going to be very difficult to adapt for television. I don’t envy the mammoth task Neil and the creative team on the show have ahead of them. But one element in particular which has been on my mind frequently is how they are going to introduce Thessaly to our screens.

It’s not just that she’s a TERF. It’s that she’s a cold, cruel, selfish, and inconsiderate bitch who only ever thinks about herself. Oh yeah, and she’s a huge TERF. There isn’t a single likeable element to her.

And yet.

We are supposed to somehow believe that our main protagonist, idiotic as he may sometimes be, depressed and seriously down on his luck as he is, will fall head over heels in love with her.

Sorry. But it ain’t happening. Something has gotta change. So here are my thoughts on how they could fix the Thessaly Problem.

Under a cut for comic spoilers (and its a bit long)

I kinda get the reason it happens in the comics. Kinda. I can’t remember the exact quote, or where I read it, but Neil explained it as “two people who you know are absolutely not right for each other and no one who knows them can understand why they are together.” He purposely wrote it to be a really weird match that didn’t make sense.

From Dream’s perspective, at this point in the story he has just had some of his biggest romantic disasters slapped in his face (at one point literally) all within a very short space of time for an entity as long lived as him. First Calliope, then Nada, and then Alianora, and he is hurting from all of them. Having to face his romantic failures one after another within the space of a few years AFTER having to go through 70 odd years of relentless suffering trapped in a glass prison has GOT to mess with your head. So I think Thessaly is basically the worst rebound in history. They are only canonically together for a few weeks but he somehow falls head over heels for this plain, dull, horrible person. 100% this is a rebound. He’s messed up. So yeah, I kinda get it.

From Thessaly’s perspective it seems she just really liked the idea of being the object of someones attention and desire even though she never returned his feelings and left him the minute he stopped devoting all his attention to her (god she really is a bitch).

So why don’t I think this will work in the show?

Because the show is a kinder universe than the comic. Dream is different in the show. He is already more thoughtful, warm, compassionate, and has a better self awareness when it comes to his shortcomings. He’s also a far more romantic character in the show, which is probably thanks to Tom Sturridge’s excellent performance and likeability and absolutely maddening sexual chemistry with literally every character he interacts with (his pretty face doesn’t hurt either). You just have to look at his scenes with Calliope to know that they are playing up the romance and kindness there when in the comics Dream is extremely cold to Calliope throughout their very short interactions.

Given the news that the writing team on Game of You will include trans writers specifically to cover the sensitivities of honouring Wanda, I don’t know how they will adapt the transphobia she suffers at Thessaly’s hand, or whether they will include that at all - personally I think they should remove it. Not to make Thessaly more likeable, but because it reinforces a really wrong view of witchcraft and magick that modern witches and pagans are working extremely hard to reject. Not to get too deep into these topics, but transphobia is a fucking plague in those communities and the last thing we need is more people thinking everyone who practices witchcraft is a fucking TERF. The comic even goes so far as to imply the actual MOON is transphobic. Like WTF? The moon isn’t fucking transphobic and “womb magic” is stupid. If I ever have to read the words “divine feminine” in a witchcraft FB group again I’m gonna scream.

Anyway my point is that I don’t think those scenes in the comic are necessary and there are plenty of other ways to adapt that story without resorting to transphobia.

The other issue is that if they do keep it in, they somehow have to deal with the fact that their protagonist is seemingly totally cool with dating a transphobic murderous bitch. Um. Yeah, not cool Dream. I think the show is going to do everything it can to make Dream MORE likeable and based on what we have seen so far I definitely think that’s the route they are taking.

So yeah Dream won’t be falling in love with a TERF in the show, that I am sure of.

The thing is, the best way they can deal with the Thessaly problem is also the simplest - Don’t include her. Just don’t write her into the show. Simples.

Because we already have a character in the show universe who technically doesn’t exist in comic canon, who knows magic and the occult, and who is MUCH more likeable and kind whilst still being a bit messy and selfish and totally a terrible match for Dream... Oh, and who also happens to be played by possibly the most well known actor on the shows main cast list.

Johanna Constantine.

Jenna Coleman is a fairly big name and one of the primary stars for the show. At least Netflix seemed to think so since her face was all over the marketing and she was included in basically every cast interview, even though her character only turns up in 1 and a half episodes. She is also playing a new version of an already well known character in pop culture and I am convinced Netflix is already considering spin off options for her. So there is no way they aren’t going to include her in future episodes of the Sandman.

Except thats where Netflix has a problem if it wants to stick to comic canon. Lady Johanna Constantine only turns up in one more Sandman story, and John Constantine doesn’t show up again at all in the comics.

So my piece of speculation that I’m almost 90% certain will happen, is that they will bring back modern Johanna Constantine in an extended or adapted role based on another character.

My money is on Thessaly. Remove Thessaly, replace her with Johanna.

I’m not just saying this because I think Johanna and Morpheus hooking up will be hot (it will be, don’t deny it. My bisexual ass knows a hot couple when I see them). But because it makes sense.

Yeah okay we have that pesky little rule about the Endless not dating mortals - but that rule currently doesn’t exist in show canon either, so theres no reason why they can’t just also scrap that for the sake of some sexy, messy, and definitely disastrous bi4bi action.

All jokes aside, with only a few tweaks to the story in a Game of You, you could seemlessly fit Johanna into it. She can be in New York for a specific case, hell, maybe Barbie and the sudden appearance of Martin Tenbones on a busy New York street IS the case she’s investigating? She can still find a way to break Hazel and Foxglove into the Dreaming AND when Morpheus shows up they can have another tantalising showdown like they did in episode 3. It works better with Johanna tbh. She actually cares about people, the motivation is there for her to want to save Barbie and protect people from supernatural sources. We can just make the storm and the collapse of the apartment block be caused by George or the cuckoo or something (or not have it happen at all since I am also practically certain that Wanda is NOT going to die in the show).

This ALSO means that much later on, when Lyta is having her breakdown and destroying the Dreaming, having Johanna being the one to protect her from Morpheus rather than Thessaly also adds a more human element to it. Morpheus has never been a killer, but sometimes his duties demand it. He goes to kill Lyta to prevent the Kindly Ones destroying the Dreaming. If it is Johanna blocking him instead of Thessaly, their motives align. Johanna would protect Lyta for the simple fact that she won’t let a supernatural creature harm a human (as much as she can - sorry Kevin), and Morpheus, being hesitant about killing anyway, would be easily talked out of it by Johanna. “Find another way to save the Dreaming, I won’t let you harm her.”

It just adds an emotional weight that isn’t there with Thessaly, who only protects Lyta because she made a deal with the Kindly Ones in exchange for more centuries of life - an ironic request when Morpheus (and Death) are keeping Hob Gadling alive simply so he can be Dream’s BFF.

It just works for me. Scrap the “no mortals” rule and you can have them have the messy disastrous relationship that doesn’t work out. It is far more believable that Johanna Constantine could break Dream’s heart - she’s already a known heartbreaker in the show (sorry Rachel). It’s a doomed love story a modern audience can get behind, makes sense, the actors already have insane sexual chemistry, and it could definitely hit all those story beats needed to get the show to a version of the Kindly Ones whilst also actively improving it.

I may first and foremost be a Dreamling shipper, but talking in terms of canon I very much want Morpheus to have a passionate short-lived heart breaking affair with Johanna. Fuck Thessaly. Keep her relegated to comic canon. Morphanna all the way.

And THAT is how we fix the problem with Thessaly.

[scrumptiouswordsthings]

Jessamy in The Sandman

Before I dive in too far - a quick run down of Jessamy in both the comics and the Netflix show (think of it as a refresher).

Comics Jessamy appears only for a short time in Issue #29 "Thermidor" where Dream asks assistance from Lady Constantine during the 1700s in a task. If you haven't read the comics I won't spoil you for the task request. She retires from Dream's service and joins several other of Dream's previous ravens in Eve's cave. She does appear in The Dreaming comics that are a direct spin-off of The Sandman as well, but overall isn't a large part of Dream's story.

Show Jessamy is only in Episode 1, "Sleep of the Just". She accompanies Dream into the Waking World when he is summoned and imprisoned. She proceeds to hang around for years before dying in a clever attempt to help free Dream from Burgess's basement. We see her death on screen, and her echoes are felt throughout the entire first season.

In short, Jessamy's place in the story shifted quite a bit for the Netflix adaptation.

There are plenty of theories on why and arguments on whether or not her use in the show consitutes a plothole, but I am just here to say that while I hated to see her go I thought her time on screen was much more effective than her time on the page. I had to search for where she had shown up in the comics, but I couldn't forget her on screen. To be fair, a part of that now is just the difference between the amount of material we have available on screen versus in the comics, but even once we have more episodes I think that will remain true.

She's sweet in the comics, but without speaking a word she mastered capturing hearts on screen. I do want to emphasize that while her death acts as a shock and reveals emotions in Dream for the first time on screen I do not think she was used just as a sacrificial character. The show leans heavily on the fact that "Dream of the Endless always has a Raven." and Jessamy is the first the audience sees. She establishes the status quo going forward for these ravens. Without her loyalty, perseverance, and determination I don't think the actions of later ravens (*cough* Matthew *cough*) would have the same impact. Jessamy is what Matthew must live up to - she left a big beak to fill not only for Matthew but also Dream's other subjects.

Also, the episodic element of comics may translate well to episodes of a show, but a show tends adhere to linearity a tad more than written stories must. Having a more sequential set-up for Dream's ravens will assist in allowing the audience to track the sequence of events - especially if we get as many different glimpses of the past in future episodes as I expect.

I'm guessing there are even more reasons for the change from comic to screen for Jessamy and her place in The Sandman's greater story, but again - I found the choices they made on screen powerful and evocative for Jessamy as a character. I had nothing against her before, but the show has entrenched a staunch love for her in my Sandman heart.

(One of my favorite articles on Matthew and Jessamy from Screenrant)

[omgthatdress]

Nanea’s School Dress is a pinafore-style dress that was popular at the time.

The print is a pink-and-teal tropical floral. Having dug around a lot in the history of Hawaiian prints, I’m left frustrated. Not so much by the dress itself, but by the fact that I don’t have enough references to tell if the pattern is authentic or not.

Hawaiian print goes back to the 1920s, when the tourism industry in Hawaii really got underway. Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of individual people and shops claiming to have made it first, so it looks like a case of a bunch of people having the same idea at the same time. Japanese fabric printers at the time used wax resist-dyed fabric to make kimonos, and tailors began adapting that fabric to make bright, colorful shirts. Soon, the more traditional Japanese prints began including colorful florals and patterns inspired by traditional Hawaiian barkcloth tapa, and a booming industry got underway. Then, Pearl Harbor happened. The Japanese printers were put out of business and sent to internment camps. Soon, printers from the mainland rushed in to make a buck filling the gap using silk screen prints. After the war, tourism came back with a vengeance, and the designer Alfred Shaheen set up shop, adding neon-bright colors and mid-century atomic design elements to the mix. Hawaiian print as we know it today was born.

The trouble is, there’s obviously a pretty big discrepancy with pre and post-war prints, but I haven’t been able to really get a good enough look at extant pre-war prints to be able to say very much about it.

One of the kind of stereotype-y things about Nanea’s collection is that it’s ALL tropical print. While Hawaiian women certainly did dress with a local flavor, they also wore plenty of non-tropical stuff, too.

On another note, I absolutely fucking adore her little espadrilles! This style of shoe started ouy among Spanish peasants in the Pyrenees mountains, but were popularized in the 1930s by shoe-maker Salvatore Ferragamo. They were lightweight and comfortable and perfect for summer wear.

Anyone who remembers 9/11 will remember the “remember 9/11″ kitsch that turned up everywhere later. Pearl Harbor was no different. Part of it was cashing in on a very public tragedy, part of it was recognizing the trauma that everyone had just lived through, creating patriotic national unity, and justifying the war that was about to come. Patriotic “Remember (an actual pearl or piece of mother-of-pearl) Harbor” pins were a popular accessory when WW2 began. It may have led to a nightmare after 9/11, but nobody is going to say that American entering WW2 wasn’t justified.

(Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library)

[livefromphilly]

Sony A7CII Thoughts After Two Months

PROS:

The A7C was already one of my favorite cameras of all time and this improves on it a lot more than I thought when just seeing the specs. The added front dial alone makes it many times easier to control than the older model, and lets me use my typical Sony setup that I’ve grown accustomed to (aperture on front dial, shutter speed on rear dial, and ISO on the scroll wheel). 

This is the quickest operating Sony camera I’ve owned. I think they kind of lulled me into forgetting how fast cameras can be going from off to on and taking photos. The A7RII was slow as heck with each subsequent model I’ve owned getting faster and faster (A7III to A7C to A7RIV). This new Sony is at a level of speed that makes it hard to go back to using the A7RIV which I still own (for now). 

The autofocus is superb. I still haven’t really put it through its paces since I got the camera in the winter and the lack of light plus uncooperative weather has made it tricky to go out and shoot, but from what I have shot it’s nearly flawless. It’s way better than any camera I’ve owned before. It also has some really neat autofocusing modes, like the ability to focus on the eyes of birds. I’m not really around birds close up all that often but it worked really well at an exotic bird place in Jersey I went to recently. 

The camera is 33 megapixels, which is a nice compromise between feeling like it’s sometimes too much (61) or too little (24). 

The in-body image stabilization is really good. It’s certainly the best I’ve used in any camera so far…although to be fair I’ve never used a Nikon/Canon/Fuji/Olympus body with IBIS, only Ricoh (GRIII), Panasonic (GX7 and GX85), and Sony. 

It can lower the shutter when switching lenses so dust doesn’t get in there. Not gonna lie it seems kind of dangerous and something that could potentially damage the shutter, but so far it’s kept the dust out. 

CONS:

The viewfinder isn’t great. I’ve never really been an EVF snob since I’ve been shooting on mirrorless EVFs for over a decade now (I had a V1 back in 2013), but going from the A7RIV to this makes it kind of stick out. I also recently handled an A7RV, which really blows it out the water. With autofocus lenses it’s no problem, but using manual focus lenses is more difficult. On the plus side, it automatically goes into peaking mode when you manually focus, even when using adapted lenses or lenses without electrical contacts. 

The camera only has one card slot. Not a huge dealbreaker considering every other camera I own aside from my A7RIV is the same in that regard. A second slot even if it was a micro would have been great though. A nice thing about the A7RIV is that I’ve never left home without a memory card because even if I forget one there’s always another in there. 

No joystick. Again, not completely necessary but it’s nice to have. Most of my subjects aren’t humans (or animals, or other things that the camera can instinctively detect) so there are plenty of times I want to position the focus point myself. 

Slow flash sync and shutter speed. This camera is like the A7C before it in that it only flash syncs up to 1/160. It also only shoots up to 1/4000.

Still don't love the flip screen because it makes quick waist-level shooting a pain in the ass. I wish they went with the A7RV style screen.

Speaking of, all the new perks on this camera make me want to use it a ton more than my A7RIV, but it also makes me want to get an A7RV. Maybe I'll sell my X100V since the prices are nuts right now...

SAMPLE PHOTOS:

Sony 85mm f/1.8 | ISO: 250, f/2.8, 1/125 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/160 sec

Sony 85mm f/1.8 | ISO 5000, f/1.8, 1/50 sec

Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 @ 20mm | ISO 3200, f/2.8, 1/125 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 100, f/2, 1/160 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 12800, f/2, 1/50 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 100, f/2.2, 1/640 sec

Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 @ 32mm | ISO 320, f/2.8, 1/20 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 100, f/1.8, 1/500 sec

Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 @ 37mm | ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/40 sec

Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM w/ K&F Concept Black Diffusion 1/4 Filter | ISO 8000, f/1.4, 1/50 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 250, f/1.8, 1/125 sec

Sony Zeiss 55mm f/1.8 | ISO 250, f/2, 1/125 sec

Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8  @ 20mm | ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/40 sec

Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM | ISO 8000, f/1.6, 1/50 sec

Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 @ 20mm | ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/320 sec

[deuterosapiens]

Just left Dune Part Two.

Damn.

Okay, so, yes, I've read the book and I've had certain particular expectations for this one, which I will politely say are quite thoroughly met.

One major note is that in the book, there is a major timeskip during which Chani and Paul have a son, Jessica's daughter is born, and so forth. This timeskip is not included, which is all well and good because it does not require me to deal with the death of young Leto, or the utter terror that is seeing Alia on-screen (again, damn the 1984 version is weird).

I'm not sure how this movie will look to someone who hasn't read the luck, but luckily for me, I'm taking two guinea pigs with me in a few days who've only seen the first film, so I'll be eager to have their opinions.

I'm just gonna to drop an incredible amount of praise on Austin Butler. This guy was terrifying!

A mild issue with Dune as a property is that, unfortunately, by necessity, you have to confront the question of conveying complex internal monolog and non-verbal dialog. The 1984 film chose extensive voice-over, Part One chose to convey these elements through conversation and scenery. No clue how the sci-fi miniseries does this because I haven't been able to find a copy that won't cost a day's worth of spice-harvesting to watch. Part Two does take the voice-over approach, but in their defense, there is basically no way to convey Alia and Jessica's conversations without it being really, really weird.

I'm glad this adaptation chose to approach the subject of just how weirdly sexual the Bene Gesserit's plans are. Shout-out to Feyd-Rautha's really, really weird gom jabbar scene and the Lady Fenrig's acquisition of the aforementioned na-Baron's DNA.

Yes, Arrakis looks gorgeous, but I love the entire Giedi Prime sequence. I'm reminded heavily of Villeneuve's Arrival, actually, stylistically. It's a small detail but I find myself thinking of those fireworks quite a bit; there's no reason for them to have been so "ink-in-water" rather than strict pyrotechnics, but damn I loved that.

This was, without a doubt, a very, very good follow-up, and a tightly stylized, but worthy adaptation. I'm not saying I'm ready for Dune Messiah, since certain changes to this film will ripple into that one, and force quite a bit of additional changes which might inevitably result in a good film, but a less-accurate adaptation. Villeneuve needs a break, perhaps to work on something a bit smaller. Three back-to-back Dune films cannot be good on a director's sanity, no matter how much love there is for the project (of which it's clear there's plenty).

[adamwatchesmovies]

Unstoppable (2010)

No matter how spectacular or unbelievable, real events need a few key qualities to be worthy of a film adaptation. The real-life CSX 8888 incident meets all the criteria. With two charismatic leads, loads of twists and turns that raise the stakes and some good old-fashioned thumbing at the man, Unstoppable packs a lot of entertainment in its 98-minute running time.

At the Fuller Yard in northern Pennsylvania, the engineer (Ethan Suplee) jumps out of his locomotive to change an incorrectly aligned track, accidentally leaving the unattended train with the throttle at full speed. By the time yardmaster Connie Hooper (Rosario Dawson) realizes they have a runaway train filled with explosive materials barreling down the track, the only people who might be able to stop it are veteran railroad engineer Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington) and Will Colson (Chris Pine), a young train conductor.

If there’s one aspect of the film that will make or break it for you, it’s Tony Scott’s trademark, frenetic camerawork. There are constantly helicopters circling the 777 locomotive and the film is often shot from the perspective of a news reporter on one of those helicopters, which means there are a lot of unsteady shots, particularly when things get intense. Although I can’t say I was too fond of this choice, news footage-like camerawork is appropriate for a film based on true events. There are small bits of writing here and there that might also rub you the wrong way (the ultimate fate of the man who left his post, for example) but they’re minor issues when we consider everything the film does well.

Denzel Washington and Chris Pine are great as the heroes. Both of the actors have charisma to spare and play well off of each other. Each is given their own miniature story (with everything that’s going on with the train there’s not much room for too much else) and their own arcs together as a team. It’s just enough for you to care about them and worry about whether they will save the day… even before you realize the magnitude of the disaster that awaits everyone should they fail to stop the train. They seem like imperfect but perfectly relatable guys, the kind you could easily see at your weekend BBQ. The same can’t be said about the higher-ups we see throughout the film. Some might say they’re over-the-top but from my experience in the workforce, they're not so exaggerated. Even before the movie starts you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that AWVR’s vice-president won’t listen to Frank and Will and within the movie, you understand why, which makes him less cartoonish - though no less sympathetic.

We have a decent foundation with the great actors and easily grokable characters but ultimately, this film is about the train and the peril it represents. This is the kind of movie that’s always throwing some new wrench at our protagonists. Once Unstoppable gets going, it just never stops… sort of like the train itself. Thankfully, our heroes are smart and resourceful. Their plans always seem more likely to succeed than the ones the authorities propose. Seriously, some of the tactics they come up with are so ridiculous and obviously flawed that you’d laugh them off the screen… if this was a work of pure fiction.

Unstoppable would be a great movie to sit down and watch with your dad. It’s got plenty of tension, the stakes are high, the antagonists are easy to dislike, you’re eager to cheer for the heroes, and the energy throughout makes its running time fly by like nothing. It’s just an all-around solid piece of entertainment. (On Blu-ray, January 14, 2022)

[everyonestearoom]

Dear Everyone's Tea Room,

First off, thanks for answering my ask regarding what you answer.

Secondly, my genuine ask for you is would you love to see more animated works of the Ah!/Oh! My Goddess series? While I am grateful for having the OVAs, film, and series with us, and of course the manga, I am itching for more stories of these characters brought to motion and sound. What would you prefer: A reboot series going back to adapting chapter one, more OVAs that pick up where the last series left off on, an adaptation of its Job Hunting spin-off manga, or maybe none at all because we have plenty now and the chance of souring the franchise with mediocre works?

I'd love to hear what you can say.

Have a Gorgeous Night (Typed @ midnight, btw). = }

I would love to see more animated adaptations! There's huge portions of the manga that have never been adapted to screen, like the Queen Sayoko arc, the Velsper arc, or especially the Niflheim arc. I'd like to see an anime of those, and other arcs. Whether it's a TV anime, an OVA, or whatever!

[pochapal]

Higurashi is primarily psychological horror and a bit of body horror. And a mystery. As much if not more mystery than horror but there's a segment of the fandom, primarily anime only Higurashi fans, who ignore the mystery in favor of "yandere murder lolis". They usually miss some important thematic bits and are often factually wrong about things that actually were shown on screen but were left for the viewer to understand the meaning of through context and other facts shown earlier (or later).

The censorship I'm not familiar with. I'm used to the original slightly dodgy translation with PS3 graphics though not anything that was specifically written for the console.

I should clarify I'm not accusing the ENTIRE anime only crowd for Higurashi of missing the point. I'm just saying that the anime only crowd is primarily where they're found. Plenty of the anime only crowd understands it just fine.

that's really interesting actually! higurashi being a more dedicated horror-mystery adds dimension to and complements the "nature and purpose of horror" discussion that i just read in umineko! i'm curious to see if this meditation on genres is something that's recurring in some form or another throughout ryukishi07's works.

and the curse of a visual novel with a highly successful anime adaptation strikes again lol. the only problem with time-limited visual media with a slow-burn like mystery or psychological horror is that these elements don't Work at all in a 20 minute episode window. i think i'd hate to try and adapt any kind of story like these into a more constrained format. especially anime since for some reason the mere ontological properties of anime make a good portion of people switch their brains off, which is the last thing you'd want to do with a compelling mystery story lol.

[denimbex1986]

'Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is a monster of a film. At over three hours, the movie is chock-full of story, and doesn't waste a second of its run time. For a movie so tightly produced and cut, one would assume that the film was edited to within an inch of its life, with plenty left in the editor's suite. Not so, according to its star Cillian Murphy, who told us that there would be no deleted scenes for Oppenheimer, with Nolan having such concrete views on how his most important film to date should play.

Speaking with Collider's Steve Weintraub, who asked what scenes were left out, Murphy revealed that there was absolutely nothing taken out of the movie, as Nolan has such a clear idea for his cinematic vision that he leaves nothing on the cutting room floor beyond concept arts or shots. Murphy, a veteran of six Nolan films to date, explained that the script was on the screen, with no time wasted or energy expended on extraneous details.

"There’s no deleted scenes in Chris Nolan movies," said Murphy. "That’s why there are no DVD extras on his movies because the script is the movie. He knows exactly what’s going to end up– he’s not fiddling around with it trying to change the story. That is the movie."

His Dark Knight trilogy is the closest we've come to seeing things left out, which can be pinned down to the fact he is adapting comic books into films. However, the majority of items left out of films certainly appear to be concept art, if not much else. Snippets of footage have certainly appeared in making-of documentaries, or behind-the-scenes books. Nolan's philosophy, as the director has previously noted, is that deleted scenes can remove the mystique from a film, leading to questions about what was left out of a film, rather than what's actually in it, and that he prefers to shoot as little extraneous footage as he can.

Disappointing For the DVD Crowd

This isn't the first time we've had confirmation that Nolan doesn't leave much out of his films, as the director even stated himself to MTV.com back in 2012 after the release of The Dark Knight Rises: "I tend to try and weed things out on paper because it’s crazy expensive to shoot things that aren’t going to be in the film,” he explained. “It also takes up a lot of time and energy. Pretty much with all my films, there are very few deleted scenes, which always disappoints the DVD crowd."'

[vodkaskys]

FANFIC REC: pretend

From the start  (Louis has no idea that one act of kindness will cause his life to spiral out of control. But that's what happens when his new friend fake proposes to him and a video of it goes viral.) (32k)

From the start(Traducción) 

Peaches and cream (Louis is allergic to peaches, Harry smells like peaches. Louis just came for the money.) (64k)

Peaches and cream(Traducción) 

Adore you (Vaguely set in the 1920’s. Headpieces, jazz, fashionable canes, and flapper dresses, and that.) (66k)

Let our hearts collide (When Harry, a lonely transit worker, saves the life of the handsome commuter he's been secretly pining for, an innocent mistake results in Liam Payne's family believing that Harry is engaged to their son. In the Paynes, Harry finds the big family he's always longed for...and a love he never saw coming.) (76k)

Wild love ( Two best friends try to date each other for forty days. It's supposed to be fun until emotions make it complicated.) (130k)

And then a bit ( Harry and Louis fake a relationship for publicity. Eventually it becomes a lot less fake and a lot more real.) (158k)

And then a bit(Traducción) 

Flash (Harry es fotógrafo. Louis se siente solo. Están en una boda. No se conocen. Ninguno de los dos quiere estar ahí.)

Whatever Floats Your Boat (When Harry's mother convinces him to attend his ex's wedding, he must enlist support in the form of his handsome and charming best friend, flatmate and convincing fake boyfriend, Louis. With Louis by his side, the ever present sun and the plenty of open bars, an all expenses paid week long cruise doesn't seem like the worst he could do.) (24k)

white winged dove (Louis isn't expecting it when his parents drag him back to the life of aristocracy that he had left behind three years ago. Pressured to marry in order to save his family from financial and social ruin, Louis finds himself caught between wanting to be selfish and doing what he needs to do for the sake of his sisters, if no one else.Befriending Prince Harry of Wales was not part of that plan, and neither was joining him in an elaborate ruse to fool the country and more importantly, their parents.Marrying him had not been a part of the plan at all.) (100k)

This charade (was never going to last) (On the surface, CitizenX, an international caritative nonprofit, looked like any other nonprofit, funding humanitarian missions worldwide and striving to make the world a better place, one donation at a time.At least, that was what Harry thought, until he was hired as a computer specialist for a spinoff agency called carish, whose true purpose was to reveal CitizenX’s tangled web of lies.As if the whole ‘industrial spy’ business was not stressful enough, Harry found himself in a hatred-at-first-sight relationship with one of his new coworkers, Louis, a man intent on detesting Harry.When the worst happened and Harry and Louis found themselves thrown together in hiding, with only each other to rely on, Harry never could have predicted the turn their relationship would take.Nor could he anticipate that it would all be taken away from him and he would have to decide how far he was willing to go to get Louis back.) (68k)

Last Hope (Louis Tomlinson just wanted to go to sleep until Hot Neighbor Guy asked him for a very mysterious favor. Now he has to stay awake while convincing the most sought out couples therapist that he is in love with Harry Styles.) (1k)

Visions Of A Life (Harry Styles wants nothing more than to be a part of the adaptation of his favorite book and Louis Tomlinson is casually looking for another film to star in. They end up getting casted to play lovers on screen, but behind the cameras, they cannot stand each other. Then months after filming has officially finished, they are forced to date for publicity, no thanks to a video of them becoming popular amongst all the fans. It sounds like a brilliant idea, doesn't it? They acted as boyfriends before, so they should be able to do it again under slightly different circumstances. At least they all hope so.) (86k)

English Football: History in the Making ( another Football AU absolutely nobody asked for) (31k)

Playin' It Safe and Breakin' The Rules ( the One Where Maybe this Fake Relationship Gets a Little Too Real.) (90k)

i'm gonna keep this love, if you let me (Louis makes Harry pretend to be his boyfriend one night out. The rest is history.Here she is! My entry for the 2021 1daboficfest :)Title is from "Burning" by Maggie Rogers.) (26k)

Pretending we're not in love ( Harry and Louis get a year off work and decide to explore North America. What happens when they get drunk in vegas and get married? What happens when they forget to tell their families for a month and now they have to go to christmas together? What happens when they decide to pretend they are not together?) (9k)

Be My Dandelion (Supposedly, what you write on your skin, appears on your soulmate’s. What happens when a few things get in the way and Louis and Harry are too oblivious to notice?) (57k)

Glitter in the sky, glitter in our eyes (What happens when a Duke who will only marry for love and a courtesan who only sells it create a public ruse? Well, nothing boring for sure. An Edwardian AU.) (59k)

Chestnuts Roasting... And All That (Louis is apparently the only person at his new job who is single as can be. It’s not a big deal to just tell his new colleagues that he has a boyfriend, right? Until he has to make this imaginary boyfriend magically appear at the office holiday party. Cue fake relationship antics with a certain someone who is more than willing to play along.) (46k)

Find You Home (When Louis lies to his family and says he’ll bring his new boyfriend home for Christmas, his best friend and roommate Harry agrees to play the part. It’s that, or be left alone over the holidays.What will happen? No one knows! Perhaps Santa will swoop in with a Christmas miracle.Featuring lovesick idiots, kissing and cuddling, pies and Christmas clichés.) (35k)

the frost covers all ( a friends-to-lovers/fake relationship when harry needs a boyfriend for a family thing, and louis obliges.) (19k)

When You're Smiling (and Astride Me) ( Harry, Niall, and Zayn are in an up and coming indie band, White Eskimo. Liam is Harry's best friend. Louis is a writer who only signed on for an interview, but ends up getting much more than he bargained for.) (48k)

Just For Me (Harry is a supermodel with a fake boyfriend. Louis is the captain and star forward of Manchester United with a fake girlfriend. They should have no problem having a completely platonic lunch between friends.) (9k)

Be My Dandelion (Supposedly, what you write on your skin, appears on your soulmate’s. What happens when a few things get in the way and Louis and Harry are too oblivious to notice?) (57k)

[pix-writes]

Detachment

Dave York ficlet | Writers’ Iron Chef #10

Words: ~560 | no warnings, (kind-of dave x reader)  

[PROMPT] Half the names on the list have already been crossed off.

A/N: I’ve never tried to write under a time limit in so long! I’m fairly slow but I’ve wanted to at least try my hand at it again for lissie’s writers’ iron chef and I couldn’t let go of this one, seeing it as a way to get to write Dave for the first time! (I had way more scenes I wanted to write for this pop up in my brain, but ran out of time ofc ^_^’) Hope you enjoy!

He sat back in the office chair hearing the faint squeak of the leather protesting against the pressure of his shoulders.

"Half of the names on the list have already been crossed off."

He hummed. A noncommittal sound. 

 "What's our best option?"

 It was a question but not exactly one that needed to be answered, but he thought it best when his team ran through things together. His mind habitually moved ahead, running down different potential avenues for what could come his way.

 He had seen the potential targets profiles, read the intelligence that showed him their lives, on paper, digitally and any gaps therein. And from what was available to him and what was not they cultivated information to gain insight into their personalities, loves, hates, flaws, weaknesses, strengths, secrets…

One in particular caught his awareness.

It was a vague recollection...

When they had first started this team they had looked out for a forensic specialist. There were plenty of candidates, one in particular was fairly fresh in the job and if it had been up to him you would've been hired. Unfortunately, he wasn't the boss and his previous employer had decided that it was better to focus funds on other things. 

Newer, younger people in expert positions, at least in their field of work, tended to get looked over for the more older veterans. The college graduates were either too inexperienced or too cocksure and either way that could be dangerous. Dave had seen no reason to discard your application, though, his own screening had shown that you were diligent, adaptable and had enough pragmatism and determination in both your personality and career to be responsible. Perhaps even more than this team.

(At least under its former boss.)

He supposed the only other reason it was overlooked was your connections and the fact that you were overseas. And it was the very reason you were possibly in danger right now.

Dave had a cool, detached way of working. Of thinking. It came with the job, he supposed, but he also enjoyed it. It gave him a sense of freedom.

Though he felt further and further away from being detached, recently.

 After all, he had already decided to help you. 

And as he shifted back to an upright posture and addressed his team, to close up their plans he considered for the first time how quiet the house was. That was part of this change in his outlook, he supposed. Carol had taken the girls on vacation, to see her side of the family.

He admired just how much she had fit into his life. Into the cover of a family man working for the FBI. Keeping up appearnaces for both their benefit. Probably the only one to get close enough to him but not see the whole picture.

There were still the sounds of humming appliances, the whir of the fan and one of the neighbours mowing a lawn, but the absence of life in the house left a hollow feeling in his stomach.

"Sir, you might want to take a look at this."

He opened the link. Figured. "Well, looks like they're moving in faster than our predicted schedule. If everyone's clear on what they're doing and what assets they've been assigned to, let's get to work."

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

Every once in a while, I gather all my courage and open my Facebook to see what boils my guts this time and the winner of today’s evening is “MCU died with Iron Man” and listen *cracks her knuckles* strap in cause we’re in for a ride. Before we get into it - yes, this is my opinion and you’re more than welcome to disagree.

MCU has its problems, it undeniably has - I wouldn’t want to get into the bigger ones since I’m still educating myself (biggest issue marvel did and I disagree with is whitewashing characters for the MCU’s needs) but to be honest, even if there’s much more content to keep up with (movies x series at the same time), I was never happier to watch the stories unfold.

My personal favorite is Ms. Marvel aka Kamala Khan - I’ve came across her in the Avengers game and immediately, I ran off to buy some comics to read about her because she’s so fricking cool. When I saw first trailer for Love and Thunder and realized that Taika is about to adapt the Mighty Thor arc on screen, I almost lost my shit because Jane’s story is one of the most meaningful ones I’ve ever read. I’ve never heard about Moon Knight (I just knew that somehow Dracula owns him money) but going through the adaptation of Steve, Marc and Jake’s story left me breathless and eager for more, so I learned about the ever changing adaptions of Moon Knight. MoM making Wanda the villain and introducing America - chef’s kiss. Sam Wilson officially becoming Captain America - YESSS!!! Shang-Chi made me laugh so hard I cried because home girl Awkwafina was slaying so fucking hard. Now, I’m just waiting for Miles Morales officially appearing there (yes I know about the Spider-Verse) and I’ll be more than happy to die. And Loki? Loki was a fun trip down the memory lane sprinkled with new lore which I super enjoyed! And who could complain about No Way Home?

So no, no, no - the MCU didn’t die with Iron Man. And it won’t. There’s plenty more to come and to explore various characters from various settings. The problem for the people is that there’s not just five dudes and Nat in tight spandex to follow around but a lot of ministories of distinguishible characters to follow. And I love each second of it.